Spiced and sweet pumpkin bread (with cream cheese vanilla frosting)

Not only was this recipe delicious, it was also pretty easy to make and isn’t actually as calorific as it sounds!

This is a great recipe as we approach the autumn months and need a little comfort food but one that isn’t going to completely ruin the diet. I have gone for a little indulgence here and added a rich cream cheese frosting but you could skip this and stick with the bread as the star of the show – I reckon toasting a slice, pared with a slither of butter or dollop of honey, would make for a great breakfast.

Blueberry, orange and cream cheese muffins

For my friends BBQ the other week I decided to use it as an excuse for a spot of baking. Yea I know BBQs are usually all about the meat but it’s nice to have something sweet after the feast (although, I say that, I actually ate two muffins before I even got to the BBQ!)

Mary Berry eat your heart out! 

It’s been ages since I did any sweet baking and I am pleased to say that these muffins turned out better than expected! Especially as I accidentally used orange essence instead of vanilla essence, hence the recipe being “blueberry, orange and cream cheese” and not just blueberry and cream cheese!

love  when the muffin 'cracks' & the goodness oozes out

But the orange works! They complement the sweetness of the blueberries brilliantly but of course if orange ain’t your fav taste, then substitute it back for vanilla essence for a sweet but soft taste.

delicious cream cheese center 

These were the right texture of being dense but not soggy, sweet but not too sweet and a great muffin-texture.

Healthy foods that are surprisingly high in sugar and great alternatives

In recent years, the enemy of diets has moved away from fat and towards sugar. Scientists are now claiming that sugar is what gives us that spare tyre around out midriffs, not fat.

The science bit... it seems fructose is the baddie here, and too much of it, gets metabolised by the liver and in turn gets made in to fat. This can lead to insulin resistance, and bit of a viscous cycle as sugar is highly addictive. Of course as well, sugary foods are often high in calories and next to nothing on nutritional value. 

picture from http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/sugar-addiction-how-to-cut-it-out-1282617

 Yes of course we all need a bit of sugar to survive and keep our bodies motoring, but it is the excess that is the issue. And it is hard to keep an eye on it when it is hiding in all sort of "healthy" foods. 

Last year I  completed a nutritional course and one of the things that really surprised me was the sugar that is pretty much lurking quietly everywhere, in what most of us would consider "healthy" foods so we may unknowingly be adding to our sugar intake.

worse than a breakfast bar or smoothie? 

The course explained that average adults shouldn't really exceed a sugar intake of 25g a day, and my fitness pal app tells me not to exceed 35g. This really isn't a lot and in my opinion, if I am going to be eating sugar, I would rather allocate my sugar in take on something deliciously indulgent like a slice of cheesecake (my fav) rather than a food I was considering a healthy alternative!!!

So over time I have been keeping a stricter eye on the lurking of sugar and found some great alternatives that skip the sugar but not the taste.

Here are 5 seemingly healthy foods that actually are high in sugar and some simple swaps.


Milk

I am mildly lactose intolerant so don't really drink milk or that many dairy products but I was shocked on the course just how sugary milk was! With a bowl of cereal and several cups of tea throughout the day, this sugar can quickly add up. Switch to soya or my favourite choice, almond milk (and get the light version) and you'll still be able to enjoy your builder's brew and lattés.

Go with the lighter option of almond milk and it will be (for a 500ml serve) just 60 calories, and 0.4g of sugar compared to 100 calories and 10g in semi-skimmed.

Natural yoghurt
I love yoghurt and it makes a great snack or breakfast, and I love to add a dollop to creamy dressing and smoothies. I have always known that sugar lurks in the flavoured, sweet yoghurt (especially low fat ones that are pumped full of sweeteners to add flavour) but was surprised to see that even the natural, flavour free yoghurts are pretty sugary too!!!

If you can't give up your yoghurt, try switching to full fat Greek yoghurt or soya yoghurt.

In 150g of natural soya yoghurt it is just 75 calories and 3.1g of sugar, compared to 150 calories and about 14g of sugar in dairy yoghurt. Yep, even the plain falvourless stuff! 

Instant porridge
Of course, we all know porridge is a great health food, full of fibre and low releasing carbs. But if you are in a hurry you'd be forgiven that an instant on-the-go porridge is a healthy choice. 

Well you might as well eat a big fat slice of chocolate cake!!!

An oat-so-simple instant porridge has a whopping 27g of sugar per tiny pot!!! A slice of chocolate fudge cake has about 35g of sugar. Know what I would rather use my sugar intake on! Your best bet, wake up 10 minutes earlier and make some at home with the classic rolled oats.

added sweetness with agave nectar and cacao nibs NOT sugar 

Super tasty super-green smoothie

Regular blog readers will know that I love a smoothie, but I hadn't been having them very often - now I am back to being addicted to them!!! My latest creation is my super-green smoothie, bursting full of goodness!!! 

