HOMEMADE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY WALNUT BUTTER

I love nut butters and go through tubs of them every week! Despite being delicious and nutritious they can be quite expensive, so it does get a little costly when I start adding it up how much I actually eat. 

Making your own nut butter not only helps with saving £££ but it's also super quick and easy. I always prefer homemade produce as I know exactly where the ingredients have come from and what goes in it. 

This recipe will work with any type of nut, however I'm trying to add more walnuts into my diet as they are rich in antioxidants and carry amazing anti-inflammatory properties. They are also a great source of omega-3 essential fatty acids which nourishes skin, hair and nails and are loaded with copper and magnesium. Despite all that, they're pretty delicious too! 

Ingredients: 

2 cups of walnuts
1 tbsp gf vanilla essence 
1 tbsp honey / pure maple syrup - optional 
pinch of salt 

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Line a baking tray and lightly roast the walnuts for approx. 5 minutes, until they turn golden. Keep checking to make sure they don't burn else the butter will turn bitter.

Once cooled, add the walnuts, vanilla, honey and salt into a food processor and whiz until smooth. Keep scrapping down the sides of the food processor until you have butter consistency. The longer you blitz, the smoother and runnier your butter will be. I like mine a little crunchy.

Transfer your nut butter into a little jar or bowl and store in the fridge.

SUGAR FREE COOKIE DOUGH PROTEIN BALLS

I'm always on the hunt for a quick, high protein snack after a workout that's easy to make and carry around. Lots of protein bars on the market these days look delicious but contain loads of weird ingredients that I can't even pronounce, let alone know what they are or what they're doing to my body.

Whilst I'm a big fan of making my own energy balls using sticky, gooey dates - they are quite high sugar. So I wanted to create a snack that is high in protein, low in sugar and provides plenty of nutrition that will help repair muscle tissue after a workout.

These little cookie dough balls contain zero sugar and because of the high protein content, they keep you feeling full for longer!

The ingredient I've used to sweeten these dough balls is stevia. Stevia is a super sweet plant, extracted from the leaves of the plant species 'stevia rebaudiana' and is often used as a sugar substitute. It contains zero carbs, sugar, calories or artificial ingredients and doesn't have the harmful effects on your body that sugar can have. Make sure you use a brand that contains 100% stevia only - some brands mix with other ingredients, which are often as harmful as sugar! 

Stevia is great alternative to sugar for diabetics or for those following specific diets, such as the Candida diet, as it doesn't spike your blood sugar levels. A little bit really does go along way with this stuff though as it's a lot sweeter than normal sugar, so play around with it in your recipes to find the right quantity for your taste buds! 

Alternatively, if you don't have stevia stocked in your cupboard and you are able to tolerate a little sugar in your diet, you can add some organic honey or maple syrup to the mix! The diversity of this recipe allows you to add certain ingredients that works for you and your body. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. protein powder - I used plain pea protein however vanilla / chocolate flavoured protein powder will also work
3 tbsp. coconut flour
3 tbsp. almond butter - or any other nut butter
2 tbsp. nut milk - I used Plenish almond milk
1 tbsp. maca powder
1 tbsp. gf vanilla essence / powder
3 tbsp raw cacao nibs
1/2 - 1 tsp. stevia powder - alter to own taste or 2 tbsp. organic honey / maple syrup

Method:

Combine the protein powder, coconut flour, maca powder, vanilla essence and stevia in a bowl.

Add in the almond butter and almond milk and fold in the cacao nibs. Gently stir together to make a sticky dough. If the mix is too dry, add a little more almond milk.

Roll the dough into little balls and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to chill. 

GRAIN AND GLUTEN FREE BREAD

Being someone that struggles to digest grains, it means I have to eliminate most bread recipes which is sad because I absolutely L O V E bread, especially lathered in honey and nut butter! To avoid feeling deprived, I decided to make my own grain free version and after experimenting with a few different recipes this is by far my favourite one at the moment! I bake a loaf at least once a week and it freezes and toasts really well.

Nut flours are a great alternative to grain flour. I find it’s a lot easier to digest and acts as a great binder in baked goods, more so than coconut flour.

