How to Stop Binge Eating or Emotional Eating

I have blogged about this topic before but as we head into another holiday filled with food and temptation at what seems like all hours of the day (chocolate Easter eggs at 9am?!) a treat can quickly turn in to a binge.

What is a binge?

A binge is an episode out-of-control eating, where you start with something small to satisfy an urge and within minutes you are moving on to more and more food without stopping. The binge will come to an end but only when you are completely full, feel sick and are completely defeated.

The whole binging phenomena is incredibly frustrating, especially the feeling of not having control over your own body. What's more, the reasons behind over eating are complex and often subconscious. You may be driven to emotional eating for all kinds of feelings that overwhelm you, may it be fear, sadness or anger. Happy emotions can lead to binges too, like celebratory occasions, euphoria and when used as a reward.

I actually read a great post on Jessica Sepel's website, who is a fabulous nutritionist, on the topic of emotional eating. She observes that overeating is prolific among young women. As Jessica argues, "food has now taken more importance in our lives than it should. It has become our emotional savior. We need to uncover the pain behind these feelings in order to effectively stop these cycles of emotional eating and binge eating episodes."

So where do you start with trying to ward off these binge attacks? Well first you need to do a whole lot of self love. Take time for yourself to stay in check with your emotions. Meditate, take peaceful walks, lie on the couch listening to some music, give yourself a mani or pedi, get a massage or take a bath. Journalling is also a good exercise to practice, especially during times of stress because it will help you to understand what it is you are feeling, before you turn to food for comfort.

DON'T SKIP MEALS. Hunger is a big trigger for binge eating, so keep your meals regular and balanced, with adequate amounts of fat and protein. Also keep 'binge foods' out of the house until you feel more confident. Binge foods may not always be your typical chocolate and chips. For me, I don't buy peanut butter, honey, or sugary cereal.

Urges are incredibly difficult to fight. Sitting with an urge is almost impossible for your body and is a losing battle, particularly if you are already under stress. If you are sitting around food, or about to head to the fridge or reach into the pantry, remove yourself immediately. Go and stand outside or in a quiet room. Take three deep breaths and think to yourself why you don't want to do this. Why eating is not the answer and try to check in to what you are really feeling.

In these times of need, call a friend, jump in the shower, go for a walk or keep yourself busy by doing some ironing or washing the dishes. If you are forced to stay at a dinner table, or it would just be socially awkward to suddenly run out of the room, start sipping lots of water and put a napkin over your plate. Maybe excuse yourself to go to the bathroom.

Another great tool is playing the focus game, where you locate five things you can see, hear, touch and smell. You may feel your feet on the ground, the chair of the table, the material of your dress, the strap of your bra pressing against your back and your hair resting on your shoulder. Think about each feeling, focusing on that for about 10 to 20 seconds before switching. Then repeat with another set of senses. This game acts as a physiological distraction from your anxiety and will instantly calm you and shift your focus.

Jessica Sepel notes the paradox between the food comforting you and then bringing you incredible guilt. She emphasizes, "the guilt from this emotional eating episode will be almost too much to handle. You feel like an absolute failure. This is a modern day epidemic, in my opinion."

If you do find yourself at the tail end of a binge, the most important thing to remind yourself is that YOU WILL BE OKAY. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOU CAN GET HELP. IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO START AGAIN. You deserve better; treat yourself with more self-love and don't beat yourself up over what you deem as a mistake. You used food to help you deal with an emotion you couldn't process, it was your coping mechanism. You now need to find a BETTER coping tool that will REWARD YOU in the LONG TERM. Eating in times of stress may have become a habit but you can form a new and healthier practice with some thoughtful planning.

Seek professional help to get a better idea of why you are overeating. Start at your local GP who will be able to find you a good local therapist to begin counseling. Jessica echoes my advice; "a professional will help you uncover the emotional baggage or pain behind your episodes. It will change your life. I can honestly tell you it changed mine. It became my outlet to release pain – rather than turn to food."

