RECIPE: Banana and Apple Loaf Cake

Over-ripe bananas are no longer discarded in our house, I've discovered the world of endless recipes for those brown bananas that just don't look very appealing anymore. I absolutely love banana cake, but it is often filled with various types of sugar. We therefore choose not to give it to Isabella, that was until I whipped up this banana and apple cake that is free from refined sugar. We have an abundance of apples in our garden, so I'm constantly trying to find ways of getting them into our cooking or baking. By adding homemade apple puree to this recipe it keeps the sponge moist and sweetens it up.

RECIPE: {No Added Sugar} Banana and Oat Cookies

Cookies are sometimes just too good to resist, but we all know they aren't any good for us. When it came to thinking of toddler friendly alternatives for Isabella I wasn't sure how to create the crisp texture of a cookie from fruit? These aren't quite as crisp as a regular cookie, but they are filled with so many ingredients that are good for you! They're perfect for on-the-go and they freeze well too, so you can make a batch and stock up. You could of course add an array of your favourite ingredients too, for instance different nuts and seeds.

RECIPE: Vegetable and Mozzarella Gnocchi Bake

This meal is a firm favourite in our house, it's packed with vegetables yet tastes so indulgent. This is the perfect recipe for using up that random collection of vegetables left in the fridge at the end of a week. You can swap and change the vegetables used depending on what you and your family like, just adapt the cooking times as necessary. Isabella enjoys this meal too, I just chop up the gnocchi a bit for her.

RECIPE: {No Refined Sugar} Pineapple and Banana Ice Lolly

 

Ice cream and ice lollies are one of the best parts of summer - the perfect excuse to cool down, yet enjoy a treat at the same time. Last year Isabella was too small for ice lollies, but this year she's certainly not and has already tucked into a far few. Shop bought ice lollies are often packed full of sugar, which I try and avoid as much as I can in Isabella's diet. Therefore prompting mass making of child friendly ice lollies, though these are definitely tasty enough for adults too! I use water in this recipe, though you could use fruit juice or coconut water instead. Same with the yogurt, it doesn't have to be plain - coconut yogurt would be really delicious in this recipe...baby friendly pina colada ice lolly!