Cacao & Coconut Energy Balls

Posted on February 25, 2019 by teesnutrition

Literally just whipped these up this evening. I was craving something sweet so made do with whatever ingredients I had in my cupboard to make these balls. Energy/Protein balls are so versatile, you can be so inventive with them and change around ingredients as well. I made these within a half an hour and got around 11 golf sized balls outta the below mixture.

Ingredients

200g pitted dates soaked in water (keep water aside after draining the dates)

70g cashew butter (can use alternative nut butter)

50g cacao powder

50g gluten free oats (you can use regular oats, I just used these so ma sista can eat them too)

2 tbsp milled flaxseed

good handful of desiccated coconut for coating the balls

Method

Soak the dates in warm water.
Meanwhile, place the rest of the ingredients in a blender/food processor – cashew butter, cacao powder, oats and flaxseed.
Drain the dates but keep the water aside. Add the dates to the processor and blend.
If you find the mixture is too dry, add some of the water in – not too much because the mixture could get too wet. You don’t want it to be too sticky.
Once you’re happy with the mixture. Roll into golf sized balls and roll the balls in the desiccated coconut to coat.

coconut balls

Enjoy 🙂

Tee. X

Cacao Overnight Oats

Posted on November 6, 2018 by teesnutrition

Pretty obsessed with these overnight oats! They’re probably my most common breakfast especially during the winter months. Oats are such a nutritious breakfast and if you’re any bit of a nutrition nerd like me, here’s all you need to know about why them oats are so good for ya! ~ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-benefits-oats-oatmeal#section3

DC664336-49E7-41F5-8A7A-673AD6E87A95

Ingredients

half cup porridge oats

heaped tsp cacao powder

half cup dark chocolate almond milk

half cup coconut milk

Method

Stir the oats and cacao powder together in a bowl.
Add in the milk and stir.
Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, heat your oats in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes or in a saucepan on a low/medium heat for roughly the same amount of time.

359B5F8C-8F5A-4E0A-95D2-05462716FFBC

Enjoy 🤗

Tee. X

Seedy Cacao Balls

Posted on November 4, 2017 by teesnutrition

Long time no new recipe!! I definitely haven’t given myself the time to try anything new recently but decided to mess around with a few ingredients during the week and came up with these energy balls. To be honest you can be as creative as you like with energy/protein balls, that’s the great thing about them and why you’ll probably find so many different recipes for them out there. But they’re a great snack to have ready especially when you’re on the go. I made these at the start of the weekend and they lasted me for the week ahead, I had one every day for my mid-morning snack 🙂

These are the ingredients and method I used but feel free to use it as a guideline and leave out or include different ingredients if you fancy 😀

Ingredients

200g pitted/medjool dates (medjool dates are probably best to use as they’re softer but are more expensive so go half pitted/half medjool if you wish..just make sure to take out the pit if you’re using medjool!)

100g warm water

60g cacao powder

200g mixed seeds (sunflower/pumpkin)

40g bee pollen

40g cacao nibs

40g goji berries

1 tsp of himalayan salt

desiccated coconut/chia seed to coat the balls

Method

Soak your dates in the warm water for 5-10 minutes.
In a food processor, put the dates, water and cacao powder and blitz until combined.
Add the seeds and pulse again until roughly combined.
Add the bee pollen, cacao nibs, goji berries and salt and blitz again.
The mixture should have come together now.
Using your hands, weigh out the balls at 50g each and roll into a ball.
Once they are all weighed out. Roll the balls in desiccated coconut or chia seeds if you like, you can also leave them plain and not cover them in anything.
To store them, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge as this will keep them for longer. They should keep like this for up to a week or 2 weeks max.

