RECIPE - Gorgeous Pink Sparkle Drink (No Added Sugar & Healthy)

My Beautiful Pink Sprakle Drink!

Delightly simple ~ deliciously refreshing

Makes a large party sized batch - can be halved for smaller quantities

Ingredients

1/4 raw large beetroot, juiced

5 pink lady apples, juiced
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 punnet fresh strawberries, hulled and juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced, without rind
1 fresh pineapple, juiced
1-2 litres soda water (depending on how strong you want it to taste)
Ice to serve
optional - sweeten with stevia or norbu

*Blend raspberries with about 1 cup of the water.
*Combine all ingredients well in a glass jug
*If desired sweeten to taste with some powdered stevia (optional)
*Chill
*Serve with ice
 

NOTES:
Swap water for soda water for a fizzy version.
Can also be dilluted down with more quantity of water for a very light and refreshing drink

Great healthy mixer for cocktails

Enjoy!
Rebecca xx

RECIPE - WOW carved watermelon fruit salad basket

Looking for something FUN, gorgeous and exciting to make?

Why not try a watermelon fruit salad basket?

Gorgeous and healthy!

This is perfect for entertaining, taking to your child's school for a healthy alternative to cake and cup cakes on their bday, and how wonderful to walk into a BBQ carrying one of these!

I have carved this into a basket after the way my great grandmother was so well known for doing, she always wired flowers around the handle and had it as a centerpiece you could also carve this into a shark or something equally exciting quite easily for kids birthday parties. Check pinterest for some ideas!

To make this watermelon basket you will need:

1 large seedless watermelon
1 rockmelon
1 honeydew melon
2 punnets blueberries
1 punnet strawberries
300g seedless grapes
1 melon baller tool
Syrup (optional)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup caster sugar (or you could use stevia for a no added sugar alternative)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Buderim Ginger Cordial, undiluted

Method:

• In a saucepan combine the sugar and lime juice, stirring over a medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
• Bring to the boil, stirring constantly and then stir for one minute, remove from the heat.
• Allow to cool for 2 minutes and add the ginger cordial, stir well and set aside to cool completely.
• Draw an outline with a pencil on the outside of the watermelon, for a basketdraw draw an eye shaped section on each side, to make a bowl with a handle.
• Cut out two shapes carefully and remove and place all red flesh from the now visable "handle".
• Hollow out the watermelon and place flesh in a bowl.
• Using the melon baller cut balls from the watermelon flesh, rockmelon and honey dew, set aside.
• Wash the strawberries, grapes, blueberries, drain.
• Mix all fruit together very carefuly.
• Fill the watermelon basket with the fruit.
• Decorate the handle of the basket with fesh flowers attched with some thin wire (optional).
• Pour the ginger and lime dressing into a decorative jug.
• Serve at the centre of the table and drizzle some of the dressing on as you serve each bowl of fruit salad.

Notes:

• Fruit can be varied according to personal preference and seasons.
• A very refreshing and colourful dish.
• Perfect for entertaining or taking to a party.
• Left over melon flesh from the balling is perfect for adding to delicious smoothies!

Toddler Tips:

• A wonderful recipe for getting children excited about fruit!
• Great for kids parties.
• Perfect sized fruit pieces for small mouths.

This recipe was blogged and produce for the Maleny Supa IGA Local Product Local Recipe Cards.

Recipe and photography (c)RebeccaMugridge2012

An Afternoon Tea Party with Tomarata Sensational Zucchini Pickles

A Family Tradition

Does your family have one? Or three? I decided awhile ago that I would start some lovely family traditions with my girls. Regular things we do together, moments that are just about us spending time together, bonding, enjoying life.


We currently have two!
Our Friday night girls movie and homemade pizza night and our once a week Afternoon Tea Party!

At least once a week we have a very special afternoon tea party together.

We chat over lovely nibbles and things like chai & hot chocolate, iced tea or smoothies and sit at a pretty table and enjoy each others company. It is so much fun. I make it different each week, sometimes it is a pretty high tea with delicate china and lace tablecloths, (and we have been known to all dress up as princesses for it too! haha) other times more a picnic style relaxing in the garden with blankets or it's a fresh food fiesta or something we have made together.

It is such a special thing to make a time and start a regular family tradition, I am really enjoying it and have decided to share some of them on my blog. It is a couple of hours scheduled in once a week where my girls and I enjoy each other's company and follow in my family's tradition of making and enjoying food together, with chefs, cooks and foodies galore in the family we really do love to eat, laugh and enjoy food together.
I just love sharing the joys of cooking, growing food, sourcing food and enjoying food.

Today we had a very fresh and crunchy afternoon tea and the highlight was the most beautiful Zucchini pickles!
"Tomarata Sensational Zucchini Pickles." I was really looking forward to trying them, especially as they are Australian Made and they are a local product to where I live too. I have always enjoyed pickles and preserves and was impressed at how delicious these were. My kids both enjoyed them too.

My toddler especially loved it on rice crackers and would have eaten half a jar given a chance! The flavour combination was gorgeous and you immediately think of all the lovely ways you could also eat it.
It would be a really great Christmas Gift Basket inclusion, something I am doing this year. Available from the Maleny Supa IGA, (where I got mine from) this zucchini pickle is beautiful.
I thought it would be nice but it really exceeded my expectations, I was really impressed.
It is not too tangy that kids won't eat it but is tangy enough that adults will really enjoy it.

Rebecca xx

Beautiful Blueberry and Coconut Muffins

Bek’s Beautiful Blueberry and Coconut Muffins

Perfect for school lunches, playdates and afternoon tea with your feet up!
A recipe from the Healthy, Happy Mums cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen blueberries
¾ cup dessicated coconut
¼ cup LSA mix ( you will find in the health section of supermarkets )
1 pear grated
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
2 cups wholemeal flour
¼ cup butter
½ cup raw sugar
1 free range egg
½  teaspoon vanilla essence
¼ cup milk/soy milk ( more if neede)

Method:
Pre heat oven to 180ç
Line a muffin baking tray with muffin cases
Combine softened butter and sugar together
Add in vanilla essence
Mix in the egg
Pour in the yogurt, stir through
Then add in the LSA and coconut and pear combine.
Add in the frozen blueberries and then flour, very gently mix through, being careful not to mix it too much or the whole mixture will colour and the muffins won’t be light and fluffy.
Fill muffin cases
Top each muffin with an extra blueberry or two
Bake until golden and cooked through

Notes
Change the recipe to raspberries for a different twist
Serve warm for a lovely hot and fruity breakfast
Take to work and zap briefly in the microwave for a nice warm muffin
Adjust the mixture so it is reasonably thick-you don’t want it runny at all.
For a crunchy top combine equal amounts of raw sugar and desiccated coconut, sprinkle over the top of the muffin before baking.

Toddler Tips
Make mini ones for a great grab and go snack!