easy tuna bake, do it yourself sugar free baby food and a busy garden day

As is becoming the trend, I am beginning this post with some fabulous scenery. Above is the beautiful South Beach, Kingscliff. The water on this side of the creek is rarely affected by the rain. Excuse the lopsided photo- I deleted the wrong picture by mistake in an effort to keep my phone clean.

And this is the creek that is now flowing a lovely coke colour after one of the most intense thunderstorms I can remember for a while- 4+ hours with torrential rain. What makes this storm so memorable, other than being very close and quite intense, is that though my sweet bubby will wake to whispering in her room, she will sleep through blinding lightening and booming thunder. Go figure!

The creek still looks beautiful- the reflection of the sky helps camouflage the dirty water colour.  

This photo, taken this morning on our way back from Bunnings (yes, we went there again!), typifies our summer- blistering hot sun with big, stormy clouds looming. 

Now that all that lovely scenery is out of the way, lets talk about cooking :) I have been making my sweet bubby sample many different things of late, and with the exception of apples, which she loves to share with her daddy for morning tea, she still prefers her food pureed. Though lately, she has been tolerating more lumps. I have been reading the ingredients of many commercial baby foods- and so many add sugar or concentrated apple juice, which is basically sugar anyway. So, I have decided to  keep feeding her the 4 and 6 month old sachets from Rafferty's Garden when out. This brand has zero nasty additives from their ingredient list. But at home, it's home made all the way. Look below to see what I've been doing...

These rather unflattering coloured mixes are the latest batch. The 3 paler ones to the left are a combination of peas, pumpkin, potato, egg and cottage cheese. Bubby loves them- relief! The darker 2 on the right is the same mix minus the egg and cottage cheese. 

Its really just a matter of steaming the veg 'til soft, throwing in a cracked egg while the veg are still hot, adding a little boiling water, come cottage cheese and pureeing with the stick blender. The heat of the veg and water cooks the egg.

You can use whatever veg is in season or your bubba prefers. These amounts shown would equate to around $10 if purchased in sachets. For less than half an hours work- look at what you have saved!

I have frozen the 2 darker veg and have 1 uneaten paler veg mix chilled ready to go tomorrow. I base this on the shelf life of the sachet's- stored for up to 48 hrs in the fridge.

Another experiment that went very well (inhaled this morning for breakfast!) was my twice cooked creamed rice pudding, again sugar free.

I started by simmering brown rice until light and fluffy. I added more boiled water and pureed with the stick blender until quite creamy.

Next, I added to egg yolks, a hint of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg, a splash of full cream milk, and some more boiled water. I mixed again until fluffy. 

By now, the mix was quite wet, so I placed it in a baking dish that was sitting in a baking tray filled with water. 

It took around 45 minutes, covered, in a moderate- 180 degree oven to set further. The edges had just started to dry out. 

When cooled a bit, I mixed the whole pudding together, then spooned it into individual containers at around 100 gms plus in each.

Some are frozen and 2 were left in the fridge.

To serve, as my bubby doesn't like lumps, I mixed it with a little boiled water, a hint of formula and a dessert spoon of pureed pears. It was a winner!

Granted, a little more effort required, but considering how much pudding was created, so worth it.

I haven't written this out as an exact recipe as I didn't measure the rice.

And now, hubby's quick and easy go to lunch. 

Easy Tuna Bake

Ingredients:

Serves 4.

6 handfuls of spiral pasta

1 425gm tin of tuna in spring water, drained

1 tblspn mayo

1 heaped tblspn dijon mustard

150gms sour cream

1/2 cup grated cheese

1 tablspn cheese, extra

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

splash of olive oil

salt

Method:

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees.

Cook pasta until just tender. Drain.

Add tuna, mayo, mustard, sour cream and cheese. Mix well.

Pour into a lightly greased baking dish- deep preferably.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, drizzle with a little olive oil and scatter cheese across the top. Season.

