Twice Cooked Pork Shoulder

James got all excited about pork on the weekend. He bought a shoulder then walked past another butcher and bought a giant rolled cut which was better for the spit so I had a left over shoulder to cook.

I woke up for work and decided the slow cooker would be able to do it's thing and we could put it in the oven when we got home to crisp up the skin.

I wanted to try something new though, so this recipe is based on Justine Schofield's Roast Pork.

I can't believe how good this turned out. SO delicious. James declared it was the best thing that had ever come out of the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 2.5kg Free-range pork shoulder (1/2 pork shoulder, skin scored)
• 30-50ml vegetable oil
• 1 tbs. caraway seeds
• 1tbs. fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 teaspoons sea salt
• 4 onions, peeled cut into 4
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 300ml water

Method:

1. This pork should be tied up in string - leave that on. make sure the skin in scored and pour boiling water on the skin - this will make the skin shrink and crisp easier. It's a chef trick. Pat it dry with paper towel and rub salt into the skin
2. Grind all spices together in a mortar and pestle (not the garlic or ginger though as they are 'wet')
3. In a small frying pan gently toast the spices with a drizzling of oil. It will smell delicious shortly
4. Rub this all over the pork and deep into the scored skin. 
5. Pour 300ml of water into the slow cooker
6. Place the pork inside. Arrange the onion segments around the outside. 
7. Place the bay leaves and thyme in the slow cooker
8. Leave it all on while you go to work
9. When you come home 1. Your house will smell amazing / 2 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
10. Place the pork and onions in an oven proof dish with a little of the liquid from the slow cooker and let roast for 45mins.
11. Pull out and let rest for 10-15 mins, carve and enjoy!!

Thai Beef Salad

Apologies for the hiatus. I've still been cooking but haven't had the time to get experimental. Truth be told I make Shredded Lamb with Ginger and Prunes and Curried Kanga Bangas about once a week each. I too have staples!

I have been into salads and easy, fast meals lately, I think I may have overdone it on nuts lately, unfortunate as I'm headed to Thailand - land of bikinis and little clothing.

Easy Thai Beef Salad

You will need a mandolin to 'spaghetti' veges

Ingredients:

• 2 x carrots 'spaghetti-ed'
• 2 x cucumbers 'spaghetti-ed'
• 2 shallots finely sliced
• 1/2 capsicum cut into thin strips
• Beef - we had grass fed rump 1/2 a kilo for 2 serves

Thai Sauce

• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 finely sliced chopped chilli
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Steps:

1. Combine in a large glass bowl all of your veges
2. Whisk all sauce ingredients together and pour over veges
3. Mix around and make sure all veges are covered
4. Cook steak on BBQ - this should take about 5 mins? 
5. Let rest  and set the table.
6. Dish up the veges, add extra chilli if you like and arrange the sliced beef on top to serve!

BBQ Luderick and Flambéed Greens

One of the most exciting parts of my day is meal times. I love cooking and food & I will try pretty much anything once! My PT's friend caught blackfish a.k.a. luderick (at first I thought it was just any old black fish but it turns out this fish has 2 names) he had an ample fish supply so I was more than happy to have a go at cooking it!

James' family are all super keen fishermen and they said Luderick is different because it eats weed it's whole life, like a little hippy vegetarian fish. Anyway point is I'm always grateful for foodstuffs as gifts, particularly of the meat variety. Mum and Dad gave me a heap of leftover steak on Sunday night - hello Thai Beef salad.

Free food aside I also have exciting meat/butchery news. East Blaxland Butchery do grass-fed beef and all sorts of game and delicious things. A-MAY-ZING!

Also 'flambé', I don't know if what I truly did on the BBQ was flambé-ing but I sloshed some wine on the plate and created a fireball, so flambé it is.

Ingredients: Serves 1 big portion and 2 little portions

Fish

• 2 blackfish / luderick / bream whichever (white fish)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 small brown onions, diced
• teaspoon dill
• 1 lemon sliced
• white vinegar
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 red bullet chillis finely sliced

Vegetables

• 1 head of broccoli cut into little florets
• 1 zucchini julienne-d
• handful of green beans top & tailed and cut in half
• 2 red bullet chills finely sliced
• teaspoon garlic
• teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 bottle leftover white wine

Method

1. Preheat your BBQ, get your partner to clean it if it was left after your previous fish cooking attempts.
2. Roll out two big bits of foil - bigger than the fish. Now if you have Luderick be sure to remove all the black stomach lining in the fish. I just used paper towel to do this, it was super easy, it just sort of wipes away. PS I'm assuming your fish is cleaned already. I'm not talking you through that - please google!
3. Combine the tomato, onion, chillis and dill in a bowl, and give it two big sloshes of white vinegar. mix it around, season with salt and pepper and put half the mix inside each of the fish, add two slices of lemon inside the fish and 2 on top. 
4. Wrap the fish up like a little dinner present to yourself and put them side by side on the grill part of the BBQ, close the lid, & set a timer for 30mins.
5. If you haven't done so already, chop up all your other veges, and walk out to the BBQ with your veges all mixed in a bowl, your ginger and garlic ready and your wine handy. 
6. With about 10 mins to go for the fish lift up the lid and just slosh a bit of wine on the BBQ plate, add veges and garlic & ginger and mix about, randomly slosh wine about whenever you want to see a fireball. 
7. You will not get drunk. The fire burns all the alcohol. I just wanted to do something useful with leftover wine. I even splashed it on the grill side for a mega fireball - fun times.
8. Keep stirring the veges amongst the splashing. At the 30 min mark, its time to pack up, put the veges in a bowl and fish in foil on a tray.
9. Open your fish packet and do the best job you can of removing the meaty bits and picking out the bones, present as best you can on a plate with the tomato onion mix & veges on the side. 

Beef & Bacon Burgers

Say it with me. Bacon. Yes. Bacon is delicious, we went all out with organic mince and had to make dinner a bit indulgent with bacon.

I made James the full on Jamie Oliver version over here. That was James' semi detox meal, which is great because he has a super fast metabolism but for the rest of us the version minus the bread, cheese & mayo might be a little better.

I love mushrooms as bread. They are super tasty, so you really don't miss out on much at all.

I made 2 sets of patties last night, James and mine - it made about 16 burgers from kilo of mince. James eats 3 per meal and me 1, so for all leftovers I will just break them up and have with salad through the week or whatever. Leftover food is great = less cooking. Hoorah!

For the burger mix - makes 8 (4 for now & 4 for later or which ever ratio you prefer)

• olive oil
• 1 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 500g good-quality lean minced beef
• 1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic, beaten
• Season with Salt & pepper

To serve:

• 8 slices of shortcut bacon - trimmed (Or however many burgers you are making)
• 8-16 Large flat mushrooms(depending on how many burgers you are making)
• Baby Spinach
• 1 tomatoes sliced
• 1 sliced cucumber
• a few jalepeños & French mustard
• wedge of lemon
• sprinkle of walnuts

Method

1. Fry the onion in about a tbsp of olive oil, let them soften and what not, while they are cooking prep your other veges and salad things
2. Let onions cool
3. In a large glass bowl mix onion and egg with the mince, mush it all up with your hands and combine well. 
4. Use a 1/3 cup measuring scoop to make the patties, pack it in and tap it out in your palm, they will be too thick but you flatten then in the fry pan.
5. Heat the fry pan again with a little oil
6. Place mushroom underside up under a grill
7. Place 4 patties in the fry pan + flatten with a spatula and cook through - 5 minutes or so each side
8. When you put the second batch in the pan, also add the bacon so everything is hot when its time to serve.
9. When everything is cooked assemble your little burgers and make a side salad, I like walnuts on the top an a little extra bacon but add what you like!

