This is a very quick and yummy recipe suitable for children and toddlers. All you need is a blender, or food processor and Popsicle/icicle moulds. If you don't have the moulds, you could make your own by using a small, narrow yoghurt container. Put some glad wrap over the open top and pop a stick through the middle.
In the blender, combine 1 banana, a handful of blueberries and a handful raspberries. Add just enough soy milk to make it into a very thick smoothie. I add a teaspoon of honey to the mix, but you could give the honey a miss if you wanted a truly vegan recipe. Once combined, pour into the moulds, add your stick and freeze over night. To remove easily, just run the mould under warm water for a few seconds.
You can use frozen berries and banana. I often buy large bunches of banana when on sale and freeze some to have on hand for smoothies. It seems obvious, but peel and cut into chunks before freezing.
I often double the recipe so there is enough for a smoothie now and yummy icy treats for later.
Variations: 1 mango, 1 banana & soy milk
What are your variations of the recipe? Do you add strawberries, passion fruit or any other fruits?
Thursday 15 March 2012
Thursday 28 April 2011
Natural Cold Remedies for Kids
It's starting to get colder here in Sydney now, and with the inclement weather come the first rounds of colds. The little man 'caught' one at the indoor playcentre and now has the sniffles. So I thought I'd share some tips on simple things you can do to help your kiddo to get over a cold.
- For difficulty breathing due to a stuffy nose: Mix equal parts of 100% pure essential oils of tea tree, lavender and eucalypt. Add 3-5 drops of this mix to a bowl of hot water. Close all doors and windows and make sure little hands can't reach the bowl to prevent scalding. This will help to disinfect and humidify the air and unblock your little one's nose. I recommend you place a bowl near your child's bed at bedtime (but obviously not so close that they can reach it). Ideally, replace the bowl with a fresh one just before you go to bed for a longer lasting effect.
- To help with general debility, a low fever and a mild cough, mix equal parts of the following loose leaf teas: yarrow, elderflowers and peppermint tea. Add one teaspoon of the mixture to one cup of boiling water and steep for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool to a safe temperature for your child to drink and let them sip on it throughout the day. For a baby over 6 months, dilute the tea with equal parts of water. For toddlers and older children, give up to 3 cups a day, indiluted. You can sweeten the tea with honey, unless your child is under one year old. Children under one should not consume honey due to the risk of botulism.
- For a sore throat, give your child a teaspoon of Manuka Honey with a UMF rating of a minimum of 10+. It will help soothe inflammation and is also antibacterial.
- For a great natural cough remedy that also soothes sore throats, pack a glass jar with freshly peeled and cut (preferably organic) onions and cover with honey. Cover with muslin or cheese cloth, or any other clean loosely woven cotton fabric and allow to stand on overnight. Strain the mix through a sieve and fill the strained honey back into the glass jar. Replace lid and discard onion. Don't keep the onions and throw the honey! Use like any commercial cough syrup, giving up to 4 teaspoons a day, one at a time. Again, honey is not suitable for children under one.
- The herb Echinacea is excellent for strengthening immunity and resistance to colds. Under the guidance of a professional herbalist, you can give the mothertincture. However, dosage should be determined carefully and hence self-administration is not recommended. Instead, buy some natural lozenges with Echinacea and Vitamin C. You can obtain these inexpensively from most health food stores and kids usually love them.
Feel free to link to this post but please don't copy and paste it on your own blog.
Ps: Photo sewing tutorial and pattern for little baby boy pants (size 1) coming soon.
- For difficulty breathing due to a stuffy nose: Mix equal parts of 100% pure essential oils of tea tree, lavender and eucalypt. Add 3-5 drops of this mix to a bowl of hot water. Close all doors and windows and make sure little hands can't reach the bowl to prevent scalding. This will help to disinfect and humidify the air and unblock your little one's nose. I recommend you place a bowl near your child's bed at bedtime (but obviously not so close that they can reach it). Ideally, replace the bowl with a fresh one just before you go to bed for a longer lasting effect.
- To help with general debility, a low fever and a mild cough, mix equal parts of the following loose leaf teas: yarrow, elderflowers and peppermint tea. Add one teaspoon of the mixture to one cup of boiling water and steep for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool to a safe temperature for your child to drink and let them sip on it throughout the day. For a baby over 6 months, dilute the tea with equal parts of water. For toddlers and older children, give up to 3 cups a day, indiluted. You can sweeten the tea with honey, unless your child is under one year old. Children under one should not consume honey due to the risk of botulism.
- For a sore throat, give your child a teaspoon of Manuka Honey with a UMF rating of a minimum of 10+. It will help soothe inflammation and is also antibacterial.
- For a great natural cough remedy that also soothes sore throats, pack a glass jar with freshly peeled and cut (preferably organic) onions and cover with honey. Cover with muslin or cheese cloth, or any other clean loosely woven cotton fabric and allow to stand on overnight. Strain the mix through a sieve and fill the strained honey back into the glass jar. Replace lid and discard onion. Don't keep the onions and throw the honey! Use like any commercial cough syrup, giving up to 4 teaspoons a day, one at a time. Again, honey is not suitable for children under one.
- The herb Echinacea is excellent for strengthening immunity and resistance to colds. Under the guidance of a professional herbalist, you can give the mothertincture. However, dosage should be determined carefully and hence self-administration is not recommended. Instead, buy some natural lozenges with Echinacea and Vitamin C. You can obtain these inexpensively from most health food stores and kids usually love them.
Feel free to link to this post but please don't copy and paste it on your own blog.
Ps: Photo sewing tutorial and pattern for little baby boy pants (size 1) coming soon.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Welcome to my blog
Hi to the one lonely reader out there that might have found my blog. I am looking forward to sharing with you some of my sewing adventures, and offer some tutorials of the items I have made once I have worked out how to work the whole technical side of the blogging business and how to create a Pdf pattern. Since I created this blog today, I am not entirely sure what form it will take. I might include some healthy recipes and tips on healthy living as well. I really do hope that over time this blog will become somewhat interactive, as there is such a great online sewing community out there that I am excited to become part of. I'll keep you posted...
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