How Virginal is Your Olive Oil?

Due to Miss Flora being diagnosed as wheat and milk protein intolerant in 2010 and then my own health issues, I started to pay closer attention to our diet. I was particularly interested in reducing the amount of processed foods and wheat products. 

Bingo!

I enjoy playing Words With Friends, Draw Something and Song Pop on my iPad, but sometimes I get bored waiting for my family and friends to have their go. I decided to explore games that I could play without an opponent. 

I’ve played Angry Birds, Sudoko, Slots and Bingo. Every game I play is free and I enjoy working out how to play the game, and then the challenge of mastering it. Then I found a bingo game that totally baffled me. It’s called Bingo 90. 

A Prescription for Persistence

I can’t say that my getting to the bottom of my illnesses came about because I was so clever or smart, because I spent a long time floundering in the world of information overload. I can’t give my doctor credit for it either, because she and the other doctors in the medical practice misdiagnosed me. 

Wrapping My Own Presents

Every year I take advantage of the July toy sales. I grab some bargains and put them away for Christmas and the next round of kids’ birthdays, so the only gift buying I need to worry about for the next twelve months is the adults. 

I was in my bedroom wrapping a couple of them when Tomboy knocked on the door and asked if I was wrapping her presents.

We Went Baking Mad Yesterday

It’s been a while since I baked the kids some cookies, so I pulled out a couple of my favourite gluten and wheat-free recipes – coconut choc-chip cookies, and coconut macaroons.

I made 32 coconut choc-chip cookies, but there were only 22 left by the time I was ready to put the coconut macaroons in the oven. We then consumed four of those as well. (I guarded these closely as they’re my favourite.)

Choc-chip at the back, macaroons at the front

Obviously, if you don’t like the taste of coconut, stop reading now. For those who do – consider the fibre content of coconut flour compared to wheat flour in the graph below. 

Source: http://products.mercola.com/coconut-flour/

So if you like coconut and want to try something new, visit your local health food store and get some coconut flour. While you’re there, grab some flaked coconut as well. It’s much nicer than the dried out desiccated rubbish that you’ll find in the large grocery stores.

I tried to find out which was the kids' favourite cookie, but they said both.

So I then asked them which cookie they'd choose if they could only have one. 

Tomboy – 'The chocolate one.'

Miss Flora – 'Chocolate!'

Boywonder – After much thought, he said, 'Can I have half of each?' 

You can find both of these recipes on the recipes page and a link to downloadable pdfs if you want to print them off.

Trust Your Gut Instincts

I’ve always been a firm believer in trusting one’s gut instinct. I taught The Apprentice and Junior Accountant, when they were young girls, that if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t, and I’ve started teaching the younger three the same thing.

Timeline Updates

The timeline has been updated. It will be kept up to date from now on, so there won't be any further posts advising of the timeline being updated. 

Which Potato is the Sweetest?

I was planning a lunch that included chicken and seafood stir-fried in coconut oil with garlic, chilli, coriander, and ginger, and an Asian salad as a side dish. Because I can't eat bread, I also wanted a dish that contained potatoes and complemented the other Asian dishes.