Bake for 30 mins or until golden. I usually brown the top of mine  under the grill.

Can be served warm or cold.

 The method is simple- bung everything into a bowl and mix.

Deeper, rather than long and flat baking dishes work best for this recipe.

Today was a hungry day. Hubby worked his butt off from early morning, determined to get this gate and path done. He dug some more, leveled, lifted, carried, shoveled, sweated, shopped again for needed items, just to make me happy. What a man!

Despite the heat, here is my sweet hubby leveling out the course sand base for the pavers.

And here here is, laying said pavers. I must admit, it's a bigger job than I realised. Hubby has also started concreting the edges to keep the pavers in. 

I forgot to mention- he adjusted the gate so it opens with incredible ease now, and put  latch on it that is easier to open. 

I am dreading the dirt removal. Groan, that is my job. Lucky me. But considering how hard my handsome hubby has worked thus far, this girl who professes to love gardening had better step up!

It's not impossible, and in all honesty, my body actually seems to be healing from actually taking it easy over the Christmas/ New year period. Still not 100%, but close enough for me to be happy, and able to do much more.

I found this grubby little fella in a pot that desperately needing re-potting. I am not sure how long he's been in there, but he looked a bit off colour. I set him free with a good hose. I also found another little treasure- a ground burrowing frog stuck in one of my quite tall pots. Still not sure how he made it in, but thrilled I have frogs in and around my garden.

For those who know me well, a new student arrival means I am going into a cleaning frenzy. It's my thing. This Saturday, we welcome another teen into our home for 3 months. I am quite distressed that the garden is no where near finished. The excess dirt will not be an easy, clean removal, and the rain hasn't been a great help. It's a muddy area we have out back now :( But, I am purposely telling myself to relax and not catastrophise this. Really, if the student arrives to a tidy home, is treated with respect and sees a garden being renovated, all is good with the world. She won't freak at the mess, I am sure. I just need to slow down and breathe. I ask myself- what will this matter in 2 weeks? Honestly- it will look so fabulous, i'll wonder why I put myself, and my family, through my cleaning mania.

And there you have it- your lot for yet another day. Hope it's been enjoyable. Until next post, thanks for reading :)

Weigh in, marinated kangaroo, salmon slice and more garden reno's

The weekend is over and I'm back with more. I hope a pleasant few days was enjoyed by all. If you live in my neck of the woods, you too would have been melting. I know some odd people actually enjoy melting. I personally do not. Even the poor portable air con nearly packed it in yesterday trying to cool a 30+ degree celsius upstairs, setting sun facing bedroom. The hot air coming from the air-con motor was actually blowing out in waves, negating the cooling effect. The room actually felt cooler when I turned it off, and considering it was oppressively hot anyway, that is saying something. Tonight, as I type, it is  a beautifully cool 23.2 degrees celcius. Heaven! My sweet bubby is actually wearing more than just a nappy to bed. This is the perk of summer rain and storms :) 

Despite the heat, hubby and I are determined to make the most of the day- where possible of course. Look below...

When the sun disappears behind the buildings, it means it's the perfect time to go for an evening walk, even though the humidity made it feel several degrees hotter than the hot it already was.

The rewards of getting out are so worth it. The creek was stunning at this time of the evening. Heat or not, I'm glad we went out to walk. My teen even came too- amazing!

Now, onto today. I didn't get my big cook up done due to needing supplies for the garden reno's. I did manage to cook a fair bit though, including some kangaroo I began marinating last night.

I figured $7.95 was a reasonable amount to spend for 3 adults at family dinner night. I know my teen won't eat it, but me, hubby and my non teen will. Sadly, popularity has sent the price soaring, but it's still a beautiful, tasty, lean game meat which is super high in iron. 

I placed the roo steak on a plate, covered it with a reasonable amount of olive oil, tamari and some pepper. I covered it and put it in the fridge to marinate, turning only once several hours later. You can use whatever seasoning you like. As I am avoiding sugar, I didn't add anything sweet, but I do admit, that makes the strong meat taste divine. Maybe some rice malt syrup or honey next time :)

Now, I am just a bit excited to reveal this- my most recent weigh in- this morning's weigh in actually. Check it out!

