Zucchini Apple Chai Spiced Loaf (Gluten Free, Paleo, Dairy Free)

I’m not sure what happened but there was one week when we had 4 zucchinis in the fridge. Planing got a little wrong here perhaps or I was just nervous about not having enough (?) zucchinis for our meals. I like to rotate our vegetables on a weekly basis, but somehow there are some vegetables that would frequently, if not weekly be in our shopping baskets. Asher has his moments too and at this stage, mushrooms are his favourites. We would count carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, and capsicums as staples too.  I would say that zucchinis have been a frequent occurrence perhaps in the past year or so- especially when we bought our spiraliser and have been spirialising vegetables for dinners. 

I have not made a zucchini chocolate cake yet, but have paired it with apple to make this loaf. I’m such a big fan of loaves. This, toasted with a hint of butter is delicious in the morning for breakfast. Or with a side of coffee for my 4 pm slump time. Either way, I really like loaves because they are easy to make, forgiving and makes a nutritious “bread” if we feel like having some. 

For the past 2 months or so, I have been experimenting not adding any other sweetener other than just a fruit to bakes. So far so good although I think for bakes involving cacao, some honey or rice malt is unavoidable. My stance is that if there is no need for it, then let’s not add it for habit sake.

In an ironic way, I’m also a little more relaxed when baking about the use of sweeteners. Like all ingredients, I’m seeing it as how to use it effectively. I recognise that that tsp of honey or coconut sugar is harmless mostly, if we take care of our lives in a wholesome manner. 

I have always maintain that our relationship with ourselves, food and others is evolving. Practicing being kind to self can be hard work!

Not making this loaf though. What other pairing goes well with zucchini I wonder? 

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Strawberry Banana Loaf (Paleo, Gluten Free, Nut Free) + Meal Prep

Yes, more strawberries. I told you I cannot have enough of this fruit. It was so much fun having a fruit to experiment in the kitchen. This summer will be interesting with a possible abundance of fruits that could appear in our garden. As I type, I can see flowers in our mandarin tree, lemon tree and peach (!?). Hubby has done well. We are thinking of planting strawberries and passionfruit too. I’m only good at using the produce though and all credit goes to hub. 

I have been wanting to write about how I do my meal prep for some time. I have learned that spending 1-2 hours of cutting vegetables and marinating meat over the weekend saves me heaps of time through the week. I would even squeeze in another 1 hour or two to bake or do a massive batch cook. It feels so good when a week day appears, and we just need to whip something out of the freezer of fridge and have dinner in front of us within 10 minutes. 

We like to have vegetables cooked most nights fresh or have a salads. If it is not  a stir fry, it would be roasting. That means ALOT of prep work for veggies. 

To start of:

Meal plan. I start my meal plan early. Usually by Wednesday, I would have an idea of what to cook for the next week. I would check catalogues for specials, or reply on farmers’ report to tell me what is in season. We usually do a shop on Friday or Saturday. 

Saturday afternoon:

When Asher is asleep, hubby and I would put music on and meal prep. I like a mix current pop and r&b music. Maybe even 90s. Anything that has a beat to it. 

In that photo I think I chopped

• 250 grams grams brussel sprouts 
• few beetroot
• 250 grams beans
• 2x broccoli 
• 1/2 a cabbage 
• a few carrots and maybe a bunch of baby carrots washed
• 250 grams of mushrooms 
• couple of zucchini (for more recent bakes or salads)
• 1 Leek
• silver beet for the tart (I made that tart that day)
• maybe 1-2 onions 

I have a system in place so do not mess with it. I usually chop what I am going that night first. Then moving on to harder vegetables that require soaking and draining. I like chopping broccoli and beetroot last. Then I put them in boxes, bowls and even oven trays for roasting. Everything is separated out for ease for removal for that day’s meal. 

I probably wouldn’t chop tomatoes in advance or anything that is too soft. Unless I’m making a zucchini salad, I find that they don’t last as long. For chinese cabbage, I like to do it the night before OR i schedule cooking it on a Sunday night. 

With that done, I’m usually relaxed. I like doing it on a Saturday so that Sunday afternoon is spent at parks or playgrounds. Here you go. That is what my fridge looks like after a Saturday of chopping (and I have big fridge!) 

As for baking, I like to whip out quick items. This strawberry banana loaf is done in a food processor. Quick and easy. 

