Things are hectic for a variety of different reasons at the moment – hence the poor blog performance. We would apologise for that but we won’t, because that’s life – ha! We each have numerous projects on the go and we’re hustling away to make them as successful and fulfilling as possible. It’s equally exhausting and full-on exciting.

For me, that has meant a bit of a slip in taking care of myself from a food and exercise perspective. I’ve still getting various bits of exercise accomplished (I’d go crazy without it) but not focused towards a specific goal. And food has slipped from angelic food prep to far too many quick fixes and grabbed lunches. This weekend I decided to take back control and got some training structure advice. I start with trepidation as my trainer knows exactly where to push me – cue dawn alarm calls and heavy weights. I foresee that sitting down without holding onto something being problematic for some time.

As part of our session we talked about food and structuring it around my exercise schedule for the day - working out what will work best and when. It really inspired me and I spent an afternoon away from the laptop and happily prepping like a boss in the kitchen. There’s a couple of new recipes that I would like to share with you. All are focused around protein fixes and lowering the carbs.

First in the series are these energy bites. As we know, they’re everywhere these days but they really are handy little things. This version is without the usual date paste, which I find can often overpower the other flavours, plus I know that many people are not fans. This version is high in protein so will work well as a pre-gym fix, or as a post-workout boost if you’re not able to tuck into a meal soon afterwards. They also have lots of lovely fats to keep you looking glossy ☺

Cashew and chocolate energy bites

Ingredients

150g cashew nuts
100g oats
25g cacao powder
1 tbsp maca powder
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp almond butter
1-2 tbsp honey to taste
Pinch Himalayan salt

Method

Add the cashews and oats to your food processor and blend for a couple of minutes until they form a flour-like texture. Add in your cacao powder, maca and salt and give a few pulses to mix through. Then add your ‘wet’ ingredients, coconut oil, almond butter and honey. Blend well until you see the mixture starting to come together. Take a pinch of the mixture and squeeze together to see if it holds. If it still feels a little dry just add a little more almond butter or coconut oil until you get the desired texture.

Roll the mixture into bite-sized balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

You can keep these in the fridge for around two weeks or you can freeze and remove to defrost as needed.