Weight Loss Time

Yep, winter is a notorious time for putting weight on. All those delicious warm desserts with custard and cream, the luscious thick and creamy soups and freshly baked buttery rolls. I love to bake bread and winter time is ideal with the oven warming the kitchen and the inviting aroma filling the house.

So, I've decided it's also the perfect time this year to start a weight loss program. I've tried being mindful of what I eat in the past, but find all that I do all day is think of food. It's just too damn hard trying to reduce food intake and count calories without a little bit of help.
In the past, I've pooh hoohed (sp?) these sorts of programs, but I do think I have enough knowledge of nutrition to manage a commercial weight loss program sensibly.

Research of the various weight loss companies led me to Herbalife. Herbalife sounds like it's a bit of a rort, an MLM company that is hitting those most vulnerable in the hip pocket. Well, that's what I thought, at first. But, after some google research, I've found that the positive reviews of the program far outnumber the negative. The negative reviews have come from those who looked at the program from the outside and didn't actually try it.

A friend of my son's is a coach, so I went to her to discuss my needs. I don't need to lose a huge amount, but looking back over the 30 odd years since I married, I've added 20kgs to my very small frame! Just very gradually, a few kilos at a time, so it's not really noticed.

I began watching my food intake about three days prior to starting on the program while awaiting delivery of my products. I managed to lose about 500g in that time. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up, though as I've tried before.

The Herbalife programs are flexible and one can choose the products to suit the desired outcome. Since I want to lose 5 kgs to start with, then a further 2 -3 and maintain that weight, I've gone with only one Shake a day, the Multivitamins and the Herbal Tea. I loathe shakes, so this was a bit of a daunting prospect for me to replace my favourite meal of the day, breakfast, with a shake.

Day two today and I'm coping well. Today, I added one frozen banana and 6 frozen strawberries with a tablespoon of chia seed to the almond milk I made and the shake powder and blended in the Thermomix. I ended up with ice cream, not the best thing to enjoy on a cool winter's morning, but very delicious and filling.
To warm up, I followed this with a cup of Herbal Tea, which I really enjoy. It's a fat burner, so helps with weight loss.

1kg down and 4 to go before my first goal is reached. Weeks one and two are meant to be easy, then it gets harder, so I expect it to take a couple of months.

Bread Rolls in Under an Hour

This recipe comes from one of the members from www.forumthermomix.com, where all great Thermomix recipes can be found along with helpful hints.

These rolls can actually be on the table in less than an hour. They are light and fluffy inside with a delicious crusty top, closest to bakery rolls I've ever made. They are slashed with a sharp knife before the second rise. You can see from the photo that I started making a cross shape, then got tired of that and just went with the one cut across the top.

Bread Rolls in Under an Hour
forumthermomix.com

600g bread flour
350g lukewarm water
2 Tbsp oil (I use Rice Bran)
2 tsp Bread Improver
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp dried yeast

Add all the ingredients to the TM bowl and knead for 4 mins.
Allow to rise in the bowl for 10 minutes, MC in place.
Knead for 30 seconds (I forgot this step and it didn't make any difference)

Remove from bowl and place on ThermoMat. Roll into a log shape and cut into 8.
Shape each piece into a roll and place on a baking tray.
Slash tops with a sharp knife and cover tray with a cloth.
Place in a warm spot to prove for 10 minutes. (I left mine for 20 or so in the car)

In a small bowl, mix:

2 tsp rice flour
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp oil

Brush rolls with the above mix and place into a cold oven set to 220C.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. If planning to use straight away, wrap in a clean tea towel and place in a basket.

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

The weather isn't really quite cool enough for soup yet, but I'm tired of the heat and am looking forward to winter food.

Winter is the time where we use the slow cooker that teases all day with it's aromas of something delicious. Or the quick and tasty soups whipped up in no time in the Thermomix.

Tonight's is one of the latter, a fast and delicious soup with flavours from Thailand. Although I'm unable to buy fresh lemongrass, coriander or lime leaves, those essences of Thai food, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I always keep those tubes of Gourmet Garden Herb Pastes in my fridge. Basil, Coriander, Chilli, Lemongrass, even Parsley (for when my parsley has gone to seed in the garden) all mean I have my favourite flavours at my fingertips. My other trick is to buy the fresh Kaffir lime leaves when you see them and throw them in the freezer. They freeze dry and you can use them as you would dried bay leaves.

I was planning on making a plain pumpkin soup for tea tonight, but changed my mind when I spied a large sweet potato in the local store and that was it. I made this in the Thermomix. If you don't have a Thermomix, then make it on the stove, but it will take a lot longer and you'll need a stick blender to process it at the end.

