Beetroot Brownies

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I have a serious chocolate addiction. I could happily live the rest of my life with no crisps, sweets or take-aways, but I need to have chocolate every day. I try to prepare for this and make somewhat healthier chocolate treats so I don’t end up buying chocolate bars. Here’s one of my recipes I often use to fuel my addiction, enjoy!

Ingredients- for a  9 x 11 inch  tin (makes 12 brownies)

  • 500g beetroot (it’s easiest if you get cooked beetroot sold in vacuum packs)
  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 100g butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 175g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 25g cocoa powder
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100g walnuts

You’ll also need a food processor or hand blender

Steps

  1. Line a baking tray and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Slice the beetroot and heat in the microwave on high for about 5 minutes
  3. Add the butter and chocolate to the food processor but don’t blend just yet
  4. Take the beetroot from the microwave and drain off any liquid, and add the beetroot to the food processor. Let it sit for 2 minutes to let the butter and chocolate melt, then blend until smooth.
  5. Add the sugar and vanilla, then the eggs (the mixture should have cooled down by now, but if not, leave it for a minute or two before you add the eggs so they don’t scramble!)
  6. Pour the mixture into a bowl and fold in the flour, cocoa powder and walnuts.
  7. Pour into the tray and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until the brownies are firm at the top. A skewer won’t usually come out completely clean because the brownies are so moist.

Homemade Rolos

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I was in need of a sugary snack to keep my energy levels up while studying so I came up with a recipe for my own Rolos! While dates still have a lot of sugar in them, these Rolos have a lot more fibre, vitamins and minerals  than the originals.

 

Ingredients:

For the caramel:

  • 1 cup of dates
  • 2/3 cup of milk
  • Teaspoon of vanilla
  • Tablespoon of nut butter (Any type is fine – I used peanut butter)

To cover

  • 100g Dark chocolate
  • Honey (optional)

 

Steps:

  1. Add the dates, vanilla, nut butter and about half of the milk to a blender and whiz it up. Add the rest of the milk little by little until you get the consistency you want, you might not have the use it all, or you may need more, depending on the dates.
  2. Leave the mixture in the freezer for half an hour (this will make it a lot easier to roll).
  3. Melt the chocolate and leave to cool slightly for a few minutes. You can add a drizzle honey to give the chocolate a bit of shine or sweeten it if you’d like!
  4. Cover a tray with grease-proof paper or tin foil.
  5. Take the mixture out of the freezers, and wet your hands before rolling them into balls (this stops the mixture sticking to your hands).
  6. Dip the caramel balls into the melted chocolate and leave on the tray to set. The chocolate should set pretty quickly if the caramel is still cold, so you won’t have to wait too long to eat them!

Enjoy!

Back to College: How to save money on food

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It can be tough eating healthily in college without spending a small fortune in college restaurants. So I’ve just put together some simple tips for saving money on food in college without sacrificing healthy eating.

  • Bring lunch to college whenever you can, not only will you avoid spending lots of money on below average food on campus, you’ll most likely eat healthier foods too!
  • Meal prep; this goes hand in hand with my first tip. Preparing your meals in bulk reduces the time you spend cooking, enables you to bring lunch into college every day and ensures you always have something in the fridge that you can heat up if you need food quickly, instead of buying a pizza or chicken fillet roll!
  • Learn to love eggs! Eggs are the cheapest form of animal protein, which is usually the most expensive component of a meal. Eggs are full of so many vitamins and mineral, as well as having a combination of fat and protein to keep you full while you study. There are so many dishes you can cook with eggs; you’re bound to find one you love.
  • Avoid getting takeaways for dinner, not only are these full of trans fats, salt and MSGs, but buying takeaways regularly can end up being pretty expensive.
  • Start using dried legumes. These are about a quarter of the price of canned legumes and much tastier! Adding pulses and beans to you meals increases the amount of fibre, which very few Irish people get enough of. They’re a great source of protein so you can reduce the amount of meat you use in a dish, or leave it out completely.
  • Use frozen fruit and vegetables. These are substantially cheaper than fresh fruit and veg, and also won’t go off as quickly, so you’ll have less food waste too!
  • Take advantage of any freebies being given out in college. Many colleges give out free samples of foods out as part of promoting different products, make the most of this and grab some whenever they’re on offer!

Back to College: Breakfast Ideas

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So you’ve heard it all before, ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’. But it can be difficult to make sure you have a good breakfast when you’re short on time in the morning. I’ve put together a few simple breakfast ideas that you can either throw together really quickly before class, or have prepared beforehand. Hope you enjoy!

 

Porridge

Like I said in my last post, porridge is my go to breakfast for college.  This is mainly because it takes just two minutes to make in the microwave and oats release energy slowly and have lots of fibre so it keeps me full until lunchtime. There are so many different toppings you can have with porridge so you don’t get bored, mine favourite would have to be peanut butter but you can also use fruit, yoghurt, nuts, seeds, honey. Some people like to add eggs whites to the oats before cooking or protein powder to make it even more filling.

