Make-Ahead Freezer Fudge Bites!

Hi there friendly friends and welcome to the post you've been waiting for!!

...Or maybe not so much waiting for, as you didn't really now it existed until now, but a post that you will in fact be very content with as it holds the key to something we all desire so, so much in our lives. Time. Or more importantly, extra time. For things like sleeping. Ya get me?

Oh yes, my friends, today I have for you; A MAKE-AHEAD BREAKFAST!!

WHOOP WHOOP!

Ok, and you may be thinking right now; 'Whoop-di-doo, Steph, there are like a bajillion make-ahead breakfasts out there for me on the inter-webs' and while, technically, yes, I would agree with you; I bet none are as fudge-y, as nut-butter-y good, as more-ishly devilishly dessert-y tasting as this make-ahead breakfast.

Did I mention they are completely vegan, processed-sugar free and filled with the likes of highly nutritious wholegrain oats, natural nut butter, dates and vegan protein powder??

Sigh; heaven truly is a place on Earth.

Anywho! Back on track Steph!

Now, you know- I know you know- that I am currently in a very busy and stressful time in my life as I have been complaining about it non-stop for basically the past... oh, year I suppose! :P. My first set of final exams for year 12 are coming up roaring fast and I am feeling that time simply slipping right through my fingers like the liquid-iest liquid there ever was. I also know, that during periods of stressful time, I need my exercise and sweat sesh's to get me through and keep me grounded and in control and calm.

So what's a girl to do when she has a hectic weak of tests and assignments, a busy schedule of after-school studying and other projects activities and yet this utter desire for a long run on a random Thursday morning??

Why she preps ahead the night before for a super quick, throw-together breakfast, that tastes as decadent and delicious as a rich, fudge-y dessert:

I'd like to present to you my no-bake, freezer Nut Butter Fudge Bites!

With a side of mango/zucchini fro-yo which was whipped up in record time after I'd rushed into the kitchen post-15km, red-faced and panting and simply chucking a handful of frozen mango, frozen zucchini and greek yoghurt into the Vitamin and whizzing until smoothy smooth!

But the fudge bites? Now they took a little extra effort, but making them the night before made brekky come together in literally less than 2 minutes! You're welcome!

And, for your own eating pleasure, here is the recipe to make your very own!

Raw Vegan Freezer Fudge Bites:
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 heaped tablespoon nut butter of choice (I used crunchy PB :D)
1 scoop natural vegan vanilla protein powder
4 pitted dates
1/2 teaspoon maca powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)

Method:
1. Place everything in a high-speed blender/ food processor and whaz until smooth and combined (should be slightly sticky)
2. Line a tupperware container with baking paper
3. Roll out spoons of the 'dough' into balls and place in the container
4. Place a lid on the container and pop in the freezer overnight (or at least 3-4 hours)
5. The next morning, remove from the freezer at least an hour before eating so defrost slightly and become a little softer (and more delicious!!)
6. ENJOY! On the go, in the car, walking around, sitting down, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, you name it- they're great!

Green Mango Zucchini Fro-yo: Trust me, you can't taste the zucchini- just an extra boost of veggies to kick-start your day (and more fro-yo!!)

Individual gorgeous fudge bite:

With a nom taken out of it:

and dipped in the green mango fro-yo:

Perfect post-workout fuel, pre-workout energy, pre-tackling-the-day energy, packed with protein and low-gi, high fibre carbs, as well as all those good fats and vital vitamins and minerals-

You really can't go wrong this these beauties and trust me when I say it was love at first bite!

Your turn:
What's your favourite make-ahead brekky for busy mornings?
Fav way to eat nut butter?
Fav thing to eat following a long run? I always crave the sweet stuff (dessert-like foods) don't know why but it just satisfies those post-run cravings like nothing else!!


I hope you all have a truly fantastic day, enjoy every single minute of it, see the good in everything (positivity can get us so far!) and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

The Most Random Meal Of My Life

You know when you're hungry.

You gotta eat.

Food is on the brain.

