ENDLESS SUMMER ENERGY BALLS:

Uh oh it's that time of year. Did you know that about six percent of us suffer from seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.)? The “winter blues” can cause extreme tiredness, an intense craving for carbs (especially sweets), irritability, weight gain, and the desire to avoid social situations. 

Luckily we can go into damage control and agreat way to combat S.A.D. is through your diet! Avoiding sugars, eating lots of Omega-3 fats, foods containing Tryptophan, folic acid, lean proteins, and unprocessed foods are excellent for boosting your mood and energy. Here are the top foods that you should be sneaking into your daily diet.

Dark leafy greens

Dark chocolate

Blueberries

Walnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds

Salmon, Trout, Mackeral

Turkey, chicken breast, pumpkin (all great sources of Tryptophan)

Sooooo here comes my endless summer balls to save the day.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup flaxseeds

1 cup walnuts

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup shredded Coconut

1 scoop (21g) of Collagen beauty greens by Vital proteins (this can be substituted for another brand green supplement)

2 scoops (60g) vanilla vegan protein powder

HOW:

• take a medium size mixing bowl and combine the collagen greens, coconut and protein powder
• In a bullet quickly whiz around the seeds, walnuts and blueberries until combined.
• All the contents of the bullet to the bowl and mix throughly.
• Time to start ballin'! Take a tbs of the mixture at a time and start rolling the balls, the balls should be about 1 inch in diameter. After they are rolled roll them again in cacao powder to help seal them up.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge and say a giant buh-byeeeeee to S.A.D

SWORDFISH CEVICHE

​Summer may have come to an end however my love of fresh meals that leave you feeling oh so good will never die. Ceviche will always be a favorite of mine; it's healthy, it's super simple but impresses friends and lovers and tasty AF. What is it? It's originally a Latin American recipe for raw fish and seafood marinated in citrus juice, mainly lime and lemon juice. The acid in the citrus juice "cooks" the proteins in the fish, it appearing opaque and cooked but essentially it's raw. This is another recipe that can be an entire meal if made for two or served as a pre dinner snack to impress friends with corn chips and a killer sangria, I mean there's just so many options!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb raw swordfish

Juice of 2 limes

1 jalapeno finely sliced

1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro

1/2 cup freshly chopped mint

7 oz lite coconut milk

1/4 cup shaved coconut

HOW:

- Take a super sharp knife to the swordfish fillet and slice it as thin as possible, cutting into pieces roughly an inch in length and 1/8 of an inch thick. Place in a medium sized bowl.

- Cover the swordfish with the lime juice, add the sliced jalapeno, stir and leave for 20mins.

- While this is "cooking" in the lime juice , take a frypan heat to a medium heat and "toast" the coconut. This process is actually quite quick so keep an eye on it. As soon as the coconut flakes start to change in color and lightly brown take it off the heat and place in a bowl to cool, this will also insure that it won't continue to cook in the hot pan even though the heat is turned off.

- Once the 20mins is up, add the coconut milk, cilantro and mint and make sure it is all stirred through. Yup this bad boy is ready to serve- how easy was that?!

- Serve in stemless wine glasses or drinking glasses (this has a super impressive effect while portioning it perfectly) Top the ceviche with the toasted coconut and you are ready to rock! This can be served with alone in a glass or with a side of tortilla chips and eaten together.

if serving 2:

Calories: 352

Protein : 45

Carbs: 6

Sugar: 2.5

Fat: 15

TURMERIC GOLDEN BALLS

Turmeric is a super food that you need to get friendly with! It works as an anti-inflammatory, packed full of anti oxidants, great for gut health, to strengthen your immunity, boost energy levels all while lowering your blood sugar.

Ahhhh sign me up. Turmeric on EVERYTHING!

INGREDIENTS

4 scoops vanilla vegan protein

1 cup apple sauce

2 tbs coconut oil

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/3 cup of desiccated coconut 

1/4 cup flaked almonds

1 heaped tbs turmeric + extra for rolling

2 tsp ginger powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs almond meal

1 pinch of black pepper

HOW:

- Combine all dry ingredients except the nuts in a medium mixing bowl

- Roughly chop the raw cashews & sliced almonds, add to the bowl and combined thoroughly. These are going to be key for texturally exciting balls.

