What I learnt about self-care this Winter ...

So things have been a little quiet on the blog front this past month or so.

I haven't spoken about it much but my health hasn't been great this Winter - I've been really run down and catching every bug going around. When you add that onto looking after 3 kids and studying well, things have definitely gotten on top of me.

I may have mentioned before that I've also been having some thyroid problems. Now I never had even an inkling of a thyroid issue until after having baby number 3. Post-partum thyroiditis is apparently really common but it's been tricky for me to manage.

I've been absolutely freezing this Winter (feeling cold is one of the symptoms) and have piled on about 6kg which is incredibly frustrating as I'm eating well and haven't had to think about my weight at all for a couple of years.

Hypothyroidism (or underactive thyroid) which is what I have, can also greatly impact on mood and anxiety levels so on top of feeling cold and fat I've also been feeling pretty down. Sounds like fun hey?

After hibernating for a while, I decided I had to make some changes.

Clearly what I was doing wasn't working.

And isn't that the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?

You may have heard the phrase 'self-care' bandied about a lot recently. For me it used to conjure up images of going to a spa for a massage or lighting candles. All good things but nothing I have the time for. Nothing that lights me up, so to speak.

A few months ago I stumbled across a book by Doreen Virtue called 'Don't Let Anything Dull Your Sparkle' and I read it, captivated. Because that is exactly what I have lost - sparkle. I have been feeling dulled down, tired, overwhelmed and uninspired. No wonder my health has been slowly going down the toilet.

Reading that book made me aware of all the drama I was allowing in my life. So getting rid of that was the first step I took.

1. Drama detox

Now anyone who knows me might be surprised that I consider myself addicted to drama. Outwardly I'm a pretty calm and quiet person. But my god, the drama that goes on in my head sometimes!

After taking a good hard look at just where my energy goes I could instantly see how much time and energy I was wasting on drama - the shows I watched on TV were full of crime, violence and stressful situations, reading the news online, getting caught up in the rush and busy-ness of life and allowing all of that to affect my mood and my sleep.

What I did - switched off the TV, removed all the programs I had set to record on the DVR, removed the bookmarks to news sites on my laptop, removed Facebook from my phone, found a classical music station on the car radio.

How I felt - removing all these stressful influences has had a major impact on my mood. I feel lighter and happier and, bonus, I have so much more time. Extra bonus the kids have been really enjoying listening to classical music!

2. Meditation

I've always been so resistant to meditation. But as they say, the things we resist the most, are usually the things we need the most. And so it was here too.

Meditation has been absolutely the greatest gift to myself these past few months. Setting aside just a little bit of time each day to relax, be still and clear my mind. Forget sitting cross-legged on the side of a mountain and chanting - meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breath for a few seconds ... and instantly reaping the benefits.

My favourite tool for meditation is the Insight Timer app. It is completely free and gives you access to thousands of guided meditations. You can also meditate to music or just choose some background music and set the timer. Try a few and you will find the style that suits you best. I do a quick 5-minute meditation as soon as I wake up to set the tone for the day and then as soon as Mr 2 goes down for his nap in the middle of the day, I lie down too and take 20 minutes for myself. And no matter how tempting it is to rush around and get a few things done as soon as he goes to bed, I've learnt from experience that if I don't take the time straight away, it may not happen.

What I did - committed to least 5 minutes of meditation every day

How I felt - AMAZING. I now crave that peace and stillness and I can draw on those feelings when things get crazy. Which, with 3 young kids, is pretty often!

3. Diet

Ok so I can't talk about improving my health without talking about diet.

As you know I am all about whole foods so I didn't have to cut out any junk, I just had to become more mindful with my eating and do some experimenting.

Some big triggers for thyroid health seem to be gluten, dairy and sugar. Which makes sense as they are all inflammatory and can impact on gut health.

The dairy and sugar were easy (ish) to remove but after 6 weeks now without gluten, I can say with absolute certainty that it's helping. I actually felt positive changes within a few days - more energy, less brain fog, less bloating.

So while I don't have celiac (I've had both blood tests and a biopsy to rule it out) it seems my body simply works better without gluten. I will be writing a post about going gluten free soon so I won't go into too much detail here.

The other side to diet is mindfulness - actually listening to what your body needs and then thinking about what to eat.

What I did - eating 3 proper meals each day rather than grazing or finishing the kids leftovers. Increasing the amount of veggies, especially greens. Sticking to 2 pieces of fruit per day. Drinking lots of water and herbal tea throughout the day.

How I felt - unsurprisingly I am feeling a bit better!

4. Sleep

I am not someone who functions well without sleep. Luckily I was blessed with kids that are good sleepers (please don't hate me!) and we are well past the baby stage anyway.

I need 8 hours sleep every night without fail. The easiest way to work out the right bedtime is to simply count back 8 hours from when your alarm goes off. Mine goes off at 5.30am which means lights out at 9.30pm.

The next thing is to think about how you are spending that last hour before bed and avoiding screen time if you can.

My night time ritual always includes a cup of tea, washing my face and putting on some beautiful smelling moisturiser and reading in bed for about half an hour before I turn out the light. If I do all these things then it is much easier to fall asleep and I don't feel like a total zombie the next day.

What I did - committed to a night time ritual and a set bedtime.

How I felt - While I still have some days when I need a nap in the afternoon (fatigue goes hand in hand with a dodgy thyroid), getting enough sleep at night makes everything feel easier.

5. Personal growth

Removing some negative stressful influences in my life has freed up some time and some space - which I have filled with books, music and podcasts. I am completely addicted to podcasts!

My favourites at the moment are:

• Happy Mama with Amy Taylor-Kabbaz
• How She Really Does It with Koren Motekaitis
• Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert

My favourite times to listen to podcasts and audio books are when I'm cleaning, or stacking the dishwasher or parked waiting to pick up the kids from school. Basically anytime I have a few minutes. I've subscribed to them through the podcasts app on my ipad so they are loaded up and always ready to go.

What I did - filled my free time with positive, informative and uplifting books, music and podcasts.

How I felt - inspired to do more, learn more, create more and connect more

So after all that, what did I learn about self-care this Winter?

It's essential. It makes a massive difference. And there's no one right way to do it.

What does self-care mean to you?

~ Susan

Peanut Butter Loaf (SRC)

It's Secret Recipe Club time again! Is it just me or does it seem like each month is going by faster and faster these days? For those counting there are only 4 more SRC reveals until Christmas!!

Anyway, for those who are new here, every month SRC members are assigned a blog in secret to choose a recipe from, then we all post on the same day. Today is reveal day for group C.

This month I was assigned Our Eating Habits by Jamie - a Disney-obsessed, Christmas-loving mother of 3 from Calgary. Jamie actually had my blog last month so it was extra fun looking through hers this month. Jamie also homeschools her kids which I find so fascinating because that's pretty rare here in Australia. She has also posted loads of restaurant reviews which I had a look through even though I am on the other side of the world!

