Raw peanut butter protein bars

These are the perfect on the go, protein packed snack! They are pretty easy to make and as a plus, require no baking. These remind me of cookie dough flavoured foods!

I added some protein powder to mine, which is worth investing in if you exercise a lot, but these are just as nice without the protein powder, just add in some more ground almonds and some unsweetened cocoa if you want a chocolate tasting bar. The chickpeas in this are also rich in protein, fibre and help to lower cholesterol.

Here's a few pictures from our Halloween party.

PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BARS

• Half a can (120g) of cooked chickpeas, rinse and pat dry,
• 35 g ground almond,
• 30 g protein powder (or use 20 g = ground almond + cocoa if desired)
• 3 heaped tsps of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, crunchy gives a nice texture!)
• 2 tsps honey ( or more if you want very sweet bars, you could also use a few soaked then squeezed dates for sweetness)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional,
• 2 tsps chia seeds or anything crunchy to add to the texture i.e; walnuts, pumpkin seeds, optional,
• Dark chocolate to cover the bars, optional

1. Using a hand blender, blend the chickpeas until you obtain a smooth paste.

2. Add in the peanut butter, ground almonds, protein powder, honey and vanilla and continue blending. The mixture will get very dry so you might want you use your hands at some point.

3. Once you obtain a uniform dough, add in the seeds or nuts if using, and fold until well combined.

4. Flatten the dough into a flat dish (my dough was about 1.5 cm thick). You can decorate the top with a fork or knife. Leave in the freezer for about 25 minutes or in the fridge for atleast 1 hour. 

5. Cut into rectangles and coat in dark chocolate if desired. Keep in the fridge until consumed. Enjoy!

Xx

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Porridge with a protein boost!

This is probably the simplest 'recipe' on here! I've only just started having this for breakfast as I am trying to increase my protein intake recently. Protein keeps you fuller for longer and a high-protein diet is usually recommended for weight loss. At first I did think that adding egg whites to my porridge sounded rather weird, but it doesn't taste 'eggy' at all and adds some protein to an otherwise carbohydrate packed meal! It actually improves the texture, making the porridge creamier, lighter and more fluffy, so its a win win situation!

So basically for about half a cup of cooked porridge, I use one egg white, but you can alter this according to your preferences:). When the porridge is just about cooked, beat in the egg white for a minute or so until it is well combined and cooked through. This isn't a great picture but I was in a rush on my way to university! Serve with fruit, yogurt, seeds, whatever you fancy really!

Here is a sneaky look at some of my Halloween treats for tomorrow, hope you all have a great one!

Xx

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Gluten free and vegan banana and date cakes

Made these little beauties for the meditation society social and have to say that they went down a treat!!!  For the flour, I used coconut flour but as I know how hard this is to find in Mauritius, I would recommend a mixture of 80g almond meal and 40g rice flour or spelt flour or if you are not bothered about a gluten free cake, half almond meal and half whole wheat flour.

Before I get to the recipe, I thought that I would attach a link to these creepy witch fingers biscuits I'm planning to make for halloween, for anyone looking for some scary treats. 

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spooky-witches--fingers.aspx/. You can't really go wrong with an 'all-recipes' recipe!

GLUTEN FREE AND VEGAN BANANA AND DATE CAKES
Makes about 8 individual cakes

I call these "cakes" as they are much more moist as opposed to muffins, you could easily make this into a large round cake, perfect for a dinner party, adjusting the cooking time to the point whereby a skewer comes out clean.  

• 1 large ripe banana
• 50 ml olive oil
• 40 g honey or sweetener of choice
• About 10 dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 130 ml coconut milk (or any other type)
• 120g gluten free flour( I used coconut, variation in intro)
• 20 g oats
• 2 tbsp of chia seeds or any other seeds i.e;pumpkin (optional) 

1. Mash up the banana and mix in the oil, honey, milk and vanilla extract.Pour in the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and oats and combine until thoroughly combined.
2. Toss in the chopped dates and seeds and fold carefully into the batter.
3. Divide the mix into muffins cases and bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
4. 

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Peanut butter and banana muffins

These are my new all time favourite muffins!!!!! Just so yummy! Plus for 12 muffins, no added fat apart from 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and sweetener wise only 45 grams of honey! These will not disappoint:) We made these during a girly sleepover, original recipe from my_healthy_habit on Instagram.

PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA MUFFINS

Makes 12 large muffins

• 2 large ripe bananas
• 2 tbsp crunchy or smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup wholewheat flour (about 120 g)
• 1 cup oats (about 100g)
• 1/2 cup ground almonds (50 g) (I use 1/4 almond and 1/4 coconut flour)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup yogurt (125 g)
• 45 g honey (more if you want a very sweet muffin)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional but adds nice texture, could use lin seeds)
• A few dark chocolate chips to top (optional)

1. Mash the bananas and mix in the eggs, vanilla, honey, yogurt and peanut butter making sure it is all nicely combined.
2. Add all the dry ingredients to the wet mix and mix until just combined (don't overmix or they'll become more cake-like vs a more muffin-like texture). Spoon into muffins cases and top with a few chocolate chips.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 165 degrees celsius for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Xx

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Quick and easy tuna bake

Sorry for the lack of posts recently! This year has been so ridiculously hectic compared to my first 2 years at university, only four weeks in and I've got a pile of assignments and deadlines to deal with!

