Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Sometimes in life we just need a sweet treat, a chocolate fix and to spoil ourselves

When it comes to sweet treats, I take the same approach as I do to all the other food I eat; I am actively building my health and so how can I add in more nutrition?

These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are easy on our digestion because they are gluten and wheat free.

Instead of empty calories from refined carbs almond flour provides us with protein, vitamin E, antioxidant rich healthy fats and fibre.Raw cacao is packed with magnesium, our relaxation mineral, iron and anti-oxidants. Cacao also boosts the level of our feel good neurotransmitter, serotonin in our brains. Yes! it is true, chocolate makes us feel happy! Trust your body ladies.

In place of blood sugar spiking refined sugar, these muffins are sweetened with maple syrup which contains the B group fo vitamins to support our nervous system and boost our energy. Maple syrup is also rich in chromium which helps the body to process sugar in our diet. Nature is smart that way.

Olive oil is rich in heart healthy mono-saturated fats which help to prevent atherosclerosis and eggs further boost the protein value of this muffin.

But the absolute beauty of this recipe is the addition of zucchini.

Every sweet treat should contain a vegetable!

Here in North America and Canada the majority of us are deficient in one food group; and that is fibre.

The addition of zucchini helps to provide us with one of our 7-10 portions of vegetable a day and also makes for a deliciously moist and tender muffin.

Quick and easy to make and packed with real foods and nutrition, these muffins are the kind of sweetness that we should be choosing when we want to indulge.

You may find you enjoy these muffins as much as my Sugar free Grain Free Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup almond flour

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 1 cup grated zucchini

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F, 180°C, or gas mark 4

• Place muffin cases into a muffin pan or grease muffin pan throughly with olive oil

• Add the almond flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and stir to combine

• Add the grated zucchini and chocolate chips if using and stir through the dry ingredients

• Add the eggs, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and grated zucchini to another bowl and whisk to combine

• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir gently to combine

• Fill each of the muffin cases and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the muffins spring back when touched.

Turmeric and Honey Oatmeal

If you want to know more about why breakfast is the most important meal of the day for the peri-menopausal midlife woman click here to download my FREE breakfast essentials booklet.

Easy Mackerel Pate

Systemic inflammation is the driver of chronic ill health in the body and pushes our beautiful midlife bodies to age faster.

And we FEEL it in all areas of our health.
1. Stiffness on standing and aching joints when we walk. Truly, you feel like an old woman!
2. Low energy and forgetfulness. ‘What did I come in here for?’
3. Rough and reddened skin breaking out on our faces or eczema on our bodies.
4. Unexplained gassiness and bloating when we eat certain foods. Usually the ones we love or crave right???
5. Varicose veins and poor cardio vascular health. Okay, so now your doctor is worried.
6. Gums that bleed not matter how gently we brush at night.
7. uncomfortable and debilitating hot flashes and night sweats when other women do not feel bothered by menopause at all!

Sometimes, the science of nutrition can seem complex, with contradictory advice and new information. But when it comes to inflammation, nutrition is super easy!
Some foods create inflammation in the body and you need to eat less of them.

1. Sugar….all sugar especially processed sugars and high fructose corn syrup.

2. Trans fats and hydrogenated vegetable oil…and yes that might be your ‘heart healthy’ margarine.

3. Vegetable and seed oils…those clear yellowy ones that come in a large plastic bottle.

4. Refined carbohydrates. think white flour, white pasta, cookies, bought cakes and pastries.

5. Excessive alcohol…are you on a daily glass of wine to unwind?

6. Processed meats such as sausage, hot dogs and pepperoni that contain nitrates and nitrites.

Some foods are hugely anti-inflammatory for the body, they promote health and help you to feel younger than your chronological years. We need to eat more of them.

1. Leafy green and cruciferous vegetables.

2. Berries and cherries and low sugar fruits that are packed with antioxidants

3. Virgin cold pressed oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, hemp and nut oils and coconut oil.

4. Raw nuts and seeds of all kinds

5. Omega 3 rich foods such as oily fish, grass-fed meats and flax or chia seeds

This recipe packs a punch in omega 3 fatty acids, thanks to the oily fish mackerel.

My experience is that humans resist the oily fish, we have forgotten the recipes and dishes that we used to eat routinely and enjoy. We have to re-learn our palate and oily fish love!

This recipe combines goats cheese with mackerel to make a delicious pate. This is dense nutrition that helps you to feel satiated and energized, adds lean protein to you lunch/snack plate and loads in anti-inflammatory ingredients to build health on the longer term.

It is also easy to make, lemony, herby and delicious!

This is the food that we should be eating during midlife to support our bodies easily through hormonal change and create the health we want to enjoy when we are in our 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

Fill your plates ladies!

Ingredients

2 wild mackerel filleted and de-boned to give 4 fillets

or

2 cans mackerel in olive oil

1 goats cheese with herbs

1 small handful parsley finely chopped

1 lemon zested

1 tbsp finely chopped capers optional

1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Add the mackerel, cheese, finely chopped parsley, lemon zest and pepper to a small bowl

Toss in the capers if you like the salty zing!

Mash all ingredients together to make a pate consistency

Serve with crackers or oatcakes for a delicious, sugar free snack.

In the photograph, Mackerel Pate was paired with anti-inflammatory and quercetin rich Pickled Pink Onions. You can find that recipe here.