Cool Ideas for Easter (that aren’t chocolate)

March 24, 2017 · 7 Comments

Cool Ideas for Easter (that aren’t chocolate)

This ancient pagan celebration has somehow turned into a commercialised chocolate-fest!

The pressure is on parents to make Easter another Christmas but with copious amounts of cheap, nasty chocolate. It’s easy for kids to get caught up the hype.

Okay, so how do you participate in Easter, enjoy some chocolate and not be a party-pooper?

My tips are to go back to basics.

Create family traditions based around making Easter treats together (homemade hot cross buns and Easter eggs are really not too hard to do!) You can put a limit on treats or let the grandparents supply the chocolate while you get the kids something else for their Easter basket.

When it comes to chocolate, buy smaller amounts of good quality, fair-trade chocolate and really savour it.

Here are some more ideas and alternatives for you.

♥ Bamboo Easter Signs

These bamboo signs are hand made in Melbourne and start at just $15.00 You can get a generic one or get it personalised with your kids’ or family name! Check it out here.

♥ Recycled Sari Easter Basket

At just $9.95, this gorgeous Easter basket is made from recycled saris and ethically made in Bangladesh. I want one of these for myself. Just adorable! Get it here.

♥ Terracotta Bunny Lantern

Perfect for the person in your life who doesn’t want chocolate for Easter but you still don’t want them feeling left out. It makes a gorgeous decoration for the house at Easter as well. Get it online here.

♥ Organic Crochet Bunny

Beautifully hand-made in Australia using organic cotton, you can get one of these adorable bunnies here.

♥ Wooden Counting Rabbits

This set of eco-friendly counting rabbits with carrots can be used as a puzzle or free play. Totally safe for kids with non-toxic paints and plantation timber.

Get it online here.

♥ BBYO Bunni Water Bottle

For those too old (or cool) for toys, this Bunni water bottle is super cute. The bottle has no plastic at all and is heat resistant so you can use if for water or hot drinks! Get it here.

♥ Oxfam Unwrapped

Gift some chickens or a goat or a myriad of other life saving things to those in need. Check out Oxfam Unwrapped here.

♥ Gingerbread Bunnies!

I am such a fan of Gingerbread Folk’s products. They are handmade in the Blue Mountains and contain no artificial nasties. The bunnies are wrapped individually in compostable packaging and perfect for baskets or for hunting! Get them online here.

♥ Healthy Marshmallows

The very clever Jo Whitton from Quirky Cooking has just come out with this yummy, all natural, honey-sweetened marshmallow recipe just in time for Easter. It’s so easy to make and relatively inexpensive too. Try out some different flavourings and have fun! Get the recipe here.

♥ Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

A really fun project to do with the kids is dyed eggs. Using natural ingredients like turmeric and beetroot, Mommypotamus shows you step by step how to do it. Read more here.

♥ Cute Eco Easter Bags!

Super easy, eco-friendly and really, really cute. A great way to share your homemade treats. Find the tutorial here.

♥ You might also like to read:

Healthy Homemade Easter Eggs

Your complete guide to a Healthy Easter

Healthy Hot Cross Buns

Healthy Easter Ideas

Moroccan Chicken Salad

March 19, 2015 · 2 Comments

I conjured up this salad one hot summer night and the family loved it. The spicy chicken with the creamy dressing and the pops of freshness from the pomegranate worked so well together. I hope you all enjoy it too.

Moroccan Chicken Salad

Vital Stats: Gluten Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Sugar Free, Grain Free

Serves 4

Okay, so this is what you need:

4 large organic chicken thigh fillets

1 tablespoon organic Moroccan spice blend*

2 tablespoons macadamia oil (or your choice of fat)

6 cups of organic mesculin mix (or greens of your choice)

1/2 large cucumber, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

1 large organic avocado, chopped

1/2 pomegranate

3-4 tablespoons chopped mint

1/2 cup organic greek yoghurt

2 tablespoons organic tahini

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Herbamare and black pepper to taste

*If you don’t have a Moroccan spice blend, use a combination of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and ginger. I like the Gourmet Organics Middle Eastern Blend.

Okay this is how you do it:

Rub the spice mix over the chicken fillets. Fry in a pan with oil until just cooked through.

While that’s cooking, assemble your salad ingredients on a nice big platter (love this one).

To get the pomegranate seeds out, cut the fruit in half, horizontally, turn upside down and bash it with a wooden spoon – the lovely little seeds just pop out!

To make the dressing, just combine the yoghurt, tahini, lemon juice and seasonings in a bowl and mix well.

Slice the cooked chicken and arrange on top of the salad. Drizzle with the dressing, pop a few more pomegranate seeds on top and you are done!

This salad would also go really well in some wraps!

Mushroom and Haloumi Kebabs

January 6, 2015 · 2 Comments

Simple summer eating!

