Yummy Dairy & Sugar Free Easter Brunch Recipes

easter brunch

Breakfast is definitely one of my favorite meals as there are so many yummy options! Pancakes, eggs, omelettes, waffles, crepes, fruit… I like brunch even better and often enjoy those big brunch spreads that you can find where there is everything from crepes and omelettes made to order to carved roast beef and a chocolate fountain (my mouth is salivating at the thought). The selection is fabulous and there is something for everyone.

When I was growing up we did a big Easter dinner with the ham and scallop potatoes, but when I started my own family we moved to doing an Easter Brunch. This allowed the kids to get up and hunt for baskets and then to enjoy a nice meal later in the morning, leaving dinner to be a simple affair with no one stuck in the kitchen for the day or doing the big clean up in the evening!

I have found this to be a great shift, especially because brunch incorporates many of my favorite foods! Depending on how many people we have for brunch depends on how many different dishes I make, but traditional standard fare seems to be a quiche (which I love), waffles (which I also love but the kids do as well, they are not fans of quiche) and some fruit, usually consisting of cantalope, fresh strawberries and whatever else is in season.

The best quiche recipe I have found is a recipe I got from my Mum. Many people tend to avoid making quiche because of the crust, but this recipe for Impossible Quiche, is one where the crust ‘makes itself’. It’s true, by putting all the ingredients into the blender, the Bisquik sinks to the bottom while it bakes and creates a nice light crust. Simple, easy and takes no time at all. Of course I do enjoy quiche with a nice traditional crust as well but this recipe is quite satisfying and like I said easy to make!

Impossible Quiche

1 c. grated vegan cheese (mozza or swiss)easter brunch

1/3 c. finely chopped onion

sliced mushrooms

spinach

1/2 c. Bisquik

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

4 eggs

2 c. almond milk or dairy free milk of choice

Lightly grease 10″ pie plate or quiche dish. Sprinkle cheese, onion, mushrooms and spinach (or other desired toppings) evenly over the bottom of the plate. Place remaining ingredients in the blender and blend at high speed for 1 minute. Pour into dish.

Bake at 350 F for 50-55 minutes, or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand.

As I said, waffles are often part of our brunch spread and I have found some great recipes for plain, chocolate and orange waffles. The chocolate ones are to die for! While the plain ones are fantastic with maple syrup or adding some fruit and a little ice cream (Rice Dream is a yummy dairy and sugar free alternative to dairy ice cream if you’re looking for dairy free).

I am already looking forward to our Easter Brunch! and all the possible choices. Whatever you choose this year whether it be Easter brunch or Easter dinner, I hope you have a wonderful feast that you can share with family and friends! Happy Easter!

 

Grocery Shopping with Friends

Luke and Chloe love grocery shopping! (well they love shopping in general) They get very excited when I tell them that we are going grocery shopping today. They gobble up their breakfast and head to the door. They are great little shoppers. Very good at staying in the cart while I go around the store getting the groceries.

One of the first things we do when we get to the store is pick up some ‘guys’. I have found that this a great technique for keeping the kids entertained and happy while we are shopping. I have also noticed it makes a lot of other shoppers smile as they see Luke and Chloe playing with these stuffed animals, which are usually bigger than they are!

Superstore always has a large selection of stuffed animals that we go and they each get to pick out one to hold while we are in the store. Then we are done our shopping we go back to the area we picked them up and ‘put them back with their friends’ and go and pay for our groceries. It works great! They have come to know how it works so there is no crying or fussing, they give them a hug and a kiss, say bye and we’re on our way 🙂

Easter Crafts for Kids

I tend to get very excited about Springtime, especially Easter. The sense of rebirth in the air, the warmth of the sun on my face, the flowers beginning to peek through. The kids get excited and start asking to play outside more, enjoying the warmer weather and all that comes with it – the mud, the grass and the rubber boots. It truly is a time of year when things re-emerge and come out of the darkness, the long ‘hibernation’ of winter.

