Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Traybake

So, for the past month I have been making sure that I eat healthily, I have reduced the sweet and sugary things that I eat and have kept to a pretty low-carb diet. But, I'm of the mindset that you can't cut things out completely, right?!

I came across a recipe for gluten-free vegan blondies, which uses natural ingredients and they look pretty good, so I have come up with my twist on it, which I have named, after its main ingredient: Chickpea Cake.

When I was younger, my mum used to make us a traybake which we called 'teatime fancy' (but let's not pretend she didn't make it over the weekend for my sister who did her first Olympic distance triathlon, well done Katie!), which is, in essence, a sponge cake with chocolate chips and sultanas. And this is practically the same thing, with the same simple method.

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/2 cup peanut butter - preferably the pure no sugar no palm oil type
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g plain chocolate chips
• Handful of sultanas (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200°/180°C (fan)

Place all ingredients in a food processor apart from the chocolate chips. If you have time, pop the chickpeas out of their shells before you add them - it gives it a slightly smoother texture, which is the same for houmous and falafel if you're making them!

Blitz for a few minutes until it is all well combined.
Add the chocolate chips (and sultanas if you're using them) and pulse to mix them all in
Pour the mixture in to a lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Leave to cool before you slice up and serve.

P.S. The mixture is REALLY yummy so try not to eat it all raw...

Franco Manca Sourdough Pizza, Northcote Road

What do you always need on a Saturday night? Pizza and prosecco. Always. No questions asked. So Katie and I headed off down Northcote Road after an afternoon of rugby watching (#backingblue/#AsOne sorry Scotland I feel a wooden spoon may be coming our way...) Given that last time we tried to go to Franco Manca we couldn't be bothered with the queue and went to Metro Pizza instead (also good for pizza and prosecco!), we knew were we were going!

Tartiflette: All the Cheese!

While I was away skiing like a crazy thing, we had to fend for ourselves, and that involved cooking. We went out for dinner one night for the cheesiest of pizzas and cheesiest of fondues, but we couldn't go without a Savoie speciality: Tartiflette. So I took the challenge upon myself to make one (from scratch with no recipe but now I can share my very easy recipe with you!)

Poor lighting in the studio = poor pictures that don't do it justice!

How to Ski on a Budget Because Ski Holidays are Amazing

There are these amazing things in my life, which go by the name of mountains! Whether it's summer or winter, I love being in the Alps, but crying while too scared to go downhill on a mountain bike is no way near as fun as that thrill I get when I click in to my bindings and head off down the slopes.

So what did I get up to last week? I went skiing, of course! I gate crashed my sister's ski holiday, so last Saturday. The three of us hopped on a plane 'all' the way to Geneva, where we were greeted by snow capped mountains and adverts for expensive watches.

Expensive is normally the word you hear when you talk about skiing. Yes, it can set you back a bit (or a lot, depending on how you go about it. So, how can you afford it without breaking the bank too much?

Blueberry & Raspberry Smoothie

While my abs are still dying from a gymnastics session 2 days ago (seriously, what did they do to me? All the conditioning!), probably not helped by Zumba last night and then I have a compulsory gym induction this afternoon... I decided to ignore it and keep going healthy with a new breakfast smoothie. Something nice and fruity!