Quick & Healthy No-Bake Oat Bars!

I adore the granola bars and oat bars you can buy from shops, but the majority of them are full of sugar and other nasty ingredients that aren't good for you. So recently I've been making my own! They don't contain any gluten or wheat, no added sugar, no flour, nothing artificial!
They're extremely quick and easy to make, don't require baking and they leave hardly any washing up - bonus!

They don't require baking in the oven as they contain coconut oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but a liquid when heated up. It's a lot better for you than other cooking oils too. We also have honey in this recipe, which isn't the best thing in the world but I only use a bit and it's a hell of a lot better for you than sugar. These bars are so yummy, extremely moreish, gorgeously chewy and you don't have to feel guilty after eating them!

Firstly you need to mix 1 cup of a nut butter of your choice, I chose almond with a little bit of peanut butter too (I ran out of almond butter..oops), just under 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of coconut oil in a saucepan over a low heat until the mixture has melted and there no lumps left.

Then take the mixture off the heat and add 2 and 1/2 cups of rolled oats and any extras that you want!
I added seeds, shredded coconut, flaked almonds and cranberries to my bars! Dark chocolate chips, raisins or different nuts are some options.

Pour the mixture into a container, make sure you've lined it with greaseproof paper first!

Pop it in the fridge and leave it to set for a few hours.

Take out of the fridge, cut into pieces, share with family and friends, and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS -
1 cup almond butter (or any other nut or seed butter you'd like)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 1/2 rolled oats
1 cup of cranberries, seeds, flaked almonds and shredded coconut combined. 

1. In a saucepan on medium heat mix the almond butter, honey and coconut oil together until melted and free of lumps.
2. Take the saucepan off the heat and mix in the cranberries, seeds, flaked almonds and shredded coconut. 
3. Pour mixture into a greaseproof paper lined container, make sure it's all flat! Place it in the free for a few hours until fully set and solid.
4. Cut into pieces and ENJOY!

Have a wonderful Easter!

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The Benefits Of Lemon

Recently I've started putting slices of lemon in my water, to make it a bit more tasty and also because there are so many health benefits. I already knew a few of them but after doing some research I found a load more, and I have come to the conclusion that lemon is a magical fruit.

1. Helps keep your skin looking clear. Lemon juice contains antioxidants which will help to clear up blemishes and also keep you looking younger. Lemon juice can be applied straight to the face as well, apply it to problem areas (as long as they're not open wounds, or severe acne), leave the juice on for half an hour and rinse. Lemon juice will also make you look more radiant, as it's detoxifying your blood.

2. Boosts your immune system. If you're someone who gets ill a lot, especially if you get colds, (thankfully I'm not like that) then drinking lemon water is a good idea! Lemon juice contains loads of vitamin C, which helps protect and keep cells healthy, maintains the body tissue around your organs and helps wounds to heal.

3. Helps with digestion. Lemon juice will aid your body with digestion and relieve heartburn, indigestion or bloating.

4. Balances your pH levels. Having a good pH balance in your body is important - if unbalanced it can cause problems with the digestive system, immune system, respiratory system, nervous system, muscular system, and many more. Although on their own lemons are acidic once they're inside the body they are one of the most alkalising foods. Drinking lemon water regularly will help reduce the acidity in your body, which could have been caused by a high-fat diet, airway conditions like asthma, drinking too much alcohol, obesity, etc.

5. Stops you overeating. If you're trying to lose weight, or simply by healthier by not snacking so much then the pectin fibre in lemon juice will assist in fighting those cravings.

6. Helps reduce feelings of anxiety or depression. I didn't really believe this one, but lemon juice is supposed to be very calming, even the smell of it can really help.

7. Cleanses your body. Lemon juice helps to flush out any toxins from your body. The juice will help maximise enzyme function, which stimulates the liver and aids in detoxification. It will also help loosen toxins in the digestive tract, due to the high number of minerals and vitamins in the lemon.

