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.

Recent Cakes.....

At the beginning of the month I had two cakes to make within 30 hours. Trust me when you are a mummy and doing parts of a cake in stages fitting in amongst keeping your house clean and organised and still doing your day to day activities with your toddler........let's just say as much as I love cake decorating as a hobby I stand by the theory that I don't think I could handle it as an 'at home' business.
However with a bit of sleep deprivation I managed to get these 2 cakes done and the recipients were very happy! :)

First up was my little cousin Charlie whose top 5 favourite colours are red, pink, purple, aqua and blue. So I made her a butterfly with all her favourites on it....

The camera alters the colour of the pink slightly. But if you are wondering "Where is the red?"....inside is red velvet cake. For the shape I simply hired the 'Wilton Butterfly' cake tin.

And you would think I would of learned from the 'Bejeweled Cake' disaster but no. I was getting ready to go to a barbeque for Charlie's birthday and had the cake in a large container ready to go when ....thud....yep you guessed it, a certain little person was very curious about what was inside the container. Thank god for the cake board fitting very snuggly into the container as the cake only dislodged slightly but I did have to redo the writing on the board and repipe some of the pink edge...hmmmmmm.....I was not impressed. More so with myself than Huddo.


Next up was a cake for my brother Thomas. He turned 12 this month and is an incredible young rugby league player. He is also a keen supporter of the Gold Coast Titans. So like the 'North Queensland Cowboys' cake I did for my cousin Harley. I hired the 'Wilton Football' tin and attempted to free hand the Gold Coast Titans logo and do a custom footy just for Tommy.

I was quite happy with both of these and more importantly that I actually got them both completed in the time I had!

A Dinner Idea.....and my new fav way to have cauliflower.

Well it has been 3 months now that I have been on this awesomely wonderful life changing health kick. Don't even know if I'd call it a kick anymore as pretty much it is a complete lifestyle change. Opening my eyes truly to portions and weighing pretty much anything and everything if not just for the sake of losing weight but curiosity as to the calories within particular portions. It's one thing to eat healthy but portions....oh portions, can be shocking. Particularly when you live with a male and you find yourself on your gorgeously large Maxwell & Williams square dining plates going scoop for scoop with him. Keeping in mind you are probably serving him too much for even his daily allowances to begin with.

One of my favourite new dinners that is quick easy and something that Hudson has been loving also is
Chicken & Crispy Broccoli with Low Fat Creamy Cauliflower Mash. A little hint from my lovely friend Dani.

Ingredient:
500g Chicken Breast
1 head broccoli
1 head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons of Philly cream cheese
2 cloves of garlic
50 g of grated parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Desired cooking oil...either Olive Oil or Cold Pressed Canola Oil.

Method
1)Break cauliflower head into smallish florets and cook in water that just covers the all the florets. Cook on medium to high covered for 15 minutes until soft. Remove lid for last 5 minutes to assist with reducing the water. (Try to aim for minimal if any water to be drained! The less nutrients you lose in draining water the better I always reckon).
2)Dice chicken and break broccoli into small florets. Crush one of the cloves of garlic and cook chicken in a fry pan on medium heat with garlic, oil and touch of salt, pepper and paprika.
3)Once chicken is cooked add broccoli into the pan.
4)While broccoli is cooking take cauliflower off heat and mash loosely with the little remaining water and add crushed clove of garlic, parmesan, philly, salt pepper and half a teaspoon of paprika. Return to low heat and stir every few seconds for about 5 minutes.

Now for the tricky serving part...... if you can, separate the chicken and broccoli into two separate sides of the fry pan.
Measure 1 cup of cauliflower mash and place onto the plate first.
Then 1 cup half filled with broccoli and half filled with chicken. Place on top of cauliflower.

 This portion size is only 285 calories. Contains 31g of protein.....and my personal favourite....8g of fibre! Half most people's daily requirement and such a godsend when you are on a high protein low carb eating plan. .....but best of all it is DELICIOUS!!!

Passionfruit & White Choc Bikkies...

As you all know I love baking and healthy cooking but I love living life in moderation and where I can I make the treats myself so at least I know what is going into them, particularly where Huddo is concerned!
This week I came up with a naughty little recipe that is by no means full of chia seeds and linseed meal....warning: it's naughty. However by breaking up the mixture and only cooking a few bikkies at a time, one biscuit is only 50 calories. But for a little treat I assure you they are delish.

Ingredients:
275g Plain flour (I use gluten free)
200g Unsalted butter
90g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon passionfruit extract
1/2 cup of cooking white choc bits.

Method:
1)Combine the butter and flour in a food processor until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2)Add icing sugar, vanilla, passionfruit and white choc bits. Process for one minute.
3) Remove mixture and knead lightly into a sausage shape. Now this is where you can opt to separate your mix into a few 'sausage' shapes and keep for another time.

4)Place in fridge to cool to firm for at least an hour. (for ones you are keeping until another time place into the freezer)
5)Preheat oven to 180oC.
6)Slice thinly and place onto tray that is covered in a sheet of baking paper.
7)Bake for 8-10 minutes.

I got about 8 biscuits from one of these logs of dough. They are so quick to bake and taste so yummy that it is great to have them on hand for when friends drop by for a playdate or for weeks when you are just really busy but want to have a little something for your family.

Before you start the new week.....

Sunday nights can be a bit hectic. Planning the meals for the week, writing out list after list....the errands, planning the week's activities for your child, exercise plans etc. Tonight as I sit here and write a few posts I had a thought, I don't know about you but I often get so caught up in planning the next week that I forget to just take a moment to be a little proud of the previous week.

I by no means am one of the stay-at-home mums that boasts that I have a harder job than my partner that works. Yes he likes his job and he is amazing at it, but I LOVE my job and consider myself one very lucky woman that in this day and economy age that I get to stay at home with my son and document closely every milestone and pretty much don't miss a minute. And the job that I do work, it's at a market and I get to take my son with me!! I couldn't ask for much else.

However, everyone no matter what may plan little goals or make lists for their week but do you truly take a moment to congratulate yourself on what you achieved for the week before you plan the next one. ....I don't!

This week, I lost another 1.7kg. I exercised for at least 45 minutes 6 out of 7 days. I managed to take my son to at least 2 out of the house activities each day and made him some pretty yummy food as well as followed thru on the at home planned activities I had for him, like piano time, puzzle time, drawing and lots of hide and seek and dancing. I managed to get majority of the housework done that I wanted to and somehow despite the rain and having no dryer stayed on top of the washing. And still found some time on Friday to make time for my hobby while Huddo was sleeping and made some very pretty cupcakes! .....All in all a pretty productive week! ...What about you? Take a sec to smile and have a think don't dwell on what you didn't get done....just whack it on this week's list and try again............And from me I say to you.....Good on ya lovey! ......Now where are those lists, bring on the next week. Happy Monday for tomorrow! :)