Raw Chocolate Brownie

This recipe is taken from The Conscious Foodie, another blogger dedicated to providing yummy healthy treat recipes! What's great about this recipe is you don't have to do any baking, just prepare and leave to cool in the fridge for a fudgey and delicious end result.

Conscious Foodie's Raw Choc Brownies

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
• 10 fresh dates (seeds removed)
• ½ cup cacao powder

Icing Ingredients:

• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup coconut cream
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Strawberries (or other berries) to serve

Method:

1. Process almonds, walnuts and cacao until the nuts turn into a fine meal and the cacao is well combined.
2. Add dates slowly until the mixture combines and starts to stick together.
3. Finally add coconut oil and process until well combined.
4. Press the combined brownie mixture into a small tray. Place in the fridge while you make the icing.
5. To make the icing, process all ingredients until smooth and then spread on top of the brownie.
6. Cool in the fridge for 3 hours, then cut into squares and serve with strawberries (or other berries). These brownies are best stored in the fridge. Enjoy!

healthy spinach quiche 'greek pie' inspired

Part quiche part pie, this dish has a few of my favourite ingredients, pine nuts, fetta cheese and spinach, combined much like the classic Greek meal Spanakopita. Yum!

However this creation is defined, I absolutely loved how it turned out and it was delicious warm for dinner or wrapped up cold for lunch.


Healthy Spinach Quiche

You will need a flan or pie baking dish for this recipe.

Crust:

• 1/4 cup of almond meal
• 1/4 cup of wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/4 cup of gluten-free plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of water

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 4 eggs
• 6 cubes of frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/2 block of light fetta cheese, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 4 tablespoons of milk of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, sift in the flours and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the flours and pour in the olive oil and water. Mix together until the ingredients start to come together. Use your hands to form a dough. Add more flour in the dough is too wet. Form a ball and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. In a small fry pan, sauté the garlic and onions until soft and fragrant. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Mix in the spinach, fetta, pine nuts and the cooked onions. 
5. Take out the dough and sprinkle with flour. Cover your kitchen bench with some cling film and also dust with flour. Roll out your dough with a rolling pin on the covered bench until you get a thin stretched circle to cover the pie dish. Make sure you use flour as you go to prevent the dough sticking.
6. Lightly oil the pie dish and carefully transfer your rolled dough to cover. Press into the sides. Don't worry about it being perfect. Little bits of dough can be used to cover any patches or holes. It is important to not have any leaks in the dough to keep the filling intact.
7. Once you are happy with the crust, blind bake for 10 minutes until crisp and slightly browned. 
8. Now you can pour your filling in and bake for a further 20 minutes.
9. Serve with a green salad with some kalamata olives. 

vegan sugar-free mocha cake

Me: Love coffee?
You: Need. Now.

Me: Love chocolate?
You: Duh.

Me: Love cake?
You: Mmm. Cake... (cake cake cake)

This one's for you.

Ok let's do this.

Vegan Mocha Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 shot of espresso coffee
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/3 of stevia granules (I use Natvia)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seeds or chia seeds
• 3 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 3 tablespoon of cacao powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• vegan choc chip for topping

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees fan forced (moderately hot).
2. Grease a bundt tin or cake tin with coconut oil thoroughly. You don't want that baby to stick! 
3. Whip together the coconut oil, stevia, flax or chia and vanilla. Whisk in the espresso and almond milk.
4. In a large mixing bowl, sift in the oat flour, almond flour, spices, baking powder and salt.
5. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and gradually pour in the wet ingredients. Very gently (!) mix together the ingredients until just combined. This helps the cake to stay moist and not gluey when it bakes.
6. Pour the mixture into your greased cake tin and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when you press the top.
7. Let the cake cool slightly (few minutes) before turning onto a wire rack to cool. 

Renee Somerfield Diet and Fitness Routine + Vegan Fitness Model Meal Plan

 Apart from being super gorgeous, Renee Somerfield always seems genuinely happy and bright, with her positive energy oozing from every sexy shot she posts on Instagram. Her insane looks have attracted lots of attention from admirers, including plenty of girls crowning her as their ultimate fitspo. While Renee is a devoted vegan and stays active, she does admit she's "definitely always been skinny."

She reveals, "My physique is naturally very petite and I am quite tall (5’10). Growing up, this felt very awkward but I have grown to love and embrace my body! I work hard to keep my body looking healthy and fit, which means eating 6+ times a day and working out with resistance and weights to make sure I maintain lean muscle… I don’t like looking too skinny!"

