Small Steps Living

#3 Dinner Recipes

Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks

My kids are loving these drumsticks at the moment (and so are Nick and I!)

There are some delicious crumbling recipes out there to make stuff taste like KFC (and they’re awesome) but sometimes I just don’t have all the herbs and spices and dinner needs to be ready NOW!

Print Recipe
 Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks
Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks
Servings
Ingredients
  • 6 organic chicken drumsticks
  • 2 handfuls cashews
  • 2 ends of a loaf of bread great way to use leftover sourdough ends
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp unrefined salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 handful or two of spelt flour or any flour
  • olive oil to drizzle
Servings
Ingredients
  • 6 organic chicken drumsticks
  • 2 handfuls cashews
  • 2 ends of a loaf of bread great way to use leftover sourdough ends
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp unrefined salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 handful or two of spelt flour or any flour
  • olive oil to drizzle
Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
  2. In your blender crush the bread, cashews, garlic powder and salt until a fine crumb – in Tmx speed 9 for 10 seconds. (Sometimes if I need to bulk the mixture out I’ll add a handful of spelt flour to the mixture too).
  3. Coat drumsticks in flour and then dip in egg that you’ve whisked in a bowl. Then coat the chicken with the crumb mixture and place on a baking dish.
  4. Repeat for all drumsticks – flour, egg, crumb.
  5. Once they are finished drizzle olive oil over the top and a bit along the bottom of the dish.
  6. Place in oven for half an hour, or until cooked through, turning once half way. Oh yum!!
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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters

I think I have a problem with fritters.

Tonight I hadn’t much prepared (clearly did not menu plan this week!) so I thought – what could I fritter?

Answer: Sweet potato and zucchini!

The whole family loved these. Fritter saves the day again.

Print Recipe
 Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters
Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 massive sweet potato grated
  • 2 zucchinis grated
  • 1 red onion thinly diced
  • 1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 massive sweet potato grated
  • 2 zucchinis grated
  • 1 red onion thinly diced
  • 1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and stir to fully combine.
  2. Heat 2 tbls olive oil, coconut oil or ghee in a pan over moderate heat.
  3. Create balls of mixture with your hands, place in pan and flatten.
  4. Cook well on both sides.
  5. Remove from pan and top with avocado, tomato and feta.
Recipe Notes

Delicious! Every single member of the family devoured them. But two kids removed and didn’t eat the tomato!

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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner #4 Snacks and Dessert Recipes

Zucchini Slice

Honestly – it’s a family staple. It comes in handy ALL THE TIME – I always need a batch frozen in portions in the freezer for those days when I know making dinner at 5:30pm just isn’t going to happen. Pop some in a lunchbox when you’re on the go – oh how versatile is the zucchini slice!!

This is my basic recipe – but you can add other grated vegetables, you can top it with thinly sliced tomato, you can add sliced olives, you can add tuna, or feta. Pimp this any way you like.

Print Recipe
 Zucchini Slice
Zucchini Slice
Servings
Ingredients
  • 4 large zucchinis grated
  • 3 pieces of bacon sliced (organic, free-range/best quality you can find)
  • 1 brown onion chopped
  • 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour (or gluten-free flour)
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 tbls savoury yeast flakes (for dairy free) or two handfuls cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp dulse flakes (optional)
  • salt and pepper
Servings
Ingredients
  • 4 large zucchinis grated
  • 3 pieces of bacon sliced (organic, free-range/best quality you can find)
  • 1 brown onion chopped
  • 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour (or gluten-free flour)
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 tbls savoury yeast flakes (for dairy free) or two handfuls cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp dulse flakes (optional)
  • salt and pepper
Zucchini Slice
Instructions
  1. Grate your zucchini. If the zucchini is very 'wet' (often large zucchinis contain more moisture) then grab a clean tea towel, pop your grated zucchini inside and give it a good old squeeze over your sink to get rid of excess moisture.
  2. Add everything to a large bowl and stir until fully combined.
  3. Pour into a baking tray and cook at 180 degrees for 25 minutes or until browned on top and cooked through.
  4. Slice into pieces and freeze in portions perfect for lunch boxes!
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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Salmon Patties

Due to the fact that my kids are happy eating anything I call a ‘crunchy pancake’ and I’m looking for ways to get more calcium into my daughter who doesn’t do too well with dairy, I decided to revive a staple from my childhood – the salmon patty. It had to be delicious, crunchy and kid-friendly.

