Autumn Spiced Hot Chocolate: For your next camping trip (or to keep in the pantry for your next Netflix binge!)

A couple of weeks ago, we went on our first overnight family camping trip. It was also MY first camping trip. The idea of sleeping rough, barely separated from The Elements has never appealed to me. All that dirt. Those uncomfortable stones. The wind, argh! For years, I’ve rejected my husband’s suggestions that we go hang out in a tent.

Then he managed to catch me at the right time. Knowing that I’ve been trying to slow down, to make time to read and write again, he pitched it in just the right way: camping in peace and quiet, free from obligations, sitting next to a fire reading my book and writing in my journal. He finally won me over. We did a night away in a valley just out of Canberra in a quiet camping ground.  Continue reading →

Recipe: “Golden” Spiced Hot Chocolate

A few days ago I felt like having a coffee, but I didn’t want an actual coffee. You know those times when a cup of watery tea won’t cut it? I wanted the sensation of drinking a warm cup of full-fat, steamed milk, but with more flavour. I was a bit bored with the plain hot cacao or hot cinnamon I usually make, and considered making a ‘golden milk’, but didn’t want something particularly turmeric-y. I didn’t really feel like going through the fuss of brewing and straining chai (although sometimes I do find this process quite relaxing).

I sound like a right fussy brat, don’t I!?

So I made this as a bit of an experiment – a hot chocolate with a little heat and spice, and enjoyed it even more than I guessed I would. The cacao mostly masks the turmeric, so it’s not too in your face, but it has more kick and complexity than a regular plain hot cacao. I feel a bit silly writing it up as a recipe, since it is SO simple and the proportions are really to taste, but thought I would as a few people have asked me lately about the ways I incorporate turmeric into my diet. Continue reading →

Simple Strawberries and Cream Smoothie (sugar-free, vegan, with hidden greens!)

I came up with this smoothie one afternoon when my 4 year old requested a ‘strawberry milkshake’. I do buy him the odd milkshake when we’re out and about, although he more frequently enjoys a babyccino, which he shoots back like a yuppie drinking espresso (he has become quite the babyccino connoisseur and is unimpressed if there is no accompanying marshmallow or chocolate freckle). In relation to milkshakes however, I’m not a fan of the supermarket flavoured milk drinks, syrups and powders that have loads of added sugar, as well as various numbers, preservatives, and other ‘ingredients’ I can’t pronounce. That popular strawberry (and chocolate) flavoured milk powder, loved by Australian children, is basically ALL sugar – nearly 3 tsp of it per serve. That’s assuming one sticks to the suggested serving size.

But, negativity aside, I also love smoothies because they provide a wonderful opportunity to sneak in extra healthful ingredients, such as greek yoghurt, kefir, chia seeds, oats, spices (vanilla and cinnamon are lovely), LSA mix, coconut milk or coconut water, as well as vegetables – I frequently add spinach and avocado. Smoothies use the ‘whole’ food – rather than juice, which separates out the fibre. My kids enjoy green smoothies, unaware that they contain all sorts of green vegetables, but they particularly love colourful fruit smoothies. Continue reading →