Read it people- 60kg's! Two kg's down since Christmas and only two off my goal weight. Yay! Seriously though, if this extreme heat doesn't motivate me to change, what will? I am using it as my motivation. I am definitely hungry between meals, but I am eating nutritious meals and losing weight. Motivation to continue is once again high! 

A plug to my awesome rels and amazing hubby coming up right now. My brother-in-law came out yesterday and dug a post hole for us, and he, along with Poppy, Hubby's father, took a heap of junk that was cluttering the yard. Can't express how grateful I am. Then today, hubby set to work digging out the fence to level it with the gate, filled the hole after putting in a large post, nailed, bolted, dug, lifted, sweated, shopped...just for me. I wanted the gate for ease of access. I am feeling pretty special. And grateful.

Hubby at work bright an early this morning. He never wastes time getting a job done. Once he had progressed as far as he could, we went to Bunnings to buy paver bricks to create a solid path to walk on, not dirt. I can't wait to see the result- the garden is already looking so much better. Once the paving is done, my job comes in- leveling the dirt, packing it behind the round edging logs, and mulching. I heart gardening so much. And considering how much hubby hates it, I'm extra grateful.

After our hardware store visit, we headed into Tweed to grocery shop, but not until we had eaten. Being faced with the smell of food courts while extremely hungry can spell a recipe for disaster. Instead, hubby and I headed into Woolworth's supermarket to grab a cheaper, healthier option.  

I grabbed a container of greek salad. I gave hubby half of my fetta and used only half of the dressing. Hubby got a sun dried tomato, pasta and salad meal in a bowl that was supposed to be shaken to mix. Lucky him, it came without a fork. We shared a 100gm packet of smoked trout, and the fork that came with my salad :)

Reading the product information is vital. The sugar content was quite low. I gave half of my fetta away, and yes, it was salty, and had a bit of conola oil in it, but over all, I know I made a healthy choice. It was delish and satisfying.

Now, more cooking. This is my latest spin on the zucchini slice. I wanted something a little different for breakfasts and lunches. Maybe even dinner too :) I know I need to eat more omega 3's, so this slice works well. It's low carb, high in calcium (chia seeds, cottage cheese and salmon bones), not too high in fats, high in omega 3's (both from the salmon and chia seeds) and high in fibre (chia seeds again, and zucchini). It's a win win meal really. 

Zucchini, salmon and cottage cheese slice.

Ingredients:

1 415 gram tin of salmon, drained, skin and bones included

2 medium zucchini's, finely grated

1/4 red onion

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

3/4's cup of cottage cheese

2 heaped tablespoons of chia seeds

1/4 cup of coconut flour

5 eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 

It may be a little moist- the chia seeds should absorb any extra moisture during cooking.

Place in a lightly greased baking dish.

Cook in a 180 degree celcius pre-heated oven for approximately 30-40 mins or until set and golden.

Alternatively, grill the top for a few minutes to firm the middle if needed.

Allow to cool. 

Cut into 8 slices and freeze until needed, or eat fresh with a salad. Unlike the zucchini slice, this will only store for 2 days in the fridge due to the salmon.

And at last, here we have the finished roo product. I will help you guys out by explaining  the cooking method.

Marinated Kangaroo Steak

Tonight's dinner: marinated roo steak strips, zucchini slice with pesto and salad with home made mustard/ olive oil dressing.

Method:

Place a generous splash of olive oil in a pan and heat to medium.

When hot, place kangaroo steak evenly around the pan. Sear for around 4-5 minutes.

Turn and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. 

Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat off and let sit for several more minutes.

The meat should be red inside, which is important as roo can be tough if overcooked due to it's low fat content.

Slice after resting and serve.

