Raw Chocolate cups

                     

Amazingness is raw chocolate in a little cup. So simple, so easy.

If I am honest I don't really have a recipe, my chocolate, like many things in my life is pretty freestyle. I just enjoy mixing, making and tasting :-) 

Here is a rough guide to how these chocolate cups came to fruition.....

Large heaped spoon of coconut oil gently melted

Maple syrup to sweeten to your taste

Raw Cacao powder about 2 tablespoons

Ground almonds  2 tablespoons 

Pinch of salt

Vanilla 1/2 tsp

Lucuma 1 tsp

Mix really well before adding.......

Big handful of goji berries

Small handful of cacao nibs

4 chopped unsulphered apricots 

Spoon into little silicone cups or whatever container you have and try and let them set before you eat them!! 

 

Superfood Deconstructed Apple Crumble

I love weekend breakfasts and so wish I had more time to enjoy them every day of the week but then I hear you say, they wouldn't be so special.
You can make it as a crumble if you have the time or do the deconstructed version if you need your breakfast urgently, as i tend to ;-)

Apple:
3 Organic apples chopped in a pan….. add,
1tsp baobab powder
1tsp Maca (quite strong tasting so 1/2 if you need to)
2 tsp Lucuma Powder
cinnamon to taste and a splash of water to cook

Cumble:
3 tbps coconut oil
2 tbps coconut palm sugar/syrup or healthy sweetener of choice
1 cup of oats
handful each of pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds
pink of sea salt
I melted oil and sugar together then added dry ingredients
stir well and then cook in the oven for 10 mins at 170' but keep an eye and turn if needed
I also baked some pecan separately.

Finally a large spooning of Coyo.
Really this was my perfect breakfast.

I am adding a Glossary for my wonderful friend Charlie and anyone else who is interested in the super part of food.

Maca: amazing for strength, energy and balancing hormones, oh and it's a cheeky aphrodisiac too
Baobab: High in Vit C and Potasssium, also helps improve the body's efficient use of calories from food to energy!
Lucuma: Provides us with 14 essential trace elements, including a considerable amount of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
So much goodness !! Be excited !!

Everybody's Easter Cookies

It's safe to say I like to bake, Friday has surreptitiously become the day for exploring new recipes and creating divinely delicious treats to healthily indulge in over the weekend.
This weekend I spent in the countryside visiting my God daughter Eleanora. Her mother, who has proclaimed total apathy towards baking leaves it up to me to cut the cookie dough.
But…."no eggs, no gluten, no nuts and no sugar"  Perfect, Just how I like it!

125g Vegan Margarine or Goats butter
4 tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar
I tsp Vanilla Essence
150g Gluten free flour
70g Self raising Gluten free flour

I am certainly not aspiring to be Heston but I am an explorer and love to experiment and mix it up. This was a basic biscuit recipe that I have gently doctored to meet the health requirements I desire without compromising on the taste.
I'd rather just lick maple syrup out of the bowl than eat a cookie that didn't cut it.

Keep the heat low. the slower you cook them the more shortbready they become.
I say 175'C but you could probably go lower.
Mix butter, sugar and vanilla in to a smooth paste
Sift in the flour
Roll mixture into a log and refrigerate for 30 mins or so
Then cut cookie sized slices roll in your hands to soften and flatten on to a cookie tray.
Press a fork in to the top to make a nice home made pattern.
Or for a special occasion roll out the dough to 1cm thickness and use fun cookie cutters. I am a stars and hearts fan myself.
Place in the oven for 15 mins or until golden, Turning them once during baking.

Everybody loves an easter cookie :-)

2014……..To give up or to take up

That is the question!
Do we give up something we love or take up doing good for humanity? Do we give up being lazy or take up being proactive?
What ever we choose for our new year's resolution there is always a positive, so even giving up is taking up and something or someone will benefit from your commitment….It might be your lungs if you've given up smoking or your best friend if you've given up complaining ;-)  if your new years dedication
feels like a hardship, don't focus in on "you" and what you're lacking but broaden your perception, widen your awareness and know that you are doing good.

