Mixed berry and lemon muffins with berry icing

Mixed berry and lemon muffins with berry icing

In saying goodbye to warmer weather, I made some berry bejeweled muffins made from ingredients I just had at home, which happen to be healthy and cute at the same time (also, we’re not quite ready for warm spicy treats yet, we still have our air con on currently).  The muffin itself isn’t overly sweet however[read more…]

Pear, walnut, grape and rocket salad

Pear, walnut, grape and rocket salad

Here’s a fresh, delicate, little salad we had the other day and both loved.  The peppery rocket, sweet, crisp pears and grapes, crunchy walnuts and creamy, salty Parmesan went so well together with the subtly sweet and tangy dressing.

Penne with zucchini, chilli flakes and feta cheese

Penne with zucchini, chilli flakes and feta cheese

I’m always on the lookout for tasty zucchini recipes, as I love it’s crisp freshness.  When I saw a recipe for zucchini pasta in a magazine years ago, I thought it looked perfect for a healthy, weekday meal so I adapted it by adding some new flavours.  I have lots of those actually.  Does anyone else have a heap[read more…]

Crispy quinoa puff, peanut and chocolate candy bars

Crispy quinoa puff, peanut and chocolate candy bars

I found this wonderful recipe for healthy candy bars recently (check out the rest of the site, it has tasty recipes for healthy minded people).  I have a big bag of quinoa puffs which, while I love to eat them for breakfast, I wanted to do something a bit more fun with, so I thought I’d make these chocolatey[read more…]

Creamy (mayonnaise free) potato salad

Creamy (mayonnaise free) potato salad

I do love a classic potato salad.  I’ve always enjoyed zesty, creamy ones so didn’t add anything to sweeten it up – if you prefer a sweeter salad, just replace some of the sour cream with mayonnaise. I make this recipe every summer and it’s a great combination of creamy and fresh with extra virgin olive[read more…]

Five simple and healthy lunch ideas

Five simple and healthy lunch ideas

Living in a big city where food is so easily accessible, lunch is one of those meals which is often neglected; it seems more convenient to grab fast food sometimes, especially on stressful days.  It’s just as easy though, and well worth it to whip up a delicious and healthy meal at home in a matter of[read more…]

Avocado almond smoothie

Avocado almond smoothie

A wholesome, full-of-good-fats, restorative smoothie so delightfully creamy it doesn’t even taste healthy. If you feel you need some healthy, heart starting goodness after the debauchery of Christmas and New Years, this is just the thing.  

Roast summer vegetable pizza

Roast summer vegetable pizza

I don’t often make my own pizza base.  Sheer laziness I suspect but you know, I really enjoy kneading dough, it’s quite therapeutic and satisfying.  I felt like a bit of energetic kneading recently so I whipped up a simple pizza from scratch, using seasonal vegetables – the best kind. Roast vegetables are so sweet[read more…]

Baked oatmeal with mixed berries, banana, maple syrup and walnuts

Baked oatmeal with mixed berries, banana, maple syrup and walnuts

Well so much for that rainy weekend we expected, still got some reading in though. I’ve been wanting to try this recipe, ever since I purchased Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson.  I’ve been a longtime fan of  Heidi’s blog, 101 Cookbooks, in fact hers was one of the first food blogs I started[read more…]

Classic bruschetta

Classic bruschetta

I pretty much live for this dish in summer. Diced colourful cherry tomatoes or halved or vine ripened tomatoes, juice squeezed out, finely diced, with roughly sliced fresh basil, a bit of finely chopped spicy red onion (not too much if you don’t like things too oniony), a splash of sweet yet tart balsamic vinegar and fruity extra virgin[read more…]

Tuscan salad with cannellini beans, tuna and olives

Tuscan salad with cannellini beans, tuna and olives

A warm, pretty day.  Just right for this salad. This is an easy, tasty salad I make often in warmer weather.  There’s just something about the fresh rocket, savoury tuna, and creamy beans with a salty hit from the olives that works really well.  There’s also no standing over a hot stove which makes it perfect for[read more…]

Maple nutty granola

Maple nutty granola

I could live on granola (or toasted muesli as we call it here).  I love how crunchy, sweet and satisfying it is.  I love that you simply pour some milk on it and have a healthy breakfast, or have it with Greek yoghurt and berries, or use it to bake muffins or sprinkle it over stewed[read more…]

Raw chocolate mousse

Raw chocolate mousse

I spied this simple, delicious recipe from raw foodie Celia Eddy.  I add a handful of early blueberries or figs in season and bam –  fruit intake for the day and an intense chocolate fix. You won’t believe how divine this is, I confess I skipped the refrigerate part, I just had to try a bit and it[read more…]

Cannellini bean, leek and baby spinach soup with quinoa

Cannellini bean, leek and baby spinach soup with quinoa

This is such a calming, simple, fresh soup recipe by Beth from allrecipes.com.  Well, I mean, soup is calming isn’t it?  It’s difficult to eat soup in a excited way unlike say, fried chicken or pizza for example where crumbs tend to fly everywhere.  This soup is especially therapeutic though. This is the type of soup you[read more…]

Linguine with garlic, chilli, herbs and pine nuts

I love this pasta dish.  It’s my go-to recipe when my loved ones or I need a quick pick-me-up, comforting meal.  It’s quite rich and satisfying and you don’t need a huge amount.  It’s best with long pasta; either linguine or spaghetti. You can add as much or little garlic as you like.  My other[read more…]

Date, pecan and ginger cookies

Date, pecan and ginger cookies

Is there anything better than the warming fragrance of home made cookies baking?  These chewy, spicy and sweet cookies were a delight and were made with oil rather than butter.  Just an excuse to have more I think.      

