Choc Chip Cookies September 05 2021, 0 Comments

When I say I'm making cookies, my children immediately think of chocolate chips and laden with sugar. It got me thinking about how I could make some that tasted as good but A) didn't give them the sugar crash and B) Were made with some healthier ingredients.

This recipe makes 12 cookies with less sugar, butter and flour than traditional homemade cookies. The texture isn’t as hard and crunchy as your average packet of cookies and there’s no chewy middle but they’re really delicious and definitely a hit with my children (even though they don’t like peanut butter)

60g soft brown sugar
60g Melted (unsalted) Butter
60g smooth peanut butter
1 large egg
75g flour
75g Rolled Oats
40g choc chips
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Baking powder

Heat the oven to 170 degrees (fan).

In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, the sugar and the vanilla extract until smooth and well mixed.

Mix in the peanut butter and then crack the egg into the mixture and whisk the mixture again until its smooth.

In a separate bowl mix together the Oats, flour, choc chips and baking powder and then add this to the large bowl. Fold the flour and oats into the mixture gently until it's all mixed together.

using a spoon place 12 balls of mix on to a lined baking tray and then flatten just a little with a fork. Put the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes to cool. At this point you could also freeze the balls for baking later.

Cook in the oven for 12-14 minutes until the edges start to brown. 

Leave on the tray to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

These are good for a couple of days stored in an air tight container but they also freeze really well.

enjoy!

Banana Oat Muffins August 31 2021, 0 Comments

These banana Oat muffins are so quick and easy to make. You can add them to lunchboxes or take as an after-school snack if have school children who are always begging for a treat as they run out of class. If you’ve got a younger one you can reduce the sugar even further.

This recipe makes 12 muffins

2 cups (170g) oats (I use jumbo oats)
2 ripe bananas
50g butter (You can substitute some for almond butter too if you like)
1/4 cup (50g) self raising flour
1/4 cup (40g) soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
30 - 40g chocolate chips
2 tbsp. chia seeds

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees
Melt the butter in a small bowl and mix in the sugar.
In a medium sized bowl mash the banana and break in the 2 eggs. Mix together until combined.
In a larger bowl add the oats, flour, chia seeds, choc chips and baking powder and mix it all together.
Pour the 2 wet mixes into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir together until it’s all combined.
Spoon into 12 greased cupcake moulds / tray.
Bake for around 15minutes until they start to brown on top but don’t allow to burn.

Enoy!

2 ingredient pizza dough April 09 2020, 0 Comments

recipe can be found all over the internet but we do this:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Yogurt

1 Cup Self Raising Flour + a little extra as needed

optional pinch of salt for adults

Mix the flour and yogurt together in a bowl. As it becomes a dough remove it from the bowl and gently knead it on a floured surface.

You will need to add more flour as it sticks to your hands or the board. Knead for just a couple of minutes until you have a lovely ball of dough.

Pop the dough in fridge for 10 minutes before taking out and gently stretching the dough into a flat pizza base.

spread your desired pizza sauce on top. I use my hidden veggie tomato sauce with a little extra tomato purée.

Sprinkle with the grated cheese of your choice. I sure half cheddar and half mozzarella.

Add your toppings, ham, pineapple, chicken, sweetcorn, tomatoes, basil, olives.....

Cook at 230C until cheese is bubbling and browning.

Eat!!

Chicken, Chorizo, Chickpea Stew April 08 2020, 0 Comments

We love this delicious stew and it freezes really well so we always make a double batch. It can be cooked on the stove top, or transferred to the oven or slow cooker after the initial cooking.



Ingredients

1 Tblsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 celery sticks chopped
4 carrots chopped
150g Chorizo (use a ring or sliced from the deli counter)
3 large chicken breasts cut into strips
1 tin chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 tin veg or chicken stock
Basil 5-6 leaves
Smoked Paprika 1/2-1 tsp
Black Pepper (pinch)

Add the olive oil to a Saute pan and heat up. Add all the chopped veg into the pan and saute for 5-10 minutes. clear a space in the pan and add the chicken to seal.

Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan. Stir through and get everything back up to simmer.

At this point I like to transfer the stew to an oven proof casserole dish and pop it in the oven for an hour or so at 180 degrees C. You can transfer to a slow cooker instead or keep it simmering away on the hob.

Taste half way through cooking to check flavours. Add more smoked Paprica, Basil or black pepper as needed.

Serve with cous cous or boiled rice.

Veggie Packed Tomato Sauce February 04 2020, 0 Comments

Everyone needs a quick and easy pasta sauce stored in the freezer for those rushed days. This one is your basic tomato sauce jam packed with veggies but it is absolutely delicious! I tend to make this when I've got lots of half bits of veggies lying around and it's slightly different every time.

Ingredients

The quantities and Ingredients are fairly flexible so I will list what I typically include:

Courgette - 1 medium courgette or half a large courgette grated
Carrots - 2 large or 3 medium carrots grated
Celery - 3 celery sticks finely chopped
Onion - half a large onion or 1 medium onion
Red Pepper - half a red pepper chopped
Broccoli - I tend to add tender stem broccoli or add the softer florets
Spinach - handful of spinach
Garlic - 2 cloves peeled and chopped
Passata - around 1.5L 
Tomato Puree - good squeeze
Basil
Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Olive oil

In a deep non stick frying pan / wok, pour in the olive oil and heat up. Add the grated carrot and courgette and all the other chopped vegetable apart from the spinach. keep stirring like a stir fry for a few minutes and then lower the heat a little and pop a lid on the pan. Leave for around 10 minutes to sweat and stir occasionally. 

Add the spinach and stir in until it's sweated down. Leave the lid off with the heat on for a few minutes until any excess liquid has evaporated.

Pour in the passata and add a squirt of tomato puree, some chopped basil and black pepper.  Bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid on for anything between 10 to 30 minutes. I like to cook it for longer but as long as the vegetables have gone soft it's fine.

Take the sauce off the heat and then use a hand blender to blend the sauce until smooth. 

Store the sauce in appropriate sized bags or Tupperware. I always store a portion size big enough for a family pasta sauce, some for just the kids if they were having pasta and some in smaller portions for using as pizza topping. I also add a little extra tomato puree to the sauce portions being used as pizza topping.

It's always so good knowing that you've added a few extra bits of veg into the little ones (and yourself of course).

Enjoy!!

Veggie Pesto Pinwheels November 26 2019, 0 Comments

Carrot Cake Flapjacks October 14 2019, 0 Comments

I love carrot cake and I love flapjacks so why not combine the two? The Oats keep little ones fuller for longer and the carrot and sunflower seeds add nutrition to this yummy twist on a flapjack.

300g Porridge Oats
130g Carrots grated (1 large or 2 medium)
160g butter chopped up
80g Soft Brown Sugar
80g Golden Syrup
40g raisins (chopped up a bit smaller)
50g Sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
5g Chia Seeds to sprinkle on top

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees and select a rectangular or square baking tray with a liner. I used a reusable liner but greasproof paper can also be used.

Place the Butter in a pan and gently warm until it's all melted. At this point use a little of the butter to coat the baking tray liner you are using. 

Add the sugar and the Syrup to the pan and stir well. Once all has turned to liquid take the pan off the heat and gradually add all the remaining ingredients (minus the chia seeds). Ensure everything gets coated and mixed in well before transferring the mixture to the baking tray.

Flatten the mixture and if you like add a sprinkling of chia seeds on top. Bake at 150 degrees for around 30 minutes until it just starts to go golden brown at the edges. I like them to be a bit moist inside too so be careful not to overcook.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before attempting to cut the flapjacks.

I cut mine into 24 pieces which worked out to be a good amount for a snack for the kids.

Enjoy!

