The recipe was originally developed using Clean Mixes Cacao Crunch Ball Mix as a base. Cacao Crunch has now been discontinued so we've played around using different Clean Mixes flavours as the base. We can confirm, it works beautifully with Clean Mixes Chocolate Chip Ball Mix.
This Easter, whip up a batch of this hot cross bun slice for something extra special!
Ingredients:
Base:
Hot Cross Bun Filling:
Chocolate Cross:
Recipe:
This recipe was created by Shannon Hailes @shannons.health on Insta.
]]>Caramel:
Choc Eggs:
Recipe:
Nests:
Using Choc Raspberry Mix, add coconut oil and rice malt syrup into the mix as directed on the package (optional add desiccated coconut). Pat into a lined muffin tin and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 5-10 mins. Let cool.
Caramel:
Blend soaked dates, almond butter, almond milk, dash of vanilla and a pinch of sea salt until smooth. Add about 1 tbsp of the caramel into each nest.
Choc eggs:
Melt cacao butter, maple syrup, cacao powder and pour into egg shaped moulds. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours and once set place one of top of each nest!
This recipe was created by Emily & Sophie Martin @tasty.twinsss
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Recipe by @lizziewagz
Ingredients
Base:
1 pack Clean Mixes Choc Chip Mix
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp maple syrup or rice syrup
Filling:
1 cup soaked overnight cashews
1/4 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
Splash maple syrup
Splash vanilla extract
Lemon juice
1/4 cup frozen blueberries.
To make:
Base - Follow the instructions on the back of the package then mold mixture into mini tart tins.
Filling - in a blender, mix it all together until smooth (add more milk little by little if it’s lumpy) then pour over base and freeze for a couple hours then refrigerate / serve. Top with fresh seasonal fruit and or Easter chocolate eggs.
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They're chewy and pack a seriously dark chocolate hit. These cookies are a dreamy delight for your taste buds (try closing your eyes while you eat them for maximum impact!!).
Our Rich Chocolate Baking Mix and contains both organic cacao and singe-origin dark chocolate chips. It's rich, dark in flavour and goes perfectly with peanut butter.
These cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free (we use coconut milk) and also free of refined sugars.
An excellent snack for school, work or after dinner dunking in a cup of tea!
Makes 18 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
METHOD:
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Amanda approaches health and fitness by ‘"modelling whilst I do"’ through Te Whare Tapa Whā , the Māori Health Model.
Amanda's story is such a great reminder of the benefits of setting your intentions as a way of staying focused on your goals.
Amanda is partially disabled with Dystonia and her son Lucas has Cerebral Palsy. The disabilities don't stop the family living their best lives and giving everything a go.
Amanda's story is real, practical and very inspiring.
"I might be a little crazy! I get up every single day at 5.30am. Why you ask? It’s my favourite time of the day.
When the family and the world is sleeping, I get to be in the peace and quiet. I usually throw on my workout clothes (that I prepare and place out the night before) and sit with a coffee, with our Greyhound Tyson, and just be in the stillness.
I feel that if I get my workout clothes on, I’m already preparing myself to exercise. My brain is getting set with intention to exercise that day. I’m a huge believer in setting the intention for the day as it can help keep focus.
With early mornings does come early nights too. I try read in bed and not play on my phone (I find that a hard habit to break).
So who am I?
I have two boys; Levi is 13 and Lucas is 10. My husband Aubrey is in the RNZAF. We moved from Porirua to Bulls just before Christmas 2020 as we had been long distance for a very long time. I was ready to have our family together again. I love the small-town Bulls and I love being rural.
I was born and bred in Wellington, then studied a Bachelor of Physical Education in Dunedin and then did my Graduate Diploma in Teaching in Wellington.
When the kids are at school and Aubrey is working I tidy the house (I hate vacuuming - but i do it!) I bake for school lunches and I get all my fitness done.
I like exercising in the morning and getting it out the way. I set a routine, so I pretty much know each day if I’m going to the gym, running, swimming or resting. It’s not set in stone but I like routine, it helps me plan my week. I’m also partial to getting my nails done too. My treat to myself.
I’m not working right now as I’m wanting to settle my family into life here, but I am eventually going back to work part time. Being new to the area I’m loving exploring the local shops, walking tracks, river trails and meeting the local farm animals on my runs.
When the kids arrive back from school the busiest part of my day starts. They’re hungry, grumpy, hot and tired. There’s some snapping at each other and I feel like I’m in a circus sometimes. But it’s my life and I love it.
I approach being fit and healthy by ‘modelling whilst I do’ through Te Whare Tapa Whā , the Māori Health Model.
I focus on one of these aspects each day over the week to help keep myself focused and set goals for my health and well-being. Each aspect is interlinked but homing in on just one aspect gives more clarity to your intentions.
For example. I suffer from anxiety. With exercise it regulates my Hinengaro, which then helps me be a better wife and Mum to my Whānau. It also nurtures my spiritual side and obviously increases my fitness and strength of my Tinana.