 This one has wheat grass and moringa in it, as well as Popeye's favourite - spinach!!!! Don't turn your nose up to it just yet - veggies in a smoothie is a sneaky way to add in one of your five a day and it bulks it out to a thicker consistency! 

moringa my new fav superfood 

So what else is in this super-green smoothie?...

half a frozen banana
250ml light almond milk
1 scoop of protein powder
1 teaspoon of wheatgrass
1 teaspoon of moringa
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1 tablespoon of cacao nibs
handful of spinach 

tasty and creamy 

Spinach is one of my favourite veggies. This nutrient dense food is a great source of vitamins such as vitamin K and A, as well as folate and antioxidants*. 

Wheatgrass has long been on the scene as a health food and when you look at the health benefits, you can see why. Wheatgrass contains chlorophyll which helps neutralize toxins in the blood, can help with digestion and can help reduce high blood pressure**. 

Oat and raisin cookies - chewy and mahoosive!

Hands up... who likes cookies! 

I lurve cookies but in particular the massive chewy ones.

It took me years and a few disasters but I think it is safe to say that I have now cracked it! I can make delicious chewy cookies and these oat and raisin ones did not disappoint. 

fresh stack!

Oat and raisin is a classic flavour, so whip up a batch and dig in. These will not disappoint! 
As you know, I do my best to stay on the "clean eating" but life is about balance so a cookie every now and again isn't going to kill you! 

huge and ready to eat

Ingredients...

125 grams of butter, softened
100 grams of light brown soft sugar
125 grams of caster sugar*
225 grams of self raising flour
½ teaspoon of salt
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence/extract
2 heaped tablespoons of rolled oats 
a handful of raisins

Homemade diary free vegan friendly "ice cream"

I love ice cream so as we are venturing in to warmer months (I say that but looking out my window right now it's pretty grey!) this is the time of year I like to much my way through the cold creamy stuff.

Ice cream is tasty. Fact.
But is is also bloody unhealthy, with a high fat and sugar content! 

But fear not ice cream lovers,  I have a homemade alternative! 

This recipe only contains real ingredients and has no nasty additive, colourings, added sugars, bulking agents or any of the other crap in shop bought ice cream. #eatclean. It is also perfect for our vegan and lactose intolerant friends. 

All you need is...

4 large frozen bananas
1 large heaped tbsp of peanut butter
1 tbsp of coconut oil - no need to melt prior
few tsp of coconut flour (optional) 
sprinkling of cocoa nibs
few teaspoons of vanilla essence 

I also added a few scoops of vanilla whey protein powder for added ooomph for the muscles! 

No bake raw, gluten free & vegan rice crispy protein bars

You may have seen from the blog already that I love a snack and I love a sweet treat (check out my "snacks" and "sweet treats" pages) yet I don't do too well on sugar (thanks IBS) so am making a conscious effort to reduce my intake of the white stuff. 

I made these tasty little treats at the weekend, thinking that this big batch would last me a while. However, the Boy decided to pack them up and take them with him back to base, and left me one. 

These rice crispy protein bars are not only tasty, satisfy a sweet tooth and are a handy snack but also gluten free. They main ingredient is the humble rice crispy and they couldn't be easier to make! 



 Ingredients you need include:

1 cups of rolled oats*
2 cup of protein powder
2 cup of rice crisp cereal 
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup of peanut butter 
1/2 cup of agave nectar 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
100 ml of dairy free milk 
100g of 90% dark chocolate (I used Lindt)
1/2 tbsp of coconut oil 

raw, no bake coconut and nut butter protein"biscuits"

3pm.

It is that dreaded time in the office when you can feel your energy levels slump, you sweet tooth kicking in and you start heading for the biscuit tin. 

But we all know biscuits are full of sugar and shit. What you need is these - home-made, raw, coconut & nut butter biscuits. 

perfectly biscuity 

perfectly healthy 

The are full of natural sugars (not the white refined stuff), good proteins and will offer slow release energy. Oh and their sweetness and 'biscuit bite' will satisfy that biscuit need. 

Plus they couldn't be easier to make! 

Here is what you need:

Raw, no-added-sugar, chocolate "fudge" - with secret health benefits

I must admit that lately my healthy eating habits have fallen at the way-side and I've been reaching for the biscuit tin or for the chocolate bars on a daily basis. Not great for my skin and I'm starting to notice breakouts. 

Before the breakouts get too bad, I'm putting a stop to the mindless non-stop sugary binges and going back to satisfying my persistent sweet tooth with homemade sweets, such as this raw chocolate "fudge". 

delicious and very moreish! 

perfect raw "fudge"

Easy to bake chocolate mocha cake

I love a spot of baking but it has been a while since I last dusted off the baking trays and apron! With my friend’s birthday this week, I wanted a cake that was going to be big on flavour but fairly easy to make as I had to make it late at night, after a kick boxing session.

This chocolate mocha cake was perfect! Mocha is one of those grown up flavours that has character to it, and even though I am not a coffee drinker, I do love mocha flavoured things!

easy to bake, easy to eat! 

Kale and cucumber fruity smoothie recipe

Regular readers out there will know that vegetable smoothies are a new thing for me (yea I know this isn’t anything new, and I am a bit behind jumping on this bandwagon). Lately I have been loving making up some weird creations in the smoothie maker and using it as an opportunity to cram in some extra nutrients.

