Sweet Protein Muffins

28 05 2012

Just like the Savoury Version , these are probably not something I’d serve to guests you are trying to impress with your gourmet prowess but in terms of ‘fuel’ for your day or a snack on the run, they hit the spot. You can do these in the oven (preheat to 160C) in muffin tins or I also chucked some mix into a ramekin and popped it in the microwave just to see how it would turn out. The microwave version was pretty good and FAST but if you have the time, the oven ones did taste a bit better and got the delicious crunchy “muffin-top” that I love about muffins! This only makes about 1/2 dozen.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup LSA- you can use flaxseed meal if you have it
1/2 cup protein powder- flavourless, no added sugar- I used a plain whey protein isolate
2 eggs
1 tbs Mixed Spice
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
3 tbs milk- I used almond milk
If you want them sweet you can add a tbs of honey or some stevia to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients except the goji and raspberries into a bowl and mix well. Once all combined add the berries. Spoon into cupcake moulds (if baking) or ramekins. I made this batch in the microwave in a ramekin. The microwave one was pretty good- cooked for about 1 minute on high, you might need an extra 30 seconds depending on your microwave. If using your oven, cook on about 160C for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. These can be a little dry if you overcook them because the protein powder sucks up a lot of the liquid.

20120528-134106.jpg

20120528-134113.jpg


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Breakfast, Cake & Biscuits, Lunch, Snack

Savoury Protein Muffins

28 05 2012

These are probably not something I’d serve to guests you are trying to impress with your gourmet prowess but in terms of ‘fuel’ for your day or a snack on the run, they hit the spot. You can do these in the oven (preheat to 160C) in muffin tins or I also chucked some mix into a ramekin and popped it in the microwave just to see how it would turn out. The microwave version was pretty good and FAST but if you have the time, the oven ones did taste a bit better and got the delicious crunchy “muffin-top” that I love about muffins! This only makes about 1/2 dozen.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup LSA- you can use flaxseed meal if you have it
1/2 cup protein powder- flavourless, no added sugar- I used a plain whey protein isolate
2 eggs
1 tbs Mixed herbs- I used MAMMOTH KITCHEN Meat Seasoning Mix
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 grated zucchini
3 tbs milk- I used almond milk

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Spoon into cupcake moulds or ramekins. I made 6 in the oven and 1 in the microwave in a ramekin. The microwave one was pretty good- cooked for about 1 minute on high. If using your oven, cook on about 160C for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. These can be a little dry if you overcook them because the protein powder sucks up a lot of the liquid. I served my oven ones with some kale pesto I had in the fridge.

20120528-133120.jpg

This is what the microwave one looked like

20120528-133256.jpg


Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Breakfast, Cake & Biscuits, Lunch, Snack

Loves of my Life- A random rant about Family & Food

28 05 2012

My 2 great loves are Family and Food.

20120528-125326.jpg

I love it even more when they are happening together, which is usually the case. Food brings us together, we eat loads of it and FAST, it’s the quick or the hungry at meal time with my family, we take Darwin’s Theory “survival of the fittest” very seriously. We drink wine and we laugh! We are a family of eaters, most likely this stems from the fact that my mum, this tiny little woman, is a “feeder”. I am fairly certain that there is a big Italian mamma trapped inside her little body whose life mission it is to feed those around her. She is a great cook. Seriously, look at the size of her, isn’t she cute?

20120528-091058.jpg

So she feeds us, all 5 kids, plus dad, plus partners, friends and generally a few randoms. It is how she shows love. We are not a big family of huggers and kissers so mum shows us all how much she loves us by feeding us. She obviously loves us alot, even when you don’t want it, she tries to feed you.

