Passionfruit & Pomegranate Snack Cup - Paleo, Keto, GF, SF, DF

***This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase, but thats ok, because we only advertise businesses from our collective that meet our strict health guidelines...and it's what keeps our page up and running***

I have to admit, lately I've been kinda getting over the "meat and veg" part of my lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I still love this way of eating, but every now and then, just like every one else mumma craves something a little more decadent, and a little more 'naughty'. I don't like naughty food though so this was something awesome to make that feels naughty ... without it actually being naughty. I just said naughty way too much... but I think you get what I mean yeah?

To be fair, this isn't exactly a 'recipe' because it is literally so super simple - it is more of a food idea to give you something else to hide up your sleeve for the days where your basic meals just won't cut it... or if you are perhaps having people over for dinner, and you don't want to miss out on desert. Although I think we are all old enough and ugly enough to hear the ugly truth - you can celebrate and catch up with people WITHOUT feeding your face - but - who am I to judge... if you would like something to take the edge off, or in fact celebrate by spooning delicious things into your mouth cavity, here it is. 

This differs from a lot of the other 'treat' keto recipes you'll find for a few reasons. The first one being that this sexiness in a cup jar thing, is actually quite nutritionally dense. This recipe doesn't rely on artificial sweeteners and fake flavours to make it tasty. The flavours come from fresh seed fruit (relatively low in carbs because they aren't generally foods you would sit down and eat 100's of grams of) and a Fermented Paleo Protein powder - I use RAW Fermented Paleo Protein Powder which you can get if you click HERE.  I urge you to please not choose a whey protein powder. Choose a plant protein powder or a flavourless beef protein powder. Dairy is a known inflammatory trigger when it comes to everyone's health, largely contributing to the rise in chronic health conditions around the world. Did you know - The countries with the largest dairy consumption, also have the highest reported cases of osteoporosis? That's not a coincidence. Consumption of dairy can cause a state of metabolic acidosis. In order to neutralise the acidic environment, the body releases calcium stores from the largest known source which is the bones. Pairing this with the hormones in dairy which actually hinder the absorption of the calcium that is found in dairy products (despite marketing gurus drilling it into us for DECADES that we should drink this white bovine hormone secretion because it is the best form of dietary calcium) means your body is left depleted of its stores which leads to the bone crushing condition. After digestion, absorption, and metabolism, nearly all foods release either acid or bicarbonate (base) into the systemiccirculation. Dairy is net acid producing. You're really hungry for cow puss now aren't you? Wait, I mean dairy?

The second reason this beautiful little delight differs to other 'ketofied treats' is because most other keto-crap (as I like to call it) is all fat, otherwise known as 'Fat bombs'. Yeah great, they may serve their purpose if you follow medical ketosis, but if your goal is Fat Loss, you want to have a calorie deficit from your fat macro, so your body burns your own stores... ie - If you have fat on your hips, you don't put it on your plate. This is why this recipe is good. It is not overly fatty and therefore is a perfect fit for nutritional ketosis. Because we are also using a protein powder instead of just fat upon fat, we are making sure that we are contributing to the protein macro which is the most important macro of them all. Without consuming adequate protein for our bodies Lean Body Mass, your body can burn its own muscle stores, including organs which is not a good thing! 

Let me get this straight through to you though yeah, because I feel like I can see your brain ticking going "eat MOAR BROTEIN? thats CRAZY! IT WILL TURN TO CAKE AND ALL MY HARD WORK WILL BE RUINED BECAUSE MOAR BROTEIN TURNS TO GLUCOSE!!!!!" So - before you go off on that tangent and start pulling your hair out (although if you don't eat adequate protein now, chances are that shits falling out by itself anyway) and hulking your way through the streets raging and stressing about eating more protein because you've heard how bad that is for you when keto from the several groups of uneducated butter chuggers that have weaselled their way into the keto world, you should know that the process is called gluconeogenesis, and this process is completely demand driven. This means your body will only turn protein to glycogen IF IT NEEDS TOO (and by the way, glycogen is ESSENTIAL for cognitive function...if you have NO glycogen, your brain can't function and you will die, ya hear?). This is why it is important to eat adequate protein per kilo of LBM, because if you don't eat it, and your body needs glycogen, it will result to burning your muscles and/or organs - turns out the bods pretty nifty hey?! So you heard it here.... don't be dumb... and don't be scared of eating protein. Ontop of this reason, protein is the most satiating macronutrient and aids in keeping your fuller for longer AND it is more nutritionally dense than fat, so eating adequate protein keto means you are also getting more Micronutrients, in your Macronutrients (more micros for your macros... get it get it?)