Chilli Garlic Prawns and Zucchini Spaghetti

Seafood is awesome. James still likes pasta occasionally so I made the base of this recipe and then when it came time to make the almighty regular spaghetti or zucchini spaghetti choice James and I parted our gastronomic ways.

This is a super easy Sunday meal, I've made it quite a few times and it's one of James' favourites. It's full simple flavours and is really tasty - it reminds me of how 'pasta' meals should, all about the ingredients and not the sauce.

And again it just lets you know you really aren't missing out on anything given the grains a miss!

Ingredients:

• 200g dried angel hair pasta OR
• 1 zucchini = 1 small serve / 2 = 1 large serve (adjust accordingly) Sliced on mandolin into 'spaghetti'
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 400g prawns, (peeled green prawns)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Method:

1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, following packet directions until tender. Drain. Cover to keep warm.
2. In the same pot (rinse it first) drizzle a little oil and almost stir fry the spaghetti - it will cook fast - set aside. 
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, chilli and salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add prawns. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until prawns turn pink and are almost cooked through.
4. Now if everyone is having pasta or zucchini the next step is easy if not just scoop out the ratio of prawns and oil between serves!
5. Add pasta/zucchini, lemon juice and parsley to pan. Cook, tossing, for 1 minute or until combined and prawns are cooked through. Serve drizzled with oil.

Mango and Passion-fruit Ice Cream

Today is Stereosonic. I see a few people that read this blog aren't from Australia, so for you guys it is a music festival - full of steriody muscly tan people and women who look a little like geordie/jersey shore doubles.

I wouldn't say I'm going begrudgingly, I'm looking forward to hot weather and dancing. Who doesn't like dancing!?  I only know 2 acts from the whole day and 2 songs from one of those;so needless to say it's going to be new and fun regardless of what is playing, AND since I don't expect anything I can't be disappointed!

Anyway the whole shorts thing is exciting, I bought my first pair of denim shorts in about 4 years this week. I feel young and cool again. I'm driving though, I know that isn't cool but I was only pretending in the first place to be cool so it's not really that shocking, I'm also packing food. OK I get it... any cool vibe I had going at the start of this post has gone. However I bought an entire new outfit, so people will be none the wiser to my lame-ness.

James bought me lots of mangoes this week. It's what happens when you live together, presents and surprises are smaller and normally food related. "Hey babe, surprise I bought you mangoes!"...  He bought me a whole tray obviously he loves, like, a whole lot.

I've eaten a lot of mangoes but draw the line when they get a bit squidgy. Enter frozen mango deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe mangoes
• 3 passionfruit
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 3 tsp psyllium husk

Methods

• Combine all ingredients in the long stick whiz container (go here to see what I'm talking about) 
• Pour into ice-cream maker and let it do it's thing for 30 mins!
• Enjoy - top with a little passionfruit if you like!

Mango Smoothie

This week I've had a few people talk to be about giving up grains and dairy, or limiting them at least. I wanted to share my breakfast today because you would never know I've given up anything!

I had a mango smoothie & a slice of my banana bread. It was awesome, probably a fair few calories but Friday is my biggest training day so I'm not that phased.

You have to find what works for you and if, like me, you feel better eating a certain way, just do it. It's your body, if by not eating bread and pasta I FEEL better, then I'm the type of person who is going to look out for my health first!

As I've mentioned before I use my stick mixer all the time - this mornings recipe is sooooo simple. But it just proves you aren't missing out on anything at all!

Ingredients:

• 1 mango
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1 tsp nut spread
• 1 slice banana bread

Method

1. Take all of the flesh off a mango and put a suitable container & add coconut milk
2. Blitz it! it will be thick and creamy!
3. Put banana bread in the toaster
4. Spread with nut butter of your choice & enjoy!

Moist Banana Bread

Everyone has to love banana bread. It is delicious. I had an awesome spelt banana bread going on, and then I decided to ditch the grains so experimenting I went. 

I made this on Saturday - it lasted till Sunday. There are only 2 people in our house... yes it was delicious.

It was nice and moist, I hate that word but dense doesn't do it justice. This doesn't rise as much as other cakes but don't stress - its lovely all the same. 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 3 bananas
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup walnuts
• 3 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup water - used to get the right consistency
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Blitz the banana first with a stick mix
3. Add all other ingredient but leave the water and 1/3 cup walnuts aside.
4. Blitz until smooth, use as much water as you need to get a cake mix consistency if you think it is too dry
5. Fold in the other 1/3 cup walnuts
6. Pour into a loaf tin and bake for 90mins !

Choc Banana Pancakes

Health. Such a weird thing. And when your health in concerned suddenly you find yourself reading a million books and articles. You may or may not know this is my 3rd week in a row I'm trying to work out why I just don't feel 'right'. My gut instinct says its auto-immune related, I'm not saying I have a thyroid issue for sure or what not I just know something isn't right.

In trying to find out what is up it has been suggested my 'extreme' way of living may be the culprit, from doctors, family and general people trying to help out. And to be frank I'm tired of that as an excuse - especially from medical professionals.

Extreme is this: Weight training 5-6 times a week and moderate cardio + healthy clean food, eating 6 times a day without junk.

I hate to say it but this isn't extreme, not that it matters but my body fat is in the 'healthy' range and I eat lot of different foods and I eat well. We were designed to eat real food and to exercise, I'm going to throw it out there and say that my job is extreme, sitting down for 8hrs a day is just crazy. We weren't designed for that.

Yesterday my trainer sent me a pic of the ingredients in a packaged cake (below) have a quick read through and tell me what is actually 'real' food. and FYI Shellac is edible beetle poop. mmmm right?

If average is this, then no I am not 'average'. But maybe we need to stop wanting to be 'average' :-)

Makes 6 pancakes - I had 2 & James had 4

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp psyllium husk
• 2 tsp carob
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup water
• 1 banana

Topping 

• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp walnuts
• Drizzle honey

Method:

1. Throw everything into a container and blitz with a stick mix. 
2. Heat a fry pan and melt a little coconut oil to prevent stick
3. Cook as per pancakes
4. When each one cook rest it on a plate covered in kitchen towel
5. Arrange however many you like on a plate top with 1/2 a banana each, some walnuts and honey!
6. Yum!

Delicious Food

Not Food

Mocha Espresso Brownies

Saturday. Hoorah. Except today I get to go to the dentist AND get an ultrasound AND I have a family 21st up the coast. Woo.

