RECIPE | Easy Peasy Bacon & Egg “Cupcakes” (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

These are a great little snack for a paleo pre-dinner party or it is great to make a bunch of them and keep them in the fridge for your lunch at work throughout the week. You can re-heat them in the grill or microwave. I’ve kept them in the fridge for days and they’ve been just as yummy as they were to begin with.

I first saw this on Sarah Wilsons site here and thought what a great idea!



Ingredients:
As much bacon as you like, rind removed (I used about 4 long rashers to make 6)
As many organic eggs as you like (I used 6)
A handful of whichever herbs you like, chopped… Chives, parsley, oregano would all be very nice
A few shavings of parmesan cheese if you want to
Rock Salt

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 190’c
Line a muffin tin with baking paper or grease the tin
Line each hole with bacon
Crack an egg into each one
Top with herbs and sprinkle of rock salt. I also topped mine with cayenne pepper
Cook for around 15 minutes or until egg is set
Line a flat tray with baking paper
Turn out you bacon and eggs onto flat tin to cook the underside of the bacon
Cook for a few minutes
Once cooked, top with a little parmesan cheese and serve

Have you tried any other variation to these? I bet they would be delicious with some chopped tomato or olives on top!

Bee xx

RECIPE | Bananarama Energy Smoothie

This is one of the yummiest, easiest & most energising smoothies ever. It is completely satiating so will keep you full for hours!

The recipe below makes enough for 2 people (or you can make one now and have some later for afternoon tea, it keeps well in the fridge just give it a quick shake before drinking).

Ingredients:
2 medium sized ripe bananas
1 big teaspoon almond butter
1 big teaspoon maca powder
1 big teaspoon raw honey
1 1/2 cups almond milk or milk of choice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/2 cup of ice

Directions:
Put all ingredients into blender, blend for a minute or until all mixed together.

Enjoy!

Bee xx

RECIPE | Mostly Raw Soba Noodle Salad

This Asian inspired salad takes about 15 minutes to whip up. Delicious on it's own or great as a side dish.

Serves 2 as main meal or 4 as a small side 

Salad Ingredients
1 packet organic soba noodles (I used 2/3rds of the packet) – cook according to packet until al dente then leave to drain and cool
1 punnet/ handful cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 zucchinis grated
1 carrot grated
1 long red chilli, seeds removed and deveined, sliced thin
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Handful of fresh mint chopped fine
Handful of fresh coriander chopped fine

Dressing Ingredients:
½ lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold-pressed seasame oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon raw honey

Directions:
Prepare ingredients as noted above.
Mix all dressing ingredients together in a bowl except sesame seeds
Mix all salad ingredients together in large bowl, mix in the cooled noodles then mix through dressing ingredients
Top with sesame seeds

Enjoy!

Bee xx

Being healthy doesn't need to cost a fortune!

Today's blog is about eating healthy on a budget because a lot of people think that to eat on a budget you need to buy processed packet food. 

This is not true! When you add up how much you're spending on processed food it probably works out to be more than it would be if you bought fresh! Not to mention the long term costs of eating processed foods (illnesses, lack of energy - I could go on, I will save that for a another day!)  While some speciality items can be expensive, these are not essentials and if you can't afford them then don't buy them!

If you plan your weekly meals or at least have a fair idea what you want to cook for a few nights, the grocery shop can be easy and cheap!

I put myself to the test with this because at one stage I was spending a ridiculous amount of money on food (over $450 per week for 3 people - 2 adults and a 5 year old -craziness!). I wasn't looking at the price of items and must have been buying random unnecessary items. At the end of the month I was wondering where all my money had gone and when I looked through my bank statement I realised it was all of the little shops in between my big weekend grocery shop that was making it all add up. If I had just planned my meals before my shop and purchased everything I needed on the weekend then there would be no reason to go to the shops at all during the week. Plus it didn't help that I was going to the markets, then to the butcher then to deli... When going to all these different stores it's easy to lose track of how much you're spending. 

