KATIE MORGAN

STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Published on July 3, 2015 by Katie morgan1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago it was my turn to make something sweet for girls night! I asked the host what her ultimate dessert would be that I could recreate a sugar-free healthy version of. After an almost instant reply of “ummm sticky date pudding??” I was a little stumped because sticky date puddings are usually made of butter and brown sugar – big No No’s! BUT it didn’t take long before I was completely mind blown from the healthy versions of sticky date desserts all over the internet. I decided to go with the amaaaaazing looking Loving Earth recipe because I practically drooled on my screen as soon as I read it. And let me just tell you it blew everyone’s mind and you couldn’t tell that there wasn’t a single grain of refined sugars in sight!!!! This is the real deal minus the nasties. The cake itself didn’t take too long to make either. I chose to make 1 single large cake but 4-6 mini individual loafs would also have been a treat. Dates are packed with fiber and have so many nutritional benefits for you body. They are one of the very best sweet and versatile foods that can regulate the digestive process and are great natural unrefined sweetener whilst also offering a rich dose of several vitamins and minerals. Some health specialists have suggested eating 2-3 dates a day is necessary for a healthy and balanced diet and digestive system. This dessert is the perfect combination of natural sugars, proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats to give you the energy boost you need without the ugly sugar high and crash. Kids will also love it ! and salted caramel sauce?? need I say more!!!

STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

serves 6 – GF P V SF DF – 50 minutes

CAKE

4 teaspoons Coconut Oil (for greasing)

200g Salted Caramel L.E Chocolate >> SHOP HERE

3 tbsp Coconut Oil

80ml almond mylk

1 cup buckwheat flour or almond meal

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup Coconut Sugar

1 cup medjool dates, pitted

½ cup boiling hot water

250ml almond mylk

80–120g coconut cream

SAUCE

1 cup coconut cream

1 cup medjool dates, pitted

100g Salted Caramel Chocolate >> SHOP HERE

2 tbsp Lucuma or Maca Powder (optional)

2 tbsp coconut sugar

½ tsp salt

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease the loaf pan, mini loaf pans or large cake tin with the coconut oil.

Put the chocolate, coconut oil and 80ml almond milk in a double boiler. Gently heat until the chocolate has melted. Stir until smooth, remove from the heat and set aside. (you could do this in the microwave if you wanted to)

In another bowl, put the flour, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar. Stir together.

In a blender or small food processor, blitz together the medjool dates and water until the dates are just broken up. Add 205ml of almond milk and mix until combined. Gently fold in the through the caramel chocolate mixture.

Divide the mixture into the prepared mini loaf tins or large cake tin and place into the oven.

MINI LOAFS: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges and top are just cooked – you still want the middle to be slightly gooey as it will keep cooking once removed from the oven.

LARGE CAKE: Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the edges and top are just cooked – you still want the middle to be slightly gooey as it will keep cooking once removed from the oven.

FOR THE SAUCE

Whilst the puddings are baking simply blend in a blender the dates and coconut cream until smooth. Place into a saucepan over a low heat with the caramel chocolate, Lucuma/maca, coconut sugar and salt. Keep mixing until the chocolate has melted and everything is combined before removing from the heat.

Remove cake from oven and gently poke/stab cake with a knife to create holes. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the cake and let it seep into the holes. This is where the moist ‘pudding’ factor takes place. You want it to be nice and moist.

Place back in oven for 5-10 minutes. (Note: You do not need to place the mini cakes back in the oven)

When ready to serve, gently run a knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the small puddings or cake. Place on serving plates and serve with hot caramel sauce. Enjoy immediately! A blob of vanilla bean or coconut ice cream would be an absolute match made in heaven here. I also shaved some extra caramel chocolate on top.

Thanks Loving Earth for this incredible recipe!!!

ENJOY !

SLOW COOKED SAAG CURRY

Published on July 2, 2015 by Katie morgan3 Comments

I LOVE Indian food! Curries, Dahl, naan bread, raita, papdams, chicken tandoor, cheese puffs…. oh stop it I’m drooling!! But there is something about feasting out on Indian that puts you in a FOOD COMA! Maybe its the self serve constantly filling your plate style of eating or the heavy rice, naan and creamy buttery curries… who knows! Therefore we tend to put this cuisine in the ‘special occasions’ category. It is also hard to know exacatly WHAT they make their curries out of and therefore Indian cuisine is often hard for those with food intolerances. This Lamb or beef Saag is my ultimate favourite curry and with the help of the slow cooker it is SO easy to make. Literally chuck in the slow cooker and go to sleep. Prepare to wake up feeling like you are in Indian with all those aromas. Perfect dish when you are trying to impress some guests too. Continue reading “SLOW COOKED SAAG CURRY” →

