RECIPE | Coconut Chia Pudding/ Parfait (Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

Chia pudding is one of the yummiest and easiest meals you could ever make! Using coconut milk rather than regular milk gives it a delicious creamy coconut flavour that you could happily eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all 3!)

It's nice to have a breakfast that is easy, especially if you live in a crazy house like mine where mornings can be mayhem! Especially with a new little baby I find it hard to find time to eat, at least if there is something ready to go I am able to get to it quickly.

My chia pudding only uses 3 ingredients so it's super easy,  with the addition of toppings you wish to use. 

Sometimes I like to have mine layered with coconut or greek yoghurt and muesli, and sometimes I like it plain just with a little fruit added. 

Ingredients 
400ml can coconut milk or cream
3.5 tbs chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Directions
Stir all ingredients together in a bowl
Let sit for a few minutes then stir again
Refrigerate overnight 
Voila, in the morning you will have a delicious brekky ready to eat!

Chia pudding stores well for a few days in the fridge.

Bee xx

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes (that no one will know are gluten free!)

These cupcakes are amazingly delicious! My son can't eat gluten as it gives him eczema so I am always trialling new recipes so he can eat things that don't actually taste like they are gluten free. A lot of the time gluten free recipes have a strange texture or after taste. These cupcakes are like the real thing! Just without the gluten!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Aldi brand)

1/2 cup almond meal or any other seed meal such as sunflower to make them nut free
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder (I used Bobs Red Mill Aluminium Free)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 egg
1 cup milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 180'c

Mix together all dry ingredients with a whisk

In a separate bowl, mix together all wet ingredients with a whisk

Make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and add in the wet ingredients

Pour into prepared cupcake tin & patties

Bake for around 20-25mins, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean

Top with your favourite icing if you like. They are actually so yummy they don't even need the icing!

For these I made a ganache with sour cream & dark chocolate. 250grams dark chocolate, 250mls sour cream.

Enjoy!

Bee xx

RECIPE | Homemade Raw Almond Milk

Making your own almond milk is easy and delicious!

My hubby hates almond milk (store bought) but loves this version! It is sure to win over some people that don't normally like it. 

It turns out smooth & creamy just like regular milk but much tastier!

When I look on the cartons of store bought almond milk, most brands use about 1%-2% almonds in the whole carton, so you are basically paying for water with other nasty ingredients. 

I add no sugar to the mix, you can add maple syrup as I have listed below or could try stevia or rice malt syrup.

The below quantity makes roughly 1.5 litres (depends on how much milk you squeeze out at the end!)

Ingredients:

2 cups raw almonds

5 cups filtered water (plus more to soak almonds)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

A pinch of good quality sea salt

+ a cheese cloth or muslin wrap (to strain the milk)

+ strainer

+ bottles to store your milk in

Directions:

Soak almonds over night, covered in water and a pinch of salt. This will soften them and make them sprout.

Once ready, rinse the almonds and throw away the water that you used to soak them.

Into a blender, put all of the almonds with 2 cups of filtered water and a mix until it forms a smooth paste. 

Once smooth, add rest of water and all remaining ingredients and blend until very smooth (I leave the blender on for a couple of minutes, how long you will need to blend will depend on how strong your blender is).

Now you need to strain the milk, if you leave it as is, it will be powdery from the skin of the almonds and not a very nice consistency.

Put a couple of layers of your cheese cloth or muslin wrap over a strainer and strain the milk into a bowl, then be sure to squeeze any excess milk out of the cloth.

Then pour into clean bottles (I use a funnel to get it in without any mess).

You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You will be left with almond meal in your cloth. You can dry this out in a very low oven and store it to replace store bought almond meal or you can keep it "wet" in the fridge for a few days and use it in the same way. 