To be fair though I feel fit as a fiddle. The dentist is just check up or something & the ultrasound is because I am just too damn buff. Lol seriously though, I am assuming that is the cause.

Buffness aside I want to spend 5 mins telling you about how my diet has made a HUGE difference to how I feel, specifically how I feel as opposed to look because you can look amazing but feel like crap. (read that article Liz @ Cave Girl Eats talks about dropping the leanness obsession & actually focusing on health)

Anywho, I eat what I like, I eat till I'm full and my body takes care of the rest. It's just that simple. I also train hard, don't forget exercise is important too!

Why did I starting eating this way?

During my comp prep my coach cut out carbs (I almost cried) but to my amazement after an awkward transition period I actually felt better? Weird. Then after comp I made a concerted effort to limit dairy, grains and refined sugar and throw caution to the wind with my fat intake. Now I read a LOT about eating habits and blood types and why I would even want to change my eating habits, so I suggest you read up too.

But long story short I probably eat less calories (I don't actually count them so that is an estimate) these days because I feel fuller from fats, and whole foods. My meat portions are about 100gm per meal (I eat 6 meals a day & have meat with about 3 of them) some people like intermittent fasting, others don't like structure. Whatevs. Find what works for you.

If you think I sound crazy or it sounds like a fad, don't worry I did too. I was a mega naysayer I think I even wrote a status on fb about how stupid Paleo was once. Do some googling about the food pyramid. The food pyramid, also known as dietary guidelines for Americans & Australians was created in the late 70's by the U.S. Government. The food pyramid was designed to reduce obesity in men, women and children. The food pyramid was also designed to reduce the rates of disease. Over the last 30 years the food pyramid has not only failed to reduced obesity and disease, but has made them more prevalent because it is based upon flawed research.

Anyway for all the ladies who think hoorah you can eat what you like, but does all that fat migrate to your butt? Aside from feeling awesome I'm still pretty lean after comp. Body aside though, how awesome would it be to ditch diets, macros and calorie counting all together and still wear your jeans? Yep amazeballs.

Life is great, and I get to eat brownies.

Ingredients: Makes 8

• 250 gm Sweet Potato
• 1 1/2 tbsp Carob
• 6 tsp coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup coconut four
• 1/4 cup coconut butter (I made this with 2 cups desiccated coconut and 1 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Roast the sweet potato. You can do this on you one, prick it with a fork a few times and pop it in the oven for about an hour
2. Let it cool & peel the Sweet Potato and whiz it in the food processor
3. Add all other ingredients to the food processor and whizz again till combined
4. Pour batter into a lined baking dish - I think mine is 8 x 8? But I don't really know!
5. Cook at about 180 degrees Celsius for about 25-30 min or until springy.

Sticky Date & Lamb Riblets

I love it when you are truly exhausted, and you come home to a really good meal. This was my Friday night. I gave training absolutely everything I had and came home to delicious ribs. I prefaced my blog with you you do not like meat this probably isn't the blog for you, I told someone at work I was having lamb riblets for dinner and she was horrified.

I have a new outlook on meat and about eating the fat (granted these had a lot of fat). About 90% of my meat is super lean so if my 'cheat' is organic lamb riblets then so be it. Sarah Wilson touches on eating meat respectfully - i.e. not tossing bits out. I try to live by the same sort of mantra with most of the food I buy. I don't toss out much. If I can cook something, even for Molly I'll try. Anywho if you have issues with lamb, rib, fat or dates... just look away now!

Sticky date & Lamb Riblets - serves 2 with 3 ribs for Molly...

• 1 tbs coconut butter
• 1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1  red onion, sliced
• 2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1kg Lamb Riblets
• 100g pitted dates, halved
• 2 tbs crushed almonds & Salad to serve

Method:

1. Pour the stock in the Slow Cooker
2. Arrange ribs in one layer
3. Add all the other stuff on top (Not the almonds and salad guys...)
4. Leave for 8-10hrs on low
5. Serve with Salad!

Honey, Ginger & Apple Shredded Pork with Carrot & Sweet Potato

I didn't invent the pork recipe at all. I just replicated it from paleomg.com. Juli nailed it - the recipe needs no tweaks just enjoy it as it is people.

As I said yesterday I have too many carrots. I made Carrot Cake - that was delicious but I wanted to do something savoury too and I'd made the pork in advance so really this recipe is just a side dish. I also had sweet potato - two orange vegetables full of vitamins and greatness.

People may tell you carrots have too much sugar in them. These people are either bodybuilders - who granted, yes may need to know this or pseudo dieters who have tried jenny craig / weight watchers/ lemon detox and right now are drinking a diet coke after their morning muffin criticising people who eat peas and carrots. Carrots don't have too much sugar, I can tell you this with confidence. If you are avoiding vegetables because of the sugar content I hope you are almost ready to jump on stage for the Arnold's or something because there is just no need. Anyway - end rant.

I lied when I even said this is a recipe - it's more a tricky way of preparing veges.

Ingredients: Served James and I for one meal:

• 1 sml/med Sweet Potato - thinly julienne sliced on a mandolin
• 3 average sized Carrots -  thinly julienne sliced on a mandolin

Method:

1. Pat the spaghetti veges between paper towel
2. Pre Heat a large fry pan and drizzle a little olive oil
3. Add all the spaghetti-ed vege to the pan and cook for 10-15 mins until cook through but so they still hold their shape 
4. Serve with your desired meat!

Carrot Cake

It's true. Ignorance is bliss. A little while ago Michelle told me about Bisphenol A (BPA). I was ignorant, had no idea what this was, I was trying to avoid added oestrogen's in my foods and Mish suggested canning the canned food, excuse the lame pun. Namely this points to coconut milk, which, I love and is in this recipe. I read about it and BPA probably isn't the best for you, especially for the ladies planning on spawning any time soon; I'm not in that group but should I decide to go forth and procreate I'm erring on the side of caution and will be limiting canned foodstuffs in my house.

You can make your own coconut milk with a chux cloth, coconut flakes, water and blender. I'm good in the kitchen but that just sounds like a lot of work for me. Enter first world problems. I want a good blender / food processor. It is on my wish list. I currently own a stick mix thingo. It's great, don't get me wrong I can do heaps with it. I use it almost every second day but I want a Vitamix or similar, they are $950. Not. Going. To. Happen. Unless I become sponsored. Highly Unlikely. Canned will have to do today.

Anyway, today is a carrot cake, mainly because I had a lot of leftover carrots and I'm loving ginger/spices at the moment.

Ingredients - Makes about 10 slices

• 180gm or 4 average carrots, large grated
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 5 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 5 cloves ground
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Great carrots using your cheese grater.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl 
4. Put all wet ingredient (aside from the carrot) in a food processor and mix well
5. Combine the wet & dry ingredients and the carrot - mix well
6. Place mixture in a loaf pan and bake for 45min to 1hr depending on oven
7. Let cool and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spiced Cupcakes

Remember yesterday I said you can use Pumpkin for a whole load of things including muffins? Well after I bought my trusty coconut flour I got experimenting on Sunday and baked my little heart out.

