Well, today is F-Day!!! After the craziness of two birthday celebrations for Master 5 and Mother's Day over the weekend I'm looking forward to a quieter week, spent mostly in the kitchen!
Here is the meal plan for this week, including all meals and snacks.
TMX in brackets indicates meals that are made either wholly or in part in the Thermomix.
Monday
Breakfast: Oat porridge with golden syrup (TMX)
Lunch: Chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich (TMX)
Dinner: Crunchy chicken and lettuce wraps with chips and pear ketchup (TMX)
Tuesday
Breakfast: Wheatbix with yoghurt and tinned pears
Lunch: Wraps with boiled egg, lettuce and mayonnaise (TMX)
Dinner: Sausages with mashed potato, cabbage, beans and pear ketchup (TMX)
Wednesday
Breakfast: Oat porridge with golden syrup (TMX)
Lunch: Rice crackers with cashew paste or golden syrup
Dinner: Golden marinade steamed chicken with rice and veg (TMX)
Thursday
Breakfast: Dippy eggs with soldiers (TMX)
Lunch: Chicken, lettuce and cream cheese sandwich
Dinner: Mince pies with chips and pear ketchup
Friday
Breakfast: Oat porridge with golden syrup (TMX)
Lunch: Wraps with cream cheese, lettuce and boiled egg
Dinner: Chicken and leek risotto (TMX)
Saturday
Breakfast: Toast with cashew paste, butter or pear jam
Lunch: Rice noodles (TMX)
Dinner: BBQ with steak, sausages, coleslaw and green beans
Sunday
Breakfast: Poached eggs on toast with hollandaise sauce (TMX)
Lunch: Potato pancakes with chips and mayonnaise (TMX)
Dinner: Roast chicken
Snacks
Rolled oat bars, yoghurt, pear muffins, stewed pear, shortbread, bread
Joining in the Thermomix Meal Planning at Jo's.
Monday 14 May 2012
Friday 11 May 2012
Preparation
I'm given myself about a week to get ready.
F-Day is a three sleeps away and I'm getting there. We've got pear muffins and bread in the freezer, I have contacted a local butcher who specialises in supplying organic, grass-fed meat for people with allergies and intolerances. I've menu planned the week's breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks (menu plan to come).
Still on the to-do list is pear jam, pear ketchup, rolled oat bars and Magic Cordial for a treat. All these recipes are from Sue Dengate's The Failsafe Cookbook. I'll share them and any tweaks I make along the way.
The biggest part for me is transitioning from a wholefoods, fruit and vegetable based diet. The idea of the boys not having any 'real' vegies just worries me. The vegies that are allowed are not overly popular here - cabbage, brussel sprouts, leeks etc. Oh, green beans are ok. Thank goodness!!! The boys love them to dip into cream cheese or hommus.
Fruit is going to be a massive issue for the boys. They eat ridiculous amounts of fruit and being restricted to two pears a day will really cramp their style.
I'm hoping Master 5 will be ok at school, he won't have much choice apart from what is in his lunchbox but Master 3 being at home all day ... oh that is a whole other story. I'm going to have to keep him very busy and distracted!!!
As for the extra cooking, well, it will be minimal for me. I already make all our own bread, biscuits, muffins, school lunches, dinners etc etc. It is more changing the ingredients I use rather than what I make. No honey, no wholemeal flour, no raw sugar, no dried fruit, no nuts, no coconut oil, no seeds or whole grains, no vegetables, no brown rice etc etc.
And as far is shopping is concerned, it seems to be finding different brands of things that are additive free. For instance, Aldi Milk Arrowroot biscuits are full of additives and are not Failsafe, yet Arnott's brand are.
I'm sure we'll get there. I'm sure there will be rocky days and easy days.
F-Day is a three sleeps away and I'm getting there. We've got pear muffins and bread in the freezer, I have contacted a local butcher who specialises in supplying organic, grass-fed meat for people with allergies and intolerances. I've menu planned the week's breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks (menu plan to come).
Still on the to-do list is pear jam, pear ketchup, rolled oat bars and Magic Cordial for a treat. All these recipes are from Sue Dengate's The Failsafe Cookbook. I'll share them and any tweaks I make along the way.
The biggest part for me is transitioning from a wholefoods, fruit and vegetable based diet. The idea of the boys not having any 'real' vegies just worries me. The vegies that are allowed are not overly popular here - cabbage, brussel sprouts, leeks etc. Oh, green beans are ok. Thank goodness!!! The boys love them to dip into cream cheese or hommus.
