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

Lactation (Booby) Balls

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!

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

 

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

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!)

xx

Chia pudding – quick healthy brekkie

I love Chia seeds! I put them in everything as they are a good source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants and high in dietary fibre! Chia seeds were actually used in Mexico before the use of wheat grains as they have a low GI and provide sustained slow release energy!

I like to make my Chia pudding/porridge the night before so it’s ready to go as I usually forget to eat breakfast in the morning mayhem of an 8 month old! This way it’s ready to get out and eat as I’m feeding SS! He has only just stared solids so isn’t eating Chia just yet! Although he is 8 months he was premature so just hit 6 months corrected age 🙂

Ingredients
– 4 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds (I use the mixed ones from Cosco Melb only $13.96AU a kg!)
– 350mls of Almond or Coconut Milk
– 1 Tablespoon raw coconut sugar or maple syrup
– vanilla essence/vanilla pod

Method
– Warm almond milk on the stove, then pour into a mixing bowl
– Add Chia seeds and stir well (many will still float at this stage
– Add vanilla & coconut sugar and stir well
– Rest for 5 minutes and stir well to get rid of any clumps
– Cover and leave to rest overnight or for a minimum of two hours to break down ant anti nutrients allowing the seeds to digest easier (this is important especially for children).
– Divide into 4-6 servings for children or 2 for adult servings (recommended serving for children who don’t regularly eat Chia is 1-2 teaspoons so you are able to monitor digestion/reactions like with any new food).

Healthy Allergy Friendly Pancakes!

It’s hard when kids have intolerances or allergies and have to miss out on a lot of delicious food, especially pancakes! It has taken me a while, but I have finally came up with a great allergy friendly pancake recipe, which is fluffy and delicious. But first, a little about why I cook allergy friendly…

My husband and I both have a lot of intolerances, I am intolerant to soy and dairy and he is intolerant to diary, wheat and to top it off has fructose malabsorption… so pretty much we can’t eat any processed foods! It is really difficult to avoid fructose, so I do my best but am by no means an expert at that! However, cooking without soy, dairy and wheat is my specialty!

Here is my recipe for fluffy allergy friendly pancakes xx

1/2 Cup Almond Meal
1/4 Cup Banana Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 Cup Almond Milk
3 Eggs
1/2 mashed banana

Method

– Quickly Beat eggs & almond milk
– Add & mix the remaining ingredients
– Spray small frying pan with coconut oil
– Scoop 5 dessert spoons (or desired size) into frying pan
– Flip when bubbles appear & have popped

Makes 4 small (thick) pancakes 🙂

xx Enjoy