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Ginger Snap Cookies (or Gingerbread Cookies)
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Ginger Snap Cookies (or Gingerbread Cookies)

I know that baking is a science. I know that you can’t just throw a bunch of ingredients together in a bowl and hope for the best. Especially when you’re working with alternative flours like coconut flour or almond flour. I really hate wasting food in the development process. That’s why I much prefer creating no-bake dessert recipes because even if the trial batches aren't perfect, they're usually always still edible.

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6 Travel-Friendly Snacks For Kids
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

6 Travel-Friendly Snacks For Kids

Being prepared with healthy snacks for my kids on road trips has saved me many times. These 6 travel-friendly recipes don't require refrigeration. They're all kid-approved and delicious for the whole family to enjoy.

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My First Meal After Giving Birth & A Recipe For Birth Broth
Recipes, Pregnancy and Birth Carley Mendes Recipes, Pregnancy and Birth Carley Mendes

My First Meal After Giving Birth & A Recipe For Birth Broth

Nourishing food is one of the most important parts of postpartum recovery. I’ve never experienced hunger quite as I did in those first few days postpartum when my milk was coming in, but immediately after birth, it’s best to start slow with easily digestible and nutrient-dense foods. Think of foods you would turn to when recovering from the flu. As you can imagine, the organs in your abdomen are all going through a massive shift, and digestion can be compromised.

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5 Energizing Ice Cubes to Make for Labor (& Morning Sickness)
Recipes, Pregnancy and Birth Carley Mendes Recipes, Pregnancy and Birth Carley Mendes

5 Energizing Ice Cubes to Make for Labor (& Morning Sickness)

I shared a post on Facebook about some simple, but very effective, coconut water ice cubes for labor that ended up being the most popular post to date. I wanted to write a follow-up blog to share more information with additional options because as I experienced first hand, you never know what scents and flavors will appeal to you during labor. So it’s best to have two or more of these different ice cube flavors prepped ahead of time.

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Orange Juice Gelatin Gummies
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Orange Juice Gelatin Gummies

These gummies came to be after I received a carton of organic orange juice in a weekly staples box delivery from SPUD. I'm not usually a huge fan of fruit juice because once the fiber is removed it can spike your insulin quite drastically, which (among other things) can negatively impact energy and mood, especially in children. A cup of orange juice raises blood sugar so quickly that it’s one of the recommended foods to bring someone out of a diabetic shock.

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Colorful Coconut Bliss Balls
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Colorful Coconut Bliss Balls

I've become pretty excited about experimenting with natural, food-based dyes after the Easter eggs I made this year with my son, Jones. I'm so pleased with how these colorful coconut sprinkles turned out and I'm very surprised I haven't seen them around before. I think this fun and easy method should be much more popular. Since I made them, Jones has been sprinkling them on everything. Colorful coconut sprinkles on his morning smoothie, then on his apple slices with almond butter. At dinner he asked for the green sprinkles to put on top of his broccoli. "To match" he said. Of course I had to let him, just grateful that I have a toddler who willingly eats broccoli.

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Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

At almost 3 years old, my son's patience and manual dexterity are improving by the day, so we've been getting into more crafting projects together lately. I thought this Easter would be a great time to try the naturally dyed eggs that I've been wanting to make for years now. He was involved in each step along the way and excitedly checked the progress as the eggs began changing color. Among other things, artificial food dye is strongly linked to hyperactive behavior in children. In Europe, food containing artificial coloring is required to have a label warning that it “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”. So even if you don't plan on eating your dyed Easter eggs, it's best to limit your children's exposure as much as possible.

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Turmeric Chia Seed Pudding
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Turmeric Chia Seed Pudding

I can't get enough of turmeric's earthy flavor these days. Many ancient cultures placed an emphasis on soft, warm foods during the postpartum period and believed that warming spices were essential for restoring strength in a new mother. This turmeric chia seed pudding is especially beneficial for new mothers with its warming spices to help ground & provide balance.

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Turmeric Spice Fudge For Postpartum
Recipes, Postpartum and Breastfeeding Carley Mendes Recipes, Postpartum and Breastfeeding Carley Mendes

Turmeric Spice Fudge For Postpartum

Each ingredient in this earthy and aromatic fudge has been included for its impressive ability to support and nourish the early postpartum period. It’s wise to do as much as you can in advance to prepare for your recovery after birth, and this fudge would be fantastic to make during your final weeks of pregnancy because it’s stored in the freezer.

