'Thanks for Being a Part of My Family' Party

Recently, I have been to Steve Biddulph's 'Raising Boys' seminar in Melbourne. He gave lots of examples to prove his points but one of the most 'stuck-to-mind' details for me was on how families have changed over time and how it shows its effects on different units of the family, wider community and the world in general.

Regardless of what a family is to people these days or how families are formed, the concept of a family is important to individuals' lives and the world's today and the future in general. I'd like to think that my children also know the importance of a family.

I have been extremely quiet in the social media world including here on the blog recently and it has taken me over a year to be able to post something that is actually from the last year or even perhaps the year before. However, as I was going through my 'drafts', I didn't want to pass this without sharing.

This day symbolises to me that 'being a family' is special to my children and that they are happy to be a part of our little family perhaps as much as we are. It holds a very special place in my heart that my little preschooler at the time asked for a party to celebrate the fact that we are a family and it is something to celebrate. The party/theme was called 'THANKS FOR BEING A PART OF MY FAMILY' as the kids wanted it.

The kids simply guided us on what kind of a celebration they wanted to have and since food is quite important to us, one of the highlights was naturally related to food. Kids chose the menu themselves and the photos above are some shots from the foods we shared on the day. There was also some gift giving that they sneakily added to the list of 'to-do' for the party and of course they had their own preferred 'gifts' that were listed too, which I had previously shared.

I hope you all appreciate whatever you have and you do show your appreciation in a way that suits you the best!

Recipe: Silverbeet and Egg

Here is a recipe that I have always loved. It may not be the most photogenic meal, however, it is very healthy and totally delicious. It also is a great alternative to use large amounts of silverbeet or spinach leaves. Don't forget, those leaves can also be lightly blanched (or even raw if desired), cut into pieces and frozen in the freezer for later use. No more excuses not to include silverbeet and/or spinach in your diet anymore! 

Ingredients: 
Lots of onions, caramelised in olive oil,
Pepper paste
Cherry tomatoes
Silverbeet (or spinach)
Eggs
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
Sautee onions in oil. Add paste. Add silverbeet leaves and sautee until nicely caramelised on low to medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes and keep stirring only for a  further few minutes. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Turn off heat, crack as many eggs as you wish (as a rule of thumb, I suggest one egg per person) and close the lid. The eggs will cook in its own heat in the pot. Once eggs are in the consistency that you like, you can serve.
Enjoy!

Lunchbox Ideas (8)

Here I am with more healthy lunch and snack options after a long break, I wish I could say after a long 'holiday', but it was rather a very busy period due to other commitments in life. Most of these lunchboxes were prepared with the seasonal fresh produce, mostly homegrown, at the time. I hope you find them inspirational.

1. Lunch and Snack:
* Potato salad (boiled potatoes, capsicum, fresh mint, seasoning of your choice)
* Apple
* Blueberries
* Home-grown mulberries

 2. Lunch and Snack:
* Stuffed vine leaves
* Pineapple
* Blueberries
* Home-grown mulberries

3. Snack:

* Sorrel leaves (packed with Vitamins A, C and more. Click here to read more.)
* Homegrown tomatoes
* Cucumbers

4. Lunch and Snack:
* Flat bread wraps with cream cheese, chia and sunflower seeds,
* Red capsicum sticks
* Strawberry
* Persimon
* Black grapes with seeds

To see the previous lunchbox ideas posts, you can visit:

#7
#6
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1

Lunchbox Ideas (7)

Yes yes, I know. It has been ages -and felt even longer!- since I was able to post anything here the last time. Even though it might have looked like a big break here, it was actually a very busy period for me. Life was in its full swing on this side of the planet for sure.

The new school year has started a few weeks ago Down Under and even though I love spending time with my children during school holidays and that we all really enjoy not having to rush in general; reality has already kicked in and we like it or not we have already adapted to our school-day routines well.

Below is some more inspiration for your in case you are looking at healthy variety and are happy to try new recipes and combinations. You can find the links to the previous lunchbox idea posts at the bottom of this page. Enjoy!

