Bedroom horticulturalist

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a snackaholic. I find myself drawn to the fridge and pantry more times than I’m anywhere else in the house, thus I’ve decided to share one of the ‘clean' snacks that I like to keep on hand. I've never measured out how much I use of each ingredient, it’s always been a bit guess and check with me- but it’s easy enough for my 13 year old brother to make on his own (and tasty enough for him to enjoy!)

Chocolate Bark recipe

Coconut butter (approx. ¾ cup)

Cacao powder (approx. ½ cup)

Agave syrup

Maca powder (optional)

Toppings (i'll go in detail on what I used down below)

Combine the cacao and a couple of tspns of maca power with the coconut butter and follow with a generous splashing of agave syrup. At this stage I tend to spoon a small sample onto gladwrap and pop it into the freezer for a minute to allow it to harden and test the cacao/sweetness of it. After adjusting it to your taste, cover a baking tray with glad wrap and pour the mixture onto it.

Finish off by sprinkling the chocolate bark with your desired toppings, let it harden in the freezer for 5 minutes and just snap off pieces to enjoy!

(Be sure to store in the fridge afterwards!)

Sunflower Seeds

As well as adding a nice crunch to the chocolate, these seeds are high in antioxidants which neutralise free-radicals in your body and promote healthy heart functioning. A quarter cup serving of  sunflower seeds contains 60% of your RDI vitamin E- a preventer of CVD and natural UV protectant. What's more, these seeds are high in protein, magnesium and minerals like calcium, iron and zinc.

Dried Goji Berries

Well known as a 'superfood', the goji berry is a powerful source of antioxidants and essential amino acids which boost the immune system and promote healthy muscle development. One quarter cup serving of goji berries has over your RDI in vitamin A and C as well as 15% of your RDI of iron, making it a perfect topping and snack on its own.

Slivered Almonds/Cashews

Nuts are often considered a high 'fat' food, however it needs to be recognised that these aren't the same fats found in things like chips and lollies. The fats in these are natural monounsaturated fats, the same type of fat that is found in olive oil and associated with benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease. Nuts are also a low G.I. food group- meaning that glucose is slowly released into the blood stream, allowing for a steady supply of energy and letting you feel full for longer.

Chia Seeds

Easily sprinkled on to desserts and breakfasts, this tiny seed packs a powerful punch in terms of nutrition- just one 28g serve of chia has almost a third of your RDI of manganese and 18% of your calcium RDI, both essential for strong bone development. It is also high in fibre and omega-3 fatty acids, the latter which our bodies are inefficient producers of and essential for healthy body functioning. These little seeds are also an easy way to add extra protein in your diet.

Desiccated coconut

This I added more for the taste factor more than anything else, desiccated coconut is admittedly high in saturated fats, but it is also a source of manganese and fibre which eases the guilt factor just a little.

Keep in mind that I am not a nutritionist and everything learnt has beenutritionist so this is just a result of personal interest and research. I’ve excluded some benefits because I figure this post is long enough as is, and as with everything, take the statistics with a grain of salt. The thing to recognise with these that these additions are (for the most part) nutritionally beneficial and a much better alternative to say, a cadbury rocky road block!

Alongside extended cooking escapades, within the last 24 hours I've also become a self-proclaimed bedroom horticulturalist- i'm not usually one to claim a green thumb (a short stint with a strawberry plant ended with me losing the entire thing), but a recent trip to Bunnings for paint turned into 30 minutes spent loitering in the gardening area where I picked up a few succulents which I’ve depotted into glass jars to scatter around my room.