Kids-Friendly Vanilla Cupcake (Gluten-Free)

Hi there! One of my favourite kids-friendly recipe is Vanilla Cupcakes: they are simple to cook, a healthy treat (if you don’t add too much sweetness on it!) and yummy – one of those granma’s recipes! 🙂

As my original recipe contains wheat flour, I’ve been trying to refine it and substitute for more healthy substitutes. After some trial and error, I’m glad to present you my brand-new Gluten-Free and Kids-Friendly Vanilla Cupcakes!

Kids-Friendly Vanilla Cupcake (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:
1 cup GF Flour Mix (see recipe here)
2/3 cup sucanat or raw cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
200ml almond milk (or cow milk, if you’re not dairy free)
Zest of half a lemon

Instructions:
– In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients
– In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients
– Pour the wet mixture in to the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir gently (just enough to combine all ingredients)
– Place the dough in a cupcake loaf, pre-lined.
– Leave it the oven at 180 degrees celcius, for about 30 min.

Note: If your kids are less than 2yo, I would reduce the sucanat to 1/3 cup or substitute it entirely for 1/2 ripe banana (mashed).

Strawberry Chia Jam

Looking for a yummy homemade jam with super healthy nutrients? Well, accordingly to some research, this one is fully packed with it:
– Strawberries are rank amongst the top fruits and vegetables in antioxidant capacity, including vitamin C;
– Chia seeds are considered a “super food”. Why? The nutritional benefits of chia include fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants and much more – even protein!
– Elderberries are known as an immune system booster and includes vitamins A and B and a large amount of vitamin C.

Strawberry Chia Jam

Ingredients:
150gr Strawberries
Water qb
5 grapes (natural pectine)
2 tbsp Elderberry Syrup
2 tbsp Raw Honey
1 tbsp Chia seeds

Instructions:
– In a small pan, add the strawberries (washed and cut into halves) and the grapes (peeled and deseeded)
– Add enough water just to cover half of the strawberries
– Let it simmer for 5 minutes
– Pour it into a food processor and mix until smooth
– Place it in the pan again and add the rest of the ingredients
– In medium/low heat, let it simmer for another 5 minutes (stir occasionally)
– Pour in a mason jar (uncovered) and let it cool completely
– Cover the majon jar and keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week

Notes:
– This recipe will make about 250ml of Jam
– You can also add 1 tsp of grass-fed gelatine to increase even more the protein intake from this jam (in this case, you can skip the grapes)
– This jam is great to add flavour to a natural greek yogurt! Soooo delicious!

Disclaimer:
Ocasional nutritional values of the recipes provided in this blog, as well as information on health benefits is a result of a continuous research and sharing of ideas with other peer bloggers and parents (and the precious granma’s recipes). As such, if you are in search of precise health information, you should always seek advice from your doctor.

Super Healthy Gummies

My kids love gummies (who doesn’t, right?). So I wanted to find something healthy to give them. Super healthy, preferably!

Some searching led me to many available options, and this one endep up as my favourite one. Aka, the favourite in the house as well! 🙂

Elderberry Syrup is well known as an immune system booster, so this is a good trick to have your kiddos taking it.

Super Healty Gummies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed Orange Juice
4 tbsp unflavoured Gelatin (preferrably grass-fed gelatin)
1/4 cup Elderberry Syrup
2 tbsp raw Honey
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Vitamine C powder

Instructions:
– Heat 1/2 cup of juice until bubbling;
– Pour the heated liquid into a glass and mix in the gelatin;
– Add the raw honey, remaining juice, Elderberry syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined;
– If you’re using the vitamin C (or any other vitamins), make sure you’ll only add it at this moment, as the liquid shouldn’t be too hot;
– Pour into silicone molds;
– Put molds in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours (or leave it overnight);
– Remove gelatin from molds. Keep it in the refrigerator.

Notes:
– Just in case, I always spray a little coconut oil into the molds, so it will be easier to remove the gelatin;
– If you don’t have cute silicone molds, you can simply use a square tupperware. Then, remove the gelatine into a cutting board and cut it into squares.
– The gummies should be kept in the refrigerator. As a ‘good-sense rule’, I would say to keep it up to 3 weeks (but I’m sure they will be gone before that!)
– I haven’t try these gummies with agar-agar, but with an adapted quantity it should work as well.

Adapted from http://www.realfoodrn.com/healthy-gummies-cold-flu-sleep/