Life Box Spring Cleanse

Sometimes, you've just got to treat yo'self. After I ran a PB in the Sheffield Half Marathon last weekend, I was definitely in the mood for some treating, and why the hell not. I earned it. 

Feeling all virtuous and totally kick ass, I ordered one of Life Box's food packages, crammed full of clean treats and much more. Life Box are a food subscription box service offering super good for you super foods delivered in a box of joy. Let's face it, we're all always hugely busy, so subscription services like this really hit the mark when it comes to trying to keep healthy on the go. Now, the boxes may be little pricey, but are a great way to introduce yourself to some things you might not have heard of (wtf is yacon?), whilst teaching you about the health benefits and encouraging to make treats for yourself out of the box contents.

I ordered the Vegan Spring Cleanse box - absolutely perfect for how I'm approaching food at the moment (ain't no dairy up in here).

I am so behind LB's ethos - they only source products from brands who share their same passion for health and wellbeing, and any product within an LB food box must comply with two of their rules: UK-based, refined sugar free, organic, GMO free, raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, wheat free and no preservatives or additives. So you know that anything in these boxes is going to be hella good for your health.

I'm not going to lie, I love getting parcels delivered (feels like Christmas, non?) and was actually surprised at how hefty the box was when it arrived, and now I know why. It contains a huge selection goodness; from Sister & Co's coconut oil (perfect for cooking, and hair, skin and nail treatments) to matcha green tea and raw cacao - brilliantly convenient bits and bobs for a hectic lifestyle. However, some of favourite components are LB's own pre-mixed packets, encouraging you to make-your-own and learn about the health benefits along the way. The Spring Cleanse box comes with mixes for Chia Seed Jam (already soaking ready for making up as I type), and Flaxseed Crackers, which may sound a little dull but the mix is crammed full of fibre-packed seeds - essential for good digestion.

I really can't recommend Life Box enough - sure it may be a little pricey for a subscription box but the lovingly sourced and selected goodies inside are 100% worth it and you'll discover some healthy gems you might not have heard of before. Win all round.

Have you tried Life Box before? 

Paleo Sweet Potato Bread

As part of my gluten-free, dairy-free, caffeine-free (fun-free?) diet, I've been experimenting with exciting and just-as-good-as substitutes for some everyday favourites.

We all love bread, right? So if bread doesn't like you, then this could be just the thing. Enter Paleo Sweet Potato Bread. Ground almonds? Good. Eggs? Good. Sweet potatoes? Gooood. This is based on food babe Madeleine Shaw's version, but with a couple of tweaks for a bit of a twist.

This bread is very light and almost soufflé-esque in consistency and manages to feel luxurious and super filling at the same time. All of the bready satisfaction with none of the bloat. And it's paleo and gluten-free to boot. Score.

This recipe calls for steamed sweet potatoes but I actually used some that we chucked on the barbecue over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and the flesh had such a lovely smokey quality to it that I knew it would add a fantastic richness to the bread.

A fuss-free recipe, all you literally need to do is to whack everything together in a food processor, pop it in the oven and 1.5 hours later, you a have some lovely, light and airy loaf.

What you'll need:

• 400g steamed and pureed sweet potatoes (or use barbecued like I did)
• 300g ground almonds (I used a mixture of dried and leftover pulp from homemade almond milk)
• 4 free range eggs
• Pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt
• 50g coconut oil, softened
• 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1. Whizz together the sweet potato puree, eggs and oil in a food processor.
2. Add in the ground almonds, baking powder and salt and mix until until thoroughly combined.
3. Line a loaf tin with baking parchment and pour in the potato mixture, topping with the pumpkin seeds.
4. Bake for between 1 hour 15 mins - 1 hour 30 mins.
5. When golden brown, remove from the oven and leave for an hour to cool before slicing.

A perfect loaf, packed full of goodness.

I'm always on the look for healthier versions of everyday staples, so hit me up with your favourite recipes.

Clean Easter Treats

My feed has been full to the brim of healthy Easter recipes recently, so I thought I'd pop up a bit of a round-up of the top treats I've seen to make and bake this weekend.

1. Honestly Healthy's Raw Chocolate Eggs
These are right up my street. I am a huge fan of Natasha's blog and books, and these chocolatey coconutty desserts are just the ticket for a weekend notoriously packed with sweet treats. Sugar free and rich in cacao for a proper chocolate hit.

2. Madeleine Shaw's Paleo Chia Hot Cross Buns

Chia seeds really are the thing. Full of high quality protein and fibre, they are hugely versatile little guys as alpha babe Madeleine has shown here. I'll be having my hot cross buns with some melted coconut butter (if you haven't already tried this on regular toast already, get it in your life!)

3. IQS Hot Cross cookies

I have to admit these really don't look very attractive (cardboard, anyone?), however they're packed with warming spices and flavoured with orange and vanilla. Reach for one of these with a cup of chai over the Easter weekend.

4. Deliciously Ella's Easter Eggs

Cacao treats with a dreamy sounding cashew and vanilla butter? Sweet mother of god, if you make anything clean for Easter, then definitely make these. The cacao butter mixture acts as the egg shell with the homemade cashew butter filling the hollow. Totally clean, totally delicious.

Have you seen any clean treats to make over the four-day weekend? Send some links my way.

Clean Salted Caramel Smoothie

My friend Kate told me about a smoothie recipe she'd concocted ages ago, and as soon as she said the words 'salted caramel', I was obviously sold. Now, this isn't an exact recipe as such, as her creation was a bit of an experiment, but sometimes the best things come out of whacking anything together in the blender. This is totally different to any other smoothies I usually make (no greens here) but I know it's going to be a firm favourite from now on.

The key ingredient to the butterscotchy taste is lucuma powder, which is anti-inflammatory, packed with iron, and contains boat loads of carotene - essential for healthy eyes and supple skin.

I've tried to recreate the milkshake-like drink here and have added a couple of other bits and bobs in to put my stamp on it. My word, it's like a creamy, silky, salted caramel pudding. *wolf whistle*

It does require a tiny bit of prep in terms of the roasted butternut squash, but seriously, it's all the better for it.

Homemade Almond Milk

Today sees the first in the series of The Weekend Edition. I'll be posting under this tag every Sunday morning, with something food-related to get your Sunday kick-started. Sometimes it'll be all about clean-eating, sometimes it'll be something downright dirty - that's just how I roll. First up, homemade almond milk.