Coconutella

After my spreadable butter success I have realised that making spreadable spreads is addictive. So is Pinterest. Finding recipes on Pinterest and making them is addictive. The nutella microwave mug cake recipe I found on pinterest is so addictive that it’s dangerous. I am not a massive nutella fan, but I did end up buying it simply to make the microwave mug cake. I’m that kind of person, I have an addictive kind of personality. I was pretty excited about my delicious nutella microwave mug cake, untilI read the ingredients list on Nutella.

Sugar, vegetable oil, hazelnuts (13%), cocoa powder (7.4%), non-fat milk solids, emulsifier (soy lecithin), flavour (vanillin)

Just in case you are wondering the vegetable oil listed is palm oil, and since there is nothing mentioning that it is fair trade I’m going to go ahead and assume that it is not fair trade and that it is also highly refined palm oil. If you’re wondering why the use of palm oil bothers me check out this info on orang-utans.

Finding out that a supposedly healthy spread is only 13% hazel nuts and primarily sugar and palm oil is not a happy moment. In saying that I would happily go without, but my husband has a bit of a crush on nutella and I feel he has been having a closed doors affair with it behind my back because the tub I bought was full one day and almost empty the next. My microwave nutella mug cake has nothing to do with it of course…

Luckily, Pinterest provided me with a solution in the form of a recipe for home made nutella. I was excited! Until I realised I didn’t have chocolate or hazelnuts in the house. I also did not have milk powder… and come to think of it, how healthy is chocolate anyway? Back to the drawing board.

I decided to make up my own recipe based on ingredients I had, hopefully not a recipe for disaster. I muddled around with ingredients I had in the fridge, I tried to stick to healthy or whole foods. The resulting spread was not much like nutella (lacking the essential hazelnuts and chocolate) but instead tasted like a creamy coconut rough spread. It was scrummy! Here is the recipe.

Coconutella Recipe

1.5 cups of toasted almonds

3 heaping teaspoons of cocoa powder

¾ cup of milk

50gms of butter

50gms of coconut oil, maybe less. I can’t be sure. It was a chunk.

½ cup honey

These measurements are all approximate, I tend to just lug things in and hope for the best. Depending on the temperature of your fridge you may want to play with the ratios a bit. More milk will make it softer and more butter or coconut oil will make it firmer.

I toasted the almonds until they were golden, okay that’s a bit of a lie, I almost burned them. But they were still nice. Then I used my coffee grinder to grind them as fine as possible. After that I put the almonds in my blender with the coconut oil, honey and butter. In a saucepan I heated up the milk with the cocoa powder until it was bubbling around the edges. It’s important to heat the cocoa powder so that it doesn’t taste awful and goes a nice dark colour. I poured the hot milk over the mix and blended it. And blended it. And blended it… and then my machine started smoking, so I stopped. The resulting mix was quite liquidy but set pretty well in the fridge. The coconut oil had given it an amazing taste, like bounty bars or coconut rough. Not at all like nutella but something familiar and chocolatey.

I consider it a success.

I Can't Believe it's Butter.

I have a butter problem, I love butter, but that is not the problem. The problem is that I like my butter to be spreadable. Because I don’t like spending $7 on 300gms of boutique super soft butter I usually end up buying margarine. Margarine is not butter, it is not even remotely like butter. But at 6.30am when everyone is hungry and we are in the middle of a Dunedin winter which turns even the semi soft butter mostly rock hard, I want spreadable ‘butter’ and I do not want to play microwave roulette with a small knob of greasy butter which will either still be hard after 10 seconds or turn into a pool of melted sadness.

And then of course there is the health aspect. Half of the internet tells me that butter is seriously bad for you and will kill you in the end, and the other half of the internet inform me that margarine is a silent killer and not only does it kill turkeys it’s bound to kill me in the end too. If I had to pick a grisly death by spread I’d take butter any day of the week, yet week after week it is margarine that I put in my supermarket trolley with a sigh of regret. The obvious option is to not use either. However, an addict doesn’t take kindly to having her diet of toast threatened.

