Healthy date snack bars

 

I have gotten a lot of request for healthy snacks lately so I thought I would share this easy recipe with you. These little nutty date bars are perfect to bring as a healthy snack to school/uni/work or wherever really and a big plus is that they are not only healthy and nutritious, but also super tasty - almost brownie like! Another big plus is that you can easily substitute most of the ingredients (except the dates) with whatever you have available, I think these would also taste great with coconut filling or maybe dried berries? I will definitely have to experiment with different flavors next time, let me know if you have some good ideas for the filling :)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup dates, packed

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

1 cup mixed almonds and hazelnuts

2 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

1. Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until you get a gooey paste. Empty the food processor into a mixing bowl.
2. Place the nuts in the food processor and pulse until they’re chopped into little pieces, but be careful or it will turn into flour.
3. Add the chopped nuts, the cacao powder and the chia seeds into the mixing bowl with the date paste. Knead the ingredients together until everything is well mixed and you have a cohesive dough.
4. Line a pan, plastic container or whatever you have available with baking paper and add the dough - make sure you press it in real tight and leave it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
5. Now, all there is left to do is to slice the dough into your desired size (I got 6 bars from this) and they’re ready to eat, enjoy!

Inspired by Use Real Butter        

Happy Easter!

Hi lovelies, just stopping by to wish you all happy easter! I hope you are having an amazing time with lots of good food and easter chocolate - haha I know I am! I will never get too old to make my parents buy me a giant easter egg ;)

During easter I always go to stay with my family and I don't worry too much about eating healthy, but I do like to make sure I get some proper nutrients in between all the chocolate eating ;) A great way to do so is by drinking smoothies, they're so easy to make and jam-packed with nutrients. This smoothie is actually secretly a green smoothie as I added spinach, but the color from the berries overpowers the green - if you're still not onboard with green smoothies this might be a great way to start, I promise you won't taste the spinach!

Simply blend 2 handfuls spinach, 1 large banana, 1.5 cup mixed frozen berries, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 2 tablespoons skyr/greek yoghurt, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla powder, a little sweetener (I used honey) and about 1 cup water - enjoy!

Oatmeal chips

One thing you probably do not know about me is that I absolutely LOVE oatmeal and I usually eat it everyday. I prefer the completely plain kind with no toppings etc. so I never really share pictures of it here or on insta since plain oatmeal isn’t really the prettiest to look at ;) When I make my oatmeal I only rarely measure the ingredients and therefore often make too much – haha most of the time I’ll just eat it anyway and feel way too full, but I found a great idea on how to use the extra oatmeal on the Danish food blog ‘Det skal smage af noget’.  You can use the leftover oatmeal to make super healthy and super tasty oatmeal chips! I absolutely loved the idea so I had to give it a try and it turned out so great that I had to share it with you guys!

1. All you have to do is to take your leftover oatmeal and spread it out on a sheet of baking paper, it has to be really thin or else it wont get all nice and crispy. You can use another baking sheet covered in a little oil to place on top of the other and then roll it with a baking roll to get it really thin.
2. Then all you have to do is add you toppings of choice – I topped it with sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds and sea salt – and bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes on 180c / 355f.
3. After 10 minutes take them out of the oven and use a pizza slicer (or a knife) to carve lines to mark the size you want them to be.
4. Put them back into the oven and let them bake for another 10 minutes. When they’re done take them out and let them cool on a wire rack. When they have cooled down you can use the lines you carved to break them into size. Enjoy!

I served them with guacamole and carrot sticks, it was the perfect little snack :)

Healthy pancakes with raspberry fluff

Recipe – 2 small servings:

4 eggs

2 bananas

1 cup oats

2-3 tablespoons skyr/plain yoghurt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla powder

Coconut oil to cook the pancakes in

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth  
2. Heat a non-stick pan - I prefer to make them on high heat - and add a little coconut oil. When the oil has melted pour a circle of the pancake batter onto the pan, I used about 3 tablespoons per pancake
3. Cook the pancake for about a minute or two until it is golden brown on the underside - flip it - and give it about a minute on the other side. The cooking time depends on how thick you make your pancakes
4. I choose to top my pancakes with lots of raspberry fluff (I added a lot more after the picture was taken) and fresh strawberries and raspberries. To make the raspberry fluff I just blended raspberries, plain yoghurt and vanilla powder. If needed you can add a little sweetener - I prefer it to be a bit sour as it complements the sweet pancakes nicely.
5. Enjoy!

