Category: Winter

#WakeuptoOrganic breakfast bars with #noaddedsugar

DSCN7854

This time last month I was at Natural and Organic Products Show Europe where we launched the Organic Trade Board’s Wake up to Organic Campaign with the help of food blogger and food tutor, and more, Laura Scott. Laura made a cool green smoothie which had a great minty zing and a sumptuous granola breakfast parfait.

The campaign will take place on the morning of 15th June (it’s our second year) where all over the UK independent retailers will host #WakeuptoOrganic events where they serve free organic breakfasts to their customers and passers by to show how easy it is to make the switch to organic.

Why organic?

There are plenty of reasons to choose organic, it’s better for the environment, the animals are reared using higher animal welfare standards and of course organic produce has lower pesticide residues and is GM free. There is evidence now that there’s a difference in terms of nutrition.  A recent study  by researchers at Newcastle University, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that organically grown fruit and vegetables have:

  • Higher levels of antioxidants
  • Lower pesticide residues (which were 4 times higher in non organic) and
  • Significantly lower levels of the toxic heavy metal, Cadmium.

A recent meta analysis published by the same researchers in British Journal of Nutrition found that organic meat and dairy had:

  • about 50% higher levels of healthy omega 3 fats (which are good for heart and brain health as well as protecting against cancer)
  • Under organic standards cows must eat a 60% fresh grass based diet or hay/silage (conserved grass) which is likely to be a factor in the higher omega 3 levels.
  • Organic meat had slightly lower concentrations of two saturated fats linked to heart disease.
  • Organic milk and diary has 40% more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which has been associated with reduced cardiovascular heart disease, some cancers and obesity.
  • Organic milk contains slightly higher concentrations of vitamin E.
  • Less iodine than non-organic milk.¹

Both studies were meta-analyses of the available evidence which assessed peer-reviewed papers. Where studies did not meet the standards set by the researchers for methodology and/or reporting they were excluded from the review. This means the quality of the evidence included is good and the evidence is robust.

So to celebrate our Wake up to Organic launch I made these breakfast bars, based on my popular no added sugar banana and date flapjack recipe. I’ve also added nuts and seeds to increase the protein content. While these contain no added sugar they do have dried fruit in them, so it’s a good idea to have them with a glass of milk and drink water after to protect your teeth!

Wake up to Organic breakfast bars

Preparation: 20 minutes
Baking: 25 minutes
Makes 12

You will need…

150g Oats
2 large bananas (about 200-220g)
50g desiccated coconut
120g chopped dates (if you don’t have enough dates substitute chopped raisins)
100g melted coconut oil (or butter)
80g nuts and seeds (I used pumpkin seeds, chia and pecan)

How to…

Mash the bananas on a plate and put in a bowl.
Add the coconut oil, dates nuts and desiccated coconut and mix well.
Now add the oats and again mix well
Turn into a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Press down so it’s evenly spread
Bake in an oven at 190 °C or 160 °C in a fan oven or gas mark 3 for 25 minutes.
Cut into slices whilst still warm.

 

¹Historic research highlighted that organic milk contained less iodine. However, the industry has taken steps to address this. OMSCo (the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative) representing over 65% of the UK’s organic milk supply, announced that in 2015 organic milk had achieved comparable levels of iodine to conventional and in 2016, following recent testing of bottled milk, they announced these levels of iodine have been maintained. Richard Hampton, managing director at OMSCo, said; “We initiated projects to boost iodine levels and applied these to our farmer members’ enterprises, and by early 2015 we announced that we’d achieved comparable levels with those in the conventional market. Our latest results have shown that one year on from the initial milestone we’re maintaining those levels.”

 

 

Mushroom and red lentil pasta for #meatfreeMonday

  • 20160201_195617.jpg

I made this last night at 11pm, when I realised my daughter needed lunch for the Childminders today. It’s easy peasy, one of those pasta sauces you throw together at the last minute, not sure whether it’s going to work and it does, as long as the little person likes mushrooms…

I’ve stopped eating meat since the beginning of January, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, and it’s great. While I am not stopping the rest of the family from eating meat, I am not cooking it! So am looking for more vegetarian recipes that include high quality protein like lentils, beans, quinoa, nuts and seeds, and eggs, that also appeal to the kids.


Mushroom and red lentil pasta
You will need…

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, top and tailed peeled and grated
50g red lentils, rinsed
about 6 mushrooms sliced (have more if you want_
Teaspoon of dried oregano (or mixed herbs)
Carton or tin of chopped tomatoes
100g water

How to…

  • Heat the oil in a pan
    Add the onions and carrots and cook until softened
    Add the dried herbs and mushrooms.
    Stir and cook for 5 more minutes.
    Add the lentils and stir well.
    Add the tinned tomatoes and about 100g water.
    Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce is nice and rich and the lentils cooked through.