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Bee xx

Sloths, Pregnancy & Peanut Butter

I have been a very bad blogger lately. Although I have a good reason. Promise! Hubby and I are expecting baby number 2! We are all over the moon excited about new little baby. We can’t wait to find out what it is. My little man (almost 7 now!) is ecstatic as he has been “wishing” for a baby for years (as we all know, that is how babies are made) and has taken to talking to my belly most days.

What does that have anything to do with blogging? Well, I have been so tired at night which is when I usually blog, I have been passing out on the couch at 8pm! I feel like I may be in the process of morphing into a sloth (yes an actual sloth) Recipe testing? Meh.. Trying new foods? Meh…  It has all been too hard. I have been struggling to find the energy to do my regular every evening activities! But it’s only up from here I guess, into the 4^th month now so I should start feeling more energetic soon… right?!

Today’s post is just about the things I have been craving as people seem to freak out a little that they want to eat foods they normally wouldn’t. I believe (and I am no expert just another mum, trying to tune into my body's needs during pregnancy), as long as you aren’t craving harmful things like chalk or dirt (yes some women with pica do this) and stay away from foods that you should avoid [full list here] and you’re still eating mostly healthy, organic and fresh foods then you and your baby will be fine. The occasional chocolate bar or hot chips wont hurt.

For me, it seems to be a bit different this time around. With my first (7 years ago!) all I wanted was vinegary foods (and the occasional sip of vinegar from the bottle – shhh, this is our little secret) but this time the cravings seem to change from month to month! First up, all I wanted was citrus fruits - mandarins, oranges, orange juice, I just couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Then all I wanted was potatoes, potatoes, potatoes and potatoes followed by a nice serve of.. yes you guessed it - potatoes! And now? Peanut butter! OMG how good is that stuff! In my normal non pregnant life, I wouldn’t eat bread often, but now it’s all about toast smothered with peanut butter for breakfast and no one is going to stop me! You know what? It is just not worth stressing about little things like that when you’re pregnant. If you eat right, what is a bit of bread and peanut butter going to do (as long as you don’t have gluten intolerance that is). Really, we need to listen to what our bodies want when we are expecting. Daily, I still drink fresh juices, green smoothies (Here is my favourite green smoothie recipe if you are new to them, it is a great one to start with as it will ease you in to drinking greens , eat mostly salads for lunch  (when I am not eating potatoes) and have a well-balanced dinner (mostly).  

There are many conflicting messages to pregnant women. Many health gurus claim you shouldn't eat foods such as grains, some say don't eat dairy etc yet some dietitians say you should eat these things. If you tune into what works for you, you will be fine. Personally, I can't eat dairy, it makes me break out badly and doesn't sit right in my gut. I also eat very little gluten and grains (until recently). I also can't eat many nuts, a small handful or I am in agony. I healed my gut from IBS and I am now really in tune with what doesn't work for me.

I believe restrictive eating isn't good during pregnancy (low fat, low carb etc). You need to give yourself and your baby as many nutrients as possible. The best way to make sure you are doing that is by eating, fresh, organic (if possible), whole foods. Nothing from a packet. When eating this way, it really helps keep the cravings for junk food away. And if occasionally you want to eat something "naughty" then really there is no harm done.

I will be posting some recipes soon (will try not to post too many about potatoes – or peanut butter!) so keep a look out or subscribe so you don’t miss the post J

I would love to hear about everyone else’s cravings! Crazy or not! Feel free to share below!

Bee xx

 

Image source: http://images1.fanpop.com/images/quiz/3064_1211667323096_399_300.jpg

Flourless & (almost) Sugar Free Chocolate Tart (Gluten Free)

 

Ingredients
120 grams lindt 70% dark chocolate
125grams butter
3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract 

Directions
Grease a cake pan around 20cm wide with melted butter, line with baking paper

Preheat oven to 180°c

Melt chocolate, butter, vanilla & honey together in bowl over pan with hot water, stir until melted

Take off heat and allow to cool slightly

Once a little cool, whisk in eggs one at a time until all combined

Pour mixture in to prepared pan

Bake for approx. 20 mins or until the centre is slightly firm

Top with whatever you have handy, I used some left over lindt to coat strawberries and topped with raspberries too.

