'Sugar free' satisfaction... top 5 recipe roundup!
I know many of you may well be in the midst of a January detox.... or have at least entertained the concept.
I thought about it, and even wrote myself a 3-day plan (soups and smoothies), though I haven't fully embraced it and gone all out. The soups and smoothies have simply formed part of my days... I guess i'm still just weaning my self off the Christmas excess. Believe me there was a lot of excess... I went a bit overboard this year!
That said I do think detoxing your body from refined foods and sugar is always a very very good thing. So if you are in the same camp as me and haven't gone all out in detox mode maybe this little round out of my favourite totally sugar feee recipes will tempt you to kickstart January and hopefully beyond.
The nice thing about writing round-up posts is that it always reminds me of recipes I'd forgotten about- so it feels like it's given me new things to try too!
Let me know what you try and if you have sugar-free treat recipes of your own, please let me know or feel free to link up your recipe in the comments so others can see too!
Banana Bread 'Cupcake'
Crazy Courgette Cake
...can you even believe this is sugar free!
I'd love you to join me in other places too!
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All things christmassy! A round-up of randomness...
Gosh...i don't think i've posted this much in as long as i can remember... going crazy guns before Christmas hits. Got to take that downtime!!
I also think it's probably not a cool thing to say 'gosh' and i've been using too many of these (....) again! Oh well, it's Christmas i'm excitable and EVERYTHING is allowed.
I had so many funky festive recipes I wanted to make in the run up to Christmas and I have barely scratched the surface- I blame Wholeplus entirely as I've had so many foodie parcels to send in the last 6 weeks it's been all quite overwhelming!
I will update more on that front in the New Year...need to make a few website tweaks and re-vamps (another Christmas project maybe!?)
But one little thing i will say is PLEASE consider subscribing to my mailing list.... you can see it in the side bar and I am planning to send emails about once a month and it will bring Wholeplus and Including Cake together including: thoughts, nutrition, recipes, wellness, coaching, special offers and other tit bits.... It's Christmas and i'd love you forever if you did tap in your email :-)
This is the most random of roundup's...
- my own fav christmas recipes
- festive fun foodie things I wanted to make...but ran out of time
- IG inspirations (I am giving a Christmas shoutout every day of december- IG usernames are credited below the collage image.
Please feel free to share your own links to cool things or your creations in the comments!
Also if you don't follow me already... PLEASE hook up with me on Instgram- click on the insert in my sidebar. Even when life gets crazy and I can't blog everything or slooow down with getting posts up, ilm still pretty active every day on IG so come and find me there ;-)
What are you going to be making over Christmas?
This weekend I'm going to stock up with heathy treats to carry me though... the fudge (as below) plus lots of variations of my crazy courgette cake with different flavours and topping cut into small squares for nibbles! Plus hopefully a Christmas pud (as below)
I came across these on Pinterest.. these trees are by ericassweettooth.com and the oranges by thecomfortoffood.com, the penguins didn't have a link.
For every day in December so far I have been ginning a 'Festive Foodie shoutout' these are a number of the pictures that I loved. the IG names are credited below. There were plenty more that inspired me too but I didn't want to get too carried away! From Top L-R
- @kathypatalsky
- @sassyballerina
- @healing_belle
- @ohsheglows
- @idafrosk
- @coconutandberries
- @deliciouslyella
- @mamiaoyagi
- @mealsfullofcolour
- @loving_earth
- @idafrosk
- @serenesayyian
'Real Food' Easy Christmas recipe collection
We're on the home straight to the holidays now.... I'm seriously going to try and take some time off over Christmas. I'm notoriously rubbish as relaxing and have got worse over the last year BUT I'm determined that will change over the holidays- that's usually the time my head eases off with it's 'Go Go Go' approach as the world as a whole slows its pace and brings me down a notch or two in the process.
I say relax.... well, of sorts!
I have a 'Plant Based Fit-Food' ebook and seminar to write due to be launched in the New Year. You've probably heard me mention this a few time over the last few weeks and months, I believe i actually began muttering comments of this sort many months ago- its just taken along time to get from my head to paper (or computer to be more accurate). More details on that to come but I will be cracking on with that over Christmas whilst I try and shut down distractions from other work related things.
I have struggled to make lots of festive recipes for my blog over the last few weeks- due mainly to Wholeplus taking over my life a little, but also part to recipe development for my book (it will feature some old but also many new ones) and also because I've been creating recipes for the Real Food Source ebooks.