With Easter of course there is the excitement of the Easter Bunny and all the other cute springtime animals, such as chicks and lambs. The hunt for eggs and Easter Baskets and the goodies that they find.

I often get the kids ‘into’ the holiday by doing some crafts around that holiday. I find it fun because I like to search out and try new crafts with them, and they love it, well because they just love crafts! Yesterday we made paperplate bunnies, which were easy and simple for them.

It’s neat to watch Luke and Chloe do their crafts as you can really notice the differences in how they do things. Chloe is definitely more of a follow the rules and the pattern when it comes to crafts and Luke is more of take the concept and get creative with it kind. He takes things more out of the box and expands upon the idea – which I just let him do, as I believe that is all part of learning and growing, and enhances his creativity.

Paperplate Bunny

What you will need:

  • small paperplate
  • white paper
  • googley eyes
  • small pom poms
  • ribbon
  • black and pink markers
  • glue
  • scissors
Trace bunny ears on piece of white paper. Cut them out and set aside. Take one small paperplate and glue on googley eyes and pom pom for nose. Using black marker draw in the mouth. Using pink marker color inside of bunny ears a little. Glue ears to paperplate at the top. Tie ribbon into a bow and glue on bottom of paper plate. Let glue dry completely.

Fluffy Pinecone Chick

This adorable little chick is completed in steps, but is well worth the waiting time in between. We made this a couple of years ago with Matthew and he loved it, in fact he kept it in his room for a long time before it made it’s way out of the house. Children 3 years and up can easily complete this craft with parent help.

What you will need:

  • large fat pinecone
  • pencil
  • yellow paint and paintbrush
  • fiberfill (cotton batting)
  • felt scraps in white, blue, orange, yellow
  • green construction paper
  • Easter grass
  • glue
  • scissors

Paint the pinecone yellow and let it dry. Once dry, wrap the pinecone in thin layer of fiberfill. Use pencil to poke the fluff between the scales of the pinecone. From the felt scraps cut out wings, a beak and eyes and glue them onto the body. Cut a 10cm circle out of the green construction paper and glue the Easter grass on top. Then glue the pinecone chick onto the middle of the grass.

Stained Glass Egg

What list of Easter Crafts is complete without an Easter Egg! This super easy craft is great for little ones as the tearing of the tissue paper will utilize their little hand muscles and strengthen their hand eye coordination.

What you will need:

  • colored tissue paper
  • construction paper
  • scissors
  • hole punch
  • ribbon
Trace a large egg on a piece of white construction paper. Cut out egg. Tear different colors of tissue paper into small pieces. Glue the tissue paper onto the construction paper egg. Let glue dry. When dry punch a hole in top of egg, lace ribbon through and tie at top to make a loop for hanging.
No matter which craft you choose the kids will have a great time and some great decorations for Easter. Splashes of color for spring and lots of fun while doing it.
Now my kids are asking to color Easter Eggs – yes the whole dye the eggs – which my 9 year old has never done -oh dear I have neglected my duty as a mother. That should be an interesting experience…

 

What’s the Story Here?

A couple of weeks ago I had family visiting for my 40th birthday. It was a busy weekend with a full house and lots of late night revelry. This late night photo can tell you a story or two. I love how rich it is and how you could pick out anything and create a narrative about what’s happening. So many things to talk about…

Luke and Chloe’s First Trip to the Dentist (and tips how to make it a positive experience)

Luke in the dental chair

Last week Luke and Chloe had their first dental appointment.  They were quite excited (unlike most adults I know, including me) about going to the dentist, as they had gone many times before when Matthew or I had appointments – so they were familiar with what it was and what happened there.

We see Dr. Evans at Evans Dental Health, a holistic dentist, having switched over to his office a couple of years ago. Dr. Evans is a mercury and fluoride free office and believes that the health of your mouth and teeth are directly related to your overall health. So things like nutrition, supplements and detoxification are available/ discussed in this office.

