A Recipe for Raw Chocolate | 'Cooking With My Smallest Chef | Raw Vegan Toddler / Children Ideas

Opeie decided that he wanted a kitchen for Christmas whilst shopping in Ikea . He was so excited by the idea of making things and cooking that I couldn't wait for Christmas morning to come . ( Even though we celebrate Christmas Day on Boxing Day in our house ) It was totally worth the wait ! 

Opeie has been cooking up a storm in his Diner but the other day he asked if we could make some chocolate together , as chocolate making is one of my favourite things to do , I quickly started melting the Cacao Butter , while Opeie carried the equipment from the main kitchen , to the Diner kitchen . 

{ I need to get some non-glass containers for him to play with however, as yesterday these fell off the shelf and almost smashed. Any ideas of nice plastic, bpa free containers, comment below! }

I decided to use his empty advent calendar tray as a mould so we could talk about recycling as we made them . Despite being 2 1/2 Opeie understands the concept very well .I'd like to get some good 'Ice lollie' shapes ones so that we could make raw ice cream too, but all the ones I've had in the past don't support well, and the ice cream always topples off.... anyway...

We also made "raw Reece's peanut butter cups " which I'll come to later-  if you're wondering why there's peanut butter on the table . 

I'd recommend using a toddler safe bowl while making these, something that has grip to the bottom as you don't want a chocolate-y mess everywhere, we used our trusty Oxo Tot bowl from the Small & Large Set  as I knew these wouldn't move around while Opeie was stirring. I'd also recommend using a silicone whisk as i find the metal ones are abit slippy if they get the cacao butter on the handle, which happened to us (we didn't have one however)

To make enough chocolate to fill 25 small moulds and to cover 12 Raw Reece's . 

0.5 cups melted Cacao oil / butter 

0.5 cups melted coconut oil 

12 tablespoons cacao powder

6-8 tablespoons maple syrup or agave

Pinch of salt 

Scraped vanilla pod 

••••••••••••••••••••••

Mix the melted  cacao butter & coconut oil together, Add the salt , vanilla and syrup ( I prefer to use less syrup - around 6 tablespoons , and opted for agave ) 

Once mixed, slowly add the cacao powder, whisking to make sure it's not lumpy . 

Fill the moulds until almost at the top , we decided to use the moustache moulds we had for Christmas also since there was a little left over . When they're all full - put in the freezer for 15 minutes to set, or the fridge for 30 mins if you're not impatient ! 

(  Opeie's favourite part, licking the utensils clean afterwards ) 

When the moulds are cool - pop out of the tray and eat , or store in a airtight tub ! Enjoy ! Have you made anything nice lately ? Are you on a post Christmas diet ? Is your New Years resolution to loose weight & be healthier ? 

Natural ways of fighting a toddlers cold - OmniBlend recipe forimmuinity boost over winter.

Opeie wasnt himself Friday nor yesterday  , then he woke up in the night spluttering, coughing with a temperature. It's been a long night but he's feeling slightly better I think as hes been chirping away all morning and his temperature is back to normal.  (thank goodness ) To help him get over it  he's been having lots of healthy germ-fighting foods.

I decided to make us all smoothies this morning, As they're so simple to make in my OmniBlender, and I am exhausted from little sleep and a project I've been working on so couldn't manage too much in the kitchen today. 

Here it is ;
2 frozen bananas,
a cup of cherries or strawberries,
1 tablespoon coconut oil,
2 cups KoKo coconut milk,
2 tablespoons chia seeds
and 3 scoops of Roy Owen Vitamin C powder, which will help to fight off bugs as its around 5,000iu per scoop.

Pulse on the highest setting , then whizz for a couple of minutes. 

Opeie's Top 3 Vegan Gluten Free Snacks.

Opeie's been asking for 'snack time please' the last few weeks. It's nice that he's able to tell us when he'd like something to eat and when he's hungry or thirsty in detail. Last week I was trying to think of things whilst doing our shopping that he could eat on the go that were portable for the car journeys we do.

One of the nicest products we've found lately are the Nairns Gluten Free Oat Biscuits -  I found them in Tesco £1.60 a box.

Since Opeie's having trouble with gluten It's been hard to find things he likes , the fruit ones are Opeie and Daddy's favorites, where as I like both the fruit and the syrup. I love all of Nairns products though, I eat around 12 of their oatcakes a day as they help me stay energised being complexed carbohydrates  ( this means they don't give you a quick burst of energy, like a spike in your energy levels, then a quick slump.... they give you a steady source of energy which keeps you feeling full and energised for longer) everywhere I go I seem to take oatcakes, I have them for breakfast with hummus and guacamole or salsa before work, or nut butters and anything else I can pile on! I think Oats are also one of the keys to my weight-loss success. - this post wasn't meant to become about my love of oatcakes and oats, but it has.... ummm Nairns.