Enjoy,

Tee 🙂 X

Donal Skehan’s Raspberry Almond Muffins & Red Velvet Beetroot Chocolate Muffins

Posted on February 8, 2016 by teesnutrition

Made both these recipes at the weekend for a fundraiser coffee morning. The original recipes are both from Donal Skehan’s cookbook ‘Fresh’ but I changed them around a bit using a few different ingredients 🙂

12695649_10206080599278336_1022310571_o (1)

Raspberry and Almond Muffins

Ingredients

150g coconut oil, melted

125g coconut sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

50g ground almonds

100ml almond milk

250g raspberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Beat the coconut oil and sugar together in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs and continue whisking again until well combined. Stir through the vanilla extract.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and then fold through. Fold in the ground almonds and almond milk. Finally, gently fold in the raspberries until evenly dispersed.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, filling each one about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a thin metal skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool slightly on a wire rack.

Red Velvet Beetroot Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate, melted

200g cooked beetroot

110g coconut sugar

110g coconut oil, melted

2 large eggs

175g buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

50ml almond milk

(For the chocolate frosting, if you want to be very good you can leave this out 😛 )

100g butter, room temperature

100g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp boiling water

50g cacao powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Purée the cooked beetroot until smooth using a hand-held stick blender and then add in the melted chocolate.
Beat the coconut oil and sugar together in a bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer. Whisk in the eggs until well combined. Mix in the flour, baking powder and milk and finally fold in the chocolate and beetroot mixture.
Divide the muffin mixture between the paper cases, filling each about two-thirds full, and bake for 20-25 minutes until a thin metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool.
For the frosting; beat all the ingredients together until you have a thick paste. Once the muffins have cooled, spread the frosting on top of the muffins using a small palette knife.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee.X

Raw Chocolate & Caramel Squares

Posted on January 6, 2016 by teesnutrition

I have the biggest sweet tooth and chocolate is definitely one of my weaknesses! So as you can imagine Christmas was a bit indulgent with all the sweets and chocolates around!

Even though I’m so sad Christmas is all over with now, I love the feeling of getting back into my normal eating routine which is filled with lots of nutritious foods! My sweet tooth is never going to go away though so I always try to make sure I have some healthy treat lying around so that I don’t go for the bad stuff!

I love these raw chocolate and caramel squares because they are the perfect treat after all the Christmassy indulgences and are guilt free too! Definitely worth a try and they’re so easy to make too – no cooking required 🙂

Ingredients

First Layer:

20 medjool dates, pitted

5 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 cup water (more if needed)

Second Layer:

20 medjool dates, pitted and soaked

1 tbsp cacao butter, melted

Third Layer:

100g dark chocolate, melted (the darker the better)

Method

Start with the first layer. Blend dates in a food processor until you have a big and sticky ball. Break the ball up slightly before adding in the coconut flour and mix again until you have a powder consistency. Add water gradually until it starts to look like a crumble. Remove and place in a square glass container (mine was 20cm x 15cm). Spread with the back of a spoon until you have a nice flat layer. Freeze.
Next is the second layer. Using the same food processor (no need to clean it out), blend the soaked dates and melted cacao butter. Slowly add in the water used to soak the dates until you have a smooth and creamy consistency, be careful when adding the water, you don’t want it to be too liquid, should be thick and creamy. Spread over the first layer and freeze again while you prepare your melted chocolate.
Once your chocolate is melted, spread over the caramel layer and freeze again for 5 minutes until the chocolate has hardened.
Top with some of the leftover first layer if you have some. Slice into squares…

…and enjoy 🙂

Yummy! 😀

Tee.X

Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Muffin/Cupcakes

Posted on December 12, 2015 by teesnutrition

Bit of late night baking last night trying out this new recipe! I had my first one this morning and they are really yummy!! A great way to get some veggies in without even knowing 🙂 I made them into cupcakes just because I had no muffin cases and got 15 cupcakes out of the mixture 😀

12336033_10205731319106550_1010202853_n

Ingredients

1 cup porridge oats

2 cups buckwheat flour*

1 cup coconut sugar*

1 heaped tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup grated zucchini

1 cup grated carrot

1 cup raisins

*You can replace the buckwheat flour with whatever you like; oat flour, ground almonds, wholemeal spelt flour etc.

