at the olive grove | picking and pickling . . .

pictures from a wonderful long weekend at the olive grove. the cousins enjoyed catching up and spending some time together. i think we all did. i returned home with a bucket full of green jumbo kalamatas ~ picked by many hands, big and small. right now i've got them soaking in a brine solution. my first attempt at pickling. i'm using the method that judith used {you can find it here}. all going to plan, they'll be ready for eating in the next week or so. 

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{i'm so thankful that judith kept her blog. i can hear her voice when i visit there.} 

things i learnt from the whole 30 . . .

for the month of may sam and i committed to following the whole 30 program.

no grains. no dairy. no sugar. no alcohol. no legumes. for 30 days.

what we did eat, was a lot of meat and veggies. pleanty of eggs. some fruit. some nuts. healthy fats. good quality whole foods.

it's a fairly rigid way of eating, but for 30 days it's pretty achievable. the benefits were well worth it.

when you remove the bread, pasta and rice from your plate, there's a lot more room for veggies. i felt like i was really feeding my body. i felt good.

i ate a lot of food on the whole 30. three cooked meals a day. big huge servings. filling up at meal times put a stop to my all day grazing. (but because i'm still breastfeeding i needed a substantial snack in between meals too)

i spent a lot of time in the kitchen. making everything from scratch. mayo. sauces. bone broth. nut milk. i found a lot of great new recipes and realised there is so much you can still eat within those strict guidelines.

for the most part, i didn't really miss alcohol. a sparkling water with a wedge of lime and a few ice blocks was my substitute. enough to trick my mind that i was having a special drink. most days at least.

i now realise that when i drink wine it's the sulfites in it that make me feel like death the next day, more than the actual wine. i'll steer towards organic wine from now on, when i can.

i thought i loved dairy but it turns out i can live without it. it's like i've lost the taste for it. i'm making my own almond milk now. i'll eat a little cheese and butter here and there, but too much dairy makes my stomach feel sick.

i realised that gluten makes me feel pretty yuck. reading wheat belly a while back had already convinced me i was better off without it. cutting it out for 30 days sealed the deal.

when i eat well, i sleep well. i seemed to have more bounce and less drag. even with all the usual baby related night wakings, i woke up feeling fresh and ready to start the day.

eggs for breakfast is where it's at for me. a cook up in the morning rush is a bit of extra work, but well worth the effort. it keeps me full and fuelled like nothing else can.

i didn't weigh myself for the 30 days. instead i tuned into the other changes going on in my body. i noticed how my foggy head cleared. how my clothes fit better. how my energy levels were steady and carried me through the day.

i'm not sure if it was the absence of sugar or grains or dairy (or maybe all three), but i lost the sticky out belly bloat that usually haunts me. i felt lighter too. even with all the meat i was eating.

i discovered that i love licorice tea. all of my life i've only mildly tolerated herbal teas. this is one i truly enjoy.

i bought a couple of new cookbooks (this one and this one) and found a lot of new recipes to try.

the amount of meat i was eating on the whole 30 felt like too much for me. i think i function best with a few meat free days in my week. i was happy to go back to simple soups and salads for lunch.

since we finished the whole 30 i've been baking a lot of healthy treats from wholefood simply. easy recipes which are generally grain, sugar and dairy free. i can recommend this banana bread recipe. (i make it up as muffins and keep them in the freezer for lunch boxes)

at the end of the month i'd lost 3kgs. that wasn't my main motivation for doing the whole 30, but definitely a bonus!

possibly the biggest thing for me was breaking my deeply ingrained food habits. the sweet something at the end of a meal. the all day grazing. the way i would unconsciously finish off what the kids had left behind. the tired and emotional eating. i feel like i've rebooted that part of my brain.

