Chocolate Rice Cake Snack Bars

Lately, I’ve been into no-bake desserts, they’re quick and easy and store well for quick snacks on the go. Although, I never thought of using rice cakes, I always thought they tasted like Styrofoam, until they started trending on TikTok recently, forcing me to see them in a different light. After countless of videos on rice cake snacks, I decided to put my own twist on them and make no-bake chocolate rice cake bars. These are gluten and dairy free and are so decadent with a drizzle of almond butter, you won’t want to miss them. So grab that bag of rice cakes in the back of your pantry and let’s get into it.

What kind of rice cakes do I need?

Any kind of rice cake should work with this recipe, I used Kallo’s rice cakes. However, if you are really against rice cakes you can opt for corn cakes instead, simply make sure they’re the thick ones as the thin ones can be more crunchy than soft.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes! This recipe is vegan. Normally, my no-bake desserts include honey, however in this case the dairy-free chocolate chips I used were sweetened with xylitol (making the recipe refined-sugar free as well). If your chocolate chips aren’t sweetened, you could always add 1-2 tbsp liquid sweetener of choice.

Ingredients

6-8 rice cakes
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips – I used Neofoods, but you can also used a bar of chocolate.
1 tbsp plant-based milk – I used almond
1/4 cup toppings – I used almond flakes and shredded coconut. You can also add dried fruit, walnuts or any toppings you’d like.
2 tbsp almond butter (optional)
1/2 tsp flaky salt – I find that a little sprinkle of salt really enhances them.

Steps

In a bowl, crush your rice cakes into small pieces.
In a heatproof bowl, add your chocolate, coconut oil and milk and place over a double boiler until melted.
Allow the chocolate to cool down completely (this is important otherwise you’ll end up with soggy bars) before adding to the crushed rice cakes.
Use a spatula to mix until all the rice cakes are coated in chocolate.
Add your toppings and press the mixture into a lined baking tin. Drizzle with some nut butter and sprinkle some sea salt.
Refrigerate until hardened before cutting into bars.

You can store these in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for longer. This has been my go-to no-bake snack for a couple of weeks now and I can’t get enough of it. I hope you try these out and let me know what you think of them down in the comments. Please like and follow for more quick recipes like this one, xoxo.

More Recipes Like These

No-bake Almond Bites – find the recipe here

Vegan Snack Bars – find the recipe here

Chia Seed Pudding – find the recipe here

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie

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Hey everyone, welcome back to the blog! Today’s recipe is the perfect comfort meal that you and the whole family will be able to enjoy. I have always wanted to try out chicken pot pie but never found a gluten and dairy free version, which is why I decided to make one myself. I needed a method that would make it simpler than the original and still taste delicious and it turned out better than I had hoped. My family had me making this recipe again the next day! With a golden crust and a creamy filling inside, this is the perfect chicken pot pie you can make while still keeping to your healthy meal plans. This recipe makes a 7 inch (1 inch deep) pie but you can easily double it for a bigger portion.

The best part is that the crust is super easy to make and the rest is done with basic ingredients so anyone can make it! This recipe will be in the ebook along with other quick easy meals I share. These recipes are quick because as a university student, I don’t always have the time and a one pan dish like this one is a go-to. So let’s get right into it…

INGREDIENTS

Dough

3-5 Medium sized sweet potatoes
1-2 cups gluten free flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Filling

1 cup shredded chicken
2 cups vegetables (I used a frozen mix of bell peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms)
1-2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp olive oil
spices of choice

STEPS

Crust

First boil your sweet potatoes until they are soft when you stick a fork in them. Once they’re done, allow them to cool off and then you can easily peel the skin off. I use sweet potatoes because they will help soften and bind the dough.
Now add them to a bowl, mash until smooth and add salt because they are fairly sweet.
Fold in your flour gradually; I use a 1:1 ratio. The dough should be firm, not sticky nor crumbly.
Add olive oil and continue to knead, keep adding flour if it is too sticky and doesn’t hold its shape.
Let it rest for 15-30 mins.
After divide your dough into two halves (One for the base and one for the top crust).
Roll out your first half evenly about 1/2cm thick, on parchment paper. Make sure to keep dusting with flour so that it doesn’t stick.
You can then oil your baking mould and carefully place it upside-down over the dough. You can then easily flip it using the parchment paper.
Bake the crust at 180ºC for 10-15 mins until slightly golden.

Filling

While the bottom crust is baking, you can start on your filling. Now you can either cook your chicken or use precooked or leftover chicken. I used leftover roast which I shredded.
After sautéing your chicken with some olive oil, add your vegetables. I used frozen mix vegetables to be more efficient but you can add your own chopped veggies. A couple of alternatives are: celery, chopped carrots, spinach…
Now, once your veggies are cooked, you can add your chicken stock, I made my chicken stock the night before but you can still use store bought. (I will also be adding a stock recipe soon)
You can then add any spices of choice, I added some salt, pepper, thyme and garlic powder. It’s best to have a taste test depending on how seasoned your stock is.
While that’s simmering, mix 1tbsp of corn flower in 1/2 cup of water, ensuring that there are no lumps. Add this to your filling and stir on low heat. This will replace any cream traditionally used to thicken the filling.
Once the filling is thick and creamy, you can pour it into the mould with the baked crust.
Lastly roll out your second half of the dough, press the edges together and place it over the filled pie.
Bake at 180 for 30-45 mins until it looks golden-brown, allow to cool and serve.

