Snowflakes and Spoons

Banana Bread It's that time of the year where many are jumping on the health bandwagon, thanks to new year resolutions. It's likely that there are a few bananas are starting to see their last days. Below is my Moms quick and easy banana bread with a gluten, dairy free twist. Ingredients: 4 big ripe bananas 120 g lactose-free margarine 150 g coconut sugar 2 eggs 10 ml of lemon juice 500 ml gluten-free flour 5 ml salt 5 ml bicarb30ml 30 ml soya/almond milk (or water) Method: Mash the bananas in a bowl. Cream the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs, lemon juice, bananas and milk to this mixture. Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Grease one loaf tin. Bake at 180 for 50 minutes. Go Bananas and enjoy!

2016: From Wheelchair to first place This year has been one of   miracles   and hard work. In January 2016 I went on a family holiday to Dullstroom. I was so physically weak, my husband had to push me around this tiny tranquil town in a wheelchair. For short distances, I was able to use my walking cane, but facing a set of stairs felt like trying to climb a cliff face. I didn't know how I was going to keep on going much less working. Flash forward to December 2016. I am working 27 hours a week. I am independent in driving and all my self-care.  Even better than that, I have been able to not just start competing in dog agility but, win a few first places! What was my secret potion, you may ask? Honestly, there was no one specific thing, but a combination that worked for me. Just like replacing the blocks of my Jenga Tower . 1)      Having the right medical team I am privileged to work within the medical field and always have a...

I love Christmas time. All the festive gatherings, carols, putting up the Christmas tree with its twinkling lights and the wonder of our Saviors birth. One of the traditions when I grew up also included a MASS baking (and eating) of mince pies and cookies! Since going on a clean eating diet this has made this task somewhat more difficult. Below is my adapted recipe for my husbands favorite Ginger Cookies. It's egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and non-artificial sugar-free. Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour 1 cup coconut blossom sugar ¾ cup coconut oil ¼ cup molasses 1 egg worth of no egg powder 1 teaspoon of apricot jam 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ginger 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cloves Coconut blossom Sugar, a sprinkle of ginger and cinnamon to coat Steps : 1) In large bowl, place one cup of flour. 2) Add brown sugar, oil, molasses, no egg mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. 3) Mix well and add ...

My favorite fluffy chocolate cake! After many Drs visit, decisions and future plans, I needed a break. When starting a clean eating diet the one thing I missed the most was a fluffy piece of chocolate cake! After trial and error, I now have an adapted recipe of my mom's chocolate cake that I can proudly serve to guests. Dairy free, gluten free, sugar-free fluffy chocolate cake Recipe: 250ml gluten free  Cake flour 15ml Baking powder 2ml salt 60ml cocoa 4 eggs - separated 125ml oil 125ml boiling water 5ml vanilla essence 250ml coconut sugar * please note: I added an extra 5ml of Psyllium Husks as my gluten free cake mix did not contain any. Method: 1) Sieve together the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa into large bowl 2) Separate the eggs 3) Beat the egg whites with a very clean beater until they form stiff white peaks 4 ) Beat the egg yolks 5) In a medium bowl mix the oil, boiling water and vanilla essence and coconut sugar 6) Add the b...

Help I'm growing a moustache! And the other wonders of medication side effects. The handful of drugs I take daily cause me both joy and pain. My success that can be seen externally is often compromised by the hardships I suffer personally. Juggling this is my daily warrior mission. After 4 months of being on my new immune suppression drugs, I am starting to feel less like a rag doll and more like a functional human. I can once again climb steps, drive and shop independently. My brain fog has slowly slipped away and I'm coping better at work. I can smile and my eyes don't fatigue as quickly. Best of all I'm wobbling around the agility field (can't call it running just yet). I wanted to write this post about helpful hints on how to deal with common side effects. I realised that many of the strategies I use are band-aids. Prevention when dealing with side effects seems almost nonexistent. It's a game of let's see what your body reacts to and t...

5 Top reasons to visit Leafy Greens today! In my search for healthy meals I discovered one of my new favourite cafés; Leafy Greens.  Why do I love it so much?       1.       Proximity Due to its proximity, in less than 30min I can be there. After a long week of therapy, it often feels as if my own personal cup is full. I need to detox and breathe in fresh air to rejuvenate myself. The Café is a perfect place to do this as it's away from the city and has the feel of entering a secret garden, giving the café a relaxed natural feel. It’s my oasis of eating that is found at the end of a pathway of arched trees.       2.       Wonderful Food Since its opening in 2010, Antonio has carefully crafted this organic vegan menu. An al e-Carte menu is available before 11:30 for breakfasts or brunch, just a quick almond milk coffee or cold pressed juice, but the true vegan experience ...

The Pudding Shop With an artsy feel, this restaurant was my sister-in-law's pick for our latest travelling spoon adventure. After parking in the street, we found The Pudding Shop tucked behind an Italian restaurant. A pathway of hanging origami stars, strings of beads and spicy aromas welcomed us into this uniquely decorated little haven. A few tables are located in the garden outside the main seating area, which shares a border with the Italian restaurant. We chose to sit inside under the draped ceiling. It was beautiful and reminded me of the times I built tent forts as a child. Unfortunately, it was also as hot inside the restaurant as those homemade tent forts that I built a long time ago! This atmosphere encouraged deep conversations and sharing, however, the greenhouse effect was not good for my spoon conservation and therefore my energy was sapped by the end of the meal. The Pudding Shop serves vegetarian and 'very vegan' meals. Please note that while these...

Grove Green Cafe  To help prevent flares, I strive to eat healthy. I eat 'clean', non-processed food. My diet is gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free. I also limit eating nuts as my stomach seems to be sensitive to them. I juice regularly and only drink ozoned water. One thing that helps me to maintain this lifestyle is knowing where to eat out. This has been one of my great struggles and therefore I would like to dedicate a blog a month to places where you can eat clean food! My first post is dedicated to my newest find, The Grove Green Cafe. On the spur of the moment, my sister-in-law suggested we try somewhere different for lunch. Feeling like an afternoon of spoonful fun, we found ourselves exploring this new menu on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Nestled in a sheltered corner of Parkhurst, this quaint oasis is a wonderful ‘clean’ eating destination. The cafe has secure parking and a helpful car attendant. Unfortunately, the premises is not wheelchair frie...