Travel, taxis and treats

Wow - what a day it has been. But before I get to that, a few of you asked about the pear cider I tried last night.

Well, a good friend of mine (who is a coeliac) suggested that I keep a look out for GF cider as a refreshing alternative to beer (which sadly contains wheat). For my Aussie readers, I found this cider at Dan Murphys….and it was delicious! And not to mention organic, preservative and gluten free! It’s a little heavy on the alcohol content, so Mr BBB and I shared the bottle with dinner. I do, however,  suspect a lot more of this lovely cider will be consumed once the warmer months arrive.

But now onto today’s adventures.

It all started with a morning at work, then a quick plane trip down to Melbourne.

Followed by a con-artist of a taxi driver, who elected to take me on a ‘scenic route’ from the airport to the hotel (despite my objections). Not happy…but I have his registration  number and will be reporting him.

At least I arrived at a gorgeous hotel.

So comfortable…

With a perfect ‘office’ space to return to after my afternoon meeting.

The day disappeared before my eyes, and by the time I returned to the hotel I was itching for a workout. It was raining outside, so I decided to check out the hotel gym.

Oh my goodness. Talk about modern and spacious.

Not to mention  it was equipped with possibly the best dreadmills I have ever seen.

I swear 2km passed in the  blink of an eye while I was running and playing with the in-built gadgets. A dreadmill like this may even make this girl enjoy running inside…..ok….perhaps that is going too far, but it was quite fancy!!!

I ran 5km in 28 minutes, interval style, then jumped on the stationary bike for 11km (intervals also). I finished the workout in around 50 minutes and returned to my  room a sweaty mess.

LOVED IT!!!

Last night, after the spaghetti dishes had been washed, I had the urge to do a little baking.

And, knowing that I was heading to Melbourne for work today (with the added bonus of seeing my Mum tomorrow!), I wanted to make a treat that I could pack and take with me.

Over the weekend I picked up both puffed rice and puffed millet, keen to create a crispy treat of sorts. Enter choco-nut puff bars….healthy-fied, of course ;)

I mixed together puffed rice, millet, oats, pepitas, ground flax and sultanas.

In a separate jug, I combined natural peanut butter, cashew butter, honey and agave nectar, and warmed it in the microwave.

I then mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and pressed the  mixture into a lightly greased dish.

Drizzled with melted dark chocolate, and placed in the fridge overnight to firm.

This morning, I sliced the mixture into bars, ready to take with me.

Here’s hoping BBB mum likes them!

      

They were slightly crumbly, so next time I would probably add a touch more PB. Although overall I was really pleased with the ingredient list…and not to mention the flavour!!!

Choc0-nut puff bars

• 2 cups puffed millet
• 2 cups puffed rice
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 1/4 cup pepitas
• 1/4 cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 honey
• 1/2 cup dark choc chips, melted

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Mix wet ingredients and warm in the microwave for a minute until melted and combined.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and mix to combine well.
4. Press mixture firmly into a lightly oiled dish.
5. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top.
6. Refrigerate until firm, then slice into bars.

Time for dinner then and early night I think. Tomorrow is going to be a long day (work-wise).....although I am excited to be seeing my Mum after work tomorrow night!

Happy baking :)