Finding joy in the everyday

Do you make coleslaw? What do you put in yours? I love coleslaw in summer and we eat it quite often. However I only recently discovered that the recipe I make is not the same as anyone else. Like many people, I make some dishes just the way my mum made them and one of these is  coleslaw. My coleslaw is made from: cabbage (either  only   green  or a mix of red and green) grated carrot grated cheese mayonnaise plus (and this does stray from mum's recipe) I add maple syrup (just a dash to the mayonnaise), diced red onion and sometimes pine nuts.  I discovered that no one adds cheese to their coleslaw.  Why not? It makes it so good. It adds protein to the dish, it makes it cheesy and it makes it much more filling for hungry mouths.  However I recommend a good quality cheese with a bit of bite - not processed cheese if you can avoid it.  Are you willing to give this a go and add cheese the ...

Every morning I heat a 1/2 a glass of milk (40 seconds in the microwave) and add one tablespoon of Chai Seed and I drink it (by the time I am near the end of the drink it has become quite thick). Chia seed is full and overflowing with goodness (one of those superfoods) and includes my daily dose of fibre plus many other good things. If you have never eaten chia seed, its very similar to tapioca and the longer it is in liquid the softer it becomes and it starts to thick the liquid. The tiny seeds expand more than 4 times their size. One of my favourite summer desserts is chocolate chia seed pudding, which looks just like the photo above. It is both healthy and yummy which is always a great combination. There are many recipes on the web for chia seed pudding and I have attached a few of them. Most recipes tend to use coconut milk, however you can use cows milk (as I do) or any of the non-dairy varieties, it doesn't really matter. To sweeten the dessert you can use honey, ma...

After re-reading my post from yesterday I realised I had missed one fundamental point:  Why do you want to loose weight? Is it because you want to look thin and gorgeous and dress in amazing outfits or  is it for health reasons or  are you being pressured by others? The reason is very important. I lost weight for two reasons;  my health and my age. I had reached "that age" where loosing weight becomes very difficult and I didn't want to battle weight issues as I got older.  With weight gain comes additional heath problems such as diabetics, blood pressure and the like. Very important reasons for loosing weight as my doctor informed me only the other day. However, there was a negative side and one that I didn't really expect - pride and boastfulness. I was tickled pink by my weight loss and my "new look" and out of necessity I went and bought a new wardrobe of clothes.  Nothing I owned fitted me anymore.  I...

Dieting . . .  its a word people dread, especially just after Christmas. It is almost 3 years since I started "dieting". . . or more correctly, changing the way I eat to a more healthy way of life. One that I can remain on forever.  Along the way I have learnt a thing or two which I thought I would share with you ( please note, I am not a trained doctor or dietician and if you are planning on loosing weight do discuss it with your GP ): Facing disappointment will happen. The body is such a funny thing, you can sail long beautifully and then it all decides to stop . . . don't panic, because it will start up again.  Don't give up, take one day at a time. Dieting is hard work, but maintaining ones achieved weight is in fact much harder. Most people put more weight back on at the end of their diet (or within 5 years) because they don't realise how tough it is to stay "on weight".  For me CAKE = POUNDS/KILOGRAMS, therefore, stay aw...

Photography by Joluise I have never made onion soup before, but after watching Jamie Oliver make his version of English Onion Soup (see Youtube/recipe below) I thought I would give it a go. I was very impressed by the results and my husband loved it too. This was one very filling dish. To make this you do need soup bowls that can go into the oven so the cheese can melt.  I made some small modifications:  I added crispy bacon at the end (as you can see in the photo) and on my husband's crusty bread I added Stilton Cheese (which melts beautifully) and on mine Cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese.  I also made my own chicken stock for this recipe (using chicken wings) and was able to put a heap in the freezer.  If you wanted this recipe to be vegan - vegetable stock would work just as well. Here is the recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/english-onion-soup-with-sage-and-cheddar Here is the Youtube of Jamie making the soup...

Our Australia Day dinner - healthy and yummy! Photography by Joluise Two years ago (January 2010) I decided to loose weight and change our diet to make sure it was healthy. We had always eaten home cooked meals, but I wanted to further reduce our intake of "bad foods" and limit take-aways, lollies, chips, fizzy drinks, bad desserts etc... In 2011 I cut back on processed tinned foods and only used those that were essential (tomato paste etc). In doing so, I have lost weight (and keeping it off) and we are eating far better than ever before. In the process we have reduced the amount of food we buy.  Instead of wasting money on processed foods, I now buy more expensive cuts of meat, organic foods and we spoil ourselves with healthy treats -  so our overall bill hasn't reduced considerably - its just healthier. I also visit fewer aisles in the shopping centre which makes shopping much faster. I am yet to completely convert my husband - whilst I cook all his main m...

Who remembers free school milk? I can. And yuck . . . warm, creamy milk in glass bottles that tasted horrible. Why were the bottles always left in the sun to get warm, especially in summer? They could sit for quite sometime until recess, some probably went slighly off! And if you forgot to shake the bottle you got a mouth full of clumpy cream! The programme started at the beginning of the 20th century with all children in kindergarten, infant and primary schools receiving free milk to improve their nutrition and general health. Between 1951 and 1973 the Commonwealth Schools’ Free Milk Scheme  provided one third of a pint of whole milk per day to primary school children throughout Australia. The scheme ceased om 1973 but reintroduced in 1994. I don't think I looked that happy drinking my milk!! (taken in 1957) Providing the milk had cost $72,000 in 1951, whereas it had grown in cost to just over $10 million in 1969.  By 1970 the government was star...

Magazine Illustration of Husband Kissing Wife in Kitchen ( source ) As you know I am very interested in food. Not only do I like to eat food (don't we all), but I love home cooking! But being a statistician, I also love numbers (not quite as much as food) - but when I can combine the two, its fascinating. Here are some statistics that are all about food that I think you might find very interesting.  Australian's spend... In 2009–10, Australian households spent an average of $237 a week on food and beverages ($474 a fortnight).*   About $63 a week was spent on food prepared outside the home (restaurants and takeaways), and $32 a week on alcoholic drinks. Meat, fish and seafood collectively accounted for $30 a week on average. Of that $237 per week, most of it appears to go on restaurants and alcohol, not much on anything healthy!   If people went back to basics (more fruit and veg and less take-ways), they could probably save quite a bit each...

I am a fan of Chia Seeds I have only recently discovered this wonder food and have been converted! They are considered a "superfood"and brimming with goodness. And they don't taste too bad either. Chia is derived from the Nahuatl word "chain", meaning oily. Chia contains very high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acid. Chia sees are about 20% protein. Chia seeds are high in antioxidants (more than blueberries) and fibre. Chia seeds are rich in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and other essential minerals and vitamins. Chia seeds are very low in calories. Recipe ideas:  Link * * * I have one tablespoon every morning in a 1/3 glass of warmed milk (the amount of milk is up to you).  If you don't like milk, add water instead. Some recipes suggest adding honey or maple syrup to the milk to sweetened the  Chia .  I like it without any sweeteners. The only down side is the price with 1 kilogram c...