Jamie has so many recipes to choose from that she has divided her recipe index into 2 categories - cooking and baking. I started making a list of possible recipes but it got a little out of hand so I will share just a few that caught my eye.

Firstly, my kids would go crazy for Spaghetti Tacos, this Sweet Shepherd's Pie is a great twist on a classic, I'm always looking for interesting vegetable side dishes and the Broccoli with Asian Garlic Sauce and Cumin Honey Carrots sound delicious, and lastly Kung Pao Chicken which I've never seen on a menu here but it always seems to feature on American TV shows for some reason.

I moved over to the baking section and bookmarked these Molasses Muffins. Then I noticed Jamie has not one, but two recipes for peanut butter loaf - Amish Peanut Butter Loaf and Peanut Butter Loaf. I've never heard of this before but we love our peanut butter around here so I had to give it a try!

Basically this is exactly what it sounds like, a loaf cake made with peanut butter. If you love peanuts and peanut butter, this loaf is for you!

I'm still doing my gluten-free experiment so I made it gluten free and swapped out the sugar for rice malt syrup as well. I also added a scattering of peanuts over the the top for some extra crunch.

This was a huge hit with my boys! Seriously, my husband missed out completely because it was completely devoured for afternoon tea before he got home. I used my own blend of gluten free flour and it made a moist, chewy loaf with a crispy crust. So delicious! I was imagining it would be amazing toasted but it didn't last long enough for me to find out! Guess I will just have to make it again.

We usually buy freshly ground natural peanut butter but we only had peanuts in the pantry so I made my own peanut butter for this recipe. I used the Thermomix but any high powered blender or food processor will work. If you are using regular peanut butter you might want to adjust the amount of sugar or salt you use in the loaf.

Homemade Peanut Butter

160g roasted natural peanuts
15g coconut oil

Place the peanuts into the Thermomix bowl and chop 15 seconds / SP 8. Scrape down the sides, add the coconut oil and process for 6 seconds / SP 6. Makes exactly 2/3 cup needed for this recipe.

Peanut Butter Loaf - Gluten, Dairy and Fructose Free
Adapted from here and here

2/3 cup natural peanut butter
110g rice malt syrup
1 cup rice milk
2 cups gluten free plain flour
1 tbs gluten free baking powder
1/4 ts sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees F. Grease and line a standard loaf pan with baking paper and set aside.

Beat together the peanut butter, syrup and milk until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and fold through until well combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before serving sliced with strawberry jam.

Thank you for a great recipe, Jamie - this one is a keeper!

An InLinkz Link-up

Dairy-free Strawberry Ice Cream

We're having a public holiday here today in honour of the Ekka, otherwise known as the Royal Queensland Show. Gotta love a day off in the middle of the week!

I have such fond memories of going to the Ekka as a child - catching the train in with huge crowds of people, feeding the animals, climbing into the rickety stands to watch the dog show, eating a dagwood dog and a strawberry sundae.

We've never actually taken the kids to the Ekka and we're not going this year either. Mr 2 still has a daytime sleep and also broke his arm a few weeks ago so has a sling on. It all seems too hard. Next year the boys will be 8, 6 and 3 which I think will be perfect for them to handle a full day out and enjoy all the different activities.

I have to say, ice cream has always been my weakness. Back when I was a bit of a sugar addict I would easily eat a tub a week (if not more). Terrible right? Well it's now been almost 3 years since I ate commercial ice cream. And I'm totally ok with that.

The ice cream they use for the strawberry sundaes at the Ekka is actually great quality, so perhaps next year my kids will experience the joy of having one.

Until then though my dairy-free strawberry ice cream will definitely satisfy everyone.

I made this ice cream a little differently than I have in the past. I know from past experience that adding strawberries can really water down the mixture making it very icy, or leave you with pebbles of rock hard frozen strawberry that will break your teeth.

This time I was careful to make the custard base extra thick and creamy and use very ripe strawberries for maximum flavour.

The result?

Just divine. Smooth and creamy ice cream with big strawberry flavour. The kids declared it to be 'the best ice cream ever' (although they do have short memories because my chocolate ice cream formerly held that lofty honour).

This really was so simple to make.

If you don't have a Thermomix, I would recommend beating the eggs, syrup and arrowroot together in a large bowl until smooth. Warm the coconut milk and vanilla in a medium pot then pour over the egg mixture and whisk together well, then pour the mixture back into the pot and stir over medium heat until the custard has thickened. The follow the instructions below for adding the strawberries, churning and freezing.

Dairy-free Strawberry Ice Cream

500g strawberries (washed, stems removed, halved)
150g rice malt syrup, divided
500ml coconut milk (full fat, from a tin)
4 egg yolks
60g arrowroot powder
2 ts vanilla extract

Place the strawberries and 40g of rice malt syrup into the mixing bowl and blend for 10 seconds / SP 5. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Without washing the bowl, add all remaining ingredients and cook for 7 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 4. It will be very thick and creamy.

Remove the lid and leave to cool for 20 minutes. Add the strawberry puree and blend for 5 seconds / SP 4.

Place into the fridge to cool completely (several hours).

Pour into ice cream maker and churn as per manufacturer's instructions - about 20 minutes.

Enjoy straight away as soft serve or pour into a glass container and freeze for a few hours until firm enough to scoop.

Linked up to Thriving on Thursdays.

Do you have a favourite food memory from your childhood?

Peanut Butter and Coconut Dhal

I am so much more of a cold-weather girl. I love hot tea, fluffy doonas, boots and striped scarves. I live in jeans pretty much year round anyway but in winter it's actually justified!

Of course the other thing to love about cold-weather is food that feels like a big warm hug. Unlike Summer when it gets so hot you lose your appetite and can't be bothered to cook. Ugh.

My top 3 comfort foods (in no particular order) would have to be mashed potato dripping with butter, steamed pudding with custard and a good curry. I'm slightly devastated that my husband and kids haven't got the same love for mashed potato as I do - perhaps I overdid the mash when the kids were little! They of course love pudding though and luckily we all love curry, which is why we have one at least once a week.

This coconut and peanut butter dhal was born of the desire to cut back on the meat a little and to broaden our curry horizons. Chicken korma, beef madras and curried sausages all feature regularly so it was time for a change.

This is truly one of the most delicious things you can eat in Winter - warmly spiced, creamy and hearty even on the coldest days. Lentils are incredibly cheap and a great source of protein and fibre and they soak up curry flavours like nothing else.

This was a huge hit as-is with the kids, but if you like it spicy you could definitely add some chili to taste. The dhal is quite soupy first made but turns into more of a mashed potato consistency the next day and it reheats beautifully with just a little coconut milk added.

