I’m back

Hi everyone!! I’ve been very quiet on my blog for the past year, switching gears to tackle another area in my life that needed my attention, Our home.

We bought our family home 9 years ago with the intention of renovating that following year. After many discussions to renovate or not we made the very smart decision to knock down and rebuild.  Thank you to our dear friends for convincing us it was the right thing to do!

At the same time I also found myself renovating an apartment for us to live in whilst our home was being rebuilt.

So many challenges for me as a first time renovator. How it opened my eyes to the level of thought and detail required, the coordination of trades, reading plans and of course getting to know the metric system as I grew up with the imperial. If you saw me on site you would think we were playing Pictionary

As if those 2 tasks weren’t enough I also managed to complete a certificate in Hormonal Health through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition . Timing wasn’t perfect but I did not want to miss the opportunity to gain further knowledge of the endocrine system, it’s hormones and ways in which improvements to diet and ones lifestyle can help balance hormones and optimise health .

Continuing my year of growth, I signed up to Dr. Elise Bailylew’s Mindfullness in May Challenge https://www.mindfulinmay.org/ 

10 minutes a day ? I could do that! 

For me meditation was this obstacle that I could not get past . I found every excuse not to commit . Happy to say this is one habit I’m now fully committed to!

The result? I’m calmer, more focused and more aware of my thoughts (specifically letting go of the negative ones ).Thank you Dr. Bailylew for helping me understand the science behind neuroplasticity and the benefits of a daily meditation practice .

Lastly have a look at this quote I found a few months back . This was me ! 

I was so used to being in a tornado that I forgot how to unplug and relax, connect on a deeper level with myself, my family and friends.

So now I say no to more and yes to the things I want to do. I’m cooking in my beautiful kitchen and sharing when I can some of my creations. 

This recipe isn’t mine but one that I go back to when I’m in a rush or want something sweet. You could leave it as is or add in some more goodness . Mine can have flax seeds, chia, kefir, bee pollen and anything else I can think of to keep my family fighting fit.  

Life Changing Food by Jo Whitton and Fouad Kassab

 700ml cold cashew milk, or preferred milk

300g frozen banana, cut into pieces

130g roasted peanut butter (homemade or good quality organic ) 

4 medjool dates, pitted

1/4-1/2 tsp salt if needed

1/2 vanilla bean pod, seeds only, or 1 tsp vanilla

200g ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes, until smooth. 

Paleo : swap peanut butter for almond butter

Happy Creating !!

Elaine 

Amazing Slow Cooker Chicken with Olives, Leek, Mushrooms and Lemon

Am I excited yes ! You see I was once one of those people who could not understand all the fuss over a slow cooker (crock pot ) .  

To me the "crock pot" as we call it in the US brought back horrific memories of chewy beef stew. I swear we ate this bi-weekly when my mom worked all day and completed a degree at night school . I'm sure she laugh at this post and would disagree. .

The other major reason I resisted was due to my lack of counter space and storage for large kitchen appliances . 

Luckily for me, my motivation to make bone broth brought me back to the slow cooker .  

I'm now happy to have one less pot in my crowded cupboard and have easily made space for this time saving awesome machine.

What I love most is the flexibility it gives you as to when you cook . Place all the ingredients in and walk away. How nice is it to come home to a meal almost fully prepared rather than juggling the chaos of children and their needs as well as meal prep.

 I absolutely love when I can, cooking in the afternoon or morning having the rest of the day to not worry about what's for dinner.

OK, enough words let's start cooking.  

Ingredients

• 1 kilo free range, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 leek white part only sliced
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 lemon, sliced (optional)
• 1 cup chicken broth or veggie stock or deglaze the pan with wine and water
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of arrowroot or corn starch 
• 150 grams swiss brown mushrooms sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted mixed olives (add more if you like olives)

Directions

Pat thighs dry with a paper towel. This will help them brown better. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; sauté the leek and mushrooms for 2 minutes. Remove from pan.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil back to pan along with half of chicken. Cook about 3 minutes per side, or until browned. Transfer to your slow cooker.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and repeat procedure with remaining chicken. 

