Chocolate Ice-cream

Makes 4 - 5 portions

Ingredients:

1. 1 TBS raw chocolate powder
2. 1/2 ripe avocado
3. 6 dried dates pitted
4. 1 cup (250 ml) skimmed fresh milk
5. 1 TBS hazelnut butter
6. 3 almonds

Directions:

1. Blend using a blender (I use Magimix blender under smoothie setting).
2. Transfer into ice-cream mold and freeze.

Additional Information:

I decided to make some chocolate ice-cream today too to keep in the freezer for convenience when the kids ask for it (mainly Baby FECS). The base recipe is the same - 6 dried dates with 1 cup milk :-) If you wish to make it extra-indulgence, you can add a few chopped almonds and chocolate chips into the ice-cream.

 Add 6 dried dates pitted into blender

 Add 1 TBS hazelnut butter

  Add 1 cup (250 ml) fresh skimmed milk

 Add half avocado

 Add 1 TBS raw chocolate powder

Blend until smooth (I use the smoothie program)

 

   You can add some chopped nuts into each of the ice-cream containers

 If you want to make it extra indulgence, you can add some chocolate chips

 Pour in the ice-cream mixture

 Top up with more chopped nuts and chocolate chips if you wish :-)

  Insert in the ice-cream sticks and it is ready to go into the freezer

Our almost 4 years old Baby FECS could not wait :-)

 

Close-up :-)

21 April 2020 (3Y11M5D)

24 April 2020 (3Y11M8D)

Parsley Pesto

Ingredients:

- 3 handfuls parsley
- 30 g nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, and/or sunflower seeds)

- 1 dried date pitted
- 40 g fresh parmesan cheese
- 1/2 lemon pressed juice
- 1 clove of garlic (optional)
- 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- Dash of salt and ground black pepper (kværnet peber )

Directions:

1. Blend parmesan cheese using a mini-blender or a food processor.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.

Storage:

Pesto freezes well. Put it in ice cube trays and pull one out when you want to liven up a small portion of pasta.

Tips:

1. Use pesto sauce as dressing for the salad.

2. Use pesto sauce as dressing for pasta.

3. Use pesto sauce (mix with yogurt optional) as a dip for chips or bread.

4. Use pesto sauce to spice up tomato soup.

5. Jazz up the mashed potato with a teaspoon of pesto mixed in.

6. Marinade chicken breasts or lamb steaks with pesto and bake in the oven.

7. Spread on fish fillets, such as cod, wrap in grease-proof paper and oven bake.

8. Toss parboiled potatoes in pesto.

9. Mix with diced avocado and serve with cooked pasta, rice or a jacket potato.

10. Mix with cold pasta, canned tuna and sweetcorn for a pasta salad. (Great for a zero-waste lunch box).

Additional Information:

J suggested making pesto today. So we tried this recipe I got from a Danish blog and use it as dressing for our pasta with smoked salmon. I tried making it without the garlic today. It tasted great. The whole family liked it. I will repeat it again.

References:

https://www.valdemarsro.dk/pesto/

J (11Y1M14D)

Homemade Wholewheat Pasta with Egg & Dried Herbs

Ingredients:

1. 395 g wholewheat flour
2. 5 g dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, basics, etc.
3. 3 eggs + water total equal to 180ml

Directions:

1. Add flour into the compartment of the pasta machine (I use Philips Viva pasta machine)
2. Slowly add the liquid.
3. The machine will mix and knead the dough for 3 minutes and start to extrude the pasta thereafter.
4. Cut the pasta to the preferred length.
5. The whole process takes 18 minutes.
6. Cook pasta for 2 - 10 minutes or until cooked, depending on the type of flour you use, longer for wholewheat flour.

Additional Information:

This is a super nutritious pasta made with nutrient-rich wholewheat flour, containing the vitamins from the herbs and protein from the eggs. Since my kids don't like to eat meat, I use 3 eggs instead of just water for the liquid mixture, but it will turn out just fine using water. If using water, you only need 170 ml of water, instead of 180 ml.

