Coconut Celery Zucchini and Pea Soup

We are well and truly in winter mode. Rugs are out and hot mugs of drinks. Every week, I like to schedule in a soup for dinner.

I made this for lunch though. My friend is expecting her first child and was heavily pregnant. I thought it would be love to have a girly chat with her before the baby arrives. She and I love to exchange ideas and recipes and we had lovely conversations about using simple and down to earth ingredients rather than processed items. We laughed about how her husband still prefers sweet desserts as that is how desserts should be in his mind, and how my husband has grown to have less of a sweet tooth over time.

I wanted to make something nourishing for her. A little like our friendship. Nourishing.

There is a green smoothie and then there is a green soup. This has celery, zucchini and peas. How much more green can it get? Oh hold on, it does have red onion in it so it's not totally green. Instead of heaviness of cream, I used coconut milk for that added richness.

I picked up these vegetables from our local farmers market. The freshness shone.

Yes, of course I made extra for dinner and lunch the next day. It's a perfect plan. Lunch with a  girlfriend and dinner already done. More time for Asher for the rest of the day.

Coconut Celery Zucchini and Pea Soup (serves 6)
1 full bunch of celery chopped
3 zucchini chopped
200 grams of organic frozen peas
2 tsp coconut oil
2 red onions sliced
2 tablespoons of garlic
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of ground ginger or fresh ginger minced
2 ltres of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tin of coconut milk

Saute onions and garlic in 2 tsp of coconut oil. Add all spices and cook till fragrant. Add all veges and cook till they are slightly soften. Add stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend with a hand blender. Strain if you like. Otherwise, reheat the blended soup with coconut milk. Serve with Coconut Bread or a grain free bread.

Salmon and Goats Cheese Muffins

I know sweet muffins are popular. Blueberries, or a white chocolate with raspberries always tend to hit the spot. There are times though, that I do prefer savoury muffins.

You may recall that my husband wakes up early for work. He sacrifices sleep so that he can spend time with us. Well, actually more with Asher as I usually pop to the gym for an hour (including travel time). This was one of my freezer/fridge friendly recipes as he could warm it up in the microwave as he prepares to go to work.

I do like the combination of Salmon and goats cheese. That many amount of eggs means I know my husband is getting enough protein. Goats cheese lifts this muffins up for sure. I like adding some goats cheese to freshly roasted vegetables and in salads. They are pretty expensive though and lucky for us, a little goes a long way.

For me, knowing that my husband is nourished and have a good start to the day makes me happy.

Salmon and Goats Cheese Muffins (mades around 10)
1/2 cup of almond flour
1/3 cup of coconut flour
1 carrot shredded
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder

6 eggs
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

60 grams of smoked salmon
30 grams of goats cheese crumbed

Prepare muffin cups and tray. Preheat oven to 180C.

In a bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. In a jug, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet to dry and fold through. Fold salmon and goats cheese through. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Walnut Chocolate Brownies

They say friendships change when you become a parent. For me, its an opportunity to meet more new friends who are parents. Asher have been attending gymbaroo since he was around 8 weeks young. From there, I met a few other mums whom I click with. One of them is also from Singapore and her husband is from Malaysia!

Our sons are only born 2 weeks apart. We started meeting fortnightly for play dates and hosting lunches at respective homes. It's so cute to see the boys watching one another and playing with toys. Of course, they are not at an age where they would play with each other but they appeared to be curious about each other's presence.

I made Elana's Pantry's Walnut Chocolate Brownies for this lovely mother. By the way, she cooks such nourishing lunches for me after knowing how I eat (think pan fried salmon with asparagus with corn, pumpkin soup, and a grilled chicken tenderloin with a side pumpkin and goats cheese salad). That said, she said these brownies were a hit with her family and can't believe it has no gluten and minimal refined sugar in it.

