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!

Keeping Fit & Enjoying Exercise

Last week, I bought my sister a top from Victoria's Secret, with the caption 'I Hate Running'. Ironic for her because she loves running but always ends up with a running related injury. True for me though, I really do hate running.

But I do enjoy exercise. It tires me out, makes me ache and wonder why I do it, but it generally leaves me with a smile on my face and means I can have that piece of cake or glass of wine (or, as it often happens, both!) So what do I do to keep fit when I'm not throwing on trainers and racing to get out of the door to run a 10k like the rest of my family?

Pinterest

Buying Books & Free Kindle Book!

I am the first to admit, that I do not venture in to many tricky reads, but I love to curl up with a good book and I have been waiting for the release of Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery.

Twenty five before 25

So a friend recently showed me their goals for the future, and asked me what mine are... I realised I couldn't give an answer off the top of my head. It made me feel a bit like I have no ambitions, though I'm sure I do, I just don't have a long term plan yet!

Inspired by the likes of Mackenzie Horan's 101 in 1001 and plenty of 25 before 25 lists, I decided to do a combination of the two. 25 before 25 seems to be based on goals for the next year, and 101 in 1001 takes about 2 years and 9 months. I turn 25 in about 2 and a half years, but don't want to force myself to come up with 101 random goals which wouldn't necessarily be practical. So mine is more of a 25 in 1001 combined!

In no particular order, here goes:

Cambridge For the Day & Catesby's Cafe

So Mum and I decided to go somewhere different for the day (make that afternoon...). After a slow start because of my stupid cold, loaded with paracetamol, pholcodine and strepsils we piled in to the car and set sail for the historic university town.

Carrot & Apple Cake

Inspired and very similar to the carrot apple loaf on Averie Cooks, the carrot and apple cake I have just made is pretty tasty. I have changed Averie's recipe slightly - using slightly different ingredients & measurements. Plus measurements in cups just annoy me when you only have one cup measurer... so here is my anglicised version!

I took the risk of cutting it before it had properly cooled, which meant wobbly cake and could have been disastrous, but for the warm slice on my plate, it was so worth it. It doesn't need any icing or anything, it's lovely and moist and the added carrot and apple and lack of butter class it is healthy, yes?

Salted Caramel Sauce

So... I have a sweet tooth. Which is exactly why I decided to make some salted caramel sauce, to just you know...keep... And eat straight from the jar!

Raw Chocolate Truffles

After making those ridiculously (un)healthy peanut butter squares, I'm trying to steer clear of baking the bad stuff... She says. So instead I went for sugar free no-bake baking and produced these chocolate truffles. The trick? They're not actually chocolates...

Healthy Eating: Spinach & Avocado Breakfast Smoothie

Everyone has a day when they want a health kick... and I'm at that stage just now. I've been eating too much cake and sugar, so feel I should cut back a bit. The summer's coming soon isn't it?!! So, step one is a less sugary breakfast which will keep me going for the morning. I'm really bad at stopping myself from mid-morning snacks because I gt pretty hungry by 10am. So this is one of my attempts to last the morning and get some of my five a day all in one go. Whether it's actually healthy or not I don't know..!

Sugar High: Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

Perfect for a sweet and sugary snack, I saw the recipe for these peanut butter bars on Half Baked Harvest and decided they were just what I needed!