Red lentil and coconut dhal

I like to spoil myself for lunch and cook yummy stuff just for me. Some days I need to be kind to myself, to treat myself well. Be comforted with something warming and healthy. It's also a perfect accompaniment to these bitey winter days.  

The bonus is it tastes satisfyingly good. The kids wouldn't touch this with a barge pole though. No one in this house appreciates my cooking finesse! That's OK, more for me, they can eat boring nuggets or sausages (which they would have no complaints about)!

I appreciate the days Summer and Izzy are at school and kindy. I need those days to catch up. To calm the overwhelm. I am in a state of tenseness (mainly in my shoulders) most of the time. 

In the last six years I haven't had a break away on my own. A break from being a mum, a wife and housekeeper. It's taking a toll on me. I need a weekend away by myself. No kids, no husband. Just me. 

Finding that weekend seems near impossible any time soon. I just have to keep plugging away and savouring the breaks where I get them. I need to nourish myself well, mind and body. I have too many people to care for and no one to look after me. Except me. So I need to do a bloody good job!

A recent course I undertook, to do with food and health, encouraged you to eat as many different ingredients in a day as you could. About 25 - 30 different foods was the recommendation for obtaining as many nutrients as possible from natural sources. 

This recipe has more than ten, so it's a good start to reaching that goal, along with a great breakfast and evening meal filled with healthy natural foods.

Red lentil and coconut dhal

1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 stick celery, sliced
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 star anise
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 fresh green chilli
3 cups water
375 gram packet of dried red lentils
1 can coconut milk
500 grams diced pumpkin

Fry onion and celery in oil over a medium heat until onion is transparent.

Add garlic, ginger, cumin, star anise, coriander, turmeric and chilli, stir for one minute.

Stir in lentils and coconut milk, bring to boil.

Reduce heat, stir in pumpkin and simmer covered until lentils and pumpkin are tender, about 25 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

I like to serve it with a dollop of natural yogurt, fresh coriander and mint scattered on top.

• Remember not to eat the star anise, it's not that palatable, however I don't mind chewing on it to get the flavour out of it and then spitting it out. It's not for everybody.
• Instead of pumpkin, try other veggies like eggplant, zucchini or sweet potato. Even carrots, broccoli and peas!
• Keep peeled ginger in the freezer. It won't perish in the bottom of the fridge and is easy to grate when frozen and pop the rest back in the freezer for another time.
• I also freeze any herbs that are threatening to turn feral in the fridge, like coriander. The stalks give so much flavour to soups and casseroles. You'll be saving money too by keeping it for later.

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Pea and fennel salad

We've had one of the coldest winters here in a while, but rainfall has been down on previous years. I don't remember seeing so many rainbows ever, so it means there was some drizzle about.

It seemed ironic that the first morning of Spring, there was frost on the ground. It was bloody freezing that morning.

I am so glad the warmer days are on their way, and more than happy to have the longer days of daylight savings return in a month.

I have been eating so much healthier of late. I've been reading lots about foods and how they heal, including herbs and spices. So I have made an effort to eat more fruit and veggies and I hardly eat anything from a packet, which is a good thing!

Fennel is a fabulous food to include in your next shopping trip. It is packed with vitamins and minerals and generally really good for your health. I found this salad really comforting for my tummy too.

I used half a fennel bulb in this recipe. It also goes well with radish or oranges in a salad too, if you want to swap out the peas.

It is nice cut up and baked with other veggies, or cut in chunks and placed under a roast lamb or beef with carrots and onion to lift the roast off the bottom of the pan, and add flavour.

I ate this with frittata for lunch, and it was exceptionally delicious with fish for dinner. A really simple salad with a fresh taste, to keep in your summer repertoire to impress your dinner guests. 

Pea and Fennel salad

1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 a fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pea shoots, optional (I just happened to have them growing in the garden, so nipped a few tops off)

To cut the fennel, chop of the stalks and fronds where they meet the bulb.

Cut in half, then cut the core out in a v shape, it should be easy to see where.

Thinly slice one half for the salad.

Mix oil and lemon juice together, then combine all ingredients in a bowl, and serve up :)


It is worth growing your own herbs in a few pots at the back door, so you can just pop out and pick them for salads just like this :)

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My new favorite thing to eat

I have quit the community garden. I can't give myself to the gardens without sacrificing my own mental health. Just not doing it. Head. Brick wall. That is all I have to say about that.

I am working towards a healthier me. Except for the wine. You will never take the wine. It might be my undoing, where my weight is concerned.

I have found a favourite thing to eat though. It is a quick and easy lunch solution, as long as you have a decent head of lettuce on hand.

What's more it is delicious and satisfying.

Firstly you need to fry some bacon. I know, BACON. This is a BLT like you will never find, plus mine has cucumber. You could make it your own, and add whatever you like. It doesn't have to be bacon. I have used grilled chicken and pesto mayo, and it's just as good.

While your bacon or chicken is cooking, lay out a couple of good large leaves of lettuce. Lay some slices of cucumber and tomato down the middle, and a lashing of mayonnaise.

Have you ever tried to make your own mayo? It is easy as pie. This is the way I make homemade mayonnaise ever since I saw it on Masterchef. Works every time.

Lay some bacon or chicken on top and wrap it up. Eat. You could even have two!

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Five things to start doing NOW to lose weight

A toffee apple driving a ride on lawnmower

It seems, when I am not chowing down on all the wrong foods, I am trying to lose weight. It's a never ending cycle for me, always has been.

