Aussie Bites Recipe

Gluten Free Vegan Aussie Bites 

The kiddies are back to school and with that comes the challenge of making fun snacks that pack a punch of nutrition but also are 'kid approved'. 

This week I saw some Aussie Bites at Costco and wondered 'how hard would those be to make at home for my gluten free egg free daycare crew?'

Being a busy women I am the firm believer of 'why recreate the wheel' especially if I do not have to so off to Google to search for Aussie Bite  recipes others may have already created for these tasty little nuggets. I found a great one over at Oh My Veggies that fit our dietary needs so I thought I would give a go ~ we got 10 thumbs up around the table with these!  

You will need the following:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour *see note below
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup flaxseed meal (make sure it is meal and not just seeds)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I personally do not add salt but original recipe has it)
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 1/2 cup dried apricots (we added Craisns as well think you could do any dried fruit)

Love my Blendtec

Bakers Notes: If you cannot find Gluten Free oat flour you can make your own using gluten free rolled oats,  ~ I love my Blendtec to make my gluten and grain free flours at home so I can help ensure they ARE indeed gluten or grain free. Whatever you choose you just would need to pulverize approximately 2 cups of oats in a food processor until it reaches the consistency of flour, and then measure 1 1/2 cups of the flour for the recipe. 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. I love baking with my silicone moulds cause they do not need any extra prep but if you are using something else the original recipe says to spray the cups of a mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray or rub with a little coconut oil to prevent sticking.
• Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until coconut oil has melted. Set aside. If you have a microwave you can also heat it up in there just be careful it does not boil over and make a mess on you. 
• In a Blendtec or food processor or hand chopper depending on what you have, add oat flour, oats, and sunflower seeds. Pulse a couple of times until the seeds and oats begin to break up. Add the coconut, flaxseed meal, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to mix.
• Add the raisins and dried apricots ~ we liked a few craisins as well and pulse until the apricots are approximately the size of peas. 
• Pour the melted coconut oil and maple syrup over the dry ingredients, then pulse just until combined. Transfer to a large bowl and stir well to make sure all ingredients are well-combined. If any of the dried fruit sticks together in clumps, separate and distribute them throughout the mix. 
• Scoop by the heaping tablespoonful into the cups of the mini muffin pan ~ Pampered Chef has a great scoop I love from my time when I was a consultant with them ~ 15 years later and it is still working awesome.
• With your fingers, press each gently but firmly to pack and flatten or if you are making for non family members like me you can use the Mini Tart Shaper to reduce any 'germ' contamination of the fingers. 
• Bake for about 12 minutes until set and edges are golden.
• Remove from oven, allowing to cool for about 10 minutes. In my experience silicone muffin tins allow you to just pop them out but if you used a 'tin' you might need to gently use a butter knife to help pop each bite out of its respective tin; carefully remove from tin and place on a wire rack until completely cool and set. They may be fragile until completely cooled ~ I personally left mine in the 'silicone' a until they were mostly cooled to help with that.

This recipe yields about 48 separate muffins ~ you can bake in two or three batches if you only have a 12 or 24 cup muffin pan with no issues. 

Once baked keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze in a Ziploc bag or airtight freezer container.

My must have tools suggestion to help make baking easier:

Measuring Scoops for baking ~ perfect sized everytime

Mini Tart Shaper - keep those fingers clean

  Pampered Chef Stackable Rack
great for space saving I have 4 of them I can stack on top of each other!

If you give them a try ~ let me know how your crew enjoyed them!

I am wondering if some 'dark chocolate chips' might be a nice addition next time around?

Have an amazing day!
Margaret 
Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much!
Totallyawake4-life 

My Underarms are REJOICING

I am SO excited ... new and amazing products are coming from dōTERRA and will be available to customers on October 1st and THIS is one I cannot wait to try ~ in an effort to get away from the toxins in store bought deodorant I have been making my own deodorant for years now when I can find the time  HOWEVER while simple ingredients it does take time and it can be costly sourcing ingredients specially the 'roll up tubes' and 'bees wax'  ... so it is no surprise I am excited to see the awesome dōTERRA to the rescue with an answer that will save me time and still address my concerns about ingredients I can 'pronounce' being in the tube ~ Latin terms aside look at all this goodness!

