Hi everyone! I hope you’re well and you’ve had the most excellent festivities over Christmas. I’ve had a great one and I feel like i’m raring to go and all-set for 2020.

It’s going to be a year of huge change for us; with our first baby due in 7 weeks, I am feeling magnificently excited to meet our new addition. Growing a baby is hard work and I’ve needed so much fuel to ensure that I stay energised, nourished and healthy. A healthy Mummy equals a happy baby.

With this in mind, I’ve put together a little collection of my all-time favourite recipes that can be enjoyed (pregnant or not), to help achieve optimum, shiny wellness all year round! Over the past 6 years, I’ve made a fair few smoothies, juices, smoothie bowls, soups, bliss balls (the list goes on), and I am so excited to share them with you like this!

GREEN GENIE SMOOTHIE

As smoothies go, this one is truly a wish-granter! Packed with phytonutrients, oh-so hydrating and super-duper energy-boosting; it’s the perfect blend to include in any morning ritual (or post work-out, which is what I intend to once the baby arrives). I love incorporating spirulina into my recipes and the added surreptitious and cheeky addition of spinach and kale is perfect for kids who don’t like greens! They’ll never know! A lush, green smoothie, a tonic for the body, loaded with essential nutrients and vitamins will get you firing on all cylinders and start your day with a bang! This delicious concoction will most certainly grant you 3 wishes and more!

Recipe: Makes 2 – 1 x ripe avocado, half a cucumber, 1 bunch of kale, 1 x tsp of spirulina powder, 1 x handful of spinach, 200ml of orange juice, 1 x small handful of sunflower seeds. Blend until smooth (I like to add some ice as well to make it really refreshing)

PITAYA & CHERRY SMOOTHIE BOWL

I. Can’t. Handle. The. Lushness! If you love all-things pink and fresh, you will LOVE this smoothie bowl as much as I do for sure! Fresh Pitaya can be quite tricky to get hold of so I use a mix of freeze-dried powder and fruit (when I can find it). Dragon fruit reminds me so much of my travels in South East Asia so it feels so wonderful to replicate this vibrant and wholesome smoothie bowl.

Fun Facts about Pitaya:

• Contains Lycopene which can help lower the risk of heart disease
• Loaded with B-vitamins, vitamin C and phosphorus
• Seeds contain omega-3 & 6 fatty acids
• Normalises blood sugar levels
• Great source of natural fibre

Recipe: Makes 4 banging bowls – 2 x cups of frozen cherries, 2 x dragon fruit (keep some back for decoration), 2 x tbsp of cacao nibs, 2 x frozen bananas, 2 x kiwi fruit (keep half back for decoration), 3 x tbps of coconut nectar, 3 x tbsp of coconut milk, 50ml of orange juice, 100ml of coconut water, 1 x tsp of freeze-dried pitaya powder (for extra PINK!). Blend until thick and creamy – add a little more coconut water if necessary to loosen the mixture slightly. decant into a coconut bowl and embellish with fruit and any other vibrant ingredients you have.

HOLY GUACAMOLE

Fresh, zesty, fragrant; my lip-smacking guacamole recipe has most certainly got it all going on! I quite frequently rustle-up this recipe and keep it in he fridge for when my snack-hand gets the better of me! Avocado is bursting with good fats and it seems to keep me full for a fair while. Atop some gluten-free crackers, a bean chilli (or simply on its own straight from the bowl), it’s the perfect go-to healthy snack to keep your energy levels up.

Maintaining consistent blood sugar is really important when it comes to overall health. When we fuel our bodies with nutritious and filling foods, we give it a helping-hand and this nutrilicious recipe will make you shine from the inside! What’s not to love!

Recipe: makes 4 portions – 3 x ripe avocados, the juice of 1 lime, 1 x bunch of fresh coriander, 1 x clove of garlic, 10 x cherry tomatoes (optional), salt & pepper to taste. Simply crush avos with a fork, crush the garlic clove and ‘rub’ with some salt to make a paste, add the lime juice and mix together, season to taste, cube the cherry toms and combine, roughly chop the coriander and mix well. Devour as is or fill a bean burrito and knock yourself out!

NO-BAKE GRANOLA BARS

I created this kick-ass granola recipe for a group of lovely ladies attending a New Moon Circle. The bars are gluten, dairy & refined sugar-free and they were all individually wrapped with paper and twine! Because, attention to detail (is my best friend/nemesis!)

The recipe can actually be tweaked to suit all tastes but I made it with festive-flavours in mind. You can pretty-much use any ingredients you have at home and as long as you give it enough time to chill in the fridge (to set), it really couldn’t be easier.

