Raw Energy Bites

These mega bites are packed with nutrients and ready to eat in no time at all! I decided on three different types to show how you can adapt the recipe depending on what you have in the kitchen. Great as a pre/post workout energy boost or even if you are in a hurry and need to grab breaky on the go. 

Hazelnut Bites

Ingredients 

·      50g hazelnut butter

·      250g dates

·      1 tsp raw maca powder

·      1 tbsp agave nectar

·      1 tbsp coconut oil

·      50g hazelnuts

·      500g dark vegan chocolate

Directions

Blitz everything but the hazelnuts and chocolate until smooth. Gently roast about a dozen of the hazelnut until golden and chop the rest. Roll the mixture into balls and push a hazelnut in the center of each. Coat in melted chocolate, roll over the crushed hazelnuts and place in the freezer.

Apricot and Coconut Bites 

 Ingredients

·      200g dried apricots

·      juice of a lemon

·      1 tsp baobab powder

·      100 almond flour

·      1 tbsp agave nectar

·      1 tsp coconut oil

·      30g coconut flakes

·      25g almond milk

Directions

Get your blender our again and throw in 150g apricots, lemon juice and the baobab. Once smooth roll into bite size balls and place in the freezer to chill. Blitz the remaining ingredients but keep the coconut flakes to one side. Wrap each ball in the outer mixture and roll in the coconut flakes. Pop back in the freezer to cool.

Cookie Dough Bites

Ingredients

·      2 tsp coconut sugar

·      50g coconut flour

·      1 tsp coconut oil

·      2 tbsp almond butter

·      50ml almond milk

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      50g raw cacao nibs

Directions

Whizz up everything up the cacao nibs until smooth. Fold in the cacao nibs and roll in balls. Try coating the hands with a little melted coconut oil to keep the mixture together if you don’t want to make the mixture sweeter than it already is just go with damp hands. Place in the freezer to cool.

The Ultimate Pancake Stack

I love pancakes. I would eat them everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. I say this tucking into my THIRD stack of the day. So in honor of today, I wanted to show how using just a few tricks they can be super healthy for you and set you up with bundles of energy for the day ahead.  They are packed with oats, which means they will keep you feeling full throughout the day and are great for a pre run fuel!

Ingredients

·      4 tbsp organic rolled oats

·      1 tsp cinnamon

·      1 tbsp low fat cottage cheese

·      2 eggs

·      1 tbsp Rachel’s Organic Greek Style Coconut Yoghurt 

·      Coconut oil

·      A splash of almond milk

·      Raspberries

·      Blueberries

·      Coconut flakes

·      Agave syrup

·      Almond Butter

Directions

1.     Blend all the ingredients until smooth.

2.     Melt ½ tsp of coconut oil into a small frying pan.

3.     Pour some of the mixture into the pan.

4.     Fry for a couple of minutes before flipping over to cook the other side.

5.     Place on a serving plate and add a tsp of almond butter in the center.

6.     Make the next pancake and place on top of the almond butter.

7.     Continue until you can’t stack them any higher.

8.     Top with yoghurt, berries and sprinkle with coconut flakes.

Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

I've been wanting to try this recipe out for so long now and let me tell you one thing, they are absolutely delicious! I picked up the cacao butter and powder from a store called Food For Thought, but you can buy similar products in any other health food store. Raw chocolate (cacao) comes in many different forms, from butter to powder to nibs. All of which are incredibly easy to incorporate into your daily diet.

In its raw form, cacao is the highest whole food source of magnesium and is essential at building strong health bones and lowering blood pressure. Its mineral rich antioxidant content primarily benefits the cardiovascular system along with providing positive benefits to every other function of the body. Cacao also helps stimulate your central nervous system (similar to the effects of coffee), giving a healthy boost of caffeine free energy!

Ingredients

·      100g raw cacao butter

·      5 tbsp agave syrup

·      75g raw cacao powder

·      150g almond butter

·      2 tbsp coconut oil

    Direction

1.     Melt the cacao butter and coconut oil on a low heat in the microwave.

2.     Blend with the agave syrup and cacao powder to combine.

3.     Coat one layer of the mixture into silicone cupcake liners.

4.     Leave to set in the freezer for 5 minutes.

5.     Add one tablespoon of almond butter into each liner.

6.     Pour a final layer of the chocolate mixture into each cup. 

7.     Dust with sea salt flakes or coconut.

8.     Leave to set for a further 10 minutes.

Lemon and Chia Seed Almond Cake

I picked up the Honestly Healthy cookbook a while back now and have to say I haven’t put it down since.

The book focuses on how an alkaline approach to eating in its cleanest and most natural form can have a positive effect on health and wellbeing. So many of our choices in the Western diet consist of acid forming foods that create a harmful imbalance inside the body. Eating the alkaline way is kinder on the digestive system and has the potential to banish headaches, muscle pain, bloating and much more.

With a few alterations, the lemon and poppy see almond cake is so simple to make yet super delicious.

I decided to go half and half with the honey and agave nectar to make it that bit sweeter. I usually try to avoid cooking with butter so instead I used Rachel’s Organic Greek Style Honey Yoghurt as a healthier option. Finally I opted for chia seeds instead of poppy seeds. Boosting with a high Omega 3 content, there are 101 different reasons why you should be incorporating them into your diet. Stay tuned for more on chia!

Ingredients

·      4 eggs

·      30g honey

·      30g agave nectar

·      200g organic greek yoghurt

·      250g ground almonds

·      1 tsp baking powder

·      3 small lemons

·      2 tbsp chia seeds

·      1 tbsp coconut oil

Direction

1.     Preheat the oven to 160°C.

2.     Whisk the eggs and add in both the honey and agave nectar.

3.     Mix the ground almonds and yoghurt in a large bowl separately.

4.     Stir in the eggs, honey and nectar until the mixture is smooth.

5.     Add the baking powder, lemon zest and juice into the mixture.

6.     Stir in the chia seeds.

7.     Melt the coconut oil and lightly grease a cake tin.

8.     Pour in the mixture and bake for 30 minutes until golden.

9.     Leave to cool on a wire rack for a further 30 minutes.