Kapai Puku - The Seed of Life

I was in Harris Farm the other week and as usual there were loads of food samples to try (this is certainly what gets Mark through the door!) I normally avoid all of the free cheeses and breads, but I enjoyed tasting a yoghurt sample with these 'Kapai Puku' seeds mixed in.

Well I enjoyed it so much I bought a pack of these seeds - and they were 15 bucks, for a while I was worried I had been ripped off! But they have proven to be so versatile, and I've really enjoyed mixing them in yoghurt, adding to cereal, even omelettes or stewed fruit.

Then I double checked the numbers and I realised just how great these seeds are!

Some of the benefits of this product include:
* Rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid.
* Rich in fibre
* Contains silica – that is essential for healthy smooth supple skin, healthy hair and strong nails. Silica is present in almost every tissue of the body and is essential for cell growth.
* Contains B Complex vitamins (B1 – Thiamine, B2 – Riboflavin, B3 – Niacin, B6 – Pyridoxine) are extremely important for the health of the nervous system. They are not stored in the body in any great quantity and need to be supplied daily by the diet.
* An excellent source of vitamin E, the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals that would otherwise damage fat-containing structures and molecules, (eg. cell membranes, brain cells, and cholesterol).
* High in Zinc, Calcium, and Phosphorus.

NUMBERS (per 50g serve)
Protein 8.2g
Fat 13.3g (saturated 1.7g)
Carbs 18.9g
Fibre 8.4g

You can also order the product online.

A More Healthful Cookie Experiment

The last few months have been a whole reducation process for me as far as nutrition is concerned. But sometimes, it's just so easy to fall off the wagon!

My problem food right now? I say right now because I haven't eaten these for years. Cookies, straight from the oven. I'm lucky I haven't gone overboard with them, but I admit I have been eating small amounts pretty regularly.

A lovely workmate Kath had a pre-school fundraiser for her son, and this time it was Billy G's Gourmet Cookie Dough. I was happy to oblige and buy a tub of dough because Mark often eats cookies late at night before bed (because he is super-skinny and he can!) and this cookie dough is absolutely delicious raw or cooked, it is such a treat to eat!

Now I am tiring of it all and am beginning to get cranky with myself - so I'm seeing this in terms of a challenge. Will I be able to create a more healthful version of cookie dough that I can freeze and enjoy alongside Mark when he gets the munchies?

I'm thinking of wholemeal and coconut flour, a mix of brown sugar, perhaps honey, and splenda. Dark chocolate, and maybe some nuts? I'll also try and use a reduced fat butter blend, and organic eggs of course. I know I'd much prefer to stick to whole food organic type products, but I also want to keep the numbers down, so a bit of compromise is required.

So fingers crossed, the experiment starts here!
I found this excellent website with general cookie baking tips:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_cookie_recipes

I also found this website with some healthy cookie recipes so I'm going to give one a try, after adapting it to meet my needs:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_cookie_recipes

The recipe I have adapted follows:

INGREDIENTS
* 3/4 cup weight watchers rolled oats
* 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1/2 cup coconut flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup reduced fat spread, softened (I use Devondale light 50% less fat)
* 1/4 cup lite olive oil
* 1/3 cup splenda
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 40g dark chocolate, chopped (I use Lindt excellence, 70% cocoa)

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cover a tray with glad bake.

2. Grind oats in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Melt butter gently in the microwave. Add oil, splenda, brown sugar, egg and vanilla; stir until smooth and creamy. Stirring, add the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate.

3. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, at least 1 inch apart, onto the prepared tray, press down. Bake cookies for about 10-15 minutes. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

NUMBERS Per cookie (approx):
3 g fat
8 g carbohydrates
1 g protein

So how did it go? Well! I could go on and on, but I'm really pleased with my adapted recipe. The wholemeal flour fills me up much faster and I don't seem to keep craving and craving cookies! They don't spread much, so I'll be playing around a little with the recipe, but it's good to know what I'm eating, and they are at least 30% better for me all-round nutrition wise compared to the lovely Billy Gs Cookies.

