Icecream

Icecream

Homemade icecream really doesn't have to be complicated.  There are some fantastic machines out there and some amazing recipes & flavour combinations, but you don't need to take an all or nothing approach.  This is the machine I started with:

From memory, I picked it up from my local IGA for half price at around $25.  You keep the base in the freezer (or put it there 24-48 hours before making the icecream), attach the top and turn it on.  So simple!

Here is a basic recipe to get started on:

250ml full fat pure cream

250ml full fat milk

70g (1/3 cup) raw caster sugar

vanilla extract or paste

Whisk all together until sugar has dissolved. Pour into icecream maker & allow to churn for 20-30 minutes until it can't churn anymore.  Icecream will be the consistency of 'soft serve'.  You can enjoy straight away, or place in the freezer for around 2 hours to firm up completely.

Here is some chocolate icecream that I made today, straight out of the icecream maker (before freezing):

You can experiment with different sweeteners (maple syrup would be a yummy one!).  I've used raw caster sugar here which isn't perfect, but it's so much better than the additive full commercial icecream and has the same sort of taste, but yummier! 

Homemade Tim Tams

Homemade Tim Tams

First, a disclaimer...

I have listed white flour & cornflour in the biscuit recipe to try and get them close to the actual biscuits.  To improve the nutrition, you could add some wholemeal flour, or even better, use spelt flour.  White spelt flour is much more nutritious than white wheat flour and much easier to digest.  You could also add a small amount of chia seeds or other ground up seed to improve the nutrition.  I will be working on a healthier biscuit, but in the meantime, these are really tasty and are a much better option than store bought.  And you can control the amount of sugar/ganache/chocolate to your personal tastes.

For reference, these are the ingredients in store bought Tim Tams:

Milk chocolate (38%)(sugar, milk solids, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifiers (e322: soy, e476), flavouring), wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil, golden syrup, colours (e102, e110, e129, e133, e150), milk solids, cocoa, salt, raising agent(e500), emulsifier (e322: soy) and flavouring. May contain traces of peanut, other nut, egg or seed.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups plain flour or spelt flour

1/4 cup cornflour

5 teaspoons cacao or cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste

75ml pure cream

50g dark chocolate, chopped

50g milk chocolate, chopped

190g dark or milk chocolate, chopped

Biscuit

1. In a small bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients.

2. Beat butter and sugar until creamy, add milk and vanilla and mix on low speed (mixture will look curdled)

3. Add flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Shape into a rectangular log, wrap in baking paper and refridgerate for at least 1 hour until really firm.

4. Using a sharp knife, cut 5mm slices and place onto baking tray.  Bake in the oven at 190 degrees for 10-12 minutes until edges are very firm.  Allow to cool completely on wire rack.

Filling

1. Combine cream and chocolate in a pan over low heat until chocolate has melted (or use microwave).  Be very careful not to overcook - remove from the heat before the chocolate has melted, residual heat will finish melting the chocolate.

2. Place in fridge and allow to firm.

3. Remove from fridge and whisk until creamy.

Coating

Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave until smooth.

Construction

1. Spread a little filling onto cold biscuit, top with another biscuit.

2. Place in fridge and allow to set.

3. Dip biscuit into melted chocolate, using a fork to turn and then pick up and place onto baking paper.  Allow to set in fridge until chocolate is hard.  Enjoy!!

*The biscuits on their own also make a good treat for kids, especially if you sneak a few healthy things in.  They are crunchy biscuits so they can't inhale them like chewier ones ;)

Yoghurt Squeeze Pouches

Yoghurt Squeeze Pouches

After the article on buying plain yoghurt in bigger containers, and adding your own healthy sweeteners/fruit/muslei etc, I had a comment about the kids yoghurt squeeze pouches.

It was based around the fact that they are so much more convenient when out and about and with young children as they are far less messy than sitting down with yoghurt and a spoon.  The problem is, companies want to make sure that kids will like them, so they often have added sugar, colours & flavours, and they are set differently meaning they could be missing some of those healthy probiotics.

Well, a bit of digging, and here is the solution!

Pouched

Also on Facebook here:

Pouched on Facebook

Once again, a clever Aussie Mum has come up with an awesome new product!  Easy fill (comes with food applicator), BPA free, multiple sizes, freeze or heat.

