Foods of Fancy

A couple of weeks ago I was all aghast at the 'Party Food' that the parents were providing for the Preschool End of Term Party. There was a list of foods pinned to the noticeboard and each parent had to put their name beside the food that they were bringing. Keep in mind that Ayla and I were new to "mainstream" schooling and had always enjoyed the healthy lifestyle that our Steiner Kindy provided.

So over I go to the list and gradually run my finger down it.....

Party Pies (1 dozen)
Party Pies (1 dozen)
Party Pies (1 dozen)
Sausage Rolls (1 dozen)
Sausage Rolls (1 dozen)
Cheerios (1 dozen)
.....and the list goes on, you get the idea.

All the way at the bottom of the page was Fruit Platter....THAT'S ME!!! So I put my name down beside the fruit platter. And so began my mission. Steven made some passing comment about the possibility of me getting all 'Jamie Oliver' and doing a big cookup and then all the kids not eating it. My response was ..."No no...just doing a really FABULOUS fruit platter". And I did......but then somehow I got all 'Jamie Oliver'...oops.

I nearly cooked myself into an early grave. I just couldn't stop thinking that if you provided healthy party food, the kids would eat it. There's really no need for all of the party pies and cheerios. In any case, I'm not really sure Cheerios could be classed as a food anyway. Just in case you don't know what a cheerio is....cocktail franks, weiners, little boys....whatever you want to call them. Those things that have something resembling meat....with all the added grissle, fat, bone, feathers....bluck!

Anyway, I digress :)

I decided that along with my FABULOUS fruit platter, I would come some other irresistables. We cooked Sesame Buffalo Wings (no buffalos don't have wings...chicken wings) and then I thought I would give a little respect to the new season - SPRING - and cook Devilled Eggs....eggs...spring.....I know your laughing at me!

You can see the FABULOUS fruit platter up the top.....fabulous right??? Right??? Yeah well anyway, I made 2...couldn't help myself.




Dropped it all off at the Preschool in the morning with everyone agape and most likely thinking, "I didn't see that on the list" and Steven hoping that it wasn't going to be a Jamie Oliver Healthy Food Disaster. And you know what? It wasn't :)

Steven did pick up and apparently it was a resounding success with all of Ayla's dishes walking off the table first!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeee. Experimental success! It seems that healthy party foods, presented nicely, really are the Foods of Fancy for Five Year Olds!

In other breaking news....the Luxmoore Family have returned to the world of Broccoli Box Farming......miss my vege patch. See below.

Real Food Companions

This blog is becoming a beautiful eclectic mix of everything that I love in my life. My husband, my daughter, my Mum and Dad, my little brother (I must put him in here somewhere), friends, craft, photographs, and something that is coming back into the list of priorities in my life......food. Not just any ole food that you shove in your mouth and swallow in front of the TV. I mean REAL food. Nourishing food, prepared from scratch and made with love. Consumed at the table and shared with family, friends and good conversation.

We recently had a working bee in the yard at our place, trying to get the place rent ready. A big group of friends all working and socialising in the garden. The kids running around squealing and playing, Ayla eating leaves and dirt. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by everyone. Lunch time came and I found myself sitting amongst friends, kids and adults alike, all hoeing into a beautiful nourishing lunch that I had made from scratch a few days earlier. It wasn't hard work. I cooked both meals in a slow cooker and put them back into slow cookers the morning of the working bee. We had a Vege and Chickpea Curry for the vego's and Ham and Bean soup. But the best part was the friends all sitting together, enjoying a home cooked nourishing meal. Slurping, spoons clanging against crockery, kids chittering to each other and cracking jokes, and good old fashioned conversation.

Well, this is all a very long introduction into what I really wanted to share. I was recently given a gift voucher for a book store for my birthday (Thanks Nessy!) and I raced out the very next day to purchase an amazing book. "The Real Food Companion" by Matthew Evans. SENSATIONAL! Matthew is an Australian chef, residing in Tasmania with his family. He milks his own cow each day! I would love that.

I have been reading his 'Cookbook' from cover to cover. It is seriously so much more than a cookbook. Amazing recipes from real ingredients......Yes! Explanations of Real Food, Local food, Sustainable food.....Yes, Yes and Yes! But so much more. This book has HEART. From the moment I read Matthew's prologue, I knew this would be one of my most favourite books EVER! So, I wanted to share an excerpt from his prologue with you.

"As I was finishing writing this book, I was also awaiting the birth of my first child, and realised that by the time he could read it, the world may well have changed. As I sit at my desk it looks like rain outside, but the land west of the Great Divide, over three quarters of New South Wales, is in drought. The Arctic's north-west passage is free enough of ice for the first time in recorded history for ships to pass through, and there's much debate about the Greenhouse Effect and other big questions floating around about sustainability and responsibility.