If you haven’t already, why not check out my blog entries on:

post workout smoothie
green power smoothie
beetroot and carrot smoothie 

kale and cucumber smoothie

Today’s bright frog-coloured smoothie was made completely on a whim,  a simple case of “let’s see what is in the fridge" and bunging it in the blender. 

So what is inside???

• ¼ cucumber
• Generous handful of curly kale
• 1 small pineapple
• 2 apples
• 1 large orange

Like finding a tenner in a pair of jeans you haven’t worn for a while, or discovering that you have just made happy hour for the post drinks cocktails, this was a pleasant surprise! Plus once made, I took to google and discovered the heaps of health benefits in this green smoothie!

trust me, all these flavours work! 

Sweet toffee popcorn cheesecake cupcakes

I absolutely adore cheesecake and think cupcakes are one of the best inventions behind BB cream, food processors and screw cap wine bottles. So what happens when you combine the delicious power of cupcakes and cheesecake together…an epic party for your taste buds that’s what.

I have never really been number one fan of baked cheesecakes, I am more of a chilled, no bale cheesecake kinda girl. A few weeks ago I did dabble in making a baked cheesecake but learnt the hard way the perils of over cooking a cheesecake. All I was left with was a rubbery, magnolia coloured lump of a dessert.

cupcakes + popcorn + cheesecake 

But with this recipe, I now knew better. And I knew that you need to take them out of the oven whilst they are still a little wobbly.

I made these little delights for my charity bake sale at work the other week but in hindsight, this wasn’t the best cupcake to make for the occasion, they are much better suited for eating sooner, as leaving them out on display for hours resulted in the popcorn going soft and losing its fabulous popcorn crunch. Preferably, you need to sprinkle the popcorn on before serving.

popcorn cupcakes 

the ingredients...

For the base

80g digestive biscuits

50g toffee popcorn (I went for butterkist)

70g of melted butter

1tbsp of golden syrup (optional)

For the cheesecake filling

250g light cream cheese

250g mascarpone cheese

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

200g condensed milk

For the toping

100g toffee popcorn

50g melted butter

1 tbs golden syrup

12 large cupcakes

Here is how to make the cheesecake cupcakes...

buttery popcorn goodness 

Quinoa fruity cinnamon breakfast bake

Unless you don’t get out the house much, then “quinoa” is a food that you are probably well and truly familiar with, even if you haven’t cooked with it yet (if not, why not?!) then you have certainly heard of it, or at least had a debate as to whether it is pronounced how it is spelt as “quin-no-a”, or you pronounce it by its Peruvian dialect of “keen-wa”.

Anyway, it has slowly crept up as a staple in my diet and has earned a place in “Alice’s hierarchy of food” along with sweet potato, spinach, oats and salmon, as being a top health food I actually like!

Whilst I have been using quinoa as a staple for lunch and dinner, it also makes a great breakfast!!! Honest. Cue my “fruity cinnamon quinoa breakfast bake bars”.

golden and delicious 

The great thing about this little bake is that there is no fuss when it comes to preparation, can be stored in the fridge or freezer so making a batch can last you a while and they are totally healthy!

My new favourite breakfast! 

Ingredients

1 cup of uncooked quinoa

2 cups of almond milk*

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

½ - 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

2 apples, peeled, cored and diced

½ cup raisins

2 eggs

Generous drizzle of agave nectar

1/3 cup ground almonds

*feel free to use dairy milk, or another milk substitute, such as soya.

You could also include fewer raisins or add a pinch of ground cloves to add a deeper flavour or add chopped almonds of another nut – experiment!!!

experiment with your spices 

Raw cookie dough protein balls

Regular readers of my blog or followers on instagram will know I love balls! Protein balls that is! I have experimented with loads of combos of flavours over the past 12 months or so. Energy dense, nutritional and protein packed, these are a fantastic snack. 

nutty and packing the protein 

each one is about 100 cal 

I also enjoy munching on these when I need a sweet fix and am avoiding sugary snacks like chocolate.   

This recipe is taken from The Kitchn, and they taste great. I don't think they taste quite as cookie dough as I hoped but they are still tasty nonetheless. 

Here is what you need to make these:

this is it! 

Frozen yoghurt "cupcakes" - only 30 calories each

No matter how hearty a dinner I have, I always seem to crave something sweet afterwards!!! I have been trying to satisfy cravings by swapping sugary puddings with snacks that are naturally sweet. 

A recipe I am loving at the moment is from popsugar.com, for this frozen yoghurt cupcakes. 

tangy frozen puds

I made these the other week, a few of which me and my friend nibbled on, and she loved them. 


And why wouldn't she? They are tasty and low in fat. 

a healthy alternative to cupcakes! 

They are so simple to make and taste delicious - tangy but sweet at the same time. 

All you need is:

250g of plain Greek yoghurt
9 strawberries
half a ripe banana
a few mini choc chips
vanilla essence

The Boy helped - he done the blending! 

Line a 12 hole cup cake case with a sheet of cling film (this will stop it sticking and help ease out the desserts)

With a spoon, carefully plop a bit of yoghurt out into the 12 cup cake cases