Once a Foodie

Healthy and quick food ideas for foodies big and small.

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    • About me
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    • Disclaimer
  • Recipe archives
    • Breakfast
    • Dairy free
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Easy
    • Egg free
    • Freezes well
    • Gluten free
    • Great for kids
    • Healthy
    • Lunch
    • Lunch box friendly
    • Nut free
    • Nut free possible
    • Once a Foodie recipes
    • Paleo
    • Refined sugar free
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Vegetarian
    • Wheat free
  • DIY natural cosmetics
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  • Chocolate mousse in two cocktail glasses.

    Best chocolate mousse [no refined sugar]

    June 11, 2020 / 90 Comments

    This chocolate mousse really is the best. It’s silky smooth, thick and luxurious, full of goodness that is good for your body and soul, free of refined sugar or any sweetener at all (if you so wish), it comes together…

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    By Katerina
  • Easy roasted tomato pasta sauce in a square dish.

    Easy roasted tomato pasta sauce [refined sugar, dairy, egg, gluten and nut free]

    March 27, 2020 / 54 Comments

    For a moment there, I thought we were finally out of the zucchini (courgette) season (though I was wrong about that) and then, to make matters even more interesting, the crop of cherry tomatoes arrived. And when I say it…

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    By Katerina
  • Green mush in bowls.

    The (super healthy) green mush

    September 12, 2019 / 12 Comments

    “The green mush”? We love the good old “green mush” at our house. This is what we call the mixture of fresh green avocado and cooked green peas, flavoured by a small squeeze of minced garlic. Suitable from babies up…

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    By Katerina
  • The best and quickest nut butter (nut spread)

    July 18, 2019 / No Comments

    Let me just say start by saying this: homemade nut butters are amazing. They are amazing because they are easy to make, kid friendly, last a good while in the fridge, contain no refined sugar and no nasties, and are…

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    By Katerina
  • Apple and fennel salad on a plate.

    Crunchy apple and fennel salad

    June 23, 2019 / 2 Comments

    This apple and fennel salad, well… It is a little unusual (if you like your salad to have green leaves or be entirely savoury) but oh so good. Wonderful with rich meats (ribs or wings) or plain meats (pork) or…

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    By Katerina
  • An oval plate containing a number of nut cookies.

    The nuttiest paleo cookies

    June 8, 2019 / No Comments

    These are the nuttiest and most delicious chewy and paleo friendly cookies. For reals. I still remember the first time I saw this recipe in Luke Hines’ and Scott Gooding’s Clean Living Cookbook. It was late on a Friday afternoon…

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    By Katerina
  • A bunch of roasted rainbow carrots.

    Super simple roasted carrots

    May 18, 2019 / No Comments

    You may not yet know this but need these in your life. Super simple roasted carrots, they take no time to prep and the oven does all the work. It’s THAT simple. The taste is sublime though – tantalisingly sweet…

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    By Katerina

About

Hello lovely, and welcome to Once a Foodie.

I am Katerina and I love trying out (loads of) healthy family-friendly recipes. I am obsessed with food, travel and photography. I live in Canberra, Australia.

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Recent posts

  • Healthier rocky road [refined sugar free, dairy free, gluten free]
  • Lighter gingerbread cookies [refined sugar free]
  • Sundried tomato and balsamic pesto dip [Aldi copycat]
  • Easy steamed teriyaki salmon parcels [refined sugar free]
  • Healthier baked carrot cake donuts [refined sugar and dairy free]

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once_a_foodie

Twin mama & foodie, passionate about travel, baking, photography, low tox living, fitness and health.
📍Cbr, Australia

