Healthy Bliss Balls

I don't know about anyone else but between isolation and Melbourne's cold weather I've been eating so much lately and it always seems to be the naughty stuff!

So on the weekend I decided this week was going to be all about willpower, planning meals and snacks for the week ahead.

On my meal plan this week are these delicious, healthy caramel bliss balls, which have been perfect for morning tea, afternoon tea or after dinner and I'm finding I'm not reaching for the naughty treats. Although I've had to freeze them in portions because between my family and I they wouldn't last long! In the morning I just take them out of the freezer to defrost ready for a quick snack. 

INGREDIENTS

80g desiccated coconut

100g oats

170g Medjool dates (pitted)

2 tsp vanilla essence/extract/or paste (I use vanilla extract)

1 tblsp rice malt syrup

40g coconut oil soft (I use the liquid)

2 tblsp water (you can use coconut water)

extra desiccated coconut to roll balls in (optional)

METHOD

Add everything to your blender (except extra coconut) and blitz until all ingredients are finely chopped and come together (so you can roll into balls)

Roll into balls and coat in your extra desiccated coconut

**I used the Thermomix to make mine- add all the ingredients in the mixer bowl and blend on high for approximately 15secs/speed 8. 

Enjoy you won't be able to stop at one!

Valetine's Gift Idea- That YOU and your Valentine will love....

I LOVE Valentine's Day, and for Valentine's Day a few years back I organised 12 prepaid and pre-planned dates! It was a huge hit not only for my husband but for me to, so this year I am doing the same.We always say we are going to have more date nights but life passes by and we get so busy with the kids, work, afterschool activities etc... we miss out! Not this year..... I brought gold class tickets, food vouchers (keep a lookout on Scoopon, catch of the day etc... for great deals), a night away in the city, massages, I also planned dates like a picnic in the park, fishing, a beach day with no kids, and my favourite Gumbuya world...

I made labels for the envelopes with each month and printed off a little note to go inside the envelope explaining what we will be doing on that particular date and popped them all in a box ready to be wrapped....Here's what I've organised this year:
February- Rooftop Cinema
March- Picnic at the beach
April- Fishing
May- Bowling Night
June- Dinner date at home- I'll cook your favourite meal
July- Camping just me & you
August- Movie at Gold Class
September- Couples Massage
October- Day at Gumbuya World (No kids lol) I'm so excited about this one!
November- Overnight stay in the city- dinner and dancing
December- Bushwalk and picnic 

Now all we need is 11 babysitters, luckily enough we have a big family with lots of aunty's and uncle's and also awesome grandparents which will be getting a call soon lol!

Hope you all have a awesome Valentines Day!! 

What's your ideal Valentine's date? Do you love or hate Valentine's day?

Love Mel xo

Lunchbox Idea- Make your own Subway

Who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread, something about it is so comforting and inviting.

Another reason I love making home- baked bread is it can offer more nutrients and less additives than manufactured breads on the market, in other words I know exactly what's going in our bread and into our stomach. And although it takes time, love and patience the taste and nutritional impact makes all the effort so worth it.

My kids hate sandwiches, I actually remember saying the same thing to my mum when I was at school. I was buying fresh rolls from the bakery and from Subway just so they would eat lunch, and it was costing me a small fortune. I came across this recipe to make my own version of Subway Rolls. They were a huge hit with the kids, healthy and not to mention cheaper.

Italian Herb And Cheese Topping
100g grated mozzarella cheese
10g rice
30g Parmesan cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary

Bread Dough
360g tepid water
2 tsp instant dried yeast
10g sugar
25g powdered milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp bread improver
20g oil
600g white baker’s flour

Prepare the Italian Herb and Cheese Topping

• In a separate small bowl, weigh the mozzarella cheese and set aside
• Place the rice and Parmesan cheese in the TM Bowl. Mill for 2 minutes at Speed 10
• Add the garlic powder, oregano and rosemary
• Mix at Speed 5 for 5 seconds. Set aside

Prepare the Bread Dough

• Without cleaning the bowl, add the water first, then remaining ingredients to the Thermomix bowl
• Mix at speed 3 for 15 seconds
• Knead for 8 minutes dough function
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured silicone mat
• Wrap dough lightly to protect it from drying out and giving it room to rise
• Rest the dough in the oven set to 30°C (defrost setting) for 15 minutes
• The dough will have doubled in size during this time
• Using the mat the dough rested in, cut the dough in five equal pieces with a silicone spatula
• Roll each piece of dough into a long sausage the length of the Baguette Tray
• Place the dough into the Baguette Tray and press into the base
• Using a pastry brush, brush each baguette with water
• Sprinkle the herb mix on top of each baguette
• Top with mozzarella cheese
• Cover lightly with the non-stick silicone mat and allow to prove for 50 minutes in the oven set to 30°C (defrost setting)
• Remove from the oven and heat the oven to 200°C
• Remove the non-stick silicone mat and gently place in the oven
• Pour ½ cup ice in the base of the oven, either on the floor of the oven or on a tray
• Close the oven door and reduce the heat to 180°C
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden

**Recipe source is from here https://www.tm-essentials.com.au/blogs/recipes/thermomix-italian-herb-cheese-subs

I use a thermomix but you could definitely make them without one I have added a recipe below to make your own bread.
https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/basic-white-bread/4f201725-a057-4c56-ab37-8146dd95567b

You could use the same concept and roll them into sausage shape logs, sprinkle topping on top and place on a baking tray.

