E is for Eggs and Edamame

There seems to be massive gaps between my blog posts, I have been super slack, I actually had the photos all ready to go for this one last week but haven't been able to find the time to sit down and actually write it, so here goes...

April was my 'fly free' month for the year with no trips away planned for a change, but it was still so busy! I had my mum, sister and a friend here for a week, and we shopped and shopped and shopped, and also managed to squeeze in a show, and a winery tour out to the Yarra Valley - highlight was definitely the homestyle cooked lunch and wine at Seville Hill, followed by some grape stomping action at Whispering Hills.

I finished another round of the 12WBT last week, with minimal physical changes, but I have learnt to manage my eating better - diet coke is not the answer if I'm hungry and craving sweet! I think we all know what is good and bad for us but sometimes need to be reminded. One thing that I eat heaps of these days that tends to have some myths associated with it is eggs - while some say they are high in cholesterol and fat, and they actually do contain these things, but in the form of polyunsaturated fats. In other words, the types of fats you should be eating rather than things like butter. The whites are also the purest form of protein you can find in food, plus they have a number of other vitamins and minerals. So eat your eggs! I am a massive fan of omlettes or poached for brekky, but for something a little different this time I tried sous-vide style eggs - cooking at a lower temperature for longer which aims to keep the food more flavorsome and evenly cooked. Well worth the one hour wait, these were so creamy and delicious. I used my thermomix but theres plenty of online recipes for using your stove top, but it might be harder to regulate your temperature.

Sous-Vide Eggs

(adapted from Themomix Recipe Community)

5 eggs
2 litres water (I used 1 L boiling, 1 L warm tap water)

Boil 1 L water in your conventional jug. Add to TM bowl with 1 L warm tap water.

Place the whole eggs (in shell) on he basket basket and place into the TM full of water.
Cook at 60degs / 60min / speed 3.

Crack the eggs over your toast, pouring them out like raw ones.

I have another 'E' food that I really want to share - Edamame. So tasty! These are a really delicious and easy snack from the frozen section at the Asian grocers, you may have seen them on sushi trains, in Japanese restaurants and the like. I have a bag in the freezer so i can put a handful in the microwave with some water, then sprinkle with salt and serve. YUM!

C is for Cacao, and Cruising back home, AND D is for Date

I spent a week at home in New Zealand relaxing for a week, hanging with family. Sometimes the best holidays are the ones when you do a whole lot of not much - this was definitely one of those. J and I spent the better part of a week hanging out in Levin, which is a tiny town in the south of the North Island, population of about 20,000, and not a whole lot going on, so we just hung out with my Nana, weeded her garden, cooked and baked - including a VERY indulgent Banana Cake (from my newly inherited old school Edmonds cookbook, with the quantities in pounds and ounces <3<3<3) with Chocolate Buttercream frosting and whipped cream filling. We also a couple of day trips, as well as having a few nights in the capital city Wellington to complete our week away.

One highlight was definitely the trip over the hill to Martinborough for the day. I was in wine and cheese heaven! If I was to go back I would stay at least a night here and adventure round a little more - you can hire bikes in the town to get around the vineyards and the town centre is so cute. We had lunch at Alana Estate, visited a couple of other wineries, then had some more local wine and cheese at Village Cafe in Martinborough, before visiting my favorite winery of the day - Loop Line in Opaki, small vineyard that produces a delicious drop.

But now, back in Melbourne, reality, the 12WBT (which has been a bit of a fail this round), and this blog... I am only up to 'C' and its already April, I figured I better get cooking and writing, so have also combined 'D' in this post...

Cacao (raw chocolate - YUM) is high in antioxidants (around 4 times the amount of cocoa powder!), has many cardiovascular benefits, AND its an aphrodisiac! There are some great cacao recipes you can try here.

Fresh dates are available in most supermarkets in the produce section. Medijool dates are a good source of fiber and contain high levels of the essential minerals potassium, magnesium, copper, and manganese.

Check out the recipe below, which produces delicious little brownie bites, a combination of these 2 super foods to have with your cup of green tea.