1. Lunch and snack:
* Cucumber dip (finely chopped cucumbers, natural yoghurt, a small pinch of salt, some dried mint and some fresh mint leaves for decoration).
* Flat bread chips (Lebanese/flat bread cut into triangle shapes and toasted until crisp).
*Purslane (Never underestimate this edible weed. It is full of Omega 3 just to say the least. Read more about it and get some recipes here)
*Grapes

2. Lunch and Snack:
*Pasta salad (pasta made from the night before. In the morning, I added some raw red capsicum, lightly blanched peas, and some dried mint. Feel free to add your favourite seasoning).
*Fruit salad (fresh garden grapes, some plum and nectarine slices)
*A salad (toasted halloumi, home-grown cherry tomatoes and home-grown basil leaves)

3. Lunch and Snack:
*Some organic rice crackers and spreadable cheese
*Home-grown celery sticks, homegrown-cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese cubes
*Pear

4. Lunch and Snack:
*Sandwich (meat balls, green salad eaves, cucumber slices and spreadable cheese) (in a foil wrap in the picture below)
*An apple (cut in half)
*Carrot sticks
*Two types of grapes

Previous lunchbox ideas for you to check out:
#6
#5
#4
#3
#2
#1

RECIPE: Cinnamon Bites

Here is a recipe that a friend of mine has given me. She actually sort of forced me to try some of these that she had made at a time and place I would normally not to do so but she was quite confident that it was all worth it and I would not regret it. I had to give in and tried it there and then. She sure knew what she was talking about. This is a very quick and simple yet a pleasant recipe (and taste) requiring the minimum ingredients that it would be a shame not to share with you. The recommended cut size of the cookies make it even more desirable as you can just have a few or even a small handful with your coffee or tea and you are likely to feel satisfied without having to feel guilty about your indulgence. 

 

Ingredients: 

1 packet (250g) unsalted butter (kept at room temperature)

1 egg

2 tablespoonsful of caster sugar

2 tablespoonsful of ground cinnamon

Self raising flour

Before baking

Method:

In a small to medium sized bowl, mix the sugar and the cinnamon and leave it aside.

In a large bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients. Add flour slowly until the dough becomes soft but not sticky.

Take pieces of the dough and make long rolls. The thickness should be about the thickness of an average index finger. Once baked, it shrinks in length and gets thicker a bit (see pictures above and below to see the difference of before and after baking).

Cut diagonally about an inch in length.

Bake in a baking paper lined oven tray in a preheated oven at 180C. When the colour changes to much lighter (see picture below) and the dough pieces are hard, turn off the oven and the tray out and let it cool a little. The idea here is that it is warm enough to make the sugar&cinnamon mixture stick but is cool enough not to melt the sugar.

Once it is at the right temperature (not hot, not cold), put a handful in the sugar&cinnamon mixture, roll them around by giving the bowl a gentle shake and then take them out. Keep repeating until all the remaining cookies are covered with the mixture. Once totally cool, you can place them in an air tight container and store them for weeks.

After baking

RECIPES: Olive Bread and more

Have I shared my Instagram account with you yet? It looks like I signed up a long time ago but never ended up using it after that one post that I made on the day at the time. Believe it or not, actually, I had to ask a friend of mine to send me my username details this year as I had no idea what I signed up as at the time. After I found 'me' on Instagram and worked out my log in details, I started to use it more often. I have shared the photo below there some days ago and am now posting the further details here. 

I now enjoy using Instagram and it has become another source of inspiration and help for me. In fact, just this morning, as I was going through some recipes from one of my favourite cook books called BREAD by Dean Brettschneider, I drooled over a recipe, Muesli Roll, and decided to give it a go before I realised that I had all the ingredients at home except for one. So, what did I do? I simply went on to Instagram and asked the inspirational baker Dean if I could replace that particular ingredient with anything and voila! He replied almost in an instant with all I needed to know, in detail too. Perfect! By the way, I have more baking and sewing related posts there if you want to check out. You are most welcome to add me to your following list if you wish to do so.

