Healthified Peanut Butter Cups

If you are a lover of Peanut Butter then this is a recipe for you.

This is also a recipe perfect for when you are craving a sweet treat but also kinda want to be healthy too, as all the ingredients are natural and free from any refined sugars and additives. They are easy to make with only 4 ingredients, taste great and are a fab alternative to the original Reese's cups.
Just try not to eat them all in one go...

Recipe

2-3tbsp Peanut Butter (or any other nut butter)

3/4 Cup of Cacao Powder

3/4 Cup melted Coconut Oil

3-4 Tbsp honey or maple syrup.

Method

1. To make the raw chocolate: Mix the Cacao powder, Coconut oil and sweetener.

2. Pour half the mix into cupcake cases in a tray. Place in the freezer for 5/10 mins,

3. Add 1tsp Peanut Butter to each of the cases and spread into a thin layer.

4. Pour the remaining chocolate over each case and shake the tray to ensure an even top,

5. Return to the freezer for 15 mins or so to harden.

Is this something you would enjoy?

Mary xo

Easy Overnight Oats

Who doesn't want a super simple yet incredibly satisfying breakfast on a cold winter morning?
I certainly do, which is why I am very happy with my discovery of overnight oats. A great thing about these is that you prepare the oats the night before, refrigerate and then all you have to do in the morning is add your preferred toppings, my favourites being banana and nut butter. Also this breakfast is the perfect healthy start to your day as oatmeal burns fat and is full of fibre to keep you full and satisfied until lunchtime.


Easy Overnight Oats Recipe:
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of almond milk (extra creamy texture) or water if you prefer
1tbsp Cacao powder( optional if you want a chocolatey version)

Method:
In a mason Jar or small bowl mix the oats and almond milk.
Refrigerate overnight
In the morning give the oats a good stir and either eat them cold or warm them in the microwave if you prefer.
Add a drizzle of honey
Add some nut butter
Top with fruit

Enjoy!!

Mary xo

Healthified Chocolate Orange Brownies

I am a massive chocoholic so when I found out that you can create sweet treats with raw cacao and natural sweeteners, that are actually good for you, I was very excited! Especially when they involve the dreamy combo of Chocolate and Orange.
I recently discovered Livia's Kitchen Blog where she shares her love for healthy eating and shows how it doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive and it can still be totally delicious. I really recommend to check out her blog for some amazing recipes, I am so obsessed with them all. She inspired me to make her raw chocolate orange brownies and they are so delicious and chocolatey, even I can't believe they are refined sugar free, raw and totally guilt free, Amazing right?

They are perfect for when you want that chocolate hit but don't want to indulge too much....

Ingredients:
For the Brownie: 

• 300g of Almonds Pulsed
• 6 tablespoons of Cacao Powder
• 200g of Dates
• 75g Maple Syrup
• Zest of two oranges

For the Frosting:

• 85g Almond Butter
• 40g Coconut Oil
• 30g syrup
• 2tablespoons of raw Cacao Powder
• 1/2 cup of orange Juice

For the topping(optional):

• Zest of an Orange

Method

• First pulse the almonds into a course flour in a food processor 
• Put all the remaining brownie ingredients into the food processor and whiz until all of them are combined. Once combined press firmly into a baking tin and ensure the mixture is even and flat.
• Next onto the frosting, mix all the ingredients in a food processor again and you should be left with a creamy runny chocolatey sauce. Spread this evenly over the brownie mix.
• Put the brownie tin in the fridge for a few hours to set.
• Add the topping and cut into brownie squares.

And Enjoy! So simple and easy to create!

Hope you like this recipe and let me know if you have ever made something similar?

Mary xo

Raw Cacao and Peanut Butter Bites

I have become a little bit obsessed with Deliciously Ella recently, I have been trying to eat healthier and she has really inspired me with her healthy and raw, yet amazingly delicious recipes. One thing I struggle with when trying to eat healthy is chocolate, I am a huge chocolate lover and find it difficult to curb my sweet tooth. Raw Cacao bites might just be my answer, they are rich-tasting, satisfy my cravings and are soo much better for you than a chocolate bar. Raw Cacao is full of the good stuff and is packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants, amazing right! They are also super simple and easy to make. This is my take and adaption of one of Deliciously Ella's recipes as I didn't have all the ingredients but I still think these taste yummy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2tbsp Raw Cacao Powder
1 cup of Dates
1tbsp Peanut Butter(optional)
2tbsp Almond Nut Butter
3 Tbsp water

Method
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor
Roll out and form balls 
Easy Peasy

I hope you enjoyed this post, has anyone tried Raw Cacao themselves, what do you think?

