Heartwarming Gingernut Crunch Granola

There’s no greater link to my heart than good food (and shoes), and the smell of this freshly baked granola brought back the sweetest memories of my childhood. Warming spices of ginger and cinnamon were a reminder of the long days playing Cowboys & Indians with my Brother at my Grandparents house. Every holiday at theirs included late nights of playing card games, bedtime stories of great adventures in mysterious places, and a cheeky trip to Toys-R-Us, always. In-between this all, there was always a packet of McVities Ginger Nut biscuits in the cupboard waiting to be demolished - particularly enjoyed dipped into warm milk and then sucking all the soggy biscuit off. 

So when they tell you food can’t bring you happiness, they’re lying. For me, this Ginger Nut Crunch Granola brings a heartwarming bowl of happiness to 7:00am in the morning.

This deliciously festive breakfast of completely oil-free and refined sugar-free, crunchy clusters of oats, nuts and dried fruits pack a punch of healthy fats and protein. Serve with sliced banana over yogurt, and a strong cup of coffee, always.

Ingredients

Serves about 10 (40g servings)

35g Chopped Pecans

20g Chopped Walnuts

25g Chopped Almonds

30g Whole Almonds

20g Dried Cranberries

25g Raisins

30g Chopped Dates

20g Goji Berries

15g Pumpkin Seeds

20g Sunflower Seeds

140g Oats

65g Pure Maple Syrup

1 Whole Banana Mashed

2 Tsp Ground Ginger

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp All Spice

(Originally I only used 1/2 a mashed banana, but I recommend using 1 whole if you prefer a sweeter granola)

Method

Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 5/190 Degrees Celcius and line a tray with baking paper.

In a bowl combine all your dry ingredients. 

In a pan, warm your maple syrup, mashed banana and spices until all combined.

Pour your wet mixture over your dry ingredients and stir into a sticky dough.

Transfer into your baking tray and press firmly down with spoon to make sure everything is sticking together.

Bake for 30 + minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent it from burning.

Tip: To prevent dried fruits from burning or going too chewy, stir in after granola has baked!

Kay's Kitchen Playlist

This Christmas Unwrapped playlist on Spotify by House & Garden

Beauty Boosting: Super Nutty Energy Bars For Healthy Hair & Nails

It’s never too early for Christmas. And that's a mantra I live by.

Watching Elf in June? Perfectly acceptable, it’s a half-Christmas after all. 

Personally, I’m yearning to get that Michael Buble Christmas album on in my car, but I nearly had a panic attack myself when I saw mince pies being sold in Sainsburys. And if you work in retail and Christmas just isn’t your jam, I genuinely feel for you, because even though it’s only October, it’s happening and there’s nothing quite like retail at Christmas…

Now the party season gets me a bit nervous too, though. So many events and parties are approaching and glowing skin and shiny hair doesn’t just happen overnight, and if I dare want to get my legs into a little glittery number, I’m going to actually have to shave my legs and moisturise (like, more than once a month). So I’m saying start now and you’ll thank yourself after the photos.

This time of year, I love to incorporate lots of skin loving foods to counteract the bitter cold weather that wreaks havoc on our hair and complexions. Almonds are chock full of antioxidants that help to eliminate toxins and free radicals from our bodies, and also being a major source of vitamin E, they will nourish the skin to keep it smooth and glowing. They are an excellent source of biotin (for strong hair, nails, skin and muscles) too.

These Nutty Energy Bars are jammed packed with almonds, so whether you’re seeing yourself through a long lecture lecture, powering your workout, or fuelling yourself for that Christmas work party, it’s easy to get a little skin-loving hit on-the-go. Ditch the expensive store-brought granola bars and do your wallet and skin a favour this Christmas - surely that money could go towards a little treat for yourself under the tree…

No baking required, these bars are easy to make and only 5 ingredients. Refined sugar free!

Ingredients

Makes 12 Bars

(Last for up to 3 days refrigerated in an air-tight container)

135g/1 Cup Dates (pitted)

135g/1 Cup Almonds (roasted unsalted)

100g/1 1/2 Cup Oats

60g/1/4 Cup Almond Butter

40ml/1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

Toast your oats for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown, in an oven set to Gas Mark 6. 

Meanwhile, in a food processor or high powered blender (I find my nutribullet works perfectly fine), process the dates into a soft dough.

Place aside your oats, almonds and dates together in a bowl.

Over a medium-low heat, warm up your maple syrup and almond butter. Once incorporated, pour over your oats, almonds and dates and stir until well combined. 

In an 8x8 baking tray lined with cling film or baking parchment, transfer your mixture and press down until it is evenly distributed. Be quite firm, otherwise the bars won’t hold together.

