Decadent rich, deliciously indulgent, cool crisp dark chocolate cups encasing a subtly sweet, luscious, creamy, perfectly spiced, protein packed salted caramel cashew butter filling that literally oozes with awesomeness when you bite on in.

Fun fact that no one asked for but ima tell you anyway . . . something you will almost always find in my fridge or freezer,  a sneaky stash of  healthy homemade nut butter cups . . .

They’re just so easy to throw together, the flavors and variations you can make are virtually endless – they’re the perfect, pre-portioned, grab-and-go treat!

I can’t think of a better way to (start) end (or fill) the day then cozied on the couch with a couple of these bad boys  . . .

And that my friend is exactly where you’ll find me, most nights at 8pm . . . binge-watching Netflix (although TBH I’m currently obsessed with “Hart of Dixie” On Stan ) . . . livin’ my best life!

It’s quite possibly my fave time of day! Well, maybe tied with that first, soul soothing sip of coffee in the morning. I mean come on, is there there anything more satisfying?! Answer = no.

Anyway, enough of me talking about the exciting life I lead and on with the recipe . . .

It’s everything I love in life all served up in one tasty little treat!

Chocolate = Happiness

Turmeric = fixes everything!

Cinnamon and ginger soothe my soul

Nut butter is the glue that holds my body together!

Coffee gives me life!

Salted caramel, well that’s just yum!

Gluten free – Dairy free – Grain Free – Sugar free – Low Carb  – Paleo – Keto – Vegan.

3 main ingredients (+ a handful of spices) and 15 minutes is all you need.

Life as you know it will be changed forever!

From my heart to yours, enjoy xo

These delicious little cups will keep well in the fridge for several weeks but can also be stored in the freezer for 3-6 months!

__________________________________________

Question of the day –

What’s your favorite flavor nut butter?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your creamy, dreamy, golden spiced cashew butter cups  (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post Golden Spiced Salted Caramel Cashew Butter Cups first appeared on Better with Cake.

Subtly sweet, light, fluffy, soft & tender banana bread spiked with a hint of maple, a hum of vanilla studded with buttery pecans! The pecans help to balance out the natural sweetness of the banana bread, it really is incredible and then we have the secretly healthy,  sugar-free, protein-packed salted caramel espresso “cream cheese” frosting . . .

Ummmm, that frosting . . . I kind of want to slather it over my entire life, one taste & I know you will too. I mean would you just look at it, sitting there looking all dreamy & caramel-y . . .

Honestly, there are moments in life when words are simply not required & I strongly believe that this might be one of them . . . plus the sooner I stop talking (or typing) the sooner you can stop reading & start eating!!!

A few tips on how to make your best ever , secretly healthy, sugar free banana bread:

Use super ripe bananas! I suggest using EXTRA ripe bananas (the ones with lots and lots and lots of brown spots are the ones you want!!) These are sweeter and better for this recipe since there are no other added sweeteners apart from a tiny drizzle of maple syrup.

Don’t have any super ripe bananas on hand?! Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with an amazing hack for how to get your unripe bananas ripe in minutes!! If you’re bananas arent as ripe as you’d like them to be, pop them on a baking tray and roast them (@ around 175’C/350’F) until the skins are black! Time will vary depending on how ripe they are already but it works like a charm. The skins look terrible but the inside of the banana will be perfect!

Use your food processor or blender!
I know, I know this means more washing up but I promise it’s so worth it! Technically, you “can” just mash with a fork but I find the bread turns out lighter and smoother when you make it this way – 100% worth the washing up(& this is coming from someone who HATESSSSSSS washing up!!) IMO but, #youdoyou

Also, please dont think Im weird but, I dont like “chunks” of nuts in my baked goods. I love the flavour but dont like big pieces so, if you throw your pecans into the food processor while blending your bananas you get all the wonderful flavour of those buttery pecans minus the big chunks. If you dont mind chunks in your baked goods you can just roughly chop them and fold them through with the rest of your dry ingredients but, again, I promise the end result is 100% worth the extra washing up! I strongly encourage you to try it at least once – yes, I am so confident that this recipe is THAT good it’s one you will be making again, and again, and again and again!

A few tips on how to make whipped sugar free salted caramel espresso cream cheese frosting:

  If you’re not using a super thick Greek style yoghurt you can lay some muslin cloth in a colander or fine-mesh sieve (strainer?!) and let it sit for a few minutes which will help to drain out some of the excess water.

OK, I think that’s it . . . time to go get your sugar free, maple pecan banana bread on!

Super simple, I N S A N E L Y delicious and it also happens to be secretly good for you! Made with no refined flours or sugars using just a handful of ingredients that I bet you have on hand already and can be ready to devour within the hour!