A passionate vegan (for over five years), Renee finds it easy to eat healthy as she tried to keep her food the way mother nature intended avoiding animal products such as meat and dairy and following a plant-based diet. A typical day would include organic muesli, fruit, salad on rye bread or organic muesli, veggie pattie burgers, and wholegrain pastas. For more ideas on how to eat vegan, check out Renee's fellow fitness model and bestie Sheridyn Fisher's daily meal plan.

Enjoying her food, Renee loves to cook and uses a vegan cook book to make Thai dishes with veggies & tofu, tacos or burritos with beans and chilli (she touts herself the burrito queen), baked veggies with hummus or vegetable soup with beans and pasta. When eating out, Renee finds it easy to spot a healthy option on the menu or asks for her food to be prepared adjusting to her vegan diet. She also isn't afraid to treat herself in a healthy way like her fave dessert of chocolate soy ice cream or the occasional cocktail.

To stay lean and toned, Renee keeps moving and focuses on being strong and not skinny. Despite her diet and fitness routine, she stresses "Confidence comes from how you feel." Eating well comes from a belief to nourish her body with healthy, natural and nutrient-rich foods. Renee also think her positive mind set helps to maintain her desire to stay fit, keep her skin glowing and nail and hair strong. Giving her body love and respect is why Renee eats well and stays active, avoiding alcohol, processed foods, caffeine and getting adequate sleep.

Considering her crazy busy schedule, which includes doing two shoots a day in all different environments, Renee has plenty of energy and enjoys shooting outside, especially on beaches or exotic locations. Her bubbly and gracious personality sees her hired again and again, and those stunning looks help merchandise to fly off the shelves. Her instagram account alone has 750 000 followers and counting. A couple of selfies have fans going gaga over her amazing body and vivacious looks. This isn't by accident either as Renee tailors what she posts to create a specific image which the media has quickly picked up on calling her one of the best in the 'sexy selfie' game.

Renee agrees, "It's all about the content, I share what I'm doing everyday and that's usually in a bikini," she says. "As I've turned my Instagram and social media into a business, I make sure the content will benefit that."

Well the girl knows what sells!

Other than her strong sense of business and work ethic, one of Renee's top priorities is staying active. When it comes to spending time in the gym, Renee much prefers staying active outside to keep her workouts fun and outdoors. Her favourite ways to exercise are through long distance running, walking her dogs, sand dune sprints and Pilates with weights. It's no surprise as a passionate vegan, Renee is a big animal lover and her dogs often feature on her Instagram and once you see the size of one of them, you will imagine it keeps her running around! She also keep handy equipment on the go with her, like resistance band which allows her to exercise in hotel rooms.

Renee advises, "If you loathe going to the gym (like me!) then try an outdoor class, swap the treadmill for the sand or go for a bike ride with a friend. Working out is meant to be fun, not a chore!" A healthy lifestyle is a year-long habit for Renee who doesn't do any emergency dieting or extra training before a shoot.

"I believe in a healthy lifestyle, not a quick-fix diet. Making sure I am eating clean and moving my body ensures I am always bikini ready!"

Visit www.reneesomerfield.com or follow Renee on Twitter and Facebook!

Berry Yoghurt Pops

I'm often one of those people that while I am eating dinner, I am thinking about what may lie ahead for me for dessert. Having a sweet tooth can really derail your diet and undo your hard work at the gym that day. My trick is to have lots of healthy sweets and treats on hand to satisfy those cravings and stop you from downing hundreds of empty calories in a few handfuls of M&Ms.

Firstly let me stress that if you are having super strong sugar yearnings post dinner make sure you have eaten enough calories for your body that day and have incorporated enough balanced carbs into your diet. Sugar and high fat foods is usually what your body will long for if you are undernourished and low in energy. Don't be afraid to eat a big but healthy lunch and dinner. When I started increasing my size and calorie count of lunch and dinner, I found it easy to cut out snacks and stop the urge for something sweet. 

BUT if you have taken care of yourself that day but still need a treat (it is part of what makes life fun!), then these yoghurt pops are perfect for you.

Berry Yoghurt Pops

Ingredients:

• 1 large tub of natural plain or Greek yoghurt
• 1 punnet or 1 cup of strawberries
• 1/2 cup of raspberries
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds

Method:

1. In a blender, mix the yoghurt, strawberries and honey together until creamy. Stir through the chia seeds.
2. Fill your popsicle tray half-way with the yoghurt mix, throw in a couple of raspberries and then fill to the top. Place the popsicle sticks 3/4 the way down the pop, leaving enough room to remove and hold the popsicle.
3. Leave to freeze for at least six hours. When you are ready to eat, take out of the freezer and few minutes before to loosen the outside (or run a little hot water over the base if you can't wait!).