You can make this dish gluten free, using gluten free pasta and it’s vegan if you don’t have the cheese.

Notes from a 3 year old’s birthday party

 

IMG_0010

I just wanted to share some food ideas for little people’s birthday parties, having just hosted one that went well, thanks to parents helping out, as well as my husband and eldest daughter, amidst the  chaos. And I wanted to show you don’t have to resort to beige party food, and tons of sugar for kids to enjoy it.

DIY pizza

We made wholemeal spelt flour pizza bases. My bread maker had broken and I was in a bit of a panic about it as I usually make the pizza dough in it. Then I found this great recipe on Doves Farm website. I use spelt flour as, based on experience – mine and lots of parents, I know, while it’s not gluten-free, people who have gluten intolerance seem to be able to tolerate spelt. Because its gluten content is low compared to modern wheat flour.

My new favourite thing in the kitchen is this pin and board, which was made by my brother-in-Law, Garry, I am going to be selling some of his products in the not-too-distant future. He was inspired by  a vintage Welsh pin and board. If you want to roll the perfect pizza base or pie crust this is for you, though as you can see from the photo, I need a bit of practice. Anyway it is a really rather lovely thing to use. My eldest took over the pizza making – always a good idea to delegate.

20160116_131534

Passata

Passata is easy to make. We had about 12 children and I made the passata by heating 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, adding finely chopped garlic and dried mixed herbs, letting it cook for a couple of minutes then adding 2 tins of chopped tomatoes. After stirring I let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes before taking off the heat and blending til smooth – I then put it in two bowls and let it cool.

Toppings – do as many as you can think of. We did chickpeas, organic ham, peas, sweetcorn, orange and yellow pepper, mushrooms, grated cheese and I forgot the basil. You can drizzle with virgin olive oil which adds a lovely flavour.

20160116_162106

Hubster kept a tab on who’s pizza was who’s with a plan of the oven shelves on our kitchen blackboard.

Sides and drinks

We did sides of vegetable crudités, sliced cherry tomatoes, low salt crisps and popcorn, water and watered down juice (1:1).

CAKE!

I found this amazing chocolate cake recipe which is gluten free, and dairy free and has no processed sugar (just 125g maple syrup which is effectively 62g of sugar – so is very low), it is delicious and because it’s so moist you don’t need icing. If ever my kids have a cupcake the icing gets eaten first, and if it’s butter icing (which I know is really yummy) then it’s packed full of sugar. Per 100g, this cake contains about a third (11g) of the amount of sugar found in shop-bought iced chocolate cakes (29-34g). Portion sizes for the kids were about 20-30g.

There were no complaints (even from older children) about the lack of icing and the cake went down really well with vanilla ice-cream and mango. I also made gluten-free mini Victoria sponges with reduced sugar jam from this Dove’s Farm Recipe.

For the chocolate cake, I used a bundt tin and lined it – painstakingly with greased parchment paper, in strips all the way round, otherwise the cake sticks to the tin. I also replaced vanilla extract with orange oil. I made two cakes and cut sections out to make it into a 3.

Party bags

I had these paper bags, which some of the kids decorated at the party, and some took home to decorate, and put a dried fruit snack in (instead of sweets or chocolate), a small pack of coloured modelling clay and a wildlife colouring book, bubbles were meant to go in but were forgotten in the chaos.

I’ve just realised a couple of days later that while the kids had a great time, it was relatively calm amidst the chaos and we didn’t have any tantrums or meltdowns…I wonder why…

What I did wasn’t perfect, am sure you have lots of other ideas you have for your children’s party – would be great if you could share them using the comments section below….

 

#Glutenfree #alcoholfree #Christmaspudding recipe

IMG_20151223_230933

I can’t quite believe am managing to get this post done with all that’s going on in the house and its gone 1am but I made this, and  even though I say so myself, it tasted great, so wanted to share the recipe.

Tris Strover at Tootsie’s nursery kindly gave me his Christmas Pudding recipe way back in 2011. He does all the cooking for Tootsies, and has won the Nursery World Food Award twice, and deservedly so. Anyway it’s one of my most popular posts, this time of year, funnily enough.

