When I saw this recipe for strawberry sorbet on The Hungry Australian, I was amazed. Ingredients? Only four. And three out of four of them are foods we normally have in the house. Three out of four of them are fruits. YES! Fruits! So you’re probably guessing that the last ingredient is boatloads of sugar? Nope! Simple jam!

I decided to make mine blueberry flavoured, seeing as blueberries are cheap at the moment and I’d been dying to use some Blueberry Jam we bought when we visited Eden Gate Blueberry Farm when we were in Denmark over the Christmas/New Year holidays (by the way, this place has the most amazing blueberry ice cream!). Feel free to experiment with your favourite fruit/jam/honey!

♥ Recipe adapted from The Hungry Australian

Ingredients: (a.k.a. The (un)Usual Suspects)

♥ 2 punnets blueberries
♥ 1-2 tablespoons blueberry jam to taste (optional!)
♥ 1 frozen banana (chopped into pieced. I always have this in the freezer for my smoothies. PRO TIP: Peel and slice the banana before you freeze it!)
♥ 1 small avocado (or half a regular one)

Method

♥ Place all ingredients into the jug of your stick blender. I found that it was easier to blend with the frozen banana at the bottom of the jug and the more smooshy (i.e. blendable) ingredients at the top.

♥

Blend away till you receive a nice smooth consistency and everything is all mixed up. Have a taste and add more jam if you feel like it’s needed. Pour into an air-tight container and stick in the freezer. Make sure you put the lid on first (I don’t know why, but I felt the need to mention it). I love the bright vibrant colour from the blueberries!

♥

Every half an hour for two hours, take the container out of the freezer and give everything a good stir. I must admit that I did this once then went out shopping and didn’t come back for a couple of hours. Don’t worry, no sorbet was harmed in the making of this post! It may have been a little tougher to stir, that’s all.

There you go. Your healthy and delicious frozen treat is ready. Take it out of the freezer for 10-20 minutes to soften up a bit before eating.

♥

How does it taste, I hear you ask? Everyone I’ve served it to tasted it differently! For me and I think most people, it tastes like a blueberry-banana ice cream/sorbet hybrid. My mother in law thought she tasted pineapple.

Try it yourself and let me know how you go!

Be well,

xoxo

Article by Vanitha from Buttons & Bites!

♥ All photos © Glennys Marsdon

I have to admit the thought of exploring the Stirling Farmers Market on a steamy thunderstorm induced morning, didn’t have me bouncing out of bed, still I’m quite partial to wandering around markets, and I’d heard a few good things about this one on the local grapevine.

Situated in the shadows of the Council building, it was a pleasure to drive straight into a car space, without having to tail a vegetable laden customer snaking their way back to their car. With parking for 350 cars the first signs were good for the growing market.

♥ Free range ‘Eggs by Ellah‘

Strolling around the stalls my gait resembled the limited trajectory of a chess pawn as I bounced from one shaded area to another. Thankfully the vibrant colours of the produce took my mind off the heat and the stall owners were quick to chat about their produce. I even overheard one arranging to personally deliver an order later in the day.

♥ Marchetti and Sons Roleystone, Fruit

The trays of apricots were gone by 9am, and the tomatoes selling quicker than they could be bagged. It was a delight to buy fruit that wasn’t already teetering around its use by date. Even more delightful was having the stall owner’s son carry larger orders to your car. You don’t find that at your local megastore.

Trays of ripe avocados

Moroccan spices

Tomatoes

Raw juices

Other stalls were equally enticing – artisan breads catering to a range of dietary needs, natural honey, local garlic, Moroccan spices, a multitude of mushrooms, flowers and an array of freshly squeezed juices, some thick enough to stand on their own, sans bottle.

Mushrooms

Organic bread from Abhi’s Bakery

Two years in the planning, the markets first opened on December 18th. Organised by the Karrinyup Rotary Club, all produce must be locally produced. The aim is to extend the range and possibly offer one stall free of charge to local clubs holding membership drives or community awareness programs.

♥

With my car boot full of produce I ended my morning sitting under a shady tree nibbling on a moist apple coconut slice, while watching crepes being cooked and hoping the markets get the community support they need to continue beyond the trial period of February 26th. I’m definitely going back next weekend if only for another piece of the apple slice, but first… does anyone know what I can do with a tray of avocados, two bags of tomatoes and six huge, crisp pink lady apples?

Stirling Farmers Market is located on Cedric Street, Stirling, Sundays 7.30 – 11.30 am until February 26th! It needs as much support as it can get to continue operating, so please check it out if you’re nearby (or even if you’re not!) 🙂

Review by Glennys, writer & farmers market advocate!

♥ YUM!