Gluten Free – Dairy free (if you want) – Grain free – Refined Sugar free –  Low Carb – Paleo – Vegan friendly !

But most importantly it really is a little slice of heaven right here on earth and you need it in your life because, yummmmm

Enjoy xo

*  If you’re not using a super thick Greek style yoghurt you can lay some muslin cloth in a colander/fine-mesh sieve and let it sit to drain out some of the excess water.

__________________________________________

Question of the day –

What’s your favourite way to use up those manky over-ripe bananas? A girl can never have too many options! LMK

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your maple vanilla banana bread with its creamy, dreamy, protein-packed espresso “cream cheese” frosting  (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) don’t forget to take a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or you can just tag me on Instagram ( I’m @emsswanston ). Sharing is caring remember and it makes my heart so happy to see you re-creating and enjoying my recipes. Truly brings me so much joy!

Do it, do it You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post {Sugar Free} Maple Pecan Banana Bread with Salted Caramel Espresso “Cream Cheese” Frosting first appeared on Better with Cake.

Who else agrees that even though they’re made with the same/similar ingredients, festive treats taste a million times better than their regular shaped counterpart?

Peanut butter cups (& anything salted caramel) = one of my fave treats of all time! And let me tell you, these choc caramel monster eggs have taken this obsession to a WHOLLLEEEEE new level!

Lush & creamy, vanilla spiked peanut butter truffles wrapped in a cool, crisp, layer of salted caramel chocolate that literally oooooooze with awesomeness when you bite on in!

There are a few moments in life where words are simply not required & I firmly believe that may be one of them . . .

I mean did you hear me . . . salted caramel, dark chocolate peanut butter truffles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes, they really do deserve alllll of the exclamation points! And then some!!!!!!

Sugar Free – Gluten Free – Dairy Free – Grain Free – Low Carb – Paleo – Keto – 100% Vegan Friendly

Halloween or not, this needs to happen now!

Click here for some step-by-step pics & to cook along with me

These delicious little eggs will keep well in the fridge for several weeks but can also be stored in the freezer for 3-6 months!

Enjoy xo

__________________________________________

Question of the day –

Trick or treat? Which would you choose?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your choc caramel monster eggs  (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post Salted Caramel Monster Eggs! first appeared on Better with Cake.

I know, I know its no longer Friday I had some technical difficulties so am running a little late  . . . better late than never, right?!

And boy are we going to have some fun today!

Today I’m sharing a short, sharp lower body workout that you can get in and get done in around 20 minutes , with or without equipment, totally your call.

You guys know how how much I love, love, love my lower body workouts, The lower body is where your powerhouse muscles are (I’m looking at you quads, glutes and hamstrings) which means you get a serious bang for your workout butt, I mean buck!

So, here’s what we are going to do (click here to see a demo of each exercise) –

Reverse lunge
Air squat
Single leg toe touch
Single leg chair squat
Rear foot elevated lunge
Glute bridge

Aim to do 10 reps of each exercise (count reps per leg where applicable) then repeat the entire sequence for a total of 4 rounds (or as many rounds as pretty in 20 mins), resting as needed. Sound good?

Nothing complicated, basic movements done with good form for a short but effective lower body workout that will leave you feeling strong and energized ready to power through the rest of your day!

Now, for those of you who are just getting started or may not have access to a gym of any kind of weights you can absolutely do with workout without any added weight and let me tell you, you will be feeling it.

Not even kidding, this was me the day my first attempt at this workout –

Just because you’re “only” using your body-weight as resistance does not make this an easy workout. Your quads and glutes will be burning by the final round and you will definitely be feeling the effects of it tomorrow I assure you.

You have been warned!

For our fully functioning/more advanced lifters who might be looking to make things a little more challenging – grab yourself a weapon of choice – a set of dumbbells, a barbell, kettlebells, your EmPack, some resistance bands or any combination you like. Make sure you choose something appropriate for your strength but, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

Although, we want quality not quantity, always! Never compromise your form, ever! If your form starts to fail you’re done, got it?

Take your time, concentrate, focus and breathe through each and every exercise. You are strong, you are amazing, you have big energy! You’ve totally got this!

And, because nothing makes a workout challenge more fun than getting a (social distancing or virtual) buddy to join you. Why not grab your BFF or a family member or your fave workmate and have them get in on the fun, power in numbers baby!

Don’t forget to come back and let me know how you did once you’re done. Either leave me a message in the comments below, or you can give me a shout on the Facebook page or tag me (@EmSwanston) on Twitter , or Instagram (@emsswanston) . I mean it, I wanna hear how you did!