I think the cake actually gets nicer when it is cold as it takes on a fudge like consistency so if you like you can leave it in the fridge overnight and serve the next day!

Either way it’s delicious!  

 

"No Nuts Balls" Raw Decadent Chocolate Bliss Balls (Nut Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, Easy as can be!)

These "No Nuts Ball's" are so delicious! I love how a raw healthy treat can look so cheeky!

This is a really simple recipe which is great to whip up if you have a chocolate craving or if you want to have a little treat for guests post dinner with a cup of tea. As they are nut free they also make a great lunch box treat which is what I have made them for tonight! (Even though I may have eaten a couple... I have to test them first right!?).

Ingredients:

1 cup organic shredded coconut, reserving a little to coat balls at the end

8 medijool dates (seeds removed)

2 tbs chia seeds

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 heaped tablespoon raw cacao powder

a splash of chilled water if you need it

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until combined and smooth. If needed add the splash of chilled water.

Then roll into balls, coat in coconut and refrigerate overnight (if you have time, otherwise a couple of hours is fine) and in the morning they will be like beautiful decadent chocolate truffles.

Enjoy!

Bee xx

My Favourite Ingredients to Flavour Kombucha

I've been Kombucha obsessed for quite a while now and have experimented with different flavours to get the most out of my favourite probiotic, gut healing drink!



It has helped to heal some stomach problems that I had and I am constantly recommending it to everyone to at least give it a try! 

For those new to Kombucha, you can flavour your drink after it has finished the first round of fermenting. This is usually after around 10 days. After that, you can bottle it up into airtight bottles (which is called the second ferment stage) and add in whatever flavours you like to really make your Kombucha pop! (Quite literally, my bottles have popped all over my kitchen!) 

You leave your bottles to ferment for another few days or up to two weeks, depending on how deep a flavour you are after. Generally the longer you leave it, the tarter it becomes. Also, the fizzier it becomes!

My absolute favourite flavours, quantities and timings are listed below, although you may need to play around with your timings to get it how you like it.

Second ferment -
Ginger - a few thinly sliced pieces of ginger per bottle. Leave it for only 3-4 days. Produces huge amounts of fizz! Very tasty and the ginger comes through nicely.
Raspberry & Vanilla - 6-8 frozen organic raspberries. Leave it for up to 2 weeks. 1/2 tablespoon organic vanilla paste. Not as much fizz or flavour as ginger but much more mellow and delicious all the same.
Mango & Coconut - 1/4 mango diced into each bottle with 1/4 cup coconut water. Leave for approx 7 days. Very fizzy! Had a little Kombucha explosion over my kitchen when I opened one of these bottles. Super delicious!

Natural Face Mask - Honey & Lemon

I have been reading a lot lately about natural beauty masks and one that I was really interested to try just seemed too simple to work! Why do we always need things to be complicated to believe them? I have only used organic coconut oil as a cleanser and moisturiser on my face for quite a while and have wanted to find a mask that would hydrate and brighten my skin. I read a post on Kimberly Snyder's blog about natural face masks, I have seen these natural remedies around quite a bit but after I read it this time I really wanted to try it out for myself. You can read her post here.

It seems so simple I know, but your skin will love you for it. Think about what really goes into those (most) store bought products. They are full of synthetic ingredients that do more harm that good to your skin.

What you need
1 tablespoon raw honey
Juice from 1/4 lemon

What you do
Mix above ingredients together, and spread all over your face
Leave it on for 15-20mins

If you move around the house be sure to carry around a wash cloth underneath your face as you will drip!

It is recommended you only do this once or twice per week as the lemon can be quite drying.

This is great for people with acne as the lemon & honey are both antibacterial. Also great to refresh and brighten your skin. The lemon helps to reduce blackheads and even lighten skin pigmentation!

My skin was left super soft and noticeably brighter, even after the first time.

