My handy hubby is such a gem. For a while now I have wanted a blackboard in our kitchen and finally it has come to fruition and can I say that it has been a blessing with helping to occupy the boys when trying to get dinner on the table in the evening.



Almond Butter was requested today by my eldest. He loves it as a snack alongside crunchy apple slices and it is so simple to make yourself. Then as a little adaptation to the nut butter i had a thought and ended up scooping half the batch of freshly made almond butter into a separate jar and flavoured it with some orange juice and vanilla. To my suprise it was really GOOD! Now my mind has been working overtime with regards to other flavour considerations.

Basic Almond Butter
(makes approx 3/4 cups)

1 cup roast almonds
1/4 tspn sea salt (optional)

Roast almonds in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 10 - 15 mins
Allow to cool slightly and add to a food processor or high speed blender
Process until you reached your desired consistency ( i like a bit of texture still in mine)
Add salt (if you desire) and stir to combine

Orange Sesame and Vanilla Almond Butter

1/2 cup almond butter
2 tbs orange juice
1 tbs tahini
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbs honey

Place almond butter in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients
Stir well to combine
Adjust flavours to your liking and enjoy!


Also i stumbled across the blog "heather eats almond butter" the other evening and i liked her suggestion for quick almond milk. Check it out here. Great for when you are pressed for time.

My husband ventured out last evening to do a trial run for his up coming adventure race. He left late yesterday afternoon and arrived home at around 8am this morning looking about 10 years older then when he left. It was tough going,the rain was coming down but they managed to trek approximately 60km through some pretty rugged terrain. The blisters and swollen achilles tendon representing the extent of the physical challenge. Given the physical endurance necessary for these type of events i have always questioned the benefits of store bought protein bars. I mean how could a product that has a list of ingredients that are unable to be pronounced be good for an athlete and their performance. It's got me totally beat! A quick dash to the organic supermarket yesterday morning fixed all that and my homemade version appeared which might i say were pretty tasty and could quite easily double as a snack for afternoon tea. If anyone is interested, more recipes for protein bars can be found over at the green groats. blog.

In other news I was pretty happy to learn that a collection of my recipes had been included in the "100 recipes for a healthy summer" guide collated by Integrative Nutrition. I have recently started studying with the college and am enjoying the course considerably with the hope that it will be a nice adjunct to my role as a Fertility and Women's Health Nurse. Time will tell but so far so good.

Protein Bars (inspred by green groats blog)
Makes approx 8 bars

2 Tbs whey protein
2/3 cup LSA
½ cup oats
2 Tbs honey
4 Tbs peanut butter
¼ cup sultanas
¼ cup shredded coconut
1 Tbs cacoa nibs
2 Tbs cacao powder

Comine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until mixture forms a dough
Scoop mix out of the food processor and press it into a lined slice tray (20 x 30cm) ensuring not to press it down to much (it will only cover about ½ the tray)
Place in the fridge to firm up before cutting into bar shaped slices
Wrap each individual bar in glad wrap before storing in the fridge until ready to use.

I had one of those days in the kitchen where I used up bits and pieces of things that needed using up and these Millet Bars are an outcome of that. We enjoyed them as an afternoon snack under a picture perfect blue sky and just like the brazil nut balls we made recently these could be adapted in so many ways. I would love to hear any suggestions for other flavour combinations?




Millet Bars
(makes approx 12)

1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 tbs unsulphured black strap molasses
2 tbs orange juice
2 cups puffed millet
1/2 cup goji berries
zest of one orange
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tbs cacao nibs

Place the first three ingredients in a saucepan over a lowish heat until runny and combined
Add the 2 tbs orange juice to this mix
Place the remaining ingredients in another bowl
When the peanut butter mixture is runny and combined add this to the remaining ingredients
Mix until we combined
Spoon the mixture into a 20 x 30cm tray and press down with the back of a spoon or your fingers until flat
Place in the fridge to firm up
Cut into your desired shape bar and serve as you wish.

My latest thing is cauliflower. Big fresh heads of cauliflower have been popping up at the farmers markets over the last couple of weeks and I am loving it. I came across this recipe in a book call "The Herbal Kitchen". I have adapted it slightly to my own taste and to what I had on hand and i was more than happy with the outcome. It proved to be a delicious lunch had by all - kids included and they asked for more - gee i love that!


Roasted Cauliflower with Cranberries and Apple

(Serves 4)

1 cauliflower (core removed and cut into florets)
1/2 large spanish (red) onion
1 large unpeeled green apple, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 tspn sea salt
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
1/4 cup coarsely chopped sage
2 tablespoons olive oil


(parmesan to serve)

Preheat oven to 185 degrees celcius
Toss the cauliflower, onion, apple, olive oil together in a bowl
Transfer to a baking dish ensuring that the ingredients are spread over a single layer
Bake until some of the cauliflower florets begin to brown (approx 20 - 30 mins)
Stir in the cranberries and bake for an additional 10 mins or until most of the edges of the cauliflower are browned.
Serve with a sprinkling of good quality parmesan cheese if you desire