Visiting my closest friend in Hamilton, Ontario, our four boys played until exhaustion. And then some more. We were all starving and she whipped up the best vegetarian chili I’d ever had.
“Here comes Peter Cottontail….hoppin down the bunny trail…” The popular Easter song echoes through my mind as I walk through my local grocery store, observing the pastel coloured chocolates, the brightly packaged plastic eggs, and the plethora of bunny-themed paraphernalia littering the aisles. It can only mean one thing: Easter is on its way.
You’ll have no dessert guilt after indulging in these flourless sugar free chocolate brownies!
Ingredients:
· 1 (14 oz) can of
black beans, rinsed and drained
· 2 large eggs
· ½ cup cocoa powder
· ¾ cup Xyla
· ½ teaspoon oil
· 1 tablespoon milk
· 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
· ½ teaspoon baking powder
· ½ teaspoon baking soda
· ½ teaspoon of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee
· ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (xylitol chocolate to make them completely sugar free, or omit chocolate and use all walnuts)
· ½ cup walnuts (or any nuts of your choice
Directions:
– Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
– Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, Xyla ® xylitol, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl. You can also do this all by hand if you don’t have a blender. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts at the end. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. You can also sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top.
– Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.
We all know that breakfast is important, but did you know that today is extra-special? It’s World Nutella Day! In honour of February 5th, here is a strawberry mini panini recipe. This delicious celebration was started by two fans in Italy in 2007 and has spread, like Nutella on toast, worldwide. In a throwback to the brand’s Italian roots, Nutella is sharing a Nutella and Strawberry Mini Paninis breakfast recipe. These delicious paninis are filled with fresh strawberries, creamy ricotta cheese and, of course, Nutella.
February is a famous month for love. This quick and easy chocolate dipped strawberries dessert is sure to make anyone you share it with fall head over heels for you! It’s also a great way to incorporate some fruit into dessert.
People believe that there are multiple foods to avoid while breastfeeding, but the only thing women need to be careful of is alcohol. Alcohol does pass through the breast milk so if a woman does have a drink she should avoid breastfeeding for the next four hours and express and discard the milk produced during that period.
Women are often told they should not have chocolate, coffee or certain vegetables but none of these are actually harmful to the baby. Some babies will react to certain foods a mother has eaten, but this varies greatly from baby to baby and mother to mother. It is always wise to try foods you like even if they are “gassy vegetables” and watch for a change in the baby’s behavior. If there is no change then there is no point in restricting yourself. From my own personal experience, my oldest son was never upset about my eating chocolate or coffee but was not thrilled with tomatoes but my youngest one really did not like my eating chocolate. (Probably why I lost the weight faster the second time around.)
– Linda Ducholke