In a Nut Shell

Gestational Diabetes - Time to change!!!

2009-05-12T09:56:00.002+10:00

So yes, I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and my cooking habits take on a new turn. But it's a good way to experiment!!! Last night I made a bolognaise which was pretty good.

500g lean beef mince
1 onion
crushed garlic
1 or 2 carrots
tin of diced tomatos
1 red capsicum
1 cup red lentils (though any will do)
Tomato paste

Simple...

In a pan put the carrot, onion, garlic and capsicum (all chopped finely, grate carrot)
Add meat, brown.
pour over tomatos and use the tin to add about 3/4 of the tin of water
Add in maybe a heaped table spoon of tomato paste or more if you wish
Add lentils
Season to taste
Allow to simmer for a good 45 minutes or so to allow the lentils to absorb the fluid. Mix occasionally and check the liquid levels. If it starts to look too thick before the lentils are soft, add a bit more water as you go.

I served this with wholemeal spiral pasta and a small amount of parmesan cheese. The lentils give it an interesting flavour and texture, but it's not bad and my 18 month old ate the whole lot (though he eats anything so that's not really much to go by).

Slow Cooker Meatballs

2009-05-03T13:41:00.002+10:00

I have had my slow cooker since christmas but have not used it as much as I would like. So I have decided to make at least 1 meal per week. I don't have any recipes to follow but I thought I would give a tomato meatballs and pasta a go and it came out rather well I thought. I have a rather large slow cooker so this recipe is just a guide (as usual) and you can work out your needs from there.

- 1 onion, sliced and placed in the dish.
- About half a bag of frozen stir fry veggies but you can use any type, fresh or frozen.
- Meatballs - Made in my usual way with bread crumbs, eggs and seasoning (though I did not use onions in it this time due to the onions being in the dish already).
- I used 2 tins of diced tomato but you may only need one if it's a smaller cooker.
- I filled up about half the tin with hot water and added a cube or 2 of stock.
- Salt, pepper and seasoning to taste (a bay leaf would go well)
- I think I used around half a bag of spiral noodles.

Cook for around 3 hours on high or 5 - 6 on low I guess... Done!!! Entire meal in a pot!!

Afterward I decided that next time I will add some tomato paste as well just to thicken it up a bit. I served with parmesan cheese and it made quite a few meals.

Chili Con Carne

2009-03-03T16:33:00.003+11:00

Yesterday was the first time I have made this so it was a bit of an experiment. I admit I used a packet seasoning for this but as it's really just flour and seasoning with no added preservatives, colours or flavours I consider it more a time saver. Though if you want to use your own seasoning it's quite simple too, especially if you wanted to tone down the heat of it. Things like dried chillis, fresh chillis, coriander, cumin and cardemom are usually a good selection. Still for less than $1 for these saches at Aldi it's much less fiddly.

It was a simple enough recipe and has stretched quite a long way I must say I added a bit more than what the packet suggested which I found toned the heat of it down a bit as well as added more flavour and of course, healthier.

500g beef mince (I always use lean)
1 onion
1 capsicum
1 grated carrot
1 tin of diced, peeled tomatos
1 tin of red kidney beans washed, though I admit to using washed baked beans instead as I had this in my cupboard already
1 sachet of con carne seasoning.

Brown onions, capsicum and carrot for just a few minutes and add beef. Brown nicely, add tomatos, beans and then the seasoning and then let simmer for a good 10 minutes. Really the whole thing took me no more than 20 minutes including chopping.

For myself I had it on toast with some melted cheese. I gave it to my husband on top of nachos with cheese and sour cream. Today I had a small amount on some nachos and now I have stuffed the remainder into caneloni shells and topped with a simple white sauce and it's now baking and I still have enough for another piece of toast or a serve of nachos tomorrow. I made some extra pasta for my son which I will mix with a little left over white sauce and vegies and that makes a pretty reasonable dinner for him.

One thing I will try next time with this chilli though is something I caught on TV the other day. It was technically for a pasta sauce (bolognaise style) but to add more of an earthy flavour to it, more body and also more healthy good stuff you can add a few tablespoons of red lentils. You need to add some extra liquids to it as the lentils do absorb quite a bit but I plan to try it out next time I make a pasta sauce. I can't say I have ever cooked with lentils before but at times like these when we're trying out best to eat healthier I am happy to add what ever I can to make it just that bit better for me.

