Food blogging is not without its pitfalls.  It’s a LOT of hard work and it’s incredibly time consuming – there’s all the researching, developing, photography – and editing!  There’s newsletters to write and send.  There’s posting to and keeping up with what’s going on on all the social media channels.  And don’t get me started on the trying (and failing) to understand analytics.  And there’s the ‘you never switch off from it’ issue as well.  No matter what either Phil or I are doing it’s always going on in the backs of our minds.

BUT.

Overall it’s the BEST thing we’ve also done.  With the pitfalls come the amazing rewards.  First there’s that can’t really be described feeling when someone tells you they’ve made your recipe and it tasted delicious.  Honestly, I wish I could bottle that heart popping feeling.  We’ve ‘met’ some amazing people thanks to the powers of social media and quietly fallen in love with them (and their pets)  Then, well, there’s all the yummy food.  Because being a food blogger you don’t ever really get stuck in a rut – there’s ALWAYS something new cooking.  And because of this we also get to try some amazing ingredients.  Things we’ve never heard of (I’m looking at you Camelina Seeds!) and things we sorta wish we’d never heard of because we can’t stop eating them (ahem … Doisy & Dam chocolate and these every so slightly addictive sea salt and cider vinegar roasted fava beans)

Now, if you’ve followed us for a while you’ll know how much we love chia seeds.  For such tiny little things they’re pretty amazing.

• They’re high in fibre, turning gel like when mixed with liquids and increasing in size and weight – all of which help keep you fuller for longer!
• Their iron content gives your immunity a boost as well as aiding tiredness and fatigue
• Chia seeds are antioxidant and Omega 3 rich too!
• And they have a unique blend of both soluble and insoluble fibre – this helps reduce the rate at which complex carbohydrates are digested – good news for diabetics as this helps regulate insulin in the blood, preventing spikes in glucose levels

Not bad huh?!  And we’re very proud to announce that one of our regular partners – the very lovely people at Hodmedods – now have the first UK grown Chia Seeds!  Phil’s first ever blog post is all about this amazing ingredient and the UK Farm that grows it after spending the day with them in sunny Essex!

Now I love me an energy bite.  Little balls of flavour and texture and these Chia Chocolate Protein Bites are, I have to say, da bomb.  Naturally sweetened with dates, full of nuts, raw cacao, zesty sunshine orange and zingy goji berries.  And of course, chia seeds – that have the added advantage of hanging round in your teeth for a few hours ?

When you blitz these together, unless you’re using really fresh and really sticky dates the mix will feel too dry.  Just keep whizzing in the food processor and the whole mix will eventually turn into a sticky lump that can easily be shaped into little balls.

Once they’re shaped they can be stored in the fridge but they’re also blooming lovely at room temperature where they soften to an amazing fudgy texture!

If you make these Chia Chocolate Protein Bites or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him we’d LOVE to see!  Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees we’ll see your picture! ❤)

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!

If you make this recipe or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him we’d LOVE to see! Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees we’ll see your picture!)

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram , Facebook or Twitter for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!