Bacon and Cheese Muffins

This is a nice simple recipe that I got from the Australian Women's Weekly Allergy-Free cooking for kids book with some slight changes to suit my son's needs and what I could find at home. This recipe makes 12 muffins and took about 35 mins to prepare and cook.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

200g finely chopped bacon

1 small onion

1/3 cup frozen green peas

1 1/4 cups gluten-free self-raising flour

1/3 cup polenta

3/4 cup grated cheese

2/3 cup milk

2 tsp Orgran No-Egg (natural egg replacer)

60g melted butter

Methods:

1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius, line muffin tin with paper cases
2. Heat oil in medium frying pan; cook bacon, onion and green peas until soft. Cool.
3. Combine flour, polenta and cheese in medium bowl; stir in Orgran No-Egg, milk and butter followed by bacon mixture.
4. Divide mixture among paper cases.
5. Bake for 20 mins. Stand muffins before moving onto a wire rack to cool.

You can make changes to the recipe such as the veges you put in such as corn, zucchini, carrots, even herbs would be nice. Just experiment with the foods you have at home. I did and it turned out great, at least the little fella ate his peas!!

The Birth of our Son

The thought of labour always made me feel anxious, especially after hearing my mum's experience with her 26 hour ordeal with episiotomy and forceps delivery whilst the umbilical cord was wrapped around my brothers neck not once, not twice but three times. Thankfully I didn't have to share that same experience but I still went through my fair share of "labouring". 

It was Friday afternoon when I started experiencing contractions that were 15 mins apart. This lasted several hours and by 9pm the contractions were 10 mins apart. By about 10pm I thought to myself if this is the start of labour my contractions should be 5 mins apart by 2am. So with that thought in mind I shuffled into bed to get some rest. I was able to sleep through the contractions and at 2am the contractions were exactly 5 mins apart and my waters broke at 2.30am. Luckily I'd been wearing a pad so I didn't leave a mess in the bedroom. I went straight to the bathroom and the contractions got extremely intense, it was so intense I began shaking & could hardly speak. I called out to my husband (who was in the living room 'staying awake' for that moment when we had to go to the hospital- he knew I would be going into labour so he didn't want to be asleep and drowsy). I called the hospital and told them the situation and they said I was ready to go in. 

We arrived at the hospital at 3am and they got us settled in to my room (I still can't believe how large the birth suites are). The midwife checked baby's heart rate and then got me to walk around, she said it would help the labour progress. I walked up and down the corridor a few times until the contractions were so regular I hardly had rest in between contractions. The midwife came and did an internal examination and at 4.30am I was about 4 cm dilated. Because the contractions were so intense and regular I asked for an epidural. I had been told they can take up to an hour to organise and administer so I thought if it's already this intense imagine if I had a few more hours of it, so I better ask for now. The nurses didn't seem like they were going to organise the epidural for me so they gave me information about alternative pain relief. I went on the gas for a little while but it didn't seem to relieve enough pain. They suggested I go into the bath with the gas. So after one contraction on the bed with the gas I quickly rushed over to the bathroom to get back on the gas before the next contraction. This is probably the only time I wished the room wasn't so large. Once I was in the bath it was quite comfortable, however I think it was a tad too hot, I started to feel really light-headed. I really liked being in the bath, it took  the weight off my back and hips which did help relieve some pain from the contractions. But I didn't stay comfortable in there for long, I started feeling the "pushing" sensation so we quickly got the midwife back and they moved me back to the bed and by that time I was already 8 cm dilated... by this time I knew I definitely wasn't going to get an epidural.

From this point on the pain was pretty tough so I just kept mediating words like "open wide, push down" (something I learnt from the Birth Skills book I read). I didn't say much through my labour, but instead I was concentrating so hard in my mind using 'self-talk' methods I'd used previously in hard physical exercise challenges. I'd read about different birthing positions and the one I thought looked the easiest and most comfortable was leaning over the head of the bed. I went into this position and when it was almost time to start pushing the midwife got me to turn around and lie on my back! This was the last position I wanted to deliver in, just anatomically it was much more effort and gravity was not on my side. Anyway I preserved through it & they did this so have a better view as I needed an episiotomy. With a few pushes he was out. He was put straight onto my chest and it was absolutely the most amazing feeling. I met my little baby boy, such a precious little thing! He was so perfect, it was truly love at first sight.

Nathan had asked to cut the umbilical cord so with the sharp shiny scissors he went in for the cut. [Weeks prior to labour we had read about a mid-wife cutting a baby's finger while cutting the cord. So in my mind I was thinking maybe I should hold back Charlie's little fingers, but at the time I thought it should be ok.] As Nathan was cutting the cord, it was rather tough so it required 2 snips and as he finished the second cut Charlie's little hand went to grab the scissors!! I'm so glad nothing happened, but that was a close call.

