#FitFruitFriday - Healthy Eating Food Swaps

We've been experiencing some more than decent weather here in London and May Day Bank Holiday is approaching fast (Hurrah!) But it's made all of us here at your favourite office fruit supplier pretty wary of our bikini bodies. Here's our favourite food swaps to help us fight the cravings, keep down calories and have us all looking less apple and pear shaped (but just as delicious!)

Swap Chips                             For Sweet Potato Fries

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Chips (or French Fries) are the ultimate comfort food but while you are loving the taste they are hating your body! With around 350 calories for a medium serving, you're much better off with angelically light (and amazing tasting) baked sweet potato fries that barely weigh in at 180 calories.

Swap Jelly Sweets            For Dried Cranberries

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Both are sweet treats but only one is packed with natural sugars, fibre, antioxidants and count as one of your five - or seven! - a day. (If you haven't guessed which one yet, you should be chowing down on cranberries)

Swap Sugary Cereal            For Fruit Topped Porridge

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Most cereals boast wholegrain nowadays but they keep quiet about their sugar content and how they'll only keep you full for about an hour or so - just in time for you to succumb to elevenses! However, oat porridge is a great source of fibre and protein which will keep you going until lunchtime and beyond. Easy to prepare at work in the microwave, just top with fruit - anything from berries to bananas - from your office fruit supplier and you've enjoyed a serving or two of fruit before 9am!

Swap Orange Juice              For Whole Oranges

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You may be thinking: "Fruit for the Office, aren't these the exact same thing?" Definitely not! When oranges are squeezed into juice they lose almost all of their filling fibre but retain all of the sugar, leaving you with a high sugar beverage with barely any of the goodness. Solid food as well as chewing will also help you feel a lot fuller than if you drink your fruit.

Swap Yoghurt Pots        For Greek Yoghurt with Fruit

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Don't be drawn in by fancy packaging and promises made by Gok Wan adverts - low-fat yoghurt pots touted as a godsend by dieters are often hiding some dirty secrets - most notably sky-high sugar content and added ingredients. Greek yoghurt is so much better for you as long as you choose a low-fat and low-sugar variety, which almost always comes naturally but be wary of some brands and check the nutritional values and ingredients. It's filling, good for you and can be topped with so many varieties of fruit, our favourites at Fruit for the Office being honey and banana or strawberry and blueberry. Greek yoghurt (or natural yoghurt) also comes in big tubs so it's normally more cost-effective than buying multipacks of often psuedo-healthy yog pots!


Tweet us @office_fruit and let us know your favourite healthy food swap and we'll be sure to retweet you! Or leave us a comment below and we may feature your favourites on another of our blogs.

#FitFruitFriday - Healthy Paleo Protein Pancakes Recipes

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At Fruit for the Office HQ, it's unanimous that pancakes are the best of the best when it comes to breakfast food.

And we're not talking about those thin, flimsy crepe pancakes - oh no - we're dreaming of their big, chunky, fluffy, melt-in-the-mouth American counterparts. 

Of course, these babies have had to sit tight in our subconscious as our new years resolutions put such delicacies on an indefinite hiatus.

But this was until we discovered the wonderful world of paleo pancakes: pancakes which are good for you and packed full of our favourite fruits. Control yourself, people, because we're about to share the secret to the world's best breakfast (Don't say we aren't good to you)

Lemon, Raspberry and Strawberry Pancakes

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups very fine ground blanched almond flour 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs 
• 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raspberries
• 1/4 cup strawberries
• Butter or oil for frying

Method:

End of Three Fitness - Paleo Lemon Berry Pancakes Recipe

Banana Oat Pancakes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups milk (nut or dairy)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• butter or oil for frying

Method:

Beauty That Moves - Banana Oat Pancake Recipe

Apple, Banana and Cinnamon Pancakes

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Ingredients: 

• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 peeled apple, diced small
• 2 tbs almond butter
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Butter or oil for frying

Method:

Paleo Newbie - Apple Cinnamon Banana Pancake Recipe

Paleo is essentially a low/no carbohydrate diet - also referred to as the caveman diet due to it's emphasis on cutting out processed food and grains.

It's really easy to stick to and has a huge focus on 5-a-day, so start hoarding the spoils from your office fruit box before the other fitness warriors in your office catch wind of your pancake plans...

Tweet us @office_fruit with your favourite fruit pancake toppings and we'll get searching for the perfect recipe for you! Also, let us know in the comments if you want some more fruity paleo recipes for other meals - we'd be happy to oblige once we've finished our third stack of pancakes.

#FitFruitFriday - Easy Detox Diet Fruit Smoothies

It's been just over a fortnight since we rung in the new year which means that just under a fortnight ago, you probably broke all your new year's resolutions!

