recipe

Green Matcha Yogurt

Over the years I have put some weird tasting stuff in my body. Even though I have mellowed and settled a lot in this area (thanks to THM) I am still susceptible to subjecting my body to obscure sounding and weird tasting foods. That’s not to say that I like the taste but I’m drawn to the health benefits. Chlorophyll, spirulina, chlorella, maca, bee pollen… the list goes on. I’ve not found them easy to ingest, rather it’s a chore I do in the name of health.

So it with great surprise that I have found Green Matcha Powder quite easy to take! And for a latte lovin’ gal such as myself, I do not prefer it as a Green Matcha Latte rather in my yogurt. A side note: The THM authors make a mean looking Green Matcha pudding here.

What is Green Matcha Powder and Why Would Anyone Put It In Their Body?

Organic matcha from Little Tokyo imageI could go on… but I’ll leave that to those more knowledgable. But quickly…
Matcha is premium green tea powder from Japan used for drinking as tea or as an ingredient in recipes. While other green teas are grown throughout the world, matcha is unique to Japan. It is the heart of the Japanese way of tea and has been celebrated in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony for hundreds of years.

  • Matcha Green Tea Powder is:
  • Rich in powerful anti-aging antioxidants
  • Full of cancer-fighting catechins
  • A natural mood enhancer
  • An energy booster
  • Unparalleled nutrition in a single serving – one cup of matcha is equivalent to 10 cups of green tea!

Follow the links…
Matcha Source – matcha benefits. About Matcha…

Where To Buy Green Matcha

I sourced this beauty from Little Tokyo, a small specialist store in the Adelaide Central Market but even my local Tea Emporium stocks it so I’ll be buying local from now on. It can be purchased online but I encourage you to look locally.

Green yogurt matcha

Here is my daily Green Matcha Yogurt

Start with this basic Fuel Pull version then add S/E ingredients if desired.

  • ½ cup blueberries
  • ½ cup no-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 scoop WPI (I used 20gms)
  • ½ – ¾ tsp Organic Green Matcha Powder
  • THM Pure Stevia Extract to taste (or equivalent THM sweetener)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Paste

Method
Sift matcha powder over yogurt and blend well. Then add berries, stevia, vanilla and other (S or E) ingredients. The matcha must be sifted else it will clump and be inedible. Honestly, just believe me on this one.

Optional Ingredients for a Satisfying Snack

  • Ground flax
  • Coconut flakes
  • Chia seeds
  • Nuts
  • Choose low fat Greek yogurt

Optional Ingredients for an Energising Snack

  • Choose kiwi fruit, apple,  mango or fruit of choice
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tsp chia seeds

Use this recipe as an introduction to green matcha powder. Feel free to mix it up and create your own tastes.

Do you use Matcha in your THM lifestyle? I’d love to hear more about your ventures with it!

Coconut Pancakes with Blueberries & Vanilla Cream {S}

Coconut Pancakes {S}

Coconut Pancakes {S}

I’ve been following trim healthy mama style of eating for a year and a half. Using coconut flour was new to me, until about a year ago. It can be temperamental. It doesn’t follow the normal rules of baking/cooking. But don’t let that scare you – simply follow my easy peasy recipe and you will be nom nom noming on some delicious coconut pancakes for breakfast or lunch. Please note that this recipe doesn’t have a load of protein. You could add half a scoop of Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) if you wanted to… or you could have a Fat Stripping Frappe (FSF) for morning/afternoon tea.

I’ve found that my body functions best when I have {S} breakfasts. If I do have an {E} breakfast, it is usually only a very small serve. E breakfasts seem to affect my blood sugar levels in a way that makes me slightly dizzy, light-headed and feeling spaced out. But a gal can only eat fried eggs, boiled eggs, omelet, scrambled eggs and frittata so many times before it becomes monotonous, eh? Enter… Coconut pancakes!

