Apple 'Biscuits'

I know what you're thinking ... "These have been done before" and I know they have been. But Seriously... with how healthy and delicious they are, I can't NOT add them to my collective!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to toppings you can put on these bad boys. And! If you have made them before no doubt you will know that spreading the butter of choice onto the apple or pear slice can actually be a bit difficult, especially if it's cold, so I thought I'd offer a couple of suggestions!

I have made these for every birthday that my little boy has had and they are always a hit with the kids! He is now three. And whats more exciting, is if you cut them into wedges instead of slices, you actually can make apple 'Nachos'. Pretty cool hey and amazingly great for kids parties!

I think the reason I love this recipe so much, or just these apple slices in general, is you can set everything out like a little assembly line, and then let the kids go to town. It's a really great idea to get them involved in the kitchen, and let them experiment with their individuality and creativity. What's more, is if you choose the right ingredients, you can get them to eat something really healthy. And they will eat it, because they made it. My little boy LOVES helping in the kitchen to make these 'biscuits'. He gets so excited with all the toppings he can choose! It does help to have a little bit of prep always done to make sure there's always something to sprinkle on top, but we usually have these things at the ready because we sprinkle similar things onto our paleo granola, and coconut yoghurt in the mornings!

Things like sugar free and dairy free chocolate chips work really well, but the ones in the pic above I made myself from my own Raw Chocolate Recipe. You can get the recipe HERE, and then you can either find a mould, or just simply put a little bit of the melted raw chocolate on a spoon, and make splatters onto parchment paper. They will be a little bit smaller than the drops in the picture above, as I use a mould, but will taste the same and rock your little one's socks just as much!

Sometimes when I have some sitting around, we also drizzle a little bit of our home made paleo Caramel Sauce over the top. If I do the caramel sauce, I usually omit the chocolate unless it's for an event like a party. The reason being is that you don't need that much sugar on any normal day. The apple already packs a sweet punch and depending on what you pop on the top, you really want to make sure you don't over do it. Just remember, just because they're natural sugars, they are still sugars and you can still have too much of them. If you would like the Caramel Recipe to drizzle over these bad boys (or to drizzle over wedges of apples to make 'nachos') click HERE.

When it comes to choosing the right apples to use, I have found pink ladies are the best! Especially if you are using somewhat bitter ingredients on the top! They're deliciously sweet and crispy. However, If you do have some sweeter toppings in mind, then I would suggest a good old Granny Smith apple because they are slightly more sour in comparison. Also, don't forget to choose Organic Apples if you can as the skin is eaten. 

The reason why it is important to consume fibre with any type of sugar, is because consuming fibre and fructose slow the spike in blood sugar. This is why I like to puree dates and use the puree to sweeten a lot of things. The naturally occurring sugar in dates is wonderfully flavourful, while the remaining fibre helps to regulate blood sugar. Prunes are also wonderful for this because of their high fibre content.. however sometimes the flavour of prunes gets me like *vom*. The flavour really doesn't match every thing, so use them with caution if you are trying to use them as a natural sweetener. 

Because this recipe isn't heated at all, I really love adding a sprinkle of pro biotic powder over the top of my little 'biscuits'. It's a great nutritional kick, and if you use cacao in your toppings then the pro biotics are being consumed with a pre biotic which is great to feed the bacteria and will be an awesome addition to your gut bacteria! So why not hey?!

As per usual, leave me some feedback if you give it a go! xx Much Love!

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Recipe

Time - 15 Minutes - 

Serves - 2 - 

What you need:

1 Pink Lady Apple Room Temperature

Peanut/Cashew/Nut Butter of Choice

Toppings of choice... I used:

Raw Chocolate Drops ( See recipe link in article above )

Cut Dried Apricot

Himalayan Salt

Pro Biotic Powder

What to do:

Get a Mug or cup of Hot Water and a butter knife. Place the knife in the Hot water to warm the knife blade. 

With a sharp knife, or a Mandolin, Slice your apple to your desired thickness. I recommend about a half a centimetre thick. Don't core the apple as the core has wonderful fibre and nutrients in it. Instead just push the seeds out. 

Open your Nut Butter of choice, and using the warm knife spread the butter over the apple slice. If the Butter starts to solidify and pull away from the apple, warm the knife again. 

Add your toppings of choice. Not too many, just enough to make it look pretty. 

Sprinkle Himalayan Salt (it tends to balance the sweetness out) and then sprinkle pro-biotic powder over the top. 

