ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Be creative in order to fight the attraction of their playmates 'sweets and fizzy drinks' parties, and frequently explain to eco kids the benefits of organic living foods. Subconsciously, they will retain what you tell them.

There really is no need for an elaborate smorgasbord. They will be delighted with their old, tried - and - true favourites.

PARTY - TIME PLEASERS

Fruit salad - watermelon - grapes - cherries - strawberries - fresh pineapple & banana rolled in organic coconut - or any local organic fruit in season.

Carrot & celery sticks, snow peas, cucumber straws - to be dipped in hummous / avocado dip.

Fresh organic fuit juices - water - & fresh coconut water ( drill a hole in the centre of coconut, insert straw, drill an extra hole and place a fresh flower / paper umbrella.) Fresh brewed organic chamomile flowers, for the tea party.

Dried fruit (be sure they are grown & dried organically) organic dates - raisins - sultanas - figs - cranberries etc, pumpkin seeds.

Home-made ice cream / put frozen fruit through champion juicer / food processor with metal blade.(makes a great birthday cake) Optional toppings of chopped raisins, shredded coconut.

Jellies made from organic fruit juice and agar agar, set in moulds and decorated with slices of fresh fruit.

Special party sandwiches - open sandwiches of sprouted bread / best-quality organic bread - use biscuit cutter to cut shapes - spread with avocado, don't put too much filling on the bread, or it will be difficult for small children to manage. Make faces or designs with grated carrot, raisins, cheese, snow peas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes or anything that takes your fancy!

A few healthy treats - muffins / biscuits / coconut balls, made with love and care and organic ingredients without added sugar / junk.

Don't forget to decorate the table with -

baskets of home-made organic (no added sugar) sweets

organic popcorn, pop in organic coconut oil (for over -3s)

organic cheese shapes (made with small biscuit cutters)

BIRTHDAY CAKE

Just how does one compete with that over the top, super duper, cake with the blue icing covered with sticky sweets that Jimmy had at his birthday party last month?

Don't even try....Give your friends something to really remember...

A branch with wrapped treats hanging with ribbon, surround with tall beeswax candles and flowers.

Watermelon fruit spike delight - scoop out watermelon with a melon baller & put on kebab sticks, place in upturned watermelon, decorate with candles etc.

Any organic fruit, place candles in top.

Decorate a tray with foil / fabric, candles, flowers and ribbons as a centre piece  then surround with individual muffins, can place a small birthday candle in centre of each muffin.

Home-made icecream freeze in muffin tins.

Serve a fruit platter with your name spelt out in strawberries or grapes - go to town with the melon baller!

Sparklers and candles are fun ... but keep a grown-up handy.

ORGANIC INSTINCT BIRTHDAY CAKE

When baking cakes use your natural instincts, just like your parenting instincts.

Don't use a measure or timer ...go for it and create your own masterpieces, made with all organic ingredients and your own instincts! We never make the same cake twice, Thierry loves to help, pours in flour, coconut etc and he has created some beauties!

First you may like to soften some dried fruit in small amount of water / fruit juice (chopped dates are great)

In food processor add flour of choice (to sift)

In a bowl add whatever your heart desires... dry ingredients than wet ingredients and mix together.. mashed banana, shredded coconut, egg, sutanas / cranberries / grated beetroot, zuccini, apple etc. We don't use any sweetners like honey as the fruit sweetens enough, add liquid eg yoghurt / fruit juice / water / milk of choice until you have a nice cake consistency.

Bake and cool and decorate if desired ... a great party favourite is mashed banana, lemon juice, yoghurt, beetroot juice - gives a lovely bright pink colour, which children love / use carob powder for chocolate.

Some of our favourite party shapes - a round cake makes a great clown cake / happy face - ice with beetroot icing and decorate with wool hair, 2 slices of kiwi fruit for eyes organic licorice for eyebrows, a strawberry for the nose, a dehydrated whole banana for the mouth, 2 small star (use biscuit cutters) strawberries for cheeks.

A round cake makes a great maypole - ice and use wooden skewers with ribbon wrapped around, with small wood animals.

For the Dog Theme birthday cake bake a small rectangle cake with 2 small round cakes to make a bone shape, or use a dog shape cake tin.

Children love to decorate the birthday cake as a party activity, you will find they always eat what they create! For Thierry's 2nd birthday we were to have a machine cake, we purchased little wood wheels and had beetroot and carob icing, we made a sapote cake (chocolate pudding fruit picked from our tree) and Thierry and his two little guests did a beautiful creative birthday cake!

Use paraffin-free candles, or make your own beeswax birthday candles.

We thank you for your kindly gifts

The food, the air, the stone that sits,

Fires which warm our hearts each day,

And the rain in which we run and play.

Blessings! Blessings!

To all we love,

And blessings on our meal.