{Sweet Potato Hummus : Super Food Heaven}

It's been a while since I've been on here...but I've missed my little space.
I thought I'd show you one of the new things I've added to the snack bar in our fridge and it has also been a great accompaniment to after school snacks and lunch boxes.

In my experience, kids are all about colour, variety and options (even the grown ups like this too). So, when you present a snack like this, who wouldn't love to dive in!



1. Start with raw fresh produce:
Simply cut up a variety of veggies. Take the opportunity to branch out from just carrot and celery, there's so much you can choose from. I've cut up carrots, celery, capsicum, cucumber, green beans, broccoli florets and grapes. You could also use snow peas, baby corns or even cauliflower florets. Stick to whats in season too, and you will cut down your costs massively.
2. Add some extra crunch:
I chose to add a few different crackers I had on hand and some BBQ floured corn kernels that my youngest son loves. You can choose whatever is on hand, but I usually have a packet or two of different crackers in the pantry in case I need to put together a platter at a moments notice (because that can happen quite frequently around here). 
3. Dip It Up:
This is the new hero in our family. Simply peel, cut up and steam a sweet potato (such a great superfood) and add it to the food processor next time you whip up some hummus {link here}. A few of my friends are rolling your eyes now saying 'of course you make your own' hummus. Trust me if you never have done it, try it! It is cheap, easy and if your like me, you'll never buy it again.

Lastly, I added some cheese to please the kiddies and voila! My boys and I literally devoured it!

Lauren x

{The Tasting Plate Concept}

Making a healthy lifestyle change can be difficult to maintain. One thing that I have learned is that when trying to cut down on sugars and bad fats, you may need to challenge what traditionally may be eaten at a certain meal time.
For many, breakfast must come out of a box or pop out of a toaster and loaded with buttery & sugary condiments. Many of us also view morning tea snacks as a coffee and a highly processed cupcake that we call a "muffin" to make us feel better or a pastry type treat.

One way that I have found keeps it interesting in our house, is introducing the tasting plate idea into a few meals.

I have often served a breakfast plate with a little yoghurt, half a banana and a slice of whole wheat Vegemite toast. I find that my boys love eating a 'tasting plate', as it is inherently is full if variety.


Today for morning tea/ brunch. I made up two plates with a glass of sparkling lime water. One each for me and my youngest son.
On it I had:
Carrot sticks, pear slices, a fig, small handful of cashews, 2 dates and a small container of natural yoghurt with apple purée and cinnamon.
Mr Cheeky (3yrs) ate everything I did, except for the cashews - but he did try them. I don't have to worry of he doesn't like one component as the whole thing is healthy and it's about trying different things and building good eating habits.
I also find that when you eat this way, you enjoy it more and savor each part. Maybe the Japanese are onto something with their bento style meals ;)

Q: Have you or your kids ever eaten 'tasting plate/ bento style'?

Lauren x

{Things I am learning not to miss}

For this year we decided to have a few friends around for New Years Eve. Most of us have kids and trekking into the city with overtired kiddlets in toe doesn't spell fun to us. AT ALL. So, amidst all of the festivities two weeks ago, it turned out that our microwave wasn't working. The part that heats up the food. I may have had a slight panic. Much to my surprise now (due to debating over repair vs replace debate) it has been sitting out of the kitchen and in the laundry. Awaiting the verdict on it's fate. The biggest surprise to me is that in the last 2 weeks, I haven't missed it. I know, I shocked myself as I was first thinking about I use this thing all the time. 

Another thing that I am not missing a lot of, is certain foods.   

As a lot of you know by now, I start every year with a 'Daniel fast' for 21 days. This is basically a plant based diet that I do for health benefits and a spiritual purpose {I have talked about this more here in the past}. 
So I started this year with the usual plan, but I am considering keeping the no-sugar rule slightly longer in a hopes to help me deal with a medical problem I have {I don't talk about it much but here, but it is something that I have been dealing with for ages - click here for more on that}. When I tell people about my fast and sugar free considerations...I am often met with looks of pity and sorrow. 
 
However, once you kick over the first few days which are notorious for lethargy, headaches etc...as your body cleanses itself, the benefits are amazing! I absolutley love the change in my energy, my clarity and I am starting to loose some cm's too! 

You could be forgiven thinking that giving up sugar and processed food {and for me meat - part time} means you are left with a plate of over steamed veggies or a bowl full of lettuce at every meal. But truth is, once you start, the variety is actually quite large. You just have to be creative and plan ahead. 

