DIY BITES

Fun, Healthy, Delicious Recipes

CARROT AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS

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Carrot Avocado and Almonds Salad -Easy Recipe

This one over here is a fast, easy, breezy recipe!

Great as a main, but comes in handy as a side too. It’s a light, fresh, simple recipe, rich in flavors and texture. You can toast the almonds or use them raw. I recommend toasting them for that extra mile in taste & crunch.

Per portion, you’ll be gettin’ 28 mg of vitamin C, 118 mg of Calcium, 7 mg of vitamin E, and 87 mg magnesium!

Full recipe and nutritional info ⤵️

CARROTS, AVOCADO AND ALMONDS SALAD
 
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This one over here is an fast, easy, breezy salad recipe!
Author:
Recipe type: salad, vegan, vegetarian
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 medium carrots, cut julienne
  • 1 large avocado, medium diced
  • 25 almonds, toasted
  • 1 small red onion, small diced
  • 1 tbsp peanut oil
  • 5 tbsp lemon juice, more if preferred
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Optionally, chili flakes and vegan plain yogurt or dairy yogurt for non-vegan option
Instructions
  1. Cut carrots, avocado and red onion and mix together.
  2. Add almonds, peanut oil, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Optionally, add chili flakes and serve with plain vegan yogurt or dairy yogurt for non-vegan option.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 317 Fat: 25 g Saturated fat: 3 g Unsaturated fat: 22 g Carbohydrates: 28 g Sugar: 12 g Sodium: 60 mg Fiber: 10 g Protein: 7 g Cholesterol: 0

 

 

VITAMIN D: SOURCES, FUNCTIONS, AND NEEDS

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Vitamin D

What is Vitamin D?

Most scientists classify vitamin D as a vitamin. However, in the presence of sunlight, skin cells can synthesize a sufficient supply of vitamin D from a derivate of cholesterol. Because a dietary source is not required if synthesis is adequate to meet the needs, the vitamin is more correctly classified as a “conditional” vitamin, or prohormone (a precursor or an active hormone). In the absence of UV light exposure, an adequate dietary intake of vitamin D is essential to prevent the deficiency diseases rickets and osteomalacia and to provide for cellular needs….

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MUSHROOM POLENTA

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Mushroom_polenta_recipe_diybites

I can’t even tell you how delicious this mushroom polenta it! It’s a rich, flavorful, heavenly recipe, great if you’re craving some fast and easy to make comfort food.

You can use pretty much any type of mushrooms, such as white buttons, crimini, portabella, or shiitake 😀.

Per portion, you’ll be gettin’ 56 mg of vitamin C, 76 mg of Calcium,1401 µg of vitamin A, 3 mg of vitamin E, 3 mg of Zinc, 105 mg of Magnesium, 7 mg of vitamin B3, 12 g of protein, and 10 g of fiber.

Full recipe & nutritional info ⤵️

Mushroom_polenta_recipe_diybites_2

MUSHROOM POLENTA
 
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Author:
Recipe type: vegan, vegetarian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 400 g/ 4 cups button mushrooms,
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • ½ red bell pepper
  • 1 spring onion, chopped
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes, or 5 medium fresh tomatoes
  • 1½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ dried dill
  • 5 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 220 g/ 1½ cups yellow cornmeal
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Optional: 2 handfuls of arugula (rucola, rocket salad)
Instructions
  1. Cook polenta following directions on package, adding salt and pepper to taste.
  2. As soon as polenta is cooked, pour it into an ovenproof baking dish and set aside.
  3. Chop red onion and spring onion. Cut red bell pepper lengthwise.Cut mushrooms in halves and quarters, leaving small ones uncut.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and add chopped red onion and spring onion. Cook for 3 minutes, and add mushrooms, bell pepper, pressed garlic, 1½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp fried dill. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
  5. Add canned or fresh tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Cover polenta with mushroom mix and bake for 25 minutes at 190 degrees C/ 374 degrees F.
  7. Serve with fresh arugula.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 340 Fat: 7.5 g Saturated fat: 1.3 g Unsaturated fat: 5.7 g Carbohydrates: 60 g Sugar: 11 g Sodium: 248 mg Fiber: 10. g Protein: 12 g Cholesterol: 0 m

 

SAUTEED SPINACH AND PEPPERS WITH BROWN RICE AND ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

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Sauteed spinach and peppers with brown rice and roasted cherry tomatoes_recipe_diybites (1)

What we have here is a healthy, delicious, colorful recipe ready in less than 30 minutes. You’ll need fresh spinach, red bell peppers or kapia peppers sesame seeds, some brown rice, and a few cherry tomatoes and an empty stomach 😀.