Seeded flapjacks September 04 2019, 0 Comments

Now that they’re older I make a batch of these seeded flapjacks each week for us all to enjoy. These are proper flapjacks with sugar and Golden syrup but I also added some extra seeds in the form of sunflower and chia seeds to add a little extra goodness without really changing the taste.

The kids loved helping to make these and they still work out as having less sugar than the shop bought ones, more goodness and definitely less packaging!

225g Porridge Oats
125g butter chopped up
100g Soft Brown Sugar
100g Golden Syrup
80g Sunflower seeds
50-60g Chia seeds

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees and select a rectangular or square baking tray with a liner. I used a reusable liner but greasproof paper can also be used. 

Place the Butter in a pan and gently warm until it's all melted. At this point use a little of the butter to coat the baking tray liner you are using. 

Add the sugar and the Syrup to the pan and stir well. Once all has turned to liquid take the pan off the heat and gradually add the oats and seeds. Ensure the oats are all coated and seeds have been mixed in well before transferring the mixture to the baking tray.

Flatten the mixture and if you like add a sprinkling of chia seeds on top. Bake at 150 degrees for around 20 minutes or until golden brown just at the edges. I like them to be a bit moist inside too so be careful not to overcook.

Remove from the oven. Don’t try to cut immediately but use a knife to make an indent where you plan to cut. Allow to cool fully and then remove the whole block from your tray to cut with a long, sturdy sharp knife along the marked lines.

I cut mine into around 18-20 pieces.

Enjoy!

Courgette & Carrot cheesy muffins August 25 2019, 0 Comments

These savoury muffins are delicious straight from the oven but are also great cold. You can add them to lunchboxes, have them for breakfast or a snack.

150g Grated Courgette (1 medium Courgette)
60g Grated Carrot (1 medium carrot)
110g Mature cheddar Cheese
225g Self Raising Flour
1 large egg
150ml Milk
1 Tblsp olive oil
1/4 tsp Finely ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 180 Degrees and rub oil into a 12 hole muffin tin or use silicone muffin cases (never paper ones).

Squeeze out any excess liquid from the Grated Carrot  and courgette before starting.

In a large bowl mix together the grated Courgette, Carrot, Cheese and Self raising flour until the vegetables and cheese are all coated in flour.

In a smaller bowl beat the egg until smooth and then add the milk and black pepper. Mix together and then add to the liquid to the larger bowl.

Stir everything together gently until any dry patches have disappeared. 

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tray and fill all 12 holes evenly.

Place the trays in the oven for 22-25 minutes. Check on them from around 15  minutes to be sure they are browning evenly, turn the tray if necessary.

leave to cool a little before using a knife to help release the muffins from the tin.

These freeze really well so you can add to a freezer bag or sandwich bag and pull one out in the morning to pop in lunch boxes or take out with you.

Enjoy!

Fruit roll up August 22 2019, 0 Comments

Eating a yoyo or fruit winder is the only way that my son will eat berries. It's a sensory issue for him rather than the taste. I'm not happy about the waste that these products create so I wanted to make my own version especially whilst there's lots of free fruit around for the picking.

This recipe takes quite a long time due to the low temperature it's baked at. you are basically dehydrating the fruit. They also come out thinner and more chewy than a shop bought yoyo but they are very tasty.

I personally wouldn't recommend them for under 2 years.Also ensure that you keep serving and eating the whole berries in their natural form as much as you can.

200g Blackberries and/or Raspberries (frozen is also good)

1 apple peeled, cored and chopped

1 pear peeled, top and bottom removed, chopped

squeeze of lemon juice

Pop all the fruit into a blender and blend until it's a smooth puree. If your little one is averse to the seeds, strain the puree at this point but just try to remove the larger seeds and not all the fibre.

Pour the puree into a saucepan and simmer for around 30 minutes until reduced to a thicker consistency. Allow to cool a little before pouring the mixture onto a baking mat on a baking tray. Place the tray in the oven at 120 degrees for around 2 hours or until the baked puree is dry and not tacky to the touch.

