garden therapy...

Our small organic garden is adapting to the changes with the cooler weather.  Even though our pickings are small, time spent in the sunshine always makes us feel better.  This week we planted radishes. 

Our tomatoes are still doing so well.  I can't say I've had the chance to pick many myself as my three little ones enjoy collecting these rosy gems. 

Finally, my pot of mixed herbs seem to be doing well.  I added in some curly parsley the other day.  In this pot I have thai basil, flat parsley, oregano and curly parsley.  The orange shavings you see is the pulp from my carrot juice recipe.  I added this pulp straight onto the soil - most of it has already broken down. 

 

When I created this pot it was just an excuse to potter around one weekend.  I recycled an old terracotta pot that we had, re-filled it with soil and stuck in some pretty ordinary herbs off the cheap sale rack (you know the one's you think that probably won't survive).  All in all, I think it's doing okay for this time of year. 



What are you doing in the garden this weekend?  

Choc-Chai Coconut Slice

Here's a recipe I've developed that will fill up the little one's while being healthy at the same time.  This recipe would make a great morning tea or afternoon snack.  You could also add this to your lunchbox as it has no nuts!  You might have to omit the mint chocolate if chocolate topping is not allowed at your daycare / kindy /school.  Adults will love this slice too. 

Choc-Chai Coconut Slice

 Ingredients

12 medjool dates, seeds removed
2 ¼ cups desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
2 tablespoons mixed chai seeds
1 tablespoon pea and rice chocolate protein powder 
4 tablespoons coconut cream

Optional Extra - Easy Mint Chocolate Topping

100g Lindt Mint Intense dark chocolate (or just regular milk chocolate would taste just as good)
2 tablespoons coconut cream
Extra coconut for topping
 
Totally Healthy Method (without mint chocolate topping)
1.       Place all ingredients into your blender or food processor.
2.       Blend until well combined.  Be patient.  You should have a dough-like consistency.
3.       Press the mixture into a loaf tin lined with baking paper.
4.       Place the mixture into the freezer to set, slice and enjoy.

Extra Bit Cheeky Method (with mint chocolate topping)
1.       Complete steps 1 to 3 from ‘Healthy Method’.
2.       Melt mint chocolate and 2 tablespoons of coconut cream.  Stir until smooth. 
3.       Spread or drizzle melted chocolate onto mixture. 
4.       Top with extra coconut. 
5.       Place the mixture into the freezer to set, slice and enjoy. 

I think this one has the seal of approval!

Happy school holiday baking.

healthy start

As the winter season is upon us there is nothing more refreshing then freshly squeezed oranges.  Juicing seasonal fruit is a must in our house during these windy winter months. 
X

goings on...

Where did the week go?
Here are some snaps of the goings on around here.

Baking biscuits for morning/afternoon tea.  We made three different varieties (ginger, choc chip and vanilla).  I am yet to share the recipe as I am not entirely happy with the dough.

 

 

PJ party for three!  These were the new PJs the Easter Bunny delivered.  Light cotton is perfect for this autumn weather at the moment.  
 

Below.  Dressed up and ready for ANZAC Day march.  Unfortunately, I stayed home to recover from a terrible bout of hay fever.

Weekend Dinner and leftovers for lunch: Home-made Minestrone soup from the new Australian Women's Weekly 'Food for Friends' page 8. I served mine with fresh corn on the cob and garlic bread.  Sooooo good. 

Today - a friend's son turned 6.  I know it looks like no one else attended but it's a courtesy thing.  Yes, there were moments of having the jumping castle all to their own little selves!



 

After an afternoon nap.  It was straight back into the kitchen to organise meals for the week and bake! I put my signed copy of Curtis Stone's 'What's for Dinner?' to the baking test.  His 'oatmeal coconut butter cookies' is a classic Aussie ANZAC biscuit recipe. 

 

I made a double batch and mixed up the sizes some adult size and some mini (below) for the lunchboxes during the week. 

Well, that was a little bit of the goings on around here.