8.  Keeps your breath fresh. No-one likes smelly breath! Lemon juice will keep your breath much fresher.

9. Energises you. Lemon juice contains more negatively charged ions, which react with your body and provide you with more energy.

10. Great source of potassium. Potassium is really good for heart health, and also the brain and nerve functions.

So now you see what I mean, lemon is magical.

Try putting it in your water!

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Nonsense Media On Body Image - My Thoughts

This is a little bit of a different blog post today, but I have just seen a lot of stuff on twitter and other social networking sites recently about different things to do with body image and what people think is good and bad to look like in society.

It bugs me that everything is so revolved around how we look, I can't go a day without hearing someone say they wish they had a 'thigh gap', or they wish they were toned, I can't go a day without seeing magazine articles or articles online talking about how celebrities look, whether it's a negative article with a picture of a female celeb in a bikini on holiday with comments about how much weight she's put on, or zoomed in pictures of her cellulite (do we really need to see that?), or it could be a 'positive' article complimenting how fabulous a celeb looks. Both of these annoy me.

1. The negative article. Firstly, it is bullying really. If someone at a school passed around pictures of their classmate with a whole article about how much weight they'd put on then that child would be in trouble, they'd be seen as a bully and a really nasty person and they'd get a punishment. So why is it okay for magazines to print the exact same thing about people? Yes, okay, the person would be famous, therefore people are interested in them, but that person is still human, they have feelings. Also, if that person is happy enough with their body to wear a bikini on the beach then good for them, they're doing nothing wrong! (Think about that the next time you say 'fat girls shouldn't wear crop tops' or something stupid).
You have to think about how these articles effect people. I know that when you see these photos and comments in magazines or online it makes you look at yourself. Imagine a young girl seeing it, looking at herself and seeing those things on herself that the reporters were being negative about, BAM, that girl's self esteem plummets when probably she's completely normal and completely healthy - the effects aren't just that now she's a bit self conscious, low self esteem can lead to eating disorders, depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, etc.

2. The 'positive' article. I called this the positive article because they are praising the person, however it certainly doesn't have a positive impact.
I know that when I see an article of a really beautiful celeb, with an amazing figure, perfect hair, perfect teeth, immaculate nails, professional makeup, etc, with comments saying how they look brilliant and how wonderful they look it doesn't make me think "aww, she does look great", it makes me think "but I don't look like that, does that mean I'm not attractive? I need my teeth whitened, I need to lose weight, I need to be like her". It's so unhealthy and so wrong! You have to remember that this celebrity has most probably paid a lot of money to look like that, whether it's with surgery, personal trainers, professional makeup artists, or maybe the photo has been photoshopped which, lets face it, is very likely.

I hate this constant need, that teen girls in particular seem to have, to search for 'perfection', to try and change themselves, and 99% of the time this is down to what they've seen in the media.
Let me tell you, no-one is perfect. Even the most beautiful celebrities have flaws, the trick is to emphasise the things you like about yourself, and if there is something you deeply don't like about yourself then try and change it but DON'T be unhealthy with it - don't go on some fad diet, don't starve yourself, and don't do it to please others, only do it for yourself.
The biggest thing at the moment seems to be the 'thigh gap'…..let me just say, the thigh gap is NOT about how fat your thighs are, it's all about how wide your hips are, the shape of your spine and a lot of other factors, so if you don't have a thigh gap then it is fine, it doesn't mean you're overweight or hideous or anything silly like that.

If you want to look good then eat healthily - have a balanced diet, snacking is fine, eating carbs is okay and treating yourself is not bad for you as long as you don't do it every day. Get regular exercise - don't go crazy and push yourself with it, just do what you're comfortable with - this is not just good for your body but also your mind.
Just please, don't take notice of what nonsense media articles say, and don't underestimate yourself by comparing yourself to others.

             

              Those imperfections you worry about every day probably aren't a big deal at all

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