HEALTHY FROSTED COCONUT PUMPKIN CAKE {VEGAN AND SUGARLESS}



If you have a sweet tooth but are trying to be healthy then this is the recipe for you! This frosted coconut pumpkin cake not only includes a vegetable but is also vegan and sugar free making it the perfect treat with no guilt attached.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Margarine
1 cup Dates (finely grinded)
1 cup Butternut Pumpkin (Mashed)
2 cups Coconut Flour
3/4 cup Almond Milk
Cinnamon
2 tsp Baking Powder



Method:
#1- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease a 22cm round pan.
#2- Cut up the pumpkin and leave to steam for 15-20minutes until soft.
#3- Use an electric mixer to combine dates and coconut oil. Then add in the margarine until combined.
#4- Stir in pumpkin. Sift over the flour, and stir until combined. Fold in the almond milk and spoon into prepared pan.
#5- Bake for up to an hour or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes once taken out of the oven.
#5- Make the icing by using an electric beater to combine the margarine, shredded coconut and artificial sweetener.
#6- Top with the icing mixture then serve and enjoy.

I hope you all enjoyed this recipe. Coming up will be a slightly naughtier version of this cake because it includes dairy and sugar. It's definitely not as healthy as this recipe but is much sweeter and still incorporates pumpkin so look out for that.

 

Thanks for reading :)



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UNBOXING AND REVIEW: HARVEST BOX

Snacking tends to get a bad rap but unless you're snacking on foods high in fats (that aren't natural from nuts or avocados) or sugary treats then snacking is a great part of a balanced diet. Harvest Box definitely understands the importance of snacking in between meals and offers the perfect healthy solution; portions of fried fruits, nuts and seeds delivered right to your door.

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THE BEST HEALTHY RECIPES OF JORDYSCOOKING - CELEBRATING 20K SUBSCRIBERS

So recently I hit 20,000 subscribers on my cooking channel...now to me that is absolutely insane! Mainly because I started my cooking channel well after I started my beauty channel and for it to surpass my beauty channel in such a short amount of time blows my mind. Despite not being around for very long I feel like my cooking channel has changed in so many ways as I have grown as a person and my lifestyle has transformed. I started by putting up dessert recipes covered in sugar and chocolate but soon found my way to healthy snack ideas and meal prepping tutorials.

 

I wanted to put this post up on not only my JordysCooking blog but also my JordysFitness blog because I feel like my Jordy's Cooking channel sparked the inspiration for Jordy's Fitness because with the healthy recipes began my love for fitness and exercise too. So much so that I needed to create a whole separate blog for all the healthy recipes and fitness tips.

 

Without getting too mushy, I wouldn't be where I am today without starting my cooking channel because it expanded my horizons to health and fitness which without I wouldn't be as fulfilled as I am now. I also turned vegetarian between starting this channel and now which comes down to me being inspired (by starting this channel) to find out more about where food comes from and all about nutrition.

 

So in celebration of reaching such an amazing milestone, here are my top five favourite recipes from Jordy's Cooking, all of which are pretty recent because I feel like I've never been creating as good content as I am now.

 



HOMEMADE HUMMUS
Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

BANANA OAT BREAKFAST BALLS
 Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

BANANA OAT MUFFINS
 Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

BANANA PROTEIN SMOOTHIE
 Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

 

VEGETABLE BAKE
Click HERE to watch the video.
Click HERE to read the recipe.

You want to know the best part about creating these recipes for you? It was seeing all of YOUR pictures sent in of you recreating my recipes. I loved creating all these new and different healthy dinner/snack/lunch ideas because I knew that some of you would give them a go and be eating a healthy and nutritious meal.

Now here's to another 20k subscribers because I know that I will be making cooking videos for a long time to come.

 

 

Thank you for reading :)




 



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BANANA OAT BREAKFAST BALLS {WITH A PEANUT BUTTER DRIZZLE}

This is a simple three ingredient recipe that I whipped up one morning incorporating three of my favourite breakfast foods and I have been loving it ever since. I present to you...banana oat breakfast balls with a peanut butter drizzle.

