on the food front

1.  Spiced chicken with rice and mint from this book. Served with a cucumber and yoghurt salad. From this book.
2. I've started making porridge again for breakfast. Soaked the night before in water and yoghurt and served with milk, yoghurt and maple syrup.
3. Golden Delicious from the holiday cottage down the road. A neighbour says he remembers eating from the same tree as a child.
4. Last night's harvest from the garden.
5. Good muffins.

Since being away, and being exposed to so many foodie things (orchards, markets, little specialty shops etc) we both felt somewhat renewed in ourselves to eat more wholesome food and to increase our reliance on our home produced food.

I remember saying that it wasn't really a very good season vegie garden wise. After all that rain, our garden started making up for some of its lost time. At the weekly shop there wasn't a lot I needed to buy vegie-wise, which felt quite liberating.

We've been harvesting lots of spinach, silverbeet, cucumbers and herbs. Also some corn, beans, potatoes, rocket, zucchini and the few tomatoes that didn't split in the rain. Last years broccoli is re-flowering. But I'm not quite sure what to do with that rhubarb. Afterall, I'm the only one that likes it's tart flavour.

While away, we fell into the bad habit of having soft drink while out. We didn't feel the better for it. Since being back I've started cutting out processed sugar from our diet. I've been using maple syrup or honey instead, and I'd like to buy some more rapadura sugar (I used to love this stuff, but it's hard to come by here). I'm trying to use more whole flour than white.

Making school snacks can be a little tricky when you're trying to stay as healthy as you can.
I devised this recipe which has been a big hit with the kids. And I don't mind a few myself.

Good Muffins


2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 small zucchini, grated
1 small carrot, grated
2 apples, peeled and grated
1/2 cup maple syrup (or other natural sweetener such as honey or rapadura)
1/2 cup whey (or milk or yoghurt)
1/2 cup coconut oil (or other oil)
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon


Mix together with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour into a 12 hole muffin tray that has been lightly greased. Bake at 200 degrees celcius until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve plain or buttered.


Most ingredients can be interchanged with similar ingredients and I've listed a few above. The sweetness could be adjusted and you could use other fruit such as banana in place of the apple.

Let me know if you try it.


Wishing you all a pleasant rest of week.


p.s thank you to all those who recommended new places to visit in yesterdays post. We'd like to do some more trips in Victoria in the next few years. But Tasmania is top of Daniel's list, and is on the agenda for next year. Fingers crossed.