'The Face' Model's Share Their Healthy Living Lifestyles

The latest 'search for a supermodel' TV show, The Face, brings together successful model to act as mentors to the young hopefuls. As I shudder at the thought of being 'mentored' by Naomi, aka the dictator, I can't help but notice the 41-year-old looks amazing. Not to be outdone, Naomi's Aussie-model co-stars, Cheyenne Tozzi and Nicole Trunfio are equally stunning and manage to exercise a little more empathy for their chosen teams.

One of my favourite parts of the show is watching the models strut into the room at the beginning on a scene when I can girl-crush their make up and outfits. I've already bought a Camilla and Marc dress that stole the show for me when Nicole wore it casually to jump around on a trampoline.

It's not surprising that all three models are wellness gurus, although I suspect that good genes is strongly at play with the beauties. Read on to learn a bit about each model's healthy living lifestyle and their tips to staying fit on-the-go.

Naomi Campbell

As an iconic beauty and seemingly-ageless supermodel, Naomi Campbell advocates healthy living in a bid to 'prevent, preserve and maintain'. Ignoring the fact that this somewhat creepy statement conjures images of Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep in Death Becomes Her, I'm pretty sure Naomi is referring to her healthy lifestyle.

Briefly entertaining a vegetarian diet, Naomi eats what her body craves which is foods that make her feel 'light' and nourished.

"I like to eat something that I can eat as much as I want and know it’s not going to make me feel like passing out. It really is ‘you are what you eat.’ It’s basically that simple,” shares Naomi.

Her on-screen antics on The Face scare me silly, especially when she screams at her petrified team of hopeful models (of which she mentors). Her hard leadership style makes it no surprise that Naomi loves to practice intense yoga. While yoga can be meditative, the supermodel leans towards a practice that  Like many wellness devotees, Naomi starts her day with hot water and lemon, before heading off to her beloved yoga class.

“I can’t do a headstand if I’ve had food in my stomach or I feel awful. It’s just you want to feel your best, you want to get the best energy out of your day,” observes the model. I can imagine doing a headstand after a green smoothie could have disastrous results.

Acknowledging that genes do play a role in her ageless beauty, Naomi understands the reality of growing old and is committed to doing so with grace, which must be easier when you are still wrinkle free in your forties. Nevertheless, her ability to keep pace and compete with fresh-faced waifs who are decades her junior will have me skipping off to yoga this week in an effort to follow suit. Although I certainly won't be relying on it for anger management...

(Source: Access Hollywood)

Cheyenne Tozzi

Aussie-model and ultimate beach babe, Cheyenne Tozzi, has been gracing the covers of magazines since she was a teenager. Her natural beauty and tanned toned body has been catching everyone's attention on FOX8's 'The Face', a reality contest for finding a up-and-coming model. She's also my favourite, shhh, and not just because she has liked my Instagram pictures!

Naturally we want to know Cheyenne's philosophy on food and fitness, and how she balances healthy living with her busy schedule. Training with her fitness trainer three times a week for intense body conditioning, Cheyenne also favours exercising outdoors, doing watersports like paddle boarding (which is actually not as tricky as it looks). On-the-go, the model will hit the hotel gym and follow a program set by her trainer or do a short routine in her hotel room to get the blood pumping. Her favourite exercise? "Squats, squats, squats!"

An advocate of eating in moderation, Cheyenne loves food but fresh clean eats, like fish and veggies, not anything out of the packet. She makes one exception though, her secret love for Sara Lee Sticky Date Pudding occasionally needs to be satisfied! You know the one, in the freezer section, next to their equally delicious banana cake.... mmm.

Back to the healthy stuff... apart from the occasional treat, the gorgeous model eats like you would expect. “I always start with a glass of warm water with lemon; it's really good to get your body going. I'm not really a breakfast person, but I'll blend up a juice with kale and apples, nuts and berries or whatever is in the house. Today my mum made a beautiful goat's cheese caprese salad with tomatoes for lunch.

"Tonight I might have some fish and vegetables. I don't really snack. I might have a pear or an apple, I'll have a cup of coffee, but I don't graze. I prefer to eat at meal times. I'm Italian that way; a meal is like a feature film. My favourite meal is grilled salmon with mango, red onion, coriander and tomato chopped up all tiny and placed on top of the fish like bruschetta. It's so yummy.”