Some tips I would give to busy parents out there:
I came across Clean Mixes in my social media feed. The Chocolate Chip bliss balls caught my eye first. I am a sucker for chocolate. I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make, and my kids loved them too which is a win.
I am someone who can savour chocolate and sweets, I can nibble but not devour. Maybe that’s strange I don’t know.
As for healthy eating I do believe eating well does help our overall health. Eating nutritious food that works with our bodies is like putting petrol in a car. The wrong petrol, the car doesn’t work or low or no petrol then the car staggers and can stop. Our bodies are the same.
Everyone is different too, so learn how to fuel your body effectively and what foods work for you to give you the best outcome especially when it comes to fitness.
Clean Mixes is quick, easy and nutritious and is perfect to grab before or after exercise.
To me , being fit, healthy and looking after my well-being means I’m a better Mum to the boys, a better wife and someone who role models what being “healthy” looks like".
To me health & wellness encompasses
For those of you who appreciate coffee and chocolate, I know you'll be excited by this. It not only brings together two of the best flavours on the planet, but it's also really simple to make.
Just imagine putting your feet up and enjoying this Raw Mocha Slice for afternoon tea. That sure is a delightful thought!!
Did you know that the chocolate in our products is supplied by Solomon's Gold? Solomon's Gold in an ultra-premium chocolate that's made right here in New Zealand from cacao beans sourced from the Solomon Islands.
We chose to work with Solomon's Gold because of the superior quality and flavour of their chocolate. They use minimal and organic ingredients to create decadent chocolate that is not only dairy free, but also free of refined sugars. That fits with our mantra!!
This recipe was created by the incredibly talented @shannons.plate on Insta, for Clean Mixes.
RAW MOCHA SLICE
Ingredients:
Base:
Mocha Ganache:
Optional topping:
Instructions:
To make your base, combine the Clean Mixes Chocolate Chip Ball Mix with the maple syrup and coconut oil. Once combined, press this mixture into a lined dish to create your base. Place in the fridge to set.
While your base is setting, make your mocha ganache. Place the coconut cream into a pot and heat on the stove top.
Once simmering, remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the pot. Allow it to sit for a minute or two before stirring. Add the coffee and mix.
Once they are combined, leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes before adding on top of your choc chip base. Place back into the fridge until set.
Optional - add chopped dark chocolate to the top.
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I’m very proud to call myself the owner of Clean Mixes. But in what feels like a different life, I was previously a Neuroscientist.
As the saying goes, “once a Neuroscientist, always a Neuroscientist”. I’m a total science geek at heart and I still keep an eye on the latest brain research. The research area I’m most passionate about is how the food we eat affects the health of what is arguably our most important organ, our brain.
Science has come a long way since I completed my Bachelor with Honors degree at the University of Otago. I completed my PhD in Melbourne and worked as a Neuroscientist at USCF in San Francisco too.
During those years, there was very little knowledge of the gut-brain connection, and no teaching on the connection between diet and brain health.
Fast forward to 2021 and we now know that our gut health and its micro-organisms are central to our overall health. What we eat has a huge impact on brain function, affecting everything form alertness, cognition, memory, mood and even brain volume (i.e. the amount of brain tissue we have!!).
When it comes to sugar, every way you look at it, the news is bad. On a population basis, people who consume higher amounts of sugar tend to have more problems with dental decay, metabolic issues, obesity, and diabetes. These are the established facts.
If you thought that was bad, there is more to the story of sugar’s negative impact on health. Did you know that high sugar consumption can lead to both immediate and long-term brain changes?
There are serious questions about why, as a society, we now eat more sugar per capita than ever before. The negative health implications are obvious. So that begs the question, why can’t we just say no to the sweet stuff?
Neuroscience has part of the answer. Brain imaging and biochemical studies now show conclusively; sugar is highly addictive.
In this blog, we’ll shed light on why it’s so hard to just say no to sugar and give you some tips about how to reduce your sugar intake in world where sugar-laden treats are readily available.
Sugar and Addiction
Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the effects of eating a low GI meal versus a high GI meal. The meals were matched for total calorie content. Foods that are high GI convert faster to glucose in the blood stream, resulting in a more rapid rise in blood sugar, faster need for insulin, followed by a much lower blood glucose 3-5 hours after the meal.
The researchers found that compared with eating a low GI meal, a high GI meal elicited stronger brain activity in regions involved in eating behaviour, reward, and craving[1].
In another study, researchers found that sweet foods can be more addictive than cocaine[2]. In this study, which was conducted on animals, intense sweetness provided a stronger reward than cocaine, even in those that were already sensitised and addicted to cocaine.
The researchers noted high sugar consumption has “the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction”.
A highly cited study in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews[3] found that sugar meets the criteria for a substance of abuse and may be addictive to those who binge on it.