*If you don’t have coconut sugar handy, you could replace this with agave syrup, honey, maple syrup etc.

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Mix the dry ingredients together first in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and oil. Stir in the grated zucchini and carrots. Add to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add in the raisins and spread them out in the mixture making sure they’re evenly distributed.
Fill your muffin/cupcake cases about 3/4 way full and bake for approx. 20 minutes. They’re done when a knife inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy in the morning or as a snack throughout the day 🙂

Yummy in my tummy 😀

Tee. X

Frozen Yoghurt Cup/Bites

Posted on July 2, 2015 by teesnutrition

I actually made those frozen yoghurt cups in the photos back a couple of months ago when it was absolutely freezing outside but I was experimenting with snack recipes at the time and really wanted to try it!! It made no sense to share this recipe with you back then so I said I’d wait until the summer months and here we are 🙂

Ingredients

100g serving of organic greek style natural yoghurt eg. glenisk, fage, liberté
1 cup of sliced strawberries

Method

Frozen Yoghurt Bites

Placing 1 tsp of yoghurt into each ice cube mould + slice of strawberry + another layer of yoghurt on top; pop in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until set.

Frozen Yoghurt Cup

Using the same ingredients place the yoghurt into a cup and dip the sliced strawberries in as well. You could pop a stick in as well to make it look like an ice lolly. Best to prepare this in the morning or night before so you have this snack ready for the day ahead.

So simple and the perfect snack 🙂

Tee. X

Healthy Rice Krispie Buns

Posted on June 29, 2015 by teesnutrition

These look like rice krispie buns don’t they…

But.. They’re not 😉

Instead of using rice krispies I followed one of Deliciously Ella’s recipes from her cookbook and made these really delicious Quinoa and Cacao Crispy Treats! The main ingredient used in this recipe instead of using rice krispies are Quinoa Pops…

Quinoa is one of my favourite foods because it’s so nutritious and I love adding it to everything and anything so you can imagine how excited I was when I found this recipe 😀 I used love making rice krispie buns when I was younger for any parties that were going on and I know to this day that rice krispie buns are a staple food party piece at most children’s parties which is why I really want to share this recipe with you all because these quinoa and cacoa crispy treats are just as fun to make as your normal rice krispie buns but they have the added bonus of being super nutritious 😀

Anyway enough chatter.. here is the recipe from Deliciously Ella’s (http://deliciouslyella.com/) cookbook which I would highly recommend purchasing!

Quinoa and Cacao Crispy Treats ~

Ingredients

1 and a 1/2 cups (60g) of quinoa pops (I was able to buy these in Cornucopia, the health food shop in Macroom)
1/3 of a cup of raw cacao powder (80g)
6 tbsp of pure maple syrup/honey
5 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp of almond butter (or preferred nut butter)
cupcake cases

Method

Place the coconut oil, cacao powder, maple syrup/honey and almond butter into a saucepan and gently heat it for a few minutes until it’s melted.
Next, pour in the quinoa pops and stir it all together until all the quinoa pops have been covered in chocolate.
Scoop the mixture out into the cupcake cases and place in a fridge/freezer for approx. 20 minutes or until the chocolate has set.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee. X

9 Snacks UNDER 200 Calories

Posted on February 12, 2015 by teesnutrition

Herbalife Director of Nutrition Education Susan Bowerman, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D. suggests snacks under 200 calories, with 10 grams of protein and close to 5 grams of fiber.

Frozen Yoghurt Cup/Bites – 100g serving of Organic Greek Style Natural Yoghurt and 1 cup of sliced strawberries. Using these ingredients you can make Frozen Yoghurt Bites by placing 1 tsp of yoghurt into each ice cube mould + slice of strawberry + another layer of yoghurt on top; pop in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until set. Alternatively you could make a Frozen Yoghurt Cup using the same ingredients place the yoghurt into a cup and dip the sliced strawberries in as well. You could pop a stick in as well to make it look like an ice lolly. Best to prepare this in the morning or night before so you have this snack ready for the day ahead.