Opeie's other favorite is  Kallo Blueberry & Vanilla ricecakes, these are delicious on their own, with mashed bananas spooned on, sliced strawberries, or co-yo yoghurt ( and chia seeds for me ) I found these in Tesco £1.69

Like his Moma he also loves Nakd bars which for a small bar are packed with around 4g protein per bar. They're made soley out of nuts and fruit. The perfect portable snack! Tesco now sell them in multipacks too which is handy.

So there you have it, Opeie's top three gluten free, vegan snacks we managed to get whilst out on a shopping trip this week.

Raw vegan toddler snack ideas - Offering plate | Lunch | Dinner | snacks | Preschool

 Opeie can be picky when it comes to food. He loves cooked , mashed up vegetables that we make for him , but you can't have the same meal every single meal time .

I was reading on Dr Sears the other day about toddler meals and a balanced diet when I read something that basically said  as a parent we shouldn't aim for a balanced meal or day , BUT a balanced week of foods . Toddlers change their minds so frequently that you give them something on Monday and they can't get enough of it , and by Wednesday it's the most gross thing ever!

Opeie is strong willed, testing , and confident. He knows what he likes and pretends to know what he doesn't like - even if he's never even seen/ or tastes it before. 

I came up with idea a while ago to introduce " offering plates " to Opeie throughout the day , so he has something to eat , but at his pace and he gets to choose what he has. 

So far it's gone down well . He's been eating most of the food on the plates , so I've been happier .

 Opeie's really taken to eating from the 'Food Offering Plates' which are just silicone moulds, which I'm super happy about.  It's nice for him to be able to choose from a selection of foods I think, and have lots of different flavours and textures to try.

Babies ( and all humans really ) are better off not just having 3 'square' meals a day, we're better off eating every 2 hours, to keep your metabolism steady, and your energy levels up - I do this , and love it, as I get to eat more! Ha ha!

Opeie's been having 2 or 3 offering trays between his 'set' meals, but today as he'd eaten quite alot for breakfast and during the mornings snack offering trays, I decided to do his lunch on one, as he has a small tummy and we couldn't expect him to eat lots, he's also had quite alot of breastfeeds during the morning too.

Opeie seems to be really enjoying the new food experience, and he likes playing with the small sections, moving the food around as he eats it, and dipping bits.

His favourite are the raw peanut butter cups, and gluten free bread sticks, along with fruit, houmous and pretzels.

Protein Fruity Toddler Crispy Snacks ( Vegan , gluten free )

I've been trying to device a recipe for the boys - one that is high in protein, good fats, and tasty !

1/4 cup coconut dessicated

1/2 cup of your child's favourite dried fruits I used 1/4 raisins and 1/4 orange/apple/cherry 

1/4 cup Brazil nuts 

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds

3tbsp agave 

1 cup puffed rice ( Kallo organic gluten free) 

2/3 of a bar moo free chocolate . 

3 organic medjool dates

In a bowl over boiling water - melt the Moo free

Combine everything else without the fruit , puffed rice and agave in a processor

Once combined & chopped add fruits and agave

It should swirl around until it makes a ball like this :

Put in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up .

Then once chocolate is melted add the mixture to the Moo free chocolate & stir in the puffed rice . 

Then with a helper if you have one , press  into a silicone mould or into paper cases.

Put in the freezer for 10 mins or top shelf in the fridge . I added some lolly sticks as a experiment and they worked a treat . 

The Bay Tree spooky Pasta / Animal Safari Pasta review

Since Opeie isn't the best eater ( not that you'd think being in age 3-4 clothes at 20 months ! Good old " boobie juice " ) I've been trying to let him ' choose' things that are healthy & fun , so that he might have more interest in eating .

We recently bought The Bay Tree's Animal pasta & Spooky pasta whilst shopping .

Opeie just loves it !!!!! I show it him uncooked before hand and ask " Would you like spooky or Animal pasta?" he normally chooses Animal , and Seth always chooses spooky !

It's really tasty & is vegan friendly .

I'd really recommend it ! I cook it in a pan with boiling water, a drizzle of rapeseed oil & a dash of vinegar . ( to stop it sticking )

I use homemade , or Seeds of change sauce in Tomato & basil & add a little omega oil on the top .

It's really good pasta , and have rebought it again this week.

A bag that roughly has around 6-8 toddler servings costs £1.99 , which I think is very reasonable compared to other brands
( they also do car shapes, teddy, trains too) have you tried this? What do you think ?