Raw Cacao Fudge Bites
(adapted from Melissa Ambrosini)

1/2 cup walnut
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup dates
1 1/4 cups fresh dates, pitted
1/2 cup cacao powder

Whizz all the ingredients together in a food processor (Thermomix 1 minute speed 9) unitil it is in small crumbs. Press into balls or a small mould and freeze for 1 hour before serving. Store extras in the fridge to enjoy with a cup of green tea as an after dinner treat.

A is for Almond

After a week in Bali, drinking my weight in cocktails and gaining a few holiday kilos, I am ready to get back on the 12WBT bandwagon! The plan for this whole alphabet cooking thing I promised in my last post was to pick a new healthy food each post, cook with it, so starting with A....Almonds are a rich source of nutrients and are really good for you. I eat them as a snack, or with yogurt, in my smoothies, on my muesli, and also in baking. They are gluten free too, so bonus for people with allergies! This week I made pita bread using almond meal. Almond meal is available in the supermarket, or you can whizz up your own (TMX, 10 sec/spd 9). These are gluten free, low carb, and delicious - winning!

Pita Pockets

1 egg
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coconut flour (I didn’t have any so I used a tbsp of dessicated coconut TMX, 15 sec/spd 9)
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 170. Whisk egg, water and oil together (TMX 10 sec/spd 5). Add dry ingredients, mix well till a smooth paste forms (TMX 30 sec/spd 7). Pour into 2 equal portions onto a well greased sheet tray. Bake for 15-20mins. Cool on a wire rack and they will keep for a couple of days, or eat warm from the oven, served with some TMX homemade hummus (1 can drained chickpeas, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp oil, juice of 1 lemon) or tzatziki, or stuff with salad for a tasty snack or meal.

2013 and more cookies

The year has begun! I have made some resolutions and intentions for the year ahead, I have signed up for another round of the Michelle Bridges 12WBT kicking off in Feb, I am looking at doing my personal training qualification at some point during the year, and I am going to attempt my first triathlon!

But before all the crazy health stuff kicks in, here is the recipe I promised in my last post. Shortbread always reminds me of my grandparents house in Levin, New Zealand, where there always used to be a tin of this in the cupboard that Nana had baked - its deliciously creamy and so super easy to make. And only three simple ingredients you are bound to have in your cupboard.

Shortbread
(from my Nana)

250g softened butter (not melted)
125g icing sugar (raw sugar in TMX 20 seconds/Sp 10)
375g flour

Rub ingredients together in a large bowl, or for TMX, 3 mins closed lid on the knead function. Roll into a log. Slice approx 1cm thick. Place on baking tray lined with baking paper, and press down gently with a fork. Bake at 160 for 25 mins. Make sure your oven is not too hot or you will over cook the shortbread and it will go brown, the result should be a creamy colored biscuit.

20 Jan - PS I tried an AWESOME variation on these today, add 75g chopped apricots (chop in TMX for 10 secs on Sp 7) and press a square of chocolate into each before baking. Dreamy.

As for my baking and blog, I have decided on a new approach, and will cook my way through the alphabet from A - Z, starting with an ingredient that begins with A, then using a different healthy ingredient each post which starts with the next letter - so watch this space...

What's eating you?

Well, the 12WBT (for me for this round anyway) is officially over, I'm sure I will be back for another round as there is always more to learn, and I would highly recommend it. I feel like the biggest lesson I learned is that about 80% of weight-loss is what you eat - the whole "you are what you eat" thing is true! It doesn't matter how much you exercise if you still fill up on junk food. How annoying is that! Sadly it's not enough to stop my bake-fests, so never fear! And sadly I finished the 12WBT with a binge - a weekend in Adelaide visiting my friend Katy and her gorgeous little family, and drinking and eating mostly junk food for two days straight... OOPS! To be fair you can't really go to Adelaide without visiting a surrounding wine region or few - we went to just one this time around. South Australia is well known for its wine (mostly reds, but it was not a red wine kind of day),  and the hot weather took us to McLaren Vale, where we visited a really cute little brewery, Goodieson which had a delicious Pale Ale and IPA, Hugh Hamilton Wines for a tasty Rose, and Penny's Hill which had a really nice Sauvignon Blanc.

