Tag: sugar free baby

Blueberry Banana Bread

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I had a heap of blueberries in my fridge and some ripe bananas so I thought I’d use my classic banana bread recipe and add blueberries. If you want a more chocolatey version, see here. This one is so light and fluffy and yummy and of course gluten, dairy, sugar and egg free ❤

Ingredients

3 large very ripe bananas, mashed (if they are small, use 4)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 heaped tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp filtered water
1 cup buckwheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Handful blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 180° and line a loaf tin with baking paper and grease with coconut oil.

Mix the flax seeds in a small bowl with the water and set aside so it can set. (this is a flax ‘egg’ and used instead of eggs.)

Mash the bananas in a large bowl and add the coconut oil and maple, then add the flax mix and mix well.

Now add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

Mix in the blueberries gently and spoon into the prepared cake tin.

Put it in the oven for around 25–30 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean. My oven tends to cook things much quicker than most so it’s been a bit of a learning curve, your oven may need more time.

Leave on a wire rack to cool then turn out of the loaf tin onto a plate.

Delicious served with peanut or almond butter!

Love and health,
Lauren

Guilt-Free Chocolate Digestive Biscuits

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If you’re British, there is probably nothing more satisfying and comforting to you than a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive of an afternoon (had to say ‘of an afternoon’ instead of ‘in the afternoon’ because that’s how my nanny would have said it in that endearing East End way when talking about tea and biccies). 🍪 ☕️ So of course I wanted to make the healthy version so I can indulge my ultimate guilty pleasure. these are gluten, dairy, sugar and egg free.

I actually got this recipe from my lovely friend @mrshollingsworths. Her picture looks way better than mine because she’s more of an artist than I am with food but I’m happy to say they taste just as good! 😃 i also bake them for less time than she does – just a difference in ovens i guess.

I know food blogs and Instagram are all about the styling and the perfect pictures but guys, I have an 18 month old, a husband, a dog, arthritis to keep at bay with heaps of hard work, deadlines, and a novel to write! I can only spend so long re-arranging biscuits in the right light surrounded by random ribbons and hessian fabric before I have to give up and hope they’re good enough! So there you have it, my excuse for not having Instagram’s best pictures.

The truth is, I love making the food and feeding those I love. I love writing the recipes and the captions, but photography is not my passion so (in the voice of the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding) there you go! Hope you all enjoy this recipe anyway Happy baking, lovers!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup oats
3/4 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup cashew butter (or any other nut or seed butter)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate topping:
1/2 cup cacao butter
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp cashew butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

Put all the ingredients for the biscuits In a bowl and mix really well.

Shape them into biscuits and flatten down on the trays and bake for 8-10 minutes. If they look a little soft it’s ok, they’ll continue to harden once they come out the oven so don’t leave them in for too long.

Take them out the oven and leave to cool.

Make the chocolate by melting all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low light.

Once the biscuits are cool, spoon the chocolate over the top of each one and put on a plate in the fridge to cool.

Love & health,
Lauren 💜

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Drizzled Banana Bread

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This is basically exactly the same as my usual banana bread (gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and vegan), I just added a bit of peanut butter and chocolate drizzles to the top because, why not!

It sank a bit in the middle which is really annoying when you make something so pretty, but I think it was still worth a picture 🙂

Ingredients

3 large very ripe bananas, mashed (if they are small, use 4)
1 whole banana for the middle (optional)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 heaped tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp flax seeds
4 tbsp filtered water
1 cup buckwheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Chocolate sauce to coat the banana in (optional):
2 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp tsp cashew butter

Drizzle topping:
1 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter
Leftover chocolate sauce from the banana coating

Method

(Quick note: if you want this to  be quick and simple, just leave out the optional chocolate-covered banana in the middle, the cake will be just as nice!)

Preheat the oven to 180° and line a loaf tin with baking paper and grease with coconut oil.

Make the chocolate sauce by melting all the sauce ingredients on a gentle heat in a saucepan. Coat the whole banana in the chocolate sauce and leave in the fridge to set. Save whatever is leftover of the chocolate in the saucepan for later.

Mix the flax seeds in a small bowl with the water and set aside so it can set. (this is a flax ‘egg’ and used instead of eggs.)

Mash the other 3 bananas in a large bowl and add the coconut oil and maple, then add the flax mix and mix well.

Now add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

Move just under half the batter into the loaf tin then put the chocolate-covered banana on top. Now add the rest of the mix on top of the banana.

Put it in the oven for around 25–30 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean. My oven tends to cook things much quicker than most so it’s been a bit of a learning curve, your oven may need more time.

Leave on a wire rack to cool then turn out of the loaf tin onto a plate.

