Menu Plan Monday - 10th January

My mind feels blank today, and I'm having a hard time concentrating on planning this week's menu... so I'll keep it short and sweet.  We're having a few repeats from last week's menu, as I ended up with way too much food last week and didn't need to cook everything on the menu.  That's because I was also cooking extra things so I could take photos for the blog, and to practice for cooking demonstrations.  No one complained about the chocolate mousses filling the fridge, or having to eat Chicken and Cashews yet again... so that was all good.  And since I forgot to thaw out the lamb roast last Sunday (and had to make a quick Thermomix spaghetti bolognese instead), we'll try for that again this week!


[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]

Monday:
(lunch) Beef & vege stir fry with steamed brown rice (tmx)
(dinner) Lentil Bolognese (tmx) with leftover brown rice (warmed up in Varoma)

Tuesday:
(lunch) Tenina's Prawn & Chicken Laksa (tmx)
(dinner) Leftovers & sandwiches on spelt bread (tmx)

Wednesday:
(lunch) Baked potatoes with Sun-Dried Tomato Mayonnaise (tmx) and salad
(dinner) Spicy Fish steamed with Millet Couscous (tmx Varoma) and salad

Thursday:
(lunch) Tuna salad sandwiches on spelt bread (tmx)
(dinner) Pork chops with Orange & Ginger Sauce (tmx), mashed potatoes (tmx) and salad

Friday:
(lunch) Hamburgers on spelt buns (tmx)
(dinner) Buckwheat pasta (tmx) with Raw Pasta Sauce (tmx)

Saturday:
(lunch) Baked beans (tmx) on spelt toast (tmx)
(dinner) Roast lamb, roast pumpkin & potatoes and salad (tmx)

Sunday:
(lunch) Leftover lamb & veges
(dinner) Sandwiches

Before I go, I'm just wondering how often you all use your Varoma?  I use mine every day - sometimes three times a day!  As well as cooking meals in it, I also use it to heat up leftovers.  We don't have a microwave because I don't like to use them - it's much healthier to use the Thermomix for warming food.  I often cook something and warm up the leftovers at the same time - for example, soup or pasta sauce in the tmx bowl cooking on Varoma temp, and leftover pasta, rice, meat or veges in the Varoma tray on top.  If the leftovers are a casserole or have a sauce, etc, I put wet baking paper into the tray to stop them dripping through the holes.  I also use the Varoma for warming up yesterday's bread rolls or slices of cake that are getting a bit dry - they turn out nice and warm and steamy!  If you've got some great ideas for using the Varoma, leave a comment to share them with us all...

And don't forget to leave a comment on "Happy Birthday to Quirky Cooking" this month to go in the draw to win a great prize!!

Hope you all have a good week.  :)  And to all you guys down south where the floods are - keep safe, and my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jo xx

Menu Plan Monday - 3rd January

I've been pretty slack lately, and haven't gotten around to menu planning properly - must be because I'm in holiday mode!  So I've got to get back to it - I start to go a bit crazy when I don't menu plan, because everyone starts hassling me for food and there's nothing organized, no bread baked, no meat thawed out... yeah, not good.

I hope you've all had a nice holiday, with lots of good food and fun with friends and family!  We had a bit of a strange Christmas - an unexpected cyclone came through on Christmas morning, the power went out from 6.30am to 2.30pm, and the septic flooded so we couldn't use the toilet or kitchen sink, so we had no way to cook Christmas dinner, and had to wash dishes in a bucket... fun, fun, fun!  So much for the lovely Blueberry and Cinnamon Scrolls I had ready to pop in the oven for breakfast... and we didn't have much else to eat (no bread or cereal or anything), so the kids ate things out of their Christmas stocking, then we went down to Grandma's house and had breakfast there. Luckily I'd made her a loaf of fruit bread for her breakfast, so we went and shared it, as well as some scrambled eggs cooked on the camp cooker!  And a kind friend whose power was still on let us cook the slow baked bbq ribs in her oven for lunch (and the veges were cooked on the gas camp cooker), so we survived.  The ribs were really yummy (thanks Helene!!) and we had a lovely day after all. :)

This week I'm holding an "Allergy Alternatives Thermomix Demonstration" on Friday evening, if any of you locals are interested - I still have room for one or two more... the menu is below.  Please let me know if you'd like to come.  A few people in Perth have asked if I could possibly do one of these demonstrations over there when I visit in February; so if you're in Perth and are interested, let me know and we'll see if we can work it out somehow.

Anyway, here's my menu plan for this week - there's lots more menu planning ideas at "I'm an Organizing Junkie" on Menu Plan Monday.  Have a great week!