The staff were great, smiling and friendly from the moment we arrived, the dental hygienists getting down to their level and interacting with them. Luke and Chloe are very go with the flow and fairly adaptable kids, but Luke still turned to me when the hygienist invited them to come with her, and asked me to come along. It’s nice to know as a parent that they still need you.

Chloe was the first to go and hopped up into the dental chair. The hygienist, Holly, explained everything to her as she went along, starting right from the bib that they got to use right down to the dental tools. She explained everything in a fun and engaging way for a child. Chloe was very interested in what she was saying and not only followed direction but already had her mouth open ready for Holly to look at her teeth.

Luke went next door with his hygienist, Salena and had a very similar experience with her explaining things to him as she went and engaging him the whole time. Luke also opened his mouth and kept it open, looking like a little bird, waiting for her to check his teeth.

A child’s first visit to the dentist is a very short visit, with a couple of basic things happening. The appointment is simply to get the child comfortable with the experience and learning what to expect. They tell the kids what’s going on, explaining everything as they go, then they count how many teeth they have, give them a quick polish, if the child lets them, then the dentist comes and takes a peek. That’s it, fairly quick and definitely painless.

Most dentists recommend that your child start coming to the dentist as early as 1 year old or within 6 months of their first tooth coming in. When I asked our dentist they said at about 3 years old – which makes more sense to me. I think as a parent knowing the recommended guidelines, you can decide when is the best time to take your child.

At the end of the appointment both Luke and Chloe got little bags of goodies that contained a new Firefly toothbrush and some flossers. Luke got a whole container of dental floss, which unfortunately was completely unraveled by the time we got home. And they also got a trip to the ‘treasure chest’, which I loved going to when I was a kid and went to the dentist, it was the best part! They chose mini lip balms, which were also destroyed and well used by the time we got home. Chloe just kept putting it on her lips (and it also ended up all over her face). Luke just played with it after one application and I found it in pieces on the floor of the van.

Overall though they had a wonderful, positive experience and were very excited to tell Daddy what they did that day.

If it’s time for your child to take their first trip to the dentist here are some more tips to make their first experience a positive one:

  1. Pick a caring, friendly dentist that makes your child’s first visit a special ocassion
  2. If there is an opportunity, prior to your child’s first visit, let them observe a family member during an appointment. This will help them become familiar with what happens.
  3. Avoid instilling anxiety in the child just tell them they are going to the dentist and leave it at that.
  4. Select an appointment time that is best for the child, usually for young children first thing in the morning is best.
If you can create a first positive experience for your child it will make future trips to the dentist positive ones as well. Even as an adult I don’t enjoy going to the dentist, it’s because I have to hold my mouth open so long and the sound of the drill really gets to me. (If I didn’t have to hear that sound it might be ok) so the more you can do for your kids to make the dentist a positive experience the better. Both Luke and Chloe had a ‘good time’ and I know I will have no problem when it is time to go again.
Dr. Evans does a Candy Buy Back each year at Halloween, where he gives $1/ lb of candy to the kids. We go each year and I think it’s a fabulous idea. Go to his website to find out more.

 

Sugar Free White Cake Recipe

sugar free white cake

One of the first things I created when we went sugar free was a sugar free birthday cake, as I figured that this was one of the most important things in a child’s life that should not be without. Cake on your birthday is important! So I sought out various recipes and experimented a little.

My first attempt in creating a sugar free white cake was using agave nectar as the substitute for sugar. Though there are many other options for natural sweeteners this was the first one that I tried. I later learned though that agave nectar is considered to be just as bad as the refined stuff because of the way it’s processed. So my next step was to try honey, which is our preferred natural sweetener these days.

This vanilla cake recipe, using honey as the sweetener is very moist and I have used it many times. The kids love it and no one knows the difference when they eat it unless I tell them it’s sugar free. You can easily use this recipe for white cupcakes as well.