Check on the fruit after half an hour or so to check the edges aren't browning. If they start to discolour reduce the heat to 100 degrees.

After 2 hours turn the oven off and leave the tray in the oven for a while longer if the fruit sheet doesn't come away easily from the mat. Flip the fruit sheet and baking mat over and attempt to peel the whole mat off the fruit carefully. If it sticks, pop it back in the oven for a bit longer.

Roll up the sheet of fruit and cut up. I used scissors as I found it gave a cleaner cut than a knife.

Enjoy!

Baked Spanish Omelette muffins July 26 2019, 0 Comments

I lived in Spain for a while and loved the Spanish omelette. I've tried a few times to replicate it the traditional way but instead I have settled on these baked versions made in a muffin tin.

These are lovely served warm for a meal or served cold for a lunchbox or picnic. You could also add chorizo, ham, red pepper, bacon, asparagus or even peas!

1 tsp Olive oil for oiling the muffin tray

1 large peeled potato cut into 6-8 chunks (waxy variety or new potatoes are also good) 

1 small onion quartered and then sliced finely 

3 eggs lightly beaten

small handful of spinach chopped

grated cheese (optional)

A few flat leaf parsley leaves chopped

Pinch of ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C. Oil the muffin tins (6 individuals for these ingredients) and place in the oven to warm.

Heat a tsp of oil in a frying pan and add the onion and fry gently until soft. Don't allow to brown too much.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the potato. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes until it's is not quite cooked. To save time you could take out some potato early from a family meal and save to use.

Drain the pan and allow the potatoes to cool a little. Once they are cool enough to handle slice the potato into 5mm thick sections.

Take out the muffin tin and layer the potato, onion and spinach in the 6 oiled muffin tins. Add the pepper to the beaten egg and then pour the mixture equally into each tin and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Add the grated cheese on top if you like (we love these with cheese on)

Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for around 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Pineapple, Mango, cucumber, spinach and avocado smoothie July 25 2019, 0 Comments

This refreshing smoothie is a beautiful light green coloured smoothie bursting with Vitamins so a great option if your little ones don’t like a really dark green smoothie. The pineapple keeps it refreshing and tropical!  A good source of dietary fibre, healthy fats and Vitamin C.  It tastes delicious too! 

Ingredients:

150g Pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen)

100g Mango flesh (fresh or frozen)

1 handful of spinach

1/2 small avocado (1/4 large)

6-8 cm chunk cucumber (skin on)

40-60ml liquid (I used a splash of apple juice and a splash of water)

Optional Extras:

1 tsp chia seeds

Method:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. 

The above ingredients will make approximately 3 servings in our 140ml pouches or 2 servings in our 200ml pouches.

Great for adults and kids!!

Veggie Packed Sausage Rolls December 05 2018, 0 Comments

These have become a firm favourite in my house after discovering the recipe from My Fussy Eater. I tweaked the recipe slightly to include red onion rather than garlic as I didn't have any on the house and it's stuck! I also roughly blend our veggies before mixing with the sausage meat. These are just simply delicious and feel so much lighter than our average sausage roll. I urge you to give them a go!!

1 tsp oil

1 medium courgette (zucchini), grated

1 large carrot, grated

1 small red onion, finely chopped

350g sausage meat (remove skin if using sausages)

Pinch of dried sage

Pinch of black pepper

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion and fry for a minute and then add in the grated courgette and grated carrot. Cook on a low heat until the vegetables have softened for about 4 minutes. Don’t let them brown.

If liquid has separated from the veggies, pour this away and then blend the vegetables roughly with a stick blender if you have visible veggie averse kids. Feel free to leave as they are if you prefer.

Once cooled a little mix the veggie mixture with the sausage meat, sage and pepper. Ensure it's fully mixed through.

Take the sheet of puffed pastry and cut it in half length ways so that you have two rectangle shaped pieces. Divide the sausage meat mixture into two and spread each piece down the middle of the pastry sheets, leaving a gap of about 1cm either side and add some egg wash to help seal.

