Years ago I remember watching a television interview with nutritionist, Michael Pollan who said that you could eat as much junk food as you wanted, as long as you made it yourself. I think the idea was that the time and effort involved would deter people from doing it too often! While I do enjoy the odd take-away I much prefer to make those types of meals myself anyway – they taste so much better when home made and do not have to take hours to put together. Burgers would definitely fall into that category, but in my humble burger-loving opinion I am not sure that today’s recipe could be considered junk food at all.
Nutella and peach braid
I may have overdone it this time… dieters, look away now! I was recently invited to participate in a Mystery Box Challenge, and last week when I received my hamper full of tempting ingredients from the lovely folks at Today I just had to squeeze them all into my dish.
Creamy chicken and mushroom pot pies
I am very excited to announce a delicious new series starting on the blog today! If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you probably would have seen the teaser I posted last week. In the series I will be sharing a collection of recipes highlighting the versatility and blendability of one of my favourite fresh ingredients, the marvellous mushroom.
Homemade tomato sauce
In the last few months I have been hearing more and more about sugar, particularly the negative effects it has on body and mind. I have become more conscious of my sugar intake, especially the hidden sugars that lurk in most convenience foods, and thinking of ways to reduce it. Wouldn’t it be great, I thought, to develop some sugar-free versions of some of my family’s favourite condiments, starting with that oh-so-delicious but oh-so-sugary tomato sauce. I started working on a recipe, but then life just got crazy busy and my poor little recipe slowly slipped down the to do list and was forgotten for a few weeks.
Date and nut balls (with video)
Warning: parental ramblings ahead! I am sure parents everywhere are breathing a collective sigh of relief as school resumes for the third term. If I am honest I actually quite enjoyed the 3 week break from lunchboxes, school runs and most of all the dreaded “lurgies” that always make their way home from the playground. Yes, the holidays can push any parent’s patience to the limit at times, but all too often I am reminded of how quickly time goes and that this chapter in our family journey is really so fleeting and special. Even when I am knee deep in stuffed toys, picking tiny bits of muesli off the soles of my feet (did I not just sweep that floor 5 minutes ago?!?) and answering the same question for the tenth time whilst pureeing a chicken and veggie concoction for the babe. All to the soundtrack of the washing machine and Disney radio. Special times, chaos and all!
Brie, fennel and tomato tarts
A few weeks ago I started buying a weekly fruit and veggie bag from an organic shop close to home. This is something I have been intending to try out for a very long time. Having small children has made me more aware of what we as a family are eating and this has been my main motivating factor for giving the weekly organic bag a go. I love that we are getting seasonal, locally grown produce and enjoying food without any nasties in it.
Mushroom soup with chevin and thyme toasts (with video)
Soup has been on the menu just about every day lately, it has become my lunchtime staple. There is something very satisfying about making it from scratch and this particular recipe includes two of my favourite food groups – mushrooms and cheese. Those are definitely food groups by the way.
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For the love of cake: Cake round up
I feel as though CAKES have been my theme lately, with various celebrations that have happened over the last few months. So this week I thought it might be fun to share some of my recent cake creations with you. Let’s just clarify one thing out though – I looove to bake, but when it comes to cake decorating my skills are more on the rustic side. Some of the cakes worked out better than others, but all of them were made with love!













