Serve these gorgeous poached vanilla pears with my lavender custard from my previous post.  It is sugar-free and perfect for babies from 6 months old.  

Simply mash the poached pear with a fork and mix it with the custard for a delicious dessert, snack or even breakfast.  Enjoy xx

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• 1 pear
• 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste (alternatively use a vanilla bean or vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Lavender Custard (see previous post)

• Peel, core and quarter the pears. Add to a saucepan along with the vanilla bean paste, cinnamon and enough water to cover the pears. Simmer until tender.
• Once it has cooled a little, add a good dollop of lavender custard and serve

  Sugar Free Lavender Custard – recipe here

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• 100 g butter; melted
• 8 sheets of filo pastry
• 3 large zucchini (courgettes); grated
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups of cream (375ml)
• salt / pepper
• 200 g goats curd (or you could use a soft goats cheese)

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)
• Lay a single filo sheet on the bench and brush with the melted butter. Continue layering filo sheets and brushing with butter in between each layer
• Brush a baking tray (about 30 x 40cm) with a good amount of melted butter and add the filo sheets to the baking tray
• Top with the grated zucchini
• Place eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the zucchini and top with spoonfuls of the goats curd
• Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until just set (cooking time will vary depending on the size of your baking tray)
• Allow to cool slightly and serve

Suitable to freeze – cut into portion and freeze
Seves 4 – 6 adults Adapted from Donna Hay (donnahay.com.au)  

I grew up eating my mums salmon patties and they are a family favourite.  They are so comforting and remind me of home.   They are so simple to make and are a great first finger food for little folks.  I have made these mini sized so they are easy for H to pick up.   The mixture…

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Beautiful Berry Coulis – sugar free Chicken with Apples and Thyme –  such as great combination Delicate white fish with fennel and grapes   I’m very excited to be sharing my very first guest post with you all, on a great blog called  Never the Same Spice Twice.  I have 3 new recipes suitable for babies…

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I had no intention of putting these mini lamb koftas on the blog when I made them for Little Big H’s lunch today, but they were so yummy and he loved them so much that I though – I have to!   I made them using lamb loin (because that’s all I had), so I was…

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 You may have seen this recipe a million times on the internet, but I couldn’t resist putting it on the blog for anyone who hasn’t.  It is perfect for babies from 6 months old – and its delicious.   My favourite topping is mango and passionfruit but use whatever fruit is in season. It takes…

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I couldn’t resist buying these super cute minikin pumpkins.  I have stuffed them with pearl barley and mixed veggies and it did quite nicely for a healthy meat-free dinner. Slice into portions or scoop out the flesh along with the pearl barley and mash for your little one.

 My little man has been off his food due to croup, so I made him a smoothie that I knew he would love.  Its packed full of goodness, but it still tastes great.  H loved it… 

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• A huge handful of baby spinach leaves
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 orange
• 1 cup of frozen mango pieces (I use frozen because mangos aren’t in season. If using fresh, add some ice to the mix)
• 1 cup of coconut water

• Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. I used a Vitamin which does a wonderful job. If you don’t have a blender as powerful as a Vitamix you may need to pass the juice through sieve to remove some of the pulp

Will keep in the fridge for a couple of days
If the mixture is too thick for your liking; add some water

These macadamia bonbons are super healthy, they contain macadamia nuts, chia seeds, tahini, coconut, vanilla and I have sweetened mine with maple.  If you want a sugar-free alternative use rice malt syrup.  

I was pretty excited when my toffee idea came together.  I put brown rice syrup in a  small saucepan and heated it over medium heat until it bubbled up and started to turn a golden colour.  I then mixed in a little unsweetened cocoa powder for a yummy sugar-free chocolate toffee – winning!  

