Oat Protein Bars & Oat Truffle Balls

Hello! Its the holidays and what better time than now to get some baking in! Since I am away from home its hard to stick to my normal routine of getting up and going to the gym at 6:00am. As well as this I am surrounded by some not some healthy chocolates, biscuits, etc. There have been times where it has been very hard to resist but you know what its the holidays and I want to enjoy them and not be a down buzz because I am restricting myself too much. The temptations can be hard especially if there are no healthy options to go to instead and because chocolate is my weak spot I thought I'd better make a healthy alternative so I wouldn't feel guilty. 

These were super easy and super quick to make and even my dad likes them! (He is my hardest food critique along with my brother). I originally made the bars and because they disappeared quicker than I expected I decided to make a different version which is the truffle balls with nearly the exact ingredients. 

Ingredients - Bars

2 cups oats

10 soft dates

2 Tbsp chocolate protein powder

1 Tbsp cacao powder

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla  essence

1/4 cup water*

pinch of salt

Bars 

Soak your dates in some water making sure that they are all covered and leave them to sit for 10-15mins while you gather all the other ingredients. 

Add the oats to a food processor and process for a minute before adding all the other ingredients. 

Process until all the ingredients are evenly combined then transfer to a baking sheet. 

Add another baking sheet of equal size over top of the mixture and roll it out as thick as you would like. 

Then transfer to the freezer to allow the mix to harden.

Remove from the freezer and remove the baking paper. 

cut into bars and place back in the freezer. 

*I used 1/4 cup of water to soak my dates in so I used this water in the mixture.

Chocolate

In a saucepan melt 1/2 cup of coconut oil.
Once it has melted add in 1 tsp vanilla essence, 2-3 Tbsp cacao powder (to taste), and 1 heaped tsp mesquite powder.

Remove the bars from the freezer.
Using a fork place one bar at a time into the pot of chocolate and make sure it is fully covered.
Continue to do this with the rest of the bars.

Store in the refrigerator.

Ingredients - Truffles

1 1/2 cups oats

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

8 soaked dates

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 Tbsp organic plum jam

 Truffle Balls

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process/pulse until combined and sticking together.
Roll into balls.
Cover in chocolate. (Recipe above)
Super Easy!

Store in the refrigerator.


There are super quick and easy and you can add all different kinds of ingredients such as goji berries, coconut, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, different flavoured essences, dried fruit, etc...

Oaty Ginger Crunch

 This is a family and friends favourite! Which I have made at least 20 times and I think the recipes seems to be different every time because I never look at my recipe. But this is a no fail one and isn't normally as crumbly as the images show I just got carried away with my oats this time haha.

Ingredients

Base

3/4 Cup Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar

1 Tbsp Ginger 

1 Cup Coconut, shredded

1 Cup Rolled Oats or Nuts of your choice

3/4 Cup Coconut Flour or Buckwheat

Sometimes I will also add sunflower seeds for extra crunch. I recommend this. 

Icing

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

1/2 Cup Ceres Organic Icing Sugar

2-4 Tbsp Ginger (however strong you like)

1 Tbsp Cornflour

1 Tbsp Hot Water

You can double the icing to indulge and for an extra thick ginger taste which is what is shown in the images, it was Easter so it was a treat. 

Sugar Free White Chocolate 'n' Cranberry Cookies

SUGAR FREE! GLUTEN FREE! DAIRY FREE!

Did I say sugar free? 

Its Easter Weekend so I have time to relax and do some baking. At the markets I saw some GF Cranberry and White Chocolate cookies and they looked divine but they weren't dairy free so I thought why not make them myself.

Every time I go to the supermarket I walk past the sugar free section and see the Sweet William sugar free chocolate (vegan) and one day it was on special so I thought I HAD to buy some. 

These cookies were so fast and so easy!  

 Ingredients 

(6 cookies)

Cookies 

3/4 Cup Buckwheat flour

1 tsp Baking powder

4 pieces of Sweet William sugar free white chocolate

2 Tbsps Coconut oil

1 Tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup

1 Egg (substitute for more oil, dairy free butter or milk for vegan option) 

1/4 - 1/2 cup Cranberries or Raisins 

Icing 

6 pieces Sweet William sugar free white chocolate

1 Tbsp Coconut oil 

 Directions 

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius 
• In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil, honey and chocolate in 30 second internals, stirring after each interval. 
• Allow the mixture to cool (if using an egg) and whisk the mixture until fully incorporated. 
• Slowly add the buckwheat flour and the baking powder into the wet ingredients. 
• Finally fold in the fruit of choice.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spoon the cookie dough onto the tray, either into 6 for larger cookies or about 10 for mini cookies. 
•  Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes checking halfway through. 
• When golden brown remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

• Once the cookies have cooled, in a microwave safe bowl melt together the ingredients for the icing and stir so the chocolate and oil is fully mixed together. 
• Drizzle over the cookies. 

ENJOY!

Caranana Breakfast Bowl

Breakfast has never better! Over the summer I have had the chance to be a bit creative when it came to breakfast time... Exhibit A: Caranana Porridge! 

I think I may have developed an obsession with making crazy breakfast foods but it is the most important meal of the day!