Ingredients: Beeswax, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, CocoCaprylate, Zea mays (Corn) Starch, Triethyl Citrate, Copernicia cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Cupressus sempervirens (Cypress) Oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (Melaleuca) Leaf Oil, Juniperus virginiana (Cedarwood) Wood Oil, Citrus aurantium bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Salvia officinalis (Sage) Oil, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter, Sodium Caproyl/Lauroyl Lactylate (aka a natural, food grade, emulsifier derived from the sodium salt of lactic acid.)

dōTERRA Natural Deodorant is an all-natural formula infused with Cypress, Melaleuca, Cedarwood, and Bergamot essential oils to create an effective, odour-fighting product for both men and women. These powerful essential oils inhibit underarm odour while leaving a fresh, clean scent. Known for their protective and skin-nourishing properties, beeswax and coconut oil make this unique formula glide on easily for a smooth application. Shea butter hydrates skin and absorbs quickly, contributing to the products non-greasy, light feel. dōTERRA Natural Deodorant is a safe, natural option for preventing odour throughout the day.

Primary Benefits 

• Cypress, Melaleuca, Cedarwood, and Bergamot (FCF) essential oils provide purifying benefits, helping reduce underarm odor 
• Beeswax provides a protective barrier while allowing skin to breathe and contributes to the product’s smooth application 
• Coconut oil contains fatty acids, known for their nourishing properties and ability to keep skin smooth and healthy-looking 
• Shea butter hydrates skin without leaving a greasy after-feel
• Free of alcohol, aluminium, parabens, and artificial colours and fragrances

Cannot wait for October 1st!

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life

Tasty Low Carb Fries no BS

Photo shared from Low-Cholesterol.com

When I first saw the photos like this of 'low carb' french fry options I thought those have to be BS trick photography ... there is no way that they can be low carb because they look so tasty just like a real french fry does and all crispy and well just YUMMY FOOD PORN .... so I went on to do some investigating cause with removing 'grains' from my diet that means no potatoes either and no french fries on burger night with the family.  Turns out technically I was right  about them being BS cause when I clicked to find out HOW they were low carb I found out they are made of wait for it ... Butternut Squash!

 

French Fry comparison chart

Working in my field 'flavorless baby food' is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of butternut squash so when I found out that it could be a health version of a FRENCH FRY  I was admittedly a little skeptical cause fresh fries are CRISPY on the outside and well squash got its name because it is well SQUASHY! 

However that said the 'low carb' claim for them held true compared to other popular french fry mediums over here on the right that I looked up online the butternut squash is the lowest calorie and carb option and still packs a punch of some fiber, protein and vitamins. Over all a nice sound choice nutritionally specially for someone like me who struggles with glucose issues! 

So the next question of course was how do they TASTE? Cause they looked lovely enough to fool the eye into accepting them HOWEVER the taste buds need to be convinced too!

What You Need

• Butternut squash ~ size depends on how many people you are feeding we chose a small one 
• 1 tablespoon Coconut oil melted (optional)
• Seasoning of choice ~ I used Epicure Chipolte Ranch  
•  Parchment paper

 

Low Carb French Fries? Tell me more!

What You Do

• Peel the squash. I found it easiest to cut it in half at the fat part so it was 'flat' and I peeled it with a sharp knife by hand.
• De-seed the large end of the squash
• Slice the squash into 'french fry size' pieces.
• In a bowl toss the squash with coconut oil I opted for this to help my spices evenly coatc an stick but the original recipe that inspired me did not have oil. Add your seasoning of choice in the quantity to taste. We eat a low sodium diet so not add salt but you could add salt only or spices of choice.  I used 1 tablespoon of the Epicure Chipolte Ranch seasoning for the whole squash 
• Lay out evenly on the parchment paper covered stone or pan.
• Bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes depending on how crispy you like your 'fries'. When we are in a hurry I put them on broil for the last 3-5 minutes to help get that crispy edge.
• Serve as a side with your favorite burger recipe. We had them with bunless Cheddar Bacon burgers. 