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American Pumpkin Scone (Clean Eating, Gluten Free) + Enjoying moments

One of the things having Asher taught me, is to appreciate the moments

The moments where he turned my face towards him and smile

Where he helped me packed his clothes away (translate to throwing his folded clothes into his basket = pile of mess)*

Stirring the bowl as we create breakfast or snack bars together

He recounted his steam engine train experience

Our library trips

Reading

Singing in the car

And as a family

Heading outdoors and having a sit down lunch, facing the pond on a sunny spring day. Followed by kicking/throwing the ball and catching bubbles. 

Family meals. Talking about our day and how our food tastes like.

Exploring new cafes

Walks and more walks around our neighbourhood

Dancing and singing to “bob the builder”, “Wheels on the bus” “ABC”

Doing family chores together (i.e. folding clothes, putting clothes away, hanging them)

Chatting

Hubby and I

Chilling over a cup of tea and fruits when Asher is in bed

Enjoying a good cup of coffee

The quiet conversation we can have when Asher falls asleep at the back of the car or when he is taking a nap

Watching a movie at home (Thanks to apple TV!)

By myself

A shower

A workout

A drive to any where by myself

Creating something/any thing 

I am a planner. I dislike wasting time and like to have my days and weeks schedule. This include weekends and public holidays. Over the past 2 years, I have also learn that you can be a planner and appreciate the moments. After all, life is not about the next moment always. It is about the journey. 

Take these scones. I’m researching on how to make “clean” scones at home. My grandmother used to love hers with lashes of jam and cream (more cream than anything else). Since we do not have any flour at home, it is a tad hard to make fluffy scones. I found these American versions of scones which is more like a cross between a bread and a cake. Not quite a muffin either. Asher love mixing the batter up and holding his “cake” to it. So it is not quite a proper English version but a very happy experimental one that contains great protein to boot. No complains with what he is eating here!

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Raw Coconut Chocolate Brownies (Raw, Vegan, Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

So Asher discovered chocolate. 

He whispered “chocolate cake” the other day when I asked what would he like for morning tea. That reply reminded me of why I should not ask him what he wants but just offer him some options instead. 

So we made brownies. Raw ones that goes into the food processor and he can eat via the spoonful. I made a version before using coffee but given that coffee is one that we do not want asher to try, we had to sneakily eat it. This one, was adapted so if he has a square, it would be alright. 

Interestingly, it only works with coconut milk. I find that almond milk or normal milk just doesn’t give it the right texture. Perhaps coconut milk gives it a creamier taste. I had to freeze half a batch though. For many reasons including portion control and not snacking on a whole heap of them at once. The other, is that I can show Asher an empty box and said “finished” when in actually fact there is half of it left in the freezer for hubby’s snack. (sneaky sneaky!) 

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Blueberry Coconut Pancakes (Paleo, Gluten Free, Clean Eating, Nut Free, Dairy Free) + Asher’s list of favourite foods

“What are your favourite foods Asher?”

• Pancakes
• Blueberries
• Nuts (more on that later)
• Mushrooms
• Custard
• Raspberries
• Strawberries 
• Watermelon
• PANCAKES

He rattled off a list. 

Hubby was saying that was what Asher said in one of their conversations. I was impressed. Not just that he can remembers all those food items but he was able to understand the question and rattled off foods that he does get excited when they are given to him. 

Pancakes are his current thing. We make pancakes mini size. My understanding is that they are similar except pikelets are thicker. Of course since we do not have flour in our pantry, we use coconut flour. After some experimentation, I like this ratio of coconut flour and eggs best. 

For some reason, Asher does not like nut butter. A pity because I LOVE THEM. I think it is the sticky feel that he isn’t a fan of. He has also grown to like nuts which is a big horror to me after reading and knowing that whole nuts are a no no to kids due to it being a possible choking hazard. It reinforces how he copies our eating habits as he knows I always have a small box of nuts in my handbag! 

One of my ways of getting some great protein into him is using nut butter in pancakes. In my pantry we have jars of nut butters. Cashew, almond, ABC and dare I saw it… peanut. Yes peanut is a legume and it is not “paleo” but we love it and believe that we can have some of it if it sits ok with us. We do choose a brand without any other ingredients. 

