"No Nuts Balls" Raw Decadent Chocolate Bliss Balls (Nut Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, Easy as can be!)

These "No Nuts Ball's" are so delicious! I love how a raw healthy treat can look so cheeky!

This is a really simple recipe which is great to whip up if you have a chocolate craving or if you want to have a little treat for guests post dinner with a cup of tea. As they are nut free they also make a great lunch box treat which is what I have made them for tonight! (Even though I may have eaten a couple... I have to test them first right!?).

Ingredients:

1 cup organic shredded coconut, reserving a little to coat balls at the end

8 medijool dates (seeds removed)

2 tbs chia seeds

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 heaped tablespoon raw cacao powder

a splash of chilled water if you need it

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until combined and smooth. If needed add the splash of chilled water.

Then roll into balls, coat in coconut and refrigerate overnight (if you have time, otherwise a couple of hours is fine) and in the morning they will be like beautiful decadent chocolate truffles.

Enjoy!

Bee xx

Paleo Crumbed Chicken Caeser Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

This is a great week night meal, it's very filling and you can make extra to take to work with you the next day for lunch, or even use the leftover chicken for sandwiches.

Serves 2 as a main meal, with leftovers!

Paleo Crumbed Chicken

Ingredients
2 organic, free range chicken breasts, each breast sliced long way to make about 3 pieces per breast
2 tablespoons coconut flour (or regular flour)
2 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon of paprika & 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup almond flour(you may need a little more or less)
Any other herbs you have on hand, I used oregano & thyme
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil for frying

Directions
Coat chicken in flour, paprika, garlic powder & herbs
Dip the chicken into the whisked eggs
Dip the "eggy" chicken into almond flour to coat
Heat fry pan to medium-high heat
Cook chicken a few minutes each side until cooked through
Set aside, keep warm and get cracking on the other items

Other salad ingredients
1 head cos lettuce, washed & chopped
5 eggs, boiled
5-6 rashers thin bacon pan-fried until crispy
2 tablespoons of sunflowers seeds or any other seeds you have in your pantry for some crunch

Directions
Layer all ingredients together & top with sliced crumbed chicken!

Creamy Tahini Dressing

This is a delicious versatile dressing, similar in taste & texture to hummus

Ingredients
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon tahini ( I used unhulled, it is much stronger so if your not that keen on the taste you should use the hulled tahini)
1 small clove garlic, minced (very fine)
A pinch of sea/rock salt

Directions
Whisk or blend all ingredients until delicious & creamy
Drizzle over your salad or serve on the side for dipping

Bee xx

RECIPE | Raspberry & Coconut Smoothie Bowl

This is a super simple recipe for a deliciously refreshing bowl of goodness. Perfect for a hot summer day. I've been eating these for breakfast, lunch & dessert! The ingredients can be mixed and matched with whatever you have in the fridge but this combination is one of my favourites!

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 of a mango 

1/2 cup ice

1/2 cup coconut milk or I use coco-quench by pure harvest

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 /2 teaspoon maca powder

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

1 teaspoon chia

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth. If you don't have a great blender, it's best to add a little bit of each ingredient a little at a time to help it blend better. 

Easy peasy!

Enjoy! 

Bee xx

A Couple DEEEELICIOUS Smoothie Recipes

How good are smoothies in summer?! You can pack them full of anything you like to give your body exactly what it needs. They are such an easy way to get extra fruit & vegetables into your diet.

There are many different variations to smoothies that you can make and if you are a regular smoothie maker you have probably mixed and matched many different flavours. For the newbies, it's nice to have a couple of recipes to follow.

Below are a couple of my favourite summer smoothie recipes. So refreshing & delicious!

Green Tropical Smoothie
1 cup of coconut milk ( I use coco quench by Pure Harvest instead of canned coconut milk, it is a milk blend of coconut milk and brown rice milk, you can find it in coles and health food stores). If you can't find coco quench, you could use half a can of coconut milk with half a glass of water, or almond or rice milk).
1 frozen banana (the frozen part makes all the difference!)
1 mango, all of the flesh
1 big handful of kale (stems removed)

Blend all until smooth. You may need to add a little extra water to get the right consistency.

