Double chocolate ice lollies 

Summer time in London is just the best. It’s crazy how the temperature can totally shift the vibe of an entire city, but it’s true – people seem happier and more carefree, and everyone makes an effort to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

And with summer in London of course comes ice cream. The tinkling chimes of the capital’s ice cream vans have long been the soundtrack to our summers – they are quite literally the Pied Pipers of the common era, with children (and some adults, ahem Mr H) finding themselves subconsciously gravitating towards the noise in the hope of a Mr Whippy. Continue reading

Chai spiced coconut quinoa pudding




When I was little, my Grandma used to make the most delicious rice pudding in the world, ever. It was so creamy, sweet and comforting, and to this day just the smell of warm rice pudding evokes the most treasured childhood memories. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one – just about everyone I speak to has a story to tell about the time travelling powers of rice pudding. Continue reading

Easy peasy Japanese-y slow cooker veggie curry


As part of our honeymoon Mr H and I spent a week in Tokyo marvelling at everything the amazing city had to offer, getting extremely lost, sitting under cherry blossom trees, people watching for hours on end, but above all, eating. Tokyo has over 10,000 restaurants, ranging from tiny little ones with five seats in a dark alleyway to Michelin starred palaces with impeccable service. You name it, we tried it. The D&H mantra of ‘active avoidance’ certainly came into effect here, as we made sure to try everything once and not feel guilty about it so that we could go home with no foodie regrets.

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Four ingredient carrot cake balls


Mr H and I are having building work done at the moment, and although we are so excited for the end result, the last few weeks have certainly been a challenge. We’ve fought (and lost) many battles against dust, we’ve had to wash our dishes in the bathroom sink (gross) and our lounge currently looks like a jumble sale threw up on it. The other day we had a powercut. Mr H tried to fix it by swearing at the fuse box, but this didn’t seem to work. Magically the builders fixed it within five minutes the next day (they have superpowers I swear) but I’m now taking matters into my own hands just in case it happens again. Continue reading

Terry’s who? Grandpa’s four ingredient chocolate orange balls

chocolate orange energy balls

When I was a little girl, my Grandpa used to have a magical orange tree. All year long it would stand in his lounge producing little tiny oranges which were never bigger than a golf ball. But amazingly once they fell off the tree (so the story goes) they would turn into Terry’s chocolate oranges, packaging and all. Of course we never ACTUALLY saw this happen and my brother, cousins and I always took Grandpa’s word for it.
Even after the truth came out, the tree still continued to produce its ‘fruit’ on birthdays and other special occasions. At the end of last year Mr H and I bought a house together and shortly after moving in a little orange tree turned up on our doorstep, a housewarming present from who else but my darling Grandpa.

But my chocolate orange tree is a little different you see. Mine is like chocolate orange tree 2.0; it produces four ingredient chocolate orange energy balls. Ok so it doesn’t, but I do use the zest of its little fruit to make them. Here’s how;

Makes around 10 small balls

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dates
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 4 tbsp cacao powder
  • zest of 1/2 an orange

In a food processor, first blend the cashews until they are all chopped up super small. Then add the dates, cacao and orange zest and blend until all the ingredients are mixed together nicely. Then shape the mixture into small balls and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Magic!

Love, Mrs H xx

I quinoa believe it! Four ingredient chocolate peanut butter truffles 


 Most people we know LOVE chocolate. And peanut butter. But quinoa? We’re not even sure half our friends know how to pronounce it, let alone how to use it in their cooking. So we whipped up these incredible little truffles and served them as petit fours at a dinner party this week, but we kept shtum about our secret ingredient until after the fact. The verdict? They received rave reviews – they aren’t at all heavy or sickly like other truffles can be, and the quinoa gives them a lovely little crunch. They are packed with protein (so a much healthier kind of truffle) plus they are so easy (and inexpensive) to make. Our friends are totally converted. We hope you will be too!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder (plus a little extra for dusting)
  • 4 tbsp peanut butter

Cook the quinoa by boiling it in water for around 12 minutes. Drain off the excess water and pop it in the fridge to cool for an hour. Once the quinoa has cooled, in a bowl combine it with the maple syrup, cacao and peanut butter. Shape the mixture into balls and dust with cacao. Store in the fridge.

Love, Mrs H xx



   

Slow cooker Mexican three bean chilli

 

 

OHMAGAWD. I have no kitchen.  PANIC. That’s me when I was told that in order to have a lovely sparkly new kitchen fitted, it would mean living sans kitchen for a month.  Originally I hadn’t given it much thought; ‘June will be warm, we can just eat salads’, I told myself (and a very unhappy looking Mr H). Well it turns out that you just can’t make those sort of assumptions in the UK, as I sit here now huddled in my dressing gown, listening to the wind and rain outside. Continue reading

Indian inspired creamy chai latte 


When Mr H and I set off on a magical tour of India two years ago, we had no idea how much of an assault on the senses (in a good way!) it would be. Everywhere we went we were wowed by the noise, the colours and the smells, but above all, the tastes.

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Half-baked banana balls


Half-baked, nutty and bananas. If you are what you eat, then Mr D and Mr H would probably say we’ve been overdoing it a little on these. And they would probably be right!

These beauties are the perfect snack – packed with slow-release energy, good fats and tonnes of vitamins and minerals, they are so easy to pop into your lunch box and take to work for a teatime pick-me-up. They are also so easy to pop into your mouth, which is where most of ours seem to end up.

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Throw away the ‘smack’ bars – my hunger-busting apple pie granola bars


The scene is set – it’s 11am in a busy office, you’re trying to press on with your to do list, but your concentration is waning and your colleagues are not enjoying the awkward soundtrack provided by your rumbling tummy.
You just need a quick fix. Anything will do. One of said colleagues offers you a Nutrigrain or a Special K bar. That’s healthy right? You readily accept and scuttle back to your desk.

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