I have given up sugar but what I have actually done is taken up better health, the ability to think clearly and looking 10 years younger!! In my weaker moments I feel I am denying myself a great love, ss a self certified Chocolate Addict I feel abused and abandoned as if I am being punished; but in my sane moments I know I can't allow an entire bar of Amelia Rope's Rose Ecuadorian Milk Chocolate in it's divine pink foil and brown wrapping to get the better of me and I am in fact making conscious choices, rewarding myself and honouring my wellbeing.
So when you waver and that glass of wine is calling you, just take a few deep breaths and remember you are honouring yourself, your health and wellbeing.

We are still living for the moment, seizing opportunities as they come…. just in a conscious, healing, healthy way.
Good health both mentally and physically brings great happiness :-) So don't give up, I promise you, you will feel amazing!!

Winter Elixir

I have been a little lax, eating way to many chocolate chip biscuits, drinking more than usual and of course not getting the sleep I should so it's inevitable that a tickle in my throat should show me my body isn't mad about the way it's being treated! 

 

A night of no sleep with a cold taking hold I vow I would be rid of it in 3 days! eek, that's not long to nail something everyone has told me lingers for 2 weeks!

This is my morning tonic, the top 4 are a good base, the following can be added when you need ultra herb help :-)

Manuka Honey Super high potency 15+ or higher if you can
It's full of natural pollens, enzymes and antibacterial properties to help support your immune system and fight off winter viruses

Lemon rich in Vit C and flavanoids both useful when fighting the cold or flu virus. It also stimulates the liver, dissolves poisons such as Uric Acid (the nasty poison that gives people gout) and cleanses the digestive tract.

Turmeric-freshly grated
Improves digestion, strengthens immunity, decreases inflammation and adds gorgeous luster to the skin. Yes please :-)

Ginger -freshly grated
cleanses the blood, reducing toxicity and inflammation in the body. It's also great for digestions as it stokes the fire in the belly.

If you are feeling super brave and need an extra kick you can add Garlic, almost too punchy for me but amazing.

Garlic strengthens the heart, improves digestion and boosts immunity

Cinnamon is a warming spice, good for circulation and rammed full of antioxidants, it also stabilised blood sugar levels so brilliant to have in the morning to keep you balanced.

I could keep going as there are so many wonderful herbs and spices but shall make Black Pepper the last uber spice to add to your tonic.

Black Pepper is great for congestion as it liquifies mucous and helps to eliminate toxins.

With a cold or the flu we feel puffy and heavy, our hands get swollen and our eyes get droopy……Just writing it makes me frown!  This is all inflammation, in fact much of the bunged up feeling in our head is inflammation of the mucus membrane not just the snot!

But ultimately our immune issues starts in the belly which is why it's so important to get that working properly. Many of the above spices help with digestion and the metabolic fire. When our digestion is good, not "normal" as the NHS would say but you feel comfy, not bloated and are evacuating AT LEAST once a day with ease then your body has a chance to fight the battles it needs to at this time of year.

Add warm, not boiling water and enjoy in the morning and all day long. Any excuse to lick the honey spoon :-)

Your body speaks...... The food your body needs

The biggest problem is that over the next few weeks in the frantic social run up to Christmas, when we are tempted by continuous parties and indulgences, late nights and extended fun what we really need to be doing is staying healthy and resting so our bodies can build and restore. Now that I listen to my body I am craving warming, healing foods. I look at a cucumber and just "know" it's wrong, even an avocado somedays just seems too damp. Why would you want to eat a cold wet vegetable when your body is trying to keep warm and dry.

How do we still think that a salad is healthy when are bodies don't "really" want it or worse still why are our minds so programmed that they convince our bodies that we do actually want it!
It's time to begin to listen to the body, I promise you, it is speaking, even if you can't hear it!!

Here is the first of my warming recipes to lead you healthily towards the winter solstice and beyond....

Buckwheat Pancake with Buffalo Mozzarella and Spinach

Cook the tomatoes under the grill
Sauté the courgettes in a little Braggs Amino Acids (or salt and pepper) and oil if needed
Add spinach at the end just so it's wilted.

Buckwheat groats (If you like you can soak them over night which makes them a little easier to digest)
Any kind of milk you choose and a splash of water
Salt pepper maybe some rosemary or mixed herbs to season
Blend so it's a runny batter , think crepe batter more than waffle mix

Cook in a little Olive or Coconut oil.

Once you turn the pancake add.......
Buffallo Mozzarella or sub with Sheep's Feta
Spinkle with fresh herbs, I used Thai Basil
Spinach/courgette
Tomatoes on top

Can be folded as a pancake or dressed like a Pizza :-)