I've always been a fan of the humble Bounty bar and if you don't know what one is, where have you been? A bounty is a coconut filling enrobed in chocolate and comes in 2 pieces should you need to half your time or temporarily half your guilt. (You may spot the Bounty, keeping the Topic coming, come Christmas at the bottom of the Celebrations box.) Now despite coconut being one of my favourite fruits and native Pacific Islanders believing the humble coconut a "cure for all illnesses" (let's face it who'd argue with them?) the Mars company and more recently Nigella Lawson have done little to help publicise their immune boosting health benefits (In case you missed it Nigella recently deep fried the Bounty bar, liberally buttered up with double cream and ate from her fridge and did little to advocate its anti-oxidant profile, high fibre, vitamin, mineral and amino acid content.) So quite the little power house coconuts can actually extend your life (not to mention substantially shorten it should you be caught under a coconut tree in monsoon weather or when a nut decides to accompany gravity to the ground).
So anyway more uplifting news about the Coconut and my aim to find ways to get more of it into my diet. Let's crack on with one fun way I've found....introducing the Bounty bomb….tiny clusters of chaos that explode in your mouth and take you to the shores of the Caribbean in a mouthful (too much?)
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup natural sweetener/sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup almond milk or skimmed (fat free) milk (I use Blue Diamond)
• 1/4 cup Choc coconut protein powder (I use Myprotein's)
• 3 Tbsp peanut butter – 250 cals (I used Bulk Powders for value)
• 1 banana, mashed or 2 tbsp apple sauce
• A few splashes of Myprotein flavdrops to taste
• 1/2 tsp espresso or coffee powder
• 2 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1 1/2 cups Desiccated coconut
(if you haven't got a cup measurement device then go nuts and get one...it's not a threat of going all-American I promise but it does help speed things up)
(if you haven't got a cup measurement device then go nuts and get one...it's not a threat of going all-American I promise but it does help speed things up)
Instructions
1. Grab a saucepan and heat natural sweetener/sugar, cocoa, milk and protein powder over medium heat. Be careful to heat continuously to stop catching the bottom but until mixture starts to bubble slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, banana/apple, espresso powder and star of the show Coconut. Fold in oats until fully combined and looking yummy. Add a few flav drops to taste.
2. Spoon onto parchment paper using a scoop. Using bottom of scoop (or spoon) make a small indentation and sprinkle a few choc chips on top if feeling naughty, pressing lightly with fingertips. Should make around 24. Allow cookies to set, about 30 minutes.
3. Store clusters in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week….if they last that long.
Whether you’re eating the meat, drinking the juice, or consuming it as oil, coconuts are a delicious and nutritious source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It has loads of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, as well as plenty of electrolytes. In fact, coconut water is known to have the same electrolyte levels as human plasma, and has even been used for plasma transfusions!
The oil is excellent for keeping one young and beautiful. Its antioxidant properties slow down the ageing process by protecting the body from harmful free radicals (little blighters). I like to put a little bit of coconut oil on my skin every day to keep it nice and smooth, as well as free from dryness. I apply it onto my skin before showering. The hot water opens my pores, allowing the oil to absorb through my skin more efficiently.
Coconut oil is also great to cook with and definitely something trendy to adorn any larder/pantry or store cupboard (more recipes with coconut oil to come.)
Enjoy! Live healthy, love life! x
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