Looking back at my experience I have gained a great appreciation for mothers and understand why it is necessary to experience labour. It is a path that helps us develop unconditional love for our precious children. After having been through labour I believe it has refined me to be a more loving mother. 

Super Easy Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes

My husband had asked me in advanced to make some treats for his medical tutorial group and of course I left everything to the last minute. So Sunday evening before heading out I had to quickly whip something up for all those hungry med students. I got this recipe from kidspot.com.au and it seriously was quick & easy to make. The recipe can be baked as either a cake or as cupcakes, here I went with the cupcake option just to do something different. 

Ingredients:

1 cup self-raising flour, sifted

1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1 cup castor sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

Method:

1. preheat oven to 180°C, grease a 24cm cake tin or prepare cupcake tin with patty pans
2. beat sugar, butter and eggs together, add flour, cocoa and milk, mix well.
3. pour batter into cake tin or prepared cupcake tin
4. bake cake for 35-40mins or cupcakes for 12-15mins or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the centre. 

I like my cakes without icing, but if you wish to dress it up with icing go for it! Hope you enjoy this simple "go-to" chocolate cake recipe.

A Herb Garden

I really like the idea of becoming self sufficient especially with fresh produce. When I was first married my husband and I attempted a vege garden. Unfortunately after our labours we did not have any fruit to partake of. So here I am ready to try again and hopefully this time we'll be able to enjoy the fruits of our labours. 

I'm going to attempt a herb garden, I've heard it's meant to be pretty easy so fingers crossed we'll be able to have success. The herbs that I would like to grow is basil, coriander and oregano. All of which I like to eat and would definitely benefit from them being grown outside the kitchen. I've done some reading and all of these herbs like the sun and seem to be rather easy to cultivate. And this will make a fun activity for my son and I to enjoy as the weather warms up. I'll blog again once I get going on our herb garden but in the meantime here are some quick and interesting facts about these herbs.  

Quick Facts

Basil is widely used in cooking, it is also good for deterring those summer pests (flies- hang a fresh bunch in the kitchen or keep a bowl of it indoors; mosquitoes- burn dried basil stalks on a fire). 

Coriander is a hardy herb and great in salads, sweet and savoury dishes or as a garnish. It makes for a good insect repelling spray. Add half a bucket of leaves, flowers and stems to half a bucket of mixed herb leaves including basil and pour over this one bucket of boiling water. Stand overnight, then strain and add two cups of soap powder. 

Oregano is an essential ingredient in many Italian dishes. It has the ability to dissolve fats in the body and is a great addition to meat dishes like pork. The oils are disliked by all insects, so it is ideal to add to insect repelling sprays and works well on furniture to sweeten a room after smokers have been in it. 

As I read about these herbs I can see that we'll have a very loving relationship, I'll keep nourishing them while they keep me free from insect bites.

Recommended Reading for Expectant Mums.

Like most first time mothers the thought of labour was daunting, heading into the unknown. I would say I did do a fair bit of reading while I was pregnant to prepare myself mentally for the inevitable. One of the books I read that I would highly recommend to anyone expecting is Juju Sundin's Birth Skills with Sarah Murdoch. It gives a great explanation of the birth process through the different stages (without it being too graphic). It also focuses on techniques/skills for pain management that will positively help you through labour. What I most enjoyed about reading this book is it made me feel empowered to conquer "labour" and feel  in prepared for the unknown. 

If your interested in reading about my experience stay tuned, I will be posting it soon. 

Date Night Ideas #1

Date nights is a great way to recharge & rekindle that loving romance in any relationship. One of the many things I've learnt from being married and especially after having a child is to make it a priority to take time out with your loved one and show them how much you love and appreciate them. One way we do this is by scheduling a regular 'date night'. It doesn't have to be an extravagant affair, just a time that is designated for the two of you.

Idea #1: Recently I've been hooked on those discount coupon websites. I bought 2 dinner vouchers for $19 for all-you-can-eat Brazilian BBQ at the Rocks in Sydney. I knew it was something my husband would enjoy and there were a few special occasions coming up in the year (eg. birthdays, anniversaries etc). I highly recommend you check out these websites for great deals, there are heaps of deals for restaurants, retreats, and activities like cooking or photography classes. The best thing about it is it can give you ideas of things to do for 'date nights' and not to mention the savings you make. Most of the vouchers last for 6 months so plan ahead for those special occasions. So check it out and you never know you might be up and away in a hot air balloon sooner than you expect and for a fraction of the price.  