Chocolate Coconut Dream Bars

2009-03-02T17:13:00.002+11:00

This recipe is the best for a really quick slice with minimal work. Most of these ingredients are a staple in my pantry these days even though they usually sit there for months. But occasionally you do get a call from someone saying they want to come around and if you're anything like me, you want something sweet to serve up. This is just the thing.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of butter, melted
1 packet of granita biscuits
2 cups dessicated coconut
1 packed of choc drops
1 tin condensed milk

Method

Blend the biscuits to a pulp and mix through melted butter. Spread and press over a lined slice tin.

In a bowl mix coconut and choc drops together. Scoop onto the biscuit base and spread evenly.

Pour over the condensed milk and make sure it covers the top completely.

Bake in a preheated oven at approx 175 degrees celcius for around 25 minutes. Make sure it doesn't go too brown on top or bubble over the edges.

Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into small squares and serve.

Simple as that!!

Another chicken recipe

2009-02-05T12:54:00.002+11:00

If you haven't noticed by now, I enjoy chicken. Plus as I have said before, 1 chicken can stretch a long way so I use them for economical value as well.

I tried something a little different today and must say, I was very happy with how it came out. It's a sun dried tomato based chicken.

Not long ago we had a bbq and I bought a jar of sun dried tomatos. I absolutely love the ones from Aldi I must say, they are so soft and easy to eat. But in this case I did not use the tomatos but the oil they were stored in.

I used this as the base for my chicken skin seasoning. A few tablespoons of the oil from the jar, a bit of garlic oil, a grushed garlic clove, a good heaped tablestoon of curry powder, salt, pepper, mixed seasoning and that's done.

I know it sounds like quite a bit of curry but the one I use is quite mild and it does cook out a lot when roasting and it really balances out the sweetness of the tomato oil.

For the stuffing I used a sun dried tomato and fetta bread loaf I bought on the weekend at the markets. I used a slightly more american method of making the stuffing where I chopped it into small cubes rather than blending to a crumb. I used about 4 thick slices, perhaps a little more and about a cup of beef stock, though this can change depending on how much bread you use. Just pour it in and mix it around until the bread is nice and moist, having absorbed all the liquid. Add some salt and seasoning and half a finely chopped onion.

I mashed the bread up a bit with a fork so it wasn't too lumpy and then stuffed my chicken. Coat it with the oil mix you made previously and cook for the recommended time. I used my turbo cooker and it came out PERFECT. Really moist with a nice crunchy and very tasty skin.

Don't stuff the chicken too much as the stuffing does expand in cooking and the extra moisture goes into the chicken.

It really came out with a fabulous flavour and no doubt the fat drippings could make a lovely unique tasting gravy.

In other news, I bought myself a great little tool! I cook a lot with onions and bought an Alligator Slicer. Pop in half an onion, press down and you get beautifully fine little squares of onion. Also great for making what is sort of like a shoestring fry but a bit shorter. It was $35 from the King of Knives website and they had a free postage deal going at the time.

Pasta

2009-01-07T15:53:00.002+11:00

As per usual, cooking with chicken leftovers.

I did my chook in the flavourwave and it was spectacular. What was left on the bones I put in a pot with water (about half way up the carcas), vegies, a garlic clove, some salt, pepper, a chicken stock cube and some spiral paster.

I then just let it simmer until almost all the liquid was absorbed and it made a really nice pasta dish. The meat falls off the bones quite easily so just remove the carcas and put all the loose meat in with the pasta.

Made 2 days worth of meals for my household.

Back again!!

2008-12-28T13:09:00.002+11:00

I have returned!!!

Sorry it's been so long between entries but with christmas etc. I have not had much time for posting.

But now that the majority of the silly season is over, I am back to a more stable routine and cooking up my usual goodies.

Today I made an interesting chicken curry using the leftover from Christmas (and a chicken I cooked yesterday).

I tried an artichoke dip for Christmas which was not overly budget friendly but turned out quite nice. Perhaps a bit too cheesy, but not bad.