Mechanisms of Sugar Addiction
Studies on brain activity have provided evidence that sugar consumption stimulates the brain’s rewards system, leading to further sugar consumption. This is the same process that underlies so called ‘tolerance’ associated with addiction. Tolerance is when you need to consume more of the substance you’re addicted to, to get the same level of satisfaction from the ‘hit’.
The mechanisms underlying tolerance involve the neurotransmitter dopamine. When pleasant behaviours or substances causes an excess release of dopamine, you feel a pleasurable “high” that you are inclined to re-experience, and so repeat the behaviour.
As you repeat that behaviour more and more, your brain adjusts to release less dopamine. The only way to feel the same “high” as before is to repeat the behaviour in increasing amounts and frequency.
Some of the neuronal changes associated with high sugar intake include changes in dopamine activity in the part of the brain that is strongly associated with addiction (the nucleus accumbens) and also changes in opioid receptors. Indeed, there is a lot of scientific evidence that sugar and opioids (such as cocaine) affect the same brain systems[4].
In one fascinating study[5], researchers used brain imaging to compare the brains of lean and obese teens after consuming sugary drinks. The results were astounding in that the brains of obese teens responded differently to the brains of lean teens.
The study found that after drinking sugary drinks, obese teens had impaired activity in their prefrontal cortex – this is the part of the brain we use for making conscious decisions. That means their so called “executive” thinking was impaired. They literally couldn’t think straight.
In addition, after drinking sugary drinks, obese teens felt hungrier, whereas the lean teenagers did not feel an increase in hunger.
The obese teens also had much stronger activity in the ‘pleasure’ centres of their brains, compared to their lean counterparts. Together, these brain changes told the obese teens to keep drinking more, whereas this did not occur in those teenagers who were lean.
So what does this all mean?
We live in a world where heavily sweetened foods are readily available. The double whammy is that high sugar foods are often also low in overall nutritional value, being low in things like fibre and protein.
Neuroscience has now conclusively proven that consuming highly sweet foods is addictive – possibly more addictive than cocaine! Even worse, for those that become obese, evidence suggests that your brain may be wired to keep the weight on by responding differently to sugary foods to encourage the person to keep eating more sugar.
That’s a very difficult cycle to break! We certainly don’t have all the answers in terms of how to break the cycle of sugar addiction, but we do know that some behaviours are likely to be helpful for eating a balanced diet. For example:
[1] https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/98/3/641/4577039
[2] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0000698
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763407000589
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3109725/
[5]https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/65/7/1929?ijkey=f6bf7c2c6bc3d85225a12f6f33ed012b81c74088&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
]]>Did you know that our Salted Caramel Bliss Ball Mix is made with roast cashews as the main ingredient? The cashews give the mix a creamy texture and taste. The recipe also includes diced dates for sweetness, and two organic superfoods - lucuma and maca.
Lucuma is known as “gold of the Incas" because it has been used as a traditional remedy in South America for centuries. It's the dried powder from the fruit of the Pouteria lucuma tree native to South America.
We use lucuma in Salted Caramel Bliss Ball Mix for it's sweet, delicate flavour. We also love that it's a healthier alternative to table sugar.
Lucuma contains less sugar but more nutrients than table sugar. More specifically, it has about half the carbs and 75% less sugar than the same amount of table sugar.
Lucuma powder also offers a relatively good amount of both soluble and insoluble fibre, unlike most other common sweeteners, such as table sugar.
The Maca plant, known scientifically as Lepidium meyenii, is sometimes referred to as Peruvian ginseng.
Maca root is highly nutritious and contains essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, copper and iron. Furthermore, it contains various plant compounds, including glucosinolates and polyphenols.
Another interesting fact about maca is that it is used traditionally to support increased libido! And the science supports that use - at least two published clinical studies have shown that regular consumption of maca leads to increased arousal.
So this Valentine's Day, serve your lover this delicious & nutritious Salted Caramel Granola and know that your breakfast comes with benefits!!
Recipe by @healthykelsii on Insta.
Salted Caramel Granola
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper. Add all of your ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. Tip the mixture onto the tray and spread evenly. Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden.
Serve with fresh fruit or use to top smoothie bowls.
]]>To help get you get your lunchbox mojo on, we've put together out top nine favourite Clean Mixes recipes that are perfect for lunchboxes. These recipes are for healthier treats that incorporate wholefood ingredients that provide more fibre and protein (and a lot less sugar!), than mainstream treats.
We hope you and your little ones enjoy! Click on each image to view the recipe.
]]>Ingredients:
Instructions:
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Each and every one of these snacks is full of wholefood goodness and delicious as well. We've focussed on snacks that are high in the good stuff - be it fibre, protein, good fats or a combination of those macronutrients + micronutrients. And yes, we did snack while making this video!!
]]>Inevitably, all holidays come to an end and we go back to our normal routine. The end of the holiday season can bring about all sorts of emotions – from a distinct flat mood after all the excitement to joy at being back at home to exhaustion. Getting back into our normal routines can take time and can be quite a challenge!
Getting back into healthy eating habits is one of the most difficult transitions to make after the holidays. After all, treat foods taste great and are associated with the feel-good factor of being on holiday.
