2 Posts, 1 Day : Feijoa and Ginger Loaf

2 posts in one day!  What's going on?

Well my youngest started daycare today, he was so excited, so was his brother in fact.  They both spent a good chunk of yesterday evening packing and carrying their bags around the house.  And this morning was the easiest it has been for a long time getting out of the door- I guess it's because we all had the same goal for once.

Since leaving them happily playing at the play dough table I have come home and gotten back into my PJs feeling achy from the bug that has hit me overnight.  My seeds that arrived today will have to wait until I'm better - so today I'm taking it easy.  I'm going to go grab a box of tissues, make a hot ginger, lemon and honey drink, stoke the fire, put on a movie and slowly fold the heap of washing that my sofa is hiding underneath - and enjoy a slice of Feijoa Loaf.

This recipe is super easy, you do need to wait for the fruit to cool but it doesn't take long (put the pot in a sink of cold water if you're impatient).  The loaf stays moist for 4-5 days, if it lasts that long.

Feijoa and Ginger Loaf Recipe
Makes 1 Loaf

1C Feijoa Pulp
1C Boiling Water
50g Butter (or oil)
1C Sugar (using half of this is fine too)
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1t Ground Ginger (more if you love ginger like me)
2C (250g) Plain Flour
2t Baking Powder
1t Baking Soda

Pre heat oven to 180C and grease and line loaf tin.  In a saucepan combine feijoa, water, butter and sugar.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool till luke warm.  Stir in beaten egg (don't mix in the egg while the fruit is hot - you'll only get scrambled eggs).  In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients.  Add fruit mixture to dry ingredients and stir well.  Pour into loaf tin and cook for 45-50 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.  Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning onto cooling rack.

Picky Banana Eaters : Banana Muffins

We can never seem to eat all of our bananas - it's the same in a lot of households I imagine.  There is a brief window between too green and too ripe, if you don't scoff them over the day or 2 that they are perfect you suddenly have a half bunch that only the fruit flies seem remotely interested in.

With a sad few in our fruit bowl this morning and lunch box fillers being non-existent I whipped up a batch of these.  They turned out moist and sweet with not much added sugar.  I use paper cases for easy clean up too.

For a healthier version leave out the sugar, add a tablespoon of honey and substitute half the flour for wholemeal or oats.

Banana Muffin Recipe
12 Muffins

3 Bananas
1/3 C Sugar
1 Egg
1/3 C Oil (I use olive)
1½ C Plain Flour
1t Baking Powder
1t Baking Soda
Pinch Salt
1t Cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 190C bake.  Mash bananas in large bowl.  Add sugar, egg and oil and mix.  Add in dry ingredients, mix to combine.  Divide between 12 muffin tins/paper cases.  Bake 20 minutes.

Healthy Bites : Zesty Lemon and Oat Slice

The more we cut processed ingredients out of our diet the better (and slimmer) we are feeling.

We've always eaten pretty well really, nearly everything is homemade so additives and other nasties are very low, and we eat loads of fruit and vegies fresh from the garden.  Now we are trying to eat more whole foods (un-refined) and organic where we can afford it.  Slowing swapping things white flour for wholemeal, fruit juice, dates and honey for refined sugar and eating vegetarian most nights of the week.  Our waist lines, energy levels and health are starting to be a lot better off for it.

This recipe was inspired by my love of citrus slice.  I tried a slice from a café a few months ago.  I enjoyed it enough but felt really gross afterwards, too much sugar and fat.  This version is clean and pretty healthy.  Refined sugar is replaced with naturally sweet dates, honey and fruit juice.  Flour is replaced with oats and ground almonds.  This is still a treat food - our first option for snacks is fruit and vege (mostly...) but when we feel like a treat these will really hit the spot.