(Source: Sydney Morning Herald)

Nicole Trunfio

Stunning Nicole Trunfio, another hot Aussie model, steals the show when the camera sets eyes on the natural beauty. Another star of The Face, Nicole is a frequenter on designer catwalks around the world and often graces the pages of Vogue. Sharing the stage with Naomi and Cheyenne, Nicole holds her own both on and off the set.

She too has a passion for healthy living and staying fit. She exercises with her trainer three times a week to keep her killer legs lithe and takes every opportunity to move her body, using the stairs and walking as much as she can.

"Even if it's just half an hour, just doing it (exercise) is really important in keeping your body young and tight," says Nicole.

Growing up in an Italian family (much like Cheyenne did), Nicole has a passion for food and admits keeping her petite figure came naturally.

"I have always been balanced with my eating, I have good genes and haven’t ever had an issue with weight. I grew up in an Italian family so there was lots of pasta and carbs. I eat heathy, unhealthy 50/50," shares Nicole.

A big fan a green juices, Nicole now follows a clean eating regime, favouring salads and small protein serves. She recently underwent a detox during the filming of The Face, having her meals designed by her naturopath, whom she credits to changing her life and helping her feel better internally and externally.

The mind is as important to the model as her physical health. Swearing by sleep, 'it's so good for your body', Nicole also notes the importance of loving yourself.

"I think putting yourself first will cultivate the self-respect and nuturing you need to stay on top of your game. Once you start making a habit of that you can give so much more to others."

(Source: Pop Sugar)

Skinny Bunny Raw Chocolates

Enjoy your Easter chocolates this April with no guilt! Make these delicious raw chocolates in mere minutes. My Easter bunnies are packed with protein, low in sugar, gluten free AND vegan. Of course you can use whatever protein powder you like; I used my Sunwarrior powders. Get creative in the kitchen by whipping up these raw goodies in a variety of shapes, just use a trusty silicone mould to make sure you get the perfect result. If you want to give these as a gift, remember they melt quickly at room temperature. 

Skinny Bunny Raw Chocolates

Ingredients:

Caramel layer

• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• 1 tablespoon of rice malt syrup
• 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar
• 3 tablespoons of almond meal
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of water (until mixture is liquid)

Chocolate layer

• 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons of cacao
• 3 tablespoons of Natvia

Method:

1. Use any silicone mould you like to create these raw chocolates. I found the bunny-shaped mould at David Jones.
2. Combine all the ingredients to make a caramel layer. You want the mixture to be runny enough to pour/drizzle into the moulds. Fill your moulds half way with the caramel mixture and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
3. Combine all the ingredients to make the chocolate layer. Drizzle over the caramel to top the rest of the chocolates to finish.
4. Put in the freezer for at least four hours or preferably over-night to completely set before turning out.
5. Store in an airtight container in the freezer. These will melt at room temperature and take them out shortly before serving.

Sugar-free Chewy Coconut Cookies

Natvia generously sent me another box of their amazing sugar-free sweeteners, which sent me straight into the kitchen to start baking. I love to have biscuits in the house to serve for friends or to accompany my chamomile tea at night while I am cuddled in bed reading a book. The aromatic smell of these spicy coconut cookies wafted through my apartment as they baked. Adding rice malt syrup (which is low in fructose) gives the cookies a chewy texture that's a little toffee-esque. 

Store-bought biscuits have so many nasty ingredients and preservatives it's super worthwhile to make your own, and this recipe is quick and easy to follow. As usual, this recipe is gluten-free and can easily be made vegan by omitting the egg and adding an extra tablespoon of chia seeds soaked in 2 tablespoons of water.

Last night was the first evening I felt a chill in the air and I could tell winter was slowly on its way. Baking skinny sweet treats definitely help to satisfy your comfort food cravings when the weather gets frostier. These biscuits are also delicious with my favourite winter warmer treat, a hot chocolate! Ditch the calorie-laden cafe beverages and make your own hot chocolate at home. 