If you fancy making large sausage rolls cut the sheet in half the other way and spread a thick layer of sausage meat for a deep filled roll.

Roll the pastry over the sausage meat mixture so that the two edges meet. Press down with a fork to seal it.

Cut the sausage rolls into whatever size you like. Place the sausage rolls onto the baking sheet and egg wash over the tops.

Cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes (time will depend on the size of the sausage rolls so be sure to check them often from 20 minutes) until golden brown and cooked through.

Cherry yogurt smoothie April 05 2018, 0 Comments

I love having frozen fruit in the freezer to make smoothies whenever I want and it saves so much waste too. 

Ingredients:

12 frozen cherries
2-3 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
10-12 blueberries
100g natural yogurt

squeeze of lime

Optional Extras:
1 tsp chia seeds

Method:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. 

The above ingredients will make approximately 2 servings in our 140ml pouches 

Great for adults and kids!!

Carrot and Courgette Cheesy Bites April 04 2018, 1 Comment

These tasty cheesy bites are brilliant for a snack or for lunch or even breakfast. Perfect for weaning, toddlers or even older children.

Ingredients - makes 12-16

2 large eggs beaten

200g grated carrot and courgette (total weight)

100ml water

80g Mature Cheddar Cheese

80g Oat Flour (or blitz 80g of oats)

Making the Bites

preheat the oven to 180 degrees C

Add the grated veg into a microwaveable bowl with 100ml of water. Add a plate on top and microwave on full power for 3 minutes.

Drain the vegetables and allow them to cool a little then place them in the center of a clean cloth. Squeeze the water out so the vegetables are quite dry.

Mix all the ingredients together in another bowl and then spoon onto a baking sheet on a baking tray and press down to create little patties. You can also use a cookie cutter to help create shapes. The mixture doesn't spread much.

Bake for 12-16 minutes until the edges are crispy

These will keep in the fridge for 48 hours or you can freeze once cooled.

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No Sugar Fluffy Pancakes February 13 2018, 0 Comments

This is my go to pancake recipe to make lovely fluffy no sugar pancakes for the kids. I am happy to eat these as they are or with fruit and maple syrup on top. I like using Greek yogurt in pancakes and can't help but throw in a few Chia seeds to boot!

Ingredients

1 large egg

110g self raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

75g greek yogurt or natural yogurt

75ml semi skimmed milk (or other milk)

1 tsp chia seeds (optional)

1 pinch salt (optional)

10ml olive oil + more for the pan

Making pancakes

Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and use a hand blender to mix together. Allow the mixture to sit for 15-20 minutes if you can. It should be quite a think mixture. Pop a frying pan on a medium heat and add a small dribble of oil. Use a brush or kitchen roll to spread it around the pan or use an oil spray if you prefer.

Once the oil is hot enough, pour or spoon some of the mixture into the pan. I like them small. cook until the underside is golden brown and the top stars to bubble a little and then flip over to cook the other side until it's also golden brown. You can also make mini sized pancakes to take out as snacks in our reusable snack bags.

This recipe creates a lovely thick batter that’s perfect for making pancake art. Spoon the batter into your reusable pouches and gently squeeze into a hot pan.

We love making Christmas trees, snowflakes, snowmen, reindeer, bunnies, spider webs and so much more!!

Use our 250ml wave pouches or our 140ml animal pouches to create the pancake art.

Serve with fruit, maple syrup, lemon & sugar or your favourite spread! My daughter loves jam on hers! 

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Healthier Chocolate mini muffins January 26 2018, 0 Comments

These are super healthy Chocolate muffins. They are NOT sugar free as where's the fun in that! They are a cake after all but they do contain a good chunk of avocado and some Omega 3 rich Quinoa Flour. 