Overall, if you are watching what you eat and you are craving something, I say go ahead and cook it - then try to make it better! Once you put the effort in, work out the numbers and enjoy your snack, you will probably lose your craving and find respect for more healthful food options (after just a few more cookies!)

Yummy Organic Popcorn

This morning I stopped by the nasty Woolworths Petrol to buy my least favourite thing, petrol, when I came across these friendly treats!

Whole Kids Organic Popcorn with sea salt is delicious and yummy. I'm sort of sorry the brand name is 'Whole Kids' as this snack is perfect for everybody! I have already scanned the shelf in my local Woolworths store but no luck as yet, I think I'll be sending them an email to plead they get some stock on the shelf...

The benefits of this product include:
* Certified organic
* Low GI
* No preservatives
* No artificial flavours
* No artificial colours
* rich in dietary fibre
* Low sodium
* Whole kids is australian-owned

Better still, the numbers are fantastic!
NUMBERS (per 12g bag)
Protein: 1.3g
Fat:1.9g
Carbohydrates: 8.3g

You can find more information about stockists and even buy online at:
http://wholekids.com.au/

Stewed Apple and Raspberries

It seems at the moment I am trying out a new 'stewed fruit' every week! It's great to have on hand to add to porridge, yoghurt, or to eat for dessert with a lite custard. I think this is my favourite combination so far, it's just so tempting to keep adding different things to the mix but I believe it's important that the fruit does the work as far as flavour is concerned.

INGREDIENTS
4 large cooking apples (granny smith, fuji) peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon of honey
squeeze of lemon juice
1 stick of cinnamon

METHOD
1. In a medium saucepan, put the apples with the lemon juice (add perhaps 1 Tbs of water as well), add and cinnamon stick. Cook over medium heat for around 10 min.

2. Add the raspberries and honey and stir, simmer 5-10min.

3. Set aside to cool down.

Adapted from:
http://rhid-baked.blogspot.com/2008/02/apple-and-raspberry-pies.html

Dark chocolate: Kshocolat

I recently visited the much-loved (if not in need a of a fresh coat of paint) Jones the Grocer store in Woollahra to buy some fancy last-minute provisions for our weekend away.

One item I chose was the Kshocolat Dark Chocolate with 72% cocoa solids, I think it was around $12 a bar for 80g which is pretty full on, but hey, we all have to live a little!

I think I'll be doing a little comparing and contrasting of different dark chocolates in the near future, there is a wide range available to try and there are apparently many health benefits! ;)

NUMBERS (per serving, 40g)
Protein: 3.4g
Fat: 15.5g
Carbohydrate: 12.6g

Upon doing some research, it seems this Scottish chocolate company has recently gone into administration (Feb 2010) and is looking for a buyer, so if you're keen...

I for one really enjoy the taste of this product so hope this is by no means the end for Kshocolat.

Roasted Vegetable & Bacon Soup

I think one thing I have learned recently is not to be scared of bacon if you are watching your eating! You can still eat it if you trim off most of the fat and watch your portions - and in recipes such as this, you are adding it for flavour; not in vast quantities to 'fill up on it'.

I use the beautiful shulz bacon from South Australia - twice the price as supermarket bacon, but the flavour and quality is just second to none. On other blogs this bacon is hailed as a 'secret hangover cure!' You can find it at Harris Farm and small delis around the place.

This weekend Mark and I went to Kangaroo Valley and I admit I splurged on some lovely food. So, I'm bringing home the leftover bacon to create something yummy to get back on the right eating track.

If you like the taste of Pea & Ham soup, you will love this recipe!

INGREDIENTS
* 4 bacon rashers, rind and excess fat trimmed, coarsely chopped
* 2 red capsicums, halved, deseeded
* 2 leeks, pale section only, halved lengthways, sliced
* 700g sweet potato, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces
* 3 tsp minced garlic
* Olive oil spray
* 4 cups chicken stock
* 1 tablespoon of milled flaxseed
* Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place sweet potato on baking paper in a large roasting pan, spray with oil. Bake for 30min.
2. Add the capsicums, leeks, garlic. Bake for another 30min.
3. Add bacon, bake for a final 30min.
4. Place the capsicums, the flaxseed, a quarter of the vegetable mixture and 1 cup of stock in a large saucepan, process with a blending stick until smooth.
5. Stir in the remaining vegetable mixture and stock.
5. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Taste and add pepper.

