Rise & shine princess!

I know I’m not the only one who struggles to wake up and get out of bed in the morning… But as soon as my alarm goes off I don’t think about what i have to do that day or what to wear (although that’s a close second).. I automatically think about what I am going to eat when I get up.

I seriously don’t know how I am not obese, all I do is think about & eat food!!

Growing up my Baka (which is Croatian for grandma) use to make theeee best foods! 👌But hey, so do every wog grandparents and parents! I remember going there on the school holidays and she would spend hours and hours in the kitchen cooking… And only with one arm! What a legend! She was in a tragic car accident when she was younger and her arm had to be amputated… But she manages to sew, cook, clean, garden… so just about everything!
Anyways… She use to have every element on the stove on, with pots sizzling & boiling away. The aromas in the air stick to you and you can smell the lard and all the fatty goodness for days after you leave… (I guess we’re suppose to shower right? Naaahhh overrated!) but that was how she got her foods to taste so good! Fry everything off in lard! Her chicken schnitzels are TO DIE FOR! Fo Realz!
They are that good, but only cause it’s dripping in lard… And don’t get me started on her chips…ohmygod, I could sit here all day and tell you how amazing her food is… And then we get onto the traditional Croatian foods & cakes… Man, I probably should start a new blog for all of that! One day I’ll fill you in on the secrets (when I learn to translate the recipes into English!)

Anyways, this morning I struggled to get out of bed for gym… my immune system is buggered from all the anesthetic pumped through my body when I was younger, so as soon as theres a change in the weather my body shuts down… yipppeeeee
So this morning instead of having my usual smoothie i had a double espresso protein shake!

Zazzooossss! WAKE UP ELLA!!
Tell you what.. it woke me up! Kinda felt like one minute dead, nek minute – come at me world!…whilst satisfying my taste buds.

 

(Not my picture- But its exactly what it looked like.. & I drank it too quickly to get a pic…whoopsie)

Banana Espresso Protein Shake

Ingredients
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup ice
250mL Almond Milk
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (i use Maxine’s Burn )
Double espresso shot
2 teaspoon of almond butter
Stevia to taste
Chia seeds

Method
Blend it reeaallll good!

VAVOOM!

There’ll be leftovers, so just put it in the fridge or take to work/uni/whatever you do & have it later!

Xoxo Love Ella

Banana Bread

So I made this by accident one time and so far its been a big hit with all of my fans. My fans being my 2 Best friends and my friends mum… Quality not quantity right? My best friends mum lovess this recipe!

I got home one night & saw that there were a bunch of brown and bruised bananas… made me all giddy inside. It meant only one thing… BAKING WITH BANANAS! I get excited, like a little kid in a candy shop when I discover and make new things!

This banana bread is beyond healthy… no added fats (only natural fats!)… packed with protein & natural goodness!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

Wet Mix ~
3 overly spotty and squishy bananas
2 organic free range eggs
a good squirt of maple syrup
2 Tbs Stevia

Dry Mix ~
~ 2 cups toasted almonds blended into a flour
~ 1/2 coconut flour
A good sprinkle of cinnamon(roughly 1 tsp)
1tbs chia seeds
2 tbs of Gluten-Free Self Raising Flour

(i’m pretty sure that’s it?!)

Method

Mix wet mixture together, then fold into Dry mix…
If it appears to wet… simply add some more flour (doesn’t matter which one.. but i used the GF flour here) just until its a well binded mixture.
Bake in a pre-heated oven of 190°C for about 35-40 mins (or until your skewer comes out clean, yet slightly moist… you’ll have to cover with foil in the oven so it doesn’t burn!)

This cake/bread/loaf whatever is so delicious and moist! Perfect snack for before or after training!

Oat, almond and date bars

Yep! You guessed it… I decided to bake today after a big day at uni rather than studying! I know, I know priorities… I have my mum and my grandmas voice in the back of my mind all the time telling me that I should be studying! But I can’t help myself… The kitchen and I have this magnetic connection… We’re drawn to each other! … Well not really, but it’s my escape 🙂

I came home and whipped up some pumpkin soup to make me feel better… Ahhh comfort food! Yes!
Then as I went down to open my laptop to start my assignment which was due 2 weeks ago… I got right back up and got the food processor down from the cupboard! This only meant trouble!

Oat, Almond & Date Bars

Ingredients

These are all rough estimations, as I hardly measure anything! Promise I’ll take note from now on!
~ 1 cup Gluten Free Oats
~ 1/2 – 3/4 cup almonds
~ 1 cup Pitted dates
1 banana, mashed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons chai seeds

Method

So chuck everything except the banana into the food processor! May need to do it in batches so that the dates and almonds are chopped evenly.
You want a rustic texture… So have small and bigger chunks of almonds marbled throughout.
Next stir through mashed banana!
Evenly spread mixture on a lined tray and refrigerate for at least an hour!

These are so quick and easy to make & packed full of good stuff! No added sugar, no flour, no eggs! Ahmygracious amazing!