Walnut Chocolate Brownies (I cut it to 24 small bites)
100 grams of dark chocolate chopped roughly (I used lindt)
1/4 cup of coconut flour
2 eggs
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup of coconut oil
2 tablespoon of honey
1/3 cup of crushed walnuts
handful of chopped dark chocolate

Preheat Oven to 180C. Line a brownie tray with baking paper.
Using a food processor, pulsed dark chocolate. Add in all other dry ingredients first. Pulse till it is well mixed. Then add in all other wet ingredients except the walnuts and handful of dark chocolate.
Pour mixture into pan. Sprinkle crushed walnuts and chocolate over the mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

One Pot Chili

A blink of an eye and my little boy is now 10 months. Where did all the time go? I was cradling him in my arms in the hospital, and now he is on the move! Chasing me with his fast commando crawling/creeping and pulling himself up on the coffee table.

Parenthood never fails to amaze me. It totally tested my patience and endurance. It rekindled my love for coffee (even more so). It reminded me to be mindful and use my senses (after all, to a baby, everything is new). It showed me what unconditional love is. It demonstrated to me kindness and forgiveness. A baby (almost) always forgives.

I documented games we played when he was not even 6 months young. Now that he is four months older, I thought I might update the list.

- Chasey. He crawl and chase after me while I do the same to him.
- Tickling
- Songs and even more dancing. Asher really enjoys me singing to him.
- Reading and more reading.
- Puppet conversations
- Rolling a ball. Not necessary we rolling to each other. Sometimes, I roll the ball around him, or I bounce a ball in front of him.
- Using a tennis ball, brush or a feather to massage him.
- Obstacle courses. I use cushions and different objects to make it difficult to crawl to me.

Food wise?
- He is taking 3 meals a day and most often 1-2 snacks.
- He is eating lamb, beef, chicken, fish, quinoa, congee, and all sorts of vegetables. I still have to blend them but they are of a thicker texture.

- I have started using herbs like basil and dill and also spices such as cinnamon and non-spicy curry powder in some of his food. Surprisingly, he likes it!
- Finger foods of apples, cucumber, bread, rice cakes, plums and bananas.

I'm starting to think of different ideas for his snacks and cooking meals suitable for us as a family.

This recipe, was one of my experimentation. As I made this batch up, I thought to myself that it could suit Asher in the future. Perhaps without the chill but the paprika or just cumin might be suitable.

One Pot Chili (serves 4)
1 chopped red onion
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 red chill chopped
400 grams lean organic grass fed beef mince
1 tinned of diced tomatoes
1/2 tin of chickpeas or beans of your choice
1 tsp of tomato paste
2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of cumin
1/4 cup of water or stock

To serve with: Avocado Tomato Salsa and a little parmesan cheese.

Saute garlic and onion. Brown mince. Add all other ingredients and simmer for a good 20-25 minutes. Pepper and salt to taste. Serve with salsa and cheese.

OMGPaleo's Berries and Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting

I'm so excited! I'm hosting a baby shower for a dear friend and I'm in charge of... FOOD! The best thing is, she loves clean eating and wants me to create a menu of paleo/clean eating food for herself and guests.

Cooking for a party of 20+ people means I have to cater to different dietary requirements. But I think the most nerve wrecking thing is whether or not people will keep an open mind when they see the food. Savoury- I'm not too concerned.  Sweets however, the texture and taste is different from normal bakes. Especially because my tastebuds has changed and I'm used to very little sugar if not none now.

I tried these blueberry lemon mini cakes and YUP! They are going on the menu. I did a few changes but I really believe they are out of these world. The frosting especially is so easy to make and just provide a richness to the cakes.

Also, don't you think they look pretty?

OMGPaleo's Berries and Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting (I made 14)
1/2 cup coconut flour
5 eggs
1/3 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoon of raw honey
2 tsp vanilla paste
2 lemons- juice and zest
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of frozen berries
pinch of salt

Frosting
1/2 cup of coconut butter
2 tablespoon of water
juice of another lemon
1 tablespoon of honey

Line muffin tins with paper or if you are like me, just use little cupcake wrappers on a cookie baking tray.

Preheat Oven at 180C. Whisk dry ingredients together. Then in a jug, combine eggs, milk, honey vanilla, baking soda and salt. Pour wet to dry folding in berries last. Spoon into baking cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool.

