It’s a lovely quick knit although my short row technique back then was not great and when I look at it there are some pretty yucky bits where I picked up wraps oddly or in some cases didn’t pick them up at all but hey there’s only so many more months I can get away with dressing Reub in stuff like this right?!

[raveled here] x

This meal may or may not have come from Reuben dropping an entire carton of eggs on the floor and every single one of them cracking

I want to say thanks to Waitrose for making these awesome lamb sausages, I have a mega hard time finding decent sausages in this country (no offence but I hate pork sausages) and found these at the deli counter, only 1.50 for 5! Score. Cheap meal. Well… 7 free range eggs aren’t the worlds cheapest but still.

7 lightly beaten/mixed eggs
1/2C cream (or milk, coconut cream, whatever)
5 lamb sausages – thanks waitrose
Onion
Garlic
Carrot
Thyme
Capsicum or Red Pepper sliced finely
Butter

If you have an oven proof skillet/frypan now is the time to use it. Other wise you will have to bake your fritatta in a cake pan like me which makes more evil dishes!

Fry off chopped onion, garlic, carrot and sausages in a knob of butter. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Put into your oven safe dish and bake at 200C for about 20 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden.

ENJOY .. with some healthy spinach leaves x

Cake

Is

AMAZING.

I try and eat paleo all the time (that’s another post in itself), and it makes me so sad because I love cake. So much. Until now everything I’ve tried to bake that loosely conforms to the “rules” of paleo has tasted either like a bit of a brick or a combination of wallpaper and baking soda. So pretty much I used to just give up and make evil refined sugar cake.

This cake is AMAZING. So satisfying thanks to the dense almond flour, the coconut gives it a real good crumb, the perfect amount of sweetness (once you eat low carb for a while then you will start to find regular baked goods way too sweet) and best of all made with completely natural ingredients with no refined carbohydrates or nasty vegetable fats. And so easy! One bowl – well two really because you have to melt the butter in something but just whack everything in and mix. You don’t even have to worry about over or under mixing. I actually prefer this to my all time favourite, white sugar and white flour packed banana cake recipe. CRA-ZY.

I’ve adapted this recipe from Paleo Gourmet

3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup desicatted coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp raw honey *this amount is up to you. 2 tsp won’t  be enough for some but I recommend starting with it and seeing how you go.
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
80g very dark chocolate chopped or chips (we use lindt 85% or 90%)
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4c raisins or sultanas (optional)

 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees/180 celcius.  Line a 8″ square tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the eggs, melted butter, honey, chocolate bits, raisins and vanilla. Add the almond flour, coconut, salt, and baking soda. Mix everything really well.

Bake for 20 to 35 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch.

I’ve calculated the nutritional info as one cake makes 12 servings which are really very generous servings.

Each piece has 9g of protein, 25g of fat and only 7.5g of sugars. If you’re into calorie counting (you shouldn’t be) – 322 calories per serve. And those sugars are coming from fruit and a touch of natural honey, nothing else.

*Disclaimer – I know a lot of people will consider bananas to be not paleo and yes they are high on sugar/starch, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend eating a ton of them but they are a far better alternative than sugar or any sweetener ever in my books.

I’m really enjoying settling back into our winter routine.. baby R has lunch and then goes down for a nice long 3 hour nap where I ignore all housework and productive tasks and snuggle on the couch under my nice knitted blanket and catch up on quality TV, knitting and blogland. Ohhh its hard being me some days.

I’m updating my links and hopefully soon my recipe index… I like this whole being organised thing for a change. It’s nice. In the mean time.. check out my blanket I made.. I love it..

[raveled here]

This time I made this cake with the help of my son, standing on his little step beside me he is the best kitchen assistant anyone could ask for. Sure I have to double check what’s in the bowl every time I look away for rouge cars or spoons but he measures ingredients for me, cracks eggs, mixes and is a great taste tester.

I’ve made this many times over the years (oh god this makes me sound really old) and each time we change it up a bit, chocolate chips, spices, wholemeal flour… it’s a fab recipe.

Banana Cake

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (350 farenheit) and prepare your cake tin or muffin pan.

125g butter
1 cup sugar <- we use brown but you can use whatever is in the cupboard
2 large free range eggs
3 medium bananas <- use some nice ripe ones from the fruit bowl
2 cups flour <- try replacing up to half of this with wholemeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips <- totally optional
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each one.
Throw the bananas into your mixer and beat well. Or mash them and mix them in.
Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until all the flour is just incorporated.

Pour into tin or pans and bake until the middle springs back when pressed, about 12 minutes for muffins and 25 for a cake.

Get cake all over your face and enjoy!

This year I’m as un-organised as ever (if not more so) and frantically knitting away some Christmas stockings, baking like a crazy woman and trying to cross things off my list.

That’s my token (yet unfinished – how timely for this post) gingerbread house for this year, next year – use a template! Cut more carefully! I’ve finished a ginger and cherry panforte and need to complete the white chocolate fig version as part of my handmade Christmas efforts. Then, some jarred mincemeat and mince pies…… oh yeah, need to buy presents too!

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This face. I love. So much. What a freaking cute boy.

Other positives
Lovely zip off cover
I think it will fit all cars really. Especially for older children where you have it in the upright position. I’ve installed it in the front and rear of a 4 door Renault Clio (1999 shape) and it’s just fine. Remember only to install it in the front if you have NO airbags. It easily fits in a BMW 7 series (2002 shape) and gives much more legroom than the BeSafe Izi.

The downsides:
It does look kind of basic, compared to say the BeSafe IZi Combi x3, it doesn’t have the same level of padding and head support/side impact protection. In saying that, I have no problem putting my son in it, it looks sturdy and comfortable.
To adjust the shoulder straps or recline angle (just 2 reclines) it’s kind of a mission. Adjusting the shoulder straps requires re-routing the straps through the shell. The recline is even more tricky and means re-installing the seat.

All in all an amazing seat – one of the cheapest around for extended rear facing. Pics coming soon.

Reuben’s really great at playing by himself and entertaining himself, to the point where sometimes I feel like I’m not interacting with him enough. This is a great artice on letting your child play how they want , and we have had the most amazing weather here recently and Reuben has been roaming the garden playing for hours today.