Simply Scrumptious

This sponge cake is easy to make, and takes no time at all to prepare Full of fruity goodness and contains no added sugar making it a guilt free pleasure! INGREDIENTS 150g plain flour 1 ½ tsp baking powder 100ml semi-skimmed milk 1 egg 1 tsp cinnamon 40g low fat olive spread, melted (or butter of choice) 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped 1 ripe banana, well mashed (lump free) METHOD Preheat oven 200ºC / 180º FAN and line a cake tin with grease proof paper Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a mixing bowl and stir Put the milk, egg and melted low fat spread in a jug or small bowl and beat together Add the apple, banana and wet ingredients from the jug to the flour, stir until just combined. Do not over-mix Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake has risen and starts taking on a golden colour Carefully place the cake on a wire rack to cool 

INGREDIENTS 1 ½ cups of oats  1 ½ cups tropical mix 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 tbsp clear honey METHOD  In a medium frying pan over a medium heat, toast the oats, stirring regularly, until the oats are golden Add the coconut oil and mix well making sure all the oats are coated, pressing down with the back of your spoon helps the oats adsorb the coconut oil Add the honey and stir well making sure everything is coated Add the tropical mix, mix well making sure everything is evenly distributed Remove from the heat, pour onto a lined baking tray and allow to cool  Can be stored in an airtight container for about a week

These Fruity Ginger Muffins are a good mid-morning boost that will keep you going until lunchtime. Say goodbye to that rumbling tummy! No added sugar - no added fat - egg free Prep Time 10 minutes Servings - 6 Approx 150 calories per muffin with sultanas Approx 135 calories per muffin without sultanas EQUIPMENT Non-stick muffin tin Set of measuring cups and spoons INGREDIENTS 2 weetabix, crushed 1/3 cup of Whitworths Fiery Ginger before chopping (roughly chopped) 1/4 cup of sultanas (optional) 1 cup of skimmed milk 1/2 cup wholemeal self-raising flour 1/2 cup of self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground ginger METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 180c / 160c fan 2. Add Weetabix, sultanas and ginger into a large mixing bowl, add the milk and mix well 3. Sieve the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and fold into the wet ingredients, yo may need to add a little more milk. Pour into your muffin tin 4. Bake in the oven...

A sugar-free biscuit Crumbly, oaty and chewy, everything you could want in a biscuit! INGREDIENTS 50g porridge oats 50g wholemeal flour 50g fruit purée 50g light olive spread, melted 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp mixed spice (Sultana’s optional, I put a few in) METHOD   1. Preheat oven to 190c/170 fan/gas 5 2. Line to baking trays with grease proof paper 3. Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well until all is combined 4. Place walnut size portions of the mixture onto your baking tray leaving room between each one. Flatten slightly using the back of a teaspoon or fork 5. Place biscuits in the oven for approx 15 minutes or until they start to take on a golden colour.  6. Leave the biscuits on the tray to cool and to firm up.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED Mini food processor or something similar  mini loaf tin 2 mixing bowls scales measuring spoons  INGREDIENTS  120g oats 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp cinnamon 2 eggs 4 tbsp fat free/low fat gas mark greek yogurt 1 tbsp mixed peel 1 tbsp dried cranberries chopped 1 tbsp sultanas chopped  METHOD 1. Preheat your oven to 180c/350f (gas mark 4) 2. Place oats in a mini food blender and blitz until fine like a flour consistency 3. In a mixing bowl add the blended oats, baking powder, mixed spice, cinnamon, cranberries, sultanas, mixed peel and mix until all is combined 4. In a separate bowl whisk the egg and yogurt, then add to the oat mixture and mix well 5. Grease 4 comports of your mini loaf tray with spray oil 6. Divide the mixture equally into 4 of your comports of the mini loaf tray 7. Bake in oven on middle shelf for approx 35-40 minutes until golden (...