At age 19, I can honestly say I’ve started to find balance in what I eat. I never weigh myself or count calories, but focus on eating fresh, wholesome food. I love going to Farmers Markets and buying produce that’s in season, and creating simple and delicious recipes. Lately, I love recipes which taste indulgent but are really super healthy and packed full of nutrients. These Superfood Raw Fudge Balls are a perfect example.

Why not take these bite sized delights to your next party to share, or wrap up & give as a gift 🙂

Recipe:

Ingredients–

♥ 1 cup dates (medjool work best)
♥ 1 cup walnuts
♥ 1/2 cup shredded or desiccated coconut, plus extra
♥ 1/4 cup raw cacao
♥ handful of goji berries (use dried cranberries for a cheaper alternative)
♥ handful of chia seeds

♥

Method–

1. Blend all ingredients together
2. Form into balls. If they fall apart, simply add more blended dates to the mixture
3. Roll in shredded/desiccated coconut

Ta-daaa!

This recipe can be altered according to taste or what you already have. Feel free to swap the walnuts for almonds or the dates for prunes. I decided to wrap about 10 of these for my ballet teacher the other day. Here’s how to wrap them up…

♥

Simply take 1 sheet of baking paper and 1 sheet of cellophane, as well as a longish piece of string

♥

Place about 10 fudge balls in the centre

♥

Wrap the baking paper around the fudge balls first, then the cellophane. Tie the string around to secure.

Gift complete! How easy was that? Does this look like something you’d like to make/scoff down?

Recipe by Hannah, a full-time nutrition student and blogger at Dear Asparagus!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

♥ Joshi’s Holistic Detox

I picked this up randomly when a lovely little bookstore near me was having a 50% off closing down sale. Never one to say no to the possibility of a bargain, I dashed in and came across Dr Joshi’s book which I’d been intrigued by previously but never bought.

While I don’t need to be slimmer, healthier I can always go for. Basically Dr Joshi draws on Ayurvedic wisdom, as well as the principles of alkaline eating to help you feel your best. You will go without a few much loved things for 21 days, incorporating plenty of fresh fruit and veggies (some are out though), gluten-free products, herbal teas, supplements and other good-for-you treats. It’s a really well designed program and leads you through everything with LOADS of information and reviews/testimonials from many of his well known clients, including Gwyneth Paltrow.

The only thing that is personally detrimental is that the majority of recipes call for chicken stock (even the veggie ones), so as a vegetarian it would be hard to follow the supplied detox menu. That said there ARE options, and I’m sure you could use veggie stock, but there’s a lotta chicken in this book – organic, free-range naturally! Which reminds me of THIS wonderful Youtube…

Despite the chicken qualms, I’d totally recommend this book if you’re game for a detox, but want to know all the little details behind how/what/where/why, in an accessible and interesting format. I really enjoyed it, go Joshi! Available on Amazon for about $21 USD.

Have you ever tried a detox or wanted to? If so let us know your experience / reason for wanting to try!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥

Even though Christmas has just passed, I have an idea for a thoughtful gift that you can make at home. My recent trip to New York inspired the idea when I ate it for breakfast nearly every morning. I took inspiration from a few recipes on the internet and found the best combination of ingredients.

You can make this a healthier version by cutting back on the amount of sugar you decide to use, I’ve already modified the recipe since making it by taking out the caster sugar. Perfect for mornings when you want to eat a healthy breakfast that is also easy to prepare!

♥

Ingredients

♥ Vegetable cooking spray
♥ 4 cups old fashioned oats (organic if possible)
♥ 1 cup sliced almonds
♥ 1 cup dried cranberries
♥ 1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
♥ 1/4 teaspoon salt
♥ 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
♥ 1/3 cup vegetable oil
♥ 1/4 cup honey (manuka if possible)
♥ 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

♥

Cooking Instructions

1. Position oven rack to the middle and preheat to 300 degrees.
2. Lightly spray large baking sheet with non stick spray.
3. Mix oats, almonds, salt, ground cinnamon in a large bowl.
4. Combine oil, honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat.
5. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
6. Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well.
Ingredients
7. Using hands, toss mixture until thoroughly mixed.
8. Spread granola on prepared baking sheet.
9. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, for about 15 mins (the last 5 mins you want to add the cranberries to cook them in the mixture without burning them)
10. Transfer sheet to rack, cool granola completely.

♥

After making the granola mixture I use a recycled jar and pour the clusters in, decorating it with brown string and a cute tag from Kikki K! Voila, perfect gift for a gorgeous friend.

What do you think of this recipe? Would you like to receive it from a friend?

Review by Kelly-Anne, graphic designer and cute cook.

Be well,

xoxo