So, being very procrastinatey and lazy, I froze the leftovers in ice cube trays to have on hand whenever the mood takes me. I'm thinking another pasta dinner, dip with rice crackers, beans and celery sticks, as a sandwich spread, anything really!!!
Friday 4 April 2014
Planning ahead
We had this pasta dish for dinner over the weekend (big hit by the way, very yummy, read review here) and the pesto recipe made about twice as much as I needed to marinate the chicken.
So, being very procrastinatey and lazy, I froze the leftovers in ice cube trays to have on hand whenever the mood takes me. I'm thinking another pasta dinner, dip with rice crackers, beans and celery sticks, as a sandwich spread, anything really!!!
So, being very procrastinatey and lazy, I froze the leftovers in ice cube trays to have on hand whenever the mood takes me. I'm thinking another pasta dinner, dip with rice crackers, beans and celery sticks, as a sandwich spread, anything really!!!
Thursday 3 April 2014
Anzac Biscuits
Adapted for the Thermomix from Sue Dengate's recipe in Fed Up
Anzac Biscuits
Makes 18-20
125g butter
50g golden syrup
2tsp bi carb
1tsp boiling water
200g rolled oats
150g plain flour
50g sugar
Melt butter and golden syrup together at 50C, 5mins, Sp 2 (or until melted, time will differ depending on room temperature, temperature of butter etc)
Add combined bi carb and boiling water and mix 2sec, Sp 4.
Add in remaining ingredients and mix 5sec, Rev, Sp 4.
Roll into balls and flatten slightly onto lined baking trays. Bake at 160C for approximately 15mins until lightly browned.
Tips:
I have started doubling this recipe as my boys devour it.
You could increase the sugar if your family are used to more processed, packaged foods but as we are coming to Failsafe from a low-fructose, no-refined sugar diet my children are used to their treats being less sweet than the usual.
What the family says:
I made a batch of these biscuits each day on the weekend and neither batch lasted the day!!!
A very popular, easy to whip up biscuit!
Wednesday 2 April 2014
Elimination Diet - The first week
So we're now almost a week into our Failsafe elimination diet and it's going well. I've been cooking a lot more snacks, biscuits, muffins etc, as before we started the diet the boys would just go and help themselves to a piece of fruit or two. Before we started the elimination diet a batch of biscuits (Anzacs for example) would last 3-4 days and I'd ration them out. Now I'm lucky if they last one day!!!
I've also noticed a big reduction in our shopping bill, we would easily spend $50 a week on fresh fruit and vegetables. It seemed very strange to be filling the trolley with food we wouldn't normally eat, white sugar (instead of honey or rapadura), wheat flour (instead of coconut flour, buckwheat, quinoa etc), canola and sunflower oil (instead of coconut or macadamia oils).
As I've said before, we're not coming at this from a standard, packaged food diet. We have long been eating whole foods, making most of our foods from scratch and buying lots in bulk through coops (I currently have an unopened 5l bucket of coconut oil sitting in my store cupboard. I've since learnt that coconut products are very high in salicylates ... oops!!).
Behaviour wise, we've had a rough couple of days while everyone detoxes. The boys have been great in terms of not eating the foods they used to eat. No major tears or upsets over not having something (apart from Master 2 crying because he wants sultanas, but he's two and doesn't really get it.)
But about everything else, it's like walking on eggshells around here. Master 6 has been the worst, getting super cranky with his brothers, angry and frustrated with both of us grown ups when we call him out on being mean or bossy. If things don't go his way then it's the end of the world! Master 5 hasn't been too bad, but there have been snappy moments and major tears and yelling.
Both big boys have big, dark circles under their eyes, not sure what that is about, but Master 6's arrived straight after lunch on Day 1 and haven't gone anywhere.
Concentration (which is a big thing with Master 6 at school) hasn't changed much, but it's early days. I'll be having chats with both the big boy's teachers this week to let them know what we're doing and why, and also to ask them if they can keep an eye on any changes they see. I'm confident that they'll stick to only eating the food I send for them as the school has a strict no sharing policy and they are well supervised at eating times.
We only have four more days until school holidays and then the real fun will start - sticking to the diet while attending birthday parties, playdates and movie outings!!!
I've also noticed a big reduction in our shopping bill, we would easily spend $50 a week on fresh fruit and vegetables. It seemed very strange to be filling the trolley with food we wouldn't normally eat, white sugar (instead of honey or rapadura), wheat flour (instead of coconut flour, buckwheat, quinoa etc), canola and sunflower oil (instead of coconut or macadamia oils).
As I've said before, we're not coming at this from a standard, packaged food diet. We have long been eating whole foods, making most of our foods from scratch and buying lots in bulk through coops (I currently have an unopened 5l bucket of coconut oil sitting in my store cupboard. I've since learnt that coconut products are very high in salicylates ... oops!!).
Behaviour wise, we've had a rough couple of days while everyone detoxes. The boys have been great in terms of not eating the foods they used to eat. No major tears or upsets over not having something (apart from Master 2 crying because he wants sultanas, but he's two and doesn't really get it.)
