Almond, Spirulina and Orange Energy Balls

Looking through my cupboards the other day I was reminded that I had a massive bag of Spirulina and I never really use it.  I thought it would be good to add the very dark green powder to an energy ball but was worried it would be too over powering.  Also I though orange zest would be a good add on as well so my first ever make it up as I go along turned out really really good!

If you give it a try let me know!

Makes 26 balls weighing 15g each (approximately)

Ingredients

100g almonds
10 dates pitted (pitted weight 200g)
2tbsp raw cacao powder
zest of one orange (approx 20g/1½tbsp)
½tbsp spirulina
½tbsp hemp protein powder
1tbsp chia seeds
2tbsp almond butter
1tbsp coconut oil (solid form)

Method

Place the almonds in a food processor (I used a Magimix 5200XL) and process for about a minute until crumbly.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process this time for about a minute until it all binds together.  Pick a bit out and squeeze with your fingers.  If it doesn't bind add another tablespoon of coconut oil.

I weigh my energy balls using a Heston Blumenthal Precision Kitchen Scale. I like each energy ball to weigh approximately 15kg.  This is a great size for kids and quite often I'll have 2 at a time!

Place the balls in the freezer for at least an hour and then store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Nutritional Information

Per ball:

69 calories

3.6g fat

6.6g carbohydrates

1.8g protein

Cost per Energy Ball (prices correct at April 2016)

Ingredient	Qty	Unit	Source	Qty in bag (g)	Unit Price	Cost of ingredient
Almonds	100	g	Sainsburys	200	£2.20	£1.10
Dates	200	g	Forest Feast	180	£2.59	£2.88
Cacao powder	12	g	Sevenhills	500	£6.99	£0.17
Orange zest			Sainsburys			£0.38
Spirulina	4	g	Sevenhills	500	£9.99	£0.08
Hemp protein powder	4	g	Sevenhills	500	£10.99	£0.09
Almond butter	40	g	Meridan	1000	£16.50	£0.66
Coconut Oil	15	g	Lucy Bee	300	£6.00	£0.30
Chia Seeds	12	g	Sevenhills	2000	£10.75	£0.06
Total Cost						£5.71
Cost per ball (qty 26)						£0.22

Butternut Squash Risotto with Mushrooms and Prawns

I have literally just finished my dinner and am feeling the need to write this recipe down straight away.  I have a habit of doing this, I write it down on paper to either blog about later or add to my recipe app on my ipad but I lose the bit of paper and then never get to share.

But no not today.  I just have to share this!

So I started out following a Butternut Squash recipe from the Deliciously Ella website.  Recipe can be found here.  Usually the first time I try a recipe I really follow it and then the second time I make it I make changes but today I had mushrooms in the fridge and prawns that I defrosted yesterday that needed using up.

I had to admit I don't really like mushrooms. I find them rubbery and I think they smell and taste of mud but since I've cut meat from my diet my taste buds have changed and they are starting to grow on me. Not massively though so I cut mushrooms up in a way that the stalk bit in the middle just gets sliced through from top to bottom and the rest gets shredded into tiny pieces.  That way if I'm not feeling the mushroom love I can give those big bits to hubbie!

So back to the recipe. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

Butternut squash chopped into 1cm pieces (I buy the 320g precut bag from Sainsburys)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Olive oil

⅔ cup brown basmati rice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon herbs de provence
pinch himilayan salt

1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
a handful of fresh coriander
pinch himilayan salt

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 red onion finely chopped
100g button mushrooms finely chopped
100g prawns cooked and peeled

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Place the chopped butternut squash onto a baking tray or roasting dish, sprinkle with the paprika, ground cumin and season with salt and pepper and drizzle over about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Roast for about 20 minutes tossing halfway.

Meanwhile rinse the brown basmati rice and boil in a saucepan with about twice as much as water.  Add the apple cider vinegar, herbs and salt and boil for about 30 minutes until the majority of the water has evaporated stirring occasionally.

Once the butternut squash is cooked and soft add ¾ of the tray to your food processor.  Add the tahini, lemon juice and garlic clove, salt and a handful of coriander.  Blend until a puree forms.