I’m convinced that margarine is not actually a food, I feel that it has another unfulfilled and vastly more successful existence as axel grease or weed killer.  Yet it is supposed to be the healthier choice.  At least that is what the advertising tells us with lovely little slogans such as ‘zero cholesterol’ ‘zero saturated fats’. Yet margarine has a dirty little secret. Not only is it not tasty like butter, it’s not all that good for us either.  Margarine for the most part is hydrogenated fat, which is not good. Hydrogenated fat is also known as ‘transfats’ and has been shown to increase the "bad" cholesterol (Low Density Lipid), and to lower the "healthy" (High Density Lipid) cholesterol. In addition to this, transfats make our blood platelets stickier, which is a component of heart disease. One tablespoon of margarine has approximately 3 grams of trans fat and 2 grams saturated fat. However on the upside margarine also has higher levels of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats which scientists tell us are good.

While butter is essentially a saturated fat and is therefore, well… fattening, it also has a load of good components which can make reasonable amounts of it part of a healthy diet. Butter contains lauric acid, lecithin, beta carotene, antioxidants, selenium, Vitamins E, D and K, conjugated linoleic acid, arachidonic acid and anti stiffness factor. It is also delicious. And remember at the beginning of the paragraph I said that butter was fattening? Think again! Butter is mainly comprised of short and medium chain fatty acids which are not stored in the adipose tissue, but are used for quick energy instead. Proponents of butter attribute it with such qualities as being a cancer preventative, a muscle builder, and immune system booster and good for childrens brain development. Aside from this it is important to remember that butter is one of the most saturated fats around, which scientists tell us is bad.

When it comes to bean counting though they are both calorie for calorie equivalent.

So where do I stand on the butter vs margarine evil slow death instigator showdown? Neither is particularly great for your health in terms of saturated fat and cholesterol but in terms of adjunct nutritional value butter beats margarine around town. Did I mention it was delicious? All of this however does nothing to solve my spreadable butter problem. This recipe however, does, and it is amazing.

Homemade Spreadable Butter

1 part butter
1 part  healthy oil (I used ricebran oil)

Soften your butter and chop it into your food processor, beat it until it is creamy and pale, slowly add your oil in a thin stream until it is completely incorporated. Scoop into wide necked glass jars and refrigerate. I divided mine into 3 handy sized jars and froze 2 of them for future use. 

Magic.

A little note on rice bran oil, it is often recommended as a healthy high smoke oil. The truth is a little more complex than that. Rice bran oil  contains 7 grams of monounsaturated fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 5 grams of polyunsaturated fat per tablespoon it also contains components of vitamin E that may benefit health.

Scientists found a compenent of ricebran oil (tocotrienol rich fraction)  not only lowered cholesterol significantly  but also boosted the activity of liver enzymes that clear toxic substances from the liver. However, the flipside of this is that ricebran oil is often subjected to intense processing using chemicals and heat. To get the benefits of ricebran oil it needs to be cold pressed, the primary brand of ricebran oil is not cold pressed. They advertise as cold filtered but this is not the same thing. However for high heat cooking and baking I still use ricebran oil because it has a nice buttery flavor and it is cheap. To make this butter healthier the best option would be to use olive oil.

Some other healthy fats that can replace butter and bulk processed vegetable oils are:

• Red palm oil - unrefined and fair trade please.
• Fish oils  - mercury tested please
• Coconut oil - unrefined and organic please
• Seed and nut oils

Sweets for the sweet

We’re not much for lollies in our house. That’s not to say we don’t like them. I’m a regular lolly monster when it comes to gummy sweets, I used to devour whole bags at a time. But I was also well overweight and tired to boot. So I no longer buy them, and when I do they spend their existence in a dark cupboard out of reach where they slowly evaporate and my husband shrugs his shoulders in innocence, all the while looking shiftily from side to side.

