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Healthy Little Wonders

Healthy life of a new mum

Scandi Christmas down South!

Being in Melbourne, I am forever dreaming about Christmas in Helsinki. The smell of  Kaalikääryleet (cabbage rolls), Karjalanpiirakka (rice pies), Korvapuusti (cinnamon and cardamon buns) and Piparkakku (gingerbread cookies) seeping out of Old Market Hall, the chill in the air leaving frost and when we are lucky, snow on the tips of branches. Christmas Markets and Saunas. The icy lakes and dreamy sunsets.

Now yes I know, technically Finland is not in Scandinavia, historically including Norway, Denmark and Sweden. But when it is commonly included nowdays whether we say Nordic or Scandi, we get the idea.

On trend this year, there is an array of stunning Scandi themed Christmas Decorations to get your hands on! Here are some of my favourite 🙂

Scandi1

Picture taken from http://craftii.co.uk/crafting-making-sewing/have-yourself-a-scandi-little-christmas/

scandi2

Picture taken from http://blog.reedgiftfairs.com.au/2014/12/a-scandinavian-style-christmas/

nordliving

Nord Living, 220 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne https://www.facebook.com/nordliving

wooden-christmas-tree-diy-final

This divine Xmas tree improv by http://style-files.com/2014/12/12/diy-project-scandinavian-style-christmas-tree/

Christmas Reindeer on wooden background in scandinavian style
Christmas Reindeer on wooden background in scandinavian style

Photo from http://www.123rf.com/photo_34139450_christmas-reindeer-on-wooden-background-in-scandinavian-style.html

advent-calendar

Gorgeous Advent Calendar Idea from http://www.papertree.co.uk/blog/news/paper-christmas-decorations/

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Christmas Dinner Dining Table ideas from http://www.crateandbarrel.com/all-christmas

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Marimekko Dining Table material, dinnerware and wrapping paper

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marimekko presents

 

 

 

Guilt Free Brownies

I have been having crazy chocolate cravings lately, so it was time for a healthy(ish) brownie!

This brownie is free from dairy, gluten, refined sugar, soy and is paleo!

The main idea for this recipe comes from this recipe over at http://empoweredsustenance.com/ however, this version has a few not so healthy things in it, so I have altered it a bit!

Cacao Brownies

  • 1/2 cup minus 1 Tbs. coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs melted coconut oil
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. maple syrup (also room temperature)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius.
  2. Add coconut flour in to a mixing bowl.
  3. Crack eggs in to a well in the middle, whisk in to the flour mixture with fork.
  4. Melt coconut oil and add to mixture with maple syrup and vanilla and mix well.
  5. Place baking paper in to a pan and pour mixture in. Smooth over until even.
  6. Place in oven for 25-30 minutes until a skewer place in to the middle comes out clean.

Add some cacao nibs to serve or into the recipe for a delicious crunch! 🙂

Eat while hot and goey and ENJOY!

xx

Shopping at Aldi (the highs and lows…)

Aldi is addictive. Like a black hole, it draws you in and while you are wandering around the edge browsing you’re fine (although you are cruising at slower speed of time compared to back on Earth, ie. Every shopping trip ever) but as soon as you are sucked in, you are gone for good!

So you dabble shopping there once or twice, not committing, a few things here and there. They have pretty good prices, kick ass gluten free products and really cheap almond milk. Then all of a sudden, every week they suck you in to buying an abundance of rad things you may (but mostly don’t) need. Not only do they have specials, they have them twice a week! TWICE!

So herein lies the problem, the specials. Last week they had Bonds zippies and Dr Seuss books. You think there was ANY trace of this ever happening at our (and I am sure many other) store/s? nope. Not one thread of cotton! This is actually pretty crappy as I heard down the mumma-line that people were buying huge amounts and reselling them on facebook swap and sell sites, YOU JERKS!  (I just wanted one, you know the mint green one with the fluro dinosaurs, super cute hey!).

Anyhoo, these sales, they suck you in twice a week, you go to find that awesome bargain and Baboom! it’s not there (sob sob… I missed the food processor this week too). So you walk around without (or if you’re lucky with!) your catalogue highlighted treasure, and then you find more things to add to your trolley. Really cute things that will just make your life that much better! Which is fine, enjoy, life is short my friends… But then one day you move… read my post about moving here  .  You think really, did I need all this? (I just unpacked some kitchen boxes, and found three sets of kitchen canisters!)