Whilst the pan is still hot, deglaze it (which basically means add a cold liquid to a hot pot allowing all the bits to bubble and brown up ).Combine  a bit of the broth, juice, and arrowroot stirring with a whisk. Pour broth mixture over chicken. Add leek and mushrooms.

Top with olives and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours (or 4 hours on high). Garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Slow Cooker Lemon, Mushroom, Leek and Olive Chicken

Quinoa Vegetable Patties

Tonight I was running late as I've had house full of sick kids and not much time for my food preparation.

Here's what I had in the fridge: cooked quinoa , spinach, zucchini, Parmesan and some roasted sweet potatoes.

Meatless Monday fridge clean out  

Inspired by a recent visit to my favourite local cafe Bossy Boots (where I saw these beautiful veggie quinoa patties for $6 each ), I combined the ingredients above along with some eggs and fresh herbs and cooked them 5 minutes each side (keeping shape by using an egg ring).How clever am I ?

Cooking with egg poachers

The result, a healthy vegetarian meal perfect for a lunch, dinner , lunchbox or snack .  

Quinoa Vegetable Patties

Recipe: 

150g cooked quinao

1 grated zucchini  

1/4 onion diced

1 garlic minced

1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan  

1/2 cup roasted sweet potato  

1 tbs chopped chives (optional) 

handful of basil & mint

2 eggs  

 Method

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa, eggs, salt, grated zucchini, Parmesan and chives in a bowl . 

2. Heat 1tbs. coconut oil in a frying pan and gently sautée onion and garlic. 

3. Combine with quinoa mixture and roasted sweet potatoes until just combined.*

 * you could easily swap sweet potatoes for corn, carrot or pumpkin.

4. Heat 2 tbs of coconut oil (on medium heat ) in frying pan . Use your egg poaching ring to securely hold mixture in place. Press down to fill and cover for 5 mintes on medium heat. 

5. Turn over , remove poacher and cook for an additional 5 minutes. ( I only had 2 poachers so I found this method easiest to cook additional patties . If you don't have an egg poacher than use your hands to form a 1" circle.  

Serve warm with a salad or your choice of topping . This recipe yields 6 patties.  

Enjoy !  

What the oat?

Last week I went to the supermarket as I had run out of oats. I typically buy my oats at a nut store on online so it was to my surprise that the supermarket had several different types.  I was overwhelmed and confused. Here I had; Australian Traditional Rolled Oats, Quick Oats, Steel Cut Oats, Organic Oats and more. What's the difference? Are there benefits? If you are asking yourself the same question that read on.

Oat 101

Oats are a low GI, healthy, wholegrain food which means they are less likely to create a spike in your blood sugar levels. If you are looking for a hearty breakfast for yourself or family then oats are a great choice for you.

Steel cut oats (think pinhead)

These are whole oats that have simply been cut into two or three pieces by steel cutters to produce rough, coarse oatmeal. They are the least processed of all the oats.

Uses: use for oatcakes and the traditional way of making porridge.
 

• Jumbo rolled oats/flakes

These are whole oats that have been softened with steam and then flattened between rollers to produce flakes.

Uses: use raw in muesli, or to make thick, textured porridge.
 

• Rolled oats

These are the ones I grew up with. Steel cut (also known as pinhead) oats (oats that are cut into two or three pieces) that have been softened with steam and then rolled to produce flakes. They are smaller than jumbo flakes therefore, so cook quicker and make a finer, smoother porridge.

Uses: tend to be used for the single-serve sachet products found in supermarkets. Use a mix of jumbo and rolled oats to make biscuits, oatcakes, cereal bars or pancakes.

• Quick Oats

Quick-cooking oats: These are simply rolled into thinner flakes, so they cook a little faster.

My Blog?

Thanks for dropping by!

“This blog is for women who want it all and are absolutely done with settling for less.”

I'm sure for those who are reading this you are very similar to myself, time poor, passionate about food and health and want it all in life. Does that sound familiar? Are you exhausted trying to keep all those balls up in the air? Well you can breathe sigh of relief, I'm putting my hand up to take some pressure off in the area of health and wellness. 

This blog will be a place for me to share my thoughts on food, providing you tips that I use in my everyday life as well as recipes, and information to help you become more educated, aware and efficient in the kitchen.