Zesty Lemon and Oat Slice Recipe

Base
1C Dates
¾C Coconut
Juice of an Orange
½C Water
1½C Organic Rolled Oats
½C Raw Almonds

Put dates, coconut, juice and water in a small pot.  Heat gently for about 10 minutes until the dates mash easily with a fork.  Set a aside to cool.  Meanwhile, whizz oats and almonds to a crumble (not super fine).  When dates are cooled add to oat mix and whizz on medium until combined well (1 to 2 minutes), adding a little more water if needed to help it bind.  Line a brownie tin with baking paper.  Press oat mixture firmly into tin.  Spread over then press down topping and leave to set in the fridge

Topping
1/3C Coconut Oil (I have organic, cold pressed, unrefined)
¼C Firm Honey (use agave or maple syrup for vegan)
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 2 Lemons

Gently warm coconut oil and honey till just soft - like room temperature butter.  Beat all ingredients together till well combined.

Baking Day with my Boys

A big part of sticking to $130 a week is making all of our own bread and baking.  Yesterday afternoon was spent making bread for the next week or so, I got 2 sourdough, 3 wholemeal and 3 grain loaves made and frozen.  This morning, after toast and fruit for breakfast my boys and I set to work getting baking done for daddy's lunches, along with some fruit and oat breakfast muffins for Mumma.  They are full of fruit, oats, vege with no butter and just a dash of sugar.

Yummy Sourdough bread for lunch today

My Baker Boy

 Not long into baking both boys reckoned they were hungry again - due to cake and bickie mix on display I suspect - so I fetched a cupful of popcorn for each of them, to keep snotty fingers out of the bowl (they're both sick at the moment).  We started with fruit and oat muffins which will be breakfasts with a dollop of natural yoghurt.  Next were Anzac biscuits for Daddy's lunches and finally Dutch Apple Cake - which the boys and I had a slice of for afternoon tea - it's been years since I made it - it's so easy and tastes divine.

Fruit and Oat Muffins

Fruit and Oat Muffins
Makes 12


55g Wholemeal Flour
100g Plain Flour
2T Brown Sugar
½t Baking Soda
½t Nutmeg
155g Rolled Oats
55g Raisins
3T Olive Oil
1 Egg
80ml Milk
2 Large Carrots, shredded
1 Banana or 4 Large Feijoas, mashed

Preheat oven to 190ºC bake and line 12 muffin tins.  Mix flours, sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, oats and raisins together in a large bowl.  Add in remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.  Divide mixture between the muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Anzac Biscuits and Muffins all done.

Anzac Biscuits
Makes Approx 30 - to fit 2 baking trays

125g Plain Flour
130g White Sugar
100g Coconut
150g Rolled Oats
100g Butter
2T Golden Syrup
1t Baking Soda
4T Boiling Water

Preheat oven to 175ºC fan-bake and lightly grease 2 baking trays.  Mix together flour, sugar, coconut and oats.  Melt together butter and golden syrup until it starts to bubble, remove from heat.  Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and add to golden syrup mixture.  Pour the wet into the dry and stir to combine.  Put tablespoons full of mixture onto tray and flatten slightly.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Dutch Apple Cake

180g Butter
135g Sugar
Rind of ¾ Lemon
1 Large Egg
190g Flour
1½t Baking Powder
3T Milk

Topping
2 Apples, Finely Sliced (I used Rose)
2T Sugar and 1t Cinnamon, Combined

Preheat oven to 180ºC bake.  Cream butter and sugar together till pale and fluffy.  Add in rind and egg and beat well.  Stir in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk and then the remaining dry ingredients.  Spread into greased cake tin and cover with sliced apple.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.  Cool in the tin.

Dinner - Jam-packed with Vege

Dinner was nice and easy tonight, vegetable soup.  I had defrosted a chicken carcass so I simmered it with pearl barley for an hour in about 2L of water.  Pulled out the bones, chucked in loads of veges, a pack of frozen haricot beans, a big tin of tomatoes and a tablespoon of mixed herbs.  It needed something extra at the end and since I'm out of savoury yeast I used a dollop of Vegemite.  Perfect for a cold Waikato evening.