Let me know what natural facial masks you like to do in the comments below! I would love to try some others.

Images sourced from:
http://www.ojavanproducts.com/images/768lemon.jpg
http://nourishmintwellness.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/raw-honey1.jpg

Paleo Crumbed Chicken Caeser Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

This is a great week night meal, it's very filling and you can make extra to take to work with you the next day for lunch, or even use the leftover chicken for sandwiches.

Serves 2 as a main meal, with leftovers!

Paleo Crumbed Chicken

Ingredients
2 organic, free range chicken breasts, each breast sliced long way to make about 3 pieces per breast
2 tablespoons coconut flour (or regular flour)
2 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon of paprika & 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup almond flour(you may need a little more or less)
Any other herbs you have on hand, I used oregano & thyme
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil for frying

Directions
Coat chicken in flour, paprika, garlic powder & herbs
Dip the chicken into the whisked eggs
Dip the "eggy" chicken into almond flour to coat
Heat fry pan to medium-high heat
Cook chicken a few minutes each side until cooked through
Set aside, keep warm and get cracking on the other items

Other salad ingredients
1 head cos lettuce, washed & chopped
5 eggs, boiled
5-6 rashers thin bacon pan-fried until crispy
2 tablespoons of sunflowers seeds or any other seeds you have in your pantry for some crunch

Directions
Layer all ingredients together & top with sliced crumbed chicken!

Creamy Tahini Dressing

This is a delicious versatile dressing, similar in taste & texture to hummus

Ingredients
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon tahini ( I used unhulled, it is much stronger so if your not that keen on the taste you should use the hulled tahini)
1 small clove garlic, minced (very fine)
A pinch of sea/rock salt

Directions
Whisk or blend all ingredients until delicious & creamy
Drizzle over your salad or serve on the side for dipping

Bee xx

Create a Toxin Free Home | Chemical Free House Cleaning Tips

It's easy to forget but creating a toxin free home is really important in creating a toxin free body!

Spraying harsh chemicals around the house isn't good for anyone , especially if you have little kids around!

I personally can't even bare the smell of the chemicals from cleaning products anymore so for the past 7 or 8 years I mostly use the below. 

Swap out the harsh cleaners in your home with some of the below home made cleaners -

Window cleaner -  white vinegar (it works a treat!)

Kitchen cleaner  -   use an old spray bottle and fill it up with half a bottle of white vinegar and the other half water, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil or peppermint oil

Bathroom/ Tile/ Grout cleaner - baking soda mixed with water (works absolute wonders!)

Air freshener - use an old spray bottle and fill it up with water, add a few drops of your favourite essential oils such as rose, lavender, eucalyptus

Moth deterrent - lavender oil. Lavender oil is known to be a natural moth deterrent. Wipe out cupboards with a cloth containing a few drops of lavender oil

If you have any chemical free ideas for your home, I'd love to hear them in the comments below!

Image sourced from: http://juniperdesert.com/beauty/lavenderforburns

 

PRODUCT REVIEW | Schkinny Maninny Juice Cleanse - 3 Day Juice Detox

Schkinny Maninny are a juice detox company that offer many different cleanse options. I opted for the 3 day juice only cleanse. I wasn't really sure what to expect, here is how it all went.

Day 1

I woke up super excited to start the Schkinny Maninny cleanse... And then it dawned on me that I wouldn't be eating solid food for 3 days which did make me a little nervous.

The little esky containing my juices was waiting for me when I got to work and what was even more exciting was the little bag of goodies next to it! It included some herbal tea bags, relaxing bath salts, a small container of sunflower & pumpkin seeds (woo hoo solid food!) to stimulate digestion by chewing, a small container of psyllium husk just in case you need a little fibre,a little loofah to dry brush your skin which promotes circulation which helps with detoxification and a cute card which told me what should expect to happen while my body detoxes. Once I sat at my desk to start work I had a lovely email from Schkinny Maninny with lots of encouragement and to let me know that any symptoms I may experience are normal and not to freak out. The morning flew by and I had to remind myself to drink the juices, you get 6 different juices per day and they are quite large (600ml to be exact) so you definitely don't feel hungry.