To make the frosting- melt the coconut butter. Whisk it with water, lemon juice and honey. Dollop it on cool cakes.

Zucchini Ham and Olive Loaf

One of the things we love is the portability of bread or bread products. It's not bread that we missed per say (although sometimes we do eat bread when it's from a good bakery), but just the convenience of it. Of course, there are times when it is nice to have something to dip into a hot bowl of soup. It's a textural thing. The soft fluffy nature of bread paired with warm soup just seems to be so comforting on a rainy and wet day.

Sarah Wilson is big on "I quit Sugar".  She found what worked for her. Personally, I found that added sugar is a big culprit to weight gain, and feeling off in my tummy. Since eating clean, we hardly use any sugar at all, although I do use maple syrup and honey in small quantities in bakes. Sweetness is found in so many natural occurring food that I don't find it necessary to add sugar in our everyday meals and desserts. However, we never say no to a good piece of tart or cake occasionally when we are dinning outside.

She posted this recipe and I know I just have to make it. It's like a meal by itself. So full of protein and good fats, it went very well with my chorizo and kale soup. It was also a good breakfast item. I loved it toasted with a hint of butter.

In fact, this recipe is so good. I'm going to be making it and keeping it for years! I reckon this will be good with MORE zucchini and other vegetables like carrots. I'm thinking picnics, gatherings, party food...  Thanks Sarah!

Zucchini Ham and Olive Loaf
1.5 cup of almond meal
3/4 cup arrow root starch
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
5 eggs
1.5 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of zucchini grated
tablespoon of parsley chopped
1/4 cup of chopped olives
1/2 cup of chopped ham
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
seeds to sprinkle on top



Lined loaf pan with baking paper. Whisk dry ingredients together and wet (excluding veges, olives and ham) in another jug. Pour wet to dry and fold through. Fold through all vegetables, ham and olives last. Pour in pan, sprinkle seeds on top and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Proscuitto Wrapped Basil Meatloaf

You guys know that I love my meatloaves. I honestly think they are underrated in the normal home kitchen. There are so many ways to play around with it that I can't stop experimenting and coming up with new quick and easy meatloaf ideas. I can see Asher having this for dinner one night!

We love going to farmers markets. Manning Markets is our go to for our weekly shopping recently. It just seem to carry everything we need. From grass fed meats, to organic vegetables (more for Asher) to one of my favourite coffee... What else can we ask for?

In come naturally smoked chorizo and bacon. No sulphites. Just salt smoked. Amazing. Then we spotted another store that sells smoked chicken breasts and proscuitto. Oh I'm in love.

All I did was to mixed chicken with egg, salt, pepper and fold in some home grown basil. Push it to a loaf pan and wrap the proscuitto on it. It's one of the quickest dinners I have prepared. Everything in the oven and ta dah.. dinner all done when Asher is asleep.

Proscuitto Wrapped Basil Meatloaf 
6 pieces of proscuitto
500 grams chicken mince
1 bunch of basil leaves
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
2 eggs
salt
pepper


Mixed egg, salt, pepper, onion and garlic with mince. put mixture into lined bread loaf pan. Pushed it firmly and packed it tight. Carefully (who am i kidding..) place proscuitto overlapping on to the meatloaf. Bake in preheated oven for 25- 30 minutes.

Chocolate Almond Coconut Slab Cake

If you come to my house any given day, open my fridge and you will find that I have been baking and experimenting with slices and muffins. I whipped this slice quickly the other day as we were going to a friend's house for lunch. I thought, better to give it away than to store it in our fridge! Hubby never mind though as that means he can just grab and go with whatever he fancies to work. He also said he could eat without the guilt that it is not nourishing his body.

Friends asked me how do I control myself given that I have baked goods in my fridge frequently? I was puzzled by that question. I never see that as a self control thing. Rather, it's a "what does my body feel like having". Most of the time, it's water or yogurt with some of my granola. When I bake, I bake to share and to make sure my husband, family and friends eat well. I do tastes my bakes, but I rarely finished everything by myself. I guess I taste and I'm satisfied by it.

