Pecan Salted Caramel Truffles

May 31, 2016 · 7 Comments

Oh my goodness, these are so amazing.

These Pecan Salted Caramel Truffles taste a bit like caramel lollies! I came across a Nakd food bar in my supermarket last month and the only ingredients were dates and cashews. It was so delicious and so caramely, it inspired me to add some more of my favourite ingredients and make these truffles. Well, they are sort of a bliss ball, but taste a bit more decadent so I called them a truffle.

Hope you like them as much as we do!

Pecan Salted Caramel Truffles

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, vegetarian, vegan, egg free, paleo

This is what you need:

1 cup organic cashews

1 cup organic medjool dates (or you can use dried dates, just soak in hot water and drain well)

1/2 cup organic pecans

1/8 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (or a tad more if you like it salty)

1/2 scraped organic vanilla pod (or any sort of vanilla you have)

This is how to do it:

Take the pits out of the dates (important!). Throw the dates into a strong food processor or thermomix with the cashews, salt and vanilla and blend until they just start to come together in a ball. Be careful – if you overprocess, they will go weird and shed oil.

Now add in the pecans and just pulse until they are chopped up a little. I like to see the pecan bits still in there. Roll into small balls and pop in the fridge or freezer to store. But I can tell you now they taste good straight up!

Please let me know if you try the Pecan Salted Caramel Truffles and what you thought!

Want more?
Try these Ten Amazing Bliss Ball Recipes

Byron Bay Muesli Balls

April 10, 2013 · 170 Comments

Byron Bay Muesli Balls

Muesli is the only cereal I will buy for my family now. Anything else you buy in a box is pretty much rubbish.

It makes a great base for quick snacks for the kids. I am loving these Byron Bay Muesli Balls. So quick and easy!

Okay, so this is what you need:

2 cups roasted Byron Bay Macadamia Muesli
1 cup organic (sulphur free) apricots
1/4 cup honey
60 grams butter (or use coconut oil for a dairy free option)
1/3 cup desiccated or shredded coconut

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Place muesli, apricots, honey and warm, melted butter in a food processor. Process for 2 to 3 minutes or until well combined.

Place coconut in a shallow dish. Roll tablespoons of muesli mixture into balls. Coat balls in coconut. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Gary from Byron Bay Muesli posted me up his range of four award winning mueslis to sample last month. To say we have been enjoying it a lot, is an understatement. We have been cooking with it, making it into bircher muesli and porridge and just eating it out of the packet.

It’s pretty darn good.

I think the secret is the locally-grown macadamia nuts in every pack. Who doesn’t like a mac? The hand roasted varieties also add in macadamia honey and cold-pressed macadamia oil.

As a mum, I also love the fact that it is made with organic and biodynamic ingredients. There is nothing artificial at all, no numbers and no sugar!

I find I only need a small bowl with some fruit as it is so nutrient-dense, so the pack lasts a long time.

Okay, so who wants to win some? Gary is kindly offering to give away six hampers, each containing all four mueslis.

The range. Almond Fig and Pear, Classic, Bircher and Gluten-Free.

This giveaway has now closed. The winners were Teneille, Karlene, Amber, Carmen, Kylie and Amelia. Congratulations!

How to enter:

*Be a blog subscriber (add your email to the top right hand box). Please double check you are still subscribed after I moved the blog!

*Like Byron Bay Muesli on Facebook. Take a look around – there is lots of info and stockists on the page.

*Comment on this blog post, telling me which one of the four varieties appeals to you the most.

Winners will be chosen using random.org from those meeting the entry requirements, emailed and announced on this blog post. Giveaway starts now and ends at midnight on the 20th of April, 2013. Sorry, only available to those with an Australian address.

Good luck and many thanks to Gary and his gang at Byron Bay Muesli!

Make contact:

Website: www.byronbaymuesli.com.au

Email: info@byronbaymuesli.com.au

Phone: 02 6687 1518

Facebook: www.facebook.com/byronbaymuesli

What are the best packet snacks for kids?

January 23, 2013 · 126 Comments

I get asked this question a lot!

Now, I am no expert, but what I have done is find some packaged snacks at the supermarket that I would feel okay about feeding my kids occasionally.

They aren’t all necessarily super-nutritious, but I think they are superior to the majority of packaged snacks out there.

We all know that fresh and homemade snacks are best for kids. If you are in the supermarket, grab a piece of fruit, a punnet of cherry tomatoes, some baby qukes, some plain organic nuts or organic dried fruit without additives. This is your best bet.

