I am mother to 5 kiddos. I have three teenagers, who can be Meanagers sometimes!! My other two are 9 years and 18 months old. It's interesting to say the least juggling not just different personalities but going back to baby steps again! This is my life, my food, my humour, and my sanity....well, at least I think I am sane!!
This is seriously my new favourite slice. I decided not too long ago that I had to cut back on the dairy. I knew my body was not happy with it in my system. So I went straight to Pinterest to collect some recipes. I am looking forward to trying vegan cheese amongst other things. But I had to give this Raw Snickers Bar slice a go. I love a sweet something after lunch and/or dinner. This sounded like a good option. Thanks to A Sunshine Mission, I pretty much made the exact recipe but didn't have cashews so I used walnuts instead and I was very happy with the results. I only had regular milk chocolate chips on hand. So I melted these with a bit of coconut oil and lightly smeared it across the top of the slice. Its a bit of a cheat and not dairy free, but naturally, you can use a vegan or dairy free chocolate.
You feeling really good throughout the day I must say! I have always enjoyed smoothies but traditionally for me, smoothies contained yoghurt or milk. I never thought of a smoothie just being made of fruit before. Over the past year and a bit I have realised my body doesn't appreciate dairy. So I have had to adjust to taking dairy out of my diet, which has been hard because while I can easily give up milk and yogurt, ice cream has been a big challenge. I do like chocolate but I can take it or leave it most of the time!!
I have embraced the almond milk, and will endeavour to make my own one of these days! I still consume cheese, but no where near as regularly as I once did. I will have it once a month if that and then I will be cranky with myself afterwards as I my body cramps up and responds to its presence in my system.
I have embraced the smoothies though and dairy free homemade ice creams, which I will also share with you.
1/4 cup Blueberries
Two small white peaches skin on chopped
2 mint leaves
1/3 of a small pineapple skin removed and chopped
Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of ice cubes
Add water to taste preference
Blend up in blender on pulse then liquify or puree if you have that function.
Watermelon - about 1 to 2 cups chopped
1/3 of a small pineapple skin removed and chopped
4 strawberries
table spoon of chia seeds
2 mint leaves
ice cubes and water
Blend it up baby!!
Watermelon, about 1 to 2 cups chopped
1/3 of a small pineapple skin removed and chopped
4 strawberries
2 mint leaves
ice cubes and water
Blend it good, blend it real good!!
1/2 a small pineapple skin removed and chopped
2 mint leaves
1cm to 1.5cm nib of fresh ginger
1 tbs chia seeds
ice cubes and water
Blend it all up and refresh yourself!
1/2 small pineapple skin removed and chopped
1/2 large banana
2 mint leaves
4 strawberries
ice cubes and water
Blend it and blend it and blend it!
1 small very ripe pineapple skin removed and chopped
2 very ripe pears
ice cubes and water
Blend it and blend it!!
Ingredients
4-6 medium sized strawberries cut in halves
2 small to medium well ripened bananas cut into discs
1 spear of pineapple cut into small chunks
1 teaspoon (or so) coconut sugar (optional)
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
This is a super simple and healthy way to have ice cream without the dairy. Put the fresh strawberries, banana and pineapple and in a container or a zip loc bag and put that into the freezer. Once they are frozen or even if they aren't frozen solid, I place them in a blender with canned coconut milk. I choose canned coconut milk because the cream separates from the liquid and you get the benefits of both. The liquid helps the fruit to blend well and the creamer part makes the creamy texture. To separate the liquid and the cream, you can either put the can in the fridge over night, or if its cold enough in your pantry i.e. not summer, it should solidify and separate just as well. I didn't use all the cream for this serving. Add a couple of dessert spoon heapings at a time and use your senses to work out what you prefer. I also added a bit of coconut sugar, but this is optional. You could easily have this for breakfast. lunch, dinner, or dessert. So versatile and add the fruit you like best. You can even add some cacao powder for a chocolate taste.
