No-Bake Berry Cheesecakes

Earlier in the year I attended a media breakfast at Fresh Earth and absolutely fell in love with this little one stop health shop and cafe. The folks over at Fresh Earth were kind enough to offer me some ingredients to make a diabetic friendly cake for my birthday. Unfortunately with my broken foot I didn't manage to get to them in time and so I decided to make some little cheesecakes over the weekend instead.

8 Healthy Habits That Are Actually Harming You

I found this article on Mind Body Green and I thought it had some really great points. Everyone I know does at least one of these things, it's not a big problem but what is, is when they think that they are being healthy while doing it. Everyone is on a different diet or eating plan and people stick to what works - there is no universal diet that is good for everyone! However, at the end of the day I'm sure that we can all agree that eating "clean" (whole, unprocessed foods) is the healthiest option for your body.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

These are possibly THE easiest cookies I have ever made! With quite a bit of honey in them and the chocolate chips, their sugar content is a little higher than I would like but they're absolutely perfect in moderation!

Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I didn't have this so I left it out and they came out great)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I chopped up half a bar of 85% cocoa Lindt Excellence dark chocolate)

Method

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. 
• Mix together all ingredients except the chocolate
• Add the chocolate and mix well
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spray with Spray and Cook
• Using a table spoon of mixture at a time, lump cookie dough balls onto the paper
• Bake for 8 minutes
• Remove and allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. They will firm-up as they rest, so this step is important!

Chia Seeds

My newest obsession is Chia seeds and I am starting to see them EVERYWHERE. I bought a little packet for R10 (they're so reasonably priced) and have been playing around with them.

Chia seeds are native to South America and have been a staple in Mayan and Aztec diets for centuries. Today, they draw the interest of many people for their health benefits and uses in cooking. It turns out the South American staple is a rich source of nutrients and antioxidants.

Why Chia seeds are good for you

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Chia seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3s in chia seeds can help reduce inflammation, enhance cognitive performance and reduce high cholesterol.

Fiber

Fiber is associated with reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol and regulating bowel function. Chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber, with a whopping 10 grams in only 2 tablespoons. That is one-third of the daily recommended intake of fiber per day.

Antioxidants

Chia seeds are rich in antioxidants that help protect the body from free radicals, aging and cancer. The high antioxidant profile also helps them have a long shelf life. They last almost two years without refrigeration.

Minerals

Two tablespoons of chia seeds contain 18 percent of the DRI for calcium, 35 percent for phosphorus, 24 percent for magnesium and about 50 percent for manganese. These nutrients help you prevent hypertension and maintain a healthy weight, and are important for energy metabolism and a part of DNA synthesis.

Satiety

Satiety is the feeling of being full and satisfied, which helps lower food cravings between meals. The combination of protein, fiber and the gelling action of chia seeds when mixed with liquids all contribute to their satiating effects.

Gluten-Free

Chia seeds contain no gluten or grains. Therefore, all of the nutritional benefits of chia seeds can be obtained on a gluten-free diet.

Egg Replacer

The outer layer of chia seeds swells when mixed with liquids to form a gel. This can used in place of eggs to lower cholesterol and increase the nutrient content of foods and baked goods. To make the egg replacement, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 15 minutes. This substitutes 1 egg but does not work in place of eggs for omelettes. 

Can Be Digested Whole

Unlike flaxseeds, which are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and minerals, chia seeds do not need to be ground in order to obtain their nutrient or egg- replacement benefits.

Dyslipidemia

A study published in the "British Journal of Nutrition" showed that chia seeds as a dietary fat source can lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels while increasing HDL or "good" cholesterol. 

Blood Sugar Regulation

Chia seeds can play an important role in regulating insulin levels. They can reduce insulin resistance and decrease abnormally high levels of insulin in the blood.

Increase Energy Levels

Chia is one of nature’s highest plant-based sources of complete protein. Usually protein from items like peanut butter. and some beans are incomplete, meaning you have to combine them with other foods to get the full benefit. Not Chia though, it’s protein is complete to raise your energy levels. The combination of complete protein, vitamins, minerals and blood-sugar balancing gel all work together to make sure you have steady, never jittery energy.

So far I have only used chia seeds to add a decorative element to both sweet and savory meals.

Butternut Soup

Strawberries and cream

With so many uses and health benefits, I will definitely be playing more with these seeds!

Chocolate Coconut Squares

I've been wanting to make these Chocolate Coconut squares for ages now but every time I set out to make them I find that I am short an ingredient or 2!

My sweet tooth was particularly bad today so I decided to "Adapt or Die" and I made them using the ingredients that I had.












Ingredients

Bottom Chocolate Layer
1 cup of nuts. I used almonds that were already pre-chopped.
8 large medjool dates (+- 225 grams), pitted. I used dried cherries
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 Tablespoons of cocoa powder

Coconut Layer
1 1/2 cups grated coconut unsweetened and finely shredded
2-3 Tablespoons honey
1/3 cup almond flour (I did this but I'm pretty confident you can do it without) 
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Pinch of salt


Top 'Decorative' Layer
25 grams of 70% dark chocolate. I used 1/4 of a bar of Lindt 85%
Handful of Almonds






Method

Bottom Chocolate Layer
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until a 'paste' is formed. My blender is broken (Of course) so I just mixed everything together and added 3 tbs of melted butter so that it would bind.
Grease a Baking dish and press down the paste/dough at the bottom. You may want to use a spoon or this because it's VERY sticky.

Coconut Layer
Mix all ingredients together. Make sure you have melted your coconut oil in the microwave.
Spread coconut layer on top of chocolate layer in dish and press firmly.

Top Decorative Layer
Melt chocolate slowly over a low heat. If you're impatient like me, do it in the microwave on a low heat but watch it carefully!
Spread or drizzle melted chocolate on top of the coconut layer and sprinkle some finely chopped nuts (Almonds) on top to decorate.

Now put it in the refrigerator for an hour (or the freezer for 15-20 minutes) before using a knife to cut into squares.

Enjoy your tea time treat =)

Crust-less Quiche