I must say, it's been a productive, wonderful day. I am so glad I started off with my yoghurt, spinach and barley green smoothy :) 

I hope this has left you feeling inspired! There will be plenty more to come, dear readers. And please feel free to comment. I know some of you are cooking my meals- I would love to see pictures or hear any questions.

Until next time, thanks for reading :)  

salad days, a garden makeover and a new recipes

This sunrise 2 days ago was the first one visible after several days of rain. With this sunrise came lots and lots of humidity. I am not keen on wearing a woolly jumper in the sun, yet that is what summer here feels like, especially after rain. Yay to living in the subtropics.

With this heat, dinners are best kept simple. Anything too complicated is just torture to make if it requires a lot of cooking. Before i get into the food, look at the beautiful scenery minutes from my door. I live in a stunning part of the world.

Hubby and I had a date day Thursday while my non teen watched bubby. We headed to a few places, including the above. This is a different view of Fingal beach. The sand was blisteringly hot and  so I quickly took this photo before seeking shade. 

I am desperately seeking a tree change, so we headed out to a previous address down a country road not too far from home. I love this view! I also miss it. Hubby and I both felt a sense of peace and could easily live out this way. Only a matter of time!

Our garden has been undergoing some much needed reno's. Until an opening comes up for our tree change, this is our home, and improvements need to be made in order to live in harmony with my creative hubby :) Look below for details...

We have a gate! And new pine garden edging- round poles so my bubby doesn't do too much damage on wobbly little legs. The big post is getting a hole dug for it on Sunday afternoon. That will brace the other side of the gate to prevent further fence warping, and allow hubby to put in a paver and decorative stone path :)

My new vertical divider. So I don't have to see the clothes line, hubby's work site, my bike, and other clutter, hubby skillfully made this wall, which is fully transportable should we move. With a mirror, and more transplanted bromeliads, I have a new garden space to enjoy. So does bubby :)

This clutter is the other side of the new divider wall- and there isn't that much space to begin with. The clothesline is getting harder to reach with so much on the ground, including wire mesh that was removed from the fence when the gate was put in. Hopefully, this all goes Sunday too. 

Some good to come out of my least favourite season is this: I am enjoying my sweet bubby more than ever. The first several months were frightening in many ways. Starting again with a baby, a new hubby to adjust too after so long being on my own, many health issues and more all meant that just enjoying the moment was quite challenging. But now that I feel more settled, my health is much, much better, my knee is slowly improving and my weight stabilising with minimal exercise, I am happy to delight in my sweet little person.  She received a princess  pool for Christmas, and just loves being in it, happily splashing away with me sitting near by. Honestly, there is nothing better in the world than watching her enjoy the simple things. Does my heart good :) 

This is the result of my sweet bubby's pool fun- a megga afternoon crash. She is the cutest little bunny :)

Now let me get onto food. The following meals cover the past few days. I am hoping to set out recipes more clearly to make them easier to follow. Hope you find something you like. Be sure to comment if you make it- i would love to see your results!

Super Easy Miso Fish

Ingredients: 

Serves 2.

2 fillets of fish. I used frozen Basa fillets due to budget. 

1 sachet of miso soup paste, or 1 tablespoon.

1/2 sliced red onion. 

1/2 cup sliced celery.

Baby spinach.

5 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.

Method:

Look above- it's that easy! 

Lightly oil a baking tray. Place in 2 pieces of fish (straight from frozen here).

Cover fish evenly with miso soup paste.

Add onion and celery, and a quarter cup of boiling water.

Cover with foil and bake in a hot (200 degree Celcius) oven for 30 minutes.

Place a few handfuls of baby spinach on a plate. 

Place cooked fish and veg on top. 

Spoon some of the juices over, then top with 5 cherry tomato halves.

Enjoy!

Nutty Fibre Mix

Ingredients:

100gms of almonds (or linseeds)

100gms of chia seeds

100gms of sunflower seeds

Method:

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until fine crumbs form. When using linseeds, I then needed to use my coffee grinder as the chia seeds remained whole. 

