Small Steps Living

#2 Lunch #3 Dinner

Liz’s Fried Rice – with a twist!

My mum is a legend. Not kidding. She has legendary status for the following things:

Always welcoming people at her house with open arms (and having a bottle of wine on standby for such occasions).

Her roast potatoes are out-of-this-world.

Her ability to make anyone in her company feel loved and listened to is well recognised.

The hugs she gives are a cure all

And she’s legendary for partying like the best of them.

But it’s the little things, like her fried rice, that perhaps only her children know about. it’s always the little things with mums, isn’t it? It’s that she always knows exactly when to call and checks in with an uncanny ability of knowing something’s not right in my world.

I love her.

Here is the way I try and replicate her fried rice.

Not sure what she’ll think of the cauliflower!?

Enjoy (like mum would) x

Print Recipe
 Liz’s Fried Rice - with a twist!
Course Dinner, Lunch
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 brown onion diced thinly
  • 2 - 3 cloves of garlic diced
  • 2 rashers of bacon sliced
  • 2 - 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cauliflower cut into florets (or basmati rice)
  • Vegetables of choice broccoli, succhini, squash, carrot, peas, corn
Course Dinner, Lunch
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 brown onion diced thinly
  • 2 - 3 cloves of garlic diced
  • 2 rashers of bacon sliced
  • 2 - 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cauliflower cut into florets (or basmati rice)
  • Vegetables of choice broccoli, succhini, squash, carrot, peas, corn
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in wok over medium heat
  2. Once warm, add onion, garlic and bacon to pan
  3. Once onion is translucent, push all ingredients to the side and crack your eggs into the pan. Move the eggs around like scrambling them. Once cooked, mix onion, garlic, bacon and eggs together
  4. Add the tamari to the pan and all the vegetables. If required, add more oil or tamari so that the vegetables can sweat. You want a bit of liquid at the bottom
  5. While vegetables are cooking, add the cauliflower florets to your blender. You want to pulse them or grind them to the point they are like little grains of rice
  6. Add them to the pan with the vegetables once veggies have softened and cook away for 4-5 minutes or until the cauliflower becomes soft
  7. If you want to use rice instead of cauliflower then follow the packet instructions for cooking and add to the pan once veggies are soft
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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Nick’s Lamb Kofta’s with Tzatziki

I love the fact that my husband likes to cook. But here’s the thing…

When Nick decides to cook dinner it’s usually a weekend, he researches and googles and comes up with ideas and makes the most of what we have in our kitchen.

It always seems to taste delicious.

He always starts and finishes with a spotless kitchen (and cleans as he goes – WEIRD!)

And I always need to entertain the children because cooking + kids is not possible for him.

It reminds me that it’s rather extraordinary I manage to get dinner up most nights with the chaos of three little kids, having done breakfast, school lunches, morning teas, my lunch, afternoon tea… Honestly, how do we do it!?

Part of my food routine is to make a quick plan and keep things super simple. And when Nick experiments and it works – well – he’s just doing my blogging for me!

So here are the crazy delicious Lamb Kofta’s he put together when I told him all we had left in the freezer was some lamb mince.

Bless that man!

Enjoy.

Print Recipe
 Nick’s Lamb Kofta’s with Tzatziki
Servings
Ingredients
Kofta's
  • 1 kg lamb mince
  • Two spring onions thinly sliced and diced
  • 1/2 bulb of garlic crushed
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Handful of parsley chopped finely
  • 2 cm knob of ginger grated
Tzatziki
  • 1 cup Natural yoghurt
  • 1/4 cucumber diced in very small pieces
  • 2 teaspoon fresh dill finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoon fresh mint finely chopped
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Servings
Ingredients
Kofta's
  • 1 kg lamb mince
  • Two spring onions thinly sliced and diced
  • 1/2 bulb of garlic crushed
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Handful of parsley chopped finely
  • 2 cm knob of ginger grated
Tzatziki
  • 1 cup Natural yoghurt
  • 1/4 cucumber diced in very small pieces
  • 2 teaspoon fresh dill finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoon fresh mint finely chopped
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Kofta's
  1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together with your hands to combine well.
  2. Roll into kofta shapes. (Can do it around a skewer, make round balls or the longer kofta shape)
  3. Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat or the barbecue and cook the kofta’s, rotating all the time for an even cook.
  4. They would also work in the oven at 180 degrees for ease - just give the pan a jiggle after 15 minutes and leave them in there until cooked (half an hour)
Tzatziki
  1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve alongside kofta’s with salad or added to wraps with kofta’s and salad. YUM!
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#3 Dinner Recipes

Simple Wholefoods Stir-Fry – Ditch the supermarket marinades!

