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.

April Goals

Bit late on this one aren't I? But better late than never.

This month, I have a ton going on including some exciting challenges and I really want to knuckle down and get April cracked. Some of these goals are more ongoing than anything but good to get them down in writing so I can begin tracking them effectively.

#1 Run a half marathon
This weekend, I'm heading off to Sheffield with my mum to run the Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon. I haven't done as much training as I normally would do for a half marathon in terms of time on legs, but I've been doing different sorts of training. I'm pretty confident I'll do an OK time, just not a sub-2 hour race, but I can definitely live with that. I'll keep you posted on how the whole thing pans out and how I'll be recovering afterwards. 

#2 Up my weights
I've been doing group PT sessions since about September last year, twice a week, which I absolutely love. For me, doing group sessions spurs me on more than working out alone, and I have a really good group who I train with regularly which helps. I've made a huge improvement even since September, but I want to get a bit more serious now and see what my body is capable of. Bring on those deadlifts and gainz.

#3 Re-educate
I'm training to be a Diet and Nutrition Advisor, which is ridiculously exciting and something I've wanted to do for a long while now. My love for wellbeing and healing through nutrition has reached new heights over the past 18 months, and rather than watch from the outside, I want in on a world where I can advise people on bespoke nutrition plans and re-educate on how different foods impact the body. Don't worry, I'm not going to become all preachy on the matter - for me it's all about a healthy balance and this is something I want to incorporate into everything I do. I'm studying part-time with Stonebridge, as recommended by lovely Laura over at Wholeheartedly Healthy and thoroughly enjoying it so far. 

#4 Cut out dairy
I’ve got some nasty ongoing throat issues thanks to a double hit of laryngitis last year, which resulted in me losing my voice completely for around 3 weeks. I’m having speech therapy to combat some of the more technical sound bits of the condition, however, I’m also cutting out dairy for the rest of the month to see how my throat (and general wellbeing) responds. I have to say this is hard work (gimme a flat white, please) but I’m very into how different types of food affect the body, and as dairy is a natural inflammatory, I'm experimenting with giving it up to see if it's worthwhile in the long run.

#5 Become a yogi
I've dabbled in a bit of yoga in the past, but never full committed myself to the cause. On a quest to complement my strength training and gets those abs firmed up, I want to start throwing in a a couple of yoga sessions here and there. This month, I'll be breaking myself in and following some yoga videos on YouTube (big up Yoga with Adriene, thanks Anna for the tip). Also this means I can buy some snaz new workout gear which is always good #spendy.

What are your goals for this month?

March Favourites | Lifestyle

It's time for a gold old healthy dose of monthly favourites.

March has mainly been a month for food and pouring over recipes and lifestyle tips, both online and in print. I'm finding myself doing a lot more research into food and food components since I've started my course to become a Diet and Nutrition Advisor, and am thoroughly enjoying the learning process on the way. I've included a couple of favourite food discoveries I've picked up on in the last few weeks here so step on in and enjoy.

Energising Blueberry & Cacao Smoothie

Easter. It happened. We ate too much chocolate and indulged in a bit too much Bank Holiday booze in the sunshine. 

To get back on track after all of the treats, I whipped up this smoothie following a run along the coast. Packed with rich cacao, you still get a lovely post-Easter chocolatey hit without the guilt, and the addition of the maca and and bee pollen, both of which are full of vitamin B and energy enhancing properties, this super smoothie is the perfect way to get you back into the swing of your healthy eating.

Energising Blueberry & Cacao Smoothie

Makes 2 small glasses

• 100ml homemade cashew milk (method coming soon)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tbsp Sunwarrior Protein powder
• 1 tsp maca powder
• 100g frozen blueberries
• 50ml chilled filtered water
• 1 tsp local bee pollen

All you need to do is whizz all of the ingredients, reserving the bee pollen, together in a blender. Pour into a glass, top with the bee pollen and there you have it. Use local bee pollen wherever possible, as this is greater for tackling hayfever symptoms and boosting the immune system.

How are you rebooting after an indulgent Easter weekend?

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.