Christmas gifts for chocoholics

These really simple decadent chocolate bites are perfect for that foodie friend who will turn their nose up at a Cadburys variety box!

Ingredients:

150g almonds, roast for 5-10 minutes until golden and then chop (you can use any nuts you like)
150g dried fruit (I used raisins and dried mango - random but all I had in the cupboards! But it tasted great and just goes to show any dried fruit will do).
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
100g spelt flour (you can use any flour you like)
80g brown rice syrup - again you could use honey, agave or syrup - if using honey or syrup you might need a little less as it's already pretty sweet.
2 tbsp coconut oil (or you could use butter), melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
4 tbsp water
pinch of salt


Method:

Once the almonds have roasted, leave to cool and then mix with the dried fruit and rest of the dry ingredients. In a bain marie (bowl over boiling water), melt the coconut oil and pour in the syrup, stirring well. When combined, pour into the fruit and nut mix, adding water if needed until thoroughly mixed. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or baking paper. Pour the mixture onto the tray, pressing down with a spoon until well compressed. Bake for around 30 minutes at 150 degrees C. Remove from oven, leave to cool and then cut into small squares.
Keep refrigerated and then enjoy!

Keeping the balance

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being invited to speak at Tally Rye's Secret HIIT Club in London. It was such a fun way to start my Sunday - we did an intense workout on the set of Loserville at the Union Theatre, then were treated to some yummy snacks from ChicP and ProteinHaus and then I got to speak to the lovely attendees about what it means to me to 'keep the balance' over Christmas.

I thought I'd share some of what I spoke about as it's a tricky time of year when we're told to 'let our hair down and indulge' yet at the same time are reminded not to 'undo all that good work' and stick to our diet and fitness '#goals'.

So here are my thoughts - hopefully you'll find some, if not all of them helpful.

What is balance? It's a physical and emotional place where you're thriving and flowing. Diets should nourish your physical and emotional self. A salad and chicken breast might nourish you physically (for a while) but what is it giving you emotionally?

Ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. Is your current diet or way of eating allowing you to eat your favourite foods (regardless of nutritional quality) or are you denying yourself of these foods? If you're 'not allowed' remember that it's you not allowing yourself. Take back control and ditch that restrictive diet!
2. Do you often feel guilty when you've eaten certain foods? 
3. Do you have a black and white way of thinking about foods as 'good' or 'bad'? 
4. Is the way that you're eating at the moment enjoyable and sustainable for life? (would you recommend to your family/kids that they also eat this way?)

My top 5 tips for finding more balance in your diet

1. Think about what your food is giving you - physically and emotionally. Don't focus on what it's not giving you e.g. gluten, dairy, carbs, sugar. Focus on the positive. If that chocolate brownie is really going to give you a great deal of pleasure, go for it. If that protein bar isn't giving you anything physically or emotionally, scrap it.
2. Eat a little of what you love, and leave the things you're 'meh' about. This is particularly true over Christmas. If you LOVE banoffee pie, make that your treat. If you're 'so so' about christmas pud, let it go.
3. Avoid seeing food as good or bad. There's no such thing as bad food, just bad diet habits and bad relationships with food. No food is evil or the devil (even wheat ;-) )
4. Make eating a mindful experience. Think more about HOW you eat, not what you eat. Take your time, enjoy your food, eat in nice surroundings, don't multi task or eat on the go or in a rush.
5. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to yourself (so important I said it twice!). You will not put on a stone in a day, and probably not in a week either. Christmas is about enjoyment, loved ones, relaxing and being thankful for what we have.
Try not to compare yourself to others - people may look like they're eating healthier, exercising harder and having more fun that you are but they're probably not, and if they are, so what? Happiness comes when you stop comparing yourself to others.

Happy Christmas and best wishes for a healthy and loving 2016.

Ruth xx