Ingredients:
(makes about 5 balls)
1 Banana
1 Cup Oats
1 tbsp Peanut Butter

Method:
1. Mash up the ripened banana in a bowl.
2. Combine the banana with 1 cup of oats.
3. Roll the banana oat mixture into balls and microwave for 1 minute.
4. Drizzle with a tablespoon of melted peanut butter.

Tip:
- Add the amount of oats you like according to texture.
- Make these the night before so all you have to do is grab them out of the fridge in the morning.
- You could also add some honey into the mixture to make them even sweeter.

So there you go, a quick and easy breakfast that is healthy and nutritious. Now no more excuses for skipping breakfast!

Thank you for reading :)

 



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HEALTHY HOMEMADE HUMMUS [RECIPE]

It's about time I share with you all one of my favourite snack recipes of all time, hummus! Now I highly doubt that any of you haven't heard of hummus but if for some reason you're not sure...hummus is a dip made from chickpeas and seasonings. It's very high in protein and nutrition due to the incredible chickpeas and lemons used.

Ingredients
1 can Chickpeas
1/2 Lemon
Dash of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Spices of your choice;
Lemon pepper Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper

Equipment
You will need a blender, processor, Ninja or some sort of equipment that will blend all of this together.

Method
Throw all of the ingredients into your blender, processor or whatever you are using to mix this all together.

Tips
To enhance the lemon flavour you can leave the chickpea and lemon juice sitting in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

I like to serve my hummus with carrot and celery sticks or some multigrain crackers.
 

 

Thank you for reading :)




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HOMEMADE SUSHI {QUICK DINNER RECIPE}

Sushi is my absolute favourite food but it can be quite expensive, impractical and inconvenient to have to have buy it each day so I love making my own instead. This is a recipe which will talk you through the ingredients required and steps necessary to take in order to achieve healthy and delicious homemade sushi.

Ingredients
Sushi Rice

Seaweed Sheets

Fillings

Mayonnaise

Ginger

Soy Sauce

Wasabi

Equipment
Bamboo Mat
Sharp Knife

Method
- Put your sushi rice in the microwave to cook  for about 10-15 minutes.
- While your waiting for your rice to cook, set up your rolling mat with a sheet of seaweed on it.
- Also while your waiting, cut up all of your fillings. I like combinations such as avocado and cucumber or cream cheese and avocado. Think about what you usually order when you're out eating sushi, then buy the fillings and you can make that exact roll yourself.
- Once your rice has finished, come back to your rolling mat with seaweed on it, spread a thin layer of rice on your seaweed sheet and then place your fillings just off centre in a line on top of the rice.
- Roll your sushi sheet with the help of your bamboo mat ensuring that the sides are sealed.

Tips
- I use vegan cream cheese for a lighter, healthier option.
- The proper Japanese mayo from Kewpie is by far the most delicious.
- Cut up your sushi with a damp knife for precise slicing.
- Make sure to squeeze a bit of mayo on the sheet before you roll it up to help everything stick together.

Thank you for reading :)




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THE CONTROVERSY OF SUPERFOODS - MY RESPONSE

 

The Checkout is an Australian ABC program commenting on all current social matters and I think is a very well made program but often a hit or miss. I would compare it to the likes of "A Current Affair"...but it isn't that bad yet, let's just say that particular episodes can be quite biased, one sided and exaggerated.
 
They recently ran an episode on Superfoods with the stance that
- Superfoods are too expensive
- That studies on superfoods were funded by companies who benefit from the sales of the product or that there isn't sufficient evidence as of yet to prove that they are in fact super.
- They dislike that Oprah and Jennifer Hawkins increased the sales of superfoods.

Now if you are familiar with this website you would know that I have a whole series on superfoods that you can check out HERE and I have incorporated a lot of them into my everyday lifestyle, finding fantastic results particularly; better digestion due to increased fiber, a fuller for longer feeling, energised and I actually FEEL healthier.

I have recently become aware that it is a social stigma that when someone mixes chia seeds into their morning smoothies everyone goes crazy and it's a huge argument about how healthy it really is while the millions of people who walk through the McDonald's golden arches each day aren't batted an eyelash at. So enjoy my sarcastic approach to responding on the controversy of superfoods.