If you want something healthy and filling for breakfast without being to fussy, this is a good way to go. I don't have a particular name for this. It is completely versatile and you can choose your own adventure, so to speak, with the ingredients. This time I chose:
1 medium sized banana chopped
2 ripe medium sized strawberries chopped
1 handful of raw almonds chopped
some shredded coconut
some chia seeds
some golden flax seeds
honey to taste
This is dairy free, gluten free, processed sugar free, and suitably vegan. I am not a real vegan, but I do love vegan recipes and make them often. I do have to have dairy free, though I have to admit I still eat ice cream now and then and I don't check every stinkin' label for no traces of dairy, but I do feel much better leading a dairy free lifestyle as much as I possibly can. Hope you like this recipe:)
This is one of the best recipes I have come by for banana cake. I think what makes a great banana cake, bread, or slice is super ripe bananas. I hid some healthiness into this cake with chia seeds and linseed meal, but balanced it out with some semi-sweet choc chips. Some of you might argue its not so healthy, but its better than packaged snacks from the supermarket and you can tweak it to suit your level of sweetness or what you consider to be healthy. Thanks must got to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam where I discovered her recipe and tweaked it to suit my tastes. Personally I don't think the cake needs frosting, but the link is provided if you wish to add it. I hope you get the same amazing results as I did.
Banana Cake
125g butter
3 medium very ripe bananas mashed as smooth as its possible
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup coconut flour
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp bicarb (baking) soda
pinch of salt
1 cup semi sweet choc chips (optional)
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp linseed meal
Turn on oven to 180C or 375F and line a lamington or jelly roll tin with baking paper. I used a stand mixer on medium speed. When you add the flours start on low and increase to medium.
1. Cream butter and two sugars until creamy.
2. Add eggs one at a time - i.e. add an egg mix it through and repeat with each egg.
3. Add Vanilla and mashed bananas and mix through until combined.
4. Add flours, bicarb soda, and salt and mix on low then increase speed gently until combined.
5. Add chia seeds, linseed meal, and choc chips and stir gently on low or even using a spoon until mixed through.
Pour out onto the tin and spread evenly across the tin until its even and smooth. Its good to use a spatula for this.
Bake in oven for 20 mins or until golden brown on top and cooked in the centre. Allow to cool on a wire tray. ENJOY:)
My mother is Canadian and I swear I have more Canadian in me than Australian sometimes, well at least in my taste buds! I love peanut butter and maple syrup in and on almost anything!! I love bacon, but not any kind of bacon. I prefer Aussie to American and interestingly enough Canadian bacon is better than American - in my humble opinion, but I'm still happy to crunch on American bacon when its on offer. I could go on about how much the North American cuisine attracts me more than my homeland sometimes, but I need to stay on track. My fav website, Pinterest has tempted me once again to make the overly popular almond butter and since I love peanut butter so much, I had to give it a go. Since I have my HotMix Pro handy, I knew this would be a breeze to make. This was my first attempt and I am happy with my results.
Almond Butter
400g roasted almonds - I took raw almonds and dry roasted them in my oven
In HMP on speed 9 for 1-1.5mins. Scraping down the sides helps at intervals with blades off. I found that the consistency was not coming together so the only oil I had on hand was sunflower oil. I splashed a small amount in and the butter came together quite nicely. I also added a small amount of brown sugar - about a table spoon.
Maybe next time, I'll use raw almonds and see what kind of flavour I prefer and maybe add some other nuts too.
Oh yes, don't be fooled. There is an art to cutting oranges so that your child can enjoy them at fruit break! It is my understanding that most primary schools in NSW, run the crunch and sip program. I see this in practice both as a parent and a primary school teacher. I thoroughly believe in this program as a good way to encourage children to enjoy fruit, vegetables, and water on a daily basis. However, there are some fruits that are a bit hard to work out how best to prepare for your child to enjoy. I feel I have mastered the sometimes problematic and beloved orange. If you cut the orange in quarters, many children will suck the juice out and leave the pulp but also can be messy and leave sticky drips on clothing. If you cut the skin off, and have the orange in pieces, it can leave sticky juice in the container or bag it's contained in which can cause a bit of a mess.
I truly believe the technique I am prepared to share is the best I have come up with - if I do say so myself - well I do and I did! This incredible technique keeps juice intact and I am confident the child will eat the majority of the pulp. I do recommend a plastic container, however, if you have a child/ren like mine and the container takes forever to return home. Then a zip lock bag is just as good.
Firstly, cut the orange into discs.
Discard the ends, as most fussy kids won't touch these. Then cut the discs in half.
Finally bag those juicy babies in a zip loc or more environmentally friendly container and allow your kids to enjoy! I love eating oranges myself in this fashion. It's the best!!
If you are as amazingly talented as I and would like to share how you prepare your crunch and sip treats for your kiddies, kindly share in the comments. I welcome all links to appropriate blog posts.
