Coconut & cacao squares

A healthy alternative to flapjack that will give you a nutritious energy boost!

ingredients

• 100g coconut oil

• 2 tbsp maple / honey

• 3 ripe bananas (300g peeled)

• 3 tbsp raw cacao

• 250g porridge oats

• 100g desiccated coconut

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc. Line a 20 x 20cm tin with baking parchment.

• Melt the coconut and honey gently in a small saucepan.

• Mash the bananas in large bowl with a fork and add the rest of the ingredients.

• Pour in the coconut oil and honey, mixing well until all the ingredients are combined.

• Scrape the mix into the baking tray and press down firmly.

• Bake for 25 minutes. Leave to cool completely before slicing.

  Tip

• This recipe freezes well, so you can wrap some up in tin foil and save for later.

• You could add 1 tbsp more of maple and/or cacao if you want extra sweetness / chocolateyness.

• I made these squares for my daughter to take for her school snack as they’re nut-free. I wanted her to have something slightly more healthy than sugary cereal bars - it’s also quite hard to find them without nuts!

Coconut & walnut overnight oats

Overnight oats is still one of my go-to breakfasts; it takes minutes to prep in the evening and then you have a delish breakfast ready in the morning. You just need to add the toppings.

I’ve never been a fan of whole walnuts, but I really like them in a butter. They are actually incredibly good for you with the highest polyphenol (antioxidant) and Omega 3 content out of all nuts, helping to increase gut microbiota diversity and health, reduce inflammation and support your cardiovascular and immune systems. So I figured I should start liking them! They’re also really good with cheese, crackers and sliced apple too.

The other ingredient added here is kefir. It’s a cultured, fermented milk drink, which is a great source of calcium and rich in good probiotic bacteria for your gut. I’ve used Biotiful that you can find in Sainsburys.

The best toppings IMO are Greek yoghurt (also boosting good gut bacteria), fruit compote, toasted nuts and seeds plus extra nut butter, but you can have any combination you like.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 80g oats

• 40g white chia seeds

• 40g raisins

• 25g desiccated coconut

• 10g flaxseed

• 1-2 tbsp nut butter

• 400ml nut milk or organic whole 

• 150ml kefir

Method

• Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized tub with an air-tight lid.

• Serve with homemade compote

Tip

• If you can’t get hold of walnut butter, you can always use a different kind - almond or cashew are both really nice - and top with a few whole walnuts instead to get their benefit.

Vegan banana, pecan & tahini bites

Looking for a healthy snack recipe? Well, stop right here as these bites are super tasty and so full of good stuff: protein (growth development, muscle building, bone mass), fibre (healthy gut microbiome), zinc (immunity), B1 thiamine (energy production), manganese & phosphorus (bone health)!

They’re really quick to prep and will keep in an airtight container for up to a week, although they will go a little crumbly after a few days, (if they last that long), but they’re great on top of natural yoghurt! If you’re making them for kids to take to school then leave out the pecans or switch for pumpkin, sunflower or flaxseeds, but do check your school’s policy on allergens first.

Ingredients

• 60g pecan nuts

• 4 tbsp coconut oil, melted

• 1 large banana 150g

• 6 tbsp tahini

• 4 tbsp maple syrup 

• 250g oats

• Pinch of sea salt

Method 

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc and line a 20x20cm tin with baking parchment. Scrunch it up into a ball and then it will mould into the tin more easily.  

• Spread the pecans out on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

• Melt the coconut oil in a pan on the hob or a bowl in the microwave for a minute. 

• Mash the banana in a large bowl, then mix in the tahini, maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir well and then weigh the oats in the same bowl. Mix together well. 

• Break up the pecans with your fingers or chop roughly and stir into the mix. 

• Scrape into the lined tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until starting to brown on top. 

• Cool completely before cutting up. 

Hazelnut & banana smoothie

Breakfast today! But this smoothie would also work really well as a healthy mid-afternoon energy boost or post-gym with a spoon of protein powder added. I would probably use whey protein as it has a neutral taste, but if you want to keep the smoothie vegan then use pea protein - it does have a distinct taste though which will change the overall flavour if you use too much!

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 400ml hazelnut milk

• 160g banana, frozen

• 2 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

• 2 tbsp oats

• 1 tbsp maple syrup, optional

Method

• Blitz!