So with better planning and my budget cap on I went to Aldi to do my weekly shop (I think I am converted) and can happily say I am spending under $150 per week on groceries - this even includes fresh fruit and vegetables, meats and other house hold items. While no fresh produce compares to an organic farmers market, sometimes it just isn't convenient or accessible so just make sure you wash your produce really well before consuming to remove some of the toxins entering your body from the pesticides used. I always wash mine if non organic in solution of water and apple cider vinegar. (quick tip: you can do all of the washing of the produce all at once and dry it and put it away for the week so you don't have to do it each day).

I like my family to eat whole, clean, organic (when possible) foods, and while I thought it was necessary to buy all fancy items, it really isn't! You can have a yummy wholesome dinner each night for under $15 easily!

Some examples of dinners I will be making my family this week (all from Aldi - btw Aldi has a great selection of organic foods - just not fruit and veg yet).

- Stir-fried grass fed organic beef strips with broccoli, carrot, capsicum and brown rice

- Grilled chicken breast (marinated in garlic and dried herbs over night) with roasted root vegetables, mixed with quinoa topped with goats cheese feta

- Organic grass fed lean beef mince spaghetti bolognese with vegetables (enough for two nights) can be made with gluten free pasta (tastes the same!)

- Quinoa risotto (recipe on blog)

So things to remember when doing your shop- 

- First have your list with you so you know exactly what you are there to buy

- Make your dinners a little bigger so you can eat the left overs for lunch the next day to save buying it

- Buy nutritious side dishes that fill you up such as quinoa or brown rice)

- Actually look at the price of food (this sounds silly but I never did and the food that is expensive is usually not in season!)

Let me know if you have some good recipes or tips on eating healthy on a budget!

Bee xx

image sourced from: jcnn.com.au

RECIPE | The Cheeky Taco (that really isn't a taco!) Tuna, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrot, Avocado, Cabbage

Something light, quick & easy to make when you can't be bothered to make anything at all!

Tonight my hubby has taken our son to a footy match which leaves me home to relax and not having to cook for anyone! Exciting yes, but I am hungry! So, what to cook when (a) you can’t be bothered to cook and (b) you have no food in the house?

Deciding I was hungry enough to look for something to eat I searched my fridge and pantry and realized that I actually did have food it was just time to be a little creative with the limited food I could find so I made a healthy Crunchy Tuna, Avocado, Carrot & Tomato ‘Taco’, it was delicious and took about 5 minutes to make!

Ingredients:
1 tin of tuna
½ Avocado - sliced
1 carrot – grated
small handful of cherry tomatoes – each tomato cut in half
large cabbage leaf or wrap

Dressing Ingredients:
½ teaspoon dijon mustard
half a lemon – juice squeezed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 large cabbage leaf (for taco) otherwise a wrap would be nice too

Directions:
Mix all dressing ingredients together with a fork

Mix tuna, carrot and tomatoes together, pour in the dressing ingredients and combine
Place sliced avocado along middle of cabbage leaf
Top with tuna mixture & voila a delicious Crunchy Tuna, Avocado, Carrot & Tomato ‘Taco’!

 

RECIPE | Quinoa 'Risotto' - Eggplant, Cherry Tomato, Baby Spinach, Kale

This yummy quinoa 'risotto' is so quick and easy to prepare and takes about 5 minutes of cooking! Gluten free and can be dairy free if you omit the goats cheese feta.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 eggplant cut into big cubes

10 cherry tomatoes halved

3 kale leaves slices

handful baby spinach

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 red onion, diced small

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Goats cheese feta to crumble on top

Directions:

Heat skillet, add coconut oil

Once warm add garlic and onion, cook until the the onion cooks slightly

Add eggplant cook for 2 minutes

Add cherry tomatoes, cook until warmed through

Add spinach, kale, cooked quinoa and mix through.

Season with sea salt and black pepper

Crumble on goats cheese if using

Serves 2 people

So easy.. So yummy!!

TIPS: When I cook quinoa I always cook the whole packet (about 2 1/2 cups) and save what I don't use in the fridge to just throw into a salad or heat up for a quick meal like this. It stores well in the fridge once cooked for about a week.

Goats milk is much easier for the body to digest than cows milk which is why I use goats cheese feta. I try not to eat too much dairy but this is one exception!

Bee xx