Month: February 2014

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Review: Cawston Press Apple & Summer Berry + Apple & Blackcurrant

Cawston Press Kids Blend Pressed Fruit 2

Cawston Press sent us some samples for the kids to try.

From the Kids Blend Pressed Fruit which is shaken up with a bit of water, we were sent:

  • Apple & Summer Berries
  • Apple & Blackcurrant

I tried the Apple & Summer Berries and was pleasantly surprised how refreshing it was in a glass with ice.

The lowdown for my Apple & Summer Berry:

  • It’ s NOT made from concentrate and has no added sugar.
  • It IS pressed apples, strawberries and rasperries blended with water.

The Ingredient list for my Apple & Summer Berry:

  • 54% Pressed Apple Juice
  • 40% Still Water
  • 4% Strawberry Puree
  • 2% Raspberry Puree
  • Vitamin C

A carton is 200ml, with around 50 calories per carton.

I really dislike some brands of children’s drinks as my kids always used to feel so thirsty after drinking something that was meant to quench their thirst.

There are no colours, additives or preservatives, so it’s all good in my opinion.

We like it.

 

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Puff Pizza: Chicken and Tomato Pizza Recipe

I love puff pizza as it’s just so quick to make compared to bread bases and makes a full meal on it’s own.

With this version, I simply used Sainsbury’s Lighter Puff Pastry, Ready Rolled.  It fitted the size of my baking tray perfectly with absolutely no overlap at all.

It’s just a case of rolling it out, throwing on your toppings and popping it in the oven for a great choice.

You can make it as healthy or as unhealthy as you like by the amount of cheese and toppings that are added, so the world is really your oyster.

Puff Pizza – Chicken and Tomato

Lesley S Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • Tomato Puree Paste
  • 375 g Puff Pastry Ready Rolled Sheets, Hand Made, or just Blocked and Rolled Out
  • 2 Chicken Breasts Diced
  • 12 Cherry Tomatoes Halved
  • 300 g Grated Cheddar Cheese

Instructions
 

  • Flour an oven dish, I used a very rectangle tray that we use for making oven chips. Roll out the puff pastry to fit the tray.
  • Dab tomato puree along the pastry and use a knife to smooth it out across the whole base.
  • Sprinkle on the chicken evenly, spread the cherry tomatoes out and top it with the cheddar cheese.
  • Bake in the oven at 200 Degrees or 180 Degrees for a fan oven, for up to 20 minutes.

 

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15 Uses for Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil 2

I’m, a coconut freak.  It’s been one of the constants in my life for a couple of decades or more and it’s multi purpose abilities means that I’ve found it handy.  I used to buy mine online in quantities of 6 tubs of 500 grammes at a time.  I can now buy it supermarkets, so I’ve changed my allegiance and switched brands.

The extra virgin organic and raw coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but melts very quickly when heat is added.  When we go abroad, I’ve just learned to live with the fact that the solid state of my tub of oil can fluctuate greatly.

Coconut

I go for virgin coconut oil, and the one I have this month is actually extra virgin coconut oil.  The smell is what draws me to this type of oil as I absolutely adore it.  It came into my life when I was sixteen years old and on my first holiday in Corfu, Greece.  I’d got burnt by the sun and my hair began to frazzle.  It was a Greek lady who came up to me, felt my hair and told me to go and buy a tub of coconut oil to rub into my hair and leave it overnight.  I am so grateful she did, as otherwise I’d probably never have found my favourite oil of all time.

It’s safe to say that I use coconut oil quite a lot.  I’ve slackened off using it in cooking, but I plan to remedy this quite soon.   That’s more to do with wanting to make my stocks last for as long as I could until I found Sainsbury’s stocking a fabulous smelling tub of it.

Before using coconut oil on any skin or body part, make sure you do an allergy response at least 24 hours before so that you know there won’t be any negative reactions to it.  I’m not a doctor, so ask their advice if you’re not sure about using it on your body.    An inside elbow patch is probably a good place to try it out.

People say coconut oil has anti-fungal properties and can be used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic.  I’ve never used it for any of these uses, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it helped with all of them.

