The perfect pick me up on a sunny Thursday afternoon…Beetroot and Watermelon Juice.

We (embarrassingly) got caught watching TVSN Shopping channel a few months ago and bought ourselves a ‘we just moved to a beach side town and want to be healthy’ present and invested in cold pressed juicer.

It’s been awesome and I’ve come across some delish recipes….

Power Gulp
Kale, green grapes,  cucumber, granny smith apple

Total Health Booster
Apples, pears, cherries

Antioxidant Supreme
Blueberries, strawberries,  mango

Energy Upper
Lychees in syrup, peaches,  coconut water

Immune Booster
Grapefruit, oranges, kiwis

Post – Workout Refueler
Oranges, almonds, sweet potato, apple

Detox
Ginger,  beetroot, carrots, apple

xx

One good thing about a winter’s night is being in your pj’s and snuggling on the couch with a cup of tea and some chocolate and date biscuits…

Ingredients
80g butter, melted, cooled
2/3 cup agave
1 egg
1/2 cup dates – pre soaked
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 – 1/2 cup cacao depending on how rich you want them

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

I started making this recipe in the food processor as it blends the dates beautifully to make a super smooth biscuit mixture.

Start blending butter and agave, then add eggs and dates. Sift flours, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda into mixture and process until smooth. I add cacao last and taste as I go to check flavour.

Using a table spoon as a measure place spoonfuls on to a lined tray. Bake for 8 – 12 minutes or until golden on bottom. Cool on trays for 10 minutes, then place onto a cooling rack.

xxx

My little scientist in the making!! We picked up an Under The Sea kit from National Geographic the other day and whiled away a couple of hours creating deep sea corals and creatures.

It was a great activity for a 5 year old! (with some help from the mama…)

xx

Since healing my body I’ve really learnt how to appreciate food in it’s natural state. Hummus is one of my favourite accompaniments to have with salads, baked sweet potatoes or even tortillas. It’s super easy and cheap to make and lasts in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Ingredients
600g canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed
3 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water – optional

Directions
Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Add water if needed.

My gorgeous sister-in-law, Claire, told me about a delish sounding raw bounty bar on the Mrs Flannerys website. And of course I had to give it a go!! (Although it would have worked a little easier with your Vitamix Claire!!)

I worked out that it’s definitely important to use organic coconut so it will still contain a lot of the oil. It’s also easier to make it in a larger batch (min 1 cup) so it doesn’t get caught under the blades if using a food processor. (Also good as the whole recipe makes only a small batch and trust me, you’ll want more…)

Ingredients
Filling:
• 1 cup Organic Desiccated Coconut
• 1/4 cup Organic Coconut Oil
• 1 TBS Organic Maple Syrup (or other natural sweetener ie. honey)

Raw Chocolate Coating:
• 3 TBS Organic Cacao Butter
• 1 TBS Organic Maple Syrup – or natural sweetener
• 2 TBS Organic Cacao Powder
PreparationFor the coconut filling:
• Make coconut butter by placing 1/2 cup of the coconut in a food processor and blend until butter forms
• Once you have the butter – add the rest of the filling ingredients and process until the mixture forms together.
• Pour the mixture into a lined baking dish and place in the freezer to set

For the chocolate covering:
• Melt the cacao butter until it has turned to a complete liquid.
• Then remove from heat and add cacao and maple syrup and mix well, making sure there are no lumps!

Take the filling out of the freezer, and tip upside down to remove from dish. Remove lining/paper and then cut into bit sized pieces.

Next, dip pieces into chocolate coating and pop them back into the fridge to set the chocolate completely.

xx

So…. since NO-ONE and I mean not one person out of the 17  I messaged was keen to join me last Saturday morning… this post has to be purely about me and my first ‘solo’ Parkrun experience. (glamorous finish line photo and all!!)

And it was absolutely awesome! Well that was by the time I finally got there…. My Parkrun barcode did not pop out the printer till 7.37am. It was my last ditch attempt after having internet problems all week and being unable to access the link from laptop/phone/printer. (You name it and we had an issue with it last week.)

So I frantically changed out of my uggies and trackies and got to Salt just in time for the 8am start. Lots of gorgeous people and the most sublime environment to run 5kms. And sure I was passed by a mum pushing a pram with her 2 year old toddler and 3 week old son who she’d breastfeed before sliding him into the pram before the start line (And yes she was the first female across the line a good 3.36 minutes before my finishing time of 25.06) But hey what the hell!

Lots of fun for anyone who wants to join me next time….

xx

These soft tortillas were divine! We topped them with hummus, chicken, black beans, leafy greens, avocado and parsley pesto. Only made six so it was a perfect lunch time meal for the family during the school holidays.

Ingredients:

• 3 Eggs, Whisked
• 1/2 C. Almond Milk
• 2 T. Coconut Flour
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, starting with the eggs.  It is on the runnier side.
2. Grease a pan and with medium heat, pour mix to make 5-6 inch sized “tortillas.”  It takes about a one minute per side.
3. Place your toppings on and EAT!

xx