The balls themselves are quite soft so the toffee adds a lovely crunch – I keep them in the freezer, they thaw in no time or are soft enough to eat straight from the freezer xx

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• 150 grams macadamias (about a cup of whole macadamias)
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup / brown rice syrup or your sweetener of choice
• Extra coconut and sesame seeds to roll the balls in

• 2 heaped tablespoons brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

• Add the macadamia to a food processor and pulse til you active a fine crumb. Add the remaining bonbon ingredients and process until combined. Taste the mixute for sweetness and adjust to suit your taste. Add a little more coconut if the mixture is too wet or a tablespoon of water if too dry.
• Using a tablespoon, scoop out some mixture and roll into balls, then roll in the extra coconut or sesame seeds. Add to a container and freeze the balls for a few hours.

• Add the syrup to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture starts to change colour. It will bubble up and change colour very quickly (It burns easily so keep a close eye on it). Once you achieve a nice golden colour, turn off the heat and mix in the cocoa powder. The mixture will become very viscose. Dip your spoon in and run the strands over the frozen bonbons. It will set on impact. If the mixture gets too hard, warm on very low heat until it melts a little again. Serve or put back in the freezer for later.

Will keep in the freezer for months
To add extra sweetness you could add a handful of sultana/raisins/currants etc..

A really simple cookie recipe that makes a great afternoon snack or even breakfast on the run.  Toddler approved.

 This is my go to super easy lunch/dinner for Little Big H if I haven’t had time to prepare anything.   He loves it and its ready in 15 minutes. It’s best served cold, so make it ahead of time if you can.  If you don’t have a lots of fresh veggies on hand, it’s just…

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I often serve gougères (aka delicious french cheese pastries) as an appetiser at dinner parties – everyone loves them, H included – they are really good! Serve them as is or cut in half and fill with what ever takes your fancy. I have always found they work out best mixing by hand but you could give…

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I grew up eating my mums salmon patties and they are a family favourite.  They are so comforting and remind me of home.   They are so simple to make and are a great first finger food for little folks.  I have made these mini sized so they are easy for H to pick up.   The mixture…

Read More »

Beautiful Berry Coulis – sugar free Chicken with Apples and Thyme –  such as great combination Delicate white fish with fennel and grapes   I’m very excited to be sharing my very first guest post with you all, on a great blog called  Never the Same Spice Twice.  I have 3 new recipes suitable for babies…

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Ciao friends! I’m super excited to share something I’ve been working on behind the scenes — I made an iOS app for my recipe blog! Its called SAVOUR 🎉 Now you can browse all your favourite recipes right from your phone. It includes a lot of recipes from this blog + more… The app is completely…

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My healthy-ish ricotta pancakes are made with just a few simple ingredients: wholemeal spelt flour, eggs, milk, fresh ricotta, and baking powder. That’s it! I haven’t added any sugar because, let’s be honest — if you’re going to smother them in maple syrup (like I did), you really don’t need it. But if you prefer,…

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Dinner ready in 10 minutes? Pasta al limone is for you…. But first… yes I finally did it.  I moved us both to Florence Italy.  My son H and I are both on this amazing Italian adventure.  It has been just over two months and it still feels like a dream. Food is my passion but I have…

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I was browsing my favourite mummy blogs and noticed I had been tagged by Katie from Owls and Monsters to take part in ‘The Mommy Tag’.  I thought it sounded like fun and it is a great way for you all to get to know me and my experiences of motherhood thus far a little better.

 There are many reasons to buy organic produce but the two that are the most important (to me) when it comes to feeding my precious boy are:

I have a nice easy no cook recipe for you today.  Raw peppermint power puff bars, made using puffed rice and amaranth, chia, goji, sunflower seeds, cocoa, honey and of course peppermint. You simply mix all the ingredient together and press down into a baking dish to set in the fridge – easy.  It will…

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G’day everyone, how are you all?  I’m sorry for the lack of recipes lately but I have been concentrating on my little family and haven’t had the motivation.  My beautiful little boy lost his daddy a few months ago and it came as a huge shock to all.  H is still so little and has…

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I have a quick and healthy snack for you today.  Roasted edamame with thyme and pecorino.  Super quick and super delicious.  You simply toss the thawed edamame in oil and add your flavouring of choice.  I’ve used thyme and pecorino but use what ever you like.   Some other combinations to try: parmesan and garlic, olive oil…