The artichoke dip recipe is as follows:

Artichoke Dip

· 8 oz artichoke hearts (approx. 1 tin)
· 8 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese (not Kraft) (around 400g)
· 8 oz whipped cream cheese - 250g light philly is what (I used)
· 8 oz mayonnaise - Can't recall sorry
· 2 tbsp Hungarian paprika (sweet variety)
Mix in large bowl. I don't recommend blending this in a food processor, as artichoke heart leaves are best in larger pieces.
Spread in baking pan, up to 3" deep.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbling with brown edges.
Cool and serve with sliced baguette, carrots and celery, or crackers.

The dip was nice and well received, but it makes a lot of dip. You could easily cut the recipe in half which would also make it less expensive.

For the chicken curry I simply lightly fried half an onion, added in my left over chicken from the roast yesterday and the left over dip! A little curry, some salt and pepper plus some water to thin out the sauce and it was done. A few minutes cooking time and a really interesting meal.

I served it with turkish dipping bread but it would be great with rice as well. You could use any other meat in this too. Left over pork or lamb roast perhaps. Some cooked sausages chopped into small pieces would also taste good.

A vegetarian version could involve a nice selection of vegies to make a vegetable curry. Definitely not something you'd do every day but if you happen to make the artichoke dip it's a good idea for later.

The Flavourwave!!!

2008-12-15T14:23:00.002+11:00

I love it!!!

I got my turbo chef the other day. My infared + Halogen heating benchtop oven thing. You can find them at the Danoz website for those interested in checking it out.

Thus far I think it's marvelous! Crumbed fish has never been so good in the oven... My chicken was perfect! Moist, crunchy skin but no oil... Chips are crunchy, pizza is excellent. Truly I am more than impressed thus far.

I got it on Friday and have used it every day... I think it may well be my most used appliance of all. The quality of the food is really fantastic and I have literally added no extra fat to anything. I am going to try baking in it at some point... And looking forward to making my BBQ ribs some time this week.

Quick recipe of the week.
Lightly cook an onion. Add meat removed from roast chicken, add a tin of tomatos and season to taste. Server with pasta and sprinkle on some paremsan cheese. Done!

Great served with some nice bread... A nice blob of sourcream goes well on top too.

Vegetarian pasta

2008-12-09T11:20:00.002+11:00

Quick, simple, tasty.

I was in a hurry to put together a quick meal and pasta is always a hit. I didn't have time to defrost mince so I just went vegetarian.

Simple.

In a pan heat up some oil (I use my garlic oil but not necessary as there is a bit more garlic added at the end).

Dice and fry an onion.

Add 1 tin of peeled, diced tomatos.

I use the every day spice mix from Aldi but you can use any seasoning you like. A little extra salt can be useful if using a multi spice mix though, but that depends on your taste.

At the end add a clove of crushed garlic. Now I know this is something you normally do at the start but I learned a little trick the other day for a bit of a flavour kick. If you add cooked garlic to start with, add a bit of uncooked at the end and let simmer for a few minutes. Also good with parsley.

Cook your paster, simmer sauce. Serve!

I add parmesan cheese of course and I love it with a bit of light sour cream. I found with the sour cream it tastes almost like my really nice beef bolognaise sauce as well.

You can add extra vegies by grating in carrot and finely chopped capsicum. Other hidden vegies would be things like cauli flower finles chopped or pureed and anything else that is red or white.

Sausages...

2008-12-01T20:20:00.002+11:00

Ok, so I am not one who cooks with sausages very often as I am not keen on the fat content. But today I was wondering what to make for dinner and realised that I had left out the frozen vegies which I had taken out when I was making lunch and they had completely defrosted. Obviously I had to use them right away but didn't really want to just heat them up and put them on the side of something else.

I browsed through my freezer and came across a packet of tomato and onion sausages I picked up only a few days ago for $2.00. Woolworths had a whole selection of sausages reduced for quick sale so I picked up these for the freezer and a pack of reduced fat ones which I cooked for lunch the next day. The low fat ones were only $3 which is pretty good really.