I used it this year for Chloe’s kitty cat birthday cake (for the twins birthdays I make a cake for each of them and I usually do one chocolate and one vanilla). With chocolate icing it was delicious as usual.

White (Vanilla) Cake Recipe

1/2c. honey

1/2 c. Earth Balance

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

1 3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. almond or rice milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 9×9 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, cream honey and Earth Balance. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan or into muffin tin for cupcakes.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Yield: 12 cupcakes or 9×9 inch pan

Leprechaun’s, Shamrocks and More – St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids

 

Chloe and Luke making their Shamrock Man

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those fun unique holidays that you can really get into if you choose to. I’ve always loved the concept of green beer, (as an adult of course), shamrocks and leprechaun’s and pots of gold. And it is the one day that you can never get too sick of the color green!

I always find holidays like this so much more fun when you can celebrate with kids, whether it be your own, nieces, nephews or children you work with. As usual there is a plethora of St. Patrick’s Day crafts that are fun and colorful to make surrounding this holiday.

I had planned to make a couple of these crafts with the kids only to find when I went to our craft supplies that we were missing a few things. No matter, tomorrow a trip to the dollar store will remedy that. We were able to make Shamrock Men, which is one of my favorite crafts due to the accordion arms and legs (I have done a similar heart man for Valentine’s Day).

Luke and Chloe enjoy making crafts and as soon as I announced that we were making one they ran into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I had precut the shamrocks and strips of paper but I let them do all the folding and glueing and Chloe even drew a face on her shamrock’s by herself. Chloe was very into it, while Luke though interested got easily distracted with trains and playdoh, but he did finish it.

Both Luke and Chloe squealed with delight when they were done and started making their shamrocks dance and sing. It was pretty cute to watch. Tomorrow I would like to make the pot of gold which will probably end in a lot of glitter everywhere, but that’s ok we can all sparkle for a while.

I love the make your own Blarney Stone idea as well (below,) but we needed to gather a few supplies to do that one and could easily get away with making it after St. Patrick’s Day. I myself, have been to Blarney to kiss the Blarney Stone, set high up in the castle of Blarney; and it is quite a unique experience. I am not going to spoil it by telling you what happens as I think half the fun is experiencing it for yourself, but let’s just say it was not what I expected! Needless to say if you have the chance go and do it, it’s worth it. In the meantime you and your little ones can enjoy your own little Blarney Stone at home.

I imagine the kids will love creating their own and will be kissing them in no time (reminds me of kissing frogs for some reason – ha ha).

St. Patrick’s Day Crafts

Pot of Gold

black and green construction paper

white glue

gold glitter

scissors

paper plate

something small and round to use as stamper to make gold coins

Draw and cut out pot on black construction paper. Glue the pot onto a piece of green construction paper, centering it and leaving enough room at the top to make the ‘gold coins’.

Pour glue on paper plate, dip stamper into glue and press it onto paper above pot. Pour gold glitter on paper until glue is completely covered. Gently tap the back of paper to remove any excess gold glitter. Tip – tap it onto another paper plate or piece of paper so you can use excess glitter for future crafts. 

St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Man

green construction paper

white paper

googley eyes

glue

scissors

black marker

Draw a large shamrock on green construction paper and cut it out. Draw 4 small shamrocks on green construction paper and cut them out (these will be for hands and feet).

Cut 4 strips of white paper about 1 inch wide. Fold the strips back and forth like an accordion. Glue 2 strips either side of large shamrock for arms, glue the other 2 at the bottom for legs.

Glue small shamrocks on the ends of each strip for hands and feet. Glue googley eyes on large shamrock and draw in mouth with black marker.

Blarney Stone

Blarney Castle, Ireland

smooth clean river rock

brush

green paint

glue

markers

glitter, sequins, jewels, bits of yarn

Make sure rock is clean and dry. Paint it green. Let dry.

Once paint is dry decorate with glitter, sequins, etc. When glue is dry from decorating draw on face using markers.

