Chocolate Chip Granola Bar

I am always looking for homemade alternatives to buying packaged food from the supermarket. Granola or muesli bars are handy to have in the pantry either for breakfast on the go, snacks at school or whilst on the go. During the weeks leading up to start of the new school year, many recipes for lunchboxes were shared across social media. I can't remember who shared this Chocolate Chip Granola Bar recipe by Fifteen Spatulas but I am grateful I came across it. 

The granola bars of the crunchy type; not chewy which some prefer. I love the mild taste of coconut which is not overpowering. I also reduced the amount of sugar as I knew the natural taste of honey and also the sweetness from the dark choc chips is sufficient. 

Bacon Cheese and Corn Muffins

A savoury muffin for the coming week's lunch-boxes.


3 rashes of bacon, diced

1 3/4 cup self raising flour

2 cups grated tasty cheese

1 1/2 cups milk (I substitute with 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 cup buttermilk)

1 egg

60gm butter, melted

1 1/2 corn, remove kernels from cob (125gm corn kernels)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

dash of cracked black pepper

pinch of salt (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to moderate heat about 160-180C. 


2. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with baking cups. Alternatively, you can grease the tray. I find it easier to use the paper cups to minimise washing.


3. Sift flour into a bowl, add in the grated cheese, smoked paprika, bacon, corn kernels, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.


4. Slowly add in the milk, melted butter and beaten egg. Mix quickly and lightly together. 


5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin holes.


6. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.


7. Cool on wire rack.

Muffins can be freezed. Just reheat in microwave when ready to eat. 

Blueberry Muffins by Abby from Manila Spoon

I came across Abby's blog "Manila Spoon" through another blogger Linda (aka Biren) from Roti n Rice. Both Biren and Abby reside in US of A. That's the beauty of the blogging world, it knows no boundaries and many share their recipes with everyone.

Blueberry muffins are a staple lunchbox item in our home. When I found Abby's recipe, I bookmarked it to try. It is now a family favourite. The sour cream helps keep the muffins moist.

Blueberries can be expensive when not in season. I usually stock up in summer and freeze them for baking or smoothies.

You can't go wrong with this recipe.

Thank you Biren for introducing me to Abby's blog.

Thank you Abby for sharing your recipes. Much appreciated.

Meatloaf

When we visited our friends in the Southern Highlands late last year, we were served this simple yet yummy meatloaf for lunch. It was served cold but still tasted very good. It's a great meal to make for children as you can hide vegies in the meatloaf.

500gm lean minced beef
1/2 onion, chopped
handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 carrot, grated
1 small zucchini, grated
2 tbsp tomato sauce
cracked pepper
salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp BBQ sauce

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a loaf pan with baking paper.
2. Place the mince, chopped onion and parsley, grated zucchini and carrot into a medium size bowl. Add the tomato sauce, pepper and salt, beaten egg and breadcrumbs. 
3. Using your clean hands, mix until well combined. 
4. Scope the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm to touch, remove from oven. Drain excess fat.
5. Spoon the BBQ sauce over the top of the meatloaf. Cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the top is glazed. Stand on tray for 5 minutes. 
6. Slice the meatloaf and serve with beans and mashed potatoes or any vegetables. 

Foonote: Adding the vegies makes the meatloaf moist and juicy. Another option is to top the meatloaf (from step 5) with mashed potato and cheese, then back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is brown. 

Banana Date Muffins

Muffins are great for lunchboxes. There are many varieties of muffins - sweet and savoury - that are easy to make and keep well in freezer for later. I usually make muffins from what I can find in the fridge or pantry.

In our home, we don't like to eat bananas that have brown spots on them. We prefer our bananas unblemished, yes we're a fussy lot. The easiest ways to use blemished bananas are in smoothies and baking banana bread, banana cake and muffins.

I found this quick and easy muffin recipe made with vegetable oil and buttermilk. I had all the ingredients in the pantry plus 3 bananas that I had freezed last week.

A whisk and a spin, the muffins are ready to bake for 20 mins. Perfect for afternoon tea.

2 cups self raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
1 tsp mixed spice (you can reduce this)
1 cup mashed bananas (2 large bananas)
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup buttermilk **

**Buttermilk can be substituted by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to 1 cup of milk

Line a 12 hole muffin pan with baking paper cups.

