Chicken n' chips

I can't resist a kitchen gadget. Never have and likely never will. For years I've been looking for the best way to cut chips at home (apart from the obvious- with a knife). So imagine my delight when aimlessly wandering, in a jet-lagged state, the shelves of a local store and I saw this cool gridded contraption!

 I tested it out tonight- voila! Easy, perfect chip-shaped potato, which I fried over low heat in organic Aussie olive oil until crisp and soft inside... No salt necessary, they were amazing. Served with yesterday's roast chicken and little cheese and tomato bites. 

Dukkah cutlets

Dukkah and quinoa crusted lamb cutlets with mashed sweet potato, corn and avocado. 

Marrow: Wonder Food.

So. It turns out... my kids love bone marrow. Yes. They love it. To the point where they were fighting over the very last morsel. I must admit, as a child, I too found this delicacy irresistible. It was only as I grew up and learned about animals and the provenance of bones that I let the ewww factor outweigh everything else.

Bone marrow is super, mega, logic-defyingly rich in nutrition, including Vitamin A, iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, manganese and calcium - to name a few.

I would never have thought to try the kids on marrow, except that we've had my mum visiting. Yes, she who introduced me to this glorious food in my childhood. Not only is she super-nanny with the kids, and a huge help and source of entertainment to me when she comes to stay, she kicks me out of the kitchen and takes over meals. And they're amazing. She left this lovely stew for us - with marrow-filled bones and all. And now, I can safely say, I won't be turning back.

Let's all eat a sweet potato plus pie

My little boy loves that nursery rhyme. Tonight I made him a sweet potato pie, except I served the sweet potato (and carrot) mash in a basket made out of Parmesan cheese. I topped it with a poached egg and some snow peas- all favourites over here.

They also love smoothies. Tonight, they're washing dinner down with a spinach, berry and beetroot concoction.

A whirlwind kitchen affair.

I've been really busy lately. Job busy. Kid busy. Life busy. And like all busy mums, this means something's gotta give.

For me, it's been a slight decline in the time I have to spend cooking. And this makes me sad! I love to cook. It has always been my favourite hobby; and a source of relaxation. Giving my kids great nutrition is a cornerstone of how I want them to grow up. The double headed beast of fast food and processed foods are insidious amongst today's children. Even products mocked up as healthy are loaded with hydrogenated vegetable oils, sodium, colours, and suspect quality ingredients.

Today, I put aside a pretty scary list of to-dos so that I could get my head back in the game.

Like in most homes, brekkies are a major hassle.

We have about an hour to get everyone fed and dressed, bags packed and out the door. Lucky for me, my kids love: sandwiches, muffins and porridge. Porridge is especially handy to put together- and my kids love it served as a Bircher muesli. This one contains- organic oats and sultanas, grated Apple, yoghurt ad full cream milk. I will serve it with a drizzle of Manuka honey.

I made fruit cubes for sweet treat snacks. A mix of dried apricots, Brazil nuts, dried coconut, marmalade and filtered water. 

Baked beans! I have blogged my recipes for these before. And here is the real motivation for my cooking session today... I was looking at baked beans in the supermarket and saw the levels of sodium and sugar and panicked. I used to always make beans for my kids, until I got a bit busier. But there's no excuse! This is so quick and easy and I've frozen six cans worth for future dinners.

Ice cream! Oh, my kids love ice cream. I blitzed raspberries and cream in a nutribullet then whipped it until thickened. That's it. No sweetener. My guys love this..

And finally, chicken nuggets! A heap of raw veggies with organic chicken mince- seriously yummy.

Blue Swimmer Crabs

we have been going to the beach a lot over the summer, and the kids have been finding crabs washed to shore as part of that. Like all toddlers, they're also pretty into Octonaughts... 

So today, when they saw crabs at the seafood counter (just caught!) we had to get some.

The kids were great with it- they loved feeling the smooth shell and touching the buggy eyes. My son dropped one into the boiling water, and they both tried some of the flesh.

I had to tell them it was "sugar chicken" to get them to attempt it. My daughter LOVED it. Like a little butcher bird, she kept asking for more more more.

My son was far less convinced... Still- a delightful and fun food experiment...

Eating Organic.

Almost everything I cook with is organic, and that's been my preference for a long time. Though, since becoming a mama, it's become increasingly important to me. Even when my children were having their first gappy little gums of real-world food, I knew that I wanted it to be free of pesticides and chemicals. The idea of subjecting their precious, tiny systems to these 'everyday' chemicals was, and is, abhorrent to me.