I’ve tried making it with gluten-free flour this year but it didn’t quite work. Maybe it’s because I didn’t take the crusts off the bread I used to make breadcrumbs. Anyway, moving on…

I’ve come up with grain-free, alcohol free version. Why do we think it’s ok for kids to eat food with alcohol in it?  If you’re eating this and think you might miss the alcohol,  have a glass of something with it.

Anyway Merry Christmas!!!


Gluten free, alcohol free Christmas pudding

You will need…
1 lb pudding basin
Greaseproof paper
Cotton or muslin
String or wool
150g raisins
150g sultanas
50g candied peel
100g prunes, chopped
50g cranberries or natural glacé cherries
50g flaked almonds
zest and juice from one clementine
150ml maple syrup
90g ground almonds
3 medium sized eggs
level teaspoon mixed spice
level teaspoon cinnamon
level teaspoon baking powder
125g gluten free vegetable suet
1 apple peeled and chopped into small pieces

How to…

  • Mix together all the dried fruit in a bowl.
  • Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
  • Add the clementine juice, zest and maple syrup and mix well.
  • Add the suet and again, mix well.
  • Add the dried fruit, almonds, spices, baking powder and ground almonds and mix through very well.
  • Pour into the pudding basin.
  • Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit just over the top of the pudding.
  • Cut a piece of muslin or cotton sheet to size cover the top with it, large enough so it falls below the rim where you tie the string around it.
  • Once you have tied the string around the basin, make a handle over the top using two pieces of string, going across the middle from one side to the other, this makes it easy  to take the pudding out of the hot pan.
  • Steam for 4 hours keep adding water, as it can dry out. I had to put mine on a pastry cutter, in my steaming pan.
  • Steam for an hour before serving.

Gluten free mince pie recipe

I’m going to keep this brief as time is short in the run up to Christmas and just wanted to share this new recipe which works well. The result is slightly crumbly pastry and really delicious. This recipe fills a 12 cup baking tray with a little left over. The trick is not to make the pastry too thin, to prevent crumbling. I wonder if my dad will notice the difference?

IMG_20151222_194302

You will need…
230g of gluten free plain flour (I used Doves Farm)
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
75g ground almonds
120g butter
1 medium egg
350g mincemeat*

How to…

  • Mix together the flour, ground almonds and butter in a food processor until they look like breadcrumbs.
  • If you’re doing it by hand use your fingers to mix well. shaking the bowl as you go to get the larger lumps of butter to the top read to be mixed in with the rest.
  • Gradually add the egg and the maple syrup until completely combined.
  • Chill in the fridge in an airtight container for at least an hour.
  • Heat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C in a fan oven/Gas mark 5.
  • Roll onto a floured surface and use cutters to make the bases. gently pushing down into the cups,making sure there aren’t any cracks.
  • Give the mincemeat a good stir in a bowl.
  • Spoon on top of the bases and then use your cutters to make your your top crusts or shapes.
  • Bake in the oven on a middle shelf for 15-20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, leave in the tray, remove once cooled as this will help prevent them breaking up!
  • Sprinkle with a little icing sugar.

*can contain gluten in the suet so check if you need to. I wanted to make my own, but run out of time, so maybe next year.

Oaty apple breakfast bake with #noaddedsugar

20151105_140851

This breakfast dish is very popular in my house. I have to admit that eldest daughter loves it and the youngest will eat it but its not her favourite. But I think a lot of families have that going on.

You make the apple sauce in batches and freeze that makes it easier. We have lots of windfalls at the moment so am doing this when I can, in between everything else.

You make this dish the night before, we make it weekdays and weekends. All you do is turn the oven on when you get up and bake it for 30 minutes. It’s mainly measuring and mixing, so it was easy for my 2 year old to help make it last night.

Have been using windfalls for my apple sauce, I am beginning to run out of freezer space. Maybe time for another freezer.

I’ve made this dish with no added sugar, only the sugars found naturally in fruit.

Because it has no added sugar it’s suitable for weaning. Just take out the raisins as they’re high in sugar, it’s best to wait until your little one is 1 before introducing them.

You’ll need an oven-proof dish – mine is about 25 cm x 17 cm.

Gluten free and dairy free

You can make it gluten free by using gluten free oats.

Milk can be swapped for non-dairy milk like coconut drinking milk or almond milk, and the butter for non-dairy unhydrogenated spread or coconut oil.

Oaty apple breakfast bake recipe

You will need…

100g raisins
180g apple sauce (stewed apples blended without sugar)
300ml milk
350g whole oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 apple cored but unpeeled grated
3 medium eggs, beaten
50g melted unsalted butter

How to…

Grease a shallow dish.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Put in the dish, cover and leave overnight in the fridge.
In the morning heat the oven to 160º c fan oven / 180º c / gas mark 5 for 30 minutes.
Serve with a little milk poured over and chopped fruit.

