If you follow any health or fitness foodie on instagram you are bound to have come across Matcha Green Tea Powder. Not only does it have the most beautiful green colour and make everything look stunning, it is amazingly good for you too. Just like regular green tea which is packed with antioxidants, matcha is great for your insides and metabolism. Green tea not only speeds up your metabolism and gives you energy, it is great for detoxing and weightloss! Continue reading “MATCHA COCONUT BALLS”
This would have to be my signature and most successful to date raw sugarfree dessert. Firstly if you know me well you will know that I am … how shall i put this… a HUGE fan of (some might say obsessed with) peanut butter. Not only does it taste amazing but it also has amazing health benefits. Peanut butter, and I am talking the natural no added sugar or vegetable oil ones, is chock-full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat which reduces belly fat, decrease your risk of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health conditions. The combination of fibre and protein fills you up and keeps you fuller for longer, so you eat less overall. One study published in the Journal of the Medical Association found that consuming about 2 tablespoons a day at least 5 days a week can lower the risk of developing diabetes and belly fat by almost 30%. Hell yes!!!
So get your spooning on!!!
CHOC PEANUT BUTTER SALTED CARAMEL SLICE GF SF DF V* P*
CHOC BROWNIE BASE
1 1/4 C rolled oats
1 C pitted dates (soaked overnight in water)
½ C cacao powder
½ coconut oil / olive oil
2/3 C honey or pure maple syrup
PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL CENTRE
1.5 C natural peanut butter
1 C pitted dates soaked overnight in water
2/3 C honey or pure maple syrup
4T coconut cream Note: don’t shake the tin – use the thick cream from the top
1tsp sea salt
CHOC GANASH TOPPING
Block of dark chocolate or homemade raw chocolate (see alternative recipe at bottom)
¼ C natural peanut butter
1-2T coconut cream
1tsp sea salt
* Salted crushed peanuts for topping
METHOD
The best part about this recipe is that although it has so many nutritious amazing ingredients- it’s really simple!! It’s a whizz layer freeze style of baking.
It is 100% vital to have a food processor (blenders have been known to break in our house in the attempt of blending dates and peanut butter)
and you will need to soak the dates overnight AND it takes atleast 4 hours or overnight for the final product to set!!!! These times cannot be compromised or substituted. I say this now because there is nothing worse than getting to the end of a recipe and planning to plate up in 5 mins and then reading “set in fridge overnight’ Trust me – been there done that and it is totally worth the wait!
1. Blend the oats in the food processor (FP). Drain the soaked dates and blend with oats until combined – about 30 seconds. Add the oil, honey and cocoa. This should form a thick doughy base. Depending on your FP you might need to add more oats if it’s too soft. You want to have to ‘press’ the base into the tin not pour it.
2. Press into a large brownie tin lined with baking paper and refridgerate. If it looks like you have quite a lot (even once the taste testing is perfected) then press some into small patty pans to make little cupcake size peanut butter treats. I use these cute heart shape mini tart tins which make for a super special sweet treat!
3. Now the caramel centre – get those finger licking skills ready. Place the drained dates into the food processor and blitz until a smooth caramel consistency. Add peanut butter, coconut cream, salt and honey and blend for 1 minute until creamy and lump free. Pour over the chocolate brownie base and refrigerate. Now get those fingers into the food processor and lick the thing clean – once the blades are removed of course! This high protein, good fat and fibre rich layer is to die for… and it means less elbow grease in the kitchen sink cleaning!
4. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl either over the stove or slowly in a microwave. Once smooth (and not burnt) add the peanut butter, coconut cream and sea salt and stir until it is well combined. Pour over chilled peanutbutter caramel layer and top with crushed peanuts. Place in freezer for 3-4 hours minimum or overnight for best results.
5. When ready to serve simply take out of tin and let it thaw on the bench for 10-15 minutes. Cut into slices and enjoy! You can freeze ready to grab slices for up to 8 weeks. Little tip when slicing – if the chocolate ganash is really hard and proving difficult to chop, cut long ways and then turn the slice on its side and cut the fingers/pieces that way. It is easier to cut on a small ‘edge’ side rather than flat chocolate. Little bit of architecture model making knowledge there :)
Goodluck, have fun, taste/sample regularly and let me know how it goes! Put your photo up on instagram and tag me @katie_kale_kettlebell or hashtag #kaleandthekettlebell nom nom nom
K
*ALTERNATIVE RECIPE OPTIONS
RAW CHOCOLATE
1/3 C coconut oil
1/3 C cacao powder
2-3Tbs honey or maple syrup
Melt coconut oil and combine with honey and cacao powder until smooth. Add in place of the melted dark chocolate for the ganash topping.