When we eat treat foods, the reward centres of our brain are wired to tell us to eat more of those foods. However, eating tonnes of pavlova, chips, chocolate or similar is a recipe for poor health.
These holidays, we asked our nearest and dearest for their top tips for getting back on track with healthy eating after the silly season. We compiled the top 5 tips that our friends and family swear by!
1. Get Prepared!! This was the number one tip from our friends and family about getting back on track with healthy eating.
Create a menu for your week including what you’ll have for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, plus snacks (if you’re snack-inclined). Then prepare for your week ahead by spending half a day cooking and baking before you go back to work.
You can make awesome salads ahead of time – such as a brown rice/quinoa salad with loads of nuts and seeds, plus protein such as boiled eggs or tofu. Then all you need to do is add some freshly chopped vege on the day.
We love preparing our work snacks ahead of time by portioning out a small handful of nuts for each day of the working week, or you could prepare a batch of Clean Mixes Bliss Balls and take one to work with you each day.
It’s always good to have some protein prepared in your fridge ahead of time, so why not bake chicken breasts or tofu with lemon/olive oil/thyme and take what you need each day? You can also very easily mix this with salad.
2. Do a huge fruit and veg shop. Fill your home with a wide selection of summer fruit and vege. They say “Tis’ The Season To Be Merry”. We say “Tis’ The Season For The Very Best Fruit and Vege”.
Think green beans, courgette, asparagus, avocado, beetroot……apricots, peaches, berries….the list goes on!!
When you have easy access to fresh fruit and vegetables, you’ll be more likely to choose nourishing, healthy food to satisfy your hunger.
3. Talk to your family or flatmates about your eating goals.
Research has proven that when we share our goals with others, we are more likely to achieve those goals than when we go it alone.
Ideally everyone in your household would be on board with how you want to eat – whether it’s keto, Mediterranean style, vegetarian or simply cutting out the crapola – you need your family and friends to respect your goals and ideally to be on board with them.
4. Check in with yourself to set your intentions
It’s useful to reflect on where you’re at with your dietary habits. Maybe you’re happy with where you are, or maybe you’re wanting to make a change for the better.
Grab a pen and some paper and set yourself some time to think about where you’re at. Some prompts to get your started are:
When I think about my dietary habits:
What are my goals for the year ahead?
It helps to be VERY specific when goal setting, for example, I’d like to be able to run 5km without stopping by the 1st March.
Once you set a specific goal, you can work backwards to plan milestones along the way. This is one of the tools for living with intention – one of the keys to living the life you want!
What am I most proud of from last year (and should I focus on doing more of this?)
You might be surprised what this exercise throws up and we think it’s a worthwhile exercise to do every couple of months.
5. Ditch the leftovers
Received too many boxes or Scorched Almonds for Christmas? If you still have unopened packets of treat foods, get rid of them! Simply take them down to your local food bank. If there are part bags of treat foods like chips, or anything that you would prefer not to eat, just throw them out.
While it may seem wasteful or ungrateful, we recommend buying less next year to avoid this situation in the future!
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If you're missing your tropical adventures as much as we are, you'll love this new recipe by the ever talented @lizziewagz.
Tropical Panna Cotta Coconut Slice brings a blast of the tropics and gorgeous silky texture to your summer! This recipe uses Clean Mixes Salted Caramel Bliss Ball Mix as the base and has layers of tropical fruity delight on top.
CLEAN MIXES TROPICAL COCONUT PANNA COTTA SLICE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
Mango Layer:
Raspberry Filling:
Jelly:
Line a square baking tin with parchment paper. In a bowl, add the crust ingredients and mix until combined. Press mixture into tin and refrigerate.
In a saucepan, bring coconut milk, mango puree to a boil. Add agar-agar and stirring constantly until completely dissolved which takes about 2-3 minutes. Then lower the heat and add in maple syrup, lemon juice. Let simmer for 1 min. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Pour mixture over the base. Chill in the fridge to set.
Then few hours later, do the same with the pink raspberry filling layer, additionally, I put my blended raspberry mixture through a sift, getting rid of all the seeds.
For the final layer, blend raspberries and lemon juice with 1/4 cup water, then sift the seeds out using a shifter or cheesecloth.
In a saucepan, bring raspberries to a boil. Add agar-agar and stirring constantly, keep stirring until agar-agar completely dissolved. Then lower the heat and whisk in maple syrup. Let simmer for 1 min. Turn off the heat and pour the mixture over the top of the previous layers. Transfer the pan to the fridge to set.
When set, slice with a sharp, knife.
If you give this a go, we'd love to see the result! Tag us in your pictures with @cleanmixes.co on Instagram for your chance to be featured on our Instagram account.
]]>Add all of your ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine. Add 2-3 tbsp of butter to a hot nonstick pan and cook for 2 minutes each side until golden.
Top with fresh fruit and maple syrup.