I’d happily exist in a world where lollipops didn’t loiter at supermarket checkouts for little hands to grab, where k bars didn’t exist at all and grandmas never thought to have a jar of brightly coloured lollies in plain sight.

I believe children should have treats, but until my sons first lollipop he believed a treat was some cherry tomatoes from the supermarket or a homemade fruit smoothie icecream or even a cuddle. Then grandma happened and the first lollipop happened. Now we can’t walk past a convenient chupa chup dispenser at child height without some sort of negotiation process which usually ends in us leaving the supermarket. My son had his first dental appointment a few months ago and with that his first filling. To say I was annoyed might be understating it a little.

I love my mum in law, she is lovely, however, her view on sugar and treats for children differs wildly from mine. But she’s allowed, she’s the grandma. At least that is what my friends tell me. I could start a rant about my views on how grandparents have a ‘right’ to bypass your decisions on nutrition and rewards but there is very little point. At the end of the day I let it go because on my list of things to spend time worrying about this falls pretty low. Not because I don’t value my sons teeth but because I do value my sons relationship with his grandparents. Please don’t conflate the fact that I value their relationship with my approach to treats and love. It’s a bit more complex than that – but I ramble on.

The latest grandma treat came in the form of a bag of pebbles. I considered hiding them, possibly in my mouth, but that didn’t seem fair.

So we washed them instead.

What’s that you say?

Well it was a cunning trick to turn candy from a food into a game and it went something a little like this…

Pina Colada Nursing Cookies

I love nursing cookies, when I was pregnant I made up a few batches and froze them into a dough lots. This meant I could bake them up when I had the need for some oaty goodness. And don't worry, people who are not lactating can eat them too. My husband is a particular fan, he ate four in a row while massaging his chest and declaring he could feel the 'milk flowing'. 

Earlier on I had posted a recipe for nursing cookies which was basically a slightly altered version of the Lactation cookies that drifts around on various internet forums. Since this post I have refined my recipe to a point of amazing deliciousness. Pina Colada Cookies – mouth heaven! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or 3/4 cup rice bran oil
1 cup white sugar 
1 cup  soft brown sugar
3 heaped tablespoons of golden syrup
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flaxseed/linseed meal
2 large eggs
2 cups maida flour/stoneground wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole oats, organic if you can get them
1 cup of white chocolate chips
1 cup of candied pineapple coarsely chopped
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup of almonds
4 tablespoons of brewers yeast
1 tsp cinnamon


Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius 

Combine linseed meal and water in a small cup (I usually grind my own linseed as ground linseed goes rancid very fast) and set to one side.

Cream butter or oil and sugar, slowly add the eggs once at a time and then stir in the linseed mixture, add your golden syrup

 Sift together dry ingredients except for the oats, chocolate chips and coconut and gently add to the creamed mixture. Then stir in the remaining oats, coconut and chocolate chips.

Scoop or drop onto baking sheet, preferably double lined with baking paper to prevent the bottoms burning and sticking, the dough can be crumbly so a scoop helps.

Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies. If you have serious bottom burning issues then you can wrap your baking sheets in tinfoil top and bottom. Black trays attract heat and burn the bottoms. Who knew?

Mastitis - Don't have a cow

When I was little I remember reading James Herriot, and one story that stuck with me was about a farmer whose one and only cow got mastitis. He couldn’t afford antibiotics and the cow was in bad shape.  James Herriot gently told the farmer that that cow would likely not make it and maybe she should be put down peacefully to prevent her suffering. The farmer told him to come back in the morning as he couldn’t bear to let her go just yet. When Dr Herriot returned in the morning he found an exhausted farmer and a chipper cow. To save his cow the farmer had sat up all night milking her and saved her life. That story always brought me to tears. I am a soft touch when it comes to animals.