[tmx = prepared and/or made in my Thermomix]

Monday: 

(lunch) Gluten free steamed 'bread rolls' 

(cooked in tmx Varoma in silicon cupcake cups) 

with Mushroom a la King (tmx)

(dinner) Corn and potato chowder with chorizo sausages 

(tmx and crockpot)

Mushroom a la King (on baked potatoes)

Corn and Potato Chowder with Chorizo Sausages

Tuesday:

(lunch) Mushroom & sun-dried tomato risotto 

(tmx - similar to this recipe)

(dinner) Fish cakes (tmx) with creole mayonnaise (tmx), 

with baked potatoes and salad

Wednesday:

(lunch) Lentil bolognese (tmx) with steamed brown rice (tmx) and salad

(dinner) Spelt tortillas (tmx) with leftover lentils 

(reheated in tmx Varoma) and salad

Thursday:

(lunch) Never-the-same-curry with meatballs (tmx) 

on steamed basmati rice (tmx)

(dinner) Leftovers 

Friday:

(lunch) Salmon salad pizza (tmx)

(dinner) Allergy Alternatives Thermomix Demonstration

Menu: Berry & Nectarine Fruity Dream (honey sweetened)

     Macadamia 'Cheese' (served sprinkled on top of salad)

     American Chop Salad

     Spelt bread rolls or Steamed gluten free bread rolls

     Chicken and cashews with coconut satay sauce and rice
(3 in one meal, all cooked at same time)
Dairy Free Chocolate Mousse

     Naturally Sweetened Grain Free Pecan Cake (based on this recipe, but sweetened with dates and honey) served with Cashew Cream

Flourless Pecan Cake

Saturday:

(lunch) Lamb chops with braised lentils (tmx) and salad

(dinner) Tuna one-bowl gf pasta (tmx)

Sunday:

(lunch) Roast lamb & veges (gravy made in tmx)

(dinner) Leftovers & sandwiches

Dairy Free Chocolate Mousse

Menu Plan Monday - 6th December

I had a great week last week, with two big Christmas cooking classes (about 100 people came all together!), which was a lot of fun.  We worked really hard to feed and inspire everyone, and I think we did a good job :)  If any of you are waiting for the Thermomix Festive cookbook, they're on their way and will be here in a few days.  There's some really good recipes in there... although I do think I'll have a little break from the Chicken and Potato Salad (with sun-dried tomato dressing) - four big batches in two days is enough for a while, no matter how delicious it is!


So with Christmas holidays almost here, we're working hard to get school work finished up and Christmas presents made, and I've been trying to work out my Christmas menu.  I've decided to try Helene's Slow Baked Ribs for Christmas dinner - they just look so good!  What are you planning in the way of Christmas cooking?  Come on over to the Quirky Cooking Facebook page and share your ideas!


Here's my menu plan for this week - as you can see we often have our main meal at lunch time, especially when my dh is working nights.  Sometimes our meals are a little mixed up - like today... the neighbour boy came over and wanted to do some cooking, and decided on crepes and plum jam (after seeing a lovely photo in the "My Way of Cooking" cookbook) and I thought that would be fun, so we cooked up a big batch of both and they were delicious!  By the time we finished it was 6pm, so we had crepes and jam for dinner, and steak and veges for dessert - lol!  As the saying goes, 'Life is uncertain, so eat dessert first!'  :D


If you'd like some more menu planning ideas and recipes, have a look at Menu Plan Monday on "I'm an Organizing Junkie", and also the wonderful Thermomix Forum!  Have a great week :)

[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]

Gluten free crepes with plum jam

Monday:
(lunch) Spelt spaghetti carbonara (mushrooms, garlic, shallots, baby spinach, sun-dried tomatos, no bacon) (tmx)
(dinner) Gluten free crepes (tmx) with hot plum jam (tmx - based on this recipe)... and steak & veges (tmx) for dessert!

Tuesday:
(lunch) Salmon fishcakes (tmx) & salad
(dinner) Cacciatore chicken risotto (tmx - from Thermomix Forum)

Wednesday:
(lunch) Quinoa chicken & vege curry (tmx - recipe coming - it's soooo yummy!)
(dinner) Leftovers & pasta salad (tmx)

Thursday:
(lunch) Salmon tikka (tmx - from Thermomix Forum)
(dinner) Pumpkin soup (tmx) & Cyndi's gluten free bread (tmx)

Friday:

(lunch) Potato salad (tmx) & green salad

(dinner) BBQ Christmas party - taking spicy-salty nuts, and a torte caprese with berry nougat topping :)

Saturday:

(lunch) 

Marinated lamb chops & salad (tmx & crockpot)

(dinner) Leftovers & gluten free crepes (tmx)

Sunday:

(lunch) Tuna pasta salad with gf noodles (tmx)

(dinner) Omelettes with salad

Menu Plan Monday - 22nd November

So what's cooking at your house this week?  Last week's menu was completely jumbled up, because my brother and nephews and nieces came to visit, and we had some impromptu trips to places like Green Island, and Tinaroo Dam - lots of fun!  Now I need to knuckle down and start thinking of Christmas... it's getting closer, and I am NOT prepared!  Hopefully I'll get some Christmas recipes posted this week - for example my favourite Christmas Jelly Salad, which I meant to post the recipe for last year...

