Lazy Shepherd's Pie

I started cooking Shepherd's Pie like this when we were renovating our kitchen and my cooking facilities were very limited.  It's not really that lazy but it cuts out the step of putting the "pie" together and baking it in the oven.  It saves a bit of time and still tastes great.

Although my mother did teach me to cook things from scratch, as a working mother I looked for shortcuts and found myself cooking tomato-based dishes like this by opening a jar of bolognaise sauce.   Now that I'm trying to avoid processed foods I use fresh diced tomatoes instead, and you know what?  It doesn't take much longer!  I have a gadget called a Genius Nicer Dicer Plus* which enables easy chopping of vegetables and is great for dicing tomatoes - something that is messy and just never very successful by hand!

 

I don't actually measure things too carefully when I cook so the quantities below are really just 'guesstimates' of the good shake of herbs, couple of dollops of tomato paste, little bit of water etc that I used.  This batch was a hit though - hubby said it was "awesome"!

Ingredients:

[Meat Sauce]

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

500 g beef mince

1 brown onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, diced

4 tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup water

1 medium carrot, diced

1/2 cup cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 Tablespoon dried Mixed Italian Herbs

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup

Sea Salt or Himalayan Rock Salt & pepper to taste

 

[Mash]

1 medium sweet potato

1 large white potato

Method:

[Meat Sauce]

Heat oil in pan and fry onion and carrot for a couple of minutes.  Remove.

Add a little more oil and cook mince until browned.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add tomato, cauliflower, tomato paste, herbs and maple syrup. Stir well and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add peas and simmer another minute.
Add garlic and simmer another minute.

[Mash]

Peel and chop potato into small pieces.   Add 1/4 cup water and microwave on high 8 minutes.

Check potato is cooked evenly and is soft enough for mashing.  If not stir and cook a little longer.

Drain and mash with olive oil to desired consistency.

To serve spoon mince mixture on one side of the plate and then spoon mash partially on top and on the other side,  Top with grated cheese or sprinkle with savoury yeast flakes.

 

Notes:

* I purchased my Genius Nicer Dicer Plus from Target but I understand its also available from Harvey Norman and Big W or you can find it online at eBay.  View a youtube demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=931Yg6GYT3w

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

Apples

When it comes to sticking to a real food diet an apple is one of my top go to snacks.  For fresh fruit it travels pretty well and doesn't need refrigeration.

Apples contain potassium and a small amount of vitamin C.  They contain high levels of various plant chemicals including the flavonoid quercetin, which has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory action.  They are also a valuable source of pectin, a soluble fibre that can help lower 'bad' cholesterol and help prevent colon cancer. Eat apples with the skin on as the skin contains up to five times as many plant chemicals as the flesh.

Apples are pretty convenient to just eat on their own, but to jazz it up a little I like to chop an apple into wedges and dip it in nut butter.  This is a favourite afternoon snack at the office!

Any of these work well as a dip:

Almond Spread

Almond Spread with Chia
Cashew Spread

ABC Spread (made from Almonds, Brazil nuts & Cashew nuts)

Hazelnut and Cacao Spread*

Look for the 100% nut varieties. 

 


Something else that works well as a dip for apple pieces is raw raspberry jam. Below is a link to a Raw Raspberry Jam recipe from Rawedibles.com

http://rawedibles.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/raw-natural-raspberry-jam.html






Source: 100 Best Health Foods by Parragon www.parragon.com/lovefood

Nut butters are available from health food stores, and the health food section of Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.

*Mayver's Hazelnut Cacao Spread is simply blended hazelnuts and cacao and is available from selected Coles supermarkets or you can order online from Aussie Health Products www.aussiehealthproducts.com.au

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

The Nitty Gritty on Fat Burning and How Lemon Water Can Help

Drinking lemon water is something I took up primarily as a caffeine replacement, but also because it has a very alkalising effect on the body and helps to cleanse out impurities.

This article about lemon water explains how it also assists with fat burning. You see one of the liver's functions is to burn fat and pump excessive fat out of the body.  However if the liver is not functioning correctly and is congested and clogged, it begins to store fat rather than burn it.  This article explains that if you have a roll of fat around your middle, it may be because you have a "fatty liver".

Each day your liver produces a liquid called bile. Bile is a soap-like substance that helps break down fat globules into smaller particles so that they can become mixed with water and flushed out rather than stored in the liver.  A good reason to also drink plenty of water each day.  

