TABLE OF CONTENTs
File #1
Coconut & Chia Pudding
Deb's Super Salad
Chickpea & Vegetable Curry
Guilt Free "Mock-tail beverage
File #2
Zucchini Fritters
Coconut & Garlic Fish
Roast Vegetables & Spinach with Balsamic Dressing
Aple Cider, Lemon and Honey beverage
File #3
Fruit Salad
Zucchini Frittata
Chicken Kabobs with Vegetable Rice
Date Scones
Green Machine beverage
Snow Freeze treat
File #4
Tropical Island breakfast
Loaded Cauliflower
Moroccan Lamb
File #5
Everything Oat
Oatmeal Pancakes
Oat Muffins
Meatloaf
File #6
Banana Oat Muffins
Pumpkin & Spinach Salad
Lentil & Cauliflower Curry
File #7
Marshmallows (posted by Trisia)
File #8
Recipes posted by Mary
File #1, R27, 1/14/2015
BREAKFAST
COCONUT & CHIA PUDDING
This is officially two serves but it makes 3 for me due to serving with fruit, either way it comes in around 300 calories each.
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I hear the coconut almond milk mix works great too but haven't tried it though)
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/8 – ¼ cup honey or agave nectar (I find ¼ cup too sweet)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Combine these in an airtight container and pop in fridge night before (Or if you want a sweet treat it needs at least 4 hours in fridge). This makes officially 2 servings and will keep for 3 days in fridge.
I serve mine with one sliced banana and I love it with some raspberries.
You can even do this "parfait style" Layer, add some chopped/sliced almonds for some crunch etc think about that one if you want a decadent dessert
LUNCH
DEB’s SUPER SALAD - As to calories the meatless/eggless version you could eat the whole salad and still be under 200 calories
1 cup salad greens (I like rocket (arugula), baby spinach, kale, radicchio but if you aren’t sure a bag of salad mix works fine)
½ cup finely sliced green cabbage
¼ cup finely sliced red cabbage
½ stalk of celery (peeled if needed) and finely sliced
1 small grated carrot
¼ red onion finely chopped
Tomato, cucumber, radish, to serve
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs, usually parsley, chives, corriander (think you guys call it celantro?)
In a shallow bowl I spread out the salad greens, I combine the rest of the ingredients into a slaw and then place it on top of salad greens, I then give it a very light toss – This one isn't to vent frustration on sorry I'll provide other recipes for that. I then decorate it with slices of tomato and cucumber
I sometimes add chicken or hard boiled egg this if I'm short on my daily protein.
DINNER
CHICKPEA AND VEGETABLE CURRY 6 serves @ less than 300 calories
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup carrot slices
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
One small chopped chile, your tolerance for heat of course dictates how hot a chile you want I use a mild chile
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled potato
1 cup diced green bell pepper (capsicum)
1 cup sliced green beans
1 large can diced tomatoes, including juice (about 3 cups)
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup light coconut milk
6 lemon wedges
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chile; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Place onion mixture in an electric slow cooker (AS to size of cooker you will need a cooker large enough to hold a family meal not one of the small ones – unless you reduce the recipe). Stir in chickpeas and all but the last 3 ingredients.
Cover and cook on HIGH at least 5 hours(I put it on for my work day so about 8 hours) or until vegetables are tender.
Add spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges.
Great the next day too, haven't tried making and freezing as our family never leave enough to bother but if you want to make ahead and freeze individual quantities I would do it before adding spinach and coconut milk and then when reheating add in 1/2 - 1 cup spinach and about 1/4 cup coconut milk
BEVERAGE
Guilt free "mocktail" serves four
Into a blender pop about 10 mint leaves 2 cups of ice and pulse till crushed ice is blitzed with mint leaves. Add juice of 1 lemon (or 2 limes). Blitz a few more seconds. Divide over four tall glasses. Drop into each glass 1-2 slices of lemon (or lime) then top each glass with soda water.
Now if you have the need or don't have to worry about the guilt you can feel free to add, vodka or gin or even white rum to the blender - but shhhh I won't tell
FILE #2, R27, 1/14/15
BREAKFAST-Maybe Weekend Brunch
Zucchini Fritters
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, grated (I use about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour - This is standard flour not self raising, though I did use that by accident once and it still worked lol)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add salt and gently toss to combine; then let sit for 10 minutes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain zucchini completely by wrapping and giving a squeeze.
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, flour, Parmesan, garlic and egg; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
If the mixture doesn't look quite right I add another egg, you want to go for a sloppy but not runny mix - if unsure cook a trial one and if not right add the other egg. If your mix is too runny either you can add slightly more zucchini or slightly more flour or try popping in some of the optional ingredients below.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop tablespoons of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
Optional to add some diced onion, some chopped herbs, a little chilli flakes or or chilli, all to your own tastes
Serve alone or make it a full treat breakfast with some bacon or chicken bacon and cooked tomatoes
Great with a little salsa, the original recipe showed them served with sour cream.