I come from a long line of “feeders”, my mum, her mum and probably her mum’s mum! I have noticed that I now do this as well, if people around me are upset or hurting, I am not the “therapist” friend, I cook for them, eat with them, feed them. It is my way of showing how much I care, without inflicting my bad advice or tough love chat on them :) Trav is my favorite person to cook for, probably because he thinks everything I make is delicious, even if it isn’t :)

20120528-122103.jpg

Astro, our Great Dane, is also pretty easy to please on the food front, as long as he doesn’t have to hunt it himself, he’s chuffed. He has “hunted” his meals off the kitchen bench or dining table a few times… The trials of having a dog with a head the right height to swipe thawing chicken breast off the bench in one foul swoop. But generally, World’s laziest dog :) Look how smart he looks…

20120528-122853.jpg

I love birthdays, not because of the cake, though I do LOVE cake, and chocolate, and ice cream…. I digress, but because it means we all get together to eat. We tend to celebrate every meaningful event with food, sometimes there are kitchen disasters, generally when we have given mum the night off cooking, and sometimes there is awesome kitchen success. Regardless, we all eat it anyway, we are not that fussy.

Food makes me happy, my family makes me happy. There is not much else I need in life except family and a great kitchen ;) What are your great loves?

20120528-124234.jpg


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: ,
Categories : Uncategorized

Creamy Spinach and Chicken ‘Pasta’

27 05 2012

Since I recieved my Veggie Twister from Mammoth Kitchen (you can get yours HERE) and the weather has become colder, I have a new love, zucchini “pasta”. It is kinda like having that delicious, warming, comforting bowl of pasta….. Only made of something much more nutritious than the same ingredients that go into kindergarten grade glue and play-doh. Do you want that sitting in your guts?

This is full of spinachy goodness and the Zucchini is low calorie and a great source of fibre. It is rich in vitamin A, flavonoid and poly-phenolic antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin. These compounds help scavenge harmful oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species from the body that play a role in aging and various disease process.

1 cup coconut cream
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
2 chicken breasts, diced
3 handfuls baby spinach or rocket, blitzed in the food processor until they are like a paste
4 Zucchini (that was enough for 2 piggy’s), made into pasta with your veggie twister or mandolin.
1tsp coconut oil

Heat the oil in a frypan, add garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the chicken and cook until it is sealed. Add tomatoes and coconut cream and bring to the boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and add the spinach purée. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes until sauce starts to reduce and thicken slightly. Add the zucchini and gently toss through the sauce for a few minutes until it is just cooked. Don’t over-cook it or it will turn to mush. You are now ready to eat.

20120527-201551.jpg


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , ,
Categories : Dinner, Lunch

Tomato and Kale ‘Compote’

27 05 2012

I’m not really sure “compote” is the right word for this but I am going to run with it anyway. This side dish came about as I was experimenting with ways to hide kale from Travis, or at least make it so delicious (like the Creamed Kale recipe that he loves) that he’d eat it anyway. He hasn’t tried it yet so I am not yet sure on the success but I thought it was delicious!

Kale contains some very powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals. One cup of kale contains nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which promotes regular digestion, prevents constipation, lowers blood sugar and curbs overeating. It is an awesome veggie to aid our bodies in the detoxification process and contains lads of vitamins A, K and C.

1 bunch kale, stalks chopped finely and leaves chopped roughly
3 lge cloves garlic, crushed
1 long red chilli, chopped finely
3cm chunk ginger, grated
3cm chunk turmeric, grated (optional, I added it because I had it in the fridge)
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped into chunks
1 cup green tea
3 eshallots, chopped finely
1 tbs coconut oil

Heat the oil in a frypan, add garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilli and cook for a few minutes, add the kale stalks and eshallots and cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and green tea and simmer until liquid reduces by half. Add the kale leaves and cook for about 5 minutes until all is tender. I had mine with a spoon of Salsa Verde on top and some grilled barramundi.

20120527-194839.jpg

20120527-194847.jpg


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Dinner, Lunch, Salads, Snack

« Previous Entries


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,724 other followers

%d bloggers like this: