Banana Bread – Cookie and Kate Recipe
I have mentioned before that I have a major sweet tooth, especially in the morning. I have to stop myself from going into Marks and Spencers every morning to get a Pain au Chocolat, now its strictly a Friday treat (ahem). So I was looking for something to satisify my breakfast cravings which wasn’t going to make my sugar levels suddenly crash at 10am. I thought a healthy Banana bread might be the answer and came across Cookie and Kate’s recipe. Theres no refined sugar in this recipe, only honey. The recipe states that you can use coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. I used the olive oil option as that was all I had in the house. The olive oil and bananas keep the bread extremely moist and this is the type of bread which gets better after a couple of days as the bananas ripen further. I added chopped walnuts which go perfectly in banana bread but I think some dark chocoalte chips would be amazing in this recipe! So if you’re looking for a moist, healthy sweet treat on a morning, why not try Cookie & Kates receipe?
Date Energy Balls
I’ve recently purchased the Magimix 3200XL Food processor and because of the price, I was hoping it will be a good investment – so far so good! Before it arrived I did my research and came across some healthy snack ideas which I could whizz up when it arrived. I liked the idea of the ‘energy balls’ I had seen so much of Instagram and YouTube but I was a little put off by all the coconut oil and maple syrup which were being used. I really didn’t think they were needed due to the sticky, sweet nature of the date.
When the Magimix arrived I thought I would create my own take on energy balls and I am happy to say they were a success! With only 3 ingredients to chuck in and go – you can’t go wrong really. With this kind of recipe I really don’t think you need to follow strict measurements as its not being baked. It’s just a case of checking you have the right consistency to roll the mixture into balls. If too dry, add another date or a little water. If too wet add a few more nuts or some more Cocao powder – I use this one. As a guide I roughly used the following to make around 8 balls.
4 Medjool Dates
50g Almonds (or any nut you prefer)
1 tbsp Cocao
Once whizzed up to the right consistancy and rolled into balls you can then roll them into some chopped hazelnuts, chia seeds or anything that takes your fancy!
I took three of these balls to work for my breakfast and found that they kept me full until lunchtime. They are great to use as a snack and they keep for up to a week in the fridge.
Raw Carrot Cake – by Lorraine Pascale
I love me some carrot cake, it must be my favourite type of cake! And you guessed it, I was looking for a healthy alternative. This recipe by Lorraine Pascale happens to be raw, vegan and gluten free which is great for those with intolerances or perhaps you just prefer to eat this way. As this is a raw cake there is no baking involved and all the ingredients can be whizzed up in a food processor. The icing is made from soaked cashews, dates and vanilla extract and I was amazed at how good this tasted! I think this icing would be a great, refined sugar-free addition to lots of different types of cakes and desserts.
Lorraine this recipe is genius!
Katy Greenwich 