Chicken and Spinach Fritters

I love a good fritter! Crispy, crunchy, salty and savoury. Yum.

The good thing about fritters is that they are a great budget meal that is kid friendly too. Use up your leftover meat and veg and make them stretch further.

These Chicken and Spinach Fritters are a bit different to your regular flour/egg/milk fritter and the texture is amazing – crispy and crunchy on the outside and soft and cheesy in the middle.

If you like lots of flavour, add some herbs, spring onions or garlic but they are nice and plain for kids as they are.

Inspired and adapted from this recipe at Natasha’s Kitchen.

Chicken and Spinach Fritters

gluten free, nut free

500g organic chicken mince

1/2 cup gluten free plain flour

2 eggs, whisked

1/3 cup mayonnaise (homemade or choose a good quality one)

1 cup grated tasty cheese (watch out for additives)

1 cup shredded spinach

1/2 tablespoon Herbamare or good quality salt to taste

black pepper to taste

cooking fat/oil

This is what you do:

Whack everything in a bowl and mix it up well.

Heat a cast iron frypan over a medium to medium high heat with your choice of fat or oil.

Just make sure you use about two to three tablespoons so the fritters don’t stick.

Add about 1/4 cup scoops of chicken mixture to the pan.

Cook for around three minutes and then flip and cook another three minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Keep fritters warm until you have cooked them all.

Serve with homemade roasted tomato sauce and a big green salad.

This mix makes around 10-12 fritters.

Good quality mayonnaise without seed oils is hard to find unless you make it yourself. I use this one as it uses olive oil and some other amazing ingredients that are good for you!

My whole family thought these fritters were really tasty. You could add in some finely diced leftover vegetables or experiment with different cheeses too.

These fritters are really nice cold, so make a few mini ones for the lunch box the next day.

If you make them, take a photo and show me on Facebook!

Peanut Satay Chicken Wings

I have a love affair with satay!

How good are those flavours?? We quite often have satay stir fries or noodles for dinner.

I was inspired by a recipe at Taste and decided to try my hand at making a peanut sauce marinade on some chicken wings for a budget and kid friendly dinner.

If you can’t have peanuts, use any other nut butter you have – cashew would be perfect!

Peanut Satay Chicken Wings

Vital Stats: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, grain free

Serves 4

Okay this is what you need:

8 large organic chicken wings

1/3 cup organic peanut butter

1/3 cup organic coconut cream

2 tablespoons organic tamari

1 lime juiced (about 2 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons fresh turmeric, grated

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

2 -3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon coconut sugar

HOT TIP: Use coconut cream in a can that has a BPA free lining like this one.

Okay so this is what you do:

Mix all ingredients except the chicken wings.

Add the chicken wings to the mixture and marinate overnight or for a few hours.
Preheat the oven to 200°celsius.

Place the wings on a rack on top of a tray and cook for 30-40 minutes or until brown and cooked through.

The marinade will form a crispy crust on the wings. Droooool!

You can also cook the wings in all the marinade in an oven proof dish if you like.

Serve the peanut satay chicken wings with some coconut rice and an asian salad or stir-fried vegetables.

HOT TIP: When marinating chicken pieces, I always slash the skin in a few places with a sharp knife so the yummy flavours penetrate through to the meat.

If your kids are little, they might like smaller pieces, so cut the chicken wings into three pieces, discarding the wing tip (use it for broth). These smaller serves also work well as for nibbles for a party or bbq.

They are also delicious cold so make extra for the lunch boxes.

What do you think? Will you give them a go?

What is your best budget meal for the family?

What’s so bad about 2 minute noodles and what to eat instead

August 25, 2015 · 42 Comments

What’s so bad about 2 minute noodles and what to eat instead

This article was prompted because my son was introduced to those 2 minute noodle bowls (in styrofoam) at a school camp a few months ago. He came home and bought one from the corner shop as a quick snack. He knows they are not that great (without me having to tell him), but convenience and taste were winning out. On this occasion I did stop him from pouring boiling water into the styrofoam, I made him put it into a bowl!

It’s a whole other article about my teenagers and how their independence has influenced their eating habits so I will tell you about that another time!! Once I started really looking at what was in these noodles though, I was shocked. I knew they were bad but this was particular food was something I really didn’t want to compromise on. We found some alternatives they were happy with and that I would provide with my money, not theirs and now everyone is happy!