So you don't need to sacrifice convenience or put up with extra mess in order to have your littlies eating real food.  Grab yourself a big tub of natural yoghurt, mix in some raw honey or fruit puree and fill up the week's pouches into the fridge.  And, once you've got your re-usuable pouches, you'll save money too!

Simple Pasta Sauce

Jamie's Basic Pasta Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

good pinch of dried oregano

1 chilli, pierced once with a knife

2 x 400g tins whole tomatoes

sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Heat olive oil gently in pan, add oregano & chilli.  Toss for around 30 seconds, then add tomatoes.  Do not break tomatoes up at this stage.  Season with sea salt & black pepper.

Simmer gently for 30 minutes, lightly shaking the pan every 10 minutes or so.  Remove chilli.  Break up tomatoes with a spoon.  Check for seasoning.

Variations to Basic Pasta Sauce

Add a handful of freshly grated parmesan, a knob of butter, a small swig of balsamic or red wine vinegar & a handful of torn basil leaves (yum...my favourite!)

Add some pure cream for a creamy tomato pasta sauce.

Chop up chilli and add back to sauce.

Play around with the basic recipe & come up with your own favourite!

Cooking Notes:

I use this sauce as a plain pasta sauce with different pastas including ravioli as well as things like parmigiana.

Make extra and freeze in sandwich bags (it freezes really well!) for an instant meal.  To defrost, either microwave, or tip into a saucepan and gently re-heat.

As always, check the ingredients label on everything you buy for any unnecessary additives:

 *Note: This particular product is the 'Coles' brand Organic Whole Tomatoes for $1.10 per can

Cheat's Chicken Nuggets

Cheat's Chicken Nuggets

500g free range (organic if possible) chicken breast, minced

(your butcher should be happy to mince it for you)

good pinch of sea salt

cracked black pepper

pinch of dried thyme (or other herb of choice)

Coconut oil for frying (or other fat of choice)

1. Mix all ingredients together well with your hands.  Shape teaspoon sized pieces into nugget shapes.

2. Heat oil in frypan on medium-high heat.  Add nuggets, allow to brown well on one side before turning over.  Finish cooking on other side.  Drain on paper towel.

Note: These will also freeze well (as long as the chicken had not been frozen).  Reheat in oven or in frypan as above.

Yoghurt

So, when was the last time you read the labels to compare the nutritional value of the yoghurt you buy?

Most people know that yoghurt is an excellent source of calcium, and contain beneficial probiotics, or 'good bacteria'.  It can help to restore balance in the digestive tract, significantly boost the immune system, offset any damage caused when taking antibiotics, reduce lactose intolerance, assist in preventing eczema in children, reduce incidences of yeast infection, increase the ability of the body to digest food & increases the body's ability to absorb calcium.

Yoghurt is also an excellent snack for children, for all the health benefits listed above.  It's simple, quick, nutritious & most kids really enjoy it.  But the scary thing is that the yoghurts that are clearly marketed to children, often contain added refined sugars, flavours, colours & other unnecessary additives.  They then add bright colours & recognisable characters and place them at child's height!  Most supermarkets also have the yoghurts in the last isle - I know by the time I am most of the way through the shopping, the kids and I are ready to go and it makes it more tempting to give in to a child's request for the yoghurt with the bright colours or favourite character on it.

It's so important to be reading the labels, so that you can make an informed choice of the food you choose to put into your body, and the choice you make on behalf of your child.  Look for sugar content per 100g, as well as where that sugar is coming from (fruit, fruit juice, sugar, artificial sweeteners). The best option is plain, natural yoghurt, without refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, flavours, colours or preservatives.

But that doesn't mean it has to be boring!  Make plain yoghurt more exciting:

- Drizzle over a little raw honey (kids will love to mix it up themselves!)
- Add some whole berries or chopped fresh fruit
- Top with some crunchy toasted chopped nuts, seeds or additive free muesli
- Mix in some fresh fruit juice and freeze into iceblock moulds
- Cook chopped apple & little water in a saucepan until soft, gently mash & add to yoghurt with a little cinnamon (cook extra apple & use the extra for mini apple crumbles!)
- Use as a base for yummy fruit smoothies

You'll also be saving money by buying in bigger containers, and helping our environment through less waste!

Refined Oils

Refined Oils

So, what are refined oils and why should we be avoiding them?