Ever since then I have always associated mastitis with creatures of the bovine nature and hearing women talking about having mastitis always evoked a jarring contradiction for me. Which really talks about how our society approaches the topic of women lactating in a way. Luckily I have been able to leave that association behind and realise that mastitis can occur in any lactating mammal. Which is not lucky.

You can imagine my chagrin when a friend told me that upon her second bout of mastitis her dad told her that if she were a cow they would have her put down.

I was even less amused when a certain NZ celebrity of sorts made out that women who breastfeed are dairy cows, those sort of comparisons are not helpful and simply reinforce the idea that breastfeeding is an exception rather than the rule.

All of this aside, Mastitis is one of the bigger challenges of a breastfeeding mama, it can go from almost undetectable to extremely serious overnight and for many mamas it can also spell the end of breastfeeding. It doesn’t need to though if it is detected early and treated effectively.

How do I know if I have mastitis?

Usually there will be pain and inflammation, your breast may feel tender and hot.  You will also likely feel ‘fluey’ with a headache, fever and body aches. Without the fever or flu like symptoms it is unlikely that you have mastitis and more likely you have a blocked duct – which is a main cause for mastitis and should be treated immediately.  Visually the breast may have an apparent lump or red streaking at the site of the pain. Your milk may be lumpy, stringy or blood tinged and in some instances the elevated levels of sodium and chloride can make your milk taste saltier and baby can go on nursing strike.

What causes mastitis?

Mums who are worn down, tired, stressed and anaemic are at a higher risk of mastitis, but the main direct causes are blocked ducts, infection and possible allergic reaction. Blocked ducts are the most common cause. It’s interesting to note that mastitis has a much higher occurrence in countries where breastfeeding is done to schedule or is not truly on demand. Draining the breast frequently is a huge preventative factor. Engorgement can increase risk which is why it is so important to drain the breast, the supply and demand balance needs to be protected. Oversupply with limited feeding can lead to engorgement which can lead to blocked ducts or mastitis.
Other causes can be bacteria entering through a cracked nipple or damaged breast. Being in hospital is an increased risk factor as well.

How do I prevent mastitis?

Mastitis is most likely to occur in the first 2 weeks after birthing your baby, it’s very important in this period of time to let baby have uninhibited access to the breast, especially at night time. Because stress is such a key risk factor it is ideal to have as many people helping out as possible. Don’t try and be superwoman, even if you invested in the costume.  I’ve always thought the idea of a baby moon was lovely – where your feet don’t touch the ground for a month pretty much and you have family and friends there to see to your every need while you see to baby’s needs. This is different from the baby moons that travel agents promote where you go on a preggo holiday and have swollen ankles, heartburn and avoid deli foods in another country instead of at home.

The real key to preventing mastitis is the prevention and quick treatment of blocked ducts. Ensure that your bras fit well and are comfortable, when you sleep make sure your breasts aren’t compressed or obstructed and when you feed make sure the latch is nice and wide to ensure the breast is evenly drained. Blocked ducts should be massaged to free them and baby can be latched with the jaw or nose pointing to the blocked duct to ensure optimum drainage. A hot wheat bag before or during a feed can help loosen any blockage and ease inflammation.

The mantra Heat, Massage, Rest, Empty Breast is the basic first aid for plugged ducts AND mastitis.

Just as importantly lifestyle and what we eat can impact on our overall health. Advocates for natural health state that mastitis is a sign that you need to slow down and support your immune system. Keeping well hydrated and well rested  as well as eating nourishing foods is optimum.

How do I treat mastitis?

I’m the first person to seek alternatives to conventional treatments but in the instance of mastitis if it hasn’t resolved or started to resolve within 24 hrs or the symptoms are severe and worsening  then you need to seek medical assistance and usually the recommendation will be to take a course of antibiotics. I am not a huge fan of antibiotic overuse but in this instance they are well warranted.

Signs that a visit to the Doctor is necessary:

·         There is pus or blood present in your milk.