Creating homemade sweet treats such as these not only saves lots of money, there’s something very satisfying about knowing the provenance of your ingredients and there are no nasty preservatives, sugars, saturated fats etc.

Recipe: makes 8 bars.

Shopping list: Gluten free oats, dates, walnuts, goji berries, cranberries, coconut shavings, peanut butter, date syrup, coconut oil, ground cinnamon

Method: Preheat oven to 150. Mix 4 x cups of oats with 1 x cup of chopped walnuts and toast until lightly golden.

In a separate pan, heat-through half a cup of peanut butter, half a cup of date syrup & quarter of a cup of coconut oil.

Food process dates until broken-up (mine formed a ball) and you can soak in hot water first if they’re a bit hard. Mix all of these ingredients together until the dates are evenly distributed.

Add half a cup each of goji berries & cranberries to the mixture and combine.

I used a 22cm by 22cm square tin lined with cling film. Put all of the mixture in the tin making sure to press it in well with a cup or spoon (this will help it to set). Place in fridge or freezer for at least half an hour ready for cutting.

I cut my slab into 8 slices (5.5cm by 21cm). These are quite big so you could cut in half again to make some granola squares!

Keep in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

STRAWBERRIES & CREAM DREAM SMOOTHIE

You know that moment when the planets collide and you create the most DELICIOUS smoothie ever made? Well, this is it! Here it is! I can’t tell you how amazing this blend tastes – it’s an absolute riot of flavours I tell thee! All of your plant-based healthy snacking dreams have come true! You’re welcome.

Top Tip: Pop and leftover smoothie in an ice tray and freeze. These little cubes of iced joy can be used as the base for your next smoothie blend – I love doing this and it means that you will have fresh, healthy smoothies ready-to-go any time of day!

Recipe: makes 2 chalices of strawberry joy – 2 x cups of frozen strawberries, 2 x frozen bananas, 200ml of coconut water, 3 x tbsp of coconut nectar, 1 x tsp of pitaya powder, half a can of coconut water, 100g of cashews (optional, you can also use a vegan protein powder), some goji berries, desiccated coconut. Blend until creamy and luscious and enjoy!

JUST BEET IT JUICE

Earthy, grounding, healing and yummy! My Just Beet It juice really is something else! I have been a fan of creating fresh juices for a long time and it can actually be quite addictive! The process takes a little longer than blending smoothies but it’s well worth the extra effort.

I tend to make the base of all of my juices the same; (carrot, apple & celery), then I add various fruits (but mainly veggies), to make them unique! This one also contains beets & ginger for a little fiery kick! We all need a little kick sometimes! Ginger is so good for the liver and kidneys and it’s great for staving-off bugs during the winter months! I’ve been drinking copious amounts of hot lemon & ginger over the last few weeks.

Remember to: wash your fruit & veggies thoroughly before juicing. Give everything a good rinse before using in your juices, it’s a good habit to get into and it’ll ensure that any nasties are washed off (this is of particular importance during pregnancy)

Recipe: makes 1.5 litres of juice – 10 x medium carrots, 1 x head of celery, 6 x apples (green or red), 3 x fresh beets, 1 x 5cm piece of fresh ginger. Simply juice, decant into glass bottles and enjoy!

RAW PINK BERRY & PITAYA CHEESECAKE

No, your eyes do not deceive you, you really are looking at the prettiest pink raw cheesecake in all the land. I made 2 of these for my Wild & Wholesome Retreat back in June and they went down a storm! Would you believe that there are only 6 ingredients in this beauty and it’s completely gluten & dairy-free and it can be put together in under 30 minutes?!?

Well, it really does taste as good as it looks and it will make you feel amazing! One slice just isn’t enough for sure! As with my granola bar recipe, the base flavours are the same with my cheesecakes and the top layer can be altered to suit different tastes. My tropical version with mango and passionfruit is also a winner.

Top tip: soak cashews for at least 3 hours ahead of using for the creamiest nutty cream cheese (without the actual cheese, of course) – the longer they soak, the easier it is to create a smooth cream in the food processor.

