Recipe .. Fit Mum's Chocolate Fudgey Pieces ...

I know you are looking for yet chocolate slice recipe, right? 

This recipe is the one that I made for my clients this month as a little treat!  They loved it! Yes, they are taste testers!  The family taste testers rate this one pretty highly also!  It's a bit of a combination of various recipes that I have tried and I add in what I want and get rid of whatever I don't want.

It is perfect to keep in the fridge for when you need a quick sweet fix.  I usually save mine for dessert when the kids have gone to bed and I can finally have 5 minutes peace!

Fit Mum's Chocolate Fudgey Pieces

What you need ...  

250g medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup water
1 cup walnuts
1 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut
2 tbs chia seeds
2 tbs cacao powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted





What you do ...

Place dates and water in small saucepan over heat and cook until dates have absorbed all the water.  While this is cooking place whole walnuts in food processor and blitz them up a bit ... it is up to you how finely you want the walnut pieces.  I like to have it so that you can see the pieces and the slice is a bit crunchy.

Add all ingredients to food processor and process until all blended together.

Press mixture into small baking pan, depending on how thick you would like your pieces to be.  Place in fridge for a few hours until cooled. 

I then take mine out, slice up into smallish pieces and sprinkle with cacao powder.

They will store in the fridge for several days, if they last that long of course!

Enjoy!

Recipe ... Chunky Italian Chicken Soup ...

Although you wouldn't know from today, there is still 25 days of winter left here.
Yes, I am counting.

Even though the days are just glorious, the mornings and evenings are still rather chilly. And what warms your tummy more than a yummy soup?

This Chunky Italian Chicken Soup is a bit of a throw together of another recipe and I've added or eliminated ingredients as I have them in the pantry but in general I have everything I need so it's easy to whip it up in a hurry.

What you need ...

800g - 1kg chicken thighs or breast, chopped .. if you want a lower fat version use the breast meat
3 - 4 tomatoes,chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed

pepper
2l ( 8 cups ) salt reduced chicken stock
Jolly good slurp of white wine**
1/2 cup risoni
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and basil
1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
Juice of 1/2 lemon
**yes, that is my exact measurement ...


What you do ...

Sauté onions, garlic and veggies for a few minutes until onion is soft.
Add chicken, tomatoes, stock, wine and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through.
Add risoni and cook until risoni is tender.

Finally, add the fresh herbs and lemon juice. Season if you feel it needs it and serve with some crusty bread!







If you are lucky, there will be enough for left overs for lunch the next day!

Football Food .. Fit Mum Style

So if you live in Queensland or New South Wales you may be aware that there is a very important game of Rugby League on tonight. No, oh well, read on anyway I'm sharing a family favourite recipe!

The State of Origin clash between Qld and NSW tends to stop many .. but not all .. households in the respective states. There will usually be quite a bit of yelling at the television, cheering and possibly tears ( if you live in NSW of course ... ). Of course if you are actually at the game then, well, aren't you the lucky ones!

My house is no different. Personally I don't tend to do much yelling, unless the ref is a clown or Qld are scoring. Sometimes I may not even watch the game ... I mean it's the same night as Offspring, surely someone could have planned that better?

Anyway, moving on .. Apparently because it is such an "important" game we are required to eat football food ... More specifically, hot dogs.

As you can imagine, I'm not the biggest fan of the hot dog. Yes, I will agree that it can taste rather delicious but I do sometimes wonder what is actually in it .. I'm not sure if there is really meat in there, is there?

So I decided to compromise and I make chicken dogs ... I think maybe I need a better name ... Suggestions accepted ...

I won't tell you that they are the most healthy option but they certainly get the thumbs up from the family.

Here's what I use ...

Chicken tenderloins crumbed in spiced panko crumbs .. You choose your favourite spice. I use Sumac for just a little citrusy bite. Then I bake them in the oven.

