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On Saturday my wonderful mother in law had agreed to look after Arjun in the afternoon for a few hours so I could get some extra sleep in and do some work. I was extremely grateful for this. However, when she came to pick him she asked me a question I have been dreading and avoiding “is it ok if I give him MacDonald’s for dinner?”…..NOOOOOOOOO!!! My mind, heart and body screamed. Both in response...

You have probably noticed by now I tend to add a little flavour twist to a lot of my dishes and this soup is no exception. I have my husband to thank for that, born and raised in India he has introduced me to a whole new world of spice and flavour. He has always encouraged me to be liberal with my spices and that too much flavour is better than none at all. I have learnt you cannot really go too...

We were out of our supply of snacks so this morning I whipped up these super simple banana muffins. When I say this morning it was more like crack of dawn as Arjun was awake at 5.30am this morning - so what better activity on a cold, dark morning than to do some baking together. Well, I mainly did the mixing while Arjun watched with his lions and books but he was still involved :)

When we came home...

Since I have become a blog writer, I read a lot more health blogs and I feel frustrated when I read about the ‘importance’ of getting a good 8 hours sleep in and going to bed early to ensure quality sleep. While I will advocate for this, for a mum, especially with children under the age of five it is typically an unattainable goal. I do not think I have actually slept for 8 hours straight since my...

It's been one of those weeks for us and last weekend was a true test of our parenting ability - it was very much a case of our 19 month son Bam Bam vrs Mum and Dad and you can guess who had the upper hand. We were both exhausted, battling colds (kindly given to us from our darling son) and we were both juggling outstanding work (me) and shift work (husband) in the weekend. We have learnt in times...

A little pre-warning about this blog it’s a little bit technical but full of important, relevant info so if you are a little sleep deprived and just want the practical suggestions – skip the technical jargon and go to the end :)

The World Health Organisation defines a probiotic as any living microorganism that has a health benefit when ingested. The word "probiotic" is actually a compound of two...

Cake is one of my weaknesses (we all have them) and this is a recipe I created after desperately searching for an easychocolate cake recipe that was not laden with flour and refined sugar but also had everyday ingredients - and being frustrated that I could not find anything. I would still call this a treat but this one you do not need to feel guilty about as it is grain-free, refined sugar free...

Created this recipe when I was looking for a treat to make for a mummy’s movie night in with one of my MBFFS (mummys best friends forever). So I whipped up these chocolate morsels – which are free of refined sugar, gluten and dairy. I had a child begging for dinner at the time so these literally took five minutes. They look so good I thought it would mean not to share the recipe with all of you!

As part of the work I do at AUT, I often do a tutorial on the sugar content of canned drinks. It still comes as a surprise to me how many of my students consume these products with very little awareness of what is actually in them. So I thought I would also impart some knowledge your way…

As a mum, we often battle fatigue and exhaustion on a daily basis and sometimes this can be chronic, especially...

Ironically this very (early) morning I was actually thinking about what to write in my next blog – I did not have to go very far. This morning I had lovingly prepared breakfast for my son (nick named Bam Bam) - beautiful scrambled eggs with cheese and spinach but when I sat Bam Bam in his high-chair he flatly refused his eggs! And he always loves his breakie! I tried the double-spoon approach...

Spinach is one of nature’s super foods. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients such as carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection. While most vegetables have these benefits, spinach has a special claim to fame in terms of its phytonutrient content. Researchers have...