Dessert

The only dessert worth eating is fruit and natural yogurt.

Anything else and it means you have wasted your energy in not only training but eating great Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners.

Now that summer is coming the the fruits are beautiful and fresh and the variety is wonderful.

You can add a little honey, nuts, seeds… and this is a great way to reward yourself and your body.

Organic or non organic?

We talk about this a lot in our house. It would be great to either be able to buy everything organic or grow our own. We had  a consultation with our neuropath a few weeks ago and one of the questions I asked was how important is buying organic? We were told that as long as our fruit and veg is as fresh as it can be that is a wonderful head start. There are some items that it is essential to buy organic, grains and meat are two but some fruit and veg get  treated with so many harmful things, and they absorb it all! Things like leafy greens are generally ok as they are quick-growing and there for don’t have as long to absorb the harmful chemicals, but things like potatoes are slow-growing and do absorb all the bad chemicals.

So, what things do you buy organic??
  

Choose the crucial dozen organic foods. The dozen foods listed next are considered to be the foods most vulnerable to the addition of too many pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics etc. This top dozen lists food items where home washing and cooking practices are unlikely to result in reduction of the chemical or hormonal residues:

• Beef, chicken and pork
•  Dairy products: Milk, cheese and butter
•  Strawberries, raspberries and cherries
•  Bananas
• Apples and pears
•  Tomatoes
•  Broccoli
•  Grains, beans, legumes
•  Potatoes
•  Stone fruits: Peaches, nectarines and apricots
•  Grapes
•  Celery
•  Capsicum green and red

We have started buying bulk organic grains and splitting it amoung friends and family. We have started with organic biodynamic brown rice. We currently have 6 jars of brown rice in our linen press! ($9 for 1.5 kilos if anyone would like a jar). The next is organic whole wheat flour, pop corn, quinoa, lentils and beans (for organic home made baked beans!).

 

Wraps

Wraps are one of the easiest things to have for lunch on the go, or an afternoon snack if you are trying to gain weight.

Depending on your situation it may be easier to take a wrap and the filling separately so it doesn’t become soggy. You can always have lettuce leaves as the base which will help with stopping the wrap going too soggy.

They are good because you can put anything in them. Anything at all, and they are delicious.

Yesterday I had this one as an afternoon snack- a fish rice and veggie wrap.

Ingredients

• Tinned sardines
• kale
• grated zucchini
• tomato
• cooked brown rice
• cottage cheese *not suitable for those of my clients wishing to lose weight*
• shallots
• cos lettuce
• salt and pepper

What’s the difference between grass and grain fed beef?

This blog has a great explanation about what the difference is. Grass fed is not only better for us and the animal but also for the environment.

You may remember that Samara and I bought a whole Happy cow a while back? This week we bought 2 Happy lambs. They are local, well looked after, grass-fed with no herbicides, no pesticides and have never been without food or water. We were told that they are killed as humanely as possible but, really when you think about it there is no kind way. We are happy knowing that they were well looked after and cared for. And even happier to eat them. It tastes amazing!
These lambs were $400 for 2 and we divided it up between 8 people, making it $50 for a quarter of a lamb. It’s not a lot of meat- we ended up with about 2 kilos, which does make it a very expensive dinner but with that sort of quality we think its important for our family.

   

Casseroles

 

Casseroles are a great meal that you can pre prepare. If you are trying to lose weight then you need to steer clear of any with cheese or cream in them. This pretty much leaves you with a tomato base for your casserole, which can still be an amazing meal and because you can change the meats, the spices, the herbs and the veggies you’ll never notice that they all start the same way- onion, tomatoes, garlic, potato, carrots. There are other options for sauces, but this list is a good start.

 

There are so many varieties and you can add anything to them and they are guaranteed to be delicious.

 

There are a couple of points that apply to all casseroles.