WHAT YOU WILL NEED Muffin tray Cup or Mug of your choice (bigger the mug, the more muffins you make) Mixing bowl & wooden spoon INGREDIENTS 2 Cups/mugs of self raising flour 1 cup/mug dried tropical mix 1 cup/mug hot water 1 tsp baking powder (optional) METHOD 1. Preheat your oven to 180 fan and grease your muffin tray 2. Put your tropical mix in your mixing bowl and add your water, leave for about 15 minutes until cool 3. Sieve the flour and baking powder if using into the tropical mix and water and stir thoroughly until all is combined 4. Scoop mixture into your muffin tray 5. Bake in the oven on middle shelf for approx 25-30 minutes, checking half way through. To check muffins are baked insert a skewer into the centre of a muffin, if skewer comes out clean muffins are baked if not return to oven until baked 6. Carefully place muffins on a cooling rack to cool completely 7. Enjoy your muffins

This is my take on a healthy Christmas Cake, its packed full  of juicy fruit and has all the taste of the festive period. Tastes delicious as it is, or if you wanted to to, you could have with some nice warm homemade healthy custard. USE MEASURING CUPS/SPOONS FOR MEASUREMENTS INGREDIENTS  2 cups of self-raising flour 1/2 cup of dried cranberries 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit 1 grated apple (medium) cup of cranberry juice  1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp mixed spice METHOD 1. Preheat oven 180c  2. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper 3. Put the cranberries, mixed fruit and grated apple into a mixing a bowl and add the cranberry juice, mix well 4. Sieve the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and cinnamon into the wet mixture and mix well. If you should find the mixture is particularly stiff, add a little more cranberry juice 5. Pour mixture into your prepared tray and place in the oven on middle shelf for ap...

Home-made Christmas Mincemeat  NO ADDED SUGAR - LOW CALORIE  With such a huge variety of Christmas Mincemeat now available its difficult to know which one to buy, but when it comes down to it you can't beat home-made! Once you've made it yourself and seen how easy it is your never buy ready made again This Christmas mincemeat has all the flavours you'd expect from a jarred Christmas Mincemeat but only a fraction of the calories of ready made supermarket brands.  Mince Pie Filling the healthy way!  The Mincemeat recipe is as follows Makes 200g  1 apple with skin on grated 100g of mixed dried fruit 50g cranberries 50g sultana's 3 tbsp cranberry juice 10g of low fat olive spread 1 tsp of mixed spice 1 tsp of cinnamon METHOD 1. Add everything to a saucepan, simmer until the cranberry juice has reduced and the mixture is sticky.  2. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or so, then transfer to a jam jar. This min...

Prune & Walnut Slice Ingredients  16 Prunes 2 Tbsp hot water  1 cup of rolled oats  1/4 cup of chopped walnuts Method Preheat your oven to 170 fan/190c  Using a food processor pulse the prunes and hot water until smooth Pulse in the oats and walnuts until a sticky consistency forms Scoop onto a lined baking tray or non stick tray and shape into a large square/rectangle Place in the oven and bake for approx 15 minutes After removing from the oven leave to cool for 10 minutes then cut into your required size, leaving then to fully cool. (you may find if you leave to go too cool before cutting they may crumble upon cutting) Nutritional Information Total Servings 6 generous slices Calories per slice 140 Fat 4.5g Fibre 3g Sugar 10g Protein 3g                      

Healthy Banana & Blueberry Loaf Simple ingredients Small banana & blueberry cake  INGREDIENTS   STANDARD LOAF 4 Bananas  3 eggs  300g ground almonds 100g blueberries 1tsp baking powder  A squeeze of honey SMALL  LOAF 1 1/2 Bananas  1 eggs  100g ground almonds 30g blueberries 1/3tsp baking powder  A squeeze of honey METHOD    In a bowl, mash bananas. Add eggs and a squeeze of honey. Add ground almonds and baking powder - mix well.  Fold in  blueberries.  Pour into a lined baking tin and place in the oven at 170C for one hour.  Leave to cool. Slice and eat.

4 INGREDIENT CHRISTMAS CAKE Ingredients Jar of Mincemeat (400g) 200ml ginger ale or ginger beer 2 eggs 200 g self raising flour Method Measure out your ginger ale/ginger beer, note this needs to be fizzy for the recipe to work. Measure out in a jug and wait for the bubbles to settle so your sure you have the correct amount, then pour into your mixing bowl. Add the mincemeat and mix well. This forms the basis of your sugar, fruit and spices.  Next crack in the eggs and stir in the flour and mix well.  Grease your cake tin and pour the mixture in. Bake at 170c for approx 50 minutes. You may have to cover the cake halfway through to stop the top browning too much.