Leftovers anyone?
Posted: February 14, 2012 Filed under: blender bender, food 2 Comments »I have this thing about not wasting the chicken carcass. I think it such a waste of taste to throw all that yummy goodness into the scrap bucket without first boiling ‘dem bones. Stock is something I must must must have in the freezer. I can’t bear stock out of a box, carton or bag. Yesterday’s left over seasoned chicken needed my attention this morning and I was feeling in a mood for a little experimentation. I’ve had a pack of pastry in my freezer since Christmas (not the foggiest what I had planned to make) and so a pie it was.
Chicken pie inspired by Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meal of chicken and mushroom pie. Thanks Jamie!
Ingredients:
1/4 cooked chicken
Stuffing ( the key ingredient, tasty!)
Knob of butter
Bunch of spring onions fresh from our garden (happiness)
150g button mushrooms
1/4 cup peas
1 heaped tbsp plain flour plus extra for dusting
2 tsp English mustard
1/4 cup rice milk
300ml chicken stock
Thyme
Savoury pastry
1 egg
Method:
I made stock from the bones and bits of the whole seasoned chicken bought yesterday at the supermarket. And set aside the liquid. Oven turned on 200C. In a pan, knob of butter, tbsp flour heated till combined and in went the mustard. Next, the stock and rice milk (1tbsp sour cream or cream cheese would also be ok). Heated and stirred till combined.
Into the food processor went the chicken, seasoned stuffing, mushroom, thyme, spring onions. Blitz then add the liquid and peas. Sound easy? It was! I floured my dish and put mixture into then attacked the pastry with my rolling pin. The pastry has come out the freezer 2 hours before to defrost. Perfect timing. Over the top went the pastry brushed with egg. Into the oven for 25 mins.
This would feed 5 people. I served with a green salad and a splash of ranch dressing.
Are you a sweet or savoury pie person?
I have
Posted: February 2, 2012 Filed under: A new beginning 2 Comments »said this before but I am saying it again Green smoothies are the best.
They really are. My day is so much better when blended/juiced fruit and veggies are in it. Today’s concoction consists of; 4 strawberries, spinach, lettuce (all from our garden), carrots, bananas and avocado. Yum yum yum.
B + Y = Yum
Posted: January 24, 2012 Filed under: A new beginning 1 Comment »When bananas go bad and my favourite yoghurt is on special it is time bake.
Banana cake with Puhoi Valley apricot and honey yoghurt on the side.
Next time you are at the supermarket check out Puhoi Valley’s lemon yoghurt. Yum. You should. It is amazing. Really amazing. But if you are on Weightwatchers don’t! Run, run very quickly in another direction as it is 16 PP per tub. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 tsp vanilla extract
100grams butter melted (cooled)
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup choc chips – optional
Method
Preheat oven 200C
Combine sugar, flour, in a bowl. Combine egg, butter, vanilla, and baking soda dissolved in milk. Combine wet and dry and then add banana, gently mix until ingredients are just incorporated.
This recipe is just as good in muffin form.
A Noah moment
Posted: January 19, 2012 Filed under: Family life, NZ 2 Comments »Imagine yourself in a campervan next to a lake with the rain lashing against the windows while the wind howls round about you. Grateful for the solid walls of the campervan (sorry for the couple tenting next to you) you open the curtains to find the most amazing reminder of how wonderfully creative God is and that sometimes a little storm is worth being stuck in a confined space with a toddler.
Lake McGregor, Tekapo
I hear bells
Posted: November 22, 2011 Filed under: A new beginning, blender bender, changing diet, Festivities, raw foods 3 Comments »As the festive season approaches the shops are kicking their advertising and sales up a gear in preparation for the busiest, most lucrative time of year for the high street. There is something unique about this time of year, we loved it and hate it at the same time. Whether you are grinch or elf, Christmas is knocking at the door and it is time to tune your ear to the jingle of the bells.
Our family, spread from one end of the Commonwealth to the other is doing things a little different this year. My impressively talented bro in law created a secret santa website for us all to visit independently to be allocated our recipient. Big thumbs up Chris for you creativity.
I must confess to wondering who will be gifting to me this year as I scheme away at my own secret santa gift. This is so much fun and I can’t wait till the babies start to tear paper as the adults start guessing who gave what.
The fabdetox is moving swiftly along, here I am at day 6 already. I am feeling more energetic, and brighter all round.
And I leave you with a picture of a wee elf/reindeer.
A corker!
Posted: November 19, 2011 Filed under: A new beginning, changing diet, food, salad Leave a comment »Yesterday, first day of detox had me in bed by 8pm. Not entirely the result of my body detoxing, a strong nor’ west wind blew most of the day and I am prone to nasty headaches when it blows from that direction – a hot dry wind great for the washing on the line but not much else.
I am missing most my wee cuppa tea. I am a sucker for a cuppa tea at any hour of the day. Instead I am sipping on my water bottle whenever I can.
Day two and we hosted a bbq at lunchtime today. While I spent plenty of time flipping meat on the bbq I wasn’t tempted by any of the steak or pork. I was very happy with my salad and carrots to munch on. Oh yeah!
Quiet?
Posted: November 17, 2011 Filed under: A new beginning Leave a comment »It has been a little quiet round here of late but that is all about to change.
I am taking part in….
Meghan had Crohn’s. No that is not a type-o, Meghan had Crohn’s. She has healed herself and now has the awesome job of nutritionista and is helping people over the globe find their healthier self. Go Meghan! I am so excited to have this opportunity to give this bod a clean out as Summer approaches. I’ll be blogging my way through the detox, so readers let the fun begin!
Thankful Thursday
Posted: November 10, 2011 Filed under: A new beginning 1 Comment »Some days are packed with not so subtle reminders that I get to live in a beautiful part of the world.
Spring time, oh how I love the signs of hope you bring to my world
The pizza challenge
Posted: November 5, 2011 Filed under: A new beginning 1 Comment »Our pizza night was a disaster a while back and what followed was a challenge to me to make 3 pizzas and a garlic bread for NZ$15( 7.50 GBP). ”I can do that easy”, said I. In my mind thinking anyone could make pizza better than that rubbish we just ate and hopefully cheaper.
Around came the next Sunday night and I knew it was time for me to show my stuff. I even had my own mathematician on hand who kindly calculated portions of sweet potato (kumara) and the other ingredients on the blackboard. My blackboard, that is a whole other post in itself. I so love my back door/blackboard and he proved himself invaluable during the pizza challenge. But anyway, back to pizza talk.
I am not a fan of pizza but the people in my house are so I agreed to the challenge knowing I could make a healthier and hopefully better tasting pizza for them. I wasn’t so sure about doing it for less than $15 but I was sure willing to try.
Keeping track
Chicken, olive and sweet potato
Chicken and mint
Hawaiian
Mission accomplished with a few cents to spare so on went some sauce and parmesan after cooking.
Cheaper, healthier and a lot of fun. Do you have pizza night at your home?
It is Nov 3rd tomorrow and you know what that means….
Posted: November 2, 2011 Filed under: A new beginning Leave a comment »
