Ingredients:
130g unsalted butter softened (or coconut oil)
180g Banana flour (or 220 g wholemeal spelt / wholemeal flour)
350g ripe bananas  (I freeze the ones that have gone black and use for this)
150g medjool dates
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
a pinch of seasalt
1/3 cup  milk (80g)
2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon chia (optional)
2 teaspoons of natural vanilla extract.
 
To make: 
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Grease and line a loaf tin (25 x 10 x 11cm).
Place bananas and dates in food processor and mash to combine (Thermomix 6 sec sp 6)
Add butter/coconut oil and mix well (Thermomix 20 sec sp 4), scrape sides with spatula
Add eggs and mix well (Thermomix 10 sec sp 4)
Add everything else:  flour, baking powder, salt, bicarb soda, milk, yoghurt, vanilla, chia (if using).  Mix well.  (Thermomix 20 sec sp 4).  You may need to scrape the sides and repeat.
Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake for 55-60 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool in tin for 30 mins, turn onto a wire rack to cool.

I love Spring!!  The soft sun of Spring brings a sense of uplifting optimism with it.  Time to shed the layers of winter and lighten up a bit....Spring clean the house, the mind and the body and get rid of that stuff we no longer need.
It's a great time to lighten up our meals with more raw food, leafy greens, sprouts etc - which means salads!
I'm a huge fan of salads as complete meals - so they have carbs, complete protein and some good fats.  I love versatile salads that we can have for dinner, and then have pre-prepped for the next day's lunch (or dinner), in the fridge - ready to add the protein and dressing for a super quick and healthy meal.
Over the next few weeks I'll be adding plenty of ideas for salads as meals.  So look out here and on my instagram: Pachamama_nutrition

If yIngredients:

• 1 medium sized fennel bulb - finely sliced,  stalks and fronds chopped 
• 200g baby rocket
• 1/2 bunch of parsley chopped (I use stalks as well)
• 1/2 cup quinoa - rinsed well, soaked (if you have time)  / or 1 cup of cooked quinoa (I often cook a bigger batch and freeze in portions to pull out to add to salads etc)
• 1/2 capsicum
• 1 avocado chopped
• 2 tablespoons of mixed seeds - sunflower, pepitas, pine nuts - lightly toasted
• 1 small piece wood smoked trout per person,  (you can also use fresh cooked ocean trout/salmon)  broken into bite size pieces or you could use chicken, lamb or beef.
• 2 tablespoons of capers
• 100g feta - crumbled (Optional)

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• Mix dressing in a small jar until creamy looking

To Make:
Rinse quinoa well and add to 3/4 cup boiling water with a pinch of sea-salt. Turn down heat simmer, covered, for about 10-12 mins until just cooked - leave a little crunch. (check while cooking - you may need to add a little more water in the process)
Finely slice fennel and stalks (my $12 mandolin is perfect for this), I add the fennel raw, if you prefer you can saute sliced fennel  and stalks in a little olive oil until just soft.  Chop the fronds and add them to the greens below.
Add the rocket and parsley, roughly chopped fennel fronds, chopped capsicum and avocado* to the bowl.

Allow quinoa to cool if you prefer, or add it warm, then add the dressing *and give it all a mix through. Then sprinkle capers, crumbed feta, mixed seeds and trout. 

* If you are having the salad the next day for lunch, hold the avocado & dressing on what you won't be using right away.  Save your seeds, capers, some trout (or you could use chicken, beef, lamb, or extra nuts and seeds as your protein) and some dressing and add it all in when needed.

These are a lovely sweet treat for the lunchbox or for an after school treat.  Apricots are high in soluble fibre, Vitamin C and iron.  Make sure you choose organic sulphite free apricots - they will be brown in colour as they don't contain the preservative sulphite which can trigger asthma and other allergic / sensitivity reactions.
As well as being a lovely vegetable protein and fat source, sunflower seeds are high in B Vitamins including folic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids , antioxidants including vitamin E and minerals  calcium, iron, magnesium & selenium.
Coconut has anti-microbial  anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities, as well as being delicious - again,  choose sulphite free coconut.


Ingredients
200 g dried apricots (Organic Turkish)
150 g dessicated coconut (Plus a bit extra for rolling balls in)
100 g sunflower seeds
50 g Coconut Cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method
Thermomix:  Place all ingredients into bowl and mix speed 7 for 15-20 seconds until well combined.
Food processor:  Place all the ingredients in a food processor and and process until well combined.

Roll into balls and coat in coconut, and store in the fridge.

Ingredients
100g Medjool dates (deseeded)
40g coconut oil (melted if necessary)
25g chia (soaked in 1/4 cup water for 5 mins or so)
75g Almonds (1.5 cups)
100g Cranberries
75g rolled oats
75g mixed seeds (pepitas, sunflower, sesame, whatever you have)
50g shredded or dessicated coconut
1 heaped tablespoon of vanilla protein powder / or a teaspoon of vanilla essence

Method
Thermomix: Combine dates, coconut oil and chia mixture in Thermomix  speed 7 for 10 seconds, scrape sides and repeat until it is a paste.  Add all other ingredients and mix on reverse speed 3 for 5-10 seconds, scrape sides and repeat until well combined

Non Thermomix:  Combine dates, coconut oil and chia mixture in food processor until it is a paste.  Add all  put all other ingredients into a large bowl and then add date, coconut  & chia paste and mix until well combined.

Press into a lined slice tray (approx 20cm x 20cm) and press down flat - sprinkle extra seeds on top if you like and press in a little.  Cook in oven for approximately 30mins at 170 degrees.  Allow to cool before cutting.  I refrigerate for about 30 minutes or so which makes cutting easier.