Chocolate Chip Cookies

I must admit, I've experimented lots with grain free cookies, but they've always fallen short of expectations.. I blame coconut flour. As much as I love the coconut flavour it gives food, I absolutely hate the way it tends to dry out recipes and leaves food a little grey..

These cookies are really nice, they're crunchy & a little chewy at the same time... You do need a little bit of time on your hands though since you'll need to chill the dough for a few hours to allow them to firm up. It's worth the wait!

• 60g coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 egg
• 175g ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 50g chopped Paleo friendly chocolate or any chocolate with a high cocoa solid content... 

Start by beating the melted coconut oil, vanilla, honey & egg together until well combined.

Next, add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

That's it!... Best & easiest recipe ever!!! Leave the cookie dough in the fridge for 2-3 hours. This allows the coconut oil to harden, giving you a firm dough. If you skip this step, you will have greasy cookies.... don't say I didn't warn you....

Once the cookies are chilled, take generous teaspoon size mounds of dough and roll into balls.

Place on a non stick baking tray, and flatten gently with your finger tips. The cookies only spread a tiny bit, so don't worry about leaving much room between them.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 160d (fan oven), until the cookies are firm & golden brown.

Allow to cool on the baking tray, or just eat them warm...You can freeze the dough too, but I know you're not going to do that!

Caramel Slice

I posted a photo of these healthy Twix bars on the Facebook page & took them to a training & nutrition seminar on Saturday.... I was pretty thrilled with the feedback. I love showing people that even if you want a snack (lets face it, we all do at some stage), you don't need to go for the really unhealthy choice...

Shortbread base:

• 275g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 140g almond flour
• 40g coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 170d (fan).

Start by beating the butter, honey, vanilla & egg yolk together until everything is combined with no lumps remaining.

Next add the dry ingredient & stir well until you have a stiff dough. It will still be quite sticky, but should be firm.

Press into an 8x8' square tin lined with grease proof paper & bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

If you find it's browning too quickly, just place a sheet of tin foil over the tin to prevent it from burning. It's ready when it's golden brown and firm.

As the base is cooling, you can get started on the caramel filling...

Filling:

• 10 figs softened in boiling water for 10 minutes (you can use dates here too... I used figs because of their lower sugar content & cos I already had some!) 
• 50g pecan nuts
• 1/2 can of coconut milk (refrigerated overnight... just scoop the thick cream from the top half of the can. Keep the coconut water to add to a smoothie) 
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted 

Ok listen up! 

Do not, I repeat do not add all these ingredients to the food processor at once... I always forget this, and end up covered in coconut milk! Just believe me alright! 

Start by adding the figs & pecans. Pulse until you have a thick paste. Scrape down the sides if you need to. 

Next add the liquid ingredients GRADUALLY. Yes, I'm shouting at you... cos you think I'm exaggerating here... I'm not! Just do as you're told... And yes, I know in the photo, I threw everything in at once.. this is the reason my kitchen wall needs to be painted now! Do as I say, and not as I do etc etc....

Once all the liquid is incorporated, you should have a thick caramel.

Spread over the cooled shortbread base. 

Chocolate topping: 

Next... whip up a batch of this homemade Paleo friendly chocolate, or I guess you could use super dark chocolate if you want... but make sure it's 85% cocoa solids at least... none of that milk chocolate crap! The higher to cocoa content, the lower the sugar content :) 

Cover the caramel with your chocolate. 

Allow to set at room temperature overnight, or for 2/3 hours at least. 

Cut into slices. I got 24 bars from this recipe. 

Pigs & Cows in blankets

I've mentioned I'm not a fan of New Year's resolutions...BUT if I'd to mention one thing that I'm going to change in 2014, it's my intake of fat. It's really hard to break some habits, and since it's been embedded into my mind that low fat diets are good... I've found that my diet still doesn't have enough fat in it... Of course I'm talking about healthy fats... the same principle applies when choosing your food, we're not going to buy anything processed just because it's high fat (chances are it's going to be a trans fat anyway). Keep it real and you'll be fine... 

I was always fascinated by pigs in blankets... you know what I'm talking about? They're little sausages wrapped in bacon. Delicious! Problem is.... sausages are basically a little bit of meat, mixed with all kinds of fillers wrapped in synthetic casing.... Not really what we're looking to be eating... Even the gluten free ranges aren't the best... they replace wheat with potato starch & other unpronounceables.. .