Generally speaking I prefer to get my kids to make their own lunch for two reasons. Firstly, it means I don't have to do it, and secondly they make what they like and will eat. Thirdly - I know I didn't mention three but I changed the rules - I am a mum and I can do that. Thirdly, I like my kids to learn responsibility and making their own lunch is a good place to learn that.
All these reasons came about only recently. Prior to this, I would make the kids' lunch more often than not, and that is because I really like to do it. I know I am crazy, but I love to make the kids lunch as interesting as possible, but that being said, I can't and won't do this everyday. Now and then I shake it up a little. This stems from my own envy of the seeing other children when I was growing up from different cultures having the most amazing lunches in little heated boxes or thermos that smelt so good I would have been happy to slip into a coma with those aromas dancing in my nostrils. Dumplings, rices, noodles, sushi, buk choy, stiry fry, pork buns were regulars in my classrooms over the years from my Asian friends. Then there were curries, naans, other types of breads and spreads from my Indian friends. Sometimes they would share but thinking back I think they either felt sorry for me, or fed me to shut me up!! I think this could possibly be where my love for ethnic food was born. Anyhoo, I have kept these memories close to my heart and took it upon myself to make some interesting things for my kids now and then so they too would have children covet their lunch boxes - for my own selfish accomplishment (there is nothing wrong with that right?) I made some yummy and incredible lunches over the years - if I do say so myself!
Here are some of my super cheap ideas that make lunch time interesting for me ( I am a school teacher) and my kids.
1. Marinated Chicken drummies - I make my own marinade with brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and rice wine vinegar. You can bake these in the morning and wrap them in foil keeping them moist for lunch time.
2. Sushi nori rolls - can put a range of things in these and they are very healthy and really not that hard to make.
3. Inari rolls - you can get the bean curd pockets from an Asian supermarket and you can put rice, noodles or even salad in them, my kids love them!
4. Pasta - this is a personal thing. My kids are happy with pasta being cold, with pasta sauce mixed in even. I also make pasta salads too which my kids love both with a sauce and without. .
5. Mini omelettes/Frittatas - you can make these in cupcake pans and add grated carrots or whatever you kids will eat. I tend to just add tomatoes and cheese.
6. Pizza Scrolls - making pizza dough from scratch is not as hard as you might think. I make pizza scrolls usually the night before. I use pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese more often than not. I will also share soon a yoghurt dough recipe which is easy to make and I make scrolls with tomato chutney and cheese for something different.
7. Chopped salsa with corn chips - I make up my own salsa with tomatoes, cucumber, corn, and onion. I mixed it all together with a little bit of lime or lemon juice and oil - but not too much, and some fresh chopped (very well so my kids don't complain!) coriander / cilantro.
8. Tabouli - this is a salad that some kids will eat and some will loath with a passion. Luckily my kids like it and they will eat it on its own and in sandwiches.
9. Cold sausages - my kids love cold sausages in or out of sandwich. Sometimes my kids will eat the sausage only if it comes in a role or slices of bread. I sometimes cook them in the morning if time permits, but usually I will cook extra at dinner time.
So those are some ideas just to tease you and keep you interested!! I have more but for now will end with my last idea that the kids love and really aren't too hard to make. I even have a picture for you!
10. These are fresh rice rolls and are very versatile and more often than not are healthy. The above rolls have ham, salad, and vermicelli noodles in them. I would say that eating these rolls are really the only time my boys are happy to eat a green salad, which is basically what they are. Green salad with choice of meet and noodles, wrapped in rice paper. Rice paper sheets are available at both Woolworths and Coles or any Asian grocery and cost about a dollar or so for 12 sheets. You buy them dry and moisten them to soften them for wrapping. They can be a little fiddley in the beginning, but you should get use to them quickly. I will also add that my kids like some soya sauce with these and I purchase little fish shaped soya sauces from my Asian supermarket.
So I hope you have found a couple of new ideas to make your kids(yourself or even hubby) excited about eating lunch from their lunch boxes and have their friends drooling enviously. I will share more in the near future, should you want to keep up with what I am doing just add yourself to my e-mail list on the right side bar. I have lots of fun stuff coming up with giveaways happening too! You can also like my FB page using the link on the right side bar.
I really enjoy cookies but really when you are watching what you eat, the traditional cookies with heaps of butter and eggs, usually means you can only eat 1 if they are small or half if they a big or 1/4 if they are normal-big sized!