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, stir in remaining ingredients.

Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin pan.

Bake in moderate hot oven about 20 mins.  For my oven, I set the temperature to 120C.

Makes 18 (medium size muffins)

Simple and Delicious Chocolate Cake (recipe by Celia from Fig Jam & Lime Cordial)

A few weeks ago, Celia who owns the blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial published a recipe for "A Really Good Chocolate Cake". I read the recipe and it looked simple. Anything that does not require the Kitchenaid mixer is simple to me.

I had all the ingredients except for unsweetened natural cocoa. I only had Nestle's Plaistowe Dutch Processed Cocoa in the pantry, but decided to give it a go.

The cake is simple delicious and light. I made the chocolate icing in the microwave, first time ever as I usually follow the method in Celia's recipe placing a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

Everyone loved the cake. It's great for morning or afternoon teas or anytime at all really. Who can say no to chocolate cake?

P.S. I forgot to take a photo of the whole cake, this was all that's left.

Zucchini Fritters

The new school year started towards the end of last week. It's back to routine and preparing lunchboxes for my two girls.

This year, I am trying to keep lunchboxes interesting to ensure my girls have enough nutrition to keep them going throughout the day. I decided to give them the responsibility to create their own list of food that they want in their boxes for morning teas and lunch. This way, it gets them involved and gives them ownership of what they eat. They have create a long list of choices which will hopefully make it easier for me to prepare.

This week, I made zucchini fritters for their lunches. I was planning to make zucchini slice, but I forgot to buy some bacon and it was too late to head to the shops. A quick search on www.taste.com.au and I found an easy fritter recipe.

Thai Beef Salad

Gradually over the last 12 months, I have been trying to reduce the amount of carbs I consume in my diet. So far, I have cut down on wheat carbs like pasta and bread. It was a challenge to cut down bread altogether as I love breads (more than rice), but I try to keep bread consumption to the weekends and will choose sourdough or rye breads. It was easy to take pasta out from my diet, but not so easy with rice. We have been eating basmati rice now for years and love the separate grains when cooked. I have not eliminated rice but have reduced the quantity that I eat. It has not been easy to make these changes; slowly it's becoming easier to choose the right options for me.

Tonight, we had steak for dinner and I turned mine into a Thai Beef Salad with Nam Jin dressing. It's easy to make the dressing:

lemon juice
fish sauce
soya sauce
sesame oil
brown sugar
chilli - chopped
garlic - chopped finely

Mix all the above together in a glass jar or bottle. Taste and drizzle over salad and steak.

For the salad, I put together salad leaves, cucumber, grape tomatoes and yellow capsicum (bell peppers). I will usually throw in sliced spanish onion as well, but I didn't have any so omitted it this time.

Simple yet fulfilling meal. I even had enough for lunch at work the next day.

It's not difficult to eat healthy, but there needs to be some planning involved to have the right ingredients in the pantry.

Back to School 2013 - Lunch box Plans

The new school year started today but my girls return to school tomorrow as today is staff development day. Books, bags, uniforms, shoes, lunch boxes and drink bottles have been labelled and ready for the new term. This year, I am trialling something new to get my girls to be more responsible and accountable for their snacks for morning tea and lunches. This means them eating their food and not bring them home at the end of the day.

I have created a weekly lunch box plan. Each week, my two girls will complete the plan with what they want to eat. In the Comments column, they must make note of any excursions etc so that I will know how to pack. The older girl has a tuckshop at school, so she will need to let me know if she's buying lunch for the day. Hopefully this approach will help them to play an active part in their lunches. I will still have finally say when I review their plan e.g. must have a piece of fruit every day and not too much junk food.

I have fussy eaters, one who likes sandwiches and the other doesn't. Makes my mornings difficult and hence, I have to be organised. A tip I learnt from other Mums is to have as much packed and ready the night before, that is, wash and fill drink bottles, pack snacks and fruits (if needed, cut them up and put them in the fridge).

Let's see how we go with this plan in Term 1.

What do you pack for your children's lunch boxes? Are they fussy eaters too or happy to eat what's packed?