]]>If you make this we'd love to see your creation! Please tag us on social media so we can see the fun and creative ways you use your Clean Mixes.
White Chocolate Gingerbread Snowmen:
Ingredients
Instructions:
Yawn. Afternoons can be a low energy time of day. Our attention fades, our bodies feel heavy and our motivation shrinks as we wade through the tasks at hand.
Whether you work at a desk, in the field or surrounded by kids, when the afternoon rolls around, many of us start wanting to prop our eyelids open with matchsticks.
So what's the best way to power through this energy-sucking time of day?
We've delved into the science to bring you this latest blog with tips to help you avoid the afternoon slump, plus we're sharing a gorgeous new recipe for an epic afternoon pick-me-up treat.
If you're searching for healthy snacks for work, look no further than Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Balls, also known as rocket fuel for your afternoon! Thanks to the @tasty.twinsss for this gorgeous recipe and pics (keep reading to see the recipe)!
So what exactly is the afternoon slump? According to the National Sleep Foundation, our sleep cycles are controlled by two systems - sleep/awake homeostasis and the circadian body clock.
Our circadian biological clocks regulate the timing of periods of sleepiness and wakefulness throughout the day. Adults’ strongest sleep drive occurs between 2:00-4:00 am and in the afternoon between 1:00-3:00 pm.
There is variation person-to-person in these cycles, and they can be more pronounced if you are sleep deprived.
If you frequently suffer the dreaded afternoon slump, here are three tips and a recipe to help get you through.
TIP: Eat a balanced breakfast and lunch that are higher in protein, veges and good fats, with a small amount of low GI starchy foods (such as kumara, wholegrain bread, brown rice or quinoa).
TIP: Get up and move then drink some water!! Even if it means doing star jumps on the spot with your colleagues wondering what the heck you're up to. Walk around the office, around the block or up some stairs, then drink water. To echo the famous words of a well known brand, just do it.
TIP: Pop your earbuds in and turn up the tunes!
Another important factor for powering through the afternoon is what you eat for an afternoon snack.
Indeed, you may be searching for healthy snacks for work and we have a recipe idea that may help! High in good fats (from nuts) and fibre and relatively low in sugar and carbs, these Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Balls will help fuel you through your afternoon.
We recommend making these ahead of time and storing them either in the fridge or freezer. Take one one bliss ball with you to work each day for your afternoon snack. You'll be the envy of your colleagues and will power through your afternoon. Recipe is courtesy of the @tasty.twinsss.
CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER BALLS
(OPTIONAL: you could recreate this recipe with any other nut butter too - cashew, almond, whatever you like!)
]]>Snacks from packets are convenient but it pays to check the ingredients as packaged snacks can be full of preservatives, colours and flavourings. Not to mention, loaded with sugar!
These 'Chunky Monkey Muffins' are not only convenient to make, but they are pimped with goodness from added walnuts and fibre from bananas and dates.
They are made with Clean Mixes Caramel Banana Bread as the base - a mix that is gluten free, dairy free and free of refined sugars.
These muffins have been tried and tested by the Clean Mixes kids Bruno (13 years) and Sabine (11 years) who both gave them a big thumbs up.
Perfectly convenient to make on a Sunday, you can freeze half the batch away, making these the perfect healthy snack for kids to take to school. Makes 12 muffins.
Ingredients:
Recipe:
This recipe was created by Shannon Hailes @shannons.plate
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Some Halloween recipes are amazing but require super human skills to pull off a professionally styled look. Not with these ghostly delights - you can whip them up in less then half an hour and they are guaranteed to spook. I think we call that a Halloween hack!
These Chocolate Chip Ghost Cookies use our Chocolate Chip Bliss Ball Mix as the base, so you can be assured there is absolutely nothing artificial lurking within - only goodness from nuts, coconut flour, single-origin dark chocolate chips and coconut sugar. Plus if gluten-free and dairy-free is your bag, you'll be pleased to know they tick those boxes too!
This fun and spooky recipe was created by @shannons.plate on insta.
Chocolate Chip Ghost Cookies:
Ingredients:
Instructions:
As a diligent Mum of two, owner of Clean Mixes and a person who likes to eat a healthy diet, I thought I was very aware of our household sugar consumption. That is, until I did a sugar audit of our pantry. I was shocked at the results!
Firstly, some background about our household and our eating habits. I have a 13 year old son and an 11 year old daughter. My partner’s son also lives with us on the weekends and he’s about to turn 14.
So there’s a strong teen and pre-teen vibe in our hose at the moment and my main observation about teen eating habits is that they eat a LOT (and grow a lot) and they love junk food.
In terms of dietary preferences – I’m gluten free (and have been for years) and recently cut most dairy out of my life. I focus on eating wholefoods and do my best to incorporate veges three times a day. I avoid all high sugar foods and limit my carb intake to the good carbs (think quiona, brown rice). In my mid-forties, my focus is on consuming nutritionally dense foods as I have found this is the best way to feel good throughout the day.