If you happen to find this recipe too salty, consider adding a tablespoon of honey.

Adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/12104/roasted+vegetable+bacon+soup

...Well, Naturally

When I first started making changes to my diet I found that protein bars were a big help. I rely on them less these days, and I am the first to admit there are alot of terrible tasting protein bars out there!

I find protein bars especially useful when I am out and about, particularly when I am on playground duty or off on an excursion (stops me from heading to a vending machine!)

The health benefits of ...Well, Naturally Bars include:
- Great taste (They are the best tasting protein bar I have found so far)
- 23g protein (38%)
- Less than 8g carbs
- You feel fuller for longer
- They are low GI for slow release energy

There are a few flavours to choose from but I enjoy Caramel Fudge best. There is also Cherry Delight, Double Choc (too rich for me) and a White Chocolate flavour that I come across from time to time.

The first time you eat a protein bar it can be a bit of a shock! But I actually look forward to it now, and crave them quite a bit.

There is a list of stockists on the website, but I also find them at my local Pulse Pharmacy and the excellent people at GNC Vitamins will sell them to me by the box! I believe they are also available for sale online at GNC.

You can find out more about Well... Natually here:
http://wellnaturally.com.au/info/high-protein-bars

Quinoa

When I first looked at my eating I knew I had to reconsider my carbohydrate intake. My heart sort of sunk, I absolutely love eating rice and pasta! Then I found Quinoa - it has double to protein of rice, is Low-GI and gluten free. Sure, it is not that low in carbs, but it certainly beats eating a similar amount of cooked white rice.

Quinoa is a seed, but you cook it like a grain and use it in the same way you would rice or cous cous. It produces delicious results without having to try very hard!

Quinoa is available at health food stores and is quite expensive - don't let that put you off as it doubles in size when cooked. I have also seen it creeping into supermarkets recently so this will mean prices will fall as volumes increase.

Here is a simple side dish I cook often to accompany meat (particularly bbq chicken, although tonight I am eating it alongside some grilled salmon).

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup organic quinoa
1 cup of water
1 dessert spoon olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small fennel bulb, sliced
Juice of half a lemon
Rind of half a lemon, finely grated
Handful of parsley
Salt & pepper
Serves 2

METHOD
1. Cook quinoa in a large pan of boiling water for 12 minutes or until tender.

2. Toss quinoa with olive oil, garlic, fennel, parsley, lemon juice and rind. Season.

NUMBERS (Serving Size, 50g - when cooked, this will serve 2 people as a side)
Protein: 5.95g
Fat: 2.4g
Carbohydrate: 34g

Spiced Carrot Soup

Happy long weekend! It's Queens Birthday weekend here in Sydney, I'm surprised we still celebrate, but as a teacher who has just survived the biyearly rigmorale of writing school reports I welcome any extra time off. Mark's Mum went down to some farmer's markets and bought us some fresh dutch carrots, dirt and stalks still attached! So I looked for a recipe, and I think I've found a new favourite. The kaffir lime leaves are the most important ingredient here, they add a real tang to the dish not found in other soups. God save the Queen!

INGREDIENTS
Spray of light olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced red chilli
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
500g carrots, peeled, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves
4 cups (1L) chicken stock
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbs palm brown sugar / or 1 tbs honey
2 tbs Thai fish sauce
270ml reduced fat coconut milk
shredded chicken / coriander to serve
Serves 6

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened.

2. Add garlic, chilli, ginger, carrot, sweet potato, lime leaves and stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then puree with a hand-held blender.

