Make your own gluten free flour in the Thermomix

Gluten free flour mix made in the Thermomix is so easy and it will save you money too! 

Making your own gluten free flour is really simple with the Thermomix. It's much cheaper than buying it pre-made and doesn't contain all those nasty preservatives and mystery ingredients some brands use.

This recipe was inspired by Thank Heaven's gluten free flour mix. It's my go to site for making flour or finding substitutes when I am missing an ingredient for a recipe. You'll find a few different mixes on her sight and a great summary of the various gluten free flour options and their substitutes.

You can easily double the recipe to makes a big batch if you do a lot of baking. Take note, it does not all fit in the Thermomix bowl at once so my kitchen gets a bit messy when I mix big batches.

My chef trained hubby is always appalled at the mess I make when I'm in the kitchen. He is very methodical and uses only what's required. I on the other hand tend to pull out every appliance I think I may need, along with multiple bowls, measuring cups, jugs and various stirring/scraping contraptions. Plus I go about things the long and hard way, but that's all part of the learning process isn't it!

Here's what you'll need:

• 100 g white rice
• 50 g buckwheat (or substitute with dry chickpeas)
• 50 g sorghum flour
• 100 g potato starch
• 200 g tapioca pearls or flour
• 5 g guar gum

Instructions:

1. Add rice and buckwheat to the thermomix bowl and mill for 1 min, speed 9
2. Add Tapioca pearls if you don't have flour and mill for 1 minute, speed 9.
3. Let the Thermomix cool down, it can get quite warm when milling. Take this opportunity to check that the grains are a fine flour consistency, if not mill for another 30 secs, speed 9. 
4. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 10 secs speed 6

This recipe is great for pancakes, muffins, veggie fritters and biscuits. I used this one to make my favourite banana bread on the weekend which I am trying to convert to a Thermomix recipe. It's getting there, but haven't quite nailed it in the Thermie yet. 

Please share your favourite gluten free flour recipes and the amazing goods you bake with it. I'm always looking for healthy and simple ideas. Happy baking! 

15 reasons my toddler cried today

Some days parenting a toddler is really hard. There's some things that simply can't be explained or accurately described in those books you read when you are pregnant and blissfully unaware of what you are getting yourself into. 

Nothing seems to go right and you find yourself at loggerheads with a 3 year old who appears to have taken on the personality of Napoleon. Barking orders, screaming when things don't go her way and pushing buttons that I never knew I had. Tears are inevitable and sometimes Ava cries too...

Today was one of those days. It actually started quite early this morning as I left the house to do the first yoga class I've done in 3 years. I thought I'd start my Sunday all zen like. Umm, nice try.

I guess the combination of being 3, fiercely independent, extremely smart and really knowing exactly what she wants at all times can get a bit much sometimes. Today was one of those days, where I just couldn't get it right for my little girl.  

So here's just some of the reasons Ava cried today.

1. I'm thirsty
2. I don't want water
3. Daddy cut my apple into triangles, I want it round 
4. The blender is too noisy
5. The hand dryer is too noisy
6. I fell over, it was Daddy's fault
7. I don't want chicken soup
8. I want to butter my own toast
9. I want Mummy to butter my toast
10. I don't want toast
11. I don't want dinner
12. I'm dirty
13. I don't want a shower
14. I want my special shower cap
15. I'm hungry, I want my dinner

Thanks goodness today is nearly over. Ava is finally asleep and as exhausted as I feel, I'm actually looking forward to her calling out to me at 4am for a snuggle in Mamma's bed. All the meltdowns, rages, defiance and endless negotiation is forgotten as I carry her warm and cuddly little body into our bed for a few hours of precious snuggles.

You should bow to me Mamma

Wait, what?? My daughter said "You should bow to me Mamma" and she was quite serious. So I did.

I was kind of taken aback by this one, I mean kids say the weirdest funniest things right? But where the hell did this come from? I was like, what? Can you please tell Mamma again sweetheart, I don't think I heard right. So she said it again. And like a good Mum I bowed to her then asked her to bow to me, which she did with a giggle.

