Fluffy Chocolate Avocado Mousse

I’ve been trying to find a way to get my little one to eat avocados … FOR-E-VER.  I wanted to introduce avocados back into her diet for the monounsaturated fat content (good fats). Functional Medicine doctor and educator Chris Kresser notes that interestingly, monounsaturated fats seem to be the only fats that typically fat-phobic groups like the AHA and fat-friendly groups like Atkins and other low-carbers can agree are completely healthy. Little Miss ate Avocados as a baby, then went right off them for a few years, and through perseverance and continued taste testing, different recipes and food education, they are back on the menu. But before she’d joyously scoop into half a raw plain avocado we’ve been through a myriad of recipes that include hidden avocado and dessert avocado. And this is one of them.

Sweet Potato Waffles

So, sweet but savory and full of yummy deliciousness. Sweet potato waffles… mmmm. The new year needed a new breakfast sandwich. Non negotiable.

The new year is a time for a fresh start, big dreams and a new story to be written. One of my new 2018 goals is to create weekly opportunities for meaningful time as a family.  We’re now at the end of January when most people fall off the band wagon with goals, but I’m just getting started! This family time goal might sound a bit wafty to some but as a family of two working parents, weekends full of chores, grocery shopping, birthday parties and more work with a second job, I have found that we have just been dragging ourselves sleep deprived and overworked from one year to the next, and [blink] — rinse and repeat.

We can’t wish for more time, time is finite. We can however control what we do with our time and whether we are really present and mindful, or just ‘there’ in body with mobile phone attached to our hand. It’s all about the BIG rocks, right? (Steven Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People!) Work will always be there, but the kids won’t. I read somewhere that there are only 936 weekends between the time your child is born and the time they leave for college (or Uni in Australia!). According to my rough calculations, we are already down 376 weekends, and the last 260 weekends will be teenage years spent probably wishing not to not be seen in the same room as their parents, so that leaves 300 weekends left to make dreams, memories …. AND WAFFLES that we will all look back on fondly — kids included!

Chocolate donuts cure the world!

My heart always skips a beat when I see the school number light up on my phone. Today it was the school nurse calling to say that one of my girls has fallen flat on her face. Oh dear! Cancel afternoon activities. Cancel school pick up arrangements. Cancel a productive day in the office before the weekend. Cancel afternoon exercise me-time.

So… HELLO chocolate covered pumpkin donuts! Isn’t it funny how something as simple and cute as a mini donut can forgive and forget, washing away the day’s troubles and ‘cure’ a 6 year old with a fat upper lip.

Gluten Free bread that’s a winner!

I’ve recently removed wheat and dairy from my diet in a bid to sort out my skin and hormone related issues. And while it is working miracles (for me) and my body is feeling so much better, I’m not going to lie – I miss bread. And don’t even mention cheese on toast! I am a HUGE fan of The Life-Changing loaf of Bread as a fab wheat free option packed full of goodness, fibre and good fats, BUT it’s just not the same for making sandwiches or a special weekend soft poached egg and wilted spinach on toast.

After a bit of searching, I came across this recipe with the bold title “GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN HOMEMADE BREAD (THAT DOESN’T SUCK)”  

Baked Eggs in Prosciutto Filled Portobello Mushrooms

Friday mornings are our special breakfast treat day as a family. We all sleep in a bit (hopefully kids included!) then climb into our big bed and have family cuddles, before venturing to the kitchen to bake/cook/create some sort of brunch extravaganza treat. Mr. Kurth is often instrumental in the execution of weekend breakfast and the kids are all hands on deck to help the food arrive faster. I’m normally in the background making a big pot of tea while offering unhelpful suggestions on how to change a recipe to my liking or offering superfoods ideas to add to make something more nutritious! Oh and I set the table.

Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes

Quick snack idea needed. Kids are hungry. Bananas are sitting in the fruit bowl getting browner by the minute. Everyone has turning their nose up at the soft brown fruit for one day too long. “Eww squishy mummy”! Any of this sound familiar?

Enter Chocolate Banana Protein Pancake experiment! Now, I’ve seen all those recipes for 2 ingredient breakfast what-evers and 3 ingredient miracle cakes, and don’t get me wrong they are all great ideas and perfect if you only have a few ingredients on hand (or you are stuck on a desert island with little more than a banana tree and a chicken laying eggs). I’ve tried a few of them and I inevitably end up adding a handful of other ingredients to make the recipe actually tasty or palatable enough for one patient husband and two trusting children to try. Our 2 ingredient breakfast banana pancakes normally turn into 12 ingredient pancakes by the time I add