LUNCH
Coconut & Garlic Fish
2 Fillets firm white fish (Think your Bass, would be good here we use terakihi, snapper or cod)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic (jar variety) or you can crush a couple of fresh cloves
1/4 cup fresh cream
In a skillet or frying pan over medium low heat gently fry your fish in the coconut oil - you do not want to over cook fish it is yucky dry - if unsure google gives heaps of tips but the easiest way is to look for the opaque flesh to change to "white" and also the texture changes. You are not trying to get a pretty tan on the fish LOL
Remove fish from pan and set on plate in a warm oven (this will continue to cook the fish also so you don't want to go to slow with the sauce but also you don't want to forget this when cooking fish as its even more important to not over cook it :-)
Add the garlic to the pan and the cream, stir over heat till thickens to form a sauce
Pour over fish to serve
Great with salad of your choice and if you need a bit more oomph add some rice or couscous (which will also soak up the sauce too)
If you don't want to fry your fish you can poach fish in the microwave, in a microwave friendly container pop a small amount of water less than 1/2 inch deep, place your fish fillet in it and cover with cling film or a lid and microwave on high power for about 2 minutes. You can even make the sauce in the microwave, mix the garlic and cream in a cup or small microwave proof container and cook on high for about 1 minute and ta da done. Not keen on garlic try an avodao sauce instead - use 3 tablespoons of mashed avocado, and 1/4 cream (I add a pinch of cumin and chilli powder) and microwave for a minute or two on high stir and yum
DINNER
Roast Vegetables and Spinach with balsamic dressing (Serves 4)
You want about about 6 cups of mixed roasting vegetables cut into about 1/2 inch pieces (don't be too worried about the size it is more about trying to get the roughly the same size) I like pumpkin, parsnip, carrot, kumara (sweet potato) swede, potato, zucchini but really anything you roast will work
I pop these in my roasting pan - or two if you can't fit in one without it piled too high. I spray them with olive oil (Or drizzle) and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper and pop in the oven on about 150celsius (300 Fahrenheit) for about 15minutes
Then I add chunky sliced red onion, bell peppers and cook till the harder vegetables are tender and almost ready to eat (i.e. if the carrot and potatoes, then I add in a cup or two of cherry tomatoes (If they are the slightly larger variety halve them) and cook another 5-10 minutes so they are just warmed through
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in three handfuls approx. of spinach leaves, you only want to cook this about two minutes. Drain in a colander then mix your roast vegetables
Serve drizzled with your favourite balsamic dressing, or if you don't like balsamic or prefer go without :-)
Have left over vegetables
Use them in a quiche, an omelette, make a vegetarian lasagne, serve with your favourite meat as a side dish. They make a good salad option cold or reheat great.
BEVERAGE
Apple Cider, Lemon and Honey - Boost immunity, detox and fight the winter bugs
Okay it is summer here but I have been talking about this for a while and I wanted to try it before I posted so I made this yesterday for the first time. I used to make a standard lemon and honey drink in winter but this was great and apparently way better so here it is
1 cup water - I used hot water but apparently cold works - I haven't done that
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (organic is recommended)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used the juice of a whole lemon, I love lemon)
1 teaspoon cinnamon - find real Ceylon cinnamon if you can not the stuff they sell as cinnamon
1 tablespoon raw honey (or manuka honey)
Now you don't want to boil the vinegar as it destroys many of its properties so I mixed everything else into my boiling water first then added the vinegar, it was great - I think if I was sick I'd make a big jug and just let it cool and drink it cold all ay rather than keep making it - better yet get someone else to make it lol
Some recipes add a pinch of cayenne pepper but I have bad memories of a mean uncle placing that on my tongue for swearing so I don't touch it
FILE #3, R27, 1/14/15
BREAKFAST
FRUIT SALAD
You can’t go wrong with fruit salad. Fresh fruit is awesome but if you need a bit more variety adding canned or home preserved fruit is great too just avoid heavy syrups.
I love my fruit salad to be based on a canned tropical fruit salad (think guava, mangos, pineapple) Then I add kiwifruit, banana, apples, mandarin segments, melon, grapes.
I put about 2 cups fruit in a bowl, add a dollop or two of Greek yogurt and sprinkle with LSA (this is a mix of linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds. It is ground and you can buy it in a bag at most good supermarkets here so I am sure you will find it easily there also.
On the run – pop the whole lot in a blender and consume in the car on the way to where-ever you are headed.
LUNCH FOR TWO (360 calories each) or serve 3-4 with a salad for less calories
ZUCCHINI FRITTATA
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion (I like red onion)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup slivered fresh mint
1/4 cup slivered fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 large eggs
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 10-inch (25cm) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and onion; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add
tomatoes, mint, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a grinding of pepper; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the moisture has evaporated, 30 to 60 seconds.
Whisk eggs, and a grinding of pepper in a large bowl until blended. Add the zucchini mixture and cheese; stir to combine.
Preheat the broiler.