Portions and nutrition

This recipe makes enough for 1½-2 rounds of breakfast for a family of 4-5. Based on a 5 year old having a 100g portion this breakfast it contains good amounts of protein, fibre, potassium, calcium, magnesium. It makes a good contribution to iron and zinc intakes too along with key B vitamins such as B6, B12 and more. So it makes for a really healthy start to the day.

The sugar content per 100g is 9.5g (just under 2 teaspoons) but it’s all from fruit so doesn’t count towards the maximum recommended intake for this age of ‘free sugars’* of 4 teaspoons a day.

*’free sugars’ is a definition by World Health Organisation which has been adopted by the UK Governments Scientific Advisory Committee in their recent report on Carbohydrates and health. Free sugars are any processed sugar added to foods by a manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juice.

Date and banana flapjacks with #noaddedsugar

IMG_3112_2

I have got into the habit of making flapjacks on a Sunday night for the week – though they don’t always last that long. I have taken to storing them in the car so I am not tempted – there is evidence that unsurprisingly shows that if you can see food you eat it!

This is the first time I’ve made them with no honey, just relying on natural sugars from dates and bananas. There is a lot in the media and books to buy, and recipes online for no sugar foods. Which is great. We are still waiting to hear following on from the draft guidance on sugar intakes published by the Government’s SACN. In the meantime World Health Organization has published their latest recommendations to reduce intakes to 10% with an ideal target of 5% or less.

It’s worth remembering that honey, maple syrup, dried fruit and smoothies still contain sugar but because the sugar is in it’s natural form it also provides nutrients. So recipes that contain these natural forms of sugar are not “sugar free” but have no “refined sugar” or “processed sugar” or, I suppose “added sugar”. Refined sugar is has no vitamins or minerals, so really only provides empty calories. The sugar in honey, maple syrup etc, is in its natural form, so it has a lower GI (a slower release of sugars into the blood) and also contains some minerals. Maple syrup is high in manganese, and contains good amounts of zinc and potassium. Honey contains very low levels of iron, copper and manganese.

These flapjacks are perfect for picnics and after main meals. Not recommended for between meals as the sticky sugars can get stuck on teeth. Regularly eating dried fruit, juices or smoothies between meals increases risk of dental decay. See my previous post, Sweet Tooth for more information.

This recipe is vegan if you use coconut oil, if you use butter best to use organic. Organic Standards legally set mean that organic cattle have to be pasture fed for the most of the year.

Flapjacks are really easy and quick to make, your children can help with the mashing and mixing (my 2 year old happily helps out – it gets messy and keeps her busy).

You will need…

  • 180g Oats
  • 2 medium bananas (about 190-200g)
  • 60g desiccated coconut (optional)
  • 160g chopped dates (if you don’t have enough dates substitute chopped raisins)
  • 100g melted coconut oil (or butter)

How to…

  • Mash the bananas on a plate.
  • Put the bananas in a bowl
  • Add the coconut oil and dates and mix well.
  • Now add the oats and desiccated coconut and again mix.
  • Turn into a lined baking tay
  • Bake in an oven at 170 °C or 150 °C in a fan oven or gas mark 3 for 25 minutes.
  • Cut into slices whilst still warm.

If you have older children do not mention these flapjacks have no refined sugar in them as they will immediately hate them. My 8 year old had these happily last night because I said nothing!

Cheap eats January #9: Minestrone soup

IMG_1830

 

Easy to make, tasty to eat. Children love having pasta in soup too.

 

You will need…

2 medium onions (red are best but white are fine if that’s what you’ve got) halved and sliced
2 medium carrots, top and tailed, peeled and sliced
1 stick celery sliced
600ml of vegetable or chicken stock*
100g dried borlotti beans soaked overnight and boiled for about an hour and a half
Carton of chopped tomatoes**
100-150g savoy cabbage shredded
2 tablespoons of olive oil
100g of pasta (gluten free if need be)

 
How to…

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add the onion, carrots and celery, and cook until soft and onions are translucent.
Add the cabbage and tomatoes, stir well.
Pour in the stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the pasta and the beans and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
Serve topped with grated parmesan or cheddar and crusty bread.

*Ideally use low salt stock or home made
*If tomatoes are in season, use 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped.

Cost

This soup costs £2.43 to make and serves 4-6 people. If you use organic bacon then it costs £4.58 to make.