YUM!

Baby Rice Bites

As parents, we are always trying to find nutritious recipes for our children... and with a lot of us battling the clock daily, it can be really hard and exhausting (not to mention a heinously time consuming task) to pre make foods and freeze them. 

Let's be honest... make ahead meals are a STEALLAR idea! They really are. But with our lives being so full on these days, the only time we really have to un wind is in the evening - if you're kids go to bed early enough and before you pass out after a massive day - or the weekend - and then it's family time and you're stuck between time with the family, washing, dishes, cleaning to get ready for the week ahead. So really... having to sacrifice MORE of your relaxing time or special one on one time with your Luvahh to get everything ready and prepped for the week ahead... to me is just unfair. 

So I thought I'd share what I do to help myself get ahead for the week, but also keep on top of the diets for all in the family by making nutritious meals without sacrificing as much time as I would have too if I did week ahead prep with freezable meals. 

Each to their own, but this is what I do and it works. 

SO! Whenever I'm cooking a meal, I always make a little extra when what I am making is foods that can be re heated and re served... like pasta sauce, mashed sweet potato, etc. This isn't limited to just dinner. I also do it for what ever we have for breakfast and lunch! But what if I'm not making meals that can be re heated? Or something spicy that my babies aren't ready to try yet? Then I simply make other things, when I have a lull in what I'm cooking. For example, If I am cooking Roast chicken and vegetables, I peel and grate extra vegetables to make baby food, and put a pot of water on so it's there if I need it. Sometimes I'll make some rice, or GF Quinoa Pasta, or Quinoa, even chick peas and lentils. All of these things are great because you can put them on to cook and not have to tend to them much and you can always leave the grated vegetables raw (my fave), or if you chop them then throw them in the pot as well with what ever grain or legume you are cooking. The brilliance in doing this is, if you don't need the water in the end, you can just empty the pot, run a tea towel around it and put it back in the drawers. I do this while the chicken is cooking and I'm waiting to put the vegetables in the oven.  I like doing it this way because this is time I wouldn't be sitting and relaxing anyway because I'd be cooking dinner, so it makes sense to me to just re arrange the things I'm doing and be more constructive with the time I am actually in the kitchen. 

When I made these little Rice bites, I was cooking a vegetable frittata. It already had carrot and zucchini in it, so I grated extra for these bites and left them to the side. When the Frittata went into the oven, I then measured and got the rice ready. While the rice was cooking, I organised my storage for the rice bites, and when the rice was ready, I added the vegetables and placed the lid back on to cool while we ate. Then the frittata was ready. I pulled the frittata out of the oven to cool on the bench until able to the handled and tidied up while cooling. Served Dinner, once everyone had finished eating, the rice and vegetable mix was cool enough to be handled and I rolled into the balls and stored them away. 

It's all about utilising the time you DO have and doing the most you can in that time! I realise this method isn't for everyone, but it certainly works for me! I am a busy mum of 3 under 3, I run my own business from home and am studying - so at the end of the day I want to sit down with my tea, and relax. Not run around the house and go to bed all stressed wondering if I've done everything. This is why I've found this method extremely helpful.

Anyhow! On with the rest!

In our house, I follow a STRICT Paleo lifestyle for myself. I have so many health concerns that are upset by grains, processed foods, additives, sugar, dairy and am coeliac so no gluten here ( and there wouldn't be even if we weren't a coeliac household - shits nasty )... so we generally don't have things like rice laying around. For our three year old son and hubby, they follow the same eating practices that I do. However since having the twins, I have just wanted to introduce things like Rice, Teff, Chickpeas, Lentils etc to them, so there are no adverse reactions in future. They don't eat this stuff all the time, but in my personal opinion, I feel it is important to introduce a wide range of foods to babies as young as you can. So I always keep a pack of chick peas, Organic Arborio Rice, and Quinoa etc on board just so they have a little variety every now and then. 

If you are going to feed your bubs rice, I ask this with sincere PLEADING! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEEEE only give them organic rice. Rice crops are sprayed with arsenic to rid rats from the crops... which means, you guessed it, arsenic remains on the rice when you feed it to your family. This includes all rice snacks, normal rice, rice cakes, biscuits, you name it. Please only ever choose Certified Organic and make sure it has the logo that ensures the product is properly certified organic and not just trademarked. ( Yes, companies can pay for a trademark for Organic which means the product doesn't actually have to be organic ). Apart from the rice being organic, please make sure when you feed your little ones that you give them organic produce where possible. This is important because we want them to be eating the skin on vegetables and fruits to make sure they are getting great amounts of fibre and pre biotics for their little digestions. I understand not everyone can afford to do this... and you know what - if you don't do it at all that's totally fine. But here's a simple suggestion if you can't afford a completely organic produce shop but want to do the best by your fam - If you eat the skin, buy organic, if you throw the skin away you can choose normal veg and fruit. This way you are getting the best of both worlds, price and health.