Katerina | Once a Foodie
Our breakfast this morning.. sometimes it's nice n Our breakfast this morning.. sometimes it's nice not to have to cook, especially on holidays! PS: what do you think about eating bacon with your pancakes? I'm all for it :) 
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#urangan #herveybay #frasercoast #queensland #queenslander #queenslandtourism #travelwithfamilyandkids #globewanderingfamily #holidayswithkids #havekidswilltravel #pancakes #Canadianpancakes #salmon #mybreakfast #shareyourtable #damnthatsdelish #food52gram #hereismyfood #foodfluffer #igfoodie #igfoods #foodspiration #foodilicious #foodfoodfood #foodiefeature #f52gram #takinghealthyback #eatingwelleats
Another day, another pier.. though this time it's Another day, another pier.. though this time it's a jetty - the Scarness Jetty, to be precise. It's been cloudy all day today but when the sun cleared late in the afternoon, the colours in the sky were incredible and we couldn't miss the opportunity to run down the jetty. At the end of the jetty, right next to a little family of fishermen, there was an osprey sitting on the railing, calmly watching everyone. What a fantastic sight!
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Fingers crossed for more sunshine tomorrow 🔆
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#scarness #scarnessjetty #herveybay #frasercoast #queensland #queenslander #queenslandtourism #travelwithfamilyandkids #globewanderingfamily #holidayswithkids #havekidswilltravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytravel #travelfamily #wanderlustkids #adventureswithkids #bringthekids #welltraveledkids #loveyourtimetogether #wearetravelmums #showthemtheworld #wildandbravelittles #tinybigadventure #curiouslittleexplorers #patentswhowander #familytraveltribe #takethekids #explorewithkids #gofurther #familytime
Hello all and happy New Year! After a week earned Hello all and happy New Year! After a week earned Christmas break, the kids and I are doing a bit of domestic travel and loving every minute of being out and about! We're currently in gorgeous Hervey Bay and the pier in the photo is Urangan Pier - isn't it just stunning? We planned to do an evening walk last night and this is what it looked five minutes before it started pouring down haha :) Another attempt at getting to the end today - fingers crossed! 
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Here's hoping that 2021 is better for all of us. What are you all up to?
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#urangan #herveybay #frasercoast #queensland #uranganpier #queenslander #queenslandtourism #travelwithfamilyandkids #globewanderingfamily  #holidayswithkids #havekidswilltravel #takeyourkidseverywhere #familytravel #travelfamily #wanderlustkids #adventureswithkids #bringthekids #welltraveledkids #loveyourtimetogether #wearetravelmums #showthemtheworld #wildandbravelittles #tinybigadventure #curiouslittleexplorers #patentswhowander #familytraveltribe #takethekids #explorewithkids #gofurther #familytime
School's out and we're sliding into these school h School's out and we're sliding into these school holidays with these chocolate brownie pancakes for breakfast today. Healthier and free of refined sugars, they're still fluffy and fudgy on the inside with a nice crisp crust on the outside. Paired with our homegrown loganberries and a drizzle of maple syrup, it's Sunday morning perfection!
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Did you know that the loganberry is a hybrid of the North American blackberry and the European raspberry? Our loganberry bush is about three years old and has really taken off this year! We can't get enough of these little beauties.
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Recipe coming to the blog soon!
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#homemadebreakfast #pancakes #brownies #browniepancakes #homemadepancakes #refinedsugarfree #mybreakfast #healthykidsfood #shareyourtable #damnthatsdelish #food52gram #hereismyfood #foodfluffer #igfoodie #igfoods #foodspiration #foodilicious #foodfoodfood #foodiefeature #rolledoats #nutsandseeds #brainfood #f52gram #norefinedsugar #sustainedenergy #takinghealthyback #healthmatters #healthyfamilyfood #thenewhealthy #eatingwelleats
We love desserts. Fruity, creamy, chocolatey, we l We love desserts. Fruity, creamy, chocolatey, we love them all. Truth be told, we also love to stay away from refined sugar, and combining the two can be sometimes a challenge. Luckily, there's so many recipes now which invite you to sweeten your desserts with natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or even monkfruit or Stevia instead of processed sugar.⁠
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These little beauties are one of those healthier recipes. Craving a cheesecake? Try this instead! These mini mascarpone cheesecakes look and taste absolutely indulgent but only use maple syrup as the sweetener in the creamy mascarpone cheesecake layer and no sweetener at all in the speculaas biscuit base. Plus, the individual portions mean everyone gets their own so there's no fights! Win win!⁠
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This is my entry into the National Dessert Day collab #dessertlovers2020 hosted by the lovely Larisa @edibleartphotography and Monique @peaches2peaches.⁠
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https://onceafoodie.com/2020/01/23/healthier-individual-mascarpone-cheesecakes/⁠
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#foodphotography #foodfluffer #foodphotograph #mascarponecheesecake #minicheesecakes #mascarpone #desserttime #dessertstagram #dessertgoals #cheesecake #mascarpone #sweettreats #sweettooth #dessertpic #instadessert #cheesecakeinjar #eatdessertfirst #nobake #ilovedessert #heresmyfood #healthier #healthiertreats #healthierdesserts #healthiereats #eatbetter #treatyourself #easydessert #fromscratch
Sunday baking at its best! The kids and I made the Sunday baking at its best! The kids and I made these refined sugar free and nut free king kong cookies yesterday afternoon to mark term 4 of kindergarten starting today. 10 more weeks and the kids will be on summer holidays - anyone feels like this year has gone both slow and fast at the same time?
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Recipe coming to the blog soon!
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#cookies #kingkingcookies #nutfree #refinedsugarfree #foodphotography #stopmotion #foodphotographer #foodforfoodies #foodpassion #foodinsta #foodstyling #everydayfood #foodilicious #foodie #foodiefeature #igfoodie #foodstylingwithkids #foodstyling #bakingwithkids #foodcollab #photocollab #stopmotionnation #stopmotionvideo #stopmolovers #stopframe #stopmo
The beauty of fresh organic produce.. simple but s The beauty of fresh organic produce.. simple but so so beautiful. Do you agree? 
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#tomatoes #growingyourownfood #veggies #homegrownveggies #growyourownfood #ediblegarden #growfoodnotlawns #organicgarden #backyardgarden #gardenbeds #organicgardening #thehappygardeninglife #growsomethinggreen #organicgarden #homegrown #homegrownfood #seasonaleating #livinghealthy #healthykids #urbanhomestead #seasonalproduce #homegrownproduce #kidsinthegarden #happygardener #kidsgardening #gardeningwithkids #meditation #lessstress
Not only are these unicorn chia puddings a cinch t Not only are these unicorn chia puddings a cinch to make, they are also refined sugar free, healthy and oh so pretty. You can make them with the kids on a cool Sunday morning, right at the start of their school holidays – while everyone’s still tired and cranky. The perfect fun and relaxing activity, truly. Bonus – this is no play-doh, people, when you’re finished, you can eat it all up!
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Find the recipe here (or through the clickable link in my profile): https://onceafoodie.com/2020/10/09/unicorn-chia-puddings/