This year I think I will stick with this eating plan for a bit longer due to my newest cookbook to my collection for Christmas: 'I Quit Sugar' by Sarah Wilson {click here}. If you want to improve your health and do it in style, check her e-book bundle out and for under $30 you will not be sorry!

                                                            

Lauren x

Q: Have you made any changes to your eating so far this year? 

{Snack Bar & Water Bar}

Don't know about you, but right as December approaches, the fridge starts to turn into the 'party fridge' zone. Christmas time in our house usually involves an adult version of 'fridge Tetris' whereby attempting to fit the ham, trifle, salads, left overs and a bunch of drinks inside.

But, the tree is down. No sign of Christmas is in sight. A new year is starting and my fridge is now cleared of all the junk.

It is time to welcome back the snack bar:


I started this last year and it had brilliant results for each member of our family. Considering we have two fridges, our snack bar is quite large. But use what space you have, make it easily accessible to the kids also. I'd much prefer them grazing on this on holidays and after school, than packaged sugar, fat and salt.

Sweet ideas:
- Fresh fruit cut up (melons, grapes, berries, kiwi fruit)
- Plain yoghurt with Apple sauce
- Sugar free truffles (recipe coming soon) 

Savory ideas:
- Veggie sticks (cucumber, carrot, celery, capsicum)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Homemade Hommus
- Cheese cubes

Water Bar:
Under all the nuts and dried fruit, I filled the right hand fridge with bottles of water.

So today, right after I re-claimed the fridge, I found my boys sitting with each other with cut up rock melon, cucumber sticks and a bottle of water each. With one son addicted to chocolate and the other fast becoming lemonade obsessed, it was nice to get back to normal!

Lauren x

{Welcome 2013}

We are here again. Early in a new year. The time when many of us make goals and resolutions. Most are totally un-attainable and aim for us to reach some level of 'perfection' that we hope exists. Mainly because we see what we think we want in others around us. I see potential problems with this. In life we often compare our 'backstage experience' with the 'highlight reel' of others.

Whilst most resolutions seem tame, and are to a certain extent, I believe there is a dangerous risk with this.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be your best you. If a few LESS Kg's could make you healthier....then you should get moving. If loosing the cigarettes will save your life...quit - for real.

BUT, I don't make resolutions. Why?
Many people set out to achieve something that many don't ever see through. The danger with this is that you miss out on the blessings you have right now.

In this 'Instant Internet' and 'Pinterest perfection' society...the challenge for us is to simply be content. Be aware. Be grateful.

Sure, make goals, eat healthy,
save money, look ahead in a healthy manner.
But don't miss what's in front of you. Don't sacrifice the moments you already have, for the sake that something better MIGHT be out there.
You may just find out one day, that the better you wanted was, in actual fact, what you already had!

Lauren x

{Summer's A Comin'}

Over the last few months I have been feeling quite tired. I had no exact reason to, either. I wasn't sick.I wasn't pregnant (although I did check). I wasn't sleeping horrendously. I was just not making it through to the end of the day without the 3pm feeling of needing a nanna nap. Which doesn't fit into the school pick-up schedule at all. 

I normally eat my main meals very healthy. But I am not regularly exercising. 

Then it clicked!

{Wheat Bran Muffins}

I bought a packet of wheat bran in a recent grocery shop but didn't know what to do with it. I set myself an assignment to make some sort of healthy muffins for school lunches. It annoys me how so many muffin recipes may as well be cupcakes with their sugar content. Are we just trying to avoid guilt by re-naming it...I'm not buying into it. These were healthy enough that you could even use it as part of an on-the-go breakfast I reckon. 

I tried this recipe and it was met with much delight by my boys. They practically inhaled them for a rainy afternoon tea treat. They have been requested again since. So, I adapted a few different recipes to come up with this one. 

Here is the recipe that you can customise to your tastes. Ours were banana flavoured which is always a favourite in our house.

{Carthardic Organising & Introducing the Snack Bar}

Today I had one of those days where I felt like I would have earned a bonus because I met and exceeded my 'KPI's" (in my dreams).

Thanks to the movie 'CARS 2', I managed to tick off three things that have been on my to-do list since Christmas. I managed to re-organise and clean the fridges (the only time having two fridges is a nightmare - double the work), the freezers, and clean out my plastics cupboard.

"Before" - It's not hard with two boys who like to get and put away things for it to get to this state (I can't stand this!)


How many plastic cups does one family of four need? Major culling happened!!

