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    Money & Peanut Butter | Vegan Chocolate Cake

    Money & Peanut Butter | Vegan Chocolate Cake

    While this sweet little 3 year old was expecting a baby brother for her birthday, he was gracious enough to leave 13th January especially to her and arrived a couple of days later.

     

    It was the first year Lake truly looked forward to her birthday, learned about making a wish, picked her own outfit (and matched it with a hair ribbon) and even ordered her very own cake flavour…

     

    She specifically asked for ‘Money & Peanut Butter’.

     

    Money is Chocolate 😜because when she was 1 and 1/2, I let her try a dairy free chocolate coin and because ‘money’ was much easier to say than ‘chocolate’, that’s what it’s been ever since 🤣.

     

    The cake is gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and baked, the icing is a raw, dairy free, refined sugar free ganache type.

     

    The icing remains moist, shiny and creamy for days. The cake itself is super soft, a little crumbly and fudgey. It is equally indulgent to feed an adult as it is healthy'ish to feed a child of mine :)

     

    Lake's Money & Peanut Butter Cake

    the best vegan chocolate peanut butter cake

     

    For the cake

    225g Brown rice flour or another Gluten free flour

    320g Coconut palm sugar

    250ml Hot water (1 cup)

    130g Peanut butter

    90g Extra virgin coconut oil, melted

    50g Cacao powder

    1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

    1 tsp Himalayan salt

     

    For the icing

    40g Peanut butter

    40g Hot water

    80g Maple syrup

    65g Extra virgin coconut oil, melted

    2 Tbsp Cacao powder

    1/3 tsp Himalayan salt

     

    METHOD

     

    -You will  need a 20cm/8in round springform cake tine or a standard rectangular loaf pan which you will line with tin foil.

    -Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F/gas mark 4.

    -Place a baking sheet under your cake tin if using a springform round tin (note it needs to be a good leakproof one as the batter is runny) or line the entire rectangular loaf pan with tin foil.

    -Mix the sugar and hot water in a food processor or a blender, add the remaining ingredients and blend again till smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes. Do check at the 30 minute mark to see if the cake is done and the knife comes out clean. This cake is fudgy so it’s better a little wet than too dry, don’t over-do it and remove from the oven to cool.

    -Once the cake has completely cooled down in its tin, remove it and start on the icing. I bake the cake the day before to make sure it is entirely cooled but you can speed up this step by holding it in a fridge for an hour after cooling a little on a wire rack.

    -Place all the icing ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth. Pour generously all over the middle of the cake, then using the back of a spoon carefully spread the icing to the edges to let it drip a little off the top. Do this last step slowly and space out the drips no closer than an inch apart.

    Lake Maher 3rd birthday cake vegan chocolate peanut butter

    The world's most nutritious ice block

    The world's most nutritious ice block

    I reckon if there was a competition for the healthiest and most nutrient dense ice cream that kids actually enjoy, this recipe could very well be IT!

    It's easy to make in any blender and any ice block mould (or improvise with a baking tray like I've done below). And just take a look at the health benefits of the ingredients:

     

     

    Pili nuts:   These are my latest obsession and are possibly the most delicious nut ever. They taste like a blend of macadamia, cashew and brazil nut. The Raw & Wild brand which we stock at Tanya's already comes activated, so if you have a powerful blender, there's no need to soak! Pili nuts are ultra high in Vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, thiamine/vitamin B1, phosphorus and copper. They are also great for getting extra iron, zinc and calcium in you! This cocktail of nutrients is quite literally amazing for everything from healthy hair and nails to top immune system and bone health to better sleep and controlling your blood sugar levels to improving mood, brain function and even vision!

    Udo's Choice Oil Blend:  This oil blend of essential fats derived from flax, sunflower seed, sesame seed, evening primrose and coconut is honestly magical! It provides all the Omega 3s and 6s you need in one day in a single spoonful. Aside from being incredible for your skin and brain function, I add this to my family's recipes for great digestion. I'm so eager to have you giving it to your family that I've arranged a special 20% off discount for you... Simply go to the Udo's Choice website and enter promo code BETTERRAW at check out for the whole store!

    Mango:  Most of you might agree that no other fruit compares to a sweet ripe aromatic creamy mango. It therefore comes as a surprise to many that mangos are jam packed with nutrients which help combat diabetes, promote smoother elimination, protect against free radicals, strengthen bones and improve joints.

    Apple juice:  When you use freshly squeezed apple juice (or buy cold-pressed!), it gives you extra enzymes for energy and every bodily function really. Apple juice contains lots of Vitamin C, so it's great for the immune system. It even cleanses the liver! Please only ever use organic apples though, because if you juice conventional, you're consuming all the pesticides, herbicides and chemicals that come with them, no matter how hard you scrub your apples.