Wipe out the pan and brush it with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil; place over medium-low heat. Add the frittata mixture and cook, without stirring, until the bottom is light golden, 2 to 4 minutes. As it cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan so uncooked egg will flow to the edges.
Place the pan under the broiler/grill and cook until the frittata is set and the top is golden, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Loosen the edges and slide onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.
DINNER
CHICKEN KEBABS & VEGETABLE RICE – feeds 4
2 lbs or 1 kilo skinless boneless chicken breast cut into cubes roughly 1 inch/2 cms thick
MARINADE – mix together:
1/4 cup oil of your choice – I usually use canola
1 Tablespoon Liquid honey
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce (I use low sodium)
3 Tablespoons orange juice – from an orange or 3 or from a bottle of juice
1 Teaspoon crushed ginger or grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Mix marinade well with whisk then place, chicken cubes in a zip lock bag and pour marinade in (or a container with a lid) Put in fridge for 4 hours – every hour move around gently don't mush the chicken
Thread four or five cubes on bamboo skewers and then line up in a roasting pan/baking tray and broil about 3 mins on each side – yes there are four sides so you will need to turn them at least 3 times
We serve these with vegetable rice – there are three versions of this:
Use medium grain white rice and cook per instructions, or cook medium grain white rice in chicken stock, or cheat and by “instant” rice like Uncle Ben's and cook in microwave.
We add diced onion, capsicum, corn kernels, peas, - you can either saute fresh in a pan (If you like cooking and have time) Or you can buy frozen and pop in microwave.
Then you can either just mix the cooked rice and cooked vegetables together – which we do or you can lightly fry the two together in a bit of oil and a bit of chicken stock and soy sauce.
Each person should get 3 skewers if 4 cubes or 2 if you use 5 cubes per skewer
BAKING DAY
DATE SCONES
3 cups standard plain flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup dates – chopped roughly
½ cup orange juice
1/3 cup butter
1½ cups milk, approximately
2 tablespoon molasses
½ cup flour for bench/shaping dough etc
1. Preheat oven to 200 celsius or 390 fahrenheit . Soak dates in orange juice for at least 2 hours. Melt molasses in butter in microwave or saucepan. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Then add roughly a cup of milk. Mixture should be a stiff dough do not knead or play with it you are only combining the ingredients, you will see flour etc that is not totally mixed and that is fine. Tip in dates and orange juice mix lightly.
2. Add only as much of remaining milk required to form a soft dough, tip onto floured bench this is a bit messy and that is expected. Knead a few times. Press scone gently into a rectangular shape, cut into 12 even-sized pieces. Place on oven tray, brush tops with milk and place in top half of oven to bake.
3. Bake scones for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
NOTE:
Why I use molasses – It is a good source of iron (1 teaspoon is equivalent to 6 iron tablets), it is better for you than sugar I think, it also gives the scones a beautiful color.
Why I soak the dates in orange juice – Soaking dates in boiled water will have same effect in that it softens the dates but the orange juice adds flavor and vitamin c helps absorb iron – not 1 hundred percent sure how much that works when cooked but hey it’s a theory (LOL)
BEVERAGE
GREEN MACHINE – High Iron perfect for TTOM
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup seedless green grapes (approx 30 grapes – Try not to eat them)
1 small cucumber, thickly sliced
1 small Granny Smith apple (green apple with a fresh crisp flavour) 4–6 ounces or 150gms roughly - cored and cut into chunks
1/2 cup cold water
In a blender, combine kale, grapes, cucumber, apple, and water; blend, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth. Strain juice and, if desired, thin with additional water. Refrigerate up to 2 days (shake before serving).
Also made this with a stalk of celery added, as well as traded the apple for a pear when we ran out of apples.
SWEET TREAT
“SNOW FREEZE”
1 cup frozen berries
2 cups frozen sliced bananas
2 Tablespoons almond milk or coconut milk
Easy as a quick blitz in the blender or with a stick blender till you have healthy “snow freeze” beats the local ice-cream parlor
COCONUT & CHIA PUDDING
This is officially two serves but it makes 3 for me due to serving with fruit, either way it comes in around 300 calories each.
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I hear the coconut almond milk mix works great too but haven't tried it though)
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/8 – ¼ cup honey or agave nectar (I find ¼ cup too sweet)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Combine these in an airtight container and pop in fridge night before (Or if you want a sweet treat it needs at least 4 hours in fridge). This makes officially 2 servings and will keep for 3 days in fridge.
I serve mine with one sliced banana and I love it with some raspberries.
You can even do this "parfait style" Layer, add some chopped/sliced almonds for some crunch etc think about that one if you want a decadent dessert
LUNCH
DEB’s SUPER SALAD - As to calories the meatless/eggless version you could eat the whole salad and still be under 200 calories
1 cup salad greens (I like rocket (arugula), baby spinach, kale, radicchio but if you aren’t sure a bag of salad mix works fine)
½ cup finely sliced green cabbage
¼ cup finely sliced red cabbage
½ stalk of celery (peeled if needed) and finely sliced
1 small grated carrot
¼ red onion finely chopped
Tomato, cucumber, radish, to serve
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs, usually parsley, chives, corriander (think you guys call it celantro?)
