Banana Choc Chip Cupcakes

Sorry for my absence in the blogging world and never remembering to write down my recipes when I make them. If only there were more time in the day. I'd love nothing more than to spend my days recipe creating, trying and testing and blogging new amazing wholefood recipes for you and your little ones. Perhaps in a few months time when my maternity leave starts, I'll have more time on my hands to get more creative in the kitchen. Pfft, who am I kidding. As a second time round mumma, I now know that 'time on my hands' and 'maternity leave' are two things that don't go hand in hand. Ahhh one can only dream!

I created this muffin recipe a few weeks ago but completely forgot to write down my recipe, they were such a huge hit with the little lady that I decided to recreate them. This time I turned them into cupcakes by icing them with my easy peasy date and raw cacao icing. I think my little lady enjoyed them even more this time round! Success!

I hope you and your little ones enjoy them just as much. I made them in the Thermomix so my recipe is for thermomix users, but this is such a simple recipe you could easily throw the ingredients in a regular food processor and I'm sure you would get the same result.

Muffin Ingredients:

- 3 x Pasture Raised Eggs
- 1.5 Ripe Bananas (or 1 large one)
- 4-5 Organic Medjool Dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup Almond or Coconut Milk
- 2 cups Almond Meal (I think they would also work great with Hazelnut Meal but I haven't tried it yet)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp fine himalayan salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean powder
- Small handful of Dairy Free dark choc chips (try and find a good quality brand that has no refined sugar, alternatively Enjoy Life are a great additive free vegan brand but they do have evaporated cane juice added to sweeten them)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Add the eggs, Banana and dates into the thermomix bowl and blend for 8 seconds on speed 5
3. Add all other ingredients, except the choc chips. Blend 12 seconds on speed 5 until well combined. Scrape down bowl.
4. Add the choc chips, blend for 5 seconds on the slowest speed. (you may need to fold the choc chips through a little more with your spatula)
5. Fill muffin cups to 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes (checking on them at 15 minutes to make sure they are not burnt on top). Insert a toothpick in the centre, when it comes out clean they are ready.
6. Transfer to a cooling rack and ice them once cooled.

Frosting Ingredients:

- 200 grams Organic Medjool Dates, pitted (soaked in boiling water briefly to soften)
- 6 tablespoons Coconut Cream
- 2 tablespoons Raw Cacao
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean powder
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil (melted)
- (Optional) 1 tablespoon Raw Honey or Maple Syrup, depending on how sweet you like it. The dates are quite sweet so its not essential.

Method:
1. Drain the liquid from the dates and place dates only in your thermomix bowl with coconut cream. Blend for 10 seconds, starting at speed 4 and gradually increase speed to 8. Scrape down bowl.
2. Add in the raw cacao and vanilla powder. Repeat the above process until you get a nice smooth consistency. You may need to add a little more coconut cream or a tablespoon of boiling water depending on how powerful your blender is. You should have a nice thick smooth paste.
3. I used a spatula to transfer the frosting into a small piping bag (or ziplock bag and cut the corner) and I placed a blob of frosting on each cupcake. I then used a butter knife to spread it on.

Enjoy!!

Love and Gratitude

x

Superfood Triple Choc Bliss Balls

I'm not really one for negative woe is me kinds of posts, but in the interest of keepin' it real I thought I would share this post. Yesterday was a blissful day with my little lady; she was well mannered, fun, and  content. Today she opened her eyes at 6am with a list of demands as long as her arm right from the get go. 

This morning I took her to a kids gymnastics class, it was right up her alley. Lots of jumping and activities to use up all of her energy. However, she had a one track mind and refused to participate in any of the group activity and wanted to do her own thing. Usually, I wouldn't mind as I love letting her find her own rhythm. Today however, I was being asked repeatedly by the instructors to stop allowing her to jump on the equipment until the group was participating too. It didn't matter how many times I asked her and tried to focus her attention on something else, she continued to do the opposite of what I was asking. For the first time in my parenting journey so far I was forced to really follow through with my own threats, I told her we would go home (only 5 minutes into the class) if she did not start cooperating. She ignored me, I counted to three and asked her to come down off the equipment on three, she ignored me. I finally picked her up calmly, grabbed our belongings and walked her outside whilst she was kicking and screaming the house down. I was humiliated, she was in a coughing/crying uncontrollable fit. I tried to put her into the car but she fought me. It was boiling hot, I'm pregnant and quite frankly exhausted. My only option was to stop trying.

 I held her close, she stopped fighting and the sobbing stopped. She put her head on my shoulder and once she had calmed down I explained to her why we had to leave. She said "I'm sorry Mumma" and a million tonnes of guilt fell on my shoulders. She finally let me buckle her into her car seat, we put the aircon on and had a muffin together in the car (this was all before 10am). We then went to visit my grandparents, of course the happenings of earlier in the morning were already a distant memory to Savanna and now she had an audience. We sat down to have lunch with my grandparents, I brought a packed lunch for Savanna but she wasn't interested. I told my grandparents, it's ok she will eat when she is ready. She isn't hungry yet. Of course, that doesn't sit well with their generation. They continued to offer her different foods to what I had packed. I told them again, that it was ok and she would eat when she got hungry. As soon as I walked out of the room they started offering her sugary biscuits, even though she had not eaten any lunch yet. At that point I couldn't take much more and I blew up. After explaining to my grandparents time and time again that savanna has a sensitivity to gluten and does not react well to refined sugar because her body is not used to it they still went behind my back and offered it to her. Of course, I couldn't then take the biscuits off her so I had to sit and watch as she consumed (and enjoyed) the biscuits. I over reacted and raised my voice at my grandmother, even worse in front of my daughter. I was then overcome with a billion tonnes more guilt on my shoulders. Finally when I calmed down I explained to my grandmother (for the millionth time) why she can't eat those things, even though small amounts may not effect her there is absolutely no need to give it to her when I always have healthy alternatives with me. I had already told Savanna that she could have a choc bliss ball after she ate lunch, but they overrided that by giving her those biscuits. When we left my little lady was deflated, she still hadn't eaten lunch and was so tired. As soon as we got in the car and started driving she said "I'm hungry Mumma, I need some lunch". I left the aircon running in the car and pulled over to the side of the road and let her eat her lunch in the car. She ate her choc bliss ball too once she was finished, just as promised and finally fell asleep on the way home. 

 It's still only 2pm and I have endured my worst parenting day to date and now that I reflect on it all and have calmed down, it really wasn't that bad after all. I got through it, my little lady will wake from her nap and be ready to play and cuddle and love again. I apologised for raising my voice to my grandmother and I hugged her tight before I drove away. It's just another day in my parenting journey that I can tick off. Nobody said it would be easy, but it sure is worth it. 

Superfood Triple Choc Bliss Balls (thermomix recipe but can easily be adapted to a regular food processor): 

Process in a food processor or TMX (20 secs, Speed 9) 

80g Almonds

30g Pumpkin Seeds 

- scrape down bowl so all the nut and seed meal is at the bottom of the bowl. 

Add in the following: 

1 heaped tablespoon Hemp Seeds 

140g Pitted organic Medjool dates

15g (1 heaped tablespoon) Nutraorganics Berry Choc Chunk powder

15g Raw Cacao

35g Desiccated Coconut

1 tablespoon Chia Seeds

50g Coconut Oil

- process on speed 9 for 20 seconds

 add 50g mini dairy free dark chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)

 - process on speed 1 for 15 seconds

Roll into balls and coat with desiccated coconut, keep refrigerated. 

Love & Gratitude

Assunta