Did you know, that the man who invented the first electrocardiograph machine (used to detect clogged arteries in an effort to predict heart disease) in 1903 was advised to change his field of specialty to something more needed (and therefore more profitable).  He actually had difficulty finding patients that would benefit from his machine!  Yet today, heart disease is one of the biggest medical problems we face.  And how is it that our consumption of healthy fats like butter & animal fat has decreased, while the rate of heart disease has increased?  And what has increased very dramatically, is the use of refined oils & processed sugars & foods.

Sure, it could be a co-incidence.  But lets look at refined oils for a moment.  These are oils such as

Vegetable Oil

Canola Oil

Margarine

Soybean Oil

Corn Oil

Grapeseed Oil

and any oil which is highly refined or labelled as 'hydrogenated'.

The refining process involves using a chemical solvent (most commonly hexane) to extract the oil. Hexane is produced by the refining of crude petroleum oil.  It is used in the formulation of glues for shoes, leather products & roofing (!).

The oil is then subjected to extremely high temperatures in order to evaporate the chemical solvent.   It is also bleached in order to remove off-coloured materials in the oil and then deodorised (yep, deodorising food!) to remove volatile compounds which would cause off-odours and tastes in the finished product, in other words, 'mask' what they have done to the oil.

This process produces trans fatty acids which studies have shown can increase our risk of coronary heart disease. (Ref: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/014067369390350P) and produces free radicals, known to cause numerous problems for the human body.  And ironically, the Vitamin E which is normally there to offset that, has been killed off by the refining process.

So which oils should we be looking at?

Coconut Oil - an excellent choice for most applications, the only real limitation being in baking.  Deserves a whole new post which I will put together soon!

Butter - pure butter with no added oils. Great choice for baking, can be used for frying but will brown and can burn quite easily as the heat increases.

* A note on Margarine - it is made from the highly refined & damaged oils listed above.  It is then mixed with nickel oxide & pumped with hydrogen atoms that create very dangerous trans fatty acids.

Animal Fats - next time you are doing a roast, keep the drippings! Pour them into a little dish while still hot, then keep them in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

Cold Pressed Olive Oil - high in Vitamin E and antioxidants and relatively stable to heat, light and oxygen.

Macadamia oil - tolerates heat well, but is richly flavoured

Other unrefined, cold-pressed nut & seed oils

Oils are also very susceptible to becoming rancid, particularly oils which have undergone the refining process, as they are sensitive to heat, light & exposure to oxygen.  All oils you choose to purchase, refined or not, should be ideally bought in a dark bottle and stored in a cool, dry place.

It is also important to remember while choosing an oil for use in your cooking and baking, you are also choosing these oils when you buy packaged products containing them.  Reading packaged item labels should show which oils they contain so that you can make an informed decision.

Popcorn

Popcorn

Makes: around 1 cup of popcorn

Preparation Time: 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 minutes

Note: You will need one brown paper (lunch) bag

Ingredients:

1/4 cup popping corn

1 teaspoon butter, melted

pinch sea salt

Method:

1. Tip popping corn into a brown paper bag. Fold down top 3 times.  Place in microwave on high for 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave.  Listen for the popping - when it slows to only one or two pops every second or so, it is ready.  As with any popcorn, it will burn easily if left too long.

2. Carefully open bag, pour in butter, close bag and shake.  Add sea salt, close again and give another good shake.  Serve popcorn, removing any unpopped corn.

Sunflower Cookies

SUNFLOWER COOKIES

Makes: 60
Preparation Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes chilling
Cooking Time: 12-15 minutes per tray

Ingredients:

150g unbleached plain flour
100g wholemeal plain flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon raw honey
160g + 30g butter, chilled
1 egg
150g sunflower seeds
90g raw honey
2-3 tablespoons pure cream

Method:
1.  Line baking trays with baking paper.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2.  Place the flour, lemon zest, honey, 160g of the butter and the egg in a large bowl.  Work into a crumbly dough. (Alternatively, combine in a food processor).  Knead into a smooth dough with floured hands.  Shape into a ball and wrap in cling wrap.  Chill for 30 minutes.

3.  In a saucepan, lightly toast sunflower seeds with honey, remaining butter & cream.  Remove from heat & allow seeds to cool.

4.  Roll out dough on a floured work surface.  Use a 5cm cookie cutter to cut out cookies.  Place on baking trays and top with 1 teaspoon of sunflower seed mixture.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.  Place on a wire rack to cool.