The third reason this little gem is different, is because it's anti inflammatory, and not filled with products that can be harmful to your health such as gluten, grains, dairy and refined sugars. Just because you think you need to lose weight, it doesn't mean you overlook your health. I know a lot of skinny people who eat like arse holes and are the farthest thing from being healthy. So remember, just because your thin, doesn't mean you are healthy. So eat well and make the best choices where you can. 

The Macros I will give you for this single serve please remember are singular to the products that I personally used. If you decide to use a different Coconut Yoghurt, protein powder etc then the macros will vary. So please try and enter them into your tracker (yes! your tracker, humans are terrible at portion control which is why so many of us got fat in the first place! so weigh and track your foods to save yourself from over eating) for the specific products that you use. However, If you decide you are going to use the products I used (which are listed below in the ingredients) the macros are : CARBS 12g FATS 14g PROTEIN 14g

If you are looking for support and information on a Ketogenic Diet - you can join our Facebook Groups Wholefood Keto  and Keto For Beginners Australia - and don't forget to Like and Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy healing recipes, our health and lifestyle blog and to be kept up to date with amazing new natural health businesses coming onto the market!

---

Recipe

Time - 5 Minutes - 

Serves - 1 - 

MACROS: CARBS 12g FATS 14g PROTEIN 14g

THESE MACROS ARE PRODUCT SPECIFIC AND NEED TO BE ENTERED BASED ON THE PRODUCTS YOU CHOOSE

What you need:

Mixing Bowl & Spatula

100g Nakula Natural Coconut Yoghurt

15g RAW Fermented Paleo Protein Powder (Half Serve) BUY IT HERE!

10g Organic Fresh Passionfruit

20g Organic Fresh Pomegranate

What to do:

Its really not rocket science this one!

Measure and weigh your yoghurt and your protein powder out, and mix together in the mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.

Place a layer in the bottom of your jar or cup, then add your measured passionfruit

Add another layer of yoghurt ontop of the passionfruit and then add the pomegranate on the top

best part : EAT IT!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Slice - Raw, Vegan, GF, DF, Refined Sugar Free, Paleo Option

***This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase, but thats ok, because we only advertise businesses from our collective that meet our strict health guidelines...and it's what keeps our page up and running***

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man (Chocolate) and this woman (Peanut Butter) in holy matrimony. 

Chocolate, do you take this nutty, smooth woman to be your wife, to live on top of her, to love her for her bold taste and ability to cause anaphylaxis, to honour her ability to be both sweet AND savoury, to comfort her when she's upset that he nearly killed a bunch of people, and to keep her in line to remain square, forsaking all others, until someone eats you? - 'I do'.

Peanut Butter, do you take this tall, dark, rich, smooth man to be your husband, to live together, underneath his thick gooey layer, to love his boldness to honor his status amongst chocolate lovers, to comfort him about his weight and ability to melt in the hot sun, and to keep him in deliciousness and in taste, forsaking all others, until someone eats you? - 'I do'

I feel like you're either laughing... or assuming I've just gone full retard here. But what can I say? The Royal Wedding has got me reminiscing of my own wedding, and made me so happy to see love being celebrated on the news and surroundings. Isn't it such a nice change of pace from all the war and hate that we see constantly broadcasted these days!? What a beautiful thing to be able to witness and see in our lifetimes - although I have to admit that it made me sad that Harry is now off the market. The only time I stood a chance with Harry, is if he tried my cooking haha. 

So anywayyyyy. You'll seriously want to get on board these bad boys! They are so good AAAAANNNNNDDDD if you're after a more protein filled source, you can sub the coconut flour for your protein powder to give them a bit of a nutritional boost. But, given this isn't a keto recipe and contains Agave Nectar (which is still a sugar) I prefer to keep the calories down. 