... and a Cherry Fruity Dream with Chocolate Swirls (no pic yet)... and some Christmassy breads and meat dishes... If you've got any great Christmas recipes, please share!  

I've also been experimenting with steamed, gluten free bread - it's more moist and less crumbly than the oven version, and quicker - so I'll be posting that soon too.

I often plan salads into the menu but don't specify what kind, because it really depends on which veges come in my vege box, which doesn't come until Tuesday.  And I don't usually include sweets/desserts in the menu - they're a now and then thing that we make when we have time.  My oldest daughter made a lovely pineapple and pear upside down cake today that was dairy free and gluten free - we'll have to post that one.  

So here's the basic plan for this week - check out Menu Plan Monday at "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for more menu plans and recipes, and of course Forum Thermomix for lots of Thermomix recipes!  Have a great week :)

[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]

Monday:

(lunch) Chicken & vege pasta (one pot - tmx)

(dinner) Baked potatoes, veges & steamed fish with lemon-parsley sauce (cooked together in tmx)

Tuesday:

(lunch) Beef chop suey with rice (tmx)

(dinner) Dinner out - taking Jelly Salad (tmx), and making Cherry Fruity Dream with Chocolate Swirls in tmx for dessert (I quite often take my tmx with me when I'm invited somewhere for dinner - he gets lonely at home!)

Wednesday:

(lunch) Tuna salad wraps with spelt tortillas (tmx)

(dinner) Beef & bean chilli (tmx) with corn chips and dairy free sour cream (tmx) & salad

Thursday:

(lunch) Baked potatoes with leftover chilli & salad

(dinner) Salmon-rice casserole (made ahead - tmx) & salad

Friday:

(lunch) Sandwiches

(dinner) Steamed stuffed chicken breasts with steamed veges & creamy df sauce (tmx)

Saturday:

(lunch) out at demo

(dinner) Toasted quinoa vege curry (tmx)

Sunday:

(lunch) Roast with veges (gravy in tmx)

(dinner) Sandwiches on steamed gf bread (tmx)

Menu Plan Monday - 15th November

Last week I was so busy, I didn't get any recipes posted!  I've got a real line up waiting to be added to the blog - 'Almost Raw' Chocolate, Chicken & Cashews with Coconut Cream Sauce, Spicy Chicken & Vege Sausage Rolls, Christmas Waldorf Salad, How to Make Three Meals from One Chicken, Calzone, Spelt Fruit Bread, Dairy Free Cheesy Seasoning... Phew, better get typing!  If you see one in this list that you really want the recipe for, let me know, and I'll put it at the top of the list. (Most of you are probably saying, "the chocolate!!!")

Our camping trip didn't go quite as planned, as one of the kids was coughing too much, so we didn't stay the night :(  But we still had a lovely day at the lake, and pretended we were camping - we had potatoes baked in foil in the ashes for lunch, and camp-fire stew for dinner, cooked in the camp oven.  Yum!

Campfire Stew

Keeping the stew hot 'til dinner time!

The highlight of the week was the big Thermomix day in Cairns!  It was so lovely to meet other consultants from North Queensland, and especially to meet Grace again (the director of Thermomix Australia), and Uwe and Roswetta (Uwe is in charge of Thermomix sales, worldwide)...  We cooked and talked and were inspired and encouraged, then we held a cooking class to inspire and encourage others :)  Then we went out for dinner and stayed up half the night chatting :D  This has got to be the best job ever!

Me & Felicity (consultant from Townsville)

Consultants Bronwyn (Townsville), Felicity (Townsville) & Leeandra (Herberton)

Did anyone see the Thermomix on Iron Chef again last Tuesday night?  I missed it - had to go out - but I heard it was good...  It's great to see the Thermomix getting more media attention these days - as it should!

So what's on your menu this week?  I've mostly got old favourites, but I'm trying a few more gluten free versions this week, as my son has had to go gluten and dairy free because of allergies (at least for a while).  I really wanted to try gluten free rough puff pastry today, but just didn't get time.  Hoping to try gf pizza dough for the calzone later in the week - we'll see how that goes.

