Wellness Newflash from Amilla Maldives – Feb 2022

The Way to the Heart

Sharing a meal with someone is time spent reconnecting, and there’s never a better time for a special meal than Valentine’s Day. Having brunch together at our island resort is an opportunity to spend time together talking about life and savouring different flavours.

The vital elements are:

• A place away from your work area, if you’re doing any work, as that can detract from the focus on each other
• Natural, fresh air that will also nourish your bodies
• Some trees, plants or lagoon blues nearby so you can take moments to reflect on nature
• Walking access – walking with your partner to breakfast itself is a way to talk without confrontation. Walking side by side removes any barriers that eye contact can bring
• Leaving your electronic devices at home – it’s one of the biggest commitments we can make to spending quality time with our loved one.   
   

Special Occasions Without Boundaries

When you follow a path to wellness through an eating lifestyle, celebrations such as Valentine’s Day could throw a curve ball at you. However this does not have to be the case, especially not at Amilla Maldives, with our special Wellness Your Way menus. But even at home, there are ways and means…

A meal for anyone with special dietary requirements or a special ‘eating lifestyle’ should not be thought of as ‘restrictive’ these days. When I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease more than 30 years ago you couldn’t even buy rice flour in the supermarket! There are now so many ingredients freely available.

Anyone who embraces an eating lifestyle must also embrace creative thinking about food, throwing away our old conventions and welcoming innovation. For example, the recipe for my macadamia chocolate truffles is an old family recipe that used to contain dairy and sugar. By simply substituting coconut cream, dark chocolate and erythritol, it is now both keto and vegan!

Romance from Breakfast to Bedtime

Hearth healthy ingredients are used to create Wellness recipes to enjoy on Valentine’s Day.

Raspberry Coconut Muffins 

1 ½ cups almond flour*

1 cup ground almond

1 T psyllium husk

1 ½ t baking powder

½ cup erythritol (or sugar if not low carb/keto)

1 cup fresh organic raspberries 

1 cup coconut flakes

1 cup coconut milk or cream

3 grass fed eggs (or 3 flax eggs for a vegan option)

1 vanilla pod, scraped

1/3 c coconut oil

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add raspberries and coconut flakes gently mix together and set aside. 

Lightly beat eggs and add coconut cream, oil and vanilla. Mix together and add to the dry ingredients. Gently fold together then place in reusable silicone muffin cups. For large breakfast muffins bake for 25 mins at 180° fan bake. 

Chocolate Macadamia Truffles

200ml coconut cream

¼ cup erythritol

1 vanilla bean

250g Dark chocolate buttons 84% 

100g macadamia crumbs

Scape the vanilla bean and place in a small saucepan with the coconut cream and erythritol. Heat slowly until bubbles form, stiring occasionally. 

Roughly cut the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour the heated coconut cream mixture over and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 

Stir together and allow to cool completely. Form balls with your hands then roll in the macadamia crumb. Refrigerate until firm. 

*We make our own almond flour from the pulp leftover from making almond milk. Take the pulp and lay on an oven or dehydrator tray. Dry for 12 hours on very low temperate and place in a food processor or blender and process until fine. This is another zero waste products that is very versatile and healthy.