This is a very basic recipe that you can get more fancy with – but it’s a new fav in our house just the way it is. I serve it up with a plate of raw veg. Or top with basil pesto and baby spinach.

Makes around 18 patties.

Print Recipe
 Salmon Patties
Salmon Patties
Servings
Ingredients
  • 6 potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 2 x medium tins (210g) of sustainably caught red salmon
  • 3 spring onions sliced
  • 1 cup oats OR 1 cup quinoa flakes/GF bread crumbs for gluten-free option
  • 1 cup cheese grated
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dill fresh or dried
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tblp coconut oil or olive oil (and more if required)
Servings
Ingredients
  • 6 potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 2 x medium tins (210g) of sustainably caught red salmon
  • 3 spring onions sliced
  • 1 cup oats OR 1 cup quinoa flakes/GF bread crumbs for gluten-free option
  • 1 cup cheese grated
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dill fresh or dried
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tblp coconut oil or olive oil (and more if required)
Salmon Patties
Instructions
  1. Steam your potatoes in a pot of boiling water until they are soft all the way through. Remove and drain.
  2. Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mash together until fully combined.
  3. Heat oil in a fry pan over moderate heat and once warm, add small handfuls of mixture into the pan and flatten. Once browned on one side, flip and cook on the other side.
Recipe Notes

Let me know how these go down at your place, and your fav way to serve them up!

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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Creamy Chicken, Avocado and Kale Pasta – Yes, kid friendly!

Sometimes life calls for pasta. Well, my life anyway. Pasta used to be a far more regular thing in my house until I realised that there are way more nutrient dense options out there.

The real truth is, my family doesn’t hugely dig ‘zoodles’ (zucchini noodles that you make with a spiraliser) so sometimes it’s just going to be a pasta day. I buy Spelt Pasta from the supermarket – it’s more expensive so I make it a real treat to eat it.

Hence this dish…

If you’re not into dairy – look away! It’s rich and indulgent. And the kids ate it – kale and all. THAT’S how good it is! Enjoy x

Print Recipe
 Creamy Chicken, Avocado and Kale Pasta – Yes, kid friendly!
Creamy chicken, avocado and kale pasta
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 packet spelt pasta spirals (or gluten free pasta)
  • 1 small container cream
  • 1 chicken breast or 2 thighs or leftover roast chicken thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 avocados sliced
  • 1 tbls butter
  • 2 leaves of curly kale thinly sliced
  • 10 button mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 100 g fetta
  • 1 big handful parmesan cheese grated
  • pinch of salt
Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 packet spelt pasta spirals (or gluten free pasta)
  • 1 small container cream
  • 1 chicken breast or 2 thighs or leftover roast chicken thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 avocados sliced
  • 1 tbls butter
  • 2 leaves of curly kale thinly sliced
  • 10 button mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 100 g fetta
  • 1 big handful parmesan cheese grated
  • pinch of salt
Creamy chicken, avocado and kale pasta
Instructions
  1. Cook your pasta as per packet instructions
  2. Heat butter in a pan on moderate heat.
  3. Once melted, add chicken and mushrooms and cook until chicken is cooked through.
  4. Add cream and kale and heat gently for five minutes
  5. Add cheeses, avocado and salt and stir through.
  6. Add pasta once cooked and combine.
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#2 Lunch #3 Dinner Recipes

Broccoli Fritters

I had two heads of broccoli sitting in the fridge that needed to be used. And I needed a creative way to use them so the kids would eat it. They used to be great at broccoli, but in true toddler style, have gone off it. All three of them.

Enter the Broccoli Fritter! These were demolished by my kids and husband (and I). Totally delicious and will become a family staple, hence having to get the recipe onto the blog – so I don’t forget it. You could absolutely substitute the vegetable – but broccoli was fab. And who doesn’t need more broccoli in their life?

