Easy cacao bliss balls

I love chocolate! I have no self control when it's in my house, so I try not to buy it. And without having much time for exercise at the moment I can't have too much.

Sometimes a girl needs to satisfy that craving. So here's a simple and healthy 'choc' treat that is packed full of flavour. It's the perfect afternoon slump pick me up for busy Mammas. This recipe was inspired by super fit and healthy Mamma Willy B Mum.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups/300g almonds 
• 1 cup/80g shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup / 30g raw cacao powder
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or rice malt syrup
• 2 tbs organic coconut oil
• Pinch Himalayan pink salt

Here's what you need to do:

1. Place all ingredients into the TM bowl (or a food processor)
2. Mix for about 10 seconds on speed 7 
3. Roll into small balls  
4. You can then roll them in chia seeds or shredded coconut 
5. Place in the fridge for a few hours to set

My daughter absolutely loves these. Especially when I roll them in hundreds & Thousands for a special treat! 

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. 

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.

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? 

Nudie in the garden

42c here yesterday, so what better way to cool off than watering the garden.

Poos and tanties. A day of firsts for the darling Ava Mae!

I'm a proud Mum, with another day marking a couple of major firsts in Ava's toddler years!

Today Ava did her first poo in the potty! Very exciting, until she tried to pick it up... Yes charming I know, you should have seen Burnsie's face! But these are the things that can make your day (almost) as much as a new pair of Jimmy Choos when you are a new mamma!!

And the other first? Ava had her first full blown tanty at the shops. She has plenty at home, believe me! But this was her first major tanty in the middle of The Metro. It was your full scale, back arching, ear piercing, blood curdling, floor kicking tanty.

I should have seen the signs early on. She chanted Elmo, Elmo, Elmo through K-mart; I said "No sweetheart, you can watch Elmo on tv". Then she wanted the green bananas we got in Aldi; again I said "No sweetheart, they are not ripe. Here, have a sayo." Then she wanted a balloon from the kitchen salesman; finally I said "Yes have a balloon my darling, please!!" Amazing that she hadn't lost it before this point really!

Finally it was the Wiggles big red car ride that pushed us over the edge. She wanted to get in and I let her. Then, when it was time to go all hell broke loose. Ava let out a blood curdling scream, like I had just ripped her heart out.

It was amazing to watch the number of young males who had previously been lounging about, suddenly leg it towards the exit. I got pity stares from fellow parents and judging sideways glares from young hipsters who had never dealt with a strong willed toddler before.

I freaked out a little and tried to comfort her whilst shoving her dummy in her mouth, knowing full well that was not going to work. So like the doting mother I am at home, I put her down on the floor and ignored her until she settled down so we could walk back to the car. I then let her push all the buttons in the lift and let her think she was the one pushing the trolly.

In reality, Ava allowed me to believe that I was the one in control. HAHA!

Note to self

It is incredibly unwise to give a pen to a toddler in exchange for 2 minutes on the computer. In my defence, it had a lid on when I gave it to her, and it seemed like an easy distraction.

I only had one quick email to send, and I couldn't even tell you who it was for, what it was about or why it seemed so important at the time...

I simply and quite selfishly wanted the keyboard all to myself so I could send a message, not have lines of garble bashed out on the keyboard.

Hence my darling daughter repaid the favour with a lovely scrawl on our antique white kitchen wall. Luckily she did it so hard you can barley see the blue ink, but the indent into the paint should last a while!!

I think we have a little artist in our midst! Does anyone else have their very own personalised wall art?

A Mamma's mission

I love Wednesday's at home with Ava. It's my favourite day of the week where just us girls get to hang out and do fun stuff like go to the park, play dolls and dress up, go to the library and catch up with friends etc. And every now and then I stumble across an activity and think, RIGHT that's what we are doing this Wednesday, Ava will LOVE it!!

Sooooo the other day I was driving through Tempe and passed a circus. There were lions pacing up and down a large cage plus camels, ponies etc all on display.

My first reaction? Sadness. I was particularly sad for the lions that have been bred into circus life, sad they have never experienced the freedom of the African savannah, sad they were bred into a life of performing rather than ruling the land. My second thought? Conflicted! How Ava would love to see lions. She is so fascinated and excited by animals! You should hear her squeal when she sees dogs on the dog food bags at the pet supplies store...

I wrestled with it for a couple of days and decided that whilst I was against performing circus animals I would take Ava to look at them between performances. I was doing it for her right? She would thank me for it one day right? Sadly, we are not going on safari anytime soon, so the circus it would be to see her first wild animal.

So off we headed on Wednesday afternoon. We'd already had a big morning at Bondi junction and Ava had refused to sleep when I put her down for a nap after lunch. Heading there in early peak hour traffic Ava naturally fell into a deep sleep. But I soldiered on, as there was no turning back now right?

We arrived at a nearby park. I put her in the stroller still fast asleep and pushed her to the lion's cage. I am always in awe of lions, their magnificent manes and that imposing strut! I wanted Ava to experience their presence so badly but she was out to the count! I even lifted her out of the pram and whispered, the lions go roar bubba. Mummy loves lions and I hope you get to see them in the wild when you are bigger. But Ava slept, in fact she snored her way through it. SNORED even as we went cross country to see them!!

Talk about a mamma on a mission! As parents how often do we compromise our own beliefs for our children?