Leave to set in a freezer wrapped in cling film for 15 or so minutes.

Cut into bars and enjoy!

Nut butters are a bit of a fiend in my house, so much so, they are hidden and locked away so I’m not tempted to shovel the jar into my mouth. Yes, it’s about as unattractive as it sounds. But with the amazing benefits of almonds for your hair, skin and nails, dipping a spoon into the almond butter jar is perfectly acceptable, right?

Kay’s Kitchen Playlist

Not going to lie, Michael Buble was playing during the making of these.

Beauty Boosting: Chilli Chocolate Truffles For Radiant Skin

You’re not alone - the arrival of the colder season in the UK brings with it a deep-set fear of dull and dehydrated skin to many.

I adore the Autumn and Winter months. Lighting candles, wrapping up in lots of layers, and finally cracking out the Christmas pyjamas. But if like me, you strive for a positively radiant and blemish-free complexion that screams ‘I just got married and it was the best day of my life!!’, it seems like an unachievable goal that no amount of moisturiser can rescue. And well, I’m not getting married, so I can't even pray that I’ll get that magical ‘I just got married’ face of pure happiness.

But one thing that does bring me a lot of happiness (and I don’t say that lightly) is chocolate and I feel like these months really are a reason to indulge. Luckily, it’s as great for the skin as it is delicious. Yes, you heard that right, so the arrival of Autumn needn’t be a fear anymore.

Now I’m not suggesting you go out a buy Mars Bar everyday, I’m talking about dark chocolate and raw chocolate. Cacao contains high levels of antioxidant flavanols that protect the skin from free-radicals, that can lead to premature ageing, skin diseases, as well as helping to keep the skin hydrated, soft and youthful. It’s also a well-known mood-booster too, keeping hormone in-balances at bay that can lead to angry breakouts.

The combination of the chilli in these truffles, which is high in capsaicin, also helps to fight any inflammation. But don't fear the medjool dates and the cinnamon help to give these melt-in-the-mouth truffles a sweet, caramel taste.

Ingredients

Makes 24 Truffles

2 Cups Medjool Dates (pitted)

1/2 Cup Walnuts

2 TBSP Coconut Oil (melted)

2 TBSP Cacao Powder

1/4 TSP Salt

1/4 TSP Cinnamon

1/4 TSP Chilli Powder

To Top (optional):

Dark Chocolate (melted)

Chilli Flakes

Blend down your medjool dates until they form a smooth paste.

In a high powered blender or food processor, pulse the chopped walnuts with the coconut oil, cacao powder, salt, cinnamon and chilli powder.

Then add in the date paste and blend together until combined. There will still be little chunks of date and walnut, but thats okay.

Simply roll the mixture into even balls about the size of a grape and leave to set in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Optional:

I then melted down some dark chocolate and topped with chilli flakes before letting them be devoured.

Kay's Kitchen Playlist:

Ariana Grande - Breakfree (It's a guilty pleasure)

Morning Skincare Routine

When it comes to skincare, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.When I started working in skincare and beauty, I was overwhelmed with the amount of products I could try, but ended up overloading my skin and had a couple nasty allergic reactions. So now I start every morning with my firm favourite, the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser (£14/100ml). This beautifully creamy cleanser has been a staple the past few years, as it's gentle enough on my eczema prone skin, but dissolves away every last scrap of dirt and make up. Full of naturally active ingredients like eucalyptus and cocoa butter it keeps skin soft and supple, unlike a lot of cleansers which were far too harsh and drying on my skin.

With the colder weather coming in, I'm finding my skin a lot more problematic and blemish-prone, so I've been using the Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum (£29.00/30ml) every morning for the past month to combat dehydration. Although it sinks into the skin quickly, it provides long lasting hydration with the use of organic grape water and hyaluronic acid. And as always, the company promise zero parabens, mineral oils or animal ingredients (winner!). I follow this up with the Khiels Creamy Eye Treatment With Avocado (£20.00/14g), which is a fantastic product for younger skin that doesn’t need firming or anti-ageing. A little bit of this rich eye cream keeps my under eyes hydrated all day and makes concealer application an absolute dream.

Unlike my loyalty to my cleanser, I flirt with a lot of different moisturisers and sit on the fence with almost all of them: "yeah, they were okay, but they weren't amazing". I'm currently testing and loving this Liz Earle moisturiser, but I'm not ready to settle down just yet. It's of a more richer texture, which I like on my dry skin and absorbs really fast, so it doesn't feel like it's just sitting there. 