So in honour of Meat-free Monday, or just anytime you feel like a curry, why not give this one a go!

My Coconut and Peanut Butter Dhal

1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
20g ginger
2 tbs coconut oil
1 ts salt
500mlvegetable stock
400ml coconut cream
250g red lentils
1 tbs turmeric
2 ts cumin
2 ts coriander
2 heaped tbs peanut butter

To serve:
roasted peanuts, rice and fresh coriander

Thermomix - place the onion, garlic and ginger into the mixing bowl and chop 4 seconds / SP 7. Add the coconut oil and salt and cook for 8 minutes / VAROMA / SP 1. Add all remaining ingredients and cook for 30 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 1.

No Thermomix? Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger then saute in a large pot over medium heat in the coconut oil until translucent. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through and the dhal has thickened.

Serve with rice and greens, topped with roasted peanuts and some chopped fresh coriander. Delicious!

Serves 4-6

What's your ultimate Winter comfort food?

Superfood Bliss Balls

What a week! I don't normally post on a Saturday but after attempting to write up this post for days now is my first chance! Mr 2 has been home from daycare this week with some sort of virus that caused conjunctivitis and just as it started to clear he broke out in spots. Before having children I had no idea there were so many illnesses that caused spots! Being the third child we didn't even take him to the doctor (he's completely fine now by the way).

Anyway between having a clingy and sick 2 year old hanging off me, and trying to complete two whole subjects before the September school holidays,  I haven't had a whole lot of spare time.

So this week, yet again, bliss balls saved my life.

I have made a ton of different bliss balls over the past few years, but it was actually only once I had my third baby that I really appreciated them. When Mr 2 was very little I used to make a batch of bliss balls every week and had them stashed in the freezer for a quick breakfast, a mid-afternoon pick me up or a late night snack while feeding.

This week there quite a few times when I was hungry but didn't want to make anything from scratch, so I grabbed 2 of these from the freezer and was completely satisfied.

These ones are a little different in that I have specifically chosen ingredients to suit my health at the moment. There is no gluten, nuts or refined sugar and they have an extra boost of superfoods. Think antioxidants from the raw cacao, zinc from the pumpkin seeds, calcium from the tahini, fibre and essential minerals from the dates, good fat from the coconut, along with the amino acids, minerals and hormone balancing properties of maca.

Oh, and they're totally delicious!

As with anything containing chia seeds, make sure you check your teeth before venturing out in public!

Superfood Bliss Balls
Recipe by me

2 tbs (20 g) raw cacao
1 tbs (15 g) maca powder
1/4 cup (40g) chia seeds
1 cup (150g) pumpkin seeds
1 cup (65g) desiccated coconut
40 g tahini
1/4 tsp sea salt
80 g semi-dried dates
30 g coconut oil
zest of one orange

Place all ingredients into the food processor and blitz until the mixture clumps together (Thermomix 20 seconds / speed 6).

With damp hands, roll spoonfuls of mixture into balls.

Makes about 20

Store in the fridge or freezer.

What's your go-to snack?

Coconut Oil and Sea Salt Brownie Cookies (SRC)

And just like that it's Secret Recipe Club time again! Each month members are assigned a blog in secret to peruse and choose a recipe from, then we all reveal our posts at the same time. It's a lot of fun and I always look forward to reveal day.

This has been an interesting month for me, in terms of food, as I have decided to cut out gluten for at least 4 weeks to see if it helps my energy levels and thyroid symptoms. After just the first few days I noticed my brain-fog lifting and I'm nowhere near as tired as I have been, so it seems like the experiment is working. On the one hand, yay! On the other hand, no more decent bread?? :(

Anyway, being temporarily gluten-free meant I had to look more closely at the recipes on my chosen blog for the month, which is Our Table for Seven by Erin.

As you can tell by the name of her blog, Erin has a lot of mouths to feed! Erin says she only really got into cooking and baking when her eldest son developed some picky eating habits and she wanted to make the foods he would eat a bit healthier. Erin, I hear you! I have the same issues with my Mr 5.

I decided I wanted something sweet and simple this month and found loads of recipes to choose from that I could easily adapt to gluten and dairy free. Like this Flourless Chocolate Cake that looks so rich and decadent, these Walnut and Maple Syrup muffins and this Simple Homemade Caramel Corn which I am planning on taking to a Christmas in July party next weekend!

But when I saw these Coconut Oil and Sea Salt Brownie Cookies the search was over. We love our coconut oil in this house (in fact we love it so much I buy it in huge 5kg tubs!). It tastes amazing and it's a brilliant substitute for butter in baking.

So these cookies were in a word, AMAZING. The mixture was so rich and chocolatey and I couldn't stop sneaking little tastes as it rested in the fridge. Once they came out of the oven my boys were hovering and couldn't wait to try them. They were fascinated by the salt on top (which according to Heston Blumenthal helps balance out the bitterness in dark chocolate in case you were wondering).

I made very minor changes to the recipe, swapping out the flour for gluten free varieties, reducing the sugar slightly and using chopped dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips.

I've only included the Thermomix instructions here but it can easily be converted to stove top (you really just need to melt the coconut oil in a saucepan then mix everything else together) or just check the original recipe for Erin's instructions.

Coconut Oil and Sea Salt Brownie Cookies
Gluten and Dairy free
Adapted from Our Table for Seven

1/2 cup (100g) coconut oil
2/3 cup (130g) coconut sugar
3/4 cup (120g) buckwheat flour
1/4 cup (40g) gluten-free plain flour
3/4 cup (80g) raw cacao powder
1 ts vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 ts sea salt (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1 ts bicarb soda (baking soda)
1 tbs very hot water
150g dairy-free dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Lindt 85%)
 
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.

Melt the coconut oil (TMX 2 minutes / 50 degrees / SP 2). Add the coconut sugar and beat for 20 seconds / SP 4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again for 20 seconds / SP 4. Mix the bicarb soda and hot water together and add to the mixture (4 secs / SP ).

In a small bowl whisk together the flours, cacao and salt.

Add to the egg mixture and mix for 10 seconds / SP 4.

Add the chopped chocolate and mix for 6 secs / REVERSE / SP 3.

Place the bowl into the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the mixture to firm up.

Roll spoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on the prepared trays. Flatten the tops very slightly then sprinkle with extra salt.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Leave on the trays to cool for 5 minutes before carefully placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 24


Thank you for a wonderful month, Erin! I so enjoyed getting to know you and your family :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Wholefood Banana Custard Slice (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Baking desserts has always been one of my favourite things - not only because I get to eat what I make, but also because bringing out a special dessert to the table always lights people up. I love it when people love my food!

Not too many years ago I was baking regularly and going through a staggering amount of sugar. Rather than beat myself up about that I choose to see that just by making it myself I was avoiding all the artificial additives you find in processed versions of desserts.