By the time lunch time came around, the smell of my colleagues food was wafting through the office taunting me so I took myself for a quick walk (or window shopping rather) and then found a quiet spot to sit in the sun and enjoy my lunch time juice.

  

I felt fine during the afternoon, maybe a little foggy headed which is normal but I didn't have any major symptoms such as headaches which I was expecting as I do have a coffee everyday. I was really craving a night in on the couch which is unlike me so I guess the worst part about the day was the laziness I felt. Apart from that I was fine. By night time I was fairly tired. Went for a slow walk after my "dinner" couldn't manage much more.

The nut milk went down a treat, it was quite thick in consistency which was nice. It was definitely filling which is probably what made me so tired.

Started falling asleep on the lounge at around 9pm which is not like me at all, I kept myself awake as my favourite show (revenge, how good is it!) was on TV but I kind of just wish I gave and went to bed earlier.

Overall on the first day, I felt pretty good. I wasn't hungry at all and didn't experience any detox symptoms. I thought the three days would be an absolute breeze!

Day 2

Not so good. Where there a highs there must be lows and my goodness day 2 was pretty low. It was awful. I thought because I ate mostly healthy most of the time I wouldn't experience any detox symptoms... Well I had another thing coming...

I woke up feeling ok and quite excited to begin another day of drinking only juices. That excitement lasted until around 10am by which time my head started to feel like it was full of clouds and an awful headache wanted to join in on the party.

By lunch time I was feeling really grumpy (which my colleagues thought was hilarious) and all I felt like I could hear were people talking about food! All day! How dare they! Didn't they know I was doing a juice cleanse! I kept myself distracted with work until the afternoon. The rest of the day was ok minus the headache and trouble concentrating (oh and the fact that I couldn't bare anyone talking to me as I was just too grumpy).

I definitely won the prize for most bathroom breaks in one day. My bladder was more active than all the pregnant women's in office combined.

As soon as I got home, I drank my late afternoon juice, tried to avoid the family as much as possible, then I ran a hot bath and added in the container of bath salts supplied to me from Schkinny Maninny. It was the best part of my day. I felt all my angst wash away and felt a little more motivated to make the hubby and son some dinner. I actually fell asleep in the bath which was quite strange (it was only 4.30pm).

Post bath I drank my yummy nut milk drink, relaxed on the lounge while still feeling grumpy (and trying to avoid too much communication with hubby) and tried to get an early night but couldn't sleep until midnight. I think I drank my nut milk too early, not sure what happened but I had a really restless night sleep.

Day 3

Woke up feeling refreshed and clear and noticed all of my bloating had gone away. I felt great!

Headed into work and the morning flew by.

I had my juice drinking down pat by this day, one every 2 hours from 8.30am or around about that anyway.

By the 3rd juice (lunch time) I was a little over liquid and could once again hear my colleagues talk about food. If you can't beat them, join them, so that's what I did. I sat around the little lunch table swigging my juice while they all had delicious soups with bread oh my goodness it was torture...to make matters worse they started talking about coconut ice cream, then old childhood favourite chocolates (remember the golden roughs anyone..yum!)

I didn't feel hungry at all but I couldn't stop thinking about what my first meal would be post cleanse. I also had an intense craving for slow cooked beef with polenta that I just couldn't get out of my head! That would have to be a meal for the weekend. On my post cleanse motivational card from Schkinny Maninny it mentions not to get stuck into anything to crazy like a steak the day after the cleanse as your body needs time to adjust back to solids. If that wasn't the case I would have found some ragu and eaten it for breakfast post cleanse!

