Baked Beans from Hungry Healthy Happy

Today I have the pleasure of bringing you Baked Beans from Hungry Healthy Happy by Danni Martin! I have a pet hate and it is the term “diet” as in the context “I’m on a diet”. In my opinion “diets” don’t work because as someone who has watched people go on and come off diets it just seems to lead to a constant state of yo-yoing. A healthy diet, treats in moderation and keeping active are not rocket science but to date this concept hasn’t been marketable idea. Until now that is, step up Dannii Martin from the top, award winning food blog Hungry Healthy Happy with her new book of the same name. Finally a book has been published about eating lighter healthy meals without it seeming like a chore or having to rush out and buy a heap of expensive “super foods”. The book is full of classic dishes like Moussaka, Fish Pie, salad dressings and smoothies as well as Dannii’s own original dishes. The common thread to all of them is that they have been made healthier and lighter in calories using a few alternative ingredients eg yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

Dannii’s healthy eating journey started in her mid-twenties when she realised her excess weight was making her health suffer. Living off store bought meals and takeaways she needed to change and set about creating her favourite meals from scratch using lighter alternatives. Dannii limited herself to 1,500 calories a day in the early days and together with regular exercise, lost 2lb a week (a sensible amount to lose). In total Dannii lost 98lbs and has continued to maintain a healthy weight. The beauty of Dannii’s recipes is that you may well end up eating more food but taking in less calories as the recipes are packed with fibre and nutrients so you will feel full and less likely to crave unhealthy food. There is no preaching in this book, Hungry Healthy Happy is all about setting your own goals (if you need to lose weight) and listening to your own body. I think the trouble with fad diets is that people are in a constant cycle of guilt and deprivation and if they feel they have broken their diet they feel depressed and if they feel depressed then they are more likely to want to comfort eat.

The first few pages of Hungry Healthy Happy are dedicated to Dannii’s story, tips about weight loss, motivation, exercise, ways of eating well for less, essential store cupboard ingredients and a meal planner. When I flicked through the book the first recipe that caught my hubby’s eye was for Baked Beans so I made these for our lunch. I have to say that they were totally delicious and I’m not sure I’ll ever want to eat an ordinary can of baked beans again! So this is the recipe I have chosen to share with you and I do urge you to make it, you won’t be disappointed! My next planned makes are for the Courgette Frittersj (above) and the Pear Crisp (below) and oh so many more!

I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of whether they wish to lose weight as we should all eat a healthy diet, the recipes just ooze deliciousness from every page. As it says on the cover “How to nourish your body without giving up the food you love”!

Here’s my attempt at Danni’s Baked Beans, I didn’t use any Barbecue Sauce and they were just delicious!

Really enjoying my lunch Baked Beans from @hungryhealthyhappy’s new book Hungry Healthy Happy! #foodporn #foodie #foodblog #instafood #foodstagram #feedfeed #f52grams #yahoofood #buzzfeast #huffposttaste #foodbloguk #foodpics #homemade #foodbloguk #foodgawker #delicious #instayum #bakedbeans #healthyfood #healthydiet #slimmingworld #nutritious #weightwatchers

A photo posted by Camilla (@fabfood4all) on Feb 11, 2016 at 5:04am PST

NB: Recipe and images extracted from Hungry Healthy Happy by Dannii Martin, photography by Jacqui Melville. Published by Jacqui Small (£20). All opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this review.

4.82 from 11 votes

Print

Baked Beans

Home made baked beans from Dannii Martin's new book Hungry Healthy Happy - fresh and delicious tasting!

Course Main

Cuisine British

Keyword baked beans, canellini beans, healthy

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 2

Author Dannii Martin - Hungry Healthy Happy

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil

• 1 small onion diced
• 1 x 400 g/14 oz tin chopped tomatoes
• 100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup vegetable stock
• 1 tsp runny honey
• 1 x 400 g/14 oz tin haricot beans
• 2 tbsp Barbecue Sauce see page 113, optional

Instructions

1. Place a pan over a medium heat and heat the oil, add the onion and
2. cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned.
3. Add the tomatoes, stock and honey to the pan, season to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Drain the haricot beans and add to the pan, giving everything a stir to combine, and cook gently for another 5 minutes.
5. Take off the heat and stir in the barbecue sauce, if using. Spoon the
6. beans over toast and serve warm.