Almond and Apricot muesli bars

3 cups (300g) rolled oats

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup maple syrup

 ½ cup diced dried apricots

 ½ cup currants

½ cup almonds, chopped

 ½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

Combine all ingredients.

Line a 30cm x 20cm slice tin with baking paper and press mixture in.

Bake for 25 minutes or until starting to turn golden.

Nutrition information (per bar): Kilojoules: 949kJ (220cal) Protein: 6g Carbohydrate: 22g Fat: 12g Saturated fat: 2g Fibre: 4g Sodium: 21mg

Choc, date and cashew energy squares

These choc, date and cashew energy squares are easy to prepare providing a boost of energy (from nourishing ingredients) to help fuel any active persons day.

This recipe was inspired by a challenge set by Runners World magazine (where I am a regular contributor) to create DIY no bake energy bars to fuel runners! 

 Ingredients:

2 cups of pitted dates (soak for about 1 hour to help with processing if you have time)

1 cup of rolled oats

½ cup of chopped dried apricots

2 cups of cashew nuts

½ cup of cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. water+ a dash of water for processing dates

¼ tsp. salt

Method

Pulse oats until finely ground then put aside.

Pulse dates in a food processor with a dash of water until they become a smooth paste.

Add ground oats, apricots, cashew nuts, cocoa powder, water and salt and pulse until everything is combined.

Line a 20cm x 20cm tray with glad wrap, leaving enough overhang on one side to wrap over the top of the mixture once in.

Pour the mixture into the tray.

Wrap the mixture with the glad wrap and firmly press into the tray and flatten with the back of a spatula.

Put into the fridge overnight and then cut them up into 16 squares.

These will keep in the fridge for approximately one week.

* Try adding 1 tsp of orange essence or orange oil to the mix to change up the flavour.

 Nutrition per bar: 918 kilojoules, 25g carbs, 4g fibre, 5g protein, 10g fat

The MuffQuin - Made with Love from Leftovers

Yes you read right, this post is about a little snack that was dubbed the muffQuin by my good friend Nancy. This snack was born when I had some leftover quinoa and vegetables at the end of the week.

As a child I was always aware of the environment and encouraged my family to recycle.  As I have grown and matured I have adapted these traits to my eats. I always look for opportunities to use leftovers from meals or produce that will soon perish. It often means that left over roasted veggies are made into slices or omelettes, or older vegetables are made into soups or thrown into those always interesting “one pots.”

When I had some leftover quinoa and sautéed sweet potato and kale I knew I could do something a little more interesting than add it to my salad (although this is a good option too).

Lets start with how I made the sautéed sweet potato and kale because this dish is enough to write about in itself. This dish is a great side to any meal and adds a good punch of nutrients with a great taste to say the least.

Sautéed sweet potato and kale

Ingredients

Approximately 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (type as you desire)

1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 handful of kale, leaves cut from stems and roughly chopped 

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

¼ of a teaspoon of paprika

1/2 of a teaspoon of cumin

1/2 of a teaspoon of ground coriander seeds

Method

Heat oil in a pan over medium to high heat.

Add sweet potato and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently.

Add chilli, garlic, cumin and ground coriander, a dash of water and stir through sweet potato for a couple of minutes.

Add kale and continue to stir frequently for ~5 minutes or until the kale starts to shrink.

I served this with a lamb roast, green beans and a quinoa salad.

With the left overs I made these MuffQuins…

Ingredients - Makes 6 MuffQuins

1 cup of sweet potato and kale mixture (although I am sure you could use any leftover roasted veggies or tinned corn and with some spices).

1 cup of cooked quinoa

2 eggs

¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese

Cracked pepper to season

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl.

Add quinoa, vegetables, cheese and season with pepper.

Lightly grease muffin moulds.

Evenly distribute mixture into 6 muffin moulds.

Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes.

These are tasty, nutrient dense snacks with approximately 5g of protein, 10g of carbohydrate and 365 kilojoules (87 calories).

 Bon Appetit