I figure since I had a binge-fest in the weekend I might as well have one more treat - the guys in the office will appreciate them tomorrow...

Raspberry Red Velvet cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow tops

(I can't take complete credit for inventing these, I got the idea from heartbreakpies blog and have made the cupcakes a few times, and even won a bake off with them at work (yes another bake off!). I have wanted to try using a toasted marshmellow topping on something for awhile - nothing like a Tuesday night home alone to try new things...)

Use my previous Vanilla Cupcake recipe but leave out the vanilla, and when up to the stage when adding the dry ingredients, mix together 1 tablespoon red food coloring (one day I will try a proper red food cake) and 1 tablespoon cocoa in a small bowl making a smooth paste. Add with the dry ingredients. Mix in TMX until just combined (TMX 10-20sec ish/Reverse/Sp 5).

Spoon into cases, add 2 raspberries to each and push in slightly. Bake for 12-14 mins, pull the cupcakes out, put the oven on grill. Place a large marshmallow on top of each cupcake and put back in the oven until the top is just toasted and the marshmallows begin to melt. This will not take long so don't walk away from the oven! Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. The marshmallows will be a little sticky until they cool.

A healthy barbeque

When I hear the word barbeque I automatically think "RED FLAG DAY" (days where you have events/drinking/over-indulgence which pretty much reverses all the hard dieting and exercising you do the rest of your week), and this weekend J and I played host - Bathurst was on (which I could not care less about) so that means VB, swearing, bogans, steak and sausages. I was determined to make sure there was some healthier options (in the interests of the 12WBT and also for me to try a few new salads out), but still keep it tasty.
The guest list was mostly boys, here for the cars, but I managed to convince a couple of girlfriends to keep me company for the 6.5 hours ish of V8's. One of them even whipped up a delish Zucchini Slice, despite J's protest that it had no place at Bathurst (I had to make she put in the bacon even though she usually leaves it out, otherwise there would have been some serious protesters).

Apart from the standard barbeque fare (chips, sausages, meat patties) I managed to sneak in some more waist line friendly options. To be honest its hard to food match with VB, and to please a bunch of boys who would rather meat and three meats than meat and three veg. But it just means that I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow...

Nibbles
Sneak some rice crackers amongst the chippies, as well as some TMX homemade hummus (1 can drained chickpeas, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp oil, juice of 1 lemon), and some carrot and celery sticks, and no one will be any wiser (much).

Kebabs
Put pretty much any vegetable on a kebab stick(pre soaked in water for about 30 mins to avoid burning the stick), with or without meat, and you are on to a winner. Even fruit. I am one of those people who doesn't generally mix sweet and savoury but whatever floats your boat (apricot chicken is just weird...). Onion, courgette/zucchini, pineapple, beef, tofu, capsicum, cherry tomato, eggplant, pumpkin, prawns. The ones I made this time around were beef, capsicum and zucchini.

Salads
I made the standard potato salad to make sure that nobody was too surprised with the options on offer, but here are a couple of (slightly modded) 12WBT salads that are super quick, easy and tasty...
1. Cherry tomatoes (halved, half punnet), roast baby carrots (1 bunch 20 mins at 180 with a light spray of olive oil and some salt and pepper), 1 can drained chickpeas, 2 handfuls mixed salad leaves, cucumber sliced thin, 150g danish feta
2. Cherry tomatoes (halved, half punnet), 2 cans drained baby beetroot, 150g ricotta, 2 handfuls baby spinach, 1 can drained red lentils

Abbie turned up and had a wee tantrum that I hadn't baked despite my last bog's claim that Sunday is baking day, and she couldn't see any baking, so I whipped up a MasterChef Extreme Chocolate Brownie (TMX recipe) served with some raspberry sauce (200g raspberries, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, bring to boil for a couple of minutes).

One last tip - avoid drinking VB, despite the fact its a BBQ. I can recommend a nice glass of vodka and soda with a hibiscus flower...