Looking out for cheap sausages and picking up a few packs when you find them can be an excellent money saver and a great ingredient for a quick meal. Or if you know you're having a BBQ some time soon grab a few packs and defrost them on the day of the BBQ. They will still fry up marvelously and taste fantastic.

But back to the sausages. One of my favourite things to do with sausages is curried sausages. This is not actually a particularly low fat meal (actually it's pretty disgustingly fatty when made a particular way) but served on rice with vegies... Brilliant! I shall share 2 ways of doing this. One is healthier than the other.

This is using uncooked sausages but it's also a great way to prepare some precooked sausages, especially if you've had a BBQ and are left with a mountain of leftovers.

First of all cut up your sausages into bite size pieces and fry them until they are about half cooked, making sure you stir them around a bit.

For a lower fat option, transfer sausages to some paper towel and allowe excess fat to drain off and remove as much fat from the pan as possible. This can be skipped if you prefer the more rich version.

For the lower fat version:

Pour enough water on the sausages to just cover them. Add some seasing and allow to simmer for a minute or 2.

Add some gravy mix or thicken the traditional way. Whilst I usually make everything from scratch, gravy mix is actually a fantastic way to keep some recipes a bit lower in calories. I only ever use the Gravox Brown Onion thought as the others leave a slightly odd taste. Some things you can afford to be choosy.

At this stage I add the curry. I use Keens Curry Powder which comes in a little orange plastic container. For this type of curry it's perfect (and also for curried eggs) as it's milder. I don't think this recipe should be burning hot, just with a bit of spice.

Throw in the vegies of your choice. In this case I used carrots, broccoli, cauli flower and green beans (the frozen vegies that were left out). They were defrosted to start with but if you add them earlier you can let them defrost in the sauce.

Allow to simmer on low heat for about 5 - 10 minutes. Once it's done I like to add a little light sour cream but you can add full fat or even a bit of normal thickened cream. That is optional though, depending on what you're after.

For the full fat version, instead of adding water to the half cooked sausages you can add cream, with a little water. Low fat cream works too. Add your seasoning, curry and defrosted vegies at this stage and let simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens.

This meal is best served with rice but works with potatos too. You can also decrease portion size by having a side of salad too, to cut down the fat.

Coming soon to a Nutshell near you!

2008-11-30T21:00:00.002+11:00

Turbo Chef Oven!!

OK, I don't watch Informercials normally but I happened across this not so long ago and instantly wanted one. I sat there for half an hour watching Mr T of all people promoting this product. Tacky as it is with all the staged oooh and aaaahs coming from the audience, I was hooked.

Some of you might have seen similar products. Bench top ovens that work by circulating air etc. designed to cook faster. Well this is the step up from what you can buy in shops. It cooks by combining air circulation with infared and halogen. A whole chicken can take something like 30 minutes and you can cook your vegies at the same time. It can do pizza, cakes, work as a grill, bake bread and much more! The fat drains off to a catchment below and it's also self cleaning...

So will it be as good as it sounds? In about 10 days I should receive mine and I will tell you. Ok it's not the cheapest appliance in the world and technically I am putting off getting my nice new mixer but if it's good it will save time and money in the long run.

Of course the bastards advertise it at $200 + $30 postage... You order and then it says "Would you like to upgrate to platinum?"... Ok, you get fan speeds and a digital controller!!! Sure why not...

"Would you like the 4 piece kit that comes with the pizza tray, breakfast rack, grilling tray and something else that I can't recall?"...

"Well yes of course I would. With0ut those things all I have is a glorified microwave without a turntble (though it doesn't cook using microwaves, just to compare the concept".

"Would you like the extension so you can cook chickens, cakes, have more than one layer blah blah blah".

"Yes... I guess I would as I plan to use this quite a bit"...

"Would you like fast delivery for just an extra $10 so you can get it in a few days rather than a months time"...

"Sure, why not".

"You can get a free slicing set worth $50 and you only have to pay $15 extra for postage!!!"

"No, I will pass on the slicer... the grand total has already reached $330 as it is..."

It had better be worth it!

Product Review - Sorbies Nappies

2008-11-30T20:55:00.002+11:00

So what's the verdict so far? Well I can't see myself spending the extra money on these. The night ones do seem alright but really Babylove does exactly the same job.