Ok enough chit chat time to work –

20 Minute

No equipment

Lower Body Workout

As always make sure you are nice an warm before you start your workout – Run on the spot, do jumping jacks, jump rope, dance around your living room, anything to get you warm then it’s time to get serious.

Finish with a nice little cool down and stretch, maybe take a walk #socialdistancing or something, anything to help bring your heart rate down. Finish with a few of your fave stretches. Please don’t skip the stretch people, it’s like dessert for the body.

Now onto our smoothie recipe . . .

How does a nice subtly sweet, secretly healthy, creamy, dreamy sugar free salted caramel cheesecake shake sound?

You guys, this smoothie . . .

It’s everything you love about a big ol’ slice of New York style cheesecake (complete with a cookie crumble), taken to a whole new level because it’s swirled with ribbons of salted caramel *swoon*  all served up in one pretty little cup!

No whisking, no baking, no cooling, no slicing, no fear of cheesecake tops cracking and no sharing required!!!

And, it also happens to be seriously good for you!

Sugar free, packed with protein and loaded with gut healing goodness, not that anyone would ever know! I won’t tell if you don’t!

It’s luscious, creamy, seriously dreamy and just all kinds of wonderful!

And, I should probably mention that not only does our creamy, dreamy, dessert inspired smoothie taste like straight up heaven in a cup but, it also happens to be dairy free (if you want) , gluten free, BANANA FREE, DATE FREE, low carb, keto, paleo & 100% vegan friendly!!!

So much to love I tell you and love it you will!

It really is simply divine, the perfect way to treat yourself while you refuel and re-energize that beautiful body of yours on this fabulous Friday.

Sugar Free Salted Caramel
Cheesecake Shake

Ingredients –
Makes 1

1/2 cup vanilla (or plain) greek style yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of your choice) – more or less to desired consistency .

1 Tablespoon of cashew (or almond) butter

1/2-1 teaspoon of caramel stevia (you could sub 1-2 pitted dates or your fave kind of caramel sauce) more or less to taste

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon before you speak coffee – or regular cinnamon
I love the extra oomph the cinnamon before you speak coffee adds – use EMS10 to get 10% off if you want to try it

1 scoop protein powder  – for extra protein (I think vanilla or unflavored would work best here)

1/4-1/2  cup of ice – more or less to desired consistency.

Optional add ins;

1/2 cup frozen cauliflower (I prefer to pre-steam then freeze) – for a senaky serve of veg + makes it extra thick!

1/4 cup avocado (fresh or frozen) for healthy fats & also makes it super thick

1 Tablespoons of melted dark chocolate to swirl your glass  – pure happiness

1 teaspoon of maca – for hormone balance

1-2 scoops of collagen – for gut healing goodness

A couple of cookies ( I use Simple Mills – the cinnamon or toasted pecan are my fave here), crumbled – for serving

Method –

1 – Place all smoothie ingredients into your blender and process until smooth, creamy and well combined.

2 – Pour into a chilled glass or mason jar then top with toppings of choice.

Enjoy xo

Don’t forget to give me a shout out when you’re done – hit me up in the comments below via the Facebook page on Twitter or on Instagram

Now go and remember ;

and have yourself a killer day xoxo

_________________________________________

Question of the day –

What’s your favorite kind of smoothie?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make this smoothie (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine)! Go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring, remember!

Do it, do it. You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post {Sugar Free} Salted Caramel Cheesecake Shake & a 20 min at home {no equipment} Lower Body Workout! first appeared on Better with Cake.

Decadent rich, deliciously indulgent, cool crisp dark chocolate cups encasing a subtly sweet, luscious, creamy, perfectly spiced, protein packed salted caramel cashew butter filling that literally oozes with awesomeness when you bite on in.

Fun fact – something you will almost always find in my fridge or freezer,  a sneaky stash of  healthy homemade nut butter cups . . .

They’re just so easy to throw together, the flavors and variations you can make are virtually endless – they’re the perfect, pre-portioned, grab and go treat!

I can’t think of a better way to end the day then cozied on the couch with a couple of these bad boys  . . .

And that my friend is exactly where you’ll find me, most nights at 8pm . . . livin’ my best life!

It’s quite possibly my fave time of day! Well, maybe tied with that first, soul soothing sip of coffee (or hot beverage of choice) in the morning. I mean come on, is there there anything more satisfying?! Answer = no.

Anyway, enough of me talking about the exciting life I lead and on with the recipe . . .

Although to be honest, I’m not really sure what more there is I need to tell you . . .  Dark chocolate, salted caramel cashew butter cups?! nuff’ said!