Sugar-free Hot Chocolate

Heat one cup of low-sugar almond milk in a small saucepan on low heat. Once warmed, add in a tablespoon of Natvia's Vitarium chocolate drink mix and a pinch of cinnamon. For an extra special treat, pop in a sugar-free marshmallow (you can find these at Terry White chemists). This recipe is so healthy you can even enjoy this bevvy at breakfast time or lunch and dinner for that matter! But probably not all three... Hey, we need to exercise some restraint! 

Sugar-free Chewy Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of almond meal
• 3 tablespoons of coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
• 1/4 cup of Natvia
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons of rice malt syrup
• 2 teaspoons of apple cider or raspberry vinegar
• 1 organic egg

Method:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients. Add in the coconut oil (melted), rice malt syrup, vinegar and the egg. Mix all ingredients together until a dough form.
2. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper. Take a golf-ball size of the mixture out at a time, and roll into a ball. Flatten onto the tray. Repeat until finished. If your hands keep getting too sticky, wash them with cold water and dry thoroughly before starting again. I had to do this a few times!
3. Bake in a moderately low oven (160 degrees) for 15 minutes, or until golden. Take care to not let your cookies burn as all ovens can vary. (I'd check them after 10 minutes.)
4. Take out and let set on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Repost - How to NOT care what people think

Talking with my friends and family, especially women, most of us care a great deal what other people think. Worry and anxiety over your appearance, your personality and your actions plague our every day thoughts. I am victim of second-guessing myself... changing your outfit three times before you leave the house, trying to say something witty in conversation but it coming out all wrong, or reliving that embarrassing moment when you walked into a pole in the middle of a busy shopping mall. Yes, I did that.

Ultimately low-self esteem is responsible for us caring what others think. If you think you are pretty rad inside and out, then you aren't going to let other peoples' opinions affect you. You will be able to shake off those negative comments!

Not caring what people think is the hokey pokey to getting through each and every day—it’s what it’s all about. (GET IT?) I don’t know if not caring what people think comes before or after liking yourself, but I think learning to do either will help with the other.

Self-esteem is the kind of thing that sucks basically for every girl, no matter what your circumstances, probably because you are constantly told you can and should be better. 

“Be yourself!”-type stuff isn’t effective without the exhausting breakdown we’re about to get into.

I've taken this from a fantastic post I read on Rookie Magazine online. The writer split her advice into three parts: wearing what you want, your physical self, and your internal self. Let's get into it...

1. Wearing What You Want

People respect people who wear what they want because they wish they could be that courageous. The problem is that for this to work, you have to be courageous. Or at least, at first, appear to be. You have to convince yourself you don’t care before you start actually not caring. It's the fake it before you make it stuff.

Read interviews with people like Lady Gaga and cool old ladies who don’t give a shit if someone thinks what they’re wearing is weird—in fact, they invite it. Certain mantras will stick with you, and you’ll just have to repeat them to yourself throughout the day, on the day you choose to wear something “weird.”Healthy brainwashing, right? Here’s a gem from the late Isabella Blow, fashion editor and muse to Alexander McQueen: “My style icon is anybody who makes a bloody effort.” I typed it from memory, because this is one of my arsenal of phrases that go off in my head whenever someone is being a tool. I just love that.

You have to challenge anyone who gives you a funny look with a look of your own. Or don’t acknowledge them at all, because they’re not worth it! 

What will happen is that you will walk by and go on with your life feeling good that nobody’s got you down, and they’ll stand there a little dumbfounded. Maybe eventually they will grow up and realize how stupid it is to care about how other people look, and to expect people to care that they care, or maybe they’ll stay an asshole forever. You’ll probably never see them again. If you do see them again, because they’re a classmate or friend, their opinion might not be worth valuing. I get that it’s hard to just cut off communication with someone, and no one wants to do that over a single incident, but you just know now to be a little more critical of their opinions or views when they offer them. You don’t have to take what they say personally.

I think most people are afraid of dressing a little stranger or cuter because they’re afraid people will think they think they’re so great. 