So your trolley is now filled with random delights and a succulent or two. You get to the counter and start unloading your trolley. While your lovely mini assists by either a) eating items b) throwing items on the floor or c) creepily staring at the person behind you so they start making ‘ahh boo’ noises and distract you from your unloading, you notice you can’t keep up with the speed of your groceries flying toward the counter… ‘what is this all about?’ you think… you look ahead and see an 80 yr old woman with her gorgeous European leather shopping cart with goods flying everywhere! As she strenuously tries to keep up with the ridiculous speed of scanning by the attendant, she manages to pack her items and look up with an exasperated look on her face, poor love 😦

So now it’s your turn. Did I say you had a trolley above, no sorry, I meant pram, you have a pram. It begins… Mr Competing-in-the-Jerky-Mc-Jerk-Olympics-how-fast-can-I-possibly-go-to-cause-everyone-an-anxiety-attack starts throwing your items around like a mad man. The canned food gets chucked on the strawberries, he puts meat on your bananas, you’re throwing things on, around and under your poor child. Half way through you frantically trying to unstack the Empire State sized pile overflowing on the edge of the counter, he turns and looks at you. ‘That’s $$$$ how are you paying?’

What, how much, paying, but, groceries, everywhere! Your child has already torn open the flour and started to paint it all over his face/pram/old lady who’s still recovering in front of you.

‘That’s $$$$ how are you paying?’

Yes, I heard you the first time!!

LIKE WHAT THE HELL?!?!

You then spend twenty minutes trying to load your pram Tetris style, while mini is grizzling in the background as your reality of popping in for 15 minutes (edge of Black Hole time) turns in to an hour (Earth time)!  You walk away stressed and confused and say you will never go again… until next week’s catalogue comes out! 😉

TED_B

Seriously, is it just me or do you guys have intense Aldi attendants too??

xx

Moving House (with a One Year Old)

Moving house is an exciting time, new dwelling, new design, new space, excuse for shopping (really, do us mumma’s need one?)…

But… then there’s all THAT crap. Yes, that stuff you haven’t seen in years and haven’t thought about since the last time you moved two years ago… That you don’t use, don’t miss, don’t need, but oh no, can’t possibly part with! Where may I ask does it all come from? That miscellaneous, mysterious, mostly useless crap is full of everything a One Year Old should not be touching! That’s just the start of it too.

Here’s my past two weeks experience in moving with a One Year Old!

I’ll list it sarcastically just for funs 😉

Top 5 Must Do’s (to cause inconvenience)

#1 Must follow you around and unpack whatever you have just packed for you.

Oh so kind, sweetheart.

Mickey packing gif

#2 Must need to eat way more frequently than usual and ensure they throw their food around a little more than usual, because really, we are going to have to do a big clean anyway hey!

olsen twin eating

#3 Must definitely poop straight after nappy change. Then repeat.

poopdance

#4 Must happen to be extra drooly and need a bib & shirt change several times. This means having to make sure you’ve packed extra clothes/bibs and when you realize you haven’t, then have to open several boxes to try find some.

openingboxes

#5 Must have x-ray vision to miraculously find and place in their mouth anything and everything dangerous. Actually anything in general… even that random thing you’ve been looking for for over a year and couldn’t find!

anddd I couldn’t find a gif for that so here is a panda on a rocking horse (OMG!!! ❤ )

pandarockinghorse

What are your moving with kids stories?

xx

Lorna Jane Warehouse Sale

Goodness me, this is what dreams are made of!

A giant hall filled to the brim with (up to 60%) discounted Lorna Jane Fitness Wear! The best part? The VIP’s (family and friends) had a chance to pleasantly peruse through this said hall of delight at their own pace, without the screaming, pushing craziness that will be Saturday and Sunday’s open to the public sale!

If you haven’t had a chance to go today, then I assure you, it’s well worth your elbowing-handbag-shoving time to get on down there and grab yourself some never before seen bargains! Check out the flyer below for details!

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Here is my treasure trove with prices included

Motivational / Inspirational Singlets $15

Lorna Jane motivational singlets

‘Lorna Jane’ singlets and all plain and other singlets also $15

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Sports Bras $40 (YES I have been pining after this foreverrr!)

Visor $10                                       Headbands 2 per pack $5

Lorna Jane floral sports bra hat headbands

Shorts $30

Lorna Jane pink shorts

Lorna Jane black shorts skirt

Feline Leggings $60 (which I have also wanted for ages eep!)

Lorna Jane leopard print leggings

Enjoy!!

Please share what you bought/buy I’d love to see!

xx

Lactation (Booby) Balls

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Milk, milk, milk… the topic of most conversations in the first 6 months of motherhood. We have too little, too much, Bub’s not feeding well, feeding constantly, mastitis, leaks, the list goes on and on!

SS and I are 11.5 months down the (very difficult) track and although we are doing really well (finally), I wanted to have some lactation treats to ensure and I can continue feeding for a little while longer. These are vegan, dairy free and refined sugar free.

Here is the recipe for my lactation bliss balls!