Store in an container in the cupboard.

Use 1 tablespoon at a time. I add mine to my morning cereal, or when I make a smoothy :)

Tortilla Stack

Ingredients:

Serves 4

6 tortillas

350gms of mince

250gm jar of taco sauce

150gms of sour cream

3/4's cup of grated cheese

salt & pepper

Method:

Pre heat an oven to 200 degrees celcius.

Brown mince in a pan. Add 1 jar of taco sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Lightly oil a spray form cake tin. Add a small amount of taco sauce to the base and spread.

Add 1 tortilla and top with mince. 

Repeat until last tortilla. Top with 150gms of sour cream- spread it to the edge. Top again with grated cheese.

Put uncovered in oven and cook for 30 mins or until cheese is golden.

My non teen has expressed interest in learning new budget meals that are healthy. Challenge accepted! I am all for the best quality you can afford. If that means frozen veg instead of locally sourced market fresh, then so be it. Diets should be realistic and financially sustainable as well. Stay tuned for updates all.

That is your lot for now. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment. Until next time :)

Making my man some meals and more, including guilt free chocolate

As this blog talks of my man's meals for the first half, I felt I needed to add a feminine touch to begin. I posted this flower pic on Instagram a few days ago, taken after the rain, which in reality, could have been any of the past several days. It's been a wet, humid summer for sure.

I didn't get all of my cooking done on Cooking Monday. Hubby's meals didn't get a look in until today. I spent hours in the kitchen again. Ok, without a bubby, the task would have been waaaay quicker. Little people know how to slow things down to an 'appreciate life' pace :)

I'll begin with cooking the meat. Remember- cheap cuts rule! See below...

I saved last nights pan juices from the peppered steak I cooked for family dinner night (stored in the fridge). I placed these juices in with a cheap cut of gravy beef, covered it with foil and let it cook for a couple of hours in a moderate oven. Actually, I nearly forgot about it at one point. When I checked it, the meat fell apart on touch- perfect! I left the juices in the pan and added several chicken thighs, and repeated the process but for far less time.

While the meat was cooking, I boiled up some brown rice. It takes a while longer to cook than white, and I find the absorption method doesn't work so I simmer it for around 30 mins after its reached the boil, then I let it sit and absorb. This rice was portioned into 4 containers and probably equated to 3/4's a cup in each. Then, 1 thigh was chopped up to go in each as well. 

Two meals were frozen as the chicken had been cooked fresh. And 2 meals stayed in the fridge- one was eaten today. Before serving, a cup and a half of steamed broccoli was added along with some gravy. The perfect lunch for a guy.

At this stage, it's important to note- portion control is the key guys! Healthy food has calories too. Hubby is currently working out 3 days a week- upper body Mondays, lower body Wednesdays and total body on Fridays. He is active for around 12 average hours a day and also a very supportive hubby and daddy to one sweet bubby.

Each day, Hubby has:

2 eggs with a little bacon most mornings for breaky, 

an apple and protein serve at morning tea, 

this lunch (above) or 2 meat/ cheese/salad wraps, 

a protein serve again for afternoon tea,

whatever I make for dinner,

dark chocolate (70+% cocoa)several nights a week,

approximately 500mls full cream milk a day with meals/ coffee.

It's way too easy to think that working out means eating more. Well, of course energy output/ input should be balanced, but ginormous man sized servings aren't necessary, unless he is an athlete in training. By eating this way, hubby is gaining muscle, strength and stamina, and looking mighty fine if I do say so myself :) 

And now, its all about me again! I felt I needed to show you what I have actually been eating on this 50 Days No Sugar diet. Quite a lot actually, and here is a sample...

A berry/ yoghurt/ oat parfait with zero added sugar. The berries are tart, the yoghurt has a hint of sweetness in it. cinnamon and almond meal add sweetness to. A very delish way to begin each day.

