I studied Physiotherapy for 4 years and the knowledge that remains with me is astounding… or more accurately, lack of knowledge. I remember vaguely attending lectures, I could probably name a few bones or muscles here and there if pressed, the jury was still out on stretching before exercise so I’m still unsure about that one and I distinctly remember being told that one cigarette could get you addicted, if you were genetically inclined, I’ll be using that when I put my ‘Mr C, don’t smoke’ campaign into gear. I also remember a lecture about dessert. It probably wasn’t actually about dessert, but my memory likes to sugar coat things (pun intended).

I remember being told that the desire for a sweet fix after a meal is our body misinterpreting our gut asking for more energy to digest the food recently consumed. Us humans have taken that demand for energy and misappropriated it into “dessert”. It made sense to me. She also mentioned that if you waited 20 minutes or so, that need for a sugar fix would dissipate and sure enough it usually does.

I like to live my life in moderation so I generally ignore that call to sugar from my gut. Occasionally thought Mr Firehouse and I do like to sit down to a cup of coffee and something sweet during the week. For those nights of indulgence, we look to something like the recipe below. Free of processed sugar and easy to make and store. They’re also rich enough that one or two bites keeps me well sated.

By the way these are raw, gluten free and vegan!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1.5 cups desiccated coconut

Preparation

In a small sauce melt the coconut oil and honey until smooth.

Add the cocoa powder and coconut and mix well.

Using a spoon or wet hands form the chocolate mixture into balls, place on a lined tray and freeze for at least an hour. Peel the frozen balls off the tray and place in a container and keep in the fridge.