Breakfast at Mr. Tulk

Breakfast, as you all know, is my favourite thing on earth. Mr. LL has obviously cottoned on as last weekend he decided to take me out for the best meal of the day.

Mr. Tulk's, which is located at the State Library is where he chose.

The only stories I'd ever hear of Mr. Tulk's were that of a gorgeous friend of mine who frequented their dining room while studying across the road at RMIT. Still full of kids who looked like uni students, (young, giant spectacles, amazing buns on their heads and laptops sprawled everywhere .. on a Saturday morning), I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and cosy the environment was on a cold Winter morning. Instantly happy with the boy's choice.

And the brekky?

Good coffee & cute salt packets.




Good decaf coffee; quite an achievement these days.











According to the boy; good parmesan scrambled eggs & bacon, (but he did want more toast).




According to me; stewed rhubarb so good I dreamt about rhubarb that night. Beautiful muesli.





And a window display tempting enough to to take home a brekky dessert, and lunch.

And all not to $$ either, I guess that's the advantage of being near a uni.
Recommend if you haven't tried!
What's your favourite place for breakfast in ol' Melbourne town?

Stay well,
Nat x

Addicted to; Greek Yoghurt

Why?
Greek yoghurt is not only super tasty and creamy, but 100% sugar free, (read your labels, but, for the most part). It's higher in protein which, with it's rich texture, means it's more satisfying and filling. It doesn't need gelatine or other thickeners because it gets that way naturally through the process used to make it. For carb-haters, it's also lower in carbohydrates.

Down side?
It is lower in calcium than the usual breakfast yogurt suspects, so be sure to make up for that elsewhere.
The full-fat version is also higher in calories (circa 130 calories per 100grams compared to low-fat Vaalia having circa 110 calories), but it is available in a low-fat version which is just as beneficial, and still very yummy.

How do I eat it?
With muesli dotted with honey or maple syrup, (keep it to a minimum, but it's pretty hard to reach the 15% sugar level of many yogurts we usually eat for breakfast)
With fresh or frozen berries mixed through
With chopped up bananas
With grated apple & cinnamon
On baked sweet potatoes with cheese and beans
With potato wedges and sweet chilli sauce
On nachos instead of sour cream
As a topper to pumpkin soup

Make a cheesecake..
Plain!

The list goes on - it is one of the most used items in my fridge.

Give it a go, I promise you'll find a way you like it. It's especially good for yogurt lovers trying to cut down on their sugar intake and it's popular in a lot of weight loss groups.

How do you have your Greek yogurt?

Stay well,
Nat x

Sunday Brunch

This past Sunday I decided that ridiculous amounts of food for breakfast need not be exclusive to guests or special ocassions, and so I got-a-cookin' for M & I after being inspired by a muesli scone recipe in a recent recipe magazine, (not sure which one).

Muesli Scone

I;

2 cups self raising flour

1/3 cup caster sugar (I use a lot less)

50g cold butter, finely chopped

(plus extra to serve)

3/4 cup toasted fruit muesli (I used untoasted and it was fine)

1 cup milk

M;

Preheat oven to 200c/180c fan forced

Grease baking tray

Place flour and 2 tbps sugar in a medium bowl

Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs

Stir through 1/3 cup muesli

Add milk and flour

Use a round bladed knife and mix until soft dough forms

Using hands, bring dough together to form a ball

Turn dough onto prepared tray and press out into a 20cm disc

Top with remaining sugar and muesli (this is where I only used 2 or so more tbps of sugar, I also added cinnamon as my muesli was apple)

Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and hollow sounding when tapped.

Muesli I used

Very yummy with jam

The rest of brunch

Baked Egg, Ham & Mushroom Tarts

(with roasted tomato)

French Toast with Maple Syrup

Nothing like maple syrup glistening in the sun....

Of course, I included a fruit salad

Iced Green Tea with mint

Lemon Ice Tea

It was the most perfect weather for brunch outside

I really love cooking. Really. I can't express how relaxing I found it - it's almost silly.

Stay well,
Nat x

Review; Be Natural Cereal

So I've decided to try my hand at reviews, seeing as I've found that, unfortunately, way too many people trust the front of packaging and the packaging advertising rather than really looking at it. The new Be Natural range of cereals is something I can already see that happening with (their is an unusual amount of day time TV hype about this cereal, judging by the number of Mum's who have mentioned it to me because so and so on TV said...).

