Bacon Cordon Bleu...

Yeah that's right... the bacon is the star attraction, so no Chicken Cordon Bleu here...We're stuffing the chicken with bacon and goats cheese, and because we don't eat grains we're wrapping it in, yes you guessed it... bacon! If that doesn't appeal to you, well then I'm sorry there's something wrong with you.

Let me repeat it just to be sure... chicken, stuffed with bacon and then wrapped in bacon..Yep I knew you'd approve! 

• 1 large chicken breast
• 2 pieces of smoked streaky bacon
• 50g St Tola Raw Goats Milk Cheese ...I've said it before, and I'll no doubt say it again... I always try to buy Irish (must be cos I'm a farmer's daughter!), and prefer raw cheese so St Tola is an absolute must-have in my fridge. 

Start by butterflying your chicken breast to create a pocket for the cheese and bacon. 

Place a piece of cling film over the chicken, and using a rolling pin or meat mallet, bash the chicken until flattened. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. 

Next, do the same with the bacon.. just cover with cling film and roll it to flatten slightly. 

Stuff chicken breast with crumbled goats cheese and 1/2 the bacon.

Roll up tightly, and wrap in the remaining bacon to seal. (You can use cocktail sticks to secure the chicken if you need to). 

Top with a little coconut oil, and place in preheated oven for 20 minutes until the bacon is golden and crispy. 

Serve with a crispy salad or some steamed vegetables. 

This is a delicious protein packed dinner that is really simple to make. The smoked bacon really compliments the chicken...and well all that gooey melted goats cheese is seriously just amazing! To save time you can make a few together and freeze some or cook them all and keep in the fridge for a cold snack, or lunch on the go.

Meatloaf with extra meat...

I've only had meatloaf once...it doesn't stir up happy memories! It was dry, tasteless and contained unidentifiable minced meat. You'd wonder why I decided to make it since I clearly hated it first time round.. Well, magic did not happen in the canteen when I was in boarding school, so I try not to let it impair my judgement too much.

I like the idea of meat loaf since it's one of those dishes that any leftovers will be great cold as a high protein snack on the go. Since I can't leave well enough alone, I had to make posh meatloaf...but don't worry, there has been no scrimping on the meat content... A lot of meat loaf recipes use flour or breadcrumbs as a binder, but since I exclude grains from my diet, I just left it out. You could add in some almond flour if you feel the meatloaf is a little sticky. 

Meatloaf: 

1lb minced pork

1lb minced turkey 

1 red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

100g oyster mushrooms

2 eggs

100g Boyne Valley Blue (unpasteurised blue goats cheese) If you're strictly Paleo, just leave this out. 

100g spinach leaves

1 small tin organic tomato paste

8 thick cut smoked pieces of bacon

basil, oregano, sea salt, pepper

Start by sweating onion, garlic, mushrooms and herbs in a dry wok. There's no need to add oil, as the natural juices will keep them moist. Cook for 5 mins, tossing regularly. 

Add in 4tbsp of organic tomato paste, and mix to combine.

Next add minced meat to large bowl with the above seasoning mix, and 2 eggs.

 Mix until well combined. 

At this stage, you can pop the meat mixture into a loaf tin, top with some tomato paste and bacon, and cook for 45 minutes... OR......

Spread meat into a square about 1 inch thick onto a piece of tin foil.

Top with spinach leaves and 3/4 of the blue goats cheese. 

Next, take the edge of the tin foil closest to you, and lifting gently, roll into a roulade. This is actually really easy, you just need to lift the tin foil slowly, and the meat will fall into this shape naturally. 

Transfer to a pyrex baking dish. 

Coat the outside with the remaining tomato paste and crumbled blue cheese. 

Next wrap the meatloaf in bacon, overlapping at the edges. 

Cover loosely with tin foil, and bake for 40 minutes. 

Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes until the bacon is nicely browned and crispy.

This isn't like the meatloaf I remember from school, it's full of flavour, and really moist. Whether you bake it in a loaf tin, without the blue cheese and spinach, or you make it into slightly fancier roulade, I've no doubt you'll love how simple this is to make.

Cut into slices and serve with lots of fresh salad.