The problem with any pre-packaged snacks is that they are processed. The processing can strip food of nutrients and change the way your body uses it as fuel. Processed foods, in my opinion, should be considered as sometimes foods.

I have included the ingredients list for each product and the link to the website so you can determine for yourself if the snack is suitable for your family’s dietary needs.

A couple of things you should be aware of :

*if you choose corn or soy products that are not organic and don’t specifically say no GMO’s, then you run the risk of that product containing GMOs. Check out the True-Food Network for more info.

*there is some controversy about sunflower oil and inulin.

*if a product says vegetable oil, chances are it’s canola – we don’t eat canola oil.

I am not here to judge anyone about what they eat! Everyone is on their own health journey – this just happens to be where we are right now. Hopefully, armed with a bit more information, you can make your own choices about what you feed your cherubs.

five:am organic yoghurt
Wholebar by Artisse Organic
Carman’s Classic Fruit Muesli Bar
Coles Organic Salted Popcorn
Nudie houston
Macro raw food bar
Emma and Tom’s Life Bars
eatrite brown rice crackers
Pure Harvest brown rice cakes

Superfoods for Kidz Berry Choc Chunk Bars

Ingredients: Organic Rice Malt, Dark Chocolate Cacao, Pea Protein Isolate, Whole Cranberries, Organic Coconut, Sultanas, Water Hulled Tahini, Organic Cocoa, Flaxmeal, Sunflower Seeds, Certified Organic Cacao, Organic Cacao butter, Organic Agave Syrup, Organic Vanilla Beans, Himalayan Crystal Salt, Certified Organic Acai Berries, Blueberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Cranberry, Gojiberry, Mango, Beetroot, Calcium Citrate, Fruit Trim, Chia Seeds, Fructoolgosaccharides (Prebiotic).

So, there you have it – my best picks from the supermarket and online – do you have any to add?

This post contains links to my awesome affiliates.

Aribar : Day 4 of Giveaway-A-Day

September 6, 2012 · 65 Comments

Today’s giveaway is one you can really sink your teeth into.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist!)

The lovely people at Artisse Organic sent me some samples of their Aribars to try out on my cherubs last week. Artisse Organic are the same people who brought us Little Bellies organic snacks (which I reviewed a while back).

It’s not always possible to make home-made snacks for our kids from scratch (if only life was that perfect!). I think these bars are great as a backup plan or for a treat.

There is so much junk food marketed towards our kids, it’s nice to have an option that is much healthier.

As well as being organic, Aribars are made with wholegrain brown rice. They are gluten free, dairy free, GMO free, low in salt, contain no artificial additives and the new recipe now has 30% less sugar. They come in four flavours – chocolate, vanilla and caramel crunch.

I really like the story behind Artisse Organic as well. It was created in 2005 by two brothers. One of their children developed severe allergies and they were on a mission then to develop, source and offer the very best in organic and allergen free food.

You can find them in most Coles or Woolworths stores or go here for a full list of stockists.

So, what do they taste like?

The kids loved them! The chocolate was their favourite flavour. I found them sweet, but that’s probably because I have been having very little sugar lately. I was also curious if they would keep the kids full for a while – which they did. I have been instructed to make sure I buy some more.

Do you want to taste them too?

The gorgeous Sonia (great name huh?) at Aribars is kindly going to give one of you a hamper full of Aribars in all flavours, plus a cool chalkboard mug!

This giveaway has now closed – thanks for entering!!

So, this is what you need to do to enter:

* LIKE the Aribar Facebook page. Go here.

* LIKE the Natural New Age Mum Facebook page. Go here.

* SUBCRIBE to my blog. Go to the top right hand side of the page and add your email address.

* SHARE this blog post with your friends on either Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc (buttons below for easy sharing)

* COMMENT on this blog post letting me know you have shared.

Terms and Conditions: You must have an Australian address to enter. Winners will be chosen using random.org. I will email the winners and also add a comment on this post letting you know who won. Give-away runs from now until Thursday the 13th of September at midnight. This give-away is in no way affiliated with Facebook.

Good luck and thank you Aribar and Artisse Organic!

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

Five Favourite Things – July

July 30, 2012 · 8 Comments

July. Winter. Snuggling. Comfort food. Hibernating. Trying to find the sun.

Here are some things that I have been in love with this month. ♥

Wendy Blume’s amazing “Breakfast on the go biscuits” recipe from the Vegie Smugglers 2 cookbook. This recipe has two ingredients – cereal and egg white (I don’t use the sugar). It is super quick and easy to make and it doubles as a great kid’s snacks or breakfast in the car for those mental mornings! I use Freedom Foods Ancient Grains Super Muesli gluten-free cereal and organic eggs. Seriously yummy.

