So my little one has been at home with the snots and sniffles for a few days. Yeah Lucky me!!! Just let me clarify he in no way resembled a sick little boy, with the exception of boogers running down his face ( And yes he did try to lick them whenever he could- Disgusting I know!!!) he was as highly energised  as ever and on a mission of destruction.
So in an attempt to get him well ASAP, We had plenty of fresh smoothies every day!! We would start off the day with some warm herbal tea and a bit of honey, somehow we managed to use 7 tea bags each time to make one cup of tea…
To say my days were not so productive would be THE Understatement of the year ( Ok excluding the year 2020)

The first day I nearly slipped and killed myself after he had poured dish washing liquid on the floor. He then added water and proceeded to “Clean up” and then he started on the cupboards. By that time half my utensils and pots were on the floor and there was chocolate smeared on multiple surfaces. I wanted to cry , But instead I gave him a hug , (Of course he wiped his all but clean face on me) and started laughing.

So my thoughts holy cow he's eaten chocolate ( dark , sugar free and organic) But still not appropriate for a sick kid. Quick smoothie to balance that out.
Citrus orange and mandarin with powdered ginger and turmeric. Went down like a charm.

The second day I was trying to get a few things done and he was not exactly bothering me (WARNING _ Usually that's not a good thing!!!) So I didn't look into it. However when I did - I found him with a sharp object engraving my stainless steel benches!!! YEP Playtime was over..

So distraction time ….. Lets make a smoothie….
Fresh green apple juice with fresh ginger, blended with strawberries. Wow this is one of my personal favourites. We both downed it.

The third day , I must admit he looked mighty fine to go to school but we still kept him home just in case. Needless to say no one got anything productive done as he was on a mission to play , play and play all day. (Rightly so - He is 3 and a half) So our smoothie of the day was a fresh juice with carrot, green apple , celery and a squish of lemon. He drank it , although he admitted he liked yesterdays better.

That evening as we were getting ready for bed and reading a few books ( Its a night ritual we have) I kiss him goodnight. After some huggies and I love u , I get up to leave. He whispers mummy I'm going to be sick tomorrow as well so tell the teacher I wont be going to school….

Fourth day , he went to school, screaming and crying ….
I did make him a smoothie to take with him on the go.
Actually he calls it his ''coffee frappé''
Blend some Ceylon cinnamon with raw honey, water and coconut milk.

We stopped crying and started drinking.
He went to school and we were all happy!!!!

If you would like to make any of our delicious smoothies you can find the recipes below:

Happy Juicing and Blending !!!!

I made this recipe a few weeks ago. It was a Saturday afternoon , the house was a pit and I was chatting to a friend. In conversation I tell her to come round with the kids for coffee.
So I close the phone look at the mess than have a slight panic attach!!

Then I start screaming for everyone to pack up their Sh%&T and tidy up. Of course I DO NOT get a response from anyone until about the 10th request , where by that time I’m a crazy person……
Anyhow the house did get tidy eventually , and no body was injured or murdered (by be deadly stares I was giving out)
Just as I was about to relax , I realize that I don't have anything in the house to offer with coffee.
OMG !!! Second wave of panic…..
Im the type of person that cant fathom the thought of someone coming over and not having something to offer them.

So I run into the kitchen. There's half a cup of peanut butter on the kitchen bench. ( Left overs from this mornings peanut butter , that wouldn't fit in the jar) First thing that pops into my mind… Peanut butter cookies… Ok great. Flour ….. None in the house and cant be bothered to grind anything to make it. Sooo flour less peanut butter cookies it is.
Next I look around my eyes catches the fruit bowl and a brown specked banana is screaming consume me before I melt !!!!!
So I grab it mash it up with a fork and mix it with the peanut butter. Next open the fridge, a little too frantically and I nearly get knocked in the head with the maple syrup jar that comes flying off the fridge door. . I guess that’s a sign. So I pore ¼ cup maple syrup in the mix. Next open the pantry move a few things round for inspiration and spot some dark sugar free chocolate that has been forgotten in the far back corner. Great choc chips. Chop up about 100 grams and throw that into the mix. Add a splash of vanilla and ½ teaspoon of baking powder. Mix and ready.