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I’m a huge fan on homemade granola – it is so easy to make and well worth the effort.  This is a nut-free granola with quinoa, seeds and goji berries and it is delicious.  So good that I have eaten it for breakfast and dessert for the past week!   The quinoa adds l lovely nutty…

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Super easy to make, these fish cakes with potato and dill are ready in no time, and if you have a little helper – even quicker! Not counting the extra time to clean up the all the mess of course… They are made with a classic flavour combo of potato and dill and make a healthy lunch or…

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If you live in Sydney then you would have been melting along with us in the heat over the past few weeks.  These healthy Avocado Chia Popsicles are just what we needed.   They are so good for you that you could eat them for breakfast…  They contain avocado, coconut milk, chia seeds, honey and strawberries…

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Breakfast…  I was never into it before having H, but now it is one of mine and Harry’s favourite meals of the day. It’s always quick to prepare and usually made up of whatever we have in the fridge.  It is the one meal I usually let H decide on so regardless of what he decides,…

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Homemade fresh tomato sauce is so handy to have on hand.  I make a large batch and freeze it for a lazy day.  I use it to add to pasta, as a pizza sauce, meatballs, a quick ragout, ratatouille, etc.   So next time you go to the farmers markets grab a few kilos and make it fresh, it’s…

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Stone fruit season – yay…  H and I recently went to the Apple Shack at Glenbernie Orchard to pick our own nectarines.  It is one of the few orchards that let you eat as many as you like as you pick – bonus.  H didn’t stop eating them!  I lost count at 6… We managed to pick a…

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Who doesn’t love arancini!  It’s sure to be a hit with the kids so next time you make risotto, make it a big batch so you can make arancini the following night.  Two meal with minimal effort.  Bonus… The kids will love to help prepare this meal.  I rolled the balls and passed them to H to dunk…

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Green smoothies are to H what lollies are to a lot of kids – he absolutely loves them.

Guaranteed if we walk past a juice bar, he will drag me kicking and screaming until he gets one – he loves to choose the ingredients and it has become his little treat after daycare a couple of times a week. 

This one was made up of kale, cucumber, pineapple, and mint.  It is lovely and refreshing and not overly green tasting.  A good intro to green smoothies if your little one is not used to them.  

Enjoy xx

Watch our little video of H making this smoothie all on his own – and taste testing of course. Click play to watch it here… 

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• 1/4 large fresh pineapple
• 1 apple
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup water
• a few springs of mint
• 3 stalks kale
• handful of ice cubes

• Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender; blend until smooth.
• *to sweeten add your sweetener of choice (honey, maple, fresh dates, etc)

This makes enough to serve two people plus a little left over for the next day.

Making raw halva truffles is a great rainy day toddler activity.  They are super easy to make and require no cooking.  H had a great time rolling the balls that I passed to him in either cocoa powder, sesame seeds or coconut.  Be warned however, it is a pretty messy activity, so a nice sunny day outside would be just as fun, with a lot less clean up.  I adapted this recipe from the Coles magazine.  I used what ever I had in the cupboard that was similar to the original.  Such as popped amaranth, because I love the stuff, but don’t go out and buy it especially for this recipe, add a bit of something else that you have on hand and experiment a little.  Just be sure to use the tahini, it is the magical ingredient…   They also freeze really well, so make a large batch and freeze them for another day – did I mention they are also healthy!

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• 1 cup medjool dates loosely packed (pits removed, no need to chop)
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/4 cup popped amaranth
• 1 tablespoon honey
• coconut , sesame seeds (natural or toasted) and cocoa powder to coat balls

• Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until the mixture is finely chopped. Check to see if you can roll a ball from the mixture, if it is a little dry add a little more tahini.
• Roll a tablespoon portion of the mixture into balls
• Place the coconut, sesame and cocoa powder into separate bowls and pass the balls to your little ones to coat