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5 Minute Fruity Ice Cream - 2 Delicious Ways
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

5 Minute Fruity Ice Cream - 2 Delicious Ways

Featured on Ergobaby. These two recipes are packed with fruity goodness and are so simple to whip together… just 3 ingredients and 5 minutes to make! They’re both dairy-free, antioxidant-rich, and you don’t need an ice cream maker to create them.

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Cranberry Kombucha Gummies
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Cranberry Kombucha Gummies

These gummies are made with one of my favorite foods for pregnancy: gelatin. Gelatin is most famously found in Jello, and while the sugar and artificial food coloring don't make Jello the best choice, when gelatin is derived from a high quality source it actually offers many health benefits. Gelatin is also beneficial for your growing babe, both in utero and once they start solids, because it helps to make up cartilage and bone. Two more of my favorite benefits for pregnancy are a reduction in joint & pelvic pain, and a reduction in stretch marks.

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Refreshing Watermelon Slushy
Recipes, Pregnancy and Birth Carley Mendes Recipes, Pregnancy and Birth Carley Mendes

Refreshing Watermelon Slushy

On one particularly hot day recently, my husband said he was craving a Slurpee. He doesn't have a sweet tooth, so it was pretty uncharacteristic of him. I knew I could create something much tastier... and much healthier. This slushy is energizing and refreshing and the coconut water included contains electrolytes to help you keep hydrated in the summer heat. It also makes a fantastic virgin margarita for expecting mamas!

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Raspberry Chia Seed Jam
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Raspberry Chia Seed Jam

VIDEO

If your looking for my son, he's taken a permanent position by the raspberry bush in our backyard. He was so genuinely disappointed last year when the season was over. It was around the time of his first birthday, and he wasn't old enough to pick them himself yet, so when the bush stopped producing, he acted as if I was no longer "allowing him" to have anymore.

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Simple Elderberry Cough Syrup For Little Ones, 1 yr+
Recipes, Babies and Toddlers Carley Mendes Recipes, Babies and Toddlers Carley Mendes

Simple Elderberry Cough Syrup For Little Ones, 1 yr+

With all of the hands-on exploring and socializing that little ones do, it's easy to see why they commonly catch colds. One of my favourite immune boosters for children is elderberry syrup. It can help shorten the duration and severity of colds and flus, it's rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, and it's so easy to make. Unlike most store bought cough syrups, this syrup is free from chemical sweeteners, preservatives and artificial dyes, which have been linked to behavioral problems in children. It also tastes delicious so it won't be a battle to get your little one to take it.

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Simple Banana Pancakes- Great For Baby
Recipes, Babies and Toddlers Carley Mendes Recipes, Babies and Toddlers Carley Mendes

Simple Banana Pancakes- Great For Baby

Featured on Ergobaby

Bananas are a great food for little ones. They have a soft texture and natural sweetness that babies love. Ripe bananas are easy to digest and provide needed energy for growing bodies.

We also eat a lot of eggs in our house. When my son was introduced to solids we started with egg yolks and waited to introduce the whole egg with whites. The yolks are where the most beneficial nutrients are found. They are stocked with B vitamins, healthy fats, choline, and the harder to obtain fat-soluble vitamins A & D.

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Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Bites
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Bites

Every year we spend the week between Christmas and New Year's at our cabin in the woods. I always make a sweet treat to share with our friends. I try to choose something that's easy to make and healthier than the sugar-ladden sweets usually served during this time of year. We usually use almond butter at home, but I think that the peanut butter works very well in this recipe. Of course, if you are sensitive to peanuts or prefer not to consume them, these chocolate covered bites could also be made with another nut butter, like almond, hazelnut or cashew.

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Miso Quinoa Stuffed Squash
Recipes Carley Mendes Recipes Carley Mendes

Miso Quinoa Stuffed Squash

It’s so important that a new mother eats energizing and nourishing foods, but with such little time to spare in the early days, she can use as much help as she can get. I made this stuffed squash dish for a friend who recently had her baby. It makes a wonderfully thoughtful offering for a new family because it presents really well and it’s also healthy, but it tastes like comfort food.

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