·         There is red streaking or marking on your breast

·         Your temperature increases suddenly

·         Symptoms are sudden and severe

·         You have broken skin on the nipple
  with obvious signs of infection. (redness, pus etc)

·         Both breasts are affected

·         Your baby is 2 weeks old or younger and/or
  you have recently been in the hospital.

However if the case is mild or slow moving then you do not necessarily have to take antibiotics and can seek to treat with alternative methods. All of the following techniques can be used in conjunction with antibiotics as well unless your Dr advises there is a contraindication. 

The first and most important step is not to stop breastfeeding. Ceasing feeding will actually increase your risk of severe infectious mastitis and possible abscess. An abscess is no fun. Is usually involves drainage and then packing of the wound.

1.    Drain the breast, let baby feed as often as possible and from the affected breast – every 2 hrs is a good guide. If baby is on strike due to a milk flavor change then you can pump or hand express, sometimes pumping a little before the feed starts can help clear the worst of it meaning that baby will happily feed. However do not neglect the unaffected breast. Line the jaw or nose of baby up with the affected area. A great tactic is to dangle the breast into the mouth of your baby so that the whole breast drains freely

2.    Get plenty of Rest. A mother with mastitis should go straight to bed and stay there, take baby with you to feed and get loads of skin on skin time. Arrange for someone to do everything else for you. If they could go to the toilet for you as well that would be ideal.

3.    Heat the affected area with a wheat bag or hot flannel on the area before or during a feed. A hot shower beforehand is nice and a basin soak directly on the breast can help. Make up a hottish salty bowl of water and soak the breast in it. Adding a teaspoon of Epsom salts can help. Another soak to use one made of marshmallow, not the delicious fluffy candy, the marshmallow plant.

4.    Massage the affected area, when baby feeds massage towards the nipple, during a shower you can soap up a wide toothed comb and use that to massage any lumps or infected areas.

5.    Protect and boost the Immune system by taking a high dose of Vitamin C, 1000mg every hour on the hour for a short period can help boost your immune response.

Fresh garlic can be taken orally to assist, a couple of cloves freshly crushed and taken with a spoon full of honey or swallowed in pieces like tablets. You can take tablets but not the deodorised kind as allicin is the active component and is also the source of the garlicky smell. Echinacea or Oregon root tincture can also aid your body to fight off any infection. Echinacea works by boosting your natural killer cell action, there haven’t been any conclusive studies to show Echinacea is safe during breastfeeding but it has been shown to be safe for short periods of use in pregnancy which leads me t believe that it should be fine for use in lactating women. It certainly has not been shown to be dangerous.

I also swear by a high dose Vitamin D 1000iu - 10,000iu daily to support the immune system.

Susun Weed suggests using a tincture of pokeroot, a couple of drops a day in a glass of water. A mother I know swears by drinking chamomile tea in vast amounts when mastitis is indicated. As it has anti-inflammatory properties and is a mild sedative/pain reliever it would be a good adjunct to any of the other treatments.

6.    Using poultices can help address any pain directly, cool compresses can reduce inflammation and can be used alternating with hot compresses. Fenugreek, Rosemary and Dandelion are the most common ones. Rosemary is a strong antimicrobial as well as a circulatory stimulant. Dandelion helps reduce swelling and Fenugreek is a strong anti-inflammatory.  Cabbage leaves can be used to ease discomfort but be aware that they reduce supply which may not assist in the healing process.
A strong healing poultice is one made from comfrey and calendula, you can make this by blending comfrey and calendula together until it’s like gelatin before freezing into folded cloths.  Comfrey is a wonderful healer as is calendula. Calendula is a strong antiviral and antimicrobial when used topically.

A handy poultice to draw out heat and infection is grated potato, it has the added benefit of being cheap and readily available.

Some homeopathic remedies for mastitis are Phytolacca, Belladonna, Bryonia and Hepar Sulph - all 30c.