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

1 onion, peeled and quartered
a little oil
800g sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 Tbsp coriander paste
1/4 Tsp Chilli Paste (or to taste)
1 Tbsp Lemongrass Paste
2 tsp Basil Paste
1 litre water
2 tsp chicken stock powder
3 Tbsp Fish sauce
two or three Kaffir Lime Leaves
1 small can coconut milk

Place onion into TM bowl and chop a few seconds. speed 5. Add oil and saute for 3 minutes, Varoma, speed 1. Add all the pastes and saute for a further minute on Varoma.
Add sweet potato and saute for 2 minutes, Varoma, speed 1.
Add water, stock powder, sauce and lime leaves and cook 18 minutes, Varoma, speed 1. Place the basket on top to prevent any overflow. Remove lime leaves.
Add coconut milk and place MC on top. Blend by slowly increasing speed up to 8 or 9 for a few seconds, holding MC in place.

Pour into bowls and squirt a dob of Coriander Paste into soup. Swirl with a toothpick or skewer.

Add more water if soup is too thick.

How to Poach an Egg

Poached Eggs Hollandaise or Florentine has to be my all time favourite breakfasts. I make it at home frequently and it's the breakfast of choice if I'm lucky enough to be eating out.

I've pretty much got the knack of poaching an egg, but sometimes I have disasters, with the egg sticking to the bottom of the pan or just falling to bits.

I recently posted on my Bush Gourmand FaceBook Page a foolproof method for the perfect poached egg. Here's the link if you missed it.Video: How to Poach Eggs

I made poached eggs for breakfast this morning and tried this method and it did work. The eggs I had were from the local store and were very fresh, so not much dripped through the sieve. Using the sieve to roll the eggs into the water worked really well in keeping the egg nice and oval shaped. I did put a bit of vinegar in the water, just to be on the safe side.

 As you can see in the picture, there was very little floating egg white in the pan. I rolled the egg around gently to keep the nice oval shape.

Served with Hollandaise made in the Thermomix, wilted spinach,smoked salmon and homemade bread. Delicious! I won't need lunch now.

Another thing I did learn from the video that I didn't know is that you can poach a number of eggs and place them in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for up to three days!

Here's my Hollandaise recipe. It's made in the Thermomix, but you can make it with a stick blender. It won't be quite as light and fluffy.

Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks
1 tsp dijon mustard
juice of half to one lemon, depending how tangy you like it.
90g butter
white pepper

Place butterfly on blade and add yolks, mustard and juice to bowl. Blend on speed 2 for a few seconds.
Add butter, soft if possible, and programme 3 minutes, 90, speed 3.

Leftovers can be placed in the fridge and heated gently in a ceramic or glass dish over simmering water, stirring constantly. Or, use in place of mayo on a tuna sandwich.

This also makes a great sauce for fish. Add the grated lemon rind too.

Enjoy egg poaching,

Megan

Where Have All The Aussies Gone?

Sing along with me.....


Where have all the Aussies gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the Aussies gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the Aussies gone?
Overseas companies took them on
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one has gone bust
Hey, they'll come and get you too
And you won't be the last.

 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-03/rosella-goes-into-receivership/4404696

Tuna and Pineapple Casserole

A quick and easy recipe given to me by a friend to which I've added some extras to make it go further. The original recipe didn't have noodles, peas or corn. Since I'm also feeding my Father-in-Law, I wanted to add some vegetables to make sure he's getting his daily serve!
I made the sauce in the Thermomix, but it's easily made on the stove top.

Tuna and Pineapple Casserole
The Bush Gourmand


2 onions
60g butter

2 or more tsp curry powder to taste
2 Tbsp plain flour
1 1/2 cups milk


1 large tin tuna, drained
1 x 450g can pineapple pieces (I only had crushed pineapple, so used that)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn niblets
1/2 cup vermicelli soup noodles
salt and pepper (I used 3 tsp chicken stock powder instead)
Home made breadcrumbs
melted butter

Peel and cut onions into quarters. Chop for 3 seconds/speed 5. Scrape down and repeat. Add butter and saute on speed 3/reverse/100, setting timer for 5 minutes.
At the 4 minute mark, add flour and curry powder and continue sauteing for a further minute.
Set dial to speed 2/reverse/1 minutes and gradually add milk. Cook on 100/5 minutes/Reverse/speed 2-3
Add noodles and pineapple, including juice and continue cooking for a minute or so.
Place tuna into a casserole dish with peas and corn and pour sauce over. Mix gently.
Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter and place over the top of the casserole.
Bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

What's For Dessert?

The question is now answered with a great new e-book written by the queen of desserts and all things Thermomix, Tenina Holder.

This great new e-book can be downloaded from the Super Kitchen Machine site by clicking the link on the right hand side of the blog page - Super Spatula.

There are more than 23 easy recipes with full colour photos. If you know Tenina, there'll be a lot of chocolate involved!
Recipes include cakes, tarts, ice cream and pies and all are super delicious and easy to make.

At only $15 Canadian, this book is a steal. You can download it up to three times in case your computer has a hissy fit or you forget where you saved it...  Good idea is to print a couple of copies off and keep it in a plastic display folder.

Enjoy!
Megan