SO... long story short, get friendly with your butcher... ask him to make you some sausage meat.. all meat & spices (be sure to say you don't want the grains or sugar added)...buy a decent quantity and freeze it in small batches... it's no doubt a pain for him to clean out his mincer just for you to get 100g of meat! Or make it yourself... I've yet to give this a try, but I'll keep you informed :) 

Anyway, as usual I disgress... 

• 100g minced beef (buy the best you can, otherwise you may end up with 'horse in blankets')
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• pinch of salt
• chilli flakes
• cayenne pepper
• 4 pieces of smokey streaky bacon (cut in half lengthwise)
• 50g cheddar
• 75g sausage meat

Start by mixing the minced beef & tomato purée together...Season to taste (I used cayenne pepper, chilli flakes & salt). 

On a chopping board/tin foil, lay out 4 pieces of bacon side by side. Using the remaining bacon, weave each piece through each alternative bacon slice on the chopping board. You're looking to create a bacon blanket! 

In the centre of your 'blanket', place the minced beef mixture & flatten to cover the centre. 

Next you're adding the cheese layer, I added chunks of smoked cheddar for this, but you can use whatever cheese you like. Again, just make sure it's actual cheese and not 'Cheez'.. 

Add a layer of the sausage meat and press down well. 

Finally, wrap the pigs & cows in the 'blanket' to seal in all the flavour, and stop the melted cheese from escaping! Cover with tin foil to prevent the bacon burning...

Place in a preheated oven (190d fan) for 30 minutes. Remove the tin foil and allow the bacon to brown & crisp for a further 5 minutes. 

This is great hot or cold. Just double the quantities and you'll have a great lunch to take with you tomorrow :)

Burger towers!

I know lots of people are making an effort this January to eat good food, but it's really hard to know what to eat... A lot of you will fall into the trap of eating salads for lunch & chicken with steamed veg for dinner... it doesn't have to be like that. This is why I post up even the most simple meal ideas... if you're like me, it's far easier to adhere to a plan if there's a little variety & sometimes we all need a little inspiration..

Did you know burgers aren't unhealthy? Burgers have a bad rep because of their association with fast food... BUT you can have healthy & fast food at home... Stay away from the commercially manufactured burgers that are full of mystery meat & fillers.. They're unbelievable when you make them yourself :) 

Burgers:

• 175g lean minced beef 
• 1 red chilli finely diced (remove the seeds if you're a pussy!)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• smoked paprika
• sea salt

No you don't need breadcrumbs or an egg to bind burgers before you ask! 

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined & divide into two burgers (or just make one giant burger). 

For the burger towers:

• 2 bacon medallions
• 1/2 bell pepper, left in large chunks
• large portabello mushrooms
• 60g mozzarella 
• beef tomato, sliced
• tomato sauce (1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, chilli flakes & sea salt) 

Prep everything before you start to cook.

I use my George Foreman to cook burgers because it's super quick, but you can grill them if you like. 

Simple instructions... add the burgers to the grill first (they take the longest to cook!), next add bacon, and finally the veg for about 2 minutes. 

Just before you take burgers off the heat, add the mozzarella & grill for 30 seconds to melt. 

You won't miss the burger bun I promise!! 

Build burger towers (cos we're all 5 year olds!) and serve with a spinach or kale salad.. 

*Drools*

Small changes lead to big results...

Everywhere you turn for the month of January, you'll be faced with people enthusiastically working on their New Years Resolutions... everyone is running, joining gyms, banishing junk food from their house and planning a healthier 2014... Until pay day comes around in a few weeks, and then they've forgotten the pain of the NYE hangover, and feel like treating themselves because they've been soooooo good for the past 3 weeks...

A friend of mine posted a great comment on Facebook recently... 

“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas”

This is 100% true! A healthy lifestyle does not mean eating clean for the first 3 weeks of the year, and going crazy the rest of the time.. It's supposed to be sustainable and should not feel like the worst & most difficult task you've ever undertaken. 

If you're starting from scratch, and your body is used to being full of sugar then you will find it pretty tough going for the first while... sugar cravings are hard to ignore, but by taking it one day at a time, you'll find it gets an awful lot easier. 

It's really hard to change your habits all at once... that's why most people give up on their New Years Resolutions so soon after making them. It's much better to take small steps towards your long term goal... 