I love these pancakes because I can make a big batch and fridge or freeze them. On my work day mornings, Asher will eat them without a fuss and they are easy to re heat. On some Fridays or Mondays, we make them together. He loves whisking the eggs and seeing me our the batter into the pan. An activity that 1) helps him to learn cooking/measuring/counting, 2) bonding between us, 3) he eats it, 4) less fuss on work mornings! 

Killing 4 birds with one batch of pancakes. 

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Lemon Pistachio Cakes (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Clean eating, Paleo) + Life as a working mum

My mind ticks and turns. I have this list of things running in my head all the time. 

Having said that, working 3 days seem to be working for us. We dropped some other commitments and I find that the “long weekend” I have with Asher is working. How do I know?

• We are starting to get into the groove of weekend bulk cutting/cooking
• I’m falling into the routine of when to do certain household chores like clothes folding and general cleaning
• I can focus and work those 3 days, yet feel that I have time with Asher

Of course there are weeks where it feels a little more tiring than usual. Hubby commented that he notices that by Thursday, I look shattered. I may look that way but it is also a sense of relieve that I get to spend that wonderful full day with Asher on Friday. We have pj mornings where we stay in doors, get some household chores completed but we would also draw/paint or create something in the kitchen. Sometimes I would make pancakes which apparently is his favourite food at the moment! 

These lemon pistachio cakes were created during one of those friday mornings. Since I love cooking and baking, I can’t help but want to involve Asher in it. Sometimes he is very enthusiastic and wants to beat the eggs up or fold in ingredients. Other times he can be curious and want to know what each item is. There are also times where he prefer to do his own thing and leave me to my own devices. 

I used almond milk but feel free to use usual milk or a water down version of coconut milk if you like. I love pistachios. In chinese they are known as “Happy Fruit”. They are pretty expensive though and I use it sparingly. 

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Paprika Pulled Beef (Gluten free, clean eating, paleo) + Other advantages of bulk cooking

How many times can you “pull” a meat? Many I think! I spotted this gorgeous looking chunk of brisket at the butcher and could not resist myself. It was like the meat was calling for me. I wondered- would it be rendang? or perhaps pulled beef. Hubby pipped up that we have not tried making pulled beef before and the challenge came on! 

Many recipes out there called for the beef to be smothered with bbq sauce. We do not like those sauces as it often has fillers and plenty of sugar in it. Instead we marinated the beef with paprika and made sure the sauce was filled with fresh tomatoes and garlic. I did use some bacon to add flavour. The cinnamon may appear odd but it adds to the sauce for sure. 

 The 1+ kg brisket was enough to feed 5 meals. Three dinners and two lunches. It was awesome. Why? It saves time, electricity from cooking and that means when I’m tired, I know there is some pretty lovely tender pulled beef waiting in the fridge for us. Bulk cooking, I realised, provide other benefits too. We do less washing in the week, and the kitchen remains cleanly for longer. That means we can spend post dinner time doing more fun things like reading stories and having a longer bath time. 

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Asher’s 2nd Birthday Construction Theme Party (Paleo, Clean Eating)

Finally a chance to record what we did for Asher’s birthday. This year has gone particularly fast and it seems like yesterday when we had Asher’s 1st birthday bash. 

What a contrast a year made. Last year, Asher was shy and a little shell shocked. This year, he had fun and greeted almost everyone at the door.

We noticed that he has an interest in all things that has wheels. With a few construction sites on the way to swimming and shops, he is frequently pointing out to us what those construction vehicles are. With that in mind, we decided to throw up a small party featuring construction! 

Last year, we threw a party and catered for around 60+ people for lunch. This year, we hosted an afternoon tea for 30 adults and 10 kids. We kept the menu simple but with a range that would hopefully suit everyone. Once again, I decided that we would have food that we would feed our family usually and avoided adding any menu items with refined sugar and minimally processed ingredients.

The best thing about it being a construction theme is that everything is as rustic as it can be. Very much our style 😉 It was definitely home made! For our decorations, we kept it simple and had balloons with a “Happy Birthday” sign across the play room. The sign was on when we hosted an early joint birthday celebrations with mothers’ group and we kept it there! We found a $7 flag banner with pictures of trucks from spot light, and got a roll of yellow/black tape as a border decoration from Bunnings. All in all, decorations plus the take home goodie bag costed us around $100. 