BS Fries & Bunless Burger

Definitely MY new favorite way to make french fries and my spouse enjoyed them as well. However in the interest of honesty the teenager in the house decided after about 3 fries that he prefers his McCain's frozen french fries after all and well he's old enough now to cook his own meals cause I am not a restaurant ... one meal on the menu like it or leave it ;-) 

ETA I have since tried these with the daycare kiddies ~ so my guess based on experience is hook them young before they get too addicted to the frozen french fry. Based on how well they were accepted I do not think they noticed a difference between these and other 'french fries' cause they gobbled them up! Gives great peace of mind knowing that these were a nice healthy version that were quick and easy to make!

So what's your favorite French Fry medium? The Potato, the Sweet Potato or are you wiling to give the BS Fries a try?

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live well, Laugh Often, Love Much!

Totallyawake4-life.com 

Stuffed Strawberries & Figs

Chevre Stuffed Strawberries

We had a potluck cocktail party to go to yesterday so I brought one of my favorite go to appetizers to share! 

These are SO very tasty but also very easy to make which is my kind of appetizer! 

What you need

• 1 lb of Fresh Strawberries - ideally local grown organic cause they are so sweet
• Medjool dates
• 1 small package of Chevre Goat Cheese - original flavor 
• Pecans enough for each strawberry
• Romaine lettuce for garnish optional  

What you do

•  Rinse and core your berries and than cut an X in the top about half way down the berry to create a little crevice. 
• Split the date length wise and pull out pit the date if not already done
• Stuff the crevice carefully with the Chevre careful not to 'split' the berry but if it does you can usually use the cheese as 'glue' to keep it together.
• Top with a pecan half ... if you want an extra sinful treat use a 'candied pecan' or leave some plain for those who do not care for nuts.
• Place on a serving plate and watch them fly off at your gathering.

They also make a great snack on a smaller scale ~ the daycare kids love stuffed berries and figs! 

Our preferred date for 'stuffing'

Chevre ~ Goat's Milk Cheese

 What is YOUR go to appetizer for social gatherings?

Have an amazing day!
Margaret
Life well, Laugh Much, Love Often
Totallyawake4-life.com

Paleo Pancakes

2 Ingredient pancakes

 

 

 

Pancakes has to be one of the kids and MY favorite morning routines ~ breakfast is not my strong suit for eating as soon as I wake up but PANCAKES were always one of the few things my stomach seemed to tolerate. Making the move to giving up gluten meant finding new pancake recipes and well now a days there are lots of 'mixes' available to make that easier and result in lovely fluffy pancakes akin to the normal 'wheat based ones' HOWEVER with making the further move to give up 'grains' all together I was back at the keyboard searching out options and came across several blogs that showcased 'two ingredient' pancakes ... how much cleaner can you get that TWO ingredients? However I admit I was skeptical cause how much like a 'real pancake' could they be?

 So in my conitnuing effort to actually 'make' what I have been pinning verse just drooling over my keyboard ~ we gave them a try this week!

Paleo inspired pancakes ~ yummy!

What you need

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 Eggs

What you Do

• Puree banana with a fork 
• Whisk 2 eggs and add to banana puree
• Heat your griddle 350F ~ I spritzed with coconut oil cause wasn't sure about sticking
• Scoop out SMALL about 2 tablespoon portions. I used my Pampered Chef small scoop for mine. Smaller is better as these do not 'flip' with the same ease as normal pancakes I had to use two flippers to carefully flip mine so they did not turn in on each other.
• Once you flip cook until spongy and egg is cooked through.
• Serve as desired ~ I did not feel ours needed anything extra such as syrup or icing sugar sprinkles because the banana makes them sweet.

Bakers Note

While the original recipes I  pinned had just the two ingredients mine ended up with 3 ingredients ~ cause I added some cinnamon to ours as I have one who is not a banana lover and wanted to help mask that flavor a bit. 

I think like any pancake you can also add 'add ons' to them such as chocolate chips, blueberries, walnuts and top as you like! This recipe makes about 6 small pancakes and I have easily doubled the recipe by doing 4 eggs and 2 ripe bananas. 

These were also pretty tasty 'cold' as well although admittedly they go a little rubbery texture wise when they get cool but the kiddies seemed to still enjoy them.

 

Two Thumbs up for Two Ingredient Pancakes

These were a total hit around the table - every one wanted seconds. For those readers who like me were wondering about texture they are more of a 'crepe' consistency than a fluffy pancake. If you really need the fluffy pancake texture I read another recipe review that suggested added 1tsp baking powder to them. They do have a hint of the banana flavor but if you add cinnamon it does help to cut that down a bit. 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life.com 

Boats are DA BOMB!

