Happy 2025!
The Greek Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, said “you become what you give your attention to.” So let’s get going on our epic wellness adventure, where I help you to nudge junk food off your radar, and substitute it with plant-powered, massively tasty treats.
I do the research, so you don’t have to. All you need to do, is make these recipes and decide which ones work best for you. Care for your body, like it’s your best friend. Because it truly is.
If snacking is your downfall, or if your sugar cravings could rival a Tasmanian devil on a doubles espresso, this recipe is for you.
Chocolate mint bites are outrageously tasty treats to have on standby in your fridge. Pumped with beans (stay with me!), dates and almond butter, each fudgy square is like a Tango session for our microbiota.
We now know that the gut's microbiota – think a trampolining conference of beneficial bacteria inside our large intestine – plays a Nobel-winning role in both physical and mental health. If we are to cope with life's stressors, the real estate of bacteria inside our pipes needs regular fertilising.
Fermentable fibre is the slow-set for our league of bustling bacteria, and where the romance happens. Beans help to produce SCFAs (short chain fatty acids), celebrated for their anti-inflammatory prowess and their DIY attitude at improving intestinal barrier integrity. Dr Deanna Minich and Dr Will Bulsiewicz are even more obsessed with beans than I am. And they’ve got the science and clinical results to back them. Me? I just squeeze the sesh into obsession.
I also like to pump omega-3 sources into my teens whenever and wherever I can. The milled flaxseed here works to both bind the bites together, but also to boost our brain booty. We like. Omega-3 is associated with reduced inflammation, which sounds like a perfect post-Yuletide plan!
Other recipes to hit the spot this month?
Try this pineapple chilli slushie to fuel your battery; or this grapefruit & ginger slushie to rinse the last of the festive debauchery from your veins; super-simple freezer treats that take less than 10 minutes to make; a mango lassi to serve as a bootcamp for your microbiota; or learn about making your own CBD raw chocolates here.
Much love to you all, from my cozy little corner of the world to yours.
Here’s hoping 2025 will be your healthiest and your happiest year yet.
Susan Jane
x
// Chocolate Mint Bean Bites//
Makes about 16
1/2 tin any beans
9 or 10 sticky Medjool dates, or pre soak 12-15 regular dates in hot water
2 tablespoons extra virgin or odourless coconut oil
2 drops culinary-grade organic peppermint essential oil
4 tablespoons almond or cashew nut butter
3 tablespoon cocoa or cacao powder
3 tablespoons milled flax seed
Pinch of flaky sea salt
3 tablespoon cacao nibs, plus more to top
Melted 70% chocolate (optional coating or dip)
Step 1
Drain half of your tin of beans and set the other half aside. (You can freeze the other half in its bean juice to make another batch of these cacao mint bites later in the month. Simply defrost in the fridge overnight. Or you can also pop the spare half into a curry within 2-3 days of opening the tin).
Step 2
Remove the stones from each date, if present, and discard. Then belt your de-stoned squishy dates in a food processor with your drained beans and coconut oil.
Step 3
Time to add the peppermint, almond butter, cacao or cocoa powder, a sprinkle of sea salt, and the milled flax seed. Pulse until soft. Remove the mixture carefully from the food processor bowl and mash in your cacao nibs, saving some to decorate the top.
Step 4
Press this sticky mixture into a parchment-lined bread tin. You can use another piece of parchment to help you press everything down into the tin, without getting your hands ingloriously messy.
Parachute the remaining cacao nibs over the top, and press down with the back of a spoon. Or tongue. Whichever is nearest. Freeze until firm.
Step 5
Cut into little bites. Store in the fridge or the freezer, within easy reach of raging munchers. And PMT-ers.
If you fancy, you can dip each square into melted dark chocolate, one side only, and set in the freezer for added fudginess.
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