I know it can be expensive though, so I thought I'd share some tips with how I keep our pantry and fridge stocked with organic food without breaking the budget.

1.  Grow your own. Even in a tiny apartment, we always had pots with spinach and herbs. If you have more space, be adventurous and get some good seasonal plantings going. What do you enjoy eating most of? Tomato? Strawberries? Lettuce? Carrots? I find we get a great yield of strawberries (the kids usually pluck about three a day each off the small patch we have).

2.  Shop at farmers markets. Even if the food isn't certified organic, you have a great opportunity to form a relationship with the growers. Much of their wares will be 'spray free', and essentially organic, without being able to jump through the requirements for certification (soil testing etc). This brings up a whole new issue of 'food miles', which are so very important. Supporting local, eating what's in season when it's available.. this all makes sense. Though I do put personal preference or organic over local from time to time, but that's just me. Also, talk to your growers and give them your number in case they have "gluts" and want to sell produce at a discount rate. You might be up to your elbows in preserving jars for a couple of days but so what!

3. Supermarkets are cynically (and helpfully) cashing in on our desire for great, organic produce. The two in my area both stock an abundant and good selection of organic produce - more often than not, a greater quantity than they can easily sell. As a result, there are always excellent reductions. Today, they had packs with two heads of certified organic broccoli in each for around $1.90 (down from the $4.90 they were originally). I bought three packs (six heads), chopped, washed and blanched the florets and froze in snap lock bags.

4. Organic meat IS expensive so look into ways you can cook your favourite meals but stretch out the meat in the recipe. If you're doing a curry or stew, bulk it up with extra vegetables. We use organic chicken mince to make our own sausages (and I bulk them out with extra mashed veggies). I use organic grass feed chuck steak for casseroles. Free range pork belly, slow roasted.

5. We are also predominantly grain free and this does not have to be expensive. Anything you buy that is marketed to the gluten free market is generally over-priced. Not to mention, often heavily processed. Quinoa flakes are always a bargain and are fantastic - grate some apple and cook with cinnamon and currants for a cheap porridge. Use as an alternative to flour or crumbs when binding a recipe. Use Quinoa flakes instead of breadcrumbs. Same goes with good organic brown rice - it isn't expensive when you think about what a coffee costs, and you can sprinkle a little into most dishes to make it go a bit further. Nut meals are excellent, though expensive, so bulk them out with grated vegetables, coconut flour or, if you're not grain free, organic wholegrain flour.

6. Don't waste! When you're buying products that cost a small fortune, the last thing you want to do is give them fridge real estate and then tip them into the bin after a week. I know that a lot of people say one shop per week is better for your budget, but I find that doing small top up shops through the week keep my selection current. Organic will not last as long. This is the point. Vegetables are not naturally designed to sit forever! The fact that they grow mould or soften is a GREAT sign that you're not corrupting your system with ... well, crap. Work out a couple of recipes that use a dump of vegetables - risotto, soup, stew, stir fry, pasta sauce, and make a point of preparing these once per week, so that you don't have to throw stuff out.

7. Get a great fruit and vegetable wash. I use envirocare fruit and vegetable wash for all my fresh produce. In the wake of the contaminated berry scandal we're seeing in Australia, I'm going to be blogging something else about this later. However, whether I buy organic or not, I wash them all as soon as they walk in the door. Before they get a bed in my fridge, they're scrubbed of any sprays, germs and bugs. Get in a good habit and this WILL save you time (though, ughhh, it feels arduous until you get the hang of it!). This is a great way to clean, chop and store produce so that you get the most out of it. My mum reminded me after reading this post that cider vinegar diluted in water is also a good agent for cleaning veg.

8. Be prepared. Make your lunch for work with good quality ingredients. Don't buy crap just because it's around the corner!

If you buy vegetables that are infiltrated by chemicals from seed stage, sprayed during growth to ward off bugs, sprayed once picked to prolong shelf life, and (worst of all) do not wash them properly, you are eating chemicals every meal time. Just sayin'. 

Nummy Nuggets

These organic chicken nuggets are always a hit in our house. I must admit, I end up snacking on almost as many of them as the children do.

Ingredients (Makes around 15 small nuggets)
1 Organic Chicken Breast
1 Organic Chicken Thigh
1/2 cup grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar)
1 whole courgette, sliced into pieces
1 onion, sliced in half.
1 organic FR egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup quinoa flakes
Olive oil for frying (Coconut or Macadamia fine too)

Preheat oven to 200'c fan forced.