 

Smoothies

When I’m really rushing I like to have a smoothie for breakfast because I can drink it on the walk to college or in my lectures. Smoothies are super quick if you keep the portions of fruit and veg in zip lock bags in the freezers and whiz them up in a blender before you leave. I would really recommend that every get a handheld blender for their kitchen in college, they’re really useful for making your own smoothies and soups.

It’s great to have a combination of carbohydrates and fat or protein in your smoothies. Here are some of my favourite smoothie recipes:

  • Spinach, banana, cinnamon, peanut butter and almond milk
  • Mixed berries, oats, chia seeds and milk
  • Avocado, cocoa powder, oats and protein powder (optional)
  • Strawberries, banana and coconut yoghurt

 

Egg muffins

These are super easy to make, you can cook them in bulk and keep them in your fridge for a few days.

  1. Grease a muffin tin
  2. Scramble 5 eggs and add your favourite toppings; spinach, peppers, corn, chorizo, cheese, ham, onions, anything you like!
  3. Pour into a muffin tin and cook for 15 mins at 180 degrees.

 

Banana and oats breakfast muffins

I just made this recipe recently and I have to say I really love it! These muffins are really handy to eat on the go if you don’t have time to make breakfast in the morning. You can find the recipe here.

Banana and Oat Breakfast Muffins

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These muffins are super easy to make and great for on-the-go breakfasts. The carbohydrates in the oats and banana gives you fast and slow releasing energy to get you going in the morning, while the nuts add fat and protein to keep you full.

 

Makes 6 large muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 150g oats
  • 50g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Fillings of choice: nuts, berries, chocolate chips etc.

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare a muffin tray with bun cases.

Add the eggs, bananas and honey to a blender. Once the mixture is smooth add in the oats, flour, baking powder and cinnamon and mix until combined (it looks a bit like gloopy porridge at this stage but trust me, it tastes good). At this point you can add in any extra fillings you’d like, I used walnuts and raspberries for this recipe.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases, until each case is 2/3 full. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. These muffins don’t really darken as they bake so make sure to check if they are done by poking a skewer or knife into the centre of one to be sure!

You can keep these muffins for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

 

Enjoy!

Back to College: Cupboard Staples

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I’m starting final year next week and, like I do every year, I did a big shop to stock up on food. So I thought I’d start with a post about healthy foods you should always have in your cupboards.

For anyone like me who doesn’t have a supermarket within walking distance to their apartment, these foods come in really handy to bulk up meals, or to make a meal themselves.

 

  • Oats. My go to breakfast for weekday mornings is porridge. It’s so quick to make when you’re in a rush (which I usually am) and keeps you full ‘til lunchtime so you can concentrate in class or work.
  • Rice, pasta, quinoa… basically whatever carbs you like to have with your meals. These will always get used up, and won’t go off if they’re dry, so you don’t have to worry about wasting them. I like to bulk buy these at the beginning of the year so I don’t run out for a while.
  • Eggs. I love eggs! I think they’re the most versatile food you can have for any meal or as a snack. There are so many ways you can eat eggs; fried, boiled, poached, baked, omelette, frittata, or my personal favourite; egg muffins. Just add in whatever veg you have lying around and you’ve got yourself a meal.
  • Frozen fruit and veg. These are usually relatively cheap and since they won’t go off anytime soon, you can buy a few and have a variety in the fruit a veg you eat.
  • Canned vegetables. If you’re like me and don’t have much freezer space in college, canned vegetables are really handy! I try to keep some peas, corn, chopped tomatoes and a variety of beans in my cupboard to add to last minute meals, or, if you’re really stuck; you can’t go wrong with beans on toast.
  • Dried lentils. These can be added to any kind of meal to stretch them further and add some protein and fibre. They cook quickly and are far cheaper and tastier than canned lentils.
  • Seasoning. Basil, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Five spice, Oregano, Paprika, Pepper, Salt, Thyme. I also think garlic and ginger purees are really useful for stir fry’s and curries, but they’re not essential.
  • Passata. This is just a plain tomato sauce that you can add spices and vegetables to, in order to make whatever kind of dish you want.
  • Coconut milk and curry paste. Both of these are great for making a quick curry after college, just add some frozen veg and chickpeas and you’re set!
  • Soy sauce. It’s essential for stir fry’s, one of the fastest dish to make and full of veg!

Welcome!

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Hello and thank you so much for coming to my blog!

I’ve wanted to make this blog for a while but kept putting it off for different reasons. But, I’ve finally mustered up the courage to start!

I think everyone can eat healthily no matter how little time or money they have, so I want to share recipes that can be made quickly and won’t break the bank, without sacrificing the flavour. While I don’t advocate any particular diet, I usually avoid dairy and gluten as I’m sensitive to both, but my recipes can be used by anyone; just use the regular ingredients instead of the substitutes

I’ll be posting recipes, my ramblings on nutrition, meal prep ideas and some tips and tricks for eating healthily.

I’m going to start off with a four week ‘Back to College’, hope you enjoy!