But...

You have no idea what food is on the brain? Like trying to picture what sounds good results in a big black wall in the visionary area of the noggin?

You think of different meals and foods, cuisines and flavours and yet nothing quite seems... right?

Ok, I know you've all felt this at some point in your life so no denying it! However, I'm not sure how many of you would have resorted to the meal I threw together during this episode of my own, in the sense of just how random it was.

Judgement is not welcome here people, so when I show you the meal I decided sounded good for lunch as my brain sorted through endless food suggestions I threw at it, you must not laugh!

Well, perhaps you can laugh, because quite honestly it is just plain strange. But no judgement! Food is delicious fuel and whatever way it comes is ok!

Alrighty, presenting my lunch from the weekend passed:

 Yep.

Yep.

 Ok, I'll walk you through it. On my 'YAY' plate was 1 raw, fresh, sweet, juicy, crunchy carrot... 1 perfectly soft yet still with its integrity, microwaved potato.... and an almost empty jar of cashew butter filled with muesli, almond milk and cinnamon, made in the morning and left to sit for a few hours in the fridge.

 Sneaky peak in the delicious overnight over-morning oats in a jar.

 So yes, none of these foods necessarily go well together, or create a brilliant combo or whatever else food connoisseurs would judge about this meal, but hey, I quite enjoyed crunching on the crisp raw carrot and then sinking my teeth into the hot, fudge-like textured potato, followed by the cooling, sweet, chewiness of the cold oats and cashew butter.

 Call me crazy but eating a potato like it's an apple is just so much more satisfying than chopping up and steaming!

 Chomp.

 And then, the real Steph came back to her senses and you know me, try anything, I did the unthinkable:

 And it was awesome! Seriously, for some incredibly unknown and unexplored reason, soaked muesli in almond milk with some cashew butter atop a warm potato- is LEGENDARY.

 Who'd a thunk it, right? Not me, until I created this beautiful monstrosity of a meal.
And so, it just goes to show; listen to your body, go with what it's craving, eat the weirdest most random meal of your life and who knows; maybe you'll just come up with the best combo ever that the world has never thought of before and your taste buds will sing with elation! Or perhaps not, there are some combos that just should not happen together... a few of these come to mind! And also this post I wrote a while back :D!

What about you?
What is the strangest meal you've ever made for yourself?
Strangest but extremely good food combo you've come across by accident?
Peanut butter and pickles? Yay or nay? I just don't know- won't knock it til' I try it though!! :P

I hope you all have a fantastic day- eat for you and not what society deems a suitable breakfast/ lunch/ dinner- eat what sounds good! Also eat a cooked whole potato like an apple; you won't regret it! ;) Bye for now friendly friends! :D

Carbing Up!!

Hide ho friendly friends and welcome to the space where i talk non-stop about food. And quite frequently exercise, and also regularly healthy living and eating to fuel the amazing machine that is your body.

But mainly food.

Always food.

Love food.

:)

Anywho, if you didn't guess already this post is a post about food (yup) and more specifically about the recent foods that have been entering my digestive system as of late (hurrah!!).

Yeah, ok, that sounded grosser than intended but in a nutshell; lately I've been upping the intensity/ duration of my workouts (no specific reason at all really. Exams are over, my body feels capable and strong and I'm in a good headspace- it's the ebb and flow of the wave of life people; seasonal change and all!). This upping of intensity has left my body feeling powerful, strong, capable... hungry and sometimes a little sore.

This may not look like much to many people but it's very evident to me that I'm finally starting to get some of those much-desired muscles and filling out my legs and arms with stronger, leaner, muscle-r physique :)

You know what that tells me? I need to eat to recover. (And also rest; resting is important and like today, sometimes we wake up at the crack of dawn and don't put on our workout gear to lift that heart rate but choose instead to grab some water and slide happily back into the cosy embrace of bed for a while longer :).

So in that very large nutshell.. I have been eating all the foods. Primarily carbs. Because my body prefers them to burn and run efficiently and so, here are some of my recent eats!