Coconut Pancakes

Coconut Pancakes

Coconut Pancakes with Blueberries & Vanilla Cream

Serves 1 (with 2 pancakes)

  • 1 egg
  • 1 TB coconut oil
  • 1 Tsp Natvia or other plan approved sweetener
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 TB coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 40ml coconut milk (to cut about 8grams of fat content of this meal you can use unsweetened almond milk instead)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup blueberries (as many as you like but to keep this as an S do not exceed half a cup)
  • 40 – 50 ml cream or Greek Yogurt seasoned with 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract and a pinch of Natvia
  1. Mix egg, coconut oil, Natvia, salt, coconut flour and coconut link in a blender, stick blender or magic bullet. Set aside.
  2. Gently heat blueberries in a little water until thawed or nice and syrupy. Add a sprinkling of natvia. Set aside.
  3. Combine cream, vanilla and another sprinkling of Natvia. Set aside.
  4. Heat a non stick fry pan, with a teeny little of coconut oil or butter. You only need a smidgen. Pour in half of the pancake batter and gently cook through. Flip to cook the other side. Repeat with remaining pancake mix.
  5. Serve on a plate, topped with syrupy blueberries and vanilla cream.

Easy peasy and yummy in my tummy.

A new, Australian, online store to source all those ingredients!

I have purchased from iHerb.com and their shipping and prices are good… but there is an Aussie mama, who is also a THMer and she has opened an online THM type store called Aussie Mamas. Go check it out!

AhmoCoco – Almond & Coconut Milk

Almond & Coconut Milk image

Almond & Coconut Milk

AhmoCoco? Have I gone mad? What am I concocting in my kitchen now?

After my successful attempt at making a latte from homemade almond milk I knew that I wanted to try and thicken it with natural ingredients. I considered using oat milk and that would certainly raise the protein amount per cup but it would also add a few more carbs – not what I want. I thought also thought about incorporating flax milk and that is certainly is on my to-do list.

However, my son-in-law, who is a Personal Trainer and certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach gave me the idea of adding in some coconut milk. And so my AhmoCoco was born!

Same ingredients as my Almond Milk except I added 1/2 cup of Coconut Milk. Textures it beautifully. And if I don’t have any coconut milk in the cupboard or fridge then I will simply add 1/4 cup of dried coconut to the almonds for soaking and make as usual.

AhmoCoco Milk

  1. 1/4 cup almonds
  2. 3.5 cups water or coconut water
  3. 2 medjool dates or 3-4 dried dates
  4. ½ tsp vanilla
  5. Pinch celtic sea salt
  6. Stevia Extract (Nunaturals Pure Extract Powder or NOW Stevia or Nirvana Choc Flavoured Stevia Drops)
  7. 1/2 cup coconut milk

Soak almonds and dates in water overnight.
Drain and rinse almonds and dates.
Put into blender with coconut water. Blend.
Add salt and stevia to taste.
Place tea towel or nut milk bag over bowl and drain/squeeze. Pour liquid milk back into the food processor, add the coconut milk and give a quick whizz. Season to taste.

Notes:

Left over almond pulp can be used in cakes, muffins, breads or dehydrated and processed in food processor as almond flour.
The addition of coconut water gives this milk an extra boost of nutrient goodness.
If coconut milk is unavailable, simply add some dried coconut to the  almond/date mixture , soak overnight and complete the recipe as usual.

My Easy Almond Milk Latte

almond milkk latte image

courtesy of abigrace.com.au

I can’t believe how much my palate has changed since eating according to TrimHealthyMama. THM has been a bit of an adjustment at first, but it gets easier. One thing I simply couldn’t let go of was my daily latte. I love my milk! I tried to make almond milk, but it was quite yucky to me. I bought almond milk in a carton from the supermarket. Just as yucky. I let it go and resigned myself to just doing THM but with milk consumption.

What’s wrong with milk?

Real, raw milk? Nothing per se, except that it is liquid carbs… carbs and fat combined together in liquid form. Liquid carbs are the most potent fat promoting form. Whilst raw whole milk may be a healthy superfood it is best for for growing children, pregnant women who don’t need to watch their weight, or husbands who have a high metabolism. Sadly, for the rest of us, in today’s modern world, it only fattens us up.

Which makes my morning tea latte a crossover meal. Too many crossovers inhibit weight loss. Yet I haven’t been doing THM for weight loss. I’ve been following THM for the sheer health benefits. The science behind it just makes sense! My health has improved nearly 90% and I’ve only been doing THM since early January. And, having said that I am only adhering to THM principles for 70 – 80% of the time. In the spirit of honesty I will admit to eating take-away foods more than once a week. Which means huge crossovers. Despite that, I have lost 6 kgs since the beginning of the year. But honestly, I have not been trying to lose weight but gain health. Now I am losing slowly though, I have been motivated to be a little more  adherent to the weight loss part of the THM plan. And that means giving up my daily (make that twice or thrice daily) latte.

