Gourmet Brekky at the Office

I'm known at work for eating gourmet breakfasts at the office.

Quite a few of the staff come to work early and eat breakfast there. I do it because I live out of town a bit and like to beat the thicker traffic coming in, and to get what is becoming rare - a free parking spot!

So when others are tipping something from a box and pouring on milk, I'm tucking into a cooked breakfast!

There's been beef rissoles with boiled eggs, avocado and sauerkraut 

or leftover veggie pie, with avocado and sauerkraut 

 

or lately, inspired by an "I Quit Sugar" post, a kind of greens and scrambled eggs...with avocado and sauerkraut, just because I can't live without them!

I prepare the night before by cracking two free range eggs into a mason jar and whisk them with a fork. I add about a tablespoon of pure butter, chopped in a few pieces.

I buy a butter that is certified organic and comes from New Zealand. They say that the healthiest butter to have is from grass fed cows. It doesn't say "grass fed" on the packet, and I haven't been to New Zealand, I've only seen pictures, but I have been to Tasmania and seen the very content looking dairy cows in the lush green paddocks there. I figure that New Zealand would be very similar so the butter is probably pretty good.

Next I add a little grated cheese and a sprinkle of turmeric powder, because turmeric has great anti-inflammatory properties.

I like to sprinkle a little turmeric powder in lots of meals. I figure if small regular doses of chemicals and preservatives in processed foods can make us sick over time then small regular doses of great herbs and spices in real food will do wonders!

So where was I ... then as a minimum I top up the jar with mixed leafy greens and some fresh coriander, but sometimes I'll add other things.

I've done diced onion, just because I was chopping some up for dinner and thought I'll chuck a little
of that in.

I've also added sautéed broccolini and/or asparagus spears because I was doing some with dinner, and last night I had sautéed mushrooms and kale with dinner and saved a little of that for my gourmet
brekky jar.

Then that goes into the fridge overnight. In the morning I pack it with my lunch - usually dinner leftovers in another jar - into an insulated bag with some frozen ice packs for the journey into work.

At the office we have quite a well equipped little kitchen with a microwave.

I simply empty my brekky jar contents into a bowl, stir the mixture lightly with a fork and pop it into the microwave on medium power for around 4 minutes, stopping periodically to "scramble" the egg mixture with a fork. So at say 1 1/2 minutes, at 3 minutes,  and at 3 1/2 minutes. It can take a little longer if you have added the more bulky greens or if you add a little extra liquid. Sometimes I rinse the jar with the tiniest amount of water and tip that in so I'm not leaving half the turmeric powder on the side of the jar.

I then top my scramble and greens with avocado because it's a great fat source for hormone and skin health and sauerkraut because it's very nutritious, great for my gut health and a is digestive aid.

This is really very easy to do.

See, there's really no excuse for not having a delicious and nutritious cooked breakfast everyday!

~ 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.

Pink Eggs!

I'm always looking for simple ways to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. In this case, beetroot.

This recipe comes from the "That Sugar Film" blog. By the way if you haven't seen that film yet, you should.

Recipe [serves 2]

1 medium beetroot, peeled and finely grated

4-5 eggs 

1 Avocado 

Method

Grate the beetroot into a bowl. Add the eggs and mix well with a fork. Add to a pan greased with a dob of grass-fed butter or coconut oil and stir until cooked. Serve topped with chopped avocado.

So I thought that I would give this recipe a try.  Grating the fresh beetroot is a fun exercise, and expectedly a little messy!  But not as hard as I thought it might be, and if you promptly wash your hands, knife and chopping board, staining is not a problem, but you could wear gloves.

The end product looks a little ... let's go with unusual.  And the taste?  I think that I expected the beetroot flavour to be very dominant. Probably because most of my previous beetroot experience is a slice of vinegar-soaked canned beetroot on a hamburger. But actually it was very subtle and the overall verdict ... quite delicious!

For an extra nutritional punch I added some chopped fresh parsley along with the avocado. The second time I made it I also added a chopped spring onion to the mixture before cooking.

I think this may well become a frequent breakfast meal for me, but could also be handy as a quick lunch or dinner.

Source: "That Sugar Film" Damon's Post Experiment Recipes ebook
http://thatsugarfilm.com/act-now/recipes/

~ 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.