This recipe is so simple you'll love me for it. And it makes about 6 - 7 serves of Rice bites so you can freeze them and pull them out in the morning to defrost in the fridge as you need them. When making these, you need to use a sticky rice like Arborio. I like to keep food for the babies as simple as possible (actually, even for us all) as our digestion can only handle so much at a time. The less ingredients something has, the easier it is for the body to break down and absorb the nutrients. This is why I like using a sticky rice, so I don't have to add a binding agent like Egg or Chia seeds...it also limits the amount of time in the kitchen and your dishes while eliminating needing to do a second lot of cooking to cook through the egg if that's what you use to bind the mixture together. So sticky rice = less fuss, less mess and lessssss stress!

When adding the vegetables to the pot, since the veggies for this are grated, I prefer them to be raw. It ensures maximum nutrients and enzymes remain in the food, so I only ever add the vegetables to the pot once the rice has already absorbed all the water and the heat is turned off. Of course you can add them earlier if you like, it's totally up to you. I just prefer maximum nutrients through less heat administration. 

Well! Since I've told you all my tips and tricks, I best get on with the recipe!

As usual, if you give it a go, let me know in the comments and share far and wide to make sure we are showing mums and dads all over how easy it can be to make something nutritious for our little loves!

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Recipe

Serves - 6-7 depending on size rolled.

Time - 20 Minutes plus Cooling and Rolling Time - 

Age - 8 months +

What you need:

1 Cup Organic Arborio Rice

Water amount as per the absorption method instructions for the rice on the packet ( handy hint - use bone or vegetable broth instead of water for added nutrition)

1 Whole Grated Organic Carrot

1 Whole Grated Organic Zucchini (including stem on the top)

What to do:

Cook your rice as per the absorption method on the back of the packet of rice you are using with the water or broth.

Grate your Carrot and Zucchini and give a little squeeze to get rid of some of the water. It doesn't have to be extremely dry, just to rid the excess. 

Once the Rice has absorbed the water (or broth) add the grated veg and mix thoroughly. 

Let sit until cool enough to handle. 

Once you are able to handle the mixture, roll into balls. The size will be up to your discression based on how old you little one(s) is/are.

Serve Warm, or place in container and refrigerate. You can also freeze them and then pull them out in the morning the day you need them. 

I find my twins enjoy about 4 each per serve (if they aren't having anything else with the meal)

Voila! Enjoy!

Baby Food - Mango, Spinach, Zucchini with Flax & Chia

So I think I am giving up on trying to find a nice way to present baby food, until I manage to find cute little glass jars. Despite the fact that this picture has an inability to not make you want to go ahead and grab a spoon, this mix is a really nutritious meal for baby. 

Flaxseed and Chia have so many health benefits that are great for adults and everyone in-between, but in particular for the growing brain in infants. Good fats provide an amazing source of energy as well as fat soluble vitamins like DHA which helps to support healthy brain and eye development and an amazingly healthy immune system.

If you read the recipe blog for Pear, Pea & Chia, you would probably remember me saying in there that my Maternal Child Health Nurse advised against giving Chia seeds until 8 months as it can POTENTIALLY cause constipation. The way I see it, lessen the dose of chia seeds and make sure they're soaked and absorbed a liquid before giving to baby, so they still reap the reward of their nutrition, without creating an issue with the bowel. To be honest I'm a bit confused as to why she would say they can cause constipation as chia seeds are also high in fibre which should bulk the stool. So in my next appointment I will clarify this with her. I have been giving my twin infants Chia seeds since they started solids at 6 months, and they are loving them and have had no issues. 