As Pinterest is my go-to for most things, I decided I would look for cookies in general and see what I could muster! I found some amazing recipes, most of which could not really be defined as healthy, however, they are the kind of cookies I will make regardless!! One recipe that did stand out to me was from Lilly who writes, Recipe By Photo. It stood out to me initially because it the title was, " 2 Ingredient Cookies". Who wouldn't love a recipe to make cookies with just 2 ingredients. I discovered that all it takes is 2 ripe bananas and 1 cup of rolled oats. However, for me I had 4 over ripe bananas to use. I mashed them, added 2 cups of rolled oats but I was really worried that just these two ingredients would lead to bland cookies. So I added some coconut flakes, some choc chips, and I also added some linseed meal because that is important to me. I use degrees, so the oven was set to 180C. One thing I will note is that it is much easier to make the cookie shape if you allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes or so. This allows the mashed banana to soak into the oats a little and bulk them up making them much easier to shape. Keep cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. I am not sure of the calorie content of these cookies, but I made up about 30 cookies that are about the size of a golf ball. I found these are great snack and I would eat a couple for a quick breakfast.I have to say my kids weren't keen, but I think if you can get your kids to eat them, they would be awesome for their lunch boxes.
If you want to see my other pins on my Cookie Board click here.
I have so many people coming up to me and complimenting me on my body and asking me what I do to achieve this amazing physique....NOT!! Haha, if only I could say that were true, but I might be too worried what you might think of me if I was bragging about things like that. I suppose if I worked so hard and lost heaps of weight it could be seen as help rather than a brag. Anyway, I can't say that I have lost heaps of weight but I am happy to report that I have actually lost weight and I have managed to keep that weight off for a number of weeks now. Once upon a time I used to tell people that my fat was suffering from separation anxiety!! If ever I would finally lose it, it would not take long to find its way back to my body and stick to me for weeks to come!! Jokes aside, the only thing I can really narrow this issue down to was my eating. I was eating far too much in portion sizes and the kinds of foods I would choose. Being a lover of food and cooking, and being a little too obsessed with Pinterest, doesn't always help either!
My philosophy has come to be, slow and steady wins the race. It just has to be or I will not win the race. I have done the 'work my butt off' to get the results, but the results didn't stay long because I got exhausted and I really didn't want to get back into the sweat dripping routines. A friend recently showed her weight loss on FB and I inquired about what she did to lose the weight. She told me she kept to 1200 calories per day and exercised 1 hour a day 6 days a week. Wowzer! I can see why she lost it, a 1 hour work out 6 days a week is a real commitment - one I am not too good about keeping :( That being said, I decided to take on the 1200 calorie a day commitment and I download My Fitness Pal onto my Iphone. I do recommend this with some exceptions. It doesn't have all food options in it, and if you make your own food, you have to add the ingredients one at a time. I don't always have the time for that, so I just make an guesstimate. I don't use this app every single day, well not anymore. I think after using it for a couple of weeks it basically taught me to be AWARE of what I was eating and the portion sizes too. It also taught me that exercising, whatever I could do was always worth it, especially if I wanted to eat a little something 'naughty'. It's also good to use as a reference for foods you aren't sure about as well. Thankfully, I do feel as though my food choices are back on track.
As for exercising. When I was 17 (don't we always love to remember this time!!) I exercised all the time and loved going to the gym and I liked Boxersize best. It was the best workout and it made me feel great. I loved basketball and netball, and I was always thinking of the next exercise or activity that would help me keep fit. However, over the last 17 years and 4 kids later, my likes have altered a little and I no longer live for that kind of work out. My body has changed and something like that makes me feel like having a nap!! My hip and my knees aren't in the best shape and really I have to be conscious of doing things that I really like and will want to keep doing. I have tried lots of things, Zumba, Brazilian Butt Workout, Pilates, Gym, BodyRock TV, Gillians Micheals, and an array of others that I can't really remember, but you get the drift that I have given things a go. What I want to share with you today, are the workouts that I have stuck to for the past couple of months and I am confident I will keep it up alternating with other activities. When I am not walking this is the workout that keeps me going:
First 10mins: Victoria Secret 10 min Workout
This is a good workout if you don't have a lot of time or you don't want to spend too much time on a workout. I find it leaves me puffed and I actually do push myself with this. In the beginning, I couldn't keep up with the the instructor, now I can and I keep really low with the leg workouts even when it really hurts - the good hurt!!