And so I made Almond Milk again.

Would you believe it? I actually can tolerate it now! How…is beyond me. But to prove it I have made my homemade almond milk and had my local barista (thanks AbiGrace) make me my afternoon latte. It is nowhere near like cows milk to work latte art with and as a barista she taught me how/why and wherefore that the milk could not be textured in such a way as to produce the same artistic pour… but for right now I am not concerned with that. Protein and carbohydrates (as opposed to dairy milk which has protein, fat & carbs) are what concerns me.

almond milk latte

courtesy of abigrace.com.au

What do you think?

There are heaps of almond milk recipes on the Internet… I can’t lay claim to liking them all.  Not at all. Some are lower in carbs than others. Some are too watery, too weak. I like my almond link to be thick and creamy but not overpowering with its nuttiness. For now, this recipe is the one that suits me just fine. I may tweak it as I go along. In fact, I already have an idea up my sleeve to increase the protein levels.

 

Almond Milk

  1. ½ cup almonds
  2. 3.5 cups water
  3. 2 medjool dates
  4. ½ tsp vanilla
  5. pinch celtic sea salt
  6. Stevia Extract (Nunaturals Pure Extract Powder or NOW Stevia or Nirvana Choc Flavoured Stevia Drops)

Soak almonds and dates in water overnight.
Drain and rinse almonds and dates.
Put into blender with water. Blend.
Add salt and stevia to taste.
Place tea towel or nut milk bag over bowl and drain/squeeze. Use liquid as milk!
Left over almond pulp can be used in cakes, muffins, breads or dehydrated and processed in food processor as almond flour.
Yummo!

And it tastes okay. Actually, it tastes mighty fine! I had 3 latte’s yesterday so it must be okay to keep me going back for more!

Addendum: This recipe is not THM plan approved. Not at all. It is simply that I am enjoying this whilst also following the THM eating plan between 70 -80%.

Skinny Chocolate

After much trial and error I have finally tweaked the Trim, Healthy Mama (THM) recipe to [my] perfection!

Recipe

  • 4 tsp up to 1/4 cup xylitol, ground OR 1-3 TB Homemade Sweet Blend (see recipe below)
  • A few shakes of NuNaturals Pure Stevia Extract Powder (do not add if using Homemade Sweet Blend)
  • 1/4 cup pure cocoa
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1Tb cream (or cream cheese will also do the trick!) – *optional
  • ¼ tsp. of salt

*Optional additions: coconut, berries, chopped nuts, berries, peanut paste, etc. Maybe even a squirt of Nirvana Stevia Chocolate Drops.

Note: I have the handy dandy shaker that came with the NuNaturals Stevia. I open the lid to only have the powder come out from three little circles. I then give the Stevia about 3 gentle shakes. However, it’s all personal taste learned through trial and error.

A Serving Size is about one third of this mix at each sitting.

I only buy pure cocoa. Cacao is too expensive for me, and I don’t particularly see much difference between it and pure cocoa. Simply check the back of the packet for the ingredient list to ensure you have pure or 100% cocoa. Some producers add all sorts of sweeteners and fillers to their cocoa so you don’t want this.

If you want to know what Trim Healthy Mama is, pop on over to my Nutrition Coaching website and have a look around. 

If you want to read more variations on the THM Skinny Chocolate recipe, see the THM Pinterest board.

Addendum 11/03/2015: I was finding my own Skinny Chocolate tweaks to be missing the spot…  and then I stumbled across a homemade sweet blend that does the trick perfectly.

  • I tsp. THM Pure Stevia Extract
  • 1 cup erythritol
  • 1 cup Xylitol

Blend together in processor or bullet. Use spoon for spoon.

What Parenting Recipe Do you Use?

There comes a time in everyone’s life where they start to examine and question the big issues of life:

Why are we here? Who put us here? What happens when we die? Our answer or thoughts to these big questions will dictate our actions.

There is a lot of myth and fear surrounding the teen years, especially amongst home schoolers. We don’t need to stick our heads in the sand and only discuss that which we want to hear- we need to know what is happening.

We want to pass on our beliefs and faith to our children. So we teach them. We homeschool so we can spend more time with our children, building the relationship, instilling values, etc. And then comes that time. That time when our child starts to question those beliefs. And we get are horrified and panic.