But about everything else, it's like walking on eggshells around here. Master 6 has been the worst, getting super cranky with his brothers, angry and frustrated with both of us grown ups when we call him out on being mean or bossy. If things don't go his way then it's the end of the world! Master 5 hasn't been too bad, but there have been snappy moments and major tears and yelling.
Both big boys have big, dark circles under their eyes, not sure what that is about, but Master 6's arrived straight after lunch on Day 1 and haven't gone anywhere.
Concentration (which is a big thing with Master 6 at school) hasn't changed much, but it's early days. I'll be having chats with both the big boy's teachers this week to let them know what we're doing and why, and also to ask them if they can keep an eye on any changes they see. I'm confident that they'll stick to only eating the food I send for them as the school has a strict no sharing policy and they are well supervised at eating times.
We only have four more days until school holidays and then the real fun will start - sticking to the diet while attending birthday parties, playdates and movie outings!!!
Tuesday 1 April 2014
Recipe Review - Chicken & Pesto Pasta
As part of a regular blog post series I'm going to start reviewing some of the Failsafe recipes I find around the place. I'll let you know how they went, what the family thought of them, how difficult/easy/time consuming they were and any changes I did make or would make next time.
First up is Domestic Diva's Pesto Chicken in the Varoma.
I used 500g chicken and 300g spiral pasta and it was enough for all of us, plus Mr Failsafe and Master 6 to have two serves each. There is also a small serve of leftovers in the fridge.
First up is Domestic Diva's Pesto Chicken in the Varoma.
What I changed from the original:
In an effort to save washing up I added more water to the bowl when steaming the chicken (about 1kg, I didn't measure) and then at the end of the 20 minutes steaming, added the pasta to the remaining water in the TMX bowl and cooked on Varoma, 8min, Rev, Sp Soft. This was a bad move as there wasn't enough water left so we ended up with very gluggy pasta.
To salvage the pasta I scooped out the less gluggy stuff from the top and mixed it together with cream and chicken in the Thermoserver.
I used 500g chicken and 300g spiral pasta and it was enough for all of us, plus Mr Failsafe and Master 6 to have two serves each. There is also a small serve of leftovers in the fridge.
What I'd do differently next time:
Next time instead of cooking the pasta in the water underneath the chicken I will cook as per instructions and then once the chicken is cooked through I will put it and the cream in the Thermoserver. While that is keeping warm I'd cook pasta in the TMX as per instructions in the EDC.
What the family said:
It was a big hit!!! It was all eaten without even a thought of getting a photo, sorry!
Mr Failsafe and I loved it, I wasn't expecting to get so much flavour from celery! It felt like a very grown up dinner, but one that the kids loved too.
Mr Failsafe and Master 6 had two serves each, Master 2 ate his whole bowl and Master 5, who is notoriously fussy at dinner time, especially with pasta, ate the whole thing! He cleaned his bowl!!! Very exciting Mummy and Daddy moment!
Next time instead of cooking the pasta in the water underneath the chicken I will cook as per instructions and then once the chicken is cooked through I will put it and the cream in the Thermoserver. While that is keeping warm I'd cook pasta in the TMX as per instructions in the EDC.
What the family said:
It was a big hit!!! It was all eaten without even a thought of getting a photo, sorry!
Mr Failsafe and I loved it, I wasn't expecting to get so much flavour from celery! It felt like a very grown up dinner, but one that the kids loved too.
Mr Failsafe and Master 6 had two serves each, Master 2 ate his whole bowl and Master 5, who is notoriously fussy at dinner time, especially with pasta, ate the whole thing! He cleaned his bowl!!! Very exciting Mummy and Daddy moment!
Monday 31 March 2014
Meal Plan Monday
I'm a meal planner from way back, I find it saves time, money and stops us from eating the crap that goes along with it being 5pm and having nothing organised for dinner.
In the lead up to going Failsafe I have been planning, baking and reading huge amounts about what we can and can't have. I'm going to be relying on my Monday Meal Plans to get me through and have us really stick to the diet. So here's our first full week, not much variety in terms of school morning teas and lunches but hopefully enough to keep them happy.
Monday
Breakfast: Oat porridge with maple syrup (TMX)
Morning Tea: Jelly cups, cheesey muffins, fresh green beans
Lunch: Wraps with chicken, lettuce and cream cheese
Dinner: Steak, mashed potato, green beans, cabbage
Tuesday
Breakfast: cereal of choice (wheat bix or rice bubbles) with yoghurt and fresh pear
Morning Tea: Anzac biscuits, fresh pear
Lunch: Sandwich of choice (cream cheese, cashew butter, pear jam, lettuce)
Dinner: Chicken and green bean risotto (TMX)
Wednesday
Breakfast: Dippy eggs and soldiers (TMX)
Morning Tea: Cheesey muffins and green beans
Lunch: Wraps with chicken, lettuce and cream cheese
Dinner: Pasta and meatballs
Thursday
Breakfast: cereal of choice (wheat bix or rice bubbles) with yoghurt and fresh pear
Morning Tea: Jelly cups, potato crisps, raw green beans
Lunch: Sandwich of choice (cream cheese, cashew butter, pear jam, lettuce)
Dinner: Beef casserole with mashed potato, green beans, cabbage
Friday
Breakfast: Oat porridge with maple syrup (TMX)
Morning Tea: Anzac biscuits, fresh pear
Lunch: Sandwich of choice (cream cheese, cashew butter, pear jam, lettuce)
After School Party: Cupcakes with 'lemon' icing, white choc chip biscuits, lemonade to drink
Dinner: Something easy after being at a friend's birthday party, probably eggs and toast
Saturday
Breakfast: cereal of choice (wheat bix or rice bubbles) with yoghurt
Rest of the Day: Mr Failsafe and I are attending a wedding so the kids are spending the day with my parents. I'm just going to take a whole heap of food over and write out what they can eat. Fingers crossed it goes well!