Here's hoping you have a great week ahead.

xo.





happy easter

 

 

 

Wishing you a relaxing Easter weekend.

 xo

preparing for the easter bunny

For some reason this Easter I have been a bit unorganised (my version of unorganised).  Nevertheless, I have three little ones firmly reminding me that we have to prepare for the Easter Bunny. With little voices trailing behind me we all worked together to make our Easter table.  This afternoon we gathered our baskets and a bit of left over lawn clippings (like I said, unorganised) to make a nice nest for the Easter Bunny. 

 We found and cleaned an old table from home and made room for its place.

 

Some vintage 'scrap' fabric was sourced from the depths of my sewing room which was the perfect size for the table.

Our old wooden tree was decorated with some foam eggs purchased from the Reject Shop.

Other items were gathered from around the house. We found three little wooden birds and some feathers.    



 I raided Miss Flutterby's room for her bunting I made some years ago.

 We also added some drawings on the wall as a backdrop for the table.  

Well, like I said earlier, I was pretty unorganised however we put this together with just things from around the house.  It doesn't really matter if you have some or none of these things.  The joy was in improvising and making the most of what we had.  The joy was in the process, just being together and anticipating tomorrow.
Here's hoping the Easter Bunny finds you.
xo 

hello April...

xo

in my kitchen

It is more than likely that on any given Sunday you will find me in my kitchen.  Since the beginning of the school term I have spent every Sunday in the kitchen preparing meals and baking for the week ahead.  Today was no different. Since this is the last week of school for the term, I needed old family favourite recipes; recipes I know how to do with my eyes closed and that I know will be enjoyed. 
Some things I cooked and baked in the kitchen today:

• Vegetable soup: eaten for brunch.  Loaded with vegies and finely sliced ginger. 
• Banana Bread: use ripe bananas.  This recipe ensures no bananas are wasted in our house.  
• Chocolate cake: a no fail recipe.  I love this recipe as it is easy and the cake is light.  Perfect with or without frosting.  
• Satay Chicken and stir-fry vegies with noodles: our dinner tonight.
• Seed mix (for Cobie): a great topping for yoghurt, porridge etc. 

Banana Bread Recipe

125g butter, softened
1 cup (175g) brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
1¾ cups  plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of (baking) soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
⅓ cup golden syrup
butter, extra, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).  Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Gradually add the eggs and beat well to combine.
3. Add the banana, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and golden syrup and stir to combine.
4. Spoon the mixture into a 26cmx11cm (2.5 litre-capacity) lightly greased loaf tin lined with baking paper.  Bake for 60-65 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. 
5. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Slice and serve with extra butter.

Seed Mix (for Cobie)
This is my own experiment for my friend Cobie (previous post).  Cobie is not a fan of nuts (I only found this out after I gave her a jar full of activated nuts that I prepared myself).  Since then, I have been experimenting on a seed mix.  I sourced the organic ingredients via health food stores and health section in local grocery store.  You really have to just judge the amounts per ingredient and adjust the portions to your liking.
  

I lightly toasted the following ingredients one at a time:

• pepitas
• sunflower seeds
• coconut flakes
• flax seeds

I also added (without toasting):

• chai seeds (black and white)
• goii berries
• ground flaxseed with almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts and CoQ10 (Shhhh don't tell her. I only added a little bit and since it was ground I am hoping she doesn't take much notice)

If you really don't like nuts omit the last ingredient. 

 

A tablespoon here and there on yoghurt, porridge, chai pudding, salads etc. would add an extra crunch and flavour.
Fingers crossed she likes it!

You can find more of my favourite recipes here.
xo

breadmaking

Bread. Where shall we begin? Even though I rarely eat bread, our family of 5 seems to go through a couple of loaves of bread a week. I find it slightly annoying, but still annoying to 'duck' into the shops during the week just to buy more bread.  Here, we have now learnt to purchase an extra loaf and pop it in the freezer.  Personally, I dislike the frozen stuff as well.  However, in our house, the frozen bread literally does not stay frozen for more than two days.  Our Australian climate thaws most things rather quickly and it is almost as good as the 'freshly baked' stuff you buy in the shops (Ahem - well sort of).  That was until I decided to reach into the depths of my pantry and retrieve...the bread maker.  Yes, a huge appliance hidden in the depths of my cupboard...And I wondered...