Like people will be like, “OH, SO YOU’RE ALL ARTSY NOW?” Nobody will say this if you act like it’s no big deal, as opposed to constantly checking yourself in trophy-case reflections or whatever. If anyone does say it, you look at them, give one of the more subtle “you are an idiot” bitchfaces, and say, “…No?” Watch them squirm.

As long as you’re into what you’re wearing and it makes you more comfortable with yourself, it doesn’t matter if someone else thinks you’ve put together a perfectly composed outfit. Actually, the effect of your confidence will only add to how stylish your outfit seems. It’s like the best catch-22 ever.

Ignore the 'people-deciding-your-image-for-you thing'. Don’t let them. Make them feel stupid for trying. This might feel cruel at first, but have no shame or guilt. You have every right to wear whatever you want, and if someone is so narrow-minded that they need to get on you about it so that the world is easier for them to understand, they might need a reminder that it doesn’t work that way. They’re the ones who think so highly of themselves that they expect you to care what they think of your shoes. You’re just trying to have a good time. (Oh, and this strategy is not reserved for people who have reputations for being obnoxious and opinionated. It is not a contradiction to be nice or shy or whatever you think of yourself as, and still have to be like, every once in a while. 

Relax, bro, I’m just trying something different.

It comes down to this: if you dress “weird,” kind old ladies will come up to you on the street and tell you that you made their day. And that will make your day. It’s the most delightful thing.

2. Liking Your Body/Face

Is being thin a prerequisite to being the protagonist? You know this occurred to me last week when I was re watching one of my favourite childhood movies, My Little Pony. I mean I watched this VHS on repeat when I was six years' old, so much so that more than 20 years later with no intermittent viewing, I could recall every line.

The two girls in the story were brave, intelligent and thin. They were also incredible cute, with long blonde hair and a face that would rival any Disney sweetheart.

In this article, the writer noted a comment she garnered on her blog from a young girl noting that depsite her absence from mainsteam media, in all her reading, the protagonist was almost always skinny. And wanting to be a protagonist means wanting to be someone, as most people do. Apparently, your story is only worth hearing, you’re only someone, if you’re skinny—it’s like, the blueprint of a human. Once that’s down, you’re allowed to be as interesting and protagonist-y as you want! Apparently.

No matter how much people our age have been raised on girl power and believe in yourself and you are beautiful, ignoring the beauty standards of the culture we live in is close to impossible. And as this lady pointed out, these standards and expectations exist outside mainstream culture like reality TV and tabloids; they exist in punk and indie cultures, in “artsy” Tumblr cultures that are all about looking like a fairy, but only if you’re a skinny white girl. I often find myself guilty of the 

“Everyone should love their body!…EXCEPT ME” 

mentality, where you believe in body acceptance on a theoretical level, but are still hard on yourself about conforming to those standards. You know they’re bullshit, and you know you’re worth more than your looks, but you still can’t help feeling guilty or anxious over something like your weight or proportions or whatever thing is left on the constantly updated to-do list handed to us monthly by way of magazine headlines. Like, OK, say I got my “bikini body”—next month I’m going to learn that my eyes are way too far apart, then that my chin is a little too floppy, until I need to start ranking my earlobe shape on a 1-10 scale.

I think a big reason many girls shy away from calling themselves feminists is that they’re worried they won’t be able to live up to this idea of a Strong Woman, and that there’s no room in this club for anyone who isn’t 100% comfortable with herself all the time. You can totally be a feminist who has insecurities. Feminism isn’t about pretending we all feel like Wonder Woman, it’s about being honest when we don’t, and having the conversation on why that is.

But what if you don’t want to live in a bubble? What if you don’t want to totally reject the majority of our culture and live in a John Waters gang of outcasts, forever plagued by your secret desire to read Cosmo? What if you want to enjoy tabloids and reality TV and looking at shows from Fashion Week and photos in Vogue, but without letting the beauty stuff get to you? I think as long as you are discerning, you can totally be a part of that. 