After quitting sugar and when food intolerances became an issue for the boys and me, I was worried  I wouldn't be able to bake anymore, or at least not anything that other people would enjoy. While I've had quite a few flops I am now at a point where I can quite easily convert a recipe to be free of wheat or gluten, dairy and refined sugar without any drama.

And the results can be spectacular!

You know how you always have a soft spot for the sweets from your childhood? For me it's custard - think vanilla slice, custard tart or just plain custard with sliced bananas. So with that in mind I decided to create my own version - something that would be free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar, something that would be sweet and luscious and feel a bit special.

I had the opportunity to bake it when we had family over for morning tea during the school holidays and I had some time to play in the kitchen. I find a slice is always a crowd-pleaser and it's certainly easy to do a big tray of something and slice it up to feed everyone.

We all LOVED this slice. Perfect for morning or afternoon tea, but special enough for dessert.

Wholefood Banana Custard Slice (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Base:

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tbs coconut sugar
150g coconut oil

Custard:

400ml coconut cream
300ml rice milk
4 egg yolks
2 tbs arrowroot flour
125g rice malt syrup
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (save the bean for something else)
2 tbs gelatine (I use Great Lakes - the red one)

Topping:

3 bananas, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
fresh nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 20 x 30 cm slice tray with baking paper and set aside.

To make the base, mix all ingredients together (TMX - 6 secs / SP 4), then tip into the prepared tin and press in firmly with your hands or the back of a large spoon.

Bake for 15-20 minutes - when done it will be  evenly golden brown and still a little soft, it will firm up as it cools.

Remove from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack to cool completely.

While the base is cooking, start to prepare the custard.

If you're using the Thermomix, place all custard ingredients into the bowl and cook for 9 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 4.

No thermomix? Place the coconut cream, milk and vanilla into a medium pan over medium heat until it starts to steam. Meanwhile, use a whisk to beat together the egg yolks, arrowroot and syrup until smooth. When the milk is steaming pour it over the egg mixture and whisk together. Place a few tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl, sprinkle over the gelatine and stir to dissolve. Pour all the custard mixture back into the pan, add the gelatine mixture and cook over low heat until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly with a large spoon or spatula. This could take 20 minutes so be patient!

Leave the custard to cool for 10 minutes before pouring over the cooked base, then place in the fridge to chill until set (at least 4-6 hours or overnight).

Just before serving, slice the bananas into thin rounds and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the lemon juice and toss gently to combine, making sure all the banana gets the juice. The lemon stops the banana going brown but also adds a lovely flavour.

Using the baking paper on each side as a handle, carefully lift the slice out of the tin and place onto a serving board. Gently slide the paper off and discard.

Layer on the banana pieces and dust the top generously with nutmeg.

Cut into 12-16 pieces and enjoy!

What was your favourite childhood sweet treat?

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

We're coming to the end of 2 weeks school holidays here and while I've been baking up a storm I've taken a bit of a break from blogging. I do have a slew of awesome recipes lined up for the next few weeks though! 

Having all 3 of my boys for 2 weeks has been wonderful and they've been very willing guinea pigs for my baking experiments. Some hits, some misses ... but they've devoured the lot!

This recipe was an unexpected hit with my boys - they LOVED it! I had a couple of beetroots leftover at the end of the week and rather than make juice or a beetroot dip as I normally would I decided to make something sweet.

As you know I love boosting the nutrition of my baked goods by using spelt instead of wheat, adding nuts and seeds and of course, adding vegetables. Carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato and zucchini all work brilliantly. I wondered if the earthy flavour of the beetroot would be too much for the kids but I needn't have worried, they just saw it as a chocolate cake and each had seconds, and then thirds!

The boys had theirs with butter and then the next day I had a piece toasted and topped with my homemade roasted strawberry chia jam. SO delicious.

You can increase the chocolate flavour by replacing 1/4 cup of the white spelt flour with 1/4 cup raw cacao powder.

Wheat-free, Dairy-free Chocolate Beetroot Cake

120g coconut oil
80g dark chocolate (Green and Black's 70%)
2 beetroots, finely grated (mine was 286g peeled)
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1 cup white spelt flour
1/2 cup wholemeal spelt flour
3 ts baking powder
pinch salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Grease and line a loaf pan with baking paper and set aside.

In a small pan, melt the coconut oil and chocolate together over low heat, stirring until it is smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Place the coconut sugar, flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a whisk until well mixed. 

Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture, grated beetroot and eggs, and fold together with a spatula until just combined.

Thermomix - roughly chop the beetroot then grate for 4-5 seconds / SP 6. Tip out the beetroot into a small bowl and scrape down the sides well. Add the chocolate and chop for a few seconds / SP 6-7. Add the coconut oil and melt for 3 minutes / 37 degrees / SP 3. Add the coconut sugar, flours, baking powder and salt, followed by the beetroot and eggs. Mix for 10 seconds / REV / SP 3. Scrape down the sides and repeat if needed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean.

Leave in the tin to cool for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Have you tried hiding vegetables in cakes and muffins? Do you have a favourite recipe you could share? I'm always looking for inspiration!

~ Susan

Dairy-free Jaffa Hot Chocolate

I don't want to start by talking about the weather but boy has it been cold! Winter has well and truly arrived here finally and we've been enjoying being all rugged up with coats and scarves and eating lots of yummy warming soups and casseroles.

We've also been having a lot of hot chocolate lately, and I've started experimenting with different combinations of milk to find just the right one. This is the best one yet!

As a kid Jaffas were my favourite chocolate and I got a bag every time we went to the movies (I'm sure I must have been delightful after all that sugar!). To me the combination of chocolate and orange is always a winner. In fact I made myself a Choc-Orange birthday cake last year, have you seen it?

This jaffa hot chocolate is rich and creamy and oh so flavourful. My boys absolutely loved it and ask for it every morning. I can see this becoming a bit of a family tradition!

Dairy-free Jaffa Hot Chocolate

3 cups rice milk
1 cup coconut cream
2 tbs raw cacao
2 tbs coconut sugar (or sweeten to taste)
3 strips of orange rind (use a peeler to peel off nice wide strips)

Place all ingredients into the thermomix and heat for 6 minutes / 60 degrees / REV / SP 2.

No thermomix? Just place all ingredients into a medium pot and stir over low-medium heat with a whisk, until the cacao and coconut sugar have dissolved and it is hot enough for you.

Serves 4

Do you have a favourite Winter drink?

Best Ever Dairy-free Macaroni and Cheese

I gave up dairy cold-turkey in December 2013 and honestly it was really hard. Not just giving up a food I loved, but the fact that dairy hides in so many foods that you wouldn't expect!

It was the right thing to do for the sake of bub's reflex and dairy intolerance (and for my health too) but I was completely addicted to dairy and ate loads of it - milk, cheese, cream, ice cream, you name it.