It’s everything I love in life all served up in one tasty little treat!

Chocolate = Happiness

Turmeric = fixes everything!

Cinnamon and ginger soothe my soul

Nut butter is the glue that holds my body together!

Coffee gives me life!

Salted caramel, well that’s just yum!

Gluten free – Dairy free – Grain Free – Sugar free – Low Carb  – Paleo – Keto – Vegan.

3 main ingredients (+ a handful of spices) and 10 minutes is all you need .

Life as you know it will be changed forever!

From my heart to yours, enjoy xo

These delicious little cups will keep well in the fridge for several weeks but can also be stored in the freezer for 3-6 months!

__________________________________________

Question of the day –

What’s your favorite flavor nut butter?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your creamy, dreamy, golden spiced cashew butter cups  (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post {Sugar Free} Golden Spiced Salted Caramel Cashew Butter Cups first appeared on Better with Cake.

And you know what that means . . .

It’s time for another round of Fit Friday fun, and boy are we going to have some fun today!

Today, I thought I’d we’d have ourselves a short, sharp, total body workout  that you can do anywhere, anytime in just 15 minutes – with or without equipment, totally your call!

Get in, get it done, and get on with living!

So, here’s what we are going to do, a descending ladder workout which simply means we will start by doing 10 reps of each exercise and decrease 1 rep per round until you get down to 1.

For example –

Round 1 we do 10 reps each, then repeat the entire sequence through doing 9 reps each , then 8, then 7 all the way down to 1!

We will do – click here to see exercise demos/workout with me –  ;

Squats
Lunges
Push Ups
Glute Bridges
V-Ups – or sit ups/crunches

The aim here is to move from one exercise to the next with minimal/no rest in between – That being said, I want you to listen to that beautiful body of yours and rest as needed.

Anytime you feel like you need to take a break to catch your breath and grab a little drink then by all means please do so, and take all the time you need. However, if possible try to wait until you get to the bottom of each round to do so but, do what you gotta do, OK?!

Nothing complicated, basic movements done with good form for a short but effective workout that is guaranteed to leave you feeling strong, energized and ready to take on the rest of your day!

Although it’s totally not necessary, simply using your body weight alone is challenging enough but,  for our fully functioning or more advanced lifters who might be wanting kick things up a notch feel free to grab yourself a weapon of choice – a set of dumbbells, kettlebells, your EmPack,  resistance bands or a combination would work. Just make sure you choose something appropriate for your strength but, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

But remember, we want quality not quantity, always! Never compromise your form, ever! If your form starts to fail your done, got it?

Take your time, concentrate, focus and breathe through each and every exercise. You are strong, you are amazing, you have big energy! You’ve totally got this!

And because nothing makes a workout challenge more fun than getting a buddy to join you. Why not grab your BFF or a family member or your fave workmate and have them join you, power in numbers baby!

Don’t forget to come back and let me know how you did once you’re done. Either leave me a message in the comments below, or you can give me a shout on the Facebook page or tag me (@EmSwanston) on Twitter , or Instagram (@emsswanston) . I mean it, I wanna hear how you did!

Ok enough chit chat time to work –

– 15 Minute –
No Equipment

Total Body Workout

As always make sure you are nice an warm before you start your workout – Run on the spot, do jumping jacks, jump rope, dance around your living room, anything to get you warm then it’s time to get serious.

Finish with a nice little cool down and stretch, maybe take a walk or something anything to help bring your heart rate down. Finish with a few of your fave stretches. Please don’t skip the stretch people, its like dessert for the body.

Now for our smoothie recipe . . .

How does a subtly sweet, secretly healthy, creamy, dreamy sugar free salted caramel choc chip almond butter crunch shake sound?

You guys, this smoothie . . .

It pretty much tastes like salted caramel soft serve mixed with choc chip almond butter cookie dough!

And, it also happens to be seriously good for you!

Sugar free, packed with protein and loaded with gut healing goodness, not that anyone would ever know! I won’t tell if you don’t!

It’s luscious, creamy, seriously dreamy, spiked with a hint of cinnamon and choc full of choc chips!

And, I should probably mention that not only does our creamy, dreamy, dessert inspired smoothie taste like straight up heaven in a cup but, it also happens to be vegan, dairy free (if you want) , gluten free, BANANA FREE, DATE FREE, sugar free, low carb, keto and paleo friendly!!!

So much to love I tell you and love it you will!

It really is simply divine, the perfect way to treat yourself while you refuel and re-energize that beautiful body of yours on this fabulous Friday.