Second 10mins: Standing Ab Workout with Gennifer Gilardi
I used to do a Gennifer Gilardi dance workout which I really liked. I just got out of the habit and I passed on the DVD to my niece. As for the this workout - who knew you can blast your abs standing up? I love this because I want to keep my abs strong but I always hated getting on floor. Its a fun and only 10 mins.
Last 10 mins: Yoga stretch
This last video I got from BodyRock TV about a year ago but I can't seem to locate it anymore. I know it off by heart so I haven't needed to refer to it for some time now. Basically its a 10 minute workout that goes through various Yoga stretches that help you with your fitness and flexibility. Lets just say I couldn't touch my toes before I started this nor could I touch my toes in a seated position, now I can. I think any kind of Yoga or Pilates is a good way to go. Its really good for your body and it strengthens you in more ways than you ever thought would be possible. I actually would like to incorporate Yoga into my regular workout, but I want to go to a class because its always best to have an instructor there making sure you are doing everything right.Anyway, until that happens I will pick up what I can.
When I am not doing the above workout, I am walking and building myself up very slowly to jogging. I want to be careful and not push myself too hard. If I hurt myself I can't exercise and I am likely get out of the habit of exercising in general. So this is what I am doing. Since Dec last year I am not actually sure of my exact weight loss, because I don't have scales that work at home!! I do know that I have been able to fit into clothes that have been sitting in my closet unworn because I couldn't fit them, so that has been comforting. The other day, I tried on a size lower than I would normally at one of my regular go-to shops and it fit with just a little bit of holding in - normally no amount of holding in would help!! I will endeavour to give you an actual weight update - although the fact I can wear these clothes is really good enough for me!! My goal for the year is to lose 15-20kg. I have given myself the whole year, because like I mentioned before I want this to be a life long change and I think if I change my habits over time, it will stay that way.I have been wanting this lifestyle change for quite sometime now, I think I am ready to take it on - finally!!
If you are after some heathy life tips, take a look at my Pinterest page titled, HEALTHY. I have come across some great tips on Pinterest.
I'll also add some recipes I have been using to help me along the way. One thing that I will mention is Quinoa, I totally loves this and it works so well in many recipes and its so good for you! I also incorporate linseed meal in a lot of my baking and I will sprinkle it on my cereal if I am not eating All Bran Almond Flakes. Also drink lots of water. I try for 3 L a day. I don't drink much fizz anymore. If I want fizz I tend to drink sparkling mineral water or Diet Coke - but not as often Diet Coke as I used to! Most of all, I feel so much better than I used to and people in general who are active and eating well will say the same. So that makes me feel good.
I hope you find something that interests you. I am not an expert in this field, I just have researched things that have interested me and I am passing it on!
Can chocolate really be healthy? Of course it can and I am not just saying to eat in moderation! What makes these energy bites with chocolate just amazing is the chocolate goodness of Crio Bru. You can find out all you need to know about what Crio Bru is here.
I came across energy bites first on Pinterest. I made some up and I liked them but found them a little bland. So I made some more with Crio Bru and dates and found that they were much better. The HotMix Pro makes these in a breeze, but of course if you don't have a HMP, you can use a blender, food processor, or if you have a thermal cooking machine, like a TM 31 or Thermo Chef that works well too.
Energy Bites
250g rolled oats
50g coconut flakes
50 g Crio Bru
5 dates - seeds removed and roughly chopped
20g LSA
Add ingredients to HMP bowl and blend on speed 6 for 20 seconds.
Then add:
10g Chia seeds - I used black and white mix
150g peanut butter
Blend again on speed 5, adding runny honey or maple syrup until it clumps together, about 15-20 seconds.
You will know when it is ready you have added enough honey or syrup, when you can make a ball that stays together. Roll mixture into balls until all mixture is used and refrigerate.
I have kept mine in an air tight container for up to a month in the fridge. I eat two or three of these for breakfast when I am in a hurry - which means most mornings!! I also like them when I am feeling pekish and would like to eat something sweet - these are a much better choice and can fill you up. Just make sure you drink plenty of fluids after you eat them.
** I want to add that I pre-blended the Crio Bru in my HMP on speed 10, so that it would be finer than its usually consistency, so keep this in mind if you add it to the mix, that you should pre-blend it, then have it blended down again in the mixture...if that makes sense!!**
