Today was the first day I have stopped for long enough in the last two months to bake something delicious. I am in the final 5 weeks of a 12 week challenge at my gym, so I also have been eating very clean and trying not to have jars of delicious tempting cookies around! However, these are not too bad in moderation, and I have a whole week of holidays and people to share them with too.

We are heading up to the Hunter Valley for a 4 day refresh and relax. I am looking forward to doing nothing and spending some time cooking in a big kitchen and just exercising and eating and sleeping and doing nothing...and also sitting on the porch sipping tea, reading a book and perhaps munching on one of these delicious but healthy little cookies.

After the response to the natural sweetener date syrup post that I did a few weeks ago, I decided to try using another dried fruit instead of dates. I use some Turkish dried apricots and have been very happy with this sweet, delicious syrup. Whilst the flavour is not as neutral as the date syrup, it is perfect for adding a twist to your breakfast or porridge or perhaps even baked goods (although I haven't tried this yet.)

I love apricots, and this a great way to add that beautiful flavour to lots of meals. My favourite has been in a healthy and nutritious brekkie parfait which is simply fresh fruit, muesli, natural yoghurt and apricot syrup layered in a glass.

I love lentils. They are such a good vegetable source of protein and are so easy to sneak into dishes. Especially soups, I quite often add lentils in to increase the protein in my soups...but this is the first time I made a soup where the lentils are the shining star. Boy do they shine!

This is my new favourite soup now, as well as John's now too. The flavours are subtle but complex and rich. It is super healthy, can easily have chicken or lamb added to it if you wish to make it a bit heartier, is easy to prep and even easier to cook in the slow cooker or over a low heat on the stove top. It is certainly going to be making many more appearances in my kitchen that's for sure.

I use a fantastic all natural protein isolate powder called Vital Protein. It's made from golden peas and has the most balance amino acid profile of any plant based protein and is highly bio-available. It is 88% protein and vegetarian, vegan, certified kosher, lactose and gluten free. It also has a high alkalinity level (Ph 7.5) which is quite unusual for any protein powder. My favourite things about this protein powder is that it has no artificial sweeteners or flavours or anything and still tastes delicious.

I use it daily in my green smoothie and also after training. I have also recently started experimenting with some baking recipes as it is not altered at all by heat or cooking, again another plus. So for our recent road trip I wanted to take some muesli bars as they are easy, healthy snacks when made right. Adding in the protein powder just helps to boost the protein content so you are getting a more balanced nutritional profile as well as feeling fuller for longer, without too much of a carbohydrate spike.

Now don't be put off by the long list of ingredients - I just like to cram in as many different nuts, seeds and dried fruit for fun. It is so simple to make that once you measure everything out it is super quick. You can always just keep the ratios of nuts, seeds and dried fruit the same and use less types too.

This is one of the easiest recipes I have made I think. It is also one I make on a regular basis. Dates are a fantastic natural sweetener but obviously in their normal whole form, you can't add them to everything. Turn them into a liquid however, and you have a mild tasting, totally natural and raw sweetener. I like to substitute date syrup in everything from baking to in a green smoothie or even in my cup of tea or hot chocolate.

Last weekend we had the annual Juice Plus+ conference in Newcastle. It was inspiring, motivating and very exciting - so much new research coming out and lots of awesome news.

Anyway, we drove up to Newcastle with some of our team members and I wanted to bring some healthy, light (but totally delicious) snacks for the ride. Something made with fruit seemed highly appropriate (Juice Plus+ is simply fruits & veg in a capsule).

One of these was these snacks that I made was ridiculously easy and healthy apple chips. Whilst they take a few hours to dehydrate obviously, they are certainly not difficult to make...it's not even really a recipe! So that's even more reason for everybody to make these!

Next time I make these, I'm going to sprinkle them with cinnamon...just because I LOVE cinnamon.

It was quite a rainy Saturday this today, so we decided to have lunch in. We normally frequent one of the local cafes opposite the beautiful Dee Why beach and generally split one of the amazing beef hamburgers. So it seemed appropriate for a hamburger to be on the menu.

Since it bucketing down with rain most of the morning, I baked the buns from scratch to put off heading out to the shops. I had to go eventually anyway to buy lean lamb mince, but that's besides the point...sometimes kitchen logic is more about a 'reason' for baking!

I had to pretty much make up the recipes for these burgers since most recipes are not for just two people. We actually only ended up serving half a burger each as I had made them so big. I normally like my burgers open topped (i.e. with only the bottom half of the bun,) as I find too much bread too filling. I also made a quick onion and tomato sauce, which is simply caramelised onions, cherry tomatoes, some parsley and a bit of honey. You could also use a tomato chutney.

Brrrr! It was COLD today! In fact, since Autumn started here in Sydney, today was really the first day that had that real wintery bite in the air...you know the kind that makes your nose a bit pink and your fingers and toes cold? On my way to work at 5am it was only 10.5°C! Well it did get up to about 15°C during the day, but it has just been chilly.

Which brings me to my first soup of the season. My mother had told me to buy red lentils the other week and I had yet to find a recipe that I wanted to use them in...I decided that a simple, warming soup with butternut squash and a bit of spice was the perfect way to use them. This was so delicious...the chili combined with the sweetness of the squash and then that tart yoghurt was just a perfect combination. (I'm glad I have another 1.5 litres left!)