I've just purchased and tried the middle one, Be Natural Cashew, Almond, Hazelnut and Coconut Cereal (winner of the Longest Cereal Name Ever championships). I learnt about the release of this cereal first via my local supermarket catalogue, then through Mum who told me about this new cereal that's all natural and said it was good. This soon followed by several others and I decided to trek out and buy it in what I thought was the most desirable sounding flavour, (especially after discovering they had similar sugar percentages anyway, and sugar is what I am most weary of with breakfast cereals).
On the front it claims to be high in fibre, whole grain and low GI with no artificial colours, flavours of preservatives. Let's have a closer look;

13.5% sugar does not make me smile. The super-sweet Lowan Berry Bliss Fusion Muesli comes in under this, and the Be Natural cereal doesn't taste anywhere near as sweet. 85mg of salt per serve is under the 120mg we should try and stay below, but a serving size of 2/3 of a metric cup will probably only sustain a 5 year old until lunch time, so, like most packaged foods, it's a bit high for my liking. The fat content is high but as it's a whole cereal with nuts, I'm not too worried

Upon inspection of the ingredients, I'm happy with the 49% reading of whole grain cereals and 11% nuts, making at least 60% of the box filled with wholesome food. Add the seeds and coconut to this and we're up to 68%. So far, so good. But why is there more raw sugar than coconut or seeds? I know I know, to make it taste good. But don't be fooled! Raw sugar is, in my opinion, only marginally better than the refined stuff because it contains trace amounts of minerals. All sugar is bad for you, and I have no doubt that Be Natural used raw sugar to make it look healthier. I bet you've heard someone say, 'Oh but it's not that bad at least it's raw sugar' before. Deceit even in the ingredients! Or maybe it's better described as marketing, but hey, they have to make us want to eat it. Don't be fooled by 'Brown Rice Syrup', it's sugar too - just read this. I'm not a fan of the 'natural honey flavour', but I doubt it's harming anyone.
Final WordBe Natural Cashew, Almond, Hazelnut and Coconut Cereal
Pros; It has a high percentage of natural, whole ingredients, comes in under 200 calories per serve if you stick to the 45g recommendation, and it tastes great.
Cons; I still consider this cereal to be high in sugar, especially for something that most people would feel they're tasting little to no sugar in.
Verdict; Much better than a lot of the options on the supermarket shelf, but doesn't come near wheat biscuits or home made muesli. If you are going to eat this or give it to your kids, stick to the recommended serving size and bulk it up with fresh fruits, or some yoghurt instead of milk.
Would I eat this for breakfast? Only sprinkled on top of my home made muesli or as an occasional treat.
Would I give this to kids? Over wheat biscuits or wholegrain toast with fruit, no. Over chocolate cereals or even Sultana Bran, yes.
Currently on special at Coles ($3) if you want to try it!

Will you try it?What did you think of this review?
Stay well,Nat x

Breakfast for a Week

Everyone who knows me, and probably everyone who reads this blog, knows that breakfast is by far the most exciting part of the day in my eyes. I try to have a new, interesting brekky every day of the week no matter how pushed for time I am and I'm often faced with arguments from others that go along the lines of, 'how can you be bothered doing anything other than Vegemite on toast / cereal / coffee?'. Interesting breakfasts do not take a lot of work, and I hope this post proves that to you.

Fruit Bread (which I buy from a bakery near our beach spot and freeze), topped with low-fat Ricotta (from a tub), blueberries and cinnamon.Read the label of your ricotta and make sure it's not too high in salt. Ricotta for brekky will help keep you full until lunch time and cinnamon is a fantastic alternative to sugar.



Toast - one with low fat ricotta, sliced tomato (microwaved for warmth), and another smothered in unhulled tahini.Tahini is ground sesame seeds and tastes amazing! Please try it if you never have; it's insanely high in calcium and you'll find it in the health food section of any good supermarket.



Vita Brit with smooth peanut butter, and Jalna Low-Fat Vanilla Yoghurt with blueberries.Peanut butter is fatty, but it's also protein and will help keep you full. It is great stuff, in moderation. Go for the no salt added variety if you can enjoy it.