Sarah Wilson made some lovely little muffins on her blog. I didn't want them quite so savoury though, I was thinking of something sort of like spicy carrot cake... after my spicy ginger tea I bought from Leura I was feeling a ginger-y cinnamon-y type cupcake was in store.

These aren't beautiful little cupcakes, they are dense to look at but surprisingly fluffy on the inside, next time I'd be tempted to add a little more flour or almond meal, never the less though they tasted lovely. I baked them for a long time though - close to 45min-1hr - again I am SURE this is because I have a dodgy oven.

Ingredients - made around 8 or 9 for me

• ¼ cup coconut flour
• Pinch salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup freshly roasted pumpkin
• ½ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius
2. In a food processor pulse together coconut flour, salt, baking powder & cinnamon
3. Whizz in eggs, pumpkin, honey, ginger, coconut oil and vanilla essence
4. Transfer batter into paper lined muffin tins
5. Bake at 180°C for 45mins to 1hr in a dodgy oven or until slightly golden and springy to touch in a regular oven
6. Serve warm or let cool and take to work at snacks!

Steak with Roast Pumpkin, Baby Spinach & Pinenut Salad

Today's spotlight is on steak. Grass fed steak. James and I did an experiment and BBQ'd both a grass fed steak and grain fed steak to compare them (yep I know what you are thinking - these guys are just wild!)

Long story short James' steak was paler than mine and a bit fatty/marbled? Where as mine (grass-fed) was a little tougher, leaner but tasted more 'beefy'. I'm not a nutritionist or chef but that is my summary - to read more on why I'm trying to switch to grass-fed start here. I can't yet afford organic all the time but Aldi stocks Highland Park Grass fed Beef which is awesome and has won awards for taste so I'm not just rabbiting on!

With the steak done James gave me 5 minutes to let it rest and produce something yum to accompany all that beefy goodness.

Quick, easy and tasty - all good qualities in a dinner.

Ingredients:

I'm assuming you can cook steak  - cook that however you please!

• 1/3 large bag Baby Spinach
• 6 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1 1/2 Lebanese cucumber cut in half length ways and sliced into chunks
• 2 tbsp Pine nuts
• 8 dates sliced  - I cut mine with scissors
• About 200gm roast pumpkin
• Drizzle caramelised balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Method:

1. Pre Roast the pumpkin- let it cool (this takes about an hour or so in my dodgy oven on 180 degrees Celsius - you can used roast pumpkin in heaps of things I roasted a quarter and used the rest to make pumpkin spiced cupcakes - these will come later in the week!)
2. Combine everything in a bowl
3. Drizzle with the vinegar and oil and toss about
4. Serve - enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes

I did another mountains hike on the weekend. I am really enjoying getting up in the mornings and packing my weekend full of fun things, by the time I get to Monday it feel like a had a longer weekend because I just got so much done!

I love the mountains. I want to by my house here, I like the organic random ingredient stores and could happily sort myself out with a veggie patch near a national park. All in good time I guess!

Anyway post about 2000 stairs it was time for a long black in Leura and perusal of the health food shop, where I found 3 delicious things:

1. Three Fennel Tea
2. Spicy Ginger Tea
3. Coconut Flour (which I discovered I can buy in bulk directly from supplier!)

I got home and read about how to use coconut flour - it is actually quite dry.

"Coconut flour is extraordinarily absorbent and very little coconut flour is needed to successfully produce a recipe. In baked goods, you generally want to substitute 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup coconut flour for 1 cup grain-based flour. You will also need to increase the number of eggs. In general for every one cup of coconut flour you use, you will need to use six beaten eggs in your recipe in addition to approximately one cup liquid such as coconut milk."I found that all here

 - PS if you plan on going bush walking don't just take my random advice go here: http://www.wildwalks.com/

Chocolate Cupcakes made 9 for me:
Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ cup cacao/cocoa powder (I ran out of cocoa and to make up the difference used 2 tbsp or carob, same same - don't stress on measurements)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ⅓ cup honey

Method:

1. Put all dry ingredients in a food processor and whiz a few times
2. Pulse in wet ingredients
3. Line muffin pans with baking paper and spoon the mixture into each
4. Bake at 180° for 25-30mins ( I have a feeling I have a dodgy oven and everything takes longer for me! - keep an eye on yours it make only take 15mins!)
5. Cool and serve
6. For something extra indulgent I opened a can of coconut milk and put in in the freezer for half an hour - it goes thick-ish like cream, poured a bit on my cupcake and sprinkled some blueberries on - pretty delicious Sunday night really!

Date and Coconut Balls

On Friday night James cooked dinner, it was really good! Although he forgot dessert and quite frankly I find dessert almost, if not more exciting that dinner. I also had wine which invariably makes me hungry.

So after 2 large-ish glasses of Shiraz I decided to make dessert with whatever I had in the pantry. I've made Teresa Cutters Chocolate Protein Power Balls before but actually had none of those ingredients bar the coconut so it was time to get creative!

I had:

1. Dried Dates
2. Various Spices
3. Desiccated Coconut
4. Water

These actually turned out really good on Saturday Morning once they were chilled and in the fridge. 

Really easy snack to make on the go!

Ingredients - Makes about 15:

• 40 dried pitted dates
• 200gm desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp unsweetened carob powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp natural vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup water
• Extra coconut for rolling

Method

1. Combine all ingredient in a blender or food processor to combine - it should be slightly tacky to touch
2. Roll the mixture into firm balls between your palms (errm that sentence sounds awful - sorry!?)
3. Roll the balls in coconut and put in a container to cool
4. Store in the fridge! will last about 2 weeks *if* they last!

Saucy Beef & Pumpkin Curry

This makes a lot of curry and it is cheap.

I had a chat with my PT last week about how I was outraged I'd spent just over $100 on food. Then I thought about it. Say on average I spend $100-$110 a week on food (just for me) including a few luxury extra things that last more than a week like nuts, psyllium, dates and what not.

I eat 6 meals a day  - that is 42 meals a week.

So really it's  $14.20 - $15.70 a day OR $2.40 - $2.60 a meal.

That's pretty good, it mostly vege, meat, eggs, fruit, nuts and occasionally coconut milk, so all quality food.

I cook 95% of everything I eat from scratch, treats, dinners, snacks - all cooked at home; the 5% would be meals out and wine. I'm *touch wood* rarely sick and I can't remember the last time I even had a panadol! So really if I want to look at the money I save on health issues too I'm probably faring pretty good!

Back to my curry though, the beef was blade steak and on special for $10 a kilo, pumpkin was also on special for $2.50 a kilo. The cheaper cuts of meat are great for curries and slow cooker meals, just trim the fat and they are perfectly fine for you. If I want eye fillet for a steak on the BBQ once during the week that's fine but at $40 a kilo I wouldn't bother wasting it in a curry!

Learning to cook with different cuts of meat has been invaluable to me! Spices are awesome and keep everything interesting. If you think that eating well is still really expensive buy a giant slow cooker (I got mine for $36 at 2nds World or something?) and try a few of my bulk meals - the Lamb is a great one to start with!