Right here was one of my dinners from last week that was quick, simple and just the fuel I needed after a sweaty HIIT sesh that morning (recovery lasts the entire day people!)

It included steamed broccoli and brussels over warmed, mashed chickpeas (so good!!) with two slices of mixed seed sourdough, one topped with crunchy peanut butter and the other with raw cashew butter. It was so good. I want it right now.

On the topic of dinners..

This guy was another high-carb winner that blew my socks off again with how the simplest meals are always the most delicious. featuring two poached eggs atop another bed of warmed, mashed chickpeas (I tell you- it is amazing!) topped with some medium salsa, with a side of crispy oven-roasted regular white potato and white sweet potato (potato, olive oil, 180 degrees celsius, 55mins)

The potato love is real.

Moving straight onto lunches (they too help so, so much in recovery of hungry muscle cells!) and this bad boy stole the show last week leaving me in food heaven as I tried to concentrate during my bible study meeting about next terms schedule whilst simultaneously devouring this tupperware container of yum:

High fibre spaghetti with steamed pumpkin and parsnip, peas, spinach and homes all stirred together the night before and then left in the fridge overnight creating a delicious cold pasta salad of 'cheesy' goodness from the homes :)

Sorry about the poor lighting of this next shot (shows how early I get up to fit in a good sweat session!) but this breakfast followed an awesome sprint session comprised of 50m full-out sprinting, some no-handed cartwheel practice, and some continuous sprint intervals (hard for 50m, slow for 50m).

No handed cartwheel practise, you question? Yeah, I think it's just an innate reflex in me that whenever I sprint hard at something I'm typically about to flip #alwaysagymnast.

Anywho this brekky was just some steel cut oats with banana, maca powder (great for recovery- heaps of potassium), cinnamon, almond milk and water- bubbled away for around 20 mins until absorbed and deliciously soft and oatmeal-y :P With cashew butter on bottom of mug, crunchy pb in middle and more cashew butter on top (full coverage people!)

Healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and essential carbs for optimum recovery!

Finally who can go past the beloved sweet potato??

A super simple, super delicious dinner of 1 medium baked sweet tater (pricked with fork, baked at 180 degrees celsius for 1 hour) topped with coconut butter with a side of raw grape tomatoes and steamed zucchini.

Practically all veggies now that I look at an actual photo :) Funny how you eat things but don't register the full picture! Any other food bloggers out there get that? Food blogging makes eating habits so much more prevalent??

Alrighty so that's a little snapshot into some of my eats to fuel the fire in my muscles. The workouts I've been incorporating and upping in intensity include super sweating, heart raising HIIT (typically Blogilates), sprint training (super tiring/ quickly exhausting but definitely one of my favourites!), hill sprint training (even harder and definitely works the gluten and but muscles a lot more than just flat surface running!), Blogilates workouts (don't knock it until you've done Extreme Abs 2 and Extreme Abs 3 in one morning. One after the other!), long runs (increasing the distance to around 10km-ish now) and weight lifting for the arms (this also creates real hunger and is also a favourite of mine!)

I find it's utterly essential for me to keep each day new and exciting and different from the day before to keep me motivated and wanting to sweat! I love, love, love working out, it makes me feel so gosh darn amazing and I'm not going to lie, baby biceps and baby abs will always bring a smile to my dial. I must remember that when the hunger becomes real, it is time to eat and eat to fuel my body (which seems to be a heck of a lot more fuel than other girls in my year- trust me, I've written many posts on this topic!) and that it's utterly ok to devour the food that my body craves and helps it recover and work at it's best potential.

So, yes, this post was just a little insight into how fitness and training definitely changes up from time to time, just like the seasons, or the calendar months and that's absolutely fine! Some times my body needs more rest. Other times it needs to GO GO GO. The trick is listening to these cues and not forcing your body to run 10km if it truly needs an extra lie in, or light stretching instead. And also, this post was an insight into how my eats have shown that with increased training does come increased appetite and for me that means increasing my intake of my delicious friend; The carbohydrate!