So today, I thought I would share with you what I discovered about those 2 minute noodles and let you know about some better alternatives.

Okay so what is wrong with 2 minute noodles?

Well, here is an ingredient list for just one type of these noodles, Maggi 2 minute noodles as sold in Australia (you can find all the products and ingredients on their website).

Noodle Cake: Wheat flour, vegetable oil (antioxidant 319), salt, mineral salts (508, 451, 501, 500), vegetable gum (412).

Flavour Mix Sachet: Iodised Salt, Maltodextrin (Contains Sulphites), Flavour Enhancers (621, 635), Flavours (contains Wheat, Soy, Celery, and Sulphites), Mineral Salt (508), Onion Powder (contains Sulphites), Vegetable Fat (antioxidant (320)), Colours (Tumeric, Caramel III) (Contains Sulphites), Parsley Flakes, Spices.

What I am not loving:

♦ Vegetable oil – this could be anything from GMO canola to unsustainable palm oil and the noodle cake is deep fried in it, so it’s been heated to a toxic level.

♦ Antioxidant 319 – also known as butylhydroquinone. The Chemical Maze by Bill Statham (seriously, everyone needs this book) gives this a sad face. It’s recommended to be avoided because: carcinogenic in high doses, may be associated with birth defects, acute neuro-toxic effects in animals, prohibited in food for infants.

♦ Salt (this isn’t going to be a healthy salt, but a heavily processed white salt)

♦ The mineral salts and vegetable gum are not too bad, but they can cause abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea if consumed in large amounts.

♦ Iodised salt is a refined salt with added iodine (probably synthetic)

♦ Maltodextrin may be GMO and contains sulphites. Sue Dengate, author of Fed Up says “Sulphites have been associated with the full range of food intolerance symptoms including headaches, irritable bowel symptoms, behaviour disturbance and skin rashes but are best known for their effects on asthmatics.”

♦ Flavour Enhancers. The number 621 is MSG. This gets a sad face from The Chemical Maze. The range of problems is extensive! Heart palpitations, pins and needles in the upper limbs, bronchospasm in asthmatics, restlessness, irritability, dizziness, migraine, depression, nausea, tingling and numbness. Prohibited in food for infants. Number 635 is also a sad face and should be avoided by people with asthma. Other problems include unbearably itchy rash, swelling of the lips and tongue, headache, allergic reactions, behavioural problems, heart palpitations, sleep disturbance. Prohibited in food for infants.

♦ Antioxidant 320 is also known as butylated hydroxyanisole – it is banned in some countries and is petroleum derived. The Chemical Maze has two sad faces on this one. It’s problems include suspected respiratory, endocrine, skin, liver, immuno and neuro-toxicity, headache, DNA damage, recognized carcinogen, wheezing, asthma, insomnia, fatigue, depression, chronic urticaria, wild life and enviro toxicity. Prohibited in foods for infants.

♦ Caramel 111 (or 150c) is also given a sad face by The Chemical Maze. It is also referred to as ‘ammonia caramel’ and may affect the liver, may cause gastrointestinal problems and is prohibited in food for infants.

Wow, are you shocked? That’s a chemical cocktail right there in a noodle packet!

The other issues to consider are the interactions of consuming all these toxins together and also the cumulative effect in the body. The Maggi brand is also owned by Nestle, a company I try to avoid supporting due to their unethical practices. A few months ago, Maggi noodles in India were also found to have excess quantities of lead and msg.

Okay, so what are the alternatives?

I know that 2 minute noodles are a quick and easy option, very cheap and kids generally love them. However, in light of the above information and depending on how often your family eat 2 minute noodles, you may want to start swapping over to something better.

Look out for plain rice noodles, brown rice noodles or soba noodles. Learn to read ingredient labels and look for ones with minimal ingredients and no additives. Try the Spiral Organic brand – these are usually great quality.

Flavourings:

Okay, so the flavouring sachet is arguably the biggest problem in terms of additives, so what can you use instead? My kids usually just use a knob of butter and a sprinkle of Herbamare (sea salt with veggies and herbs) or sometimes just fresh parmesan cheese.

You might want to provide a few options and see which ones the kids like best. Add in some cooked veges, meat or egg to make your noodles a complete meal!

You can also use:

♥ Dehydrated Bone Broth powder(yummo)

♥ Miso paste

♥ Nutritional yeast flakes

Do your kids like 2 minute noodles? Do you have alternatives to share with us?