Homemade Deodorant

One of the key factors I feel helped to eliminate the migraines I suffered from was adopting a diet that supports my body in its natural detoxification processes.  So by drinking a good amount of water every day throughout the day, eating lots of plant foods, especially leafy greens.  Generally eating a nutrient-dense diet to give my body the tools it needs to do its job, and eliminating the things that will inhibit that process - refined sugars and flours, chemically and heat processed oils and other processed foods.

I also feel it's important to reduce where I can the 'toxic load' that my body needs to deal with.  So becoming more aware of what's in the products I use everyday and switching to products made from natural ingredients.  I use coconut oil, or olive oil to moisturise my skin and I've been experimenting with more natural cosmetics and hair-care products from my local health food store.

This homemade deodorant is simple and it works!  It won't stop you sweating but you don't want to do that because sweating is one of the body's pathways of detoxification.  I've been using this for about nine months now and on hot humid days when I get a bit wet under the arms I just wipe the moisture away with a tissue, but even then, there's no smell!

This recipe comes from twenty8.com

Equipment/Ingredients

Clean dry empty spice jar

Aluminium-free bicarbonate soda

Essential oils of your choice.  I used jasmine and sandalwood.

Method

Fill the spice jar about one third full of bicarbonate soda, add a few drops of essential oils, replace the lid and shake to mix.  Add another third of bicarbonate soda, a few more drops of essential oils, cap and shake again. Finish with some more bicarbonate soda and a few more drops of essential oils but make sure you leave a bit of space so you can still shake to mix it through.

To use 

Wet your fingers on one hand and sprinkle on a little of the deodorant.  Wet the fingers on your other hand and rub your hands together to form a thin paste.  Smooth this paste under each arm and allow to dry before getting dressed so you don't get white powdery marks on your clothes. You actually don't need to use much. That's it.

I actually think that straight bicarbonate soda would work just fine.  The essential oils just give it a nice subtle perfume that's pleasant for the user.

Source: http://www.twenty8.com/twenty8-blog/the-best-natural-deodorant-ever

Suggested further reading on this topic:  

http://chriskresser.com/toxic-skincare-products-soap-shampoo-and-lotion/

http://chriskresser.com/are-your-skincare-products-toxic-makeup-and-cosmetics/

http://chriskresser.com/are-your-skincare-products-toxic-deodorant-and-antiperspirant/

http://chriskresser.com/are-your-skincare-products-toxic-sunscreen/

More homemade ideas:

http://hellonatural.co/category/diy-natural-beauty/-skincare/

http://hellonatural.co/category/diy-natural-beauty/diy-bath-body/

http://hellonatural.co/category/natural-home/green-living

                   

~ 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.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

Avoiding certain things in your diet forces you to get creative.  It also means that you will find yourself eating more plant foods - which is a good thing!

This idea comes from Meaghan of Meals and Miles.  You can read her blog post here:

http://mealsandmiles.com/2009/06/09/marathon-momentos/

This is what I did.  Washed and sliced a large eggplant lengthways into 4 slices then partially grilled these on a sandwich press.  The two outside slices were a bit curved from the shape of the eggplant, but grilling them in the sandwich press flattened them suitably.  I spread each piece with avocado, topped with some leftover parmigiana sauce made the night before*, added some thin slices of goat's cheese and some fresh basil leaves.  I then put the lid on and returned it to the grill until the cheese melted a bit.

It was delicious!  Don't try to eat it like a "regular" sandwich though, knife and fork recommended!

 * Parmigiana Sauce:  fry a diced onion in a little coconut oil.  Add 2 diced tomatoes, a couple of heaped tablespoons of organic tomato paste, a good dose of mixed dried herbs, a dash of pure maple syrup and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until tomato breaks down and you have a sauce. Add a diced garlic clove and cook another minute and serve.  Garlic has greater health benefits if eaten raw or only lightly cooked.

For other "no bread" sandwich ideas check out: http://wisemindhealthybody.com/ad1/9-amazing-bread-sandwich-ideas/?c=jer

~ 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.