PALEO: To make this recipe paleo you can simple replace the 1 1/4 C rolled oats with nuts of choice. Almonds or a mix of ABC – Almond Brazil and Cashew would work perfectly.
VEGAN: To ensure the recipe is totally vegan use Maple syrup in place of the honey
I am sure you have heard of the 80/20 lifestyle consisting of 80% clean and healthy food + 20% indulgent treat food = 100% perfect balance. This is the ‘lifestyle’ (not diet… I hate that word) that I like to follow and live by. It means that I eat healthy and clean foods majority of the time but then let myself indulge in the most naughty of naughty treats without any guilt or regret. When I focus on treating myself 20% of the time it means that I am naturally eating healthy the other 80% without trying. Continue reading “80/20 LIFESTYLE”
With Mother’s Day only a couple of days away it seems fitting that this weeks Feature Friday Recipe is Scones with Jam and Cream! YUM! The Merrymaker sisters have nailed this recipe and doesn’t it just look incredible! I will HAVE to make a batch this weekend and eat them. Continue reading “FEATURE FRIDAY – PUMPKIN COCONUT SCONES”
My partner recently got a severe super bug infection in his elbow after knocking (or rather stabbing) a rusty nail at work. The last 5 days have been spent in and out of hospital, with minimal sleep, not the usual nutritious food and plenty of processed sugars… sorry body! Continue reading “IMMUNE BOOSTING REMEDIES”
When it comes to eating healthy and working out, I rarely fall off the bandwagon. My daily routine consists of leafy greens, my morning coffee, sweaty gym sessions, stretching (and of course sitting on my bum 9-5… yes it’s not all lululemon and relaxing) But despite being a health nut/gym rat, there is one thing that has always stumped me… What to eat before and after a workout? and when? Continue reading “EATING BEFORE AND AFTER A WORKOUT?”
CHOC – MINT SMOOTHIE – serves 1
1-2 frozen bananas
Handful of mint leaves
3 Medjool dates
2 Tbs cacao powder
1 Tbs chia seeds
1 tsp vital greens or spirulina powder
1 cup almond milk
ice
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Pour into jar or glass and top with shredded or flaked coconut. Add straw and you are good to go !
K
Today is the final day of Nutritional November!! Well done all of you wonderful fit and fabulous people who have followed my blog daily for the last 30 days. I hope that you enjoyed ‘Nutritional November’ just as much as I have enjoyed writing my little tips, recipes and health and fitness knowledge daily and are feeling fit and confident ready for summer. I must admit I have learnt a lot too and it really did help keep me stay on track and motivated – just in time for December and the silly season so thank you to each and every one of my followers and supporters!!
It has been quite a commitment writing on my blog daily and has proven to me that “if there is something that you really want – you will make time for it.” Ain’t that the truth! So what did you get out of Nutritional November? Did you learn something? Are you feeling healthier or more confident? Did you do something you thought you couldn’t? Did you make one of my healthy recipes? If you answer yes to any of those questions then congratulations and well done!!
As the final hurrah for Nutritional November I ask that you write down 5 things that you really like about yourself. They key to feeling confident and being happy is to feel good about yourself. It is very easy to beat ourselves up over little things but this just damages our self esteem and contributes to poor confidence – NOT the way to a healthy lifestyle.
Ok so I will go first: (no judgment thanks)
1. I like my toes. I get a lot of crap for my short, same length, stubby little fat chipolata sausage toes – but I love them!
2. I like how I crack myself up (hey if you cant laugh at your own jokes how can you expect other people too?)
3. I like how I am comfortable talking to strangers and sparking up random conversation when waiting for my coffee or lunch.
4. I like my ability to motivate people and make them feel good about themselves
5. I like my will power to do anything I put my mind to (except limiting peanut butter)
Now it’s your turn! You don’t have to show anyone if you don’t want to just get writing and start raising that self esteem!!
Thanks so much for being a part of my nutritional November and challenging me everyday to be a healthier and fitter version of myself!! I think we all deserve a BIG FAT SCOOP (or two) of peanut butter straight from the jar!!!! And a big thank you to the lovely sisters Jayne and Katie from Sweat and Oranges www.sweatandoranges.com.au who gave me the idea of nutritional November and inspire me daily to be fit and healthy.
K
Chocolate is just one of those things that makes us happy. FACT! It’s actually scientifically proven too!! OH YOU BETCHA. Chocolate is a very nutritious source of antioxidants which are good for our inner health, skin, brain function and hormones. Personally I don’t need much more reason than that and that’s why I rarely go a day without some form of chocolate. And why should we?