I'll also never understand why you would avoid giving them this rich source of fibre and good fats, yet they feel its acceptable to feed infants Rice Cereal Baby Mum-MuM packaged products. For those of you that don't know, Rice is sprayed with arsenic to rid Rats from crops. So when you eat rice, unless it's organic, you are also consuming some arsenic. That's a disaster! Why would they recommend we feed this to our children? So that's apparently ok to feed our infants, but healthy chia seeds aren't. And this is why I now do my own thing and just feed my kids what I eat. A good balance of meat, fish, nuts, seeds, eggs, fruit and Veg. It really couldn't be simpler. The thing is, us parents get all in our heads. It's a constant battle of 'Are we teaching them enough?' 'Are we paying them enough attention?' 'What do we feed them?' 'How much is too much?' 'How much is not enough?' and quite frankly, I'm sick of it. Children don't come with a manual so I'm doing what I do and I'll learn from mistakes I make along the way. 

What I love about this recipe is it is great for breakfast and lunch and even dinner really. It's got a bit of fruit happening so it's beautiful and refreshing for them in the morning, and who honestly doesn't love fresh mango? and with good fats that will sustain energy throughout the day you can't go wrong with this for breakfast. But if you decide on it for lunch or dinner, you know that they are getting protein and vitamins from the seeds and veg as well. It really is a win. However, the thing I love most about this recipes is the fact that it takes about 10 minutes to prepare. Around 4 hours to let the seeds to their 'thang' but 10 minutes. That means I make it the night before, and it's there in the morning ready to rock and roll. 

I used to make this for my first born son as well and he loved it. Now the twins love it. So I'm going out on a whim here and going to say that your babies will love it too. And if they don't try and try again. 

Now if you are feeding from 4 months, I would blend this much more fine until it resembles a puree. However because my babies are nearing 8 months I like to pulse the food in my Nutri ninja and make sure it still has lumps because it's important they learn texture and how to chew. 

As this recipe contains chia seeds, it does need time for the seeds to soak up the fluid and 'set'. Please don't give your baby seeds that are not yet soaked as they soak up liquid in the gut and this can cause bowel irritation (perhaps this is where the constipation comes in?) Always make sure when giving chia to your child, that they have already absorbed liquid. And as per usual, please use organic ingredients where possible. Their bodies are so little and we really need to make sure we aren't filling them with pesticides and nasty chemicals from crop sprays. Especially as this recipe calls for Raw Spinach and Zucchini, you want to make sure they are as close to nature as humanly possible. 

I would love to hear your feedback from your littles ones if you make this. So as always, let me know how you go!

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Recipe

Serves -  2 to 4 - Depending on Age. 

Time : 10 m + 4 Hours setting time. 

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What you need:

1 Organic Mango

1 Handful Organic Raw Spinach Leaves

1/2 Organic Raw Zucchini

1 Tablespoon Organic Flaxseeds

1 Tablespoon Organic Chia Seeds

High Speed Blender like Nutri Bullet, Blender or Ninja.

What to do:

Cut the cheeks off your mango, and scoop the flesh into your blender. Peel the skin off the seed and cut as much flesh off the seed as you can (or eat the flesh off the seed yourself.... like I do... no judgement)

Wash and cut your Zucchini - Leave the skin on as this has great fibre content. Grab a handful of your spinach leaves and wash thoroughly. Squeeze the leaves to rid the excess water and place the Zucchini and Spinach in the blender with the mango. 

Add your Flax and Chia seeds and Blend until either a puree forms, or until it is small enough for the age of your infant. 

Place in an air tight container and use within two days, or freeze in individual freezer pots for up to a month. 

Happy Baby, Happy Parents. 

Baby Food - Pear, Pea & Chia

Whenever I take pictures of my food for my recipe collection, it takes me a while... This time, a while is an understatement! 

You and I both know that making baby food puree look good is well, nearly impossible. So apart from the fact that this colour green is just divine, please excuse that it isn't a fancy photo that it doesn't exactly make you want to don your apron and get cooking.

I have six month old twins... well seven months in a few days, and I also have a 3 year old.  I remember from when my eldest was an only child and we were introducing solids, the amount of conflicting information there is out there. I was left so confused and worried if I was doing the right thing! 

There were so many do's and don'ts and not this till this age and don't have this till that age.... JESUS! No wonder intolerance is on the rise! Apart from Honey ( for the botulism factor ) I thought -Fuck it! (excuse my language) but I'm just going to feed them what the damn hell I like and I'll deal with the consequences. If it makes them sick, windy, itchy, sad - then I just won't make that again. So this is the mantra I lived by when I was feeding my first born and introducing him to solids. I have to tell you - I am one of the only mummas I know that doesn't have a picky eater. My boy would eat the arse out of a horse if I let him, and is happy at dinner to sit down to a plate of salad with olive oil dressing, munch on radish and carrots during the day for a snack, and will happily hoe into a raw sweet potato like an apple. In short, he LOVES his food! So I am doing it again. I am not following all the 'rules' and I'm feeding my kids in short - Wholesome, healthy foods, the way god intended... mostly raw. 