Dairy-Free Ice Cream Cake with Chocolate and Blueberries

Last weekend was the Queen's Birthday holiday weekend.  We have a tradition in our house which started when my daughter was quite small.  We were invited to go to a friend's house in the afternoon one Queen's Birthday holiday so I thought I'd buy a cake to take over for afternoon tea.  Being the Queen's Birthday holiday I grabbed some candles and we called it the Queen's birthday cake and had my daughter blow out the candles on behalf of the Queen.  The tradition was born . . . and every year since then we have had birthday cake for the Queen and my daughter has blown out the candles on behalf of Her Majesty!

This year I decided the Queen would have a different sort of cake - a dairy-free ice cream cake with chocolate and blueberries.  The recipe comes from theearthearthdiet.com.  I reduced the quantities to one third of the original recipe and used a 20cm (8") pie dish.  I also changed the recipe a little because I didn't have a couple of the ingredients.  My version went like this ...

Easy Slow Cooked Beef

This recipe comes from the Delicious Obsessions blog.  They call it the "Easiest (and most delicious) Crock Pot Beef Ever".  I tend to agree.  The hardest part of this recipe is peeling and chopping all the garlic!

Slow cooking not only makes meat very tender, it also makes it easier to digest.  I am learning that looking after your digestive system is one of the best things to do for good health.

BBQ Sauce

This is an easy homemade BBQ sauce.  The base recipe comes from mywholefoodlife.com but of course I have adapted it a little!  I reduced the quantities to ensure that I use it all while it's fresh and substituted Worcestershire sauce with coconut aminos, a soy sauce alternative made from coconut sap available from health food stores.

Simple Salad Dressing

Make your own salad dressing and avoid preservatives and additives. This is a really easy salad dressing to make.  Into a small jar place 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard per serving required.  Pour in extra virgin olive oil to desired quantity and add a splash of apple cider vinegar* to taste. Replace lid and shake well. Pour over your salad and enjoy!

*read about the benefits of apple cider vinegar:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3598/7-Reasons-to-Love-Apple-Cider-Vinegar.html

http://bodyecology.com/articles/apple_cider_vinegar.php#http://bodyecology.com/articles/apple_cider_vinegar.php#

 http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/the-health-benefits-of-vinegar3.htm

~ 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.



Sourdough Easter Bun

As Easter was approaching I thought to myself that I would like to try and make some hot cross buns this year.  I wondered if I could adapt the bread machine sourdough recipe to make hot cross buns.  So I just gave it a go!

SOURDOUGH HOT CROSS BUNS

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons yoghurt

3/4 cup water

4 cups wholegrain flour, less 3 tablespoons (I used Atta Wholemeal)

1 3/4 teaspoons dried yeast granules

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder + plenty extra!

1 teaspoon unrefined salt

1 tablespoon molasses 

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup mixed dried fruit

Mix together yoghurt and water and add to flour.  Mix to form a dough. Cover and leave in a warmish place for 18-24 hours.

I prepared the water, yoghurt and flour mixture and left it to do its thing overnight.  The next afternoon instead of putting everything into the bread machine I added the yeast, unrefined salt, molasses and butter directly to the bowl containing the "sourdough" and began to mix with a metal tablespoon. The mixture was rather sticky but that was OK at this point because it made mixing in the other ingredients easier.  I found it important to pay particular attention to breaking up and distributing the butter evenly through the mixture.

Then I added the arrowroot, 3 tablespoons initially.  I had actually forgotten to take out the 3 tablespoons of flour (4 cups, less 3 tablespoons) the day before when preparing the "sourdough" but it definitely still needed the arrowroot.  In fact it was so sticky that I ended up adding a total of 10 tablespoons of arrowroot plus more on my hands and on the board that I used to knead it on.  Just add as much as you need to handle it, knead it and work it into six buns.  To make the crosses I put about 1/3 cup Atta flour into a small bowl and added a little cold water to form a dough.  Then I rolled this dough between my hands to make long skinny "dough strings" which I cut into 12 pieces to form the crosses.  I placed the buns onto a pizza tray greased with a little coconut oil and decorated them with the crosses.  I found that the crosses stuck to the buns without needing to dab any water on them. I left the buns to sit for about 30 minutes to rise.  I covered the buns with some plastic wrap to prevent the dough drying out. I recommend spraying the wrap with a little oil to prevent it sticking to the buns!