- Add wet ingredients to the bowl and mix until a dough like mix is formed.

- Now it's time to start Rollin'. Take a heaped tbs of the mix, roll in to balls about 1 inch in diameter. After you've rolled your balls lightly dust the balls/coat them in the remainder of the turmeric.

- Store the balls in an air tight container in the fridge, this will keep them fudge like.

- Enjoy the balls as a guilt free pre or post workout snack or just on the go.

PEANUT CHOC CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BITES

Cookie dough bites that are good for you?! Umm whaaaat?! Yup, this Another one that falls into the glutenfree, sugar free, paleo, vegan and chemical free categories. Generally I'm a huge fan of a protein ball but I have to admit that these would have to be up there with the best that I've had. Packed full of protein and good fats these balls are a great energy boost and free of any nasties. Super quick and easy to make annnnnnd they taste so god damn good it might be hard to keep them around for long.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup pb2 powder
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup apple sauce
1 tbs lacuma powder
3/4 cup vegan vanilla protein
2 tbs desiccated coconut
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cacao nibs

HOW:
- Take the peanuts and the cashews and give them a quick 5 Sec whiz in a bullet Bullet blender. The idea is to keep them rough and chunky, this will keep your balls texturally exciting. Transfer them to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add the remainder of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir until combined.
- Add the apple sauce and get mixing! The mixture should start to be getting a little dough like. You want this to stay on the dryer side but still mould-able. If it's too dry add 1 tbs of water and stir again.
- It's now time to be a baller and get Rollin'! Aim for balls about 1 inch or so in diameter. The mix should make around 15-17 balls depending on size.
- Store in an air tight container in the fridge and enjoy!

Nutritional info:
Serves 17
Calories: 112
Carbs: 5
Fat: 8
Protein: 6
Sugar:2

VEGAN MATCHA PROTEIN TRUFFLES

I'm all about the superfoods and these bad boys are packed with them!! I'm convinced the more I eat I get closer and closer to becoming a super hero right?! 😜

These babies tick all the boxes, they are paleo, vegan, gluten free and sugar-free which makes them the perfect afternoon pick me up and will fill that chocolate craving or even as a pre workout energy boost. I've perfected the recipe so no the matcha does not taste "too green" or like dirt. 

Ok so here's a quick run down on our key players here.

Matcha: Matcha is the queen bee of superfoods. 100% pure organic green tea leaves ground into powder. It contains up to 137 times the antioxidants of regular green tea, a great metabolic and energy boost.

Coconut oil: Ahhh hello weight loss friendly fat. Yes fat can be your friend! It contains a unique combination of fatty acids with powerful positive effects on metabolism. It's also a great energy source too. 

Lacuma powder: not only is his guy high is beta-carotene and iron but it's also a sugar free natural sweetener that has crazy delicious caramel vibes.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BALLS

4 tbs coconut oil 

1.5 tbs matcha powder 

3/4 cup apple sauce 

1 cup vanilla vegan pea protein

1/2 cup desiccated coconut 

1 tbs lacuma 

1/4 cashew butter 

2 tbs water 

FOR THE CHOC:

2 tbs coconut oil

4 tbs cacao powder 

HOW:

- Combine all dry ingredients for the balls in a bowl

- Add coconut oil, apple sauce, cashew butter and water. Fold til a dough like mix is formed

- Roll into balls about 1 inch or so big 

- Place balls on a plate in the fridge

Now for the choc coating! 

- Melt the coconut oil over a low heat, place in a ramekin

- Add cacao powder and mix until a melted chocolate consistency is formed

- Take balls from fridge, one at a time dip in the choc mix, place on plate top with a pinch of desiccated coconut and matcha powder

- Keep in an air tight container in the fridge

- Too easy 💚💚💚💚💚💚

NUTRITION INFO:

Serves: 15

Calories per serve: 130

Carbs: 7

Fat: 8

Protein: 9

Sugar: 2

RAW VEGAN CASHEW RASPBERRY PROTEIN BALLS

INGREDIENTS:P

1/2 cup cashew butter

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

1 & 1/2 cups fresh raspberries 

1 cup vanilla vegan protein powder

1/4 cup coconut oil melted

HOW:

- In a medium mixing bowl mash the raspberries with a fork, until liquefied.