• Place the veggies in first, and the meat on top.
• When it has finished cooking, remove the meat and veggies (as well as you can, it may be easier to remove the sauce) and reduce down the liquids. Add a teaspoon of corn flour to thicken it up and boil it for 30-45 mins. This will make a thick and beautiful sauce. You then add everything back together and heat briefly before serving.
• As there is usually a complex carb in the casserole, you don’t need to serve it with another- but I think you can’t go past rice and a mouth-watering casserole. Something fresh and light like a leafy green salad will compliment a casserole nicely.

Here are some of my favourites

Lamb Shank Casserole

Lamb Shanks (1 per person)
1 Leek, chopped coarsely
2 Carrots, chopped coarsely
2 Potatoes, chopped coarsely
3 Garlic cloves, whole
1/4 pumpkin,  peeled seeded and chopped coarsely
2 Parsnips, chopped coarsely
2 cup chicken stock
3 cup water
Salt to taste
Pepper corns
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped coarsely

Add all ingredients, to a slow cooker/ french oven/ casserole dish.
Cover with water and cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.
Turn down to 100 degrees and cook for 4 hours.
Remove liquid and reduce.

Chicken thigh Casserole

Chicken thighs
Chicken drum sticks
4 Potatoes, sliced into thick rounds
garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 large can crushed tomatoes / 6 fresh tomatoes chopped roughly

Layer the ingredients in a slow cooker/ french oven/ casserole dish, starting with a layer of potatoes, some garlic, some chicken pieces, some tomato paste, salt and pepper, more potatoes and repeat. Try and finish with a layer of potatoes. Add tomatoes on top and then cover with stock and then water, so the tomatoes spread thought-out the dish.
Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. If the potatoes on top are dry, turn over and submerge in the liquid.
Turn down to 100 degrees and cook for 2 hours.

Beef and borlotti bean casserole

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup dried borlotti beans (you can use black beans/ red kidney beans as well)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 800g beef chuck steak, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200g mushrooms, halved
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock
• Capsicum, chopped
• Kale/ spinach chopped finely

Method

Place beans in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 1 hour. Drain.
Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add half the beef. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Set to the side, with any juice. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.
Reduce heat to medium and fry onion and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes or until tender. Add mushroom. Return beef and juices to pan.
Add tomato, stock and capsicum. Bring to the boil.
Transfer to a slow cooker/ french oven/ casserole dish. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for an 1 hour and a half. Add beans.
Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until beef is tender. Stir in Kale/ Spinach. Cook for 5 minutes or until wilted. Serve with brown rice or quinoa.

These next ones sound delicious and we would love to try them, but time is precious little in our house. If your situation enable you to get this creative- give these ones a go!

Beef and pear casserole

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2/3 cup honey
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 2 firm pears, cores removed, cut into thick wedges
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2kg chuck steak, cut into 3cm cubes
• 2 brown onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Masterfoods Moroccan Spice Blend
• 20g butter

Method

1. Place 1 1/2 cups cold water, honey, 1/4 cup lemon juice, pears, cinnamon and allspice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until pears are tender. Allow to cool. Drain, reserving liquid. Set pears aside.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook steak, in batches, for 3 minutes or until browned, adding more oil as required. Transfer to a large plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, ginger and spice blend. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Return steak to pan with 1 1/3 cups reserved pear syrup. Bring to the boil. Transfer tagine to an ovenproof casserole dish. Cover with a lid. Place in oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Meanwhile, heat butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add pears. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden. Remove tagine from oven and stir in pears. Return to oven and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until steak is tender. Serve with pumpkin and chickpea salad and Moroccan bread (see related recipes).

Lamb, pumpkin and chickpea targine

Ingredients for the spice mix:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 fresh long red chillies, diced
• 2 dried red chillies, diced

Ingredients for the tagine:

• 500g diced lamb, trimmed of visible fat
• 2x400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads, steeped in 100ml hot water
• 1 lemon, peeled into thin strips and juice
• 400g pumpkin, peeled and cubed
• 400g potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1x400g tin of diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp honey
• 20 large pitted prunes
• 50g blanched almonds
• Freshly grated black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, for garnish
• 250g low fat natural yoghurt to serve,  optional

Ingredients for zucchini, lemon and mint couscous:

• 2 zucchinis, grated
• 1 lemon, zest, rind and juice
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped mint
• 500g couscous
• 500ml chicken stock, salt-reduced

Method

To make the spice mix: Combine all the spice mix ingredients either in a blender or pound in a mortar and pestle until a smooth paste is formed, then set aside.