At first I just completely avoided it and didn't look for alternatives but as time went on, I started really missing the creaminess that only dairy gives. I  perfected dairy-free ice cream and dairy-free lasagne a while ago, which brought macaroni and cheese to the top of the list. It's one of my husband's favourite meals and he has mentioned it often over the past few years.

After a bit of experimentation, mac and cheese is back on the table!

So while this is not exactly the same as the original it is creamy, full of flavour and has a delicious cheesiness from the nutritional yeast. It is the ultimate comfort food and the kids will never know there are hidden veggies.

We LOVE this dish and it's become a regular feature on our meal plans.

If you're dairy free give it a go and let me know what you think!

Best Ever Dairy-free Macaroni and Cheese

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
375ml rice milk
3 tbs spelt flour
2 tbs nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 ts garlic powder
1/2 ts onion powder
1/2 ts turmeric
140 diced sweet potato
140g diced pumpkin
500g macaroni, cooked per packet instructions
Crispy bacon and fresh parsley to garnish

Put the water on to boil for the macaroni. Add the macaroni and cook as per packet instructions while the sauce is cooking.

Place the sweet potato and pumpkin into the bowl and chop for  8 secs / SP 8 or until very finely chopped.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Cook for 12 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 4.

The sauce should be smooth but if it's not, puree for 30 secs / slowly increasing from SP 3 - 9.

Drain the macaroni and return to the pot. Pour over the sauce and mix well.

Serve topped with crispy bacon and fresh parsley.

Serves 4-6

Garlic Chicken with Polenta (SRC)

Well, where has June gone?? I didn't mean for the blog to become a ghost town this month but between exams and assignments and just daily life with 3 children I've been really stretched this month!

But there is no way I would miss out on my Secret Recipe Club post! Each month members are assigned a blog in secret to peruse and choose something to share on the reveal day. This is my second month as a member of Group C and I am loving discovering all these new blogs!

This month I was assigned Where is my spoon? by Adina. Adina is Romanian but has lived in Germany for the past 10 years with her husband and 2 young children. Her recipes really reflect this European heritage and I spent many happy hours on her blog. There were literally dozens of very European recipes I would love to make - German Schnitzel, Transylvanian Yeast Cake and Linzer Torte just to name a few. But then I also loved her kid friendly recipes like homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter and the delightfully named Magical Soup for Children.

As Winter has finally arrived here I was looking for some serious comfort food and Adina's Garlic Chicken with Polenta ticks all the boxes. A simple but intensely flavourful meal, nothing fancy or complicated but so delicious that everyone is licking their fingers and asking for seconds. Adina describes it as a typical Romanian dish and something that her grandmother would have made. Perfect.

These photos really don't do it justice (it was pouring rain and very dark) but this was SO DELICIOUS! I made a few small changes to the sauce, just reducing it down a little and cooking out the garlic a little more to suit my kids' tastes.

I love simple food like this that when cooked with a little care become so much more than the sum of its parts.

Garlic Chicken with Polenta
Slightly adapted from Where is my spoon?

For the chicken:
8 chicken drumsticks
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 ts sweet paprika
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, divided
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste

For the polenta:
1 litre water
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
250g polenta
1 ts salt

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based frying pan.

Fry the chicken pieces until browned on all sides.

Pour over the chicken broth, sprinkle on the paprika and half the chopped parsley.

Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer with the lid on but just ajar slightly to let some of the steam escape. Turn the chicken in the broth several times while cooking for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

(Start the polenta now).

Remove the chicken pieces to a dish and cover with foil to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

Add the crushed garlic to the pan, increase the heat and simmer rapidly with the lid off for about 10 minutes or until it has reduced by half. Add the butter and stir to combine. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a jug, then return the sauce to the pan along with the chicken pieces.

Coat the chicken in the sauce, sprinkle over the remaining parsley and serve with polenta.

To make the polenta:

Bring the water and salt to the boil in a large heavy based pot. Once boiling add the polenta in a steady stream, along with the oil and cook over low heat, whisking often for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.

Thank you for a wonderful month, Adina – this recipe is a keeper!

An InLinkz Link-up

One-bowl Banana Bread

When I first got into cooking again as an adult I was all about trying new things, sourcing new ingredients and making every meal spectacular. I now have 3 young children and while I still want delicious food, my priorities have definitely changed!

What I look for now is - how long is this going to take me to make when I have a dozen other things I need to do right now? how many ingredients do I need to search for in the supermarket when I have a fussy, whingy toddler in the trolley trying to grab everything off the shelves? will my kids actually eat this or am I wasting my time?

One-pot dinners and one-bowl bakes - those words are music to my ears!

While I have made a hundred different banana breads this one is my simplest yet. Real ingredients, nothing fancy and just one bowl. Hallelujah.

I did this in the Thermomix (which to me is the epitome of one-bowl cooking) but a large bowl, a fork and a spoon will do the job just as well.

My husband scored a 15kg box of bananas for just $7 on the weekend so we have bananas coming out our ears at the moment. Most of these have been peeled and frozen so I am down to the last couple of bunches which are getting nice and brown and spotty, perfect for banana bread.

So here you go, the simplest wholefood banana bread around. This recipe is a keeper!

One-Bowl Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas (250g peeled)
2 extra large eggs
1/3 cup oil (coconut, macadamia or olive oil)
1/3 cup sweetener (rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup)
1/4 cup milk (rice, almond or coconut)
1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
3 ts baking powder
1 ts cinnamon
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius / 150 degrees fan-forced. Grease a loaf pan and line with baking paper.

In a large bowl mash the bananas, then add the eggs, oil and sweetener and beat together until smooth (TMX - 10 secs / SP 6).

Add the remaining ingredients and fold together until just combined (TMX - 10 secs / SP 3 - scrape down the sides and repeat if you need to).

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until it is golden brown and the tops springs back when you press lightly.

Remove from the oven and leave in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Delicious still warm from the oven or cold in lunchboxes.

Have you scored any amazing fruit and veg bargains lately?

What would you do with 15kg of bananas??

~ Susan

Meal Plan Monday (30th May)

Is it cold where you are? Winter weather has well and truly arrived which means one thing around here ... comfort food! But winter warmers don't have to be heavy and loaded with carbs. Slow cooked meats, soups and hearty vegetarian dishes packed with warming spices all hit the spot perfectly.

Last fortnight was cheap for us as we used up some of our stash of freezer food. This turned out to be a good thing because we had a bit of a disaster and discovered our chest freezer in the shed had been accidentally turned off after a power surge and we lost bags full of food. So frustrating! Not to mention costly.

We're still keeping things simple this fortnight and our only meat purchases are a whole organic chicken (bought from Woolies for just $15 on special), 2kg of gravy beef and some bacon. The mince and sausages are from our freezer stock we buy in bulk every few months (luckily we hadn't gotten around to transferring all this meat to the outside freezer or we would have lost the lot).