I have found that the day nappies seem a little more prone to leaking, though I admit we've had a few leaks with the Babylove and Woolworths brand as well. The patterns are bright and cute and I do like the quilted effect on the inside of the nappy but they are not as flexible as many other brands. The tabs don't stretch as far.

I think it may be time to move up to the next size. I might buy a pack next time in the size up and see how we go.

He is a walker now after all but I am pretty sure he's only just hit the 10kg mark. I will find out when I get his needles done soon but we shall see.

I have used Babylove for the last year without complaint. I won't be changing as it's not worth the extra money. A 114 box of Babylove costs $36 so it works out to be about 32c per nappy. Less than 2 packs of Sorbies on special.

Sorbies Nappies

2008-11-27T14:21:00.003+11:00

Just a quick one for those with babies in nappies. If you want to try them out, Coles has the packs of 30 on special for $10. 23 day and 7 night nappies.

Works out to be about 33c per nappy which is OK and if you use less because the night ones last longer it could be worth while to get them when they are on special etc. I bought 2 packs. Will let you know how they are.

The Quickest Ice Cream Ever

2008-11-25T08:39:00.002+11:00

I was looking for vegan friendly recipes as I was hosting a dinner where one guest was vegan and came across this fantastic recipe for coconut ice cream. It's cheap, quick and can be made with 2 ingredients!

So, the actual recipe as found:

Coconut milk ice cream
Ingredients:
· 4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
· 1/2 cup superfine sugar or granulated sugar, or to taste
· 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract, optional
· 1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
· 1/4 cup toasted coconut, optional
Preparation:
Combine the coconut milk and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the extract and the coconut flakes. Chill in the freezer, stirring occasionally until hardened, or prepare in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Top with toasted coconut before serving.

So my way:

2 tins of coconut milk or if you want a bit more creamy texture use 1 tin coconut milk, one of coc0nut cream. You could use light as well though I have not tried it yet.
Half a cup of sugar

Mix ingredients in a pot and allow to sit for a few minutes over a low heat so the sugar can dissolve. Place in fridge and allow to cool completely and then pour into ice cream maker according to the machines directions. If you don't have an ice cream maker you can just put it in the freezer and stir maybe once an hour until it's frozen.

That's it.

You can add the extra coconut if you like but I prefer it without the texture. It's quick, simple and absolutely delicious!

Instead of sugar I often use a product called Xylitol. It's a sugar alternative, completely natural and chemical free and has no fat, no carbs, no nothing. I found it when doing the atkins diet and it saved my life! You can use as much as you like without affecting your carb counting at all. And it looks and tastes much like sugar as well without that after taste you get with the artificial sweeteners. It's a 1:1 conversion though I find you can use less Xylitol as it's sweeter than sugar.

If you're diet conscious and avoiding sugar I strongly recommend you look into this product. It's not cheap but can go a long way. I pay about $18 for a 750g bag at the health shop.

Another roast chicken idea

2008-11-18T20:52:00.002+11:00

Well todays effort seemed successful. At the moment I am trying to find as many things I can think of to do with a whole chicken. I make it all up as I go so writing it here also gives me something to refer to later on if I can't remember what I did.

Todays chicken was similar to the last one in regards to initial prep.

Bone the chicken and place the legs (in 1 piece or 2) and breast in your baking paper lined roasting pan. I gave the wings to my dogs today but you can throw them in too or use them in your stock later.

Pour on some garlic oil. If you don't have garlic oil just use some normal light olive oil and add a couple of chopped cloves to the pan.

Slice up an onion and loosely spread it over the top of the chicken. A little salt, pepper, paprika and 2 stock cubes crumbled over to season and then pour over a whole tin of diced, peeled tomatos. I do recommend the tinned tomatos for this for the fluid content, ease and cost but if you wanted to use fresh tomatos you can finely chop 4 or 5 and add a bit of water or tomato juice.

And that is the chicken done! As last time simply cover with some alluminium foil and put it in a pre-heated fan forced oven for about 25 - 30 minutes at 200 degrees, uncover and bake for a further 30 or so minutes. Check that it's done as it may need a little more time at the end. This was a 1.6kg chicken which I purchased from Aldi for $7.20.