Mushroom omelet

Mushroom omelet

One of the simplest, healthiest and low carb meals.  A mushroom omelet made with sliced sauteed Swiss browns and greens dressed with homemade French dressing.  Sometimes I add slow roasted cherry tomatoes with the mushrooms to fill the omelet and they add a lovely sweetness. There were around 4 ingredients used for lunch today and it was lovely (all it was missing[read more…]

Chickpeas with Chermoula, tomatoes and spinach

Chickpeas with Chermoula, tomatoes and spinach

I love this spicy, healthy dish I adapted from Limes and Lycopene.  It tastes even better if you leave it in the fridge for a few hours (or even a couple of days) before serving.  If you want to step it up a bit, add around 60mls of coconut milk in the last 5 minutes of simmering.

Fancy a cuppa? How to make homemade Chai latte

Fancy a cuppa? How to make homemade Chai latte

I started drinking Chai tea a few years back.  Being a tea and spice lover, I instantly appreciated it’s spicy, comforting, warming flavour and it became one of my favourite teas. I’d love to say this is a traditional recipe and I’ve certainly done my best coming up with some lovely flavours, however there are[read more…]

Sweet potato and black bean chilli

Sweet potato and black bean chilli

I realised, with only a month to go of winter, that I hadn’t made a big pot of chilli yet.  I had all the ingredients for a vegetarian chilli and decided to go with sweet potato and black beans. This is a spicy, hearty chilli with a subtle sweetness, which goes really well with brown[read more…]

Kale and walnut pesto

Kale and walnut pesto

Pesto is such a fresh, savoury and nutty dish – it’s the perfect thing to keep in the fridge for a quick sauce for pasta or a piece of grilled chicken or fish, to mix in with mashed potatoes or to use as an impromptu dip.  I even sent Ant off to work the other morning with a[read more…]

Sweet potato and brown rice salad

Sweet potato and brown rice salad

A rustic, nutty little salad I make often.  I had something similar once, a packaged salad I purchased in my lunch hour from work and thought, I could make this.  It’s a healthy salad with lovely sweet and savoury flavours; great for work or a healthy dinner.

Breakfast inspiration

Breakfast inspiration

I just love and am a long time reader of simply breakfast, breakfast being my favourite meal of the day and was inspired to throw together this easy but lovely dish on the weekend. I always feel going out for breakfast is so much more luxurious than going out for dinner.  I guess because for most people, the[read more…]

Strawberry, chocolate and peanut butter smoothie

Strawberry, chocolate and peanut butter smoothie

I received this in the mail the other day and couldn’t wait to try something out of it.  I felt it was time for a healthy breakfast after the sugar fueled, indulgent days I’d been having and let me tell you, everything in this is good for you and, like Sophie says, has a very milkshake appeal about it.[read more…]

Vegan pumpkin soup

Vegan pumpkin soup

I make this deliciously thick, creamy soup every winter and, as we’re heading into cooler weather in Australia, it’ll soon be time for cosy, warm lunches so I whipped up a batch the other day.  This soup freezes well and apart from blitzing it in the food processor and the washing up after, is super easy.[read more…]

Spicy vegan Mexican wraps with quinoa

Spicy vegan Mexican wraps with quinoa

We had a bit of a Mexican theme tonight.  I love this cuisine – there’s something so cheerful and fun about Mexican restaurants, I find it very difficult to be depressed if we ever go out for Mexican.  I guess it’s a bit cheesy (do you see what I did there?!) but sometimes you just need that.[read more…]

Healthy egg salad sandwich

Healthy egg salad sandwich

I, like a lot of people, used to make egg sandwiches with mayonnaise.  Nothing wrong with that!  Eggs are healthy, full of energy-giving nutrition and protein and it’s a handy lunch to take to work. Still, if you’re trying to eat food as close to nature as possible, this recipe from Limes and Lycopene is the way to[read more…]

Quinoa, lentil and bean salad with summer vegetables

Quinoa, lentil and bean salad with summer vegetables

I made a south west style salad tonight from blogger Jacqueline at tinned tomatoes.  I added corn kernels because I had some fresh ones I’d frozen previously which I wanted to use, I also only had the French puy lentils, and tweaked the amounts a bit to suit 3 people.  This is Jacqueline’s own recipe and I’m really pleased I[read more…]

Mexican chilli beans

Mexican chilli beans

This versatile, spicy, rich and healthy dish is great for weekday nights in a number of ways; with brown rice, sour cream and avocado in wraps with quinoa, melted cheese or avocado as a topping for baked potatoes with sour cream or Greek yoghurt in taco shells with grated cheese mixed with chutney and grated cheese[read more…]

Leafy salad with avocado and toasted walnuts

Leafy salad with avocado and toasted walnuts

I know, I know.  Big deal, lettuce, avocado and dressing.  But do you know what?  This is what I felt like for lunch today – a simple salad made with fresh organic ingredients and a classic home made French dressing.  Plus I wanted to share so you could all see how healthy I’m being (I[read more…]