Travelling well so far! … + Recipes!

Kale, frozen banana, frozen berries, chia, maca, bee pollen
and hemp protein green smoothie.

Good morning to you all on this crisp Autumn morning…

I have managed to steal a moment away whilst the rest of the family are still in bed…

The journey is going really well so far.  I am still feeling fantastic and the state of mind that I don't want to do anything or eat anything that is going to jeopardise this feeling!
Plus, I am still refusing the abundance of Easter Eggs that remain in our household!   Go me!

This week has seen a 6m skip bin be delivered and our ANZAC Day weekend consisted of copious amounts clutter being removed from pretty much every room in our house (Garage Sale to follow!)

The de-cluttered pantry -
is it sad that this picture puts a huge grin on my face?!

My gratitude diary pages are filling each night and I find it is simply the best thing to do before going to bed. Instead of issues, problems or brain clutter floating around - I find myself falling asleep thinking about the things I am grateful for - I love this!

As well as keeping the diary, my nightly ritual also consists of a simple meditation.  In my darkened bedroom I sit upright in bed, light a candle and do deep breathing exercises which leave me completely relaxed before going to sleep.

I have also been getting creative in the kitchen…who knew Vegetarian eating could be so exciting!

I have a few recipes that I would like to share with you and that have been more than satisfying in the taste department!!

Quirky Jo!  http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au

I have mentioned Jo's blog before.  (Gooey Brownie Recipe) from a previous post.  This lady is very crafty in what ingredients she uses to substitute more common ones in conventional cooking.

* Chicken and Cashews with Coconut Satay Sauce and Coconut Rice - http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/chicken-and-cashews-with-coconut-satay.html

This is one of my favourite dishes ever!  It has so much flavour and you'll definitely be asking for seconds!  I have made this recipe before with chicken, but when I made it last week, I omitted the chicken and it still tasted just as good!!

* Brown Rice Mushroom Risotto with Macadamia Cheese - 
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/brown-rice-mushroom-risotto-with.html

I was surprised at the result of this dish, I was expecting the rice to be all gluggy and mushy.  But the texture turned out exactly the same as the white rice comparison!  The macadamia cheese is a really interesting substitute to regular cheese.


Make Peace With Your Plate - Jess Ainscough

* Brown Rice Veggie Patties
(Makes 11 Patties)

- 1 cup brown rice
- 1/2 large sweet potato
- 1/4 pumpkin
- 3 potatoes
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 clove garlic
- 1tbsp fresh coriander
- Rye flour ( or whatever type of flour you prefer)

1. Soak rice for 8hrs to activate the enzyme inhibitors.
2. Peel potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potato and cut into chunks.
3. Roast veggies in an oven heated to 180 degrees Celsius for about an hour.
4. Add rice to a pot with two cups of water.  Bring to the boil, and then reduce to simmer for 40 minutes, or until water has been absorbed and rice is cooked.
5. Once veggies are cooked, either mash by hand or use a blender or food processor to combine them.  Add garlic, coriander and spices to the mix.
6. Combine rice and veggie mix together in a large bowl; add a little flour to bind the mixture.
7. Use your hands to form the patties and arrange on a baking dish (or two)
8. Bake patties in an oven heated to 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes, or until browned.
9. Serve with satay sauce and salad.

Satay Sauce

- 2 tbsp almond butter
- juice of lime
- 2 tsp hemp seeds
- 2 tbs flax seed oil
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic

Blend all ingredients together.

Brown rice patties with satay sauce on a bed of baby spinach,
topped with pine nuts.

Choc Berry Smoothie

- 1 small frozen banana
- 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 tsp bee pollen
- 1/2 maca powder
-1 tsp cacao powder
-1 tsp cacao nibs

1. Chop banana into chunks.
2. Add everything into the blender and whiz until smooth.
3. Top up with coconut water or water if needed.



Thermomix Recipe Community

Gluten Free Pizza Base - http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/breads-rolls-recipes/gluten-free-pizza-bases/17350

Pumpkin and Lentil Burgers - http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/main-dishes-vegetarian-recipes/pumpkin-and-lentil-burger/109811


Give them a try if you're game, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Until next time…have a wonderful Sunday!

Dee
x

The latest additions to our family!
The lemon, lime and mandarin tree...

A new promise to myself….

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!

Hello to all, it's been a very long while between drinks.  However, I thought this new journey I have just begun to embark upon really deserves to be documented.

This Easter saw a potentially life-changing moment for me.  

A light bulb moment.  A magnifying glass into my future if you will.

I started reading a book  "Make Peace With Your Plate" by Jess Ainscough - for me, truly inspiring.

My kind auntie passed the book onto my mum, which mum kindly loaned to me (that I'm yet to return!!)