Recipe: makes 1 x cheesecake (8 slices)

For the base:

•400g almonds, •200g dates, •2 tbsp raw cacao powder, •1/3 cup of melted coconut oil

For the topping:

•1kg cashews, •1 lemon, •2 tablespoons pitaya powder, •1 vanilla pod, •1 cup fresh raspberries, •half cup coconut oil, •half cup coconut nectar

Whatcha gotta do:

🌸 soak cashews for at least 3 hours 🌸 in food processor, process base ingredients and press mixture into 10″ oiled cake base with push able bottom 🌸 blend cashews until smooth and creamy 🌸 add lemon juice, nectar, oil and seeds from pod 🌸 take out 1/3 of mixture and layer on top of base 🌸 to remaining 2/3 add half of the pitaya powder and a handful of raspberries 🌸 layer on top of precious layer 🌸 add rest of pitaya powder and remaining raspberries (keep some back for decoration) and layer on top 🌸 refrigerate 🌸 remove from fridge 15 mins before serving 🌸 cut with warm knife and wipe clean before cutting each slice 🌸 serve with whipped coconut and lemon cream 🌸

WATERMELON & LIME SLUSHIE

It may be January and baby it’s cold outside but we can inject a bit of summertime into our lives with vibrant, colourful food. Watermelon is by-far one of my favourite fruits and in a smoothie or slushie, it tastes absolutely divine!

Watermelon is jam-packed full of lush micronutrients and during the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy, I was eating an entire melon to myself most days. Happy days! If you have children, it’s really fun to make melon ice pops with them. Simply blitz-up watermelon, add some coconut nectar and vegan chocolate chips and freeze. It’s such a simple hack and kids LOVE them.

Recipe: makes 2 servings – half a fresh, ripe watermelon, 2 a frozen bananas, 200ml cranberry juice, the juice of 1 lime, 3 x tbsp of coconut nectar, fresh mint (keep some back for decoration), ice. Blend until smooth and serve over crushed ice.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE SMOOTHIE BOWL

Chocolate Orange (flavoured anything) is not just for Christmas! This is lifelong commitment, people! I love chocolate and I love oranges so what better way to combine my love of these 2 things than by creating the most glorious smoothie bowl blend in the world! This recipe actually contains a hint of cinnamon too (as it’s my kind of breakfast ode to Chrimbo), but there’s no need to add this yummy spice if you’re not a fan.

Over the last few months, I’ve been really fortunate and I’ve received lots of delicious, vegan treats in the post from some amazing companies. I will be sharing all of my wholesome recipe soon and this is the first one I’ve made. Broma Foods Raw Cacao Chocolate Sauce with Orange is absolutely stunning! I think I might be hooked! Eating straight from the packet is totally acceptable when pregnant, right?!?

I love creating new and exciting recipes with the products I’m sent and this one really starts the day right; a wholesome and nourishing breakfast is the best way to ensure that our bodies and minds are ready for the day.

Recipe: makes 2 servings – 3 x tbsp of Broma Choccy Orange Sauce, 2 x frozen bananas, 3 x ripe, juicy oranges, 1 small handful of almonds, half a cup of gluten free oats (toasted if possible), a pinch of Himalayan salt, some goji berries, 1 x cup of orange juice, 1 x tsp of chia seeds, half a tsp of cinnamon, desiccated coconut, ice. Blend until thick and creamy and add your favourite toppings! Pimp that bowl, I dare you!

WATERMELON, MINT, BASIL & AVOCADO SALAD

As previously mentioned, I LOVE watermelon! Well, melon in any guise, quite frankly! Melon balls all-day long thank you very much! This cheeky salad is a favourite of mine and it’s so easy to assemble! Absolutely no cooking required and prep takes seconds! My kinda snack!

Fresh mint and ripe avocado really bring it to life; the watermelon is the star of the show however. I’ve actually seen juice made from the white pith of the watermelon (that’s for another day though I feel).

Recipe: makes 2 portions (side salads) – half a fresh, juicy watermelon (cubed), a huge bunch of fresh mint (chopped) & fresh basil (kind of torn, not chopped), 2 x ripe avocados, the juice of 1 lime, salt & pepper to taste (if you so wish). Simply assemble and make look pretty (then munch)…..

That’s it, folks! I hope you like 10 delicious recipes to begin 2020. They are all so fresh, vibrant and zesty and I don’t know about you but I am so looking forward to trying-out lots more wholesome recipes next year.

Wishing you all a very happy & healthy 2020 and thank you to each and every person for your continues support of me and Holly’s Wholesome Kitchen……I can’t wait to see what next year holds for my Kitchen but in the meantime, I shall be off having a baby and learning how to be the best Mum I can be to our little darling.

Keep up-to-date with all my latest recipes over on Instagram and right here on my website! I will also be having an amazing January Sale over on my SHOP too so go take a look and grab yourself a slice of self-care sunshine.

All my love and encouragement,

Holly HWK xxx