Muffin Ingredients - makes 12-16

2 large eggs

1 weetabix

1 medium avocado (flesh only obvs)

1 tbsp olive oil

60g Quinoa Flour*

60g Self Raising Flour**

2 and a half tbsp cocoa (just do 2 if you don't want it quite so dark)

4 tbsp honey (60ml)

2 tbp Sugar 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarb of soda

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

chocolate chips - I used some milk chocolate ones to contrast with the darker cake.

*this should work with other flours too. I really wanted to use Quinoa flour due to it's Omega 3 and protein content. 

**replace self raising flour with another flour to make these Gluten free. My first attempt was all Quinoa flour and they didn't raise as much but I will try this again and update!

Making the Muffins

preheat the oven to 180 degrees C

Throw everything apart from the choc chips into a large bowl and then mix together with a hand whisk or pop it in the food processor.

Line a cupcake tin with paper cake cases and spoon in the cake mix. Add a few choc chips on the top of each

Bake for 15-20 minutes

How long these stay fresh for or if they freeze well hasn't yet been tested. They keep being eaten before I can test. Do let me know what you think!!! 

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Banana, strawberry, spinach and avo Smoothie August 12 2017, 0 Comments

A super healthy smoothie bursting with Vitamins and antioxidants as well as iron and healthy fats. Recipe with thanks to @Baby_led_weaning_club on Instagram.

Ingredients:

1 medium banana
150g strawberries
handful spinach
half a small avocado
40-60ml liquid (water, coconut water or apple juice)

optional extras:
1 tsp chia seeds

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. 

The above ingredients will make approximately 3 servings in our 140ml pouches or 2 servings in our 200ml pouches.

Great for adults and kids!!

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Orange, Mango and Pineapple smoothie August 12 2017, 0 Comments

This recipe was loosely copied from an Innocent Smoothie but I found it lacking in actual blended fruit so we now make our own version. I have also added avocado to provide some extra healthy fats.

Ingredients:

1 small ripe banana

40g pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen)

40g Mango chunks (fresh or frozen)

Half a peach (or a few frozen slices)

150ml orange juice (freshly squeezed or store-bought juice)

Half a small avocado (1/4 of a larger avocado)

optional extras:

1 tsp chia seeds 

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. 

The above ingredients will make approximately 3 servings in our 140ml pouches or 2 servings in our 200ml pouches.

Great for adults and kids!!

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Chicken Avocado and spinach Puree June 16 2017, 0 Comments

I love this combination of ingredients in a salad or on a sandwich. This baby puree is full of antioxidants and vitamins and has a good portion of Iron which is important for your baby after 6 months. If you are baby led weaning this would be lovely on toast or as a dip especially if your little one isn't yet enjoying the texture of chicken as a finger food. 

This is a super nutritious puree ideal for after first tastes. 

Ingredients

1/2 large avocado

70g cooked chicken breast or thigh*

1 handful spinach (about 20g)

50ml baby's usual milk or whole milk

remove the avocado from the skin and chop up roughly and place in a small bowl. Roughly chop the chicken and add to the bowl. add the spinach and the milk also to the bowl. Using a stick blender blend the ingredients until smooth. 

*This is great to make when you have some chicken leftovers but if you want to start with raw chicken just chop up into 2cm thick slices and add to a small frying pan. Add 1cm depth of water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently with a lid on for around 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Leave to cool a little before adding to the other ingredients and blending.

I serve this cool but you can also serve it warm.

Divide the puree between 2 - 3 pouches depending on your baby's appetite.

Keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours or in the freezer for 1 month.

7 months+

Kiwi, Pineapple and Mango Green smoothie June 11 2017, 0 Comments

This summer smoothie is bursting with Vitamins and antioxidants. A brilliant source of dietary fibre, healthy fats and Vitamin C.  It tastes delicious too!!

Ingredients:

1 ripe Kiwi’s peeled
100g pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen)
100g Mango chinks (fresh or frozen)
half a small avocado

handful of spinash leaves
40-60ml liquid (water, coconut water or apple juice)

optional extras:
1 tsp chia seeds

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.