Down through the ages, through war and natural disasters, in times of peace and plenty, some things remain constant. The need to keep the family together, to bind social ties, to laugh like a crazy person at family jokes that no one else gets or to weep, bereft at the loss of a loved one or pet. It's important to live.

Into this glorious life, my child, I suggest you take a good sense of humour, a good heart and yes, as you guessed from a person of my obesession, a good knowledge of food. The how, the why, the where. In challenging times it will comfort you. In happy times it will uplift and sustain you. At all times show respect for yourself and what you put into your body and you will find strength and happiness. Dine in front of the television at your own peril. Keep your self-esteem intact and your front door open to visitors. Keep the pantry full and the larder enriched. Keep the invitations going to those who seek refuge, as well as those who come to bring joy. Be generous with the ladle and cavalier with the wine. Cook, my child, for hospitality is the glue that binds humanity together".

Dare I say that this man is my newest hero! Move over Jamie Oliver....this man is definitely on par with you in the Hero stakes!

This Nourished Home

Breakfast at Our House (photo courtesy of Nourished Kitchen)

For the past 28 days our little family has been taking part in a 28 day Real Food Challenge. That kinda sounds like we suddenly and drastically changed our diet for 28 days and now we're going to revert back. In actuality, we have been eating like this for years....well, at least Ayla and I have. This was an opportunity for me to expand in my knowledge of nutrition, expand my recipe repertoire and learn to be more organised in my food preparation....sometimes days in advance, and also an opportunity for Steven to play along with us. I can honestly say that we do not have 1 pre-packaged item of food in our pantry that contains more than 1 ingredient. We have bottles of herbs and spices, olive oil and balsamic vinegar....but that's it. The rest of it is gluten free grains, home-milled flours, dried legumes, potatoes, onions, garlic, celtic sea salt, and some dried fruits. It is really very liberating to know that I am no longer a slave to the food giants and that my family is happy, healthy and eating real food that nourishes our bodies and our minds.

I have been feeling just a little shy of bloody fantastic of late. Despite my healthy diet of the last 8 or so years, I often felt tired (no, exhausted), down in the dumps, unable to cope with much of anything, lethargic....I'm not going to go on because it's even boring me. I'm not saying that I am bouncing out of bed in the mornings.....actually, now that I think of it....I am! I am up between 6 and 6.30 each morning, no alarm, Ayla still asleep and ready to face the day. Wow! That was something that I hadn't thought of until just now. I haven't had a truly down, negative and 'oh poor me' day in weeks. I am putting this all down to the real food challenge and learning (once again), exactly how important it is that our grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are all soaked and/or sprouted before being eaten. That all of the delicious and health giving fats like butter, olive oil, cream, egg yolks, bone marrow, fish eggs, and whole fresh raw milk are absolutely ESSENTIAL to our health and well being....despite what the diet dictocrats try to 'teach' us. I haven't taken a supplement of any kind in 4 weeks. I usually live on Adrenoplex to prevent me from crashing in a big blubbering heap. I breezed through my last menstrual cycle! I feel really great!

Steven says he's a little hungry but I think that is because he's not quite grasping that his meals and snacks need more preparation....there is no quick packaged snack that he can eat right NOW. Waiting until you feel hungry is going to leave you....well, hungry. Once you have reached that point, you're just looking for a quick fix of something resembling food. Eating real food does require planning and cooking ahead.

Ayla seems to be doing well on it. Most of the new recipes we have tried, she likes/loves. Some she's not so fussed on. They're usually the foods that contain fruit! I give up...the kid doesn't eat fruit....alright, I get it! The last week has been a super challenge with Ayla. At first we thought she may have been getting sick. Refusing to eat dinner (unheard of), crying in the bathtub (I know you don't believe me), crying all through book reading and not letting me leave her to go to sleep by herself (yes, I'm sure she hasn't been swapped with an alien). As I said, we thought she might be getting sick. But she's not. No signs of illness at all. Sunday night (day 6) I started to realise that it was actually behavioural and she was trying to tell me something.....I still don't know what! Does that make me a bad mother??? Anyway, on Monday she had a 4 1/2 hour nap.....I think she is just plain exhausted. She has a massive day on Tuesdays at the special ed unit. They work them really hard all day and then at the end they do hydrotherapy. She leaves at 8am and doesn't get home until 3.30 - 4.00pm, eats and goes to bed for the night. Then on Thursday and Friday she has Kindy all day and sometimes without a sleep. Add to this all of the ABR that we have been so desperately trying to keep up with.....The kid's tired! I stopped all ABR on Monday and Tuesday and we have mildly better afternoons and evenings. We have only done 1 session this morning and I will do 1 more this afternoon and see how we go.

Anyway...this has turned into quite a lengthy 'novel' and if I keep going I will have nothing to share with you later :)