Once cool, put the peanut butter on a plate and even out so it’s quite thin on the plate, then put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, or until it starts cracking, then, once cool enough for you to handle with your fingers, sprinkle it over the top of the cake.

Finish by drizzling the remaining chocolate sauce in the saucepan over the top.

Delicious served with peanut or almond butter!

Enjoy!

Love and health,
Lauren

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

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Braxton is leaving his childminder this week and starting nursery – eek!! I didn’t know what to get the lovely ladies at the childminder so decided to make them some nice things and package them nicely as a thank you. I made them these and some chocolate truffles – I hope they like them and hope you do too!

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil
3 heaped tbsp natural peanut butter
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp almond milk
½ tsp vanilla powder
Pinch Himalayan salt
1/3 cup ground almonds
3-4 tablespoons coconut flour

Chocolate coating:
3 tbsp cacao powder
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp cashew butter
¼ cup coconut oil (add more if it is too thick)

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line 2 baking trays with baking parchment and grease with coconut oil.

Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan and add to a mixing bowl.

Now add the peanut butter, maple, almond milk, vanilla and salt to the bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. It should start thickening a little.

Now add the ground almonds and mix really well, then add the coconut flour and mix again. If it is too runny to make into cookies, add another tablespoon. It should thicken as you mix but add coconut flour one spoon at a time as needed.

Roll into small balls and push down on the prepared baking tray but not too thin as they should be quite bulky and will be soft on the inside if they are thicker which is nice, a bit like blondies.

Put in the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes, until they have only just started browning on the edges but not more than that as they will continue to harden when they are out the oven.

While they are in the oven make the chocolate by melting all the ingredients together in the saucepan you melted the coconut oil in.

Let the cookies cool on the trays for 5 minutes then let them cool fully on a wire rack.

Once cool, dip them in the chocolate and put them on a plate and put the plate in the fridge for an hour.

You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge to keep the chocolate from melting and they should still be soft enough on the inside when they come out the fridge.

Love & health,
Lauren

 

Unicorn Donuts

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Well here’s something different! I’ve been obsessed with unicorns since I was a little girl. They were the stuff of fairytales with fairies and pixies and dragons and other such mystical creatures which may have been inspired by a different sort of reality, perhaps other realms? Or perhaps were thought up by wonderful people with extraordinary imaginations. Either way they seem to be all the rage at the moment so here I am jumping on the bandwagon with my healthy version of donuts, unicorn themed!

Ingredients

1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 1.5 tbsp water
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup buckwheat flour
½ cup ground almonds
¼ cup almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
6 tbsp maple syrup

Frosting:
Cream from the top of a can of coconut milk

Food colouring options: beetroot powder, matcha powder, blueberry powder, blackcurrent powder. You can use conventional food colourings if you want but make sure they are natural ones!

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly grease a donut tin with coconut oil.

First make the flax egg by mixing the ground flaxseed with water and leave to set for 15 minutes.

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over a gentle heat then add it to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated. If too thick add some more almond milk, if too runny add some more ground almonds.

Spoon into the donut tin and smooth down with your fingers.

Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on your oven but check at around 8 minutes. These don’t take long to bake and you don’t want them dry!

While they are cooling make the frosting by adding a spoonful of the coconut cream to a plate, then adding one of the food colourings and mixing lightly, leaving some white showing, then do the same on another plate with another spoon of the cream and another one of the colours, etc, until you have used all 4 colours.

When the donuts are completely cool, remove from the tin and add each of the colours to 1 quarter of the donut and serve immediately.

Love & health,
Lauren

No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Flapjacks

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First I’d like to say thank you to my best bud Gemma at Gemma Bateman Photography for teaching me how to use my camera – how good does this pic look! She takes awesome baby photos so contact her if you need baby pics 🙂

These are so bloody yummy and decadent, and totally gluten, dairy, sugar and egg free. I love the combination of coconut and chocolate so for me these are just delish. Probably one of my nicest recipes yet.

Ingredients 

Base:
2.5 cups organic rolled oats
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
2-4 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut, depending on preference

Chocolate fudge:
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 tbsp almond or cashew butter
1/2 cup coconut oil

Topping:
Handful coconut chips

Method

First make the base by melting the coconut oil in a saucepan on a low heat, then add to a blender with the rest of the ingredients except the coconut.

Once blended add to a bowl and mix in the coconut.

Spoon into a lined square silicone baking tray and smooth down with a spoon or your fingers and put in the fridge for 30 mins.

Now make the chocolate by melting all the ingredients together in a saucepan on a low heat.

Once the 30 minutes are up, pour the chocolate on top of the base layer and put in the fridge for a couple of hours, or until set.

Once set sprinkle the coconut chips on top then cut into squares and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Love & health,
Lauren

Easiest Yummiest Healthiest Brownies

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Thanks to my friend Emma at Mrs Hollingsworth’s for the inspiration for these yummy brownies. These may become a staple when needing to bake something that’s quick and easy with very few ingredients.