2015; PART TWO

Published on July 1, 2015 by Katie morganLeave a comment

WOW!! Can you believe that it is officially the second half of the year. A whole 6 months has been since 2015 kicked off with a bang. I know the old saying always goes, time flies when you are having fun but seriously fun or not (definitely fun) the days are going waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too fast and it is the weekend before I can blink. No complaints but now that we are embarking on the second half of the year I can t help but feel a little eeeek of panic!! I am loving my life at the moment and finding that absolute balance between work and play. I have definitely fallen off the band wagon with my usual routine since moving house 2 weeks ago and so I am working on that. Life is all about falling off and getting back on. So here’s to the next 6 months of 2015. Let’s make it a goodie!

There are;

21 weeks until summer

176 days until Christmas

8 weeks left of winter

182 days until 2016

Time to get that coffee, sweet treat and weekly planner out and get planning!!!

Ok so with that all said. What have you achieved over the last 6 months? Are you proud of yourself ? Do you look back with regret or disappointment? Did you expect too much of yourself? Did you set yourself realistic goals? Or more importantly did you stick to them?

My goals coming into the new year of 2015 were – To save money. To get hot! and to become a kick ass architect with a killer blog…. hmmmmmm!!! What do you want to get out of the next half of the year?? Because now is your chance. There is nothing more exciting then setting yourself new challenges and starting FRESH! new months are fab for this but new half years are even better!!!

My challenges and goals for the next 6 months? Ok here goes;

PERSONAL; to love myself for who I am. AND practice yoga and meditation. It is about time I get that head stand sorted and take some deep self loving breaths.

FITNESS; to be able to do 10 chin ups unassisted. This has always been a goal of mine (nothing more badass than a chick who can do chins) but considering I have never really attempted them nor done anything to get better at them I’m not surprised by my skill or lack of.

HEALTH; to banish ALL guilt and negative relationships I have with food. That’s right – eat a whole damn donut with a smile on my face. Guilt and food are two things that should NOT be associated. Life is too short to be strict on yourself and ‘hate’ yourself for what you eat. Food is there to nourish you and is way too good for a bad rep.

MONEY; this is a difficult one for me because some days I just want to save save save and other days I am like … $456 on gym gear.. yuh ha!! BUT whilst I am not saving for a house deposit or putting my money into shares, I want to conserve my money and spend it on things that will make me wiser and add value to my life…not materialistic value. Like travel! Travel is the only thing that you can spend money on that will make you richer…? that’s the famous quote right…

CAREER; do something different! I love my architecture lifestyle and job BUT I am ready for a little step back from the 9-5 desk. I want to experience working in the health and fitness industry because this is a clear passion of mine. I want to help people become the best version of themselves. I want a reason to JUMP out of bed at the crack of dawn and smile! I am not sure what exactly I need to do this but I cant wait to start exploring and find out. I think it will start with a big ass coffee!!!

LOVE; Get engaged! haha just kidding there is no rush for that. BUT I am honestly more happy and in love than ever so if I can stay this way … BRING IT ON! More adventures and gelato eating in Rome please!

Now your turn! Write them down and stash them away somewhere to pull out in 6 months time. Be realistic and create the life you WANT to live.

“If you are unhappy, move – you are not a tree” – unknown

RASPBERRY CASHEW CHOC SMOOTHIE

Published on June 30, 2015February 2, 2019 by Katie morganLeave a comment

I recently got my hot little hands on a box of the NEW Loving Earth chocolate range and COULD NOT wait to dig into the raspberry cashew flavour! Boy was it incredible. Just what I was expecting and more. I decided to whip is a super cheeky afternoon delight using my new products teamed with my all time favourite bare blends. Try this smoothie – it is mouth watering!! Add ice if you like it extra thick and enjoy it with a spoon! Like me! The berries powder is super high in antioxidants and the healthy essential fats and protein from the cashews and powder help decrease the rate of sugar absorption into your blood stream.

RASPBERRY CASHEW CHOC SMOOTHIE

Serves 1 – GF DF R V P SF – 5 minutes

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

small handful unsalted cashews

2 squares NEW raspberry cashew Loving Earth Chocolate >> SHOP HERE

1 cup almond milk

1 tsp Bare Berries powder >> SHOP HERE

1 scoop Dark Cacao WPI powder >> SHOP HERE

ice (optional)

METHOD:

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Top with some extra chocolate shavings and cashews and enjoy

Here is why this smoothie is so jam packed with nutritious goodness;

RASPBERRIES/BERRY POWDER; high in antioxidants they are great for all things beauty. Your skin, your hair and that radiant glow are all thanks to antioxidants found in berries. Raspberries are low in fructose (fruit sugars) and can be the perfect ingredient in your next smoothie. They also offer a bounty of health benefits, from helping control weight to possibly helping prevent cancer* (Live Strong.)

