Going (a little more) natural...

Apart from the rather large consumption of cake I think I eat pretty healthily...but I find that it's so easy to get stuck in a food rut, and what was initially tasty and different becomes a bland repeat of yesterday(and the day before that)'s lunch. For a while now I have been wanting to incorporate some more variety into my diet, especially if it means I find some healthy alternatives to satisfy my ridiculous sweet tooth. Here's a few recipes from around the web that I've tried and loved so far:

- Almond and Rosemary Crackers from Elana's Pantry. Whilst not perhaps the cheapest way to make crackers these were really tasty with some salsa.

- Granola Bars from Sincereley Kinsey. A completely healthy sweet snack that actually tastes quite nice? Yes please! Whilst I'll never be able to convince myself that these are flapjacks, they were far better than I was expecting - I used apricots and walnuts for my fruit and nut additions. Next time I think I'll add in an extra banana to make them a little more moist.

- Date Honey from Brewed Together. This is my favourite find so far...I am not exaggerating when I say that this has transformed my porridge experience! Porridge was something I endured whilst repeating the mantra 'it's good for you' but add in a spoonful of this completely natural sweetener and I can't get enough of the stuff!

- Almond milk - So the granola bars called for almond milk and since I had some almonds lying around I figured why not have a go at making it...I used the rest of it to make a delicious smoothie by blending it with a banana and a handful of spinach.

I have no intention of cutting out sugar completely, I feel cake and healthy living can be friends, but I would love to work towards cake being more of a treat than my first choice whenever the hunger pangs strike...do you have any tasty snacks ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Here's an interesting article on the health benefits of nuts I found over at Good Food (if you're interested)...