Fruit is going to be a massive issue for the boys. They eat ridiculous amounts of fruit and being restricted to two pears a day will really cramp their style.
I'm hoping Master 5 will be ok at school, he won't have much choice apart from what is in his lunchbox but Master 3 being at home all day ... oh that is a whole other story. I'm going to have to keep him very busy and distracted!!!
As for the extra cooking, well, it will be minimal for me. I already make all our own bread, biscuits, muffins, school lunches, dinners etc etc. It is more changing the ingredients I use rather than what I make. No honey, no wholemeal flour, no raw sugar, no dried fruit, no nuts, no coconut oil, no seeds or whole grains, no vegetables, no brown rice etc etc.
And as far is shopping is concerned, it seems to be finding different brands of things that are additive free. For instance, Aldi Milk Arrowroot biscuits are full of additives and are not Failsafe, yet Arnott's brand are.
I'm sure we'll get there. I'm sure there will be rocky days and easy days.
Thursday 10 May 2012
Pear and Oat Muffins
I'm imagining lots of batches of pear muffins in my future and this lot are the first. I'm also sure that I won't make the same batch twice.
Ha! I laugh in the face of recipes!!!
This recipe is very loosely based on a pear cupcake recipe from an old Women's Weekly cookbook but I've made significant changes, the main one being it's made in the Thermomix!
Pear and Oat Muffins
2 large pears, very ripe, peeled and grated
290g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
120g softened butter
50g sugar
130g maple syrup
4 eggs
50g rolled oats
Squeeze grated pear to remove most of the liquid, reserve liquid for another use.
Add flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, syrup
and eggs to bowl and mix Speed 4 for 10 seconds
Add grated pear and oats and mix on Reverse, Speed 4 for 10 seconds.
Fill greased muffin trays 2/3 full and bake at 170C until cooked.
I made mini-muffins and they took about 15 minutes.
Tips:
I significantly reduced the amount of sugar in the original recipe. If they're not sweet enough for you just add more sugar.
We make mini-muffins and this recipe made 52. They're the perfect size for lunch boxes, a quick snack or for a sit down with a cuppa - decaf of course!
What the family says:
Actually, they didn't say anything, they were too busy scoffing them down.
I'm not sure how many of the 52 will make it to the freezer ...
How adorable are these toddler hands helping? Bless!
Wednesday 9 May 2012
Vegetable Stock Paste
Vegetable Stock Paste has been a staple in the fridge since getting the Thermomix. It adds a great flavour to lots of dishes and I couldn't not have any despite the Failsafe diet being very light on the veg!
"Thor" full of Failsafey vegie goodness
Failsafe Vegetable Stock Paste
1/3 bunch of parsley (it was about 30-50g)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 leek
300g celery
100g brussel sprouts
100g green beans
30g sunflower oil
100g salt
Chop all ingredients except oil and salt on Speed 6 until finely chopped, about 10 seconds. I had to use the spatula through the lid to make sure everything moved around and was evenly chopped.
Add oil and salt and cook on Varoma, Speed 1 for 20 minutes.
Slowly increase to Speed 9 and blend for 1 minute until smooth.
Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge.
Tips:
The original recipe calls for 150g salt to preserve the stock paste, with that much salt it should last for 6 months in the fridge. I reduced the salt because it was way too salty and we don't use that much salt in our cooking.
With only 100g of salt the fridge life will be reduced but it's not a problem for us as we go through about a jar a month!
You could reduce the salt even more but I like 100g, it's a good round number and easy to remember!
What the family says:
As this is hidden in most of our savoury dishes, they don't even know it exists!
Tuesday 8 May 2012
Why Now?
Going Failsafe is something that I have been thinking about for a while now, probably around three years. It was at this time that a friend of mine "went Failsafe" with her family due to one of her children's sensitivities and I thought it may apply to Master 5 (then about 2). I filed it away in the too hard basket, but over the years "Failsafe" has kept popping up and I've kept thinking about it.
Just last week I was chatting to a friend about Master 5's behaviour changes since he started school and she mentioned Failsafe. I started googling a bit and that afternoon there was an article in the school newsletter saying that Sue Dengate was doing a series of talks in the area! The universe has spoken, we are listening! Now is the time!
Master 5 has always been up and down with his emotions, when he's happy - wonderful but if he gets upset or something doesn't go the way he was planning it to - look out! He's always been a big lover of routine. He likes to do things in a certain order. But recently, most definitely since school started, his reactions to when things don't go his way are getting bigger, more emotional. He's dissolving into tears when a seemingly minor thing is different. There are tantrums of gigantic proportions, yelling, the whole box and dice. At school, he's ok. It makes me wonder if he is using up all his flexibility at school and is just too tired to hold it all together at home. His teacher has said he is often day dreaming and not completing the tasks set.
