2011 October

Sesame Peanut Butter Balls

October 31, 2011 0 Comments

I actually dont know what to call these, but i guess sesame Peanut Butter Balls are appropriate as that is what is in the

So basically as you all know my oven broke – BOO! So i had to figure out something that was semi good for me and required no cooking that would satisfy my sugar craving for the weekend.

And i have to tell you that this one actually tasted good, and quite awesome for a hot summers night as it was last night. This one is another wheat free treat – all natural and not too sweet!

Stuff you’ll need

1/3 cup sesame seeds
2/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup dates (the photo shows saltanas but when i used dates it worked better)
1/3 cup water

How i did it

So like almost all of my wheat free treats this one is uber simple! In a saucepan place the dates and water and bring to the boil / until the dates are softened. Dry toast the sesame seeds in a pan, lower the heat and add the peanut butter and honey. Add the coconut then the dates. You should have a moist consistancy. Roll small portions into balls and place in the freezer for an hour or so – until they are firm, it would work in the fridge its just i like super cold stuff.

Oh and if you were feeling fancy you could dip them in dark chocolate… Or replace the dates for dried apricots if you like.

Filed Under: Cooking, My Miracles Life Begins, Sweet, Twelve to Fifteen Months, Wheat Free

Frocktober 29th!

October 30, 2011 0 Comments

Day 429 in my miracles life

So this month you would have noticed the little frocktober link on my sidebar?

NO, you didnt? Oh deary deary me, well if you did miss it here it is now…

This month i wanted to support a good twitter friend in her quest to raise money for frocktober, what is this frocktober you ask? Well basically Sarah H here has been wearing dresses for the entire month, OMG yes the entire month! I cant even imagine wearing a dress for a day let alone one every day for a month! I wore a dress yesterday and i ended up taking it off after half a day it was that annoying!

Anywho, back to the story, Sarah is wearing said dresses to raise awareness and money for The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. And as i hate dresses i decided to donate one of the ones i had hanging in the back of my wardrobe and i must say that it looks SO much better on her than it ever did on me! She pulls it off U-mazingly and with a beautiful location… Well i think just the photo shoot is enough for you to throw all your money her way

Isn't she just devine?

So in honor of such a great cause please open your hearts and your wallets and head over HERE to throw whatever loose change you have into sponsoring Sarah.

Filed Under: 30 before 30, 5. 5 Selfless Acts, My Miracles Life Begins, Twelve to Fifteen Months

8. Double Choc for the X man!

October 29, 2011 0 Comments

I am only 4 and a half months late but none the less today i took my little nephew to the movies for his birthday… And what happens when you take an 8 year old to the movies? You need snacks of course!! So after researching some awesome recipes for him, the x man decided that he wanted peanut butter cookies by smitten kitchen – BUT – with extra choc chips. No worries right?

Except when your oven breaks of course!

For some reason half way through baking the oven stopped heating, who knows why, all i know is that it is going to cost me a fortune and that i simply can not live without my oven! Its only been about 24 hours now and already i am feeling the crunch. I mean for goodness sake i had to think of a wheat free snack that requires NO baking…. Butttttt thats another recipe for tomorrow maybe

Anywho back to the choc chip peanut butter slice… I can only assume that it was delightful as the little man ate a whole bag of them PLUS wanted more!! So if your feeling like a little ( a lot of ) chocolate then give this one a burl!

Stuff you’ll need

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup crunchy peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 gram block of 75% cocoa dark chocolate chopped
250 gram block of white chocolate (i told you there was a lot of chocolate!) chopped

How i did it

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips. Place in a lined tin and squish down. I did attempt to form cookies out of them but there were so many choc chips the batter wouldnt stick together! Now if you are me you will bake for 1/2 an hour, your oven will break so you will stick it covered under the grill for another half an hour, then have a genis idea that you would for some reason un cover it and leave it under the grill to burn. You will then freak out, get depressed, wipe a tear from your eye, then scrap the burnt layer off the top wrap it in cling wrap and shove it in the fridge only to discover in the morning that it actually worked! But if your not me i would recommend baking for 3/4 of an hour in a 180 deg cel fan forced oven… Keep your eye on it and make sure you dont over bake it…

But you know, my way is totally cool!