Our household dietary preferences are a real mishmash! One of our teens is currently vegetarian, whereas the other teen is a massive meat eater. My 11-year-old daughter is a very light eater – more of a grazer really and it’s a challenge to get her to eat a decent portion of food in one sitting.
My partner does intermittent fasting every day – he cuts himself off from eating at 8pm each night and has a huge ‘breakfast’ the next day at 12pm. He has a wicked sweet tooth which is constantly calling his name.
We are all moderately active. Between us we do running, gym workouts, football, sailing, dancing – but we could and should do more to move our bodies in the interests of a healthier lifestyle.
Our main meals are usually pretty darn tasty and healthy, with a few exceptions of course! We eat too much pizza for starters! But generally, I’m happy with the nutritional profile of our main meals.
It’s the snacking between meals where I’m looking to make improvements, so I decided it was time for a reality check on our sugar consumption. I took all the snack foods out of the pantry and looked at the sugar content of these items – also known as a sugar audit. It only took 10 minutes and was so worth it to get a real handle on what we’re snacking on.
This was not a full audit of everything in our pantry/fridge/freezer, it was just the snack foods. Some foods like chocolate chips, maple syrup and jam which are very high in sugar, were not included in the audit because they’re not things we snack on - rather, they are ingredients that are incorporated into other meals or baking.
The results or our sugar audit were both shocking and motivating!
Sugar audit of snack items in our pantry.
Snack Item |
Sugar Content Per Serve* |
Sugar Content Per 100g |
OSM Bars |
30g |
17.4g |
Pams Muesli Bars |
9.3g |
29.9g |
Milo |
9.2g |
46g |
Tasti Mega Nuts Double Choc Bars |
8.8g |
22.1g |
Griffins Choc Chip Biscuits |
8.3g |
41.6g |
No Grainola |
4.9g |
9.9g |
Girl Guide Biscuits |
4.4g |
22g |
Dark Choc Peanut Butter |
1.5g |
10.3g |
Clean Mixes Choc Raspberry Bliss Balls |
1.2g |
4.8g |
Penati NUDE Seed & Nut Crackers |
1g |
4g |
Brazil Nuts |
0.6g |
2.1g |
* sugar content per serve ranked highest to lowest.
Although I’ve long known that muesli bars are a category of snack that appear healthy but are actually loaded with sugar, I was shocked to find out that we have three varieties of muesli bars in our pantry!
On the other hand, I wasn’t surprised at all to discover that muesli bars make up three out of four of the highest sugar snack foods in our pantry. Milo surprised me, coming in at 9.2g sugar per serve.
If you look down the list, you can see that snacks with less sugar tend to have higher nut content. Not only are they lower in sugar, but these snacks are also higher in the ‘good’ macros - higher in ‘good’ fats, fibre and protein for example, which are all good things when it comes to nutrition.
The motivation for me is about ditching the muesli bars and making sure they are not purchased again. Sure, they’re convenient but there are so many alternatives that provide much better nutrition – like a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts or a Clean Mixes bliss ball.
If you’re reading this blog you’re probably interested in improving your eating habits or simply cutting down on your sugar consumption. I would encourage you to take 10 minutes out of your day to take a reality check on your sugar consumption in the form of a quick sugar audit of your pantry.
The results might shock you (or not!) and you may find that there are some items to ditch in favour of healthier snack alternatives.
Happy auditing, by Dr. Amanda Wiggins - Owner of Clean Mixes
]]>We've taken the concept of bubble slice and added a few healthy twists. We've replaced the rice bubbles with puffed quinoa (purchased from the Bin Inn) and we've coated our bars in nutrient dense Viberi blackcurrants for extra nutrition and flavour.
Quinoa is a highly nutritious seed. Most people think of quinoa as a grain but its not. It's actually the seed of a plant called the goosefoot plant (I kid you not!).
Compared with rice, quinoa has a far superior nutritional profile. It is much higher in protein (11.7% vs 2.7%) and much higher in fiber (8.9% vs 0.9%) and it's also higher in trace elements such as iron, zinc and magnesium. So using puffed quinoa instead of rice bubbles makes good sense nutritionally.
We used a packed of Clean Mixes Salted Caramel Mix to give the bubble slice an incredible caramel flavour. Clean Mixes Salted Caramel Mix is a wholefood bliss ball mix made with crushed cashews, dates and organic maca - a superfood from Peru. There is so much goodness and gorgeous flavour in this mix!
We used a silicone mould to create the bar shapes - but you could easily press the bubble slice mixture into a tray and slice it into bars. Then we did something to take this slice to the next level of amazing.
We coated the bubble slice in melted white chocolate (we used Sweet William vegan white choc chips) mixed together with Viberi Organic Blackcurrant Powder.
Blackcurrants are extremely high in Vitamin C and anthocyanins so you're getting a huge dose of goodness from this zingy powder. Viberi Blackcurrant powder comes from blackcurrants grown right here in New Zealand and it's also organic (double win!).