However, this process doesn’t need to be terrifying. It can be a necessary and vital step toward maturity and adulthood. This transference of faith is vital for one to grow as a child of God, to take ownership of their faith. After this process, the child or young adult will no longer rely upon their parents for maintaining their relationship with God and others.

What happens if this process does not happen?

The shift may still occur but instead of relying upon the parents, they may rely upon someone else’s: their boyfriend, husband, pastor, friends, magazine, TV, books, etc. (The enemy is vying for the heart of all and is actively working toward gaining it via any means). They either take ownership of the faith they were raised in or they transfer it and take the beliefs or faith of someone else.

So, is there a formula?

Early on in my parenting journey, I thought I had found the recipe!

Simply take 1 child + a godly homeschool and you will = Success

We think that if we homeschool, then our children will turn out okay. Further to that, we have to homeschool a certain way or it won’t ‘work’. We have to avoid this, avoid that, do this, don’t do that… Oh, it’s all so hard – so many rules!

But we make a grave mistake if we attempt to use any kind of formula.

Raising children is a matter of grace.

It isn’t about a formula or a recipe. We need to know and accept that we cannot obtain our child’s salvation! Whether or not a person realizes they’re forgiven and walks in that when they are 15 or 45 doesn’t change the fact that it’s all about grace. Salvation is a work of grace. After all, salvation is what most of us desire for our children more so than simply the appearance of right living.

We can lead our children to Him, lead them in the ways of Him… We can teach them all about Him, and teach them to obey us as parents… but that internal work of the heart – the individual’s response and subsequent obedience to God are not within our control. We are not the Holy Spirit. We are the messenger, the herald who proclaims the message. The onus is on the hearer to hear and obey.

So what can we do?

We can pray! We can proclaim the message unabashedly! We can live by example. We can train in matters of outwardness. And we can hope.

There will come a time in their life when they question what they believe… it might look shaky for awhile but if the foundation is solid (the foundation being the message of the work of the Cross through Christ) then we can be assured that God will indeed graft them into the vine and call them His own. They will start to see this as their faith… their belief and not just that of their parents. This is a most beautiful happening! Truly wondrous!

The Homeschooling Community

We shouldn’t look at a 15yo, who is mulling over the big issues of life and struggling with it (which can be a normal part of maturing into an independent adult), and judge his family.

In the same way, we can’t look at a family who has an obedient and God-fearing 16yo and assume that they have perfected the formula, thereby desiring to emulate their parenting. We don’t know where that person will be when they are 30, once away from the watchful eye of parents and responsible for themselves. So often we overlook the operative word in Proverbs 22:6 “when he is old”; not when he is a teen.

Relationship

Let us not become weary with our modelling and teaching. Let’s keep on teaching our children God’s ways, keep on loving them, laughing with them. We can be firm with our children yet not get too hung up on the minors. We can pray with them and for them. If we homeschool – keep building our relationship with them. If your children goes to school – keep building your relationship with them! And pray.

Prayer

God cares about your children even more than you do. Ask God to reveal Himself to them, that they will see their sin and need for Him. Pray that God will humble them (and us, while we’re praying) and pierce their heart so that they will see their need for great grace. Ask God that He will draw them back to Himself each time they stumble.

We can let our children know that there is nothing they can do to earn our love or God’s love. Pray that the gospel will be the motivation for their growth. Teach them and model that our obedience is a response that overflows from our heart.

Vegetable Juices

Abba asked if I would share some of our vegetable juicing recipes… so here they are! Make sure you have a one serving blender.

Obvious Juice
2 large handfuls baby spinach
4 oranges (or tomatoes)
4 carrots
1/2 lemon (or a slice of pineapple)
This is my ‘go to’ juice. It’s easy to remember and jam packed full of nutrients. I call it Obvious Juice because it is Obviously Healthy.

Everyday Juice
3 carrots
1 apple
½ orange
1 celery stick
1cm ginger root
Ginger gives this juice a real kick and makes it invigorating!

Carrot and Apple Juice
8 carrots
2 apples
Slice of ginger
Simple but delicious!

Veggie Cocktail
3 celery sticks
3 tomatoes
2 carrots
½ lemon
Tangy and nice!

CCCA
4 carrots
1 apple
1 celery stick
¼ a cucumber
½ a lemon
Pleasant and refreshing. Good for those who aren’t accustomed to fresh veggie juice.