Luke folding his accordion arms

Voila! Your own kissable Blarney Stone.


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A New Look for Pyjama Pants

Matthew decided to get creative with his pyjama wear! (Wordless Wednesday)

Matthew is my effervescent, creative and active young man. He was playing around being his delightful self when he came into the kitchen like this. Arms tucked in and pants up high! I just about died laughing and my aunt thought it was so funny that we needed a picture. Oh what our children come up with!

Luke and Chloe’s 3rd Birthday

Chloe and Luke 1 week old

It is amazing how fast the kids grow up. It seems like yesterday that I was holding 2 little 5 pound babies in my arms and now they have just turned 3! Running, talking, and bouncing with personalities all their own. So much more aware of life, what’s going on and getting so big.

Both Luke and Chloe were very excited for their birthday this year. They ‘got’ what was happening and that it was their day. They knew that they would get presents and started asking for things for their birthday. Luke asked for a police car and his own Playmobil set, while Chloe wanted some jewelry and pretty dresses. They had decided what they wanted for birthday cakes before Christmas – Chloe asking for a kitty cat and Luke a train (which turned into Thomas the Tank Engine specifically).

They enjoyed the balloons and the streamers and knew that when everyone came over it was for their birthday and their party. Chloe dressed up in a pretty dress and Luke in a nice shirt and pants. They looked dapper for their big day!

Even though they were twins, when they were born I decided that it was important for them to be treated as individuals, so their own gifts (though sometimes they get joint ones depending on what it is), their own cards, their own cakes. Which in theory sounds like a lovely idea, except when it is 1 in the morning and Mom is still decorating the cakes!

The cakes themselves were not hard to make, I had made one chocolate, one vanilla; as over the last couple of years I found some good recipes that accommodate our no sugar and no dairy needs. Plus I was able to rent a shape pan from Stir Crazy Fun Center here in Calgary to make Thomas (only $5 to rent it and definitely worth it! I had never used a shape pan before and it is the cat’s meow let me tell you 🙂 It was the decorating that took the longest and this was because of the icing I was using. I have tried a couple of white sugar free icing recipes, which I can then color for decorating. I had found a great replacement for icing sugar, but the icing recipe itself I have not had much luck with. The icings I have found, though they taste great are not easy to work with as far as spreading or pumping through icing bags.

Chloe's 3rd Birthday

 

In the past I had made a coconut buttercream frosting but found that after a bit of time it got too hard and was extremely hard to work with. It was difficult to spread right from the beginning and only got worse. So this year I decided to try the Wilton icing recipe which uses shortening, butter, icing sugar and a bit of milk – all of which I had replacements for – but I found this icing also extremely hard to work with. Difficult to spread and very hard to pump through the icing bags. Also after time, it got greasy and hard in the icing bags, no longer mixed together. I found the whole experience very frustrating and though I managed to finish the cakes and they looked great I am sure that with the right icing I could cut my time in half and not be up til 1 in the morning decorating!

Luke's 3rd Birthday

Chloe’s cake, bless her, took me 20-30 minutes to cut out and decorate. This was because it was a simple design and I was able to use my sugar free chocolate icing, which is very easy to spread. Thomas was not so easy and it was not the detail it was the icing!

So I am on the search for a great sugar and dairy free, easy to work with, spreadable white icing recipe that I can color to decorate character cakes. I will keep looking and when I find a good one I will share it! In the meantime I will use what I have and see if I can modify them in some way.

If you know of or have any great sugar and dairy free white icing recipes please share them by commenting below.

Natural Remedies for Colds and Flu

natural remedies

One of the things that I have decided to do in our house is reduce the amount of over the counter and unnatural remedies for colds and flu. The more I read about some of these remedies and what’s in them, the more I feel that there are better more natural ways to combat the flu season and naturally boost our immune systems.

