{No Bake Healthy Sweet Treats}

I found this website last night and went into my sort of "chefs coma".
What's that you ask?!
It's when you completely zone out and that mostly happens with a good cookbook, a foodie magazine or a blog etc.... These 'episodes' (lol) are characterized by lots of flipping, making mental notes, making bookmarks of recipes to try, gushing over the spectacular photography and planning future events just so you can use that recipe!

This blog is called "The Blender Girl" and you should read her story - it's fascinating.
I love her food philosophy and think society could get a long way by incorporating some of these types of recipes into our diet. No processed foods, no bad fats but lots of good food as nature intended it.

So I just made my first "blender girl" recipe. I started with her 'raw vegan chocolate fruit balls'




I didn't have all the exact ingredients and added some extras - so here is my take on Tess' recipe.


Ingredients (made about 16 balls)
1 cup mixed raw nuts (I used 1cup of cashews)
1/2 cup pitted chopped dates
1/2 cup dried chopped apricots
1/2 cup raisins
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp fresh orange juice (I only had apple on hand)
a couple of drops – 1/8 tsp of natural almond essence (I used vanilla)
I added 2 tbl LSA and a small squirt of honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup desiccated coconut

Method
Mix the coconut and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside for rolling.
Put all other ingredients in a food processor, and slowly add in the orange juice if it doesn’t bind together completely.
Roll into small balls and coat with the coconut mixture.
Store in a sealed glass container in the fridge.


I have to say these are delicious and I was thrilled with the result. Took a minute to prepare and it's great having them in the fridge to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Enjoy;

Lauren X




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

{Honey and Macadamia Frozen Cheesecake}

I had some friends over last night and knew I had a busy day beforehand. So, I planned a few things that allowed me to not be in the kitchen all day and still have a dessert 'buffet'.

Sunday evening I made this cheesecake and took it out of the freezer 1/2 hour before serving.

1. Do a normal biscuit base as per regular cheesecake (I use 3/4 packet of digestive biscuits and about 100g of melted butter pressed into a spring form tin).

2. In a food processor add 500g cream cheese, 300ml cream, 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts.

3. Blitz up this mixture, pour onto the biscuit base.
4. Squeeze some extra honey on the top and swirl it in. Freeze overnight.
5. Half an hour before serving take it out and place it on a platter. Top with fresh strawberries and drizzle some honey on top.


This is so easy and tasted delicious! You could easily freeze it and have it on hand over the happy summer season if you, like us, often have spontaneous dinners or BBQ's happen and you don't have to lift a finger!


Enjoy;
Lauren x

{Menu Chalkboard}

A few months ago I went to the treasure shop with my boys and I bought a frame that I wanted to re-use. The frame cost me a few dollars.

I saw potential in this discarded old thing.

With a little bit of black board paint left over from another project and some bright red cherry paint on the frame, I made this board to put up the menu for the week. It sure beats the handwritten paper on the fridge. My family love knowing hats coming up too!

Enjoy;

Lauren x

{Bib and Nappy Mat/ Storage Wallet}

My beautiful cousin (in-law) is expecting a beautiful baby girl in a few weeks. I am very excited for her and now that I have given the gift to her in person, I can share it on here.

I had some beautiful girls fabric I bought previously and I wanted to use it for this project.

So I made a bib and a nappy change mat with storage compartments for her. Nothing like practical and pretty! I love this idea so much and would make one for me if I wasn't about to head out of nappies (YAY!!!)

The teddy is the closest thing I have to a doll in a boy house to show you how the mat works and how the bib sits.

This 'crinkley' heart is stuffed with a cellophane type material and built in so that the baby has something to play with whilst Mummy is trying to wrangle a new nappy onto a little bubba.

I took these photos before I attached the tie on the end and so that is missing on here.

Both projects were manageable even for a beginner.

Bib
1. Trace a bib pattern from one or there are a few online you can find if you don't have one on hand.
2. Pin right sides together.
3. Make sure you place the string/ ribbon to tie it up inside the bib, leaving a little out to anchor it and the length inside. You can also use velcro after you've turned it instead.
4. Sew around the edge leaving a little gap (back stitched) to turn inside.
5. Turn out the right way and top stitch around the edge making sure you enclose the gap you left to turn it out.


Nappy Mat
1. Measure out your two rectangles
2. Sew face side of fabric together with a gap on the side (back stitched) to turn right side out.
3. Iron flat
4. Measure size of pocket and fold and pin in place. Top stitch around edge using a decorative stitch (don't forget to put the ribbon and toy in the pocket fold if doing so).
5. Sew a divider in the center of the pocket for nappy and wipes case.
6. Sew a ribbon, some velcro or something to fasten and hold together.

Enjoy,
Lauren x

p.s. I hope you like the new blog logo! I have felt like a change for a while but waited for the right idea. I loved the toffee apple as it is a mix of healthy and sweet. We eat healthy here, but as someone who enjoys baking, treats are a fun thing to enjoy.

{Birthday Card with a Difference : what an egg-cellent idea}

Recently a special girl in my world had a birthday. I saw an idea sometime ago (yes, on pinterest) and wanted to give it a go. It cost me nothing as I had everything on hand and it was stacks of fun.
I didn't get photos of the glueing and glittering process as my hands were messy and I was enjoying it so much I just forgot. I hope you get the idea though.



All you do is find an egg, a skewer, medicine or egg cup, paint, pva glue, tissue paper, glitter (the finer the better) and a paint brush.

1. Carefully put a hole in each end of egg. Scramble egg inside with skewer and slowly drain egg. I blew some out and let some drain into medicine cup. This takes a while. (I saved the egg and made a cake for morning tea - no waste here!)
2. Then I rinsed it with water and set overnight to dry.
3. Write your message on paper and finely roll. Slot it into the hole. I found making one hole a little larger helped here and with the draining process.
4. Using the pva glue and small squares of tissue (colour doesn't matter) cover up the holes on each end and smooth out the paper with more glue on top (like a decoupage technique).
5. Paint the egg a background colour. This you'll have to do in two steps. (this isn't absolutely necessary, but in my practice run I found that it helped the finished look in case you miss a teeny spot with glitter).
6. Cover with glitter one half at a time.

Voila!

I packaged this by cutting a section from an egg carton and laying raffia type 'straw' in the bottom. I then placed the egg on top and wrapped in clear cellophane. Attached was a tag "smash me". I had intended to box it up and post it to her, but I got to see her crack it in person which was a lovely surprise!

I hope you like the idea and I can see it being adapted for other messages too.


Lauren x