Phytolacca is good for slow moving infections or when the breast is lumpy and hot, Belladonna is for when it comes on hot red and fast and is worse on the right side, Hepar Sulph is for when you are getting chills and are irritable with sharp needle like pains and Bryonia is if you feel irritable and the pain from mastitis worsens with movement.

Some  women are so lucky they get repeat bouts of mastitis, if you thought one lot of mastitis was enough then imagine getting it every week. This is a huge issue for a few mamas and can spell the end to breastfeeding permanently. Luckily there is a lot that can be done to address it, with prevention being the key.  This article is a comprehensive guide on how to approach recurrent bouts of mastitis. If you try everything and it still continues, providing you are only getting mastitis in one breast you can actually successfully feed your baby from one breast only. If you want to keep breastfeeding and have tried everything else then this can be a workable solution to an unworkable situation.

So if you get mastitis, don’t have a cow, or be a cow but act quickly and give yourself a break. 

Like Wife Like Husband

My husband and I have similar parenting ideals, we are very similar people. Except that I have a temper and he doesn't. Well that’s a lie, he can have a temper but while I can get tetchy at the drop of a hat, he tends to reserve his ire for outstanding circumstances. 

When it comes to parenting as a couple it can be tricky. Not only do you have to consider the small people that you are parenting you have to consider each other. Like when you husband has told your son that we don’t jump on the bed and later you unwittingly permit bed jumping. It’s times like these I wish we had telepathy, or were able to communicate via a household system of morse code. I have started to sound like a 1950’s sitcom and come out with such gems as ‘what did your father say?’ or ‘ask your father first’ except I say dad, but language aside, every time I ask those questions I can almost feel the rustle of my crinoline underneath my gingham frock and the click of my 5 inch pumps on the linoleum. It’s only one step away from ‘just you wait until your father gets home’

One challenge that I encounter is that as the primary parent I am immersed in the parenting world. I talk to other parents about parenting, I meet other mums (and sometimes dads), I am part of parenting groups, I go to playgroups and I read a lot. The last one is a personal habit, some would consider it a bad habit like picking your teeth or sucking eggs but I must admit I do love being a bibliophile. The problem with being a bibliophile when it comes to parenting, is the parenting books. There are a lot of books and most of them have been written by people who think they are better at parenting than you are, many of them have been written by people with no qualification other than the fact that they have been a parent and they know how to whisper to babies, oh – and they want your money. Some of them haven’t even been parents. There are a lot of great books out there too but I guess the issue is that if you read a lot of parenting books then it can be hard to pick out the good from the bad, especially as a new parent. They all sound so convincing. But I digress.

Over the last years of the parenting rollercoaster my parenting ideals have changed a bit and my approach has matured. A lot of this is in response to my boys’ needs, I always try and be responsive to my little men and take their lead when it comes to parenting them. This change has also come as a result of being surrounded by knowledgeable and wise parents, articles and books. There is no one way to be a good parent but in the process of all this immersion I have been able to pick and choose parenting approaches that work well for us, it’s a bit of trial and error but it’s nice to be able to make decisions based on research as well as experience. It’s nice to be able to change my views based on the information I am exposed to. It’s a process of natural growth.

The problem is I assume that my husband is doing the same, I assume that as I learn something new or have an epiphany he does the same thing. I make the presumption that as I decide a new approach will work for us he comprehends this and has agreed. Not only to I assume he has been relayed the information I assume that he will come to the same conclusion as me and somehow agree with the decisions I have made and the reasoning behind it. This phenomenon I speak of is parenting osmosis, the idea that somehow as the information enters my brain it transfers to his by a seamless process based on the contents in either brain. It is a fairytale.

