From the "What were they thinking" files.

Presuming I wasn't hoping to steer clear, by a margin of miles, of the fairy princess brainwashing that seems to be a rite of passage for so many toddler girls, there is just absolutely no way I would buy this, or anything remotely like it.

If you can get past the marketing, so clearly aimed at small people (there are Pixar Cars counterparts to these and they were displayed in a happy little pint-sized shelving unit overloaded with disney characters), then you might be tempted to sling one into your trolley. Kids would no doubt love the fizzing and frothing; the bright colours. In fact, they might love it almost as much as their non-toxic bath toys, or the sensation of being surrounded by warm, splashy, splishy water.

But you might want to think twice about what you surround your little ones' naked body with. Skin is the body's biggest organ, and it is porous, absorbent. To be sold in Australia, products have to guarantee a certain level of safety, and I am not saying this doesn't meet it. I am sure they are safe...

But with the plethora of chemicals we are all exposed to in our daily lives, it's hard to pinpoint which product in particular is at fault, and there is a sort of credible doubt that can be relied on. Is it baby shampoo that some kids react to? Laundry detergent? Pesticides used in farming? Living under powerlines?

Well. It is a mine-field, that is true. What particularly concerns me with this happy little cocktail of chemicals you are being invited to warm and douse your child with is the inclusion of the colour Blue 1, aka brilliant blue. According to wiki, Brilliant Blue has been banned throughout western europe, though it is now legal in most countries. It is a known allergen though, and a study published in the journal "Food and Chemical Toxicology" shows that the dyes "can enter the bloodstream via the skin or through the digestive tract.... The finding is troubling because several studies show that these dyes might inhinit cell respiration."

It is a controversial study, and many oppose the findings, but this brings me back to my original thought. Why bother? Where there is risk, and no compelling reason to take that risk..... Why would you?

Oh, ps, check out the "CAUTION" label that speaks for itself... Because young kids and toddlers NEVER drink bath watr by mistake, or splash the water into their, you know, eyes. Gulp.

Cleaning win

 "Come here, two year old. Help me clean the bath with harmful chemicals." Said no mum, ever. 

But this afternoon, my little guy and I spent a very funny twenty minutes scrubbing out the bath, using an easy peasy mix of bicarbonate soda and cider vinegar. It froths unbelievably when you mix them together. Then, you just spoon the paste onto the area that needs help, leave it for a minute... Wipe it clean and voila! You're done. 

This worked a lot better than any commercially available cleaning agent I've tried, by the way, and it was just so awesome to watch the glee in my son's eyes as he was allowed to make all this lovely, bubbling "mess". 

Plum Pikelets (Sugar free, gluten free)

This is a delicious little stack of sugar free, gluten free plum & sultana pikelets that I'm serving up as afternoon tea on a rainy Friday. 

These are my favourite type of food. Because they're a byproduct food. A byproduct of the delicious plum crumble I'm making. The stewed plums create a divine, sticky syruppy juice that I used for sweetening these babies. Quantities are sort of approximate as I was a little too giddy with the thrill of Pikelets to pay proper attention.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup plum syrup 

1/4 cup sultanas

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/4 cup rice flour 

1/4 cup milk soured with 1 tsp cider vinegar

50g butter melted 

1 free range organic egg, lightly whisked

1 tsp gluten free baking powder 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Spoon into moderately hot pan (with butter) and cook for approx 2 minutes per side. I served them with cream (proper cream, no gelatine or gums thanks!) and organic frozen raspberries.

Sweet potato crisps with guacamole

This is such a quick "treat" snack for kids, and Jonno has just devoured half a sweet potato and half a zucchini, before he even got to the avo dip. 

For the crisps, I thinly sliced the veggies and fried them quickly in coconut oil, until they were lightly browned. They're so flavoursome, don't be tempted to add salt or any other seasoning. They really don't need it. 

The dip is just avo, curry powder and fresh squeezed lemon (this is a hit with my not-quite-one-year-old!). 

Baby bites

Stewed apple, ricotta and berries.

Sweet Speak

Two year olds make the loveliest pronouncements. This morning, my son, who has become particularly interested in just how his food is served, came up to me in the kitchen, holding an apple from the fruit bowl, and said, "Please open the Happle, mama."
Bless.

Breakfast muffins - banana and cashew

These muffins are a bit of an improvisation on my standard muffin recipe. With only 2 tablespoons of sugar (spread across eleven muffins), I think they're a pretty good start to the day. They have a mashed banana, free range egg, 1/4 cup cashew butter (or peanut), 1/4 cup rolled spelt oats, 1 tablespoon LSA, 1/4 cup bran, almond meal, spelt flour and baking powder. They're going down a treat in our home.

I have to say how much I love these cake papers. I ordered them from the London transport museum, along with matching napkins that have long since all been used to wipe chubby little cheeks.

These took around 15 minutes to make "n" bake. Not a bad brekkie option!