Have you ever had a freezer disaster?

On the menu ...

Monday - Vegie-loaded Spaghetti Bolognaise with zucchini and beans

Tuesday - BLTs on homemade spelt rolls

Wednesday - Slow-cooked Beef Madras with veg

Thursday - Vegan macaroni cheese

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Pumpkin soup and hash browns

Sunday - Spelt Pizza

Monday - Lasagna (gluten and dairy free)

Tuesday - Sausage and veggie bake

Wednesday - Dhal with rice and greens

Thursday - Chicken and sweet potato bake

Friday - Brinner

Saturday - Veggie soup with foccacia

Sunday - Roast chicken with veg

What's on the menu for you this week? Do you have some favourite winter-warmers?

Curried Tuna Mornay (and how to choose the best tuna!)

We're going retro with this one! Is there anyone who didn't eat tuna mornay sometime growing up int he seventies or eighties? It was a staple at my house but mum always made it with canned cream of celery soup in it which is not something I choose to eat these days.

(If you're interested Rachael Ray has a delicious homemade cream of celery soup recipe - it is loaded with dairy though - must experiment with a dairy free version!).

I haven't made mornay for the kids for ages so it was high time to bring it back into the rotation.

How to choose the best canned tuna

But before we get to the recipe, let's talk about tuna.

Do you have canned tuna in the pantry? And importantly, do you know how that tuna was caught?

According to Choice there are 2 things to think about when buying tuna.

1. Look for a sustainable species of tuna:

Read your labels carefully and look for skipjack tuna, which may also be called Katsuwonus pelamis. Avoid the commonly seen yellowfin tuna which is considered by Greenpeace to be 'near threatened.'

2. Look for sustainably caught tuna:

You want to look for 'pole and line caught' tuna, which should be noted prominently on the label.

Check out this Greenpeace guide to tuna brands in Australia. While I have never seen the number one pick (Fish 4 Ever), it is nice to see Safcol and Coles brand tunas rounding out the top 3. Are you surprised about which one is in last position?

So check your pantry. What brand is your tuna? Have you ever actually read the label on a can of tuna?

Oh and make sure you choose tuna in spring water, in order to avoid the vegetable oil most tuna is packed in. Because even the brands that mention olive oil on the front of the tin also contain a large proportion of vegetable oil. Yuck.

Back to the mornay and I decided to mix things up a bit and add some curry powder. This was largely to please my curry-loving husband who also happens to hate 'mushy' food (and yes he would include tuna mornay in that category).

The result? An easy and delicious dinner that (just about) everyone gobbled up in record time. Still can't convince Mr 5 to have either tuna or any sort of sauce on his pasta but ... 

My Curried Tuna Mornay

1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
2 zucchinis
100g butter or extra virgin olive oil
50g white spelt flour
350ml rice milk
1-2 ts curry powder
1/2 ts salt
425g can sustainable tuna in springwater

Place onion, garlic, carrot and zucchini in mixing bowl and chop for 4 secs / SP 6.

Scrape down the sides, add the butter and cook for 8 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 1 / measuring cup off.

Add the flour, milk, curry powder and salt and cook for 6 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 1.

Puree 20 secs / SP 8.

Add the tuna and cook for 3 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 1 / Reverse.

Mix through cooked pasta and serve.

No thermomix? Prepare your sauce in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter and sauted the grated vegetables. Once tender, sprinkle over the flour and cook until it is dry, about a minute or so. Add the remaining ingredients, except the tuna, and cook stirring continuously for a few minutes until a smooth sauce forms. Add the tuna, turn down the heat to low and let simmer for a few minutes or until everything is cooked and warmed through. Add your pasta and enjoy!

Do you have a favourite dish from your childhood?

Top 10 things I make from scratch (and no longer have to buy) now I have a Thermomix

So unless you've been living under a rock you will have noticed a LOT of publicity lately regarding the Thermomix and some safety issues.

Without getting into that at all (although I will state for the record I have had mine for nearly 2 years without any problems) I thought I would share my experiences with a Thermomix.

First of all there have been very few days in the past 2 years that we haven't used it. On a typical day we use it for our breakfast (either porridge or a smoothie), perhaps make a batch of dough for bread, whip up a soup, mix something up for afternoon tea and make dinner with it.

Our record was the first Christmas we had when it and made 11 different things in a day including a sponge cake, jelly, lemon curd, custard, coconut cream, mayonnaise, gravy and quinoa!

I've heard a lot of people say it and it's totally true - if you want to get away from processed food and start avoiding additives, having a Thermomix will help you make food from scratch quicker and easier.

While I have always made a lot of things from scratch, having a Thermomix has allowed me to completely stop buying a number of products that I always just took for granted as being things that 'you just buy'.

Well not any more!

Top 10 Things I Make From Scratch 

(and No Longer Have To Buy) Now I Have a Thermomix

1. Bread

This is the biggie. After years of dabbling with bread making  I have finally made the switch and 100% of our bread is homemade. Sandwich loaves, wraps, focaccia, rolls, scrolls and pizza. You name it, I make it. The Thermomix does amazing dough and it is quick and mess-free. Not only that though I feel 100% happy about the ingredients. No nasty vegetable oil or preservatives here.

2. Nut milk

We've been dealing with dairy intolerances for years now and whichever way you look at it, nut milk is expensive. There are some brands that I like but really it is so easy to make your own and for a fraction of the cost. We buy nuts (usually almonds) in bulk and make a few litres of nut milk at a time. Fresh, delicious and cheap. Gotta love that.

3. Soup

Ok so you don't need a Thermomix to make soup. I've been doing it for years without one, but I like smooth soups and it was always a bit of a palaver to tip hot soup into a blender or risk a soup-cano with a stick blender.

Previously if there were some boxes of soup on special at the supermarket I would always grab a couple to stash in the pantry for a quick lunch, but not anymore. While I always chose ones with ingredients that looked good (no numbers), it was still a really long time since those vegetable were in the ground.

Being able to chop, cook and then puree all in one and have soup ready on the table in about 20 minutes is brilliant. I make at least 1 batch a week all year round (even in summer) and love that I'm getting so many veggies into all of us. 

4. Stock

Just like with soup, it was so easy to grab a box of liquid stock to have on hand. I always made my own chicken stock with leftover chicken bones but there was never enough to have in the freezer.

The very first thing you make with your consultant when the Thermomix is delivered is a vegetable stock paste, and it has become a staple at our place. Loaded with veggies and herbs, I always have a batch on hand in the freezer. It provides not only flavour but seasoning as well, and with its salt content it never freezes hard - perfect for scooping out a spoonful to add to soups, curries and casseroles.