This recipe is rich in nutrients, provides a high level of satiety, and makes a delightful lunch or dinner. Among other nutrients, this recipe will offer (per portion): 168 mg vitamin C, 201 mg calcium, 7 mg iron, 270 µg folate, 190 mg magnesium, and 12628 IU vitamin A.

Full recipe and nutritional info ⤵️

Sauteed spinach and peppers with brown rice and roasted cherry tomatoes_recipe_diybites (2)

SAUTEED SPINACH AND PEPPERS WITH BROWN RICE AND ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 200 g/ ⅞ cups fresh spinach
  • 1 red bell pepper or 2 kapia peppers, cut lengthwise
  • 6 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 spring onion, chopped
  • 3 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
  • 100 g/ ½ cups brown rice
  • 20 cherry tomatoes
  • ½ tsp chili flakes, more if preferred
  • salt
  • pepper
Instructions
  1. Cook brown rice following directions on package.
  2. For the roasted cherry tomatoes, preheat the oven at 200 degrees C/400 degrees F.
  3. Mix 4 pressed garlic cloves with 2 tbsp olive oil. Lightly toss tomatoes with olive oil in a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Roast tomatoes for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and add 2 cloves of garlic, spring onion and chili flakes. Cook 1 minute and add spinach and peppers. Saute for another 3-4 minutes, stirring.
  6. In the same pan, add cooked rice, sesame seeds, and season with salt and pepper. Blend all ingredients.
  7. Serve sauteed rice spinach with roasted cherry tomatoes.
Notes
Optional: walnuts, shallots, fresh herbs
Nutrition Information
Calories: 445 Fat: 16 g Saturated fat: 2 g Unsaturated fat: 14 g Carbohydrates: 57 g Sugar: 7 g Sodium: 107 mg Fiber: 7.5 g Protein: 11 g Cholesterol: 0

 

SESAME COOKIES [GLUTEN-FREE, SUGAR-FREE]

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Sesame cookies with raspberry jam recipe diybitesPrep yourselves for these delicious, crisp, gluten-free, sugar-free cookies! You’ll only need a few ingredients and they’re fast to make. There are a lot of sesame seeds involved in this recipe, but did you know sesame seeds are an excellent source of copper, manganese, magnesium, iron, and vitamin B? 😎 In addition, sesame seeds contain two unique properties: sesamin and sesamolin. They belong to a group of valuable fibers, called lignans, which were found to lower cholesterol in humans. Sesamin, for example, has been found to protect the liver from oxidative damage 👊.

The only sweetness in these cookies comes from the 2 tbsp of honey, so expect them to be the not-really-that-sweet-yet-awesome type of cookies. However, feel free to add 1 extra tbsp of honey for more sweetness + extra 1 tbsp of rice flour. You can substitute honey in this recipe with 1 tbsp agave nectar.

You’ll get 8-9 medium sized cookies from this recipe. Optionally, you can serve them with lemon icing and raspberry jam. If you’re not into raspberry jam (weirdo😀), substitute with peach, blackberry, or even strawberry 🍓.

Full recipe and nutritional info ⤵️

Sesame cookies with raspberry jam recipe diybites_2

SESAME COOKIES [GLUTEN-FREE, SUGAR-FREE]
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, liquid
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
  • 2 tbsp pure honey
  • 12 tbsp brown rice flour
  • 1 medium free-range egg
  • Optionally, for icing
  • 4 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon or orange juice
  • Optionally, 3 tbsp sugar-free raspberry jam or other preferred
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C/ 356 degrees F
  2. In a medium bowl, mix coconut oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
  3. Add toasted sesame seeds and rice flour, and stir. The consistency of the dough should be crumbly.
  4. Add the egg and mix well. The consistency should now be pasty, moldable.
  5. Spread dough onto surface and press it down with your hand or the bottom of a glass, until it reaches about 2 cm.
  6. Cut cookies using your favorite cookie cutters or a glass.
  7. Bake cookies for 8 minutes, flip them over, and cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until golden.
Notes
Optionally:
For the icing, mix 4 tbsp powdered sugar with 1 tbsp fresh lemon or orange juice and spread icing on cookies.
Add ½ tsp of sugar-free raspberry jam on top of icing.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 144 Fat: 7 g Saturated fat: 3 g Trans fat: 3 g Carbohydrates: 18 g Sugar: 4.75 g Sodium: 10 mg Fiber: 1.6 g Protein: 3 g Cholesterol: 20 g