12 Week Body Transformation - Week 3 Bloggers Challenge

1. What do you think were the three most important changes you have made so far? For me, writing down what I eat every day, not just sometimes, has made me stick to the healthier options. Secondly, making my exercise a non negotiable (its something you just automatically do, like brushing your teeth!), and thirdly not beating myself up for having wine or chocolate occasionally - I have worked hard to get where I am, and if I need to it just means tomorrow I will work harder.
2. How have these changes to your food, exercise or mindset impacted on the rest of your life? Overall I am much happier and healthier, but I need new clothes!
3. What did you have to do in order to make sure these changes happened? For me the key has been sticking to my commitments, and a couple of weeks back I revisited and adjusted my goals to make them even harder so I don't get slack as the finish line comes in sight.
4. What difference have these changes made to your body transformation? By making the changes in my lifestyle, I am getting the physical changes I want from myself - I will fit back into my skinny jeans! But ironically, by then it will be summer and too hot for jeans...
5. Have these changes been hard or easy for you to make? Why? Easy - I know the difference between right and wrong, it just sometimes helps to have it pointed out to you...
6. Would you recommend others make these changes to their lifestyle too? Why? Yes - why wouldn't you, nothing frustrates me more than a person who complains about their health/weight but doesn't try to do anything about it. And I pay hefty medicare levies every year for people like that!
7. What do you think the next things is going to be that you will have to change? My summer wardrobe!

The perfect steak

The first thing J asked me when I told him I wanted a Thermomix "because it does everything, cooking, mixing, steaming, slicing and dicing", he asked me if it could cook a steak (it's funny how this is so important, I'm sure if I demoted him from the BBQ it wouldn't go down so great anyway)... well no, no it doesn't, but it does do a perfect mashed potato and coleslaw to compliment a steak!

On my last trip to the markets I purchased a whole piece of eye fillet steak (an amazing $18 per kg!), and got the butcher there to slice it up into pieces about 2 cm thick. There's probably a good 5-6 meals worth in what I got (in saying that J will eat two steaks per meal), so it stocks my freezer too.

Steak is one of those things that once you stuff it up there's no going back - you have a chewy mess.... here's what I do to avoid that

Steak, Mash and Coleslaw
(Skip the mash to make it more 12WBT friendly!)

1/4 red cabbage
1/4 green cabbage
1 green apple (quartered)
250g potatoes (peeled and halved)
125ml milk
1 tblsp butter
Salt
Parmesan -grated  (optional)
Chives - chopped (optional)
Oil spray
3 x steaks (I recommend eye fillet but whatever floats your boat)

Have your steak out (on the bench, covered) a couple of hours before you intend to cook it if possible, salted and oiled. Roughly chopped cabbage (mix red and green) and put with apple in TMX, and chop 3secs/Sp 5. Put in a bowl to the side. Rinse TMX bowl, and put in potatoes milk, butter, a pinch of salt (I always use rock salt, 1 or 2 twists with the grinder) and cook at for 25 mins/100 degs/Reverse sp 1. When the timer on TMX is at about 15 minutes, heat up your oil sprayed bbq or pan till it is searing hot.When the timer is at about 8 minutes throw on the steaks and cook for 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from heat and wrap in foil and set aside to rest. Once the potatoes are done, add the Parmesan and or chives and mix 30sec/Sp 3-4. Serve! Best enjoyed with a big glass of red wine ;)