Most weekends and school holidays I set up a little "Subway" on the bench and they get to choose what they would like in their roll and I always ask would they like it fresh or toasted? I always get a little giggle out of them lol.

I brought the baguette tray from here. https://www.tm-essentials.com.au/products/silicone-fibreglass-reinforced-baguette-tray

Do you make your own bread? Whats your favourite recipe?

Happy Tuesday!

Love Mel

Our trip to Barwon Heads March 2018

One of our goals this year is to buy an old caravan and do it up. I have been following a few pages on Instagram, created a new board on Pinterest and have been pinning like crazy, I just can't stop thinking about it! I then came across Kylie's page from honey.Iboughtacaravan.  https://www.sunnycaravan.com.au/ She bought an old van, renovated it and now hires it out around the Barwon Heads area and the best bit she sets it all up and takes it all down , all you need to do is unpack and pour yourself a drink! (well that's what we did anyway). I kept it a surprise from my husband and kids and they were all excited when we pulled up to see the caravan all set up, we could start our mini family holiday straight away.....

First thing we did (after our drink) was look around this amazing caravan, and started to get ready for dinner. We stayed at Barwon Heads Caravan park which in my opinion is in the perfect spot as we could park the car and walk to the shops and restaurants. We decided to visit Annie's Provedore which had a rustic Italian feel to it, very intimate, homely and the staff were very friendly. It is also a delicatessen/ general store perfect for purchasing those grazing table essentials. We ordered the Proscuitto Board, Margherita (for the kids) and the Annie's pizza for us. All were delicious!

We woke Saturday to the sound of the ocean (the caravan park is right on the beach- another reason to stay here!) and made some breakfast. I don't know why but I always have the urge to bake before we go away, I always make sure we have breakfast and lunch covered so we can enjoy slow mornings away with out rushing to get ready to go out. I normally take homemade granola, yoghurt and fruit for breakfast and cut up carrots, cucumbers, tomato, onion and ham for lunches, and muffins and slices. With breakfast out the way we headed to the local shops for a sticky beak.  Kiitos without a doubt was my favourite shop! They have it all from bed and bath, kitchenware, fabric and apparel you will always find something there...We also stopped at Coffetti gelato for a sneaky ice cream.

Next stop was the beach....

A perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon, the weather was perfect.. My husband hired a kayak from Paddlelife who were set up on the foreshore. My son went on a few times and always came back smiling and yelling look what we found he had a ball. We soaked up some sunshine before heading back to the caravan for a rest...

For dinner we decided to try BeachHouse which was the old fire station. With a modern, beachy feel this place was buzzing! We decided to sit on the deck facing the street in the sunshine. Damian decided to order Bouillabaisse, I ordered the Beer battered flat head and the kids had the fish and chips. Service was fast and staff were very friendly. I had brought some things from Annie's the night before so we headed back, put the kids to bed and enjoyed a little grazing platter and some wine under the caravan fairy lights!- my kind of night...

We headed to Torquay on the Sunday for lunch, anyone that knows me knows I love a good Burger so when we came across The Bottle of Milk I knew we had to try it! And wow the place was amazing. The shop had a cool old school feel to it with booths, subway tiles and warehouse hanging lights. I ordered the cheeseburger (yum!), Damian ordered the Hell Yeah burger (again yum!), Noah had the kids beef burger and Aaliyah ordered the Popcorn Chicken. Please do yourself a favour and order the popcorn chicken its the best popcorn chicken I have ever tasted, my mouth is still watering for more it was really delicious!

We couldn't leave Torquay without driving to Bell's Beach. Luckily enough the rain stopped and we could get out and walk to the scenic view. To finish off we went for a drive to Ocean Grove beach.

We woke Monday, went for one last stroll to 'At the Heads' for a coffee then to the beach. Our little weekend away was over and I have to say its probably one of the best, relaxing camping holidays we have ever been on. We left the caravan feeling refreshed and ready to take on the week.

So a little recap of where to stay, eat & shop in Barwon Heads:

- Book Barwon Heads caravan site (powered site) www.barwonheadscaravanpark.com.au/
- Contact Kylie @honey.iboughtacaravan (on Insta) or https://www.sunnycaravan.com.au/
-Visit Annie's Provedore https://www.anniesprovedore.com.au/
-Kittos https://kiitos.com.au/
-Cofetti Gelato- https://www.instagram.com/coffettigelato/?hl=en
-Paddlelife https://www.paddlelifebarwonheads.com/
-The Bottle Of Milk http://www.thebottleofmilk.com/menu.html

Where do you love to camp? or if you have stayed at Barwon Heads what's your recommendations as we are planning on going back very soon.

Have a great week xo