Vanilla Chia Pudding with Blueberries

Chia, being one of the most amazing super foods is an inclusion that everyone should try to make in their diet. Flavourless, it is easy to put with any dish - from muffins and cakes to salads and stir-fries. It is full of dietary fibre, omega 3's and protein. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked like a great, quick breakfast. My issue with breakfast is that when I eat it, I'm always hungry only a couple of hours later. Chia, I am happy to say, actually fills me up quite well. 

You can make this the night before which is especially great for those who are time poor in the mornings. 

I found this a little weird in texture. Kind of slimy. Don't let it put you off though, with some blueberries and perhaps toasted muesli or toasted coconut flakes, this will make the texture a little more interesting. Give it a go. Let me know how you go below. :)

Recipe

3-4 tablespoons of chia (either white or black, it doesn't matter)

3/4 cup almond milk or light milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1-2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup

Blueberries to top

Mix up all the ingredients except blueberries in a container that you can seal. Put it in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. 

When ready to eat, take it out, stir, and spoon into a bowl, ramekin or cup. Top with blueberries (and other desired toppings). 

You can add more milk if you want a more soupy consistency. You can also use more or less honey/maple syrup to sweeten it to your tastes. 

I used 4 tablespoons of chia and it was a thick consistency - almost pudding like.

My 3 year old also tried some and liked it so if you have kids, it might be a great way to get some awesome nutrients into them!

Corn Fritters - Toddler Version

I decided to make a quick hot lunch for my toddler today and something I loved as a kid was corn fritters. Simple, quick and a good source of calcium, Vitamin C and thiamin.

Ingredients:
1 x 310g can whole kernel corn
2 eggs
sprinkle of salt and pepper
1/2 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup grated cheese
25g butter (or use a great non stick frying pan)

Method:
1. Drain corn. Discard liquid.
2. Put eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Beat well.
3. Add flour and baking powder. Whisk until smooth.
4. Add drained corn and grated cheese. Stir.
5. Put butter in the frying pan and heat - or use an excellent non stick frying pan and omit the butter.
6. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture in.
7. When golden, turn over and cook other side.
8. Drain on absorbent paper and serve.

Serving options:
* Salad
* Roasted tomatoes
* Whatever takes your toddlers fancy really. :) I was going to roast the tomatoes for my daughter but she saw them on the bench and wanted to eat the straight away. So corn fritters with cut tomatoes it was.

I halved the recipe and it made 4 small corn fritters - just a perfect size for one toddler.

Pork and Mango Salsa

This rocked my world the other night! So light and refreshing yet filled us all up. The smell from making the salsa was intoxicating. I didn't expect it and made me even hungrier as I was cooking. :)

Ingredients:

4 medium butterfly pork steaks (I substituted the type as there was a poor selection at the supermarket).
1 large sweet potato, chopped into small cubes
1/3 cup low fat milk
cracked black pepper

Mango Salsa:

1 mango, diced
1/2 red capsicum, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped
juice of 1 lime
cracked black pepper

To make salsa:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season with the pepper. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Trim the pork of any white visible fat. Heat frying pan/grill/bbq.
Boil the sweet potato for 10 minutes, or until tender. Strain and mash with the milk and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Cook the pork both sides until just tender and white all the way through, you don't want to overcook!

Arrange the sweet potato mash in the middle of the plate, top with pork fillet and spoon over the mango salsa.

You could also serve with steamed green beans for some more veggie content.

Enjoy!!

From "Feeding the Bump" - Lisa Neal

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have done a chocolate chip cookie post before but this one is the absolute best in my opinion. This is the recipe my mum always used when she made cookies for us growing up.

My daughter had seen a left over biscuit packet on the bench and started demanding "biscuits!". I didn't have any but she had planted the seed in my mind (and my tummy) so 15 minutes later I had these little babies whipped up.

Ingredients:
125g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
125g chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees/160 fan forced.
2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.

3. Add lightly beaten egg gradually and beat well.
4. Sift in the flour and salt.

5. Mix well.
6. Add chocolate chips and mix.

7. Spoon mixture onto a baking paper lined tray.

8. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. (I like soft chewy cookies so I stuck to 10 minutes baking time).
9. Leave to sit for a couple of minutes on the tray as they will come out puffy from the heat and will need to set. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Banana Bread

I had some left over bananas sitting around going brown so the best thing to do with them was to make some banana bread. It was delicious and served as a good morning tea snack for a few days. Much better than spending $4.50 a slice at a coffee shop!