Your turn:
I'd love to hear where you're at too with all this so please tell me:
Are you dealing up or reducing down your workouts at the moment?
Fav macronutrient for workouts? Protein, fat, carbs?
Best dinner you've made this week?

I hope you all have a really lovely day, remember to listen to your body cues and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

Minty Fresh!

Hello there beautiful people!!

Today I'm popping in (for what seems like the first time in a long time- #studylife) for a quick little recipe creation that was purely a let's-see-if-this-works-out-because-it-just-came-to-me inspiration/ epiphany that got the brain cogs (the none mole-ratio, anti deriving, English technique cogs that have been in overuse) turning.

You see, in this season of life- things be busy. Real busy. And more often than not I'm heading into school early for some kind of meeting/ commitment/ cross country training. And in particular with cross-country training mornings- brekky needs to be prep-ahead, transportable and still delicious after sitting in my bag for an hour.

Just you wait... :D

Yes, you've heard it all before- but when you're in a period of life that requires certain recipes, than the recipes that will be shared will be of certain characteristics- and recently as you made have deduced, they have been prep-ahead and take on-the-go meals! And I think we all appreciate these recipes at some point in our lives!

So anyway, onto today's inspired creation!

I had fresh mint leaves hanging around in my fridge that needed to be used up in the next day or so. I also had cross-country training the following morning. I'm also a person who love, love, loves the malt-y, vanilla-y, rich flavour of protein powder added to recipes. And oats are a great addition to a post-workout breakfast as well as my undying love for them meaning they would also be included in this recipe.

So I got to thinking, what would tired, hot, sweaty, muscle-sore Steph want to devour as soon as she made it back to the change rooms after a heavy training sesh? (And I mean heavy; think stair runs, interval sprints and suicides... for 12 minutes EACH.)

Unfortunately my imagination cannot make stairs appear flat... no matter how hard I tried :P

It was then that I knew I would be making some sort of vanilla-mint, fudge, no-bake oat bite creation. And so it was created:

Now I could go into lengthy detail about how soft, chewy, fudge-y rich and delicious these bites were and that hint of fresh mint coupled with the delectable, sweetness of the vanilla protein powder and the nutty tones hidden throughout every bite... but I just did so I guess I will in fact!

To make a batch of these bad boys for yourself all you will need is:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 dates
3-4 fresh mint leaves
1 large scoop peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1/4-1/2 cup almond milk (add more if too crumbly and not forming nice compact balls)
dash of cinnamon (optional)

And all you will need to do is:

Method:
1. Place everything in a high-speed belnder/ food processor and whaz! You may need to stop and give everything a little stir around and whaz some more until combined!)
2. Line a container with baking paper
3. Roll mix into balls, place in container, cover with lid and pop in the freezer overnight until required (around 30-40mins should be enough if you're making it for that day).

This:

 To this: (frozen)

 Nice and cold; perfect for a cooling brekky treat:

 No Steph; don't devour it yet- an hour defrosting will make it all the more delicious! (tip for anyone creating it; let defrost for at least half an hour for optimal texture and taste)

And just for your viewing pleasure; here is my hand, holding my delicious vanilla-mint oat fudge bites in said change room, crying tears of joy (or maybe I was just delirious after being so smashed from training!)

 Yeah, I'm the weird kid taking pictures of her food in the school change room. No shame.

That texture tho...

 Happy, happy days.

 Beautifully balanced with carbs, fat and protein for optimum recovery; the body was happy!

Your turn:
Had any good runs recently? Workouts that have left you completely hammered? It hurts.. but it's so, so good!
Fav brekky of recently?
What's your fav combo with mint? Choc mint is pretty good, though vanilla-mint has suddenly taken the spotlight in my life at the minute!!

 I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, filled with love, laughter and good times- make a memory you will never forget and, as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

Prep-Ahead Breakfasts! - Cross Country Edition

Hello there awesome-sauce people of the blog-o-sphere!