The good thing about this recipe is if Peanut Butter agrees with you, then you can use it, but if you prefer a paleo approach (We are a Paleo Household however every now and then I indulge in Peanut Butter) you can sub for any nut butter you like. I think these would be AMAZING if made with Hazelnut Butter! Who doesn't love Hazelnut and Chocolate? Yeah thats right, NO ONE and im pretty sure it's fair to say that if you know someone that doesn't like hazelnut and chocolate, that you need to remove them from your life IMMEDIATELY! 

Now obviously it's up to you to source some good vegan chocolate, and you are most welcome to use a brand that you personally love! I love Loving Earth's Dark Chocolate, so that's what I made these out of. But if there's something else you prefer, by all means, use that. I have tried to make something similar with Pana Chocolate Blocks, however it just didn't work. The Pana split and went all funky. To keep this recipe raw, and given that the lovely folks at Loving Earth put in a lot of effort to make such a delicious raw product, I think it's only fair that we don't ruin that hard work by over heating this delicious product and ruining what they have tried so hard to preserve. Heating foods internal temperature above 41.7 degrees Celsius starts to ruin the health benefits of many of the foods we consume. So where ever you can, it is beneficial for health to consume as many raw products as possible. Heat destroys foods nutrients and natural enzymes, which is bad because enzymes boost digestion and fight chronic disease so where you can, give your oven and stove a rest, and eat raw foods. 

So that being said, melting this chocolate and keeping it in it's raw state is a little fiddly. But you can do it! So follow the recipe as close you can and keep a thermometer at hand. 

So on with the show. As per usual, leave me a message if you make this and let me know what you think. I'd love your thoughts. 

Don't forget to - Make, Enjoy, Love & Share. xxx

---

Recipe

Serves - 10 - 

Time - 45 Minutes to make, Plus Chill Time - 

What you need:

For the Base:

High Speed Food Processor

Square Dish & Baking Paper

Spatula

1 Cup Natural Peanut Butter or Nut Butter of Choice ( I made my own, but Mayver's is a great brand )

1/4 Cup Dark Agave Nectar ( You can Sub for Maple )

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

Pinch Of Salt

1/2 Vanilla Pod ( Optional, but I highly Recommend! )

For the Chocolate:

Food Thermometer

Bowl & Saucepan ( or Double Boiler )

1.5 Cups Loving Earth Raw Dark Chocolate Squares

1/4 Cup Peanut Butter or Nut Butter of Choice

1/4 Cup Tahini

Pinch of Salt

What to do:

Line your baking dish with your baking paper first, and set it to the side so you are ready to rock. 

Make the Base first - so in the food processor place in all the ingredients for the base except the agave syrup. Turn the processor on. The Mixture should start dry, and add the syrup slowly until it resembles a thicker form of cake batter. It should be spreadable, but not loose. If your mixture becomes loose before you use up all your agave, then thats great! Stop there. 

Using the Spatula, spread it into your baking dish so that it is one even layer and place in the fridge to cool.

Now we need to make our Chocolate Layer.

Make sure your chocolate is Room Temperature before starting to limit the heat you need to melt it. Place water in the saucepan, and place onto the stove on a LOW HEAT. Place your bowl on the top and drop your chocolate in. Use the thermometer, and constantly stir to melt the chocolate. If you notice the heat of the melted chocolate getting to around 35 degrees C, Take the bowl off the top of the saucepan and stir vigorously to get the heat back down, then when the heat is down, place back on the saucepan. Once 3/4 of the chocolate is melted, turn the heat off and the residual heat will melt the rest.

Once melted, add the Peanut Butter, Tahini and Salt and mix until well combined.

Pull out the dish from the fridge and pour the chocolate over and spread with the spatula until evenly covered. 

You can dress the top however you like. I just sprinkled some Loving Earth Desiccated Coconut over the top. But let your imagination run wild with how you want to do it. 

Place it back in the fridge (NOT THE FREEZER as this can cause the choc to turn white) until set through. 

Once Cooled, take out of the baking dish, and slice the uneven edges off (and enjoy them in hiding before you serve the rest to everyone else ;) ) and then slice into Bars, or Squares or whatever you fancy. 