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when i first heard about the whole 30 i thought it sounded ridiculous and extreme. then after a while i got curious about people's claims that it had changed their life. i'm glad we did it. it has definitely shifted the way we eat and the way we feel. 

in the kitchen | my favourite online recipes. . .

i'm enjoying spending time in the kitchen lately. trying new recipes. making a mess. once upon a time i found cooking a bit of a chore. these days though, i'm seeing it more as a creative outlet. it's been a healthy shift in perspective. i'm struggling to find the time or energy for any other sort of making, but cooking is something i need to do every day, so it makes good sense to embrace it. here are a couple of sites i'm enjoying right now. . . 

my new roots has a bounty of healthy delicious recipes, as you probably already know. the loaf of life changing bread is totally. . . life changing! so easy and so yummy. especially when it's toasted. then topped with lashings of butter. i've been making a loaf each week. the kids love making it, but don't love eating it. i'm happy to have more for me. the coconut black rice breakfast pudding is very good too. the kids do love this one. for breakfast. for dessert. for anytime (thanks for the recommendation kel). the raw taco fiesta has been popular in our house for a long while now. it's a great light, fresh, summertime meal.

quirky cooking is my favourite place for quick and healthy thermomix recipes. i made the paprika chicken this week before i rushed out the door to yoga. it was super quick and easy. 25 minutes tops to prepare and cook the rice, veggies, chicken and a tasty sauce. my friend helen also put me onto the cashew chicken recipe, which is an all 'round winner too. sam makes the huevos rancheros a lot as an easy sunday night dinner. jo is bringing out a cookbook soon and i can't wait!

are there any recipes you've discovered lately online that i must try? i'd love to give them a whirl!

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{here's my pinterest board of favourite recipes. 

most of these are ones i've tried and tested and return to often}

making | turkish delight + paper boxes . . .

my dad has a sweet tooth and on every gift giving occasion, there's a little box of turkish delight tucked in with his present. 

until recently it hadn't occurred to me that i could make my own,

and then when i did i was amazed at how easy it was. all of the ingredients already in my pantry. 

the recipe is here. {next time we'll try it with less gelatin and add a handful of pistachio nuts}. 

we used a cute calendar from last year to make the simple origami box. 

starting with one square of paper trimmed slightly smaller than the other, so that the base fitted nicely within the lid. 

because the card was fairly heavy, i scored the fold lines first using a dull knife

 and then folded like so.

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{all of the inspiration and instructions for this project came from melissa at tiny happy}

silent nights . . .

it's way past my bed time. my people are all tucked up asleep. the house is peaceful. i have some christmas tunes playing softly {these ones}. i'm baking another batch of gingerbread. but this time without my little helpers {the recipe is here}. wrapping a few more gifts for under the tree. the fairy lights are on. my parents and brother arrive in a few days. i'm feeling the festive groove this year. it's our first christmas at home in five years. the last one was before aila was born. there's nowhere i'd rather be right now. all is calm. all is bright. 

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{our last few nights have been anything but silent or calm. elliot's sleep has been fitful and disturbed. i think he must be fretting about the impending dummy farewell.} 

cooking in the new wood fired oven . . .

for a long time now friday night has been pizza night at our house and for a long time we have dreamed about having our own wood fired oven.

many hours have been spent deliberating, debating and discussing all the different options. brick oven or earth oven? build your own or pre-made? how much to spend? what size? where to put it?

in the end we opted for a diy kit from here. we got the last of the locally made ones, which was important to us. they are now manufactured off-shore.

even after buying a kit, there were a few weekends of work involved in assembling it. learning new skills. heavy lifting. calling on friends. moments of frustration. . . it was all worth it in the end.

our new pizza oven has been up and running for a few weeks now. it's on the deck, just outside the kitchen door. we love cooking in it. we love gathering around it. we love the flavour of the food.

the first time we fired it up, we cooked some naan bread {pictured here}. since then we've done roast beef, chicken, veges . . . and lots of pizza of course. i'm keen to get my sourdough in there. 

last night, for dinner, sam made chicken caesar salad and roasted root veges. it tasted so good. both recipes are here, along with a few others i'm keen to try.

we've also been working our way through the recipes in the book 'pizza' by pete evans, which i can highly recommend. so far my favourite topping is mushroom with balsamic onions and taleggio. yum.

i'm looking forward to lots of easy summer entertaining, outside, cooking delicious things for our friends and family in the new oven.

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ETA: go and have a look at jane's new wood oven. an absolute masterpiece.

try these : raw chocolate brownies . . .

we whipped up a batch of these raw chocolate brownies this afternoon. 

they are so simple to make. walnuts. dates. almonds. cacao. sea salt.

they are healthy-ish. {dried fruit contains a lot of fructose.}

they tick so many food fad boxes. gluten free. raw food. vegan.

are very quick to make. they took us less than 5 minutes!

but most importantly, they taste AMAZING. 

