Superfoods: Hemp seeds / Seed crackers

Today I wanted to post another superfood post and I chose to write about hemp seeds. The recipe I will be sharing with you in which I use hemp seeds is one of my favourite things to make. I make a batch of this once a week as I'm addicted to it. It's such a great snack to have a stash of available and will stop you reaching out for biscuits and chocolate! 

Homemade filled chocolates

Now no matter how healthy you may be, you cannot deny that we all get chocolate cravings from time to time. And here is your solution - home made healthy chocolate. Two of the ingredients are superfoods - cacao butter (contains no sugar or dairy) and cacao powder. I have written a post all about cacao previously, so if you want to find out more be sure to check that out. 

Healthy Easter Nests!

 These little Easter nests are a healthy alternative to the usual chocolate coated rice crispies/cornflakes nests that most people are familiar with. They even contain two superfoods: cacao powder and chia seeds! Granted they require a few more ingredients, but if you're into healthy eating then you will probably have the majority of these already in your cupboards! There is no shop bought chocolate in the nest recipe (just cacao powder) and you would not be able to tell. They truly are delicious and you do not have to feel any guilt in munching down on these. The mini eggs are the only naughty part, however if you really do not want to have them there are lots of healthy alternatives which I mention later. And how could I not mention how cute these look too!

Superfoods: Maca / Raw energy balls

Maca is a root vegetable and belongs to the radish family. It is native to the high Andes of Peru and is commonly known as Peruvian Gingseng. The health benefits of maca have been long valued in Peru, and historically maca was even regarded as 'the food of the gods' by the Incas, one of the oldest civilizations on earth.

Superfoods: Lucuma / ice-cream & smoothie

So today I wanted to do another post on a superfood and I have chosen lucuma. This is one of the cheaper superfood powders out there and is known as natures caramel. Lucuma is a subtropical fruit native to Ecuador, Peru and Chile and has been used as a sweetener and base in Incan food for centuries. It is consequently known as 'gold of the Incas'. The flesh of the fruit is a gorgeous yellow/orange colour, which can be seen on my lucuma packet below. It is turned into a powder so that we, on the other side of the world, can benefit from this amazing fruit. It is dried at low temperatures so that all the nutritional value is retained, and then milled into a superfine powder. 

Superfoods: Cacao / Smoothie

'Superfoods' I am sure is not a new term to many of you. But if it is, then it just means a nutrient-rich food, which is highly beneficial to your health. These seem to be a bit of a craze at the minute, and I can see why.

Now I am not talking about your super healthy fruit and veg; blueberries, goji berries, beetroot and spinach to name a few. Don't get me wrong, these have exceptional nutritional value and are classed as superfoods. But what I am talking about are the ones you are less likely to have heard of; cacao, chia seeds, moringa, baobab, lucuma, spirulina, wheatgrass, maca, and many more.

All the ones I have mentioned come in powder form, which makes it super easy to get them into your diet. Due to the exceptional nutrient count they have, you have to be careful not to consume too much of some of them. If there is a daily limit, it will say so on the packet.

I am going to be doing a few posts, each will focus on one superfood powder, and also a recipe to go with it.Today I am starting with cacao, and will be showing you two cacao smoothies. To start with, I am going going to talk about what it is, and its benefits.