Enjoy!!!

Healthy 10 Minute Pasta - For Kids!

I think every parent has those days where you really CBF cooking... to the point that you're not even phased if you don't eat yourself. But then you remember that you have little humans that rely on you, and you can't just Not Adult... so you get your bum off the couch and make something simple. Maybe Toast. Maybe Eggs. Maybe even a bowl of cereal...perhaps you even opt for the greasiest and just do a take away night! After all... kids don't really mind do they? But for the rest of the night you feel a little bit guilty inside that you haven't fed them something as nutritious as what you probably could have. 

Well I don't know about you, but I felt like this  A LOT when I was pregnant with the twins and I still had to feed my 2 year old... and I'd been working all day. Because we follow an anti inflammatory lifestyle here, and we have many intolerances/don't keep junk food in the house and I refuse to give my family nasty cheap food - our take away is usually grill'd burgers. And believe me when I say - Holy shit that gets expensive! $50 minimum on takeaway to feed three of us... and because I could barely walk from being pregnant with twins, sadly this happened around 2-3 times a week. Bye Bye Money. I was like Beyonce throwing money at Maids... but I was throwing money at the waiters at Grill'd and making them feed me. 

So if you're a mum... a dad... a grand parent.. or a special person... and just want to SIT DOWN... may I suggest that you try this 10 minute pasta! Truth is, it only takes 10 minutes because that's how long the pasta takes to cook. The sauce itself is literally done in 5 minutes! You don't even have to chop anything. All you need is a blender or food processor... and a saucepan for the pasta of choice. 

We use Orgran Gluten Free Pasta for our son, Seth. It's made from Rice and Corn (I know not anti inflammatory however it does the job as a once off every now and then) and it comes in fun shapes! The pic above is their 'Out Back' animals pasta and Seth loves going through and looking at the Koala's and Kangaroos. So it's super fun for the tots! Not to mention, they also include spinach and other veggies in the pasta to make it fun colours. The sauce is also considered raw which is great because it means the nutrients in the vegetables are still intact and therefore packs a great nutritional punch. 

We don't eat dairy in this house, and the substitute I LOVE when it comes to cheese on pasta is Nutritional Yeast! It has the most wonderfully cheesy flavour but is packed with Protein and B Vitamins! I highly recommend it. Little mate thinks it's cheese ( the poor love haha) so he always asks for it on his meals. It really does contain great nutritional value and it's quite well priced! I usually use the Bragg's Nutritional Yeast, however Wholefood Merchants were out of Bragg's this fortnight so I am trying the Lotus brand... tastes the same and was a bit cheaper which is a win!

So here you go. Some relief for parents EVERYWHERE! It doesn't look the prettiest.. but hey it's gunna come out looking much worse... amirite?

As usual, let me know how you go if you give it a try and let me know what your little ones think! It really packs a punch of flavour and hey - why not even mix it through some Quinoa pasta for an easy meal for yourself?

---

Recipe

Serves - 2 - 

Time 10 Minutes

What you need:

Blender/NutriBullet/Food processor 

1 Organic Tomato

1 Clove Garlic

1 Handful Spinach Leaves

1 Teaspoon Tomato Paste

1/6 of an Onion (literally just a couple of Rings)

1/2 Teaspoon Italian Herbs (Oregano or Basil will work too)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Nutritional Yeast

Salt & Pepper

1 Cup Animal Pasta (=2 Serves for small People)

What to do:

Put a saucepan of Water on and cook Pasta as per your Pasta packet instructions.      

While the water is boiling, in your blender add your Tomato, Spinach, Garlic, Onion, Herbs, Tomato Paste and tablespoon of Olive Oil and a pinch of Salt & Pepper. Blend until all combined. 

Once the pasta is cooked, scoop 1/2 cup of the Pasta water out and keep it in a cup to the side and then drain the Pasta.

Once the Pasta is drained, add it back to the Pot and pour the Sauce from the blender over the pasta. Mix well and then add the half a cup of pasta water. This will thin the sauce out and ensure it evenly covers the pasta. 

Serve into the bowls and top with Nutritional Yeast and Voila! 

I told you it was simple, didn't I? xx