- Add cashew butter and coconut oil and stir until completely folded through

- In a separate bowl, combine the coconut and vegan protein powder

- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a couple of tablespoons at a time folding through each time until both mixes are combined into a thick dough like mix.

- Roll your balls! About roughly an inch in diameter. Store in a sealed container in the fridge and BOOM.

VEGAN SUPER GREEN MATCHA PROTEIN BALLS

Yup I'm a total baller these days and my body has been craving all the green things to fight the cold and keep me on my A-game! 

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 coco oil

1/2 cup flax meal

2 packets of spruce by @eboost

1/2 cup apple sauce

1tsp matcha powder

2 scoops vegan vanilla protein powder (I'm using proper protein) 

1/2 cup cashew butter

How:

- combine all dry ingredients in a bowl

- Add coco oil, apple sauce and cashew butter and fold til a dough like mix is made

- Roll into balls about 1 inch or so big

- Roll into desiccated coconut and keep in the fridge.

- Too easy 💚💚💚💚💚💚

VEGAN LAMINGTON PROTEIN BALLS:

Ok so I'm getting all patriotic over here in NYC and have recreated an allergy/ healthy version of an Aussie classic; THE LAMINGTON. For those who have no idea what a Lamington is, let me enlighten you. It's a cube of vanilla sponge, dipped in chocolate then rolled in coconut and it's insanely delicious but sadly not so good for you. So I didn't get the cube part down pat but it ticks all the nerdy health freak boxes (#paleo #glutenfree #vegan #sugarfree and #dairyfree) making them more or less guilt free!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup vegan vanilla protein

1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes

1.5 tbs mct powder (optional)

1/4 cup almond meal

1 tbs mesquite powder

8 tbs melted coconut oil

1/4 cup desicated coconut + extra for rolling

2 heaped tbs of cacao powder

1/4 cup water

HOW:

- Whiz the 1/2 cup cashews in a blender for 30 seconds so they are not completely blended

- In a small bowl combine the 2 tbs of cacao with 4 tbs of the melted coconut oil, this should make a smooth chocolatey syrup type consistency. Set this aside this is to coat your balls after they have been made

- In a medium sized bowl, combine all of the remaining dry ingredients.

- Add 4 tbs of coconut oil and half of the water and mix thoroughly. We are aiming for a dry dough like mix, slowly add the rest of the water if needed to achieve this. 

- Rollin' time! Take the mix and roll into balls about 1 & 1/2 inches in diameter as you finish rolling each ball, place in a bowl in the fridge.

- Once all of the balls are rolled it's time to coat these delicious things in the choc. Dip one at a time in the choc then into desiccated coconut. Place on a plate and then into the fridge for the choc to harden.  Store in a sealed container in the fridge and try not to eat them all in one sitting!

COCONUT BERRY CAKE PROTEIN BALLS 😍🍰💪🏼

INGREDIENTS: 💁🏻

2 tbs coconut water powder

1 cup @properprotein coconut vegan protein

1/4 almond meal

1 tbs mesquite powder

1/4 cup chopped raspberries and black berries

1/2 cup water

HOW:

-Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl

-Add water and stir until a dough like mix is formed

-Add berries to the mix and gold through

-Roll into balls and roll into desiccated coconut, refrigerate and Ball so hard.

CHOC TRUFFLE PROTEIN CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS:

Yep- be afraid. I'm really getting into the spirit 😂🎅🏼🎄

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup soaked cashews 
5 dates 
3/4 cup Chocolate vegan @properprotein 1/3 cup desiccated coconut 
3 tbs apple sauce 
3/4 cup of water 
1 tsp cinnamon 
1 tbs Maca powder 
2 tbs cacao 

HOW:
- combine all dry ingredients in a bowl
- In a blender blend cashews and dates
- Add all wet ingredients to dry bowl of ingredients and combine until a thick rich doughy fudge is formed. 
- Roll into balls and then in cacao

COCONUT FROSTING:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut cream 
3 drops stevia
- BLEND

Top balls with frosting, mini mint leaves me chopped up goji berries for holly and Tadaaaaa mini Christmas ‪#‎protein‬ puddings

CACAO CHERRY FUDGE BALLS

Balls for daaaaaays. Protein balls have quickly become my staple daily snack at the moment, I mean why wouldn't they? I know exactly what's going in them, it's clean energy, perfect for on the go and to make a batch probably takes all of 8mins.