To make the tagine: Put a large non-stick frying pan on high heat, add the lamb pieces to the pan and brown on all sides. Remove lamb from then pan and set aside. Turn down the heat and add the diced onions to the pan, put on a lid and let the onions saute lightly for 2 minutes. Add the spice mix and stir for 1 minute. Return the lamb to the pan and toss through the spice mix and onions. Next, add the cinnamon sticks, saffron and water that it has been steeping in, the lemon peel, lemon juice, tinned tomatoes, freshly grated black pepper to taste and 2 teaspoons of honey. Stir through the ingredients and replace the lid. Turn down the heat and let the tagine simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and add the cubes of pumpkin and potato, prunes and almonds. Add another 200ml of water if the tagine is too dry. Cook on a low heat for approximately 15 minutes until the potatoes and pumpkin are tender but not mushy.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with couscous and yoghurt.

To make the couscous: In a saucepan, bring to boil chicken stock, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the grated zucchini and bring it back to the boil. Take the pot off the heat. Pour in the couscous and stir. Cover with a lid and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Remove lid and sprinkle over the freshly chopped mint and using a fork separate the grains.

To serve: spoon the couscous into a bowl and then place the tagine on top.

Stuffed Eggplants with a spicy tomato sauce

This is a great meal you can pre prepare, and just bake in the oven when your ready.

Ingredients

Large eggplants (1/2 eggplant per person)
1 cup Cooked brown rice
Onion diced
garlic crushed
fresh parsley
mushrooms/ capsicum/ kale/ spinach/ zucchini/ any veggies you like
OPTIONAL: if you would like to add meat a lamb or chicken would be lovely in this dish. Cooked and diced.

Method:

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out and chop flesh, leaving skin intact. Place in a shallow baking dish and set aside.

In a pan, fry onion and the eggplant that you scooped out. When cooked and crushed garlic, herbs, veggies and meat. Saute for a couple of minutes until combined.

Remove from heat and add rice.

Place mixture inside eggplant shells. Cover with foil and oven bake at 180 for about 45 mins until shells are soft and cooked.

Spicy tomato sauce

3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 chilli diced
1 date
Salt and Pepper
1/2 Spanish onion diced
greens like parsley/ kale/ spinach/ shallots/ basil chopped

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. You can heat it if you like but the stuffed eggplant will be so hot you don’t need to and raw food is always so much tastier!

 

 

 

Easy fish cakes

Ingredients

Tinned fish (salmon/ tuna is best)
1 cup cooked brown rice
Shallots
Kale
Grated zucchini
1 egg
1/4 cup organic flour
Fresh herbs and any other veggies you have (you may need to adjust the amount of flour depending what veggies you add, the end result should be a nice little ball you can sculpt with your hand and when you put i in the oven it ownt crumble, it will just brown)
1/4 lemon juice
fresh chilli

Method

Mix all ingredients together and roll into balls
You can oven bake them, just enough to heat them or push then into a muffin tin and have real little fish cakes, with crispy brown edges!

To serve

You can have them as a delicious breakfast, on toast or with eggs, or with fresh greens like asparagus.

You can have then with a chilli, soy, lime dipping sauce as a great snack or add a handful of leafy greens for a great lunch.

You can have them with oven baked sweet potato wedges and a green salad for dinner.

Pre prepared

These are a great item to make is a big batch and freeze or keep in the fridge. If you have a few of  these in your freezer, take them out the night before, heat them up in the morning while you have a shower and you have no excuse for a less than awesome breakfast!

They are also delicious cold so with a little planning you can have them for a great lunch on the go or as a super fast healthy dinner that the whole family is sure to eat.