Energising blueberry smoothie

Sunny days make me want to drink smoothies, so here’s my spring favourite so far. It’ll give you an energy boost any time of the day as it’s packed with protein, iron and Vitamin C!

Ingredients

Serves 1

• 150g frozen blueberries 

• 20g fresh spinach 

• 2 tbsp oats

• 250g nut milk or organic whole

• ½ tbsp white chia seeds

• ½ tbsp maple syrup, agave or honey

Method

Blitz well and drink!

banana & sunflower muffins

I baked these yesterday as I’m trying to make my daughter’s lunchbox a bit more interesting, but to be honest I’ve eaten more of them than her so far!! They’re basically banana bread in bun form and this is something I struggle to resist! But although they’re a ‘treat’, the sunflower seeds, oats and obviously banana mean they have a decent nutritional content, making them a healthier snack for you or your kids to eat. Always a bonus in my book!

Anyway, it’s a good idea to freeze a few before they get scoffed, so you have some in stock for lunchboxes. Pop a frozen muffin in their pack up and it’ll be defrosted by the lunchtime, so they’re great for those days when your cupboard is empty.

But if you fancy some yourself, then they’re really good for breakfast as they’re sweet, but not too sweet or you might save one as a treat with a cuppa in the afternoon. I’ve just had my second!!

Ingredients

Makes 12 muffins

• 30g sunflower seeds

• 125g soft light brown sugar

• 200g plain flour

• 50g rolled oats, plus ½ tbsp for topping

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 200g banana

• 150ml plain yoghurt

• 50ml rapeseed oil

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

• Prepare the muffin tin by putting in paper cups or grease lightly with butter or a spray oil.

• Put the sunflower seeds on a baking tray and toast for 6 minutes in the oven. Set to one side.

• Weigh all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: sugar, flour, oats, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder.

• Put the bananas into the bowl of a mixer and beat for a minute or so until mashed. You can do this with a fork if you don’t have a mixer.

• Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the banana: yoghurt, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

• Add 20g sunflower seeds to the dry ingredients, stir and then gradually add to the banana mix.

• Beat with the mixer briefly until the ingredients are just combined, don’t over do it or you’ll develop the gluten and have tough muffins. No one wants tough muffins.

• Put about 2 big tbsp of the mix into each cup and then sprinkle with a pinch of oats and the rest of the sunflower seeds.

• Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

tip

• As with most muffins, the paper will stick to them a bit if you eat them warm, but if you can’t wait don’t worry about it, just scrape the casings!

Raspberry, mango & oat smoothie

I like to work out in the morning, but I can’t do it (or anything for that matter) on an empty stomach, so a smoothie is a great way of getting some energy without feeling too full. I’ll quickly blitz and then get on with my HIIT class!

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 120g frozen mango

• 40g frozen raspberry

• 40g frozen banana

• 400ml nut milk or organic whole

• 2 tbsp oats

• 1 tbsp honey, optional

Method

• Blitz!!

Tip

• Buy bags of frozen fruit to save on the cost, plus they naturally chill your drink down so you dont need to use ice.

• If you’re wondering why there is more mango than raspberry, it’s because the raspberry is a much stronger flavour and it takes over if you don’t balance it out.

Homemade granola

Making your own granola is really quick, easy and way cheaper than buying it off the shelf. You can also add the exact mix of ingredients that you like, so no more disappointing bits of dried pineapple to come across. I’m quite particular about the types of dried fruit I like in granola or muesli, I only really like sultanas, raisins and dates, I’ll tolerate a bit of apricot, but that’s about it! So it’s better to make my own, plus I can also add loads of nuts as they’re always a bit scarce in shop-bought packets.

With this recipe you can pick and choose the ingredients that you like to make your own ‘perfect granola’. Switch the nuts, seeds and fruit if there are others that you prefer; if you stick to these proportions you’ll still get a good balance. Same with the spices and vanilla extract, you don’t have to add them if they’re not your thing, the granola will still taste great.