Princess Pikelets

June 11, 2015 · 67 Comments

Today on the website, I am thrilled to be able to share a healthy pikelets recipe with you from the lovely Amy Crawford, health and wellness practitioner and founder of the online wellness hub The Holistic Ingredient.

Princess Pikelets

Vital Stats: gluten free, dairy free, nut free

Makes 40 small pikelets.

You’ll Need:

1 ½ cups buckwheat flour

1 cup tapioca flour

2 tablespoons coconut flour

2/3 cup milk of choice (coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk etc)

3 tablespoons raw honey

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Pinch sea salt

Coconut oil for frying

Method:

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs. Sieve the flours into the bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, ensuring no lumps in the batter.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Spoon dessertspoons of the mixture into the pan. Cook for 1 minute or until bubbles form. Flip and cook for less than a minute or until golden. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more coconut oil as required.

Eat warm with Jammy Raspberry Goo or store in an airtight container for 5 days.

Jammy Raspberry Goo:

You’ll Need

1 ½ cups raspberries, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons chia seeds

3 tablespoons rice malt syrup

Seeds of one vanilla pod

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Use a fork to mash up the raspberries. Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of one hour or overnight. Store the jam in a sterilised airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. Spread between pikelets.

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free Muesli Bars

January 21, 2014 · 50 Comments

This is such an easy and tasty recipe that is perfect for lunch boxes.

I guess they aren’t really ‘muesli’ bars as they don’t contain oats! But you can certainly use oats instead of quinoa if you like.

Quinoa (pronounced KeenWah) is incredibly nutritious – it’s very high in protein. Combined with all the seeds and eggs, these bars will have you fuelled up and ready to go!

HOT TIP: You can use any combination of dried fruits,nuts and seeds – as long as the mixture you add to the eggs equals 5 cups.

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free Muesli Bars

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, dairy free, nut free, refined sugar free

Okay, so this is what you need:

1/2 cup organic quinoa, dry

1 cup dried apple

1 cup organic sultanas

1/2 cup dried organic figs

1/2 cup organic sunflower seeds

1/2 cup organic pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/2 cup organic shredded coconut

1/4 cup organic chia seeds

1/4 cup organic sesame seeds

3 organic, free range eggs

2 tablespoons organic maple syrup or honey (optional)

2 teaspoons organic ceylon cinnamon

2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract

Hot tip: choose organic dried fruit where you can, as it doesn’t contain preservatives.

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 160° celsius. Line a slice tray with a non-toxic baking paper.

Rinse the quinoa really well (I soak for a bit and then rinse). This is really important as quinoa has a bitter saponins that coat it and need to be removed.

Cook the quinoa in a saucepan with 1 cup of filtered water. It will take about ten minutes. You will know it’s cooked because it becomes translucent.

HOT TIP: Make extra quinoa and store it in the fridge or freezer. It’s fantastic added to a salad or used instead of rice.

Cool the quinoa right down (you don’t want scrambled eggs)!

Chop the apple and figs. You can use the food processor or thermomix to do this.

Mix all the ingredients together well. I like to get my hands in and give it a good massage!

Press it firmly down into the slice tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked.

I cover the slice halfway through the cooking time with some baking paper so it doesn’t burn on top.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing with a bread knife into bars.

These freeze really well, so make a double batch and you will always have some on hand!

Makes about 12 large bars.

Want more?

Check out my 10 Healthy Muesli Bar recipes.

Supercharged Pizza

September 9, 2013 · 147 Comments

This amazing Supercharged Pizza recipe today comes from Lee Holmes and her new book, Supercharged Food for Kids.

Lee is a natural, new age mum, certified holistic health and wellness coach and a qualified wholefoods chef with a certificate in food and nutrition. She was also this year’s over-all winner of the BUPA Health Blogger Award. Her first book, Supercharged Food is one of my all time favourites. Her new recipe book is all about the kids!

The recipes are based on real, whole food that the kids are going to eat! She has converted favourites like pizza, nuggets, pasta and desserts to be super healthy. You will find recipes that are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free and sugar free, which cater for so many allergies.

As well as the recipes, Lee also provides loads of tips on how to remove sugar and processed food, a top ten nutrient army, eating for special diets and allergies, packing and presenting a creative lunchbox, a bunch of tips for busy families, a chapter on sneaking super foods into everyday kids’ meals and information on mood and concentration, energy, performance and squad food.