As someone with an ‘all or nothing’ streak in their body I am not the greatest at self control (or portion size mind you) and the more ‘artificial’ the chocolate… the more addictive it is. Our body gets a taste of the sweet sugar and we simply cannot stop. Ever gone to the pantry to have ‘just one piece’ and ended up demolishing the whole block? yeahhhhh about that!! This is why a lot of health magazines and websites/blog recommend dark chocolate because the higher the cocoa content the lower the sugar and therefore the better it is for us. Lindt dark coconut intense anyone?? YUM or any of the intense dark Lindt range for that matter. Although the lime flavour… hmmmm interesting!!
Here are my 5 favourite chocolate fixes for ANY TIME of the day. Any one of them is going to make you feel all gooey inside and satisfy the chocolatey goodness you are craving without causing a blood sugar insulin spikes followed by a lethargic slum.
1. Banana-choc coconut smoothie (RECIPE HERE FROM NN DAY 08)
2. Luvju organic raw chocolate by the amazing company Loving Earth. Website HERE. YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS!!! I bought a whole box and then some – it was the most exciting (and healthy) delivery package I have ever received!!! Hello work draw!
3. Homemade cacao chia cookies – Recipe to come in the near future! stay tuned!
4. Instant avocado cacao mousse – recipe will be posted in a couple of days
5. Homemade cacao protein balls RECIPE BELOW
CACAO PROTEIN BALLS
2 cups medjool dates (soaked overnight is best)
2 scoops protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (plus extra for rolling)
1/2 cup coconut oil
2Tbs honey
2Tbs cacao powder
1/2 cup nuts (almonds, cashews or brazil)
1/2 cup Goji berries (optional – but a wonderful little addition if you have them handy)
Place all ingredients into a food processor or Vitamix and blend.
Roll into medium sized balls and cover in extra cacao powder or coconut if desired. Refrigerate until firm! Can store in fridge for up to 4 weeks and freezer for 3 months! Trust me – they WONT last that long!
2-3 of these sweet chocolatey bliss balls make for the perfect after work or after dinner snack with a cuppa and are completely guilt free!! Happy Baking!!!
REMEMBER CHOCOLATE IS NOT AN ENEMY! IT CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND!!!
K
Sunday is my favourite day of the week closely followed by my Friday nights in. Sunday for us means walks, coffee, sleep ins, food shops, yoga, brunch and catching up on things to prepare for the week ahead. And nothing like a large indulgent dessert (like my instant chocolate mug cake, recipe HERE) or a glass of wine on a Sunday night to celebrate a week of good health and nutrition, knowing that you can start a clean slate on a Monday morning. But before we get too carried away in indulgent desserts lets skip back to the MOST important meal of the day… BREAKFAST!!! If your daily breakfast routine consists of an alternating cycle of PB banana toast one day and soaked oats the next – then you will appreciate the enjoyment of making a nice exciting breakfast without a time limit. Yep I am talking smoked salmon, poached eggs and avocado on toast or a quadruple layer stack of peanut butter coconut pancakes, recipe HERE. It’s the simple things like actually sitting down and setting the table instead of scoffing my oats whilst making my other half’s smoothie or shoveling my toast down whilst walking out the door.
A few of my favourite Sunday brunches are;
1. Peanut butter coconut pancakes. Recipe on the blog HERE
2. Smoked salmon, soft boiled eggs and avocado on toast
3. Jumbo mushroom omelette
4. Smoothie bowl with granola
5. Fresh Bircher muesli. Recipe below
FRESH BIRCHER MUESLI RECIPE – serves 2
1 cup oats
3Tbs chia seeds
1tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1-2 oranges freshly squeezed
Milk (enough to cover the oats)
1 large apple grated
½ cup coconut shredded
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
½ cup goji berries
1 cup greek yoghurt
½ cup mixed nuts
2Tbs pepitas
Blueberries and 1/2 banana sliced for topping
Extra cinnamon, coconut and honey
The night before in a large bowl combine oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice, apple, coconut, honey and goji berries. Stir until combined and pour enough milk so the ingredients are comfortably covered. Cover with cling wrap and leave in fridge overnight.
In the morning remove cling wrap and add the yoghurt. Pour in the nuts and seeds and stir until combined. Serve up 2 bowls and top with the cinnamon, honey, coconut, berries and banana. Get creative and enjoy!!
The most important part about healthy eating is enjoying what you eat. I personally get excited lying in bed at night thinking about what marvelous creation I am going to whip up for breakky in the morning!!
So get planning and make this Sunday a special ‘healthy’ brunch to kick off a fit, healthy and nutritious November.
K
KATIE MORGAN 