     

    Creamy Raw Vegan Ice Blocks

    2 x Ripe Mangos, peeled and de-stoned

    1 x 70g pack Original Pili Nuts (buy at Tanya's, Whole Foods UK, Planet Organic, etc)

    300ml x Organic Apple Juice

    3 tablespoons x Udo's Choice Oil Blend (see promo code above)

    Optional (advised for fussy kids): 60g Maple Syrup

     

    -If you don't have a high powered blender, soak the pili nuts in water for 4-6 hours, otherwise use straight out of packet.

    -Transfer all the ingredients into your blender and blend till creamy. Note: if using maple syrup, it is likely to taste too sweet, but don't worry because sweetness dulls once frozen.

    -Transfer into ice block moulds, insert a wooden stick and transfer to the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours.

    [We were in NZ at this time and didn't have our ice lolly moulds handy, so I found this baking tray and folded some tin foil inside to the point which held the right amount of mixture, so that the sticks had plenty of support]:

     

    In this below pic, Lake is 1, her cousin Stanley is [almost] 4 and cousin Theo is 2,5. At this age, Lake hasn't had anything sweet apart from fruits, so she was super into the ice-block and ate up the entire thing! For the boys, I wish I added the optional maple syrup, they would've finished more than 1/3 and got all those amazing nutrients into them.

    You know your kiddies and their fussiness best, so keep that in mind when contemplating the additional maple syrup- the overall sweetness of anything will always dull when food freezes. 

    raw vegan ice cream

     

    If you'd love to know more tricks for sneaking vital nutrients and vitamins into your children's lunches, as well learn some seriously delicious recipes that your 2-11 year olds won't even realise are healthy, my next class is for you!...  

     

    Healthy baby weaning recipes with 3 ingredients or less

    Healthy baby weaning recipes with 3 ingredients or less


    Weaning can be so confusing.

    Even NHS seem confused.

    First they recommend weaning at five months, then at six months and now they suggest that four months is the ideal time to introduce your baby to solids to avoid possible food intolerances later in life.

    The food intolerance reason does make sense to me, but I had to go with my own motherly instincts here and follow baby led weaning (which I was soon to learn is an actual thing, though I’m yet to read the book)…

    I let Lake lick fruits and my green smoothies here and there when she was four months. I added probiotics to her breastmilk when she was just a week old (via my own diet and by coating nipple in it). I added spirulina to her bottle once a week when she was about two months. When I finally decided to try out with her first ‘meal’, it was a banana and she only had 1 or 2 tiny spoonfuls. I was so excited to see how she likes it, that I blended up an entire banana, only to realise that this is not something to rush.

    For her next few ‘meals’ instead of trying out different foods in a blender, only to see them wasted, I would chew them up in my own mouth like mama-bird and feed her from a spoon. We started this process at five months with just one solid ‘meal’ per day, which quickly escalated to two ‘meals’, that also became a little bigger each day. Then instead of fitting in food in-between her milk feeds, I took one milk feed away and then another and replaced them with watered-down ‘solid meals’.

    Now at 7 months, instead of five milk feeds over the course of 24 hours, she has three milk feeds and two to three solid feeds, which are usually a decent bowl-full. Hungry growing girl.

    I try not to offer any snacks, so she understands her routine. Only water, which she happily accepts especially after rolling around all over the grass in the park.

    Lake Maher _ Lady Lake _ baby weaning tips healthy raw food vegan

    I think it’s always best to introduce little ones to solids with a mono diet and slowly add extra ingredients.

    Here are the foods Lake enjoyed immediately when they were blended up till smooth for her to swallow:

    1. Avocado, flesh only
    2. Peas, slightly softened in hot water
    3. Apples or pears, cored and peeled
    4. Banana, peeled
    5. Sweet potato, boiled
    6. Watermelon, so juicy, no need to blend, just let them suck

    Lake Maher _ Lady Lake _ healthy baby weaning recipes

    When it comes to recipes, I’ve tried sooooo many varieties, many not even worth mentioning, because the little lady just turned up her nose to them, no matter how hungry she was. There’s been lots of trial and error, but the below recipes are absolute winners in our household.

    There are no quantities, because only you will know how much your baby eats. If you find that there’s way too much waste, store it in the fridge and try giving it the next day warmed only by some boiling water.

     

    CREAMY APPLE
    Apple, peeled

    Usual milk (try seed milk!)

     

    -I never cook fruit, so you can assume that whenever I use fruit in baby recipes (with the exception of tomatoes- see more below), it is always raw. As fruits are super sweet already, the moment you apply high heat to them, whether boiling, heating, microwaving (may this never be you), baking or whatever, the carbohydrates in fruits transform into sugars. If you were to leave fruit simmering for hours and hours, all the liquids would evaporate away and the remainder crystallise into sugar. Cooking has its place, but in my opinion- not with fruit.