Ingredients

90g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees/160 degrees fan forced. Grease a loaf pan and line the base and along the sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above the long sides.

2. Beat butter, extract and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in banana then sifted flours, in two batches. Spread into pan.

Mash your banana up with a fork.

All ingredients added and mixed.

Mixture into the pan with baking paper extended out the sides.

3. Cover pan with pleated foil; bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

After 40 minutes of baking with foil lid on.

Finished baking.

Enjoy. :)

Recipe from 1000 Best Ever Recipes from AWW

Beef and Onion Casserole

This one is simple enough for anyone to make and it is one of the best tasting casseroles I've had in a long time!

This afternoon I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner. I wanted a BBQ but when I ran the idea past my hubby (as in my opinion the BBQ is the mans domain and gives me a night off cooking) he wasn't very excited by the prospect. Knowing I had some chuck steak in the freezer, I thought the easiest way to get what I had to get done, bath and dress our toddler and cook dinner was to do a slow cooked casserole. Minimal fuss, epic results.

My toddler is currently inhaling the casserole she likes it that much. It's pretty much all gone within 5 minutes! Mothers - give it a go!

Ingredients:

1kg beef chuck steak, cut into 2cm dice
1/2 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large brown onion, chopped coarsely
1 carrot, chopped
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup dry red wine
400g can crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1. Coat beef in flour and shake away the excess. Heat half the oil in a casserole dish or large saucepan, cook beef in batches until all browned.

2. Take the beef out. Heat remaining oil in the same pan. Cook onion, carrot and garlic, stirring, until the onion softens.

3. Return beef to the pan with wine, undrained tomatoes, stock and paste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer, covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes or until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens slightly.

I served ours with some brown rice and my Nanna's amazing dumplings. My nan always made dumplings with casseroles and that got passed down to my mum and now to me.

It is the simplest dumpling recipe ever and that's why I like it.

Dumplings:

Self raising flour - 1 tablespoon for every dumpling you want to make
Water
Salt and Pepper

Place the self raising flour in a bowl. Add a little bit of water, stirring until you have added enough to make a thick paste. Be careful not to add too much! Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Drop a spoonful of mixture into your simmering casserole just before you are ready to serve. Put the lid back on and cook for a couple of minutes. They should puff up slightly and be slightly springy to touch. Then voila! You're done.

Enjoy. :)

*Casserole adapted from '1000 Best Ever Recipes from AWW'

2013 New Years Resolutions

Yes! This is probably one of a million trillion blog posts on New Years Resolutions. Sorry guys, I don't care. I am on the bandwagon. :)

I need to be accountable and maybe I can come back in a year and look at what I've achieved or even tick off as I go along. Not just resolutions but a bucket list of sorts.

1. Do a photography course. I have a pretty fancy dancy camera and I have no idea how to use it.

2. Find a mind blowing potato salad recipe. That might seem daft. I don't even eat potato salad regularly. Probably once in the last year but I have been dreaming about that potato salad and need to master it and eat it all.

3. Secret resolution. I'm being superstitious but I feel like this particular one is like a wish and if I tell people, it won't come true.

4. Book a beach holiday for my family for the next Christmas holidays. Whether it's just me, hubby and our little one or my immediate family too, I want to do it. The last 2 years I've left it until the last minute and of course, there's no vacancy anywhere. I have visions of my daughter playing in the sand and surf with her dad, poppy and uncles while the women read and picnic on the sand. Then we play beach cricket and body surf before returning to the house and having a bbq. Ahhh, I love Aussie summers. (Yes, for those that know me I live on the beach but it's not the same as driving to another beach and holidaying). ;)

5. Keep fit. That's always on the list. lol. I'd like to keep eating healthy, fresh food and exercising. I'm back to pre-baby, dancing years weight and I'd like to keep it that way.

6. Be a good wife and mother. I'd like to be their rock and for them to know I will always look after them.

7. Keep the house clean and tidy. (Am not specifying whether that is my job or I hire someone else to do it). ;)

8. Set a day a week to really get on top of all business paperwork. Everything that has been pushed to one side gets done on one particular day a week so it doesn't build up.

9. Record a kids album with accompanying DVD just like Hi-5.

10. Stop making bogus resolutions just to get to number 10.