5. Dishwasher powder

Yep that's right, we use the thermie for more than just food! The dishwasher powder is actually a recent addition to our repertoire, but we haven't purchased dishwasher tablets for 6 months now.

At first the difficulty was locating a cheap source of citric acid (the key ingredient in lots of natural homemade cleaning products).

You may know citric acid from those little containers in the baking aisle at the supermarket? Buying it that way will send you broke in no time, as it works out at about $34/kg. With some research I found a supplier selling 10kg buckets on ebay which works out at only $7/kg. Much better!

6. Washing powder

I've been making our own washing powder for about 3 years now, using a food processor to grate up the soap. The Thermomix of course does it better and faster! I like Dr Bronners soap bars and yes, our clothes are all perfectly clean with no chemicals!

7. Mayonnaise

Back onto food, this was another big one. Even though I knew the ingredients were less than ideal and it was a pain to make, I found it really hard to give up bought mayonnaise! That is until I discovered a cooked egg mayonnaise recipe on the recipe community site. Quick, easy and no stress about raw eggs.

8. Jam

Since going sugar free (or more accurately low-no fructose) back in 2012 we very rarely have jam. Mostly I will make a sweetener free chia jam but I do batches of 'real' jam sometimes as gifts and we always keep a little for ourselves. Making your own jam lets you control the amount of sugar and the quality of the ingredients. Get a great deal on a box of organic berries? Why not make some jam or a berry sauce for pancakes. Yum!

9. Nut butter

Have you seen the price of some nut butters at the shops? Outrageous! So much cheaper and healthier to just buy some organic nuts, roast them and grind them up. Smooth or chunky? You decide!

10. Curry

We love our curry in this house! The Thermomix is brilliant for preparing curry pastes in bulk which you can store in the freezer, and for simmering a curry for dinner even on a weeknight. Healthy and delicious and, as with just about everything you make in a Thermomix, I love that you aren't tied to the stove. You can walk away and do something else while dinner is cooking, confident that it won't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Love, love, love!

So that's it. My top 10 things I now make from scratch in my Thermomix.

Do you make any of these from scratch? Is there something from the supermarket you just can't give up?

If you are on the fence about getting a thermal cooker (and it doesn't have to be a Thermomix, there are a number of other brands available) and have some other questions please let me know either in the comments below or shoot me off an email! mywholefoodfamilyblog {at} gmail {dot} com.

I would love to hear from you!

Chocolate Pecan Pie (SRC)

I've been doing a lot of baking lately but it's been all muffins, bliss balls and breads. It seems like aaaages since I've made a proper dessert - something the kids get really excited over and that seems a bit special.

As this is my first month with Group C in the Secret Recipe Club (after moving across from Group D) I thought I would celebrate and choose something sweet and out of the ordinary!

This month I was assigned The Avid Appetite by Rachel who lives in Jersey City with her husband and gorgeous daughter Penelope (the cutest name ever). I loved spending time on Rachel's blog and   apart from a love of food (obviously), found we have a quite lot in common such as loving overnight oats for breakfast to being a fan of both Castle and Gretchen Ruben!

I was really spoilt for choice when it came to selecting a recipe and there were loads that I bookmarked for later. I love the sound of her Vanilla Cinnamon Quinoa for a protein-packed breakfast, I'm intrigued by the Pumpkin Butter and my boys would go crazy for these Banana Bars with Chocolate Frosting.

It was the Chocolate Pecan Pie adapted from a Paula Deen recipe that really caught my eye though (I have a bit of a soft spot for Paula Deen after reading her autobiography a few years ago).

(Does anyone else remember 'pecan pie' scene from When Harry Met Sally?)

I was prepared to make a few changes in order to fit in with our wholefoods way of eating, and just a couple of simple switches later we had the most amazing, but not too sweet, dessert!

We LOVED this. Perfectly short pastry, sweet nutty filling with little pops of dark chocolate. What's not to love?

Try as I might though I couldn't get a clean slice. I mean, is there a trick to slicing a pecan pie neatly without all the nuts smooshing out the sides? Still the taste made up for the messiness. DELICIOUS!

Chocolate Pecan Pie
Adapted from Paula Deen via The Avid Appetite

Shortcrust Pastry (my own recipe):

300g wholemeal spelt flour
2 ts coconut sugar
160g cold butter, diced
1/3 cup cold water, approx

Place all ingredients except the water into a food processor and blitz until it forms breadcrumbs. Add the water a little at a time until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough in between 2 sheets of baking paper, large enough to fit a 22cm tart dish. Either wrap the remainder of the dough and place in the freezer for another time or roll it flat and cut out cookies to bake at the same time as the pie. My boys love this!

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Filling:

2 cups pecans
3 large eggs, beaten
3 tbs melted butter, cooled
1/2 cup rice malt syrup
1 tbs molasses
1/2 cup coconut sugar
100g dark chocolate, chopped (I used Lindt 85%)

Scatter pecans over the uncooked pastry shell.

Place the eggs, butter, syrup, sugar and chocolate into a mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined. Pour the mixture over the pecans.

Place the pie onto a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 180 degrees and cook for a further 25 minutes or until set.

Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely.

Thanks for a great recipe Rachel! My family loved it.

An InLinkz Link-up

Menu Plan Monday (16th May)

This fortnight's meal plan is full of cheap eats.

We're going though our stash in the freezer, bulking out our meals with loads of veggies as well as having a few vegetarian meals, and then rounding it out with some mince and sausages.

My husband scored an amazing array of fruit and veg for next to nothing on the weekend, including a box piled high with apples, oranges and butternut pumpkin for the grand price of $1!

Real food definitely doesn't have to be expensive:)

What's on the menu ...

Monday - Roast chicken with gravy and potato, pumpkin, broccoli and corn

Tuesday - Spaghetti and meatballs with beans

Wednesday - Hamburgers with homemade buns, lettuce, tomato and beetroot

Thursday - Leftover lamb curry with rice and Asian greens

Friday - Grain free pancakes with bacon and eggs

Saturday - DIY

Sunday - Homemade pizza with spelt bases

Monday - Leftover pulled pork with coleslaw and homemade tortillas

Tuesday - Vegan macaroni and cheese

Wednesday - Sausage and veggie bake

Thursday - Leftover beef ragu with pumpkin and greens

Friday - Leftover chicken with potato salad

Saturday - Veggie soup

Sunday - OUT

What's on the menu at your place this week? Did you score any grocery bargains on the weekend?

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

There are some flavour combinations that just work.

And peanut butter and banana is definitely one of the best!

While peanut butter gets a bad rap sometimes (and of course if you're allergic you should steer well clear), it's actually packed with protein, potassium, magnesium and good fat that will help keep you full.

My Mr 5 has lots of sensory issues to do with food but he has always loved peanut butter so it's a staple at our place. We buy tubs of freshly ground peanut butter from our local health store, that is made from 100% organic peanuts, nothing else added.

