Jerky.....

OK so I'm new to this jerky thing, Ive never even tried it before, so talk about winging it!! The above picture was the Moroccan beef just as it was going into the dehydrator. I also tried a honey soy batch, but it didn't look as pretty so i didn't bother. i was really excited about these! Turns out these were far too salty! The honey soy turned out with a delightful delicate flavour! and they are all gone! Hehehe. So i shall continue to experiment with a few different flavoured cures etc. They certainly are a hit with the men of the household!! If anyone has knows of any good recipes, please share!!

Untitled....perhaps sugar free raspberry mess??

This was an attempt at a raspberry style Eaton's mess type of thing.....and deliciously easy.

Whip cream with a little vanilla, blend some raspberries with some cultured milk (i used kefir here, but you could use yoghurt, or even good old plain milk) you want a really stiff/ice creamish consistency.
Throw a generous dollop of each in a bowl with a few more raspberries in a bowl and fold gently a couple of times. I think it would have been better with the crunch of a meringue though, but sugar free meringue just doesn't work. Perhaps ill throw some nuts or toasted coconut or something in it next time for that crunchy texture I'm looking for!

Great on a hot afternoon! or for dessert :)

Xmas tree cake.

Tree by me, decorations by the family.

Not really happy with the color scheme, but ohwell, red, green and gold, it was suppossed to be lol

Check out Gaby's Santa Claus!

Dad's bowling ball. Anthea's Santa sack :)

Haha! this cake was a lot of fun, using up loads of little pieces of gum paste/ fondant i had left over from various cakes. I'm very happy to report, the family was much more interested in creating the cake, than eating it. :) apparently it was too sweet. Haha! I'm winning the war against sugar! :)

Xmas Jelly

Stolen idea! hahahah i tried to be a bit fancy and make it in a bundt pan for an awesome effect, but alas it was an epic fail, hence the strange shaped slices. should have just done plain old squares.....anyhoo, the red is raspberry (packet mix), and the green is a lime cordial i added food coloring to and the white is plain yoghurt, sweetened with a couple of teaspoons of sugar syrup.

The kids loved it! it was just a spur of the moment thing, using left overs. It was a nice treat, for Xmas day, the plain yoghurt really balanced out the sweetness of the jelly. I think ill do it again next year, only i aim to use no food colorings & sugar! (I'm thinking real raspberries, and maybe a kiwi fruit thing?? suggestions welcome :)

Different strokes for different folks....

Lets face it, different things work for different people. This is just something i have noticed, on my little journey of cleaning up the families diet.

This is what works for us.

1. Fruit,&Veg
• We have a high intake, and it works for us. I must admit, i let the kids have a bit of fruit,  2-4 serves a day, because i am a big meanie and don't let them have ANY refined sugars.
2. Meat/fish/eggs etc
•  Every one loves their meat, and there is hardly ever any left overs! We thrive on it! Full of energy!
3. Dairy.
• All the kids have a high intake. They enjoy butter, cream, creme fraiche, kefir milk, yoghurt, plain milk and many different types of cheese. They thrive on it!
• I have a moderate intake, i love cheese! and other cultured products.
• Jessie has a low intake, though he does drink plain milk and loves cheese. He seems to thrive on less dairy.
4. Carbohydrates/ grain products.
• Anthea, Gaby, Jessie can all tolerate and thrive on grain products. (i would say moderate to high intake)
• Baxter & Alexandra (two youngest members) both have a small-moderate intake interestingly I've done experiments where they have a choice between a fruit, veg, protein, dairy and a grain. the grain is always left till last, if eaten at all. Baxter quite often uses his to throw around the room. Cheeky! 
• Britney and I both prefer minimal grain products. I don't think I could ever eat any form of commercial bread/pasta etc again. Britney has, and has regretted it immediately, with stomach cramps and bloating......

Did i forget anything? (distracted- the baby has just woken up!)

Anyway, these are just my observations :) and always in the back of my mind, when serving up food for the crew :)

Enter Excalibur!!! (and some other new equiptment)

This is just a picture i got from Google images LOL, just to give you an idea!


I didn't expect to be able to get one of these, until early in the new year, but here we go! I have had my Excalibur dehydrator (i got the 9 tray one) running flat out! its only had a rest of a few hours since we got it! The girls and i have had an awesome time, making fruit leathers (roll ups), drying all sorts of fruits, and even our sugar crafts. I don't have many pictures, as they barely make it off the trays, before they are gobbled up!! I guess it the closest thing the kiddies get to lollies (even my 8 month old loves the dried fruit, mango strips are the new teething rusk, lol)! Now the novelty has worn off for the kids, i have had space to sprout/dehydrate my grains, and have also been making yoghurt in it, as the temperature remains constant, producing a much better result (more on this later). i even made a big batch of beef jerky in an attempt to impress the hubby, I've never even eaten it before so i think i did OK and he loved it! *phew*

Here is mine in action, dehydrating soaked oats, bound for muesli bars!

Some of the girls sugar crafts, and it turns out my water bottles make the perfect yogurt makers! and don't take up a lot of room height-wise, when laid down i can still use 7 trays when making yoghurt :) [excuse the mess, its due for a clean- again!]

Moroccan spiced beef jerky! These turned out great, albeit a little salty.

Ive  also invested in some cheese making equipment, and turned our old beer fridge into my new cheese cave. Its so awesome!! here is a little sneak peek, but more on our cheese making adventures later.

Anthea posing with the Cheese making stuff, cant wait to get into it!

Finally, i bought a little hand mill. I needed something to do what the big mill cant, that is oily seeds, spices and coffee. It has a second attachment which will 'flake' or roll grains.

Britney, rolling barley for porridge :)

So there you have it, the new gear! I've got a tonne of things to blog about and hopefully now hubby is home on holidays, i can to catch up!!

Merry Christmas all! xx

A months worth of bread products :)

All in a days work! :) 
3-4 weeks worth of bread! :) nom nom

2 x top, heat & eat pizza bases

12 x cumin naan
3 x loaves bread
1 x loaf from the bread machine (attempting to adapt recipe)
1 x banana bundt....ish.....bread type cake thing lol
12 x banana muffins
1 x round loaf
9 x dinner rolls
10 x cinnamon scrolls :)

Hope you enjoyed the teaser, recipes to follow :)

hehehe