Banapple pancakes with berries

Now that we are trying to be more 'mindful' eaters in our household, I am constantly on the look out for tasty, healthy recipes for all of our meals. I have long been a sucker for pancakes, and I love them as a start to a lazy weekend morning. And so it was, that last Saturday morning as I pondered the inevitable demise that was in store for my country with that day's federal election, I found my spirits and stomach in need of serious uplifting. Here is what I came up with. Low calorie, thick, fluffy pancakes with syrup and berries - with some extra added fruity goodness. Too good to be true? See for yourself...

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup low fat milk 
• 1tsp white vinegar added 
• 1 banana (approx 165gm) mashed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 apple (approx 165gm) peeled and grated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs melted butter
• 1 tsp raw sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup plain flour
• Maple syrup and fresh blueberries to serve

Process:

1. Stir together the vinegar and milk in a mug or jug and let it sit for 15 minutes - it turns it into buttermilk, but way less calories by using the low fat milk
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and sugar (probably wouldn't hurt to sift it if you can be bothered).
3. Stir through the grated apple
4. In a separate bowl mix together the mashed banana, egg, vanilla, melted butter and milk
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and stir in the banana mix
6. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, and spray with olive oil
7. Pour a few rounds (I used a 1/4 cup measure) into the pan, and cook until bubbles form and pop on top (2-3 minutes), then flip over for another minute or two and remove from pan when nicely golden. Repeat with remaining mixture.
8. Stack two pancakes on each plate, pour over some maple syrup, top with fresh blueberries and serve with your favourite morning beverage.

According to the Sparks recipe calculator, 2 pancakes topped with 1 tbs maple syrup and 20gm fresh blueberries comes in at about 316 calories.

My batch made 8 pancakes, so this serves 4... unless you are having breakfast with our Ruby, who ate 3 and a half of these all to her little self!

Enjoy xx

My transformation journey... with some healthy cookies on the side

The last few months have been an interesting journey for me. In an effort to lose the last of my 'baby weight' (she is 16 months after all), and having realised that just 'wanting' to be thin wasn't quite going to get me there, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and make some serious changes. 

So I enlisted some help, and signed up for the  'Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation'. This fabulous program provides you with weekly exercise and meal plans, including all your recipes and a shopping list. It also provides online forums and chat rooms to share your journey with the other participants, and lots of mindset videos from Michelle (one of the personal trainers from Australia's Biggest Loser) to help you identify your behaviours and to keep you on track. The most important thing you should know about this program is that it works, you just have to do it. Maybe I was a little relaxed about it at times, not willing to part with wine or chocolate completely, but I still managed to lose 6kg, and a total of 38cm from my curves - surpassing my own goals for the challenge. Aaron also dropped a few kg's by default!

The main things I have taken away from the last few months are these:

1. Be organised. Know and write down what you are planning to cook for the coming week, make some meals in advance, and have healthy snack options on hand. Keeping a food diary is really insightful too.

2. Identify and eliminate your excuses. I am always full of excuses not to exercise, so I opted for a home exercise routine. This meant that rain, hail or shine it is pretty hard to find an excuse to not get up and go out to your living room to do your workout. It just means getting up that bit earlier (5.30am and I are now good friends).

3. Being mindful of what you are eating. Ever since I started thinking about the calories in things it makes me a lot more conscious of what is going into my body.

4. Keep it real. I like wine. I like a little sweet treat in the evening. You can still have these things, just maybe not everyday, and look for lower calorie alternatives that won't leave you with a major blowout.

With a new found sense of awareness about what I am eating, but my old faithful love of baking and my sweet tooth still close at hand, I have been on a little net-capade to find some healthier versions of beloved treats. There is some amazing stuff out there, like the beautiful 'Green Kitchen Stories', the great sugar free recipe collection on 'Weight it up' or the interesting recipes from 'Chocolate Covered Katie's healthy dessert blog (she does some surprising sweets with tofu and chickpeas that I am still trying to get my head around). 

I wanted to share two yummy cookies recipes that I have tried lately that I have been really happy with - particularly as they low on the guilt!

Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

These little guys are  ridiculously yummy, and super quick to make - do a double batch though, because they won't last long!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar* (could use a combination of 2 tbsp brown and 1 tbsp white instead)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp sultanas/ raisins
• 1 tbsp coconut oil* (olive oil or melted margarine is ok too)
• 1-2 tbsp milk of choice (I've used almond and regular skim milk, both are good)

Preheat oven to 180° and line a tray with baking paper.

Combine the oats, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor and whiz until the oats have broken up and become a little floury (but still with some visible oatiness about them). 

Stir in sultanas, oil and milk. Add enough milk to just bind the mix together.

Roll into 12 balls (about 3/4 desert spoons of mix each) and push flat, or I use a small cookie cutter and push the dough down into it with the back of a spoon. 

Make sure you leave a decent gap between the cookies as they can spread.

Bake for 6 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly on tray before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

(Makes 12: approx 40 calories per cookie**)

Black Bean Cookies (from Green Kitchen Stories)

These cookies have a bit of a brownie texture to them, which is awfully appealing. As they are relatively healthy, they are also a nice treat for kids - our Ruby loves them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 2 tbsp coconut oil* (or olive oil)
• 2 tbsp nut butter (I used almond)
• 2 tbsp milk (they recommend oat/ plant milk, but I used dairy)
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar*
• 4 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Optional: 40gm dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180° and line a tray with baking paper.

Rinse the beans well under cold water and drain well.

Place beans, oil, nut butter and milk in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Sift together sugar, cacao powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and add to the bean mixture.