My oven was playing up so I actually cooked the buns in our bbq at around 170-180 degrees (C) for about 30 minutes, turning the tray around halfway through.  The bread is cooked when it sounds hollow when you tap it. Cool on a wire rack and then enjoy with some real butter!

So here they are my hot cross buns . . . um my hot cross bun pull-apart bun! It was surprisingly light and fluffy given that this is made from wholemeal flour, and delightfully delicious, if I may say so myself!

Of course you don't have to wait until next Easter to try this . . . make it without the crosses for a morning/afternoon tea anytime.

Source / Further information:  Recipe adapted from Bread Machine Bread from the Weston A Price Foundation's "Healthy 4 Life" dietary guidelines brochure
http://www.westonaprice.org/images/pdfs/healthy4life2011.pdf

http://www.bdfarmpariscreek.com.au/index03.php?id=36&pl=20&tl=8 natural ~  biodynamic non-homogenised natural yoghurt available from Woolworths supermarkets*

Jimmy's Atta Wholemeal Flour ~ available from Woolworths supermarkets*

http://www.mainland.com.au/cheese-product/buttersoft-pure-butter/ ~ Mainland Buttersoft butter available from Woolworths supermarkets*

*possibly also available from Coles supermarkets, I just haven't checked yet!

~ 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.

Bread Machine Sourdough

I am avoiding eating commercially made breads so I was very excited to discover this recipe for sourdough that can be made in a bread machine!

This recipe comes from the Weston A Price Foundation's "Healthy 4 Life" dietary guidelines brochure.  Weston A Price was a dentist who studied the diet, lifestyle and health of indigenous cultures around the world in the 1930's.  He found a definite connection between the consumption of traditional and natural foods and the maintenance of good health.

So why sourdough?

The "Healthy 4 Life" guide explains that:

"Grains, legumes and nuts and seeds . . . are a source of many nutrients, including B vitamins, minerals and special types of fats.  However all seeds contain what scientists refer to as "anti-nutrients", substances that block the uptake of nutrients, block digestion and irritate the intestinal tract.  In traditional cultures all over the world, grains are very carefully prepared to lower the level of these compounds to make grains, legumes and nuts easier to digest.  These preparation techniques include roasting, long soaking of beans followed by cooking, soaking grains in slightly acidic water, followed by cooking, and fermenting bread dough to make sourdough bread.  These preparation techniques not only make these foods easier to digest, they also greatly increase vitamin levels.  In cultures where people depend on grains, legumes and nuts for most of their calories, these preparation techniques ensure that they get ample nutrition."

BREAD MACHINE SOURDOUGH

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons yoghurt

3/4 cup water

4 cups wholegrain flour, less 3 tablespoons

1 3/4 teaspoons dried yeast granules

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 teaspoon unrefined salt

1 tablespoon molasses 

2 tablespoons butter

Mix together yoghurt and water and add to flour.  Mix to form a dough.  Cover and leave in a warmish place for 18-24 hours.

Put the dough plus the yeast, arrowroot powder, salt, molasses and butter in the breadmaker.  Set it to a wholemeal setting and begin.  When it's part-way through the kneading section, check that all the ingredients have mixed together and check the consistency.  If it is slimy, add some more arrowroot, if it's too dry add a few more drops of water, drop by drop.  Proceed as directed and enjoy the bread!

The first time I made this recipe I used the standard wholemeal setting on my bread machine.  It turned out ok.

The second time I made it I decided to try the machine's turbo setting.  I hadn't used this setting before and the bread machine's manual does warn that loaves are likely to be heavier due to less rising time.  To my surprise the bread turned out better than the first time I made it, so I have used the turbo setting ever since.  The turbo setting on my bread machine takes just 1 hour and 5 minutes which means that I can put it on after work to have yummy fresh bread with dinner.

So far I have successfully made this recipe with wholemeal Atta flour, organic wholemeal spelt flour, and Powlett Hill GMO free biodynamic stoneground wheat flour.  I have also made a loaf with all Powlett Hill GMO free biodynamic stoneground rye flour.  That one was a little heavier but still yummy.  A mixture of the stoneground wheat and rye flours worked better.