Surely the thing still worked?
Surely this is a cheaper and possibly more cost-effective way to supplement our regular, store bought cased in plastic, loaf? 
Maybe, just maybe, if this worked we could stretch it until the weekend grocery shop?

I eagerly rushed to the shops to buy the flour (a whole 12kgs of the stuff).  Upon my return I realised - it pays to read the instruction manual.  I forgot the powdered milk.  I also wondered after I ripped open the bag why there were grainy bits in the flour bag - Oh that's right, upon reading the front of the bag again - I realised I had bought 12kgs of MULIT-GRAIN which is great as long as everyone eats multi-grain!  Yes, it was a day of complete stuff ups. 

To cut a very long story short; my multigrain bread turned out despite not having it on the right setting, having no powdered milk and waiting for hours for the bread to make.  Thankfully, it turned out and it was delicious! 

My new found (although rather frustrating) relationship prompted me to head back to the shops to find some white flour for bread making.  Yes, the most essential ingredient that all the family could enjoy. 
Success again!

Although I used the powdered milk, I omitted the salt and it still tasted like bread to me only 100 times better than the bought stuff.

It costs well under 2 dollars for a home made loaf with the added bonus that you can adjust your ingredients e.g. less to no salt/sugar and no preservatives.   

 

 

It might be considered 'cheating' using a machine to bake bread and if I was given more time in my day, I would love to be better at making bread with my own hands, however, using a bread maker means I can set it up and literally walk away, so for now, it works for me.  Despite the initial setbacks (my own doing), I am encouraged to keep using the bread maker and I am looking forward to experimenting further. 

Any ideas what to do with all that multigrain flour?

xo



Laundry Liquid Recipe

Browsing through some of my favourite blogs I rediscovered Rhonda Hetzel's laundry liquid recipe.  It requires only a few simple ingredients. 

 

You can find the ingredients and method here: Down to Earth
Rhonda's laundry liquid recipe is extremely cost effective ($1.75 for 10 litres-Rhonda provides a break down) and this is a bonus for my family of five because I wash almost every day.  As Rhonda suggested, you can source the ingredients from our local IGA store.  It really didn't take that long to make.  I don't think I will ever buy laundry liquid/powder again.

I purchased Rhonda's book some time ago and this recipe success has prompted me to go back for more inspiration.

xo

morning tea/afternoon tea/lunchbox recipe

Mini Cornflake Honey Snaps
Source: Recipe adapted from 'The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits', The Australian Women’s Weekly, page 56 (Vintage/Original Edition)

All hands on deck.  This is an easy recipe for toddlers as long as they have their own tray and patty pans etc. 

60g butter

¼ cup honey
4 cups cornflakes
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Place butter, honey and sugar into small saucepan, stir over medium heat until butter has melted.
2. Lightly crush cornflakes.  
3. Combine lightly crushed cornflakes in a bowl, pour butter and honey mixture over.
4. Mix until cornflakes are well coated.  Place mini paper cases in patty tins.
5. Use a tablespoon to spoon mixture into paper cases. 
6. Bake in a moderate oven for 8 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven, stand 15 minutes to firm.
8. Store in air tight container.

Makes about 30. 

My notes...

The original recipe includes peanuts.  I omit this ingredient so the kids can take the treat to school for lunch.  I use mini patty pans also.  You get quite a few more out of the mixture and mini patty pans are a perfect size for toddlers and lunchboxes.  We also include chai seeds or hundreds and thousands for a bit of colour. 

 xo

 

Australia Day...

It is not a very 'Aussie' thing to do but you can guess how I spent Australia Day, that's right - working. 

 

 

making posters for my classroom

 

We did have Vegemite on toast for breakfast. A staple item in our pantry.

 

Covering books - the Vegemite jar left out after breakfast came in handy

Happy Australia Day!

xo



happy birthday

Today's birthday was low key and relaxed.  Usually we just have a basic chocolate cake however this year suggestions were made as to the theme of the cake.  Hopefully via the montage below you can get a bit of an idea how the cake was constructed.  A theme well suited for a man that loves playing golf. 

Later that evening our good friends offered to baby sit so we treated ourselves to dinner at a Thai restaurant. As you can see, baby flutter-bug needed one last cuddle before we headed out the door. 

Happy Birthday to you or your loved ones this month!
xo