Staying away from commercial varieties which are full of added salt, sugar and vegetable oils is a good idea. Most supermarkets will have at least one brand of natural peanut butter so check the health food section and get reading those labels.

Apart from sandwiches we add peanut butter to smoothies, spread it on celery and top with sultanas to make ants on a log and serve with apple slices. And now we can add muffins to the list because these were delicious!

My boys absolutely devoured these - they couldn't get enough and ate 3 each for afternoon tea (and yes still ate dinner afterwards).

Banana Peanut Butter Muffins

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/3 cup coconut sugar
pinch salt
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1 ts vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 160 degrees fan-forced. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and sugar.

In a medium bowl, mash the bananas and peanut butter together until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until well combined. Add the oil, milk and vanilla and mix to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together with a fork until only just combined.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and the top springs back when you press lightly.

Leave in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with a big glass of milk and watch kids and big kids smile!

Makes 12.

Are you a peanut butter fan?

No Knead, Overnight Artisan Bread

I'm a huge fan of making bread these days, but it hasn't always been that way!

Not too many years ago I was terrified of using yeast. It just seemed all too hard and that there was so much that could go wrong.

My first step to making homemade bread was with a breadmaker and bread mix. All the hard work was done for us, there was no kneading, no shaping and no worrying about getting the oven temperature right. Plus I loved the convenience of being able to set it the night before and wake up to fresh bread first thing in the morning. Is there anything better than the smell of fresh bread??

We then moved on to just mixing and kneading the dough in the breadmaker but shaping and baking the dough ourselves. This meant we could make proper sandwich loaves and cob loaves rather than just the squat oblongs you can make in a breadmaker.

After lots of use our breadmaker finally gave up and died and we went back to buying supermarket and bakery bread, which was not ideal for a number of reasons - it's more expensive, it's not as fresh, and there are lots of questionable ingredients like preservatives, emulsifiers and vegetable oils to name a few.

But before we could fully commit to making all our own bread from scratch we took one important step - we cut back on the amount of bread we were eating.

Yep, that's right. 

I've dabbled with a Paleo style of eating and while going completely grain free is never going to work for my family, reducing grains (and especially wheat) can only be a positive step for our health.

I now make just 1 loaf of spelt and grain sandwich bread every week and that does sandwiches and toast for all of us for the week. I often also make one other type of bread, such as cheese and olive scrolls for lunchboxes or a focaccia to have with soup.

A few weeks ago we had friends around for breakfast and wanted to serve some fresh bread. I could have made an extra loaf the day before but it wouldn't have been as fresh, and as it was a public holiday there was no chance of nipping down to the bakery and grabbing a loaf that morning.

So I went searching and came across a basic recipe for a no knead, overnight artisan bread. This recipe seemed to pop up everywhere! With that many reviews I knew it had to be good and it was just what we were looking for.

If you're a novice bread-baker this recipe could be just the thing to help you fall in love with baking bread. Why?

1. It uses plain flour NOT baker's flour which you may not have at home
2. You don't have to knead it
3. You don't need a bread tin, just a large heavy oven safe pot with a lid

Just mix, rest and bake. Easy!

This made a fantastic loaf of bread - crackly crusty exterior with a chewy texture reminiscent of sourdough. Totally delicious and perfect for our breakfast of eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes and homemade tomato sauce. Yum!

 
No Knead, Overnight Artisan Bread
Recipe from Don't Waste The Crumbs

3 cups plain flour
2 ts salt
1 ts instant yeast
1 1/2 cups water, at room temperature

Stir together the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Pour in the water and mix well to form a rough and shaggy dough (it will not be smooth).

Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the bench for 8-18 hours, or just overnight. It will be light and bubbly.

When you are ready to bake, flour your hands and a sheet of baking paper and tip out the dough. Gently shape into a ball, without kneading, and leave on the baking paper covered with a tea towel for one hour.

When the dough has rested for 30 minutes, place a large heavy oven-safe pot (like a Dutch oven) into the oven and preheat to 230 degrees Celsius.

After the dough has rested for an hour, remove the pot from the oven and carefully place the dough inside, still on the baking paper.

Put the lid on the pot and place back into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and then bake for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Menu Plan Monday (2nd May)

Happy May everyone! Can you believe it's May already??

This week is a special one for us with our anniversary on Wednesday. My wonderful mother-in-law is coming to look after the boys so we can go out the evening, probably for a quick dinner then a movie.

So we've factored in dinner out for us on Wednesday, then we're out for a BBQ with friends on Saturday night and then on Sunday it's Mother's Day! Should be a fun week :)

What we're eating this fortnight ...

Monday - Roast chicken with sweet potato, pumpkin and beans

Tuesday - Chickpea curry (leftover from freezer)

Wednesday - DATE NIGHT - sausages and wedges for the kids

Thursday - Curried sausages

Friday - Chicken and potato salad (chicken leftover from freezer)

Saturday - OUT

Sunday - Pulled pork with tortillas and coleslaw

Monday - Beef madras with rice and pumpkin mash

Tuesday - DF GF Lasagna (with leftover bolognaise from freezer)

Wednesday - Sweet potato and bacon risotto

Thursday - Slow cooked lamb and veg curry

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Sweet potato hash browns with poached eggs and bacon

Sunday - Leftover curried lamb wraps

What's on the menu for you this week? Leave me a comment with your dinner ideas ... I'm always looking for inspiration!

Healthier ANZAC Slice

It just wouldn't be Anzac Day without Anzac Biscuits. I did a round-up of healthy Anzac biscuits on Friday and then posted on Facebook yesterday that I also made some Really Healthy Anzac Biscuits. But I couldn't just leave it at that!

We had friends around for breakfast today and I wanted to make something sweet to finish our meal. A quick search found lots of different recipes for Anzac Slice and I chose one to tweak. This is still very sweet and definitely a sometimes food but overall far healthier than the regular white flour and golden syrup varieties.

It went down a treat - this recipe is a keeper!

Healthier Anzac Slice
Adapted from Cooking in the Chaos

130g white spelt flour
90g rolled oats
65g shredded coconut
150g butter
120g rice malt syrup
40g coconut sugar
1/2 ts bicarb soda

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 160 degrees fan-forced.

Grease a slice pan (mine was 15 x 23 cm) and line with baking paper.

Mix together the flour, oats, coconut and coconut sugar in a large bowl.

Place the butter and syrup into a small pan and melt over medium heat. Add the bicarb and stir as it bubbles and froths. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Tip the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for approx 20 minutes or until golden brown and pulling away from the sides. Leave to cool in the pan before slicing into squares (12) or bars (16).

This is a really forgiving recipe and you can easily swap out the flour or sweeteners for whatever you happen to have.

Enjoy!