Here are some of my favourite and most often used bread recipes for you. The bread with seeds is an adaptation of my recipe and the olive bread recipe I had received from a friend of mine a while back. Both the recipes have never failed me so far and just between you and I, my recipes are generally 'if I can make it, so can you' type as I am still a pretty novice baker. 

OLIVE BREAD

Ingredients:

- 3cups flour

- 1cup warm water (add a little more if needed)

- 2teaspoonsful instant yeast

- Approximately ¾ cupsful pitted black olive pieces

- 1 teaspoonful salt

Method:

Combine all ingredients and form ‘bread’ dough. Work it for approximately 6-10 minutes. Make a big ball with the dough and leave it in a large bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and some kitchen towels to keep it warm. After about an hour or so, place the dough in a rectangle cake tin. Cover it up and wait at least for an hour to rise. Bake in a preheated oven (10-15mins before baking, turn on the oven at 200C) for 40-45 minutes.

BREAD WITH SEEDS

The loaf on the left was made with 3/4 organic plain flour and 1/4 with organic wholemeal flour. I have made it with some crunchy organic seeds which made the texture and the taste just amazing. Highly recommended. The recipe to this bread is here and the seeds I used for this particular time for this bread in the picture are;

* Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

* Sunflower seeds

* Linseed

* Chia

Enjoy!

Lunch Ideas for School Kids (5)

I am assuming that by now, you would have well noticed that we use cream cheese sandwiches more often than not as my son prefers cream cheese over other cheese types in sandwiches. He also prefers his sandwiches not to have many ingredients which is not a concern for me as he has his vegetables on the side happily anyway but I do find it boring. I would love to hear from you some other sandwich filling ideas.

1. Lunch and Snack:

• Cream cheese and chia wraps
• One small apple
• One small persimmon (cut into slices)
• One small (homemade) muffin

2. Lunch and Snack:

• One slice of homemade wholewheat bread with cream cheese and chia
• One slice of homemade olive bread with cream cheese
• Homegrown celery sticks
• Carrot sticsk
• Homegrown cherry tomatoes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries

3. Lunch and Snack

• Rice crackers with some cream cheese on the side
• Cucumber sticks
• Homegrown cherry tomatoes
• Melon slices

4. Lunch and Snack:

• Cream cheese and chia wraps
• Two organic dried apricots
• Half a carob stick
• Some homemade savoury cookies
• Cucumber slices
• Homegrown cherry tomatoes

5. Lunch and Snack:

• Rye bread sandwich with cream cheese and linseed
• Carrot sticks
• Cucumber sticks
• Red capsicum sticks
• Homegrown cherry tomatoes
• One banana

Note: You can access to the previous 'lunch ideas for kids posts' by Home of Homemade Treasures here:

Lunch ideas #4
Lunch ideas #3
Lunch ideas #2
Lunch ideas #1

SORREL (Rumex Acetosa, R. Scutatus)

The zippy, lemony taste of sorrel leaves is unique among herbs. Its leaves are long, arrow shaped and are refreshingly acidic and are brilliantly used especially for sauces and salads. Unfortunately, it is not very commonly known and is rarely stocked at shops.

Image Source

It is a hardy perennial. When planting, keep it in mind to establish a permanent patch to offer a year-round supply. It should survive the winter. Even if the leaves may die, the plant will bounce back in spring. In fact, since we planted ours some years ago, we have never needed to re-plant it. Fingers crossed for the coming years too.

To maintain your sorrel patch, simply, harvest regularly as the leaves will regrow. It is better to consume when the leaves are nice and young especially eating raw but can still be used when they grow much larger, particularly chopped and added to some cooked meals such as some soups and stews.

Sorrel is rich in Vitamins A and C, fiber, iron and potassium. There are studies to suggest that it is used in cancer prevention. It is also claimed that sorrel improves digestion problems and is helpful in lowering blood pressure. Sorrel is also helpful in improvement of eyesight and the immune system. The consumption of dried sorrel leaves stimulates urination and therefore can act as a diuretic which is helpful in cleaning out the kidneys.