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you can find the recipe here

at my new roots.

sugar free cooking with kids. . .

These zesty little treats are sugar and gluten free,

perfect for making and eating with the little people. 

The following recipe is taken and adapted from the

I Quit Sugar Cookbook


As I mentioned when I first quit sugar,

I missed the baking of sweet treats more than the actual eating.
To be honest, I resisted purchasing this cookbook for a long time,
because I didn't think i needed it.


. . . but now that I have it, I'm glad i do.
It has helped to sharpen my focus and resolve
and the 'Sugar-Free Kids' chapter
has been particularly useful.

Zest 'n' Poppy Cookies

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 1⁄2 tablespoons granulated stevia
1 tablespoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 3⁄4 cups almond meal

pinch salt

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 180 C. 

In a bowl, combine oil, stevia, vanilla and lemon zest. 

Add the almond meal, salt and poppy seeds.

Work with your fingers for a good five minutes 

{this will release the oil in the meal and form a better dough}.

Roll dough into balls.

 Brush with lightly beaten egg white to give it a pretty gloss {we skipped this step}.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, until they get a light golden brown tinge around the edges.

Notes:

We were short on almond meal and substituted in some quinoa flour, which made the mix a bit crumbly
. . . and so we opted to roll the dough into balls rather than traditional cookies.

If you haven't tried it before, you may find the sweetness of the stevia a bit intense at first.

If you are taking the sugar free path, these will hit the spot when you're craving a little something with your cuppa.

{If you do decide to purchase the I Quit Sugar Cookbook via this link, 

I get a little something. Just so you know} 

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make your own surface spray. . .

i have dabbled with many recipes
for home cleaning products
with varying degrees of success 


but i keep coming back
to this one
time and time again


here's my recipe for you to try...

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Surface Spray Cleaner

                                            1. Fill a spray bottle almost to the top with warm water

2. Add 1 t dish washing liquid {I prefer Morning Fresh}

3. Add 3 T white vinegar

4. Add 1/2 t  eucalyptus oil

{I'm pretty relaxed with these quantities ~

still, it works perfectly every time}

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I have been making my own surface spray

ever since i stumbled upon this post

at miss smith at home

my chai. . .

i like to start my day

with a pot of chai tea

which i pour from 

as i go about 

my morning routine

lately, i've been experimenting

with my own blend

~ i thought i'd share

my recipe here 

with you today

My Chai Tea Blend

12 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon of cloves

1 teaspoon of peppercorns

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

half a nutmeg

3 cubes of glace ginger chopped

1/2 a cup loose leaf tea

1. split cardamom pods with a sharp knife

2. toast all spices (not ginger or tea)

in a hot fry pan until fragrant

3. crush all spices

with a mortar and pestle

4. combine spices with tea and ginger

5. store in a glass jar or tea tin

{use these quantities as a rough guide

and experiment to find your own

preferred blend}

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~ happy chai drinking ~

{ETA: mind the glace ginger if you have joined me on the sugar free journey}

making. . .

beeswax candles

they smell so good

zucchini bread

i like this recipe

a new curtain

from an old sheet

green smoothies

they're rocking my world

bunting cards

using the teeniest of scraps

kirsty's frittata

when the chooks have been busy

a dress for my girl

from a valance and lace hanky

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pumpkin scones. . .

we're enjoying a bumper pumpkin crop this autumn.

heritage varieties with so many interesting colours and shapes.

this simple recipe is very easy and healthy

{until you top the warm scones with slabs of butter,

as i like to do}

300g SR flour

250g cubed pumpkin

pinch of salt

20g butter

1 egg lightly beaten

milk for brushing

Cook pumpkin until tender (steam or microwave)

Dry off the pumpkin pieces with paper towel or tea towel

Mash the pumpkin

Rub butter into flour

Add all remaining ingredients and mix until it makes a soft dough

You may need to add a little more flour to get the right consistency,

depending on the wetness of your pumpkin

Shape and cut into scones

Place on a tray and brush with milk

Bake in 200 C oven for 15 -20 minute

This recipe was adapted from a thermomix version

which can be found here.