Of course, hot dog buns ... I try to buy wholemeal / whole grain but I can't always find them

Red onions, caramelised
Pancetta .. Diced and fried in a little of the oil used for the onions
Grated cheese
Your choice of condiments ... The usual mustard, sauces etc ...

Remember, I didn't say they were the healthiest choice but they do include real food ... And I made them myself so they are super yum!

What do you have for your special "football food" on big game nights?

What I ate Wednesday ... Do you do leftovers?

Another Wednesday and I'm here to share with you what I'm eating ...

I do try to eat healthy, nutritious foods most of the time ... There are those moments however when I'm not perfect or anywhere near it! I mean, who is? Well, alright some people are better than me!

Breakfast ... It's a surprise!  Oats again but I added a teaspoon of peanut butter because I saw it in the fridge and it looked good! And my coffee ...

Snacks ... Apple and peanut butter .. ooops I really must have had a thing for it today!  I had a mandarin for an afternoon snack along with some bocconcini which really should be banned in our house because I find it a bit addictive!

Lunch ... Leftover Chicken & Corn Soup.  I added a small handful of pasta too.

Leftovers! Do you do leftovers? I'm not always a fan of leftovers, I'd much rather have my meal nice and fresh. Not that I would get the chance anyway as Mr FitMum loves leftovers ... And then there's the kids ...

Whether you are into leftovers or not, they can be a great idea to save you time and money and keep you on track with your healthy eating during the week. I'm not one to prep my meals on the weekend .. To be honest I haven't quite worked out when I would do this. I know it's an organization and planning thing but I haven't got it.

Instead I often cook extra of whatever meal we are having so that there is something for lunch. Sometimes that might just be an extra chicken breast or two that I can throw into a salad or have with steamed veg the next day.

Another thing I do to save some time and keep me honest the next day is to prep extra veg. I chop them up as I do the nights dinner, that way the next day I have no excuse to have a lazy lunch. Quickly steam them and serve them with some lean protein and it's all good!

Anyway, back to my day ... I didn't make leftovers tonight ... Stir fries don't work well as left overs. We had sweet chilli and lime salmon stir fry .. Yum!  This was so filling and delicious!

For supper, I felt like a sweet treat and I had half of a Slim Secrets bar that I bought the other day for just this occasion!  To try it of course!  It was cookies & cream but I found it a bit sweet that's why I only managed half! I might go back for the other half tomorrow night!

What did you eat today?

What I ate Wednesday ...

I'd love to share something exciting with you today .. maybe a new recipe that I have tried or a new food that I have been checking out ... but in the last week I really haven't had much happening on the experimental or even cooking front. 

Oh wait!  I whipped up a batch up Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Icing for my mother in law's birthday on Saturday.  I will add here that I quality tested the mixture for both the cupcakes and the icing at several times throughout the baking process and I will admit to feeling rather ill from the ingestion of sugar by the end of the day ... no really, I had to ensure the quality was high!!

Not my best effort but they tasted good!

But anyway, back to what I ate today ...

Breakfast was my usual oats with the trimmings ... I like oats, they work for me, don't judge.

I was out and about a bit today so at morning snack time I was very luxurious and stopped for coffee and banana bread with my in laws!  Banana bread is a favourite and I don't have it very often, not even when I make it at home, so this was quite the treat!

I made it home for a late lunch today and I didn't realise how hungry I was until I drove in the driveway.  Quick and easy for me!  I always keep a stash of heat 'em up soups in the cupboard for just this occasion ... the fact that it has been freezing all day made soup the perfect choice!

A cup of peppermint tea this afternoon was nice and warm in my tummy as I didn't feel like much more after a late lunch.

There's not much exciting that you can do with chicken and veg, which is what dinner consisted of tonight.  I tricked it up a bit with honey soy marinade and some sesame seeds .. so Nigella of me!   I'm afraid I was not feeling the culinary creativity today!

 

What did you have to eat today? 

I would love to see a pic of it ... head over to instagram and hashtag your pic #wiaw, #whatiatewednesday, #fitmumsfood.  That way I can get some great ideas from you!