1  Cooking

Why more people don’t cook with coconut oil, I have no idea.  I suspect some are cottoning onto the good uses of it as the price is beginning to come down in supermarkets for the good stuff.   I love it to add to fried fish that I’m not dry frying and to give a lovely coating for things I’d rather not stick to pans.  It has a high smoke point so it’s great for baking and replacing butter to make a recipe dairy free.

2 – Skin Cream

Yes really.  I’ve had years where the only skin care regimen I’ve had is to slap on coconut oil twice a day.  I now alternate that with oilatum in the morning and the coconut oil at night as my skin is really very very dry and can break out in dry patches.  I’ve not had any dry patch breakouts since I started using coconut oil, so for me, it’s a no brainer to use it.

3 – Make Up Remover

Are you out of baby oil, or eye make up remover liquid?  If so, your tub of coconut oil can come in extremely handy.

4 – Baby Rash Cream

Slimy to apply it may be, but coconut oil makes a for a fabulously soothing balm for sore babies bums.  Just make sure they’re not allergic before using it.

5 – Hair Conditioner and Deep Nourisher

This is what I did in Greece.  Slap it on and then pop on a towel and keep it on while you sleep.  It will take some amount of rinsing out the next morning, but your hair will feel amazing a couple of days later.  If you’re too wary of leaving it on all night, just pop it on for an hour and take it off then.

6 – Stretch Marks

People tell me that it helps to prevent stretch marks if you rub it directly on your skin when you’re pregnant.

7 – Sun Protection 

I believe it’s a natural sun protection factor of 4, but you’d have to research that for yourself.

8 – Home Made Soaps

Add it to your home made smellies and it’ll add a fabulous moisturising effect.

9 – Home Made Soy Candles

Add it to home made candles and the smell of your soy candles may well be enhanced and the texture improved.

10 – Massage Oil

It’s an oil.  It’s more practical to have one oil with multi functional purposes than to buy lots of different oils for different purposes.  Some people can’t take the smell of coconut oil as a massage, but if you do, it’s perfect for it.

11 – Lip Balm

Buy wee lip balm tubs and put some in for a lovely natural lip cream.

12 – Eczema

Helps to improve and sooth dry skin and skin problems like eczema.

13 – Energy Source

I am told it doesn’t store calories as fat in our bodies and is wrongly labelled as one of the bad fats.

14 – Cradle Cap

Soothes babies skin and flaking misery by moisturising and helps remove the horrible itching.

15 – Acne

I didn’t have acne as I always had dry skin, but people tell me that it helps with acne.  It can cause an increase in the outbreak over the first 5 days so I’d recommend anyone wishing to try it makes sure they know what the potential is before they try it.

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Review: Benefits Of Green Tea

Teapigs3

Green tea on its own is definitely something that seems to take a little time to get used to.   I’ve been given it to try for a few weeks, and I’ve used it for just over a week now, and said I’d report back on it.

teapigs calls their 100% organic green tea leaves that are ground to a fine powder, Matcha.   They say it has 15 times the health benefits of regular green tea.  As a frequent green tea with lemon drinker, I thought this would be one for me to try.

One serving contains 6 times more antioxidants than goji berries, 70 times more than orange juice and 9 times the beta carotene of spinach.  The science boils down to claims of raising energy levels while keeping us calm and focused, which is apparently why it’s drunk by Buddhist monks to help them with their meditation.  It is also said to boost metabolism and burn fat.

I have to say that on the first couple of uses, I found it quite difficult to take.  The green powder is very fine and if we’re drinking it as a tea, it is better whisked up so that all the powder is absorbed.   It can also be baked into food or sprinkled over porridge, or even added to orange juice, yoghurt or smoothies.

I made the mistake at my first try, of just drinking it straight as it was made with hot water.  I didn’t find that easy, so I tried the other ways to use it.  The taste seemed to be hidden well in yoghurt, so that has become my vehicle of choice to take my daily dose of powder.

Teapigs1

I’m not quite sure if the benefits from drinking Matcha are because I’ve read the literature and been convinced, or whether it really is doing me some good.  I think that only time will tell with that one, but after a few days, I certainly didn’t feel as bone weary and exhausted as usual by the end of the weekend that has just gone past.