🙂 = 175 kcal + 5g protein per serving.

Smoky Paprika-Baked Chickpeas – Whether you’re between meals or craving a midnight snack, there’s no need to feel guilty about getting your fill. This healthy, spiced snack is lower in calories and fat than other go-to options, like nuts, and is sure to leave you feeling more than satisfied. You will need 1tsp onion powder, 1tbsp smoked paprika and 30oz canned chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Pour the chickpeas into a medium mixing bowl with the onion powder and smoked paprika. Mix well. Spread the coated chickpeas onto a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour approx, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. Cool to room temperature before eating. (Store leftovers in an airtight container.)

🙂 = 176kcal + 9g protein per serving.

Cottage Cheese-Filled Avocado – The perfect snack for when you’re craving something rich, creamy, and a bit savoury. Cut an avocado in half, remove the pit from one half and fill the space with 60g cottage cheese.

🙂 = 120kcal + 7g protein per half avocado filled.

Cherry Tomatoes with Goat Cheese – Dividing evenly, top 5 halved large cherry tomatoes with 2 tbsp goat cheese. Sprinkle with chopped herbs (such as chives, basil or parsley.

🙂 = 95kcal + 6g protein + 1g fiber.

Warm Pear with Cinnamon Ricotta – Ricotta cheese is rich in protein, and pears are a good source of fiber. Together with a teaspoon of cinnamon, they make a delicious snack for any time of the day. You will need 1 small pear (halved and cored), ¼ cup ricotta cheese and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. Preheat broiler/grill or toaster oven. Place pear on a baking sheet and broil 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Combine ricotta and cinnamon in a small bowl. Top warm pear with ricotta mixture.

🙂 = 170kcal + 8g protein + 5g fiber.

Bagel with Ricotta and Strawberries – Spread ½ toasted whole-grain bagel with 2 tbsp ricotta. Top with ½ cup sliced strawberries. Drizzle with 1 tsp honey or agave syrup.

🙂 = 185kcal + 7g protein + 4g fibre.

Melon with Parma Ham and Feta Cheese – Cut half of a melon into slices. Tear up a slice of parma ham into thin strips and place the strips on top of the slices of melon. Sprinkle 1 oz (30g) feta cheese on top.

🙂 = 185kcal + 10g protein + 2g fibre.

Frozen Nutty Banana Nibblers – You will need 5 medium ripe bananas, 1 tbsp natural crunchy/smooth peanut butter and 2oz Organic Greek Style Natural Yoghurt. Peel one banana and mash it with the nut butter and yoghurt. Set aside. Peel the other four bananas. Slice into half-inch thick slices. Smear the mixture on half the banana slices and top with the other halves, making banana sandwiches. Place on a wooden cutting board or a plate and freeze for at least 2 hours. Yum!

🙂 = I’m not quite sure of the calorie content of each of these nibblers individually but I would say 4 nibblers (depending on how big or small you make them) would be about the 200kcal so don’t eat them all at once!!

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites – You will need 5 thick cucumber slices (more if you like!), 1(30g) slice of smoked salmon (cut into small pieces), 30g of goat cheese. Arrange cucumber slices on a plate and top with goat cheese and smoked salmon pieces.

🙂 = 134kcal + 10g protein.

Other great snacks under 200 calories would be Herbalife’s protein bars, gourmet tomato soup and roasted soybeans – ask your coach about these.

Paprika-Baked Chickpeas

Posted on January 16, 2015 by teesnutrition

These are SO good, it is hard to stop eating them!! These are the perfect healthy snack to keep you going mid-morning, mid-afternoon or even as a little nibble to have at midnight 🙂

Ingredients

1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp paprika
2 large tins (400g each approx) of chickpeas

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Pour the drained chickpeas into a medium mixing bowl with the onion powder and paprika. Mix well.
Spread the coated chickpeas onto a baking sheet. Bake for one hour, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. Cool to room temperature before eating. (Store leftovers in an airtight container.)

Delicious happens 🙂

Enjoy,

Tee x