Weekend brekky - Cooked tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms with egg and soldiers.Not enough people, in my opinion, make the effort to cook some vegetables for brekky on weekends. Do it! Even if it has to be next to your bacon.



Home made muesli mixed with a little All Bran, topped with milk and blueberries.



Home made granola served with microwaved frozen mixed berries and Jalna Low Fat Yoghurt.Look for mixed berries on special - they often work out cheaper than the fresh ones and still contain the health benefits. They make a great dessert straight from the freezer, too.


Weekend brekky of fresh fruit salad of cantaloupe., honey dew, grapes, stewed apricots, strawberries and grated apple. I enjoyed this with some Jalna Low Fat Vanilla Yoghurt.

For those interested, I drink Madura Green Tea. I'll sometimes have peppermint or decaffeinated coffee, but it's green for me most of the time.
Can you really tell me those options are that hard? You feel 100 times more satisfied after an interesting, nutritious breakfast and you're much less likely to reach for something sweet by 10am.
I hope this inspires someone!

Stay well,Nat x

The First Supper

Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day. Brekky, for me, sets the tone and the standard for the rest of the day. If I have a fatty, sugary breakfast, then I only crave fatty and sugar foods for the following 24 hours. When I have a healthy, well balanced breakfast, I crave fresh, whole food for the rest of the day. It really does dictate what my day of food will involve.

In addition to this, breakfast is what it is, a 'break' of the 'fast'. Your tummy and insides have been cleaning themselves all night preparing for the next day and you have this grand opportunity to make it incredibly happy, so it makes no sense to me why people put too much butter on white bread with some jam and give that to their hard working insides. Yes it's easy, fast and cheap before work, but so's an apple, (or wholegrain bread with no butter but some peanut butter instead. Or both!). Imagine you spent all day cleaning your car only to have an overtaker splash mud all over you? I bet you'd much rather someone come along and polish it. Although, unlike the occasional white bread with butter, I don't think mud on your clean car is ever good. Even in moderation.

Right now, my usual 'every day' breakfast is home made un-toasted muesli, with fresh or stewed, (without sugar), fruit, and most of the time, some yoghurt. I always wake up to a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon juice and not for the detox benefits some people claim it has, but because I love the freshness in the morning! I follow with a green or peppermint tea. On weekends this usually changes and is accompanied by an long decaf macchiato.

It took me a while to get into making muesli, but now I've started, I'm addicted. The following is what I have in my current one, but it changes every brew. If you want to make your own muesli but are lacking in inspiration, have a look at http://www.mueslimixer.com.au .

Natalie's Current MuesliI;(Please don't ask for quanitites)A lot of rolled oatsFlaked almondsRaisinsSesame seedsSunflower seedsBran flakes & strawsDried apricot
M;Dice fruit & mix it all together! I store it in the fridge to keep the nuts, seeds & fruit fresh.

So why do I eat this? The filling factor of muesli is amazing, plus the oils, vitamins and proteins from the nuts and seeds, and the fibre from the dried fruit a long with the little sugar hit it provides. The fruit always feels amazing on my stomach first thing, (I often have an apple before I leave for work, and eat the muesli when I am hungry again at work), as well as all the obvious vitamins from fresh fruit. The yoghurt is a calcium as well as a protein thing - I don't eat a lot of dairy otherwise (I buy Jalna Low Fat Vanilla or Strawberry, but the Vanilla is better with the muesli). Most importantly, all of the above tastes ridiculously amazing and is hard to get sick of.

The above is an M creation. He by no means eats this every day, but I like to make an event of weekend breakfast's and M seems to be appreciating this, which makes me happy. On this particular morning, I offered to make M a toasted sandwich which, when he asked, I explained I did in the griller. Oh the things you learn living together! M says the proper way to make a toasted sandwich was as above; fried in a pan, in butter. I'm not big on frying in butter and probably would never have done this myself, but this smelt amazing. He promised to make me one some day and I can't wait to try it.