Sugar Free Salted Caramel Choc Chip Almond Butter Crunch Shake

Ingredients –
Makes 1

1/2 cup vanilla  yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of your choice)

2 Tablespoons of almond butter – powdered or regular

1 teaspoon of sugar free caramel creamer – can sub caramel stevia, 1-2 pitted dates or your fave kind of caramel sauce

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon before you speak coffee – or regular cinnamon
I love the extra oomph the cinnamon before you speak coffee adds – use EMS10 to get 10% off if you want to try it

1/4-1/2  cup of ice – more or less to desired consistency.

Optional add ins;

1 Tablespoons of melted dark chocolate to swirl your glass  – pure happiness

1 teaspoon of maca – for hormone balance

1-2 scoops of collagen – for gut healing goodness

1 scoop protein powder  – for extra protein (I think vanilla or unflavored would work best here)

Method –

1 – Place all smoothie ingredients into your blender and process until smooth, creamy and well combined.

2 – Pour into a chilled glass or mason jar then top with toppings of choice.

Enjoy xo

Don’t forget to give me a shout out when you’re done – hit me up in the comments below via the Facebook page on Twitter or on Instagram

Now go and remember ;

and have yourself a killer day xoxo

_________________________________________

Question of the day –

What’s your favorite kind of ice cream?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make this smoothie (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine)! Go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring, remember!

Do it, do it. You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post {Sugar Free} Salted Caramel Choc Chip Almond Butter Crunch Shake & 15 min Full Body Workout first appeared on Better with Cake.

Squeezing in one last Easter recipe because they turned out too good not to share!Are you ready . . .

3 ingredient salted caramel, choc fudge almond butter eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes, they really do deserve alllll of the exclamation points! And then some!!!!!!

Deliciously indulgent, silky smooth, choc fudge almond butter truffles encased in a layer of cool, crisp, salted caramel chocolate.

Taking my obsession with chocolate and nut butter to a whole new level! Last year we made a healthified copy cat version of the original , classic style reeses peanut butter egg so this year I thought I would try something a little bit different and you guys . . .

There are few moments in life where words are simply not required & this I firmly believe that this may be one of them . . .

I mean did you hear me . . .  secretly healthy, salted caramel, choc fudge almond butter eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Made with no refined flours or sugars using just 3 simple ingredients that I bet you have on hand already and come together in 1 bowl, with 1 spoon and can be ready to devour in just 15 minutes!

Gluten free – Dairy free – Grain free – Refined Sugar free – Low carb  – Keto – Paleo – Vegan friendly but, most importantly, they really edible awesomeness personified and, celebrating Easter or not you need them in your life because, yummmmmmm

From me and mine to you and yours have a happy and healthy Easter.

The post 3 ingredient Salted Caramel Choc Fudge Almond Butter Eggs first appeared on Better with Cake.

Choc chip marble swirled cashew butter blondies!!!

If you do one thing today, please let it be making these bars!

They truly are all kinds of magical and you need them in your life because, yum!

Also, I just spent the morning lost in Ikea, clearly I need one (or 2) of these bad boys to help me get myself together, and fuel the fun filled assembling adventures ahead . . .

Wanna come help? I’ll pay you in blondies?!

You guys, these secretly healthy, choc chip, marble swirled cashew butter blondies are everything I love in life all rolled into delicious little treat!

Subtly sweet, deliciously buttery, cinnamon spiked blondies swirled with a layer of decadent, rich, espresso infused dark chocolate brownie!

I don’t know why people seem so adamant that it has to be brownies or blondies?! Why do I have to choose?! Can’t I just have both?!

Also, can I let you in on a little secret?! I hate making decisions. Like, really truly do not like it! Please tell me I’m not the only one?!

Decision making really stresses me out (so do trips to Ikea!!!!) and stressed spelled backwards is desserts so…… desserts it is!

Crispy,  on the edges, super fudgy in the middle and choc full of choc chips!

What more could a girl want?!

Would you just look at those swoon worth swirls (and we all know it’s the swirls that get the girls!!) and those puddles of melted chocolate!!!!

And please, please, PLEASE don’t forget to finish them with a pinch of flakey sea salt . . .

Honestly, I don’t know what more there is to say . . . I’ve been standing here, staring at my laptop trying to think of something fun to tell you but I got nothin’ . It may also have to do with the fact that;

1 – I just spent the morning lost in Ikea so my brain is fried! But also,

2 – There really are no words (or photos good enough) to describe the deliciousness you’re about to encounter so you’re going to just have to trust me on this.

Do yourself a favour, stop what you’re doing and go make these blondies already!

Made with no refined flours or sugars using just a handful of ingredients that I bet you have on hand already and come together in 1 bowl, with 1 spoon and can be ready to devour in just 20 minutes!

