L O N G G O N E

Reminiscing back on the days when my hair was elbow long.
(and wanting an excuse to post this pic... only just discovered it. Gaaahhh it's making me want long hair again!!)


xx

Carob brownies??

I hadn't tasted carob before entering into this elimination diet adventure. From what I'd heard, it wasn't too crash hot on the humble taste buds. So I was pleasantly surprised when these "brownies" turned out delicious! Yeah its true.. "brownies" are not the best name for these little treats, instead a "caramelly carob cake slice thingo" would probs be a better name.

Ingredients

1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup cashew meal (or any type of nut meal)
1 1/2 tbs carob powder
125g butter, melted
2 eggs
250 ml rice malt syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 175 degree Celsius.
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in wet ingredients then pour into a brownie baking dish.
Cook for 30-40 minutes.
Take out of oven when skewer comes out dry and let cool completely.

Verdict:
Delish! but don't expect a brownie cause you'll be disappointed. These bits of yum lend themselves to caramel flavours of the food spectrum. The carob pairs brilliantly with the rice malt syrup to create a gorgeously mellow caramelly treat.

Tips: 
Pop into freezer to hasten cooling time (if your impatient like me) and only cut into squares when completely cool. They would be sublime served with cream/icecream for a dessert (if you dont think you can wait till they cool ;)

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live out love

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its okay

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Pearalicious loaf //

 Creating foods that are gluten free, sugar free, failsafe, nutritionally sound and palatable is not the easiest thing in the world. But! I did manage to create this loaf that even my brother enjoyed (he is the litmus test for all recipes). Although it isnt the most nutritionally dense morsel I've ever created, it is a total failsafe recreation of a lemon/walnut loaf my grandma used to make... and it turned out surprisingly great.

Failsafe pear loaf

Ingredients

125g butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups organ self-raising gluten free flour
1 cup rice malt syrup (or brown rice if not sugar free)
1 tsp salt
3 pears, pealed and diced
1/2 cup oats

Method 

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius and grease and line a loaf tin.
Combine melted butter and rice malt syrup in a large mixing bowl, then add eggs and milk and stir.
When they're all combined add 2 of the pears and remaining ingredients.
Pour into prepared tin and pop into oven.
After its cooked for 40 minutes, take out and top with  remaining pear and oats.
Place in the oven for a further 20 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
Let it cool completely before serving.





Verdict: I made two batches, one with sugar and one with the rice malt syrup. The sugar one had a better texture, but they both tasted delicious! Even the notorious brothers loved them.

Tips: My oven is a little fiddly, so keep an eye out for how long yours takes to cook. Letting it cool completely before eating is essential.

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Potato and leek soup // totally failsafe

My diet is crazy at times, mostly because of the eczema that has plagued me for over four years and the numerous attempts to cure it.

At the moment I'm trialling the "failsafe elimination diet".

I've been on it for a week and its been a slight challenge (although it doesn't come close to being as hard as GAPS). Finding the incentive to make appetizing meals for myself alone has been low. But tonight I took my mothers advice and whipped up a delicious soup! Inspiration came from numerous different sources online that I adjusted to make failsafe. Thanks Google (:

Super quick and easy failsafe leek and potato soup 

Ingredients: 

1 leek, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
30g butter
5 potatoes, roughly chopped
1 (and a bit) litres of chicken stock
salt
Cream (optional if you're not dairy free)
chives

Method:

Chuck leek and garlic into thermomix and chop on speed 6 for 5 seconds.
Add butter and cook for 5 mins on speed 1 at 100*C
Pop potatoes in and again cook for 5 mins on speed 1 at 100*C
Then throw in the stock and cook for 20 mins on speed 2 100*C
When cooked, purée for 45 seconds gradually increasing speed to 8 (to avoid spillage)
Add salt to taste and serve with chives

That easy! Super satisfying on these cold winter days :) This isnt a sure and fast recipe. Play around and use what you've got.
Traditionally, leek and potato soup includes onion and cream, but with being failsafe I wasnt able to include them and happily didn't seem to notice to much.



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R E S T

Recently I have been learning about rest, not simply sleep or recreation, but rest.
Discovering what this looks like is kinda fun/challenging.
I'm learning to lean into God more and seek Him for my strength and joy.

It isn't always easy.

I often fail.

I find myself relying on my own strength and not allowing healthy margin in my life... equalling burn-out.
The great thing about God though is that He is always there when I come to my senses with arms open wide. I have so much to be thankful for!! He is crazy loveable.

This is a beautiful scripture:



Any other form of rest pales in comparison to the rest I find in the arms of God... something I need to remind myself almost daily!
There are numerous distractions that fight for first place in my affections tempting me to strive and become agitated.

Living from a place of pure peace and rest is a goal I want to achieve. Having heros that portray a purity of lifestyle and continually gleaning from their lives is vital. Heidi Baker is one such woman whom I admire greatly.

tips for living in rest:

1. Sleep! Yeah... its the obvious one. Without sleep we physically, emotionally and spiritually are compromised. It'd be hard to live a lifestyle of rest if you dont physically kick back.

2. "Soak" aka listen to soft music and let God love you... could be the Christian alternative to meditating. I do it almost every morning in bed (and yeah sometimes I fall asleep!) All good though.

3. MARGIN. This one is something I'm still learning lots about. My Dad has a Ph. D. in margin! He's brilliant at it. Creating space so there is no room to panic eg. leaving 20 minutes earlier than necessary for an important appointment.

4. Taking time to smell the roses and listen to Jesus. Just yes.

5. Worship. A biggy. Nothing gets me more refreshed, and inspired to stay refreshed, like worshipping the King of kings. He's simply wonderful like that :)


xx