Yummy Tummy Toddler Pot Pie

After our babies horrendous day yesterday coming down from her sugar and additive high, brought on from her day spent at daycare on Friday. Hubby and I decided to get her outside nice and early this morning. We always find that she is much calmer and happier when she is outdoors, exploring new surroundings in nature. So today we took her to the beach that my husband grew up on as a child, to explore the caves at low tide. We had a beautiful picnic on the sand of raw veggie sticks, pesto dip, fresh fruit and leftover chicken from last nights dinner.

With each breathe of fresh salty air that we all breathed in the more our long and exhausting Saturday washed away and our beautiful alert and happy child returned to us. She climbed rocks, splashed in rock pools and played hide and seek in the caves. The sun beamed down on us but the winter air was chilly, it was exactly the recharge we needed.

Our little lady fell asleep in the car on the way home and hubby and I kept driving, savouring the hour of quiet time where we could have an uninterrupted conversation... which of course was all about how wonderful our baby girl is. Isn't it funny how we do that? Wish for some child free time, and then miss the heck out of them when you get it?

When we returned home, hubs kept our little lady outside for the remainder of the afternoon. Drawing with chalk on the front path, jumping on the trampoline and riding her scooter down the driveway whilst I cooked dinner. Outdoor play certainly works up a healthy appetite.

I really wanted to refuel my baby with lots of nutritious veggies tonight, so I created a delicious hearty cottage pot pie. I served it to my little lady in an individual pie ramekin, sometimes its all about the way we present food to our children which determines whether it gets eaten or not. My baby loves to feel like a "Big Girl" at the moment, so serving her own individual pie in a ceramic dish instead of plating some up in one of her plastic bowls certainly did the trick in making her feel like a big girl. She absolutely loved this meal. With every mouthful that she took, I felt like she was being healed from the inside out.. never underestimate the power of good wholesome food.

Ingredients:

500 grams Organic Grass Fed Beef mince
500 grams Organic Freerange Pork mince
1 x onion (diced)
2 tablespoons Ghee (frying)
2 x garlic cloves (diced)
1 Carrot (shredded)
1 Zucchini (shredded)
1 Eggplant (diced)
1 Celery stalk (diced)
3 large button mushrooms (diced)
2 large tablespoons Garlic & Herb seasoning (I use Flavorgod additive free seasoning)
2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (Marjoram, Sage and Thyme)
2 teaspoon Himalayan Salt (or season to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups Bone Broth
1 tsp Tapioca flour (whisked into 1/2 cup boiling water)
2 tablespoons Chia Seeds
1.5 tablespoons Organic Tomato Paste
1 Full head of Cauliflower

Method:

1.Using a deep iron cast pot melt the Ghee over Medium to high heat, add in onions and sauté until translucent. In  a separate pot of boiling water, boil Cauliflower until soft drain and set aside the cauliflower.
2. Add Garlic and sauté until just softened but not starting to burn, add in Beef and Pork mince and continually fold over until browned.
3. Once the mince is completely browned off add in the Carrot, Zucchini, Eggplant, mushrooms and Celery and stir through well.
4. Add seasoning, mixed herbs and salt and pepper. Continue to fold through and stir well.
5. Add Bone Broth over high heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat and add in the water with Tapioca Flour. Add Chia seeds and stir through until the liquid starts to thicken and reduce.
6, Once the Broth has thickened, stir through the Tomato paste. This will allow the broth to thicken further. Keep stirring so that it does not stick and burn the bottom of the pot.
7. Process the Cauliflower in a food processor for a smooth purée or mash, season to taste and grate in a little nutmeg.
8. Separate your pie filling into individual ramekins or save yourself the extra clean up and use the iron cast pot that its currently in. Top your pies/pie with the cauliflower puree and bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes. I also grated a little Organic Bio-dynamic Cheddar on ours and let it melt under the grill and bubble. (this is optional, you could also add some nutritional yeast for a dairy free option)

This really was such a comforting, delicious and hearty winter meal. I can't wait to make it again!

Love & Gratitude

x

Simple Salmon & Quinoa Lunchbox Patties

Quick and easy nutritious lunches to go, seem to be the meal we mumma's struggle with the most. When you are at home, its easy to offer healthy leftovers from the night before or whip up a quick omelette but when you are out and about surrounded by other kids eating sandwiches, biscuits etc.. it gets a whole lot harder.

I've decided to make a few quick lunch box options for Lady Lalo each week and freeze portions, so that I always have something on hand to pack for her on days when our mornings are filled with activities and play dates. Today I came up with these nutrient dense little patties, loaded with omega 3's, Calcium, Iron and Fibre. A perfect little lunch box treat, and they were a big hit with my little lady and my hubby which is always a bonus!