As a rule, you can add any dry ingredients, just make sure that it doesn't exceed 400 g. You can add any type of liquid you want e.g. spinach juice, etc., just make sure that it doesn't exceed 180 ml.

You will notice that the color of your pasta looks tan, due to the wholewheat flour. Wholewheat flour is also called wholemeal flour.

Our kids love pasta. So it is always a hit. And pasta is very versatile - it allows me to hide many things in it - vegetables, herbs, eggs, etc. And the kids won't even notice it and taste the difference. C doesn't like herbs, but she will eat this pasta like crazy :-) We use the Phillips pasta machine on average once a week.

White wholewheat flour

Add 295 g white wholewheat flour

Add 5 g dried herbs

Crack and stir 3 eggs into the measuring container.

Stir and add water until it reaches 180 ml.

Add flour mixture into the compartment of the pasta machine.

Slowly add the egg mixture.

The machine will mix and knead the dough for 3 minutes and start to extrude the pasta thereafter.

Cut the pasta to the preferred length. The whole process takes 18 minutes.

If you wish and have the time, you can press the pause button, open the lid and place the leftover pasta dough into the extruder. Then close the lid and press the button to resume.

 This is how the pasta looks like when it is done :-)

 Meanwhile, boil a pot of water. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt. Boil for 2-10 minutes. The pasta will float to the surface when it is cooked.

 The pasta is cooked :-)

We ate it today with some smoked salmon and homemade pesto.

C (3Y11M3D)

J (11Y1M14D)

Easy Homemade Raspberry Jam

Ingredients:

1. A handful of frozen or fresh raspberries approx. 100 - 125 g

2. 1/2 tsp of chia seeds

3. 1 - 3 TBS honey to sweeten as desired

Directions:

1. Add berries and chia seeds and cook under medium heat until soften approx. 10 minutes.

2. Add honey to sweeten and mix well.

3. Let cool and serve or store in jam jar

Additional Information:

I have made no-cook jam for my family (https://www.familyfecs.com/2019/01/easy-all-natural-no-cook-strawberry.html), but they still prefer the cooked ones. So I make this.

I use chia seeds to thicken the jam, as it is very nutritious - rich in calcium and dietary fiber. But if you don't like the taste of dietary fiber, you can grind the chia seeds into powder or simply substitute it with 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch dissolved in a bit of water to thicken the jam instead.

This keeps for 3 - 5 days. I normally make it on the day of consumption, as I like it fresh, usually during the weekend. Thus, I only make a very small portion, just enough for the day's consumption. While it is cooking on the stove, I prepare breakfast. Thus, it is quite labor free. When it is ready, breakfast is also done.

I sometimes use strawberries as well. But raspberries are much quicker to cook, so if I want it fast, I just use raspberries. Sometimes I use black currants too.

My kids love this and so does Daddy FECS.

Matcha Green Tea Ice-cream

Makes 4 portions

Ingredients:

1. 2 heap tsp green tea powder
2. 1/2 ripe avocado
3. 6 dried dates pitted
4. 1 cup (250 ml) skimmed fresh milk

Directions:

1. Blend using a blender (I use Magimix blender under smoothie setting).
2. Transfer into ice-cream mold and freeze.

Additional Information:

I love green tea and green tea ice-cream. This gives you potassium from the dates, plus the natural sweetness - and the dietary fiber that you won't even feel since it's all blended. Healthy fats plus the creaminess from the avocado. Protein and calcium from the fresh milk - minus the unhealthy fat, since it's skimmed milk. And of course, antioxidants from the green tea powder. And without all the chemical preservatives from store-bought green tea ice-cream. Enjoy :-)

C Summary: C Took Her First Step on a Pedal Bicycle

16 April 2020 (3Y11M0D): Some sweet moments to thank and look back on during Coronavirus days...

We got to be there when C took her first step on a pedal bicycle (with two supporting wheels on).

