Welcome to the first edition of “Pure Voice”! I could not think of a better person to start this exciting new section of Pure Thyme than with the beautiful and talented Ellie Bedford. I was first introduced to Ellie, when she reached out to me about an amazing children’s recipe book she was creating with her sister Sabrina Bedford, “How to Eat a Rainbow: Magical Raw Vegan Recipes for Kids”.

This is a magical themed healthy children’s recipe book that promotes a balanced whole foods diet. This book is filled with creative, delicious recipes and it is beautifully illustrated. If you have children you must have this one in your repertoire. It really gets kids excited about healthy eating! My own children adore this book and love to make the recipes with me in our kitchen.

Even though I have never met Ellie in person-and I sure hope to one day-we had an instant connection. We both are mothers of young children and have a passion for serving up healthy creations to our family. You can find Ellie working with children and teaming up with schools and youth organizations teaching about healthy eating habits, and running raw food workshops in England. She is also the author of two children’s recipe books, ‘How to Eat a Rainbow: Magical Raw Vegan Recipes for Kids‘ and ‘The Superdrink Handbook for Kids!‘

Today I am featuring a recipe from her new book “The Superdrink Handbook for Kids!”  This book features twenty exciting refined sugar-free and vegan recipes that kids will love and that will make a wonderful addition to adult diets as well.

When I started my new blog, I wanted this to be a place where the people I meet through my journey can come share their story and help inspire us to find balance in our lives. I have been so hard on myself in the past and have worked to find “my balance” and I want to know how you find yours.

Now take it away Ellie!

Pure Voice

As a home educating Mum of two girls, and somebody who works from home, I have to admit that keeping balance in my life is something I struggle with. Being a Mum in the 21^st Century has its challenges. It’s very common now to be raising our children, taxiing them around to activities, while running a household and working a paid job; and it is easy to feel that sometimes, there just isn’t enough of us to go round. While the kitchen is often a sanctuary for me, and a place to express my creative side, cooking also brings with it some challenges. I truly believe in the health-giving power of whole-foods, but there aren’t many short cuts when it comes to preparing this kind of food, and it demands a lot of my time. The smell of burning beans is (unfortunately) a frequent aroma in our household. When I’ve been deep in a project with the girls, or writing an article, and become so engrossed in it, the beans that I’d lovingly soaked the night before, and put on to simmer are quickly forgotten and far from my mind!

I have moments when I envy the housewife of the 1950’s, it seemed so much simpler then. Being able to walk to the local shops which are now all but gone, rather than struggling with busy traffic and finding that elusive parking space when you need to pop out to buy something. Imagine a time without mobile phones and email too, without being on call 24/7 and when you could really live in the moment. It was a slower pace that I often wish we still had. But of course, we are super lucky now in many ways that we just weren’t then, and so the world re-establishes its own natural balance.

For me keeping in balance means taking a break from the home and all the work that comes with it. Our home is the focal point of all we do – educating, working, cooking, cleaning, it all happens here. And while I do feel very lucky that I get this time at home when so many people don’t, I truly do need that space away too – sometimes you need some distance to appreciate what you have. It also gives me time to reflect and just be, and to enjoy quality time with the family, without having to stare at that pile of dishes in the sink.

With a background in archaeology and a lifelong passion for history, I love to escape with the family to historic houses and gardens. I enjoy walking in the beautiful grounds, exploring the different rooms of the houses, and taking in the atmosphere. Sometimes you can just imagine what it was like there all those years ago, in a time when life was slower paced. From simple Tudor family homes to18^th century mansions or crumbling castles, you name it I love them all, I am a total history geek. Luckily for me, so is my husband and our girls!

So that’s where you’ll find us most weekends, exploring the past, chatting to historians about infamous characters that once inhabited the houses, uncovering long ago stories of love and bravery, browsing the gift-shops and enjoying that cup of tea in the café that I haven’t had to make myself. For me this is heaven, and it helps keep me balanced – mostly, I’m a work in progress!

This is a recipe for Nicey Spicey Hot Chocolate from Ellie’s book, “The Superdrink Handbook for Kids!”. It was a hit in our home!

Nicey Spicey Chocolate

 

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A rich chocolate drink inspired by the Maya, a true drink of the gods. This chocolate drink has an extra vitamin and nutrient boost from the rose-hip powder.

Author: Ellie Bedford

Recipe type: Drinks

Cuisine: Raw Foods

Ingredients

• 750 ml/26 fl. oz. cashew or coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. arrowroot flour or purple corn flour
• 2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
• 1-2 tsp rose hip powder*
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cayenne (optional)
• Pinch of Himalayan salt
• Seeds of one vanilla pod
• 1 tsp cacao butter or coconut oil
• 2-3 tbsp. maple syrup
• Goji berries for topping
• 2 tbsp. cashew cream for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Make a paste with the flour, cacao, rose hip and arrowroot/purple corn and 4 tbsp of the milk.
2. Heat the rest of the milk in a pan with the maple syrup, cacao butter, vanilla seeds, salt and cinnamon.
3. When it starts to simmer, add the paste and whisk until well combined.
4. Cook on low heat for around 10 minutes until thickened.
5. Pour into mugs and top with a few goji berries. If you fancy, serve with a spoonful of cashew cream.

Notes

Star Local Ingredient! This grows abundantly in the wild and is easily recognized, harvested and turned into super vitamin C rich rose-hip powder. Always work with somebody who is familiar with wild foods before harvesting anything from the wild and be sure not include the seeds in the powder!

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You an connect with Ellie here:

website: http://www.elliebedford.com/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ellies-Recipes/343445219195385

twitter: https://twitter.com/elliesrecipes

pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/elliebed/

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING YOUR STORY, PLEASE VISIT “PURE VOICE” FOR MORE DETAILS.