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!!!

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!

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!!!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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?

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.

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:

After years of not having white bread the boys and Mr Failsafe are loving it!
Me? I'm not so sure.

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/