It is recommended that sorrel is only consumed in smaller amounts as its oxalic acid can be toxic and can also contribute to the growth of kidney stones.

Sorrel in my son's lunchbox

How we consume it:

• Simply as raw salad leaves or snacks. 

• We cook a green lentil soup and add it to the pot at the end, soon after turning off the stove. 

The recipe of the green lentil soup that we use sorrel with is below:

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped finely.
1 clove crushed garlic (optional)
1 table spoonful of tomato paste (optional)
1/2 cup of boiled and drained chickpeas (chickpeas can be prepared in advance as boiled chickpeas can be stored in the freezer)
1/2 cup of boiled wheat (optional)
1-1,5 cup of boiled green lentils
Olive oil
Salt
Chilli flakes (optional)
Some boiling water
A handful of coarsely chopped sorrel leaves

Method:

Fry onion and garlic in some olive oil. Add paste. Once the onions are soft, add the lentils and keep stirring for a few minutes. Then add boiling water (about 3 times the level of lentils in the pot). Add the chickpeas, wheat, salt and chilli flakes and cook on slow heat for approximately 10-15 minutes. Then turn off the stove and quickly add the sorrel leaves. Stir a few times to make sure they soak. Then it is ready to eat.

Lunch Ideas for School Kids (4)

Below is another set of four lunch ideas for school children. If you would like to check out the previous ones, you can check here, here, and here.

1. Lunch and Snack:

• Cream cheese and chia wraps
• Lightly boiled squash with some dried mint on top
• Cranberries
• Homegrown corn on the cob

2. Lunch and Snack:

• A sandwich in multigrain bread (with poppy seeds) with cream cheese, cucumber, tomato and chia seeds
• A vegetable salad with raw mushroom, cucumber, carrot and some homegrown salad leaves
• Green and red grapes
• An apple

3. (Light) Lunch:

• Green salad leaves (sorrel, baby spinach and lettuce)
• Red capsicum
• Fetta cheese cubes
• Linseed
• Pumpkin seeds
• Goji berries

4a. Lunch and Snack:

• Cooked pasta shapes
• Lightly boiled broccoli
• Lightly boiled green beans
• Raw red capsicum
• Apple slices
• Strawberries

4b. Snack for Miss Junior
(Same as 4b except for pasta and apple)

• Lightly boiled broccoli
• Lightly boiled green beans
• Raw red capsicum 
• Strawberries

Lunch Ideas for School Kids (3)

This is the third set of four lunchbox ideas here after this and this on Home of Homemade Treasures blog so far. Definitely more is planned. Please feel free to share your lunchbox ideas with us in the comments section below as well. Enjoy!

1. Lunch and Snack

• Warm green lentil and pasta soup (in thermos)
• Pineapple slices
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Melon slices

2. Lunch and Snack

• Homemade pancakes
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries

3. Snack:

• Watermelon and banana kebabs

4. Lunch and Snack

• Couscous with cherry tomatoes and green leaves
• Cucumber slices and carrot sticks
• Melon slices and blueberries

Lunch Ideas for School Kids (2)

I have been longing to make this post for such a long time now but it looks like today had to be the day. I seriously am one busy woman! (Who isn't, ha?)

I had shared four lunch ideas/recipes with you here previously. I prepare lunch for my son on a daily basis, and Miss Junior now has lunch at school a few days a week as well, so, do expect many more to come in time but for now, enjoy the ones below:

1. Lunch and Snack:

• (Homemade organic) bread and spreadable cheese with chia
• Avocado slices
• (Homegrown) cherry tomatoes
• (Organic) cranberries
• Pineapple slices

2. Vegetable and cheese kebabs:

• Red capsicum, 
• cucumber, 
• mozzarella cheese

3. Lunch: 

• Carrots
• Raw fresh garden peas
• Slice bread
• Cheese slice

Snack: Fruit Salad

• Blueberries
• Kiwi
• Strawberries
• Nectarin

4a. Lunch and Snack for Mr. Junior

• Homemade roast beef - cold cut.
• Baby spinach and fetta cheese salad
• Flat bread chips
• Cucumber, yoghurt and mint dip (tzatziki)
• Fruit salad with melon, kiwi and strawberries

4b. Lunch and Snack for Miss Junior

• See 4a for content.