Leftovers are great eaten cold or warm, and this will also freeze great as a healthy dinner back up for busy days..

Chocolate & raspberry meringue...

So I had an operation on my mouth last week, and am struggling with solid food or anything hot (and saying anything with the letter 'S'). Instead of giving in, and eating ice cream and jelly (like a 'normal' person) I have had to find ways of eating enough to maintain my energy levels for training, whilst making sure I'm getting enough protein to recover after each session. This recipe packs a serious protein punch, with 35.9g per serving... impressive right?!

I had leftover egg whites from making garlic mayonnaise, and since I hate wasting ingredients I decided to make meringues. That's where the challenge comes in... meringues are basically egg whites and sugar. How was I going to make meringue without truck loads of sugar?

Simply replacing the sugar with honey wasn't going to work, since honey is heavier than whipped egg whites and so would leave you with flat, heavy pancakes instead of cloud-like, marshmallowy meringues. Let the experimentation begin....

Chocolate meringues

• 3 large egg whites
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce (simply stew peeled & chopped apple in microwave until soft and mash until smooth)
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp raw cocoa powder, sieved
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• pinch of salt

In a bain marie (heat resistant bowl set over gently simmering water), heat honey, water and apple sauce until you have a thin syrup. This should take around 8 minutes. Stir regularly to avoid the honey burning. Remove from the heat and beat in sieved cocoa and vanilla. 

Whisk together egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until you have firm peaks. 

Slowly add syrup mixture, while whisking egg whites constantly. 

Once you have combined the syrup and the egg whites, place mixture on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 140d. 

Once you have a firm, baked meringue turn off the oven and allow to cool in the oven. (This keeps the meringue crispy on the outside, but tender and marshmallowy on the inside)

Filling: 

I did say I've been conscious of getting enough protein over the past while, and seriously... this really hit the spot, and tasted great! You can of course substitute the fillings to your own taste...

• 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt (I love Fage 0% Greek yoghurt which is available in Donnybrook Fair) 
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein (25g) 
• 1 tsp Meridian almond butter (most good health food stores will stock this)
• small handful of frozen raspberries, crumbled into small pieces
• 1 small kiwi or chopped nuts 

Whisk together first four ingredients until combined. The frozen raspberries will start to melt, giving a gorgeous colour to the yoghurt, as well as adding some moisture so the filling won't be too thick. 

Fill your meringue with the yoghurt, and top with chopped fruit or nuts depending on your preference. 

If you're looking for a dessert that is simple to make, and is full of protein,has healthy fats from the almond butter/chopped nuts and isn't full of refined sugar, then you really need to try this! 

The meringue won't have the same crispy exterior as a standard meringue, it'll be more chewy in texture, but that's okay cos it tastes pretty damn good. 

Chicken egg fried "rice"..

This is a really quick and easy variation of the cauliflower 'rice' that I posted as part of my Tikka Masala recipe. It's a great way to use to up leftover meat and vegetables instead of a boring stir fry dish.

• 2 cooked chicken breasts
• 50g chorizo
• 1 red pepper
• 3/4 brocolli florets
• 1 small carrot
• handful of mushrooms
• 1/4 head of cauliflower, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red onion
• 1 green chilli, seeds removed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 50g frozen peas
• 2 large eggs
• coconut oil
• tumeric
• smoky paprika
• fresh coriander

Start by prepping all your meat and vegetables so everything is ready to just add in to the wok. Chop all your vegetables into similar sizes pieces, dice your cooked meat, and grate your cauliflower with the garlic and ginger. (Pulse it in the food processor to save time... if you don't have one, buy one... you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!) 

Firstly cook your veg until slightly softened in 1/2 tsp of coconut oil. It's a good idea to cook the vegetables in stages to retain their individual colours and flavours. Cook each vegetable over a moderate heat for 3/4 minutes until just about cooked, and remove from the wok while you cook the next vegetable. 

Leave cooked vegetables aside with your meat until needed. 

Next, add grated cauliflower, garlic, peas and 1 cup of water to the wok and cook for 6/7 minutes until soft but still with some texture... you don't want cauliflower mush!