Simply → mix → pour → swirl → bake → sprinkle – if you want, you do!! → devour!

And devour you shall!

Gluten Free – Dairy free – Grain free – Refined sugar free –  Low Carb – Paleo – Keto  – Vegan friendly  but most importantly they really do taste all kinds of magical and I hope you love them as much as I do. Which FYI just in case you didn’t catch that – is a lot – I’m talking, if a dessert could be a spirit animal, this would be mine!

Subtly sweet, deliciously buttery, cinnamon spiked blondies swirled with a layer of decadent, rich, espresso infused dark chocolate brownie! Crispy on the edges, super fudgy in the middle . . .

Make them. Eat them. Love, love, love them.

Small Batch {Flourless} Choc Chip Marble Swirled Cashew Butter Blondies

• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Persons: 4-9
• Difficulty: Easy

• Ingredients
• 1 egg – vegan friends sub 1 flax egg or you fave egg replacer
• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup of natural/monk fruit sweetener – sub coconut sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon of coconut flour
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt + extra for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup of good quality dark chocolate , roughly chopped
• 1 Tablespoon of cacao
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla almond milk – or milk of choice
• 1/2 teaspoon of instant espresso – optional but recommended to help enhance the richness of the cacao

1. Instructions
2. Pre-heat oven to 175’C/350’F
3. Line a small baking dish  (or mini loaf pan) with baking / parchment paper and set aside.
4. In a medium size bowl, lightly whisk your egg.
5. Add all remaining ingredients , except chocolate, cacao, almond milk and espresso ,  and stir to combine.
6. Fold through chocolate.
7. Pour all but 1 Tablespoon of your blondie batter into your prepared baking dish and set aside.
8. To your remaining blondie batter, add cacao, almond milk and instant espresso and stir to combine.
9. Randomly place spoonfuls of your brownie batter on to your blondie mix and use a knife or tooth pick to swirl through the batter.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden and a tooth pick has just a few crumbs attached when inserted into the middle.
11. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes (if you can) – sprinkle with salt.
12. Slice
13. Devour

Enjoy xo

__________________________________________

Question of the day –

Tell me, corner, edge, middle? Which piece would you choose?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your beauiftul blondies (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to xo

__________________________________________

The post Flourless Choc Chip Marbled Swirled Cashew Butter Blondies first appeared on Better with Cake.

And you know what that means, it’s time for another round of Fit Friday Fun!!!!

Today, I thought I’d we’d have ourselves a short and sharp, total body workout  that you can do anywhere, anytime in just 15 minutes – with or without equipment, totally your call!

Get in, get it done, and get on with living!

So, here’s what we are going to do, a descending ladder  workout which simply means we will start by doing 10 reps of each exercise and decrease 1 rep per round until you get down to 1.

For example –

Round 1 we do 10 reps each, then repeat the entire sequence through doing 9 reps each , then 8, then 7 all the way down to 1!

We will do;

Squat
Lunge
Push Up
Glute Bridge
V-Ups – or sit ups/crunches

The aim here is to move from one exercise to the next with minimal/no rest in between – That being said, I want you to listen to that beautiful body of yours and rest as needed.

Anytime you feel like you need to take a break to catch your breath and grab a little drink then by all means please do so, and take all the time you need. However, if possible try to wait until you get to the bottom of each round to do so but, do what you gotta do, OK?!

Nothing complicated, basic movements done with good form for a short but effective workout that is guaranteed to leave you feeling strong, energized and ready to take on the rest of your day!

Although it’s totally not necessary, simply using your body weight alone is challenging enough but,  for our fully functioning or more advanced lifters who might be wanting kick things up a notch feel free to grab yourself a weapon of choice – a set of dumbbells, kettlebells, your EmPack,  resistance bands or a combination would work. Just make sure you choose something appropriate for your strength but, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

But remember, we want quality not quantity, always! Never compromise your form, ever! If your form starts to fail your done, got it?

Take your time, concentrate, focus and breathe through each and every exercise. You are strong, you are amazing, you have big energy! You’ve totally got this!

And because nothing makes a workout challenge more fun than getting a buddy to join you. Why not grab your BFF or a family member or your fave workmate and have them join you, power in numbers baby!

Don’t forget to come back and let me know how you did once you’re done. Either leave me a message in the comments below, or you can give me a shout on the Facebook page or tag me (@EmSwanston) on Twitter , or Instagram (@emsswanston) . I mean it, I wanna hear how you did!

Ok enough chit chat time to work –

– 15 Minute –
No Equipment

Total Body Workout

As always make sure you are nice an warm before you start your workout – Run on the spot, do jumping jacks, jump rope, dance around your living room, anything to get you warm then it’s time to get serious.