But when you catch yourself thinking,God, I wish I looked like that, you have to remind yourself that the person in that ad is heavily Photoshopped, or sat in a makeup chair for three hours, or both. It’s not about pretending you don’t feel that way and keeping it all down and putting on a Strong Woman face, it’s about being honest with yourself when you start to feel this way.

3. Liking Your Brain/Personality/Soul/That Stuff

Prettiness is not only about being physically attractive. There’s a prettier kind of personality, you know? 

More smiley, more agreeable, charming, less likely to challenge someone on what they say or call them out for being an asshole. And because our culture, for a long time, associated girl with feminine with pretty, but not smart, there’s a message out there that you can only be one or the other—pretty or smart, feminine or funny, Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton. Mindy Kaling wrote in her book that she has dealt with having to decide whether to be pretty or funny her whole life.

In reality, of course, plenty of women are both smart and pretty, funny and feminine, etc. This is why pop culture needs more strong female characters. Not like, I’m a superhero and I’m supersexy and STRONG and my boobs look really good in this catsuit but oh wait I’m totally two-dimensional. Like, multifaceted, with many layers. Like, you know, human. Can we get a list going in the comments of characters like this? Mad Men is great because its women are just as multidimensional as the men. I love Lena Dunham for writing characters like this. I love the characters of Ghost World and Dreamgirls and The Royal Tenenbaums.

When it comes to becoming the person you want to be, you have to know who you want to be first. And it’s hard to know what we, as girls slash women, really want. I may want to look a certain way because I know it will get me respect and people will pay attention to what I have to say. But I don’t really want to look that way, I “want” to look that way because it’s what they want, and I’ll benefit somehow, but I don’t know who comes out on top in the end.

The root of your confidence in all three of these not-caring-what-people-think subtopics is knowing that you, ultimately, believe in everything you look like or do or say, whether someone else challenges you on it or not. But that is a lot of pressure and responsibility! Because you probably don’t know what exactly you want—and we’re all young and human, so there’s no rush—you will probably find that you don’t believe in everything you ever look like or do or say. Someone might criticize you, and you’ll think about it, and you’ll agree with them. This is fine. It’s all part of figuring out what makes you feel most like yourself and, in turn, most comfortable with yourself. Nobody is perfectly consistent, and anyone who expects people to be that way is just trying to make the world easier for them to understand. This is what we call laziness, and not the awesome kind where you eat a lot of stuff and watch TV.

Just be wary, when you get down on yourself, of where the negativity comes from, especially if that place might be society or culture or whatever. I mean, I can’t even get started on all the fuckedupedness with the mixed messages we get about sexuality. We’ve all seen Black Swan, right? 

There will be bad days, where you feel like complete shit. Eventually it gets easier to recognize—somewhere between the point when you’ve been following a fight in YouTube comments and the point when you cried because you saw the VHS of Aladdin that you walk by every day sitting on top of your TV—that you are having one of these days. 

When you recognize this, spend the rest of the day being nice to yourself. There’s nothing you can do but get through it and know that you’ll wake up tomorrow and it’ll just be different. These are the days when you need to have some humility about the fact that you’re sitting in bed watching pirated episodes of Sonny With a Chance and eating peanut butter out of the jar.

“Self-esteem is for sissies. Accept that you’re a pimple and try to keep a lively sense of humor about it. That way lies grace—and maybe even glory.”

— Tom Robbins, Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates


This mindset is comforting to me in a way “everyone is beautiful!” is not.

I don’t want to believe that I should be concerned with being beautiful, I want to believe that I can be comfortable with myself even though I’m also the kind of person who follows everything that comes out of my mouth by cringing and questioning my own mortality. 

Yes, I get a little sad when I remember I’m too neurotic and too sarcastic, and that I choose to be loud or quiet at all the wrong times, to be a Sofia Coppola character, but also too vapid, too easily amused, to be as cool as Daria. But I’m not a Sofia Coppola character, and I’m not Daria, I’m me, and I want to look and act like me. And I’ll define me for myself, and it can be, like, this whole other thing that exists outside of body types and comparisons and references. I just wanna like what I like and do things I enjoy and have solid friends and be too busy experiencing this grand old thing we call life (holy SHIT where is my call from OWN) to worry whether I’m allowed to or not.