Today I have a small compilation of random-impromptu-created-as-I-went prep-ahead breakfasts that I created specifically for my early cross-country training the night before. My mission? To make super delicious night-before breakfasts that I would utterly cry with happiness whilst chowing down on in the school change rooms after a super hard sweat sesh.

And let me just say, I was quite happy with the results!!

So, if you find yourself in a busy period of life, or you too find yourself having to gt up with the moon and the stars to go to a training session, or if you just really need your beauty sleep and thus have no time to whip up an awesome, nutrient-filled breakfast in the morning... then these recipes will be perfect for you and your food lovin body!

Now onto the foood!!

1. Freezer Oatmeal Vanilla Protein Bar! Recipe number one involves a deliciously creamy oat mixture creation- frozen and then left to defrost for an hour the next day and eaten as a frozen oat bar breakfast! Confused? Don't worry, just read on below:

To make this bad boy...
Ingredients:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 heaped cup greek yoghurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 pitted dates
1 tablespoon nut butter (I used peanut butter)
Splash of water

Method:
1. Place everything in a blender/ food processor.
2. Blend/ food process... :)

3. Then simply pour into a container lined with baking paper, cover and place in the freezer overnight:

When I woke up the next day? I simply cut the frozen oatmeal bar in two and wrapped in foil to defrost slightly in my backpack whilst I ran around and worked up a biiiig appetite!

This was just so cold, creamy, fudgey, filled with all the good stuff and DELICIOUS! Perfect post-run fuel!

2. Baked Chickpea Blondies! Recipe number two! A version of my chickpea blondies, whipped up and baked the night before, popped in the fridge overnight ready for brekky the next day!!

To make yourself a batch of these simply:

Ingredients:
3/4- 1 cup cup rolled oats
2 pitted dates
3/4 cup chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1 large scoop (pretty much 2 tablespoons) peanut butter
Splash of almond milk
Optional- protein powder/ other flavourings

Method:
1. Again; place everything in a blender and blend until smooth and combined
2. Form into balls/ sqaures/ bars and place on a tray lined with baking paper and bake in an oven at 180 degrees celsius for around 15 minutes until golden brown on top (not too long because you don't want them to dry out)
3. Leave to cool completely, then place in a container in the fridge until ready to eat!

Soft, fudgey, chewy... again; a perfect post workout brekky, filled with so much yum!

And I also apologise for all of the early morning shots- reality right here, folks!

Sigh, I want more of these in my life..

3. Choc Fudge Brownie Bites! Last, but most, most, most definitely not least (maybe even the best!) were these raw choc, protein, fudge breakfast truffles:

These were frozen once again and left to thaw for approximately an hour in my bag during training.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 massive spoon peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder
2 pitted dates
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup almond milk

Method:
1. Blender- blend- smooth-boom! (add more liquid if too crumbly)
2. Roll into balls and place in container lined with baking paper, cover with lid and freeze overnight.
3. Defrost for at least an hour and then enjoy these delicious, cold, fudge-y raw brownie bites!!

Hello early morning shots!!

And once again, ridiculously delicious!!

Checklist complete?
Healthy?
Nutrient-rich?
Re-fueling?
DELICIOUS?!?!

Check, check, check, CHECK!!

Definitely recommend any of these recipes if you're short on time because they offer so much goodness that will start your day the right way (and not just in a way a banana, or coffee, or processed breakfast drink would) And especially if you're doing easrly morning training- these recipes ensure your cells and muscles are running on the best fuel possible for optimum recovery!)

Nom.

Your turn:
Are you a night-before breakfast prep-aheader? Quite a title, huh?
Favourite overnight brekky recipe? I do love me some overnight oats?
Do you prefer raw (vegan of course) brownies, or cooked brownies? I love the cool, raw, fudginess of creamy chocolate that hasn't been baked- so good!


I hope you enjoyed these recipes as much as I enjoyed eating them (highly improbable!!) and I hope you have a delightfully delicious day! Bye for now friendly friends!! :D