    -Peel, core and chop up the apple into the blender, add milk and blend. Experiment with millet, sunflower seed, buckwheat, hemp and pumpkin seed milks or even a mix.

     

    LAKE’S FAVOURITE DINNER
    Amaranth, cooked

    Tomato, organic and canned without anything added

     

    – Cook amaranth as per packet instructions. I usually soak 1 cup overnight, rinse and add 2.5 cups water, bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 mins or until it’s cooked to softness.
    -Everything is important purchased organic, especially when any pesticides or herbicides are about to enter the little stomaches of our children (these chemicals erupt the stomaches of insects and bugs, so since size is the only major difference between us and them, the effect pesticide-coated produce will have on us will be in a matter of time. I mention ‘organic’ next to tomato, because it’s one of those fruits all the insects go crazy for, so if they are not ‘organic’, they are 99.99% sure to be coated in chemicals. Tomatoes are also one of those very few foods that are better for us when cooked – tomatoes are rich in lycopene (the phytochemical which makes them red) and this antioxidant can be boosted with heat.

    -Blend cooked amaranth and cooked tomatoes till smooth. I use a ratio of 3:1 of amaranth to tomatoes.

     

    LIKE CHRISTMAS
    Oats, soaked in hot water
    Apple/pear, peeled and cored

    Cinnamon, a pinch

     

    -This blend is so so tasty, but just a little cinnamon would do. Try wipe it off the baby’s face as soon as eating is finished so it doesn’t aggravate the skin. (We made face masks with cinnamon as one of the ingredients at my Lush Escapes retreats some years ago and while most people had the loveliest subtle skin after the treatment, others swelled up for hours. My skin can tolerate it, but I noticed that Lake’s skin looks slightly red unless I wipe it off immediately after feeding.) Taken internally, cinnamon does wonders to balance out blood sugar levels so it’s key for sweets intake, including fruits.

    -Blend all the ingredients till smooth. As your baby grows and starts to chew, you can grate the apples instead of blending.

    -I also buy ready sprouted gluten-free oats from Planet Organic and Rude Health. They are a bit tougher than porridge or smoothie oats, so need longer soaking time in water.

     

    LAKE’S FAVOURITE LUNCH
    Avocado, flesh only

    Ripe Mango, peeled and chopped

     

    -I can’t even tell you how much mine loves this combo. She will open her mouth for more before even swallowing each spoonful! Avocado is such a versatile food and so good for everything. At 6 months, Lake could easily eat 1/2 a large avocado, which worried me at first, but babies are pretty clever and they will soon tell you if their system’s had enough. Now at 7 months, she is only excited if I give it to her every few days, not every day.

    -As both fruits are soft, I just mash them together with a fork.

     

    IRONKID
    Avocado, flesh only
    Ripe Pear, peeled and cored

    Spirulina, pinch

     

    -Spirulina is more than a superfood, it’s a wonder food! It has the highest amount of protein than any other food. Period. There is over 60g of essential amino acids that make up a perfect protein in every 100g of spirulina powder. It also has lots of chlorophyll for healthy cells and blood and it has masses of iron! You only need a sprinkling of this algae, so don’t let the price tag put you off.

    -Mash up all the ingredients together with a fork.

     

    BERRY BREAKFAST
    Banana, peeled
    Blackberry, organic
    or
    Pear, peeled and cored

    Mixed berries, organic

     

    -Tangy sweet berries go so well with creamy kind of fruits (‘creamy’ because you can easily blend these fruits and they won’t separate).
    -All berries (especially strawberries) fall into the Dirty Dozen category. These are the fruits and veggies that must always be purchased ‘organic’ or not purchased at all, because they are so heavily sprayed. (See my note about tomatoes under ‘Lake’s favourite dinner’).

    -Mash up the ingredients with a fork and that’s it.

     

    COCOQUINOA
    Quinoa

    Coconut yogurt

     

    -Quinoa, like millet, buckwheat and amaranth, is a seed not a grain. This immediately earns this wholefood more stars in my books. I don’t know why so much baby food contains rice, when quinoa is what has 3 times more protein, 10 times more minerals and only a fraction of the starches that are in rice. It’s the cost no doubt, although this is quickly changing as the demand and therefore production of quinoa seed continues to grow.

    -Cook quinoa according to packet instruction. I usually soak 1/2 cup overnight, rinse, add 1 cup water, bring to boil, then lower heat and cook for approx 10 minutes or until soft and fluffy. Transfer 4:1 quinoa to yogurt ration into a blender, add a little water if needed and blend till smooth. I kept trying to feed Lake quinoa without blending it up but she really didn’t like the texture and refused it till I tried to smooth it out.

