Foodie Friday: No Bake Salted Chocolate Pretzel & Peanut Butter Squares (Vegan / Dairy-Free recipe) #Veganuary

Happy Friday everyone! As today marks the end of a very successful Veganuary, I wanted to round off the month with a chocolatey sweet treat which is based on a simple no-bake recipe. These Salted Chocolate Pretzel & Peanut Butter Squares are seriously moreish so you have been warned!

Vegan desserts and sweet treats are often a lot easier to make at home than you may have previously thought, thanks to the ingredients being readily available from most supermarkets these days. It's simply the case of finding a like-for-like product such as dairy-free chocolate or a plant milk alternative to use instead.  

With this in mind, I wanted to share an easy no-bake recipe for Salted Chocolate Pretzel & Peanut Butter Squares as I feel it's a great recipe to try if you're new to veganism. They're also healthier than something you'd buy pre-made/prepackaged in the shops, and these yummy squares are the perfect size to pop into lunch boxes or to keep in the fridge for whenever you have a sweet snack craving.

I'm hopelessly addicted to that salty chocolate flavour sensation so these really hit the spot if you're a fan too!

Ingredients (makes 8-10 squares)

• 80g Salted Pretzels, plus extra for topping
• 80g Jumbo Rolled Oats
• 150g Medjool Dates
• 6 tbsp Peanut Butter
• 2 tbsp Maple or Agave Syrup
• 150g Dairy-Free Milk or Dark Chocolate
• 2-3 tbsp Dairy-Free Milk
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil

Method

• Line a brownie tin with baking paper and set aside.
• Place the Salted Pretzels, Oats, Dates, Peanut Butter and Maple Syrup into a food processor and blitz until everything comes together to form a rough dough-like texture.
• Add 2 tbsp of the Dairy-Free Milk and blitz again so that the dough feels sticky between your fingers. If it's still a bit dry or crumbly, add an extra 1 tbsp of Dairy-Free Milk and mix again.
• Transfer the dough to the lined brownie tin, using a spatula to spread it evenly and to smooth out the surface, pressing it firming into the tray. Set aside.
• Next, break up the Dairy-Free Chocolate into smaller pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl with the Coconut Oil. Heat on medium-high for 20-30 seconds until mostly melted and then stir to ensure a smooth and glossy consistency.
• Carefully pour the melted Chocolate over the dough layer, using the spatula again to smooth it out so that it's an even layer. Finish with some broken pieces of Salted Pretzels and pop into the fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
• Once set, remove from the fridge and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Storage tip: Keep the squares in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Do you enjoy no-bake recipes?

[Recipe adapted from PlantBased magazine]

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Green Beauty: LoveLula Beauty Box - January 2020 review

The first LoveLula Beauty Box of 2020 arrived earlier this month and they've done a fantastic job of including a variety of green beauty products, with an overall value of £50! Curious to find out more? Keep on reading...

 Kathleen Natural Bright Mask (RRP £28)

Worth £28 on its own, this luxury, vegan-friendly face mask is proudly made in the UK by Kathleen Natural who are based in Royal Leamington Spa. The Bright Mask is appropriately named as it's been formulated to deliver refreshing, illuminating and hydrating results thanks to a blend of rich natural acids which are found in White Willow Bark and Hibiscus extracts. The acids help to speed up cell turnover as they gently clear away dull, dead skin cells on the surface, revealing brighter, fresher and younger-looking skin underneath - genius!

 Kiki Health Magnesium Oil (RRP £12.50)

Next up, I was delighted to find a Magnesium Oil from Kiki Health as I often talk about the benefits of magnesium supplements to anyone who will listen! Most of us in the UK have a magnesium deficiency so it's important to keep your levels topped up, especially if you exercise or train a lot. This convenient spray can be applied any time of the day directly to the skin, where it's quickly absorbed to help relax muscles and soothe any minor aches or pains.