I have become more conscious of what we put in our bodies and what it does to us. Some of these over the counter remedies, though they may provide relief actually suppress our immune systems and it then takes us longer to return to health. In my journey to find more natural ways to heal our bodies and even prevent us from getting sick I have discovered a number of natural remedies and preventions that work.

Oscillococcinum – I believe in prevention first and foremost so one of the things I do before about 6-8 weeks prior to flu season is give the kids and I a homeopathic protocol using oscillococcinum or ‘flu buster’. This was suggested by our homeopathic doctor; we take half a tube (1/4 tube for the little ones under 6) once a week for six weeks. This helps the body’s immune system to ‘boost up’ and prepares it for the cold/ flu season that is coming.  As a result we usually don’t get colds/ flu at all and if we do it is a very mild and short case. And if we do get it, then we take a whole tube to kick it out!

Ginger tea – drinking ginger tea on a regular basis is also a great form of prevention but works well if you do get a cold/ flu. It is easy to make using fresh ginger root and water. As soon as I start to feel a cold coming on I make a batch of tea right away. Ginger tea is also great for nausea.

Honey and cinnamon – are great combinations for a number of diseases and ailments. Different proportions target different ailments. For colds it is 1 tbsp. honey to 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon

Homeopathic remedies – the great thing about homeopathic remedies is that they work with your body to help boost your immune system as well as heal the ailment. It not only relieves your symptoms but helps your body to move through it faster. There are a number of homeopathic remedies to aid colds and flu. Oscillococcinum, as mentionned above, is great for prevention as well as when you have it. Aconite is great when you first start feeling the cold coming on, take it right away, as well as other homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic remedies work best when you can match your symptoms to the remedy so it is best to either consult with your homeopathic doctor or have a book on remedies for self diagnosis. The great thing about homeopathy is if you choose the wrong remedy it will not cause you any harm, it simply won’t help you get better and you’ll have to try a different homeopathic remedy.

Rum, honey, cinnamon, lemon in hot tea – this is an amazing remedy. Recently I had a cold that just would not go away and continued to get worse and worse each day instead of better. All I wanted to do was crawl into my bed and pull the covers over my head, but my aunt who was visiting at the time suggested and made this remedy for me. It cleared my head like that! and though I still had a bit of a cough, I felt like I could function and enjoy life again 🙂 You can use any kind of hot tea that you like and then add the rest into the drink.

Essential Oils – there are a number of essential oils that support our immune system. Oils such as Frankincense and Copaiba support a number of our body systems including immunity. doTERRA’s On Guard essential oil blend is our go to for supporting immunity. It is a blend of Wild Orange, Clove Bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. It can used preventatively by applying topically on the bottoms of the feet or taking one drop internally daily. Diffuse when you feel something coming on, as it not only protects you but everyone in the household.

Vitamin C, D, & B12 – boost these vitamins during cold and flu season. They all help boost your body’s immune system and vitamin B12 helps you to cope with stress.

Sleep – sleep is one of the best healers and immune boosters. Get adequate sleep on a regular basis for prevention but when you feel your cold coming on make sure you get to bed early and get lots of rest.

No Sugar – sugar weakens the immune system very quickly, so if you have sugar in your diet, avoiding and eliminating it when you are sick will help strengthen your immune system and recover faster.

Garlic Lemon and Honey Syrup – this remedy comes from a book called A Kids Book of Herbs, is very easy to make and kicks your cold super fast!

Eat more of these foods – ginger, garlic, onions, licorice root, honey – these all strengthen the immune system and support healing.

A lot of these remedies you can use apply on a regular basis in your diet/ day to help prevent the colds and flu from even coming on, but they all work great if you or your family do get sick. I believe too that one remedy will work better for one person than another so to find the one that works best for you. I also believe that anything we do to help our body naturally boost our immune systems is not only going to be better for us in the long run but will also help prevent us from getting as sick or sick at all in the future. Many of these remedies too are ones that kids will easily take without fuss, and is easy to incorporate into their diets and routines.

Do you have a favorite natural remedy that works? Comment and share below.