Most of the time I get away with it, it stands to reason as I am the person at home for most of the day doing 70% of the parenting, but a lot of the time I get caught out. Then I have to start from the beginning, sometimes I explain where a certain approach comes from and he’ll agree with me, or embarrassingly I can’t sufficiently explain where something came from because it was absorbed over time bit by bit and then he gives me the look. The head tilted ‘my wife is on the crazy juice again but I still love her’ look. Other times he disagrees with me and I feel frustrated and thwarted. To try and counter this I have added him to some of my parenting groups and have hopefully left books I read on his bedside table for him to leaf through. He never does though, he’s too busy parenting! It’s difficult because as parents it’s better for our children to hear a singular voice when it comes to household expectations. When parents argue or disagree a lot and undermine each other it can be unsettling and it means that ultimately we send a confusing message, especially if one message is contradicting another. On the other hand I want my husband to have an equal voice in our parenting, I value his input and respect his reasoning. He is a very responsive and thoughtful father… er ..Dad. 

So what’s the solution? Maybe I should read fewer books and talk to my husband more.

Alternatively I could sit over him while he sleeps and read Dr Sears to him in hypnotic chant…

I am sure his solution would revolve around me bribing him with a single malt whisky and no, that’s not code.

Some books I like:

Night Time Parenting – Dr Sears

The Fussy Baby Book – Dr Sears

The Way of Boys – Anthony Rao
The Sleep Book – Dr Sears

Dance with me in the Heart – Pennie Brownlee

The No Cry Sleep Solution – Elizabeth Pantley

How to Ttalk so Children will Listen and Listen so Children will Talk – Elaine Mazlish and Adele Faber

Siblings without Rivalry - Elaine Mazlish and Adele Faber

That’s not to say these books are all right but in the main the insight and respect that these books offer is lovely.

Some books I don’t like:

Mothers Little Helper – Wendyl Nissen

Toddler Taming – Christopher Green

Save Our Sleep – Tizzie Hall
The Contented Little Baby – Gina Ford

That’s not to say that these books are all wrong but there are some things such as allowing children to cry until they vomit that I just can’t agree with.

Chocolate that is hot

I love hot chocolate, there is nothing more cosy than snuggling up with a hot chocolate on a rainy day. But it has to be perfect. It can’t be too sweet, it can’t be too bitter, it can’t be too hot and it can’t be too cold and if possible it needs to have zero calories and minimal milk because too much milk gives me a headache and makes my little nursling into a grumple bum.

Fussy much?

My favourite rainy day memories all seem to have hot chocolate in them, like when mum went to the states and brought back some traditional Mexican hot chocolate which she rationed out in little squares for special occasions and we would all hover over the saucepan of milk heating inhaling the delicious aroma.

Now that I have children I wanted to see if I could review hot chocolate to make it both delicious and healthy. It will be nice to have a family treat that can evoke similar memories. Proper hot chocolate is a fun thing to make and sharing a cosy rainy day with your kids is one of the small treats in life.

Here is a recipe I concocted:

Soak 8 almonds overnight per cup of hot chocolate so that is 8 almonds for 1 cup 16 almonds for 2 etc etc. If you didn’t plan your hot chocolate 12 hours in advance it is fine to use the almonds as is, but soaked is nicer. In a blender add 1 teaspoon of fair trade cocoa per cup, 1 teaspoon of honey per cup and 1 pinch of cinnamon per cup. You will also need 3 cups of liquid, at the most basic you can use water as the almonds will make it milky but if you want a really creamy mix you could use rice milk, oat milk or even cows milk. The options are limitless…

So if you were making 3 cups your ingredients list would be:

24 almonds (soaked)

3 teaspoons fair trade cocoa

3 teaspoons of honey

3 pinches of cinnamon

3 cups of any milk or milk analogue…. or water.

Place all of your ingredients in a blender and blend, and blend, and BLEND.  Once it is as smooth as your blender tip it into a saucepan and heat until steaming and beginning to bubble around the edges then strain and serve with plenty of marshmallows. You don’t need to strain it – I prefer it gritty but little children may not.

An adult’s version can be made with a pinch of chilli flakes and some dark chocolate smashed into pieces before blending. Delicious.