Choc-Hazel Bliss Balls

March 18, 2014 · 22 Comments

Choc-Hazel Bliss Balls

Now I am a bit of a bliss ball addict, but these are something really, really extra special.

After I made up this variation, I had to get everyone to come running and try them and officially declare me a genius!

Yes, they are that good. Think nutella, think ferrero rocher but healthy!!

Choc-Hazel Bliss Balls

Vital Stats: raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, refined sugar free

Okay so this is what you need:

1 cup pitted sulphur free dates

2 tablespoons Crio Bru (I used the new flavour, Maracaibo)

2 tablespoons organic raw cacao powder

2 teaspoons Heilala Vanilla Bean paste (secret ingredient)

1 cup hazelnuts, skin removed

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Process the dates, crio bru, cacao and vanilla until well combined in a food processor or thermomix. Add hazelnuts and pulse or turbo until they are finely chopped. Use damp hands and roll them into balls. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Exclusively for NNAM readers, you can use this code to get 10% off everything in store: CHRISTMAS10 until 15 December 2016 at Crio Bru here.

(sponsored)

Homemade Chocolate Chai Syrup

November 8, 2013 · 25 Comments

I was gifted a yummy chai elixir some time ago and the kids have been begging me to buy some more. The health food store has it, so I checked it out. Not only was it expensive, its first ingredient was sugar. I thought …. surely I could make this at home!

I have been playing around with this for a few weeks now, testing different combinations and I have come up with one I really like. I had to add chocolate! I think it makes a great gift idea. It’s very quick and easy to make and economical.

Save your pretty glass bottles and jazz them up with some tags and ribbon. This bottle is a maple syrup one and they looks so funky!

Homemade Chocolate Chai Syrup

Makes: 2 cups Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, egg free, nut free, refined sugar free, vegan

Okay, so this is what you need:

4 cups filtered water

1 cup Crio Bru ground cacao beans (any flavour but I used Vega Real)

2 organic cinnamon sticks

6 organic cardamom pods

1 organic star anise

6 organic whole cloves

2 vanilla beans (opened and scraped)

1 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg (use whole nutmeg)

8 organic black peppercorns

1/2 to 3/4 cup organic coconut sugar or rapadura sugar

[box]

≈Hot Tips≈

purchase the spices at an asian grocer for a great price

you can also use honey or maple syrup as your sweetener

try adding fresh ginger or orange rind for different taste

go hard-core and also add some organic tea leaves[/box]

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Put all the spices in a saucepan and lightly bruise with a wooden spoon.

Add the Crio Bru, water and coconut sugar.

Bring to the boil and then put the heat down low.

Simmer for 30-40 minutes.

While that’s happening, sterilize your bottles in some boiling water or in the oven.

Test the mix for sweetness and adjust.

Cool down and strain (I use a nut milk bag to get it nice and clear).

Use a funnel to fill your bottles.

Store in the fridge.

How to use:

Add to a nice cold glass of milk or nut milk – about 1/3 concentrate to 2/3 milk, depending on how strong you like it.

Use it to flavour ice cream. If you have a thermomix, freeze some coconut cream in iceblock trays and use it to make a sorbet with a generous dash of the concentrate.

Add some hot water and a splash of milk to make a hot drink.

Use it in your baking to add instant flavour.

Use it in my Crio Bru Chocolate Christmas Cake.

The ideas are endless!!

Are you a chai fan like us?

Click here to buy Crio Bru

Crio Mac… a chewy chocolate treat!

March 11, 2013 · 39 Comments

Crio Mac… a chewy chocolate treat!

We can’t stop eating this! It is seriously good. Chewy, chocolatey, nutty and healthy.

Heaven.

It’s a bit like those chewy caramel lollies in texture, but with a rich dark chocolate flavour and the crunch of the nuts. Drooooool!

Crio Bru has so many health benefits (as well as tasting amazing). The cocoa bean (also known as the cacao bean) is one of nature’s most amazing superfoods, offering high antioxidant value, mineral benefits and natural energy. If you don’t have any Crio Bru, you could try making it with water and cacao.

Research has shown that macadamias can help lower blood cholesterol levels,reduce the incidence of heart disease, are high in fibre and contain vitamins, minerals and protein essential in a healthy diet. Read more here.

The vital stats: gluten-free, egg-free, easy to make dairy-free, vegetarian.

Crio Mac

Okay, so this is what you need:

1 1/2 cups filtered water

5 tablespoons Crio Bru (any flavour, but I used Vega Real)

3/4 cup organic honey

2 tablespoons organic butter (I think it would work just fine with coconut oil too)

300g macadamia nuts (or your favourite nut!)

Okay, so this is what you do:

Add the Crio Bru to the water in a saucepan with a lid and gently brew for about ten minutes.

While you are doing that, add the honey and the butter to another saucepan and measure out the macadamia nuts.

You can also prep a tray with some baking paper and a light smear of coconut oil.

When the Crio Bru is finished, strain it into a glass measuring jug and check you still have 1 1/2 cups of liquid. You may need to add a bit of water.

Add the Crio Bru to the honey and butter. On a medium high heat, mix in well and let boil.

Stir it occasionally and keep an eye on it. At about the 20-25 minute mark, it will start to foam and get thicker.

Keep going, stirring all the while, until it gets darker in colour and will coat the back of a spoon.