Superfood Sunday - Chia seeds!

Hi lovelies, are you ready for Superfood Sunday? In case you didn’t see this post last Sunday, ‘Superfood Sunday’ is a new category on the blog where I each Sunday will introduce you to one of my favorite superfoods, write about its benefits, share recipes using the particular superfood and so much more. Last Sunday I wrote a post on superfoods in general so if you are new to the term I would recommend you read that post first :)

Todays Superfood Sunday will be all about chia seeds - one of my absolute favorite superfoods! 

Rainbow breakfast bowl

Acai smoothie bowls will always be one of my favorite thing to have for breakfast; they're easy to make, as nutritious as can be and super tasty!
Simply blend 2 bananas, 1-2 cups frozen berries, 3 tablespoons skyr or greek yoghurt, 2 tablespoons acai powder, water and a little stevia (or honey/agave). I topped it with strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, almonds, mulberries, chia seeds (I will do a post on them tomorrow for 'Superfood sundays') and raw coconut chips, so good!

Asian inspired spring salad with spicy mango dressing

Salad, yields 4 servings as a side dish:

4 carrots

1 avocado

1 cup edamame beans

4 scallions/spring onion

1/2 mango

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

A handful mint and cilantro leaves

Inspired by the very talented girls from Plat du jour :)

Spicy mango dressing/dip:

1 mango

2 cm. ginger

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
Chili powder to taste 

The juice from 1/2 lime

Directions:

1. I like to start out with the dressing so it can chill in the fridge while I prepare the salad - simply place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth
2. For the salad: grate the carrots, chop the avocado, spring onions, mango, mint and cilantro, mix in the edamame beans and sesame seeds and the salad is ready!
3. Serve the salad with the spicy mango dressing and enjoy!

The best kind of mornings

My little sister came to stay with me for a couple of days in the beginning of last week, so on tuesday I decided to skip class, sleep in and
make a nice breakfast for us to eat under snuggly blankets while watching our favorite TV shows. I made chocolate pancakes, strawberry/banana/vanilla smoothies and a fruit platter. I love lazy mornings like that < 3

Pancakes:

I used the same pancake recipe that I already posted here (click) and then just added some chopped dark chocolate to the pancake batter.

Chocolate sauce:

My sister was getting a bit impatient (haha, sorry Laui) so instead of making my own I just melted some store bought dark chocolate, 
but let me share a recipe for chocolate sauce that is super easy to make: Simply mix 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil,  2 tablespoons
cacao powder (preferably raw) and 1 tablespoon honey or agave.

Green smoothie time!

A little green smoothie inspiration for you this morning :) Simply blend spinach, cucumber, kiwi, pineapple, banana and water. I added a tablespoon Vitamineral Green Superfood powder, freeze dried blackberry and goji berries as well. Enjoy! :)

Superfood Sundays

I usually only post recipes on here, but I’ve decided to add a couple of new categories – all food and health related of course! The first new initiative I would like to introduce you to are 'Superfood Sundays' where I each Sunday will introduce you to one of my favorite superfoods, write about its benefits, share recipes using the particular superfood and so much more - I hope you like the idea :)

Today is the first Superfood Sunday and I would like to start it off with an introduction to superfoods in general as I get a lot of questions about the term and its meaning. I would like to point out that I am not a nutritionist or anything of the sort and the information presented is simply knowledge I have acquired on my journey to a healthier life - please feel free to do your own research as well, this is simply meant as a short introduction for those unfamiliar with the world of superfoods :)

So what exactly are these so called superfoods? 

Superfoods are a special category of foods found in nature that contain major dietary benefits and healing effects. They are some of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet, high in essential vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants. They have been proven to not only prevent, but also reverse some of the effects of aging, certain cancer types, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, type II diabetes, lower cholesterol etc. - each week I will address the health benefits of a new superfood and specify and explain in detail.