After finding out another person in my family has been diagnosed with diabetes (I had gestational diabetes), I need to do something about my widening girth.

Most of the clothes in my cupboards are not fitting me, and quite frankly, I look like a giant toffee apple. A big round top with stick legs! I have to also accept that I am getting older, and the weight seems to creep on much easier and is harder to get rid of.

Here's five things I am now trying to implement to get myself back in my own pants, and some ideas that can help you lose weight too.

1. Drink more water. Get yourself a large bottle to use for water. I have a 1.25 litre bottle on the kitchen bench. I know that I have to drink that whole bottle during the day, at least. 

Having a large bottle makes it easier to measure how much water I have drunk over the course of the day, rather than relying on filling up a smaller bottle several times.

I have a smaller bottle I take with me if I am going to be out of the house for a while, to drink in the car, or to put in my bag.

2. Change habits. When I do put on weight it is because I have let go of any healthy eating and drinking. Yes this means lots of wine, biscuits, cake, chocolate and coffee. I have never been a big coffee drinker, but when I fall of the healthy lifestyle wagon I find I turn to it. My guess is because I am overweight and tired and coffee just seems like the logical answer.

I've stopped drinking coffee, and started drinking my black (no milk) tea. Mostly green and herbal tea.

If you can't get through the day without your coffee, start buying a lower fat milk. You'd be surprised how much of a difference this can make.

3. Plan your meals. It is so easy to make bad food choices when we are rushed, and hungry. Having a plan for meals and doing some forethought helps to keep on a healthy eating track.

Think about what you are consuming through the day. If it's cereal or toast for breakfast, sandwiches or pasta for lunch and meat and veggies (potatoes, a starch) for dinner, you might be having too many carbs.

Opt for a carb breakfast, and stick to protein and veggies or salad, for other meals. Eating a piece of fruit before meals adds to you daily dose of fruit and vegetables, and helps fill you up.

You could have fruit and yogurt for breakfast, or an egg with grilled veggies(mushroom, zucchini, spinach and tomato for example), and have a carb meal for lunch(wraps or pasta), and meat and veggies/salad for dinner.

Knowing what I am going to eat during the day, and when, helps keep me on track, and stops me from impulse eating.]

my downfall

4. Slow your eating. Keeps portion sizes reasonable and take your time when you eat. My husband eats like a bull at a gate, I am forever reminding him to chew his food because his stomach doesn't have teeth.

Chewing your food properly lets you enjoy the taste your food. It aids digestion and improves the absorption of nutrients from the healthy food you are eating.

5. Move. Be realistic about how much exercise you do. If you are sitting most of the day, it makes sense that you would need less food for energy. The highest energy foods are usually the white ones; sugar, bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. If you don't move much, eat less of these foods.

Any exercise will help with your weight loss. If you can't get out for a walk or don't want to join a gym, find some exercise you can do at home. I do like walking for exercise. It doesn't have to be far or fast, just and amble around the block is good enough.

Things that have helped me is stepping. Get yourself a step or find something you already have that you can use as a step. Five or ten minutes in front of the telly and it's done.

I've also had an exercise bike in the lounge room before too. You don't have to go hard, as long as you are moving a little more than you were before.

What changes do you make when your pants start getting tight, or not fitting at all?!

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Roasted capsicum pasta sauce

Something different and veggie healthy to put on your pasta, is this simple sauce. Easy to make, when you get over peeling the skins, with all the flavour and goodness intact. 

Roasted capsicum pasta sauce
6 red capsicums
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper

Roast the whole capsicums in a 200C oven for 20 minutes, until the skins start to brown and blister.

Let them cool a bit, remove skins, stalk and seeds.

Puree the capsicums, then place in a pan with the cream and cook for about  four minutes. Season with salt and pepper and toss through cooked pasta.

Feel free to add some parmesan to the sauce.

Try browning some cubed chicken in the pan before adding the puree and cream.

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Homemade crackers and simple avocado dip

I make these crackers quite often, usually when there are no other savoury biscuits in the house. They are so moorish.

The ingredients are so simple and if you ever took any notice at the ingredient list on a box of supermarket crackers, most probably a lot more natural and healthy.

Speaking of natural and healthy, a simple avocado dip to serve them with. I have been enjoying this dip with veggies like celery and capsicum for a mid afternoon snack. It is strange for me, because I have never really been much of an avocado fan.

I first saw this cracker recipe at Maria's farm country kitchen. She used wholemeal flour and you could too, if you'd like to.

Homemade crackers
2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup of water
1/3 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together to form a dough.

Using olive oil on the bench and rolling pin, roll out dough to about a 2-3mm thickness. Place in two large baking trays, or three medium size trays, greased with olive oil. You might have to stretch them out a bit to the edges. Don't worry if it is uneven in some bits.

Using a knife, or a pizza cutter(this is what I use, it's easier), cut the dough into whatever size crackers you want.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and whatever flavours you would like. Sumac, parmesan, dried herbs or just plain.

I've also mixed in flavours into the dough itself, like mixed herbs, Za'atar spice mix or parmesan.

Bake at 190C for 15 minutes.

Avocado dip
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt
grind of black pepper
1/2 tablespoon chopped chives, more if you want
squeeze of lemon juice

Mash all together with a fork.

You could add more to it, like finely chopped onion and tomato, and corn kernels, for a chunkier dip and more flavour.

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