Tag: healthy

A healthy snack recipe – Cacao Fig Balls

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Today I’m going to share a Cacao Fig Ball recipe that is both yummy and nutritious.

 

Recently I was talking to a Nutritionist about the importance of calcium in the diet as people age. I asked if there were other calcium rich foods that we could incorporate, apart from the more commonly known dairy foods and greens.

Some of the foods that she recommended were Dried Figs, Sesame seeds or Tahini and Kale.

I decided put together a ball recipe that would include the figs and seeds to make a calcium rich snack.

 

I’ve decided to call these Cacao Fig Balls.

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Ingredients

8 x dried figs (or 100 grms – depends on how juicy they are)

20 x dates (or 100 grms depends – on how juicy they are)

½ cup unsalted Pistachio nuts

2 tbsp Sesame seeds.

½ cup fine shredded coconut

4 tbsp raw Cacao powde

30g Cacao butter – melted

1 tbsp Coconut oil – melted

1 tsp Vanilla essence/paste

+ ¼ cup fine shredded coconut to roll balls in

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Method

 First, put the pistachios into your food processor and quickly blitz to break them up, followed by the figs and dates, then pulse till crumbly and sticky.

Add coconut, cacao and Sesame seeds then pulse till combined.

 I then added the vanilla, cacao butter and coconut oil and mix till combined.

Now the mix should look crumbly, however, if you scoop out a teaspoon full it should press together.

 I used my tablespoon-measuring spoon to scoop out the mix and pressed the mix into shape.

 This mix made 21 balls. Some of which I artfully displayed on my trusty board to photograph.

 

 Now for some nutritional information,

 It seems that figs’ are a member of the Mulberry family!

 It turns out that apart from Calcium, dried figs are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants

 Dried Figs are full of minerals like copper, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium and zinc. 100 g of dried figs contain 680 mg of potassium, 162 mg of calcium, and 2.03 mg of iron.

 Furthermore, research studies suggest that figs help lower blood sugar levels and control blood glucose levels in type-II diabetes.

 

Now, about Sesame seeds.

 It seems that the Sesame plant is a tall annual herb and the seeds are one of the first oil seeds known to humankind.

 Sesame is among the seeds rich in quality vitamins, and minerals. They are an excellent source of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and riboflavin.

 The seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper especially concentrated in sesame seeds.

 Sesame seeds are also valuable sources of dietary protein with fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth, especially in children. Just 100 g of seeds provide about 18 g of protein.

 

The dates also contribute health benefits to this recipe.

 Dates contain antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic (prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties.

 They are also an excellent source of iron, potassium and minerals like calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. (Facts source – http://www.nutrition-and-you.com)

 

I have previously written about the health benefits of raw cacao, so I won’t go there.

 So, all these ingredients come together to create a great tasting snack that is very good for you.

 

Till the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper

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Science has proven Grandma knows best!

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First of all, Happy Mothers’ Day to all the Mum’s.

Second, it seems that our Grandmothers know best! Of course.

According to a recent newspaper article, scientists are finally proving what our grandparents have known for years. Many of us have that been advocates for these lifestyle changes are often viewed with skepticism. It is great to have science backing us up.

food, garden, washing, walking

Some of the most notable changes mentioned, are things that Scott and I have been doing for some time. I thought I would share these with you, quoting from the article as I go.

Easy lifestyle changes

  • Cooking from scratch, using real food ingredients. “This will save you kilojoules and having a raft of additives in your meals.”
  • Using old recipes and cookbooks. “Cornwell University in the USA compared recipes from the 1936 and 2006 editions of ‘The Joys of Cooking’. They found that recipes in the 2006 version had an average 63% more kilojoules.”
  • Grow your own fruit and vegetables. “Helps kids to eat more and home grown tastes better. Less chemicals and gardening is great for reducing stress.”
  • Eat at the dinner table. “Helps a child’s vocabulary, develops table etiquette and creates an opportunity for family communication.”
  • Switch off screens. “Studies have shown that excessive screen-time impairs brain structure and function. Mostly in the frontal lobe, which controls our sense of empathy.”
  • Ditch the chemicals. “Research into lung function found that it was 14% worse in people who used modern household cleaning products regularly, than those that didn’t.”
  • Hang out the washing. “The suns’ rays actually help to disinfect clothes and remove stains. It is also an opportunity to get some Vitamin D.”
  • Go for walks. “Research from Harvard University shows that people who walk regularly live longer and have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. They are also more likely to have a healthy weight and stronger immune system.”
  • Get to sleep early. ‘Studies have shown that those who don’t stay up late are more optimistic, patient and productive. They also have stronger immune systems than night owls.”

We don’t have children, but for those that do…..

2 more changes.

  • Let kids be dirty. “Microbiology Professor Brett Finlay and Immunologist Marie-Claire Arrieta, authors of ‘Let Them Eat Dirt’ say – Keeping children too clean can weaken their immune systems by depriving them of valuable microbes.”
  • Play outside. “Time outdoors is beneficial for adults and kids alike as it improves concentration. Exposure to sunlight also reduces a child’s risk of developing near-sightedness.”

These are all easy changes to make that can have a long-term impact on your health and wellbeing.

We have found that ‘cooking from scratch’ has encouraged us to have a more varied diet, as we try different recipes. It actually saves us money when we plan our meals in advance as we only buy the ingredients we need for the week.

Scott has found that spending time in our small fruit and vegetable garden lowers stress. It is also great to be able to add home grown vegetables to our meals.

Finally, it is great to read that more studies are finding that constant exposure to modern chemicals is having an adverse effect on our bodies.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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A Breakfast Slice

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I have previously written about smoothies for breakfast and shared my favourite smoothie recipe. However, there are some days when time is short and a takeaway breakfast is ideal. As we are trying not to eat processed foods, I decided to search for an easy, tasty and nutritious option. We are also trying to minimise our wheat intake, so a ‘wheat free’ recipe was preferable.

I found one on Paleo Grubs.com that looked appealing. Then I made a few changes to it to suit our tastes.

It turned out to be quite nice, like banana bread and goes really well with a cuppa.

So I thought I would share the recipe after my changes, (without any health information this time).

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Ingredients

1/2 cup raw macadamias

1/2 cup raw cashews

¼ cup chopped raw macadamias

¼ chopped raw pistachios

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

2 ripe bananas

1 egg

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

¼ cup no added sugar Orange Marmalade

½ tsp ground ginger

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190 C. Line a 20cm slice pan with baking paper. Place ½ cup macadamias, ½ cup cashews and 1 cup coconut into a food processor. Pulse to break down. Add the bananas, vanilla, egg, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Blend until the mixture is completely combined. Transfer the mixture to a slice pan and use a spatula to smooth out. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Until the top is golden.

Meanwhile, place the remaining shredded coconut in a fry pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Mix in the remaining chopped macadamias and pistachios.

Mix the ginger in with the marmalade. I warmed the marmalade to make it easier to mix.

Remove the slice pan from the oven and spread a thin layer of jam over the banana base. Sprinkle the toasted coconut and nut mixture over the top and press it into the marmalade with your hands. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before slicing into bars. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I hope that you enjoy this slice as much as we do. It really is an easy option for a take away breakfast.

 

Until next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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