In a food processor, combine the chicken, cheese, courgette, and onion until a thick paste forms.
Whisk the egg and milk together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, place the quinoa flakes.

Set the oil heating to moderate-high in a frying pan on the stove.

White it heats, remove approximately teaspoon sized portions of the chicken mix and place it first in the egg, then the quinoa, then the oil.

Fry for around 3 minutes either side (until a light golden brown) then transfer to a baking tray to finish in the oven for approximately 10 - 15 minutes.

I served these with home made potato crisps (finely slice potato and fry in the same oil, once you've removed the nuggets, then top with a small sprinkle of himalayan salt) and some fruit.

Kitchen mice.

I've just begun our annual gingerbread house bake fest- a highlight of my calendar since I began the tradition four years ago. Let me tell you, though, this is the first time I've considered abandoning my goal after only one measly house of ging. 

Baking with a four year old and a two year old is a vastly different experience to baking with a three year old and high-chair-restrained one year old. The number of fingers I have had to bat out of dough, questions I have been asked, and the sheer quantity of batter my little kitchen saboteurs have snaffled is blowing my mind (and weaning my resolve). 

But, it's fun... And I do love the end result... 

Grudgingly Cooking

Woah. I have had a big week. Tough in many ways. Busy. Exhausting. Looooooong. 

I know I'm spoiled that my four year old and two year old still have midday naps. He has three hours, she has two. And that is time that I protect fiercely as it is when I work and remember that I was a me before becoming a mummy.

At the tailend of this hectic and hard week, my kids have utterly lost the plot. Both disavowed the need for a nap, insisting loudly, and in shrill unison, "I'm not tired!!". My little girl (miss two) finally drifted off. Which was, obviously, an invitation for master four to throw pillows at her until she woke screaming.

Usually, they're a little team of mischief. They play and whisper and plot and are sometimes a little like twins in terms of how they clash and love one another. Today, there was no love between them, just plain and simple antagonistic fighting. And it fairly did my head in, friends. After having to cancel a much-anticipated play date owing to dreadful behaviour, I still had to brave the local supermarket for a few weekend essentials. Because well, shopping on a Saturday is just no fun. 

If you're reading this, you've probably read that I'm not a huge fan of fast food. It's an occasional thing for us, simply because I am happy to feed them bananas or Vegemite toast for dinner if I'm tired/rushed. 

Tonight, however, having placated two teary, screaming children all day, and just wanting it to be over (!) I suggested, hopefully, a little afraid of my tyrannical duo, that we could get fish and chips on the way home. (Our local does unsalted chips on request and use local garfish). 

You can guess my mindset, right?

So when my master four said, in his own hopeful tone, that he'd prefer chicken drumsticks and salad, what the heck was I meant to do? Yeah, I'm a sucker and I came home and made it. The salad is his own composition- he requested watermelon, strawberries, Brazil nuts, snow peas. Then, as an afterthought, more strawberries and cheese, because they're his sister's favourites (I think they're back in the love phase of their relationship). 

A note. Please forgive the extremely excessive styling. I had to make it fun for myself. And, you know. I just love big plates.

My kids got my tastebuds.

When I was a teenager, I fell madly in love with natto. It's a japanese food - fermented soy beans. They're tiny and sticky and I have been pretty obsessed with them for two decades (yikes, showing my age). It's apparently unusual for someone who isn't Japanese to like natto. Or, at least, that's what the several hundred merchants I've purchased natto from over the years have assured me. My purchase always brings the question, first, to make sure it's actually what I meant to pick up. Then, confusion, "Do you actually like them?". 

They are unbelievably delicious, folks. Salty and sour, and sticky. I have to have them with a generous serving of finely chopped spring onion as the sharpness cuts through the natto perfectly. 

And now, I discover that my children not only love my edamame, and ask for them by name, but also natto. In the ultimate act of mummy sacrifice, I've just let them polish off my last tub (gah!) and, when they requested more, promised (for my sake as much as theirs) that we'll go to china town today to buy more!! 

I know, I know. Soy. GMO. Oestrogen. Whatever. I am proud of my dear little taste-bud-tastic kiddos!

Lamb Cutlets

Today, at childcare, kids were asked about the kinds of food they eat at home.

You have probably got the idea that I am reasonably intent on providing pretty healthy stuff for the kids. Treats are an exception rather than the rule. So you can imagine how I felt when the teacher said, with a laugh, that my son had said that "junk food is his favourite, even though it makes him sick." Ah dear.