Rising to the challenge

Into week two of this boot camp thingy and I am feeling good about it - it's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it! I have reset my goals too to make it a bit more of a stretch for me for my November 18 target (For 12WBT week 2 bloggerschallenge - my reward will be a new summer wardrobe if I meet my goals!). I also can't believe how much food you can actually eat on a 1200 calorie per day meal plan if you don't go out for dinner every night (this probably seems like a natural connection for most people, but even things like sushi and salads can be full of stuff that adds up really quickly). So the past week we have eaten every night at home - pretty sure this is some sort of record for me, we usually have at least 5 meals a week not homemade, there are so many fabulous eateries in Melbourne, we really are spoilt for choice. Some of my favorites for a quick bite include Huyen Linh in Pascoe Vale (super fresh and fast Vietnamese, not upper class but cheap and tasty), in the CBD there's Sushi Burger (self explanatory), +39 (pizzeria), and Manchester Press (pictures of boobs in your coffee, and best bagels EVER), Hellenic Republic in Brunswick (George Calombaris from Masterchef's joint, do the banquet if you are a first timer and you get to taste all the best bits)... I could keep listing but we will be here a long time. So eating at home has meant I have had to make time to do groceries and cooking, which I had a bit of a whinge about at first, but so far so good.
Also this week J decided we needed a Costco membership which I was a little against at first, but once he dragged me in there I was convinced - very much worth it! 850g punnet of strawberries? YES PLEASE! Plus lots of other things in bulk it will take a whole year for the two of us to get through, but so many bargains.
One thing that was still pretty expensive was bread - the price of bread these days is crazy, especially for one little loaf of '12WBT friendly' Burgen at around $5 (or two for about $8 at Costco). Since I got the Thermomix I have been trying to make my own. Back in the 90's it was all the rage to have a bread-maker, I used to love staying with my grandparents and waking up to the smell of fresh baked bread. This one is a little healthier and it a great way to get back into baking your own bread (if you don't have a Thermomix, get one, as you are missing out. Or just mix/knead like you would usually for bread)...

Grainy-Awesome Bread
(adapted from TMX basic bread recipe)

Makes 1 x 30cm(ish) loaf

30gm Be Natural 5 Whole Grains cereal
500gm boiling water
1 sachet dry yeast (about 2 tsps)
310gm bakers/unbleached flour
30gm olive oil
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
180gms whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons poppy, sesame, linseed, flax seeds, mixed
Olive oil spray

Put cereal and boiling water in TMX. Reverse/20secs/soft. Leave to cool until 37 degrees. Add yeast and leave for 5 minutes. Add 150gms bakers flour, oil, sugar, and salt, 15 secs/sp 3. Add remaining flour, knead/90secs/closed lid. Add a little more flour if needed. Cover the dough with a clean dishtowel and let it rest for 15-30 minutes somewhere warm. Knead on a lightly floured board until smooth, add more flour if it's sticky. Oil spray a large bowl and place the dough inside and cover with the dishtowel. Let the dough rise again until it's doubles in size (about 1 hour). Knead again on lightly floured board for a couple of minutes, then shape into a loaf. Sprinkle a baking sheet with half of the seed mixture and place the loaf on top of the seeds.Spray with water and sprinkle remaining seeds. Please in cold oven in the center. Bake for approx 30-35 minutes at 170 (fan forced) or until cooked through.

TIPS if you have a TMX - substitute 100gm of the bakers flour for 100gm of your own milled flour from whole wheat (mill for 1 min/sp 9).

12 Week Body Transformation - Week 1 Bloggers Challenge

As part of the 12 Week Body Transformation (Michelle Bridges program) I have signed up for, this was one of our challenges....
1. Describe yourself in less than fifty words. What is it you want us to know about you?
I’m 28, blonde, extremely clumsy. I love wine and food. Mostly wine, actually anything alcohol, which is often dangerous when combined with my clumsiness! I grew up in New Zealand and currently live in Melbourne, but not a day goes by where I dont miss Aotearoa!
2. This program is called a transformation. When you signed up for this round (whether is your ninth round, first round or somewhere in between) what was it about yourself you wanted to transform?
I think I know what I do wrong but I need someone to tell me again to confirm it. I also think when you pay for something you are more likely to do it haha. Its my habits, particularly my drinking, that needs transforming - the rest will just happen :)
3. One of the phrases Michelle Bridges says that has struck a chord with me is that we should be striving to be the best version of ourselves. To me that means we don’t have to change ourselves completely in order to have a successful transformation. What is it about yourself you are happy with right now? It can be related to your mind, body or soul, and of course there may well be more than one thing you are happy with.
I’m so happy and ridiculously in love with my boyfriend, everything about our relationship makes me smile - he is amazing. Although he is not so excited about the calorie counting etc on this program - but has promised his support, which is what matters!
4. What aspect of this program do you think will present you with the toughest challenge. What are you going to focus on to ensure you feel successful at the end of the twelve weeks?
Alcohol. Its empty calories. I was going to try to do the 12 weeks with no alcohol. Week 1 is up and I have had alcohol 5/7 days... not a great start. Promise to myself to do better next week! I will focus on only drinking when its a particular occasion.
5. What is it you look forward to the most in the next twelve weeks?
Seeing the results. Fitting into old clothes, getting comments from people around me. Getting into a bikini. Now theres a scary thought!

