A few of my favourite healthy dessert recipes for the festive season

Creamy berry chia pudding

This is one of my favourite snacks, breakfasts or even desserts. Its so fresh and creamy and not to mention nutritious. YUM!

Chia is full of so much goodness, being high in omega 3, fiber and many micronutrients. Plus as they swell in your tummy they will keep you full too.

Ingredients:

·       1/2 cup chia seeds

·       1 can coconut cream

·       1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries

·       Stevia to taste ( I use 1/2 a pipet of Sweet leaf Vanilla flavoured liquid stevia)

Berry Chia pudding

Blend coconut cream and berries until smooth. Pour into bowl, add in chia seeds and stir until thoroughly mixed through. Add stevia to your liking. I use about 1/2ml of liquid vanilla stevia. You could also just add 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla essence or 1 vanilla bean pod.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with fruit and serve :)

 

Chocolate/ cinnamon truffles

We all love a delicious chocolate truffle, but wouldn’t it be great if they were actually good for us? I made these healthy truffles for my ‘not so healthy’ extended family and there were barely any left. Now I think that’s saying something!

Ingredients:

·      1 cup medjool dates

·      1/2 cup almond meal

·      1/2 cup almond butter

·      1/3 cup cocoa powder

·      1/3 cup coconut oil

·      1/2 cup desiccated coconut

·      2 tablespoons chia seeds

Chocolate/ cinnamon coating:

·      2 tablespoons softened coconut oil

·      2 tablespoons cacao powder

·      1 tablespoon maple syrup

·      1 teaspoon cinnamon

Soak dates in warm water while preparing the rest of the mix in a big bowl.

Place almond meal, almond butter, cacao powder, coconut oil, desiccated coconut and chia seeds into a big bowl and mix together. Drain and remove pips from dates. Place dates with ¼ of other ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth, then add the remainder of the ingredients and blend completely.
Roll about 1 tablespoon size pieces of the mixture into balls. Then place them in the fridge to set for half an hour.

While the balls are setting in the fridge combine the coconut oil, cacao powder, maple syrup and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Mix together until smooth.

Once the balls have hardened roll them in the coating until fully covered. Once all the balls are covered sprinkle with extra cinnamon and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.

Chocolate/cinnamon truffles

 

       Healthy chocolate mousse

This chocolate mousse is very rich so you will only need a small serving. I like serving it in little shot glasses, which looks great for presentation. It also goes great with a side of berries.

Ingredients:

·      1 can coconut cream

·      ¾ cup cacao powder

·      ½ cup maple syrup

·      ¼ cup coconut oil

·      Optional extra 1 teaspoon peppermint oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. If you want a choc/mint mousse then add the peppermint oil or some fresh mint leaves. Place in the fridge for 3-6 hours to set. Serve with fresh berries, as an icing on cakes or just eat as a mousse.

Healthy chocolate Mousse

My top tips for surviving the silly season

Yes it's hard to believe but it is that time of year again. Whether it be a work Christmas party, Chanukah, Christmas or new years festivities there is always a reason for too much food and drink. If you don’t want to end up with those extra kilos once January hits or can’t stand the aftermath of these festivities but also don’t want to miss out this is the article for you. Have a read of my 5 top tips for getting through this time of year without doing too much damage to your body or waistline.

1.     Hydrate- this is the most important thing I can emphasis e. Dehydration makes you feel hungry so you will eat more, while drinking a glass of water before a big meal means you will feel full quicker. If you are drinking alcohol you need to hydrate so you don’t feel terrible the next day! Alternate one alcoholic drink for one glass of water. This will keep you hydrated while reducing the number of alcoholic drinks you will consume. The body needs extra hydration at time when there is so much sugar and alcohol intake. Keeping hydrated will make sure your body can work properly to detoxify the load placed on our bodies this time of year.

2.     Have a snack before you go out. If you don’t want to over-indulge then don’t turn up for a big meal starving. Having a small healthy snack before you go out means you will not eat as much of the bad stuff when you are out. A few nuts, a smoothie or some yogurt are great snacks to fill your belly a little so you still have space for something yummy but not so much that you will feel ill later. This is one of the best ways to prevent stacking on the kilos this time of year.

3.     Opt for the healthy option. There is always something healthy at the table but our eyes tend to wonder to the unhealthy option. Try making the majority of your meal something healthy with just a small serving of the naughty treat. For example fill your plate up with salad so there is only a small space left for pie or whatever else you love to indulge in. For dessert have fruit with a small piece of cake. If you fill up on the healthy stuff you wont have much space in your tummy for a huge serving of the bad stuff but you also won’t feel like you are missing out.

4.     Have a milk thistle supplement. Milk thistle or St Mary’s thistle is a particular herb that helps the liver detoxify waste. This time of year with all the extra indulgences and drinks it is important to give your liver a helping hand. This will rid your body of all these toxins you are consuming so they are not stored to play havoc at a later date. Milk thistle will reduce bloating and hangovers too. I often recommend taking the supplement daily for the whole month of December with an extra dose on those days of indulgence.

5.     Digestive enzymes. Our body naturally produces enzymes to break down our food. However, sometimes when we overeat our body is not able to produce enough of these enzymes to digest all that we have shoveling into our bellies. That is why after a big meal we often feel bloated, lethargic and unwell. The great thing is that these enzymes are available as a supplement so you can help your body out by taking some digestive enzymes with your meal. This will enable your body to properly break down and digest your big meal so it doesn’t just remain sitting in your gut fermenting. Goodbye overfull, sick feeling :)

But most of all don't forget to enjoy this special time of year xx