Ellie Gonsalves Body: How to Get Her Butt Toning Routine

I have been loving on Ellie Gonsalves for years now and I'm not surprised her fame grows exponentially once people get a look at that incredible figure and stunning natural beauty. The proof is in her bod so of course I have always been curious in how Ellie works out and how she gets those AHmazing abs and that curvy toned butt. Google has led me to a blog post Ellie herself has written on a quick 10-minute buns routine she does at home or on-the-go when she is traveling. Taking one look at her incredible butt will make you want to whip out your yoga mat and start this routine stat.

  ***

ELLIE GONSALVES

Each workout is 1 minute long and I have a 15 second break in between each exercise.

All I need is;
Yoga mat/or carpet, timer (I use my iPhone!) & my fit girl attitude!

1. Squats for 1 minute;
-       I stand with my feet hip distance apart & parallel
-       I bend at knees & stick my bum out behind me
-       Keep back straight & the weight in my heels
-       As I return to standing, I squeeze my glutes

- 15 second rest -
2. Front Lunges for 1 minute;
-       I stand with feet hip distance apart & parallel
-       Take step forward with right leg. Bending at knee
-       Push back up through heel of forward foot
-       Alternate & repeat

- 15 second rest -
3. Side Lunges for 1 minute;
-       I stand with feet hip distance apart & parallel
-       Step to right, bending at knee
-       Keeping back straight, press back up to standing position
-       Alternate & repeat

- 15 second rest -
4. Squat Jumps for 1 minute
-       I stand in correct posture with feet hip-width apart, toes pointed forward.
-       Reach forward with my arms as I drop into the deep squat.
-       I jump up as explosively as I can, driving down with my arms.
-       Then lower myself back into the squat to complete.

- 15 second rest -

5. Wall Hold for 1 minute;
- I put my back against the wall with my feet flat on the floor
- Bend my knees to a 90 degree angle & hold for 1 minute

- 15 second rest -
 6. Donkey Kick Right Leg for 1 minute;
-       I get on my hands and knees with abs pulled in tight
-       Reach right leg up behind me with bent knee, pushing through heel and engaging glute
-       I keep back my straight and return to starting position, then repeat for 1 minute

- 15 second rest -
7. Donkey Kick Left Leg for 1 minute;
-       I get on my hands and knees with abs pulled in tight
-       Reach left leg up behind me with bent knee, pushing through heel and engaging glute
-       I keep my back straight and return to starting position, then repeat for 1 minute

- 15 second rest -
8. Hip Bridge for 1 minute;
-      I lie on my back, hands by sides, knees bent
-       I keep my weight in my heels, squeeze my glutes and push hips up so my body is in one line from my knees to shoulders
-       I then return to starting position and repeat!



Ellie says 'after my workouts, I always take 10-15 minutes to stretch & have a protein shake while I do so.' Lately I have been doing the same using a lean whey protein mix with added fat burners. I mix one scoop of this with water in my shaker to have right after a crazy workout.

  ***

Loving your office space

Let's face it, we spend a whole lot of time chained to our desks… whether you are in corporate, own a small business, are into blogging or just have a penchant for online shopping, we are usually sitting somewhere staring at a computer screen. Considering it's a space we spend many of our hours, I think it's worth putting your personal touch and flair into 'the office'. 

Whatever your office is, the corner of your bedroom, a nook under the stairs or a its own fully fledged room, there is a host of cute and quirky homewards and accessories just waiting to spice up that space. It will make coming to work a little more fun and only be a tiny bit distracting (well we need to stay sane people!). Okay let's get into my tips, and I take no responsibility for the dint this may put in your latest hard-earned pay cheque ;)

Above pictures from pinterest.

Stationary

Makes you want to write, something.

Rifle Paper and Co Birds of a Feather Notebook

Desk Calendar http://www.hattanhome.com

Pastel Planners from Keep.com

Polka Dot Notebooks www.luluandgeorgia.com

The Supplies

Staplers, notepads, pens and calculators? These websites have got the cutest versions of all the mentioned and more. Just keep a close eye on them, these are the kind of office supplies you don't want to go missing.

Kate Spade Folders www.swoozies.com

Paper Clips Kate Spade www.paper-luxe.com

Dessert Erasers from Tofu Cute

Borrow my Pen? From papersource.com

Russel and Hazel Acrylic Stapler and Tape Dispenser Set 

The Decorative Bits

Add your own personal style and flair aka the fun part.

Inspirational prints from http://www.hattanhome.com

A Donut Pillow - what dream are made of. Find at papersource.com

DIY Chalk Board from Wallies Neon Pink Chalk Board Stickers

Oh Hello Friend Heart Tape

Steep Up to the Plate http://www.fishseddy.com

Typo Prints

Hanging Planter by Gems by Lex at Etsy