Tag Archives: Recipes

Cacao Smoothie Bowl

Cacao Smoothie Bowl

A Cooling Recipe for Summer

Try this tasty Cacao Smoothie Bowl

Try this tasty Cacao Smoothie Bowl

Since we’ve been having some proper summer weather recently (something that’s never guaranteed in the UK!), I’ve been enjoying having smoothie bowls for breakfast.

Inspired by @wellbeingsarah who posted a recipe on her Instagram I tried this cacao smoothie bowl and it has become a real favourite.

If you’d like to try this for yourself, then blend spinach, frozen banana, avocado, raw cacao power and milk (I used almond milk) together to your desired consistency. I’ve also added a greens power to mine or you could add a scoop of protein powder.

(The addition of frozen banana makes this very cooling which has been especially welcome on hot days!)

Complete your smoothie bowl with toppings of your choice and enjoy! :D

Love for Louola’s

Love for Louola’s

Louola’s Quinola – Grain-Free Granola

Louola's Quinola

Louola’s Quinola

I was introduced to Louola’s Superfood Quinola last year by a great company called Superfoodio via their healthy snack boxes, and it’s quickly become a favourite of mine!

Commercial granolas and cereals are often loaded with hidden sugars. And it can be surprising to find out how much sugar there is even in the apparently ‘healthy’ choices out there.

Vegetarian and vegan friendly, Louola’s is a delicious alternative which is not only refined sugar free, but also grain and dairy free. I’ve found this to be a great smoothie topper and have also been using Louola’s in recipes for energy balls and homemade raw chocolate (This recipe for Raw Chocolate Bark using Beetroot, Cashew & Coconut Louola’s went down a treat over Christmas!) You can find more details, plus recipe inspiration here at the Louola’s website.

Make Your Own Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Make Your Own Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Homemade Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars - Here's a few I made earlier

Homemade Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars -Here’s a few I made earlier

Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars

As I spend a lot of my time out about for work and therefore having no choice but to eat on-the-go I am always looking out for portable snacks. If I can make them myself then that’s all the better and usually cheaper too.

One of my current favourites is these Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Bars. I had a look at one of my favourite shop bought brands recently and decided to have a go at making my own. The result was a success! The joy of this is you can play with your own ingredient combinations (I’ve tried versions using coconut, linseeds and hemp protein, for instance). I use a high-speed blender to make mine, but a good food processor should also work though would take slightly longer.

Ingredients:
(Makes about 8 bars)
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup cashews
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chia seeds
¼ cup cacao powder
¼ cup water*

(*NB – you may want to add more water as you go, depending on your desired consistency for your bars but I’ve found it is best to start with less to avoid a soggy mix that won’t hold together!)

Getting the ingredients together

Getting the ingredients together

Method:

Add all the ingredients to your blender – I chopped my dates beforehand and pulsed in the blender a few times to break up the nuts and dates a bit more.

Blend until all the ingredients have combined and formed into a ball. (Gauge whether you want to add more water or not as you go along.)

Place your blended ball onto a sheet of greaseproof paper (large enough to wrap). Shape and press into a big square.

Wrap your square up and put in the fridge for 1 hour (minimum).

Cut into bars – I wrap mine individually and store in the fridge, ready to eat!

Enjoy :)

Dessert for Breakfast?

Dessert for Breakfast?
Dessert for Breakfast?

Rosemary, Apple & Pear Crumble

This quick, easy dessert recipe from Honestly Healthy works just as well as at breakfast time. The addition of rosemary adds a lovely flavour too. Ever since a friend kindly gave me the Honestly Healthy cookbook as a present last year I’ve enjoyed experimenting with their various recipes.

You can find the recipe for Rosemary and Apple crumble here at the Honestly Healthy website. As I didn’t have coconut flour I tweaked my crumble topping (pictured, left) by swapping porridge oats for ground almonds and mixed those with some coconut oil and coconut sugar. I found this worked just as well, and importantly, still tasted delicious! :) I like mine served with coconut milk yoghurt.

Give it a try for yourself. Enjoy!

Creamy Banana Buckwheat Porridge

Creamy Banana Buckwheat Porridge

As the Winter sets in there are few things better than a warming bowl of porridge.

If you’re a fan of porridge too, then you’ve no doubt tried all sorts of combinations to boost your porridge bowl. One of my current favourite things is to stir in some coconut oil for extra richness and a burst of healthy good fats. I’m also enjoying this Creamy Banana Buckwheat Porridge recipe from Deliciously Ella‘s fantastic blog. So simple, speedy and tasty. Also, if you are avoiding gluten and grains, with this recipe you can have your porridge and eat it too :) In fact, if you are following a gluten-free diet and you’ve not checked out Deliciously Ella’s website and blog already, then I’d highly recommend it for lots of fantastic recipes and ideas.