Seedy Flap-jack

Since I am trying to eat more healthily, I was looking around to see if there was a recipe for something that was tasty and high in complex carbs to help me feel fuller for longer. Since I couldn’t find anything I like, I then thought FLAPJACK even though it’s brimming with sugar, I thought I could offset that with seeds and fruity bits.

There are loads of online recipes so I had a look in my larder to see what I had but hardly any of it matched what the recipes called for so I used the basic sugar, butter and syrup start and added my own mixture to it.

And this is the result.


It’s not perfect but it will do for the moment. I know next time I will need to add more oats to make it a bit more chewy as this is more brittle than I’d like. I also need to reduce the cooking time, or possibly the oven temperature, or both. And I need to use a smaller tin as this came out thinner than I would have wanted it to be. Over all though, it looks okay and it’s edible and it’s ‘only’ 148 calories a slice

This is the recipe I made but as I mentioned above, it needs a bit of tweaking to get it right for me. This is the basic recipe but I think that it is very flexible and you should be able to change things or add whatever you have to hand.

Seedy Flap Jacks

80g butter	80g brown sugar
60g golden syrup	Pinch of salt
110g rolled oats (next time it’s going to be 150g)	75g sunflowers seeds
60g pumpkin seeds	15g sesame seeds

1. Put on the oven to 180 degrees
2. Line a small baking tray with greaseproof paper, or grease a non-stick pan. Basically you need something to cook it in. My tray was about 23cm square and too big so something smaller than that would be good.
3. Melt the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a pan together over a low heat. Once it’s nicely mixed and runny but not boiling
4. Add all the other ingredients and mix well
5. Turn into the trap and level out pushing the mixture down with the back of a spoon or you could use a potato masher (I used a spoon)
6. Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes – mine was in for 20 and came out crunchy
7. Leave to cool for a short while in the tray then lift out with the lining paper (if you used it) and mark out the slices, I did 16. Leave on a flat surface until cold.

This should keep for about a week in an airtight box, but I have never made any cake that has lasted that length of time – Yum

Starting Reasons

I am not a natural athlete. Running around when I was a kid was all well and good. I had fun, I climbed trees, I rode bikes, I did the things that kids growing up in the 70s did but as I got older and realised that motorbikes and cars could get you around so much faster and in a more fun way, I gave up on the running and riding.

Skip forward many years and at the age of 41 I decided to take up roller derby. It was fantastic, a real life changer, but with the joy of finding a sport that I actually liked came the realisation that I needed to get so much fitter. Roller derby is great for fitness and within a few weeks it was beginning to come together. Then . . . disaster. I fell over whilst skating and something went crack, well more CRACK!!! I sat with tears in my eyes daring myself to get up and see what part of my ankle would pop out of place and when I did nothing happened. It was a bit ouchy and my right ankle was a bit tender but nothing terrible had happened.

Throughout last summer it twinged and complained and sometimes swelled to impressive proportions but I kept on even though my skating was suffering as I couldn’t push out properly ‘cause it just hurt too much. Then in August I did the Goodwood Roller Marathon along with many of my fabulous team mates. After 5 and a half laps I was ok, slowing down but still keen and then it happened again. I fell.

My ankle complained and I along with it. I sat there on a boiling hot day on the side of the track watching skaters in all shapes, sizes and abilities go past. Some stopped to see if I was okay and I, in that brittle way of the British injured, said I was. After 30 minutes I got up and carried on: slowly, oh so slowly for the next 5 and a half laps finishing in a time of 4 hours 32 minutes.

And then I gave up roller derby – only for the short term – to give the 3, yes 3 ripped ligaments a chance to heal. After 2 months out, doing a bit of physio I went back and although it was better, I was nervous as in the intervening time I had put on loads of weight and was just not comfortable on skates. Then I got work away so was off from November until March then in April I finally left the amazing, supportive Sheffield Steel Roller Girls as I just couldn’t get myself fit and it was making me sad.

After wallowing for a few months I have decided that I want to be fit and I am still young enough to get fit so I have started to run. And be much more careful about what I eat. AND given up weekday (and mostly weekend) drinking. The running is horrible but I am doing it and I shall continue to do it until I am fit enough and my ankle is strong enough to start skating again.

So the moral of this?

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get off your arse if you want to do something. If it is that important to you, you'll make the effort.