The above ingredients will make approximately 3 servings in our 140ml pouches or 2 servings in our 200ml pouches.

Great for adults and kids!!

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Protein packed choc chip cookies March 16 2017, 0 Comments

I am a convert to Chickpea flour! I had heard about it being used for baking and liked the idea of baking cookies that are slightly healthier.  These are packed with protein and have less sugar than I would have used in a regular flour version. The kids love them too. I'm sure the sugar could even be replaced by maple syrup but that's to be tried another day.

Ingredients

60g coconut oil (melt and cool a little)

35g sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g chickpea flour

1 large spoonful peanut butter

3/4 tsp baking powder

30g choc chips (dark or milk)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tray with some baking paper

In a large bowl mix the melted but almost cool coconut oil with the peanut butter, vanilla extract, sugar and egg.

In a separate bowl mix together the chickpea flour and baking powder. Add the mixture to the wet ingredients in the first bowl. Mix everything together until well combined and then add the choc chips (or add these later to the individual cookie doughs)

divide the mixture into 18 small biscuits or 12 larger biscuits and roll each one into a ball and then flatten just a little.  Bake at 180 degrees C for 10-15 minutes or until the edges go golden brown. Let the cookies cool on a rack before eating! 

I have just made another batch of these up and this time rolled into 16 biscuits. I've just worked out that each one contains just 3.7g of sugar.  Considering that a Maryland cookie contains 8.7g (and it's even smaller) that's pretty good!

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Home-made seed bars June 21 2016, 0 Comments

My husband and I love nut and seed bars but they are expensive and full of sugars so we've been experimenting with this recipe for a while now. This usually makes enough for a weeks worth for the both of us, although the kids love them too so I may need to up the volume....feel free to mix up the ingredients and experiment for yourself!

100g peanut butter

80g honey

60g Pumpkin seeds

50g Sunflower seeds

20g linseed seeds

10g sesame seeds

10g chia seeds

30g ground almonds

40g Rolled oats

30g Rice crispies / puffs

15g Amarynth Puffs (optional - found in Whole Foods)

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees

Gently heat the peanut butter and the honey in a pan until it's liquid. Turn off the heat.

Add the other ingredients (oats last) bit by bit and mix in until they are all coated.

Add a little extra honey if you are struggling to mix in the ingredients. 

Take a good spoonful of mixture and mould to a ball in your hands. Flatten a little and place in a non stick shallow bun tin / mince pie tray.

Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. You don't really want them to brown - just heat enough to hold the bar together.

Allow to cool before lifting each bar out of the tim. Keep in an air tight tin and try not to eat them all at once!

We find that these really help to keep us from snacking.

Enjoy!

Salmon Fish Cakes May 12 2016, 0 Comments

My kids adore these fish cakes and I love the fact that they are eating so much salmon. The great thing with tinned salmon is that it's currently reasonably priced and it still contains all of it's goodness and Omega-3 fats.  I try to make something with potato the day before I make these so I can use leftover mash for them.

1 tin salmon (pink or red) (I usually remove the harder bones and dark skin)

1 potato peeled, cooked and mashed

30-50g grated cheese

1 egg beaten

breadcrumbs (1-2 slices of bread)

2-3 tblsp plain flour

black pepper and parsley is optional

In a bowl mash the salmon and potato together and add the cheese and half of the beaten egg. Also add any of the seasonings at this point. Once well combined, take a spoonfuls of mixture and roll into balls. flatten each ball to half an inch 

To make the breadcrumbs you can add slices of bread into a warm oven for 10-15 minutes, wait to cool and then add to a blender for a few short blasts or simply use dome shop bought panko.

To add the breadcrumbs first coat each fish cake patty in flour, then brush with beaten egg and then dip into the breadcrumbs.

Shallow fry in a light olive oil until golden brown.

serve with salad or veg. We like them with pea and soya bean puree, the kids version of mushy peas!