Gluten-Free Gingerbreads!

I took my grandmother's old gingerbread recipe and changed it to gluten-free and less sugary.  The kids love cutting out the shapes (if you don't mind bit of mess!).  The smell is so Christmassy!  

Makes around 25-30

100g of organic butter (or use coconut oil for dairy-free)

100ml of organic maple syrup

500g of gluten-free flour – I used about 200g of buckwheat, 300g almond flour. 

1 tsp of baking soda

Pinch of ground black pepper

Spices: I used 1 tablespoon of koek & speculaas mix (Albert Heijn).  You can also make your own mix: 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground clove, ½ tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cardamom

1. Put butter / coconut oil, spices and maple syrup in a pan.  Stir and bring to boil only for a few seconds. Take off heat and let it cool.
2. Mix baking soda and flour.  Add this in with butter mix and mix until the dough is solid.  If you need, add little more flour.    
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
4. Take a piece at a time and soften it with your hands on a floured surface.  Roll dough out around 5mm thickness and cut out shapes.  Use more flour on the surface or rolling pin if dough’s getting sticky. 
5. Bake gingerbreads at 200C for about 8-10min, until slightly browned.  
6. Let gingerbreads cool down.
7. For icing: I used 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of almond flour and 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter and blended all together. Decorate with raisins and cranberries. 

Christmas baking 

Energize Your Morning!

A healthy morning shapes up your entire day. Not only it will give you plenty nutrients to keep going all day but also lifts your mood!  Here are my 5 tips how to create a healthier morning:

1. Give yourself a head start.  Night before make the kids lunch boxes, choose clothing for next day and set the table for breakfast. This saves you time and less stress!
2. Wake up 15 minutes earlier. Slowly wake up, take a moment to think what you would like to achieve that day.  Avoid checking your emails the first thing as these can cause rise in stress levels. 
3. Do gentle stretching in bed before getting up.  This gives your body a nice gently wake-up call.
4. Make yourself a cup of warm water, slice of ginger and lemon.  This warming and energizing drink wakes up your digestives system and gives your immune system a boost. 
5. Eat breakfast!  Your body needs refuelling after a sleep so make it nutritious.  Have a a protein-based breakfast; oatmeal with seeds and berries, scrambled eggs with spinach or a green smoothie with chia seeds.  

Super Simple Cookies

I saw this super simple cookie recipe at http://www.vanelja.com/ which has fantastic healthy recipes (although all in Finnish!) and wanted to try them out.  I added a few extras -  vanilla extract and raw cacao nibs.  

My kids loved doing these and although they don't look very much, they are delicious!

Makes 8.

• 1 ripe banana
• 200g of shredded coconut
• half a teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Half handful of raw cacao nibs on top

1. Line baking tray with baking paper. Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
2. Mash or blend bananas till mushy and add all the other ingredients (except cacao nibs). Blend until smooth dough.
3. Take a tablespoon and roll the dough into ball.  Put it on baking paper and flatten.  Sprinkle cacao nibs on top. 
4. Bake for 15-20min until golden.  

Back to school - Healthy Breakfast & Lunch Ideas

Summer holidays are coming to end and school is about to start.  You may be feeling anxious about preparing quick and healthy breakfast and packed school lunches. Below I have put some easy tips that don't take much time to prepare and provide plenty nutrients. 

Breakfast: 

Healthy breakfast 

1. Apple & cinnamon porridge.  Soak oats in little apple juice over night in the fridge and next morning cook it in little water in a pan for a few minutes. Add little cinnamon and top with almond milk and berries.  Sprinkle with little ground flaxseeds or chopped nuts if kids are okay with that!  

2. Boiled egg on wholewheat / spelt toast

3. Breakfast super-smoothie: 1 banana, small handful of spinach,  sprinkle of chia seeds (1tsp) with 1-2 cups of almond milk.  

Packed lunch

1. Wholewheat sandwich with boiled egg / grated cheese and apple / smoked salmon & avocado

2. Wholewheat pasta or brown rice salad: steamed broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, tuna. Use leftover pasta or rice to make this salad to minimise preparation time. 

3. Frittata with peas, red pepper and little cheese. 

4. Sushi.  You can make your own although this can be quite time consuming.  Best to buy from delis or proper sushi places as the sushi in the shops can be full of additives. 

I also put some chopped vegetables with the packed lunch.  You can use carrots, cucumber, peppers or cherry tomatoes. 

Summer Strawberry Cake

I got inspiration for this cake from Ascension Kitchen's great 'Raw & Sexy Sweets' book.   This cake is healthier than usual strawberry cream cakes and absolutely delicious! 

Strawberry Cake with Chocolate Crust

Raw and free-from: dairy, refined sugar & wheat 

Summer Cake 

Base

140g raw almonds

75g shredded coconut

30g raw cacao powder

175g dates, pitted 

sprinkle of sea salt

Lime filling

130g raw, soaked cashews (soak overnight or min 3 hours for extra creaminess)

60g of honey

juice of half lime

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp coconut oil

Strawberry filling

130g raw, soaked cashews

250g fresh strawberries  + handful of strawberries for decoration 

60g honey

juice of half of lemon 

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 tablespoons of coconut oil

1. Line your cake time with baking paper.  You can use 23cm cake pan or like I did, 20cm where you get more height for the cake. 

2. Blend the base ingredients except dates until fine crumbs.  Add dates 2 at time & blend until dough has moist consistency.  Press mixture into cake tin.  

3. Lime filling: blend all ingredients except coconut oil. Once all is blended, add coconut oil and blend until combined.  Pour into the cake tin. 

4. Strawberry filling: Blend all ingredients until no visible nuts or strawberries left.  The colour should be gorgeously pink.  Pour into cake tin.  

5. Slice remaining strawberries and lay them on top of the cake.  Freeze the cake overnight or 4 to 5 hours until set.  Before serving take out to let it soften slightly. 

Perfect for summer barbecues and birthdays!  

Perfect Mother's Day Cake

Raw blueberry & raspberry cheesecake (dairy, sugar, wheat-free)

This cake is indulgent, sweet and a perfect celebration cake for all mothers. 

Raw Blueberry & Raspberry Cheesecake 

Base ingredients:

300g nuts, raw and unsalted (I used 150g pecans and 150g peeled almonds)

10 medjool dates 

sprinkle of salt

Filling: 

300g cashews (raw and soaked, for 3 hours)

Juice of 1 lemon 

1 vanilla pod seeds

100ml coconut oil (melted)

3 tbsp runny honey

300g of berries; I used half of blueberries and raspberries (fresh)

1. Put all the base ingredients in a blender and blend until soft sticky dough. Push the dough into the base of lined cake tin (I used 18"). 

2. Blend all the filling ingredients except berries. It can take a few minutes to get a smooth consistency. If the dough feels too hard, add little melted coconut oil or water.  Taste and add little more honey if necessary.

3. Spread 2/3 of the filling on top of the base.  Blend the berries with the rest of the filling and pour the mixture into the cake tin.  

4. Freeze for 2 hours or overnight.  Before serving, let the cake defrost a little.  Serve with fresh berries on the top of the cake.