Thursday 1st of June 2023
Dare to Tupperware

Nutrition: Dare to Tupperware

With the start of the eventing season on our doorstep, our horse’s fitness and health are at the forefront of our minds. But what about ours?

In our new Nutrition series ‘Dare to Tupperware’, we bring you top tips and recipes from Guest Foodies to inspire you to prepare healthier, more nutritionally balanced meals and snacks to take to events rather than the junk alternative. So dig out the tupperware and get creative!

Superfood Sophie

Superfood Sophie

We are delighted to introduce our first Guest Foodie, Superfood Sophie. Sophie keeps GPHQ fuelled with her delicious energy treats and helps us stay on the straight and narrow when it comes to healthy eating.

“We’ve all been there, somewhere in between your show jumping and your cross country round, reaching for whatever energy fix we can find in the lorry cupboards to give us a quick pick me up.

While you know you’re going to burn it off because you’ve forgotten your spurs and Tiny Tim really does hate that ditch at number 12, surely there’s another way that doesn’t involve munching through empty calories? 

My nutritious and delicious No Cook Chocol-oat Energy Balls are so quick and easy to make, there’s no excuse not to have a stash at hand for a competition or with a cup of tea on the yard. So put that milk chocolate bar down, hand over the biscuits and pick up one of these nutrient dense delights next time you’re searching for a snack.”

You will need

·      A food processor or powerful blender

Ingredients – Makes 12 balls

·      1 cup (100g) of good quality rolled oats

·      ½ cup (70g) of almonds

·       ½ cup (75g) of dried fruit (raisins/goji berries/mulberries)

·      3 tbsp coconut oil

·      2 tbsp Cacao powder (not to be confused with refined cocoa powder!)

·      2 tbsp good quality honey

·      1 tsp cinnamon

·      Toppings – Sugar free desiccated coconut or chia seeds. Hundreds and thousands for fussy kids!

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Method

Add all ingredients to a food processor or powerful blender. Blend for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture starts to clump together. If it appears too dry, add another tablespoon of melted coconut oil.

Once you have a consistency that sticks together you are ready to begin shaping the balls. Remove the blade from the food processor. Roll the mixture into evenly shaped balls, there should be enough to make 12. Now you can get creative with the toppings, my personal favourites are desiccated coconut and chia seeds. Cover a plate with the toppings and roll the balls until they are coated all over.

They are now ready to eat! The energy balls are best kept in a sealed container, they can also be frozen but they rarely last that long! Whilst these gorgeous balls are not sugar-free, they are made with natural ingredients that are so much better for you than the refined nasties out there.

Nutritious and delicious

Almonds are nutritional powerhouses, hugely beneficial for heart and brain health. They are rich in good fats, antioxidants and Vitamin E, essential for keeping our hair, skin and nails healthy.

Cacao powder is the main component of chocolate that so often loses all its nutritional goodness in the refinement process to make sugar laden milk chocolate bars.

Cacao powder is a super-antioxidant food, providing more nutritional benefits than any other foodstuff on the planet. It is high in magnesium and iron, two minerals often missing in our diets that can help to calm nerves and improve oxygen transportation around the body. It is naturally energising and is also proven to make us happy! Need I remind you that this wonderful ingredient tastes like chocolate?

Cupboard Essentials

Here’s a list of some really useful ingredients to have on hand to help swap refined sugar for a natural alternative. All can be found in your supermarket but there are online suppliers to buy in bulk at a better price should you be converted.

–       Coconut oil (comes solid)
–       Chia seeds
–       Whole skin on unroasted almonds
–       Duchy Organic rolled oats
–       Goji berries
–       Dried fruit: raisins, cranberries, apricots, blueberries

–       Medjool dates
–       Cinnamon
–       Desiccated Coconut – Check the label and make sure there’s no added sugar.
–       Cacao Powder – Our favourite is Choc Chic Organic Raw Cacao Powder
–       High quality maple syrup preferably Organic
–       Quality Vanilla extract (not the cheap one)

Savoury Essentials

–       Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
–       Chilli flakes
–       sunflower seeds
–       pumpkin seeds

COMING SOON: Say goodbye to limp lettuce with our on-the-go mealtime inspiration! 

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