Mar 24, 2014

Yummy Vegan Banana Cake





I've been testing out a few unconventional sweet treats from a book I recently purchased called Super Healthy Snacks and Treats to the absolute delight of my tummy and have to share Jenna Zoe's vegan banana cake recipe with you.

To be honest, I'm a wannabe Martha Stewart. I wanna be one of those baking goddesses but alas! 
I have little confidence when it comes to baking. I am a great cook but baking, no. 
I have baked some real funny stuff through the years. I've watched my husband force down salty muffins and say they were delicious. I've attempted cookies that just melted and came out looking like pancakes to the confusion of my kids. I've made stone cakes that could break teeth.
I'm like comedy when it comes to baking.

So, I promise you this one's soooooo easy and fool proof.

I was kinda hesitant initially...bake a cake with no eggs?! Really? But being the fourth time I've baked it, this cake is an easy, necessary staple in the refrigerator. 
Kids & hubs love it, dog loves it, it's the best way to use up those dying bananas and I don't turn into a joke.
Enjoy!

                                            
  • Preheat oven to 160 degrees
  • 3 teaspoons ground chia seeds (grind whole seeds in a coffee grinder)
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 3 very ripe large bananas mashed gently with a fork
  • 1 cup extra virgin coconut oil
  • 2.5 cups all purpose flour of choice
  • 3.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar of choice (I used raw brown sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Put the grinded chia seeds in a small bowl with the water and whisk. The mixture will start to feel like the consistency of a beaten egg. Place in fridge.


Add the vanilla extract, chia mixture & coconut oil and mix.
Gently fold in the bananas
Spoon the mixture into a bake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 55 degrees and bake for a further 20 minutes.




Mar 7, 2014

Delicious healthy chocolate ball snacks for those PMS days

This is my first blog entry on health food.



HEALTHY CHOCOLATE BALLS


I have bad cases of binge eating during pms. Due to those binge eatings, I get breakouts.  And these nasties leave scars. The cycle goes on every month like clockwork. As soon as I have a cigarette, I break out. Cigarettes are terrible for your skin btw. Yes, I've realised this a little too late (well, for my face anyway. I could've had a pimple free youth, alas!). Hopefully my lungs might recover! I spent my 20s destroying my body, partying, smoking, wrecking havoc... will I be able to get things back on track, I hope so. Its time to give it a shot.

So I'm now on a healthy living quest. Binge eating? Yup, I'll binge on healthy stuff, no prob! Bring it on! My biggest vice, SUGAR. This one's going to be so hard to cut off. I'll take it slow and steady. I think it's harder than quitting smoking! My M&M's, Bounty's, donuts, Twirls arrrggghh : (

My quest for beauty continues. This time unto myself. 
Ageing gracefully and living illness- free for as long as I can. 

Like all women who dine out, we look at desserts first to see if we should order a small salad (if the desserts are good) or order a fat juicy steak (blah desserts). So in order of the norm, my first entry will be a sweet treat! This treat satisfies. I promise!
I got this recipe off Tarian Pantry.





Ingredients

1 1/2 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts or raw cashew nuts (u decide)
1 cup medjool dates pitted
1 cup figs
1/2 cup cacao powder
1 orange for zest
1 pinch of salt

Dice figs
Pit and dice dates
Pound cashews and almonds in a mortar n pestle

Zest the orange
For best results, blend cacao powder with 1 cup almonds and cashews first till flaky then add dates, figs and goji berries with a pinch of salt. Because I use preserved figs, I added a little water to bind all the ingredients together.



Roll them up in little bite sized balls and use the remaining half cup of grounded almonds to coat the balls.
Chill in refrigerator and have them cold.
So divine!