I like to have this one for breakfast sometimes instead of the usual green smoothie (Bee's Glorious Green Smoothie - recipe for that one here).

Summer Pink Goddess Smoothie
1 cup of coconut milk - Coco Quench (see my notes in the above recipe regarding the milk)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup chopped cold watermelon

Blend all until smooth. You may need to add a little extra water to get the right consistency.

This is so refreshing in summer. You could even use it as a base to make popsicles, the kids would love it!

Let me know what is your favourite combination in the comments section below.

Enjoy! 

Bee xx

Raw Sauerkraut, Probiotics & Fermented Foods

Fermented foods and probiotics make bellies happy. You've probably heard before about the health benefits of them. The yoghurt ads on TV with the flat bellies and the promise of a happy belly are all referring to the power of probiotics. The reason for these claims are basically because the more probiotics in your belly the less chance of the bad bacteria causing you any problems! 

This is why many people like to eat fermented and cultured foods as they are naturally occurring in probiotics. There are many types of fermented foods such as kimchi, pickles, yoghurt and kefir. One of my favourites is raw sauerkraut. 

I thought it would be fitting to mention the benefits of it as we are in the middle of the silly season and I'm sure I'm not the only one that's gotten slightly off track. 

Christmas parties, a few wines here and there all begin to take a toll on your digestive system after a little while. For people that suffer IBS like myself,  it can take only a few meals to get the balance out of whack which can cause massive stomach upsets. I read a blog post recently where the writer talks about how introducing fermented foods helped her with all sorts of health problems [click here to read]

When people say "gut health" they are usually referring to looking after your gut by feeding it lots of good bacteria so the bad bacteria doesn't wreck havoc on your system. I once read somewhere that the key to happiness is to have a healthy gut! Don't you think this to be true? When everything is running smoothly in your digestive system, you don't seem feel lethargic, worn out or depressed, instead you feel full of energy, light and ready to take on the day!

What I had noticed over the past few weeks of parties and unmindful eating and drinking were things like bloating, cramping, being constantly tired and feeling like it was taking hours (which it probably did) for my food to digest. Do you feel that too? 

To help combat any stomach problems I've upped the anty on probiotic rich, fermented foods such as home-brewed kombucha and home made raw sauerkraut and I'm already noticing a huge difference in how I feel and how my belly feels! If you missed my post on how to make your own raw sauerkraut, you can check it out [here]. It is so easy to make, very inexpensive, takes barely any time and has so many benefits. Sarah Wilson has talked about the the benefits of raw sauerkraut and other fermented foods, you can check out her post [here] (I love what she talks about on her blog, you may find her site useful too!).

After speaking to a naturopath about fermented foods she recommended that they are always introduced slowly so you don't shock your system. Start with a tablespoon of raw sauerkraut or a small glass of kombucha and slowly work up your tolerance to it. I usually now have one or two glasses of kombucha per day and when I have some made I have a little bowl of sauerkraut before or with dinner. These foods/ drinks are quite tangy and can take some getting used to but stick with it and after a couple of tries you will hopefully love it! If you don't really like sauerkraut you can always hide in your salad by mixing a few tablespoons through. With kombucha you can always flavour it during the second fermenation stage (more on that here) and that can make it more palatable for some. 

Fermented foods make a huge difference to many people and from personal experience I think they are definitely worth introducing to your diet.

NOTE - store bought sauerkraut is NOT raw sauerkraut, it has been pasteurised which means all of the beneficial enzymes and probiotics are no longer remaining. If you can find raw sauerkraut in a health food store you could give that a try before you make your own, but don't bother with the regular sauerkraut from the supermarket.



TIP - You can add any flavours to my basic sauerkraut recipe. The most recent batch of sauerkraut which was really delicious was just 1 small purple cabbage, a couple of carrots and an apple & pear grated up and all mixed together with salt. You can follow the easy instructions on my post [here]. I have friends that add caraway seeds to theirs and say it's delicious. I am sure there are many other great variations that I am yet to try. 