I use b d Farm Paris Creek organic natural yoghurt because it's the most natural, natural yoghurt that I can find.  It's organic, biodynamic and made from non-homogenised milk.

I like to use Mainland Buttersoft butter because it is pure butter but easy to spread because it's "triple churned".  Other spreadable butter brands are a blend of butter and canola or sunflower oil.

So far I have found the flour to liquid ratio to work well and haven't felt the need to add extra arrowroot or water on checking the mixture as the recipe suggests.  This may of course vary depending on climate conditions, ie more or less humidity.

Obviously this is not going to produce a loaf that looks like your commercially baked sandwich loaves, in fact it looks more like a banana bread, so it's not really suitable for sandwiches.  That doesn't bother me though because I rarely eat sandwiches these days, opting for salads for lunches instead.  It is however very delicious served freshly baked, with real butter, accompanied by a good slow-cooked stew!  I also like to have it as a snack toasted and spread with tahini and a little manuka honey.

Source / Further information

http://www.westonaprice.org

http://www.westonaprice.org/basics/principles-of-healthy-diets

http://www.westonaprice.org/images/pdfs/healthy4life2011.pdf

http://www.bdfarmpariscreek.com.au/index03.php?id=36&pl=20&tl=8 natural ~ yoghurt available from Woolworths supermarkets*

Jimmy's Atta Wholemeal Flour and Macro Organic Spelt Flour ~ available from Woolworths supermarkets*

http://powletthill.com.au/tablet/flour.html ~ GMO free biodynamic stoneground flours available locally from Greenies Real Food http://www.greeniesrealfood.com.au

http://www.mainland.com.au/cheese-product/buttersoft-pure-butter/ ~ available from Woolworths supermarkets*

*possibly also available from Coles supermarkets, I just haven't checked yet!

                      ~ 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.

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.

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.

Chocolate Hazelnut Raspberry Soft Serve

I came across this idea from The Detoxinista.  Megan's Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream is very easy to make.  It's just frozen banana blended with peanut butter.  I tried it with almond butter instead and it was delicious!

Then I had an idea.  Instead of almond butter I could try Hazelnut Cocao spread and add some raspberries.

Chocolate Hazelnut Raspberry Soft Serve

Ingredients

1 frozen banana

1 handful of frozen raspberries

1 tablespoon Mayver's Hazelnut Cacao Spread*

1-2 tablespoons of coconut water

I chopped the frozen banana into chunks and put that into a mini food processor.  Then I added the raspberries, a splash of coconut water and about a tablespoon of Hazelnut Cacao Spread.  I whizzed it in the blender, stopping a few times to scrape down the mixture.  That's it.  Spoon into a plate and serve if you can resist eating it straight from the food processor bowl!

*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

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

http://detoxinista.com/2012/07/peanut-butter-banana-ice-cream-dairy-free-vegan/

~ 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.

Guacamole Topped Steak with Rice & Vegetables

I've been left alone to experiment again . . .

Scotch fillet steak on a bed of brown rice with zucchini, carrot, coriander and garlic topped with guacamole.

I felt like steak for dinner so I bought myself a nice piece of scotch fillet.  I also wanted avocado and I had some left over brown rice in the fridge that I wanted to use.

I marinated the steak in grapeseed oil, one finely chopped clove of garlic and a little chopped coriander - about a tablespoon.

I chopped a little extra coriander and another clove of garlic.  I sliced up a zucchini and peeled and stringed a carrot.  When I put the steak on to cook I heated another pan and stir fried the zucchini in a little of the oil, coriander and garlic mixture that the steak had been marinating in. Then I added the carrot, about 2/3 of the extra coriander and garlic, and continued to cook to heat the rice through and lightly cook the carrot and garlic.

After 5 minutes I turned the steak and then made the guacamole by mashing half an avocado with a good squeeze of lemon juice and the rest of the diced garlic and coriander.

Once the steak was cooked I sat it on a chopping board to let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

I placed the zucchini, carrot and rice mixture on the plate, topped it with the sliced steak and topped it all off with the guacamole. 

It was delicious!

~ 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.



Christmas Morning Treat!

French toast with maple syrup, chia, banana and blueberries.  Delicious!