I am back with my next recipe in the Australian Mushroom Growers “Summer Mushrooms” campaign! It’s such fun to be involved in creating Aussie mushie recipes alongside some great foodie bloggers. You can find their recipes here.

Mushrooms are such a great superfood. They are nutrient rich, flavour rich, high in bioactive compounds (that means they are really good for you), easily available and affordable.

This recipe makes a great starter for a barbeque – hand around a platter and use the herby sauce as a dipper. You could also pop them on a big bed of rocket and drizzle with the sauce and serve as a side dish.

It takes no time at all to whack everything onto a skewer and whizz up the sauce while you are waiting for them to cook. Get the family involved in helping you – kids love skewers!

Mushroom and Haloumi Kebabs

Vital Stats: Vegetarian, grain free, gluten free, nut free, egg free, sugar free

Okay this is what you need:

24 Aussie button mushrooms

100g haloumi

1 large red capsicum

olive oil for brushing

1/2 bunch basil

1/2 bunch mint

2 tablespoons extra virgin Australian olive oil

1 small garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon lemon juice

black pepper and pink salt to taste

Okay this is what you do:

Soak 8 small or 4 large bamboo skewers in water.

Wipe the mushrooms gently with wet paper towel or a microfibre fruit and vegetable cloth.

Cut the haloumi and the capsicum into cubes, a similar size to the mushrooms.

Thread the mushrooms, haloumi and capsicum onto the skewers.

Brush with olive oil. Cook under a hot grill or on the bbq – about ten minutes or until soft and starting to brown.

While that’s cooking, make the herby sauce. It’s actually called a pistou – sort of like pesto but without the cheese and nuts!

Throw the herbs, oil, garlic, juice, salt and pepper into a food processor or thermomix and blitz until combined. I like mine a bit chunky but keep processing if you like it smooth.

To serve, just pour the herby sauce over the kebabs or put it on the side in a dipping bowl.

For more info and amazing recipes using mushrooms, check out the Australian Mushroom Growers website or Facebook page.

Do you cook mushrooms on the barbie? Share your ideas with us.

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Walnut and Fetta Stuffed Mushrooms

December 15, 2014 · 2 Comments

Simple Summer Eating!

The lovely people at Australian Mushroom Growers asked me to be a part of their “Summer Mushrooms” campaign and I jumped at the chance to do a bit of recipe creation using real, whole foods with Aussie mushies as the star.

My first thought was my vegetarian friends. How often they are neglected at barbeques and gatherings, left eating a green salad! Mushrooms are an amazing food for vegos (as well as the rest of us).

Mushies have a really rich, satisfying flavour and are good at leaving you feel satiated. They also are full of nutrients including Vitamin D and B12 and loads of antioxidants. You can find out more nutrition info here.

This recipe is perfect for summer entertaining.

Mushrooms just cry out to be stuffed with something yummy – they are nature’s pastry shells! Perfect for people that are avoiding gluten and grains. You can serve them as an appetizer on a big platter with wedges of lemon. Or find some of the big field mushrooms to stuff and you have a lovely vegetarian main course. This recipe makes ten mouthful size mushrooms -double the recipe if you are cooking for a crowd.

Walnut and Fetta Stuffed Mushrooms

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, egg free, sugar free, vegetarian

This is what you need:

10 medium Aussie mushrooms

4 tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons thyme

70g goats fetta or soft fetta

2 teaspoons lemon zest

cracked black pepper and pink Himalayan salt to taste

olive oil

This is how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 200ºc.

Wipe your mushrooms with damp paper towel or a microfibre fruit and vege cloth.

Push the mushroom stalk gently forward until it snaps out of the mushrooms. Set aside.

Chuck the mushroom stalks, walnuts, thyme, fetta, lemon zest, salt and pepper into a food processor or thermomix.

Pulse or turbo gently a few times until combined well. Don’t make it too mushy (see what I did there?)

Using a spoon, gently stuff the mixture into the mushroom caps.

Throw your mushies into a heatproof dish and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the stuffing is just going brown.

Enjoy!

[box] HOT TIP! This recipe is baked in the oven but if it’s way too hot to turn the oven on, whack them on the barbeque in a heatproof dish and put the hood down. [/box]

For more info and amazing recipes using mushrooms, check out the Australian Mushroom Growers website or Facebook page.

Keep an eye out next month, I have another recipe for you! Do you have a favourite way of preparing mushies? Share with us and spread the mushy love!

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Choc Banana Protein Smoothie

July 29, 2013 · 27 Comments

Choc Banana Protein Smoothie

I have been experimenting with different smoothies lately.

They are a great way to get superfoods into your diet. This recipe came to me in the middle of the night (and yes, I had to get out of bed and write it down so I didn’t forget it).