The Easter flowers blooming in one of the super good spring weather in Denmark... although most time, I could only admire it from indoors due to the lock down (yes, we are taking the lock down as seriously as we can, only going to supermarkets as necessity and only going there during 12 midnight where there is no one at the supermarket)

The bike ride out with C, we have to do our best to social distance... what a irony. For years, I felt that there are so few people on the streets of Denmark, this year is the first year that I felt there are so many people on the street and also in the forest).

Coronavirus Times

Cooking 3 meals a day + working from home long into the night day-in-and-day-out with the kids home has taken its toil... it's hard to do so without complaining. And if they refuse to eat after you cook - this is the last draw!!!

Besides the kids' meltdowns, I sometimes have to deal with my own meltdowns too.

Oh Lord, grant me a thankful and grateful heart. Tomorrow is a new day to try again...

Cornflakes Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

1. 500 g chicken breasts cut into chicken nugget size
2. 300 ml buttermilk
3. 3 cloves garlic pressed
4. 2 eggs beaten
5. 2 TBS paprika
6. A handful of sesame seeds
7. 1 tsk salt
8. 2 TBS olive oil
9. 110 g cornflakes crushed
10. 2 TBS parmesan cheese (optional)
11. 60 g wholewheat flour or Grahams flour
12. Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Soak chicken in buttermilk and pressed garlic for 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Remove chicken from buttermilk.
3. Crush cornflakes.
4. In a bowl, add crushed cornflakes, paprika, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and mix well.
5. Coat chicken with flour, then coat it with egg and finally coat it with cornflakes powder.
6. Place into the fridge for at least 3 hours.
7. Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 20 - 25 minutes until golden.

Additional Information:

J requested me to make this. We tried it out. It was fun and it did taste similar to chicken nuggets, but healthier.

Reference:

https://www.valdemarsro.dk/hjemmelavet-nuggets/

C Summary (3Y10M25D) - C Accepted Christ On Good Friday Today

J has accepted Christ, when he was around 3-4 years old during Good Friday or Easter. It was a miracle to me. I have been telling God, how I wish C would also accept Him early, like J. But I dare not hope for a second miracle.

Prior to the coronavirus, I tried my best to bring J and C to church on Sundays, although I haven't been reading as much Bible stories to C, compared to J at the age between 2-4 years old. This is partly because C's level of English isn't as strong as J at the same age. And C wasn't as interested in this Bible for kids, as J was, during bedtime story. When she sees pictures of Jesus being beaten, she doesn't want to hear more.

It was Good Friday today. I remembered listening to a podcast (https://www.reviveourhearts.com/podcast/revive-our-hearts/theology-three-year-olds/) in February while driving to work on how 3-4 years old children are actually very receptive to God. It is a reminder that we should continue to tell them about Jesus and the Bible, and not under-estimate their ability to understand. Since we were not able to go to church, the evening before, I told myself that I would read the story of Good Friday to the two kids.

I read that after breakfast. In the afternoon, I read it alone with C. C asked a lot of questions. Why did Jesus die? Why was He risen? Is Jesus in heaven? How did He rise to heaven? Where is Jesus now. I tried to explain to her. Then I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She said, "Yes.". So I said the sinner's prayer with her. Unlike J, as I remembered, who looked into my eyes and shed tears as he prayed the sinner's prayer, C was just a more typical three years old. But she prayed and repeated each and every word as best as she could with me.

I went back to read my daily/blog post - J accepted Christ on Good Friday, and not Easter Day, as I remembered it to be. He was three years old, not four years old as I remembered. C is three years old and it is also Good Friday today that she accepted Christ into her life and prayed the sinner's prayer with me. C accepted Christ before she turned 4, and on Good Friday, just like J. I knew that it is God who has  granted me my request. He knew how much comfort it brought me. I hold it close to my heart. I know it is God telling me He will guard our children's hearts towards Him. I will trust Him to guide me, even though I have made so many mistakes along the way.

This is the same Children's Bible that I used to witness to C:



This was my diary recording the day J accepted Christ into his life:

https://www.familyfecs.com/2012/04/joshua-summary-3y1m1d-joshua-accepted.html

Thank you God, for being our God, for being the God of our children.

The Bible says in Matthew 18:2-3:

"He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."