For that alone, I’ve convinced to keep on with it as I want to know if it continues to improve my daily well-being and I certainly could use to lose more than just a few pounds.  There are some celebrities trying it out too, like Lisa Snowden and Rebecca Adlington, so I’m looking forward to see how we all get on with it.

Teapigs4

So, for me, it’s keep going and see where it takes me.

I think we all have to make up our own minds with this type of product and only personal experience can help us decide if it’s right for us or not.

I would say that if you buy some, make sure you take it slow when you pull the ring that opens the container as the powder is very fine indeed and is easily shaken up.  The picture does not do the colour of this tea justice as the powder really is a beautiful shade of green.

Teapigs5 

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Dry Fried Bananas With Cinnamon Infused Sugar

This dish is perfect for serving as a topping for ice-cream, crumbles and desserts, or you can simply eat it on it’s own for a sweet treat with a bit of goodness from the banana thrown in.

If you want to find out more about dry frying, have a look here.

Dry Fried Bananas With Cinnamon Infused Sugar

Lesley S Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 6 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Small Banana Per Person
  • 2 teaspoons Cinnamon Infused Sugar
  • sprinkle One Cal Spray

Instructions
 

  • Use a spray of one cal on the bottom of your pan. Add the chopped banana and bring to a low heat.
  • When you smell the banana cooking, use a fish slice to turn over the bananas to the opposite side. Turn them a few times over the space of a couple of minutes while always cooking on low to dry fry. If you need to, add one or two more sprays of your one cal or half a teaspoon of water.
  • Sprinkle a teaspoon of cinnamon infused sugar over your bananas, leave for around 30 seconds and then turn the bananas over.
  • Turn your bananas out onto a plate and sprinkle over a teaspoon of cinnamon infused sugar to serve. This is fantastic when it's served as the topping for ice-cream or a crumble.

 

 

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How To Dry Fry Food – Dry Frying Is The New Health Kick

Move over fat fryers, there’s an alternative method of cooking in town, and it doesn’t need extra utensils or equipment.

I’ve fried dry for a long time, but I didn’t actually realise dry fry was an actual termed method of frying.

What Is Dry Frying?

Many of you probably dry fry some meats.  If you have meat with some fat on it, like bacon, it’s likely that you might not add any more fat to cook the meat in, but simply just take advantage of the fat on the meat itself.   Using a thick bottomed or non stick pan, start off with the pan cold and fry on a low heat until some fat is released.  You can then turn up the heat a little and cook your food as normal, with no added fats or oils.

Frying Pan

What About Food With NO Fat?

You might think that foods with no fat would stick and burn, but in many cases, you would be wrong.  You do, however, have to have patience to use this method as it does take a lot longer to cook your food throughly.  The basic principle is that you fry over a low heat for a longer time and turn the food often.

I dry fried these pancakes very easily, yet you do have to get used to doing it.  This method is also great for releasing the flavour of nuts and spices.

With vegetables, and especially onions, I’d be tempted to add a teaspoon or two of water at a time if they may look like dry frying alone is not enough.  Be very careful not to add too much water though, or your food won’t have the lovely fried aroma and taste as it will simply taste stewed.   There is the option of adding a spray or two of one calorie fat sprays, but I try to get away without it when I can.  I do keep a can handy in the kitchen cupboard at all times, just in case it’s needed.

As a rule, I tend to grill most meat and fish rather than fry, but on the special occasions that we have a tender fillet or sirloin steak, then I do dry fry those on the hob in a frying pan.

Fruit

Dry fried fruit can be amazing.  Especially if you top it with some lovely sugar, syrups or sauces, or add it to the top of a fruit crumble and sprinkle on some cinnamon infused sugar.   Check out how to dry fry banana and top with a dusting of cinnamon sugar.  My kids love it on top of ice-cream.

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Talk Pants With Your Kids

Talk Pants With Your KidsI was asked to be involved with the underwear campaign for the NSPCC who held a Google hang out.  I couldn’t make the hangout, but I did commit to raising the issue on my blog.

