Chocolate-centred Oaty Banana Cupcakes

I have to say these are probably one of my favourite, and tastiest healthy bakes thus far- my family who are some of the most skeptical people when it comes to 'healthy treats' will vouch for this too! Then again... Who wouldn't love a cupcake with a chocolately surprise in the middle?! 

A little family ritual that's developed over the past few years is sitting down together every Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea, and some tasty snacks or treats. So these little cupcakes were perfect for just that. 

The beauty of these sweet treats were not only were they naturally sweet and made using completely unrefined and unprocessed all natural ingredients, one or two was enough to leave you satisfied and keep you going for the next couple hours thanks to the healthy fats and complex carbohydrates used! They can also be made gluten-free for those with intolerances by simply subbing a couple of the gluten-containing ingredients for gluten-free ones. No guilt, no bloat - Win win!

So to summarise - A beautifully moist, oaty banana base with a deliciously creamy, nutty, chocolately centre, PLUS a healthy lasting energy-kick to go along with it... Erm- Yes please!

Makes 12 cupcakes:

Ingredients for the Oaty Banana base:

1 large free range egg

150g oats - use gluten-free if intolerant

100 ml unsweetened almond milk

1 large banana

1 tbsp (16g) honey

1 tbsp (16g) melted coconut oil

1 tsp baking powder - gluten-free if intolerant

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Ingredients for the Creamy Chocolate centre:

100g almond flour (almonds ground to a flour

1.5 tbsp Creative Nature's Oragnic Cacao Powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

1/2 large banana (slice remainder of banana to decorate the muffins)

50ml unsweetened almond milk

1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (200 if not using a fan oven)

2. Start with the banana base- Whisk the egg with the unsweetened almond milk

3. Add, and mash in the banana, melted coconut oil, and honey

4. In a separate bowl, combine the 150g oats with the baking powder and cinnamon (make sure there are no clumps of baking powder!)

5. Thoroughly combine the two mixtures together and set aside whilst you prepare your chocolate centre filling

6. Mash the banana with the unsweetened almond milk and coconut oil

7. In a separate bowl, mix together the almond flour and cocoa powder

8. Thoroughly combine the mashed banana mixture (NOT the banana base mixture you previously made!) with the cocoa/almond flour mixture 

9. Line a cupcake tray with small cupcake cases and fill them with the banana base mixture up to 2/3 of the way

10. Pour the cocoa almond mixture into a  piping bag and place the nozzle deep into the centre of each cake and squeeze enough of the mixture whilst pulling the nozzle out, so that the cupcakes rises slightly and the chocolate fills to the top. If you do not own a piping bag & nozzle, simply make a well in the middle of each cupcake with a small spoon, and spoon the chocolate mixture in.

11. Place a banana slice in the middle of each cupcake then place in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the banana starts to caramelise and turn golden brown on top 

12. Place onto a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before tucking in.. If you can wait that long that is! ;)

CoCo-Nana Porridge

I absolutely love the combination of coconut and banana together, and with the additional sprinkling of Goji berries and Cacao powder- this bowl is made into a nutritional powerhouse! I enjoyed this after a nice heavy leg session, so the pairing of protein and carbohydrates were my main concern, with the aim to keep fats lower than usual. However a sprinkling of some crushed almonds or dark chocolate would have gone down a treat with this already delicious combination, so please feel free to add them in accordingly to fit your dietary needs and tastebuds! 

Ingredients:

50g Jordan's chunky traditional oats

250ml alpro original coconut milk

1 scoop Reflex Banoffee Pie Instant Whey Pro* (see below for possible substitutions)

10g goji berries

3g virgin organic coconut oil

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp Creative Nature Peruvian Cacao powder**

1. Add oats, coconut milk, cinnamon, and coconut oil to a saucepan and gently cook on a low heat stirring occasionally

2. When it starts to bubble, briskly stir in the banana whey then take it off the heat

3. Pour into a large, deep bowl (I find the bigger the bowl the more comforting the oats taste and feel!)

4. Top with gojji berries and cacao powder

Macro breakdown:

341kcal - 42g Carb, 7g Fiber, 11g Fat,18g Protein

*If you don't own whey, simply add 1/2 a mashed banana with all your ingredients in step 1.! However please note, this will of course increase the carbohydrate content of this dish!
**Cacao is basically raw cocoa- a great superfood and jam-packed with antioxidants and various nutritional health benefits so I would highly recommend it. However if you haven't had a chance to get your hands on it just yet, unsweetened cocoa powder will do the job!