#puddings #chia #chiapuddings #chiapudding #homemade #healthytreat #refinedsugarfree #freeofrefinedsugar #healthysnacks #foodforhealth #eatingforhealth #nutritionmatters #cleancooking #healthyfoodinspo #healthygram #balancedliving #eatbetternotless #healthyfoodideas #healthyeatinghabits #fuelyourbodyright #eatrightfeelright #balancedlifestyle #easytreats #unicorn #unicornsnacks #unicorntheme #loveunicorns #unicornpuddings
My Polish grandma was the best cook and the best b My Polish grandma was the best cook and the best baker. She never wrote her recipes down, she always knew them all by heart. A lot of the meals she prepared were my favourites growing up but her apple strudel was the stuff of my dreams.
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This is my quick version of it - mini apple, strawberry and cherry tarts, capturing some of the flavours I used to love, but without all the sugar. We devoured these all in one afternoon - so good! 
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This is my contribution to  #grandmasbestrecipecollab hosted by @anna_janecka and @a.modo_mio_new.  Check out the other entries! 
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#foodphotography #foodinsta #foodstyling #everydayfood #foodilicious #foodie #foodiefeature #igfoodie #foodstylingwithkids #foodstyling #foodcollab #photocollab #applepie #strawberrypie #cherrypie #homemadepies #minipie #minipies #homebaker #homebaking #grandmasstrudel #strudel #applestrudel
The making of jam.. I love process photography. I The making of jam.. I love process photography. I love how the fruits, plump and fresh, change their texture and colour with cooking and the mixture becomes something else instead.. a new entity, beautiful in itself, the sum of its parts.
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This is my cherry berry jam, the recipe for which you can find on my blog. This particular recipe has fresh blueberries, fresh red grapes, frozen raspberries and frozen cherries (and I've made about 2.5 times the recipe amounts, using about 650g of fruit). I initially started using grapes as a bit of a joke, to use up some sad looking grapes I had but I've been doing it since because it really works - you get these lovely soft chunks of fruit, which add beautiful texture to the jam and don't complicate the flavour profile which stays gorgeously, naturally sweet and fruity. 
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#processphotography #homemadejam #homemadejams #jamhomemade #easyhomemade #homemade #makeitathome #homecooked #twinmamacooks #cherryjam #strawberryjam #delicioushomemade #refinedsugarfree #shareyourtable #damnthatsdelish #food52gram #hereismyfood #foodspiration #foodfoodfood #foodiefeature #eatyourfruits #whatifeedmykids #healthierchoices #eatinghealthier #kidsfoodideas #simpleingredients #lifewithlittles #realfoodforkids #foodforkids
You know that delicious warm brown bread which the You know that delicious warm brown bread which they serve you in the Cheesecake Factory at the start of your meal? Well, we love it. And we have no Cheesecake Factory in Australia! So, problem solved - here is my own homemade version of it. It's soft on the inside and crusty on the outside and oh so delicious served simply with butter.
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This is my submission for the  @foodcapturecollective #monthlytechniquecollab. The theme this month is "backlight" and it's hosted by @asoulfulkitchen and @edibleartphotography. Check out the other awesome entries! 
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#backlight #feedfeed #gloobyfood #f52grams #foodstylefeed #eatpretty #eatprettythings #foodfluffer #harshlight #hardlight #hardlightfood #hardlightphotography #foodcapturecollective #creativephotography #stilllifephotography #creativeminds #lightandshadow #shadowsandreflections #hardlightfoodphoto #stilllife #light #contrast #shadows #photographytechnique #brownbread #CheesecakeFactory #Cheesecakefactorybread #homemadebread #Homebaker
The mooncakes are back at Costco! Have you bought The mooncakes are back at Costco! Have you bought yours yet? I can't believe it's been a year since we've tried these first, and the second time around they're just as delicious!