This recipe comes from Elana Pantry. I think I didn't do it justice because I changed the ingredients amounts. Hence it became more cake and slice like rather than the chewy texture that Elana posted on her blog. Nevertheless, we enjoyed this little cake and it's good for a weekend afternoon treat with coffee.

Chocolate Almond Coconut Slab Cake 
4 eggs
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup of coconut flour
3 tablespoon of honey
pinch of salt
1 tsp of bicarb soda
1/2 cup of shredded coconut + extra
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180C. Line baking slice tray with baking paper.
In a jug, whisk coconut milk, honey and eggs together. Then put almond meal, flour, salt, bicarb, coconut and some chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour wet to dry and fold. Spoon into tray and top it with the remaining choc chips and shredded coconut. Bake for 30 minutes.

Bacon and Banana Muffins- Elvis Muffins

So recently, I found out that Elvis was a fan of peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches. In fact, it sounded like what I would like to have when I was pregnant! I was reading Make Ahead Paleo and this recipe really appeals to me. Savoury and sweet together.

It's one of those things that you will either like it or you don't. For us, this is a clear winner. The bacon really isn't that strong- it's just a topping, but the salt does brings the sweetness from the bananas a notch.

One thing I am happy with this recipe is the ratio between almond flour, coconut flour and arrowroot starch. I can almost see this as a base for other muffins and cakes. I increased the baking soda to 1tsp from 3/4 and it gave it a beautiful rise which is what I love. I usually find paleo bakes too dense for my liking but the baking soda helped makes it lighter.

Bacon and Banana Muffins (made 10 for us)
3/4 cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoon arrowroot starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt

4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla paste
2 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 bananas mashed
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil

3 strips of bacon- fried and cut in small strips or cubes.

Preheat Oven to 180C. Whisk dry ingredients together and wet ones separately. Then fold wet to dry. Spoon into muffin tins and top it with the chopped bacon. Bake for 20 minutes till brown!

Frozen Bananas Berries Ice Cream

Oh my goodness! Have I just discovered like the best healthy ice cream ever? Have I been living under a stone? Who would have thought that frozen berries and bananas blitzing it together will create like amazing ice cream?

Totally. In. Awe.

It must be some sort of food science. Too bad science (except for biology) was never my strong subject. Looking at a few health food blogs and instagram, people were commenting how lovely it is to blitz up frozen banana. I always have some frozen bananas in my freezer- it's my quick snack. A little with almond butter goes a long way. Sometimes, I throw them into smoothies. And now, it can be ice-cream! I also love the colour of the ice cream from the berries.

Surely I can have this up my sleeve in the future for an "ice cream" when Asher discovers the world of sweets?

PS- Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary! I will write more in my next post. But today is officially 5 years since we signed the papers.

PPS- Happy 9 months Asher.  Nine months of you in our life. We love being your parents.

Frozen Banana Berries "Ice Cream" (serves 2-3)
2 frozen bananas
1frozen cup of mixed berries

Blitz everything up. It will look like granita at first, keep going and it will turn into a creamy texture. DIG IN!

Chicken Pesto Zucchini Noodles

 I was looking at my previous posts and it hit me that I never wrote about Zucchini noodles. I swore I thought I did! It's one of those food that I go to whenever I feel like having noodles. It's rare that I feel like having pasta- as for some reason, it always makes me feel heavy and gluggy. To think I used to cook pasta up every week without fail!

I bought one of those vege twisters at 40% off at our local appliances store and boy was I hooked. I have since made long vege noodle strands out of carrot and zucchini. I have yet to try beetroot yet but I bet it will taste amazing. My only complain is that it takes ages (and my son isn't old enough to do it for me yet!), plus there could be some wastage if the zucchini is too huge to fit into the little equipment. I tend to just chop up the leftovers and throw it in anyway.  I might just invest in a bigger and more friendly to use spiraliser in time.

My hubby grew a mini herb garden for me. I promise I will take photos of it one day! But from it, we managed to harvest quite a healthy bunch of basil leaves. This form the basis of our pesto.