Here's some little things that you can add in to your daily routine, before you know it, they'll be normal habits and you'll be well on your way to a healthier 2014... 

• Aim to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. Buy a 1 litre sports bottle & keep it with you. This makes it easy to keep track, and you can keep hydrated during the day. 
• Take the stairs...always. 
• Walk or cycle where possible. 
• If you have to drive, park in the furthest corner of the car park.. 
• Replace your afternoon bar of chocolate with some nuts or a boiled egg.
• If you work in an office, get up every 90 minutes and go for a walk... walk up and down the stairs if you have to! If anyone questions where you're going.... say your IBS is troubling you!! 
• Prepare your lunch the night before.... it's very easy to stay in bed in the morning rather than getting up 5 mins earlier to make your lunch. Don't risk ending up with a chicken fillet roll for lunch!
• Don't eat for the sake of it... you don't have to have a slice of Mary/John's birthday cake! 
• Keep non perishable foods like a tin of tuna in your desk to deal with hunger pangs instead of going to the vending machine.
• If you're watching tv in the evening, stand & do the ironing at the same time... super productive AND standing increases energy expenditure! 
• Instead of struggling to carry all the shopping from the car... make two trips... 
• Go for a ten minute walk at lunch time.
• Find an activity you enjoy... running, walking the dog, dancing, strength training... whatever it is, make sure you enjoy it. That's all that matters... it's more sustainable if it makes you happy. 

I'm sure I've forgotten lots of really obvious ones... The point is, that by adding in little changes to your lifestyle one at a time, after a while they're just normal parts of your routine and you'll be far healthier... 

Turkey meatza..

The weather this evening was pretty miserable so I wasn't in the mood to go out. It's pretty unlike me to just want to chill out in front of the tv for a few hours... so since a movie was on the cards, why not have pizza to go with it..

I've already posted a similar recipe for pizza with a chicken base, but I'm always looking for ways to improve recipes so I can't resist experimenting. I had some leftover turkey mince, so decided to throw together a meat feast pizza :) 

• 1lb lean turkey mince
• fresh parsley
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 180d (fan). 

Simply mix mince & chosen spices together until combined. 

On a large piece of greaseproof paper, flatten mixture into a large circle about 1cm thick. (Using wet hands helps prevent the meat sticking to your fingers). 

Bake for 10 minutes until cooked through. Remove base from greaseproof paper & place on a pizza tray (this helps give a crispy, firmer base similar to that of a traditional dough base)

Add whatever toppings you have to hand.. since I'm leaning towards a ketogenic style diet at the moment, I definitely wasn't shy about adding lots of meat & cheese! 

I love this meatza & since it's so quick to throw together, why would you even consider calling for a take away.. 

I'm always saying this, but the more I make food that tastes this good, I genuinely wonder why anyone would choose processed options over homemade clean food...

Crepes (Grain free)

Sometimes I'm disorganised.... sometimes I find myself with very little food in the house & it throws my plans into disarray, I'm hungry and want something NOW...This is the reason why you shouldn't keep bad food in the house. If you find yourself hungry, you'll more than likely reach for that *insert poor quality food of choice here*. 

Instead of having bad food in the house, I always have emergency supplies for when I don't make it to the shops and still need to eat well. Choose foods that you can store without worrying they'll go off in a matter of days...My emergency supply always includes tinned fish, nuts, frozen berries and eggs. These are all perfect snacks and are 100% better than the alternative snacks you had in mind! 

Last night, I found myself running low on basically everything & had no meat defrosted so had to be creative to make sure I had a decent meal with lots of protein... so I made dessert! 

Low carb crepes for dinner..... Remember, eating clean doesn't need to be restrictive, you can eat whatever you want, once you're a little inventive :) 

Crepes:

• 3 eggs 
• 2 tsp Keen Almond Butter 
• 1 tbsp coconut flour (or sub with 2 tbsp almond flour)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

• 50g raspberries
• 25g flaked almonds
• 100g Fage Greek Yogurt 

Whisk all the ingredients for the crepes together until well combined. 

Melt a little coconut oil in a large pan. 

Once hot, pour in the crepe mixture and cook until slightly bubbling on top. 

Add your filling, fold over & serve! Simple :) 

It's really easy to eat good food. Keep eggs in the fridge at all times, and you'll never need to eat badly!