I wanted to make a smoothie for breakfast that tasted good but also had a good amount of protein to get me through the morning. It did both of those things. I was actually a little surprised at how well it filled me up – sometimes drinking smoothies for breakfast means I need to eat morning tea!

Let me give you a rundown on some of the superfoods and why they are so good for you before we get to the recipe.

* CACAO. Rich in magnesium, iron and antioxidants, cacao is also a natural appetite suppressant. But what I love most about it, is that it contains the amino acid tryptophan, which leads to the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of joy and may help prevent mild depression. Start the day off happy!

* MACA POWDER. I am a recent convert to maca powder, but I am loving the general health benefits and feelings of energy I get when I take it. Maca is a nutritionally packed super food rich in amino acids, vitamins minerals & essential fatty acids. Maca is rich in vitamin B12 and protein (handy for vegans). It contains vitamins B1, B2, B12, C and E. It provides plenty of calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and amino acids.

It is also well-known for helping to regulate hormones, increasing libido, increasing energy, improving acne and skin conditions and alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety. Read more here.

* CINNAMON. I put cinnamon in everything. Not only because I love the taste, but cinnamon has so many health benefits, including lowering our blood sugar. It can also help with things like PMS, candida, arthritis, headaches and migraine! Read more here.

* BANANAS. High in potassium, magnesium, B vitamins and antioxidants, bananas also produce tryptophan! Find out some more good things about nanas here.

* ALMONDS. Almonds are a good source of calcium, vitamin E, some of the B vitamins, and are about 20 percent protein, so they are also very filling. Copper, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, magnesium, manganese and selenium are present in almonds.

* INCA INCHI POWDER. You may not have heard of inca inchi before. It’s fast becoming very popular as a natural protein supplement. Inca Inchi Protein Powder is over 60% complete protein. It’s also high in vitamins A and E, calcium and omega 3.

“Inca inchi powder is made from the nut that has been cold pressed to remove the oil (Inca Inchi Oil). The dried nut powder contains one of the most highly digestible, low-irritant, high quality proteins (unlike some whey based, chemically enhanced protein) and thus has become one of nature’s superfoods!” Cyndi O’Meara

So this little smoothie is a powerhouse of nutrition, will fill you up and make you happy! Now, Let me tell you how to make it:

Choc Banana Protein Smoothie

Vital stats: dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, vegan, vegetarian, full of superfoods!

Okay, so this is what you need:

1 organic banana

1 cup (250ml) organic milk of your choice (I used nut milk)

1 teaspoon inca inchi powder

1 teaspoon maca powder

2 teaspoons raw, organic cacao

2 teaspoons almond or other nut butter

1 large medjool date

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Okay, so this is what you do:

Whack everything into your blender/thermomix/ food processor and whizz it like crazy for a minute.

Pour into a glass and enjoy! It serves one large glass or two small.

Do you like smoothies for breakfast? What do you put in them?

Get superfoods at my affiliate shop.

Healthy Chocolate Tart

March 22, 2013 · 21 Comments

Today I am welcoming the gorgeous Alison from Relauncher to share a fabulous healthy chocolate recipe with us. She has created this amazing raw, vegan tart which would finish off an Easter feast perfectly and give you a nice hit of chocolate!

Healthy Chocolate Tart

Vital stats: sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, egg free

Okay, so this is what you need:

Crust

2 cups activated mixed nuts

3 tablespoons organic coconut oil

1 1/4 cups dessicated coconut

2 tablespoons organic cacao powder

8 dates

Filling

Handful of berries

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

2 tablespoons organic cacao powder

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoons organic coconut oil

4 dates

1/2 teaspoon stevia

NOTE: if you want a creamier filling, you can omit the coconut milk and stevia and replace with coconut cream!

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Crust

Whizz up all the ingredients in a powerful blender. If you don’t have a powerful blender, just whizz the ingredients in small batches

Pack the mixture into a lined cake dish and place in the freezer whilst making the filling

Filling

Blend the dates, then remove from the blender and set aside

Whizz the coconut milk and stevia in the blender for 7 minutes (this helps slightly thicken the milk)
- If you have opted to use coconut cream instead, whizz the coconut cream in the blender for about 5 minutes

Add dates and the remaining ingredients (except the berries) to the blender and give it a quick blend to mix the ingredients thoroughly

Place the berries on the crust, then add the filling on top

Return to the freezer for approximately 4 hours before you enjoy

Alison is Director of Relauncher, an online destination for health, wellbeing, beauty and lifestyle. Alison lives and breathes a healthy authentic life through daily yoga and meditation practice. Her love of this life is encompassed in her online store bringing about beauty for the body, mind and soul.

