Melissa Hemsley’s sustainable, money-saving kitchen ideas & a recipe for a healthy chocolate treat we can’t get enough of
Exciting times on our Postcards from Midlife podcast this week, including an interview with our favourite celebrity chef & everything you need to know about the amazing benefits of hot/cold therapy
As big foodie fans (Trish - that’s me - likes to cook, while Lorraine likes to eat) we were delighted to welcome celebrity chef
onto the podcast as we’ve been devouring her recipes for years. Like everything else it seems that food is getting more and more expensive so we wanted to get Melissa’s take on how to cook efficiently as well as healthily, making what we buy go further without compromising on taste and reducing waste. From ‘fridge admin’ to batch cooking she told us how to get our households to eat smarter, tastier and healthier all at the same time. And on the eve of her 40th birthday, she also revealed why it’s never too late to start a university degree, and why leaving school at 18 was the making of her.Scroll down for details of how to make one of the recipes we talked about on the show, it’s from her latest book Real Healthy: Unprocess Your Diet with Easy Everyday Recipes. We’ve both made these Chocolate Peanut Butter (No Bake) Bars (pictured above) which really are a doddle to put together and taste sooo good.
Meanwhile in our midweek episode of the podcast, which is a 20 minute quick hit of something we think will enhance women’s lives in a tangible way, Lorraine delved into the science of hot/cold therapy. She’s been swearing by it for years with cold swimming and sauning, while I’ve been dipping my toe in ever so slightly with a cold blast at the end of my shower every morning, and we both swear by the boost it gives to our day. But little did we know there’s even more to it - thermal stress can help reduce inflammation, boost cardiovascular health and increase your ability to cope with stress or anxiety - all in just 11 minutes. Find out why here.
Chocolate peanut butter (no-bake) bars
Melissa says: ‘These are a no-bake family favourite treat. Pretty irresistible but if you don’t devour them over a few days, they will keep for a week in a sealed container. Store in the fridge in warmer months. If catering to any nut allergies, swap the ground almonds for more oats and switch the nut butter for pumpkin seed butter. If you have a preferred nut butter, try that – I love a cashew butter but keep it to the smooth variety for a silkier texture. Look out for 60% minimum cocoa solids for your chocolate.
Makes 16
Takes 20 minutes, plus setting time. Keeps for 1 week, at room temperature
250g smooth peanut butter
100g ground almonds
100g porridge oats
6 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Little pinch of sea salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER
180g dark chocolate, roughly broken
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
OPTIONAL TOPPING
2 handfuls of toasted peanuts
How to make
1. Line a small tin or dish (about 15 x 8cm or square equivalent) with greaseproof paper, making sure it comes up high enough on the sides so that you can lift the mixture out of the tin once it’s set.
2. Mix the peanut butter, ground almonds, oats, maple syrup, vanilla and salt together in a bowl. Transfer to the lined tin, pressing down with the back of a spoon or spatula to make it even and compact.
3. For the chocolate layer, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (a heatproof bowl set over a pan of very lightly simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water).
4. Once melted, stir through the peanut butter andpour this evenly over the base. If topping with the whole peanuts, scatter these over the chocolate layer.
5. Sprinkle over a little pinch of flaky sea salt. Set in the fridge for 1 hour or until firm, then cut into 16 pieces to serve.
Extracted from Real Healthy by Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Press, £26). Photography by Lizzie Mayson.
Follow Melissa on Instagram @melissa.hemsley
Handy links to stuff we talked about on the podcasts this week
Lorraine’s culture picks:
Your Next Read Women's Prize For Fiction
Book Shelfie podcast
Trish’s culture picks:
Podcast: Face the Music
Theatre: The Brightening Air at The Old Vic
TV: Your Friends & Neighbours Apple TV+
TV: Hacks Sky Max
Hot/Cold therapy info
Thermal Scientist Susanna Soeberg Huberman Lab podcast
Sam Booth Soul Sweats Cornwall
Menopause/metabolism: thermal science of it
I love my sea swimming (cold showers in between swims) and saunas and always feel amazing afterwards. On Saturday I go for my first ice bath and sauna combination. I might even send you a photo 🥶 Another week of great podcasts 👏🏻