Author: CassieTario

Toddler Friendly Banana Oat Bars

Toddler Friendly Banana Oat Bars

Looking for a quick and easy snack for your child that involves minimal ingredients? Keep reading! Not sure if you have ever heard of oaty bars? But my son is addicted to them, as much as I am not a fan of feeding him packaged 

Baked Apple Strawberry Crumble

Baked Apple Strawberry Crumble

This is a great treat to make for a breakfast, have for a snack, or serve as a dessert. Tastes great with a plain almond or coconut yogurt and you could add a fruit sauce on top! Baked Apple Strawberry Crumble Approx. 9 servings You 

Breastfeeding Truths & Tips

Breastfeeding Truths & Tips

From a mom, to a mom.

Breastfeeding can be such a beautiful thing, the fact that your body can create food to feed and grow another human is amazing.  The milk itself can change based on your babies needs and is basically the immune system for your baby until it grows its own.  The bond you create during those hours, and hours, and…hours, of feeding is something like no other and can make a mother feel very accomplished.

As much as I love breastfeeding and I would never want to steer anyone away from the experience, I feel there are some truths being left out that I would like to share.  Here are some truths to better prepare a mom looking to breastfeed:

IT HURTS!– No one seems to tell you that for the first couple weeks of breastfeeding you will feel like you are getting your nipples pierced every time your baby latches on (actually I have had friends who have had their nipples pierced and they say the pain of breastfeeding is worse).  Don’t worry though it does go away and gets more comfortable so don’t give up! Just wait it out and having something to squeeze really hard nearby or something to bite down on to stop you from swearing the first couple times also helps.

Babes like Boobs– Now that you have gotten use to feeding, be prepared to do it all the time….like ALL the time.  Middle of the night? You have the boobs so guess who gets up to feed the baby.  During the day?  Don’t go too far because you are their food source.  And then nap time….finally you think you may have some time to yourself, until the baby falls asleep on your boob and you don’t dare wake them so now you are stuck under a baby for two hours (I hope you brought a good book to read).

Leakage– My biggest tip is to get some nursing pads (or as I like to call them boob pads).  I prefer the reusable ones, they are easy to just throw in the laundry and you don’t have to keep buying new ones (also not to mention the environment factor).  So here is something someone may not have mentioned to you before but, when you nurse out of one breast the other one will slightly leak.  This is where having some extra padding in there might help to absorb the extra milk so it doesn’t create big wet marks on your shirt announcing to the world that you are lactating.  And if you are a smaller chested person like me these pads are great for making your breast look a little bigger (I don’t know why I never discovered these in high school) aka free boob job!

Shower Tip– What mom doesn’t love a hot shower? Sorry what mom has time for a hot shower?! So you finally find a break in the day when you get to bathe and you are sooooo excited! You strip down and jump into that nice warm water, you start shampooing your hair and thinking of what your life was like pre baby and then you feel a tingling sensation in your boobs.  You look down to find milk squirting out, and this is when you cry over wasted milk.  You worked so hard to produce that liquid gold and there it goes….down the drain.  So my advice is to always feed baby pre shower so no milk is wasted.  Yes your body will produce more and your kid won’t starve if this happens! But… you should consider yourself lucky if it happens in the shower, sometimes it likes to wait until you are toweling off and then you get sweet sticky boob juice all down your clean body (yum).

I hope passing on this wisdom hasn’t scared you away from breastfeeding in anyway, as my wish is for this to better prepare new mamas out there.  No one wants to talk about the hard parts that come with being a new a new mom but you will happy someone prepared you.

You’re Welcome!

Strawberry Banana BLW Cookies

Strawberry Banana BLW Cookies

Need a to go snack for your baby that has minimal sugar and minimal ingredients? Or maybe just a quick breakfast to go along with some cut up fruit or avocado? These cookies are perfect to add to any snack or meal! Makes approx 6 

Chocolate Cupcakes that can’t be Beet!

Chocolate Cupcakes that can’t be Beet!

Makes approx. 9 cupcakes You will need: ¼ cup Roasted Beets 1 ½ cup Almond Milk 2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil ½ cup Coconut Sugar ¼ cup Maple Syrup ½ cup Sorghum Flour ½ cup White Rice Flour ¼ cup Light Buckwheat Flour 1 Tbsp Baking 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

With the snow approaching we are all wanting to feel cozy and turn to comfort foods.  Did you know that Brussel Sprouts could feel like a comfort food if roasted? The spices help to turn up your body heat and the crispy-ness adds a little crunch.  The great thing is you can still get all your nutrients from your green food while still pleasing your bellies!
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
You will need:
  • 20 Brussel sprouts chopped into quarters
  • 1 tbsp grape seed oil
  • Sprinkle of sea salt and pepper (season to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
Make sure all brussel sprouts are cut into quarters.  In a mixing bowl add brussel sprouts, drizzle the oil, add the spices and mix.
Lay them over a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bake at 300 for 15-20 mins, until cooked and ends starting to crisp.
Serve immediately or keep in fridge for a couple days and re-bake to serve again.
Pumpkin Smoothie

Pumpkin Smoothie

Who says pumpkin ever goes out of season?! Even though Halloween has passed you can still take those pumpkins and bake/blend them into pumpkin puree. Using the pumpkin puree you can make this recipe…and many more!  Pumpkin Smoothie Serves 1 You will need: 1/4 cup 

Green Monster Smoothie

Green Monster Smoothie

Halloween is right around the corner and this smoothie filled with greens will scare away any morning monsters! Makes approx 1 glass Juice of 1 orange (freshly squeezed) 1/2 cup of coconut water 4 chunks of pineapple 1/2 banana 1/2 cup spinach 1/2 cup raw 

Kale, Pear, and Beet Salad

Kale, Pear, and Beet Salad

The cold weather may be coming but are you still eating your greens?

This salad is the perfect combination between nutrition and comfort food, and is a good way to get the nutrition from your greens while still satisfying your taste buds.

Kale, Pear, and Beet Salad

  • 2 cups of shredded kale
  • 1/2 cup of roasted beets (cubed)
  • 1/3 cup of cubes pear
  • 3 dried figs (sliced)
  • 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds

 

If your beets are not yet roasted, chop them into cubes and roasted them in a pan in the oven, with a little bit of grapeseed oil.  While this is happening if your kale isn’t shredded prepare that, along with pears and figs.

When it is all done toss all ingredients in a salad bowl.

 

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar or fig infused balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp of tahini

Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Then pour over salad and toss until all is mixed. Serve right away!

If you want to serve later then leave dressing off salad in a separate container and only pour on when ready to serve.

 

Stuffed Buttercup Squash

Stuffed Buttercup Squash

Thanksgiving weekend is here! The time of year where we sit down and share a meal with friends and family, and are thankful for all the love in our lives.  When trying to follow a plant based diet sometime Thanks giving can be tricky because