"After" (*sighs* ...... ahhhh much better!)

Then I decided to cut up carrot sticks for morning tea. Before I knew it I had washed and cut up enough fresh produce to create a "snack bar". Not only does it satisfy the organiser in me, it also doubles as some great incidental word association and learning for my boys (WIN/WIN!).

After the cleaning but before the snack bar. In the right hand fridge door, I decided to put some of the copious bottles to use and create a water bar too. Constant water ready to go and that's all my boys drank all day!

Snack Bar includes: Fruit Salad, Watermelon slices, Mini pears, grapes, celery sticks, carrot sticks, red yellow and green capsicum, snow peas, cheese cubes and little pots of hommus.

The right hand fridge after the snack bar was installed....couldn't get rid of the glare, sorry!

Not only did I find that it helped our boys to eat healthy today, it has helped us too.


Enjoy;
Lauren x

{VERY Healthy Dessert - Sweet Potato Pie}

Well, by now you obviously know I am fasting at the moment, and I had a brain wave for a 'dessert' the other night. I made version one last week, but burned the crust and therefore couldn't get a good idea of the taste and certainly wasn't going to take photos of it like that.

So, today I made version two.....and was SO happy with the result. This is a dairy free, wheat free and artificial sugar free Pie.

INGREDIENTS:
Crust
- 250g nuts (I used 100g cashews, 100g cashews & 50 g walnuts)
- 2 heaped dessert spoons of nut butter (you can buy all sorts of varieties in the health food isle)
- 2 dessert spoons of maple syrup (could use honey)

Filling
- 3 sweet potato (could substitute for pumpkin)
- 1 banana
- approx 80g apple sauce (the jar I had in the fridge had grown into a science experiment [eww] so I used a long life apple raspberry puree I had in the pantry which was 80g - about 1/2 cup)
- 1 dessert spoon of chia seeds (these are very healthy and act as a thickener - more info here)
- 1 dessert spoon cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup of natural maple syrup (not flavoured syrup or honey)





METHOD:
1. Peal, chop and steam the sweet potato
2. Preheat oven to 150'C
3. In your food processor, grind up the nuts until resembling crumbs. Add the nut butter and maple syrup until it rolls into a ball in the processor and combines nicely.
4. Press into a flan/ tart tin and press into the base and sides to make a pastry-like base.
5. Place in the oven for about 15 mins or until golden. Keep an eye on it, (because time got away from me the first time I made it).
6. Place the sweet potato (once cooked and soft) into the food processor a bit at a time until smooth (don't worry about rinsing it after making the base crust, the ingredients blend together well).
7. Add the other ingredients into the smooth sweet potato mixture and blend together.
8. Place the mixture into the nut crust base.
9. Turn the oven off and place the finished pie into the "dead oven" and allow to 'bake' for about 10 minutes or until filling is firm.



Slice up and serve with fresh berries, pear or other seasonal fruit.
For those fasting, on restrictive diets or those that love healthy food, this is a real treat!

I took it to a family dinner as a substitute for dessert for myself. One person loved the crust, but wasn't keen on the filling (would probably have to add brown sugar or something to the filling to satisfy that one). MANY loved it and I got a lot of positive comments about the attempt to make such a healthy and guilt free dessert. When you haven't had ANY sugar in 2 weeks, it is quite a nice treat!

Lauren x

{Cashew & Herb Crusted Salmon}

This is the most simple and delicious meal ad it was GOBBLED up by my hubby, 5 year old AND 2 year old boys! They loved it and it tasted so fancy which is a great trick since it was so simple!

INGREDIENTS:

4 salmon fillets
100g of cashews (could use other nuts also like almonds or macadamias)
A handful of fresh herbs (I used basil & parsley - they are fresh in the garden)
1/2 a lime
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

METHOD:
Pre-heat oven to 160'C
1. Place the nuts in a food processor and blitz up until sort of like bread crumbs.
2. Add the herbs and squeeze the lime in also.
3. While it's processing, drizzle olive oil in until it binds it together. I used about a few dessert spoonfuls, but just add a little and test as you go.
4. Season and then gently place onto the salmon in an oven proof dish.
Place in the oven for about 20 mins until cooked through.

SERVING SUGGESTION:
I stirfried some Asian greens (bok choy and pak choy) with 1/2 a red onion, 1/2 a chili, the other 1/2 of the lime from above, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 2 garlic cloves, corriander stems & 1 TBS sesame seeds.