At the very beginning of my wholefoods journey I started to investigate the backs of packets of food. I started to think about what I was actually eating. So it wasn’t the nutrition panel I was interested in anymore.

Nope, it was the ingredients that had me more interested. And it was confronting.

But how to make a stir-fry without a bottle of sauce? We grew up loving a bit of Kan-Tong on Tuesday night which was an ‘easy dinner’ night (tennis lessons if my memory serves me…)

And as I moved out of home I loved trying out the different bottles on the shelves to find something totally delicious as a stir-fry sauce.

But this all came to a stop. And I’ve been experimenting ever since with what tastes delicious and what my kids will now eat. This sauce uses four pantry staple ingredients. And it’s a cracker. My husband ALWAYS comes back for more.

(ps - If you are looking to make lifestyle changes to improve your health and the health of your family – and you’re sick of the usual BS - I encourage you to check out my Easy Kitchen Reset. It’s a simple program designed to help you press pause on everything happening in your kitchen and cupboards, and start fresh (minus the stress, million trips to the supermarket and expensive ingredients.

Print Recipe
 Simple Wholefoods Stir-Fry – Ditch the supermarket marinades!
Simple Wholefoods Stir-fry – Ditch the supermarket marinades!
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbls olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 500 g chicken thigh strips or beef strips
  • 2 tbls peanut butter
  • 4 tbls tamari (if you don’t have it use soy sauce)
  • 1 tbls honey
  • 400 ml tin coconut cream
  • Veggies of choice – broccoli, carrot, peas, capsicum etc
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbls olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 500 g chicken thigh strips or beef strips
  • 2 tbls peanut butter
  • 4 tbls tamari (if you don’t have it use soy sauce)
  • 1 tbls honey
  • 400 ml tin coconut cream
  • Veggies of choice – broccoli, carrot, peas, capsicum etc
Simple Wholefoods Stir-fry – Ditch the supermarket marinades!
Instructions
  1. Warm the oil over medium heat in a wok.
  2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent.
  3. Then add chicken or beef strips.
  4. Once cooked add peanut butter, tamari and honey to the wok and mix until meat is fully coated.
  5. Add all vegetables (but if using peas only add them in the last two minutes of cooking) and coconut cream.
  6. Simmer until reduced and thicker in consistency, and veggies are soft. Around 10 minutes.
  7. Serve over rice or rice noodles.
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#3 Dinner Recipes

Simple and Rich Bolognese

Here’s the thing. I know that sneaking veggies into our kids meals is the ‘thing to do’. My Easy As Pie mince recipe does a great job at that.

But sometimes, let’s face it. I just want a bolognese that tastes like bolognese – in all its meaty glory!

If you are looking for a rich, flavoursome and super simple bolognese recipe, I bring you this, dear friends.

An Italian neighbour from years ago taught me that all tomato based sauces need a little sweetness. Who am I to argue with an Italian about authenticity. So this is my wholefoods version.

You could use soy sauce instead of tamari and any old sugar – but this is what sits in my pantry.

I hope you enjoy it.

Print Recipe
 Simple and Rich Bolognese
Simple and Rich Bolognese
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbls olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 500 g beef mince
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato passata
  • 2 tbls tamari
  • 2 tsp Italian herbs
  • 1 tbls rapadura sugar
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbls olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 500 g beef mince
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato passata
  • 2 tbls tamari
  • 2 tsp Italian herbs
  • 1 tbls rapadura sugar
Simple and Rich Bolognese
Instructions
  1. Warm the oil over medium heat in a pan.
  2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent – don’t burn the garlic! Then add mince to pan.
  3. Once cooked through add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes (turn down the heat if you need to). You want a really good reduction.
  4. Serve on top of your pasta of choice with a little parmesan cheese (buy the block and grate yourself – the pre-grated variety has weird stuff added).
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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Zesty Chicken Balls

I’m a big fan of choosing the best possible meat you can find and afford.

This means – MINCE! I always try and have beef, pork and chicken mince on hand. And I’ve gotten pretty creative over the years. My Chicken, Carrot and Feta patties are a standout and also my Wholefood Meatballs.

What your meat eats matters to you.

This recipe was born because I’m always looking for delicious ways to add protein to my kids’ diet – especially my son.

They love these zesty balls of fun. My husband – he was popping one after the other, after the other! And I thought we’d be having leftovers with salad for lunch the next day…

Enjoy them.