Anyways I have a few good recipes coming your way:)! This pasta bake was super easy to make for a dinner party yesterday and was delicious! I've also got a gluten free/ vegan banana and date cake coming up which I made for the meditation society and was a hit! Also, Ember came over the other night and we made some peanut butter and banana healthy muffins which are to die for! I've also joined Instagram (mojojojo473 if you want to check me out) and I've been participating in cooking challenges such as "chopped Wednesdays" whereby the ingredients this week were: salmon, avocado, rice cakes and oranges, to which I came up with this plate of yumminess;

Yesterday's dinner was very last minute which meant that I had no time to make a proper dessert so I opted for pancakes,  such an easy yet impressive dessert for any occasion and very versatile as you can play around with different toppings and fillings.

EASY TUNA PASTA BAKE

for 3-4 servings

• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste ( or use half a can of tomatoes instead of fresh toms+paste)
• Half a large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 large carrot, cubed and lightly boiled
• Large handful of peas ( add any other desired vegetables : courgette, peppers, mushrooms...)
• 1 can of tuna flakes
• Salt & pepper
• Optional seasonings: paprika, dried herbs, Worcestershire sauce
• 1 handful of whole wheat pasta, boiled until cooked

For the white sauce:

• 1.5 tbsp butter/ olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp flour
• Non fat milk
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp Mustard (optional)

Topping:

• Light cheese 
• Oats/ wheat bran / crushed rice cakes

1. In a large frying pan, drizzle in some olive oil and cook the onion and celery until cooked through. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, peas, carrots and seasonings, season according to your preference.

2. Let the tomato mix cook for a couple of minutes adding in some water if it dries up, add in the cooked pasta and tuna and mix until well combined.

3. Pour the pasta mixture into an ovenproof dish and set aside whilst you make the topping.

4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add in the flour to create a roux. Stir around for a minute or so to cook the flour and bring it together into a sort of dough, slowly pour in some milk stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Keep adding milk until you obtai a thick but pourable sauce, season.

5. Pour the white sauce over the tuna pasta mix. Top with light cheese and oats or alternatives. 

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes until nicely browned.

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Teriyaki style inspired salmon

Just a quick post about yesterday's lunch. Yesterday was my second crossfit class, I woke up this morning with the most ridiculously sore shoulders- obviously to do with the intense 'Fran' workout, crazy amount of thrusters and pull ups. Once crossfit was over I went to play football for a good hour or so which was good fun but the weather left little to be desired at around 10 degrees, winter is sadly on its way. Anyways, after all this I really wanted something filling to munch on and had some salmon marinating in the fridge in readiness.

I wanted something that tasted like teriyaki but without the excessive amount refined sugar, therefore I used some light soya sauce and honey. I served the salmon on a bed of cooked wholewheat vermicelli noodles, tossed with spinach, avocado, peas and chia seeds. So simple but oh so satisfying!

SIMPLE TERIYAKI STYLE SALMON
Per salmon steak

• 2 tsp light soya sauce
• 1-2 tsp honey or agave syrup

1. Rub and marinate your steak for a minimum of 2-3 hours in the soya and honey mixture.
2. On medium heat, warm up a frying pan and drizzle with some oil, pan fry the salmon for a couple of minutes each side, turning frequently as the honey can burn really easily. Use a knife to test whether it is cooked through et voila!

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Spinach omelette stuffed with onion and apple chutney!

Hello everyone!! This week has been amazing so far! Went to a careers talk which has not only really helped me focus on what I want I do in the future but I also managed to leave with a free iPad in hand- got chosen as the winner!:D I've also started Crossfit today with my friend Ember and loved every second of it! It was only an introductory class but I am  definitely itching to get going!

The weather is slowly getting chillier day by day, which is gradually making me miss Mauritius more and more as the days go by! I've been indulging in a can of coconut water nearly everyday which although does not compare to the fresh ones in my garden, will do for now!

Anyways back to food talk! This is a very simple recipe but adding a few unusual ingredients does make the difference!! Firstly in the omelette itself, I added spinach and water chestnuts to the mix. Currently loving water chestnuts, their crunchiness is ideal for something like an omelette, contrasts the soft gooey-ness perfectly! As for the onion/apple chutney, I used some leftover store bought stuff my mum had from her visit here but it is so easy to make a delicious healthy version! The sweetness of the chutney works so well here:)!

APPLE & ONION CHUTNEY

Enough to stuff 2-3 omelettes

• 1 large green apple, cored and finely cubed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp honey/ agave syrup
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Cinnamon

1. In a saucepan, sautée your onion in a little oil until soft. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook down for about 15-20 minutes on low heat until soft, add some water if it dries up quickly. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

MAKING THE OMELETTE 

1. Prepare your omelette as you normally would, either mix everything together or fry your onions & veggies and have the egg ready to pour in. Once the egg mixture is in the pan, spoon a few teaspoons of chutney along the centre of the omelette, flip and serve.

Simple but won't disappoint!

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