For our savoury items: 

Sweet Potato Frittata 

Vietnamese Smoked Salmon Roll with zucchini, avocado and carrot 

Miso Chicken Nibbles 

Sushi

Popcorn that we popped ourselves

Cheese platter 

 

For our sweets

Lemon Tart – A walnut and date crust with a lemon custard on top, Tapioca Kueh which an Auntie made, Fruits and banana dipped in my home made chocolate and toasted coconut.

Apple and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Yogurt and Dark Chocolate Coconut Ganache

I was most proud of the cake because other than the cream cheese, it was pretty much paleo, clean and healthy. With only 6 tsp of honey for a 3 layer 9 inch cake + 14 cupcakes, it tasted sweet with the apple and carrot combined. The whole cake was GONE by the end of the party. Looking at pininterest for decoration ideas, all I did was to place 3 small construction figures on the cake with some home made chocolate chia cookie crumbs for decoration. Looking at the photos, I could have done a better job with the frosting- perhaps frosting a layer first, chilling it before placing a thicker layer on it. Lesson learnt 😉 

The cheeky boy was very much in love with all his party and that’s all it matters!

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Tender Beef Cheeks Curry with Silverbeet (Paleo, Clean Eating, Gluten Free)

I have recently discovered that Asher does not mind having a little kick in his food. I found that out accidentally when I did not realise that the soup I gave him was a little spicy. It did not faze him at all and he had 3 bowls of it. 

Gradually, I started incorporating more heat to our food. If I cook a curry, we might give him the chicken without the sauce. I might even put a pinch of paprika powder in our casseroles. He seems to enjoy it, which we are pleased about. 

Having some beef cheeks on hand, I decided to make a curry paste to cook it with. There are times that I look at a proper recipe but most of the time, I just blitz up whatever I have on hand with some curry powder, spices, lemongrass and curry leaves. This time round, I actually took measurements! 

The curry powder I have on hand is a mild one. So with it, I added a pinch of chill powder. That provided a gentle kick, to which Asher- who does not eat a lot of beef, gobbled it up. I do realised that if we purchase grass fed good quality beef and lamb, Asher would have more of it. I guess children do know the difference after all! I think I over did the cheeks a little. It was really falling apart and hardly kept it’s shape. Doesn’t matter to Asher though! I loved it when a plan comes together. 

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Chorizo Lamb Kale Soup

The cold is starting to set in. The mornings and nights are chilly but in the day, it’s actually quite pleasant. While most people dislike the cold, I’m neutral. I love what it comes with- cosy blankets, hot drinks, boots, sweaters and most of all the comfort food. 

I love soups. For many reasons. The biggest one is that it is easy to make a big pot that will lasts a long way. Two dinners and sometimes, even for 2 lunches. Plus, it is usually quick to whip up provided we have some stock in the freezer. I love letting it simmer on the stove, or in my pressure cooker. We do not own a slow cooker (as I’m an appliance hoarder!) but I would imagine that it is an useful tool setting up to “cook and forget”. 

In our household, we seem to prefer chunky soups with a bite. Not only that, we like having red meat in it. I think with the pressure cooking or slow cooking, the meat seems to just melt in your mouth. We find that Asher seem have a little more red meat if it is in the form of a soup too. 

Whenever we have a lamb roast, I tend to keep the bones. Adding to the pot would be some celery leaves, carrots, tomatoes, and whatever that is left in my fridge really. Bay leaves, pepper corns and perhaps some herbs from the garden are all added to the pot. Simmer in my pressure cooker for 1-2 hours and I let it cool. I tend to separate it into 2 cups each or in ice cubes for cooking. I used to purchase packet stocks but I have since realised how much more cost efficient- not to mention it is a good use of bones that are left from roasting. I do the same with chicken frames- I freeze them after making a roast, and often have a few slow brewing away or in my pressure cooker. I tend to make stock once a month depending on how much soups or pressure cooking we do. 

Chorizo is a favourite in our household. Ever since we found Eurochef, we never buy any other kind of chorizos anymore. They do use pink salt as the preservatives but that’s pretty much it. I love that it is handmade and all natural. In fact, we do most of our shopping at the local Manning Road Markets. Local and fresh! The way we love it. 

I had some left over pesto and drizzle some over it. It was truly divined. And bowl of comfort. After a long day of work, that was what I crave for. Simple food. 

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