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 less than a minute to make and is great for breakfast, as a snack or a healthy dessert.

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• 1/2 cup milk (I used full cream organic cows milk but you could use; almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, etc)
• 2 tbls chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl – or even better a small mason jar that you can shake – cover and refrigerate
• Stir / shake again in a few minutes so it doesn’t clump and again in about half an hour
• Leave to set for 4 hours or make the night before
• Stir once set to get rid of any lumps. Top with fruit and serve

Suggested toppings:Mango + Passionfruit. Berries, coconut, nuts and dried fruits, honey or maple Syrup, etc.

Omit the vanilla bean and add a tbls cocoa – yum!

And just like that H is at school and I’m preparing school lunch boxes.

I’m finding it quite fun at the moment – but it has only been a week. I’ll report back in a months time!

So with that in mind, I thought it would be nice to include a little sweet treat on occasion. So healthy banana bread it is.

Like most kids H is a pretty big fan of banana bread but most recipes are loaded with sugar and not at all healthy.

My recipe is light and fluffy and made using wholemeal spelt flour, and it’s refined sugar-free.

Enjoy xx

Print Pin Prep Time 10 minutes minutes Cook Time 45 minutes minutes Total Time 55 minutes minutes

• 6 dates
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas ,about 4 medium super ripe spotty bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste ,or essence
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs

• 2 cups Spelt wholemeal flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch salt

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).Add dates to a small bowl and add boiling water to just covers the dates.  Allow to soak for a few minutes and then mash with a folk to form a paste. 
• Combine all the wet ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine including the date paste.  
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Don’t over stir. 
• Add to a lined loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes.  Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean it is ready.  Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve. 

This recipe is sweet but not super sweet like the brown sugar varieties.  Feel free to add extra dates or maple if you like.  I found it tasted sweeter the next day.  Cut into lunchbox sized portion and freeze.  Pop into lunch boxes frozen and it will defrost in the lunchbox before lunch time. 

My little munchkin loved it 🙂

If you make my healthy banana bread, be sure to take a picture and upload to Instagram with the hashtag #littlebigh.  I’d love to see your creation. xx

I’m pretty excited to be part of the I Quit Sugar follow friday this weekend – check out an interview I did with them here.  I’m also taking over their Instagram – its happening right now, so be sure to follow along… This hearty soup is featured on the I Quit Sugar website and is packed full of hearty vegetables, beans,…

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This is such as a simple salad and could be made with any tomatoes, but these gorgeous heirloom tomatoes were just too beautiful to walk past.  As you are all probably aware, I make a lot of dishes with tomatoes!  I know H is going to love it and I get so much joy watching him…

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This recipe is adapted from Movida restaurant in Melbourne and it is so good!  It would make an impressive side dish, light lunch, or even main course.  The rich flavours are balanced beautifully by the sharpness of the quince and although it does take a little time to prepare, I promise it will be worth…

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   Tomatoes are easily H’s favourite food so I knew he would love this dish.  I have found that by adding Big H’s favourite foods to new dishes he is more likely to try new things, and get used to new flavours more easily.   This dish is easy to prepare and the coriander lime dressing is lovely…

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I just had to include the picture above.  Check out the lower left hand corner.  It’s a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex!  I noticed it when I was going through my photos – too cute!  These shots were the best of the bunch, as that spice in the dish was everywhere and he was using it as…

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 This is a simple dish that is packed full of flavour.   If you are keen to try the no knead bread recipe you will have to start it the night before.  It may look like a lot of steps, but once you have does it once, it really is very easy.  It also require a heavy oven…

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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.

This is a really easy fish pie to make and it tastes great…  You can make them baby sized like I have and freeze whats left or make one large pie and feed  your entire family.  

This is a delicious breakfast, dessert or healthy afternoon snack for Little Big H, with no cooking involved.   I like to swirl the mango raspberry and yoghurt rather than mix it all together, that way Little Big H gets a different taste with every mouthful.   He just loves yoghurt.  I always serve him…

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H and I went to the Northside Produce Market last weekend and bought these gorgeous fresh figs.  It was our first time there but we will definitely be going back.  We also bought a huge box of cherries, rhubarb, golden beets, zucchini flowers and H’s favourite, tomatoes… NORTHSIDE PRODUCE MARKET , NORTH SYDNEY  

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   Sugar Free Lavender Custard – recipe…

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Making custard at home is a really great option.  You can be guaranteed that it is sugar-free and free of all other nasties – something I am very particular about when feeding my son. This is an easy custard recipe and baby will love it.  Stir though a little pureed fruit for a natural sweeter…

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  Maybe not entirely toddler friendly but everyone deserves something sweet once in a while – right!  H is very much a savoury man but he is a fan of this cake. It is not overly sweet and the combination of cake and tart plums is heavenly.   I have made this cake a couple of times and…

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Super easy to make and super convenient to have on hand, Lebanese flat bread is the ultimate convenience food.  