     

    MASH
    Sweet potato, boiled

    Usual milk (try millet milk!)

     

    -Sweet potatoes are a wonderful -potato/not actually potato/ yam/ not actually yam- food for everyone. They are an excellent source of Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotin, amongst many other nutrients and minerals, without the starch content of potatoes. Simply peel, chop and boil till soft.

    -Blend the cooked sweet potato with expressed breastmilk or a seed milk from millet, buckwheat, hemp or sunflower seeds. (You can make your own by blending and straining seeds and water or you can buy a ready milk in Health Food stores, Planet Organic or Wholefoods Market).

     

    GROUNDING ROOTS
    Sweet potato
    Swede or turnip

    Carrot, raw

     

    -The carrots aren’t as starchy as other root vegetables and are perfectly fine raw. I actually try to avoid ever cooking carrots because they are already sweet enough and adding the heat, turns the carbohydrates into sugars, making them even sweeter and of course less nutritious. Peel the carrots and grate them into the blender.
    -Starchy veggies are best cooked, as the starches break down and make it possible for your (or baby’s) body to digest the other goodness in those roots. Peel the sweet potatoes and swede or turnip, chop up and boil till soft. Add to blender with a little of the water and blend.

    -When your baby starts to chew, you may like to just mash everything up with a fork instead of blending.

     

    MEDICINALLY YUMMY
    Avocado

    Medicinal mushroom latte (a blend of cordyceps, chaga, reishi, dates and almond milk, just like in The Uncook Book or at Tanya’s)

     

    -I was enjoying a Medicinal Mushroom Latte at work (Tanya’s) when Lake opened her mouth asking for a taste, I gave her a spoonful and she wanted more. It was almost her feeding time and I already had a mashed up avocado ready to go, so I stirred in some of the latte. She gobbled it up like nothing I’ve seen before. Can only be a good thing especially since Cordyceps is amazing for energy, reishi for relaxation and chaga for immunity. Plus all those essential fats for growth and protein for strength, both in the avocado and almonds, only add to the goodness.

     

    APRICOT PORRIDGE
    Buckwheat, cooked

    Ripe Apricot, de-stoned

     

    -Buckwheat, unlike its name suggests, contains no wheat. This also means that there is no gluten and it isn’t a grain, rather a seed. Check out the tips in CocoQuinoa for more gluten-free porridge options. I grew up on buckwheat porridge in Russia, so for me this baby food has sentimental value. And I’m so glad… it contains protein, calcium, manganese, fibre, phosphorus, magnesium and so much more for healthy development!

    – Cook buckwheat to the instructions on the packet. I usually soak 1 cup of groats for 4 hours, rinse them really well (takes me 4-5 go’s to get rid of the gooeyness), sprout for 1 day and then cook in 2 cups of water. After about 10 minutes, they should be nice and soft and you can pour out excess water. Add the buckwheat and chopped apricot to a blender, blend to a smooth paste.

     

    GREEN & GROOVY
    Pear, raw organic, peeled and cored
    Peas, softened in hot water

    Broccoli or spinach, lightly steamed

     

    -This combo is such an easy way to get all those greens into your baby’s diet. The sweetness and creaminess of the pear will make anything palatable, but you can also try without it at all. Just remember my reason from above for keeping fruits raw.

    -Blend everything or if your baby is chewing already, then mash the ingredients with a fork.

      

    MY ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS FOR WEANING


    Tribest-Personal-Blender-Food-shot-350-500x500
    This small personal blender from Tribest! It is small enough to produce perfectly sized baby meals so there is never any waste. It’s also super light and compact, that we travel with it and even make our own smoothies on the road (bonus!).
    bamboo feeding bowl and spoon
    This bamboo bowl and spoon set! I've got a few spoon variations and this is the one that's most ergonomic and enjoyable for my little one. It also looks and feels lovely for mama (or dada) to use. And the bowl! The bowl! It has the most clever suction base, so it always remains in place no matter how much Lake wants to smack the bowl full of dangerously staining foods.
    weaning bib
    These easy-to-clean bibs! At first, I was using Lake's milky fabric bibs, but they are now entirely stained in berry spills and even banana stains which I never realised could be so intense. Now I know. Hope it's not too late for you. These bibs have sleeves too, so even clothing stays protected.
    Lake Maher _ Lady Lake - Baby weaning essentials
    This fun feeder for teething and weaning! It was a gift from Lake's Kiwi grandparents, that already have two grandchildren and four kids of their own, so they know aaall the tricks. This one is extra handy, because you can put anything inside, like grapes, cucumber, apples or watermelon and not worry about choking or even preparing anything.