Tag: orange
Mummy and Me Magazine: Nov 2013
Alternative Advent Calendar
Christmas is almost upon us and I’m already thinking of some wonderful ideas to fill my daughter’s homemade advent calendar. This year I’ll be making a personalised advent calendar with a little treat for each day. And there won’t be any chocolate in sight.
I’ve bought some small striped paper candy bags that will be numbered 1 to 24. These will be strung up on some red wool in the style of bunting and inside each bag will be a little surprise to count down the days to Christmas.
Some ideas to include in an alternative advent calendar are recycled mini cards (cut outs of old cards we have) with a special message inside tied to some string so they can be hung on the Christmas tree as decorations and printed colouring pictures (there are plenty for free on the internet that you can print out).
Other little treats could include a bouncy ball, crayons, a mini tub of PlayDoh, hairclips, a cookie cutter, marbles, a Christmas decoration for the tree and a selection of dried fruit (which is sweet but without the refined sugar).
If you want to include some delicious natural, sweet and chewy treats in some of the days of the advent calendar my Healthy Flapjacks are simple to make. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days so you can add a piece each morning before your child opens their advent calendar.
Healthy Flapjacks
Makes 15
Ingredients
- 1 large Apple
- 60 ml 100% Orange Juice
- 1 cup Whole Rolled Oats
- 1/3 cup Raisins and finely chopped Dried Apricots
- 3 teaspoons Sesame Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Method
1. Heat the oven to 180 C. Line a 22cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Wash and core the apple. Cut into thin slices and place in a pan. Add the Orange Juice and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered and stirring occasionally until the apple is soft.
4. Puree the Apple and Orange juice with a hand-held mixer or in a food processor.
5. Stir in the Cinnamon, Oats, Sesame Seeds, Raisins and Dried Apricots into the Apple puree and mix well.
6. Tip the mixture into the tin and spread out evenly.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until firm and golden brown.
8. Let it cool before cutting into wedges.
Lydia Oliver, Nutritional Advisor
This article was published in the November 2013 edition of Mummy and Me Magazine.
I offer one to one nutrition programmes for breastfeeding, post pregnancy weight loss, weaning advice, weight management and health. Contact me.
Healthy Flapjacks Recipe
I promised in my Homemade Advent Calendar post last week that I’d share my recipe for Healthy Flapjacks. I’ll be popping some of these into Imogen’s Christmas advent calendar as a deliciously natural, sweet and chewy treat.
These are easy to make and last for several days in the fridge if you can keep them for that long without little (or big) fingers getting hold of them…
Makes 15 Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 1 Apple
- 60 ml 100% Orange Juice
- 1 cup Whole Rolled Oats
- 1/3 cup Raisins and finely chopped Dried Apricots
- 3 teaspoons Sesame Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Method
1. Heat the oven to 180 C. Line a 22cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Wash and core the apple. Cut into thin slices and place in a pan. Add the Orange Juice and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered and stirring occasionally until the apple is soft.
4. Puree the Apple and Orange Juice with a hand-held mixer or in a food processor.
5. Stir the Cinnamon, Oats, Sesame Seeds, Raisins and Dried Apricots into the apple puree and mix well.
6. Tip the mixture into the tin and spread out evenly at approximately 1 cm thick.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until firm and golden brown.
8. Let it cool before cutting into wedges.
As an alternative to buying organic muesli bars I make flapjacks with organic ingredients and we take a couple out with us each day for after the playground. Some weeks I use pears rather than apples and substitute the orange juice for apple juice. Have fun creating your own version.
Enjoy healthy flapjacks as snacks, an after dinner treat or pop into your child’s lunch box.
Getting into the Christmas Spirit
The Christmas spirit was welcomed at the beginning of October this year as our local John Lewis displayed a selection of their lovely Christmas trees and decorations.
Imogen ringing the Christmas bells. We both love this Christmas Decoration and it really does sound as if Father Christmas is on his way!
A delicate Christmas tree covered in snow with a selection of Christmas decorations.
To get into the Christmas spirit at home I made some pomanders using oranges and cloves. I love the smell of orange mixed with clove, there’s a warmth to it and a gentle spice. We had a bowl of oranges and a jar of cloves in the cupboard so all that was needed was a few minutes of pushing the cloves into the orange.
The smell is divine. I’ve placed them in our lounge so we can all enjoy the fragrance. And when our Christmas tree goes up at the beginning of December I’ll tie a ribbon around them and add them to the tree as fragrant decorations.
How are you getting into the Christmas spirit this year?