Once cooked, serve alongside the salmon with fresh corriandar on top - SOOO GOOD!!!

{Chick Pea Patties & veggie stack}

If you are new to the blog you may not know that I have mentioned before about how each year I start January with a 21 day Daniel fast. It is for mainly spiritual reasons and also health reasons too. If you have never done this and are interested, see info here. The basic 'jist' is that I eat only plant based food for 21 days, ergo no meat, no diary, no sugars, no processed food, no alcohol and no caffeine (this is always hard to detox from).

I have shared recipes on here before that I usually eat at fast time in Jnaurary, like
- My ESSENTIAL homemade tomato sauce
- Falafel
- Hommus
- Baked Fish Parcels (fish is not strictly on the fast according to my research unless you need some extra protein for an active lifestyle. I choose to include some during the fast.

The next few posts will be Daniel Fast recipes that are delicious enough to eat all year round!

{CHICK PEA PATTIES}

1 can of Chick Peas
1 can of lentils
1 potato cooked (could also use sweet potato or carrot)
1 handful of mixed herbs (i used basil and parsley as I had plenty in the garden)
1 small onion and garlic clove cooked (not essential but i like the taste)
2 TBL pasta sauce (could use store bought if your not being as 'picky as me')


Method:
1. Mash the chick peas, lentils, potato (or similar).
2. Mix other ingredients into it and season with salt and pepper.
3. Form into patty shapes and fry gently.
**i would probably include bread crumbs and an egg when off the fast to help bind it together a bit more. But as long as you are gentle with them, they cook fine**

SERVING SUGGESTION:

My favourite way to eat these is in a stack with char-grilled eggplant, capsicum, avocado, the tomato sauce, avocado, hommus and fresh herbs and rocket. YUM!

Enjoy;
Lauren x

Is your food REALLY FOOD?!

I am going through a change in our house. As I have already mentioned I do a Daniel fast from Janurary 1-21 each year (primarily spiritual reasons but for MANY health benefits too). I have been having a lot of fun playing around with recipes and I have not purchased "numer food" (as my 4 year old says) all year. When I say number food, I mean in the ingredients list when you see things like 220 and 200 on the packet in the ingredients listing. I have made a deliberate decision to exclude ALL chemicals, preservatives, additives etc.... from our diet at this time.

I want to try to keep this throughout the year but once you start looking, you realise how much of our food is "numbered". And you quickly realise that the only way to eat "good food" you need to buy and eat raw food and also prepare a lot of things at home. So, I am on a bit of a silent crusade to find and refine some recipes that families can use that will be actually good for you without ingredients that you can't even pronounce - lol ;)

Then i came across this on twitter today and it amazed me how spot on it was for what has been in my mind at the moment. Thank you to @unhealthytruth (www.allergykidsfoundation.org) who posted this link from "Take Part : Inspiration to Action"


I just love this image and hope you get a little chuckle from it like I did and a few Oprah type "Ah-ha" moments!

Enjoy;
Lauren x

Interesting facts from Elements 4 Health

I have found Elements on twitter and have just loved their tweets that give you little bite sized information about food facts, exercise and general healthy living. I find it very interesting to stay informed with research and facts about living a healthily. However, as a busy Mum of two active boys, this would normally be out of reach. Elements 4 health has made it easier for me to access this and I just love some of their links.

Fish Oil Could Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Mushrooms Enhance Activity of Critical Cells in Body's Immune System

Human Brain Shifts Into Higher Gear During Exercise

Study Ranks the Clove as the Best Natural Antioxidant

The Health Benefits of Bananas


I hope you enjoy this info and if your on twitter follow @elements4health

Product Review ::: Eve's Soy Candles

I have been a little slow in blog land as we had sickness visit our house in a nasty way last week and also a family wedding to energise for on the weekend. So appologies for my absence.

Last Sunday I went to the third ever Hide and Seek Markets and had a ball. I am loving the way this market is expanding each month and seeing the new stall holders. I want to highlight two of my purchases that I am so happy with!

Today I want to share Eve's Soy Candles with you all. Why Soy Candles you ask? Well there are many reasons why this important. Whether it is the health reasons or the ease of cleaning reasons that attract you, soy candles are something I am definiltey hooked on!
The scent I bought was hazelnut and cappuccino and WOW! I just wanted to eat it, it smelt so delicious. The beautiful candle left a beautiful scent in the house as I spent the night crafting. Just lovely.

You can find info about this handmade buisness on facebook or on the web.

Enjoy these as much as I did;
Lauren x