Lastly, I use my Clarasonic with the Delicate/Sensitive Brush once a week. My skin doesn’t react well with over-exfoliation, so I’m building up it’s tolerance slowly to the Clarasonic  and might increase it to twice a week soon.

What are you currently using on your face?

K

Beauty Boosting: Anti-inflammatory Raspberry & Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

Sally can’t comprehend my stress. She doesn’t get how I can easily freak out and lose all will to continue, or how I can bottle everything up and allow a violent explosion. She just doesn’t get stressed out like I do. We all react to things differently, which makes stress hard to understand and sympathise with. But when Sally suggests that I simply ‘stress less’, it makes me want to LOL in her face. 

Whilst I breakdown, feeling totally out-of-control (often) over minor things, Sally could stand there watching her house burn down without even a glitch in her calm exterior. So no Sally, I can’t simply ‘stress less’ because that’s just not how I deal with things (and clearly flailing about like a headless chicken is far too much fun).

Now these bouts of stress can appear uninvited and really out-stay their welcome. And those lucky Sally’s of the world may just never understand, but to all those who suffer, it can be a real problem that makes everyday life hard to deal with - it can affect our relationships, our jobs/education and most importantly our health.

Stress sends our hormones flying all about the place. This in-balance can lead to increased anxiety, weight gain/loss, little to no motivation, fatigue, digestive issues amongst many other problems. And for me, wherever the root of my stress may lie, it always blossoms into something that makes my stress so much more stressful: spots. 

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot we can do to prevent this, as often stress in unavoidable (and we can’t just ‘stress less’), but by eating foods rich with anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories and essential fatty acids, we can help to support and sooth our skin whilst attempting to calm our stress.

This Raspberry & Coconut Chia Seed Pudding is packed full of Omega 3 fatty acids that are essential for our bodies. An omega deficiency can lead to depression, anxiety and fatigue. Chia seeds are packed full of omega 3 fatty acids that help to balance out our hormones. Raspberries and chia seeds both contain a lot of antioxidants which combat inflammation and b-vitamins that fight stress. The copper and magnesium found within the coconut support healthy collagen production, keeping our connective tissues strong and also the potassium provides the skin with loads of hydration.

This recipe is anti-inflammatory, stress-busting and mood-lifting. 

Serves 1

Ingredients:

8g Desiccated Coconut 

20g Chia Seeds

40ml Almond Milk

60ml Coconut Water

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)

30g Raspberries, crushed.

1. In a bowl combine the desiccated coconut and chia seeds with the almond milk, coconut water and vanilla extract.
2. Cover and leave in the fridge to set (preferably overnight).
3. In the morning, top with the crushed raspberries.

Tip: Add heart-healthy chopped walnuts or antioxidant rich cacao nibs when serving. Alternatively add sliced banana to make this a great pre-workout snack/meal! 

When I’m stressed, I love to exercise and have long warm baths. What do you do in times of stress?

Kay's Kitchen Playlist

Youth - Daughter
T-Shirt Weather - Circa Waves

Borough Market, London

A rainy day in London is anything but unusual. It leaves us Britons praying for just that sliver of a Summer. Just a promise that we're not heading into 40 days and nights of rain. But we've come to accept that packing an umbrella in the middle of August is a must. And quite frankly, what's a British Summer without embracing a few soggy-sandwiched picnics?  

So we started off our drizzly afternoon in one of London's most bustling spots, Borough Market, where the vibrant stalls of fresh fruit and vegetables had offset the drab weather outside. The market is possibly every Foodie's dream. Whether you're gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian or none of the above, you would find it hard not to find something that looked and smelt incredible. And the sheer scale of the market provided shelter from the rain for a good few hours.

We then jumped on a clammy tube over to Buckingham Palace to escape the rain on a tour around the State Rooms. In the Palace Gardens we finished our afternoon with afternoon tea, just so one could say they've had tea at the Palace - ha ha ha, never gets old.

(Side note: I'm not ashamed to say I've never been more attracted to a peach in my life).

Where are your favourite rainy-day London spots?

K

Planet Organic Haul

Shopping is both my greatest devotion and weakness in life. Ask anyone who knows me well and they'll tell you of the inner peace I find within buying a shiny new pair of shoes. But most recently, this passion is being challenged with a love of trailing round health food stores like Whole Foods Market. Now if you don't get excited over buying nut butters and seeds then I'm sorry, it's just not going to work out between us. 

Heels and baobab powder don't quite go hand in hand, but they do share one common ground - one simply has no time to shop for either. So I placed an online order - and maybe an ASOS one alongside too - to have some unusual and interesting healthy foods delivered straight to my door. 