Personally, I think parents and carers often leave it far too late to start talking to kids about the parts of their bodies that are off limits to other people.

The NSPCC stated that there has been a 16% rise in reported cases of sexual abuse of under-11s reported to the police in 2013-2014.   If those are the cases reported, I would imagine that there are many more that are NOT reported.  With that in mind, we all have to think how we can try to help our children to help themselves stay safe. In reality, we cannot be three feet from our children at all times, and they do need information at young ages to know what is ok and what is not ok.

The Underwear Rule Is A GOOD Thing

As hard as it is to talk to youngsters about what is private and what is not, we need to take responsibility for empowering our children with the knowledge that their bodies are private. The NSPCC also states that at least 1 in 5 of all recorded sexual offences against children are against those too young for secondary school.

Talking to Children Aged 5 – 11

The NSPCC has launched this phase of the campaign to encourage parents of children aged 5 – 11, to talk to them and help them understand how to keep themselves safe from sexual abuse.  The whole point of the campaign is to have simple and easy conversations.

The Campaign Video “Spare Parts” gives you some idea of possible simple terms that children can relate to.

Talking Pants 

It’s important to remember that talking pants is just the beginning.  The NSPCC campaign is a start, but it isn’t something we can say once, and then forget as children have a short memory for things that don’t interest them, and to be honest, talking pants with kids is boring for them or might make them just giggle.

Parents need to take the lead role in this, and not expect schools to do all the work.   The NSPCC have supporing materials for parents and give us plenty of guidance with their guide called “Talk PANTS”

The Rules 

  • Privates are private.
  • Always remember your body belongs to you.
  • No means no.
  • Talk about secrets that upset you.
  • Speak up, someone can help.

Special Needs

Getting the message through to my special needs child is really not easy, but hopefully we will get there eventually.

He trusts everyone and no-one, but is fairly open about his body and really doesn’t think there is anything to be worried about.  He goes to respite and is looked after by people outside of my control, so this is a very important lesson for him to learn, even at an age where talking pants is past the point of being helpful for young adults.

The knock on effect is that this learned behaviour will follow him in other settings where he is with new adults or ones that we don’t really know, and for respite, we really don’t know the people who are looking after our family members.

Parents and carers tend to avoid or just not talk about private parts in case the words used end up being spouted at full volume while they are in a kids playground, but for the safety of our special needs children, they really do need to have the same conversations and knowledge as any other vulnerable person, but in a very simple fashion.

At the age of 11 last year in a French swimming pool, a girl eating a hotdog slipped and the hotdog flew up in the air and bounced off him and his trunks – dollops of tomato ketchup and all.  With around 100 people in the immediate vicinity, he instantly whipped off his trunks in full view of everyone before picking up a towel to cover himself.

Because of that incident, we talk underwear at every shower time now.  I just mention it as I put down the towels and make sure the water isn’t too scalding for him.  Most of the time he isn’t interested, but I know that deep down the memory is being planted for him, even if he doesn’t answer me, and I really trust that the memory will come back when it’s really needed, to help him know what is appropriate and what is not.   

By learned behaviour, he is now covering himself up to go into the shower and closing the door to get dressed so it is thankfully sinking in – even if he gives me no reaction whatsoever when I talk about it.  

Find Out More

Visit the website for more information.  NSPCC – The Underwear Rule

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American Pancakes Recipe (Fluffy Pancakes)

I was on the hunt for a springy pancake recipe.  In Scotland, we often make Scotch Pancakes, or what’s often called “drop scones” but they tend to be a little flatter than I was looking for.

I came across Nigellas American Pancakes Recipe in the hope that I’d have some lovely springy pancakes.  I adapted the recipe slightly to add a wee bit more baking powder and sugar to make them taste more like scotch pancakes, and I don’t use any oil or butter to cook mine in a thick bottomed hot pan.

