Nothing can exist without its opposite

Batman needs, and wouldn’t exist without, villains like The Joker. Cold only has meaning if we understand it in relation to hot. The same goes for up and down. War cannot exist in a world that does not also include peace. Samsara and Nirvana (not the band) are inextricably linked. Every act of creation is first an act of destruction. Life – death – life.

What you want cannot exist in a world free of what you don’t want. It is a continuum. One pole cannot exist without its opposite.

The alchemy, the gold, amongst this otherwise dreary news is that you can only experience one pole at a time. Let me say that again. If you are experiencing Love, you cannot experience Hate at that moment. If you are experiencing Freedom, you cannot be experiencing Captivity. If you are experiencing Success, you cannot at that moment be experiencing Failure. Scientists have even proven that if you are experiencing Empathy you cannot be, in that moment, capable of Violence.

Don’t believe me. And please, ignore the science. This weekend when you are feeling rage at the toddler who will not sleep/listen muster empathy for their predicament and notice what changes. When you are judgmental, see what happens when you move to a place of compassion. Or, for shits and giggles, when you are joyously enjoying the sun and the relaxed pace of the weekend try to feel frustration and see if you succeed.

I would love to know how you go. xxx

Abomination cupcakes

Remember how I said a while back I am pretty good at research. I think I spend a minimum of 1.5 hours every day researching something. Often it is as boring as Professional Indemnity Insurance, other times is something geeky like downloading and unpacking primary school syllabus so I can better guide my toddler and sometimes it is how to make delicious treats that don’t turn my toddler into a screaming maniac. Below is the result of one such research session. (Gee I promise I’m not quite as boring as that paragraph suggests.)

If you aren’t a Mum, these are a relatively healthy cake recipe that you are bound to have the ingredients for in your cupboard right now. Just use a vegetable oil instead of applesauce.

Abomination cupcakes (a.k.a kid friendly cakes)

This is a variation of a vegan cake recipe. I have reduced the total sugar content because my son (and plenty of others) can do without loads of refined sugars. I replaced the oil with applesauce. I prefer unsweetened. And reduced the total liquid content to adjust for the liquid content of apple sauce. Note: Any pureed fruit will do so feel free to substitute what you have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 1 large lemon (juice and rind)
• 1 ½ cups all wholemeal plain flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. bicarb soda
• 6 tbsp. apple sauce
• 1 tsp. vinegar (Yep, vinegar, but I promise you, you won’t taste it.)
• Water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°celcius
2. Put flour, sugar and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Mix them together fairly well. A wooden spoon will do.
3. In a plastic jug (easier for little hands to pour) add the zest of the lemon, the juice of the lemon and 6 tbsp of apple sauce. (I zest and juice directly into the jug to save on washing up.)
4. Now add water to the jug until the whole mixture combined is 1 cup (250ml).
5. Pour your lemon juice mixture into your bowl of dry ingredients. And add 1 tbs of vinegar to the mix. (You won’t taste it.)
6. Mix well with a wooden spoon. NB Mixture will foam. That is expected when you add bicarb soda and vinegar/lemon juice. This might be a good time for a science lesson if your kids are receptive.
7. Spoon mixture into patty pans in a cupcake tray. Fill each pan ¾ full. TIP If little hands are helping, it is worth putting the batter into a ziplock bag and cutting off the corner to make a little piping bag. It is far easier to handle than a spoon.
8. Bake until the centre of the cupcake is lightly springy to the touch. I use 12 min for little cupcakes and 15 for muffin sized cupcakes (they won’t have the muffin top).
9. Ice as you prefer. I leave them un-iced or at a push lightly dist with icing sugar. But as most icing is sugar laden, icing is a special occasion treat in our house. Then we do icing so well we ship it to friends in containers to eat by the spoon, Really.