Quite frankly Ava Mae rules over this household, Burnsie and I practically bow to her every day metaphorically speaking.  Her attitude and spunk make her irresistible and likely to get away with murder.

Don't get me wrong, we do practice discipline however when little miss attitude gives out some 'quick witted, intelligent and in context' lip, it makes me burst with pride and adoration. Is that wrong? The girl has an answer for everything and will not back down if she has something to say. Whilst if frustrates the hell out of me it also makes me incredible proud that I am raising a strong, smart, passionate and fiercely independent female. 

In my head I often hear the voice of my own Mum saying "karma"!! But for now I choose to ignore the fact that a cute and feisty toddler attitude will likely develop into a serious angsty teenage attitude - oh good grief!! For now I'm happy to ride the wave of cuteness and punch out a few entertaining status updates for family and friends. 

DIY paint for kids

Burnsie found this recipe on Facebook so we had to share it! 

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1 cup water
• Natural food colouring 
• Mix together until you get the colour you want

So simple and non toxic, the kids can make it themselves!

Embarrassing stuff kids say

"Mummy, that lady has big boobies just like you!" Yes, you read that correctly. This is what Miss 3 yells out on the train today while pointing at an attractive young South American girl sitting opposite us.

Umm, thanks for that! If you have heard my daughter's voice lately you will have a pretty good idea how this played out. She's a foghorn, not sure where she gets that from. And if that statement didn't get everyone's attention, there's more.

Next thing she lifts up her top. Oh to clarify, Ava lifts her top. Unfortunately for my dear hubby it was not the attractive young girl lifting her top. She was probably totally mortified that her boobs are being compared to mine. Despite sitting opposite the crazy family (that would be us) she is completely avoiding any eye contact whatsoever. I am also hoping like hell that this girl does not understand a word of English. Not that it mattered, the lady next to us definitely understood English.

So with her top lifted for all on the train to see, Miss fog horn screeches "When I'm a grown up I'm going to have big nipples and boobies just like mummy."  Gold. No really, it was gold. I had to give it to her, Burnsie and I had nowhere to go from there. We were speechless.

It's times like this I have mixed feelings about having a smart and articulate toddler. I know it's not unusual for kids to embarrass their parents in public, it was just a bit of a shock when it happened on a busy Inner West train.

It's not the first outburst. Previous gems include. "Mummy I have to go to the toilet. I have a wedgie." And "Mu Mummy has a baby in her tummy". The former was true, the latter was not for the record !!

Ever since my sister came to stay with the gorgeous 12 week old Gabi, Ava has been obsessed with babies and boobs. She pretends to breast feed from me and talks endlessly about her boobies. Is this normal?

My Mum calls it karma! I think there may have been a few occasions that I embarrassed her a little when I was Ava's age. So is it karma or just normal curious and innocent toddler behaviour ?

Ava's 3rd birthday party

Gotta love a party loaded with sugar!! It's not often that I wilfully feed Ava bucket loads of sweets, but birthdays come only once a year, so why not make the most of it.

Bursie really outdid himself with this cake - although it wasn't gluten free so I am already paying for the cheeky slice I had to have. My contribution! I did the writing and a bit (ok a lot) of micro management of the final touches...poor Burnsie.  

Ava seriously lost her shit (but in a good way) when she saw it before that party this morning. She said it was the bestest cake ever in the whole wide world.

I should also mention that our rather fancy Ilve oven decided to pack it in the night before the party! Seriously???  It's only 4 years old grrrr!  Luckily the cake was done, it just meant that we had less savoury adult food as I had planned on baking a batch of GF mini vegetarian quiches. 

Ava and her best friend Marli had a ball playing together in the park. They have known each other since they were born. 

We didn't invite too many kids, just Ava's cousins and her best park buddies Marli and Emily. She had so much fun running around the park, playing chasing and bossing us all around too!

The kids enjoyed blowing bubbles, playing pass the parcel and snacking on a mix of both wholesome and sweet treats.