Tonight, they're having one of our dinner favourites. This is a stove top to table dinner in under ten minutes. 

I boik chunky sweet potato "chips" (skin on for added fibre), and while that's cooking, I fry the lamb cutlets in macadamia oil for about 4 minutes each side. Then, I add greens (torn kale) and balsamic vinegar. Remove from pan, add prunes and water, reduce at high heat while you serve it up then drizzle the prune jus over the lamb. 

Fruit Yoghurts

My kids *love* yoghurts. And because I've succumbed to bribery and blackmail on occasion and bought those squeezey fruit yoghurts just to get us all through a supermarket shop, they now want that kind of yoghurt all the time. Gath. Those squeezey yoghurts- even the organic ones- are all sweetened. Best case, it's with apple purée, or organic cane sugar, but it's turning a nutritious food into a lolly, and training their taste buds to want sweet and sweeter.

So I'm thrilled to have been able to remind my guys how much they love plain yoghurt or, better yet, yoghurt with added fruit and nuts.

I'm a huge fan or five AM yoghurt which is organic and has no added sugar. Barambah is another favourite of mine though it's harder to get.

I added organic frozen berries. I'm finishing off my last two packs of organic berries - they're great but the food miles make me weep (they hail from Denmark, Belgium and Chile) but until recently they were all I could get my hands on easily. I've just sourced Elgin berries though which are grown (I believe) in NSW/QLD. 

I like the yoghurt with the berries and nuts on top but my kids prefer it all mushed up so it looks like "real" (aherm- read crappy) yoghurt.

Natural Remedies

My littlest one is sick today. She's running a high temp, and not even a bowl of glistening strawberries could induce her to eat breakfast today (they're her favourite- she scavenges them straight from the patch in summer). NB, she's wrapped in love courtesy of her "Arentie" Shay, who patched this gorgeous quilt for her before she was born.

So, I've just made a fresh lemon juice, and blended it with organic berries and a heap of Manuka honey, which I'm setting into little ice blocks in the hope it will cool her down and soothe her ills. Our house smells of eucalyptus and peppermint oils, too, which is gorgeous, and hopefully helpful. 

Do you have any natural remedies you swear by? 

Bad food day

Last night, I realised my kids hadn't eaten a single bit of fruit or veg all day! This rarely happens to us because well, I'm a planner. Also, I am obviously a little neurotic about kid nutrition. 

But yesterday, we seemed to lurch from one random thing to another, so that the kids had eaten:

2 pieces of rye toast (breakfast)

2 pieces of spelt raisin toast (morning tea)

Tuna sushi (lunch)

Popcorn (afternoon tea- home popped)

A Freddo frog each 

Ravioli with cheese (dinner).

As I mentally recounted their days' menu, I couldn't believe how stodgy their diets had been! A reasonably tragic scene ensued, one that will probably only be familiar to fellow parents, in which my husband and I ferried little bowls of strawberries and sliced banana into the kids- to eat while they bathed! Oh dear. 

The odd day of crap food is fine. Obviously! But I swung the other way today... Smoked salmon scrambled eggs with kale for brekkie (more on this later- it's one if my kids' favourite brekkies but it can be expensive unless you shop smart), nuts and fruit for lunch, a smoothie for afternoon tea, and now a dinner comprised of natural snacks. Busy lives make it tricky to keep an eye on their diets but it's so important to get it right, most of the time.

bath fizzies

These bath fizzies have become a favourite part of our weeks' activities. It's the gift that keeps on giving! 

Making them is a bit of fun, and the kids are learning to read the numbers on the scale, and then at night, they adore dropping one into the bath and watching it fizz and bubble. 

For me, they're fantastic because they have enough bicarbonate in them to act as a cleaning agent on the tub. No rims like you get with commercial ones and you control the quality of ingredients, eg, food safe and organic. 

Here's what I have done over the last few weeks, whilst firming up my own technique and recipe. The main thing is to use organic and food grade products to avoid allergies and irritation. Also, when adding the liquid to the dry, dribble it in so slowly, or else they'll fizz on impact and the jig is up. 

Dry Ingredients 

225g bicarbonate soda

113g Citric acid

113g Epsom salts (or other therapeutic salt)

113g organic corn flour 

Wet ingredients 

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted to liquid

1 tablespoon filtered water

1 teaspoon fragrant oil - I use food grade oils, such as organic rose or orange, or vanilla.

