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Tumeric glow balls

I was at my local cafe the other day, and in my usual fashion, didn’t have enough coins for my coffee, and had to meet the $10 EFT minimum to pay for my precious cappuccino….usually in such a predicament, I would find this to be the perfect excuse to buy a chocolate brownie….but instead, I decided to try a bright yellow “glow bar” displayed neatly on the front counter…. the yellow “glow”, comes from tumeric, so says the delightful barista…. so I gave it a whirl, and it was delicious!!

I decided to try and make my own version (to save me $4.50 a pop)!! These are free of sugar, dairy and wheat, but were seriously delicious!! The addition of pineapple makes them naturally sweet and gives a tropical flavour!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup tinned pineapple (you could use fresh if you want to also…I just couldn’t be bothered chopping one up!! Or you could use dried pineapple, but if you do, use less almond meal!!)
1 cup almond meal (for more texture, you could also use crushed macadamias or cashews instead)
1/2 a cup dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon vanilla protein powder (optional)
An additional 1/4 cup dessicated coconut for rolling the balls

Method:

In a food processor, blitz the dates and pineapple
Add in tumeric, and , coconut powder and protein powder and blitz again.
Gradually add in almond meal, stirring to combine
To make the balls, scoop out approximately two tablespoons of mix, and roll into balls, dipping into the extra coconut to form a coating on the outside.

These little balls were absolutely delicious, and make the perfect mid morning snack (especially when you’re avoiding chocolate brownies!). Have you tried tumeric in your smoothies or protein balls?

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Chia seeds…..apparently they’re really good for you etc…BUT, did you know, you can also make delicious, low carb desserts with them!? The consistency may appear alarming, but I assure you, this is a delicious and guilt free dessert or breakfast….so much so, that I’m now making them all the time!! Yes, that’s right….and this is coming from someone who previously thought a Nutella Cronut constituted a super food (“you’ll always be super to me cronuts!”)

Chia seeds absorb liquid, and form a pudding like consistency if you leave them soaking for an hour or so.

These are really easy to make! Recipe below makes 2 servings!!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chia seeds
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons honey (you can add more or less honey depending on your desired sweetness)
1 cup almond and coconut milk (or whatever milk you would like – I used Almond Breeze Coconut almond blend)
Raspberries and flaked almonds (or any fruit, nut etc) for topping

Method:

Combine chia seeds, cacao powder and cinnamon,, and pour into the bottom of an empty jar or glass
Pour in almond milk and stir to combine
Add in honey and continue stirring
Cover your container or jar, and leave to set in the fridge for at least one hour, or up to overnight
Remove from the fridge, stir, and top with your desired toppings!!

You can add any other flavour combination to this, such as vanilla bean paste, pureed mango or berries, banana etc. You can also puree the entire pudding to make a smooth and creamy consistency if you’re not a fan of the seeds – keep in mind you may need to add some additional sweetener if you do this!! Try dates, or additional honey or maple syrup!

A simple, easy and guilt free dessert!! A great option for when you’re craving some chocolately, but attempting to avoid actual CHOCOLATE!! Are you on the chia seed bandwagon yet!?

Matcha Smoothie Breakfast Bowl

It’s official….I’ve finally eaten too many baked goods!! After eating one too many Nutella Stuffed Cookie Bars yesterday, my stomach ached and my chest burned!! Yes, I do enjoy a good cookie/brownie/slice of cake/croissant etc, but I need to tone down the baking for a while…and have decided to experiment with some super healthy recipes with no added sugar or dairy!! I’ll be featuring some superfood recipes to help me get back on track with clean eating!! Don’t worry though, there will still be plenty of baking recipes in between – after all, life is all about moderation right!?

Yesterday I took a trip to The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea bar, and picked up a bag of Matcha tea. Matcha is finely ground green tea, which is packed full of anti-oxidants – even more so than regular green tea!! It has a delicious flavour, and as it’s in powder form, is a great superfood to add into smoothies and even in baking for a hit of green tea flavour!!

So this morning I got experimenting with the blender, and made this absolutely delicious Matcha Smoothie Bowl, which is packed full of goodness and completely refined sugar and dairy free!!

Firstly, before making this, I peeled and chopped up some bananas and pears, and put them in the freezer!! I wanted the consistency of this smoothie bowl to be thick enough to scoop up with a spoon. I used Almond Breeze Coconut and Almond blend in place of milk, but you could use regular almond or plain coconut if you prefer!!

Ingredients:

1 large frozen banana
1 frozen pear
1 cup baby spinach
1 teaspoon matcha powder
1/2 cup coconut almond milk (I used Almond Breeze brand – So Good also make a Coco Almond Blend)
Berries, flaked almonds and chia seeds (for topping)

All you need to do is blitz together all your ingredients in a blender or magic bullet, then top with whatever you like (I used frozen raspberries, chia seeds and flaked almonds).

This truly was delicious!! The sweetness of the banana and pear compliment the green tea flavour and the spinach adds an extra nutritious twist – a great way to sneak more vegetables into your day!! It’s honestly so sweet that there is no need to add in honey!

Have you tried Matcha? Would you try this breakfast bowl? If you’re in a rush, you can always add some extra coconut almond milk to water it down, so you can drink it like a regular smoothie!!