Ingredients

2 slices wholemeal bread

1 beaten egg

1 tablespoon almond milk

Pinch of salt

Chia seed to sprinkle

Pure maple syrup

1 banana

Fresh or frozen blueberries

Method

Whisk egg with milk and salt in a shallow dish.

Heat frying pan to high.*

Dip bread in milk mixture to just coat both sides.  Do not soak.

Immediately cook on hotplate for 10-15 seconds.  Turn and cook other side about the same time.

Transfer to plate.  Drizzle with a little maple syrup, sprinkle with chia seed, add chopped banana and blueberries.  Enjoy.

*Bread should be cooked quickly on at a high temperature.

~ 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 Berry Belly Pleaser

I've been eating porridge for breakfast for months.  Different kinds of porridge:  quinoa, barley, steel cut oats or rolled rice.  I love them all topped with some of my coconut yoghurt and fruit.

Recently I went looking for something easy to prepare that doesn't need cooking.  This is a delicious, gluten free combo I have come up with that leaves my tummy feeling really good - satisfied and content.

Healthy Mashed Potato

This is something I learned from an Italian friend.  Boil or microwave potatoes in their jackets and then mash using extra virgin olive oil.  I was a little horrified the first time I saw my friend dousing the potatoes with olive oil but now I understand that this is a healthy choice.

Why?

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a good fat that helps to make us feel full, helps our bodies to absorb vitamins and nutrients from other foods, and gives us energy.  Choose the Extra Virgin variety because it undergoes the least amount of processing.
• Keep the skin on the potatoes because for vegetables that grow under the ground most of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals are just under the skin

It's also dairy free.

Sources:  http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/olive_oil
http://www.healthy-eating-and-nutrition.com/nutritional-value-of-food.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.

People Who Have Inspired Me: Emily Von Euw

Emily Von Euw
thisrawsomeveganlife.com

Dairy free doesn't have to be boring.  Check out this lady's very inspiring blog.  I have tried Emily's Blueberry Strawberry Banana Ice Cream Cake.
I particularly liked the vanilla ice cream layer so much that I have since made another batch just of that to keep in a container in the freezer for periodic indulgence.  It's all gone now so I need to make another batch, or perhaps try something else.

You do need a really good blender or food processor to make Emily's recipes.  I used a blender because I only have a very small food processor [at the moment that is - maybe Santa will bring me a good food processor for Christmas?].  I found that you also need a fair bit of patience to whizz, and stop, and scrape, and whizz, and stop, and scrape, to blend all the ingredients well.  Maybe not so much with a good food processor?  Anyway it's all worth it!

thisrawsomeveganlife.com

  



Here's the link to the recipe for Blueberry Strawberry Banana Ice Cream Cake.  http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/2013/03/blueberry-strawberry-banana-ice-cream.html
Emily's photo, not mine.   She is not only a creative cook but a talented photographer.   My attempt didn't look nearly that good.

~ 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.

Roast Capsicum Dip

Last Friday night I had unexpected visitors.  I wanted to throw together some nibbles and I really wanted a dip but it was the end of the week and supplies were low.  I went searching in my cupboard looking for a can of chickpeas to blend.  No chickpeas.  I did however find a small jar of char-grilled capsicum and decided to use that.  I placed the capsicum pieces into my blender shaking off most of the (sunflower) oil.  I added a handful of fresh basil leaves from my garden, one clove of garlic crushed and finely chopped, a couple of squeezes of fresh lemon juice and whizzed it all up.  I served it with pieces of toasted garlic and herb Naan Bread and some chopped veggies.  My guests loved it!

I will try this again when I can plan ahead and roast 2-3 capsicums myself.  I would then add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil before blending.  In the meantime though I think that I will continue to keep a small jar of char-grilled capsicum in my cupboard in case of another impromptu visit.

~ 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.

Zucchini Macaroni

If I find myself home alone for a meal I tend to experiment . . .

I have seen on other blogs people using zucchini to make "pasta".  They usually use a fancy tool called a spiralizer to cut it into lovely noodle-like shapes.  I don't have one of those gadgets.  I do however have a Genius Nicer Dicer Plus (also known as my chopping gadget) which is great for chopping vegetables.