 Mary xo

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Best things about going back to UNI after a break

I love uni! It really is the best time of your life and after an extremely long Christmas break at home this year, I am desperate to return to my uni bubble. I shouldn't be complaining though as the only reason I have been able to stay at home for so long is because I have no exams wooo
However, I did find out yesterday that I have an essay I really should be doing, but, as I am the queen of procrastination I have decided to write this blog post instead.

1. Flatmates
You get to live with your besties all day everyday. They get you and you get them. When you are finally reunited after what seems like forever, nothing has really changed and everything just goes back to normal which is FAB. Living with 3 girls there is always someone around and only a door away if you need a gossip, bitch or someone to watch the new episode of Broadchurch with(how amazing is this show!?)

2. Spontaneity
Going out at home seems to take years of planning and often leads to staying in as nobody can be bothered to make the effort. But, at Uni this all changes and deciding to go out at 10pm is spontaneous and easy, and these nights often turn out to be the best!

3. DRUNK FOOD
One thing I have definitely missed is our drunken toast parties after a night out. It tastes sooo good at 3.30am and you never feel guilty because well, you were drunk.

4. Being lazy
and not being judged. At home you are constantly being made to feel guilty by your parents for not doing anything and you will get a disapproving look if you are still in your pj's when they come home from work. But at Uni it is just one constant sleepover and if you wear your pj's nonstop and don't leave the house for a couple of days no-one will really judge you. YAY

5. Getting ready for nights out
Now don't get me wrong I love the nights out but actually getting ready for the night out itself can sometimes be a little more exciting. Especially when you live with 3 girls and our rooms are only a few metres apart. You can have the music as loud as you want, you can drink whilst getting ready and you can decide as a group either heels or flats??

6. Routine
As well as all the fun things, it is nice to get some routine back in your life. Spending 24/7 in your house can get a bit boring and so I am looking forward to getting back to normality and having something to with my days.  

So yes take me back to uni please,(preferably when everyone has finished exams)so we can party and drink and forget that this is our last proper term at Uni because that makes me sad :(

Hope you enjoyed this random post! I would love to hear if anyone else is currently at Uni and whereabouts?

Love mary xo

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Marbled Nutella Banana Bread

How cute is this kitchen sign?

I like to pretend that I'm a little domestic goddess over here, however I am no Nigella and definitely too lazy to be given that title. I do enjoy a good baking session though and one of my fave things to bake is banana bread, it is so simple but at the same time so yummy and kinda healthy right? At the moment I have a slight obsession with Nutella, I spread it on nearly everything, so I decided to combine the two to make an incredible marble effect loaf. Who doesn’t love the combo of banana and chocolate.. tastes heavenly!

Recipe

You will need:

• ·  3 Large ripe bananas
• ·  130g salted butter
•   150g caster sugar
• ·  240g self-raising flour
• ·  2 eggs
• ·  Nutella to swirl into the mixture-the more the better
  

Method:

·   Set the oven to 180 degrees and grease a 9 inch loaf tin and set aside

·   Beat the butter and sugar together until you achieve a creamy consistency

·   Add the 2 eggs and Flour to the mixture and whisk altogether

should resemble something like this

     Mash the 3 bananas together and add to the mix, combining all the ingredients

·  Finally swirl as much Nutella as you please into the mixture creating a marble effect, don’t over mix so the swirls stay clearly defined.

·   Pop in the oven for 40-50 minutes, checking to see when a tester comes out clean.

·   Allow to cool for about 15 minutes

·   Eat warm and gooey and I like to serve mine with more Nutella.. im addicted don’t judge.

  As you can tell, mine came out a little more crisp than I would have liked,i'm going to blame it on the oven and not on the fact I got distracted watching more OITNB episodes, oops. 

  I also naughtily enjoyed this for my breakfast but added some strawberries to ease my conscience.

· Hope this has given you some baking inspo and you enjoyed this post!

xo