I preheat the oven on 180, and grab a tray and line it with baking paper . I Roll out small balls , wet my hands and flatten them down on the lined tray.
Put them in the oven to bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden.
Let them cool when they were done and served them to my guests when they arrived 5 minutes later!!!

Super proud of myself I must admit:
Inspiration for recipe -nano seconds
Prep time -5 minutes
cook time -15 minutes and
clean up time -1 min to throw everything into the laundry room, where the mess cannot be seen!!!


Kids loved them , adults loved them and there were no more left by the time everyone went home...

Happy baking !!!!

A few days ago I was experimenting with natural food colours! You know with cake decorating and all I needed to make small quantities of creams in different colours. So blending fruit in the mixture was not really an option as I only needed a tablespoon or so.
So I stumbled across some natural powders made from all natural ingredients But with a neutral taste. You should have seen my excitement!!!!!
So particularly interested in the green, as so far was using spirulina and corella to colour small amounts of cream. Not the most pleasant of smell or taste as you can imagine.
 
So my powder was Matcha better!!! I’m not too much of a Matcha fan, so was happy when they told me it did not have any flavour just the beautiful green colour. So off I set to colour my cream.
I open the packet ………smell it …….. Well still smells like Matcha to me……….
Taste it …….. EEEWWWW still got that flavour…………….I make a tea with it to be just certain that it does taste like Matcha………………………..Yep!!!! Green and  grassy
Man I’m Pissed!!!! I’ve got another packet of Matcha tea ………. I have been unwillingly collecting this stuff …..it’s the 5th packet………………………
So after cursing the guy who sold it to me and Ladedada…….. I calmed down.
Ok since I’ve got sooo much of this stuff let me attempt some culinary baking with it…………….
I must admit I have tried in the past, but was not wowed by it … So here I go again.
 
I thought to try some cookies. Always a good start. So I did some research and set to making a mess in the kitchen. So after countless tries I must admit I did create something that I actually liked……..
Mild in flavour , full of goodness and I have been having one for breakfast 5 days in a row…….Just to make sure that I do like it that is…
And I have accompanied the biscuit with a cup of the Matcha  tea on several occasions……..
Well that’s progress for sure … Not sure if my taste buds have flipped, changed or just matured…..Or maybe its all the honey and coconut milk .....

Anyhow I thought to share my creation so here goes
 
½ cup Self raising gluten free flour
½ cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons almond butter
3 tablespoon coconut sugar
3 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
11/2 teaspoons Matcha powder
 
Mix all together to form a dough. Then take a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it our into a ball. Flatten in on a baking try lined with baking paper. If the mixture is too sticky wet your hands to make it easier to work with. Repeat with the remaining mixture until finished.
I sprinkled some black sesame seeds on top. More for decoration than anything else.
 
Cook in a preheated oven 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
The cookies will be soft when first taken out but then they will firm up.
Store in an air tight container.
 
If you like the taste of tahini and sesame I also made another batch where, I omitted the almond butter and coconut oil and replaced it with equal tablespoons of tahini. A lot more earthy I must say... Great if your a Tahini fan.
 
So go a head and make yourself a batch of these cookies ………. I promise you will feel Matcha better.
 
Happy baking

So a very big happy new year to all. I am sure many of us are happy to be seeing the back end of this one!!! Although not so sure what this new year has install for us but hay we can all hope and be optimistic as a start!!!
So for my new years positive influence, I thought I would make some fortune cookies. Yes I did get all excited about the idea. I went online and searched for quotes on love, life and above all gratitude. I think we all need a bit of uplifting and some positiveness stuffed in a delicious biscuit!!