Dee McCaffrey says:

"Bile is essential to the liver's ability to burn fat, therefore it is important to make sure your body is producing enough bile, and that the bile it produces is of high quality. The liver cannot perform its fat burning role if it is hampered by a lack of bile nutrients, congestion and even clogged bile ducts which constrict bile flow and result in less bile production.  Bile cannot do its job of breaking down fats if it is congested or thickened with food chemicals, pesticides, drugs and other toxins."

"This is where the lemon water comes in.  The combination of fresh lemon juice mixed with water is a well-known bile thinner.  The vitamin C from the fresh lemon juice benefits the formation of quality bile  as it helps the liver to produce a compound called glutathione, which helps cleanse and regenerate the liver.  The warm lemon water also promote peristalsis, the contraction of muscles in the bowels that keeps waste (and fat) moving along the digestive tract and out of the body for elimination."

Source:  The Benefits of Lemon Water by Dee McCaffery CDC
http://www.processedfreeamerica.org/resources/health-news/441-the-benefits-of-lemon-water

Dee McCaffrey is an organic chemist, visionary, author, philanthropist, and nutrition missionary.  Dee and her husband are the founders of Processed-Free America, an organization dedicated to providing healthful education in nutrition, cooking and implementing lifestyle changes for weight loss and optimal health.

See also: http://putthegoodstuffin.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/information-lemon-water.html

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

Avocado

I LOVE avocado. Avocado makes everything special!

Avocado is one of those foods that many people seem to be a bit frightened of eating too often because its high in calories due to a high fat content.  I don't worry about calories.  I eat avocados whenever I want to because they are so nutrient rich and the fat in them is good fat.  

Avocado is rich in many nutrients:  vitamins C, E, and K, folate, iron, potassium and magnesium and also contains smaller amounts of several other minerals.  Avocado is great for your skin, is a good source of fibre, helps to protect the liver and helps to lower cholesterol.  It contains oleic acid which can lower the risk of breast cancer, glutathione which also helps to protect against cancer and lutein which helps protect against eye cataracts and macular degeneration.

 

These days I eat avocado 4 or 5 times a week.  I put it in salads, spread it on toast topped with a boiled or poached egg, use it instead of cheese on a homemade hamburger, make guacamole by mashing and adding lemon juice, fresh herbs and garlic and spread it on steak, or chicken or use it as a dip.  I don't usually eat a lot of bread but on a recent camping holiday a good compromise between healthy and convenient turned out to be BBQ chicken and salad wraps for lunch.  I mashed and spread avocado over the wrap before adding the other ingredients.  With the creamy flavour of the avocado I didn't feel the need to add any store bought dressing or mayo that would be full of refined sugar and preservatives.

Avocado can be added to smoothies and I have even used it to make chocolate mousse!  The avocado gives the mousse a lovely texture.

For more nutritional information and inspiration about how to eat avocados visit the Australian Avocados website,  or here's an idea I have previously posted http://putthegoodstuffin.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/guacamole-topped-steak-with-rice.html

Sources:   http://m.avocado.org.au

100 Best Health Foods by Parragon www.parragon.com/lovefood

 

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

Banana Pancakes

This idea comes from Edible Harmony's Two Ingredient Flourless Pancakes.

The original recipe is just two ingredients: banana and egg, and works very well for a quick breakfast or snack.  For additional nutritional impact I like to add a few extra ingredients:  LSA*, chia seed and blueberries.  As this is quite easy to make I often made this for breakfast on a recent camping holiday. You can mash and mix the ingredients with a fork but to speed things up I recommend using a potato masher.

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

1 banana

2 eggs

1 tablespoon LSA*
1 tablespoon chia seed

A handful of blueberries - fresh or frozen

In a bowl mash the banana.  Add two eggs and mix well.  Add the LSA, chia seed and blueberries and stir to mix through.  Let the mixture stand for a few minutes to allow the chia seeds to absorb some of the egg and thicken the mixture.  Pour mixture into a hot pan and cook until the edges begin to firm up and bubbles start to appear.  Turn and cook on the other side.  I recommend keeping the pancake size small, about the size of your hand, so that they are easy to turn without breaking. Serves one.

The natural sweetness of the banana makes these pancakes sweet enough so that you don't need to add any syrup.

*LSA is a mix of ground linseed, sunflower seed and almonds.

Source: Edible Harmony http://www.edibleharmony.com/

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.