Ingredients

1 cup Rolled Oats (ground in food processor)
2 Tbsp Brewer’s Yeast
1/4 cup Flaxseed (Linseed)
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
4 Tbsp Raw Cacao

Method
* Ground rolled oats in food processor
* Add Brewer’s Yeast, flaxseed & Raw Cacao and blitz to mix
* Melt Coconut Oil and add to mixture with Maple Syrup
* Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture in to your hand and squeeze to firm, then roll in to balls.
* Roll balls in shredded coconut, raw cacao nibs or powder, flaxseeds or whatever you please!
* Refrigerate to harden and hold their shape.

Enjoy!
I hope they work for you, comment below and let me know!

xx

Raw Chocolate Cake

I whipped this recipe up for my husband’s birthday, he can’t eat dairy or gluten so its free from all, as well as refined sugar. We were pleasantly surprised at how delicious it turned out!

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Ingredients
Chocolate –
1 Cup of Cashews (soaked overnight)
1/3 Cup of Coconut Oil
1/3 Cup of Honey
2 Tablespoons Cacao

Base –
** This one isn’t perfect, I just grabbed a bit of this & that so I’m estimating the amounts on this bit.
1/4 Cup Almond Meal
1/4 Cup Chia Seeds
1/2 Cup Dessicated Coconut
1 1/2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (depends how hard you like your base, I like it light & crumbly, if you prefer it more solid add more coconut oil! You can just feel your way through the consistency with this one until it’s perfect).

Method
Preparation – Soak cashews overnight or a minimum of four hours.
1. Combine all the base ingredients and blend briefly (30seconds – 1minute) to mix.
2. In a mini cake tin (mine measures ….) Scoop the mixture and apply pressure to even out and smooth into an even base.
3. Place in fridge to harden. Best to leave for one hour, however I went to the next step straight away as I was in a rush and it turned out fine.
4. In a food processor combine the cashews, coconut oil & honey. Blend until smooth.
5. Add raw cacao & blend until it is thoroughly mixed.
6. Scoop the chocolate mixture on top of the base and smooth until even.
7. Leave to set in fridge for minimum of two hours.
8. Remove and decorate! I used my Berry Crunch (recipe in previous post) and roughly cut it up & added some fresh strawberries for the topping.

Enjoy!
xx

 

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Berry Crunch

I really felt like a cherry ripe the other day, I didn’t have any cherries though, so I made a Berry Crunch instead!

This recipe is dairy, gluten, soy and refined sugar free.

Here is the recipe, enjoy xx

 

Ingredients:

Berry Crunch

1 Cup Mixed Berries (frozen & defrosted or fresh)

Small handful (perhaps 1 1/2 Tablespoons Goji Berries)

6 Tablespoons Nut Butter

1/2 Cup Coconut Flesh

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

Base/Top

3 Tablespoons Cacao

6 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

DSC_0859

Method:

Preparation – Defrost berries and drain liquid. Melt coconut oil.

1. Combine the ingredients for the base/top in a small mixing bowl.

2. Pour Half of the ingredients into a small slice tin (I used two min tins 7.5cm X 13cm each) and set in fridge.

3. Combine all the ingredients for the Berry Crunch and mix loosely in a bowl. The nut butter can be added in little chunks (I rolled into little balls).

4. Remove the set chocolate base and scoop the mixture on top of the base and apply slight pressure to ensure the mix stays together when set.

5. Pour the remainder of the chocolate on top of the Berry Crunch layer and place in fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes to set.

(I used baking paper the first time and it’s much better (and more presentable) if you just add the mixture straight into the time. Not sure what I was thinking!)

DSC_0861 DSC_0868

xx

5 Quick, Easy & Stylish Easter Ideas

Easter crafts are always fun, well really any crafts are always fun! However the kids get so overly excited for Easter and Christmas especially!

Here are 5 quick, easy yet stylish easter ideas to bring some Easter fun in to your house!

#1 Sharpie Easter Eggs!

Simple! Either boil some eggs to decorate and eat that day or keep in the fridge OR you can put a pin prick in the top and bottom of your eggs and blow out the egg from the inside, then keep and display the empty eggs!

These are so cute, monochrome decorated eggs

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#2 Homemade Carrot Decorations!

Scrunch some newspaper into carrot shapes, cover with double sided tape, wrap some orange twine around and add some greens, easy peasy!

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#3 Twine Eggs

This can be done with both the above ideas, either real eggs or newspaper!

Bakers Twine easter-eggs

#4 Painted Eggs

As above use empty or boiled eggs, simply cover eggs with string or tape to create patterns, paint over the string or tape. When dry peel away string or tape and you have your beautifully patterned eggs to display!

painted eggs

#5 Easter Frames

Cut out shapes of bunnies/eggs/chickens in your desired print and place on newspaper/wrapping paper/white or coloured paper and pop in a photo frame.

bunny frame

Enjoy!!

xx

 

*All images and ideas from pinterest

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