Nutrition

A quarter of this soup for an adult will provide good amounts of fibre, potassium, folate and vitamin C and some calcium, and magnesium an, iron and zinc, as well as selenium, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6

Cheap eats #7: Spanish tortilla

IMG_0096I first learnt how to make Spanish tortilla from the lovely, Chris Adnitt, 20 years ago when he was sharing a flat in Maida Vale  with my (now) husband.  Chris went on Spanish exchanges when he was at school, and has always loved all things Spanish. So it’s hardly surprising that he now owns a gorgeous neighbourhood tapas restaurant, Number 22, in Herne Hill. He’s from Maltby.

We went recently on a fleeting visit to London just after new year. The food is delicious – service is great too (well I have to say that as Chris served us). The restaurant’s been refurbished after Herne Hill suffered 6ft floods the previous year. Then when I was at uni with another equally lovely friend, Alicia, who happens to be Spanish, the recipe got further updated. So, you could say my tortilla has a pretty good pedigree, though there’s always new ways of doing and improving recipes.

Tortilla, or Spanish omelette is a great way to use left over veg – so it’s a good meal for a Monday. And you can add 100g of bacon for a treat.* I’ve made it recently with sweet potato, carrot, beetroot and peas.

IMG_1773

You will need…

500g potatoes (about 4) diced
60ml olive oil Medium onion chopped
100g peas
5 medium eggs
Teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika (optional)

How to…

Heat 15ml olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.
Fry the onion until translucent. Add the rest of the olive oil.
Heat through and add the potatoes.
Stir well and then reduce the heat to low Cover with a plate, so the vegetables steam cook.
Stir every few minutes until the potatoes are cooked through (should take about 10 minutes).
Add the smoked paprika and mix well.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl.
Add the peas to the potato mixture right at the end.
Put the vegetable mixture into a sieve over a bowl to drain out any excess oil.
Then stir into the beaten eggs.
Add a little oil to the frying pan again, just to coat it.
Pour the mixture into the pan and cook on a low heat. Finish the top under the grill.
Make sure it’s cook through in the middle.
Grate some cheese on top. Serve with cooked vegetables, salad or baked beans (for the kids)

Cost

I worked out the cost of this recipe and if you use organic eggs it costs £3.35, using free range, it costs £2.67.

Nutrition

There was once a time when eggs were thought to raise cholesterol, because of their high levels of cholesterol. But this is history now (something I learnt about at uni 15 years ago). It’s really just a good illustration of how science isn’t an absolute, there are always new findings which outdate the old.

A quarter of this tortilla is about 385 kcal’s, and provides some calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12 and vitamin C. *Bacon is a treat because there’s strong evidence to suggest regularly consuming processed meat such as bacon increases your risk of cancer. It’s thought that the nitrites in bacon and other cured meats could be the reason for this. It is possible to buy nitrite free bacon though whether this removes the risk factor is not known!

Cheap eats January #6: Make your own custard

 

IMG_1812

 

It’s really easy to make your own custard – all from store cupboard ingredients along with organic eggs, and milk – and you can make it dairy free by using coconut drinking milk (I am sure you could use other dairy free milks but I haven’t tried them as yet).

This is enough for two good sized portions for kids – just double the amounts for more. You can keep what you don’t use in the fridge for a few days. I’ve worked out the cost, and making it with milk and caster sugar costs 44p, Making it with maple syrup (so it has no refined sugar in it) costs 81p.

You will need…

2 egg yolks*
200ml of semi skimmed milk, whole milk or coconut milk drink
1.5 teaspoons of cornflour
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or caster sugar)
Capful vanilla extract

How to…

Bring the milk to the boil in a pan.
Whisk the egg yolks with the maple syrup in a large bowl or jug.
Mix the cornflour with a teaspoon of water so it makes a paste.
Whisk the cornflour and vanilla extract into the egg mixture.
Pour the milk into the egg mixture whisking all the time.
Put it back in the pan and bring to the boil again, whisking all the time, it will thicken.

Serve with seasonal fruit (steamed or baked apple, rhubarb, or sliced banana) or crumble if you have time to make it.

Weaning

If you’re making this for infants under 1 year, don’t add any sugar or maple syrup – the vanilla extract will add enough sweetness, all you need to do is whisk the cornflour and vanilla in with the egg yolks.

 Nutrition

A portion of custard provides good amounts of calcium, phosphorous, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

*You can use the two egg whites along with another egg and make an omelette or keep them for this banana macaroon recipe. You can refrigerate in an airtight container for a couple of days, or freeze for longer.