6. You’ve now completed at least three days of the program. What has surprised you the most about how you’ve coped with any challenges so far in the twelve weeks?
I had a pretty good pre-season, losing about 5kg, which was awesome! I also had the first 3 days of the program while holidaying in NZ (see pic - me, my sis and a friend - wine in hand as usual....), so was expecting to pack on the kilos but despite the pies, I stayed the same, which is good - all that snowboarding kept it off.
7. Can you describe what you want to see, think and feel when you look in the mirror on Sunday 18th November 2012.
I want to see a happy healthier me. In a bikini! With good habits and a good outlook too :)

Introducing me (and my Thermomix!)

I think I am just your average girl. I work and go to the gym (sometimes). I am blessed with beautiful friends and family. I am known to enjoy a glass of wine (or few) and be up for a night out. I never have considered myself a blogging type, but J mentioned to me a while ago that maybe I should write about one of my passions - food.... So here goes...

I have been cooking from an early age, and try to cook most nights, but Sunday is usually my day in the kitchen, I love experimenting with flavours, colours and presentation. I'm going to share with you some of my favourite recipes and secrets in the kitchen, and some of my life experiences too.

My first secret, which is not such a secret if you have had the pleasure of dinner at my place, is that I have a Thermomix. It makes my life in the kitchen so much easier. If you don't know what a Thermomix is, google it - basically a kitchen all in one (but J doesn't agree as it won't cook his steak), it chops, grinds, mills, sautees, steams, boils etc, in short the major benefit for me is it helps on two fronts - eat fresher, and cook faster. I think eating fresh is something that started from my upbringing where we ate lots of good fresh meat, eggs and vegetables straight off the farm. Fresh food just tastes better. Cooking faster is also really important as there is never enough hours in a day, and I will admit we eat takeaway far more often than we should at home (we try to pick healthier options, like our local Vietnamese noodle soup place in Glenroy), but it would be even more often if it wasn't for my Thermomix. To be honest I really should cook at home more often now, and now I have it in writing I promise I will make more of an effort - its always easier to make promises to yourself if you say it out loud (or in this case write it down)! Speaking of promises to myself, I have also signed up to Michelle Bridges 12WBT, starting in August, so there is no time like the present to get into some new habits.

My first recipe I'm sharing is  something I use in heaps of my meals - homemade vegetable stock. Making it yourself is so simple, and it doesn't have all the additives and preservatives of store bought stuff. I do mine in my Thermomix but you could cook it all up and do it in a food processor with the same result. This is a great opportunity to use up all the veges and herbs that are filling up your fridge that you use one little bit of then don't know what to do with the rest, you don't have to stick to the veges below. Also I am cooking without onion and garlic more these days as I have found they don't really agree with me, but you could add them if you prefer...


200g celery, roughly cut
2 carrots, roughly cut
2 tomatoes, halved
2 zucchinis, roughly cut
Handful of parsley
Handful of coriander
150g rock salt
1 tbsp oil

Place all vegetables into the Thermomix bowl (or chop smaller and put in a large pot large pot) and chop for 10 seconds on speed 6. Add salt and oil and then cook for 20 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1 (if using a pot, bring to boil). Pulverise by slowly turning the speed dial to speed 6 then for 1 minute on speed 9 (or blend in food processor). It will be green and very salty! This should make enough for one container for the fridge and one for the freezer (it doesn't completely freeze because of the salt), although it keeps for a couple of months in the fridge, so if you use it as often as I do you can just keep it in the fridge. 1 tablespoon concentrate it same as 1 stock cube. I use this in soups, risottos, sauces and all sorts, its a must have basic.