Over the past few days I’ve felt that familiar tickle in my nose. My sinuses are preparing to batten down the hatches. My eyes watering at the prospect of bees, grass seed, gentle breezes and copious amounts air-borne pollen.
Am I worried? Hell no! Summer’s a comin’. A quick visit to the pharmacy is in order and then it is full speed ahead to fixing the garden, BBQ’s, summer tops, eating al fresco and Vitamin D galore. Let’s hope last summer was a sign of things to come (with a bitta’ rain at night for the crops).
I’m like clock work though. Late March/early April and the hay-fever starts to rev up its ugly head resulting in me having a tissue permanently attached to my nose until August. One good friend even noted she would rest a tissue on my grave should anything every happen to me. Well on that light note…….
Let’s talk getting healthy to keep up with all this gardening and cooking I am planning!
It’s really a 2 pronged approach to summer I have to confess. Eating well to feel good and to confess to look good. Why do I feel like it is not allowed to say that anymore? Is it wrong to want to look well whilst being healthy? I don’t think so.
I’m talking about healthy skin, clear mind, strong body – in fact you can mix and match each of those prefixes any which way you like and that’s what I want. As someone who’s sweet tooth is out of control I am always looking out for healthy treats that don’t leave you feeling completely cheated and bored of eating well.
This chocolate treat has it all in my opinion – a little of the real thing swallowed up with a great little blob of unrefined natural goodness. Everything in moderation y’all.
When the madness of my day has settled down and I eventually get to hit the sofa with a large cuppa in my hand surely a treat of some sort is deserved? I think so – in fact I’d probably be miserable with out it.
Take 15 mins out of your week to throw these together and you will be on track all week-long. Store them in the fridge ….up high….. as if you don’t you may find they’ll disappear fairly fast. Thieves identity revealed by the chocolate coloured paw prints on your white walls 15 minutes later.
Ingredients
130g Almonds
70g hazelnuts
200g dates
50g oats
pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp Cacao powder
50 Choc Chips
Method:
Simmer the dates in 2 inches of water until the water has almost disappeared. If you want to be really fancy you can simmer them in orange juice – so good!
Roast the nuts in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 8-10 minutes. Allow them to cool and blitz them until they are ground to a powder. Remove and set aside.
Add your dates to your food processor and blitz them. Allow them to cool also.
Add the ground nuts and the rest of the ingredients apart from the chocolate chips and blitz.
Add the chocolate chips and pulse your food processor to mix them. The reason everything must be cool is that if not the chocolate chips will just melt into the ball. You want them still kind of chunky.
Roll your mixture into 12-15 balls and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Enjoy with tea or coffee, feeling smug about life really.
Your’s, slowly morphing into a pile of laundry herself,
Cli xx