In a shallow bowl I spread out the salad greens, I combine the rest of the ingredients into a slaw and then place it on top of salad greens, I then give it a very light toss – This one isn't to vent frustration on sorry I'll provide other recipes for that. I then decorate it with slices of tomato and cucumber
I sometimes add chicken or hard boiled egg this if I'm short on my daily protein.
DINNER
CHICKPEA AND VEGETABLE CURRY 6 serves @ less than 300 calories
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup carrot slices
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
One small chopped chile, your tolerance for heat of course dictates how hot a chile you want I use a mild chile
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled potato
1 cup diced green bell pepper (capsicum)
1 cup sliced green beans
1 large can diced tomatoes, including juice (about 3 cups)
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup light coconut milk
6 lemon wedges
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chile; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Place onion mixture in an electric slow cooker (AS to size of cooker you will need a cooker large enough to hold a family meal not one of the small ones – unless you reduce the recipe). Stir in chickpeas and all but the last 3 ingredients.
Cover and cook on HIGH at least 5 hours(I put it on for my work day so about 8 hours) or until vegetables are tender.
Add spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges.
Great the next day too, haven't tried making and freezing as our family never leave enough to bother but if you want to make ahead and freeze individual quantities I would do it before adding spinach and coconut milk and then when reheating add in 1/2 - 1 cup spinach and about 1/4 cup coconut milk
BEVERAGE
Guilt free "mocktail" serves four
Into a blender pop about 10 mint leaves 2 cups of ice and pulse till crushed ice is blitzed with mint leaves. Add juice of 1 lemon (or 2 limes). Blitz a few more seconds. Divide over four tall glasses. Drop into each glass 1-2 slices of lemon (or lime) then top each glass with soda water.
Now if you have the need or don't have to worry about the guilt you can feel free to add, vodka or gin or even white rum to the blender - but shhhh I won't tell
FILE #2, R27, 1/14/15
BREAKFAST-Maybe Weekend Brunch
Zucchini Fritters
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, grated (I use about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour - This is standard flour not self raising, though I did use that by accident once and it still worked lol)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add salt and gently toss to combine; then let sit for 10 minutes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain zucchini completely by wrapping and giving a squeeze.
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, flour, Parmesan, garlic and egg; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
If the mixture doesn't look quite right I add another egg, you want to go for a sloppy but not runny mix - if unsure cook a trial one and if not right add the other egg. If your mix is too runny either you can add slightly more zucchini or slightly more flour or try popping in some of the optional ingredients below.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop tablespoons of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
Optional to add some diced onion, some chopped herbs, a little chilli flakes or or chilli, all to your own tastes
Serve alone or make it a full treat breakfast with some bacon or chicken bacon and cooked tomatoes
Great with a little salsa, the original recipe showed them served with sour cream.
LUNCH
Coconut & Garlic Fish
2 Fillets firm white fish (Think your Bass, would be good here we use terakihi, snapper or cod)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic (jar variety) or you can crush a couple of fresh cloves
1/4 cup fresh cream
In a skillet or frying pan over medium low heat gently fry your fish in the coconut oil - you do not want to over cook fish it is yucky dry - if unsure google gives heaps of tips but the easiest way is to look for the opaque flesh to change to "white" and also the texture changes. You are not trying to get a pretty tan on the fish LOL
Remove fish from pan and set on plate in a warm oven (this will continue to cook the fish also so you don't want to go to slow with the sauce but also you don't want to forget this when cooking fish as its even more important to not over cook it :-)
Add the garlic to the pan and the cream, stir over heat till thickens to form a sauce
Pour over fish to serve
Great with salad of your choice and if you need a bit more oomph add some rice or couscous (which will also soak up the sauce too)
If you don't want to fry your fish you can poach fish in the microwave, in a microwave friendly container pop a small amount of water less than 1/2 inch deep, place your fish fillet in it and cover with cling film or a lid and microwave on high power for about 2 minutes. You can even make the sauce in the microwave, mix the garlic and cream in a cup or small microwave proof container and cook on high for about 1 minute and ta da done. Not keen on garlic try an avodao sauce instead - use 3 tablespoons of mashed avocado, and 1/4 cream (I add a pinch of cumin and chilli powder) and microwave for a minute or two on high stir and yum
DINNER
Roast Vegetables and Spinach with balsamic dressing (Serves 4)
You want about about 6 cups of mixed roasting vegetables cut into about 1/2 inch pieces (don't be too worried about the size it is more about trying to get the roughly the same size) I like pumpkin, parsnip, carrot, kumara (sweet potato) swede, potato, zucchini but really anything you roast will work
I pop these in my roasting pan - or two if you can't fit in one without it piled too high. I spray them with olive oil (Or drizzle) and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper and pop in the oven on about 150celsius (300 Fahrenheit) for about 15minutes
Then I add chunky sliced red onion, bell peppers and cook till the harder vegetables are tender and almost ready to eat (i.e. if the carrot and potatoes, then I add in a cup or two of cherry tomatoes (If they are the slightly larger variety halve them) and cook another 5-10 minutes so they are just warmed through
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in three handfuls approx. of spinach leaves, you only want to cook this about two minutes. Drain in a colander then mix your roast vegetables
Serve drizzled with your favourite balsamic dressing, or if you don't like balsamic or prefer go without :-)
Have left over vegetables
Use them in a quiche, an omelette, make a vegetarian lasagne, serve with your favourite meat as a side dish. They make a good salad option cold or reheat great.
