Move, Mingle & a Little Lemon

What a great Move & Mingle we had yesterday!

Thank you to everyone who joined me — it was lovely to see you all.

Lemon Protein Balls

We began as always with our 9am 20/20/20 Move class, followed by our Mingle from 10am.

For anyone new to Move & Mingle, my 20/20/20 class is my own twist on the classic format. We start with 20 minutes of mobility and flexibility, getting the body moving and ready for the day, followed by 20 minutes of strength work using weights and bands, before finishing with 20 minutes of mat-based mobility and movement, with Pilates fusion and our trusty spikey balls!

It’s a great way to start Saturday feeling strong, mobile and energised.

And then, of course, comes the Mingle!

I have to admit that this time I probably did rather more of the talking than usual! 😂

I had lots of updates and news that I wanted to share with you, and you were actually the first people to hear what I’ll be doing over the coming months and what’s coming up for the remainder of the year.

Many thanks, as always, for sharing your thoughts and ideas with me. It really does mean a lot.

These mornings aren’t just about getting together for a class and a chat afterwards — they’re also a chance for me to hear what you think, what you enjoy and what you’d like to see going forward. Your feedback really does help, so please keep it coming!

It was also fantastic to see some new faces joining us this time. It’s always lovely when new people become part of our little community, and I hope you enjoyed your first Move & Mingle and felt very welcome.

A New Protein Ball Flavour 🍋

As always, I like to bring along a new protein snack for you all to sample, and this time it was Lemon Protein Balls!

They once again went down very well indeed — so, as promised, here’s the recipe!

These were based on the same recipe as my previous protein balls, but this time I swapped the cacao powder for something much fresher and lighter. I used the zest of one lemon and 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice.

I have to confess, though, that after tasting them I decided they needed a little more lemon punch! So, if you’re making them at home and want a stronger lemon flavour, I’d suggest adding around ½ teaspoon of lemon extract.

Add it gradually and taste the mixture before adding more, as lemon extract can be quite strong.

And, as mentioned, you’ll notice in the image that I made some with desiccated coconut and some without. That’s entirely down to personal choice — both are delicious!

Lemon Protein Balls

Makes 12 balls

Approximate nutrition per ball:

• Calories: 80 kcal

• Protein: 4g

• Carbohydrates: 6g

• Healthy Fats: 4g

• Fibre: 2g

Ingredients

• 1 scoop whey protein

• 6 Medjool dates

• 2 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp linseeds

• 50g ground almonds

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

• ½ tsp lemon extract

• Desiccated coconut for rolling, optional

Method

1. Add the dry ingredients to a food processor.

2. Blend until the mixture is finely broken down and starts to come together in powder form.

3. Add the 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and zest and blend again until the mixture starts to form a dough-like consistency.

4. Add the ½ teaspoon of lemon extract and blend briefly. Have a little taste at this point and, if you want an even stronger lemon flavour, you can add a tiny bit more.

5. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes, or longer if possible. This gives the chia seeds time to expand and helps the mixture firm up.

6. Once rested, roll the mixture into 12 bite-sized balls.

7. If you fancy a little extra texture and flavour, roll some or all of the balls in desiccated coconut. Or, like me, make a mixture of both!

8. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy them.
   

No baking, no complicated ingredients and very little fuss!

If your mixture feels a little too soft to roll, simply pop it in the fridge for a little longer. You can also add a small amount of extra ground almonds if needed to help firm it up. Equally, if the mixture feels too dry or hard, add a little water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the right consistency.

Save the Date! 📅

Our next Move & Mingle will be on:

Saturday 7th November

I look forward to seeing you all then, and please feel free to bring a friend along — it’s always great to welcome some more new faces into our little community!

Thank you, as always, for continuing to support these mornings, for bringing your friends, for staying afterwards to chat and, most importantly, for sharing your feedback and ideas with me.

I really do appreciate it.

See you at the next Move & Mingle! 💛