Gluten Free Crepes (TMX, DF)

Gluten Free Crepes

500g rice milk (or any kind of milk)
80g brown rice flour
60g tapioca starch
60g maize flour
40g rice bran oil
4 eggs
sprinkle salt

mix on speed 5 for 20 seconds (scrape down bowl if needed)
rest for 30 minutes

lightly spray frypan with cooking spray before cooking (you shouldn't need to spray it more than once or twice) and heat over medium heat. using a soup ladle pour batter into the middle of the pan then swirl the batter around to cover the bottom of the pan. cook for 3-4 minutes until nearly completely cooked through, then flip. cook for 1 more minute and serve.

makes 20

rora and geoff have theirs with maple syrup, emelia has hers with nutella. i like mine with lemon juice and sugar but had mine with an orange and around a cup of blueberries cooked for 2 mins in the microwave *drool*

3 weightwatcher pro points each, or 11 for 4 :)

Menu Plan - Fast Start(ish)

this week's menu plan is a little different. Weight watchers have brought in a new plan called the Satisfaction plan that supposedly combines the best of the core and points plans (it's about eating more of the foods that keep you satisfied, high fibre etc etc). the problem for is that i hate counting points! luckily they have kept the core plan (now called 'simply filling') so i can keep doing it, but i'm still going to give their "Fast Start" a try - sort of lol

fast start is a week of meals designed to give you a quick entry into what satisfaction is all about. some people have lost heaps of weight doing it apparently. i dont think i will lose anymore than normal (and i already lose quite a lot on the weeks i do lose, usually between 1-2kg at a time) as it's very similar to the sort of food we eat anyway. they do provide breakfasts and lunch ideas too, but the thought of having to buy for and prepare 7 different breakfasts and 7 different lunches just gives me heart palpitations lol so i'm just stickign with my usual thermomix banana porridge (though i'm gradually decreasing the quantity) and will make up 2 of their salad suggestions to have 2-3 days (the lentil salad we had at christmas is one)

there's quite a lot of chicken in this week because apart from it being geoff favourite meat, we don't really eat seafood so i had to replace two seafood meals. i also need to swap out some gluten food such as cous cous etc:

steak and (cous cous) probably amaranth or maybe mashed cannelini beans with cherry tomato sauce and avocado salad

spag bol (last night's)

crumbed chicken fingers with potato wedges

some sort of meat (originally fish but chicken makes it too similar to the meal above, maybe lamb or beef balls) and chips with greek salad

lemon chicken stir fry and rice

roasted vegie pizza

vegetarian noodle stir fry (with rice noodles)

lunches will be the lentil salad and also a salad nicoise for a few days each.

will let you know how the weigh in goes ;)

Lentil, Vegie & Feta Salad

a brand new recipe from the weightwatchers satisfaction plan, this looks utterly delicious!

this quantity serves 1

1/2 cup canned brown lentils
2 tabs canned baby beets, chopped
1/2 lebanese cucumber, diced
3 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tabs red onion, finely diced
1 tab balsalmic dressing (i will have to check this for gluten and substitute if necessary)
30g reduced fat feta
small handful baby rocket leaves

combine
serve with multigrain roll. can also add chicken breast or shaved ham



(quantity for 6
2 cans brown lentils, drained
1 can baby beets, chopped
2 lebanese cucumbers, diced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, finely diced
6 tab balsalmic dressing (i will have to check this for gluten and substitute if necessary)
180g reduced fat feta
1 packet baby rocket leaves

TM31+++

breakfast this morning was what i am calling TM31+++ bread ;p I made it so it fitted into my core plan which allows for 2 slices of wholegrain bread per day without using points.

i made the basic TM31 bread recipe, which is made by milling whole wheat (i use organic) in the thermomix. i upped the amount of it from 100g to 170g and then reduced the plain flour by that amount. i then added in approximately 1/4 cup each of a 7 grain mix i have, sunflower seeds, pepita seeds and poppy seeds.

when i mixed the dough i did it all on reverse so the seeds weren't chopped to smithereens :D it was very nice with some bacon and baked beans for a core plan friendly breakfast...



if you haven't already found me on facebook go check it out ! one more person and my feeds will go live (or something lol)

Vegetarian Nachos (weight watchers)

Vegetarian Nachos

Serves 4

Not quite as yummy as ‘real’ nachos, but heaps quicker and easier to make.
Use any flavour of rice crackers.

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tspn garlic, chopped
¼ tspn minced chilli
400g can diced tomatoes
450g can refried beans
100g shredded cheese
2 x 100g gram packets rice crackers – pizza or tomato salsa flavour
Sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 200’c.

2. Coat a pan with cooking spray, heat and add the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Stir in the tomatoes and beans. Heat through.

3. Arrange rice crackers over 4 flat over proof plates (or use one large oven dish). Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Top with the bean mixture. Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and serve.

Introduction

crazy i know, but i decided to start another blog (like i don't spend enough time online already) - i'm hoping it might get me a bit more inspired with food.

i USED to be great with food, in the kitchen. pre-kids this was. now i just resent it (until i get in there usually). on the other hand i'm trying (TRYING) to save money by cooking as much as i can, and reducing the number of pre-prepared food we have in our lives to reduce preservatives etc etc.

we buy organic F&V, that started because i wanted them home delivered and didn't want to have to pick what i wanted (http://www.organicexpress.com.au/) and then became hooked on the taste and freshness of organic F&V. i now buy some from organic express and as many things as possible from Choku Bai Jo in North Lyneham, which is run by the same people who have a stall at the local farmers market (which is too hard for me to get to) and is super cheap. sometimes the produce has only been picked that day too!!

i try to menu plan, but get bored with it easily lol

i have a cookbook addiction which i have severely curbed - i can't afford them and i rarely use them for anything other than inspiration! last count i had nearly 70 books - have sold some since then but also acquired more *blush*

in the kitchen i love gadgets and atm my favourite is my thermomix which i talked dh into buying last year. i don't use it much for cooking whole meals (though he does) but more for preparation and i am addicted to my fruit porridge every morning which tastes like heaven with way more calories than it has LOL

i had to fill my empty freezer so during the past weekend (after i recovered from being sick last week) i made several snacks for the kids:
chocolate chip cookies with oats and rice bubbles in them (i couldn't find any recipes so just kind of invented one based on this one which i hadn't been all that excited by, and this one (cna't find it now, will add link later) which i also wasn't excited by LOL
fruit truffles based on the thermomix vitality truffles (i used almonds and added cocoa)
apple muffins

tonight i'm trying to use up what's in the fridge as we're going away for the weekend so i'm planning to make pasta with a sauce based on a weight watchers recipe - with bacon, and grated zucchinis and carrots in a tomato base:

low fat pasta sauce:
finely dice 1 onion, fresh garlic (i used 4 cloves!) & bacon with all fat removed
fry lightly in a pan
add in grated zucchini and carrot
fry lightly until softened
add in diced tomatoes (fresh or tinned) and herbs if desired. (i like a little salt too)
cook until ready LOL (depends how much time you have)
and serve over pasta eg: penne