These fruit cups were really easy to make and were a hit with the kids and adults. We chopped up watermelon, cantaloupe, nectarines, grapes and berries that morning, put them into a big container, then filled the cups at the park. Simple, beautiful and really healthy!

For a twist on fairy bread, we made wholemeal hundreds and thousands pin wheels which disappeared pretty quickly.

To make these I asked the baker to cut the bread loaf long ways. You should have seen his face, he had never been asked to do this before and thought I was totally insane.

Actually, I think he was worried that his cutting machine would destroy the bread! However he cut the bread perfectly and it was so much easier to make them rather than cutting long ways yourself.

Tip!! Flatten the bread out with a rolling pin before you butter it and sprinkle on the hundreds and thousands. Once flattened out they are so much easier to roll up. Then you cut each roll into three pin wheels. So easy.

Can you spot the dodgy one I made???

The marshmallow sticks are another super easy and very pretty sweet treat. What kid doesn't like marshmallows??

Bunsie insisted on making home made LCMs. I am not a fan, they are sickly sweet and full of sugar. As you can imagine the kids loved them...

So it kind of backfired for Burnsie, he was hoping to have them all to himself.

Inner West Buy Swap Sell

Like most families, we have accumulated a lot of crap over the years. And I mean a serious load of crap, much of it sitting unused and gathering dust in drawers and wardrobes or collecting cobwebs in our carport.

We don't really need much, we have good imaginations and are quite easily amused. Yet I cringe at the many times Burnsie and I have trotted off to the shops for the latest must have product we just know will enhance our lives considerably.

We live in a pretty wasteful society, where most babies have more tiny clothes than a Paris runway show, more toys than Santa's workshop and enough products to keep a small country well moisturised. And while I stand high and mighty on my soap box, I am also the first to admit I love new stuff and have spent a small fortune on much of our treasured crap! Well it's time to offload some good quality crap! And as the old saying goes, one person's trash is another's treasure!

After a particularly gruelling clean out which included multiple trips to the Salvos, a full bin and a lot of recycling, we still have a heap of stuff too good to throw out. And I really hate seeing things go to waste, I really do!

So I decided that instead of wasting my time on eBay or at the markets, I would try to find homes for our unwanted goods locally using my BFF the interwebs. I went searching for an online trash & treasure or buy swap sell on Facebook, but there doesn't appear to be one for the Inner West. So I've set up one myself....it's aptly named Sydney's Inner West - Buy Swap Sell.

Please like and share it with your friends. The more people who like it, the more crap you can offload and the more bargains you can score!!

Please check out facebook.com/innerwestbuyswapsell and list your items, or check out the crap erm treasure up for sale! Share the love and do your little bit for the planet, it might get you a little cash on the side too!

What to do with a 2 year old with all this rain?

What to do with a 2 year old when the rain keeps pouring down and there's no sign of any reprieve?  Simple, grab your umbrella, put on a raincoat and gum boots and get out there!

Miss Ava Mae is completely obsessed with Peppa Pig. And anyone familiar with Peppa Pig will know that Peppa's favourite pastime is jumping in muddy puddles. So when the rain hit this weekend we decided if you can't beat them, join them!!

Little kids truly live in the present, something we should all try to do every now and then. The pure joy on Ava's face as she splashed muddy water everywhere, including all over me, was priceless.  I have to admit, I really enjoyed jumping up and down in the filthy water. After last week's heat, the rain and cooler weather was quite refreshing.

And in saying that, we are lucky that the rain here is enough to be annoying but has not caused havoc like it has in far Norther NSW and Queensland. My heart goes out to the many people affected and we will be doing our bit by donating to the Red Cross Flood appeal.

What do you do to keep the kids entertained when the weather turns to crap? 

Gluten free chocolate slice

I have been on another experimental baking frenzy! It's had it's highs and lows - the lowest point saw Burnsie and I spending our Saturday night scrubbing the oven out with toxic oven cleaner. Yes I know, oven cleaner is about as toxic as it gets. However, after an Australia Day experiment went horribly wrong, baking soda and lemon juice just wouldn't cut it so out came the chemical warfare. But that's a post for another day...