Metabolic Boost
1 Apple (or pear)
1 grapefruit, peel thinly, leaving the pith,
6 mint leaves
2 sticks of celery
Celery is FANTASTIC in juice as it helps to cleanse and purify the blood. Whenever my husband feels his liver is acting up, he craves celery. It always helps!

Weight Loss Juice
1 tomato
2 stems parsley
2 stalk celery
1 orange
1 spring onion or a clove of garlic
1 grapefruit
1 radish
1 mild capsicum

Tip
When juicing fruits and vegetables, alternate them through the juicer to get the maximum juice from soft fruits. e.g: juice oranges then carrots then spinach.

Green Tip
If you want to start juicing greens but find them a tad overwhelming, start with celery, fennel and/or cucumber. Cabbage is actually quite pleasant too- and very healthy. These make a nice and healthy combination that is quite pleasant and not as overwhelming as spinach, kale or the darker, leafy greens.

Tuna lasagne

Tuna Lasagne (Healthy, Australian version)

Filling

  • 6 spring onions
  • 2 carrots, finely sliced
  • 4 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 2 TB chopped parsley
  • 425gm tin tuna, drained and flaked
  • 140gm tomato paste, mixed with 1/4 cup water

Mix all filling ingredients together.

Extra ingredients

  • 600ml cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 125 gms of instant lasagne noodle sheets or 1 pkt of fresh lasagne noodles
  • 2 cups grated tasty cheese

Method

Mix cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg together. Spoon 2-4 TB of it onto base of lasagne dish. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets. Spread half the filling over the lasagne sheets. Top with half the remaining cream mix, then sprinkle over some cheese.

Put another layer of lasagne on top, spread with remaining filling, then cream, then remaining cheese.

Bake in a moderate oven for 50 minutes.

Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

Broccoli & Lemon Soup

 

In the cooler months there is nothing better to warm cold bodies than a nutritious soup before the main meal or for lunch. I’ve also found that a healthy soup before the main meal tends to fill us up more thus we don’t eat quite as much, which is a positive. This dish is a favourite in our home. It is high in Vitamin C and even those that don’t like broccoli will love it.

Broccoli & Lemon Soup

Yield: 8 x1 cup serves
Time: 20 min

  • 5 cups water (1250ml)
  • 4 chicken stock cubes, although I use whatever I have on hand- vegetable stock powder usually.
  • 600 grams chopped broccoli (stalks and all)
  • 1 large coarsely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried sweet basil
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • grated rind of half a lemon

Method

Bring water and stock cubes/powder to the boil in a large saucepan. Add broccoli, onion, garlic, sweet basil and pepper.
Return to the boil and simmer for 10 min.
When cool enough, puree in blender (or stick blender) and adjust the liquid until it equals 8 cups.
Reheat and add lemon juice and grated rind.
Serve with a slice of lemon on top.

Nutritional Information Per 1  Cup Serve

Calories: 45
Protein: 2g
Fat: 1g
Carb: 7g
Fibre: 3g

Crockpot Lasagne

Fee from On Being Single asked us to share a favourite crockpot (slow cooker) recipe so here’s ours. Being that we are Italian I usually make all our Italian dishes from scratch. I put off making this dish for years because I thought it sounded horrid. But time and necessity got the better of me…and would you believe the whole family loves it! Including full blooded John!

Crockpot Lasagne

(Family size)

  • 500gms minced meat (beef, kangaroo or other… a combination of veal and lamb is also very nice)
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 800 mls can tomato sauce (we use home made but store bought does fine…even diced tinned tomatoes)
  • 200 mls can tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 375 gm package lasagna sheets
  • 375gm container Ricotta or cottage cheese (I use a Bechamel sauce if need be)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until brown. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, and oregano and stir until well incorporated. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl mix together the Ricotta or cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the crock pot. (I lightly butter bottom of Crockpot and add a spoonful of the meat mix). Add a double layer of the uncooked lasagna sheets. Break to fit sheets into crock pot.

Top sheets with a portion of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of sauce, sheets, and cheese until all the ingredients are used.

Cover and cook on low heat in crock pot for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve with a tossed green salad and crusty bread.

I also like to finish the top off with extra Mozzarella & Ricotta (I’m a cheese nut). this is a good recipe for children to make and to experiment with.

I heard of this Crockpot Lasagne and scoffed at it. There is no way I would ever do that, I said. I would sometimes prepare the lasagne ahead of time but even if I pre-baked it I’d still have to put it in the oven for 40 mins once we got home from shopping meaning that our hungry bellies were still a good 45 minutes away from being satiated.