Four Lunchbox Friendly Salad Recipes (1)

As mentioned in my 'About Me' section on this blog as well, it is hard for me to claim to be much skillful around the house, especially in the kitchen. However, luckily, most healthy foods don't require a lot of cooking or baking and I am not going to complain about it at all. As a family, healthy lifestyle is important to us and we try to educate our children accordingly as well. Our children have always been introduced to healthy options whenever and wherever possible and that is what they appreciate most of the time. Especially raw foods are an important part of their diet.

Our son started Prep this year and therefore, we too are on the same boat as many other parents who try to offer variety of foods for their children's lunchboxes on a daily basis. Let me tell you that it is NOT easy if you have not experienced it for yourself yet. The good news, however, is that with the invention of the internet and particularly social media, there are online recipes everywhere. You are the best person to know your child's habits and needs and you can easily find the best options that would work for you and your child, if needed, with some adjustments in recipes.

In our case, our son often brings some sort of a sandwich for lunch but also has some salad as a main or to go with his sandwich as well. He brings some snacks too but I may be able to share some ideas on snacks at another date. Today, it is about salads.

There are four recipes below but be ready for more to come later on as well, as it is only a matter of finding the time to photograph his salads when made freshly in the mornings. Again, that too is not always the easiest task to do. That is why, for the moment, I will only be sharing what I have been able to photograph so far.

SPINACH SALAD

Ingredients:
- Baby spinach leaves
- Fresh cherry tomatoes in a few colours
- Fetta cheese cubes
- Nigella seeds

PASTA SALAD

Ingredients:
- Cooked pasta
- Blanched green beans
- Blanched broccoli
- Raw red capsicum

TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chunky lettuce leaves
- Red capsicum
- Carrots
- Sunflower seeds

SORREL SALAD

Ingredients:
- Some fresh sorrel leaves (They are hard to find at stores but I have them in my garden. If you can't find them, you can substitute them with any of your favourite salad leaves).
- Carrots
- Cherry tomatoes in a few colours
- Avocado slices
- Cranberries
- Linseed

Note: I do not use seasoning for my son's salads at school. However, you can easily add your choice of seasoning if preferred. 

Enjoy something fresh today!

Lunchbox Friendly Vegetarian Koftas

Remember my post on 'red lentil koftas' from last year? (Click here for the recipe) Here is a slightly more attractive presentation of them for kids.

The inspiration simply came from my love for my son. One school day, he asked for something special (as he often does). I know he normally enjoys red lentil koftas, which I learned how to make last year and have been making some at times ever since. It was during a really hot week and I thought the red lentil koftas would be just perfect. I simply made the mix the night before and left them in the refrigerator over night. In the morning, made small koftas with them, wrapped them around with some fresh juicy, crispy lettuce and voila! When he came home, there was no sign of any leftovers. He surely loved his lunch.

Have a very happy day!

RECIPE: Gourmet style couscous salad

Here is the newest addition to our family's salads menu. It was such a winner with the kids when we made it for the first time that our son even asked for some for his lunch at school the next day. 

Ingredients: (serves approximately 6 people):

- 1 packet couscous (500g) (larger couscous preferable)
- Some red capsicum (a small capsicum)
- Some rocket (a big handful)
- Some walnuts (about a handful)
- Dill (optional but it is particularly delicious in this salad)
- Parsley (optional)
- Roasted veggies such as zucchini and pumpkin (optional)
- Some olive oil, lemon juice and salt for seasoning.

Method:

Cook your couscous using the instructions provided on the packaging (it only takes about 10-13 minutes to cook). Once the couscous has cooled down, add all of your ingredients and seasoning and mix well. Voila! Your salad is ready! (You can add some chicken, fish or meat to it and have it as a main or have it as a side dish).

Enjoy something delicious today!