Clean Fried Rice

A hit with my children and i! Dont think you have to cut out the family faves, just switch them to healthy :)

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

1 cup brown rice (can also use cauliflower 'rice' or quinoa)

Meat of choice (i switch between prawns, shredded chicken & chicken/turkey mince or you can simply omit meat for a vegetarian version!)

1 onion, chopped

1 capsicum, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup of frozen corn

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 cup cauliflower, chopped

Any other vegetables you like :)

Herbs/spices (i use garlic, oregano, chilli, salt and pepper)

3-4 tablespoons of tamari

1 tablespoon olive oil to cook

Method

1. Cook rice/quinoa as per directions on packet. If using brown rice, drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.

2. Place oil and herbs/spices in a large frypan or wok. Heat up and place onion, capsicum and carrot in. Cook for 2-3 mins then add meat.

3. Add cauliflower and broccoli. Cook for another 3-4 mins or until meat is cooked through

4. Add all other ingredients and cook for 1-2 mins

5. Add rice/quinoa and heat through.

6. Serve!

School Lunches Part 1

Well its that time of the year again, nearly time for school to start! 

I believe healthy kid's lunches and snacks are ESSENTIAL; they need healthy filling food to keep their energy up and their brains going! There are too many children at kinder and schools who dont eat enough (if any!) fruits, veggies and whole grains.
After school has started i will post part 2 of this blog post, with more ideas and photos but here is a list of what will be going in my not-so-little man's lunchbox! Recipes with '#' next to them are in my e-book. If your school has a nut ban, just omit nuts :)

• A sandwich made with rye bread. NO butter or margarine, unnecessary fat/preservatives for a teeny tiny bit of extra taste. Use avocado instead if you like :) Fillings will depend on your child's taste but my son's faves are:
• Low fat ham/turkey, low fat cheese, grated carrot and lettuce (& any other salad you or you child like!)
• Hard boiled eggs and lettuce
• Cheese and vegemite (vegemite isnt 100% clean but my kids still have it in moderation)
• Low fat ham, low fat cheese and tomato
• Natural peanut butter (found at the health food section of the supermarket or health food shop)
• A low fat ham/turkey and salad wrap made with a rye wrap

 Some snacks could be:

• Quinoa Veggie Muffins #
• Veggie Frittat
• Greek yoghurt (i drizzle a little bit of agave/honey/vanilla essence in mine and mix)
• ANY fruit & veggies; apples, strawberries, oranges, mandarins, grapes, peaches plums, carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber... or anything else you child likes. Can also send some clean dip
• Nuts
• Sultanas (these are quite high in natural sugar so possibly not the best for everyday)
• Coconut balls #
• Banana bread #
• Clean crackers #
• Clean muffins #
• Clean cheese and vegemite scrolls
• Home made muesli bars
• Wholemeal rice cakes with vegemite/low fat cheese/tomato/avocado

Roasted Maple Syrup Buckwheat

Buckwheat isnt actually wheat, they are a fruit seed! Great in greek yoghurt, in home made granola or just by itself!

Ingredients 

2 cups buckwheat groats (i got mine from our local health food shop)

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (you could also use honey or some other liquid natural sweetener but maple syrup is my fave)

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees celcius and line a flat tray with baking paper

2. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix very well

3. Spread buckwheat evenly over tray

4. Bake for around 20 minutes, turning 2-3 times. Keep an eye on them every few minutes until they are ready because they can burn quickly. Time will depend on your oven. They should be golden brown and crunchy. Allow to cool and store in a jar!

Choc Nut Truffle Slice

I had no idea what call this arvo creation i made today... But choc nut truffle slice it is! It has a similar texture to my coconut balls for those who have made them :)

Ingredients

1 cup almonds plus an extra 1 cup

1/2 cup cacao

1/2 cup dessicated coconut 

1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups dates (soak for at least an hour in 1-2 cups of water)

3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

(If you want it more 'chocolatey' add an extra 1/4 cup of cacao, if you want it more sweet, add 1/2 cup of extra dates and a tablespoon extra of maple syrup; taste the mixture at step 6 and adjust accordingly!)

Method 

1. Place 1 cup of almonds in food processor/blender and blitz until a meal/flour consistency

2. Pour into a large bowl and add cacao, coconut and chia seeds and mix well

3. Place the other cup of almonds in processor and blitz a few times until they are broken up; you want pieces/chunks of nuts this time, not all flour! Place in a separate bowl.

