healthy treat – CLARE HOPKINS

Avocado Brownies? You’re missing out if you haven’t had these

March 22, 2019May 1, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, FOOD, HEALTHTagged avocado, baking, brownie, chocolate, dessert, HEALTH, healthy, healthy treat, keto, ketogenic, nutrition, recipe, snacks, weight loss2 Comments

There’s no denying that avocado is the best breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack food available. But who says it can’t be used as a dessert?

Recently I have been playing around with avocado based desserts, and I took inspiration from a post I saw for brownies made for the Ketogenic diet (high fat/protein, low carb).

I ended up modifying the recipe – more towards my taste preferences – and since I’m not following the keto diet, I did add in some honey (which you might want to swap for monk fruit or stevia, if you are looking for lower carb options).

I will admit my first go was very underwhelming. I completely missed the mark on the sweetness, so brownies tasted more like buttery dirt.

But, practice makes perfect, and after many flops I have formulated a avo-brownie recipe that is undeniably healthy. You will need:

1 medium avocado
1/4 cup nut butter – I love peanut Mayver’s butter
3 eggs
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
Cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp cacao nibs
2 tbsp warm honey (less sticky)

Mix everything (except cacao nibs) together in a blender until it is smooth and creamy, and press into a brownie pan. Sprinkle the cacao nibs and cinnamon on top.

Pop into an oven at 180˚C and bake for 20 mins.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Macro-nutrients	1 serving of avo-brownie (recipe makes 12)
Calories	150
Protein	4g
Carbohydrates	7g
Sugar	3g
Fat	12g

Delicious Healthy Hot Chocolate Recipe

November 26, 2018April 23, 2020Posted in CHRISTMAS, FOOD, HEALTHTagged chocolate, Colourpot, delicious, double d, enjoy, HEALTH, healthy recipe, healthy treat, hot chocolate, Low calorie, maple syrup, mint, weight lossLeave a comment

Christmas is coming… and although its the time to indulge in all your favourite treats, I love to have some healthy dessert alternatives that I can enjoy without experiencing the mood swings and skin breakouts that excess sugar gives me. See the science behind this here.

When curating the ingredients for my healthy hot chocolate, my goal was to get that rich chocolate flavour whilst avoiding added sugar. The drink is around 50 calories per serving.

The recipe requires pure cacao powder, which is rich in polyphenols providing some key health benefits: reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and lowering blood sugar levels.

You will need:

2 tbsp cacao powder
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp sugar free maple syrup
Mint leaves
Chopped up Double d Sugar Free Marshmallows

Method:

Add cacao, milk, vanilla essence, cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup to a pot and bring to a simmer
Pinch the mint leaves until limp and throw into the pot
Stir all ingredients until mixture is warm and powders are well combined (2-3 minutes)
Take mint leaves out of the top of the drink and discard (or leave in for something extra on top
Garnish with chopped healthy marshmallows

Let me know if you try it out! Enjoy!

Attempting to make Raw Vegan ‘Cheese’ Cakes

January 21, 2016April 14, 2020Posted in ALL POSTS, FOODTagged baking, cheesecake, Clare Hopkins, cupcake, dessert, HEALTH, healthy dessert, healthy treat, homemade, raw, raw treats, raw vegan, recipe, veganLeave a comment

I’m not a vegan, and definitely not a raw vegan, but I’ve recently wanted to educate myself on the diet by trying out some recipes.

Yes that’s no animal products, by-products, and nothing can be cooked. Check out YouTuber Kate Flower’s who follows the raw vegan diet, and provides lots of insight into the lifestyle.

I decided to challenge myself to create a raw vegan ‘cheese’ cake recipe. I took inspiration from Choosing Chia‘s recipe and The Loopy Whisk’s post, to guide me and make sure they weren’t a complete flop.

What’s important in this recipe is the fruit! Add more berries to the topping for more flavour.

You will need:

1/2 cup cashews
1/3 cup Medjool dates
3/4 cup white quinoa
Slice of lemon
1 teaspoon coconut oil
6 heaped teaspoons coconut yogurt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Half tablespoon maple syrup
blueberries for topping
raspberries for topping

Method
Base

Soak dates in boiling water for 15 minutes
Line cupcake tray with casings
Drain dates
Put dates and cashews in blender and blend until a paste forms.
Press paste into bottom of cupcake casings and put in fridge

‘Cheese’ Cake

Blend white quinoa, juice of the lemon, coconut oil, yogurt, coconut milk until smooth and creamy
Empty mix into a bowl
Mix in vanilla extract (more can be added depending on desired taste)
Pour mixture into cupcake casings on top of base.
Place raspberries and blueberries on top of cakes
Place in freezer for 4 hours