Finish with a nice little cool down and stretch, maybe take a walk or something anything to help bring your heart rate down. Finish with a few of your fave stretches. Please don’t skip the stretch people, its like dessert for the body.

Now for our smoothie recipe . . .

How does a nice tall, subtly sweet, deliciously creamy,  secretly healthy, salted caramel choc chip cookie dough crunch shake sound?

Like heaven, right?!

I mean who doesn’t love a big spoonful of choc chip cookie dough (or a freshly baked cookie) crumbled on to a big ol’ bowl for salted caramel nice-cream?

Well that, my friend, is exactly what we have here!

Everything you love about that old fashioned classic  taken next level because SALTED CARAMEL!!!!!

Subtly sweet, seriously creamy, spiked with the perfect hit of vanilla and choc full of choc chips!

No one would ever know that it also happens to be good for you!

Packed with protein and loaded with gut healing goodness!

I won’t tell if you don’t!

And, not only does our delicious, nutritious, smoothie like straight up dessert but, it also happens to be Dairy free (if you want),  BANANA FREE, DATE FREE, Sugar free, Low Carb, Vegan, Keto and Paleo friendly – so much to love I tell you and love it you will!

It really is simply divine, the perfect way to treat yo’ self on this fabulous Friday – or anytime because, yummmmm.

Sugar Free Salted Caramel Choc Chip Cookie Dough Crunch Shake

Makes 1 shake!

Ingredients –

1/2 cup vanilla  yogurt (or 1-2 scoops of your fave ice cream or fro-yo)

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 scoop of Before you speak coffee caramel creamer – use EMS10 to get 10% off -can sub caramel stevia drops, 1-2 Tablespoons of maple syrup or 1-2 pitted dates if you prefer.

1 Tablespoon of almond butter – sub 2 Tablespoons of raw almonds, soak in boiling water for 10 minutes before blending if you don’t have a high powered blender

A pinch of ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon of choc chips (or cacao nibs)

1/4-1/2  cup of ice – more or less to desired consistency.

Optional add ins;

1 Tablespoons of melted dark chocolate to swirl your glass  – pure happiness

1 teaspoon of maca – for hormone balance

1-2 scoops of  collagen – for gut healing goodness

1 teaspoon of uplift food – daily dose of prebiotics

1/2-1 teaspoon each of hemp seeds, chia seeds & flax meal – healthy fats, fibre & all important omegas

Reishi & ATP Science Cort RX– boosts immunity, calms the nervous system & my busy brain

1 scoop protein powder  – for extra protein ( I think vanilla, unflavored or even espresso would work best in this recipe)

Choc chip cookies, crumbled – for serving

Method –

1 – Place all smoothie ingredients into your blender and process until smooth, creamy and well combined.

2 – Pour into a chilled glass or mason jar then top with toppings of choice – I use coconut shreds, cacao nibs (or a shaving or dark chocolate) always.

Enjoy xo

Don’t forget to give me a shout out when you’re done – hit me up in the comments below via the Facebook page on Twitter or on Instagram

Now go, and remember;

and have yourself a killer day xoxo

_________________________________________

Question of the day –

Tell me, what’s one of your fave childhood food / drink memories or flavors?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make this smoothie (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post {Sugar Free} Salted Caramel Choc Chip Cookie Dough Crunch Shake & A 15 min {No Equipment} Total Body Workout first appeared on Better with Cake.

You know what that means, it’s time for another round of fit Friday fun and boy are we gonna have some fun today!

Today I’m sharing a short and sharp total body workout that you can get in and get done   in just 15 minutes – with or without equipment, totally your call!

I don’t know about you but, as much as I love my to get my workout on, I don’t like spending hours at the gym and the thing is, you don’t need to! With the right combination of exercises you can have an awesome workout in next to no time at all.

In today’s workout we are going to do just 5 exercises that incorporate most of your major muscle groups, I’m talkin’ quads, glutes, hamstrings, back, lats, delts/shoulders, chest, biceps and abs/core which means you get serious bang for your workout buck!

Just because your workout is short doesn’t mean it’s not effective, trust me. When you’re done with this workout, your heart rate will be pumping, endorphin’s flowing, metabolism firing!

Ah how I love that post workout rush!

So, here’s what we are going to do –

Squat
Overhead Press – or tent push up for no equipment
Reverse Lunge
Push Up
Russian Twist

We will do 10 reps of each exercise  (count reps per side for lunges and twists) and repeat the entire sequence through for a total of 4 rounds or, as many rounds a pretty in 15 minutes.