 

 

SPINACH AND RADISH SALAD WITH ROASTED CHICKPEAS AND TAHINI DRESSING

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Baby_Spinach_and_Red Radish_Salad_with_Roasted Chickpeas_and_Tahini_Dressing_recipe_DIYBITES

Heyaaa. Check out this sexy salad over here. It’s got everything you ever wished for in a salad. It’s fresh, healthy, zesty, spicy, crunchy, colorful, minty, delicious, aaand pretty. Cuz’ we like our food pretty, don’t we? 😎

The spiciness it’s not a must of you’re not into all that. Just skip the “make it rain with chili flakes all over the place” step. Also, if fresh mint is not available, you can replace it with fresh basil. If none are available, replace with dried mint, but cut down the quantity by half.

I usually pan roast the chick peas when I use them for salads. It just cuts down the cooking time. However, you can oven roast them by drying out the chick peas, tossing them with olive oil and salt, and baking them 200 degrees C/400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, or until golden. Toss them around every 10 minutes. Don’t use spices before placing them into the oven, as they have a big chance of burning. Instead, mix them with spices after they’re roasted. They make an awesome snack on their own.

So you’ll get a healthy, heavenly, delicious salad in about 25 minutes. Also, per portion, you’ll get 70 mg of vitamin C, 203 mg of Calcium, 21207 IU of vitamin A, 285 µg of folate, 223 mg of phosphorus, 133 mg of magnesium, and 2.2 mg of manganese. Healthy AF ✅. Full recipe and nutritional info below ⤵️

Baby_Spinach_and_Red Radish_Salad_with_Roasted Chickpeas_and_Tahini_Dressing_recipe_DIYBITES_2

SPINACH AND RADISH SALAD WITH ROASTED CHICKPEAS AND TAHINI DRESSING
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Salad, Main
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 200 gr/ 1 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 240 gr/ 1¼ cups canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
  • 10 medium red radishes, sliced thinly
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, cut quarters
  • ½ tsp orange zest
  • 2 tsp tahini paste
  • fresh orange juice from one small-medium orange
  • 1½ tsp apple cider
  • 1 tsp fresh mint leaves, or more if preferred, chopped
  • ½ tsp dried chili flakes, or more if preferred
  • salt
  • pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat up a skillet on medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, then add the chickpeas. Roast them 10-15 minutes or until golden, tossing them frequently. Just before turning off the heat, season with salt, pepper, and orange zest.
  2. To make the dressing, mix 2 tsp tahini with the juice of one small-medium orange, one tsp at a time, 1½ tsp apple cider, and a pinch of salt. The consistency should be creamy, a little liquidy.
  3. In a medium plate or bowl, add spinach, sliced radishes, quartered cherry tomatoes, and roasted chickpeas. Season with salt to taste.
  4. Dress salad with tahini dressing and sprinkle with fresh mint and dried chili flakes.
  5. Serve as main or as a side dish.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 320 Fat: 13.3 g Saturated fat: 1.7 g Unsaturated fat: 7.8 g Carbohydrates: 10.2 g Sugar: 11 g Sodium: 410 mg Fiber: 12.6 g Protein: 14 g Cholesterol: 0 g

 

VITAMIN A: SOURCES, FUNCTIONS, AND NEEDS

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about carbohydrates diybites nutrition

Vitamin A

Vitamin A  refers to the preformed retinoids and provitamin A carotenoids that can be converted to vitamin A activity. Retinoids is a collective term for the biologically active forms of vitamin A, and they exist in 3 forms: retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid.

Vitamin A is categorized as a fat-soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed along with dietary fat. Thus, adequate absorption of fat-soluble vitamins depends on the efficient use of bile and pancreatic lipase in the small intestine to digest dietary fat. Under optimal conditions, about 40 ro 90% if the fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed when they’re consumed in recommended amounts….