This is us dazed and confused after the movies and my beautiful nephew about a number 8 on the puke scale! (he did consume almost half of the entire slice by himself!)

Filed Under: 2. Make 30 recipes chosen by 30 people, 30 before 30, Cooking, My Miracles Life Begins, Sweet, Twelve to Fifteen Months

As The Weeks Go By… 61 Weeks

October 26, 2011 0 Comments

Day 425 in my miracles life

The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express Francis Bacon, Sr.

Filed Under: As The Weeks Go By..., My Miracles Life Begins, Twelve to Fifteen Months, Wordless Wednesday

To train or not to train… That is the big question…

October 25, 2011 0 Comments

Day 424 in my miracles life

The big question… When to begin the big TT?!

I am talking about toilet training… When do you know? How do you know? What is right and what is wrong? So many questions and like everything in parenting EVERYONE has an opinion, every one else’s way is the right way…So what to do, what to do?

Well we have decided to screw the rest of the world and start early, get in there and get it over with

Why you ask?

Well, you see it all started a few weeks back when i was strolling through the markets and came across a lady promoting a toilet training dvd pack. Now i am not normally the one to stop and talk to people like this or about things like this, but i was curious. So i stopped and had a wonderful talk with the lady. Now call her a good sales woman or call me a sucker, but the method she was promoting sounded promising and something that i could take on board. I am good with instruction and following a set proceedure.

So i bought the pack and watched the dvd and decided that come christmas when DH was home from work we would start.

But, as it so had it my little lady had ideas of her own.

I have heard people say that the child will let you know when they are ready and for a long time i wondered what this meant, but by george (*giggles* – get it george?) by george she is ready!

About a week or so ago my little princess started following me to the toilet and sitting on her potty when i sat on the loo. Then who knows how it happened or when it happened, but when we would say you have done a wee (or poo) she would run to her room and hand us a nappy.

So we decided as a couple to bite the bullet and just go for it. I mean, what harm could it bring? Maybe just a few wee’s and poo’s on the floor?

So last saturday it began. We said bye bye to the nappy – no seriously george and i stood in her room and said bye bye to the nappy and hello to the undies.

And i wont say its easy, and i wont say that she gets it… But we are working on it, and i know from many many other things she had learned it is simply about perseverance and repetition…

So what exactly are we doing? Read it here!

Filed Under: My Miracles Life Begins, Potty training, Twelve to Fifteen Months

So what exactly ARE we doing?!

October 25, 2011 0 Comments

Day 424 in my miracles life

The DVD i bought is here, i have watched made notes and come up with our own little system and style that suits our family and most importatnly that i think suits my little lady.

We have set up the laundry as a little bathroom area for the lady. She has her own potty and beside the potty on the wall is a routine chart (for me and dh to write down her wee habits) a game board and stickers.

What we are doing is really quite simple.

When she wakes up in the morning and after her naps, we sit her on the potty.

During the day she wears undies, not pull ups not nappy pants, just undies… That way she knows when she has done a wee (most of the time because she slips over it!) And we take her to the potty whenever we go or just every 15-20 mintues until we get to know her routine. To get her to the potty without distress we make a game of it, at the moment it is race mommy to the potty and see who can sit down first. She has got the racing part, but when we get there she picks up the potty instead of sitting on it, so i have been ‘leading by example’ and sitting on it myself. Problem is she then thinks its time for a cuddle and gives me a hug! LOL

If she does a wee we get excited and she gets to pick a sticker and place it on the next game board place. Once the game board is filled up she gets a prize. She has seen the prize and knows it is there, cause she points to it all the time. We simply tell her its for when she learns wee’s.

As far as i can gather she wee’s more in the afternoon – but thats as much as i have discovered so far.

Oh and when we go out she gets pull ups with a moisture liner, so she knows that its wet, and so i dont freak out at wee on other peoples floors!