GREEK YOGHURT; is a great calcium source which is vital for healthy and strong bones. It also provides the body with added protein and prebiotics for healthy gut bacteria. For people who have intolerances to foods sometimes the problem starts when your gut bacteria is out of whack. So before you cull the dairy and yoghurt why not scull it instead and see if your tummy is happier.

PROTEIN POWDER; double nutritious if you use cacao protein powder too. Protein in smoothies makes them a wholesome healthy light meal or snack on the go. The protein aids in muscle recovery and will keep you fuller for longer

CASHEWS; packed with healthy unsaturated fats cashews can help lower cholesterol levels and improve heart health. They are actually lower in fat than many other nuts which a lot of people do not know. Cashews are also great for reducing diabetes and blood sugar levels, so next time you are having some fruit or sugar – grab some cashews.

CACAO; super high in antioxidants this is the number 1 reason health professionals and foodies eat chocolate. Hint Hint; The darker the better because it contains the most cacao. Cacao is natures energy source and a high antioxidant known for its ability to cross your blood-brain barrier to help protect your nervous system.

WINTER SNACKS COVERED

Published on June 26, 2015 by Katie morganLeave a comment

So its winter in Australia which means two things; our bodies go into hungry bear hibernation mode right? and the cold weather just makes us want to eat pasta, pizza and pies all day long. There is no hiding the fact that our appetites increase as the temperature decreases and we start to crave comfort foods. Therefore instead of going for an evening walk after work or hitting the gym early in the morning we chose to reside to the couch with something warm. No judge!! Continue reading “WINTER SNACKS COVERED” →

RAW VANILLA CHOC BERRY LAYER CAKE

Published on June 26, 2015June 26, 2015 by Katie morganLeave a comment

My birthday is A MONTH away and so naturally I am already planning my raw wholesome sugar free cake which I plan on eating the whole thing. I came across this Vanilla Choc Berry layer cake and my mouth dropped. It is definitely in the running to be my 25th Birthday Cake! The Merrymaker Sisters >> Website HERE are two lovely local ladies from Canberra (yeah Canberra!!!) and are taking the Paleo life by storm. This layer cake is perfect for the gluten, dairy and sugar intolerant, is super healthy and looks amaze!!! Try it today! Continue reading “RAW VANILLA CHOC BERRY LAYER CAKE” →

BEST AVO SMASH IN CANBERRA

Published on June 25, 2015 by Katie morganLeave a comment

I am that predictable girl who always scans the menu for some plain and boring (as if) avocado smash on toast. Of course with some poached eggs, some greenery and Persian feta you cannot go wrong. Oh and smoked salmon too is always a good final touch. I have found my top 10 breakfast places in Canberra and put their smashed avocado and toast specialties to the test. Here are my reviews. Hope I don’t offend anyone – I am a tough critic… especially when it comes to soggy toast or hard eggs!! #RAGE Continue reading “BEST AVO SMASH IN CANBERRA” →

MATCHA LATTE

Published on June 23, 2015 by Katie morganLeave a comment

“The rise of the healthy latte is taking Sydney by storm. From ‘superfood’ tonics and coffee alternatives, to organic traditional roasts brewed with fresh nut milks, these chic and healthy new beverages are gracing café tables everywhere and redefining the term ‘latte’ itself.” – Out in Sydney.

Continue reading “MATCHA LATTE” →

THE HAIRY TRUTH

Published on June 22, 2015 by Katie morganLeave a comment

So for those who know me well, know that I somewhat skimped out on the ‘growing hair’ part of the pregnancy whilst I was being created. AND you would also know that I twizzle my hair very rapidly when it is either washed and straight (who doesn’t love playing with fresh silky hair?) or in the evenings when I am exhausted (like pretty much every night). It wasn’t until I returned home after being away for a year that my mum was in total shock about my hair, or should I say lack of, and took me straight to the health food store to get something STAT!!! Continue reading “THE HAIRY TRUTH” →

EGGS; ALL THAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

Published on June 18, 2015June 18, 2015 by Katie morgan5 Comments

Eggs are a very important part of a healthy lifestyle and one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. They are a great source of healthy fats and protein which keep you feeling full. They are also super easy to cook, relatively inexpensive and easy to transport!! Continue reading “EGGS; ALL THAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?” →