I was told not to do Chia seeds before 8 months and not raw veg. Sorry. But no! Not for me. My babies live on 80% raw foods and 20% cooked. They have no dairy ( myself and my son are allergic and the twins have had similar signs of the allergy - but get ready to hate me all you 'dairy is the best source of calcium people' because even if there were no issues, I wouldn't feed it to them any way... my children are human, not bovine). I am coeliac, as well as my first born... and I HATE Gluten because of the way it is now produced and that it literally comes with no fibre and therefore sets in the digestive tract like glue (don't get me started on that) so they only have Barley, Rye and Spelt when it comes to Gluten and I only do it because I don't want to create unnecessary intolerance if it can be avoided. 

So what do we eat I keep being asked by the MCHN ( Maternal Child Health Nurse ). We eat whole foods. 80% Plant Based and 20% Meat and Raw whenever possible. That's Fish, Meat, Nuts, Seeds, Eggs, Vegetables and Fruit. And we NEVER go without! Our meals are always so full of flavour that I don't understand how some people can live on the shit that is in the supermarket these days. 

So this is what I figured I would live by with my kids. At the end of the day, I know what health looks like when it comes to food, so I will feed them what I see fit, instead of following rules and stressing myself about things that may not even happen. I have to tell you. My twins now with this mantra are LOVING their food most of which is raw and they're just little perfect pictures of health. 

That's when I thought I'd share my recipes for baby foods. To help the mums that are over all the conflicting information. To help the mums that are concerned about what's healthy and what's not. To help the mums that don't have much time and can't sit and cook and puree every. little. fruit. and. vegetable. This is for you. I am time poor, Three children, two adults, 3 loads of washing a day, Constant dishes, playing, learning, running a business. Let me tell you and take a load off your shoulders, not only is Raw food easy - It is SO healthy!

When you cook food, it loses the nutrient content. It also breaks down the fibres in the fruit and vegetables that are fantastic for feeding the micro biome in our gut because a lot of those fibres and starches that are raw are resistant and reach the lower intestinal tract. Our gut bacteria need this to survive, flourish and multiple and create different species to ward off diseases and bugs. 

The most important thing I believe when it comes to your children and feeding them raw, is buy organic if you eat the skin, and just wash it well. We don't need to be taxing their poor little livers by flooding their helpless bodies with pesticides and all the chemicals that are on fruit and veggies these days. 

Of course I'm not a doctor and if you decide to try these recipes it is completely on your own accord, but I feed this to my children every day and they are blossoming, bright and just beautiful. 

I was told not to give chia seeds until 8 months, which is so frustrating! They're such a good source of fats which is so good for developing brains, amazing source of fibre AND they are really awesome at helping make that transition from completely puree'd food, to food with small lumps. It can be sweet, savoury you name it. This is why I love Chia and decided against listening to our severely over weight MCHN and began feeding it to my babes at 6 months. 

The key is the ratio. They say 8 months because it can bind them up. So, I just quarter the ratio and it's perfect. It has even helped to regulate my little boy's bowels (the eldest of the twins).

So I hope you like this recipe. I know your babies will. You can rest well knowing that you have fed them something nutritious and good for them while knowing that other mums feed their kids raw foods, and it's ok! and it's even better, because it takes 5 minutes. 

Rest Well Mumma, Rest Well. 

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Recipe

Serves - 4-6 depending on age - 

Time - 10 Minutes - 

What you need:

1 Organic Ripe Pear

1/4 Cup Organic Peas ( Frozen works too ) 

1/4 Cup Filtered Water

1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds. 

What to do:

Place Pear, Peas and Filtered water into a blender ( I use a Nutri Ninja ) and blend depending on the age of your child. For my six month old twins I pulse until the peas are blended, but still have some small chunks. 

Take the lid off and add in your teaspoon of Chia Seeds. Put the lid back on and shake to mix the seeds throughout. Place into the fridge for 4 Hours for the Chia to absorb some of the water. 

Portion, and place in the fridge (if you will use it all the day you make it, or the following day) otherwise freeze in baby freezer pots. 

Easy. Tasty. Healthy. 

Here are my darlings enjoying their Pea, Pear and Chia