Ingredients:

-1 x can Red Salmon (415g) - use the best quality tinned salmon you can find, always buy brands that support sustainably caught seafood.
-Small handful of fresh parsley
-Juice of 1 lemon
-1 tsp Herbamare (or seasoning of choice and to your taste)
-2 tablespoon Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 x cup cooked Quinoa (I always cook my quinoa in Bone Broth for extra nutrients and flavour)
-1 x tablespoon Flaxseed Meal
-1/4 tablespoon Chia Seeds
-1 Freerange Egg

Method:

(preheat oven to 180 degrees)

1. Drain liquid from the salmon and remove the vertebrae bone. (Don't bother removing any of the smaller bones, these are completely edible, full of calcium and will break down in the food processor)
2. Add Salmon, Lemon juice, Parsley and Olive Oil into a food processor. Process until all combined and parsley is chopped finely within the salmon.
3. Transfer into a large bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients, combine well and season to taste.
4. Line your tray with baking paper. Using your hands take the mixture and mould into patties on the baking paper.
5. Bake for 20 minutes (10 mins on one side until lightly browned, flip and 10 mins on the other side)

I tried to make these as mess free as possible, so they are an easy lunch for my little lady to eat on the go, hence why I have used Chia Seeds as well as Flax and Egg for binding. This is to absorb any excess moisture. My little lady did not mind it at all, but if you find these to be a little dry you could pair them with a yummy natural yoghurt and cucumber dressing or a healthy kale & chickpea hummus. Also you could try to add some extra moisture to the mixture by grating some zucchini or carrot in.

Love & Gratitude

x

Slow Cooked Rainbow Bolognese with Quinoa

Yesterday I attended an online webinar run by a very successful Australian business & wellness coach. I came out of it filtering in my head what I actually thought was beneficial to me and my dream of becoming a Health and Wellness Coach and what items had no relevance at all. Overall, I was a little disappointed in the approach that was taken by the host. It’s been running over and over in my head and the more I think about it, the more sterile and distant it feels from my actual dream & reality of what I want to do. The approach felt fake, like a pyramid scheme with a pretty little face but a hidden agenda. I was so saddened by this.

I started to think that I was naive to genuinely feel like I could help and guide people on a healthier path. Free of fad diets, packaged foods and misconceptions. Free of ulterior motives, I want to teach parents about healthier food choices for our future generations. How to read labels, how to decipher ingredients, how to create healthy nourishing meals from scratch without the need for pre-packaged additive filled foods. Just as I was starting to question my own motives and dreams, I suddenly remembered something that the host from the webinar said that resonated with me. That the biggest hurdle that Wellness coaches face is Self-Doubt. This is something that I have struggled with throughout my whole working career, talking myself out of following my passion because I over analyse and convince myself that I don’t have what it takes. I started to realise that I was doing the exact same thing here, by blaming the approach that the host took to overshadow my own disbelief within myself.

Isn’t it amazing how our mind works when it is clear? 2 years ago I would have never been able to put the pieces of this puzzle together so clearly. I would have over analysed, started to get anxiety and probably would have ended up having a panic attack a few days or weeks later from pent up worry that I was not on the right path. Now, with a clean mind and clean body (free of any brain clouding nasties) I see that I was trying to convince myself to let go of my dreams yet again… But this time, I’m stronger than that. So I choose to overcome the self-doubt, to push through, to fill out that enrolment form, write myself a list of To-do’s and get my head back in the game. Because, when you think about something every moment of every day, than that’s enough of a sign to tell you to follow that dream and make it a reality. Just as a side note, I’d like to add that I haven’t had a panic attack or anything that even comes close to resembling a feeling of anxiety since mid-September 2014 (over 9 months ago) and we commenced transitioning to our wholefoods lifestyle at the end of September. Wow!

Now, as I was tuned into the Webinar yesterday, and my baby was napping, I was also multitasking and cooking dinner, whilst writing down this recipe (Because I’m a mumma, and we are superwoman).

I’ve named this recipe “Rainbow Bolognese” because it literally has vegies of every shade of the rainbow in it. If you have a fussy eater and struggle to get enough vegetables into their diet, you need to give this one a go. It’s a SO simple throw it all in and leave it for 4 hours type of recipe – the ones I love most! And as always I cook for an army so there are always plenty of leftovers for lunch and even Breakfast, which is exactly what I had for Brekkie this morning. 

Please always keep in mind that my recipes are designed around my toddler, so I always go easy on seasoning and spices. Please season to your own individual taste and add in fresh herbs of choice. I didn't have fresh herbs on hand so I used dried. 

