Hiba Samawi (formerly Giacoletto) is a Psychologist and Coach working in Geneva, Lausanne and online.
A Swiss-Jordanian mix, she has a Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Lausanne and is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). She previously ran Healthwise.ch, a health coaching business where she also created healthy recipes.
Hiba uses mindfulness-based behavioural approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). These are more active forms of therapy where, more than just talk, you learn skills for living.
She specializes mostly in difficulties around relationships, emotions, making healthy change and eating, and also offers group sessions, both in-person in Geneva/Lausanne and online.
www.wiserhumans.com
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By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
This is the simplest way ever to make a healthier pizza: Mixing cooked quinoa or millet with eggs, pressing this mixture into an oven dish and baking it. It’s a great idea to always make a bigger portion of whole grains anyway since they last for up to four days in the fridge. If your whole grain is already cooked, this dish really just takes 15 minutes. No messy doughs or complicated ingredients - and did I mention it is also gluten-free!
You can also use this crust as a base for garlic ‘bread’. Mix together a little olive oil, minced garlic, salt and dried oregano and pour this mixture over the crust without putting it back in the oven. Delicious!
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
I wanted to share a new recipe for Baked Quinoa and Bean Patties with Healthy Ketchup.
This recipe contains several umami ingredients: The dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, tamari sauce (or soy sauce), onion and garlic. It also combines a mix of tastes: Salty (sun-dried tomatoes + tamari sauce), sweet (from the maple syrup), pungent (onion + garlic), sour (vinegar). The addition of allspice also adds complexity to this fusion of tastes. This makes for a very sophisticated, grown-up version of ketchup that kids will probably not like (sorry!). Play around with adding more or less of certain ingredients to find a balance you like – taste is very individual.
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
This is a basic chia seed pudding recipe that combines the magic of spices and with orange and lemon zest to create a very winter-y taste.
Chia seeds contain 20% protein, 25% dietary fiber and about 35% healthy fats, mostly Omega 3. They are also a good sources of iron, calcium and other vitamins and minerals.
Chia seeds are great for thickening foods due to their jelly like consistency in liquid. This makes them an ideal ingredient in puddings so healthy you can also have them for breakfast, like this one!
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
Do you love the taste of Starbuck’s Gingerbread Latte? Here is a healthier version, made with a simplified almond milk and maple syrup as a sweetener. The taste really comes from the combination of spices - if you don’t have one or two of them, that's OK - just leave them out.
Gingerbread Latte
2 tbsp almond butter (made only of ground almonds)
1.5 dl water
1 tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)
1.5 cup hot coffee
1/2 tsp ground ginger + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon +1/8 tsp ground cloves +1/8 tsp allspice +1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
This is a healthier version of gnocchi than the traditional white potatoes, white flour and eggs that are make up this Italian alternative to pasta. Instead of normal potatoes, I used sweet potatoes - a completely different vegetable despite the name which is significantly higher in vitamin C and vitamin A. Vitamin A is key for eye health and the immune system and just 1 medium-sized sweet potato covers more than 200% of your daily needs in vitamin A and 50% of your daily needs of vitamin C. (source). I have also used a gluten-free, whole grain flour which is a much better option than nutrient-void white flour.
Start by cooking 2 medium sweet potatoes.