OK remember I am a recovering 'picky eater' here so those of you who've been eating zucchini forever bare with me as these have been on my list to try for a long time ~ for some reason they frightened me so I would always walk past them in the grocery store and say 'next week' ... I think it is because they look so much like cucumber and well cucumber does not like me for some reason. Not sure what I ever did to it but it will attack me something fierce when it passes my lips!

So I was very pleasantly surprised when we added these to the daycare rotation and like a good role model I believer if I am serving something to the children I need to 'eat it' too unless I cannot for allergy reasons. These were so tasty they are now on the weekly rotation and we are trying lots of 'variations' in the meat and veggies and cheese added to mix it up!

Slice Zucchini in half and create your 'crevice' for your boat

Add your favorite sauce ~ for the kiddies I use pizza sauce
For myself I used Red Hot's Tabasco sauce, Pesto or Salsa cause I like spice

Fill the boat with your favorite toppings ~ we used onion, peppers, bacon, cherry tomatoes. 

I sprinkled with some Epicure Poco Picante seasoning for mine cause I like it SPICY but really anything goes  with what you fill it with ~ get inventive!  

Top with cheese of choice ~ we used some cheddar mozzarella mix here.

Bake in the oven on 350F for about 20 minutes until the zucchini is al dente and the cheese is melted to your preference ~ I like crispy cheese! 

Zucchini Boats always receive 10 thumbs up around the table here! 

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life.com 

Practice vs Punishment

Image from Kristy Lee Memes ` Gentle Parenting Inspiration on Facebook

This is such an awesome reminder especially as we start a new 'school year' .... when we see 'behaviour' in young children it is merely a reflection of the skills one has mastered OR in some cases the skills one is still working to master if only someone would take the time to coach them on how! 

When a child is scribbling outside the lines or holding their scissors all wonky so they wont cut or they just cannot seem to grasp that 2+2 = 4 or that blue and green are different colours we do not feel the need 'punish' them. We see that they are struggling and we COACH them with more practice until they 'get it'. This reaction comes naturally and easily IMO mostly because the behaviours they are exhibiting affects no one but the child themselves. We do not seem to see it as a 'personal reflection' on our self when they are struggling with academics nor do we think 'she is scribbling like that just to spite or manipulate me into colouring that for her'. 

However when we find a child is whining instead of using their words or throwing a tantrum because they did not get what they wanted or cannot make something work or the little one's who is aggressive because they do not know how to resolve conflict or enter play and are stuck in the 'fight or flight' impulse we, as a society,we tend to believe we need to feel that this is done 'on purpose' somehow to push our buttons. 

We have this value system that negative behaviours related to 'social skills' are some how a 'slight' towards us, they are questioning our authority or are an attempt to manipulate those around them. Therefore they a reflection of our childrearing and parenting skills that we 'allow' this behaviour to happen. We feel much more invested to 'stop' the behaviour and as a result we tend to look to 'punishment'  in order to correct it as quickly as possible. When the reality is that this behaviour is typically a cry for HELP and an indication that the child needs support to acquire BETTER coping skills in the world ... they do not benefit or acquire new skills through punishment or loss of privilege but rather through support and reflecting on the natural consequences of their behaviour, ideas and strategies on better choices they can make next time and an action plan moving forward. 

As an early childhood educator I can totally empathize that it is a fine line when dealing with behaviours that affect 'others' to find that balance between keeping the other children 'safe' in a group setting while still ensuring that the child who needs support and help to master empathy, impulse control and anger management skills has opportunities to 'practice' acquiring the skills they need.

Investing in giving children time to practice totally helps with moving more quickly to acquire the skills desired.

We love to make use of 'puppets' for role playing and practice cause a puppet can do things that  sometimes an adult cannot to help ~ like bop another puppet on the head to talk about how that might feel and is it a positive choice to solve the problem ;)

Do not under estimate the power of reading books where the characters are trying to acquire the same skills we are for active reflection with the children on what the characters did and how it worked out for them and so forth.

Practice and coaching when you are not 'in the heat' of the moment allows for you the adult to remain calm presenting the message and also allows for the child to be in a better place to receive the 'coaching' so to speak!

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Totallyawake4-life.com