It’s easy to let your mouse slip to your webcam in a moment’s boredom and start wondering what’s so wrong with you that you can’t even get your eye makeup right, or realize you’ve been brushing your teeth for 10 minutes because you started staring at a blemish in the mirror. It’s inconvenient to seek out communities and role models who make you feel good about yourself when there’s all this other crap all around you.

It will always be harder to get to be someone who doesn’t care what people think, but that’s why you’re a tiny little awesome warrior for even trying. And isn’t that kind of exciting? Go forth, tiny warrior, and conquer.

Courtesy of http://www.rookiemag.com/2012/01/how-to-not-care-what-other-people-think-of-you/

Sugar-free Chocolate Truffles

These taste like the real thing, creamy and rich, with a sophisticated chocolate flavour perfect for grown ups. No butter or sugar in these truffles, I used cacao powder and a splash a coffee liquor to give the after-dark taste.

Sugar-free Chocolate Truffle

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of almond meal
• 3 tablespoon of cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons of Natvia
• 2 scoops of vegan chocolate protein powder
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of almond milk
• 1/4 cup of chopped dried figs, soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes and drained (reserve a little of the liquid)
• 1 tablespoon of coffee liquor 
• sprinkles to coat - obv not sugar-free but really pretty

Method:

1. Stir together all the dry ingredients and add the remaining wet ingredients. Mix together until the ingredients form into a ball. 
2. Take a small spoonful of the mixture and roll into a ball. Coat in sprinkles and place in a container. Repeat until finished.
3. Let set in the freezer for at least four hours.

*These will melt at room temperature.

My Little Paris Kitchen: Puy Lentil Salad with Beetroot and Dill Dressing

Thank you to Chubby Hubby for the pic

Watching the Food Channel is one of my guilty pleasures and I absolutely love zoning out to cooking shows featuring exotic recipes from all over the world. My Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo is about a very cute English girl whose set up a teeny tiny restaurant in her Parisian apartment. Equipped with a compact oven and a love for French food, Rachel whips up traditional dishes made easy. While most of her dishes are pretty rich and decadent (typically French really), I love getting inspiration for flavours. On the latest episode, Rachel made a gorgeous colourful salad with lentils and beetroot. It was such a lovely recipe, I had to post it for you.

Rachel Khoo 'My Little Paris Kitchen'

Puy Lentil Salad with Beetroot

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size beetroot
• 200g Puy lentils
• 1 bay leaf (if you cannot find fresh ones, it is ok to use dried bay leaves)
• 1 sprig of thyme
• Salt and black pepper
• 200g fresh soft goat’s cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil

Dill vinaigrette

• ½ bunch of dill*
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil (or any neutral flavoured oil – I used grapeseed oil)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• A pinch of sugar

Directions:

1. Start by roasting the beetroot. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and wrap the beetroot in foil before placing on a baking tray. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the beetroot is tender (but not mushy).
2. Wash the Puy lentils in cold running water and strain. Put the washed lentils in a pot together with the bay leaf, thyme and a generous pinch of salt. Cover the lentils with cold water that is at least double the volume, and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. It is important to use cold water so that the cooking is even and the lentils don’t turn mushy on the outside and uncooked on the inside.
3. While waiting for the lentils to cook, start on the vinaigrette. Using a food processor, put in the dill (including the stalks), oil, white wine vinegar, salt and sugar, and whizz them up. Taste and add more salt or sugar as desired. If you find the vinaigrette a bit stiff, add in a bit more oil to loosen the mixture.
4. Once the lentils are cooked, drain and wash them with cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Remove the bay leaf and thyme, and set aside.
5. Once the beetroot is roasted, peeled and finely slice it with a mandolin (always use the hand guard) or a sharp knife.
6. To assemble the dish, divide the lentils equally among the plates. Place the sliced beetroot on top and crumble the goat’s cheese. Drizzle the dill vinaigrette and olive oil, and finish with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.