Optional, a natural food colouring- just a couple of drops.

Combine the wet ingredients in a small jug and set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Use your hands to make sure any lumps are broken up completely.

So slowly it feels unnatural, dribble to wet mix in and stir constantly. If it starts to fizz, quickly mix in more dry ingredients- this will halt the reaction.

Once it's all mixed in, you will be able to form the mix into balls. Shape them and set aside for about 20 minutes while they dry out and firm up. Store in an airtight container and use at will. 

Sometimes, inexplicably, I find the mix isn't liquid enough to form. Add a tiny bit more oil if this is the case.

Beans

I love home made baked beans. They're so easy to make and a truckload better for you than their tinned counterparts. Don't mistake me; I have relied on tin beans in the past and will again. For quick, always-eaten dinners, they never fail to get my kids chowing down. But with a little more time up my sleeve, I love to make my own.

I blogged a recipe a little while ago. However, I've tweaked and improved it. So here's my baked beans, the 2014 version.

Ingredients

1 tin organic butter beans

1 tin organic kidney beans

1 small white onion diced

2 rashers free range bacon, diced (NB, replace with a teaspoon of mild paprika for a vegetarian alternative that's still bursting with smokey goodness)

1 celery stalk, finely cubed

2 fresh tomatoes, diced roughly

1 tablespoon good quality tomato paste

1-2 cups filtered water 

I tablespoon extra Virgin olive oil 

Herbs (optional- my master three currently won't eat any "salad", eg, anything green.)

Choose a heavy based pot with a lid- I use my le creuset Dutch oven. Over moderate heat, sautée onion and celery, then add bacon and cook for a few minutes, until a little browned. Strain and rinse the beans and add to the pot. Stir to coat in the onion mix. Add the chopped tomato and enough filtered water to cover. Lower the heat and cover, then cook for around twenty minutes. Remove lid, stir through the paste and cook for a further ten minutes to so. Check seasoning and adjust with a little coconut sugar or honey if necessary. Your beans are ready when the water has become a thick coating and the smell is making your tummy rumble. 

Here's the beta version in case you're wondering.

http://littlelunching.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/home-made-baked-beans.html?m=1

healthy doughnuts

With all the furore over Crispy Creme that's erupted lately (and possibly it's a very localized furore because a Crispy Creme has opened, for the first time, in my city of Adelaide), I thought this a timely post to make. 

When we lived in the UK, I used to indulge in Crispy Cremes very occasionally, and I have to say, if you're to buy store bought, they do have a soft spot in my heart. I know, it's not patriotic, and I know they're pretty awful for you, but once in a hardly visible blue moon, I think they're yum. However, as a rule, I make my doughnuts from scratch. Usually, by baking, but now, I've discovered something even better!

I have found the easiest and quickest way to make doughnuts, and they're relatively healthy, too! This is essentially a churros batter, but made to doughnut shape and fried in butter. I used spelt flour and coconut sugar, so they're low carb, low GI and most gluten free people can eat them. 

Ingredients

1 cup filtered water

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup spelt flour

Cinnamon for dusting and extra coconut sugar for dusting

150 g butter for frying

tablespoon olive oil for frying

Combine cup of water with salt, coconut sugar and coconut oil in a sauce pan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, sieve spelt flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Once the water mix has come to the boil, add to the flour and stir until lumps are removed. This won't be a runny batter, like when making a cake, it should be perfectly pliable. 

Set the butter and oil going in a large frying pan. Shape the doughnuts with your hands and carefully place in the frying pan. Cook over moderate heat - they'll take about five minutes in total, and you want them to be cooked through without burning. After a couple of minutes, carefully flip to the other side and continue to cook for an additonal couple of minutes. Once nicely browned, remove from the pan and sprinkle with the extra coconut sugar and cinnamon. 

Super Cookies (vegan, spelt, organic, 3 ingredients!)

I was so excited by the idea of these cookies that I didn't stop to properly measure out my ingredients, sorry! This recipe is just a guide- I'll do it again soon but in the meantime, if you are comfortable just wading in and giving these a go, I can highly recommend them!

Recipe 

(Approx!!)

2 tablespoons sweet coconut spread

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup spelt flour

Preheat oven to 180'c fan forced.

Combine in a food processor until you have a breadcrumb consistency then dribble about a tablespoon of filtered water in and combine until it forms a dough.

I used superhero moulds from my kids' play dough set but you can obviously shape them however you'd like. These are really yum. Bake for around 12 minutes, then leave to cool (if you can!)...