Mega-Veg Slice.....with Mediterranean Couscous

If there is one thing I find a bit of a challenge to set myself some weeks it's assessing what is in the panty and the fridge that may be in need of 'being used' before it's too late and becoming waste.....which is seriously my pet hate. So last Sunday I was meal planning and cleaning out the pantry and the fridge and got myself a pile of things together to make Huddo's savoury snack of the week. (I like to have one savoury and one sweet on hand).

This is what eventuated...

Ingredients:
1 Cup of cooked Continental Mediterranean Cous Cous (pictured below)
1 cup of freshly grated beetroot
2 Zucchinis peeled and grated
1 Carrot peeled and grated
1 Celery stalks chopped finely
1 Cup of baby spinach leaves.
2 cups of Oats (blended through the food processor to make 'oat flour')
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk of choice (I use full cream cow's milk or almond milk for 'Huddo things')
1 teaspoon of bicarb soda
1 tablespoon of linseed meal
1/2 cup of grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
1)Chop and prepare veggies as pictured above and preheat oven to 190oC
2)Get Cous Cous cooking as directed on the box
3)Combine all ingredients except beetroot, and cheese. (Once cous cous is cooked measure out one cup and add in) Stir thoroughly.
4) Place into baking tray and spread out evenly. Sprinkle beetroot and cheese on top.

Note: you can put the beetroot through the mix however, just note that obviously your mix will turn red/purplish and just a silly thing with Huddo but I've noticed he's not to keen these days on his food being dominated by this colour. .......don't ask me why! :/ So I chose to sprinkle on top as I love the nutrients in beetroot.

5)Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until cooked (will go golden around the edges).

Slice into 8-12 pieces and store in the fridge. (I sliced into 10 pieces and put 6 in the freezer and 4 in the fridge).

Happy Monday!! :) 

The 100th...

Today I give you my 100th post into the blogisphere.
This week also marked the 1st Birthday of this blog and only 120 clicks away from the 10 000 page view mark which hey I realize that in blog terms I'm very very small potatoes but there is definitely a sense of achievement in myself that I've stuck to this and watched it grow..

I really feel that this blog has gone down the path of anything this mummy encounters and to be honest as I click back over the previous 99 posts there is just so much more. I truly love being a mum and embrace the fact that I have so many moments in a day where I look at Huddo and just take in the stage he is at as he is growing so quickly and I can't believe he is less than 4 months away from the milestone of his 2nd Birthday.

I feel that I have been lucky to stay at home with him and in that time find hobbies and interests that I always thought about but just never took the time to really learn and expand on when I was working. Watching our routine change and incorporate different activities means there is just never a dull moment and I like that we are always keeping busy and not taking for granted our time home together. I've also been very lucky that as much as I call myself a 'Stay-at-home' mum I still work 2 days a week at Eumundi Markets. One of those days Huddo stays home with his daddy, the other he comes to work with me and watching his confidence grow in that awesome environment I have no words for.

I just all round feel like a lucky girl with both my Huddo and my Troy and at this moment really proud of my most recent personal achievement which is that I have now lost a total of 13.2kg and truly am the fittest and healthiest I've been in my entire life. I haven't latched on to the latest fad diet but just simply eaten awesomely healthy food while still have the occasional indulgence, kept up breastfeeding and found fitness in that old expression of 'stepping out of your comfort zone'. 

So here is where I share with you a couple of photos....ok.

This was a photo taken of me at Christmas. I was 70kg and a size 14.

This is me and my Huddo 3 weeks ago. I've lost another 1.2kg since this pic I'm most proud of the fact that in this pic I'm wearing size 8 skinny leg jeans. (they are starting to feel a little loose). So now comes into the great mission of toning up and maintaining my new weight (1.8kg until I'm at my 55kg goal weight) . ....Let the mission begin.

Last September I set myself a goal of running at 10km running event....well better late than never but for the last 4 weeks on Sunday afternoons I've been running 10.5kms and last Sunday ran 12kms....in 1 hour and 17 minutes. So not only am I getting the endurance I'm actually starting to get some good pace which I'm so proud of. I love running and plan to keep it up but this coming Monday I start the "Jamie Eason LiveFit Program" which is more weights and strength based to help tone up this mummy......mainly so I don't jiggle when I run. :) 

Hope you are all having a great week.

Ginger & Soy Mince Stirfry

I got a little experimental....as I tend to do....the other night and created a dish that incorporated all the things that particularly Troy and I are after at the moment with exercising daily. And I knew it would also be beneficial for Huddo and something that he would love.

I'm calling it Ginger & Soy Mince Stirfry..

Ingredients:
500g Organic Chicken Mince
1/2 a large sweet potato diced
1/2 a sugarloaf cabbage chopped into thin strips
2 cups of baby spinach
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of ground ginger.
1 teaspoon of extra virgin coconut oil

Method:
1)Cook mince on its own in the coconut oil. Once cooked take out and place on a plate.
2)Cook sweet potato until moderately soft with a lid over the fry pan to try and trap and some steaming effect on the potato.  
3)Add chicken back into the pan as well as adding cabbage, spinach, soy and ginger.
4)Cook for 5-10 minutes on med-high heat.

For the serving suggestion on this one for the calorie conscious....measure out 2 cups full of the mix.
This gives you 204 calories. 27g carbs, 4g fat, 16g protein and 3g fibre.