Those little odd, dark lumps to the side are guilt free chocolates. I emptied some ice cubes out, placed 2 salted peanuts into each mould, then added a hint of rice malt syrup, 3/4's a cup of cocao  powder and 1/2 cup of coconut oil that had been mixed together. The result, once set, were divine. Bitter- definitely. But the salty nuts bring out the hit of rice malt syrup, and the whole chocolate slowly dissolving in your mouth is about as good as it gets, and very satisfying. You really only need one piece, I promise!

For those who remember my avocado ice-cream post, I found a new use for them today- as ice cubes in my afternoon tea smoothy. I finally found a way to make barley grass powder taste good! Simply add a pear, a tablespoon of fibre mix (will give out recipe next post), cinnamon, water and blend. pour into a glass and add 2 cubes of avocado ice cream. I'm hooked!

Lunch was as good as it was simple: a generous amount of my home made pesto, 2 steamed chicken tenderloins and pre-prepared salad on chia mountain bread wraps. Doing this again tomorrow :)

There you have it, another day done. I hope you enjoyed this installment. Plenty more to come :)

A new year, new food and a fresh outlook

Hello! Welcome back, dear readers. I hope everyone had a happy and safe Christmas/ New Year period- and hopefully aren't dealing with credit card or waistline blowout either. 

Life has been its usual hectic pace. When is living with a bubby anything but?! Now that Christmas has come and gone, we are settling into this new year by getting crawling baby ready. That means the play pen has been reassembled as a barricade between the lounge/dining. Furniture has been removed, sent to live in other rooms, or is getting ready for disposal. A student bedroom has been refurbished ready for the 24th of January, and a garden has been overhauled- with a gate put in the back fence too. Phew- that has happened in a few short weeks.  

Hubby and I are both starting separate uni's next month: hubby's is in Brisbane, thankfully mine is online. So much has changed since I last attempted this course, I may just need a tute in order to use the site. If that's so,  its all a learning curb, and one I really want. Writing degree, here I come!!!

My sweet bubby cut her first teeth this week- after what felt like an eternity getting them. I was beginning to think they were never, ever going to show, and we would just have to endure an irritable, dribbly, bitey little person for eons to come. That has also meant her sleeping has returned to what we were briefly used to- 8 to 12 straight hours. I like that much more than what was happening! I don't care how old you are, limited sleep can create an angry monster in even the sanest soul. And make for interesting conversation skills.

My non teen and I started our healthy regime between the Christmas/ New Year period. My weight has been hovering between 61 and 62 kg's. I am thrilled. What's better, my waist line is shrinking. Yay! Proof coming soon, I promise. I'm only 3-4 kg's above my desired weight, but I am looking so fine. Hubby whole-hardheartedly agrees :)

We have chosen to embark on the 50 Days No Sugar Challenge.  Why I liked this one is: it includes 2 serves of small fruit per day, dairy (1 cup) and isn't a fad. You just eat real food. Portion control certainly comes into play, but the meals are mostly satisfying. We have both had challenge days where have wanted to, or did eat for emotions, like my weet-bix craving yesterday! Overall, it's so easy to follow and stick to. 

Hubby is eating better too. He has started training and being very disciplined with his food- the results are awesome! We have also agreed to not let our sweet bubby have sugar- except on her first birthday, until she is at least 2 and knows the taste of real foods first. We feed her natural foods, have just started weet biscuits with only added salt, not sugar, as oats aren't her thing at present. She also loves mashed avocado, and this week, will attempt egg and home made bread, if I can make a loaf of course! 

I have had a great day with food today- both the eating of, and making. I am hoping to get back into Monday's as 'food prep for the week' days. I grated carrots and beetroot, sliced red onions, red capsicum and celery. I made a zucchini/ chia slice, fresh from my garden basil and spinach pesto and a small hommus. Now the fridge has wrap filling and salad ingredients ready to go. 

My first basil, picked fresh from my garden :)

A little treat with dinner: cherry tomatos, basil leaves with bocconcini topped with home made pesto. Yum!

