Oaty, coconut dark choc chip bars or blondies, whichever way you want to think of them, they’re lovely and go perfectly with a nice cup of tea. They’re also free from lots of allergens so suitable for many diets and refined sugar free.
Bonus? These are so easy to make, just 1 bowl needed and with ingredients you can easily now find in all supermarkets even the coconut sugar which I’ve spotted in Lidl!
These hot cross scones are filled with flavours of hot cross buns like orange, fruit, spices etc and can be low sugar/ refined sugar free (if you choose RSF choc) plus use higher fiber, more nutritious ingredients. They can be made dairy free/vegan friendly with simple adjustments too, so no need for anyone to miss out. They also use a bit of dried fruit so have some goodness in there for the kids and are a good, easy baking option for them to help out with in the kitchen to keep them busy for a few minute!
These are best served warm but as you need to add the choc crosses they’ll need to be cool enough but you can always gently reheat them before you consume them.
So you may have heard of kimchi before and how it can benefit your gut, you may have considered buying or already have got a jar of it in your kitchen but are wondering what on earth to do with it?!
Firstly, for those who may not be too familiar with it, kimchi is a spicy, fermented mix of veg usually cabbage, carrot, raddish etc which comes from Korea and has a heat and pickled taste to it. As it’s fermented it’s high in probiotic bacteria, the best way to maximise on this is to source a good quality one that hasn’t been pasterised although even the type that has gone through this process and therefore is stored at room temp will still have benefits.
There are many ways to use kimchi, it’s so versatile and because it doesn’t require any cooking or prep it’s pretty easy to incorporate into food, but here are my top and favourite ways to consume it:
1) In a burger/veggie burger
People often look toward sauces for adding flavour to burger but a great way to add more veg and fiber to this meal is by adding a handful of kimchi, it gives lots of spice and tang, think about the traditional sauerkraut on hotdogs type of thing! For this recipe I used “Yumchi kimchi” which you can get in Planet organic/Wholefoods and on Amazon.
Super healthy, easy, spiced pumpkin muffins using oats as the bulk of the recipe meaning it’s like breakfast in muffin form, plus the added spices are all anti-inflammatory and give flavour without more sugar. I’ve also added in some plant protein to balance out the carbs and improve satiety.
You can adjust them for a more indulgent snack with addition of dark choc & increasing the sweetness by 1 tablespoon or use for a breakfast option as they go really well with some nut butter, so once you have a batch cooked it’ll last you a few days meaning a quick breakfast ready to go which always helps me get out of bed!
You can also adapt this to suit many diets such as gluten free, dairy free and vegan just use certified ingredients where needed. They’re also a good way to sneak some veg into kids too.
Try saying that name 3 times fast!
A great combo of high fiber ingredients plus quality protein and a seasonal dose of pumpkin as well as warming spices!
I highly recommend using the spice mix (linked below) as this ingredient really takes it to the next level.
Great for those hot summer days when you don’t want to turn on the oven and make the kitchen even hotter!!
These no bake donuts are a great combo of rich, dark cacao plus coconut and dates for natural sweetness so they’re not loaded with refined sugars.
This recipe is also easy to adapt i.e. use gluten free oats for coeliac and a dark choc that’s dairy free etc plus it’s free from refined sugars and I added a superfood blend by VeganTek which has lots of fantastic ingredients in it including ones good for digestion and probiotics which are even more effective because the mix doesn’t need to be heated.
You can even use one after a workout as a refueling treat or a way to satisfy your chocolatey cravings in a more nutritious way!
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!