4. Place soaked dates and water into food processor and mix until smooth

5. Pour date paste into bowl with all other ingredients and mix well

6. Pour almond pieces into mixture and fold through. 

7. Pour into a lined tray and spread evenly. Press down. Place in fridge overnight to set!

 

Hidden Greens Smoothie

If you have trouble getting greens into your little ones, or even yourself, then this is the smoothie for you! Can't see or taste any greens and it also has lots of hidden extras :)

 

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 cup almond/low fat milk

2 cups spinach

1 frozen banana, sliced before frozen 

1.5-2 cups of blueberries (could also use strawberries)

3 tablespoons of chia seeds (white or black is fine)

A handful of almonds (optional)

Could also add 1-2 tablespoons of maca or mesquite powder, a few teaspoons of stevia to make it extra sweet for kiddies, or even spirulina powder for extra greens :)

Method

1. Place milk and spinach in blender and mix until all combined

2. Add nuts (if using) and chia seeds and mix until all smooth

3. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth again! If the smoothie is too thick, you can add some cold water, or if its too watery and you want it a bit thicker, add a few more slices of frozen banana :)

 

 

Detox Green Smoothie

Flush out your body after some un-clean food or a big weekend with this simple detox smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup of water

1-2 cups of kale or spinach

1/2 a banana

1 green apple, cored and cubed

Juice of 2 lemons

3-4 ice cubes

Method

1. Blend water and kale/spinach first, until smooth

2. Add remaining ingredients until smooth!

Clean Spaghetti Bolognese

Keep everyone happy with a feed of clean spag bol!

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 packet of wholemeal or slim pasta (can also use home made zucchini noodles)

250g of beef/chicken/turkey mince

1 onion

1 capsicum

2 cups spinach

5-10 mushrooms

1 tin of organic tinned tomatoes

Garlic

Olive oil

Oregano, parsley, cayenne pepper, chilli, whichever suits your tastes!

Grated low fat cheese to serve, optional

1. Put olive oil in saucepan and cook meat, onion, capsicum and garlic until brown. Add tinned tomatoes, mushrooms & herbs and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta as per packet directions.
3. Add spinach to meat mixture.
4. Serve with extra spinach on top and/or low fat cheese!

Clean Coconut Balls

Hard to believe these are clean and hard to stop at one ;)

Ingredients

2 cups of almonds (can also use walnuts)

2 cups of dessicated coconut + and extra 1/2 a cup to roll balls in if desired

2 cups of dates + a cup of water (soak for an hour or 2 to make them easier to blend/process)

1/2 cup cacao

Can also add a few tablespoons of chia seeds or a few tablespoons of superfood powder! (i love mesquite and maca)

 Method

1. Pop almonds into food processor and blitz into almond meal (can leave some almond chunks in if you like, i do!) Pour into a big bowl and stir in coconut and cacao.

2. Place dates and water into food processor and blend until smooth. Can add more water if you need to, it should be like a slopy paste, doesnt matter if its a little more on the liquid side of things :)

3. Pour into bowl with other ingredients and stir well. Can add some coconut oil if too dry, or more coconut if too wet

4. Roll into balls and roll in coconut. Can also roll in cacao, or leave plain. Pop them in the fridge for a few hours, preferably overnight to set!

Quiche Cups

A hit with the kids too, great for lunches and snacks!

 Ingredients

10 egg whites
2 full eggs
1 cup of light grated cheese
Rye wraps or wholemeal tortillas cut into squares (size will depend on your muffin tins, they will need to cover sides of tin)
Any grated/finely chopped veggies you like, i used onion, capsicum, zucchini, carrot and broccoli. Light ham or finely shredded cooked chicken would taste great too!

Method
1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Whisk eggs in a large bowl.
2. Place your chosen veggies and cheese in the bowl, mix well. Season with salt/pepper/herbs of choice, i used rock salt, pepper and garlic
3. (If using tortillas) Put squares in the microwave for 10 secs or until just warm (so they are more flexible, rye wraps should be flexible enough already)
4. Press squares into muffin tins and spoon egg/veggie mixture in. Place in oven and cook for around 15-20 mins, or until egg mixture is set and edges of wrap are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool! Store in sealed container in fridge

Banana Date Oats

I always try to switch up my oats, here we have banana and date!

 

Ingredients

1/3 cup oats

 1 cup almond/low fat milk
Half a banana, chopped
4 dates, chopped
1 teaspoon stevia

Method
Place everything in a microwave safe bowl (let soak for 15 mins if you have time, makes the oats easier to digest) then put in microwave for 1-2 mins until hot, serve!