If you need a reminder, a mooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is for lunar appreciation and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or at family gatherings while celebrating the festival.

What you see here is a selection from the Xi Wu - Oriental Patisserie "4 Seasons Series" which contains Pure Lotus 1 Yolk, Violet Harmony, 
Pandan 1 Yolk and Green Tea Milk.

I admit we still aren't fans of the salted yolks (but you can just pop them out if you're like us) but we love love love the green tea milk mooncake and the violet harmony mooncake - so good!

#xiwuorientalpatisserie #mooncake #mooncakefestival #mooncakes #midautumnfestival #midautumn #happymidautumn #trysomethingnew #trysomethingtoday #alwaystasting #keeptrying #newthings #newtastes #expandingkidspalates #expandingourminds #newflavours #orientalpatisserie #yummy #lotusmooncake #purelotus #pandan #pandacake #violetharmonymooncake #enjoynewthings
Happy #fromtheseacollab day! We're two days away f Happy #fromtheseacollab day! We're two days away from the start of spring here in Australia and I'm honestly counting down. 
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The weather has been gorgeous and we'll be making these basa filets with tomato olive sauce when we're down at the coast later this week. The recipe is based on a fabulous swordfish recipe from Lauren at Basic Ginger and they are a cinch to make and so so delicious!
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Check out Lauren's recipe (and amazing blog) here: https://www.basicginger.com/pan-roasted-swordfish-recipe-with-tomato-olive-sauce/#comment-1105
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This sea themed collab is hosted by  the lovely @cooking_with_wine and @anna_janecka. Be sure to check out the hashtag for more awesome contributions!
The recipe for this gorgeously fluffy walnut banan The recipe for this gorgeously fluffy walnut banana slice, served with naturally sweetened maple yoghurt icing, has been inspired by a fabulous recipe from Taavi @healthienut and is now on the blog. Gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free. 100% delicious. 
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Perfect for a snack or even a quick breakfast and a drizzle of the maple yoghurt makes this taste so luxurious! 
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Also this bakes in half the time that it takes to bake a banana bread, so you definitely have time to make it tonight. Just sayin'! 
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https://onceafoodie.com/2020/08/28/fluffy-walnut-banana-slice/
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#banana #bananaslice #bananabread #homebaker #homebaked #bakinglove #bakingtime #heresmyfood #fromscratch #homemade #bakersofinstagram #bakefromscratch #realsimple #homebaking #bakersgonnabake #glutenfree #dairyfree #flourfree #wheatfree #refinedsugarfree #healthierbaking
I've just returned from a wonderful girls weekend I've just returned from a wonderful girls weekend away - two wonderful days and nights full of glorious beaches, stunning food and fabulous company. I feel recharged and reinvigorated as a result and totally wish I could do this more often!! (Although ehm, I'm planning to go back to the coast in a week and a half but as I'm taking the kids this time, fear it won't be the same!)

And yes, it's still winter here in Australia (but the spring is coming)! 

What have you done for your mental health lately?

