I grew up in a little country town. The population always floated around the 500 mark. My great gran lived next door. My grandma and grandpa lived across the road. My gran and pa lived a few blocks away. I never knew any different and I did take it for granted.
The friends I had were people I had literally known all of my life. Their parents grew up with my parents. They lived next door, a street a way or at the most a two minute drive from my home. We hung out all the time. Before school, after school and on weekends. I slept at their houses, they slept at mine. For seventeen years this crew was all I knew and I knew them well.
We spent the years playing netball, laughing loudly and running a muck. But as with all things there was change. School ended. I was one of the few who moved away. I got caught up in life, in searching for my own home. I seldom made it back.
This week I released my first cookbook. It is completely surreal! There has been many exciting moments. However, the minutes I have enjoyed the most were the ones I spent reading the messages from my old familiar friends. I cannot thank them enough for taking the time to write, nor can I express how much their thoughts, encouragement and support has meant to me. I love having them on my mind again, remembering the Saturdays at the footy, the summers at the pool and the parties in the shed. I look forward to laughing with them all again.
Muesli Bars
12 medjool dates, seeds removed
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flaxseeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup goji berries
1/2 teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 175°C or 350° Fahrenheit. Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm cake tin.
Cover the dates with hot water while you gather your ingredients.
Drain the dates and blend them to a paste.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.
Press the mixture firmly into your prepared tin. Place in the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly before flipping the slice onto a cooling rack. When it has completely cooled cut the slice into bars. Enjoy.
If you like our style we would love you to join us on facebook. You can further explore our quick and easy kitchen creations at www.wholefoodsimply.com, I look forward to seeing you there.
Written by School Mum Bianca from Wholefood Simply – Enjoyment is Bianca’s first rule when it comes to food, followed very closely by simplicity. She hopes to relish everything that passes her lips. Her diet is an abundance of fruit and vegetables, garnished with nuts and seeds, she loves it all. She hopes to instill this passion in her children.