Ingredients

Makes approx 1kg, or 20 servings

• 400g oats

• 200g raisins, or any dried fruit you prefer

• 100g almonds, hazelnuts, cashews or pecans

• 50g pumpkin seeds

• 50g sunflower seeds

• 40g flax seeds

• ½ tsp cinnamon, optional

• 1 tsp ground ginger, optional

• 2 tsp vanilla essence

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 170g runny honey or maple syrup

• 50g desiccated coconut

Method

• Preheat the oven to 160ºc

• Weigh out all the dry ingredients and put all of them, except the desiccated coconut, into a large bowl.

• Put the coconut oil and honey into a pan and gently warm until melted then pour onto the dry ingredients, mix well.

• Tip the granola onto one, or two baking trays so it is a max of about 2 cm deep and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

• Check and turn the mix and put back in the oven for a further 10 minutes, keeping a careful eye on it as you don’t want it to turn too brown. You might need to put it back in for another 5 minutes or so, but watch like a hawk it will suddenly turn! The mix should turn a pale golden colour.

• Serve with Greek yoghurt and homemade fruit compote. Or it work well sprinkled on top of overnight oats or muesli.

Honey & sunflower overnight oats

I always think that overnight oats are a nice alternative to porridge as they’re a nice alternative to porridge as I don’t always fancy a hot breakfast and they have the added bonus of being ready straight away in the morning. You just need to do a little prep the night before. Today I topped with mixed berry compote and peanut butter, but there are lots of other options you could try: any kind of fruit compote, chopped nuts or seeds, fresh or dried fruit, desiccated coconut, nut butter or yoghurt.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 200g oats

• 680ml nut milk or organic whole

• 25g flax seeds

• 25g chia seeds

• 25g sunflower seeds

• 1 ½ tbsp maple or honey

Fruit compote

• 200g frozen mixed berries

• 200g frozen blueberries

• 3 tbsp demerara sugar

Method

• Mix all the ingredients in a lidded tub and leave in the fridge over night.

• Heat all the frozen fruit in a saucepan for about 5 minutes stirring regularly so the heat is distributed evenly, then add the sugar and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Allow to cool.

• Top with compote, dark roast peanut butter, banana and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds.

Honey flapjack

Switching golden syrup for honey in flapjacks has been a game-changer for me as the flavour is so much better. I realise that this is a more expensive way of making them, so you could always cut the cost a little by going 50:50. This recipe makes a big tray though, so they will last a while (in theory!). I froze half to: a/ stop me eating it all, b/stop anybody else eating it all so I could save some for packed lunches. That way you have a little stock of sweet treats hidden away when there’s nothing else in the cupboard.

Ingredients

Makes a large 21x32cm tray, but you could halve the ingredients to fit 20x20cm

• 400g unsalted butter

• 400g demerara sugar

• 400g honey

• 800g porridge oats

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 °c and line the tray with baking parchment.

• Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a large pan, stirring to mix well.

• Add the oats and stir well to combine.

• Scrape the ingredients into the tray and pack down fairly tightly, I use a cake slice to flatten the mix down.

• Bake for 15-20 minutes, you’re looking for a golden colour with slightly browned edges. The flapjack should still feel quite soft when it comes out of the oven if you want it to be chewy not crunchy like me.

  Tip

• If you scrunch the baking parchment into a ball first and then open up it’s much easier to line you tray with it.

• I’ve used demerara sugar to give the flapjacks a little crunch, but you can always switch to normal caster if you don’t have it.

Cashew butter overnight oats with coconut yoghurt & almonds

I discovered a whole new world of breakfast recently when I cut out dairy, wheat & refined sugar. Instead of staggering bleary-eyed to the Alpen every morning, it make me think about alternatives and I ended up discovering loads of new options that I now really enjoy. I love making overnight oats, especially now its summer as porridge is way too hot.

Ingredients

Serves 3-4

• 120g oats

• 375ml almond milk

• 2 tbsp of cashew butter

• 2 tbsp of maple syrup or honey

• 1 tbsp of chia seeds

• Handful of raisins, about 40g

• Pinch of salt

To serve:

• A dollop of natural yogurt, or coconut yogurt)

• Handful of chopped nuts

• Another drizzle of nut butter

Method

• Place the almond milk, nut butter, oats, chia seeds, raisins, maple syrup and salt in a tub that has a lid and mix together well.

• Place the container in the fridge and leave to thicken overnight.