This would have to be my favourite creation yet, words can't really describe it, you just have to try it for yourself. Let me know what you think :)

Ingredients/ Directions

Porridge:

In a medium sized pot add 1 cup Milk to 3/4 cup rolled oats.

Don't turn on heat.

Custard:

In a small pot, on low heat, consistantly stir, 2 heaped Tbsp custard powder and 1 cup milk.

Add 1 Tbsp liquid honey and 1 drop of banana or vanilla essence. 

Stir until thick and creamy.

Add 1/2 of each (porridge and custard) to a bowl, serves 2.

     Mash a banana and added 1/2 to each bowl. 

Top with Caramel sauce and cinnamon.

 (caramel sauce recipe at the bottom of this post)

Caramel Sauce

1 can Coconut Milk

1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

2 Tbsp Honey

2 drops Butterscotch Essence (optional)

Firstly add coconut milk to a pot on medium heat until it begins to thicken.

Next add the sugar, honey and essences.

Keep stirring until it thickens to a sauce like texture and leave to cool. 

It takes approximately 30 minutes on the heat. 

Store in a air tight jar in the refrigerator. 

Coconut Cream Chocolate Smoothie Bowl

School is back but that doesn't mean I have to stop having a delicious breakfast. Does it?

Smoothie bowls are so easy and very quick to make so it is ideal for a school day breakfast. 

I really felt like chocolate mousse and we had coconut cream in the cupboard so I attempted to make it... I'm not really sure what went wrong or if I am just not patient enough because well it was more like chocolate milk than chocolate mousse. 

I put it is the fridge hoping it would harden or thicken or do something but it only went from a liquid to a running cream texture. The next morning I began making my usual banana and avocado smoothie with a random assortment of other frozen fruits when I decided why not put some not so moussey chocolate mousse in there. 

 I don't think the blender liked it as it was making a horrific noise, however the mousse craving was cured when I made the thickest, most delectable smoothie bowl yet. 

Ingredients - Coconut Cream "mousse"

1 can lite coconut cream (or coconut milk)

2 heaped Tbsp cacao powder

1 heaped tsp mesquite powder

1 heaped Tbsp honey

Beat coconut milk for 5 minutes then add all other ingredients and keep beating for as long as you can be bothered, put in fridge. NB.

Ingredients - Smoothie

1 large banana

1/2 - 3/4 avocado

2 heaped Tbsp yoghurt

 1 cup of frozen fruit of choice, I used 1/2 an apricot and strawberries

1 heaped tsp chocolate whey protein powder (optional)

1/2 tsp spirulina (optional)

1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut cream "mousse"

Add all ingredients to blender, mix until combined
NB. The coconut cream needs refrigerated overnight before whipping. 

You can top it with seeds, granola, dates, banana, goji berries, cacao nibs, ANYTHING.

P.s If you by some reason do not like avocado (don't know why you wouldn't) you can't taste it! 

ENJOY xx

Berry Breakfast Bowl

SMOOTHIE!

Yes it's weird but you can't knock it before you try it...

Avocado.

Avocado with berries really does taste amazing! The avocado helps create a thick, smooth, creamy texture making it almost like moose.

I am really craving this as I write about it but I don't have any ripe avocados :(

Ingredients 

1 Banana

1/2 a medium or large Avocado

10 frozen Blueberries

5 frozen Boysenberries

1 heaped teaspoon Vanilla or Chocolate Protein Powder

1 heaped teaspoon Cacao Powder

1/2 teaspoon Spirulina Powder 

1/4 -> 1/2 cup Milk

1/4 cup thick Greek Yoghurt

Throw (not literally) all the ingredients into a blender and bam easy as that.

This smoothie is the perfect way to kick start the day, packed with all the important protein, vitamins and minerals. I often change what berries I put it and even put Peaches or frozen Mango, Apricots, Melon, almost everything goes.
You can almost put anything with it, such as: chopped dates, coconut, cacao nibs, granola ( I use the Little Bird Cacao and Superfoods one), pumpkin and sunflower seeds... etc.

The smoothie is perfect for any sweet craving and if you feel like chocolate berry moose look no further.

P.S you can't even taste the avocado so just give it a go ;)

Raw Cherry Slice

Gluten Free - Guilt Free

So it seems I am the only one who benefits from waiting for the 'scrapes' from a box of Cadbury Favorites, Cherry Ripes! I don't understand why they are so unwanted? But their loss is my gain. 

I was so upset when I found out Cherry Ripes had wheat in them, I had never come across anything that tasted remotely simular... So I decided I'd have to make it myself. 

Base

• 1/4 cup cacao butter, softened
• 1/5 cup/ less than 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 3/4 cup chopped cherries or thawed frozen raspberries
• 1tsp raspberry essence and vanilla
• 3/4 cup goji berries
• 1/2-3/4 cup vanilla or chocolate protein powder

Chocolate 'icing'

• 2Tbsp melted cacao butter
• 1Tbsp cacao powder
• 1tsp liquid honey

Directions

• Line a small cake tin with baking paper.
• Combine all BASE ingredients in food processor until a smooth paste like consistency. 
• Spread mix into tin.

• Mix chocolate layer ingredients in a bowl and evenly pour over cherry base. 
• Chill in fridge for an hour before cutting

Keep refrigerated!