This was a mini-event weekend breakfast, (probably a Sunday, they're always smaller). Almost all our meals from breakfast to dinner are this different in appearance and ingredients. We're very different eaters (and I'll write about the vegetarian health nut living with the meat eating pretty relaxed eater very soon). We always eat breakfast very late on the weekends to avoid eating 3 very large meals. A late breakfast signals time to relax in my brain.
So, I'd love to know, what do you have for breakfast?And why?
Stay well,Nat x

Breakfast at Natalie's

(You have to sing the subject to the correct tune to get the full effect)

A part of M & I's present to my Mum & Dad for Christmas was a brunch, and this morning was the time. After much wracking my brain about what to make and how to ensure all the eggs were going to be cooked right and at the perfect time, (and how I would enjoy the morning whilst doing so much cooking), I decided to host a cold brunch. This, mixed with the really-sick-of-fatty-food factor felt by everyone at this time of year, resulted in a relatively healthy, cold brunch.

And this was the spread..

Menu

Muesli with Fruit

Mini Sandwiches

Banana Pikelets

Roast Tomatoes & Mushrooms with Thyme

Date & Walnut Loaf

Muesli with Fruit

Bottom Layer -

Stewed Apricots, (from M's parents garden). I put them in a bit of water, no sugar, & cooked them for 15-20 minutes. They were refrigerated for 2 days before serving.

Middle Layer-

Home made muesli. Rolled oats, diced dried apple, raisins, flaked almonds, sunflower seeds & sesame seeds.

Top layer-

Fresh strawberries sprinkled with extra almonds & shredded coconut.

Apricots are extremely high in Vitamin A & fibre, & very low in calories.

Sesame seeds are very high in calcium.

Strawberries, along with the oats, will help reduce cholesterol.

Mini Sandwiches

Smoked Salmon -

Smoked salmon, light cream cheese & a sprig chive on light rye bread.

Cucumber -

Cucumber, light cream cheese, a mint leaf & a sprig of chive on light rye bread.

Cucumbers will also help to lower cholesterol thanks to their sterols - just keep the skin on because, as with most fruit & veg, (though cucumber is technically a fruit), that's where all the good stuff is!

Banana Pikelets

Recipe from Best Recipes

Make a lot & were great cold.

I;

2 cups self-raising flour (I used wholemeal)

Pinch of Salt

1/3 cup of sugar (I used raw)

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups of milk

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp vanilla essence (I added this)

(the recipe calls for some butter or margarine spread, but I used a none-stick pan and no coating)

M;

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add sugar and cinnamon.

Whisk in sugar, butter, eggs and milk until smooth.

Add mashed banana and stir mixed.

Dollop spoons of the mixture into hot, non stick fry pan and turn when bubbling on top side.

I served drizzled with honey and cinnamon.

Whenever you can, use wholemeal flour - it's not the equivalent of eating a good whole grain bread, but it has some vitamins, unlike refined white flour. Same goes for raw sugar versus refined white sugar. In most recipes, they will act in exactly the same way and wholemeal flour is readily available in both plain and self raising.

Roast Tomatoes & Mushrooms with Thyme

Button mushrooms & tomatoes on the vine roasted for about 30 minutes (put the mushrooms in 15 minutes earlier/45 minutes total for the best flavour). They were hit with some olive oil and black pepper first, and served with torn and toasted, (also in the oven), wholemeal rolls before being sprinkled with fresh thyme.

Date & Walnut Loaf

Recipe from Taste

I;

• 1 cup pitted dates, chopped
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour (I used wholemeal)
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 3/4 cup traditional rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

M;

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Grease a 6.5cm-deep, 9cm x 19cm (base) loaf pan. (The recipe calls for baking paper as a liner, however some spray olive oil and a none-stick pan made mine fall out beautifully)
• Place dates in a heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water and maple syrup. Stand for 15 minutes.
• Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda together into a bowl. Add oats, walnuts and sugar. Stir to combine. Add the date mixture. Stir until well combined.
• Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Smooth the surface. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Stand loaf in pan for 5 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool.

I found this loaf didn't need cream cheese, just a good cup of coffee alongside the plate.

I didn't use raw sugar as I love the flavour of brown sugar with walnuts.

This loaf, containing no eggs or butter, is a much healthier alternative to most (though don't count on it to be low in calories - but who would expect it to?)

Have you ever hosted a brunch? I highly recommend it. You can prepare things way in advance & when it's done, you still have to day to do things, as well as not having to go to bed with a very full stomach.

Stay well,

Nat x

PS. Can anyone recommend some good food/nutrition/cooking/health blogs?