BEVERAGE
Apple Cider, Lemon and Honey - Boost immunity, detox and fight the winter bugs
Okay it is summer here but I have been talking about this for a while and I wanted to try it before I posted so I made this yesterday for the first time. I used to make a standard lemon and honey drink in winter but this was great and apparently way better so here it is
1 cup water - I used hot water but apparently cold works - I haven't done that
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (organic is recommended)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used the juice of a whole lemon, I love lemon)
1 teaspoon cinnamon - find real Ceylon cinnamon if you can not the stuff they sell as cinnamon
1 tablespoon raw honey (or manuka honey)
Now you don't want to boil the vinegar as it destroys many of its properties so I mixed everything else into my boiling water first then added the vinegar, it was great - I think if I was sick I'd make a big jug and just let it cool and drink it cold all ay rather than keep making it - better yet get someone else to make it lol
Some recipes add a pinch of cayenne pepper but I have bad memories of a mean uncle placing that on my tongue for swearing so I don't touch it
FILE #3, R27, 1/14/15
BREAKFAST
FRUIT SALAD
You can’t go wrong with fruit salad. Fresh fruit is awesome but if you need a bit more variety adding canned or home preserved fruit is great too just avoid heavy syrups.
I love my fruit salad to be based on a canned tropical fruit salad (think guava, mangos, pineapple) Then I add kiwifruit, banana, apples, mandarin segments, melon, grapes.
I put about 2 cups fruit in a bowl, add a dollop or two of Greek yogurt and sprinkle with LSA (this is a mix of linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds. It is ground and you can buy it in a bag at most good supermarkets here so I am sure you will find it easily there also.
On the run – pop the whole lot in a blender and consume in the car on the way to where-ever you are headed.
LUNCH FOR TWO (360 calories each) or serve 3-4 with a salad for less calories
ZUCCHINI FRITTATA
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion (I like red onion)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup slivered fresh mint
1/4 cup slivered fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 large eggs
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 10-inch (25cm) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and onion; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add
tomatoes, mint, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a grinding of pepper; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the moisture has evaporated, 30 to 60 seconds.
Whisk eggs, and a grinding of pepper in a large bowl until blended. Add the zucchini mixture and cheese; stir to combine.
Preheat the broiler.
Wipe out the pan and brush it with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil; place over medium-low heat. Add the frittata mixture and cook, without stirring, until the bottom is light golden, 2 to 4 minutes. As it cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan so uncooked egg will flow to the edges.
Place the pan under the broiler/grill and cook until the frittata is set and the top is golden, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Loosen the edges and slide onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.
DINNER
CHICKEN KEBABS & VEGETABLE RICE – feeds 4
2 lbs or 1 kilo skinless boneless chicken breast cut into cubes roughly 1 inch/2 cms thick
MARINADE – mix together:
1/4 cup oil of your choice – I usually use canola
1 Tablespoon Liquid honey
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce (I use low sodium)
3 Tablespoons orange juice – from an orange or 3 or from a bottle of juice
1 Teaspoon crushed ginger or grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Mix marinade well with whisk then place, chicken cubes in a zip lock bag and pour marinade in (or a container with a lid) Put in fridge for 4 hours – every hour move around gently don't mush the chicken
Thread four or five cubes on bamboo skewers and then line up in a roasting pan/baking tray and broil about 3 mins on each side – yes there are four sides so you will need to turn them at least 3 times
We serve these with vegetable rice – there are three versions of this:
Use medium grain white rice and cook per instructions, or cook medium grain white rice in chicken stock, or cheat and by “instant” rice like Uncle Ben's and cook in microwave.
We add diced onion, capsicum, corn kernels, peas, - you can either saute fresh in a pan (If you like cooking and have time) Or you can buy frozen and pop in microwave.
Then you can either just mix the cooked rice and cooked vegetables together – which we do or you can lightly fry the two together in a bit of oil and a bit of chicken stock and soy sauce.