Green salad: mixed leaves, sliced celery and pear with lime juice, a hint of whole egg mayo, some olive oil and malt vinegar dressing.

Family dinner tonight- this is hubby's serve: Slow baked pepper steak strips with steamed slices of potato and green salad. 

I hope to blog 3 days minimum per week, focusing on one to two meals at each session. This greatly reduces my photo upload time- something I need to be aware of with study looming. I hope that this will still inspire/ encourage you all :)

I'll be back- soon! Until then, thanks for reading.

The end of the year, lamb stock, a lamb moussaka inspired dish and no more ham!

How beautiful is this sunrise! I took this, with my enthusiastic dad watching on, Boxing Day morning. I have been once again enjoying sunrises, mainly due to a sweet little bubby sleeping brilliantly. Thank learning to roll over for that- I certainly am! Now she can get comfy all by herself, with minimal wake ups, if any. Best Christmas present ever :) 

I ate way too much over the week. Even healthy food can be heavily calorie laden, and my portion sizes definitely went up. My sweet Dad stayed for 2 nights. He spoiled us with a large leg of lamb, and too much ham. Waaaay too much ham. I have flashbacks of last year while pregnant. Ham nightmares. Thankfully, those days are over. But if I never see ham again, I'm fine with that.

This is our boxing day breaky: leftover ham, smoked salmon, grilled haloumi, pesto, nectarines, camembert  cheese and whole egg mayo. So very nice. So very salty. 

The next day, hubby got ham for breaky: a ham steak, topped with cheese then grilled, and topped again with pesto. He enjoyed it, even though we were all over ham by this point.

The ham distracted me from the fact we had a huge leg of lamb half eaten. So again, I had to make use of meaty leftovers. Thankfully, lamb is a bit more user friendly, and healthy. The above is a lamb stock base ready to go: Trimmed lamb bone (meat set aside for another dish), spring onions, carrots, whole onions, chopped in half, carrots, fresh rosemary and thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaves. It is just brought to the boil, simmered for a few hours, strained and ready to use o freeze. I have 3 large and 3 small containers of frozen stock now. No waste, great nutrients :)

The leftover lamb meat made a loose style moussaka. I fried the diced lamb with herbs, olives, added a tin of diced tomatoes (no sugar added), a few spoons of gravy powder, pepper, water and then simmered it. That mix was transferred to a baking dish, and topped with grilled eggplant (sliced length ways, brushed with olive oiled then grilled til soft and lightly golden).

This is the dish cooked. I layered the eggplant onto the lamb base, drizzled a little whole cream over the top, and crumbled some fetta onto that, then oven baked until golden- a 200 degree oven for approximately 30 mins.

We all went for a walk Christmas night. We all felt so full and needed to walk in the cool of the evening. It blessed me to have my Dad and girls with me. Its the simple things.

This plant was one I noticed on my walk. I love the colour of the flowers, and also the texture in the leaves- so beautiful.

I really love this picture. It's an enlargement of a flowering plant photo I snapped. It is going to be immortalised in art soon- i love it that much :)

This dish is an experiment with chicken. I cut up one double chicken breast, placed it in an oiled baking dish, then covered it with crushed macadamias (and some whole), salt, pepper, paprika, shredded coconut, some dried apricots and butter. I covered it in foil, then baked for 30 mins in a moderate oven.

This is the result- served with a little rice and steamed broccoli. It was a hit, but next time, hubby suggested that it would taste great with the apricots covering the chicken like the macadamias did too. I agree :)

Before I leave you with the last post of 2014, here are some more snapshots. I love this one above- it looks like an explosion above the house. Stunning sunset to capture.

It's hot, balmy weather. These clouds rolling in on evening look stunning, and are keeping the heat in like a blanket.

This is your last sunrise from me until next year. Taken today, New Year's Eve. Welcome a beautiful day, and a promise of things to come.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!