Clearspring Snack Organic Roasted Seeds and Soya with Goji Berry and Tamari Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. Inspiral Smokin' Coconut Pecks and Raspberry Coconut Pecks. Superfruit Cacao + Mint Raw Protein Bar. Biona Organic Spelt Pizza Bases. Buckwheat Cakes. EatReal Sundried Tomato & Roasted Garlic Quinoa Chips and Chilli & Lime Quinoa Chips. Sassy's Blondie and Red Velvet. Raw Health Organic Blissed Chocada Truffles. Raw 46 Crunchy Coconut Almond Butter and Crunchy Coconut Hazelnut Butter. Meridian Organic Strawberry Fruit Spread. Mr Organic Authentic Italian Arrabbiata. 

K

Food For Friends, Brighton

With darker nights approaching, I get this horrible sense of the Summer running away from me. I'm left in a sheer panic, realising I haven't done half the stuff I planned to when I watched the long break spread out in front of me. It turns out it's August, and between work, my days are diminishing. So with the sun finally shining again, Mum and I had spent the morning doing a spot of shopping down the Lanes in Brighton, to make the most of the fleeting Summer (or at least the very British version of it).

I have a list the length of my forearm of the most rave about places to grab food or eat in the city, but I suggested we sat down for lunch at Food For Friends, a vegetarian restaurant I had spent many a blogpost drooling over. We took advantage of the weather and their perfect people watching location and sat outside. Now with a great reputation for their flavoursome, home cooked food, with a menu that caters for a whole host of special dietary requirements (but don't be fooled - many a meat-eater has raved about this restaurant), our expectations were: 11/10.

And I can't say we were left disappointed. The food was delicious and the generous portions sizes were spot on. The staff were lovely and couldn't have been more helpful. 

Now Mum's a bit of a self-confessed haloumi addict, she's also not willing to much about it, and after catching a glimpse of their haloumi and portobello burger her decision was final. It came stacked in a brioche bun on top of fresh tomato, baby gem lettuce, gerkins and a red onion marmalade, served with triple cooked chips and a honey mustard mayo.

I went for one of their - many -  vegan options, the tahini marinated roast aubergine, stuffed with a delicious smoky chipotle pepper and tomato ragout, served with pan-fried saffron potatoes and courgette drizzled with a sweet pekmez dressing.

And even though we had all but demolished our food, we ordered two espresso shots with their homemade dark chocolate truffles to share, because we just couldn't resist. Now oh my goodness, these were the best things ever. So rich, but not too sickly, and they melted in your mouth like a lindt ball would, but I swear they tasted 10x better. I suggested that they start selling these immediately as it's sent me on a vegan chocolate truffle quest.

I also picked up this "I am SKINNY GREEN" juice from another Brighton health haunt, 42 Juice, to fuel my spin workout later in the day. 

And here's hoping I can fit in a few more days as lovely as this before the Summer is over.

K

July Top 5

And here are my July Top 5...

1. Peaky Blinders, Season 1 (available to watch on Netflix).

For those who haven't heard about this show, it's a period drama set in 1919, following the infamous Birmingham gang, the Peaky Blinders. Although I cover my eyes when the gory fight scenes come on, I became absolutely obsessed and finished season 1 in a week. Also give props to whoever created the soundtrack, because it's awesome. Eagerly awaiting season 2 to come to Netflix.

2. Sweaty Betty, Shorts & Sports Bra Co-ord. 

I picked this cool running co-ord up in the Sweaty Betty sale and haven't wanted to run in anything else since. Usually with shorts I find there's too much material and they come up a little big, but these are lightweight and there's no riding up-or-down or needing to readjust (and of course, you can't not get the matching bra). The sale is now over but their new season collection is now in stores. I’m currently obsessed with this print here.

3. Clinique, Liquid Facial Wash Mild (£16.50) and Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion (£16.50).

These were my absolute skin saviours. A combination of stress and then laziness on the skincare front (listen to your Mother when she tells you to take your make up off after a night out) made my skin erupt in July. These Clinque Mild products were recommended by a friend who has amazing skin, so I didn't need much convincing, and are great on sensitive skin. I use the facial wash in the morning, and then the mild clarifying lotion, which is an alcohol-free acid toner, after cleansing to gently exfoliate the face without irritating break-outs. 

4. L’oreal Paris Color Riche Lipliner (£3.99) and Lipstick (£8.19) in 302 ‘Bois De Rose’.

Usually I like to rock more of a statement lip, but I've been loving this duo for a beautiful everyday pinky nude.