My goal is to find some really simple healthy snacks and a few sweet treats to add to my rather limited repertoire. Ava Mae has become quite fussy over the last few months, turning her nose up at most meals and home made goods. So anything she likes that is not loaded with processed nasties (yes I'm talking about you Tiny Teddies and Caramello Koala) that I can make from scratch is a bonus!

I have been craving chocolate all throughout the long weekend. So tonight's experiment is my gluten free take on an old childhood favourite, Chocolate Slice. In addition to replacing the flour with Gluten Free SR Flour, I halved the sugar and added a dash of vanilla.

I have decorated half with sprinkles as I know Ava will love them, actually so will Burnsie. The other half is sprinkled with coconut. According to Ava, coconut has suddenly become "VERY YUCKY". Note this is always shouted to ensure the neighbours know too.

Ingredients

• 220g melted butter or dairy free spread
• 2 cups GF self-raising flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing

• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup pure (GF) icing sugar
• 1 tbsp soy or almond milk
• 1 tbsp melted butter or dairy free spread
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut or sprinkles to decorate

Method

• Preheat oven to 170°C. 
• Line a slice tray with baking paper.
• Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add melted butter and stir well.
• Press mixture firmly into a slice tray.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

Icing

• Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl.
• Stir in melted butter and soy milk.
• Spread over the slice while it's still warm.
• Sprinkle coconut or coloured sprinkles over the top. 
• Leave out to cool and cut into 5cm by 5cm squares.

This turned out really yummy, but is quite full on. Not something I want to have in the house too often. Please share, what's your go to sweet treat? 

Getting crafty for Christmas

 

It's that time of year again, can you believe it??? I cant... i still have shopping to do, gifts to wrap, goodies to bake and then there's the cards I misplaced halfway through writing them. Sorry to all our friends who normally get a card, didn't quite get it together to buy more cards. Sheesh, hand me a wine please!!!

Despite the chaos, for us Christmas means spending time with close family and friends, eating delicious food and enjoying Ava as she discovers Santa and all the elements of the season. Well ummmmm mainly the the presents. We may not be religious, but I do want to instill in her the meaning of Christmas beyond the advertising assault of the season!

It's also a time of baking for the Burnsies! Burnsy has been hard at it, whipping up a batch of shortbread for the teachers at day care.

Home baked goods make the perfect DIY gift. Ava helped out (licking the bowl counts in my books), they are low cost and you can up cycle everyday household items to put them in.

We used an old coffee jar, ribbon, a few stickers and a card from last Christmas. These yummy treats are not gluten free, so I've had to give them a miss this year. But this weekend I'll be testing out a new GF recipe, watch this space!!

This is summer in Oz

There's nothing quite like the rare sight of a sprinkler to bring back childhood memories of long, hot summer days! Running under the spray of cool water, the hot sun beating down on our bare skin, this is what summer in Oz was all about before water restrictions and slip slop slap were invented.

My grandfather used to set up the hose, a sprinkler and plastic sheeting in the back yard as a makeshift water slide and obstacle course. The hose and sprinkler would run for hours while Grandpa squirted washing detergent onto the plastic. We'd all take turns flinging ourselves headfirst down the plastic, slipping off halfway or making it all the way down only to tumble into the garden at the bottom. Then we'd run through the sprinkler to remove some dirt and detergent, back up the garden to do it all again and again! There was the occasional bruise or grass burn after a particularly fast slippery slide, but there was always laughter and squeals for more bubbles please Grandpa!

Fast forward 30 something years... This water baby is now a city dwelling, water tight-ass with a mere square meter of grass where my girl can nude up for some time limited sprinkler action. I am a bit of a greenie, and want to instill my love of our planet in Ava. I want her to know how precious our resources are and how important it is to appreciate and conserve what Mother Nature has created. But most of all I am a Mum who was once a kid too.

I may be a try hard environmentalist, but I'm not the fun police!!! I want Ava to enjoy life's simple pleasures, like running naked through the sprinkler on a hot day. Have you or your little ones run under the sprinkler lately?