This evening I also cooked my potatos with the chicken which is optional. I quartered the potatos and just spread them over the top of the chicken. I decided to leave the skin on because I was feeling lazy and I often prefer potatos with skins anyway which are also healthier.

These potatos were fairly crisp on the outside but not crunchy and really soft on the inside. No fat actually touches the potatos so they are a much healthier version of roasted potatos than one gets when roasting with chicken normally.

Serving:

This evening I simply spooned some of the tomato, onion and juice over the chicken and served with the potatos and salad.

If you wanted to though you could strain the liquid and reduce it some more turning it into a pretty interesting gravy or even a cream sauce would work nicely I think. I saved the left overs and might play with it tomorrow but because you've got the flavours from the chicken, tomato, onion and seasoning you'd not need to do much to it and the taste I thought was quite good.

This meal could serve up to 8 people depending on the portion size. I actually struggled to get through the whole chicken breast so one could easily slice each breast in half creating 4 portions and do the same with the legs. One could easily offer smaller chicken portions and make up a great filling and healthy meal served with other vegetables, salad and a slice of bread to mop up the juices from your plate. Rice would also work as a substitute for the potatos.

Bolognaise sauce - Quick, easy, cheap!

2008-11-16T12:01:00.002+11:00

Bolognaise is the best sauce and can be used for so many things. It's also great when cooking with that discount mince you've had in the freezer for a while and is SO simple my 12 year old niece makes it all the time.

The quick way.

Brown onion.

Add mince to pan/pot and brown.

Grate in a few carrots.

Stir in a few tablespoons of tomato paste (optional but I think it's much better with it).

Toss in a can or diced, peeled tomatos (I use 1 can for about 500g of mince. How much you use depends on your personal taste). You can use fresh tomatos too, about 4 is good for 500g just dice them and toss them in.

Add some water until it reaches your desired thickness. I prefer a thicker sauce so I don't add as much. If you don't use tomato paste the water is not as necessary.

Season to taste and add a little sugar as well. You'd be surprised at how much 1tsp of sugar can do to this sauce.

Allow to simmer and it's done.

Now this is the very basic method. You can add extra vegies as well and this sauce is marvelous for hiding them. Puree or finely chop descreet choices like cauli flower, water chestnuts, capsicum is great in this sauce. Basically go with anything white or red. Green veggies tend to change the colour and make it less appealing but white and red will blend right in when grated or pureed.

It's low in fat when you use low fat mince and can be packed with vitamins and minerals. And the options go well beyond just pasta.

Use as a pizza sauce or in toasted sandwiches, caneloni. Spread onto some english muffins, top with cheese and anything else you want and put under the grill. Use it for nachos or taccos! It freezes well, goes a long way and can make a number of great meals and most children will enjoy it.

Cutting up a chicken

2008-11-13T10:23:00.001+11:00

Cut Up a Whole Chicken How-To: Compliments of Martha Stewart

1. Place chicken breast side up on work surface.

2. Gently pull the leg away from the body.

3. Slice through the skin between the breast and the thigh.

4. Pull the leg outward until the thighbone pops out of its socket.

5. Cut along the backbone around the ball and socket, pulling the leg away to detach.

6. Repeat with remaining leg.

7. Lay the breast on its side.

8. Pull away the wing until the joint is exposed.

9. Cut between the joint and the breast to remove the wing. If you want to remove the wing tips, pull them away and slice through the joint.10. Lift up the breast.

11. Using a knife (or poultry shears), slice between the rib cage and shoulder joints

.12. Slice through the rib cage on both sides of the bird.

13. Cut down through those bones, to separate the two sections.

14. Slice along either side of the bone in the center -- called the keel bone.

15. Work the knife gently along the rib cage to remove the meat from the rib cage.

16. Once both halves have been separated, trim away the slender fillet from each.

17. To divide the leg: turn the leg skin side down.

18. Cut along the white fat line to separate the thigh from the drumstick.

Roasting the chook

2008-11-13T09:46:00.002+11:00

It's one thing to switch to buying a whole chicken rather than wasting extra money on pieces, it's always great to get ideas on what to do with it.

So a quick and easy chicken solution.