Heat a wok and gently fry the onions in the coconut oil, add the mushrooms and turn the heat down.  Add the cooked rice and stir in the butternut squash puree.  Add water if the mixture become too dry and finally add the cooked prawns heating them through.

Serve with some chopped coriander and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato & Lentil Soup

Soup is one of my favourite meals. If I puree the soup I can usually get my kids to eat it as well.  They don't have as big a bowl as I do so tend to have a bit more bread. They did love this soup though! I think the sweetness from the roasted red peppers helped!

Ingredients

3 Red Peppers (diced)
8 Tomatoes (sliced in half)
Drizzle Olive Oil
Pinch Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Cumin Seeds
1tsp Ground Coriander
1tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Onion (diced)
2 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
125g Red Lentils
700ml Vegetable Stock (I use a Kallo Stock Cube)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
In a roasting dish add the red peppers and tomatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt.  Roast for 40 minutes turning every so oven.
In a casserole dish fry fry the cumin seeds and ground coriander for a minute then add the coconut oil, onion and crushed garlic.  Fry for a minute being careful not to let it burn.  Remove the roasted peppers and tomatoes from the oven and add to the casserole dish. Add the red lentils and stir well.  Pour in the vegetable stock, stir and leave to simmer for 15 minutes on a low heat.

Puree, sieve if preferred and serve with a healthly bread.  I love Deliciously Ella's Superbread recipe. For my kids aged 5 and 3 I serve with a slice of buttered wholemeal bread and ask them to try a small piece of superbread.  My 5 year old son always says yum but when you ask if he wants more he politely says no thank you.  

Broccoli Pesto

I love making pesto.  I love how such a tiny spoon of something so easy to make can really turn around a simple pasta dish.

This recipe makes a big batch which you can freeze and will last you ages! 

Ingredients

250g Broccoli
100g Walnut Pieces
150g Grated Hard Goats Cheese
100ml Olive Oil
Squeeze lemon juice
2 cloves garlic

Method

Cut the broccoli florets off the stem and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile dry fry the walnut pieces for a few minutes tossing regularly to ensure they don't burn.  Add the broccoli and the toasted walnuts to the food process with all the other ingredients and zap until combined.

I find these great ice cube (though advertised as baby food) silicone trays by Zeal are great of distributing my pesto. And once frozen I pop them in freezer food bags and then just zap a stick in the microwave for 40 seconds before adding to pasta.

As a general rule I weigh my pasta and serve 40g dried pasta per child, 75g dried pasta for me and the hubbie likes a bit more!

Green Porridge

Would you believe I wake up most mornings craving a cup of herbal white tea and a bowl of green porridge.

I've really got the hang of making this breakfast and letting cool down to the perfect temperature.....a knack you need to be able to eat this all year long including those hot summer months.

I use this great microwaveable lidded saucepan from Lakeland and add 50g of porridge oats, 250g of almond milk. Yes grams as I just use the scales. I zap in the microwave for 2 minutes and 40 seconds and then let it sit for 10 minutes.  After this time I add 1 heaped tablespoon of flaxseed, 1 heaped tablespoon of hemp protein powder, ½ teaspoon of wheatgrass powder and I stir in about a tablespoon of manuka honey. When I first started eating porridge it was more like 2 heaped tablespoons of honey but my tastebuds have changed this year. I pour the porridge mixture into a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of chia seeds.

Since having this for breakfast I have found I have a lot more energy for the day!

Sweet Potato with Butter Beans and Avocado

I followed a recipe from Livia's Kitchen which I couldn't wait to try out.  The hubbie and I would regularly have Jacket Potato with Cheese and Beans but since eating more green and lean I've substituted the basic baking potato for a sweet potato but still having it with baked beans and adding some crumbly goats cheese on top.  However I won't lie, baked beans have a habbit of making themselves known the next day and I'm not a pleasure to be around!

So when I came across this recipe of Olivia's website I was eager to give it a go.  I had all the ingredients in stock; butter beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, limes and coriander. However when I mixed them all together I felt it needed a little more something so I added some spring onions and some feta cheese.  I zap my sweet potato in the microwave for 10 minutes whilst the oven is warming up then place it on the top shelf of the 200C oven for a further 10 minutes.

This dish was super yummy and I can't wait to have it again!