Have one week of packing EVERYTHING from home and see how much you spend compared to a normal week of buying lunches/coffees & muffins or what not!

Ingredients:

1. 1.5kg blade steak or chuck steak - cubed and trimmed
2. 4 small brown onions cut into segments
3. 5 garlic cloves - grated
4. 3/4 of a whole pumpkin, diced into small cubes 1cm x 1cm
5. 1 cup beef stock + 1 cup water
6. 1/2 can full fat coconut milk
7. 3 tbsp Keens Curry powder
8. 1 tbsp ground cumin
9. 2 tbsp chili
10. 1 tbsp ground ginger
11. 1/2 tbsp paprika
12. 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Method:

• Put everything in the slow cooker and stir to combine everything and distribute the spices
• Turn on slow cooker to low for 8-10hrs
• Stir to mush up the pumpkin and turn it into a 'sauce' consistency
• Serve or portion up and freeze once cooled!

Ps I realise it looks like mush in a bowl - but it does tastes great !

Strawberry Adult Ice Cream

OK calm down it's not adult xxx but more in the fact I included a liqueur.

My ice-cream tastes delicious but if you are trying not to turn into a blimp you will eat a little bit and put the rest in the freezer - problem is it sets hard like a rock and then you have the awkward waiting time for it to defrost and the outside melts and the inside is still hard. Frustrating.

So I included a little strawberry cream liqueur that I bought in Austria about 5 years ago. Don't judge. All the other recipes use it and apparently it stops the rock like freezing.

I also included about 30gm of 180 nutrition's coconut WPI. zomg. yum.

My PT got me on to this - it's all natural with essential fats and is very yum - it $14.95 for a 4 serve sample pack, its pricey but all supplements are - just remember it is a supplement not a meal replacement!!!(ladies especially!)

I could eat the powder alone as a paste. I'm glad in a way I only bought sample packs because while James is away it's so easy to be bored at home (no offence Molly) and pass my time by eating and reading. Don't get me wrong, these are 2 great past-times it's just easy to over-do it on the delicious scale.

Ingredients - makes about 3 small serves

1. 1.5 cans full fat coconut milk
2. 45ml Strawberry Cream Liqueur
3. 30gm WPI ( I used 180 nutrition - it has seeds and nuts and other great things in there too )
4. 3 heaped teaspoons of psyllium husk

Method

• For people who may have attempted my recipe and had it not work, reading the instruction on your ice cream maker helps haha!- the silver part needs to have been it the freezer for at least 8 hrs prior!
• Mix everything together in a separate bowl, pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and quickly put on the lid and get it churning so it doesn't freeze to the sides.
• It will take about 20-30mins to get to the consistency in the pic below!

Thai Style BBQ Fish

Last week I went all Jamie Oliver on myself and bought fish. Whole fish. Whiting and Mullet. I discovered the whiting wasn't cleaned and was devastated.

I was however, so relieved when I realised the mullet was pretty much ready to go. So for the second
time in my life I used the BBQ with no assistance. I felt all rugged turning the gas on and standing there with my tongs and a glass of wine.

I made this on Sunday night last week - it was great to give myself a little gourmet dinner and again it was super cheap. $8 for 2 whole fish or something equally as reasonable!

Serves 2

1. 2 mullet - about 600gm with bones and all
2. sea salt
3. 1 lime

Sauce:

1. 1/3 cup water
2. 1/4 cup lime +1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
3. 3 teaspoons minced garlic
4. 1 heaped teaspoon of ginger
5. Fresh coriander would be best but I only had it from the tube so use what you have - equiv of small bunch chopped up)
6. 1 teaspoon coriander seed ground
7. 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
8. 1 green capsicum, de-seeded and diced
9. 2 heaped teaspoons chili

Method

• Prepare fish by rinsing it, then patting it dry.
• Make 2-3 diagonal cuts into the side of the fish (with the blade of the knife on an angle facing the head). The cuts should be several inches apart (this will make the fish easier to eat and give it more flavor).
• Squeeze the juice of limes over and inside fish. Sprinkle surface with sea salt and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
• Place water,lime juice + soy sauce, garlic, ginger, coriander, chili, and fish sauce in a bowl and whisk together.
• Pour the sauce into a sauce pan. Add the diced capsicum and simmer over medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes. 
• Cover and keep warm while you cook the fish. Tip: the capsicum should retain some of its crunchiness.
• Grill the fish on the barbecue or on a stove-top grill, Allow to grill about 5 minutes on each side, or until the flesh has browned and flakes easily.
• Fish Cooking Tip: Don't flip the fish too early, or the skin will stick to the pan/barbecue. Allow it to cook at least 2-5 minutes before turning (the natural oils of the fish will then come through and "unstick" it).

To serve, plate the fish and pour the sauce over. Serve with Salad!

Coffee & Coconut Slice

This is another paleomg.com inspired recipe. Be warned it is very easy to eat. I had to give away half the batch for fear I wouldn't be able to support my body weight in handstand pushups after eating a whole batch.

I like cooking for people, in a perfect world I could charge for this stuff and buy a house and have a veggie patch and I'd be cooking and training whenever I felt like it. That sentence makes me sound like a hippy. I'm not a hippy.

Enjoy this recipe, like the sweet potato brownies, I like these in the freezer. It is hot at the moment and frozen delicious things are an awesome way to finish my day!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 2/3 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup  Honey
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 4 teaspoon ground coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

For the topping

• 1 cup crumbled walnuts
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
• 2 tablespoons almond spread
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. Mix all dry ingredients: almond meal, shredded coconut, baking soda and baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Then add your wet remaining ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix together.
4. Grease a 8×8 or 9×9 glass baking dish and pour into the dish.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are browned and middle is completely cooked through.
6. While your cake is cooking, pull out a large skillet and place over medium heat.
7. Add your coconut oil, almond spread &cinnamon then almonds. Mix to coat almonds.
8. Cook for a couple minutes longer being sure not to burn the almonds, but remove from heat.
9. Once cake is done cooking, top with almonds and slightly press down to help stick to the cake.

Let cool (& freeze if you like - I do) then serve with some coconut milk and berries - YUM!

Kanga Jalfrezi

I found a bulk food place near work. They had Kangaroo for like $11 a kilo. That is awesome. They also had a whole heap of spices. I love spices, I almost have a whole 2 shelves in my kitchen dedicated to spices. I have a penchant for cumin and ginger; although on this particular day I purchased fenugreek. What is fenugreek you ask? Don't worry I asked that too, I had always substituted for fennel in recipes, that is wrong - they are completely different things!

Fennel - liquorice type flavour
Fenugreek - quintessential curry smell

Kangaroo can have a strong flavour so go nuts with strong herbs and spices. I decided since I had the fenugreek it was time to work out what to do with it!

