All tagged no nasties

Cinnamon, plum & blackberry baked oats

For the oats lovers out there, this is a must try baked oats recipe. Great to make on Sunday and you have at least 2-3 days of breakfast covered. Always top up with a good portion of greek yoghurt (enough to make up 20g protein) and maybe a drizzle of almond butter and you’ve got a perfect all season breakfast. If you have kids needing a refuel in between school, sports etc, it makes a great snack too.

Tahini, maple & almond cookies

There is absolutely a place for cookies in our lives! Even those like me who tend to go for savoury before sweet when hungry, there is something about those cookies that is just so delicious. Super quick to put together and with a better protein content than most shop bough cookies! What’s not to like?

Chocolate protein porridge with berries

I find that a lot of clients love a bowl of porridge in the morning during the colder months. However, If they train with me and even on days they don’t it makes for a breakfast a little too low in protein, so I have just revisited a classic chocolate berry combo and added a nice clean lean protein powder. It is a balanced breakfast perfect to fuel your day pre workout.

Oats & greek yoghurt berry bake

This bake is pretty much a breakfast bowl! Goodness and fibre of the oats, greek yoghurt for the protein and all the berries because we love them so much! It is super simple and can be eaten cold or slightly warmed up with an extra spoonful of yoghurt, almond butter and seeds! You must give it a try! Perfect for a lunch box too.

Pressure cooker ginger porridge

This is the perfect autumnal warming breakfast! Done using a pressure cooker, it is easy, quick and cost efficient. Made with steel cut oats, this porridge is full of texture, nuttiness and warmth we all crave during colder months. It is a balanced breakfast perfect to fuel a day at school or pre workout.

Fruit and oat soft breakfast bars

This is the perfect no-bake fruit and oats snack bar. Full of natural goodness, no nasties, sugar only from the fruits and added benefits of pumpkin seeds. Make ahead in 15mins, sets in the fridge in an hour and keeps really well. Ideal for lunch box in nut free school environment. These are gluten free and really simple with a lovely citrus kick of orange perfect for breakfast on-the-go!

Dark chocolate date and nut butter fudge

Dark chocolate, nut butter and medjool dates! 3 wholesome simple ingredients only and this fudge is unreal! Of course it is high in sugar (the dates) and calorie dense (nut butter) but if you’re going to treat yourself, do it with real food ingredients you know and recognise!

My tip? Cut into small squares. Go on, have a go and let me know!

Delicious dairy free date brownies

Life without the occasional brownie is not for me! For that reason, I love trying to play with swapping and replacing ingredients for those with a better nutritional value. For these brownies I have not used refined white or brown sugar but instead opted for medjool dates. You would honestly not notice the difference. But I will let you be the judge of that…Go on, have a go and let me know!

Coconut, almond and nut butter snacks

Nut allergy sufferers stay away! I’m afraid these slices are made almost entirely from nuts in natural, butter, oil and flour form. This kind of snack is my absolute heaven. I love nuts, all of them and I love a sweet and salty treat. However, I would recommend moderation as they are very calorie dense. They are gluten free, packed with good fats and contain no refined sugar so much better than any of the shop bought industrial plastic wrapped processed snack you can buy on the high street. Sure to satisfy a sweet craving without the nasty ingredients!

carrot and banana spiced bread

There is often a debate in my house which goes like this: there is team carrot cake and team banana bread . So I thought I would try and bring the two together! Brave I know and lots of confused faces! I will leave you to judge on that once you’ve tried it! Delicious served toasted with a dollop of your favourite nut butter.

Easy healthy oats cookies for kids

Similar to another one of our recipes but even easier. They are the perfect recipe to hand over to the kids so they can make by themselves. Limited ingredients, all done by hand, no knife needed, minimum mess to clear up…just perfect. They are also best eaten straight out of the oven!! Ideal activity and treat rolled into one for when kids are at home with friends!

sweet and salty almond butter snacks

There are many many versions of these types of snacks you could make, but this is a good place to start…Build the confidence and change up the ingredients to suit your tastebuds and what’s in your cupboards! This recipe requires very few ingredients, no food processor involved so minimal washing up…10 mins to make, 30 minutes to set in the fridge and they’re ready to go! What more can you ask for from a delicious cheeky snack!

apple cinnamon and banana spelt muffins

Slightly indulgent in sweetness but full of fruity goodness, spelt wholesomeness and cinnamon warmth, those muffins are such a comforting treat after a long dog walk teamed up with a hot drink, a log fire and the papers maybe!

So so simple to make, I hope you give them a try and add to your kids’ lunch boxes or share with friends when catching up.

Pumpkin spice and pecan oat cookies

Cookies are not just delicious to eat, they’re such a joy to re-invent creatively! I like playing with the base ingredients, extras, and adjust with the seasons. These are flourless, naturally gluten free and contain no refined sugar. They are best eaten warm straight out of the oven and shared obviously!

Banana oat healthy cookies

Family life would not be the same without cookies! So I’m always trying new ingredients and combinations. But today this is just one of those healthy classic options that I keep re-inventing. Quick and easy, delicious, perfect for the kids to make themselves. What’s not to like! Perfect healthy snack for school pick up before heading to sport clubs!

Plum and ginger upside down cake

With Autumn comes a beautiful fruit season, especially when you live in Kent, the Garden of England, surrounded by orchards and this upside down cake is a great alternative to a crumble. It present beautifully, keeps well and is delicious with a little vanilla ice cream! It contains no sugar besides the fruits and a little maple syrup. It is naturally gluten free and so quick and easy to prepare.

Butternut squash chunky oven fries

One of our aims at The Health Boost is to help families with everyday simple tricks to eat more healthily, and adding more vegetables and fibre in our modern diet is up there as a priority. So what if I told you that you could tell the kids that there’s chunky chips on the menu today but still get an extra portion veg in the process? Here comes the butternut squash chunky oven fries, made tasty with the help of a little oat flour, parmesan and rosemary! To make these dairy free replace the parmesan with nutritional yeast.

mango cashew & coconut granola squares

Snacks are part of life for our busy active families. I don’t mean the ones you grab from the supermarket shelves or in a rush. We prefer making our own for the week ahead. These are a great quick and easy no-bake option and made with 6 real and wholesome ingredients only. Mango can be swapped for another dry fruit ( make sure they are just that, fruit and no sulphate or added anything) and cashews can be replaced with almonds or Brazil nuts if you have them in your cupboard. Using maple syrup make those granola bars vegan too if that’s important to you.

Banana and date crumble bars

These snacks came about due to a brown banana and some dates that needed eating. I usually make our very popular banana bread with these. However I was looking for a snack to make that my daughter could take into her nut-free school. The banana bread contains almond flour so is a no-go. These crumble bars are the result. My daughter has declared them even better than the banana bread, which is popular with her and her friends! The banana and dates are combined into a consistency that resembles caramel. Seriously delicious!

lemon, ginger and pistachio cake

I have been wanting to make a lemon cake using a whole lemon for a while. The important phytonutrients in lemons are found in the peel - the part we normally throw away (see tip below). This cake remedies this! Since the whole lemon is used this is quite a grown up taste and not massively sweet. I love this lemony, nutty hit – but if you love your cakes very sweet this might not be for you! Be sure to choose organic lemons to avoid wax and pesticide residues.