Sunday
Breakfast: Pancakes with maple syrup and whipped cream
Lunch: Probably some sort of pasta, will see how we feel on the day
Dinner: Roast chicken, roast potatoes, green beans, cabbage
In the lead up to going Failsafe I have been planning, baking and reading huge amounts about what we can and can't have. I'm going to be relying on my Monday Meal Plans to get me through and have us really stick to the diet. So here's our first full week, not much variety in terms of school morning teas and lunches but hopefully enough to keep them happy.
Monday
Breakfast: Oat porridge with maple syrup (TMX)
Morning Tea: Jelly cups, cheesey muffins, fresh green beans
Lunch: Wraps with chicken, lettuce and cream cheese
Dinner: Steak, mashed potato, green beans, cabbage
Tuesday
Breakfast: cereal of choice (wheat bix or rice bubbles) with yoghurt and fresh pear
Morning Tea: Anzac biscuits, fresh pear
Lunch: Sandwich of choice (cream cheese, cashew butter, pear jam, lettuce)
Dinner: Chicken and green bean risotto (TMX)
Wednesday
Breakfast: Dippy eggs and soldiers (TMX)
Morning Tea: Cheesey muffins and green beans
Lunch: Wraps with chicken, lettuce and cream cheese
Dinner: Pasta and meatballs
Thursday
Breakfast: cereal of choice (wheat bix or rice bubbles) with yoghurt and fresh pear
Morning Tea: Jelly cups, potato crisps, raw green beans
Lunch: Sandwich of choice (cream cheese, cashew butter, pear jam, lettuce)
Dinner: Beef casserole with mashed potato, green beans, cabbage
Friday
Breakfast: Oat porridge with maple syrup (TMX)
Morning Tea: Anzac biscuits, fresh pear
Lunch: Sandwich of choice (cream cheese, cashew butter, pear jam, lettuce)
After School Party: Cupcakes with 'lemon' icing, white choc chip biscuits, lemonade to drink
Dinner: Something easy after being at a friend's birthday party, probably eggs and toast
Saturday
Breakfast: cereal of choice (wheat bix or rice bubbles) with yoghurt
Rest of the Day: Mr Failsafe and I are attending a wedding so the kids are spending the day with my parents. I'm just going to take a whole heap of food over and write out what they can eat. Fingers crossed it goes well!
Sunday
Breakfast: Pancakes with maple syrup and whipped cream
Lunch: Probably some sort of pasta, will see how we feel on the day
Dinner: Roast chicken, roast potatoes, green beans, cabbage
Sunday 30 March 2014
I'm back!
So after failing miserably the first time around (thus the tumbleweeds blowing around here) we're back to it and doing it properly this time. No cheating, no "special occasion" excuses (we have a couple of friend's parties coming up), just 4 full weeks of the strict elimination diet. We are still having dairy and wheat/gluten though.
Master 5 is now Master 6 (soon to be Master 7, where did that time go?). He is still struggling with his emotions, he swings from the sweetest boy in the world to massive emotional, screaming meltdowns. He is a bright boy, struggling to concentrate at school and is often away with the fairies, staring out the window. I'm hoping that his moods will settle and his concentration will improve.
Master 3 is now Master 5 and in his first year of prep. He is an excitable, loving, sweetheart but isn't suited to the school environment. So far everything is going well for him but once they transition away from a somewhat play-based environment to more traditional classroom I am worried about how he'll cope.
Master 2 is just one big bundle of energy!!! He, like most two year olds, is constantly on the go!!!
So, I'm hoping that by going Failsafe we can figure out what the triggers are and get some answers.
Master 5 is now Master 6 (soon to be Master 7, where did that time go?). He is still struggling with his emotions, he swings from the sweetest boy in the world to massive emotional, screaming meltdowns. He is a bright boy, struggling to concentrate at school and is often away with the fairies, staring out the window. I'm hoping that his moods will settle and his concentration will improve.
Master 3 is now Master 5 and in his first year of prep. He is an excitable, loving, sweetheart but isn't suited to the school environment. So far everything is going well for him but once they transition away from a somewhat play-based environment to more traditional classroom I am worried about how he'll cope.
Master 2 is just one big bundle of energy!!! He, like most two year olds, is constantly on the go!!!
So, I'm hoping that by going Failsafe we can figure out what the triggers are and get some answers.
Monday 14 May 2012
Meal Plan Monday
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.
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.
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