American Pancakes Recipe (Fluffy Pancakes)

Adapted from Nigella Lawsons American Breakfast Pancakes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Baking

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 tablespoons Baking Powder
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 30 g Soft Butter
  • 300 ml Semi Skimmed Milk
  • 30 g Caster Sugar
  • 225 g Plain Flour

Instructions
 

  • I just used to mix this all up in a big plastic jug to make it easier to pour into the pan, but I've found that my mixer gives me better results with the batter so I just put up with a few mix trails as I go. I put all the ingredients apart from the flour and baking powder in the bowl and give them a mix around, then I put in the flour and baking powder and use the fold function to add it in. I'm not sure that really makes any difference, but it seemed to. This pancake mix is actually quite thick in comparison to many of the older scotch pancake recipes as the intention is to have a pancake with a bit of a fluffy middle.

  • Heat a thick bottomed frying pan (or any pan) on the hob. I prefer not to use oil to cook my pancakes, but it means I do have to keep a close eye on them. I leave the heat almost at the lowest that it can go and cook them slowly.

  • When you see the top of the dollop of pancake mix beginning to bubble up, then it is time to turn over your pancake to cook the other side, which won't take long at all. Don't leave pancakes alone on the hob as they will burn very quickly.

  • You can get anything from 8 - 18 pancakes from this mix, depending on how big you make your pancakes.

 

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Simple Valentines Day Cupcakes Recipe

We all like the kind of recipes that are quick and easy to make.  This one is what my kids like to make (and eat).  We can all make something special for parents, a girlfriend, or just for fun for Valentines Day.

We used the Dr Oetker can of icing to decorate this (and to make it faster).

Plopped on the top are hearts from the Haribo sweets collection and they are just plopped on top of the basic sponge recipe mix below, which I simply divided into 24 individual cake cases.  Some of the cakes we ice, and others we don’t.

 

Basic Cupcake Cake

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Baking
Cuisine Cakes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Medium Eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Flavouring
  • 8 oz Butter
  • 8 oz Caster Sugar
  • 8 oz Self Raising Flour

Instructions
 

  • Cream the sugar and butter and set the oven to 160 degrees c.
  • Add in the eggs and beat or mix until smooth.
  • The final step is simply to fold in the flour until fully mixed through and you've added air with the folding.
  • Divide into individual cake cases. You will get 12 muffin sized cakes or 24 smaller cupcakes for decorating.
  • Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a skewer tester comes out clean.

 

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Piedmontese Beef – Low Fat Mild Chilli Recipe With Soy Beans (Lower Fat Than Aberdeen Angus and Chicken)

Not many of you will have heard of Piedmontese Beef.

Piedmontese is pure Irish Beef and is lean.  If you think you can’t eat beef because of a high fat content, you might be pleasantly surprised.  Piedmontese beef is bred to be lower in fat than chicken is, and we all tend to associate chicken with low fat cooking.

The official stats for Piedmontese are:

  •  Calories:  104 per 100g
  • 1.9g of fat per 100g
  • 31.5mg cholesterol per 100g
  • 21.6g of protein per 100g

Chicken per 100g is:

  • Calories: 200 per 100g
  • 13g of fat per 100g
  • 78mg cholesterol per 100g
  • 25g protein per 100g

I decided to make my Piedmontese mince into a mild chilli.  It was really very good and even my fussy youngest polished his off.  If you want to try it, you’d need to head on over to the Fresh Food Guru in the UK and order some for yourself.

Piedmontese Beef Low Fat Mild Chilli with Soy Beans

Lesley S Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Mains
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg Piedmontese Beef Mince
  • 1 Large Onion Chopped
  • 200 g Soy Beans Green Endamame for Cooking (I used frozen)
  • 2 teaspoons Mild Chilli Powder
  • PinchSalt
  • PinchPepper
  • 75 g Rice Per Person
  • 500 g Tomato Passata
  • Water
  • Ground Rainbow Peppercorns To decorate the Rice

Instructions
 

  • Using a thick bottomed pan, add the mince and onions. Use a wooden spoon to move the mince around and break it up as it browns.
  • When the mince is completely broken down and browned, add the tomato passata, a little water, the soy beans, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Put your rice on to cook while you finish the chilli.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes. Add a little more boiling water if needed while your chilli is cooking. I added around 300ml in total as this was quite a lot of mince.
  • Simply serve up on the plate and decorate the rice with rainbow peppercorns.