Raw Snickers Bar

I love baking sugar laden cakes, scrumptious desserts and fat filled treats, yet I never eat them. You could call me some what of a 'feeder' as I love to cook and bake for other people but not myself. 

I decided to make this Donna Hay Raw Snickers Bar as a way to create a delicious treat that I would actually eat. This was the perfect treat to curb my mid afternoon cravings as well as sticking (roughly) to my healthy eating habits. This recipe is gluten free, lactose free and refined sugar free (depending on what chocolate you choose).

Although this recipe is 'healthier' than that of a cream filled sponge cake, be mindful that it would still be classified as a 'sometimes food' and wouldn't recommend eating the whole batch at once.  The good fats from the natural peanut butter, and high sugar levels from the dates and organic chocolate, making it quite calorie dense. Nonetheless, prepare yourself for mouth-wateringly, orgasmic goodness.

ENJOY

xx

INGREDIENTS 

400g Fresh Dates, Pitted

1/3 Cup Natural Smooth Peanut Butter 

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Puffed Brown Rice 

1/2 Cup Unsalted Roasted Peanuts, Roughly Chopped

80g Raw Organic 70% Dark Chocolate, Melted

METHOD

Place the dates, peanut butter and vanilla in a food processor. Process for 2-4 minutes or until the mixture comes together to form a paste

Place the date mixture, puffed rice and peanuts in a large bowl and mix to combine

Press the mixture into a lightly greased pan lined with non-stick baking paper

Melt the chocolate over hot water and be careful not to burn

Once melted, pour the melted chocolate over the date mixture. Spread evenly with a knife

Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or until set

Remove from the pan, slice into piece using a hot knife and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Recipe not created by myself. Find original recipe here 

Food: Green Smoothie

We have all been intrigued by those Instagram photos of gorgeous women sipping on their green smoothies with the hashtag -  #delicious #skinny #soyummy - and thought, hey if they think it’s delicious it must be delicious. These women also look pretty damn fine whilst drinking their green smoothie so like any normal person you would straight away think that maybe if I drink a green smoothie I will look damn fine too. Easy! My male friend calls this thinking basic bitch logic (don’t ask) but none the less I have also scrolled through my Instagram feed, seen the photos and thought ooh I want to try a green smoothie too!

The very next day I strolled down to the local organic, Paleo café and ordered myself the greenest of green smoothies. It was filled with bucket loads of vegies and I was pumped to taste the deliciousness that everyone was talking about. I lift the straw to my lips feeling super proud of myself for getting on the green smoothie band wagon, excited for that first delicious taste, and as this liquid concoction of vegetables enters my mouth I am filled with pure horror. What is this? How can anyone drink this? I am struggling to swallow this one mouthful yet drink the whole glass or even drink it on a daily basis! This drink is totally grosssssss…..

The only thought going through my mind is ‘you Instagram girls lied to me’. This was like hashtagging #healthy next to the photo of a mars bar cheesecake - a complete and utter lie. Ok, so maybe I am exaggerating a little bit but none the less it was not a pleasant experience.

Now, I will admit this was over six months ago and it took me a very long time to try a green smoothie again so feel free to call me a hypocrite BUT I kind of love green smoothies now. I do have a sneaking suspicion that going for the greenest of green smoothies was a bad idea as these bad boys really do need some fruit in them to add some delicious sweetener. So for those of you who were like me and could not comprehend how anyone consumed such ghastly green drinks try my suggestion below. Still healthy but just not so healthy that its gross (hehe).

My daily dose:

  1 banana (can be frozen if desired)

 Handful of organic spinach straight from the garden

1 teaspoon of natural peanut butter (obsessed with PB)

Sprinkling of cinnamon

Liquid – I add some water and lactose free milk but you could add coconut water, or just milk, whatever your heart desires really.

Chuck it all into a blender, blend away until smooth and there you have it, a green smoothie. You can also replace the peanut butter with other nut butters or even tahini is delicious. I also tend to add some more water at the end to top the smoothie up and blend again quickly. It is simple, quick and easy. You have the benefits of spinach and banana, the healthy fats of your nut butter and the hydration of coconut water. Drinks up ladies and gentleman x

PS I have no clue what my arms are doing :P