I added parmesan cheese in my home made pesto- yes, it's not strict paleo but I can tolerate a little dairy after I have eliminated it for some time from my diet. Also, I identify myself as more clean eating than paleo. That's a good thing because I can't imagine life without cheese! In life, I truly believe there is no one size fits all, and you have to find what works for you and your body.

For me, I find that my family flourishes when we reduce grains, wheat, gluten and stick to the natural meat, seafood, veges wholesome food that you find in markets. Asher started his first solids with avocado and I'm pleased to say that even though I let him try some cereal at 8 mths, he has never taken to it- instead, his young palate always seem to prefer chicken, beef, lamb, spinach, peas, leek, sweet potato, pumpkin and of course congee. We also gave him eggs and he loved it! Yay to food experimentation.

So back to the pesto- it really is a blitz it in a mini food processor kind of meal. The noodles? I sautéed it lightly and then topped it up with the chicken pesto.

Chicken Pesto Zuchinni Noodles (serves 4)
3 huge zucchini- made into noodles shreds
1 onion
1 tsp garlic
500 grams of chicken mince
1/2 cup of peas

Pesto
1 huge bunch of basil leaves. Probably around 2 cups
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup garlic olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tsp of pine nuts

Blitz pesto ingredients together.

Saute pan with some garlic and chopped onion. Brown chicken mince. Toss pesto and peas over it. Taste. Add a little water if mixture seems dry.

In a separate pan, sauté zuchinni noodles with a little oil till slightly soft. Dish them into bowls and top it with chicken pesto and some more cheese!

Sweet Potato Coconut Tuna Patties

So there comes a point where I would like to share with you my post pregnancy weight lost. I wrote about my struggles here and here. So right now, I have managed to shed 20 kgs post birth (I dropped 10 kgs after Asher was born) and is now slightly below my pre-pregnancy weight. It wasn't easy and that took me 6 months to achieve it.

 (yes me and my big tum tum and massive weight gain at 37 weeks pregnant)

I was glad though, that my focus wasn't about losing weight initially. It was about getting fitter and fuelling my body right. I started writing a food diary and eating well- like really well. I'm talking clean food 90% of the time and treats 10%. As you have read here, I love my food so it is impossible of to survive on a diet of lettuce leaves and chicken breasts. I eat beef, lamb, seafood, all kinds of vegetables and listened to my body. For snacks, I had eggs, nuts, chia pudding, cheese, home made granola bars and muesli, yogurt and bliss balls (and all the bakes I make!).

Exercise? I went slow. I went for daily walks, then pilates and mums and bubs swimming classes. I returned back to met con, konga and boxing- and here I am. In the process, I won a challenge set by my gym and is now fitter than ever before. I'm not stick thin and is actually the happiest I have been with the way I look. I don't judge myself as much as more importantly, I feel strong.  At the moment, I go to the gym 4x a week- twice met con and twice boxing. I walk with my husband and baby all other days and try to incorporate pilates stretches on other days. When I feel like it, I might throw in a home body workout here and there- but that's not often.

The other day, a good friend told me that she wants to practise clean eating too.  So she came over for lunch after her workout and we tucked into some healthy tuna and sweet potato patties. Oh, the kids loved it too! I feel proud when friends and family believed in what I am doing. Perhaps to the rest of the world, it may seem strange or obsess or I am not eaten "real food". Trust me, I am. When does eating non processed packaged stuff (including breakfast cereals) become real? We have become mesmerised by the media my friends. It's time to get down to the basics I reckon. And enjoy food the way it is supposed to be enjoyed.

Sweet Potato Coconut Tuna Patties (around 16 patties)
1 sweet potato steamed or roasted in oven. Mashed it.
2 cans of tuna
1 chilli chopped
handful of curry leaves chopped
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tablespoon of coconut flour
1 egg

Shredded coconut to coat
Coconut oil to fry

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a spoon or your hands. Shape into patties and fry them in a pan using coconut oil. Serve with a side salad.