 Ingredients

1. 1 diced brown onion
2. 1.5 cup beef stock
3. 500gm Kangaroo diced

Jalfrezi paste

1. 2 cloves of garlic
2. 2 teaspoons minced ginger
3. 1 teaspoon turmeric
4. ½teaspoon sea salt
5. 2 tablespoons coconut oil
6. 2 tablespoons tomato puree
7. 2 teaspoons hot chili
8. 2 teaspoons coriander seed ground

Spices for toasting

1. 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2. 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
3. 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
4. 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Method

1. Put a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the spices for toasting to the dry pan
2. Lightly toast them for a few minutes until golden brown and smelling delicious and curry-like, then remove the pan from the heat
3. Add the toasted spices to a pestle and mortar and grind until fine, or put them into a food processor and whiz to a powder
4. Either way, when you’ve ground them whiz the toasted spices in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth paste
5. Rub this all over the kangaroo and then put everything in the slow cooker!
6. Cook on low for 6-8hours!
7. Serve with green beans or veges; I add 1/2 cup a water to fry water with green beans, once they are half cooked add the kanga to reheat it and spread the curry over everything! Easy!

Peach & Vanilla Crepes



I spend 80% of my morning when I am supposed to be getting ready for work making breakfast. I love breakfast and will happily wake up earlier to make a nice breakfast as opposed to eating something lack lustre in the car and sleeping in.

 

I bought my first peaches of the season during the week. My only issue with peaches is I hate pretending to be all fancy and doing the old cut in half and twist business to discover they are cling seeds and not the other type. I don't even know if they are specific types but I'm disappointed when my small repertoire of chef skills don't come to fruition but hey, I got there in the end!

 

Also I use Jamie Oliver's Pans - they are awesome and only need a little oil (like a wipe with a kitchen towel) to stop things sticking. I'm sure any brand will work well, I can only vouch for what I use I guess. I don't understand people who hate kitchen gifts. James bought home these pans and I thought he was awesome, however I can understand the disappointment if it was like a lettuce spinner or  a potato peeler. Different story all together.

 

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1. 6 egg whites (180ml pasteurised egg whites if you use them)
2. 2 teaspoons psyllium husk
3. 2 teaspoons dessicated coconut

Filling

1. 1 peach - segmented

Topping

1. 2 teaspoons dessicated occonut
2. Enough almond milk to get a smooth consistency
3. Sprinkle cinnamon

Method

• Heat large fry pan up and wipe with olive oil
• Mix together, coconut, egg whites and psyllium husk
• Pour half the mixture into the fry pan and turn when browned, cook for a further 2 min, Repeat with other half of the mixture
• On a larger dinner plate arrange half a peach inside each crepe and put back in fry pan folded over to heat the peach through
• Once warmed place on a plate and top with the coconut milk and almond milk mixture, sprinkle with cinnamon!

 

 

Chocolate Mousse

Ok I lied. I lied to lure you in because carob just doesn't sound as yummy.

I was attempting coconut free ice cream and the mixture set super quick and was mousse like so mousse it is.

This is pretty tasty and probably (I'm estimating here) pretty low calorie for a dessert. The mixture set hard on the surface of the ice-cream maker - if this happens to you just get a fork and pry it off like little chocolate frozen shards!

PS while I'm writing this there is a show on SBS about trying to produce quality free range food for the masses that is affordable - everyone wants it but it's too expensive! In the UK you can pay 1 pound 60 pence for 20 meatballs that's like $3.20 ! - that's insane and I'd say plumped up with lots of non meaty things like fat 27% apparently 179 different animals for 1 tiny meatball! Now they are talking about what happens to non wanted animals i.e. boy jersey cows. They are so cute. I think I should turn this over now, James is away and I think I might cry.

It's interesting but I just got off topic, this post is not about beef, sorry for ruining the chocolate-y happy vibe I had going on - so back to the mousse!

You do need that handy ice cream maker you purchased for $30 last week for this.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/4 cup psyllium husk
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened carob powder
• 6 egg yolks (keep the whites for breakky!!)
• 2 teaspoons natural vanilla essence

Method

1. Whisk all ingredient to combine
2. Put in Ice-Cream Maker for about 15 minutes
3. Divide into 3 cups and put into freezer for 10 mins
4. Take out and stir!

Celery & Trout Fritatta

Yep I'm dealing with leftovers here. The whole moral of this post is that you can do a lot with a little!

I'm off chicken for a little while to see if it has any positive effects for me and didn't want to be eating red meat 3 times a day so eggs it was!

The vege drawer was pretty empty, except for the celery and carrots, I didn't feel like carrots, and I had about 100/150gm of left over grilled trout from last nights dinner. Frittata is honestly so easy - you can add a whole variety of meats & veges & it's an awesome little snack on the go full of goodness and protein!

Ingredients
Yields 6 single serves

• 6 whole eggs
• 6 egg whites (Don't throw out the yolks - give 1 a day to the dog or something- it's great for their coat!)
• Leftover meats - however much (150-300gm would be good I'd say)
• 3 long stalks of celery sliced (or any other veges)
• 1 tablespoon Parsley
• 1 teaspoon dill
• Pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
2. Combine 6 whole eggs and 6 whites in a bowl
3. Whisk through meat and veges
4. Add herbs and stir through
5. Pour into 8" by 8" square dish (any size will really work here)
6. Cook for 40min or until set and cooked through
7. Place under a grill for 10min to brown the top
8. Eat hot or let cool and cut up for work snacks!

Coffee Coconut Ice-Cream

So I'm trying the whole blood group / genotype diet thing, it says both coffee and coconut are bad for Gatherer O+ types, as well as almond milk, so I figure I may as well get my fix before I trial taking these things out of my diet!

So far I've just removed chicken, dairy & wheat (But not oats!). I'm not ready to look at week without coconut, coffee or almond milk just yet!

This Ice-Cream is delicious. A great tip is to leave the can of coconut milk in the fridge the night before - it starts colder and the ice cream will set faster!

Ingredients

1. 4 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup water ( you can do a double shot or more of coffee if you have a coffee machine - I just find you get a stronger flavour with instant coffee without adding too much extra liquid)
2. 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
3. 2/3 cup dessicated coconut
4. 1 can full fat coconut milk
5. 3 heaped teaspoons psylllium husk (acts as a setting & thickening agent)
6. 1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence

Method

• Pour all ingredients into the Ice Cream maker and stir to combine
• Let the magic happen for about 30 minutes

Blueberry, Almond Milk & Egg White Shake

Remember when Rocky drank those raw eggs, epic manliness. This shake almost replicates that degree of muscle building, stair climbing, meat punching amazing-ness.

It's like Rocky's sweeter cousin with a coconut twist.

Hot tip though - use pasteurised egg whites, save the salmonella risk for someone else!

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup egg whites
2. 3/4 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
3. 1/2 cup blueberries
4. 2 teaspoons desiccated coconut
5. Sprinkle Nutmeg

Method

• Combine all ingredient and blend with a stick whizz
• Pour into a glass
• Sprinkle with nutmeg - enjoy!

Sweet Potato Brownies

Being the keeper of this blog allows me to do awesome things like see what gets people going. Do people like to read about sweet delicious things or beef?

These are the questions I get to ask myself on the weekend.