Oh and she gets nappies for nap and bed time, we will deal with that at a later date!

Who knows if it will work, who knows how long it will take, but i know that everything else she has learned by example and repition, so here is to giving it a shot!

I mean whats the worst that could happen? (considering she has already poo’d on the floor and the dog ate it…)

Filed Under: My Miracles Life Begins, Potty training, Twelve to Fifteen Months

The Things He Does…

October 25, 2011 0 Comments

Day 424 in my miracles life

Why am i doing this? Read it here….

This week i started going running again with my sister. While i am out of a sunday morning DH is more than happy to look after george for me so that i can have a nice chat with my sister!
It sounds silly, but sometimes it really is the small things that make everything so much better. Yesterday he took the washing off the line for me!
Oh and this week he washed my car for me too
My wonderful husband is also totally on board with this potty training business. It is hard, and it is really great to have the support when he gets home to give me a break!
He took george and i out for coffee on sunday morning
When my walking buddy was sick, he came for a walk with me… Not just a walk, a 5km walk!
Oh and another little thing, he asked my opinion on his clothes the other day… Made me feel like he cared

A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime.

Filed Under: 24. The Things He Does, 30 before 30, My Miracles Life Begins, Twelve to Fifteen Months

Lemon Slice… Of sorts

October 24, 2011 0 Comments

I have been experimenting again… A lot of wheat free treats this weekend! I have been looking at the Paleo Diet cookbooks and believe it or not they have some interesting and yummy little ideas!

The problem is… They dont look very appetizing… They taste good, they taste great and without wheat while high in fat they are great for a low carb diet or simply for something more on the natural and lower sugar side!

Stuff you’ll need

1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
1 egg

1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
rind from 2-3 lemons
1 1/2 tbs honey
6 eggs beaten

How i did it

Preheat the oven to 180 deg cel.

In a food processor place the nuts and dates and process until somewhat combined. Add the egg and combine until soft and sticky. Place in a greased and lined shallow tin and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a saucepan place the coconut milk, lemon rind, lemon juice, and honey. Set on a low heat and stir for about two minutes – until the honey is disolved and the ingredients combined. Slowly while stiring continusly add the beaten eggs. Keep stirring over a low heat until slightly thickened, i believe i was stirring for about 15 minutes. Pour over the “biscuit” base and place back into the oven for about 15 minutes or until set.

Leave to cool, slice and keep in the fridge!

Enjoy

It is a simple nutty treat that brings a variety of textures and flavors to your pallet… Very yummy, worth a try if you are after something less sickly sweet!

Oh and i guess if you want it to look a little better, maybe add some berries on top or some icing sugar sprinkled…

Filed Under: Cooking, My Miracles Life Begins, Sweet, Twelve to Fifteen Months, Wheat Free

There arnt words…

October 22, 2011 0 Comments

Day 421 in my miracles life

I cant put it in words.

How i feel.

I wish my mom was here now.

I wish i knew that she was proud of me.

I simply wish for one more hug.

Just one more kiss.

I just want her to know, to know that i really wish she was here on this earth.

It still hurts.

It really does.

And i just dont know how to get rid of the pain.

Filed Under: 20. Conquer the Demons of my past, 30 before 30, My Miracles Life Begins, Twelve to Fifteen Months

Teething Nightmares

October 21, 2011 0 Comments

Day 420 in my miracles life

Its a nightmare, plain and simply a nightmare… My poor little lady is teething – A.GAIN!

I am not sure why but it seems my little one at only 14 months has a mouth full of teeth. Now i am no expert and i have no idea what normally happens, but going on the comments from people i believe its not that common that at 14 months babies have THIS many teeth….

Not that it is worrying me, no no no, thats not what worries me… What worries me is just how much my little lady suffers when the teeth decide to start moving around in there…

First the sleepless nights…

Then the loose stools…

Then comes the cold symptoms…

Then, then comes the rash, and this is the one that i hate simply because my poor little lady gets dermatitis all over her face, and it just looks so sore and no matter what i do i cant seem to make it go down.