The aim here is to move from one exercise to the next with minimal/no rest in between – That being said, I want you to listen to that beautiful body of yours and rest as needed.

Anytime you feel like you need to take a break to catch your breath and grab a little drink then by all means please do so, and take all the time you need. However, if possible try to wait until you get to the bottom of each round to do so but, do what you gotta do, OK?!

Catch your breath, grab a drink then get straight back into it, deal?

For those who are wanting to making things a little more challenging, feel free to grab yourself a weapon of choice – a set of dumbbells, a barbell, your EmPack, kettlebells, some resistance bands or any combination you like. Make sure you choose something appropriate for your strength but, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

I want you to really push yourself, the final rep of each exercise should be a challenge!

Although, we want quality not quantity, always! Never compromise your form, ever! If your form starts to fail your done, got it?

Take your time, concentrate, focus and breathe through each and every exercise. You are strong, you are amazing, you have big energy! You’ve totally got this!

And because nothing makes a workout challenge more fun than getting a buddy to join you. Why not grab your BFF or a family member or your fave workmate and have them join you, power in numbers baby!

Don’t forget to come back and let me know how you did once you’re done. Either leave me a message in the comments below, or you can give me a shout on the Facebook page or tag me (@EmSwanston) on Twitter , or Instagram (@emsswanston) . I mean it, I wanna hear how you did!

Ok enough chit chat time to work –

15 Minute Total Body Workout

As always make sure you are nice an warm before you start your workout – Run on the spot, do jumping jacks, jump rope, dance around your living room, anything to get you warm then it’s time to get serious.

Finish with a nice little cool down and stretch, maybe take a walk or something anything to help bring your heart rate down. Finish with a few of your fave stretches. Please don’t skip the stretch people, its like dessert for the body.

Now onto our smoothie recipe . . .

How does a nice tall, creamy, dreamy, subtly sweet, deliciously indulgent, secretly healthy salted caramel banana split shake sound?

Oh, you guys, this smoothie . . . insert all of the heart eyed emojis !!!

It’s everything you love about a classic style banana split, complete with cream AND ice cream and a cute little cherry on top but taken next level with a hint of salted caramel!

Hello dreamy!

Healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast but decadent enough to savor as a late night (or anytime) treat! Banana splits for breakfast?! Sign me up!

Oh and I should probably mention that not only does our delicious, nutritious, pretty little banana split taste like an absolute dream but, it also happens to be Dairy free (if you want),  refined sugar free, Vegan, and Paleo friendly – so much to love I tell you and love it you will!

It really is simply divine, the perfect way to treat yo’ self on this fabulous Friday.

Healthy Salted Caramel Banana Split Shake
{Dairy Free – Gluten Free – Grain Free – Refined Sugar Free – Vegan – Paleo Friendly}
Makes 1 all natural, light, fresh, creamy, dreamy, subtly sweet, deliciously indulgent, secretly healthy smoothie that tastes like straight up dessert!

Ingredients –

1/2 cup coconut yogurt (or  Greek style yogurt)

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)

1 small or 1/2 a large banana – preferably pre-frozen

1 Tablespoon of cashew butter – sub 2 Tablespoons of raw cashews, soak in boiling water for 10 minutes before blending if you don’t have a high powered blender

1-2 Tablespoons of maple syrup – depending on how sweet you want it.

1 pinch of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4-1/2  cup of ice – more or less to desired consistency.

Optional add ins;

1 teaspoon of maca – for hormone balance

1 teaspoon of flaxmeal (ground flaxseed) – extra fiber

1 teaspoon of chia seeds – for fibre & omega 3’s

1-2 Tbsp Hemp seeds – Plant based protein, omega 3’s, vitamins, minerals & essential amino acids – I love My Hemple –  EMSWAN10 = 10% off

1-2 scoops of Vital proteins unflavored collagen peptides – for an extra boost of protein and gut healing goodness

1 scp protein powder  – for extra protein ( vanilla, chocolate or unflavored would work in this recipe)

Method –

1 – Place all smoothie ingredients into your blender and process until smooth, creamy and well combined.

2 – Pour into a chilled glass or mason jar then top with toppings of choice – I use coconut shreds, cacao nibs (or a shaving or dark chocolate) always.

Enjoy xoxo

Don’t forget to give me a shout out when you’re done – hit me up in the comments below via the Facebook page on Twitter or on Instagram

Now go, and remember;

and have yourself a killer day xoxo

_________________________________________

Question of the day –

What’s your favorite way to refuel after a workout?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make this smoothie (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to

__________________________________________

The post Salted Caramel Banana Split Smoothie & 15 Min Full Body Workout first appeared on Better with Cake.