3. Return to pan with lime juice, sugar and fish sauce and gently reheat. Add coconut milk and stir until combined.

4. Serve with some shredded chicken and top with coriander or nutmeg if desired.

Adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/5686/spiced+carrot+soup+with+coconut+cream

Pea and ham soup

I've been sick with a cold today, and as a teacher in my other life, I've been writing my half-yearly reports. It's lovely to have something bubbling away on the stove as I work away (well, it's also something to distract me every 15 minutes!)
Mark ran up the shops and got me my ham hock, now the lovely smoky smell is drifting through our little apartment, I'm feeling a little better already!

INGREDIENTS
500g packet dried green split peas (Mark picked yellow today and these are fine too.)
4 cups (1L) chicken stock
500g ham hock
1 onion, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
salt and cracked black pepper
Approx 6-8 servings

METHOD
1. Place split peas in a sieve and run under cold water for a minute or until water turns clear. Set aside. Place stock, 2L water, ham hock, vegetables and split peas in a large saucepan. Cook soup over medium high heat for 1 1/2 hours, skimming the surface occasionally to remove any foam. Remove from heat. Remove ham hock from the soup and set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile blend the soup with a hand-held blender until pureed. Remove fat from ham hock, shred meat roughly and return to the soup. Serve with crusty bread.

NUMBERS (very approx, per serve)
Protein: 28.5g
Fat: 6.86g
Carbohydrates: 33g

Adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/16169/pea+and+ham+soup

Stewed apple

It's that time of year, well for me anyway, where I feel all my food should be warm. So the cereal has taken a back seat for now, and I am enjoying weight watchers porridge some mornings.

The perfect accompaniment to this is some stewed fruit, which I really enjoy making weekly and keeping in the fridge - it's there to dive into at any time.

There are lots of unhealthy recipes out there for stewing apples (lots of sugar!), but I think I have found a good one:

INGREDIENTS
4 large apples, peeled, cored, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger (or minced ginger if you have it)
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp good vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 a vanilla pod

METHOD
Place all of the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or till apples are as soft as you like them.

I really like these serving ideas I found at a website called 'Venus Envy Training' as well:

- sprinkle 2 tbsp low fat granola on top
- drizzle 1/2 container low fat, fruit-juice sweetened vanilla yogurt over top
- serve warm on top of low fat vanilla frozen yogurt or soy ice cream
- add some chopped onion and curry powder and nix the honey for a delicious chutney-like chicken topping

I'll be making this recipe with variations weekly, this recipe really is so easy, it's something you can adapt to your own taste and ingredients. Enjoy!

Slow cooked veal with thyme and pumpkin

With the recent rainy weather in Sydney and a slight cold on the way? I have decided to give this nice long-cooking dish a try.
All up this recipe takes about 2.5 hours to cook but you wont be disappointed! To think a year ago I'd probably have a glass of wine in my hand and some mashed potatoes on the boil is very strange! This time I won't be serving with mash, just some nice steamed greens to ward off the nasties.

INGREDIENTS
4 x 200g veal osso bucco
coconut flour for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 carrot, grated
400g can of peeled tomatoes
3 cups of chicken stock
5 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 sticks cinnamon
50g pumpkin, peeled and cut into wedges
sea salt and cracked pepper
Serves 4.

METHOD
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius
- Dust veal with flour
- Heat large frying pan over high heat, add oil and veal and cook 3 minutes each side or until brown
- Remove from pan, place in a baking dish, set aside
- Reduce heat to medium, add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes
- Add carrot, cook for a further 2 minutes
- Add tomatoes and stock and stir to combine
- Add thyme, bay leaves and cinnamon and bring to boil
- Spoon onion mixture over the veal and cover with a rectangle of baing paper
- Place in oven and cook for 90 minutes
- Add pumpkin, salt and pepper and cook for a further 40 minutes or until pumpkin is tender
- Discard cinnamon to serve

NUMBERS

Adapted from: Donna Hay Issue 32 April/May 2007

Healthy mini meals for all-day energy!