 Hesh Black Seed Oil (RRP £7.99)

Another interesting product in this month's LoveLula box is Hesh Black Seed Oil which comes packaged in dark glass to protect the ingredients within from the elements. Containing simply 100% pure and virgin Black Seed Oil which is extracted from the seeds of the Nigella Sativa plant, this oil has been revered by Asian communities for centuries thanks to its antioxidant-rich properties. You can take it internally to help with allergies, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and digestive disorders, or you can apply it topically to treat dry skin problems, reduce inflammation and boost natural hair growth.

 Natura Siberica Taiga Daily Protection Hand Cream (30ml travel size)

As Winter continues its chilly assault on our skin, make sure to give your hands some extra TLC with this travel size Taiga Daily Protection Hand Cream from Natura Siberica. With ingredients such as Wild Honey, Arctic Cloudberries and Lingonberries, this hard-working hand cream instantly hydrates and softens, whilst also protecting the skin's natural barrier.

Mádara Grow Volume Shampoo & Conditioner (samples)

To round off this month's LoveLula box, we have two samples of Mádara Grow Volume Shampoo & Conditioner - a range of natural hair care which is infused with Caffeine and Zinc to give your hair a healthy boost. And don't forget that after you've tried these, you can recycle the sample sachet packaging at your nearest Neal's Yard Remedies as part of their national recycling scheme - more info here to find your local stockist.

LoveLula Beauty Box* is a monthly subscription box priced at £13.95 with free postage in the UK. Visit lovelula.com to find out more.

Have you subscribed to LoveLula's Beauty Box?

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Health & Lifestyle: Sundose - Personalised Supplements review

We consume billions of pounds worth of health supplements in the UK, with an estimated 71% of the general public stating that they take some form of a multivitamin every day in a recent survey. But as everyone's health needs are different and individual, should we be looking at a more personalised approach to supplements? 

With my interest in health and wellbeing forever growing, I've been fortunate enough to speak to numerous professional nutritionists and health experts over the years, and most are in favour of supplements being taken to ensure that we get all of the vitamins and minerals that our body requires to perform at its best. There are many factors involved, but common thoughts on why supplements are beneficial are based on busy lifestyles that include more travel these days, longer commutes, longer working hours and family commitments, poor diets that are reliant on packaged and convenience foods, and a lack of many key minerals in our soil due to environmental pollution and intensive farming practices.

However, it's important to actually stop and think about your individual health and lifestyle needs before you simply buy the nearest multivitamin on the shelf. For example, if you're a woman who has periods, you'll usually require more iron than a man, or if you do a lot of exercise, it's likely that you may need a top up of magnesium as exercise depletes your body's magnesium stores. 

Personalised Supplements

This is why I was interested in the opportunity to trial Sundose who specifically tailor their supplements to your personal health requirements. When you sign up to their health service, you're asked a number of questions to assess your needs and for an even better, tailored guarantee, it's recommended that you submit to them a copy of your recent blood test results. This approach will allow their lab to individually compose and 100% match the Sundose supplements to exactly what your body needs. Pretty neat, huh?

What Is Sundose?  

Sundose is a composition of high-quality vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics and antioxidants, which are designed to be taken every day to boost your overall health. It's free from preservatives, colourants, anti-caking ingredients and fillers, so it has a short shelf-life and needs to be kept in the fridge so that it remains fresh. Boxes contain a month's supply which are delivered to you, and your Sundose supplements change as you change, as the composition is recalibrated every month. You can even download the Sundose app and track your progress, plus they have supplements available which are suitable for those who follow a vegan diet.

How Do I Take Sundose?

For ultra-convenience and freshness, Sundose is packaged into individual daily sachets which contain a powder that you mix with water and drink (you can choose the flavour of this when you sign up), and a range of supplements that you swallow with a glass of water. It's recommended that you take your Sundose drink and supplements after breakfast.

What's In My Personalised Sundose?

