Summer is here!

December - the month where my life is full of mundane things, when it's starting to get ridiculously hot, when life is full of shopping, and all things Christmassy.

I started off December with some baking yesterday, and these cookies were a complete hit. They turned out better than I thought despite the fact I made up the recipe as I went along and made these just to use up left over ingredients in the pantry. They are... gluten-free cereal peanut butter cookies!

I used up the rest of my gluten-free corn flakes, some sorghum flakes and added a random gluten-free Weet-bix to play around with the consistency. I then dumped the remaining contents of my gluten-free self-raising flour mix (not even 3/4 of a cup) into the mix.

To bind it together, I used roughly 75mL of rice bran oil, 1/2 of sugar, and 1 egg.

To flavour it, I added a teaspoon of vanilla and 2 tablespoons of natural smooth peanut butter - because I thought it would make the right consistency.

And right it was! They turned out as puffed up mega crispy cookies (my mum likes crispy), they were sweet but not too much, and the texture was insane! It had chewy bits of corn flakes, and some bits in the middle were chewy (when it was warm) while being crispy on the outside.

It was a gluten-free and dairy-free recipe, but I think I could have omitted the egg if I wanted to make it vegan.

Just a bunch of cereals in a wet sloppy mixture!

Home-made looking, decently sized cookies!

Due to my skin recently acting up, I followed up with the baking with a home-made DIY facial mask. I think the Neutrogena naturals products I'm using aren't going well with my skin, and my face prefers the sensitive Clarisonic brush head than the normal one I am currently using.

Mask: Oats soaked in liquorice root tea + coconut oil + dash of vinegar + small egg white.

It was a very runny mixture, but I only needed a thin layer on my face anyway. If it was thicker the oat bits might have slid off my face in chunks!

I bought this cleanser to replace the Neutrogena stuff, and I am liking the process of using a hot muslin cloth to rub the cleanser off. Not sure if it has done any good for my skin, but I've only used it 3 times so far.

Outfit of the day, for work! I am running out of Topshop clothes to wear to work...

On the way to the bus stop, I came across this patch in the pathway. It smelled like roses or something, and had all these flower buds fallen onto the ground to create some floral layer.

Wasted so much time walking back and forth to the bus stop (I had to go back home because I forgot something and came back out with a camera). I ended up sweating like a pig, it was disgusting. I also realised I was running late when I was taking photos! So... cue impromptu watch photo! But isn't the ground so lovely? And the smell!

Snack Attack!

So, I love snacks. WHO DOESN'T?!

I like to eat when I'm bored, I like to eat when I'm hungry, I like to eat when I'm not hungry, basically I just like to eat. But I don't eat a lot at once, so I usually need to eat smaller bits more frequently, which actually leads to eating a lot of snacks... which isn't always the best for you.

But never fear, because healthier snacks are here! Obviously don't eat these in place of a proper meal, but it's a lot better than eating a ton of junk food (I still need a little bit of that too hehe).

Eating the least processed type of food is the best way to go, because that way there's less additives in there and you're eating the more purest form of real food.

Nut-based bars are really great, because they fill you up, give you sustained energy and they taste amazing! Most of the raw bars that I like are nut-based, and usually made of dates, almonds and cashews.

Chocolate can be healthy too as long as you don't eat the entire block, and the darker it is, the better it is for you. It's packed with antioxidants and it honestly satisfies my sweet tooth cravings more than anything else. Well, how can it not, it's chocolate!

Some of my favourite bars and one type of dark chocolate I usually get. I also don't normally eat protein bars because they're usually loaded up with a load of bad things, so it's quite a treat when I do have one. Even when I do, I get the most natural/unprocessed type I can get without artificial sweeteners colours, flavours of preservatives.