There are 90 cool recipes including, Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, Pirate Muesli Bars, Cacao Bomb Crackles, Cheesy Mini Tartlets, Crunchy Chicken Drummers, Rice Crispy Bars, Zoo Poo, Watermelon Ice pops, Gluten Free Pita Pockets, Savoury Breakfast Muffins and lots, lots more.

This e-book is fabulous for any parent looking for fun, easy, healthy recipes that their child will actually eat. Get them browsing with you and checking out what they would like to try. I mean seriously, what kid is not going to want to make Zoo Poo??????

I know you are all going to love this book! I thought it was so great that I joined Lee as an affiliate to help her spread the word. Click here to get your copy! You can instantly download the PDF which comes with e reader versions for your mobile devices, e book readers and kindle.

Okay, now for the food!

Supercharged Pizza

Vital Stats: Grain free, gluten free

Okay, so this is what you need:

Approx 1 1/2 cups finely ground almond meal

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Topping:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

105g oven-roasted tomatoes (we substituted fresh pineapple chunks)

2/3 cup grated full fat cheddar or goat’s cheese

1/2 cup chopped ham (no nitrates or additives)

sprinkling of dulse flakes (optional)

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 220°C and lightly grease a pizza pan or large baking tray. For the pizza base, put 1 1/2 cups of almond meal in a large mixing bowl, add all the other ingredients and mix until you have loose dough. If it feels wet, add a bit more almond meal and work with your hands until smooth.

Shape into a ball. Cut the dough in half and roll each portion out into a thin circle of about 15 cm, working from the inside out in a clockwise motion. Add more almond meal if it becomes too sticky. Place the two bases side by side on the prepared baking tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and spread with tomato paste, leaving a 1 cm border of dough uncovered. Scatter the cheese, ham and tomatoes (or pineapple), over the top, and sprinkle dulse flakes. Return the pizzas to the oven for another 7-10 minutes, or until glistening and crispy.

My tips: I made the base in the thermomix – just grind your almonds first, add the other ingredients and mix on reverse for a few seconds to combine it all.

Both my kids loved this pizza recipe (actually we all did). What I like most is that it really fills you up – you only can eat one or two pieces at a time! The base is so tasty and I think it would work well on it’s own with a drizzle of olive oil to serve with soup. Make up extra bases while you are there and freeze them, uncooked. You may never order another takeaway pizza again!

Healthy Macaroni Cheese with Veggies!

June 8, 2013 · 14 Comments

Macaroni Cheese is such a childhood comfort food and it tastes pretty good too!

I came up with this version which is a little more healthy and choc full of hidden vegetables. It tastes really good.

Healthy Macaroni Cheese with Veggies!

Vital Stats: gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, egg-free, nut-free

Okay so this is what you need:

1 litre organic milk

100g cornflour

100g organic butter

1 cup organic cheese, grated

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

500g gluten-free pasta shapes

3 handfuls of organic baby spinach

2 cups of lightly steamed organic vegetables, diced (I used carrot, broccoli, corn and zucchini)

Herbamare or salt and pepper to taste

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Preaht your oven to medium, about 180° celsius.

Put the pasta on to cook in a pot of boiling water and follow directions on the packet.

While that’s cooking, make your white sauce (if you have a thermomix, use the bechamel sauce instructions on page 58 of the EDC cookbook).

If you are making it the old-fashioned way, melt the butter, add the flour and stir until it’s well combined and coming away from the side of the saucepan. This ‘roux’ takes about one minute. Remove from the heat and add milk gradually. I like to use a whisk to get out any lumps. Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring or whisking all the time until it thickens. Add the grated cheese and whisk in. Cool down.

Puree the spinach in a blender or thermomix and add to your white sauce.

Drain the pasta well. Add the white sauce and the vegetables and combine thoroughly. Add seasonings to taste.

Put into a greased lasagne dish (or two) and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until the macaroni cheese is warmed through and the cheese on top is brown and melted.

Serve with salad on the side.

Notes:

This recipe makes a lot so feel free to halve it or to make it and use over two nights.

The photo doesn’t show it well, but it is a really nice light green colour.

If you would like to make this recipe dairy free, use this delicious dairy-free white sauce from Quirky Cooking.