I was visiting one of my favourite fashion/lifestyle blogs today called frolic when I noticed a story on making 'Banana, berry & yoghurt popsicles.' Even though it's Winter here in Sydney I have been craving icy treats, probably because Mark often munches away on yummy things after I go to bed and I'd love to join him, filling up my belly before I go to sleep!

When I clicked on a link to the yoghurt popsicles a great article came up called 'Healthy Mini Meals for all-day energy!'

There is alot of good stuff here, it leans more towards Summer-type food and some recipes may be a little carb heavy (although low in gi, high in fibre), but I just love the ideas and photography.

Here are some of my favourites (you can click on the photos to go straight to the recipe):

Banana, berry & yoghurt popsicles

Mustard chicken with apple

Split-pea crisps

Pear and almond

Chickpea dip

Spiced nuts and seeds

I know I'll be trying these recipes out, particularly once I get over my current soup, casserole and curry obsession! Will be great for lunches at work... now just to get my hands on a popsicle mold...

Tomato and Chickpea Lamb

I swear I typed this out the night I ate it, but the recipe has seemed to have gone missing from the blog so here it is again. I have gone through the hassle of typing it out again because this dish tastes so damn good, and makes even better leftovers or lunch. Winter makes me hungry and this dish is very satisfying and filling, Yum!

INGREDIENTS
800g heartsmart lamb, sliced
1 tsp minced chilli
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil (i use garlic oil)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 red capsicum, sliced
400g chopped tomatoes
400g can chickpeas, rinsed
100g baby spinach leaves

METHOD
1. Place lamb, chilli, turmeric, cumin, capsicum, salt and pepper in a ziploc bag, toss to coat.
2. Heat a frying pan add oil and garlic, cook for 30sec
3. Add lamb and cook until brown
4. Stir in tomatoes and chickpeas and cook for 2min or until sauce is a bit thicker
5. Stir in spinach to serve.

I haven't worked out the numbers yet but I'll add them soon.

Adapted from: Donna Hay Issue 32 April/May 2007

Skinny Cow

When I went on a shopping tour with Joe he told me about Skinny Cow as we walked past the ice cream cabinet. Now, I am a huge fan of brands like Ben & Jerrys and Haagen Daaz so I am a difficult ice cream eater to please.

A few weeks ago I finally caved in and bought a four pack of 'sundae cups.' Since then I have worked my way through a few of the flavours and I have to say they do a pretty good job of making the ice cream taste light, sweet and authentic! (Although sometimes you do get that 'fake sugar' aftertaste for a while, a shame.)

My favourite flavour so far is the Vanilla Chocolate Sundae. I only have a limited range available because of the small Woolworths near my place in Potts Point, but it's good to have it standing by in my freezer for moments of weakness. I also like igloo zoo, but I'll talk about that another day.

My only disappointment is they don't have nutritional info on their website! Guess I'll just have to buy another pack...

You can learn more about Skinny Cow here:
https://www.theskinnycow.com.au/products/

Balsamic chicken with spinach and cherry tomatoes

Happy Winter! I tried this last night for the first time and it's incredibly easy. I threw in a few extra vegies (marked with a *) I had on hand as tomatoes are not that great right now. In particular, adding some mushrooms is a great juicy idea for Winter time and is well worth the taste. The balsamic makes the chicken all nice and sticky, if the pan dries out just splash in some stock or water to keep it all going. I serve the dish with steamed vegies, green peas would also be very good.

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken breast fillets, trimmed, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
250g cherry tomatoes
Handful of mushrooms, quartered*
1 stick of celery, sliced*
1 shallot*
100g baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Serves 4

METHOD
1. Place chicken in a large, shallow, glass or ceramic dish. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk vinegar, honey and garlic in a small bowl. Pour over chicken. Turn chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, if time permits.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
3. Add cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and celery to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until tomatoes start to soften. Return chicken to pan. Add spinach. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is just wilted. Top with basil leaves. Serve.

NUMBERS (per 30g serve, approximately)
Protein: 28.5g
Carbohydrate: 5.6g
Fat: 6.4g

Adapted from:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/18327/balsamic+chicken+with+spinach+and+cherry+tomatoes