In The Kitchen With: Superfood Siobhan

This week in our brand new Kitchen Series, we caught up with blogger and Instagram superstar Siobhan O’Brien A.K.A. Superfood Siobhan. With over 130k Instagram followers and a popular food blog, plant-based Siobhan knows a thing or two about healthy eating – here she fills us in on her favourite meals, what we would find on her shopping list and why student eating doesn’t have to mean beans on toast!

Are you inspired in the kitchen by other health bloggers?

I don’t follow that many health bloggers to be honest! Partly because there’s so many of them now that it’d be impossible to follow everybody and I’ve just decided to only follow people I’ve connected with personally, and then partly because this is just a hobby for me and I don’t want to get too absorbed in it. Outside of my own blog and Instagram I try to do other things! There’s a few blogs which are run by people I’ve gotten to know over the years and it’s always nice to see the sort of ideas they come up with. If there’s a new ingredient they try I’m interested to search it up and try it out, same with new concepts. I only tried banana ice-cream because of a blogger friend of mine! It’s fun seeing what others do and getting some cool new ideas and just appreciating high quality photography and amazing food styling!

How do you manage healthy eating on a student budget? Do you have any tips?

People think student living has to be just beans on toast but that’s so far from the truth! Sticking to basics like curries and stir-fries and adding frozen vegetables is such an easy way to stay healthy. Stocking up on basics like rice, oats, tinned tomatoes, canned beans and chickpeas etc. in bulk is such a big money saver! If you’re eating them all year why not buy the extra-large bag that’s cheaper per kg and stock up on lots of tins whilst they’re on special.

Also – frozen fruit and vegetables aren’t bad for you! So many people think they’re not healthy but often frozen fruit and vegetables are actually better for your health because they’re frozen not long after being picked and retain their freshness better! Frozen vegetables are great for stir-fries, soups, stews and curries whilst frozen fruit is perfect for smoothies and to top porridge. They’re also a money saver because they can’t go mouldy in the fridge like fresh produce can. Bananas and apples are the easiest fresh fruit to keep around and take with you as snacks; they’re usually affordable year round, especially at a local market if you can find one. Shops like Aldi and Lidl are a student lifesaver too!

Everyone is different – but what’s your policy on eating well and approach to ‘balance’? 

Overall I’m pretty healthy all the time to be honest. I don’t really get cravings for proper junk food and I don’t specifically treat myself with anything or plan a time to have a cheat day, I’m just quite flexible and if I go out for a family dinner and my option is a veggie curry with rice I don’t have a problem with the salt/fat content as it’s just one night. Healthy isn’t just about sticking to eating clean and I don’t believe in deprivation. I also don’t think having some dark chocolate is bad, I think life is more fun with chocolate!

As your name suggests, you are a big fan of superfoods! Which are your favourites and how do you like to use them?

Cacao, maca and chia seeds would be my top ones! Cacao because it’s healthy chocolate, can’t go wrong there! It has the same delicious flavour as chocolate does but is packed full of magnesium and iron and makes you feel great. I love maca powder because of the sweet, malty taste; it adds a whole new dimension to breakfasts. It’s such a good energy boost in the mornings too! Chia seeds make the best egg substitute in plant based food and also make the tastiest little snacks. I love chia puddings and use them to give overnight oats the nicest gooey texture. Plus high in omega 3’s which is perfect!

If you haven’t had time to meal prep what would you typically grab on-the-go?

On the go food is pretty tough for me… I try and scout out a Marks and Spencer or a Pret a Manger for a salad of some sort and grab some fruit to go with it. Marks and Spencer does a really yum nutty quinoa salad and Pret has a good falafel one. Usually I have some sort of snack in my handbag just in case I end up somewhere with nothing decent to eat! Sushi places are also good, veggie sushi like cucumber and avocado is delicious!

Let’s talk favourites: Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Dessert/Treat?

Favourite breakfast? My peanut butter cup pancakes are divine… Whenever I have enough time to make the two separate halves of the batter and the raw choc sauce to drizzle on top I do because WOW.  Favourite lunch is probably mashed avocado on home-baked toast. I drizzle lemon juice on top, then add some cracked black pepper, pink Himalayan salt flakes and some chilli for an extra kick. The flavours are just incredible and it’s so satisfying. My favourite dinner would probably be sweet potato fries with guacamole and a big salad on the side. My favourite sweet treat/snack is medjool dates with natural peanut butter for sure. The combination of sweet and salty/creamy is incredible!

Which foods do you like to make from scratch and which would you buy ready-prepared?

I generally make everything at home, with the exception of sometimes hummus and peanut butter.  I buy ones which are as natural as possible, no added sugar, colours, preservatives or additives! I think homemade stuff is always going to be nicer, but sometimes that isn’t convenient so it’s good to have reliable brands you can buy from when you need it. Things like pasta sauce, stir-fry sauces, etc. I like to make from scratch to avoid the added sugars and often added wheat.

Do you think it’s important to buy all of your fruit and veg organic?

I’d say it would definitely be ideal to buy organic but as long as you wash your fruit and vegetables properly I don’t think it’s that important. Better to eat non-organic fruit and vegetables than none at all! We have a vegetable patch in our back garden and an allotment and we grow all sorts, potatoes, carrots, courgettes, salad, butternut squash etc. so I’m lucky that all summer I can eat almost completely organic and locally grown!

What would we usually find on your shopping list?

Things which are always on my shopping list: Bananas, fresh/frozen berries (I eat frozen only in winter to avoid the massive air miles), nuts, oats, almond milk, brown rice, tinned beans/chickpeas, brown rice pasta, carrots, cucumber, broccoli.

When it comes to food shopping, do you know what you like and stick to buying similar things every shop, or do you like to mix it up?

Generally I buy a lot of the same things each week; I find that I can create a multitude of different meals using different combinations of the same basic ingredients and by using different herbs and spices! I love trying out new health foods though!

Do you like to plan your meals ahead for the week, or do you prefer to just wait and see what you fancy each day?

I’m not a big meal planner, I find that takes the fun out of things. Usually I look in the fridge/cupboards to see what I have and work around it that way, it keeps me on my toes and always making something new! Sometimes I’ll come up with a specific idea for a blog post and that’s when I’ll plan in advance what I’m having so I can get all the ingredients.

And finally, what would you cook to impress at a dinner party?

I’d start off with making flax crackers with lots of dips – garlic hummus, roasted red pepper hummus and guacamole.  Then mains would be sweet potato gnocchi with a choice of sundried tomato or basil dairy-free pesto. Dessert I’d make a platter of mini raw desserts – chocolate cheesecake, chocolate orange mousse, chocolate ginger slice and key lime pie. Mocktails and cocktails all night too!

For plentiful superfood recipes and lifestyle advice, visit @superfoodsiobhan.