So I tried the Crockpot Lasagne. I told my family what it was. I made no bones about the Australianising of it. I told them it was either this for tea or our all-too-often “CatchWhatYaCan” meal. They didn’t complain. In fact, everyone enjoyed it. It isn’t authentic…but it’s still very filling and very nice and very easy. Anyone can prepare it  in the morning, put it on and as soon as we get home we can eat! This is why it is quicker than a traditional lasagne.

Open Kofta

As part of our Mini MasterChef competition, Master C (aged 11.11yrs) treated us to open Kofta’s, inspired by the MasterClass recipe. You can watch the MasterClass video demonstration and/or download the printable pdf version of the recipe.

Miss A (aged 18yrs) taught him how to do the entire meal. Next time he prepares it, he will do it completely by himself but under supervision.
(I’m not too great with taking photos, nor uploading them to the web so apologies in advance)

Ingredients
1 tbs coriander seeds
1 tbs cumin seeds
4 French shallots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 bunch coriander
500g topside beef mince
1 lemon, rind finely grated
1 egg
5 tbs soft white breadcrumbs
1 tbs seeded mustard
1 piece pita bread
½ small red onion, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch salt
2 baby cucumbers
Thick Greek yoghurt, coriander sprigs & deep fried shallots, to serve

Method

Toasting the seeds

Toasting the seeds

Spoon coriander and cumin seeds into a frying pan and toast over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until fragrant.

bashseeds

Grinding spices produces a gorgeous aroma

Tip into a mortar and use pestle to finely grind the warm spices.

Cooking onions

Cooking onions

Cover base of frying pan with olive oil and add shallots and garlic, cook over low heat until soft and translucent. Spoon into a bowl and refrigerate until cold. Wash coriander root well then finely chop 6cm of the root and stem, set top half of the bunch aside for later.

Grating the lemon rind

Grating the lemon rind

Lightly beating the eggs

Lightly beating the eggs

Mix meat, onions & spices

Mix meat, onions & spices

Combine mince, lemon rind, egg, breadcrumbs, mustard, shallot and garlic mixture, spices and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use clean hands to mix until well combined. Preheat oven grill to medium-high.

Uncooked and assembled

Uncooked and assembled

Press beef mixture onto a 22cm round flat bread, leaving a 1cm border around the outer edge.

Lightly cook underside of pita bread

Lightly cook underside of pita bread

Heat a little oil in an ovenproof frying pan over medium heat, add pita bread and cook 1 minute. Transfer the pan to the oven and grill 4-5 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from the oven. Check the under-side of the bread is golden and crisp if not cook a few minutes on the stove top over high heat.

Dress with yoghurt and salad

Dress with yoghurt and salad

Meanwhile, finely slice the onion into a bowl using a mandolin. Season with salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Thinly slice the cucumbers on the angle and place into a bowl. Season with salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

A finished open kofta

A finished open kofta

Remove the kofta from the pan. Spread generously with yoghurt. Top with onion salad, cucumber, coriander sprigs and deep fried shallots to serve.

Open Beef Kofta on Grilled Mushroom

Open Beef Kofta on Grilled Mushroom

Miss A and I preferred not to have a pita bread so we used a large mushroom instead. It was yummy but obviously a different texture to a pita bread.

Our recipe book

Our recipe book

We all love this meal. It is fairly quick and easy, not too expensive but also nutritious. The recipe uses a lot of meat whereas we work on approximately 100grams of meat per person. There is minimal cleanup after the meal, which is always a bonus. Whatever you do, do not skip the toasting of the seeds and spices. Oh, the aroma is just divine- a true sensory experience!

Oh yes! Master C scored pretty well on this dish.  🙂

Chow Mein

After reading Beyond Bluestockings Cabbage Salad, which made me drool, I commented on our crude form of Chow Mein. Beyond Bluestockings asked me to share the recipe. Last night I taught Master 13 how to prepare this meal and sometime within the next two weeks I’ll get him to cook it for us all, by himself. I say it is crude because it is not a proper Chow Mein, but it is a quick, easy, nutritious and delicious! What more does a homeschool momma need?