Ingredients:

1kg Grassfed Beef Mince

1 onion (diced)

2 tablespoons Garlic powder

2 Carrots (grated)

2 Zucchini (grated)

6 button mushrooms (finely chopped)

1/2 head of Purple Cabbage (finely chopped)

3 teaspoons Organic Tomato Paste (separated in 1.5 teaspoon lots)

2 teaspoons Italian mixed dried herbs (Basil, oregano, thyme, parsley)

1/2 cup Bone Broth

1 Tablespoon Ghee (for frying)

1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (optional, I add these for the extra nutritional factor and because they absorb some of the liquid throughout the cooking process and allow the sauce to thicken)

Himalayan Salt - season to individual taste.

1 can Organic crushed Tomatoes

Method:

1. Over medium heat, sauté onion in ghee until translucent.

2. Add beef mince to onion and brown off well. Discard any excess liquid that is in the pan with the mince, and keep frying off. 

3. Add Garlic Powder to the mince and stir through, add 1.5 teaspoon Tomato paste and stir through well.

4. Transfer the mince into the slow cooker, add all other ingredients in and stir well. 

5. Slow cook for 4 hours. season to taste once cooked. 

Method for Quinoa:

I use the same rule for Quinoa as is for Rice, one cup seeds to 2 cups of liquid. I always cook my quinoa in Bone Broth, it soaks up and absorbs all that nutrient dense goodness and adds a lot more flavour. I use a very simple microwave rice cooker to cook my quinoa usually for about 8-10 minutes, making sure to take it out every 3-4 minutes to stir and add in more liquid if required. If you don't want to use the microwave this can easily be done on the stove top too. 

My recipes are made to be quick and easy to encourage time poor families to eat nutritious healthy foods. Yes, I may use short cuts and non traditional methods of cooking by utilising appliances like pressure cookers, slow cookers and the microwave from time to time, because I am a working mumma and I just don't have the time to spend hours on end in the kitchen. Of course, if you don't like to use the same methods of cooking, please feel free to adapt my recipes to suit YOUR style, there really is no one size fits all. :)

Love & Gratitude

x

Creamy Immune Boosting Cauli Soup

Its that time of year. When runny noses, dry coughs and daycare bugs are always lingering. Luckily, since we started our wholefoods journey illnesses don't linger for too long, we seem to be able to fight off the bugs much easier this year.

Earlier in the week my hubby had a mild case of Man Flu and my Little Lady was sporting a horse-like cough. I made it my mission to fill them both up with lots of veggies and healing foods. This delicious soup is loaded with all the best ingredients and it worked a treat. The following day, they both woke up right as rain... Isn't food amazing! Who needs drugs when you have the best medicine sitting in your fruit bowl, fridge and pantry?!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil for sautéing
2 x onions (chopped roughly)
2 x garlic cloves (chopped roughly)
1/2 head of Cauliflower
1/2 Jap Pumpkin
2 Zucchini
2 Carrots
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups Bone Broth
Season with Himalayan Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a large stockpot or pressure cooker, saute onion in coconut oil until translucent
2. Saute garlic with onion and add in all of the spices.
3. Stir and fry off spices until aromatic
4. Add in all chopped mixed vegetables and stir through the spices, garlic and onion
5. Add Bone Broth and place the lid on the pot. I pressure cooked mine for 30 minutes on soup setting but you could do this on the stove top or slow cooker - just adjust times and temperature accordingly.
6. Once cooked and all the vegetables are tender, blend with a stick blender until the soup is a smooth creamy consistency. Season to Taste and Serve with my Chicken and Mushroom creamy topper.

Ingredients for topping:

100 grams organic button mushrooms (chopped finely)
Large handful of cooked shredded chicken
1 Tablespoon of Lemon, Herb and Garlic seasoning (or good quality additive free seasoning of choice)
3 Tablespoons Bone Broth
2 Tablespoons Coconut Cream
1 Tablespoon Ghee (for frying)

Method for topping:

1. Sauté mushrooms in Ghee over medium heat, until almost tender
2. Add chicken and stir through the mushrooms, add seasoning of choice and stir through the chicken and mushrooms.
3. Add Bone broth, one tablespoon at a time and stir through until absorbed into the chicken and mushrooms.
4. Add coconut cream, stir through and remove from heat.

This topper adds amazing flavour and texture to the soup, my little lady loved it on its own too. I also used this same mix as a topper for our Paleo Pizza's too. It would also be great served over Cauli Rice. So versatile and so delicious!

I hope this rids the winter germs for you and your family, just as it did for mine.

Love & Gratitude

x

Lady Lalo's Chocolate Mud cake with hidden veggies!

On Thursday my little lady turns TWO. Today we celebrated her birthday at my parents house with a family BBQ, surrounded by our loved ones. 