Master 3, while not the same lover of routine has his big brother, has his own behavioural quirks. He is loud, boisterous, emotional and prone to using his hands and body to do the talking for him. He has taken to yelling when things don't go his way and then being physical too! He is very physical with Master 1, I feel like I'm constantly yelling to "Leave him alone!!!".
So now is the time. Well not right now ... next week. Monday the 14th May. That is the date as it is Master 5's birthday on Friday and we're having a little party for him at the park that afternoon. Then it's the family celebration on Saturday and then Mother's Day on Sunday.
Monday. One week to get ready, get our heads around what we can and can't eat!
D-Day is coming. Or should it be F-Day?
Just last week I was chatting to a friend about Master 5's behaviour changes since he started school and she mentioned Failsafe. I started googling a bit and that afternoon there was an article in the school newsletter saying that Sue Dengate was doing a series of talks in the area! The universe has spoken, we are listening! Now is the time!
Master 5 has always been up and down with his emotions, when he's happy - wonderful but if he gets upset or something doesn't go the way he was planning it to - look out! He's always been a big lover of routine. He likes to do things in a certain order. But recently, most definitely since school started, his reactions to when things don't go his way are getting bigger, more emotional. He's dissolving into tears when a seemingly minor thing is different. There are tantrums of gigantic proportions, yelling, the whole box and dice. At school, he's ok. It makes me wonder if he is using up all his flexibility at school and is just too tired to hold it all together at home. His teacher has said he is often day dreaming and not completing the tasks set.
Master 3, while not the same lover of routine has his big brother, has his own behavioural quirks. He is loud, boisterous, emotional and prone to using his hands and body to do the talking for him. He has taken to yelling when things don't go his way and then being physical too! He is very physical with Master 1, I feel like I'm constantly yelling to "Leave him alone!!!".
So now is the time. Well not right now ... next week. Monday the 14th May. That is the date as it is Master 5's birthday on Friday and we're having a little party for him at the park that afternoon. Then it's the family celebration on Saturday and then Mother's Day on Sunday.
Monday. One week to get ready, get our heads around what we can and can't eat!
D-Day is coming. Or should it be F-Day?
Monday 7 May 2012
Our Daily Bread
I've been making our own bread for a few years now but always wholemeal, sometimes sourdough, spelt or rye and never, ever white bread!
As white flour is Failsafe and I'm still not sure about wholemeal flour I'm taking the "better safe than sorry" approach and only using white flour for baking.
After reading the Shopping List I'm a bit confused about wholemeal flour. In the bread section it says white or wholemeal bread but in the flour section it doesn't specify and even says that whole grains should not be eaten often. If anyone can clarify please leave a comment or email me!
I make bread any one of three ways - by hand, in a Kenwood Chef stand mixer or in the Thermomix. Variations for each are below.
As white flour is Failsafe and I'm still not sure about wholemeal flour I'm taking the "better safe than sorry" approach and only using white flour for baking.
After reading the Shopping List I'm a bit confused about wholemeal flour. In the bread section it says white or wholemeal bread but in the flour section it doesn't specify and even says that whole grains should not be eaten often. If anyone can clarify please leave a comment or email me!
I make bread any one of three ways - by hand, in a Kenwood Chef stand mixer or in the Thermomix. Variations for each are below.
Everyday White Bread
750g flour
10g salt
20g dried yeast
10g sugar
250g milk
250g water
Mix together salt and flour.
Mix together yeast, sugar, milk and water.
Mix wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine.
Knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place in covered bowl in a warm place to rise for about an hour, depending on ambient temperature.
Punch dough down and knead lightly.
Shape into two loaves, or whatever shape take your fancy!
Leave to rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes or so.
Bake at 180C for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven.
Kenwood Variation:
Insert dough hook.
Place all ingredients in bowl and mix on Minimum speed until combined.
Increase speed to 1 and knead for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
Follow above instructions for rising, shaping and cooking.
Thermomix Variation
These measurements are too much for the Thermomix.
Halve the recipe for use in the Thermomix.
Place all ingredients in bowl and mix on Speed 5 for 10 or so seconds to combine.
Set dial to Closed Lid position and mix on Interval Speed for 1-2 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
Follow above instructions for rising, shaping and cooking.
Tips:
On a cooler day use warm milk and water to speed up the rising process
I generally make two sandwich loaves, but this recipe is good for rolls, garlic bread, plaits, baguette, cob loaves, whatever your heart desires!