You can cut it up with kitchen shears but this leaves the bones. I prefer to bone the chicken. I start with the legs, wings, then breast which leaves a carcas. Don't worry if there is some meat left on the carcas as this comes off easily if you boil it.

In a roasting pan lay down some baking paper and lay your chicken pieces on top. You can cut the legs to make 4 pieces or just leave them whole.

I like to use garlic oil for this as it gives the meat a really vibrant flavour (described in a previous post). Pour on a little garlic oil and rub it into the flesh. Sprinkle or grind on some sea salt (or normal table salt if you don't have sea salt), pepper and paprika. I also use an all purpose spice mix which I buy at Aldi, though any blend you like is fine.

If you like a touch of zing sprinkle on just a couple of chilli flakes. Even just one or 2 tiny little flakes on each piece is enough to give it just that little bit of bite. I don't like hot and spicy food myself and find this to be not too overpowering, but you can add more if you wish.

The trick to getting this chicken really moist is in the cooking. I pre heat my oven up to approx 180 - 200 degrees celcius, fan forced.

Place a layer of Alluminium foil over the chicken and press it down so that it makes contact with the chicken but keeps the tray covered. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover and bake for another 25 minutes. This leaves the chicken really moist but gives a nice crunchy skin.

This is just a rough guide to baking time so check the chicken at around this stage and see how well done it is. A larger chicken may need more time and different ovens cook differently so it doesn't hurt to play around a bit.

And that is it. It literally takes minutes to prepare and can be done in advance so you can simply put it in the oven and set the timer.

To serve with it simply throw in some peeled potato halves or quarters with the chicken or in a separate dish if size is an issue or a salad, selection of vegetables, what ever you wish! This is excellent served fresh from the oven but can be frozen for a quick slap together meal later.

With the carcas, place it in a pot of water and boil until it forms a stock. You can season it if you wish but I find adding a few onions and other vegetables (I use frozen for this) gives it a bit extra and you can serve the vegetables up later. They go really soft but end up with an interesting flavour. My 1 year old absolutley LOVED these vegies and was saying yum yum after every bite. Pull the loose chicken off the bones and store in a container. It makes fantastic chicken for baby meals, sandwiches, stir fries. You may not get much but there is no shortage of options and all you're left with is less than a handful of bones. One chicken well and truly used to it's full potential.

Of course if you have dogs, they will also love the raw carcas. Just make sure you don't give it to them cooked as cooked bones are a no no.

Quick Tip - Onions!

2008-11-09T10:39:00.002+11:00

So many people I know only by the amount of onions they may need. Whilst onions are not really expensive it is so much more practical to buy the big bags of them. Problem is, what if you don't use onion that often? They do last ages but will go off eventually.

A simple solution, freeze them.

Onions actually freeze quite well and the convenience is great. All you have to do is peel and slice or dice them how you want, secure in a freezer bag or freezer container and pop it in the freezer! I like to make individual portions, usually half an onion per freezer bag as I don't always use a whole onion for cooking. It defrosts quickly and can be thrown into most dishes before thawing.

So not only can you save a bit of money and time, you don't need to worry so much about those horrid onion tears!

Quick Tip - Garlic in bulk

2008-11-08T15:46:00.003+11:00

Don't waste money on jars of garlic cloves or buying them individually as you need them.

For less than $1.50 you can get a bag of 6 or more bulbs and store them so that they taste as fresh as they did the day you peeled them.

Simply separate the cloves, peel and place in a jar. Cover with a good quality vegetable oil and pop it in the fridge! They last forever and the strength of the garlic never fades.

I also place a few in the bottom of a glass bottle and fill it up with oil. I let it stand for several weeks and it takes on a marvelous garlic flavour that is fantastic on any roast or to give any meal that bit of garlic flavour.

Staples

2008-11-07T12:51:00.002+11:00

We all try to provide the best we can for our family. Everyone wants to make good healthy meals and ideally we would always be able to use the freshest of fresh ingredients. I strive to do this myself but have found that sometimes it's just not possible. Sometimes it's financial, sometimes it's circumstantial, but there are always times when we don't know what to make when the fridge is empty and there is not a vegetable in sight.

So what do I do to ensure that I always have ingredients for a meal no matter what.