5. Raw Vegan Carrot Cake.

And lastly this month, I've been reminiscing this raw vegan carrot cake. It was my first attempt at a raw cake but it went down a storm with my whole family, including my Dad who gladly swapped a Saturday afternoon slice of chocolate cake for this instead. It was more of a cheesecake consistency so we all agreed it would be a great dessert. Find the recipe here.

K

The 10 Ugly Things I Learnt From Running

The ugly, the embarrassing and the frankly too much information things they don't tell you...

1. Crying as adult in public has never been more acceptable or appealing. Multiple times I've found myself on the brink of the tears swearing I'll never make it to the top of the hill, but everyone feels like that - right?

2. You know that inspirational, no idea how you're so positive all the time, #motivationalmonday instagram post person? You become her. But sometimes the only way you're going to make it through a run is by channelling your inner Buddha - "the more I run, the stronger I become".

3. Fancy a pedicure? Never again. Unless you can face getting out your blistered, sometimes blackened toenailed feet, it’s a no-go.

4. Without rhyme nor reason, some runs are simply terrible. You're breathing is all off, your muscles just aren't warming themselves up and it's only the second mile*, but some runs just don't happen at all, don't beat yourself up. * These runs often end up in tears.

5. And now that we’re talking about runs: Runs will either leave you with the runs all day, or leave you in intense pain literally unable to to go at all. Oh, and when your digestive system throws a curveball mid-run? Don’t get me started. 

6. You’ll never have been more offended than when other runners will straight-out ignore your smile and “good morning” - like whatever, it’s because they’re totally jealous of your co-ordinated running outfit.

7. Getting beeped at walking down the road can already feel degrading, throw in a sweaty, red-faced mess and...

8. There's nothing worse than feeling too cold on a run, unless of course you've wrapped up so much that you feel like you're about to pass out from heat exhaustion...

9. Now every one speaks about this amazing feeling that you get from breaking through the pain barrier, how you could go on for miles and miles and it's all la-di-da. I'd still like to experience this, please.

10. Lastly, sometimes, when you gotta' spit, you just gotta' spit, so don't give me that look.

K
What ugly things have you learnt running?

The Weekly Eat #1 + Bircher Muesli Recipe

Eat Better, Feel Better…

Here's a look at what I ate today:

Breakfast

8am: Apple and Cinnamon Bircher Muesli

We all hear it often enough, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I also think it's the most exciting. But life is hectic and there's rarely ever enough time to sit down and eat a big, homemade breakfast, so we pick up easily alternatives in hungry-frenzies that are usually packed full of processed sugars and general nasties. These are going to spike your blood sugar levels and leave you craving the sweet stuff all day long.

This Bircher Muesli recipe is packed with oats, chia seeds and cinnamon all low in GI that are going to help stabilise your blood sugar levels, preventing that mid-morning sugar-crash and help to keep you full. You can also prep overnight and keep in a jar/tupperware to make for a quick and nutritious breakfast on-the-go.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/3 Cup Oats

2 Tsp Chia Seeds

100g Alpro Plain with Almond Yogurt

1/2 Apple Diced

Either 1/2 Cup Water (Or Almond Milk if you prefer it to be more creamy)

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

To top

Fresh fruit

Nut Butter

Method

Mix together your oats, chia seeds, apple and cinnamon in a bowl with the soya yogurt and water. If you do prefer it to be creamier, you can use a dairy-free milk substitute in place of the water. 

Cover and leave to soak overnight in the fridge. If you’re planning to eat it on-the-go, go ahead and place it in a container.

In the morning, top with fresh fruit, nuts or nut butter to increase satiety. 

Post-workout Snack

11 am: Banana Coins with Peanut Butter

Usually I work out in the evenings, so without wanting to ruin my dinner, I just grab a protein shake, but as I went to the gym this morning, I wanted something a little more substantial to last me through until lunch. I sat down with the iPad and a mug of Positivitea “Thrive - Hibiscus, Strawberry & Cinnamon” tea which is specially blended (and all very fancy) for the chakras - check out their webpage here.

Also can't/won't promise that I did not dip back into the peanut butter jar.

Lunch

1pm: Rye Toast With Hummus + Veggies

Dinner

8pm: OhSheGlows Perfect Veggie Burger + Sweet Potato Wedges

As it was  Friday, I don't think you go wrong with your classic burger and chips with a healthier twist. I made a big batch of these veggie burgers to keep in the freezer to take out for BBQ's or quick dinners and cut up a large sweet potato into wedges. I skipped on the bun and had a naked burger with plenty of salad.

I also had a glass of white wine and watermelon and dark chocolate for dessert which wasn't photographed, but thoroughly enjoyed. 

Kay’s Kitchen Playlist:

Regina Spektor - Samson