Quickly add the nuts, stir and pour onto your tray.

Let it cool down and set until you can break bits off (about an hour).

If it’s too soft, throw the whole lot back in the saucepan and cook it a bit more until you get the right consistency.

Try to keep sticky fingers away (I had to hide it well so I could take photos this morning!).

This recipe was inspired by A Girl Worth Saving – a very awesome blog.

Double Choc Berry Biccies

February 27, 2013 · 45 Comments

It is a very rainy and miserable day here, so I decided to make the kids some biscuits and a hot home-made milo for afternoon tea.

Yes, I know, I am a truly awesome Mum!! 😉

Thinking about this recipe, I played around with some other flavours and came up with these Double Choc Berry Biccies!

I was pretty impressed. What a powerhouse little biscuit, chock-full of superfoods! You won’t get that in a Tim Tam!

Please check for sweetness. I like the bitey dark chocolate taste, but you might like them sweeter. I know the kids did!

Double Choc Berry Biccies

Vital stats: gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, vegetarian.

Okay, this is what you need:

1 cup almond meal

2 tablespoons organic cacao

2 tablespoons Crio Bru (unbrewed straight from the pack)

2 tablespoons Changing Habits coconut oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (adjust to taste)

1 tablespoon coconut flour

2 tablespoons Superfoods for Kidz C-Berry Blast

1 organic egg

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Chuck everything together and mix. (I can’t make it any easier than that, can I??)

If you have a thermomix, make your almond meal first and then chuck everything else in and whizz.

Wet your hands and roll into balls – I made 15. Press down slightly on them. Fling on a baking tray with some baking paper.

Bake for 10 minutes or until brown in a 180 degree celsius oven.

I think they would also be fab, sandwiched with some paleo salted caramel.

I used three of my favourite superfoods in these biccies and you can get them from my affiliate shops. Click on the picture for more info and prices.

C-Berry Blast from Superfoods For Kidz

Crio Bru, 100% organic brewed cocoa

Changing Habits Coconut Oil

Are you a fan of choccie biccies?

Want more healthy biccy recipes? Try these.

Crio Bru Brewed Cocoa

November 2, 2012 · 161 Comments

I have some exciting news to share! I have become an affiliate with Crio Brü. I love their product so much, I can’t help but recommend it to everyone and let you in on the deliciousness!

But first, what is Crio Brü brewed cocoa?

Crio Brü is a brewed drink made from 100% roasted and ground cacao beans! It is 100% natural and 100% pure.

Crio Brü is the ultimate superfood. It is low in calories and contains no sugar, no fat, no dairy, no sodium, no cholesterol and practically no caffeine, yet is extremely high in antioxidants, theobromine and a host of other vitamins and minerals.

It comes in different flavours, each with a unique taste. I love them all, but Vega Real is my favourite. It tastes like a hot chocolate, but with more complex and richer flavours and without being sickly sweet.

Everyone in the family loves it too and I am in trouble if I run out. It’s actually a chocolate drink I feel more than happy about my kids having.

How do you use it?

You can brew your Crio Bru in a plunger (or French press), in a drip coffee maker, in your thermomix or just simmer on the stove top and then strain. You can add milk and sweetener if you like. I like it with some rice milk and a tablespoon of coconut oil – I find I don’t need a sweetener. You can drink it hot or cold.

But wait, don’t throw away the grounds! You can use them in loads of different recipes. I freeze them until I am ready to use them.

You can make a really nice Crio Concentrate and keep it in the fridge to use in iced chocolate or over icecream.

You can also use the grounds as a lovely body scrub. I add them to a small handful of coconut oil. Sublime!

Is it good for me?

You may have heard that chocolate is full of antioxidants and you are right! But, when you eat chocolate with it’s added sugar and with all the processing, you add those negative elements. Crio Brü is pure cacoa, so you get all the benefits, without worrying about additives.

No chemicals are used in the processing – it’s just pure cacao beans.

It makes a perfect substitute for coffee, so if you are wanting to cut down or give up, replace it with some Crio ! You can even combine it with your ground coffee and make a mocha. Crio Bru is also a fantastic and yummy cure for chocolate or sweet cravings.

Many people are reporting huge health benefits, including weight loss. Dr Oz even recommends it. “This is a really cool idea. I think this is something really worth trying. Here’s what I love about it. It’s why it can help you burn fat faster. It has a natural stimulant, not caffeine, called theobromine that can boost your metabolism. It’s very safe. It also has a fat blocker. It helps get rid of the fat in your body by blocking an enzyme you need to digest fat, so you never absorb the fat into your body.” – Dr. Oz

In fact, I am going to test this theory as I would like to lose about 10 kilograms (that’s a whole other blog post!), so I am going to make sure I have a daily Crio Brü with a tablespoon of coconut oil. I do find when I have it around 3pm, it is an incredible pick me up and my appetite is satisfied until dinner time.

Does anyone want to join me?

There are so many other health benefits as well, but I will get you to have a look at those for yourself in a minute!

How do you buy it?

But it online, direct from Crio Brü. I get several bags at once to save on postage. It usually gets delivered within the week. It’s very affordable and a bag lasts me for ages. Go here to check it out.

I am thrilled to be working with Crio Brü and hope to bring you some recipes and more information in future blog posts. Who is already a Crio fan?