The flavour combination in these bars is divine. You get sweetness from the dates in the Salted Caramel Mix, salty (also from the Salted Caramel Mix) and tart from the Viberi Blackcurrant Powder.
These bars are a HUGE step up from traditional bubble bars in more ways than one. They are nutritionally far superior and they are also a taste sensation. We highly recommend giving these a go!
RECIPE:
Bars
Coating
To Make:
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Willie very graciously shared his views on exercise, healthy eating and wellness, and why he enjoys Clean Mixes as part of a balanced lifestyle. Willie’s approach to finding wellness could best be described as well-rounded, down-to-earth and people centred. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing Willie’s wellness story, and we hope you do to!
Willie is 43, a self-confessed “rugby league fanatic” and lives in Totara Park, Upper Hutt with his beautiful wife Teena. He has two children; his daughter Baylee is almost 18 and his son Hilton is 13.
He was born and bred in Upper Hutt and says “because I know the place like the back of my hand, I know all the great spots. Upper Hutt is a very outdoors city. It has some great swimming spots, walks, and mountain biking trails”.
Willie and Teena are both self-employed and great believers in the benefits of exercise. Willie’s typical weekday routine involves jumping on a mountain bike for an hour after work. He finds exercise provides a “mental release” as well as the obvious physical benefits.
Here’s the bit we absolutely love about Willie’s approach to exercise. He and his wife love working out together, whether it be down at the boxing gym doing circuit training or a home workout where they have set up their own weights-based training.
“As we both work for ourselves, fitness has been such an important tool for us to spend quality time with each other. We believe those who train together, stay together”. That sounds good to us!
When we asked Willie about his thoughts on the term “wellness” he dived straight into the core of the issue “wellness to me is finding time for the ones you love and hold the highest in your life”.
You may be noticing a theme here. Willie places his loved ones at the centre of his world, and that in turn, is a major driving factor of his wellness. This struck us as something we all need to be mindful of, especially in a time when we are all time-poor and surrounded by messages that sell us wellness in a pill.
Finding the right partner, avoiding negative relationships and “good food, great company in a great setting” are all factors that contribute to Willie’s sense of happiness and wellbeing. We couldn’t agree more!
Willie and Teena have been on a journey with healthy eating. Four years ago, they decided to change their eating habits, including trying out different diets, shakes and fasting. After experimenting, they are now at the point where they have taken those eating habits that have worked and put them into their everyday lives.
It was about this time that Willie discovered Clean Mixes. “I always had a sweet tooth throughout my life and was never ever too far from chocolate. When we changed our eating habits, we found that there were healthier alternatives to almost everything. I tried bliss balls from other companies but didn’t like them”.
He came across Clean Mixes at the Wellington Food Show and couldn’t believe how good the taste was! Fast forward to 2020 and Willie is still a regular Clean Mixes customer, in fact he gets Clean Mixes delivered every month via a subscription. Willie loves the Clean Mixes Bliss Ball range and says the Chocolate Chip flavour is his absolute favourite.
We always love hearing how our customers enjoy their Clean Mixes and Willie does something that many of us are unable to do. Amazingly, he has only one bliss ball a day. He doesn’t gorge himself on them. He has one in his lunchbox as a “treat snack” and says it’s the thing he looks forward to the most. That speaks to an enviable level of control and balance in terms of enjoying a treat, without overdoing it.
When it comes to healthy eating, Willie’s approach is not a prescribed or rigid diet. He says “everyone is different and things that have worked for me wouldn’t necessarily work for you. Healthy eating is a process and listening to your body”.
With regards how Clean Mixes fits into his healthy eating habits, he says it’s about filtering out the “not so good” with “better” choices. And when it comes to healthy eating, he believes a good diet combined with regular exercise is where it’s at.
We love Willie’s approach to wellness because it has people at the centre and encompasses both regular exercise and a balanced diet (including treats like Clean Mixes!)
So often in our quest for better health or wellness, we focus on just one thing – like cutting out sugar (insert meat, dairy etc), or getting to the gym more. But we should all take lessons from Willie’s story and take a more rounded approach and put in the hard yards to move our bodies, eat well and most importantly, prioritise our people.
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Our Mint Choc Cookies are full of wholesome ingredients like ground nuts, pure dark mint chocolate chips and organic cacao. They're also gluten free, dairy free and free of refined sugars so you can enjoy these treats without compromising your healthy eating goals.
Did you know that one serve of Griffins Mint Treat Biscuits has a whopping 15.3g sugar?!! That's just over three teaspoons of sugar in just TWO BISCUITS. Wow.
In contrast, Clean Mixes After Dinner Mint Bliss Balls contain just 3g sugar per bliss ball serve, that's less then 1 teaspoon! The sugar in our mixes is always un-refined too which means you get trace minerals and fibre from that sugar (albeit in small quantities).
These utterly delicious and nutritious Choc Mint Cookies are a win-win - not only will they satisfy your need to a minty chocolatey treat, they're also a whole lot healthier than a regular choc mint biscuit.