Process again until well combined. It will look more than brownie batter than cookie dough.

Dollop spoonfuls onto a lined tray and smooth them into cookie shapes (I made 16 cookies). 

Dot with the chocolate chips if using them. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes (they should still be a little soft when they come out of the oven).

Leave on tray for a few minutes, then cool on wire rack.

Made 16 cookies: approx 70 calories per cookie** (about 56 calories if not using choc chips).

* Coconut sugar and coconut oil are available at most health food shops, but can be pricey. I found some pretty cheap at a local Asian grocery store.

**Calorie information was formulated using Sparks Recipe Calculator.

I hope you enjoy these tasty morsels, and don't forget to share any great healthy recipes that have been hits in your kitchen too.

xx

Little lemon tarts

For my mother in law's very special birthday afternoon tea something scrumptious was definitely in order. With their creamy and zesty lemon curd filling, a sweet, buttery pastry case, and a tart little raspberry on top, I knew these little treasures would be the perfect addition to her sweets table. So I reached out to my amazingly talented sweet-treat-extraordinaire bestie for her lemon curd recipe, which she has been gracious enough to permit me to share (thanks Nikki K xx).

You will need:

• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (grated)
• 125gm butter, diced
• fresh raspberries
• sweet pastry cases (see notes below)

To make the lemon curd:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil over a medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium sized stainless steel or glass bowl until blended together.
3. Place the bowl over the water, and whisk in the butter until it is incorporated into the curd (make sure the bowl is the right size so as to fit snugly into the saucepan, without the water touching the bottom of the bowl).
4. Continue to whisk for about 5 minutes, or until the curd is thick and creamy and coats the back of a spoon.
5. Remove from the heat and continue whisking for about 10 minutes, or until most of the heat has dissipated.
6. Place the lemon curd in the fridge to cool completely. It is a good idea to press a piece of glad wrap directly onto the top of the curd, as this will prevent a 'skin' from forming over the surface. Also cover with an airtight lid. (I prepared my curd the day before so it is quite thick and cold by the time I need it, but it will keep for about 5 days).
7. To complete the tarts, remove the lemon curd from the fridge and remove the glad wrap layer.
8. Spoon your lemon curd into your pastry cases and fill to just below the rim, place a raspberry on top, and dust with icing sugar.

NOTES:

* I am lazy, and used pre-made pastry cases. You could make your own if you are so inclined, using maybe a ready to go sweet pastry, like Careme brand, or here is a recipe for making your own sweet short-crust pastry - I haven't used this recipe myself, but as it is one of Jamie Oliver's I trust it will be a pretty safe bet!

* I made 30 of these mini tarts, in cases that were about 2cm x 2cm, and had heaps of curd left over. Leftover curd is delicious with fresh scones and whipped cream, or in a little meringue nest with fresh berries and vanilla ice-cream, or would be great on pancakes.

Enjoy xx

Sweet (and easy) little girls pocket skirt tutorial

I love these sweet little skirts. They are made to sit above the knee, so are suitable for crawlers, and look gorgeous on their own or over leggings. Plus they are very easy to make, and can be made in about an hour. The measurements given are for a girl about 9 - 12 months. Just make everything larger for a bigger size.

You will need:

• 1/2 yard of fabric for skirt
• 2 pieces of fabric for pocket (7" x 7" pieces x2 would be ample)
• 16" of 1/2 or 3/4" wide elastic for waistband (make sure you measure around bubs waist first, as you may need longer elastic, so it is not too tight)
• needle and thread

1. To begin, cut 2 rectangles 11" x 16" for your skirt.

2. Place the two rectangles right (printed) sides together. Pin down the shorter sides, and sew down each side using a 1/4" seam, so you are left with a tube, then press the seams flat.

3. Fold the top hem down 1/2" and press flat, then fold over another 1" and pin in place.

4. Sew a seam right along (1/10") the bottom edge of the hem, leaving an 1.5" gap.

5. Fold the bottom hem up 1/2" and press, and then fold over another 1/2" inch, pin and then sew into place as above but do not leave a gap.

6. Using a safety pin to guide, thread the elastic through the opening left in the top hem and all the way around until it comes out the other end of the opening, then sew the ends of elastic together, and sew the opening closed.

7. Cut out two pockets. You can do any shape you like, but you want them roughly 5.5" across and 4.5" down, I like to curve the bottom edge.

8. Pin the pockets together with printed sides in and sew around with a 1/8" seam, leaving a 1.5" gap on one side.

9. Snip off the corners, and clip around the curve at 1cm intervals. Clip up toward the seam, but stop before it so you don't cut the thread.

10. Turn the pocket right way out by pulling it through the opening left in the stitching. Then iron it nice and flat and hand sew the opening closed. I like to use a drawing stitch, or ladder stitch, for closing the gap as you can't see it. Quilt Taffy have a great little tutorial on this method.

11. Make a pleat in the top straight edge of the pocket. I do this by finding the centre, and folding the fabric in 1/2" either side. The back edge of the pleat (where my finger is in the pic below) should be about 1".

12. Pin the pleat in place, then sew along the top edge to secure the pleat.

13. Now pin the pocket in place on the front of the skirt, and sew it in place (again sewing about 1/8 - 1/10" from the edge of the pocket). The stitching will be visible on the outside of the pocket, so choose a matching colour if you do not want it to be too obvious. I like the stitching on the outside, so I tend to stick with white thread.

All done! Now just sit back, and enjoy seeing your cute little number on a gorgeous little someone.

xx