Zoe - Super healthy snacks and treats : more than 60 easy recipes for energizing, delicious snacks free from gluten, dairy, refined sugar and eggs

Super Healthy Snacks
and Treats

Super Healthy Snacks
and Treats

JENNA ZOE

Photography by Clare Winfield

Dedication

To Mama Jaan, who always cooked with loving intentions

Senior designer Lucy Gowans

Commissioning editor Cline Hughes

Production manager Gordana Simakovic

Art director Leslie Harrington

Editorial director Julia Charles

Food stylist Jenna Zoe

Food styling assistants
Kathy Kordalis
Emily Kydd
Rosie Reynolds

Prop stylist Polly Webb-Wilson

Indexer Sandra Shotter

First published in 2013 by
Ryland Peters & Small
2021 Jockeys Fields
London WC1R 4BW
and
519 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10012
www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text Jenna Zoe 2013
Design and photographs
Ryland Peters & Small 2013

Printed in China

The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

eISBN: 978-1-84975-684-6

ISBN: 978-1-84975-428-6

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data has been applied for.

Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any claim arising out of the information in this book. Always consult your health advisor or doctor if you have any concerns about your health or nutrition.

Notes

If you are allergic to gluten, wheat, sugar, dairy, eggs or soy, please check all labelling carefully before buying ingredients for use in these recipes.

Oats are inherently gluten free, but because they are mostly processed in facilities that also process glutenous grains, most brands are cross-contaminated with gluten and therefore not suitable for coeliacs. If you need to avoid gluten entirely, look for oats that are labelled gluten-free.

All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperature. Recipes in this book were tested using a regular oven. If using a fan-assisted oven, follow the manufacturers instructions for adjusting temperatures.

When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before use. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water and rinse before using.

Find all the healthy ingredients and baking staples mentioned in this book on its accompanying website, www.foodstolove.co.uk

Here are some of my favourite healthy living blogs:
www.foodbabe.com
www.hungryhungryhippie.com
www.fitnessista.com
www.katheats.com
thinkoutsidethecerealbox.tumblr.com
www.calgaryavansino.com
www.kimberlysnyder.net/blog
www.detoxinista.com

YouTube Channels:
FullyRaw Kristina
DaraDubinet

Contents

In terms of food and nutrition, we are living in a funny time on the one hand, we have never had more great products available to us, never had more information about nutrients and the ways in which they work. While more knowledge is always a good thing, this can also be a recipe for information overload and decision fatigue. We have never been so confused as to what to eat and how to eat it. Its ironic that so many of us feel so much anxiety and inadequacy around an act so seemingly simple, something mandatory for our survival.

The truth is, there are infinite ways to be healthy, and infinite combinations of meals that we can eat in order to get there its overwhelming. We want to believe theres one ready-made solution out there that will fit us perfectly. I certainly did. To that end, Ive been through almost every eating style around. Ive cut out carbs, eaten like a caveman, done macrobiotics, five small meals a day, no sugar, food combining you name it. I may have felt healthy enough in any given phase, but I always knew with every bone in my body that I could feel better. I envisaged feeling happy and vibrant and full of energy while eating in a way that felt effortless, joyous and intuitive, as opposed to carefully controlled and filled with anxiety about failing.

When this cycle of feeling dissatisfied with other peoples rules continued, I decided to change my tactic; I said to myself, there is a perfect diet out there for me, but its my job to design it. Immediately, things felt different. I felt empowered. Things started to look up as I promised myself that going forward, I would do things my way. I didnt know what that meant yet, but the foods I was going to eat had to fulfil three criteria:

They had to be natural, whole foods that were minimally processed (most of the time).

I had to LOVE how they tasted. I didnt force myself to eat anything I didnt like, even if it was meant to be good for me. I was game to taste anything once, but after that there was no obligation to continue.

They had to suit my system. I paid close attention to what made me bloated or sluggish, what I didnt digest well, and in what combinations certain things disagreed with me.

Of course, I didnt have it all figured out right out of the gate. It took trial and error, but I didnt consider it failure it was one big (and exciting) experiment.

As I became more in tune with how certain foods acted in my body, I realized that I felt better when I didnt eat things like gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, and refined sugars. These are common allergens that cause discomfort among many people, and while I wasnt intolerant to any of them, they made me feel just OK rather than amazing.

I asked myself, why should anyone settle for anything less than amazing? Nowadays, this is the approach that I recommend to my clients. Reclaim the power over your health and body. Chase amazing because we all deserve it. In fact, the human body is designed for amazing, and its more than capable of getting there on its own. The only thing we have to do is give it the tools (proper fuel) to do its job.

With the dishes in this book, you will be giving your body all good things. They will take you from everyday snacks to special-occasion treats while always remaining on the healthful side of the spectrum. This isnt your typical earthy, rustic healthy food its food full of fun and colour because I refuse to believe those are things we should have to sacrifice when we choose to treat our bodies well. I like to infuse my daily eats with brightness and positivity, because mental health is a big part of our overall wellbeing too.

I hope that the recipes in this book can inspire you to make your own healthy eating rules, and help you feel empowered to take the best care of your most precious asset YOU!

The principles of healthy snacking

Every time we eat, we can either choose to eat foods that help our bodies thrive, or hinder it on its course. Sticking to clean, simple foods that nature made not only helps us look better, but is also the key to that happy, energetic, thriving state that seems so elusive to so many of us.

Around 30% of our bodies energy is used in the digestion process. When we consume overly processed foods that our bodies dont recognize, a lot more energy is allocated to digesting these and flushing out their toxins. Think of it as a drain on our bodies resources, because this energy could be better used for thousands of other functions the body needs to perform. Poor digestion is a significant contributor to low energy levels, sluggishness, poor mood control, slow healing or recovery, and premature ageing, because digestion is using up the energy that should be going towards these things.