Turns out you mostly loved the coconut ice cream, so I've made another sweet-ish treat from paleomg.com the recipe is slightly different because I had different ingredients on hand and don't know where to/I am too lazy/busy to source the magical healthy chocolate - so carob had to do; once you are done here please check out her blog because it is amazeballs!

I also put these in the freezer when they are cooled and they are like a chewy frozen brownie - I say yum, other people may read that last sentence and never attempt a recipe of mine again.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato

3 eggs, whisked

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

3 tablespoons psyllium husk

1/4 cup coconut milk - full fat

⅓ cup honey

2 tablespoons unsweetened carob powder

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed spice

 

Method

1. Baked the sweet potato - stab it with a fork a few times so it doesn't ooze and go feral, put it in to a 200 degree oven for about an hour
2. Once your sweet potato is soft and cooked through, peel off the skin and mash it up in a bowl. And turn your oven down to 180 degrees. DO NOT think you are smart and put it in a food processor, I did this the first time around and it wouldn't set properly in the oven and the mixture stayed 'wet'.
3. Combine all wet ingredients and mix about: coconut milk, honey and whisked eggs to the bowl and mix together.
4. Then add your dry ingredients: coconut, carob powder, baking powder, psyllium husk, mixed spice and salt .
5. Mix well together it will look all brown and brownie-like
6. Pour into a square or rectangle baking dish
7. Bake for 45min to an hour.
8. Let rest to cool and (My preference) is to put them in the freezer and eat them frozen!
9. One batch made about 8 serves for me!

Espresso Coconut Oats

I love coffee. Michelle Koen introduced me to her cappuccino oats recipe in her amazing cookbook - you can buy it here.

It's awesome, she taught me pretty much everything I know, from Adelaide... yep that lady has skills!

I really felt like her oats last week but I have an insatiable coconut thing going on at the moment and have no WPI in the house, so what's a girl to do!?

Improvise! For any of you that like to train you will be familiar with eggy oats, also with the fact the oats can get weird solid egg bits and just be ruined so you have to choke down the bowl and feel like you ingested the appropriate protein/carb breakfast fuel. Gross.

No-one wants to eat a weird combination of poached egg flavours with watery oats.

Some tips for this recipe though, buy the frozen egg whites, they taste less eggy and don't solidify so quickly and won't make you sick if they don't get cooked through.

This makes a giant looking bowl of oats with surprisingly little ingredients. I love a big breakfast, enjoy the illusion of a whopping amount of food this gives you!

Ingredients - Serves 1 -

(double/triple oats & coconut and add WPI scoop if you need more calories)

• Water
• 30gm Oats
• 2 teaspoons dessicated coconut
• 1 long black (200ml?)
• 1/2 cup pasteurised eggs whites (preferably)

Method

1. Get that water boiling - I like really inflated oats, I probably had at least 2 cups of water boiling
2. Add oats and coconut to water
3. Let it boil away till it is a thick, almost ready to serve consistency
4. Add the long black to the pot and let boil down again - the oats by now will have doubled in size
5. Once it is almost ready add egg whites and stir until combined and the whole mixture looks cooked and delicious.
6. You can add more or less water to your liking!

Shredded Beef and Veges

Last slow cooker dish for a while. Promise. This week James is away so I don't need to produce as much food from the kitchen!

The good news is you can't stuff up slow cooker meals. Stuff can't burn and the meat is always tender and amazing.

I packed in a heap of veges and sweet potato because I didn't want to make any accompanying dish. One pot wonder. Hoorah.

Also don't stress if you don't like something in the recipe or you want more of less of anything. Change it up and add pumpkin instead of sweet potato, mushrooms or whatever takes your fancy - my only caution is if you want to veges to look like veges after cut them BIG and chunky and go with sturdier veges rather than ones that might dissipate into the sauce.

Ingredients:

1. 700gm chuck steak. You can afford to go with cheap cuts here, buy whatever is on special, expensive meat is wasted in the slow cooker.
2. 2 sweet potato - cut big and chunky
3. 2 onions cut chunky
4. 3 carrots peeled and chopped into big segments
5. Maybe 4-6 celery stick cut up - I didn't count them - just use what you feel like!
6. 1-2 large yellow onions, sliced
7. 1 - 1 1/2cup beef stock
8. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
9. 1 teaspoon paprika
10. 1 teaspoon chili flakes
11. 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
12. 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Method

1. Grind the pepper and seeds in a mortar and pestle
2. Add all spices to stock and stir around
3. Put all veges in slow cooker
4. Add the steaks too, cover them with a few veges if you like, I did.
5. Pour Stock and spices over the top
6. Set and forget for 8-10 hours on low
7. Return, uncover steaks and shred them with 2 forks.
8. Serve with as many or as little veges as you like.

This recipe has a heap of veges to meat ratio. It's so I can use the veges with other meat dishes that I cooked earlier in the week - you can change this however you like.

Coconut Pancakes with Greek Yoghurt

Sometimes I like sweet snacks. These little pancakes aren't the most delicious thing you will ever eat but put them in the microwave for 30 seconds add a teaspoon of greek yoghurt on them, roll them up and you are in business.

I made these this morning. They are super easy and if you have non stick pans they pretty much won't burn.

Ingredients - Serves 1.

1. 1/2 cup egg whites
2. 2 teaspoons psyllium husk
3. 2 teaspoons desiccated coconut
4. Splash almond milk

Method

1. Heat a pot up that has a lid, grease the pot with butter or something if it isn't non-stick
2. Mix all ingredients up with a fork
3. Pour half in the hot pot and put the lid on, leave on until it set, then remove, then let it go a bit crispy on the bottom and flip over
4. Repeat and do the same wiht the second half of the mix.
5. Let them cool and take them to where you need in a container - zap for 30 secinds and eat with some greek yoghurt.

Curried Kanga Banga & Sweet Potato

When I was little my nan made curried sausages. They were delicious and cheap. Kanga Bangas are lean and cheap. About $4.97 for a packet of 8. AWESOME!

You may be sensing a theme with my cooking this week, if you said "Yeh it is laziness and slow cooker-centric" you my friend, would be correct.

After 16 weeks of steamers and grills and Tupperware I wanted no fuss, easy, tasty cooking this week. All I James had to wash up this week was a chopping board and a giant black slow cooker bowl. Good times.

So lets hop to it.

Ingredients:

1. 1 packet Kanga Bangas - cut each banga into 4
2. 1 sweet potato - diced (about 1 -2 cm cubes)
3. 2 teaspoons minced garlic
4. 2 brown onion - cut in segments of about 8 each
5. 1/2 can canned coconut milk - full fat
6. 2 -3 tablespoon keens curry powder
7. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
8. 1 heaped teaspoon paprika
9. 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
10. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
11. 1 cup beef stock

Method:

1. Mix the stock with all of the spices and coconut milk - it will look a bit odd but don't pass judgement yet - You are only at step 1!
2. Put sweet potato, onion & kanga bangas into slow cooker
3. Pour over your stock/spice/coconut milk mixture
4. Leave on slow for the day on low for 8/10 hours
5. When you get home  give it a good stir, you want the potato to turn to a mash so its like a thick curry.
6. Serve it with veges and enjoy!