Print Recipe
 Broccoli Fritters
BrocFritters-600x600
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 head of broccoli cut into florets
  • 1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour (or gluten free flour or plain flour)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp Herbamare herbed salt
  • extra olive oil for frying
Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 head of broccoli cut into florets
  • 1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour (or gluten free flour or plain flour)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp Herbamare herbed salt
  • extra olive oil for frying
BrocFritters-600x600
Instructions
  1. Steam the broccoli until soft in your steamer (in tmx it took about 15 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 3)
  2. In a bowl mix all ingredients together until combined and broccoli has broken up a bit.
  3. Heat 2 tbls olive oil in a frypan on medium heat and add large spoonfuls into pan. Flatten them out. Turn when crispy on the underside.
  4. Remove from pan when crispy on both sides and enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Let me know if these are a success for your family too!

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#3 Dinner Recipes

Pumpkin, Bacon and Chicken Pasta

By request, I am blogging this super simple family dinner. This recipe is not glamorous. This recipe is not packed full of veggies. This recipe does contain pasta – something that is not all that common in this house.

This recipe WILL provide you with a quick dinner that actually gets eaten. It’s kind of like pasta soup!

Note: there are traditional and thermomix friendly instructions for the pumpkin puree.

Print Recipe
 Pumpkin, Bacon and Chicken Pasta
Pumpkin, bacon and chicken pasta
Servings
Ingredients
  • Two rashers of bacon sliced thinly
  • Leftover roast chicken shredded
  • 100 g cubed feta
  • spelt pasta enough to feed your family
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 750 g pumpkin cubed
  • 150 g chicken stock or water and a good crack of salt and pepper if you don’t have it
Servings
Ingredients
  • Two rashers of bacon sliced thinly
  • Leftover roast chicken shredded
  • 100 g cubed feta
  • spelt pasta enough to feed your family
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 750 g pumpkin cubed
  • 150 g chicken stock or water and a good crack of salt and pepper if you don’t have it
Pumpkin, bacon and chicken pasta
Instructions
  1. Cook your pasta according to packet instructions, drain and add to a big mixing bowl.
  2. Place your onion, garlic, pumpkin and chicken stock in a saucepan and cover with a lid. Bring it to a simmer and then turn the heat down to allow it to steam and cook through.
  3. Check with a knife after ten minutes to see if the pumpkin is soft. If not, then stir and keep cooking gently. You want translucent onion and pumpkin beautifully soft.
  4. Fry off your bacon in a saucepan and add to cooked pasta
  5. Add shredded chicken to bacon and pasta.
  6. Once cooked, puree pumpkin with a stick blender or blender. and add to pasta, bacon and chicken.
  7. Serve with feta sprinkled over the top.
If you have a thermomix:
  1. Place 1 halved onion and 3 garlic cloves in the bowl and chop speed 7, 3 seconds.
  2. Add 750g cubed pumpkin and 150g chicken stock and cook on speed 1, 100 degrees, 15 minutes.
  3. Puree at speed 9 for 30 seconds.
Recipe Notes

Ways to pimp this meal:

Use zucchini noodles instead of pasta.
Add a sprinkle of dulse flakes on top of pasta.
Use half pumpkin and half zucchini as the sauce to get another veggie in.
In fact – combine any two or three veggies instead of the 750g pumpkin. Just ensure all are cooked through before blending.
Use any meat combo you like – chorizo would also be lovely.

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#3 Dinner Recipes

Easy Sausage and Veggies

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of sausages. All my family eats them and they are quick and delicious. When I’m after an easy dinner I pull some snags out of the freezer in the morning.

But remember – all sausages are not created equal.

