Fig & Vanilla Bliss Balls

Afternoon snack time comes around and every day we find ourselves with the predicament of trying to sidestep the dreaded office fundraiser chocolate box and try to convince ourselves to stick with the celery sticks and hummus instead. But let's be honest, vegetables cut into "fun size" and homemade bean dip can start to grate on your already-monotonous work routine. Clients ask me all the time for snack ideas on how to satisfy the afternoon sweet tooth munchies, without labour-intensive prep time or weird ingredients. This is one of my go-to snacks for afternoon tea time. I like to have 2 bliss balls with a cup of herbal tea or chai tea with almond milk.

Packed with healthy fats, protein and fibre these bad boys will leave you satisfied and keep you full until dinner time. Dried figs bring natural sweetness to this snack, and contains a good dose of calcium and iron, as well as vitamins A, E, and K.

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Ingredients: makes 12 bliss balls

4-5 dried figs
¾ cup almonds
½ cup oats
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 heaped tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1-2 tablespoons liquid sweetener (rice malt syrup/raw honey)
Optional: 1 scoop protein powder (I use natural Sunwarrior or Boomers)

Method:

Whizz it all up in a blender until finely chopped. The consistency should be dry touch but moist enough to roll into a ball and stick together. If it is too dry, add more sweetener. If it is too moist, add more almonds or coconut. Roll into balls and refrigerate. Enjoy with a cup of herbal tea.

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Nutrition Information for 1 Bliss Ball: 480 kJ (114 cal) 4g protein 6g fat 9g carbohydrate 3.5g fibre

PS: I had one of these crumbled over my creamy almond milkshake for breakfast a few days ago, and oh my! It was so delicious! Here is what it looked like:

Creamy Almond Milkshake topped with fig & vanilla bliss ball

Would you like more recipes like these?

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Baked Pears with Banana & Almond Butter Ice Cream

This dessert is satisfying, warming, and delicious - everything you want in a winter dessert. This is my kind of food, because it tastes naughty but is actually VERY healthy. And who doesn't want guilt-free indulgences right? Especially when the weather is getting chilly!

The main feature of this dessert is the pear. I am a bit obsessed with pears at the moment. They are really cheap at my local farmers market and I love how versatile they are. You can use them in smoothies, grate them into bircher muesli, add thin slices to a lunchtime salad, or even as a marinade for meat (think Korean food....yummmm). They're delicious added to freshly squeezed green juices too (I love kale, cucumber, lemon, and pear).

And of course, as a dietitian, I love pears for their high fibre content - a whopping 7g of fibre in one pear! We all need at least 30 grams of fibre per day, so you can see that eating a pear a day pushes things along nicely (literally)!

Ingredients for pears (makes a large batch)

5 ripe fresh pears cinnamon 1 cup of warm water ~ 10 drops Organic liquid stevia drops (~ 3 teaspoons of powdered stevia) 1 tablespoon honey Natural vanilla extract

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Wash pears, cut into quarters, and remove core. Set aside. In a bowl, combine warm water with stevia, honey, and vanilla extract. Add pears and mix to coat pears with syrup. Place the mixture onto a roasting tray and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon (about 2 teaspoons all together). Bake for 20 minutes and then turn pears so the skin faces out (this is to get that crispiness). Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until skins are crispy and golden. Serve warm (or cold) with ice cream.

Ingredients for ice cream (for one serve)

1 frozen banana 1 teaspoon of almond butter 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon maple syrup for drizzling

Method

Place frozen banana and vanilla extract in a high-power blender and blend until you reach a creamy consistency. Add almond butter and blend until well incorporated. Use an ice cream scoop to serve, and drizzle with a little maple syrup.

What is your favourite pear recipe?

Link of the day: Why not make this Maple Brown Rice Pudding with pear?

Maple Peach Brown Rice Pudding

Need new inspiration for breakfast, late-afternoon snack, or dessert? Look no further than here!!! This is quick, healthy and delish.

Fruit is my favourite food on earth. If I could I would have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although as a dietitian and a foodie, I feel it is my duty to try other foods as well…*sigh*…tough life! But today I didn’t feel any such obligation when I started to think about my afternoon snack.

I let my love of fruit guide me to the way of a Maple Peach Brown Rice Pudding! Even if you don’t love fruit…you will love this!

Maple Peach Brown Rice Pudding Ingredients ½ cup cooked brown rice ¼ cup coconut cream* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 peach Maple syrup to taste – I used 1 tsp

Combine all ingredients and ¾ of the peach in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve with remaining peach and a drizzle of maple syrup.

*for low fat version use reduced fat coconut milk/soy/almond/oat milk instead.     

If you feel you want something creamy and luscious on top...I recommend this vegan cream recipe! It's the perfect accompaniment!

This pudding is also great for our vegan friends and those that need a gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free or soy-free option!

And for those interested in the nutritional info, here it is:

Energy: 974 kJ Fat: 5.3g Carbs: 39.7g Fibre: 3.8g Sugar: 13.9g Protein: 4.1g

Fill in the blank: My favourite food is ________

Maple Peach Brown Rice Pudding

Need new inspiration for breakfast, late-afternoon snack, or dessert? Look no further than here!!! This is quick, healthy and delish.

Fruit is my favourite food on earth. If I could I would have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although as a dietitian and a foodie, I feel it is my duty to try other foods as well…*sigh*…tough life! But today I didn’t feel any such obligation when I started to think about my afternoon snack.

I let my love of fruit guide me to the way of a Maple Peach Brown Rice Pudding! Even if you don’t love fruit…you will love this!

Maple Peach Brown Rice Pudding Ingredients ½ cup cooked brown rice ¼ cup coconut cream* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 peach Maple syrup to taste – I used 1 tsp

Combine all ingredients and ¾ of the peach in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve with remaining peach and a drizzle of maple syrup.

*for low fat version use reduced fat coconut milk/soy/almond/oat milk instead.     

If you feel you want something creamy and luscious on top...I recommend this vegan cream recipe! It's the perfect accompaniment!

This pudding is also great for our vegan friends and those that need a gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free or soy-free option!

And for those interested in the nutritional info, here it is:

Energy: 974 kJ Fat: 5.3g Carbs: 39.7g Fibre: 3.8g Sugar: 13.9g Protein: 4.1g

Fill in the blank: My favourite food is ________