Kleenex So You Think You Can Blog

I entered the Kleenex Mum "So you think you can blog" competition & I got my blog posted on the Kleenex website. If you're interested in reading it here is the link:

http://www.kleenexmums.com.au/meal-ideas/wheat-egg-free-cooking-for-a-growing-boy/

Adapting Family Favourite Meals to non-Wheat & Egg Diets

Recently I've started feeding my 13 month old son some of our family meals. Why it has taken me a while to introduce him to our family meals is that he has a wheat & egg allergy.  When he eats anything containing those ingredients his face and body will swell up in hives. We've seen it happen a few times and it's really not pleasant for any of us, which has made me very conscious of what he eats. Up until now it's been fine giving him his own special "mush" but as he is getting older he is becoming more aware of what everyone else is eating around him. I don't like to make him feel that he can't eat what mummy & daddy eat so I've had to learn to adapt our family meals to his needs. 

One of our family favourites is Mexican. Simply prepare it by melting cheese over the corn chips (make sure they are 'original' just the basic corn, oil and salt- flavoured corn chips may contain wheat products) in the oven/ mircowave and serve with mashed avocado, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and Mexican sauce (this is optional depending on the child, but feel free to add it to your own, they'll hardly notice that you have it & they don't when they start munching on the corn chips). 

Another meal that is becoming a family favourite is Pad Thai. It uses rice noodles, and the paste from the jar I used didn't contain any wheat product (which was found in the Asian grocer). Just take caution when buying the paste, the one I got from Coles was very spicy, so it's not one I'd give to my son because it was too hot even for me to eat. Luckily my husband can handle the heat & he had 3 meals worth all to himself. I made the Pad Thai as instructed on the jar & just took my sons portion out before adding the egg to the rest for us. He loved eating the bean sprouts (to my surprise) and it's an easy meal to let them eat at the own pace off their tray. I love giving him independence especially at meal times. It gives me a chance to sit back and enjoy my meal too. 

Bean Sprouts!!

When I prepare meals with pre-made sauces or pastes I do a quick scan of the ingredients list & especially look out for thickeners no. 1400 - 1450 (they may be derived from wheat, unless otherwise stated). I have noticed that some foods containing 1422 is from modified maize starch so it's been fine for my son. I've seen this in  yoghurt and Indian curry sauce from the jar. 

Adapting family favourites to children with special dietary needs take practise & some research. Just be confident in yourself and have fun in the process. It's a very rewarding feeling to know that you're providing your family with delicious food. It may take a little while to get use to adapting meals but with a little creativity and practise you'll be able to whiz up meals for the whole family in no time. Good bye to the days when you had to cook separate meals for each child. 

Here are my quick tips:

1. Be aware of ingredients that contain wheat & eggs (eg. thickeners, malt etc...)
2. Do a quick check over the ingredient lists.
3. Use alternatives, such as rice, corn, potato, oats etc.
4. Take out a portion of cooked vegetables and/or meats before adding sauces or pastes that contain wheat/egg products.

The Beginnings of a Toddler

My son is almost 14 months old and he is definitely growing out of that cute "baby" phase and moving on into "toddlerhood". He is a very active little boy & doesn't stop moving climbing up and down and playing with his toys or the odd shoe left in the living room. It has been a joy watching him grow and develop over the last year and especially in the last few months. His understanding of words just amazes me. Just the other day I asked him to bring me a white bag that was left in the middle of the room, it's like he knew exactly what I said and he walked over to the bag with no hesitation, picked it up and walked back to me and put it in my hand. And what's even more amazing he is beginning to talk. I was sitting at my computer one time & he walked over to me and handed me a book and said "read". I then asked him to sit down which he did immediately and I sat next to him and began to read him his book. When did he learn to do this? It just stunned me & I've just realised I need to try and keep up with his developments. On the flip side I've noticed an increase in what seems to be the start of tantrums and I can see it happens when he tries to communicate with his babbling and pointing but I'm unable to understand what he really wants and he walks away in frustration.

Recently I've read in a parenting magazine about baby signing and research has shown that it can accelerate a child's acquisition of speech and signing can reduce the frustration often experienced in pre-verbal children which is a major contributor of toddler tantrums. So I think it's time to learn about baby signing and hopefully  we'll be able to communicate with each other and have less of the toddler tantrums. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes. 

Donna Hay Vanilla Custard Slice

This is a great recipe I came across in Donna Hay Magazine issue 51. Here is a quick run down of how its made. Sorry there isn't a photo for this recipe, we ate it before I could even take a photo. 

2 sheets puff pastry

1 1/2 C (375ml) milk

1 1/2 C (375ml) pouring cream

60g butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 C caster sugar

1/3 C cornflour

1/2 C water

6 egg yolks

icing sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celcius. Place the pastry sheets on baking trays lined with baking paper. Place an additional baking tray on each sheet as a weight. Bake for 20-25 mins. Cool on wire rack.

2. Place the milk, cream, butter, vanilla and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat & cook until mixture comes to the boil. Remove from heat & combine the cornflour and water & whisk into the hot milk mixture with the egg yolks. Return to heat and cook, whisking, until thickened. 

3. Cut pastry sheets to fit a square tin lined with baking paper. Top with the custard and place the remaining sheet and press down gently. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Dust with icing sugar and slice to serve.