Print Recipe
 Easy Sausage and Veggies
Easy sausage and veggies
Servings
Ingredients
  • Enough sausages to feed your family
  • Vegetables for roasting any of these work beautifully – sweet potato, potato, beetroot, broccoli, zucchini, tomato, onion, pumpkin, parsnip. Add enough portions to pack the plates of your family!
  • Olive Oil/tallow/bacon fat/duck fat
  • Salt or Herbamare
Servings
Ingredients
  • Enough sausages to feed your family
  • Vegetables for roasting any of these work beautifully – sweet potato, potato, beetroot, broccoli, zucchini, tomato, onion, pumpkin, parsnip. Add enough portions to pack the plates of your family!
  • Olive Oil/tallow/bacon fat/duck fat
  • Salt or Herbamare
Easy sausage and veggies
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Cut vegetables into cubes – make sure they are cut in a similar size for even cooking.
  3. Add vegetables to a baking tray or roasting pan. Coat with the olive oil, or animal fat, and sprinkle with salt or herbamare (herb and salt sprinkle found at supermarket).
  4. Place into oven for half an hour for ‘just cooked’ as in photo, or 45 minutes to one hour for a crispy and caramelised effect.
  5. While the vegetables are cooking away, there are two ways you can cook your sausages. You can either add them to a baking tray and cook in the oven along with the vegetables or cook on a pan on the stovetop over a moderate temperature. I use a little olive oil to coat the pan but ensure that it doesn’t get too hot.
  6. There you go. It was that hard. Dinner – done!
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#3 Dinner Recipes

Delicious Easy Wholefood Meatballs

Everyone needs a go-to meatball recipe, don’t they? Not too dry, loved by all, usable across a lot of different dishes. I’ve been experimenting with meatballs a lot and often I add in veggies but here is a basic meatball recipe that the crowd will love!

I cook in the oven because I’m lazy and can’t be bothered with the pan frying, but you could do this too.

Print Recipe
 Delicious Easy Wholefood Meatballs
Delicious easy wholefood meatballs
Servings
Ingredients
  • 500 g pork mince
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh sourdough breadcrumbs (can use 1/2 cup quinoa flakes for gluten free option)
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 heaped tsp Italian herbs
  • 2 tbls tamari (soy sauce alternative – grab it at the supermarket)
  • 2 tbls tomato paste or homemade tomato sauce
  • Olive oil for drizzling
Servings
Ingredients
  • 500 g pork mince
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh sourdough breadcrumbs (can use 1/2 cup quinoa flakes for gluten free option)
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 heaped tsp Italian herbs
  • 2 tbls tamari (soy sauce alternative – grab it at the supermarket)
  • 2 tbls tomato paste or homemade tomato sauce
  • Olive oil for drizzling
Delicious easy wholefood meatballs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
  2. Mix all the ingredients until extremely well combined. If you have a mixer use that. Otherwise use your hands and get down and dirty! (I used thermomix speed 5 for 30 seconds).
  3. Once fully combined roll into balls – I usually do around the size of a heaped teaspoon, but feel free to make them bigger.
  4. Pop them on a baking tray and coat lightly with olive oil.
  5. Cook in the oven for approx 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Enjoy!
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#1 Breakfast #3 Dinner Recipes

Thermomix Sticky Coconut Rice

You know what it’s like: the plate needs ‘something else’, but you have no idea what that something else is and the fridge is a little bare (I always usually just add veggies as the ‘something else’).

I saw I had some arborio rice left and didn’t have any stock to make a simple risotto, so I threw a can of coconut milk and a can of water in with the rice and let it cook. I added a few spices half way through because I thought it might taste bland.

It worked.

LOVE when that happens!

Print Recipe
 Thermomix Sticky Coconut Rice
sticky-rice-600x600
Servings
Ingredients
  • 200 g arborio rice
  • 400 g coconut milk
  • 400 g water
  • Spices for a savoury dish 1 tsp each ground ginger, garlic and onion salt*
Servings
Ingredients
  • 200 g arborio rice
  • 400 g coconut milk
  • 400 g water
  • Spices for a savoury dish 1 tsp each ground ginger, garlic and onion salt*
sticky-rice-600x600
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to the bowl and cook for 25 mins, 100 degrees, reverse, speed 1
  2. *You can leave the spices out and have plain or you can add some cinnamon if you’re making a sweet dish.
  3. This morning I made it plain and added maple syrup, apple sticks and almonds. Outrageously good.
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