Want a great food read? Here it is.

Hooray for Harvard!

Harvard has rejected the well known 'food pyramid' in favour of the below...

'bout time!  Hooray!

Read about it here.

Stay well,
Nat x

All-Round Health.

I post a lot about food and always forget to mention the other things that keep us healthy - movement, a good circle of friends, feeling like we have purpose, hobbies, the ability to relax (drop those shoulders!).

I'll try and write more about these going forward, especially as sometimes they take up more space in my mind than food.

My Easter long weekend was perfect.  A long chat over coffee with a friend at the beach on Friday morning, followed by picking paint out for my room make over (M and I have a 3 bedroom hours - a room to sleep in, and then a 'study' each, I've been wanting to make mine over for ages).

Saturday was a day of shopping and then out to a late-ish lunch with Mum, then a quiet din with M as I was still trying to shake a week long cold.

Sunday was the family Easter lunch.  So much good food, but some things I do not want to share - they are just for me.

Monday I started the painting but by lunch the cold had taken over.  I now feel a little like I've been hit by a bus and I'm off to the doctor's soon.  Mainly to get a medical certificate as getting sick after a 4 day weekend isn't the best look.

Here are some photos from the past week or so.  I have't been whipping out my camera as much as usual.. 

Breakfast this morning.  

3/4 of a cup of spelt flour, 1/2 a cup of almond meal, 1 egg, 1 mashed overripe banana, about 2/3 of a cup of almond milk, 1 tsp baking powder and a sprinkle of cinnamon made 4 very filling pikelets.  (Leave the batter in the fridge for 15 minutes before cooking).
That's my brekky sorted for the week.
Here with greek yoghurt, berries and some honey (I love honey when I have a sore throat).

Another brekky - melons are tasting very good at the moment.  

Yes yes, another stir fry.

The current hobby is painting.  I am rubbish at it, but I absolutely love it.

When I can't be bothered exercising, I jump on my exercise bike for a while.  Even a leisurely pedal  with a magazine adds up.

Took the brother out for breakfast.  Love to order big when I go out for brekky!

Still a favourite.  Sauce is lime, garlic, ginger and chilli.

Have a beautiful (short) week & stay well,

Nat x

Good Take Away.

I hope you all know by now that I don't do the sponsored post thing.  I can't stand it when bloggers start doing that.  Anyway.

On Tuesday night I could not be bothered cooking (I have been unusually tired after work lately - think it's time for a break, lucky I am taking one this weekend!) and I stopped at the supermarket to get my usual mussels or smoked salmon to stick on a salad or with some veg - something I do every time I just can't be bothered.

But this time I found myself annoyed that I wasn't content to drive through a fast food place, or just get a noodle box, and I looked for an alternative.

I found this yummy soup;

It was $7 for what was meant to be two servings.  Maybe people with really tiny stomachs would only want to eat half of this pouch, but not me.

It was all organic ingredients and there was nothing I didn't understand (or that you wouldn't).  They had risottos and all kinds of goodies, too.  

A warm on the stove, a little parmesan cheese and some chives and I had a super yummy, super healthy, super easy dinner.

Finally I have an option!

I was very happy so I wanted to share for all you other full-time workers who get home 6 or after and, despite your usual love of cooking, sometimes don't want to have to do it every single night.

I just had a look at the Pitango web site, they do kid's meals too!  Champions.

I love finding products like this.

Do you have any go-to healthy fast food?

Stay well and have a beautiful weekend,
Nat x

Miso & Strawberries on Greens

My posts aren't very creative lately.  I could go on a rant about the 5:2/Fast Diet rubbish, but we all know what I think of that.  I could plug Goodlife gyms and let you know they have promos where you can use any gym membership to go in and try them, but I doubt I'll convince you to join a gym (and hey, it's not everyone's thing).  I could tell you about the many healthy benefits of some of the foods below, but you can Google them if you want.  I could talk about my quest for calcium tablets without vitamin D and why I care, but you probably don't.

In the end, photos are prettier than text and I'm not much into pleasing others.

Snapshot of home.
I love home.

Lentil/Eggplant/Tomato/Mushroom bake.  The eggplants and tomatoes were from the garden.
Have I told you how much I love having a vege garden?

Healthy dins.

Fried egg on a bed of rocket/asparagus/broad beans with toasted mountain bread covered in lemon & pepper.

Put strawberries on your rocket!  So yummy.
I've never spelt that kind of rocket before.  I assume that's how you spell it.

Healthy dins for boys/non vegies;
Chicken in spent flour, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper squeezed with lime juice
(it wasn't that black in real life!)

Tomato & Basil from the garden.

Pumpkin mash with chives.

Start of a thai green curry.  Sometimes the unfinished meal is so pretty.

Salads totally make awesome dinners with they contain haloumi, avocado and pomegranate.
Add smoked salmon if you need more bulk.

This was the first time I'd cooked mussels.  I did them in a broth of fish stock, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, white wine and fresh tomatoes.
I added some other seafood in case I wasn't a fan.. and some pasta, as the broth totally needed to be soaked up by something.

M isn't a mussel fan due to the texture so these empties are my doing.

Just add water for amazing miso soup.

(It was 37 degrees this day and there was a heat wave in Melbourne, but nothing stops me eating my miso!)

Little healthy chocolate puddings - adapted from here.  I basically added cocao and used dark agave instead of honey.

Work has been busy & I'm glad it's the weekend.

Enjoy yours & stay well,

Nat x

Food from the Week

Morning all!

I am loving this weather too much to sit in front of a screen, so I'll make it snappy today..

Eggplants from the garden to make....

Eggplant Parmigiana!  The Italian in me coming out... 

My Nonna would be proud.

More garden produce - I absolutely love having a vegetable garden.

Spelt pancakes for breakfast.  Yummo.

The sign of a Saturday or Sunday morning.

3rd round of that amazing Coconut Frangipane Pudding from my last post.

CUTIE.

Salmon & Greens.  My perfect meal.

Roasting eggplant on the stove.

Soup to cure a cold (last weekend was a miserable one).

I like my risotto mushy.

Friday night feast - Rocket, pear and parmesan salad, honey carrots (from the garden), toasted peppered mountain bread, and fish cooked with tomatoes, mint, garlic and basil (all from the garden).

Yummo.

I hope you're all well & getting to enjoy this weather!

Nat x

Amazing Recipe - Coconut Frangipane Pudding

If you don't already read the gorgeous Heidi's blog at Apples Under My Bed, let this be your amazing introduction...

Coconut Frangipane Pudding
(image, recipe and details over at Apples Under My Bed)

I really truly believe this recipe has the power to change lives.
Look at it!  It's sweet and luscious and not at all bad for you.

Please try it!  I got coconut flour at my local small supermarket (A.Bongiovanni & Son if you're on the West Side of Melbourne - Thomas Dux and the like should stock it), Coconut oil is available everywhere now, and the rest of the ingredients may already be in your pantry..

Stay well,
Nat x