Use them as a quick pizza base, sprinkle them with my homemade nutty dukkah, slice and dip into homemade hummus and other dips or top with leftovers for a delicious meal – think slow cooked meat, veggies, etc…

I like to make a large batch of Lebanese flatbread and freeze what I don’t use for another day.  I freeze them individually and then allow them to defrost on the bench.  Once defrosted, put them back in a hot pan for a few minutes to crisp up again. 

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• 2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 5 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Plus extra oil for frying

• Add the yeast, sugar and water to a large bowl and combine well. Add half the flour and combine. Cover and let stand for about 30 minutes or until the mixture appears to froth up a little
• Add the remaining flour, cumin, coriander, salt and oil. Knead the dough until smooth. I used a kitchenaid with a dough hook, alternative knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to doubles in size – about 1 hour
• Give the dough a quick knead and divide into 8-12 pieces (it depends how big you want them). Roll into balls and rollout. Allow the rolled out dough to rest for about 30 minutes on a flour dusted bench. It will puff up again slightly.
• Add a small amount of oil to a frying pan and add the dough. Allow to cook for 3 minutes and then flip, cover and allow to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Repeat. Serve or allow to cool completely before freezing.

Wrap in cling film and freeze what you don’t use for another day. Allow to defrost on the bench and add to a frying pan with oil to crisp up again. Adapted from www.bestrecipes.com.au

 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:

To avoid Pesticides, additives, antibiotics or other chemical residue in foods

After reading numerous books on baby nutrition I was pretty convinced that choosing organic fresh produce was the way to go.  I always buy organic when choosing fruit and vegetable from ‘The Dirty Dozen’ (list below).  I do believe however in a well balance diet with a wide variety of fruit and vegetables so if I can’t find a particular organic food then I’m not obsessive about it.   I purchase organic frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and mango cheeks from my local organic store to have on hand.  Also when I’m aware of a particular fruit/vege going out of season, such as apples, which top the dirty dozen list, I will buy a few kilos, purée and freeze in ice-cube trays . See example post here.

The Dirty Dozen list below indicates fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide load. The Clean 15 are the fruits and vegetable with the least pesticide load.

Organic farming

Organic Farming is kinder to animals.  Animals raised organically are not given any growth-regulting drugs, steroids, hormones or antibiotics.  They are free to range, live in a healthier environment and are less likely to be subjected to cruelty.  They are fed organic feed with a wide range of nutrients.

Be aware that in Australia anyone can use the term “organic”. To be certain you are buying truly organic produce look for the certified organic label. The logos below are the 7 organic certifying organisations in Australia approved by the AQIS.

I’m a huge quinoa fan and given the chance I would eat it everyday! I’m lucky that H also loves it, so I make it often.  Sometimes served as a meal, like this roasted pumpkin quinoa salad could be, and other times I will just season it and have it as an accompaniment to another…

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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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This Spiced peach quinoa porridge is a lovely warm and comforting breakfast – perfect now that the weather is getting a little cool. It has quite a savoury taste without the addition of fresh peaches on top and the maple syrup.  If you like things a little sweeter, stir through some sweetener of your choice after…

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I have been making a version of this dish for years.  It is a perfect mid-week meal – easy to prepare, super tasty, it all happens in the one pot so there isn’t a lot of clean up, and it’s always a hit.   The spices are balanced beautifully with the sweetness of the currants…

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Quinoa Granola – It’s a bit of an understatement to say I love this stuff.  I’ve made it so many times now and it never lasts very long.  I eat it as is with yoghurt for breakfast or as pictured here as a topping for chia pudding.  I also love it on top of ice-cream with another drizzle…

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This recipe is adapted from Movida restaurant in Melbourne and it is so good!  It would make an impressive side dish, light lunch, or even main course.  The rich flavours are balanced beautifully by the sharpness of the quince and although it does take a little time to prepare, I promise it will be worth…

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Puffed amaranth is an ingredient that I stumbled upon at my local health food store recently and I love it.  It is great to add to dishes like muesli bars and on your breakfast.  I love to add it to yoghurt.  It sort of melts into it and make it very fluffy.   I have…

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 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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Big H loves this salad and it is super easy and quick to make.  Shelling the broad beans is a little time-consuming but you could use frozen shelled broad bean instead if  you like.  

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 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.

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.

Super light and crispy kale chips make a delicious snack.  Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables around, and is particularly high in vitamin K, A, and C  My toddler loves them and I’m sure you little ones will too.  Just make sure they are nice and crisp.  That way they just melt in your mouth…

A delicious green smoothie that isn’t at all leafy tasting.  H just loves it – he finished the glass in a matter of minutes!