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PEANUT BUTTER CRANBERRY NO-BAKE COOKIES

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Peanut_butter_cranberry_no_bake__vegan_cookies_recipe_diybites

Brace yourselves for this peanut butter-y, tender, smooth, outrageously delicious bliss. It’s a simple no-bake cookie recipe, with only 5 ingredients and requires only 10 minutes to be prepared. It involves peanut butter, oats, cranberries, vanilla and some maple syrup or honey, according to diet type. However, agave nectar or coconut nectar are good alternatives as well.  If dried cranberries are not available, replace with dried cherries or dried sour cherries.

It’s up to you if you wanna leave them round or flatten them and call them cookies. They’re gonna taste just as amazing! 🏆

Recipe and nutritional info  ⤵️

PEANUT BUTTER CRANBERRY NO-BAKE COOKIES
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Snack, Dessert
Serves: 28
Ingredients
  • 200 g/ ¾ cups smooth peanut butter
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup or honey for non vegan option
  • 170 g/ 1¾ rolled oats
  • 60 g/ ½ cups dried cranberries
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, add peanut butter and honey/maple syrup.
  2. If needed, microwave the peanut butter and honey/maple syrup for 20 seconds to make them easier to mix with the other ingredients.
  3. Add vanilla extract to bowl, rolled oats, and dried cranberries. Mix all ingredients until oats are coated. If texture is too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
  4. Spoon out 1 full teaspoon of cookie batter and form a ball. Leave it as it is or press it with a fork or with a thumb to create cookie form.
  5. Refrigerate or serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 77 Fat: 4 g Saturated fat: 0.7 g Unsaturated fat: 2.9 g Carbohydrates: 8.7 g Sugar: 3.5 g Sodium: 1.8 mg Fiber: 1.2 g Protein: 2.6 g Cholesterol: 0 g

 

 

PROTEINS: WHAT ARE THEY, FUNCTIONS, AND INTAKES

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about proteins nuts diybites

What are proteins?

Similar to carbohydrates and lipids, proteins are made of the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. However, all proteins also contain the element nitrogen and several proteins contain the mineral sulfur. The nitrogen in proteins is in a special form that can be readily used by our bodies for vital functions. Together, these elements form various amino acids, which serve as the building blocks for protein synthesis….

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SAVORY PANCAKES WITH PEPPERS, LEEK AND SWEET CORN

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SAVORY_PANCAKES_WITH_PEPPERS_LEEK_AND_SWEET_CORN_diybites_2

Fluffy and packed with nutrients, these savory pancakes are perfect for breakfast, brunch, as snacks, or even as a side dish. They’re delicious, filling, and so easy to make. You’ll get about six pancakes from this recipe and 944 IU of vitamin A per pancake. Also, you’ll be gettin’ 33 mg of vitamin C, and 47 mg of magnesium. Healthy pancakes FTW! 👊🏻💯

Optionally, you can serve the pancakes with creme fraiche, tzatziki, or vegan sour cream to keep up the lactose-free spirits 🙆.

Full recipe and nutritional info below ⤵️.

Savory_Bell Pepper_Sweet Corn_and_Leek_Pancakes_diybites_2

SAVORY PANCAKES WITH PEPPERS, LEEK AND SWEET CORN
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: lactose-free, vegetarian
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • 150 g/ ⅞ cup red bell pepper, diced into small cubes
  • 100 gr/ ⅝ cup sweet corn, canned
  • 50 g/ ⅓ leek or red onion, finely copped
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 110 g whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp dry basil
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and add water.
  2. Sift flower, baking powder, and add salt, pepper, and basil.
  3. Mix in red bell pepper, sweet corn and leek.
  4. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to pan and scoop two spoons of batter for each pancake.
  5. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy and golden.
  6. Done!
Notes
Try other spices with this recipe as well, such as fresh dill, za'atar, or mild curry powder.
Cover pan with lid for 1 minute for extra fluffy pancakes.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 174 Fat: 4.8 g Saturated fat: 0.88 g Unsaturated fat: 3.48 g Carbohydrates: 29 g Sugar: 2.4 g Fiber: 4.66 g Protein: 6.4 g Cholesterol: 37 mg