Connect with Alison:

Website http://www.relauncher.com.au/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/relauncher

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Instagram http://instagram.com/relauncher_alison

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Rhubarb, Rhubarb! Roasted with greek yoghurt

May 5, 2012 · 20 Comments

Rhubarb, Rhubarb !! Does anyone remember why we used to say that as kids? I remember I did, but I don’t know why! Now I can’t say RHUBARB without it being in duplicate!

Anyway, onto the food! My brain has been getting a work out lately as my diet has become very specific.

What can I have as a treat that does not involve sugar, fruit or wheat? Also, healthy and not too calorific? And easy? And quick?

Rhubarb, Rhubarb! It’s technically a vegetable, not a fruit. And it’s a very tart vegatable, at that, so no sugar to worry about!

I didn’t want to boil it up, because basically it just goes to mush – like baby food. So it got a roasting in the oven instead!

Yes, this is another recipe I would give to my kids for breakfast! Just like the cheesecake!

♥ Roasted Rhubarb with Greek Yoghurt ♥

So, this is what you need:

1 bunch of rhubarb

1/2 tablespoon of organic, virgin coconut oil

1 tablespoon of xylitol (or to taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (not essence!)

Organic greek yoghurt to serve*

* Instead of greek yoghurt, a great dairy free option is cashew cream. I love this recipe from Quirky Cooking. It’s heavenly!

~rhubarb rhubarb, before roasting~

So, this is how you do it:

Wash the rhubarb well and cut into even size pieces.

Did you know you have to be careful of the leaves? They are poisonous!

Place in a baking dish and toss with the oil and vanilla essence. Sprinkle the xylitol on top.

Bake in a hot oven – 200 degrees celsius – for about 10-15 minutes or until just soft.

~rhubarb, rhubarb after roasting~

Portion onto plates, spoon over some of the juice and top with the greek yoghurt.

Bliss!

This recipe easily makes enough for four people. Next time, I am making a double batch. It freezes really well too.

Okay, tell me what you think. Would you make this? Come back and let me know if you do! I love to hear how you go with the recipes.

Berry Coconuty Cheesecake – so healthy!

April 30, 2012 · 29 Comments

I have had a life-long love affair with cheesecake. My mum used to make an awesome mango cheesecake, sweet and rich! Unfortunately, all that sugar, dairy and wheat just doesn’t love me anymore.

Recently, I started hearing about all these healthy people making ‘raw’ cheesecakes. Now to be honest, when someone said ‘raw food’, I wasn’t exactly that excited. It just didn’t really appeal to me. It sounded weird – hippy food! Until I tried it – if this is what raw food tastes like, count me in!

I have made a few different ‘cheesecakes’ now, but this one I made up at Easter time, inspired by this recipe, is my favourite. It’s so darn healthy, I would serve it up to my kids for breakfast!

It’s raw, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, high protein, low carb. The best bit though……. it tastes flipping amazing!!

Try it, tell me what you think.

♥ Berry Coconuty Cheesecake ♥

So, this is what you need:

2 cups organic almonds, soaked overnight*

2 cups dates

1/2 cup organic cacao powder, (not cocoa)

1 teaspoon organic cinnamon

3 cups organic cashews, soaked overnight*

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries, defrosted a little

3/4 cup sweetener of your choice – honey, maple syrup, rice malt syrup

1 cup virgin, organic coconut oil

1/2 cup organic lemon juice

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (not essence)

1/2 cup filtered water (if needed)

* Why would you soak your nuts? Good question. Not only does it make the nuts softer and easier to process, soaking makes nuts easier to digest. Read more here. If you can’t manage overnight, at least do a couple of hours of soaking. Use filtered water.

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Drain the almonds well and place in your thermomix (or food processor) with the dates, cacao powder and cinnamon.

Blitz until it forms a crumb and is sticking together a little. Add a touch of filtered water if needed.

Place a piece of baking paper into a large, spring form pan or two glass pie dishes. (That’s what I did – one for later!)

Press the cheesecake base into the dish, smoothing it with the back of a wet spoon. Place in the fridge.

Now, fling the rest of your ingredients into the thermomix or food processor and blitz!

It should be very smooth and creamy. Keep going until it’s a nice texture! Use the water if it’s looking a bit too thick.

Pour this mix onto the base. Put some cling wrap over it and chuck into the freezer.

Leave it overnight or at least six hours.

To serve, take it out of the freezer for about ten minutes and cut into slices.

You could serve it with some fresh berries or even make a berry sauce with some more berries and honey, thickened with cornflour.

I find you only need a small serve. The nuts in this ‘cheesecake’ make it really filling.

~yum~

Now, if you are keen to get into this ‘raw cheesecake’ craze, you could also try this recipe from the beautiful girls at Like Chocolate for Women. Or try my mango version of this recipe.

I love comments. Do you have a recipe for a raw cheesecake? Do you love raw cheesecakes? Talk to me.