These two are my all-time favourite snack bars, and they're both' raw. The first one has cocoa liquor in it, which gives it a genuinely chocolatey-taste without the yuckiness and sick-feeling you get from eating actual chocolate. It's basically a "healthy" chocolate bar.
The second one is so good because it's practically a muesli bar made up of everything unrefined. It's tastes all coconutty and coffee-like, and satisfies any cravings.

I don't know how these tomatoes are made/grown, but they are out of this world! It's nothing like regular cherry or grape tomatoes. It's softer, but not in the ew-it's-not-fresh kind of way, they're like tiny balls of a tomato-melon hybrid. It's unbelievably sweet compared to a regular tomato, and I have been going back for more week after week.

These are just some of my favourite healthier alternative snacks, but I can name a ton more that incorporates smoothies, cereal and even popcorn into the mix. It's just nice to know you can eat a chocolate bar without feeling guilty though, and having muesli bars on-the-go is really handy!

How to put a healthy twist on boxed cereal

Super quick, easy and healthy cereal combo. I do like me some junky boxed cereal, but I know I'll be running out of energy after an hour so it's not really worth it, considering it usually provides minimal nutritional benefit.

For this small snack on the go, I used some sultana cereal (basically like Sultana Bran but gluten free and with a lot less sugar), LSA meal (flaxseed, sunflower seeds and almond mix), almond milk and some prepared cinnamon chia pudding (cinnamon + chia seeds soaked in almond milk until it forms a pudding-like consistency).

                   Le ingredients.                           Use them ingredients.                                          Le final product.                                               

This isn't going to be a sweet and ridiculously delicious snack, but it's really nutty, filling, and gives me plenty of energy.

The sultana bran made from gluten free flours is mega crunchy compared to normal cereals (it's made from rice, corn and sorghum flours), the LSA mix is really delicious because it's nutty and rich, and the cinnamon chia pudding just adds a bit of extra flavour and texture.

All the ingredients are natural, gluten free, dairy free and vegan!

Smoothie Bowls

The easiest, healthiest, and a delicious smoothie recipe that I have always followed, with a little extra! It's also vegan friendly depending on the type of milk you choose, but I usually have it vegan and gluten-free.

For a chocolatey dessert-like smoothie base:

1 frozen banana
1/2 - 1 cup almond milk (or any other milk really)
Flavouring - natural of course! I usually choose from cinnamon, raw cacao powder, almond or peanut butter. Or a mixture of them!

For a fresh fruity smoothie base:

1 frozen banana
1/2 - 1 cup almond milk/other milk or juice
Frozen fruit and/or fresh fruit

The smoothie is great on its own, but I sometimes I like to make it heartier to have it as a meal. So, I turn it into a smoothie bowl! It's like replacing the plain old milk you have with breakfast cereal for a smoothie.

My favourite toppings are: Muesli/granola, cereal, nuts and seeds, dried/fresh fruit, and superfoods such as flaxseed, chia seeds and maca powder.

I usually match the toppings with the smoothie depending on the flavour, like adding fruit and nuts to the fruity smoothie, and maca and muesli to the chocolatey one.

Ingredients: Almond milk, 1 frozen banana, chia seeds, cinnamon,
raw cacao powder and gluten free Weet-Bix.

I wizz up all the ingredients in a blender except for the toppings
(chia seeds and Weet-Bix).
I also add about 1-2 Tbsp of cacao powder, it's quite strong.

A delicious smoothie... in a bowl!

Finally, I added some Weet-Bix and chia seeds. Note: The Weet-Bix stays
crunchy this way, even though I also like soggy Weet-Bix :P

You can really use this method to make a variety of combinations, depending on how energy-dense you want it to be, or if it's just for a snack. It's a good breakfast for summer because it is WAY too hot for porridge this time of year!

I find that using cereal like Weet-Bix and nuts/seeds provide me with a good amount of sustained energy because it's low in GI. Nuts also definitely give me plenty of energy, but I get lazy sometimes and can't be bothered cutting them up to put it in. It's hard to find a crushed-up nut mix, that also only has the kinds of nuts you like haha!