Overview -

Post cleanse I felt fantastic. Lighter (although I don't own scales so I'm not sure if I lost weight), my eyes and skin felt much brighter and clearer and I definitely had much more energy. My stomach was flatter and I didn't have any bloat whatsoever which was great. I didn't want that feeling to ever go away so I stopped drinking coffee every day.. hopefully that lasts!

It was so nice to have a break from making my own juices/ smoothies so that part of the detox was a real treat!

Post cleanse, you should do what the team at Schkinny Maninny recommend and eat only salad and fruit the day after your cleanse. I thought it would be a great idea to treat myself to a gluten free muffin for breakfast the next day.. Not such a great idea, 3 little bites and I felt ill.

I felt like Schkinny Maninny was a great company to try for my first cleanse. There were lots of motivational emails and note cards which did help along the way so you know what you should and shouldn't expect.

Most of the juices were really delicious (my absolute favourite was the pine grapple and the nut milk). A couple were difficult to drink (green salad was very lemony) but I drank them anyway knowing that it was for the greater good of my detox.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! Just maybe not for a little while..

Would I choose Schkinny Maninny again? Definitely, loved all the little things that were included in the gift bag and the juices were a great size so I was never hungry.

You may or may not experience similar symptoms to me, it totally depends on the level of toxicity in your body.

The funny part is since I stopped the cleanse I'm craving juice more than ever!

CHEAPER TUESDAYS - Schkinny Maninny offer a 10% discount if you order on a Tuesday :)

You can learn more about Schkinny Manniny here.

If you have completed a juice cleanse or are about to embark on one, I would love to hear about it in the comments section below.

Bee xx

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RECIPE | Raspberry & Coconut Cream Love Bites (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Just in time for Valentines Day! Why not make your loved one a treat, or just make some for yourself! These are a great little refreshing treat, they need to be eaten semi-frozen so great to have during summer time :)

Raspberry & Coconut Cream Layer Ingredients:
2 cups frozen raspberry (you could use strawberries instead)
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup coconut cream
1/3 cup coconut oil
3 tablespoons real maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons coconut nectar (optional)

Chocolate Icing Layer Ingredients:
1/3 cups coconut oil
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
3 tablespoons real maple syrup or honey

Directions

• Line a small square cake tin with baking paper (you need a small one or it will spread out too far in a big one, mine was about 20cm x 20cm)
• Blend all of the raspberry & coconut cream ingredients together until smooth, you may need to stop the blender to mix them up a little half way through depending on what time of blender you have
• Fill lined tray with blended mix and freeze for a couple of hours or until almost set

Chocolate Layer

• Melt together all chocolate icing ingredients in a small saucepan over very low heat
• Pour over raspberry layer and put back in freezer for around 20 minutes

It should be ready now to take out a slice up & enjoy!! You may need to wait a couple of minutes after you take it out of the freezer to slice up.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! 

If you do, please hit one of the share buttons below to spread the love! 

Bee xx

Don't Give Yourself a Black Eye!

I am an idiot. No really, I am. I managed to give myself a black eye the other day. I mean, who does that?! Me obviously! Anyway, I thought I'd share with you what I learnt from my little drama.

When we are in a rush we tend to get into a bit a of a fluster (or is that just me? Please tell me it isn't so). So when you're running around trying to get things done faster, you tend to make a mess of everything and potentially give yourself a black eye! Like me, on the weekend when I was rushing after yoga as the class ran late and had to get to an appointment, I went to pick up my clothes from where I'd thrown them in the kitchen and because I moved so fast I whacked my cheekbone on the kitchen bench. Yep, I am idiot.

But at least I have learnt from my stupidity and instead of acting like a maniac when I am in a rush I will slow down and take a deeeeep breathe and calm the hell down.

Who cares if you're a few minutes late?

It's really not worth a black eye!

Bee xx

Image credit: http://www.terilynneunderwood.com/2013/11/action-step-breathe/

The Joys of Having Your Own Vegetable Garden

This little post is to show what can be done with a little love, a little dirt and a few seeds. How exciting to be able to grow your own organic food from almost nothing to something that you can see, touch and eat. 