CHERRY CHOC BALLS:

1 cup blended cherries

1 cup almond meal

2 scoops choc vegan protein

1/2 cup desicated coconut

1 tablespoon MCT powder (boosts metabolism, improves brain function annnnd gives you energy!) *this can be left out

1/2 cup golden flax meal

1 tbs cacao

HOW:  

- combine all dry ingredients

- Add blended cherries to the mix and stir until a dough like mix is form.

- Roll into balls

- Roll in additional desicated coconut or cacao powder.

DAIRY FREE TOASTED COCONUT STRAWBERRY SWIRL ICE CREAM!

When you are allergic to everything, on top of being healthy, pigging out on ice cream is still sometimes SOOO important. I had a moment where it was 100% necessary, hence this recipe being created! 

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I wanted it super healthy and to pack a punch. 👊I am currently using @proteinworld Slender blend, if you are #vegan #dairyfree or #Paleo I would use @vega_team Protein and greens) 

- Blend 1/2 cup of strawberries with 1/4 cup of almond milk

- take 3 tbs of strawberry mix and place it into the coconut yoghurt mix

- stir once so it doesn't quite blend, this will create a swirl 🌀

- Place in freezer for two hrs or until frozen❄️

- Once ready to serve scoop out, top with toasted coconut and BOOM. Dairy free, Paleo, Gluten free, Sugar free goodness. 😁🍧

VANILLA CINNAMON DAIRY FREE CHIA PUDDING

Guilt free, vegan, paleo, sugar free, gluten free and dairy free this guy ticks all the boxes!

Chia seeds one incredibly nutrient dense "super food" high in fibre, protein, omega 3's and antioxidants they are certainly bang for buck as far as calorie spend is concerned. 

This pudding can be a dessert / breakfast / snack / I'm hangry and need something to fill me up and make me feel like I'm eating something treat like (really this couldn't be further from a treat so what a win!) 

 HOW: 

4 tables spoons chia seeds 

1 cup almond milk 

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp organic vanilla essence 

2 tablespoons of organic shredded coconut 1 tsp stevia (completely optional, I would make it without it first to taste, then add if you need) 

 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and leave for 15-20mins in the fridge while the seeds expand. 

 

Chop up a super ripe and delicious nectarine for garnish.

 

Transfer pudding into a glass, top with the nectarine slices and some shredded coconut and you've got it! 

CACAO CHERRY COCONUT AKA "CHERRY RIPE" SMOOTHIE

"Cherry Ripe" classic Aussie chocolate and this smoothie is about as close as it gets as far as a smoothie goes. Not a bad post workout recovery treat at all, so thick you'll need to eat it with a spoon (HUGE WIN!) annnnnnd with zero guilt. This bad boy will have to make a regular appearance I think. 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup of Frozen Cherries
1 cup of water
1 scoop of Vega protein and greens
1 tsp Cacao powder
1 tbs Cacao nibs
1 tbs shredded coconut

BLEND!!

PINEAPPLE BASIL PROTEIN BOWL

It's here, it's here! SPRING has finally hit NYC and I am beyond excited about it, so excited I celebrated with house flowers haha. 

This guy is fresh, delicious and takes all of maybe 3 mins to make.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped frozen Pineapple
1 scoop of Protein World Slender Blend (use a vegan protein for vegan & paleo option)
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbs freshly chopped Basil
1 tbs Chia seeds
1 tbs hemp seeds
1 tbs chopped dried young coconut

HOW:
- Combine Pineapple, protein, milk and water in a blender, blend till smooth.
- Pour in Bowl
- Garnish with Basil, Chia, Hemp seeds and coconut and ENJOY!

It's that simple.