Superfoods are truly nature’s medicine and many superfoods have been used by indigenous people for thousands of years for their healing powers and high nutritional value – for example Aztecs and Mayans both consumed chia seeds for their exceptional nutritional benefits improving their stamina and energy levels.

But which kinds of food can actually be classified as so called super foods?

Superfoods are both of the more exotic kind that comes in the form of powders and supplements - these types of superfoods are very nutrient dense, but unfortunately often also quite expensive - however, superfoods are also the very well known foods that can be found in your local supermarket - you might actually be consuming lost of superfoods without even knowing it! Apples, onions, blueberries and broccoli are examples of superfoods that we all know and consume regularly, they are not only inexpensive, but they can be found in almost every grocery store no matter where you are in the world.

Now for the big question; which superfoods should you incorporate into your diet?

Some might say all, or at least as many as possible, but in my opinion the most important thing is a well-rounded, wholesome diet that you enjoy to consume. You shouldn’t eat something you don’t like just because it is healthy and you shouldn’t feel bad if you can’t afford the expensive superfood powders - they are in no way a necessity in a healthy diet! I personally try to incorporate as much as the inexpensive superfoods found in my local supermarket as possible (still, only the ones that I actually like the taste of), but I also like to splurge once in a while and spoil myself with some of the more exotic superfoods like acai powder, chia seeds, goji berries and vitamineral green powder – I will do posts on all of these superfoods in the near future, stay posted! ;)

sources/additional information: Food Matters, SuperFoods RX, One Green Planet, DR. OZ

For next weeks ‘Superfood Sunday’ I will do a post on chia seeds and it’s nutritional benefits

+ share some of my favorite ways to incorporate chia seeds into my diet.  

I hope you like this new initiative and if you have any questions just let me know! :)

Raw chocolate cake

Cake:

1/3 cup raw almonds

1 tbsp. chia seeds

1 tbsp. flax seeds

1/4 cup oats

1/2 cup chopped dates, packed

1 tbsp. coconut oil

4 tbsp. raw cacao powder

2 tbsp. shredded coconut

1 tbsp. honey (or sweetener of choice, agave stevia etc.)

4 tbsp. water

Chocolate sauce: 

2 tbsp. melted coconut oil

1 tbsp. honey (or sweetener of choice, agave stevia etc.)

2 tbsp. raw cacao powder

The recipe is inspired by My Happy Place – check out her amazing blog for lots of inspiration!

Directions: 

1. Place all the cake ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is well mixed.
2. If the mixture is too dry, simply add more water and if it’s too wet, add more oats or shredded coconut
3. Place the mixture into your container of choice lined with baking paper and pack it in tight and flat and place in the freezer for 1/2 hour or so
4. While the cake sits in the freezer you can prepare the chocolate sauce. On very low heat, place the coconut oil in a bowl over a pan of water and melt slowly. 
Once melted add raw cacao powder and mix well. Add the sweetener of choice, taste, and add more if you prefer a sweeter taste. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the cake and add your toppings of choice, I added some chopped almonds and hazelnuts.
5. And you are done, enjoy! I served the cake with fresh strawberries and skyr mixed with a little honey (similar to quark or Greek yoghurt). 

Store the cake in the fridge or freezer until serving.

Fruit infused water

I love making infused water; it tastes amazing, looks pretty, it helps me drink more water which is something I am unfortunately not very good at and it is of course all healthy as it is only water, fruit and herbs.  For these I used lemon slices, lime slices, orange slices, strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate and mint leaves, but the opportunities are pretty much endless and you don’t need to add a lot of different things – a simple combo like cucumber and lemon tastes amazing!

Acai breakfast smoothie bowl

Ingredients:
1.5 cup frozen berries (I used blueberries and strawberries)
2 bananas 
2 tablespoons acai powder
2 tablespoons skyr/quark/greek youghurt 
water to blend
Stevia or other sweetener to taste - optional 

Simply place everything in a blender, blend until smooth and add your favorite toppings - I topped it with kiwi, blueberries, raw coconut chips, mulberries, pomegranate, pineapple, goji berries and chia seeds. Enjoy! :)