Chow Mein

1 onion
500grams mince kangaroo (any mince will do)
2 tb butter, oil or coconut oil (butter is nice!)
half a medium sized green cabbage
2 tb rice
1 dessertspoon curry
2 pkt chicken noodle soup mix (home brand is fine)
250 grams French beans or carrots (I use any veggies)
2 and a half cups water

Chow mein is a generic Chinese term for a dish of stir-fried noodles, of which there are many varieties. Chow mein is generally made of soft noodles, however Hong Kong-style chow mein is made from thin crispy noodles.

Lightly brown the mince in butter or oil. Once brown, add all other ingredients. Stir with a fork occasionally and cook for 20minutes.
Done!

I won’t share a picture…whilst it tastes delicious it doesn’t look all that appealing. 😉

Chicken Chow Mein

  • Cube and fry chicken cubes and onion. Remove chicken.
  • Add chicken noodle soup packet along with 6 cups of water, 2 cups of rice and any veggies available. (Cabbage is delicious)
  • Leave to simmer until rice has absorbed the water, about 20-25minutes.
  • Add chicken back in prior to serving and mix through.
  • Add more water if necessary

Done!

Green Smoothies

Seeing as how my few readers seem so keen to talk more about Green Smoothies I thought I’d post a few links, a recipe or two and a video. I’m so keen to share this so would like to offer as much help as I can.

First, a few links but searching google will easily bring up many sites:

Recipes

Plain Smoothie
Little cold water
Blender full of greens. I used baby spinach.
2 apples
2 bananas
smidgen of flaxseed oil
ice

Fennel & Orange
One stalk of fennel including leaves and bulb
Two oranges, peeled and segmented
One handful baby spinach
Water or ice
Smidgen of flaxseed oil
1 tsp Bee Pollen

Plain smoothie
Cos lettuce
1 apple
1 cup carrot/celery juice (from the morning’s juicing session)
Handful of frozen strawberries
Some freshly ground flaxseed
Few grapes
Ice

Videos
ReasonablyRaw
Karen Knowles: quick and dirty guide to making a green smoothie

Italian Pizza Soup

Italian Pizza Soup

This delicious soup is quick and easy to fix. Just add crusty bread for a hearty meal!

5 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 medium onions, chopped
2 1/2 green peppers, chopped
2 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
5 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/4 cups uncooked rice
2 1/2 cups diced or crushed tomatoes
10 cups chicken broth
2 1/2-5 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
1 1/4 cups shredded provolone cheese or mozzarella cheese
1 1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese

  • Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.
  • Saute the onion and green pepper until softened.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.
  • Add the oregano, basil, rice, tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil.
  • Turn down heat and place cover on saucepan.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
  • Stir in the pepperoni, and sprinkle with the cheese.
  • Continue cooking for another minute or two.
  • Serve, and add an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

If I don’t have pepperoni, I just add whatever I have – bacon, chicken or whatever. I ALWAYS add olives…it makes it!

This can either be done on the stove top or in the crockpot. I’ve done both.

The Recipe for Success

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Aha! I bet that subject line roped you in, eh? We all want to achieve success – successful , godly children right?

I’m learning that my initial thoughts and ideas on things are not always what is deeply in my heart. Over the years, I have been asking God to cleanse me, to reveal my heart that I may surrender it to Him. He has been showing me the darkness of my heart. This is scary on the one hand yet good on another because I know that it is because He loves me that He is doing this work.

We all know that there is no formula for guaranteed success with our children, right? Well, I believe that many of us deeply believe that there is a formula:

1 child +homeschool = Success

I also believe that many of us believe there is a recipe for failure, and it looks like this:

1 child + school = Failure.

Oh, I know that when we see it written so boldly like that we don’t agree that we think that way but…when it gets down to the heart of the matter…

In my opinion, this is way to simple and basic and it is missing some key ingredients of which the main one is Relationships.

I have met and had the pleasure of knowing a few Christian young people. Young ones who have a desire to serve God, to serve others and have a great relationship with their parents and siblings. Yet, they were not taught at home. They attended schools. Both public schools and private schools. Upon talking to their parent’s, I came to see that there are some common denominators.

A love for God. A love for their children. They worked at developing and maintaining a relationship WITH their children. They lived together. Played together. Prayed together. Served together. In fact, they worked quite hard at it all… they were committed to parenting.

Is that me? Am I committed to all of that or am I more concerned or consumed with Math and history?

Oh Lord, help me to see that parenting is bigger than ‘lessons’…bigger than homeschooling…help me to play with my children not just pray with them…to serve them and to serve with them.