Chestnut flour has become my new favourite ingredient to bake with for so many reasons! It has a real nutty flavour that complements the cinnamon and nutmeg, it's very dense so 1-2 slices tend to fill me up for a long period of time and it’s much lower in fat and calories than other nut flours, so it's a great substitute for those keeping an eye on calorie / fat intake.


Another great ingredient which acts as a natural binder is psyllium husk powder. I have tried the recipe without using psyllium husk however it doesn’t work as well and it's a little too crumbly.

There are also so many health benefits deriving from psyllium husk that it’s a great addition to boost your nutrition intake. It is full of fibre which supports a healthy functioning digestive system, lowers cholesterol, regulates blood sugar, improves heart health and blood pressure and can assist with weight management. You can pick up a packet at your local health store (I purchased mine from Holland and Barrett) or order a packet online.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup of chestnut flour

1 cup of almond flour / ground almonds

1 can of coconut milk

¼ cup psyllium husk powder

1 tbsp maca powder

1 tbsp GF baking powder

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp nutmeg
2 tbsp. sunflower / pumpkin seeds to top

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

Add the dry ingredients; chestnut flour, almond flour, cinnamon, maca powder, baking powder, nutmeg and salt into large bowl and combine well.

Crack the eggs into a mug and beat. Add the eggs along with the coconut milk into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir well until combined. The batter should look and feel quite sticky.

Grease an oven proof bread tin with coconut oil and pour the batter into the tin. Sprinkle sunflower and / or pumpkin seeds on top.

Oven for approximately 40-50 minutes. To check to see if the bread is cooked, stick a knife through the middle and if it doesn’t come out sticky then it’s done!

N.B. This bread freezes and toasts really well. Once cooled, slice up and store in the freezer.

GLUTEN FREE COURGETTE FRIES AND TAHINI MUSTARD DIP

 

Does anyone have those days where you just want to sit on the sofa, watching T.V and eat your entire fridge (or is that just me..)? Whether you enjoying indulging or not, these are a perfect snack that tricks your mind into thinking you're breaking all the rules by nibbling on something naughty, when actually - you're doing quite the opposite by providing your body with plenty of nutrition.

It's common knowledge that anything battered or deep fat fried is far from healthy and growing up by the seaside in Cornwall, where I was surrounded by battered fish and chips, it was hard to say goodbye to my roots!

As with most of my recipes, I love recreating healthier versions of my old time favourites. So these wheat and gluten baked courgette fries are the perfect replacement for good old fashioned chips. Loaded with protein and fibre, they offer plenty of nutrition without the feeling of deprivation. 


They're a great snack to whip when entertaining and there's no doubt your guests will be impressed with your healthier option!

Ingredients:

2 large courgettes
1 egg
1/2 cup of almond flour / ground almonds
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dip:

3 tbsp. tahini
2 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper


Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.


Slice the courgettes in half and then half again to create long chips.

Whisk the egg in a mug and dip the courgette into the egg.

Place the almond flour on a small plate and roll the courgette fries in the flour until the courgette is covered.

Once all of the courgette chips are covered in almond flour, place them on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and oven for approx. 30 minutes, until they are nice a crisp.

Whilst the fries are cooking, make the dip by adding the tahini, mustard, water, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix well.

NO BAKE VEGAN PECAN SLICES

I made a batch of these this afternoon to set me up for the week ahead! They're a super scrumptious snack that will give you that much needed boost at 4pm! 

What do you guys think of these? I'd love to see your creations via tagging #headoverhealing on Instagram! 

Ingredients:

2 cups of medjool dates - stoned
1 cup of desiccated coconut
1 cup of pecans 
1 cup almonds
3 tbsp coconut oil - plus extra for greasing 
1 tbsp cinnamon 
1 tbsp maca powder
1 cup of boiling water
3/4 cup almond milk
Pinch of salt

Method:

Add 1 cup of dates into a bowl of warm water and set aside.

For the base, blitz together the pecans, non-soaked dates, desiccated coconut and 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a food processor. Grease a small baking tray with some coconut oil and pour in the base mix, spread evenly. 

Add the dates, soaking water, nut milk, almonds, maca powder, cinnamon, 2 tbsp coconut oil and a pinch of salt into a blender and blend until smooth. 

Pour the mix over the base and add additional nuts and coconut to top. Place in the freezer to harden for a minimum of 1 hour, then slice and enjoy!