Using nutritional yeast in place of the cheese gives it a lovely cheesey flavour and is dairy-free.

To save time, I used leftover steamed vegetables in this recipe. Make extra the night before.

Okay, so that’s my natural new age mum version of macaroni cheese! I hope you (and the kids) enjoy it.

How do you make macaroni cheese?

The BEST home-made chicken ‘nugget’ recipes from bloggers!

July 6, 2012 · 14 Comments

As part of my campaign – Just say NO to nuggets! – I wanted to share with you some of my favourite ‘nugget’ recipes from some of my favourite blogs!

Vegie Smugglers – Baked Chicken Nuggets

Wendy from Vegie Smugglers makes these yummy nuggets by marinating them first and then tossing in the crumb mixture and baking in a hot oven. She serves them up with a pumpkin dip and spinach to make a wrap!

Help! Mom’s on a Health Kick – Oat and Basil Chicken Nuggets

Yani from Help! Mom’s on a Health Kick has some fantastic recipes to share. This chicken nugget recipe is oven baked and uses oats as a crumb with loads of flavour from basil and garlic.

Queen of Quinoa – Gluten-free Popcorn Fried Chicken

Alyssa from Queen of Quinoa makes a home-made version of ‘popcorn’ chicken. This oven-baked recipe uses cornflakes and coconut as a crumb and paprika and chilli for flavour.

Quirky Cooking – Healthy Fried Chicken Strips

Jo from Quirky Cooking is well-known for her super-healthy recipes! This healthy southern fried chicken recipe is dairy free and gluten-free!

Health Food Lover – Buckwheat Crusted Cajun Style Chicken

I couldn’t resist adding this one in from Michelle at Health Food Lover. It’s grown up chicken nuggets for mums! Crusted in buckwheat flour and using spicy cajun flavours, this is a great recipe for when you feel like something a little more exotic!

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Thank you to all the wonderful foodie bloggers for sharing their amazing recipes with us!

Remember – Just say NO to nuggets!

Chicken and Vege Bombs – Healthy Chicken Nuggets

May 28, 2012 · 35 Comments

Just say NO to nuggets!

I am back with another recipe to make your own chicken nuggets and ditch those nasty processed chicken nuggets.

This one was inspired by a recipe I saw at Taste.com.au.

What I am loving about this recipe:

* It’s so quick and easy! Get the cherubs to help you.

*It’s perfect finger food for babies and toddlers as it makes really soft nuggets that are easy to chew!

*It’s easy to make your own versions – use finely chopped leftover cooked veges, swap the veges to corn, pumpkin, broccoli – whatever! Got some leftover rice? Chuck that in too!

*It’s gluten-free and dairy-free.

*It sneaks in some veges!

*It tastes yummy!

Okay, so this is what you need:

500g organic or free range chicken mince (or make your own in the thermomix)

1 small organic carrot

1 small organic zucchini

1/2 small organic onion

1 small organic garlic clove

1 tablespoon homemade tomato sauce (or relish/chutney/mustard/pesto)

2 teaspoons organic Herbamare

1 organic, free-range egg

2 teaspoons dried parsley (or use one tablespoon of fresh)

3-4 large slices of wholegrain bread (I used gluten-free)

oil for spritzing

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Put your oven on to 200 degrees celsius. Whack some baking paper on a large baking tray.

Whizz the bread in your thermomix or food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate.

Grate the zucchini, carrot, onion and garlic very finely (or chop really finely in your thermomix/food processor).

Squeeze out all of the moisture of the vege mix – if you don’t the mix will be too sloppy! Keep the juice to chuck into soups/stews/stock.

Mix all ingredients, except the crumbs, with your hands – this bit is fun and a little therapeutic!

Roll small balls of the chicken mixture and then roll in the breadcrumbs. They are a little soft, but they will firm up when you cook them.

Place on the tray and spritz with oil (I use macadamia oil in a glass oil spritzer – cooking spray has lots of nasties!).

Fling your bombs into the oven and cook for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how big you made them. Serve them with whatever you like – my kids enjoyed the leftovers cold the next day in a salad wrap with mayo!

Make up a double batch and freeze the chicken and vege bombs uncooked. You will always have a quick, healthy option for the kids on standby!

You might also want to check out the other recipes in my campaign to ‘just say NO to nuggets’.

Make it. Come back. Tell me what you think!