We went to a birthday party today for Jake’s best friend at school. What was really nice was that the mum of the birthday boy had really gone to some effort to make sure there was food there that Jake (and I) would be comfortable with. Raw veg for dipping, lots of fruit, some gluten free pretzels for that “party feel”, it was so nice to feel that he could pretty much go round the table without too much heart ache.
Jake is 6 this year, of course he looks at marshmallow chocolate biscuits, and cookies and wants them. So do I on some basic, rebellious teenager level, but we are really honest with Jake about diet and what is and isn’t good for us, and that sinks in. I know that sometimes when we are not around he eats (what he calls) “bad” food, but he always feels really bad afterwards, not just physically (but he does tend to get belly aches and if he has sugary stuff, wow, he bounces off the walls!) but emotionally he feels upset with himself. He is a sensitive kid and very hard on himself sometimes. I often think about how hard I find it sometimes being on the fringe of how most people around us live, food wise, he is so young to be having to deal with that too. But he does, and we are so proud!
He likes to tell me about the lunches of the people he sits with at school, partly I am sure because he is incredibly bossy and would love to tell those people all about the alternatives they could be having, and partly I think because he is interested in those foods and why we never have them.
I want to be honest here, as I have said before – I have not always eaten well. I did not use to know half, even a quarter of what I know now, and even when Jake was small I was only just learning, and he did have the occasional bag of crisps, or fromage frais, but not for a long time now.
So he comes home telling me all about the chocolate dipper or sausage roll that someone was eating. Does it make me feel guilty that he is “different”, that he takes in avocado wraps, spinach salads and beetroot hummus? No. BUT it does make me more determined to make his lunches as exciting as I can for him, so that he never feels let down, or disappointed in what food he has.
There seems to have been a lot of sweet things being eaten at the school lately (chocolate fingers being a firm favourite), so I wanted to make him something cake like that he could take and “show off” a bit about. I usually go for a banana bread, or some kind of flapjack, but wanted something with more wow factor.
I found a recipe for raspberry and lemon vegan cakes, and adapted it. I must say they are a triumph. I have made them a couple of times, the recipe makes a big batch, and that is fine with us! They have gone to work with Kris, work with me and came to my tutorial to share. Everyone has been blown away by them.
More importantly Jake is chuffed with them. When he is happy so are we Image may be NSFW.
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Ingredients:
1 cup gluten free self raising flour
1 & 1/2 cups spelt flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I use Alpro)
1/2 cup agave nectar or date syrup (or ½ cup dates blitzed really well into the milk)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup of frozen berries (sure fresh would work just as well)
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
How?
Mix together all dry ingredients plus the lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.
Mix together the milk, lemon juice, syrup, and oil in a separate bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix till just blended.
Add the berries and gently stir in.
Spoon mixture into cupcake or muffin cases (depending on what size you want them) and bake at 180 for 20 – 25 minutes depending on size. (see if a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean to check if they are cooked, even better if there is the faintest smidge of mixture take them out then because cakes always carry on cooking slightly once they come out of the oven you want these lovely and moist, which they will be with the oil and milk, but over cooking would ruin them)
Hope you can get to try them, and that you love them as much as us. They are a treat, but one you don’t have to feel too guilty about. I certainly don’t :-)
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