If you make your own sauerkraut or kombucha, what are your favourite flavours to add in?

Cheers to a happy gut! :)

Bee xx

Here is a great post on the health benefits of fermented foods, if you are interested in having a read from a blog I love by The Wellness Mama.

RECIPE | Healthy Chicken Schnitzel (Paleo, Gluten Free, Kid-Friendly!)

(In my best German accent) Who doesn't love a good schnitzel? 

This is an easy, healthy alternative to the popular fried chicken schnitzel. It still contains oil but not nearly as much and you can either make it with coconut oil or rice bran oil depending on your thoughts on those oils. My son's favourite food is schnitzel and he loves this alternative :)

Ingredients:
2 organic, free range chicken breasts, sliced super thin
3 organic, free range eggs, whisked
Approx half a cup of almond meal or LSA
1/4 cup coconut flour or as much as needed 
Handful of parsley, chopped small
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Approx 1 tbs coconut oil or rice bran oil


Directions:
Mix garlic, garlic powder and parsley together and mix with chicken to marinate the chicken. Put in the fridge covered for about an hour to marinate
When it is ready, take out the chicken and coat in the coconut flour. I just put the flour on a plate and press the chicken into it
Then dip the chicken into the whisked eggs
Then coat the chicken with almond meal or LSA

Heat a frypan on medium to high and add oil of choice to pan, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan - about a tablespoon
When the oil is warm enough (you can test by putting the end of the chicken in to see if it starts to sizzle) add the chicken in and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side or until golden
Once cooked, place on paper towel to help drain any oil
Serve with salad and a squeeze of lemon


Delish! Easy, Paleo friendly, kid friendly meal :)

Bee xx

RECIPE | Easy Peasy Bacon & Egg “Cupcakes” (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

These are a great little snack for a paleo pre-dinner party or it is great to make a bunch of them and keep them in the fridge for your lunch at work throughout the week. You can re-heat them in the grill or microwave. I’ve kept them in the fridge for days and they’ve been just as yummy as they were to begin with.

I first saw this on Sarah Wilsons site here and thought what a great idea!



Ingredients:
As much bacon as you like, rind removed (I used about 4 long rashers to make 6)
As many organic eggs as you like (I used 6)
A handful of whichever herbs you like, chopped… Chives, parsley, oregano would all be very nice
A few shavings of parmesan cheese if you want to
Rock Salt

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 190’c
Line a muffin tin with baking paper or grease the tin
Line each hole with bacon
Crack an egg into each one
Top with herbs and sprinkle of rock salt. I also topped mine with cayenne pepper
Cook for around 15 minutes or until egg is set
Line a flat tray with baking paper
Turn out you bacon and eggs onto flat tin to cook the underside of the bacon
Cook for a few minutes
Once cooked, top with a little parmesan cheese and serve

Have you tried any other variation to these? I bet they would be delicious with some chopped tomato or olives on top!

Bee xx

RECIPE | The Pizza Omelette (Pumpkin, Tomato & Parmesan) - Paleo

This is such a great, throw whatever you have left over in the mix kind of meal. Very filling, can be made for one or more people... 

I have listed what I used but you can throw in anything, you could add cheese or ham or any other vegetable, the possibilities are endless :)

Ingredients:

2 eggs whisked

About 200gm diced & roasted pumpkin

1 tomato, roughly chopped

Half a red onion, diced

4-5 big tablespoons home-made pasta sauce

A small handful of chopped mixed herbs, I used fresh basil, parsley & oregano - from my garden of course :)

A little parmesan to shave over the top

Pinch of rock salt 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Heat olive oil in small pan

Add onion and cook on medium for 2 minutes

Add tomato & salt and cook for another minute

Add pumpkin and sauce and let simmer for a minute

Add whisked eggs and half of the herbs 

Cover with lid and cook until egg fluffs up and is firm

Tip on to plate, top with remaining herbs and shaved parmesan

Bellissima! Pizza Omelette :)

Enjoy!

Bee xx