Healthier beetroot red velvet brownies
Merry Matcha Christmas shortbread
Green tea and matcha (the powdered form of green tea/whole leaf) is one of my favourite ingredients. It’s packed with compounds and antioxidants that are all linked with things such as lower inflammation, steady energy, better heart & brain health and longevity. I love to sneak it in wherever I can, so I added some matcha to these Christmas shortbreads which is also a great way to add a natural green colour.
For guidance on choosing good green tea and matcha see my post here.
If you want to learn even more about the benefits of green tea I’d recommend looking up the work by Dr William Li, he lays out the information in such a way that it’s easy to consume and understand.
Omega 3 & magnesium rich brownie energy balls
Does what it says on the tin! These energy balls are not only a great, natural source of energy but also use ingredients high in omega 3 fats and magnesium, so you can nourish yourself while feeding a craving.
For the healthy fats/omegas I used ingredients such as walnuts, chia and hemp protein, you can also add shelled hemp seeds as a topping too if you like plus dark chocolate which not many people know can be a good source of magnesium. Brands will differ due to which one you choose & also how dark regarding the chocolate coating. A basic cacao powder will be high and the one I used per 100g has around 166% of RDA magnesium (thought the RDA will differ between men & women). A few squares of 85% dark choc can be a good portion of your RDA ticked off too so I used both in this recipe. Chia seeds & cashews also contain magnesium.
Healthy hazelnut chocolate truffles
These homemade, healthier versions of Ferrero Rocher are a great treat to have handy in your fridge for when you fancy something indulgent and need a choccy hit fast!
They use only 5 main ingredients, can be refined sugar free (I used a 70% chocolate brand that uses coconut sugar) and vegan friendly plus contain fiber meaning a slower energy release too! Your body will thank you for this one.
Matcha chocolate chip banana bread
This super healthy, high fiber matcha banana bread with dark chocolate chunks takes a normal banana bread to the next level with a health boost!
Matcha is green tea powder which some people may not be a fan of normally but it’s so good for you so sneaking it in where you can is highly beneficial. For an overview of matcha/green tea benefits see my old post here.
I have also added some plant protein to my version to balance out the macros but you can also stick to wholemeal flour if you prefer. I absolutely loved making this recipe multiple times over the past few weeks as when I do, I have breakfast sorted for a 3 days and it’s lovely slathered in peanut butter!
Homemade vanilla hazelnut protein bars
These clean, plant based protein bars are a lovely little way to boost your protein intake and easy to make with wholefood, real ingredients and using protein powders that you like and trust. I personally won’t use ones with added sucralose etc and most protein bars also have a horrendous list of ingredients or lots of prebiotics that not everyone can tolerate well so you’ve no choice really but to make your own.
I used a vanilla flavour plant protein powder and hazelnuts for flavour but these are easy to adjust to whatever taste you like so feel free to play about with your bars.
About Me
I'm Siobhan. Thanks to my Masters in food security I love learning about what food does for our health & believe that knowing how our food enriches us, makes it easier to live healthier.
I want to learn as much as I can about food, health & wellness, so figured why not share this with others? I also love to make delicious treats that are healthy to eat!
