Orange & Chai seed Cheesecake

A delicious little treat to share with a friend over a cup of green tea or for dessert that is a paleo sweet treat free from refined sugar, dairy, refined white flour and is gluten free.

Oranges are in season at the moment and there is nothing better than a nice juicy orange. I'm lucky enough to have my very own orange tree right out the back and what's even better is that it's an organic tree! 

What you need

Base

-8-9 dates soaked in boiling water for at least 10 minutes.

-1 cup of almonds

- 1 cup of desiccated coconut

-1 tablespoon of coconut oil

Filling

-1/2 cup of raw macadamias 

-2 cups of raw cashew nuts

-juice of two navel oranges

-1/2 cup of coconut oil

-zest of one orange

-1/2 cup of raw honey

-2 tablespoons of chai seeds

Topping

-1/4 cup of chopped macadamias

-zest of one orange

What to do

Preheat the oven to 180oC. Line tin with baking paper. Process nuts and coconut (I used my thermomix on speed 9/ 10 seconds) in a food processor. Place aside.

Place dates dates and coconut oil in thermomix(TM) for 10seconds/speed 9, scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.

Add almond and coconut meal to

Bowl and mix  for 20 seconds/speed4.

Press base into tin and place into oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Clean and dry TM/ food processor. Once base is ready remove from oven and allow to cool.

For filling place nuts in TM and blitz until fine and buttery (15 seconds/speed 9). Now add orange juice, zest, coconut oil and honey (20seconds/speed 4). Add chai seeds and stir through (10 seconds/ reverse speed/spoon). Place filling in tin and allow to sit for 15 minutes before placing into freezer for 1.5-2 hours to set.

Once set garnish top with macadamias and orange zest.

Enjoy! 

Quinoa porridge with berries and yoghurt

What you'll need:

Quinoa flakes

Filtered water

Yoghurt

Raw honey

Fresh or frozen berries

Shredded coconut

Hemp seeds

Cinnamon

What to do:

Place 1 part quinoa flakes to 2 parts water in a saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly for roughly 3-4 minutes or until mixture thickens.

Once cooked drizzle with honey to your required sweetness. Top with yoghurt, berries, shredded coconut, Hemp seeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy. 

Recipe: Sweet Potato Brownies

 Well I have been very busy the last few days experimenting with clean brownie recipes and I have come up with one that I absolutely love! This Brownie is not only good for you but it is deliciously gooey and warm when it first comes out of the oven. It is a healthy alternative to have with a tummy warming Green tea. It is free of refined and processed flour and sugars and is free from dairy and egg products.

Benefits of some of the ingredients;

Dates: are rich in vitamins and minerals and have quite a bit of fibre so they are good for helping with constipation. Dates are contain oil, calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are all beneficial for health.

Coconut oil: Well this natural goodie is classified as a SUPERFOOD! this is the one of the only oils that its molecular structure isn't changed by heat therefore it DOES NOT turn rancid. A lot of other oils when heated can turn rancid; which generally means it turns into a toxin and when consumed is toxic on the body, olive oil and flaxseed oils will turn rancid when heat is applied, however these oils are still good oils but need to be consumed when they are cold. Coconut oil is great for skin, hair, Thyroid support, weight loss and eczema, if you want to read more about the health benefits of coconut oil CLICK HERE.

Cocoa Nibs: are another SUPERFOOD! unprocessed chocolate is actually good for your body. Cocoa Nibs contain essential minerals, like Magnesium and Sulfur and antioxidants that your body thrive on. It is a natural antidepressant as it contains Serotonin. If you would like to read more about the health benefits of Cocoa nibs CLICK HERE

This recipe is available for you to print off in a PDF file all you have to do is CLICK HERE. I hope that you enjoy this yummy treat that will soon have your taste buds turning for just one more bite! If you don't own a theromix this recipe can still be made to good old way by boiling your sweet potatos in a saucepan on the stove top for 20 minutes or until tender. You can also use a food processer to ground all of your ingredients, however you may want to do these one ingredients at a time to ensure they have been finely milled. Then just combine all together in a big mixing bowl using your hands (a great sensory activity for the kids to get involved in, Just make sure they wash their hands)

Let me know what you think!

Love, hugs and happiness,

Jessica x

Meal Planning made easy!

Do you ever come to dinner time and wonder what to cook? or maybe you've flipped through a lovely Jamie Oliver recipe book and decided you want to make his Moroccan Lamb and Couscous but give up because you don't have all of the ingredients that you need. Well maybe meal planning is for you!

Meal planning is so simple, easy and cost effective. It helps you make healthier choices come meal time, which means less take outs and more home cooked food. The key is organisation. Being organised and knowing what you are going to make ahead of time helps reduce stress when it comes to dinner. I know in the past I have been driven bonkers by the continuous back and forward of "What do you feel like for dinner?" with the response "I don't know what do you feel like for dinner? what is there?" Meal planning takes all the fuss out of deciding what to have for dinner because it has already been planned.

Meal planning is quite easy, first of all I sit down and decide what to cook for meals for the week and then write it down on my menu planner for the week. I then check for those ingredients in the pantry and fridge and then from this comprise my shopping list.

 

 

To make meal times easier at your house and to keep them healthy home cooked choices I am offering you my very own meal planning kit for free to help you get organised! You can download it by clicking here! 

 

When it comes to meal planning the best thing is to keep it simple. It's not a good idea to plan an new recipe for every night of the week but instead cook your family's favourite meals and try adding one to two new meals to try for the week. The best things about meal planning is that it helps you cook healthy meals for the whole family that have a lot more nutrition in them than take out!

I hope that you might find this helpful and look forward to hearing how meal planning goes in your house.

 

 

 

Love, hugs and happiness,

Jessica x