I have always loved the idea of a mystic fortune cookie. Usually given at a Chinese restaurant after the meal is ended. I loved cracking it open and reading the quote and the lucky numbers or whatever else was there.
Some years back when visiting San Fransisco , I specifically made a trip down to china town in search of the famous fortune cookie factory.
So after a long search and going through dirty side streets and not finding this place ( In my mind there were lights, a grand entrance and a little Chinese man at the front sipping tea and telling you his words of wisdom) I turned to some worker in the street to ask for some directions.
Right behind you he said!! WHAT… We were in an alley … He pointed to an open steel door and told us to pass through there and that is were the factory was.
Maybe it was hidden were my first thoughts. So in we went…. NOPPPEE looks same as the outside.
It basically looked like a warehouse . Some guy did come up to us … Not Chinese and asked what we wanted.
My enthusiasm by this point was going a little downhill, I did manage a Hi we would like to see the fortune cookie factory.
Yep here it is ….. Great !!! ok so we ended up buying a packet of the cookies , not as I imagined them. They were individually wrapped and looked very commercial and I didn’t get my words of wisdom chat with the little Chinese man with the funny pointy beard drinking matcha tea.
So we left and sat on the sidewalk and cracked one open.
Yeahh My lucky numbers were 14, 78, 98, 5, and 77.

Ok must admit it was somewhat disappointing......

Anyhow fast forward to now – Im super excited to be making the cookies. So I searched into finding meaningful quotes that people could read to bring about some hope and positiveness. YEAAHHHH I'M MAKING FORTUNE COOKIES!!!!  LOVE IT!!

After a few tries - I am pleased to say that I nailed them !!!
They were crunchy , slightly sweet and I managed to get a quote in them. Looked pretty good and everyone had a fun time cracking them open , reading the quotes , having some AHAH moments and OMG thats sooo true !!!

So all in all I was happy!! happy ... Happyyyy!!!!

So the recipe is as follows:
1/3 cup fine coconut sugar
1/6 cup corn flour starch
1/6 cup Gluten free flour
¼ cup aquafaba or 2 egg whites
30 grams coconut oil
¼ cup coconut shreds.

Firstly beat the aqua-faba or egg whites until frothy and white in colour. Next add the sifted flours and coconut sugar and coconut oil. Mix until combined.
Place a baking paper on a tray and mark 6 round 8 cm circles. Now place a tablespoon of the mixture on each circle and spread it evenly over the circle. Sprinkle with coconut shreds.
Cook in a pre heated oven on 180 degrees for about 7-8 minutes. The cookies should be a rich golden brown. Take them out and immediately take one by one place a fortune in the middle and fold the cookie in half and then place it on the rim of a cup in order to fold it . Repeat with the remaining cookies.
This batch should make 18 cookies. Be sure to make 6 at a time. If the cookie hardens you will not be able to fold them.
If you find the cookies are a little on the soft side after you have folded them and they have cooled down, place them all back in the oven and put heat on 80 degrees and leave them there for 20 minutes to harden.
Keep cookies in an airtight container to maintain the crunchiness.


I have collected some of the quotes I have used posted them below:

1. A ship is safe at harbor – But that’s not what ships were built for
2. Faith is taking the first step even though you cant see the end of the path
3. “You do not find the happy life. You make it.” – Camilla Eyring Kimball
4. “Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.”
5. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden
6. “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” – John Barrymore
7. “Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” – Jim Rohn
8. “Impossible is for the unwilling.” – John Keats
9. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
10. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett
11. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
12. “Dream big and dare to fail.” – Norman Vaughan
13. “No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” – Demi Lovato
14. “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m possible!” – Audrey Hepburn
15. “If it matters to you, you’ll find a way.” – Charlie Gilkey
16. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Dr. Robert Schuller
17. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
18.“Don’t wait, the time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill
19. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou
20. “Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan
21. “Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett
22. “The only thing that can grow is the thing you give energy to.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

So hoping you all have fun making these cookies and bring a smile to someones face as they bite into your cookie and get the quote they need to read....

Cheers, Happy Baking and And a very happy new year  !!!