Be Gorgeous rosehip oil from Naturlea. Rosehip oil has become my new best friend. It is nature’s best kept beauty secret! I have been using rosehip oil for some time and then got the opportunity to try this brand after winning it in a Facebook competition! I adore it. Jacqui from Naturlea has combined beautiful rose geranium essential oil with the organic rosehip oil so it smells heavenly (and not earthy like plain rosehip oil). Rosehip oil is good for promoting collagen, reducing scarring and stretch marks, fighting skin ageing, lightening pigmentation and rehydrating. If you are over 30, you need to get into this stuff – it has made my skin glow!

Natural Calm Drink. The lovely ladies at Natural Vitality sent me some of this to try out. It is a great way to make sure you are getting enough magnesium and calcium in your diet, in the right combination. Did you know that magnesium deficiency can cause stress, fatigue, insomnia, anxiousness, irritability, muscle cramps, headaches, PMS and hormonal imbalance? I pretty much had all of those things! Together with taking regular epsom salts baths, my symptoms have eased right off. If you think you might be magnesium deficient, get it checked out with your medical practitioner or naturopath!

source

Kundalini Yoga Fire Breath. We have been doing lots of the fire breath in my yoga class. It feels a bit weird to do at first, but I love how it makes me feel. It is so energizing and really gets your blood pumping with all the extra oxygen. Some of the benefits include releasing anxiety, nervousness and emotions, flushing toxins out of the blood stream, massaging internal organs and expanding your lung capacity! It’s a great remedy for those mid-afternoon energy slumps. Don’t do the fire breath if you are pregnant or menstruating though! See how to do it here. Give it a go and tell me what you think.

My husband (aka Natural New Age Dad). I actually love him every month of the year! However, this month we have been really focusing on our relationship. Life, kids, work and ill-health can all get in the way of making our marriage a priority. We have had some hiccups. As our kids head into teen years though, we find things are changing. We finally have more time for ourselves, my son is old enough to babysit his sister and we have been hanging out together a lot! Date nights, yoga classes, romantic walks, dinner, movies, holding hands ….. it’s been blissful. I feel like I am falling in love with my husband all over again. I highly recommend it. ♥

So, that is my favourite five, what are some things you have been loving this month?

You might like to read some of my other favourite things.

Little Bellies – Organic Snacks Review and Giveaway

July 1, 2012 · 75 Comments

In a perfect world, our kids would eat fresh, organic, unprocessed foods, lovingly prepared by us, 100% of the time!

Yes, well, back to reality! I was pretty happy to find out about Little Bellies and lucky enough to sample their new range a little while ago. They give us health-conscious mums an option of good quality kid’s snacks on those crazy days, when homemade is just not going to happen.

Over the course of a couple of weeks, my Natural New Age Kids tried all the products (I had a nibble too). The products are actually aimed at babies and toddlers, so my 13 and 11-year-old are probably not exactly the target market. Nonetheless, they enjoyed them!

Their favourites were the Gingerbread Men and the Animal Biscuits. They thought the Numb3r Cereal was a bit ‘too peachy’, but I thought it was nice. The liked the Fiddlesticks, but preferred them with a dip. My daughter loved the Chew bars – I don’t think anyone else got a look in there!

The products are not too sweet or salty, but very mild in flavour.

I took the Gingerbread Men for a morning tea and our friend’s kids thought they were awesome too.

From a nutrition point of view, I honestly have not found anything on the (Australian) market that compares in quality. Certified organic, whole grains, sweetened with fruit, low salt and no artificial additives – they tick a lot of boxes. They are a fantastic alternative to the junky snacks marketed to kids. The packaging and presentation are still fun and kid-friendly enough to be a credible alternative in the playground too!

You can find the range in most supermarkets. Take a look at the stockists on the website and check it out.

This giveaway has now closed. Thank you for entering!

The awesome people at Little Bellies are offering one of YOU a chance to win a hamper to sample all of the products in the range too. To enter you must:

* Be a LIKER of the Little Bellies Facebook page. Go here.

* Be a SUBSCRIBER of my blog. Go to the top right hand side of the page and add your email address.

* Have an AUSTRALIAN address.

* Leave a COMMENT on this post.

The giveaway will run from now until Thursday the 5th of July at midnight. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be emailed and also announced on the comment section of this blog.

Good luck everyone and please share this post with your friends!

Hosted by Three Lil Princesses