As the days go by in the lead up to the big Two. Its dawning on me that Lady Lalo is no longer a baby. She is growing into a beautiful, intelligent little girl. She is aware of the world around her, She knows what she likes, what she wants and what to do to get it. She is stubborn, beyond all measure. She is heart-achingly gentle and kind. She is smarter than I ever thought was possible for this age. She is growing. Every day, every minute. With every new word, new sentence, new colour learnt, new song recited, new dance move adapted.... she is growing. 

Today I sat back and watched her lnteract with her great grandparents, with family friends young and old, with family pets and with herself. Watching her blossoming imagination, watching her put a dummy in her dolly's mouth and pat her back while she rocked back and forth and sung her a little lullaby (in Italian). I was overcome with pride, to be raising this incredible child. 

One day I hope my little lady reads these posts and takes comfort in these words. Everything I do my love is for you, every time I tell you 'later' when you ask me to play and I'm too busy cooking dinner... I promise I am just trying to make sure that you get the best most nutritious meal to make you grow big and strong. Every time I pick you up, when you really want to walk... I promise its to keep you safe from harm my darling. Every time I leave for work in the morning and you wave goodbye to me from the back door with that sad look on your face... I promise its so that we can give you everything you want and need my love, so you never have to want for anything. I hope you know, that every time my heart beats its beating for you my baby. 

Happy Second Birthday sweet girl... Thank you for choosing me. 

This recipe made 24 cupcakes and a whole Birthday cake. Halve the recipe if you don't require that much.

Cake Ingredients: 

2.5 cups Hazelnut Meal

2.5 cups Almond Meal

1 cup Raw Cacao

4 teaspoons Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Himalayan Salt

12 Freerange Eggs

1 cup Raw Honey

1 cup Coconut Sugar

4 Zucchini's (shredded)

8 tablespoons Coconut Oil (melted)

Coconut Oil or Olive oil spray for greasing

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2. Grease cake or muffin tins

3. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl

4. Add eggs & Honey into a food processor and process until all combined. 

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well with a spatula. Combine well so that there are no lumps

5. Add coconut oil into mixture and stir well until combined 

6. Add grated zucchini and fold through well. 

7. Pour into cake tin and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a skewer is inserted and comes out clean. 

8. Allow to cool before icing 

Frosting Ingredients: 

200 grams Medjool Dates (preferable organic with no added sugar)

6 tablespoons Coconut Cream

2 tablespoons Raw Cacao

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Paste

1 tablespoon Honey

2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

1 tablespoon Boiling Water 

Method: 

1. De-seed the dates and place in a food processor with coconut cream and boiling water. Process

2. When the dates resemble a thick paste, add in the raw cacao, vanilla paste  and Honey. Process until all combined.

3. Add in coconut oil and mix well with a spoon. 

This cake really is proof that there is no need for refined sugars, dairy , gluten or additives.. We can create healthy alternatives that are just as popular with the kids and adults alike. 

Love & Gratitude

X 

Toddler Style Chicken Cacciatore

My little lady has become quite the fusspot of late, so when I made this dish for her and she LOVED it the other night I decided it was definitely worth posting. I also don't want to lose my recipe so adding it to the blog is my own personal recipe book!

I hope you get as much success with this recipe as we did. It is a perfect toddler or adult meal, enjoyed by kids big and small!

Ingredients:

4 x large Freerange (preferably Organic) Chicken Thighs (cut into quarters)
1 x Leek (chopped thin)
1 x Carrot (diced small)
1 x Zucchini (diced small)
1/4 capsicum (as above)
1 full cup chopped Baby Spinach
1/2 cup Organic Pitted Kalamata Olives (when cut in halves)
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
2 heaped Teaspoons Organic Tomato Paste
1/4 cup chopped Parsley
2 teaspoon Herbamare (or season to taste)
2 teaspoon Italian dried Herbs
200g (1/2 can) Diced Tomatos (I use Honest to Goodness brand as the cans are BPA free)
1/2 cup Bone Broth
1 large tablespoon Flaxseed Meal
1 tablespoon Ghee (or quality fat of choice)

Method:
(I used a pressure cooker, but you could just as easily make this in a slow cooker or on the stove top. Just adjust the cooking time.

1. Saute Leek in Ghee or other good quality fat until translucent.
2. Add in all chopped vegetables, tomato paste, Garlic and dried herbs &spices. Stir through until all coated.
3. Pour in Bone Broth and Tomatos and let simmer.
4. Season sauce to taste.
5. Add in Chicken and cover. I pressure cooked for 20 minutes.
6. Once cooked, stir through the fresh parsley and serve.

I hope this delicious dish is as popular with your little ones as it was with mine.

Love & Gratitude

x