Happy mixing!
Recipe contributed by @shannons.plate on Insta.
We made 10 serves with this recipe but you can adjust the size of the cookies to smaller or larger as you prefer.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- 1 x Rich Chocolate Baking Mix
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 heaped cup of raspberries + extra for on top
- 1/2 cup peanut butter + extra to drizzle on top
RECIPE:This recipe was created by Shannon Hailes @naturalheal.th
Recipe is by Emily & Sophie Martin (aka @tasty.twinsss)
Peanut Butter Caramel Filled Chocolate Muffins
These are sure to satisfy even the most hardcore sweet cravings out there, and will provide a lot better nourishment than your average packaged sweet treat. Recipe is courtesy of @shannons.plate.
Ingredients
- 1 packet Clean Mixes Salted Caramel Bliss Ball Mix
- 2 tbsp rice malt syrup
- 3 tbsp almond butter (peanut butter would also be really nice)
- 1/4 cup grated carrot
Instructions
You can use what ever nut butter you fancy, in this case cashew butter was used, but pretty much any nut butter would work here (OK, maybe not the chill-infused nut butters!).
These nut butter cups bring together some truly delicious flavours - Clean Mixes Choc Chip on the base, together with the satisfying texture of nut butter, topped with some good quality dark chocolate.....sounds pretty good doesn't it?
Nut butter cups are an awesome sweet treat when you want something that will truly satisfy your sweet tooth. They have all the goodness of nuts which keep you fueled and feeling full for longer. And of course they are free of refined sugars and gluten-free too.
And another thing we really love about this recipe....it's so easy! This is a truly fail-safe recipe and the results are exceptionally delicious.
Chocolate Chip Nut Butter Cups
In this take on fruit crumble by @shannons.plate, you'll taste the combination and familiarity of stewed apples, but with the added tang from a generous helping of raspberries.
The topping is made from Clean Mixes Choc Raspberry Mix and is a brilliant compliment to the fruity filling. Clean Mixes Choc Raspberry Mix is full of the goodness and flavour of nuts, freeze dried raspberries and organic cacao and it contains absolutely NOTHING artificial.
It also happens to be gluten-free, diary-free and free of refined sugars. If ever there was a delicious dessert that ticks all the boxes for wholefood and plant-based, this is it!
You'll never find strange numbers or additives in Clean Mixes products. At Clean Mixes, we believe in wholefoods :)
This is a gorgeous dessert that will satisfy even the harshest critics. Perfect for a mid-winter treat and made with only wholefood ingredients, this dessert is an absolute winner. Enjoy! xx
Ingredients:
Filling:
Crumble:
Instructions:
So recently, when a Clean Mixes customer posted on Instagram that they had made our Caramel Banana Bread into donuts, it was like a light bulb went off. I set about creating gluten-free Banoffee Donuts, and have to say, the results were incredible.
This was the first donut I have eaten in about 15 years, since going gluten-free all those years ago, and my FIRST EVER gluten-free donut. It was totally worth the wait, they are nothing short of spectacular.
I used Clean Mixes Caramel Banana Bread and made it according the instructions on the packet. I made sure to mash the bananas thoroughly to avoid any lumps in the batter. I used a donut mold baking tin (purchased on Mighty Ape as I couldn't find one locally).
The glaze is a vegan toffee that has the flavor of caramelized maple syrup with a hint of coconut cream. If you love caramel, you are going to love this, boy oh boy.
The vegan toffee is made with only three ingredients - maple syrup, coconut oil and coconut cream. That means it's not only simple to make, but also free from refined sugars and of course vegan (no butter!).
I then drizzled some dark chocolate over the top - we like Solomon's Gold because it's refined sugar free and dairy-free. I also sprinkled some finely chopped pistachios which complimented the other flavors nicely.
After I'd finished making and photographing these, I made a coffee, and sat down and ate three donuts in a row. Possibly not my best decision, one or two would have been sufficient, but hey, it's been 15 years since I last ate a donut!!
I suggest making these with the kids and let them do the decorating. You can feel pleased they are having a healthier version of a donut, and you'll all have fun creating. Plus, the flavor and texture of these little beauties is out of this world.
BANOFFEE DONUTS
Makes 12 gluten-free, diary-free and refined-sugar free donuts.
Donuts:
Toffee Glaze
Other toppings
TO MAKE
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Ingredients:
Base:
Filling:
Toppings:
Instructions:
Recipe and photo by lizziewagz on Insta.
Base
Caramel Layer
Peanut Butter Layer
Melted chocolate on top
Method
Mix together all the base ingredients and line a baking tray with baking paper and place mixture into it and freeze for 30 mins.
For the caramel layer, in a food processor mix together all ingredients until smooth then place of top of base and freeze.
For the peanut butter layer, in a bowl (or mixer / blender) mix together peanut butter and maple syrup then spread over top frozen caramel layer. Gently melt chocolate and spread of layers, then freeze for a few hours. Cut with a hot knife.
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