Mediterranean style Quorn and Vegetable stir-fry

Being a frequent meat eater, I admittedly find it quite difficult at times to meet my dietary needs when I am required to be vegetarian for various religious days.

Once a week- every Tuesday, out of respect I am required to stick to a meat and fish-free diet. Eggs included, however I don't go as far as eliminating products containing egg such as Quorn, so this tends to be my main lean protein source on vegetarian days. 

When you're on a pretty restrictive diet, as with any foods you have to find ways of making them insteresting. Whether that be with changing flavours, changing the condiments you use, or even a simple thing like changing the types of vegetables you use! These little changes can make a huge difference, and can be a great way of keeping your diet on track and keeping your tastebuds happy!

Today, I really enjoyed my Mediterranean style stir-fry. I absolutely love stir fries. Most of my meals are stir friend because they're super quick, and can be so healthy and convenient when your short on time (provided you don't end up using a tonne of cooking oils and sauces!).

I found the salty crumbled feta and olive oil really complimented the warming tastes of ginger and garlic, but also tone down the little kick of chilli... Such a delicious dish!

Ingredients:

150g frozen Quorn pieces

100g chopped brussel sprouts

75g chopped mange tout

50g diced yellow bell pepper

5g virgin organic coconut oil

20g feta cheese

10ml extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp apple cider vingar

1 tsp fresh ginger

1 tsp ground garlic granules - or fresh minced

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli powder/chilli flakes

2 pinches sea salt

1. Pour Quorn into a large flat pan with a splash of boiling water, apple cider vinegar, ginger, 1/2 tsp garlic granules, turmeric, chilli, 1 pinch of sea salt, cover and leave on low heat to steam and cook.

2. Place your vegetables in a separate pan on a low-medium heat with half your coconut oil, 1/2 tsp garlic granules, black pepper, 1 pinch of sea salt, cover for 5 mins

3. Stir the Quorn, then cover again and allow to cook further until soft and juicey - you may need to add a splash more boiling water if the mixture looks to be dry!

4. Uncover your veg, turn the heat up to medium high, and briskly stir fry until the vegetables have softened slightly but still have a bite to them

5. Pour your vegetables into a bowl then check on the Quorn- it should be cooked by now

6. Stir the remaining coconut oil through the Quorn before transferring into the bowl and mixing with the vegetables

7. Crumble the feta cheese on top and gently fold it through, then drizzle the olive oil on top from a height.

Avocado & Blueberry Superfood Smoothie

This one is a big favourite in my household. It makes for the most delicious in-between meals snack or morning smoothie, and it's packed with some of the best superfoods we all know and love! 

The blueberries provide a great source of immune boosting antioxidants, whilst the avocado provides a great supply of fat-fighting, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and anti-aging nutrients! 

Now, don't be put off by the addition of spinach and the bright green colour, you won't even taste it! It actually helps to give a bit of volume and smoothness to the smoothie.. Plus it's a great way of getting in an extra portion of those all essential detoxifying greens into your diet! The high iron content also makes this smoothie great for those who suffer from anaemia - an issue I used to suffer with prior to adopting a healthier 'greener' diet!

Apart from the amazing nutritional content of this smoothie, the best thing about it is that you probably wouldn't even think of marrying these ingredients together... But somehow they work in perfect harmony! It's thick, creamy, tastey, nutritious and just jam packed full of goodness

Ingredients:

50g avocado (about 1/2 medium sized) 

50g blueberries (about one large hand ful) 

50g spinach (about one large handful) 

200ml unsweetened almond milk 

1 serving Reflex natural vanilla whey* see below for possible substitutions

1/2 tsp cinnamon

10g honey or sweetner of choice (NB: you may need to omit if using a sweetened whey!)

Ice

Simply blend in a food processer or with a hand blender until smooth, and enjoy!

* You could just omit the protein powder, however it's a great way of making the smoothie more filling and adding sweetness without the added calories! Alternatively, you could a couple tbsp of Total greek yoghurt for that extra protein hit!

