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Singer and actor Liv Austen has turned a health issue into a passion for cooking, by taking control of every ingredient that goes in to her meals. Every week she shares something she has learned from cooking from scratch, and goes through a recipe she loves, so you can cook alongside the podcast. Cook from scratch - your body will thank you.
This summer, my husband cautiously asked me how I would feel about him doing the South Downs Way walk, a 100 mile famous through-hike in the South East of England. He would be camping every night and hiking during the day, and though he would be easily contactable and not too far from where we live, the fact would still remain that all going well he would be away for 7 days and nights. Now that may not sound like much for me to have to agree to, however, add a baby - only a few months old at the time - into the mix, and things change quite a lot.
I certainly had thoughts. And feelings. Quite mixed. Honestly? My strongest feeling was envy. I am a huge hiking enthusiast and the idea of just walking, day in and day out, sounded like a dream - now more than ever, as I was mostly stuck in a chair or bed exclusively breastfeeding a very hungry little boy, and frantically trying to catch up on housework and actual work whenever I didn’t get nap-trapped. Hiking seemed like such a …walk in the park… in comparison, not to mention something I already loved dearly. But me not being able to go shouldn’t stop my husband, who loves hiking as much as me, from enjoying it. The year before we had failed the Coast To Coast, and I knew his dream of completing a challenge like this was as strong as mine. So of course I said yes. And then I did what I could to feel like I was part of the journey with him, I made him food and snacks to bring.
On a through-hike you carry everything on your back, so of course keeping weight down is a huge priority. But he requested some polar bread for the first couple of days, and then some calorific snacks that had a combination of fruit (for the sugar) and nuts (for the fats) that he could easily grab and carry with him. Inspired by some ready-made snacks we saw in the shops, and my husband’s favourite flavours, I decided on a few different dried fruits, nuts and also a bit of desiccated coconut. There were added challenges here; as my time was limited, the snacks themselves needed to be easy and quick to make, with as little process as possible. So these snacks consisted of raw nuts, no baking and only a food processor used. I started by guessing the fruit to nut ratio that would work, which would allow the snack bites to stick together and also having a nice, balanced taste.
You can get the result below. I absolutely love these snacks and they are now being made regularly at our house, because they are so quick - they don’t require any cooking or baking and are absolutely perfect for a bit of extra energy throughout the day. While my husband was successfully completing day after day through the Sussex and Hampshire countryside, I realised I was on quite the journey myself. Being alone day and night with a little baby boy who relied on me for absolutely everything, though terrifying at first, was a rite of passage - I was incredibly proud of myself. And I had made sure to make enough snacks for there to be some in the fridge for me too - and ready next to my chair for those cluster-feeding sessions. So whether these should be called Hubby’s Hiking Snacks or Wifey’s Weekday Snacks I’m not sure - but I am super happy to share them with you! I hope they can give you some energy on whatever journey you are on right now.
Hubby’s Hiking Snacks
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1 cup dried figs
1/2 cup dried dates
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricot
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tbsp flaxseed
Optional: a pinch of salt for a more indulgent flavour, and/or dusting in cocoa for a more chocolate-y feel
Pulse all ingredients together for a short period (30 seconds or so) in a food processor or blender. It may seem like it won’t come together, but once you scoop a bit out and shape it to a ball in your hand you’ll realise that it does! If it’s not sticking together well enough, you want to add more fruit or blitz it for a bit longer, but keep in mind that running the food processor for longer will make it a lot smoother and you won’t get the texture of the different bits of nut and fruit - which I love. Bag these up and take on a hike, to the office, or leave some in the fridge - ready as a midday snack that certainly beats a bar of chocolate or other more impulsive choices! You can also freeze these and they don’t take long to thaw.
If you’ve followed me for a while you know that I also have a recipe for Super Energy Nut Balls, which are a great energy snack too - if you don’t want as much fruit in your energy snack!