In the past I had loosely been following Jess' on line blog as part of her 'Wellness Warrior' campaign, which I had discovered through a dear friend's recommendation of her 'Green Mo Revolution' -ary green juices and smoothies.  Although I was aware of her general message, I hadn't yet read her story.

A truly inspirational read!

In the picturesque, organic food loving region of NSW's South Coast, in the homely arms of 'NarraShaws' I began reading…

I found it very hard to put down (although 3 kids' needs got in the way! hahaha)

But still managed to read it within the day.

Jess' story of strength was inspiring and she spoke to me on so many levels.  The way she changed her life and beat the odds was remarkable.  It occurred to me that this book is the answer that I have been searching for!

Jess has inspired me into shifting my way of thinking.   I now know how I want to live my life and how to provide a healthy model for my children to live their lives by!

So although I know it's going to be extremely difficult - I am going to endeavour to live a plant-based organic lifestyle.

What?! You say?  Danica?  Meat-loving, Connoisseur ice-cream devouring, occasional Maccas binging woman!  

Well the answer is yes!  4 days in and I am feeling fantastic… (I even survived Easter without even one Cadbury solid googy egg!)  I have been eating predominately Organic (I can't waste what is already in my cupboard) Gluten  Free, Dairy Free, Meat Free, Refined Sugar Free for four whole days.

I have been oil pulling, green juicing and smoothie-ing, soaking lentils, whole food shopping and scanning the net to find as many readily available organic products I can find.

Of course my Thermie has been by side too!

Autumn - rocking the green mo!

But not only has Jess inspired me with my diet - I have also been shifted spiritually.  I have been doing nightly meditations and keeping a 'Gratitude Diary' each day noting down everything that I am grateful for and love in my life, this in complete partnership with my diet, is something I have been needing to do for some time now!

And for those whom know me well and the relationship I have with my stomach post-pregnancy, I have begun to look in the mirror and be grateful for the vessel in which I was blessed to carry my three precious ones.

I'm sorry if this all sounds slightly corny to some of you - but I seriously am on the biggest natural high at the moment ---  I do not want it to end! 

I am sharing in this journey with all of you 1. because I have always been the type to wear my heart on my sleeve and never shy from expressing myself, 2. because I want to leave this as a legacy to my kids and their kids after them. and 3. because along the way, I may either need your support and your insight to help me along!

Watch This Space!!! - Recipes to come also!

Thanks for reading!

Dee 

x

Liv channelling the Easter Bunny - real teeth and all!

Annabelle, Autumn and I 

Getting our daily dose of Vitamin D in Milton

Gooey Gluten Free Brownies! - These Are So Yummy!

I know, another recipe, but I'm only posting the ones that are my absolute favourites!!!

This recipe I have taken from Jo Whitton's blog "Quirky Cooking" quirky cooking.blogspot.com.  This lady produces some amazing recipes and caters for the allergy prone eaters out there.

Gooey Gluten Free Brownies:

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate
130g raw dates, pitted
180g cold pressed coconut oil
30g coconut flour (or any other GF flour)
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 190C.  Line a 22cm square baking dish with baking paper

Place the chocolate (broken into pieces) into the TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds/speed 9

Add the dates to the bowl and chop 15 seconds/speed 10

Add the coconut oil and cook 5 minutes/60C/speed 2.

Add remaining ingredients and mix 20 seconds/speed 8.  Scrape down the lid and sides of the bowl and mix for another 10 seconds/speed 6.

Scrape mixture into a lined, square baking dish.  Bake in pre-heated 190C oven for 18-20mins.  Be careful not to overcook or they won't be gooey!  Just until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool, cut into small squares, and refrigerate until cold.

These are so rich and yummy!!!  

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Bread! Thermomix Style - Best I've ever tasted!

I would like to share with you all a recipe for Gluten Free bread that you can make from scratch!

If anyone has had the unpleasant experience of eating GF bread bought from a packet, not only is it like eating crumbly cardboard, but it is full of preservatives and nasties worth steering clear from.

This recipe I have taken from the Thermomix Recipe Community website.  I find it easy enough to make, bake and store in the freezer for future consumption!

Gluten Free Bread (Cyndi's Modified & Supersized)

Ingredients

Freshly Milled Flour

330g rice (white, brown, wild - use a mix)

120g millet*

60g dried chickpeas

Additional Dry Ingredients

210g arrowroot flour or tapioca starch*

60g seeds of your choice (sesame, sunflower, linseed, chia)

3 tsp xantham gum*

2 sachets dried yeast

1 heaped tsp sea salt

30g rapadura sugar* or raw sugar

Wet Ingredients

600g luke warm water

45g rice bran oil

1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 large eggs

* Buy these items from a health food shop.  For the Shire-ees I find Mrs Watson's at Cronulla has the best range and stock availability for these items!

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan forced.  Line a large solid metal bread tin 31cm x 13cm x 1cm with baking paper.

