Raw Energy Bites

These mega bites are packed with nutrients and ready to eat in no time at all! I decided on three different types to show how you can adapt the recipe depending on what you have in the kitchen. Great as a pre/post workout energy boost or even if you are in a hurry and need to grab breaky on the go. 

Hazelnut Bites

Ingredients 

·      50g hazelnut butter

·      250g dates

·      1 tsp raw maca powder

·      1 tbsp agave nectar

·      1 tbsp coconut oil

·      50g hazelnuts

·      500g dark vegan chocolate

Directions

Blitz everything but the hazelnuts and chocolate until smooth. Gently roast about a dozen of the hazelnut until golden and chop the rest. Roll the mixture into balls and push a hazelnut in the center of each. Coat in melted chocolate, roll over the crushed hazelnuts and place in the freezer.

Apricot and Coconut Bites 

 Ingredients

·      200g dried apricots

·      juice of a lemon

·      1 tsp baobab powder

·      100 almond flour

·      1 tbsp agave nectar

·      1 tsp coconut oil

·      30g coconut flakes

·      25g almond milk

Directions

Get your blender our again and throw in 150g apricots, lemon juice and the baobab. Once smooth roll into bite size balls and place in the freezer to chill. Blitz the remaining ingredients but keep the coconut flakes to one side. Wrap each ball in the outer mixture and roll in the coconut flakes. Pop back in the freezer to cool.

Cookie Dough Bites

Ingredients

·      2 tsp coconut sugar

·      50g coconut flour

·      1 tsp coconut oil

·      2 tbsp almond butter

·      50ml almond milk

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      50g raw cacao nibs

Directions

Whizz up everything up the cacao nibs until smooth. Fold in the cacao nibs and roll in balls. Try coating the hands with a little melted coconut oil to keep the mixture together if you don’t want to make the mixture sweeter than it already is just go with damp hands. Place in the freezer to cool.

RTTS100 Project

If you haven’t already been bombarded with a million and one notifications from my twitter feed recently you won’t have heard the good news so let me start from the beginning.

A couple of months ago runner babes Soph from @BePrettyFit and Cat from @Cat_Simpson_ posted about a super exciting project called RTTS100. They were on the search for 8 other likeminded ladies who shared a passion for running and were ready to take on their next big challenge with the support of ultra experts The North Face. A few weeks later I got an email back from the girls telling me I’d made the cut, I can’t you how thrilled I was!!

Now Race to the Stones isn’t your ordinary ultra, the route will take runners 100km through some of the most beautiful scenery across Britains oldest footpath. There is an option to complete the distance over a two-day period but RTTS100 females are bad ass and will be taking on the full distance in just ONE DAY!

Now only ever having taking on marathon distance before this will be my first ultra. As marathons are no longer the norm, more and more people are realising the true potential of their bodies and pushing themselves to epic limits. Ultra runners have always been one of those special breed of runners I’ve aspired to. Their endurance, strong mindset and sense of adventure is what sets them apart from your everyday runner.

You can follow us in the lead up to race day over on our RTTS100 site and on our twitter page @RTTS100 using the hashtag #RTTS100. It’s time to do challenge the ordinary, my ultra journey starts here.

The Ultimate Pancake Stack

I love pancakes. I would eat them everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. I say this tucking into my THIRD stack of the day. So in honor of today, I wanted to show how using just a few tricks they can be super healthy for you and set you up with bundles of energy for the day ahead.  They are packed with oats, which means they will keep you feeling full throughout the day and are great for a pre run fuel!

Ingredients

·      4 tbsp organic rolled oats

·      1 tsp cinnamon

·      1 tbsp low fat cottage cheese

·      2 eggs

·      1 tbsp Rachel’s Organic Greek Style Coconut Yoghurt 

·      Coconut oil

·      A splash of almond milk

·      Raspberries

·      Blueberries

·      Coconut flakes

·      Agave syrup

·      Almond Butter

Directions

1.     Blend all the ingredients until smooth.

2.     Melt ½ tsp of coconut oil into a small frying pan.

3.     Pour some of the mixture into the pan.

4.     Fry for a couple of minutes before flipping over to cook the other side.

5.     Place on a serving plate and add a tsp of almond butter in the center.

6.     Make the next pancake and place on top of the almond butter.

7.     Continue until you can’t stack them any higher.

8.     Top with yoghurt, berries and sprinkle with coconut flakes.

Homemade Peanut Butter

Almost all store bought peanut butters contain lots of added ingredients such as salt, sugar and cooking oils. So far I haven’t found one that lives up to my favourite Meridian Almond Butter, seriously I can go through a jar of this stuff in 24 hours! It’s incredibly easy to make and you can be sure all of the ingredients are naturally sourced so super healthy for you. Try playing around with the recipe by adding almonds and cacao powder for a healthy take on Nutella.

Ingredients

·      1 ½ cups peanuts

·      1 cup organic shredded coconut

·      1 tbsp coconut oil

·      1 tbsp agave syrup

·      ½ tbsp salt

    Direction

1.     Melt the cacao butter and coconut oil on a low heat in the microwave.

2.     Blend with the agave syrup and cacao powder to combine.

3.     Coat one layer of the mixture into silicone cupcake liners.

4.     Leave to set in the freezer for 5 minutes.

5.     Add one tablespoon of almond butter into each liner.

6.     Pour a final layer of the chocolate mixture into each cup. 

7.     Dust with sea salt flakes or coconut.

8.     Leave to set for a further 10 minutes.