At my house I can't really take any of the credit for our garden. My hubby has put in many hours and lots of love to grow all of the wonderful vegetables. I am pretty sure I have caught him a few times talking to the plants (but we won't mention that to him now will we?). 


The main reason for me mentioning our organic garden is because I think if we all had a little garden we would be helping the environment just that little bit and helping ourselves too. To have fresh produce available in your backyard it is so rewarding and so much better for you.

How nice to know that the little tomato you picked from your own garden didn't have to come from the other side of the country and it wasn't sprayed or frozen for long periods of time.

I love being able to pick fresh herbs from the backyard because how often do you buy a bunch of herbs from the supermarket but you only need a tiny bit and the rest goes to waste?  Or just a couple of tomatoes that you need or a few lettuce leaves. It really does add up in the end. There is so much less vegetable wastage in our house since we had our garden.

Even if you only have a small balcony area, you can plant a few herbs that you use often, maybe some strawberries and a few of your other favourite things.

If you have kids, it is such a great activity to involve them in. It's a wonderful way to teach them about where food comes from. My son loves running out to the garden to pick some cucumbers or tomatoes for dinner! I love having a giggle over the funny shaped vegetables that come out, like the carrot head below we pulled out the other day!

Do you have your own garden? If so,  I would love to hear about it!

Bee xx

Kids Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

It's almost time for the kids to go back to school (can I hear a big sigh of relief? Or was that just in my head? ;) 

As it's the new year, what better time than now to start introducing healthier alternatives in their lunch? You can still make their lunch fun even when its healthy. 

We all need to think about what we're really putting in their lunch box. Will that sugar loaded cereal bar really help them to concentrate through class and work to their best ability or will they be on a sugar rush and burn out quite quickly during class? I know it's hard to find time for much these days but this is our kids future and it's been reported that the eating habits children grow up with are sometimes what they revert back to when they are older.

I'm sure many of you, like me are working mums/dads and find it easier to throw whatever in the lunch box in the morning and then rush out the door? That's why I find it easier to prepare my sons lunch in the evening either while I'm making dinner or just after. It doesn't really feel like extra work if you do it that way and it's much easier than rushing around in the morning. You can even do a heap of the preparation for the week on the weekend (short post on that here) and just pop it in the lunch box the night before. 

Listed below are some easy lunch box ideas for your kids to try and steer them off the junk while also keeping it fun. In my sons lunch box I load it up with healthy items and add in one little treat so he doesn't feel like he is missing out (we all know kids compare what's in their lunch box!), like a little chocolate or biscuit or something like that.

• Carrot & celery sticks
• Any fruit cut up into pieces in a container (kids seem to like their fruit cut up for them)
• Good quality unprocessed cheese, cut into cubes
• Organic crackers with cheese slices and butter
• Little Rollie's - Gluten free or wholemeal bread rolled out until flat with a rolling pin, then add in fillings then roll them up and cut them in to rounds, similar to sushi if you know what I mean:)
• Raw Chocolate Truffles  - these are great as they are full of protein and double up as a treat. Check first if your school allows nuts
• A mix of raw nuts, sultanas & seeds in a little container. Make sure they are preservative free.
• Organic yoghurt's. I give my son the five am organic yoghurt's. I know they have a bit of sugar but he won't eat plain yoghurt. I think they're ok for kids occasionally.
• A plain boiled egg with a little sea salt 
• Plain cherry tomatoes
• Mini zucchini or corn fritters 
• Egg & Bacon Cupcakes
• Make a homemade bread or loaf for the week. I often make this Paleo Banana Bread (grain free) or Spelt Banana, Date and Walnut Loaf and cut it into slices and freeze them, then take them out the night before to put in the lunch box. They still taste delicious even after they've been frozen.

I'd love to hear what healthy items you use to fill up your kids lunch box. I would love some more ideas! :)

Bee xx

Photo credits:

http://www.womenshealththailand.com/food/