Step away from the Cinnamon Graham's.

This morning I woke up and all I could think was these bad boys. 

I bought them a week or so ago during a naughty day that went to far. So to squash my cravings for them I whipped up a yummy little (one pint) smoothie instead. Mmmmmm

Today's mix was:

2 bananas

2 squeezes of runny honey

Lots of cinnamon (measure to taste)

4 gluggs of almond milk

Handful of frozen blueberries

1 fat frozen strawberry

And two handfuls of gluten free oats. 

And here it is in all its glory!
 

This was delicious! It'll definitely be a regular breakfast recipe! 

Chocolate Truffles

These chocolate truffles are THE BOMB! And I really don't think they could be easier to make. They are so allergy friendly I think I'd marry them if I could.
Dun dun, dundun...

Here's the good part:
Raw
Gluten Free
Vegan
Dairy Free

....CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES!
I am rather excited about these, they're delicious, I've had two just while writing this up and I won't apologise! (to you, myself or my digestive system)
The girls have tried them, it resulted in smiles and arm flapping, I find this response to be universally good through all ages. Not to be confused with confusion faces and arm flapping, that's a whole different story. :P
You'll notice I haven't even told you anything about the actual truffles yet, that's because they're o quick and easy you'll be done before I can say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
For a recipe with NO SUGAR in it I am bouncing with energy. OK, OK, I'll share the secrets.

INGREDIENTS:
4 tbsp shredded coconut (I had chunks in my cupboard and grated them)
15 medjool dates
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp cacao powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (add more to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 mint leaves finely chopped (this can be swapped out for any flavouring you prefer)


METHOD:
Put it all in the blender

Blend for a couple of minutes until its one big ball.

Scoop it out into a fridgeable container and leave for 10 minutes in the fridge. At this point I had to try some, and that's when the excitement began.

After the 10 minutes bring it out and make into little balls, you decide the size. 

Now just roll them in cacao powder. I love cinnamon so rolled mine in both, you could mix it up a little and try ground almonds, more coconut, mint, chilli powder if you're a crazy cat, even rock salt would work.

Stick in the fridge for another 20 minutes, and they're ready to eat. I would happily eat them in any state ;)

Feel free to thank me later.     
 

  

Jude's Icecreams.

My Instagram, which you can find here may have already given the goat away, but I had a little slip up on the Clean and Lean Diet yesterday. And it came in the shape of Jude's Icecreams, I tried to tell myself it wasn't so bad because they're all made from natural ingredients. My pathetic digestive system was having none of it. If, like me you suspect you have a dairy intolerance but can't imagine a world without Icecream check out my Dairy Free Icecream Recipe.
Anyway back to these delicious little pots of joy....

  
We happily sat and tucked into a variety of flavours including, Roasted Peanut (by far my favourite) Salted Caramel, Ginger, and then the standard Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla.  We also tried two of their sorbets as well, Blood Orange and Mango, I felt better about eating these, no dairy and made from just fruit pulp, water and a touch of sugar. They are currently looking into Dairy Free options themselves. If you fancy checking out their site it's just here. 


And guess what guys? I JUST discovered they're GLUTEN FREE. Wahey!!! I will now be crossing my fingers and toes that my local Cook Store has them, for when I'm feeling lazy and greedy! For any of you that haven't been to a Cook store they are located in and around the UK, with stores as far away as Edinburgh and Jersey. I would highly recommend them, and they're great with helping out with allergies too :)

 

Banana Pancakes with Strawberries, Blueberries and Maple Syrup.

I AM IN LOVE WITH BANANAS! They're literally the best fruit in the world, so adaptable.This morning I used them to make No Flour Pancakes. If this is a sign of whats to come with Clean Eating then I can't wait! These pancakes took about 5 minutes to whip up and were so scrummy I wanted seconds.

Banana Pancakes:
1 banana
2 eggs
pinch of cinnamon

Topping:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Maple Syrup 
 
Here's how..
Mash up banana, or you can blend if you prefer, mix with the egg, throw in a pinch of cinnamon and stir.  Now just prepare a frying pan with a tinsy bit of oil, I used Walnut Oil. Then just spoon on the mixture, let it settle for 30 secs and then flip. This morning I decided to serve them with strawberries, blueberries and a bit of maple syrup, and they were fantastic! 
I really would recommend this alternative! Its practically guilt free and so tasty!

 The rest of today was just as enjoyable as my breakfast. I met with my parents for a few hours, which always means countless drink and lunch stops. I managed to squeeze two "Pie of the Day" dishes in...WHOOPS!  But I also picked up the book that Jo suggested the other day, so once I'm done updating I shall be snuggling down for some inspiring reading. I can't wait to start respecting my body a bit more. I'll keep you posted kids ;)

Chocolate Brownies

Yesterday I made Gluten Free Brownies, as my first attempt at a "No Flour" recipe I think it went ok. It was also the first time I'd used LactoFree milk, Canderel Sugar Alternative, and gluten free rolled oats. As I tell you about the recipe I am going to alter it slightly so it is better! If like me you like your brownies naughty and gooey then I would suggest cooking them for only 15 minutes as opposed to 20. I would also suggest being quite generous with the Canderel, its slightly confusing as it says on the packet to use a tenth of what any recipe says for standard sugar. I think because I used Bournville Dark Cocoa Powder it needs more. I also decided to add Dates to mine. I LOVE DATES! Hit me with any Dates recipes you have! 

(amended) Ingredients:
180ml of milk (lactofree, soy or almond are fine)
64g of cocoa powder (I would now suggest milk chocolate)
180g low fat yoghurt (if you can get bio, do)
43g wholegrain rolled oats
1 egg
64g sugar (I would suggest about 12-15g of Canderel)
1tsp baking powder
90g Dates (optional)

Method:
Sling all the ingredients in a blender, blend til smooth and then pour into a greased baking tray. I would suggest a small baking tray, as this doesn't make a huge amount and I'd rather have thick brownies.

Not bad for a first timer....

 

Organic Brown Rice Pasta

Knowing how sensitive my digestive system is, a good friend of mine bought some vegan friendly pasta for me to experiment with the other day!
Right, back to it! You can buy this great product in Whole Foods its called Organic Brown Rice Pasta. It looks, smells, cooks and tastes just like pasta. Except there’s no uncomfortable bloat afterwards!

So here is what I rustled up on the day,  it’s ever so fast to make and delicious. Perfect for one of those “I’ve got nothing left in the fridge” days!
To talk you through it, all I did was steamed some broccoli, drained some tuna, cooked the pasta. Then mixed it all up together with a healthy dollop of taramasalata (my all time favourite dip) Strangely Taramasalata makes for a great, 2 minute pasta sauce, especially if combined with seafood!
This will be my go to pasta of choice for a while I recon.