The Family Says:
The Family Says:
After years of not having white bread the boys and Mr Failsafe are loving it!
Me? I'm not so sure.
Me? I'm not so sure.
Saturday 5 May 2012
What is Failsafe?
The Failsafe Diet is an elimination diet which restricts the
consumption of chemicals in our foods, both naturally occurring and
man-made. This includes additives, preservatives, salicylates, amines,
colours and flavours.
It's followers claim that by eliminating these chemicals there can be many positive outcomes on the person's health, emotions and behaviour.
After an initial period of four weeks, different chemicals are "challenged" to see what the person reacts to, if anything.
This is, of course, a very brief and simple explanation. You can read more at the following sites:
http://fedup.com.au/ - is Sue Dengate's website and along with her two books, Fed Up and The Failsafe Cookbook, is my main source of information and recipes.
http://failsafediet.wordpress.com/
It's followers claim that by eliminating these chemicals there can be many positive outcomes on the person's health, emotions and behaviour.
After an initial period of four weeks, different chemicals are "challenged" to see what the person reacts to, if anything.
This is, of course, a very brief and simple explanation. You can read more at the following sites:
http://fedup.com.au/ - is Sue Dengate's website and along with her two books, Fed Up and The Failsafe Cookbook, is my main source of information and recipes.
http://failsafediet.wordpress.com/
Friday 4 May 2012
A Bit of Background
So, the first post and I think a bit of background and stage setting is needed.
We are a young family of five, Mum, Dad, Master 5, Master 3 and Master Almost-One. Yes, three boys! Life is busy, chaotic, cuddly, noisy, rough, affectionate and tumble! Most of the time I love it, sometimes it drives me bonkers!
Our kids have always been ... interesting. Loving, amazing, lights-of-our-lives but interesting none the less.
Master 5 is the king of routine, he knows exactly what needs to be done when and if there is even the slightest change to the norm he'll let you know about it. He's a smart little guy, just started school, but has a tendency to daydream and not get stuff done. He likes doing what he likes doing but if there's something else to do, well no thanks.
Master 3 is just one jumping, rolling, bumbling, loud bundle of boy. As a baby he never (literally, never) slept. If he slept for more than an hour at a time it was a rare occasion that left Mr Failsafe and I wondering if he was still breathing. He's still not a great sleeper, but we do have the occasional sleep through perhaps even in his own bed! Why walk if he can run? Why use normal speaking volume if he can yell?
Master 1 (well, almost one, he's one is 3 weeks) is just a delight, almost walking, almost talking, almost sleeping, almost almost almost. He follows his big brothers around with a look of determination that belies his teeny tiny size.
And us? Mr and Mrs Failsafe? Mr Failsafe is a mid-thirties professional, working long yet flexible hours in an office in the big smoke. Mrs Failsafe is an early thirties ex-teacher, stay at home mum, trainee breastfeeding counsellor with the ABA. Life is busy!
Tomorrow I'll post a bit about why we are going Failsafe and why now!
Thanks for coming on this journey with us!
We are a young family of five, Mum, Dad, Master 5, Master 3 and Master Almost-One. Yes, three boys! Life is busy, chaotic, cuddly, noisy, rough, affectionate and tumble! Most of the time I love it, sometimes it drives me bonkers!
Our kids have always been ... interesting. Loving, amazing, lights-of-our-lives but interesting none the less.
Master 5 is the king of routine, he knows exactly what needs to be done when and if there is even the slightest change to the norm he'll let you know about it. He's a smart little guy, just started school, but has a tendency to daydream and not get stuff done. He likes doing what he likes doing but if there's something else to do, well no thanks.
Master 3 is just one jumping, rolling, bumbling, loud bundle of boy. As a baby he never (literally, never) slept. If he slept for more than an hour at a time it was a rare occasion that left Mr Failsafe and I wondering if he was still breathing. He's still not a great sleeper, but we do have the occasional sleep through perhaps even in his own bed! Why walk if he can run? Why use normal speaking volume if he can yell?
Master 1 (well, almost one, he's one is 3 weeks) is just a delight, almost walking, almost talking, almost sleeping, almost almost almost. He follows his big brothers around with a look of determination that belies his teeny tiny size.
And us? Mr and Mrs Failsafe? Mr Failsafe is a mid-thirties professional, working long yet flexible hours in an office in the big smoke. Mrs Failsafe is an early thirties ex-teacher, stay at home mum, trainee breastfeeding counsellor with the ABA. Life is busy!
Tomorrow I'll post a bit about why we are going Failsafe and why now!
Thanks for coming on this journey with us!
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