To give you an example of what you can expect, here's how my Sundose was composed:-

The Powder part (that you mix with water to drink) contains a high amount of Vitamin C (606mg) with Folic Acid, Selenium, Biotin, Vitamin B12, Thiamine, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Panthothenic Acid, Zinc and Magnesium all covering my daily requirements. It also includes Vitamin D, Iron, Molybdenum, Manganese, Calcium, Vitamin E, Copper, Potassium, Iodine, Chromium, Lycopene, Coenzyme Q10 and Lutein in varying amounts.

For the Supplements, I received four capsules to swallow:-

• An antioxidant capsule which contains Silymarin, L-ornithine and Choline.
• An omega fatty acids capsule which contains Fish Oil, EPA and DHA.
• A probiotic capsule which contains Saccharomyces boulardii, Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus plantarum LP01 and Inulin.
• A further antioxidant capsule containing L-theanine, Bacopa monnieri extract, Ashwagandha extract and Korean Ginseng extract.

Overall thoughts?

I took Sundose for one month and thought that it covered all of my essential health needs and more, especially with the powder that you make into a drink - I found this useful for boosting my overall energy and immunity. The probiotic element helps to support gut health, whilst the two antioxidant supplements addreses anxiety, sleep, fatigue, energy levels and healthy hormone regulation. I always feel that it's good to comsume more essential omega fatty acids, and despite being a vegetarian, I have always had good results from taking fish oil (it's my only exception to the vegetarian rule) so again, this worked well for me. This is definitely something that I would look into continuing with in the future as it covers all bases of health in my opinion, and does what you want your supplements to do for you.

Sundose* retails for £69 per month and is available from uk.sundose.io

Would you consider personalised supplements?

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Foodie Friday: Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese (Dairy-Free recipe) #Veganuary

It's been incredibly inspiring to see so many people take part in Veganuary this year on my social media feeds, and this week's recipe is for anyone who has been craving some serious comfort food - it's my favourite Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese! 

A generous bowl of spaghetti is sometimes the only thing that really hits the spot during Winter, especially as this whole week seems to have been a pretty miserable combination of dark grey skies, constant drizzle, chilly temperatures and awful politics - brrrr! 

This plant-based Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese only takes around 30 minutes to make and it's one of the best mid-week dinners that the whole family can enjoy. I find that it's a good one for kids too, as it's an easy way to sneak some extra veg into their meal without the bowl being thrown at the wall ;) 

As always, you can customise the ingredients by adding some Chilli if you want some heat, or if you're on a low-carb diet, you can simply swap the Spaghetti for Courgetti instead. 

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 200g Dried Spaghetti 
• 1 pack of Vegan Mince
• 1 can of Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 punnet of Chestnut Mushrooms
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce
• 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled & crushed
• 1 small White Onion
• 2 sticks of Celery
• 1 Red Pepper
• Generous handful of Petit Pois Peas
• Salt & Pepper

To Serve

• Fresh Basil Leaves
• Dairy-Free Cheese 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Method

• Roughly chop up the Red Pepper, Onion, Celery and Mushrooms and give them a quick blitz in a food processor, or finely chop everything into very small pieces, e.g the mushrooms should look similar to mince.
• In a large saucepan over a low-medium heat, add the finely chopped vegetables, along with the can of Chopped Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Soy Sauce and Garlic. Stir everything together and simmer to allow the flavours to infuse and season with Salt & Pepper. After 10 minutes, add the Vegan Mince, stir and cook for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
• Whilst the veggies and sauce is simmering, cook the Spaghetti and Petit Pois Peas according to the pack instructions and set aside.
• Add the cooked Spaghetti to the saucepan with the veggies and stir over a low-medium heat to ensure it's thoroughly coated and piping hot.
• Serve immediately with torn fresh Basil Leaves, a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, extra Black Pepper and finely grated Dairy-Free Cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Storage tip: The Bolognese sauce will keep in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container. Ensure that it's thoroughly heated before serving with fresh pasta.

 What's your favourite pasta dish?

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