Each person should get 3 skewers if 4 cubes or 2 if you use 5 cubes per skewer
BAKING DAY
DATE SCONES
3 cups standard plain flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup dates – chopped roughly
½ cup orange juice
1/3 cup butter
1½ cups milk, approximately
2 tablespoon molasses
½ cup flour for bench/shaping dough etc
1. Preheat oven to 200 celsius or 390 fahrenheit . Soak dates in orange juice for at least 2 hours. Melt molasses in butter in microwave or saucepan. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Then add roughly a cup of milk. Mixture should be a stiff dough do not knead or play with it you are only combining the ingredients, you will see flour etc that is not totally mixed and that is fine. Tip in dates and orange juice mix lightly.
2. Add only as much of remaining milk required to form a soft dough, tip onto floured bench this is a bit messy and that is expected. Knead a few times. Press scone gently into a rectangular shape, cut into 12 even-sized pieces. Place on oven tray, brush tops with milk and place in top half of oven to bake.
3. Bake scones for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
NOTE:
Why I use molasses – It is a good source of iron (1 teaspoon is equivalent to 6 iron tablets), it is better for you than sugar I think, it also gives the scones a beautiful color.
Why I soak the dates in orange juice – Soaking dates in boiled water will have same effect in that it softens the dates but the orange juice adds flavor and vitamin c helps absorb iron – not 1 hundred percent sure how much that works when cooked but hey it’s a theory (LOL)
BEVERAGE
GREEN MACHINE – High Iron perfect for TTOM
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup seedless green grapes (approx 30 grapes – Try not to eat them)
1 small cucumber, thickly sliced
1 small Granny Smith apple (green apple with a fresh crisp flavour) 4–6 ounces or 150gms roughly - cored and cut into chunks
1/2 cup cold water
In a blender, combine kale, grapes, cucumber, apple, and water; blend, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth. Strain juice and, if desired, thin with additional water. Refrigerate up to 2 days (shake before serving).
Also made this with a stalk of celery added, as well as traded the apple for a pear when we ran out of apples.
SWEET TREAT
“SNOW FREEZE”
1 cup frozen berries
2 cups frozen sliced bananas
2 Tablespoons almond milk or coconut milk
Easy as a quick blitz in the blender or with a stick blender till you have healthy “snow freeze” beats the local ice-cream parlor
File #4, R28, 5/20/15
Breakfast – Tropical Island
Okay so I promise not to always serve up a smoothie for breakfast, in fact you know how much I love eggs for breakfast, but this week with my new toy it was a given …
1 cup fresh spinach
¾ cup frozen pineapple pieces (I buy a couple of pineapple each week chop and freeze)
¾ cup or one banana chopped
Put all in your blender/nutri gadget of choice – I am loving my bullet but hear some of the cheaper options do as good a job if you are not wanting to get into nuts/grains or heavy duty greens so maybe check out what is available in your neck of the woods.
Lunch – Loaded Cauliflower
1 large head of cauliflower cut into pieces (fork size for easy eating)
8 strips of bacon cooked in oven and then crumbled (200 celsius/400 fahrenheit for about 20mins)
6 Tablespoons chopped chives
½ cup mayonnaise (I use a low fat one but that is your call)
½ cup sour cream (Lite works great in this recipe – doesn’t always)
2 cups Colby or cheddar cheese
8ozs or 250gms sliced mushrooms
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400fahrenheit or 200 celsius while you bring a pot of water to the boil.
Pop the cauliflower pieces into the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes then remove and cool.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients, except for 1 cup of cheese.
Place in an oven dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese then pop in the oven for 15-20minutes till looking delicious and starting to golden.
Yes this is a pretty high fat lunch but is actually low carb and a serve of this with a nice green salad and the whole family are happy.
Dinner - Moroccan Lamb
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2 lbs lamb shoulder chops or neck chops or if you can afford boneless fillets
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
Approx 2 Cups chickpeas (find a can roughly the right size), drained
1 cup dried apricots
2 large tomatoes, chopped (or one can of chopped tomatoes)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
Preparation:
This is a very technical dish – NOT
Pop it all in your crockpot/slow cooker and set on low and then go to work or out to play, come back 8 hours later and serve with couscous – or cook on high for around 5 hours. If you want to go old school brown your lamb in a little oil and then put everything in a casserole dish and cook at 150celsius (300 in Fahrenheit) – covered, for around 1.5 hours I would guess.
Okay so I promise not to always serve up a smoothie for breakfast, in fact you know how much I love eggs for breakfast, but this week with my new toy it was a given …
1 cup fresh spinach
¾ cup frozen pineapple pieces (I buy a couple of pineapple each week chop and freeze)
¾ cup or one banana chopped
Put all in your blender/nutri gadget of choice – I am loving my bullet but hear some of the cheaper options do as good a job if you are not wanting to get into nuts/grains or heavy duty greens so maybe check out what is available in your neck of the woods.
Lunch – Loaded Cauliflower
1 large head of cauliflower cut into pieces (fork size for easy eating)
8 strips of bacon cooked in oven and then crumbled (200 celsius/400 fahrenheit for about 20mins)
6 Tablespoons chopped chives
½ cup mayonnaise (I use a low fat one but that is your call)
½ cup sour cream (Lite works great in this recipe – doesn’t always)
2 cups Colby or cheddar cheese
8ozs or 250gms sliced mushrooms
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400fahrenheit or 200 celsius while you bring a pot of water to the boil.