1. Freeze meat.

I am always on the look out for well priced meat and will often go out with a certain set amount just to buy a few things for the freezer. You can save so much money by picking up packs that have been marked down for quick sale. Usually these have only a day or 2 before they expire but are perfect for freezing! The other day I picked up 2kg of heart smart beef mince for $10 and separated it into 4 portions. That $10 of mince will get me through at least 4 meals, possibly more depending on what I make with it. I could have taken the premium mince for less but prefer to keep it as low fat and healthy as possible.

I also picked up marinated chicken nibblies for $2 and some excellent quality rump steak for $4 which can be cut up to make 3 or 4 serves.

So for a grand total of $16 I have enough meat to stretch through probably a good 10 meals depending on left overs.

2. Buy whole chickens and separate them into portions.

This is something I have started doing recently. I used to buy 1 packet of chicken breast per week. I don't eat steak myself so I usually make a lot of chicken based dishes. I found that I was spending approximately $7 a week on a pack of 2 chicken breasts. For some meals I could stretch this over 4 serves depending on the size but I have recently found that buying the whole chicken is cheaper and goes a whole lot further!

For $8 I can buy a whole organic chicken and bone it. You can get 1 - 2 serves from each leg, 1 - 2 serves from each breast and then you have the wings and carcas. After boning I boil up the carcas with some vegies to make a great chicken stock and any meat left on the bones I pull off and this ends up perfect to feed my son! It's soft and moist and you can serve up the vegies with it which are nice and soft for little ones with few teeth.

You can either freeze the chicken portions from here or cook them to serve or freeze after. If you don't want to make any stock you can also use chicken scissors and cut up the chicken leaving the bones with it. You can also freeze the stock if you have no immediate use for it and use it later for soups, gravies and other dishes like risotto.

3. Don't be ashamed to use frozen vegetables.

So many people I know seem to have issues with frozen vegetables and really it's not necessary! Whilst I always prefer to use fresh, sometimes it just doesn't happen. I always have at least one bag of a frozen vegetable mix in my freezer just in case. I also LOVE those individual portion size bags. Ok they may cost a little more than just a bag of loose mixed vegies but there have been times where time is short or I have been unwell so I just whack a precooked frozen chicken portion in the microwave with one of those pouches and in minutes a meal of mean and veg!

Frozen vegies are also great for casseroles, pasta sauces, shephards pies and quiches.

4. Stock up on a few basic staples.

If you have the following ingredients in your pantry, a bag of frozen vegies and some meat portions in the freezer you can make virtually anything.

- Pasta. Can be bought for less than 60c a packet to serve 4+ depending on the meal. Always have 2 packets in the pantry.

- Rice. A little more expensive these days but a cup of rice goes a long way.

- Basic herbs and spices. Salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, an all purpose mix... What ever you want. I try to keep it pretty basic and these are the main ones I use on a regular basis. You don't need a massive stock pile of herbs and spices to make a good meal.

- A few tins of peeled, diced tomatos.

- Plain flour

- A decent quality oil. Cheap is fine too but oil is one thing you should buy quality if you can. I use extra light virgin olive oil which is perfect as I really don't like the taste of normal olive oils and this does not have that taste.

And that's it. That is all you need and with a bit of creativity you can come up with dozens of inexpensive yet healthy meals that are also quick and easy.

Welcome!

2008-11-07T12:42:00.002+11:00

My first post. I have been thinking about this for a while and decided to finally put it into action.

A bit about me. I am married, we own a mortgage and have a little boy. I am a stay at home mother and we survive on one income. I handle pretty much all our finances and spend a lot of time trying to work out ways to save money, especially when it comes to groceries. I have come across some great recipes which are cheap, quick, easy and taste great not to mention the things I create for myself which accounts for maybe 90% of what I cook.

I am hoping that sharing my day to day cooking adventures along with other tips I may be able to help others.

My grocerie budget averages at approximately $100 per week excluding the cost of nappies. I hope to post several tips and cooking ideas per week where possible.

Remember though that the food I make as I go does not have measurements, just guides, ingredients and confidence in my ability to make it taste right. You can't be scared to throw things in, that's what makes cooking fun!