Hello there,

Last month my daughter Bodhi turned 3, we celebrated with a houseful of kids and adults and had a fairy and fireman party. It was seriously as nuts as it sounds! I promised myself I’d keep it super simple on the food front this year (juggling two under three and the Nourishing Hub). I really did have good intentions, however, I have finally come to the realisation I can’t do simple and I should give up even trying.

I made it my mission this year to make everything refined sugar-free. I am not militant on being sugar-free, I personally enjoy a piece of chocolate or a decadent dessert on occasion but day to day we eat very little sugar in our house. We have got used to things being sweetened with fruits or natural sweeteners and don’t miss the sugar-laden treats these days.

I had two favourite comments during Bodhi’s birthday party – one parent looked at all the food on the table and said – ‘Oh Lord the kids are going to be climbing up the wall with all this sugar’ – so obviously the food looked the part. At the end of the day – my hubby asked Bodhi what her favourite part of the day and she replied ‘eating Mummy’s food’ – bless the food must have tasted ok too 🙂

So here we go – this is what the Nourishing Hub served up for a refined sugar-free party this year…

Raw Cacao Bliss Balls
This is one of my old faithful recipes and is full of nuts, seeds and superfoods. These are great to prepare early and store in the freezer until required.

Rainbow Fruit Platter
I can’t claim to be the original inventor of this one – I saw a picture of this on one of my online travels and thought it was a wonderful way to display delicious fresh fruit. I used: strawberries, mandarins, pineapple, kiwifruit and grapes.

Coconut Bounty Balls
Yes as you know these are my current favourite treat to make (as per the blog last week) – maybe it’s because everyone who eats them just loves them and can’t believe they’re not bad for you! Hubby has tried every recipe I’ve shared and claims these are his ultimate favourite. The recipe uses Rice Syrup, which is an excellent low fructose replacement to sugar.

Organic Popcorn
I’m not sure I would recommend popcorn or not! Our living room carpet looked like there had been a severe snowstorm after the party, there was so much popcorn on the floor! If this isn’t a worry I would suggest serving little cups of popcorn with a dash of Himalayan rock salt. Popping it with the kids pre-party is always part of the fun.

Mini Frittatas
Frittata is such a go-to recipe in our house. Making mini Frittatas is a quick and easy way to offer a healthy savoury snack. You can put together any combination you like – in this recipe I used pumpkin, feta and spinach with smoked salmon (optional).

Sugar-free Zucchini and Chocolate Cake (Paleo/Gluten Free)
I have tried out an array of gluten free and sugar free cakes with mixed success – some are too dry, too heavy, not sweet enough but I have to say this one ticked all the boxes for me. This recipe, from the Healthy Foodie, was a rich decadent chocolate cake – it was very moist and tasted delicious. I also loved the icing made using date paste instead of sugar. I omitted the coffee and the syrup from my recipe. I made one and half batches for the two layered cake and decorated it with bee pollen, goji berries and starfruit.

Homemade Pumpkin Hummus and Veggies
It’s always nice to have some savoury snacks that adults and children both like. If you’re short of time you can use bought hummus but be sure to check it doesn’t have preservatives or added nasties. My recipe here is quick and easy and makes a big batch.

Orange Jellies made with Agar Agar
My lovely friend Nicky, who is always an inspiration in the kitchen, introduced me to this recipe and made these for Bodhi’s birthday. This is the recipe we used here but we left out the sugar – you can use rice syrup or coconut sugar instead. Agar Agar is a gelatine like powder made from sea vegetables – you can use it all kinds of raw desserts and other recipes in place of gelatine.

Cacao Bomb Crackles
No party is complete without chocolate crackles and these taste just like one from your childhood but a healthier version! This is a recipe from Lee Holme’s Supercharged Food for Kids book. – here is the Recipe. You might remember Lee shared some of her recipes with the Nourishing in a previous blog.

Interview with Cinnamon Lane
This week I was fortunate to be interviewed on Cinnamon Lane (apologies for those who have already seen this on Facebook). If you haven’t checked out their inspiring website yet – make sure you do. It’s a stylish lifestyle website for Mumma’s – and has a wealth of juicy info to relish. Here is a little insight into my life and of course the Nourishing Hub.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Simone @ the Nourishing hub X