Make a well in the centre of your 'rice', and crack the two eggs into the centre. Leave alone to set slightly. Once the eggs start to become opaque and scrambled, break them up and stir through the 'rice' 

Add in your cooked meat and vegetables, and season to taste with lots of your favourite spices. 

Continue to toss up until warmed through. 

This recipe serves 2, and is a cheap meal with lots of protein... an added bonus is that is actually tastes better than traditional egg fried rice! 

Chocolate protein brownies...

I doubt there are too many people who could honestly say that now and again, they don't crave something sweet. Regardless of our health and fitness goals, we're entitled to a treat occasionally. I may have mentioned my love of cooking, and baking in particular in a previous post and plan to share some recipes as part of my blog.

I don't like calling it a cheat meal... to me that has all sorts of negative connotations associated with it, and feeling guilty about treating yourself the odd time is unhealthy in my opinion. I also think it's really important that if you are treating yourself, that you don't go crazy and undo a week of tough training and clean eating habits. It's for this reason, when I bake, I try to keep things as healthy as I possibly can. I avoid wheat, gluten, dairy (most of the time) and refined sugars. Baking is an exact science, so it's important that the ratio of ingredients is correct in order to produce a cake you actually want to eat! Believe me, I've come out with dry, grey cakes because of overuse of coconut flour... thankfully, you have me to do the testing of recipes on your behalf! 

Brownies are always my go-to recipe if I've to bake in a hurry. They're easy to make, inexpensive and always a crowd pleaser. Challenge was set... to bake a brownie, without all the nasty ingredients I try so hard to avoid... The internet is full of gluten free alternatives and sugar replacement suggestions and  I took a long hard look at potential recipes, but nothing seemed like it was going to yield the desired results. I wanted a chewy, chocolatey brownie that would rival my standard naughty brownie recipe. I set myself a task of taking the best bits of a lot of recipes, and trying to combine them to give a chocolatey, chewy but light brownie that hadn't got an overpowering flavour such as banana or coconut. 

Good news... mission accomplished! I swear these are incredible. I did add Greek yoghurt, which technically isn't Paleo. Who cares... if dairy doesn't make you puke or have some crazy seizure, then it can't be all that bad for you! It's bound to be 100 times better than a lot of  the stuff you've eaten... 

Ok I'm going to stop rambling and share the recipe! I swear it's worth the wait... 

1/2 ripe avocado
1 medium banana, mashed

12 dates
125g Fage 0% Greek Yoghurt (try to buy actual Greek Yoghurt instead of Greek 'style') 

75g Coconut oil (melted)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
145g almond flour
80g coconut flour
80g unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp gluten free baking powder
50ml strong brewed coffee* 

The best part is how simple this recipe is... 

• Add the first 7 ingredients to food processor and pulse until you have a smooth consistency. 
• Add dry ingredients and pulse again until just combined. 
• *Stir in cooled coffee. This is optional, but really enhances the chocolate flavour of the brownies. 
• At this stage, you should have a thick mixture (similar to thick yoghurt consistency). If it seems too runny after adding the coffee, just add a little more almond flour to thicken it up. 
• Place mixture in 8"x8" cake tin. 
• Bake in fan oven preheated to 160d.

All ovens seem to vary, so as a guide you'll need to allow 20 minutes baking time. You're looking for a firm, just set appearance. Use a skewer to test the centre of the cake, there shouldn't be lots of raw cake mixture on it! Do keep an eye on them though, cakes with coconut flour tend to burn a little quicker than when baking with wheat flour. 

You're now faced with a dilemma... Do you A) Devour them warm or B) Allow them to cool in the tin so you can make them even more decadent with my protein icing... 

I went with B this time... 

Icing recipe: 

1/2 ripe avocado

100g chocolate whey protein powder

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

75g Fage 0% Greek Yoghurt

• Pulse all the ingredients in food processor until you have a glossy, smooth icing.

When the brownies have cooled, spread chocolate icing on top, decorate with chopped nuts (if you're as fussy about detail as I am!), and enjoy... 

These brownies are really good... they're honestly nicer than most standard brownies (and a friend even claims they're nicer than Avoca brownies!!!) 

Stick around... scones, energy bars and even a strangely yummy chocolate bacon cake are coming up....