Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts

Friday, 28 February 2014

How to Make Your Own Vibrant Energy Booster Bars & Balls


It's been a while since my last blog post... 
Today I had a request to share a recipe to replace shop bought breakfast and cereal bars from a participant on one of my Superhero Snacks Workshops.
So with spring around the corner here in the UK and to get back into the swing of things, I thought it was about time to resurface after a long winter hibernation and present you flourishing folk with an adaptation of one of the Superhero recipes that we sampled.  


This recipe is designed to be customised to include your own favourite snack ingredients. I hope it will inspire you to try out one or two energising ingredients that may be new to you. 
They are so simple and easy to make and a wonderfully healthy, sustaining alternative to crisps and chocolate that boost and balance your blood sugar!
Enjoy the satisfaction of making your own tasty homemade snacks, adding in your favourite superfoods to pack an extra nutritional punch.
Such as...
Baobab - The fruit of the African ‘upside down’ tree is nutrient-rich, with as much calcium as a glass of milk and six times more vitamin C than an orange. Great booster for the whole family!
Hemp Seeds - Easily digested, slow release of energy to keep you going longer, and a rich source of nutritious Omega oil essential fatty acids, protein and amino acids. 


Ingredients:
Ground Nuts (Almond is delicious... try ground dessicated coconut for nut-free version) 50% (eg. 50g)
Ground Hemp Seeds 50% (eg. 50g)
Omega Oils, 2-3 tbsp per 100g nuts and seeds 
Your choice of Superfood powder, 3 tbsp per 100g nuts and seeds:
Boabab, Astragalus, Ashwaganda, Chia, Maca, Rhodiola, Spirulina, Raw Cacao, etc.
Your choice of binders: 
Nut Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, for 'sweet tooths': Honey, Maple Syrup, finely chopped or blended soaked fresh Dates (enough to add and mix in gradually till all binds together but not too wet/sticky, amounts vary depending on the ingredients you're using, add more dry ingredients if gets too moist)
Your choice of garnish: 
Goji Berries, Cinnamon, Cacao Powder, Dessicated Coconut or finely Chopped Nuts, to coat or cover
Last, but most importantly... Love!
Equipment:
Blender, Food Processor, or Pestle and Mortar 
Mixing Bowl, Saucers, Spoons


Directions:
Grind up seeds and nuts with blender, processor or pestle and mortar (short-cut tip or if no blender: buy pre-ground, more convenient, but less fresh and vital - think coffee beans).
Add superfoods and omega oils to ground nuts and seeds. 
Mix well into a paste by gradually adding and stirring in binders of choice to mix thoroughly.


For Vibrant Energy Balls: 
Pinch off small amounts and roll into small balls.
Pour garnish of choice in a saucer and coat balls by gently rolling until covered.
Enjoy 2-3 balls to boost energy throughout the day and keep in fridge 2-3 days, or freeze to defrost and eat within month.
For Vibrant Energy Bars: 
Cover a baking tin with cling film, or alternatively, grease a silicon baking tray with coconut oil. 
Press down the mixture evenly into container to desired thickness. (Apply bit of coconut oil to finger tips to prevent mixture from sticking.)

Put mixture in fridge to set for at least half an hour.
Remove from container and/or film and cut into snack bar slices, sprinkling on and gently pressing in garnish of choice or dusting with cacao or cinnamon powder.

Enjoy 1-2 bars to boost energy through out the day and keep in fridge 2-3 days, or freeze to defrost and eat within month.
Bonus Tips:
Go for organic ingredients to ensure ultimate snack vibrancy. The extra cost is worth it to truly love your self, others and our planet!

For variety, substitute ground hemp seeds with other ground seeds you may have in your kitchen cupboard, such as psyllium, flaxseeds, chia, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, etc.
For texture, try garnishing or mixing in: dessicated coconut, sprinkling and pressing in fine or rough chopped nuts, pure cacao nibs, seed mixes, a dried mulberry or a whole nut in the centre of ball.


Adding coconut oil is particularly good for solidifying bars in cooler climates, place jar in shallow bowl of hot (not boiling) water for a while to liquify before adding to mixture. 
To create more solid bars in warmer climate, add minimum of 'wet' ingredients or extra 'dry' ingredients to ensure a firmer bar and keep in fridge for a while before slicing.


Please do give them a go and let me know how you get on. 
I'm always on the look out for new snack inspirations, so I'd appreciate your comments below of any winning combinations that you come up with. I'd love to hear from you about the favourite superfoods you love to use and why. 

I was delighted that the Superhero Snack series I ran at Neal's Yard Remedies Edinburgh recently was so popular, so I'll be running a part 2 later this year, and repeating part 1 for those who missed it.

To keep up to date about upcoming events and more nourishing tips delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Nourish and Flourish newsletter by clicking here.
Enjoy impressing your friends and family with these delightful treats, and the added bonus of a sustaining boost throughout your day!

With love & vibrant energy,



Tuesday, 24 September 2013

Superhero Snacks: Adventures with Superfoods!


To celebrate the arrival of a new range of organic superfoods at my clinic at Neal's Yard Remedies, Edinburgh, I decided to run a series of four 'Superhero Snacks' workshops to empower people to create a range of delightful treats at home using these nutrient packed energy and immunity boosters.
So, if you are around and about the Edinburgh area in the next few months, I warmly invite you come along to learn how to blast away those mid morning and mid afternoon energy dips with your own home made sustaining superfood snacks.
Enjoy a fun evening with your fellow super heroes and heroines, creating mouth-watering morsels to super charge your days and nights!
Sample some tantalising herb-infused tit-bits and go home empowered with new skills and delights to share with friends and family.
The first episode in our plant powered 4 part series of hands on herbal workshops kicks off on the evening of Wednesday 23rd October. 
Superhero Snacks ~ Part 1: Fuelling Up 
Part 1 of four hands-on herbal workshops
with Fiona Morris, Medical Herbalist 

Venue: Neal’s Yard Remedies
102 Hanover Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DR
Date: Wednesday 23rd October 2013
Time: 6.30-8pm
Cost:  £10
Spaces limited so book early or join the cancellation list.
Phone Neal's Yard Remedies Edinburgh to book on: 0131 226 3223
Workshops are booked individually. Look out for all of Fiona’s four upcoming Superhero Snack Making Workshops at Neal’s Yard Remedies Edinburgh…
Part 1. Fuelling Up – Wed 23rd October 2013, 6.30-8pm
Part 2. Blast Off – Wed 20th November 2013, 6.30-8pm
Part 3. A Force of Nature – Wed 22nd January 2014, 6.30-8pm
Part 4. The Final Frontier – Wed 19th February 2014, 6.30-8pm

Also coming to the Nourish and Flourish Blog soon is my monthly Superfoods A-Z series originally written for Neal's Yard Remedies Edinburgh's email newsletter to introduce you some of these herbal stars' finer points, starting with A for Ashwaganda ~ Herbal Horse Power!

To your plant powered wellness!








Fiona Morris helps heart-centred creative professionals, health practitioners and wellness adventurers who are ready for expert support to create a firm foundation of self care and healing methods for flourishing health and wellness.

Fiona is a Medical Herbalist promoting optimal well being through holistic health and herbal workshops and courses, wild remedy walks, wellness consultations and programmes.


For more info and free report on Fiona's Top 10 Tips to Nourish and Flourish visit: http://www.fionamorrisherbalist.co.uk and join us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/NourishandFlourish