Single Serve Lemon & Pumpkin Seed Protein Cake

Everyone who knows me knows that I have a huge sweet tooth! However when dieting and preparing for photoshoots or competitions, cake is usually off the cards and you're sometimes forced to look for healthier alternatives to satisfy that sweet tooth! This one fit perfectly into my nutrition plan since it was grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, low carb, and of course, guilt-free! Given all of this, it makes as a great healthier alternative to regular cake for diabetics, as the healthy fats and protein help to provide a slow and sustained energy release whilst keeping blood sugar levels nice and stable.

Today I decided to combine a bit of sweetness with a little bit of tartness - and this cake was the perfect example of just that. With the smooth and subtle sweet notes of vanilla, the tartness and zing of lemon, and pumpkin seeds for that added textural bite, this mini cake was the perfect little tea-time treat!

Considering it was a very simple, quick bake, I was pretty surprised at how well it turned out - moist, fluffy, and full of flavour!

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

20 g almond flour

1 scoop Reflex natural vanilla whey* (see below for protein-powderless substitution)

10 g pumpkin seeds

5g (1/2 tsp) virgin organic coconut oil

1 tsp stevia or sweetner of choice

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

2. Whisk egg wihites with the lemon juice until light and fluffy

3. In a separate bowl, mix together almond flour, whey, stevia, and cinnamon

4. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg whites, then stir and combine

5. Melt the coconut oil, and grate and stir in the zest of 1 lemon and half of the pumpkin seeds to the mixture

6. Grease a small oven proof dish or cake tin with virgin organic coconut oil or grass fed butter and pour in the cake batter

7. Top with the rest of your seeds & a little more lemon zest and bake for 5-7 minutes or until the top has just started to turn golden - be careful not to over bake or else it will turn out very dry! If this happens, just squeeze some more lemon juice on top and allow the cake to soak up the moisture before digging in... Alternatively, just top with some walden farms syrup, runny honey, or maple syrup!

 *Sub for 13g more almond flour

Miracle Matcha Health-bowl

I've been going out for walks first thing the mornings lately... Not only is it a great way to get the metabolism going, I've found it really helps to clear the mind - I feel so much more refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day after! The weather was so good I even got out some hill sprints today! Anyways, I refuelled with this delicious bowl of goodness... 

I used this health-mix in called Miracle Matcha which I bought at a health and fitness exhibition in London. It's made up of ground flax seeds, chia seeds, goji berries high grade white matcha (full of antioxidants!) and stevia. Definitely a great little superfood mix to invest in!

Ingredients:

2 scoops Reflex Natural Vanilla whey

1 scoop Reflex Banoffee Pie Instant whey Pro

150ml unsweetened almond milk

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

20g Miracle Matcha health- mix in 

10g pumpkin seeds

3g virgin organic coconut oil 

1. Mix your two whey's together with the cinnamon

2. Gradually stir in the almond milk

3. Melt your coconut oil and stir in

4. Top with miracle matcha health mix and pumpkin seeds

349 kcal Carb: 9g Fat: 17g Pro: 35g Fiber: 8g

Chocolate Protein Cannelloni's

When you're dieting, training hard, but have crazy chocolate cravings come the evening, yet all that's left in your macronutrient allowance is protein and a minimal amount of fats - chocolate casein is the biggest saviour known to man... So a good-quality, tastey one that's not only going to satisfy cravings, but be of a benefit rather than a hinderance to your progress is a must in my books!

Ingredients:

1/2 scoop Reflex Natural vanilla whey 

1 scoop chocolate casein

2 egg whites

150ml unsweetened almond milk 

5g virgin organic coconut oil 

1. Whisk the egg whites until light and fluffy

2. Thoroughly mix in the natural vanilla whey, 1/2 of your casein powder, and around 75ml of the almond milk - the batter should be smooth yet thick 

3. In a separate bowl, mix your remaining casein and almond milk to form your 'chocolate paste' filling and set aside 

4. Heat a little coconut oil in a pan on a low-medium heat

5. Pour 3-4 tbsp of the batter into the pan, then use the back of a metal spoon to spread and smooth the mixture into a nice round shape

6. When bubbles start to form, flip the 'cannelloni' and cook the other side for a minute or so, or until it starts to lightly brown

7. Plate up, then spread around 1-2 tbsp of the chocolate paste onto the cannelloni, then use your fingers to roll it up

Tip* if you're making a batch to set aside for later, use tooth picks to pierce through the middle of each roll to prevent them from opening up!