The RFS ebooks are FREE to download and you can find the Coconut Milk Powder ebook here and the most recently launched Christmas ebook here. Many of the recipe are also featured on their blog and so I wanted to give you a little round up some of the recipes I have recently created for them. These are all quick and easy, gluten free, unrefined festive themed recipes....that's gotta tick all the boxes right?
Just 'keep it real people' Ha ha, I love my tag line for the books. :-)
So here is my mini collection- click the titles to go to direct to the Real Food Source blog for the full recipes.
What festive experiments have you had success with recently? ...Please share, I love to hear what others have been up to!
Cranberry almond flourless cookies:
Soft and chewy with big chunks of fruit and nuts encassed in a golden fluffy cookie shell... the easiest flourless cookies you’ll make this Christmas! in one of the photos below you can see i added the nuts and fruit to the top of the cookie, but they're definitely best mixed through the batter and baked within the cookies.
Tiffin is a classic at any time of the year- but at Christmas time the combination of chocolate fruits and nuts come really into their own! Note you could try subbing almond or hazelnut butter for the coconut milk powder and water in the recipe if you prefer- it just needs to combine with the melted dark chocolate to allow the tiffin to set as firmly as possible.
Crunchy Buckwheat chocolate melts:
Ok, so this little experiment is barely even an recipe. This weekend I fancied a treat with a crunch and a crisp bite and so had an idea to toast up a little quinoa and buckwheat to layer up with the melted chocolate....so good! I think the buckwheat was my favourite option with it's large chunky pieces, whereas the quinoa gave more of a 'bubbly' texture. Such a great, simple way to get a healthy wholesome kick!
All the classic Christmas flavours in a creamy but healthy Christmas drink...add a little rum if you fancy. Use a greener banana for a more subtle taste!
Chocolate drizzled almond flapjack:
In this recipe almond paste (or other mild nut butter) acts as a binder in conjunction with the apricots and chia. Previously peanut butter was my go-to nut butter, but obviously that imparts a distinctive taste that isn't always appropriate or preferred, here the almond paste allows the flavour of the apricots to do the talking. You could of course use other dried fruits such as cranberries to suit for an extra festive feel!
Christmas Cookies!
Christmas is closing in so fast! I have been so crazy busy making, packing and dispatching Wholeplus goodies, having a stall at a Christmas fair (last weekend) and talking to companies about suppling goodies ready for the New Year I've hardly been creating in the kitchen... plus I still have a backlog of posts I really want to get up for you!
All in good time. ....aaaaand BREATHE!
Today is a quick check in to let you know of a healthy Christmas collection going on over Candida Diet Plan. Remember thiese cookies from a few days ago?
Well, they were my submission for the collection and now there are 17 other healthy, allergy friendly delights to inspire you. Click on the image below and check them out!
A big thank you goes to Sandra at the Candida Diet Plan for hosting the cookie party!
Back soon to squeeze in a few more recipes before Christmas.... I promise!
Thanksgiving roundup...simple recipes!
It's almost thanksgiving!
Even though I'm over in the UK and we don't traditonally celebrate... that wasn't going to stop me getting involved and having a little celebration with you too and getting into the spirit with a recipe round-up :-)
To get in the mind set, I envisaged myself preparing for Christmas just without the associated decorations and specific traditional Christmas foods (like Yule log). At Christmas I sit down at the table with my family- pretty table cloth, best cutlery, avoiding putting the chipped plates on the table, nice wine glasses that haven't been buffed up by the dishwasher (though I tend to drink cranberry juice to still look the part!)
Then the food comes out to play, lots of dishes to help ourselves from, usually a main dish and lots of sides. Maybe you have a starter? if so there are soup seasonal soups and salads below. I have included a collection of my favourites nut roasts as for me (since going vegan) that is the most important part of the meal!
Obviously after filling up on the main course....comes dessert! Sometimes if we are all a little full, we sit back on our chairs and talk for a little while before going in for dessert... need to make lots of room. The dessert below are a collection of both lighter and chocolately desserts, mini versions and puddings- all very pretty and perfect for a special day. These desserts are either quick 5 minute desserts or are the make-ahead variety. So no last minute craziness in the kitchen (though if you are anything like me somehow that always tends to happen).
For those who are celebrating Thanksgiving..... enjoy!! And for those like me that don't traditionally celebrate, why not join with a little feast of your own ;-)
I'd love to hear what your are planning for your main dish and dessert!
Collection of nut roasts (and other mains)
Lentil and rosemary lentil balls
Cheesy bake with oat crumble topping
Salads and starters!
Sweet potato salad with soy balsamic
Oat bakes with tomato and caramelised onions
Soups!
Roasted red paper and onion soup
Cauliflower and white bean soup
Desserts
Hot pear and gingerbread sauce