They’re actually great for baby led weaning as all natural ingredients and a wonderful (albeit messy!) texture that babies will love. I’d advise leaving out the walnuts if making these for babies.

They’re gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and vegan. Oh and they’re shamazing! What’s not to love??

Ingredients

1 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tbsp water and left for 10 minutes to thicken)
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup cashew or almond butter
Pinch Himalayan salt
1 tbsp water (more if needed)
1/2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup walnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. This temperature really is key with brownies, any hotter and they won’t be gooey.

Now put all the ingredients except the walnuts into a food processor and blend until a smooth and sticky batter forms. If it’s too sticky (i.e. it forms a big ball), just add in a little more water a tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. Crumble the walnuts into the bowl and stir in, then spoon the batter into a lined baking tin or mould and press down with a spoon to make sure it’s all nice and even.

Bake for 25 minutes, then leave for another half an hour to cool (as the brownies will continue to cook after they are taken out the oven).

Once cool, cut into squares and devour!

Love & health,
Lauren

Pancake Day Pancakes

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Well, if I do say so myself, Braxton is a lucky little boy – he got to eat pancakes for dinner tonight! I wanted to update my recipe and get a good picture up there in time for you all to prepare for pancake day tomorrow!

These are so easy to make and totally guilt free: gluten free, refined-sugar free, dairy free, egg free and DELICIOUS! Takes 5 minutes to wizz all the ingredients together and you can use any toppings you like from chocolate sauce to maple to lemon and sugar… give it a whirl!

Ingredients

2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 2 tbsp water)
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1.5 ripe bananas
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 cup almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
Coconut oil for cooking

Method

Make the flax eggs by mixing the flax seed with water in a small bowl and leaving it to the side.

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and wizz until smooth.

Heat some coconut oil in a pan and when hot, add a small ladle full of the mixture in a pancake shape. It will only need about a minute, then flip it and do another minute, or until you think it’s cooked through.

Continue until the mixture is finished.

Top with almond butter, homemade chocolate sauce or maple syrup or coconut yogurt and blueberries like we’ve done here.

Love & health,
Lauren

Apricot & Coconut Buckwheat Granola

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apricot-coconut-buckwheat-granola

I’m obsessed with granola and have been making yummy granola with oats for years (check out the recipe here) but I’ve never made it with Buckwheat before and I’m not sure why. It’s much lower GI and more easily digestible and despite having ‘wheat’ in its name, it’s not wheat at all, it is in fact a plant! I saw buckwheat groats in Planet Organic and decided to buy them and give this a go.

This turned out really delicious and you can really add anything you like to it.

Serve with chilled almond milk and it’s just divine!

Ingredients

300g buckwheat groats
50g coconut chips or desiccated coconut
50g sunflower seeds
50g pumpkin seeds
Pinch Himalayan salt
4 tbsp coconut oil
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
4 tbsp maple
Good handful coconut chips or desiccated coconut
About 10 dried apricots cut into small pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan. Put the buckwheat in a large bowl and pour over the melted coconut oil along with all the other ingredients except for the apricots and mix well.

Spread out evenly on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes then stir it well, and bake for another 10 minutes.

Take it out the oven and mix in the dried apricot slices and leave to cool before putting it in a glass jar or plastic container. It will keep for a good while!

Serve with chilled almond milk.

Love & health,

Lauren

 

Apple & Cinnamon Granola Bars

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apple-cinnamon-granola-bars

 

These are the best things for on-the-go breakfasts for those busy mornings. You can freeze them and defrost in batches as and when you need them which also helps. They are full of slow-releasing energy and great nutrients with no refined sugar, dairy, gluten, wheat or eggs so are the perfect healthy breakfast or snack for you and the kids.

Ingredients

2 tbsp chia seeds
230g oats
140g medjool dates
3 tbsp coconut oil
5 tbsp applesauce (homemade or store-bought apple puree)
4 tbsp almond butter
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of Himalayan salt

Method

Put the chia seeds in a small bowl with 8 tsp purified water, mix until incorporated and leave for about 15 minutes until it turns into a gel. (this will be an egg replacement)

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and line a 26x26cm square silicone baking tin with baking paper and grease with coconut oil.

Put the dates and coconut oil in the blender and blend until nearly smooth but there can be a few lumpy date bits.

In a bowl, mix the oats, applesauce, almond butter, cinnamon and salt then mix in the date and coconut oil mix.

Add the chia gel once it’s ready and mix well.

Spread into the prepared baking tin and press down so it’s evenly distributed and put in the oven for 20 minutes.

Leave to cool fully before removing and cutting into slices or squares.

Love & health,
Lauren