Lunchbox Idea - Raspberry and White Choc Muffins

The coming week is the last week of Term 3. Over the last two weeks, I have been struggling with ideas for my girls' lunchboxes. Sandwiches are getting boring and there are no more homemade sausage rolls or curry puffs in the freezer ready to bake in the morning. I rummaged through the pantry and freezer to see what I could find. Found a bag of frozen raspberries in the freezer and a packet of white choc chips in the pantry. A quick check and I had all the other ingredients to turn these into muffins for the coming week. It's easy, doesn't require the KitchenAid mixer.

2 1/4 cups (335gm) self raising flour
1 cup (220gm) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100gm butter, melted then cooled
1 cup (250ml) milk
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup frozen raspberries
3/4 cup Nestle White Choc bits

1. Preheat the oven to moderately hot. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with baking cups.
2. Sift the flour into large bowl, add the sugar.
3. In a measuring jug, beat the eggs with vanilla extract, grated lemon rind, milk and melted butter. Pour liquid mixture into the flour and sugar mix.
4. Stir through and then add the raspberries and choc bits. Mix well but do not over-stir.
5. Spoon mixture into the baking cups. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Stand the muffins in pan for a few minutes before turning onto a wire rack.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fried Rice with Spam

Simple comfort food on a winter's day.

Zucchini Slice

An easy to make slice for lunch boxes or picnics.

3 medium size zucchini, coarsely grated
1 medium brown onion
3 rashers bacon or substitute with ham
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup oil
4 large eggs or 5 medium eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 160C.
Grate the zucchini into a bowl. On a frying pan, heat some oil, add onions and bacon; cook till onions softened and bacon is caramelised.
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix well together.
Pour into a baking paper lined tray.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in oven.

Note: halfway through baking you can sprinkle some grated parmesan and tasty cheese on top and return to oven to finish and brown the cheese. This gives it a crunchy top.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lunchbox Idea #10 - Pork Apple and Fennel Sausage Rolls

Sausage rolls are one of the favourites for lunchboxes around here. I usually make beef sausage rolls with grated vegies added in. This time, I tried a different meat, adding apple for sweetness.

300gm lean pork mince
200gm slightly pork mince
1 apple, grated
1/2 brown onion, diced
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg (to bind)
salt and pepper
1 egg yolk
puff pastry sheets

1. Lightly toast the fennel seeds. Set aside to cool.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 
3. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a small frypan, add the chopped onions. Fry till onions softened. 
4. Combine minced pork, grated apple, fennel seeds, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper into a bowl.
5. Cut the pastry sheet into half. Spoon the minced mixture in the middle of the cut pastry sheet and roll up.
6. Cut each roll into approx 6 small pieces. Place the mini rolls on to the baking tray. 
7. Place the tray in the fridge for about 10 mins to chill the pastry (this results in a flakier puff pastry).
8. Remove from the fridge and brush with egg yolk. (Optional: you can sprinkle sesame seeds on top).
9. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Serve warm with tomato sauce.
    

Lunchbox Idea #9 - All in One Quiche

Initially, we had plans to head up to Central Coast with friends today but the awful weather during the long weekend meant we had to change our plans. In the end, we ended up at the Salionas home for day of feasting. It was lovely to be indoors and our children had fun playing on their iPods, Xbox and other games (it's great that they can entertain themselves).

I made this all-in-one quiche for lunch. It's a keeper. The original recipe can be found here. Here's my version.

3/4 cup pastry mix (see note)
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 teaspoon butter, softened
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
3 corn cobs, remove kernels
1/2 red capsicum, diced
1 medium-size onion, finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1 small roast chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 3cm deep, 24cm (base) quiche dish.
2. Combine pastry mix, cheese, butter, eggs and milk in a bowl. Stir well.
3. Add corn, onion, basil, chicken, tomato, parsley, and salt and pepper to egg mixture. Mix well. Pour into prepared quiche dish. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Serve.

Note: Pastry mix is a dry mix. Look for it near the flour in your supermarket. You can also replace the chicken, with salmon or ham.

P.S. Photo will follow soon. I forgot to take photo before serving.

Lunchbox Idea #8 - Curry Puffs

It has been a while since I posted an idea for school lunchboxes. I make a mild filling for my girls. When I am in a rush or feeling lazy, I will use store-bought shortcrust pastry to save time. The puffs can be pre-made and freeze and bake later.