Now as for the first point, I'm not even going to argue here. Superfoods are EXPENSIVE! But you know what else is? Fresh fruit and vegetables! I pay $3.50 an avocado, $1.50 a Truss tomato, $8 a Dragonfruit and $7 for a little pack of raspberries. At this point, $8 for a pack of Chia Seeds isn't what is setting me back in the bigger picture of everything.



So they don't like that studies on superfoods were funded by companies who benefit from the sales of the product? The reality is though that it's no different to any other product on the market, every food has a corporation rallying behind it with BILLION dollar budgets. Why do we eat ANYTHING that we eat?! It all comes down to marketing and super foods are no exception to the rule so why pick on them when they are healthier than most. Most of the studies that look at Dairy are funded by the dairy industry etc. It's silly to consider marketing health foods any different to marketing milk as "nutritious" and "healthy" but instead they say it has "goodness" and is "delicious". Ever wonder why? Because there's measures preventing them from lying and milk is technically not considered nutritious or healthy. This is particular prevalent in the USA but look at some samples of milk bottles above that you have probably seen on the shelves at Coles or Woolies. Pauls can merely say their milk has "goodness" and "for a better you"...whatever those statements mean? This is the case for every other milk bottle on the shelves, not just Pauls.

So there isn't sufficient evidence as of yet to prove that they are in fact super at all? A lot of foods aren't proven without a doubt to be healthy for you but does that mean that they are bad for you? Fruit juices, olive oil, wine and so many other foods and drinks have strong arguments for both sides. The jury is still out on products such as these but do we still consume them? Most likely at least once a week! Then there's plenty of foods where research shows ONLY NEGATIVE results and yet we still eat them as part of our diet...but that's for another day and another post.

 

 

Finally, they dislike that Oprah and Jennifer Hawkins increased the sales of superfoods? The reason I want to finish on this note is that they mentioned Oprah throughout the whole 10 minute program, what's the obsession? It's not new that celebrities are used to endorse everything under the sun and in the universe so why get your panties in a twist when Oprah says chia seeds are good for you when Kim Kardashian is sitting there promoting Midori and Heidi Klum is promoting fatty burgers...surely the goji berries have GOT to be a better option. After all we just spoke about the example of milk, let's look at the "Got Milk?" campaign, I lost count of how many celebrities jumped on that marketing bandwagon.



I guess my point is just try not to get persuaded so easily by tv programmes. As someone so deeply in journalism I understand their persuasion methods to suck in the masses and often times they succeed when it's the only viewpoint being shown on a topic. You're all intelligent and smart individuals so make up your own mind rather than listen to others. That even goes with this article you're reading right now, these are my opinions only here to help you make yours.
 
Just food for thought, pun intended.



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VEGAN DATE OAT COOKIES SUGAR FREE RECIPE

A couple of nights ago I felt like something sweet after dinner so decided to play around in the kitchen and make a healthy treat. I came up with these delicious vegan and sugar-free Date Oat Cookies that will definitely satisfy a sweet tooth while only containing healthy ingredients (some of which are super foods) so it's a guilt-free treat.

Ingredients:
1 cup Rolled Oats
1 cup Equal
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup LSA Meal
1/4 cup Almond Milk
6 Dates
1 tbsp. Margarine
2 tbsp. Coconut Butter
Handful of Almonds
Splash of Vanilla Essence

Method:
All you need to do to create the batter is pop all of the ingredients into a food processor or mixer and blend them up. If you don't have any appliances such as those then you can always mix the ingredients together with a beater or by hand.

Alternatives:
You could add banana to this recipe for added potassium and minerals or even golden syrup if you feel like really treating yourself with some extra sweetness. Also instead of a handful of almonds you could swap it out for any nut of your preference like walnuts or pecans.

So that's the end of the recipe and you can see not only how easy these are to make but also how healthy they are!

Please let me know if you try this recipe out and if you do then send pictures to mail@jordysfitness.com

 

Thank you for reading.



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