Pop the cauliflower pieces into the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes then remove and cool.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients, except for 1 cup of cheese.
Place in an oven dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese then pop in the oven for 15-20minutes till looking delicious and starting to golden.
Yes this is a pretty high fat lunch but is actually low carb and a serve of this with a nice green salad and the whole family are happy.
Dinner - Moroccan Lamb
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2 lbs lamb shoulder chops or neck chops or if you can afford boneless fillets
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
Approx 2 Cups chickpeas (find a can roughly the right size), drained
1 cup dried apricots
2 large tomatoes, chopped (or one can of chopped tomatoes)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
Preparation:
This is a very technical dish – NOT
Pop it all in your crockpot/slow cooker and set on low and then go to work or out to play, come back 8 hours later and serve with couscous – or cook on high for around 5 hours. If you want to go old school brown your lamb in a little oil and then put everything in a casserole dish and cook at 150celsius (300 in Fahrenheit) – covered, for around 1.5 hours I would guess.
FILE #5, R28, 5/28/15
This week I want to focus on the wonderful, simple fantastic, versatile OAT. You can incorporate the marvellous oat throughout your day to keep you feeling full, lower cholesterol, unique antioxidants conquer heart disease, enhance immunity and stabilise blood sugar ... why wouldn’t you have at it!!!
Breakfast ideas
Standard Oatmeal or Porridge – throw in some fresh fruit or nuts and yummy
Smoothie – add ¼ uncooked oats to almost any smoothie but even better if you have almond milk and berries – they make a great combo.
Oatmeal Pancakes
1 cup (123g) whole wheat flour (white if you wish)
1/2 cup (40g) quick oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg (or 2 egg whites)
1 cup (240ml) milk* you know cow, goat, almond, coconut – options are limitless
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 cup (63g) Greek yogurt*
Optional ½ cup chocolate chips or fruit
Directions:
Toss the flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Whisk in the brown sugar and yogurt until no lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla until combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix the batter or your pancakes will be tough and very dense. Add any mix-ins you prefer, but again - do not over mix the batter.
Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with cooking spray, oil, or butter. Once hot, drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form on the center or sides, about 1 minute. Flip and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Coat griddle/skillet again with nonstick spray for each pancake or batch of pancakes.
Keep pancakes warm in a preheated 200F degree oven until all pancakes are cooked. Serve immediately. Pancakes taste best right after they are made. However the pancakes freeze well, for up to 2 months.
Now don’t kill these healthy pancakes with a tone of syrup – try warming and mushing berries then pouring over top, or slices of banana with blueberries and a dollop of greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.
LUNCH TIME
Oat Muffins
2 1⁄4 cups oatmeal
1⁄4 cup nuts
1⁄4 cup raisins
2 teaspoons baking powder
3⁄4 cup milk
2⁄3 cup honey
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
In a big bowl, mix oatmeal, nuts, raisins, baking powder.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix til you have an even mix.
Put the mix on the muffin paper lined muffin tins (these do stick!) fill 3/4s full
Bake for 15 min or till golden at 450F (220 celsius)
Okay so dinner was a bit of a trick and then I thought – are you crazy Deb and so here it is
MEATLOAF
2 lbs ground turkey, beef or lamb
1 cup tomato sauce or 1 cup ketchup or 1 cup salsa
3⁄4 cup Oats
1⁄2 cup chopped onion
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped herbs – parsley, coriander (cilantro), thyme, basil
salt and pepper
Highly technical stuff here – mix it all together – use your hands – or better yet use the kids hands! Bake 1 hr in a loaf tin at a preheated 350F oven
P.S. Need to hide some veggies for the kids and have a large loaf tin or two average size tins – add ½ cup grated carrot, ½ cup grated zucchini
FILE #6, R28, 6/23/15
Breakfast
Banana Oat Muffins
1 1⁄2 cups flour
3⁄4 cup white sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1⁄3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries *frozen works well
1 cup fresh raspberry *frozen works well
1 banana, mashed
Optional - add ¼ cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease muffin cups or use muffin liners.
Combine flour, white sugar, salt and baking powder.
Place vegetable oil into a 1-cup measuring cup; add egg and enough milk to get 1 cup of liquid. Pour this into flour mixture and mix.
Add mashed banana, then fold in blueberries and raspberries.
Fill muffin cups to top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until done.
LUNCH
Pumpkin & Spinach Salad
1 butternut pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey, extra
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
Preheat oven to 220C (420F). Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place the pumpkin in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss until the pumpkin is well coated. Place in a single layer on the lined tray. Bake, turning once during cooking, for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with the sesame seeds. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the seeds are lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
Combine the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, mustard and extra honey in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the pumpkin, spinach and pine nuts in a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss until just combined. Serve immediately.