I came across some beautiful, purple carrots at Harris Farm in Potts Point this morning...it was a bit of a detour on the way home from the market buying the cranberries for these cookies. In fact I had only dropped in to get some organic butter for the cookies but somehow (as usual) walked out with a bag full to the brim of fresh fruit and vegetables.



I was most excited about my purple carrots as I had heard that they had double the nutritional value of the orange ones. I did a bit of research and it turns out that not only are the original carrot (orange being a genetic throwback,) they are little purple powerhouses! Compared to our common orange carrots, they have double the levels of beta-carotene and 28 times more anthocyanins which act to capture harmful free radicals in the body, slow blood clotting and act as an anti-inflammatory agent. They also taste just as delicious too!

I would love to get hold of the entire rainbow of carrot colours...

Anyway, I wanted to use my purple powerhouses in something delicious and healthy and have been meaning to try a raw carrot cake for some time now. I used a combination of purple carrots and their orange friend to get a beautiful depth of flavour and speckled colour throughout this delicious, moist cake. I was quite surprised with how much this tasted just like carrot cake too! It has all the right flavours, sweet carrots, walnuts, coconut and the lemon cashew frosting was simply divine. Bugs Bunny would be impressed!

Just in case you have been living under a rock or have just discovered the online food blogging world...then I'm sure you would have come across The Green Smoothie once or twice...or fifty-two times before. Well, yes I am totally on the green band wagon and enjoy my vibrant coloured drink every day, sometimes twice a day.

So I thought I would share my typical green breakfast smoothie. Since they are pretty straightforward to make i.e. leafy greens + fruit + water + extras; and don't really require precise measurements or a recipe - I thought a green smoothie video would probably just do the trick!

I came across this recipe on one of my favourite food blogs Anja's Food 4 Thought. I always find delicious and healthy looking recipes on her site and have finally gotten around to trying one.

I substituted a few ingredients with what I had in the pantry and also halved the recipe. These little bars are quite delicious, a lovely banana flavour with the crunchy nuts and bursts of sweet dried apricots. They stay quite soft with a little crunch on the edges and I think next time I would bake them as individual biscuits so that you get just a little more crunch!

This is one of my favourite ways to have porridge in the morning. It's got all my favourite flavours in it and is a fantastic way to get in an extra serve of vegetables - before the day has even started you're ahead!

If you used a microplane or very finely grate the carrot, the kiddies wouldn't even know they are eating veggies for breakfast. Evil I know. I'm totally mature though and prefer my to julienne my carrot.

My mum made a rice congee the other day and after having her describe how delicious and simple it was I just had to try this out. I had never actually heard of 'congee' before and read quite a few different recipes and varieties before coming up with my own version. This is not a traditional congee in any sense and would possibly not be considered a congee at all by some...perhaps a combination of risotto and congee texture.

Anyway, it is very simple, doesn't have a lot of ingredients and tastes amazing. A lovely dish to have if you are feeling a bit under the weather too. I have really enjoyed this all week!

Last week I had a few days of eating lots of fresh, raw & clean foods. Plenty of vegetables, fruit and some lean proteins. Just wanted to avoid processed foods...so no breads, pastas, packaged goods etc...

So I whipped up some delicious low fat hummus dip to have with raw carrots, celery, capsicum & cauliflower. I can't think of anything more tasty with vegies! This is great for entertaining too - it's so simple that you will never buy store hummus again.

Pepitas sure do pack a punch for something so little! I love these little seeds, they are a great snack and have a delicious, nutty flavour. They are high in protein and also the amino acid L-Tryptophan which acts as a building block in protein biosynthesis. (Humans needs 10-20 different amino acids from food.) Pepitas are also rich in vitamins E, C and A as well as many minerals.

I often add them to porridge, muesli or salads...but this is the first time I have made a whole snack based on them. Super easy and super tasty, this is a great way to grab an on-the-go protein bite.

Well though I am eating well at the moment, trying to keeping my macronutrient balance 40/40/20 so all my training doesn't go to waste; once a week is a free day! So I decided to try a little 'raw' cheesecake for dessert one night. I can't call this totally raw since I used heat to combine the ingredients, I had intended on blending in the food processor but I got sick of washing it up over and over! So if you want to make this raw, substitue agar agar for the gelatine and just blend away!

Although it is high in fat, it is all healthy and nutritious fats from nuts, the sugar is natural and unrefined and you get some great nutrients from the raw cacao and spices. We both really enjoyed this and I'm definitely going to do more with this recipe and try some variations. It is quite rich and satisfying, but unlike when I using flour and butter and refined sugar...my tummy was really quite happy afterwards too!

Dear beloved sweet blog,

My sincerest apologies for neglecting you of late. I have no excuse other than being busy and trying so hard not to let food interfere with all my running and gym going. It's been hot as well, and turning on the oven is just not cool right now (pun intended).

Still, I know you miss me and I was craving Anzac cookies the other day...but I honestly didn't even have time to shape each cookie and bake two batches! So I made some lazy and nutritious Anzac slice. It's not low in fat, but they are good happy fats and I don't think you care anyway since blogs don't have waistlines.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I am...they are far too delicious and moreish!

Much love,
Zoe