Wholemeal Apple and Walnut Scrolls

Don't let the apple, the walnut and the wholemeal fool you. These are a bit naughty, definitely a treat!

Your treat and my treat may be different, James is another story all together, he could eat four of these in a sitting!

I will let you in on a secret for any boys reading this.

If you want your partner to cook for you, tell her how good she is at cooking and how delicious her food is, it's weird. James left the house and told me how much he loved these and would really love a batch before he left for a work trip. He said they were the best things I've EVER cooked for him. I felt compelled to share my amazing skills for him and whipped these up tonight!

Now James is either quite clever or these taste freaking amazing. I love James but I don't think he thinks that far ahead, lets go with the fact these are AMAZING!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup walnuts (crushed up in your hands will do!)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cups  wholemeal self-raising flour
• 40g butter, chilled, chopped
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 apples diced
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/170°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 22cm round cake pan. Line it with baking powder - It doesn't have to be neat just shove it in! Sprinkle with 1/3 cup walnuts. Drizzle with 1/3 cup honey.
2. Heat a fry pan and put the water in, get it boiling and add the apple and about 2 tablespoons of sugar and the mixed spice, let it boil down and soften - the whole aim is for it so be soft and apple pie like!
3. Put flour into a bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Using a butter knife, stir in milk to form a sticky dough, adding extra milk if needed. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead gently until smooth, adding extra flour if needed.
4. Roll dough out to a 20cm x 40cm rectangle. Combine sugar and remaining honey in a bowl. Spread over dough (it will be dotted as it a pasty like combo), leaving a 2cm border on all sides. Top with apple and remaining walnuts. Carefully roll up dough from 1 long side. Trim ends. Using a serrated knife, cut into 8 slices. Place slices, cut-side up, in pan.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and scrolls sound hollow when tapped. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack over a tray. 

ENJOY!

Mexican Chicken & Cauli Rice

I love paleomg.com it's awesome. I think Juli is hilarious and now use the phrase "are you picking up what I'm putting down" because of her.

Her recipes are easy and delicious. The two keys things I love in a good recipe.

Yes I used the slow cooker yesterday night but it's so handy and coming home to a house that smells good is just plain awesome.

I like shredded meat. It soaks up all the stock and flavours and you can eat it cold on salads or hot - whatever you like! This recipe is almost exactly like Juli's so she can have all the credit, I just cooked a bigger batch and don't have a ricer and substituted anything I didn't have on hand!

This week is exciting for me because it's the first time I'm eating anything I want with as many veges as I want. It's all clean too & tastes awesome & can be frozen & isn't too expensive - WIN!

Ingredients:

Chicken

1. 1 kilo Chicken Breast - trimmed
2. 3 brown onions - cut in about 8 segments each
3. 1 cup chicken stock
4. 1 x 400gm can diced tomatoes
5. 2 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 1 tablespoon chili powder
7. 2 teaspoons cumin powder
8. 1 teaspoon oregano

Cauli Rice

1. 1 head of cauliflower
2. 1/2 lime, juiced squeezed
3. 1 teaspoon coriander ground - whichever you have!
4. 2 teaspoons dried parsley
5. 1 tablespoon olive oil
6. pinch of salt

Method:

1. Pour stock in slow cooker
2. Mix garlic, chili, cumin & oregano together
3. Rub on Chicken
4. Put Chicken in slow cooker, drown in tomatoes and toss the onions on top!
5. Let it cook while you are at work on low
6. Come home to delicious-ness
7. 30min before dinner preheat oven to 180 degrees (or just eat chicken and vege for dinner - rice is totally optional!)

Rice

1. Haphazardly chop the cauliflower into little random bits if you don't have a ricer
2. Mix the salt, coriander and oil through all of those bit of cauliflower and lay out in a baking dish and bake for about 30mins
3. Break up the cooked cauli with utensils or your hands - whatever really floats your boat
4. Drizzle with the juice when cooked.

Serve it up!

Coconut Ice-Cream

This week has been a bit of a re-feeding week for me. I'm not a big craver of McDonald's or crappy food I love making my own nice food and I love ice cream! 

Wednesday night I trained legs for the first time in 2 weeks and it was great, I did a PB of 80kg for 4 reps = it was great I then did sled runs up and down the gym & then Crossfit type legs workout, some burpees and all that fun stuff. 

I came home and made a kanga banga curried sausage dish and had leftover coconut milk so thought mmm ICE CREAM!

You need an ice-cream maker for this recipe, never fear though James bought me a $30 one from home-mart so make the investment for this dairy free, no added sugar clean treat!

You need full fat coconut milk - pay the extra 50c for the brands without added junk like thickeners or crap. Don't be afraid of the full fat stuff, fat is all good for you, makes you strong and healthy. And yep I am not dieting anymore so I know I will be putting on a little weight in order to grow muscle and just generally be healthy, happy and sane! I really appreciate any compliments on my comp photos but be aware not many competitors look like that all year round!

So Ingredients: Serves 4 - 2 big serves & 2 small serves

1. 1.5 cans full fat coconut milk
2. 10 prunes pitted and torn up
3. 5 teaspoons psyllium husk (has like a gelatin effect and I had no gelatin)
4. 1/3 cup crumbled walnuts
5. 1/2 cup desiccated coconut 
6. Optional Honey to serve - James needed this

Method

1. Whack it all in trusty little machine and wait for about 30-45mins or until thickens!
2. Enjoy!

Shredded Lamb with Ginger & Prunes

I didn't want to put the word prunes in the title. I stuffed around, wondered if I could call them dates, or maybe just be as vague as 'dried fruit' but I thought best just be honest and put it out there.

Poor prunes get a bad wrap for being for old people or upsetting your tummy. They are most definitely for young people and your tummy will be fine with this recipe.

I love fruit and meat. Fruit is sugar, sugar is a carb, you can have this and not really need potato / rice / pasta whatever takes your fancy if you like. I had this for breakfast today. I was running late and it came straight from the slow cooker and smelt awesome, breakky doesn't have to be cereal!

I've packed it for lunch with some steamed greens, it's going to be great. James trains like a demon and burns more calories so he has cannellini bean mash with his today.

So here is how you do it:

Ingredients:

1. 1.5kg Lamb Shoulder or another cut - pick whatever is on special! - trim this up and discard fat
2. 3 brown onions - cut into about 8 segments each
3. 1 cup prunes (pitted)
4. 1 cup vegetable stock
5. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 2 teaspoons minced ginger
7. 1/4 cup lime juice
8. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Steps

1. Put the stock in the slow cooker
2. Mix together garlic, ginger, lime juice and cinnamon
3. Rub the mix all over the lamb
4. Put the lamb in the slow cooker
5. Toss in the onions on top
6. Sprinkle over all the prunes
7. Leave cook for 8-12 hours on low

Once the meat is cooked, shred it between to forks and mix back with all the juices and onions and prunes.

Thats it - you are ready to eat!

Excuse the photos. I have an iPhone and dodgy lighting! It doesn't look beautiful but it is easy and tasty!