DINNER
Lentil and Cauliflower Curry
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 red chilli, finely diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric (this is a pretty mild version – if you want a bit more pep up the spices of your choice by half to a whole teaspoon extra)
2 large whole tomatoes, diced
4 oz red lentils
½ cup water
1 cauliflower, broken up into large florets
4 oz spinach leaves
1 sprig coriander, diced, to serve
1 pinch salt, to taste
In a large frying pan or saucepan heat oil and gently fry onions, garlic and chilli for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Stir in spices and heat through gently.
Add tomatoes, lentils and water; season with salt, stir well and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are nearly cooked.
Stir in cauliflower florets and spinach leaves; cover for another 10- 15 minutes until cooked.
Serve with freshly diced coriander.
FILE #7, R28, 8/6/15
MARSHMALLOWS
Makes about 36 medium ( 1 ¼” inch) or 16 large (2”inch)
2/3 c water, divided
3 (1/4 oz) envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 t vanilla extract
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS:
Lightly oil the inside of an 8x8 inch pan with vegetable oil. Generously coat with confectioners’ sugar; set aside.
Pour 1/3 cup of the water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, and let stand for about 10 minutes, or until the gelatin has softened.
In a saucepan, off heat, combine the remaining 1/3 cup water and the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and make sure it does not touch the bottom. Cook the mixture without stirring until it reaches 240 degrees F. Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush (or a clean paintbrush reserved for kitchen use only), dipped in water, to gently wipe away any residual sugar crystals.
With the mixer on low speed, very carefully add the hot syrup to the softened gelatin. Add the vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat for 8 to 13 minutes until the mixture becomes very white, stiff, and sticky.
Spread the mixture into the prepared pan using a lightly oiled spatula. With wet hand*, press the batter evenly into the corners of the pan. Set aside for at least 1 hour, or until the mixture is firm and cool.
Sift the confectioner’s sugar into a shallow dish or bowl. Run a wet knife around the edge of the cooled pan to loosen the marshmallow sheet. Remove the marshmallows from the pan. Cut into 16 or 36 squares, wetting the knife often to keep it from sticking. Toss each marshmallows in the confectioners’ sugar until completely coated.
HOW TO STORE IT:
Store the marshmallows in a single layer or layers separated by waxed paper. They will keep for at least one month when stored airtight at moderate temperature.
VARIATIONS:
Substitute sifted unsweetened cocoa or toasted shredded coconut for the confectioners’ sugar used to coat the marshmallows, or fold 1 cup finely chopped cacao nibs, toasted almonds, mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries - - or any combination thereof into the stiff marshmallow mixture before spreading.
*NOTE:
When I made these I did not pat down the batter in the pan…it automatically kind of smoothes out. I did let it set a bit longer than one hour... just because I got busy.
FILE #8, R29, 2015
Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
Ingredients
• 1 Butternut Squash
• 1 small Onion
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
• 2 cup Vegetable Broth
• 1½ cup Apple Cider
• 1½ cup Heavy Cream
• 2 tbsp Honey
• ¼ tsp Curry Powder
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 2 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black Pepper
• Pumpkin Seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Peheat oven to 450.
2. Peel and seed squash and cut into chunks.
3. Peel and quarter onion
4. Toss squash and onion in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes.
7. Puree in blender or food processor.
8. In a large sauce pan, combine squash puree, pumpkin puree, vegetable broth, apple cider and cream.
9. Bring to a low boil over medium heat.
10. Add honey and spices and simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.
*****
Crustless Sausage and Pepper Quiche
Make this your go-to recipe for special breakfasts and brunches. It’s so full of flavor, no one will know it’s made with good-for-you ingredients!
Ingredients: 1/2 pound turkey sausage, cooked and chopped or crumbled
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup each diced green and red bell peppers
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup skim milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce
Preparation: Heat oven to 350°F. Toss cooked sausage, cheese, onion, and peppers with whole wheat flour to combine. Coat 9-inch pie pan with vegetable spray. Add sausage mixture to pie pan. Whisk eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, and red pepper sauce to combine. Pour egg mixture into pie pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Yield: 6 servings
*****
Roasted Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup
The flavors of autumn vegetables shine in this soup. Aliciaarts adds: “You can garnish the soup with plain Greek yogurt and chives or add curry powder for a spicy, warm touch.”
Ingredients: 2 cans (15 ounces each) packed pumpkin or 2 small sugar pumpkins cut in 1-inch dice
1 medium (about 2 pounds) butternut squash, cut in 1-inch dice
2 medium (about 6 ounces each) sweet onions, cut in 1-inch dice
2 large shallots, diced
2 large carrots, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
Preparation: Heat oven to 425°F. Toss vegetables in 15 x 9-inch pan; add broth and cover with foil. Roast 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook an additional 15 minutes, or until fork-tender. Puree contents in blender to the desired consistency.
Yield: About 10 cups