The famous "lose weight/get fit" resolution is always the one to be broken first thanks to gloomy January weather confiding us to warm beds, hot desserts and running shoes stored behind rain boots.

But, a smoothie can be the perfect way to stick to your mantra in 2014! They're sweet, creamy and make your insides feel fantastic - which is more than you can say for that entire apple lattice you consumed because you were sure it would count for at least one of your 5-a-day.

All of these recipes can be made with items delivered by your office fruit supplier and a cheap hand blender - so they're easy and quick to make before work for a healthy commute breakfast or even in the office kitchen on your lunch break!

Also, if you're not a dairy person - be it for diet, taste or moral reasons - all the dairy products in these recipes can be substituted for the same quantities of soya milk/yoghurt, almond milk, coconut milk etc.


Strawberry Banana 
A sweet classic that'll remind you of a milkshake

• 1 banana
• 240ml skimmed milk
• handful of crushed ice
• 180ml low-fat yoghurt (try strawberry or vanilla flavour for extra taste)
• 6 strawberries

Peanut Butter Banana Berry

Packed full of energy, this breakfast treat will see you through till lunch

• 1 banana
• 120ml skimmed milk
• 35g blueberries
• 35g raspberries
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon honey

The Ginger Banana Heal-All

Ginger is known to cure nausea, heartburn and indigestion - the perfect drink after all those big meals

• 1 banana
• 180ml low-fat vanilla or plain yoghurt 
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

Tropical Detox

With the work-out boosting addition of coconut water, this smoothie is great pre-gym

• 240ml coconut water (be sure to choose a variety with no added sugar)
• 240ml low-fat vanilla or plain yoghurt
• 140g fresh or frozen mango chunks
• 15ml fresh orange juice
• 2 handfuls crushed ice

Let us know your fit-friendly smoothie recipes in the comments below and you may see them in another edition of #FitFruitFriday!

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#FitFruitFriday - Healthy Fruit Breakfasts

Be it a chocolate-filled croissant with a large Frappuccino or the greasy temptation of a McMuffin, the commute to work can be a healthy eater's worst nightmare. Blame it on boredom or hormones for causing the cravings but the main culprit is always skipping a balanced breakfast. You may think skipping out on the most important meal of the day will help you onto the path of losing weight or that your cereal bar packed full of sugar will be enough to last you till noon but you couldn't be more wrong. Eating a great, fruit-filled breakfast keeps you fuller for longer and helps you on the path to looking and feeling your best. So, save yourself the money and the empty calories by giving to-go breakfasts the shove and start picking out the perfect porridge topping from your office fruit supplier.

• Porridge with fruit

Any type of fruit tends to go great with porridge, from blueberries and strawberries to bananas and raisins. If you're missing sprinkling sugar over your bowl of deliciousness then add a teaspoon of honey or add some cinnamon to perk you up.

• Fruit Salad

Needs no explanation - chop up whatever fruit you fancy from your office fruit box and scoff it down with whichever toppings you like. Easy peasy!

• Yoghurt with granola and fruit

Easy to whip up in a hurry and can even be enjoyed in a tupperware during the dreaded commute! Flavoured strained yoghurt or plain greek yoghurt always tastes the best with some sweet oaty granola. Here's our simple granola recipe that'll keep for a whole month:

1. Preheat oven to 150c/130c fan/gas mark 2
2. Mix 300g rolled oats, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 125ml maple syrup, 2 tbsp honey and 1 tsp of vanilla extract in a large bowl
3. Add any seeds or nuts you wish at this point e.g. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds
4. Tip onto two baking sheets ensuring it is spread evenly
5. Bake for 15 mins then add any dried fruits or unsweetened coconut you wish.
6. Bake for a further 10-15 mins before removing and leaving to cool
7. Once cool, store in an airtight container, ready to be enjoyed!

• Cottage cheese topped with fruit

Whether it be flavoured, plain, low-fat or full-fat, just top it with any assortment of fruit you like, along with some nuts or seeds too - for a protein & fibre-filled crunch!

• Banana Cocoa Pancakes

The Healthy Foodie has graced our tastebuds with this these angelic but sinfully delicious chocolate pancakes. We've omitted the recipe for the sauce so you'll have to go to her for that but we assure you it's just as delicious as you're imagining.

• ½ banana
• ½ cup coconut water
• ½ cup egg whites
• ½ cup spelt flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• A pinch of salt

1. Mix all ingredients together using a food processor
2. Coat a frying pan with cooking spray on a high heat
3. Pour a dollop onto the pan and once little bubbles form on the top, then flip.
4. Cook other side for approx 30 seconds then transfer to warm oven whilst you cook the rest
5. Stack them up and garnish with the low-fat chocolate sauce and raspberries/strawberries/bananas

What's your favourite healthy breakfast this new year? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @office_fruit with your most Instagram-worthy photos of your morning meal!

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