Let me know if you try out this recipe or if you have your own version of chicken pot pie. More tips for this recipe are coming out in the ebook so keep an eye out. Thank you for reading, please like and follow for more healthy meal ideas like this one, xoxo.

How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

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You may think that eating healthy is expensive and will run you dry, but this belief is far from the truth. While eating healthy can be costly, it can also be cost-effective if you apply a few of the tips down below. I think this discussion couldn’t come at a better time, especially in the current state of the world, so today we’re going to be going over a few tips to help you eat healthy on a budget.

Tip #1. Buy Frozen Veggies & Fruit

Fruits and veggies can sometimes be pricey, for example; blueberries are one of the most expensive berries. Which is why the best option is to buy them frozen; as they are just as healthy and they are prepped when they are in their prime stage. Moreover, you can use these in smoothies, your oats or stir fries.

A few good options are:

spinach
broccoli
kale
berries
mango chunks
veggie mixes

Tip #2. Choose Whole foods Over ‘Fake Foods’

By fake foods I mean, if you have to choose between your $100 Protein powder and actual fresh protein, choose the whole food. Making the right choices and prioritising is essential in eating healthy with minimum cost. Instead of buying 20 protein bars, buy filling whole foods that are less processed, because you may think that one ‘processed’ food item is cost effective but when you add up the amount you may be buying in a month, that adds up. So remember to look at the big picture and that inexpensive isn’t always the best option.

Meal Prep and How to eat Healthy Eating on a budget

Tip #3. Meal Prep at Home

Eating out is usually more expensive than eating at home and you can be even cost effective by planning your meals or meal prepping for the week. This will help you plan you monthly food budget and avoid any food waste.

Tip #4. Make a Grocery List & Stick to it

Often we find that we go to the supermarket with a budget in mind, but end up exceeding that by an unreasonable amount and that’s because we all get distracted by and tempted by things we don’t need. This is why planning ahead can be beneficial, if you know which meal you have planned for the week, it’s easy to make a list and buy only what you need.

Tip #5. Don’t Buy in Bulk

Avoid buying fresh vegetables and fruit in bulk, if it’s possible try buying them weekly or once every two weeks. This is to avoid any wastage as most of the time, buying veggies in bulk means some goes bad before you get a chance to use it.

However, buying other ingredients such as grains; oats and quinoa, in bulk is a good idea.

Granola Recipe and cheap ways to eat healthy

Tip #6. Make Your Own Recipe

Sometimes making a product at home is much more cost-effective than buying at the store. For example you can make your own gluten free granola or protein bars at home rather than buying the overpriced product at the store. Moreover, these products often contain unnecessary sugar and preservatives, which you can avoid by making your own.

Check out my easy and quick Gluten Free Granola Recipe.

Tip #7. Support Local Markets

Local produce is often less expensive and a great way to support the community. Try finding your produce at a local farmer’s market, you’ll often find that it’s more cost-effective than buying at a supermarket. In addition, this means you’ll avoid unnecessary packaging/plastic used in stores, making your shopping and lifestyle more environmentally friendly.

Tip #8. Baby steps

When starting a healthy lifestyle, it’s not practical to jump into the gluten free, sugar free or vegan world, because you’ll feel lost and you’ll find the cost overwhelming. Instead you should approach it steadily, for example, buying 10 different brands of almond milk is not the way to go. What you should do is start by making some healthy food swaps, you can check out a list of my grocery staples right here.

Tip #9. One Pan Meals

One pot or one pan meals are quick, inexpensive and everyone loves them, besides it doesn’t get any easier than throwing some protein and veggies in a pan and calling it a day. Stir-fries are also a great options for this and the best part is you can cook in bulk and save for meal preps.

Tip #10. Try Grocery Delivery

I’ve seen two types of grocery delivery services; one where you select a few meals and you’re set the ingredients for those recipes and second, where you put together a grocery basket and have it delivered. Either way, these are a great way to eat healthy on a budget and brands such as; Thrive Market and Hello Fresh claim to save you a considerable amount of money through their services so it’s definitely worth trying out.

Final Thoughts

To summarise, it’s definitely possible to eat healthy on a budget and you should never feel pressure to completely jump to the other side. Balance is key so take it step by step and you’ll find what best suits your lifestyle. The important thing is not to let your eating habits or food itself rule you, you control your habits. I hope you enjoyed this post, please like and leave a comment if you did and feel free to follow for more posts like this one. Thank you for reading, xoxo.

Health Boss

Organic Living but Better

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