Pastry
240gm plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
90gm margarine
4 tablespoon cold water

Filling
200gm chicken meat, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 big onion, diced
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 tablespoons mild curry powder, mixed into a paste
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
water

1. Pastry: Rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Add water and mix to form a dough. Wrap in cling film (Gladwarp) and leave to rest for 30 mins.
2. Filling: Heat oil in pan, saute the onions, curry paste, curry leaves till fragrant. Add in the chicken meat and stir well. Add potatoes, seasoning, and cook until dry. Taste and dish up. Cool completely before use.
3. Roll pastry into 2mm thick, cut into 5cm rounds. Put 1 tsp filling onto the pastry and fold into semi-circle. Pinch to make decorative edge.
4. Bake in the oven (160C) for 15 mins. Serve hot.

Lunchbox Idea #7 - Spaghetti Bolognese

This lunchbox idea is actually leftovers from our dinner. In the mornings, I heat up the spaghetti bolognese and place them in thermal containers from Thermos. The pasta is still warm at lunch time.

My bolognese sauce is non-traditional because I like to add diced vegetables like asparagus, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and pumpkin. It's a good way to get my girls to eat their vegies.

Lunchbox Idea #6 - Chicken and Vegie Puff

Who doesn't love a warm savoury pastry fresh from the oven. Here's what I made for their lunchboxes.

1/4 spanish onion, diced
1 piece of chicken thigh, diced
Pumpkin, diced
Potatoes, diced
Sweet corn, kernels removed
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 pieces of puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

1. Heat some oil into a medium sized pan. Brown the onions until transparent, add the chicken until cook until brown around the edges.
2. Add the pumpkin and potatoes into the pan, some water and close the lid to soften the vegies.
3. When the vegies are soft, put in the sweet corn kernels and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Dish out the filling and leave until completely cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Line a tray with baking paper.
6. Cut the puff pastry into four squares.
7. Spoon the filling into the centre and fold the square into a triangle. Crimp to seal the sides.
8. Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 

Lunchbox Idea #5 - Cut and Keep Butter Cake

Yes, we're back. Our oven is fixed and working again. I have to commend the Smeg repair guy who was polite and friendly and clean. He even brought a large piece of mat to lay on the floor before he worked on the oven. It turned out that one of the fans (the one that distributes the heat) burnt out and not the heating element. It costs me $250 which covered part and labour. Happy to pay the amount since we use the oven frequently.

You don't realise how much you rely on an appliance until it's out of order for a while. The past weekend, we wanted to bake something or cook a roast for dinner but had to stop ourselves.

The first thing Caitlin and I made was sultana cupcakes using this simple butter cake recipe.

125gm butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
275gm caster sugar (I reduce to 270gm and still found it sweet)
3 eggs, beaten
150gm plain flour, sifted
75gm self raising flour, sifted
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sultanas (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to moderate temperature about 160C (fan-forced).
2. Place butter, vanilla extract and caster sugar into bowl, and beat till light and fluffy.
3. Add in the beaten eggs. 
4. If adding sultanas, add the sultanas into the bowl of sifted flours.
5. Fold the flours gently alternating with the milk. Mix well.
6. Spread into a 20cm round cake pan (I made these into cupcakes for my girls' lunchbox).
7. Bake in oven for 1 1/4 hours. For the cupcakes, I baked them for 20-25 minutes.
8. Stand cake in pan for 5 minutes when ready to cool before turning over on to a wire rack.
9. Optional: Dust with sifted icing sugar before serving. 

Lunchbox Idea #4 - Honey Soy Drumettes

 As mentioned in my earlier post, my oven is broken. Since I could not bake muffins for my girls' lunch, I decided to grill some chicken drumettes for tomorrow's lunch.

1. Wash and clean the chicken pieces. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
2. Marinade the meat for 3 hours or overnight with dark and light soy sauce, ground white pepper, sesame oil and honey. Option: you can also add a dash of Shao Shing wine. 
3. Grill the chicken for about 20 minutes or until cooked.

Lunchbox Idea #3 - Chicken and Vegetable Rolls

I also made these sausage rolls over the weekend. I love to make these rolls because I can add grated vegetables in them and my girls will not know.

I wrapped the unbaked rolls individually with plastic wrap (glad wrap) and kept them in the freezer. The night before, I took them out from the freezer and placed them in the fridge. All I had to the next day was to brush with egg wash and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 140-160C.