Print Recipe
 Zesty Chicken Balls
Zesty Chicken Balls
Servings
Ingredients
  • 500 g organic chicken mince
  • 100 g breadcrumbs (quinoa flakes or gluten-free flour for GF option)
  • 2 cm piece of ginger
  • Zest of 1 small lemon
  • 1 small brown onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp herbamare or salt
  • 1/2 dulse flakes (optional)
  • 1 tbls tamari (or soy sauce if you don’t have it)
Servings
Ingredients
  • 500 g organic chicken mince
  • 100 g breadcrumbs (quinoa flakes or gluten-free flour for GF option)
  • 2 cm piece of ginger
  • Zest of 1 small lemon
  • 1 small brown onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp herbamare or salt
  • 1/2 dulse flakes (optional)
  • 1 tbls tamari (or soy sauce if you don’t have it)
Zesty Chicken Balls
Instructions
  1. Finely grate ginger and lemon zest and add them with the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until similar to a sausage meat consistency (You can always mash really well with your hands!).
  2. Roll into small balls and add to a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and cook in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked, turning once halfway through.
What you do with a Thermomix:
  1. Pop ginger, onion and zest in the bowl and mix on speed 7 for 5 seconds.
  2. Add two slices of sourdough bread to the bowl and mix on speed 8 for 10 seconds. (Skip this step if using pre-done breadcrumbs).
  3. Add all the other ingredients and mix on speed 6 until fully combined. May take 20-30 seconds. Roll into small balls and add to a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and cook in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked, turning once halfway through.
  4. Scrape down sides of bowl.
  5. Serve with sweet potato wedges and snow peas.
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#3 Dinner Recipes

Rich and Tasty Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks

The moment I realised that the outside freezer had been left ajar overnight and our two weeks worth of meat bulk order had been defrosted.

Gah!

So I got to cooking. A lot of meat. And I didn’t have time to mull over recipes – I was throwing stuff around and getting very messy. But lucky for you (and me!) I wrote down what I whacked into the slow cooker with the shanks.

Wowser this dish was out of this world.

It’s what I want from a slow-cooker dish – FLAVOUR!

Print Recipe
 Rich and Tasty Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks
Rich and tasty slow-cooked lamb shanks
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 large shanks or four-six small shanks
  • 3 zucchini cut into chunks
  • 3 carrots cut into chunks
  • 3 sticks of celery cut into chunks
  • 1 onion cut into quarters
  • 4 cloves of garlic halved
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup tamari
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tin tomatoes
  • 2 cups of water
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 large shanks or four-six small shanks
  • 3 zucchini cut into chunks
  • 3 carrots cut into chunks
  • 3 sticks of celery cut into chunks
  • 1 onion cut into quarters
  • 4 cloves of garlic halved
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup tamari
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tin tomatoes
  • 2 cups of water
Rich and tasty slow-cooked lamb shanks
Instructions
  1. Mixed up the marinade (all the liquid ingredients) first.
  2. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl
  3. Pour liquid over the top
  4. Cooked for 6-7 hours on high.
  5. Serve as soup, stew, on top of mash – whatever you desire!
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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Gluten-Free Chicken Crumb

Sometimes I like to mix things up.

This recipe was born because after having gastro (sorry TMI!) I thought I’d continue to rest my tummy and not put gluten back in the mix.

I also get a little bored with food. Often this backfires on me with three little people who don’t appreciate changing things up as much as me! But this recipe was an all-out WINNER.

So I thought I’d share it. You won’t regret trying it.

Print Recipe
 Gluten-Free Chicken Crumb
Gluten-Free Chicken Crumb
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 handful almonds
  • 2 handfuls of pepitas pumpkin seeds
  • Sprinkle of onion salt and garlic powder (perhaps 1/4 tsp of each – more if you love flavour!)
  • 4 chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 egg
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 handful almonds
  • 2 handfuls of pepitas pumpkin seeds
  • Sprinkle of onion salt and garlic powder (perhaps 1/4 tsp of each – more if you love flavour!)
  • 4 chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 egg
Gluten-Free Chicken Crumb
Instructions
  1. Whiz all ingredients up into a meal and place in a bowl.
  2. Lightly whisk egg in a bowl.
  3. Cut chicken thigh or fillets into tenderloins or small cubes.
  4. Dip chicken in egg and then coat with the crumb.
  5. Cook in olive oil or coconut oil in a pan on moderate heat. Enjoy it with homemade tomato sauce or perhaps a Honey Mustard Dip (1 tbls mayonnaise, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp honey)
Recipe Notes

Reminders:

If you can’t eat nuts replace with gluten-free bread crumbs
If you don’t need gluten free this works beautifully with breadcrumbs (I like using up the ends of my loaves of sourdough bread)

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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Bacon, Egg & Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Is there any better flavour combo than tomato and basil?! Look at these delicious mixed tomatoes that I got in the veggie box this week.