#weekendaway #selfcare #jervisbay #jervisbaytourism #visitnsw #australianbeaches #Beachgetaway #beachlife #beachvibes #newsouthwales #weekendvibes #weekendmood #awayfromitall #selfcaresunday #friendstime #Aussiewinter #australianwinter
No bake chocolate peanut butter cheesecake in the No bake chocolate peanut butter cheesecake in the making.... Just look at that chocolate ganache -  am I the only who thinks this is the stuff dreams are made of?! 
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Find the recipe here: https://onceafoodie.com/2020/05/27/no-bake-chocolate-peanut-butter-cheesecake/
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#peanutbutter #peanutbutterlover #peanutbuttercheesecake #nobake #nobakedessert #nobakecheesecake #peanutbutteraddict #happybirthday #birthdaycake #peanutbutterlove #peanutbutterchocolate #peanutbutterandchocolate #peanutbutterislife #nobakecake #nobakerecipe #rawcake #rawcheesecake #rawdessert
When I recently posted a recipe for my "Healthier When I recently posted a recipe for my "Healthier birthday mini carrot cakes with mango cream cheese frosting" (yep, still a mouthful - literally and figuratively), you may recall that I mentioned the mini carrot cakes are also fabulous with different frostings. This roasted strawberry cream cheese frosting is one of the alternatives and it is as tasty as it sounds! 
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It's perfect for those summer months when your garden is overflowing with sweet juicy strawberries. If this is the season where you are now, I’m not jealous. Really, I’m not (in fact, as I am typing this, on a cold Canberra night, my nose is only mildly frozen). Enjoy!
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https://onceafoodie.com/2020/08/15/roasted-strawberry-cream-cheese-frosting/

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#happybirthday #birthdaycupcakes #birthdaycake #refinedsugarfree #refinedsugarfreecupcakes #refinedsugarfreefrosting #refinedsugarfreeicing #healthycupcakes #healthyicing #mangoicing #carrotcakes #carrotcupcakes
#twins #twinbirthday #twinmama #memoirsofparenthood #dailyparenting #uniteinmotherhood #justmomlife #teammotherly #honestlymothering #momlifeisthebest #everydaymoments #our_everyday_moments #hiphiphooray #kidsbirthday #birthday
If you want to get your kids to drink some beetroo If you want to get your kids to drink some beetroot juice, pour it over ice into some "grown up" glasses and hey pronto! The whole thing is gone. (Just make sure they don't drop it!)
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This is my contribution to #drinkupcollab hosted by @eatliftbe and @cooking_with_wine. This was so much fun to shoot (even if it has no alcohol in it)! Click on the hashtag to check out the other submissions!
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#juice #beetrootjuice #juicelover #juicingforhealth #coldpressedjuice #juicer #juicedetox #refreshingdrink #homemadejuice #freshjuice #healthyfruit #naturaldrink #healthyjuice #juicing #naturaljuice #juicetime #foodphotography #skinhealth  #foodinsta #foodstyling #everydayfood #foodilicious #foodie #foodiefeature #igfoodie #foodstylingwithkids #foodstyling #foodcollab #photocollab
Do you sometimes long for those moments on quiet a Do you sometimes long for those moments on quiet afternoons where you get to sit down with your cup of tea, a small delicious biscuit and a magazine, and lazily flip through the pages while enjoying a break? No “mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy” requests, no neverending list of tasks running through your end, just ultimate relaxation and refresh. I do. Often. (And I don’t even drink tea!) 
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And you know what, even if you can’t quite make those moments a reality (every day or ever), these sesame almond butter cookies will help.
I promise. (Plus, they're dairy, egg, gluten and refined sugar free.)
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The recipe is now on the blog: https://onceafoodie.com/2020/08/07/sesame-almond-butter-cookies/
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#cookies #almondcookies #nutbuttercookies #noflour #refinedsugarfree #norefinedsugar #creativephotography #stilllifephotography #cookiemonster #flourfree #healthycookies #cookie #cookiesofInstagram #cookies🍪 #cookiechronicles #healthysnack #healthycookie #healthiersnack #healthiercookie #cookielove #buttercookies #chocolatecookies #cookieslover #dairyfree #glutenfree #noegg #eggfree #sesamecookies #almondbutter
Sometimes the simplest meals are the best... I had Sometimes the simplest meals are the best... I had this teriyaki crispy tofu with seared broccolini  for lunch today and it came together in 10 minutes flat and was so satisfying!
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What's your favourite lunch these days? 
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#tofu #crispytofu #teriyaki #teriyakitofu #lunch #healthylunch #easylunch #broccolini #eatingwell
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