2. Place rice, millet and chickpeas into the TM bowl and mill for 1 minute on Speed 9 to make flour.

3. Add other dry ingredients and to TM bowl and mix for 20 seconds on Speed 4.

4. Add wet ingredients to TM bowl and mix for 20 seconds on Speed 5.  Stop and scrape down sides of the bowl if necessary

5. Transfer mixture into the tin lined with baking paper.  I use pegs to hold the the baking paper to the tin, remember to remove them before baking though!  Spread mixture evenly in the bottom of the tin.

6. Place bread tin in a warm place and allow the mixture to rise to the top of the tin.  This can take 20 mins or longer on a cold winters day.  I place the tin at the back of my stove as it's then warmed by the hot air from the pre-heating oven.

7. Place bread tin in the oven and bake for 45 mins to an hour, depending on your oven.  Check it's cooked by inserting a wooden skewer.

8. Remove the loaf from the tin and baking paper and leave upright on a cooling rack.  Once it's cooled, I slice the bread, double wrap the bread in plastic wrap and freeze.  

If you can't wait for the bread to cool, it's super yummy warm with some ham and cheese!!

This recipe makes a large amount of bread 'batter'.  What I often do is make a GF pizza base with left over mixture.

1. Simply line a pizza tray with baking paper and spread the mixture out evenly.

2. Spray the mixture with spray oil and sprinkle herbs of the mixture - rosemary is nice!!

3. Pop in the oven for around 20mins.

GF pizza base ready for your favourite toppings!

HUNTER VALLEY GOODNESS!

How good is the Hunter?  For those of you whom haven't had the pleasure of visiting, you should try to go at least once in your lifetime!

I had the pleasure of attending a beautiful wedding there a few years ago, but at that time didn't really have the opportunity to explore and soak up the experience and culture that the Hunter Valley has to offer...

So when the opportunity arose to visit there for a long weekend away, kid free, with a great group of mums... how could I refuse?!

I was so impressed with the place:  the landscape, the freshness of the produce and I even took part in my first ever wine tour! (and as a self-confessed non-wine drinker, I sniffed, sampled and even purchased a few bottles!)

'The Woods' Pokolbin  www.thewoods.com.au

Thanks to the wonderful organisational skills of Jacqui, our accommodation was just perfect.  "The Chapel House" slept 8 people and was homely, comfortable and nestled amongst a serene setting of bush landscape and the occasional Kangaroo!

After our wine tour (with the inclusion of a visit to a Vodka distillery, chocolate and cheese store), we indulged in wine, chocolate, homemade pizzas and cocktails (with the help of the thermie of course!) and chatted away until nights end.  

Vodka Distillery

Trying my skill at wine tasting - notice the nose flare!

Mini Bus Adventures!

It was so relaxing and peaceful it was almost too hard to come home!!  Thank you for a lovely weekend away together ladies, let's make it an annual thing!!!

Our last coffee together at Peppertree Winery before returning back to reality! :)

Engaging Engagement!

What a wonderful Sunday to celebrate LOVE!

Barefoot Bowls, BBQ's and Bowling Whites... sets the scene of my brother and his beautiful fiance's engagement party...

I was so happy to witness your celebration surrounded by your dear family and friends.  It just goes to show how much love many people have for you as a couple.  And I personally can't wait to share in the journey of your new lives together...

Now all you need to do is set a bloody date!!!!!! hahaha

No seriously, so glad to see that my little brother has found love and companionship with such a beautiful soul and we are so lucky to have her as part of our family!

Enjoy the rest of this exciting journey - together!

The Happy "Bowls" Couple

(We'll have to re-take this photo again when you're in your eighties!!)

Getting their groove on at Erskineville Bowlo!

xxxxx

We're off to the Theatre!

Come and meet those dancing feet,
On the avenue I'm taking you to,
Forty-Second Street.
Hear the beat of dancing feet,
It's the song I love the melody of,
Forty-Second Street.

Taking my 2nd bubba to the Theatre on Saturday was probably one of the best memories I'll take with me forever.

The look on her face and the excited skips down the path towards the Concourse, were absolutely priceless. It was at this time it occurred to me that no toy, or material item could have taken the place of the pure happiness she was exuding!

As we were shown to our seats: front row! with full view of the stage and sitting intimately with the band, things couldn't have been more perfect!

At the ending of the show she quietly mentioned to me:  "Mum, I could do this when I'm older"...!

 



As we ventured through Chatswood Shopping Centre we were delighted to find a table of Principle and Ensemble members of the cast!  Much to our delight, they agreed to have a photo with one star struck individual!

The highlight of her day - a photo with 'Anytime Annie' & 'Peggy Sawyer'

(As well as Sushi, Cinnamon Doughnut and Chocolate Milkshake!)

Best birthday present - ever!
A toy may last a week or even a year, but a memory lasts forever!

xx