Sometimes you don’t need a recipe – you just need to combine flavours that rock – strawberries and cream, chocolate and mint, cheese and crackers (oh, hang on!)

Tomato and basil drizzled with olive oil and a crack of salt and pepper = delicious.

But sometimes you do need a recipe for an equally as delicious flavour combo so here’s how I made yummo Bacon, Egg and Sweet Potato Cupcakes.

Print Recipe
 Bacon, egg & sweet potato cupcakes
Bacon, egg & sweet potato cupcakes
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 Sweet potato grated
  • 100 g cheese grated
  • 1 tbls chopped basil
  • 4 rashers of bacon chopped
  • 6-8 eggs
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 Sweet potato grated
  • 100 g cheese grated
  • 1 tbls chopped basil
  • 4 rashers of bacon chopped
  • 6-8 eggs
Bacon, egg & sweet potato cupcakes
Instructions
  1. Grease a cupcake tray with olive oil.
  2. Mix sweet potato, cheese, basil and bacon + 2 eggs together in a large bowl.
  3. Once combined, divide mixture into equal portions in cupcake tray
  4. Then whisk remaining eggs and pour over the top.
  5. Place in moderate oven for fifteen minutes or until cooked through.
Recipe Notes

Perfect for lunch box leftovers the next day!

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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Eggplant Chips

Ok so ever since I went to Movida Next Door in Melbourne I have been thinking about eggplant chips. One night I attempted them. HOLY MAJOLY!!!!!
Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Give me strength. – I almost ate a whole eggplants worth.

These are so good!

It’s like eggplant heaven.

Print Recipe
 Eggplant Chips
eggplant-chips-sq-600x600
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 eggplants
  • Good quality salt I use pink himalayan
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup wholemeal spelt flour
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp Herbamare flavoured salt you can buy at supermarkets – if you don’t have it use normal salt
  • 1 tsp dulse flakes seaweed flakes you get from the health food store – totally optional
  • olive oil
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 eggplants
  • Good quality salt I use pink himalayan
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup wholemeal spelt flour
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp Herbamare flavoured salt you can buy at supermarkets – if you don’t have it use normal salt
  • 1 tsp dulse flakes seaweed flakes you get from the health food store – totally optional
  • olive oil
eggplant-chips-sq-600x600
Instructions
  1. Cut 2 eggplants into ‘chip’ shapes.
  2. Sprinkled with salt and let sit for half an hour in a large bowl.
  3. Then I whisked up two eggs and added to the bowl, coating the eggplant.
  4. I then mixed flour and spices/salt/dulse together and put on a plate.
  5. In batches I took the egg soaked eggplant and coated in the flour mixture.
  6. Once coated I cooked them in a pan with olive oil at a moderate temperature. Turning to cook on all sides.
  7. You’ll need to keep adding olive oil to the pan (It needs to totally coat the bottom). Coconut oil would also be amazing but my family cannot stand anything cooked in it, so I use the olive oil and just make sure the pan doesn’t get too hot.
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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Stuffed Mushrooms

Never have I made stuffed mushrooms. But will I do it again?? Hell yeah! These were delicious.

I saw some delicious field mushrooms and thought “I’m going to make something with those” and had no idea what. Who knows why I felt possessed to creating a ‘stuffing’ for them, but I did. And I’m so glad.

Print Recipe
 Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed Mushrooms
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 large field mushrooms
  • Both ends of a loaf of sourdough
  • 1 carrot
  • Half a red capsicum
  • Small handful chives
  • Handful parsley
  • 80 g of fetta
  • salt and pepper
  • Drizzle of olive oil
Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 large field mushrooms
  • Both ends of a loaf of sourdough
  • 1 carrot
  • Half a red capsicum
  • Small handful chives
  • Handful parsley
  • 80 g of fetta
  • salt and pepper
  • Drizzle of olive oil
Stuffed Mushrooms
Instructions
  1. Pulsed all ingredients except mushrooms in the Thermomix about four times for one second each. Or use any blender to break it up.
  2. Then separate mixture out among mushrooms and cook in moderate oven around 20-25 minutes or until mushies are soft and stuffing mixture is crispy on top.
Recipe Notes

So delicious. Everyone loved it, especially my biggest cheerleader – mum!

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Lady Get Your Groove Back

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