If you'd like some ideas for your menu, or help with menu planning, check out these links:

Menu Plan Monday at "I'm an Organizing Junkie" 

My menu planning tips

The Thermomix Forum (for recipes & to see what other people are cooking for dinner)

And here's some tips for converting your family's favourite recipes for the Thermomix!

Here's my plan... ('tmx' = prepared and/or cooked in the Thermomix)

Monday:

(lunch) Chicken & asparagus fried rice (tmx)

(dinner) Leftover roast & gravy on mashed potatoes (tmx) with steamed veges (tmx)

Tuesday:

(lunch) Crockpot potatoes, bacon & green beans and waldorf salad (tmx)

(dinner) leftover fried rice and/or tuna salad (tmx)

Wednesday:

(lunch) Beef fajitas (tmx) with spelt tortillas (tmx) & gf wraps (for some of us who are gf at the moment)

(dinner) Chelsea's curried pumpkin & lentil soup (tmx)

Thursday:

(lunch) Baked potatoes with tuna-mushroom sauce (tmx) & salad

(dinner) Meatballs in bolognese sauce (tmx) on gf pasta with salad

Friday:

(lunch) Salmon fishcakes (tmx) & salad

(dinner) Calzone made with gf pizza dough (tmx) & tuna or mince fillings (tmx)

Saturday:

(not home for lunch)

(dinner) Lentil bolognese (tmx) on gf pasta with salad

Sunday:

(lunch) Meatloaf & baked veges (slowcooked in oven)

(dinner) leftovers

Menu planning for a busy week!

If I don't plan ahead this week, I will probably go crazy!! (Okay, crazier!)

Monday and Tuesday - camping at the lake (cooking over a campfire, no Thermy - I hope I survive! but I will cook some things beforehand); Tuesday night - a baby shower (need to cook for that); Wednesday - homeschooling, dentist, and cooking for a birthday party (getting paid to make the cake); Thursday - all day in Cairns (70kms away) for Thermomix training, meeting, cooking class and dinner with Grace and Witek of Thermomix, Australia (and some special Thermomix visitors from Germany!) and spending the night at a resort; Friday - dashing back home to homeschool, clean house and prepare for Saturday, and helping run Youth Club; Saturday - more cleaning and preparing, as I'm running an "Allergy Alternatives Cooking Class" here that evening; then Sunday - church and hopefully have a break!!  Phew.  So it's going to be a bit of a juggle to organize meals this week - thankfully I'll have Grandma's help for some of them (as well as with the homeschooling!).  I've cooked some things ahead to take to our lunch in Cairns, but there's still so much to do...

I decided to add in my breakfast plan, as I've gotten a bit slack with breakfast lately, and need to hold myself accountable!! (And I thought some of you might like some new breakfast ideas - I've included photos for some.)  Here's the plan...

For more menu planning ideas, go to "Menu Plan Monday" at "I'm an Orgnanizing Junkie", or see my article here on "How I menu plan".


[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]

Monday:
Breakfast: Blender Batter Blueberry Muffins (tmx)
Lunch: Sandwiches with cold meat & salad (on spelt bread)
Dinner: Campfire stew & spelt damper

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Fruit, toast (pan-fried damper) & fried eggs
Lunch: Potatoes baked in ashes, df sour cream (tmx-ed ahead of time!), raw vege sticks, fruit
Dinner: Spaghetti bolognaise with lots of veges in it (tmx) on spelt noodles (making double batch)

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Pink fruit cereal (tmx)
Lunch: leftover spaghetti & salad
Dinner: Baked beans (tmx)

Thursday:
Family fending for themselves (with the help of leftovers and Grandma!)

Friday:
Breakfast at Grandma's
Lunch:  Chicken pot pie with spelt rough puff pastry (made ahead in tmx, in freezer)
Dinner:  Leftovers & sandwiches

Saturday:
Breakfast:  Blender Batter Brown Rice Pancakes (tmx)
Lunch: Fish (cornmeal coating, shallow fried), mashed potatoes (tmx) & steamed veges (tmx)
Dinner:  Allergy Alternatives Demo - lots of yummy dairy free, gluten free, naturally sweetened, organic food!  (All in tmx, of course)

Sunday:
Breakfast:  Fruit, toast, eggs (poached in tmx)
Lunch:  Roast dinner (gravy in tmx)
Dinner:  Leftovers/sandwiches

Menu Plan Monday - 25th October

Here's another week of meals... can't stop to chat, too much to do!  Have a great week, and check out Menu Plan Monday  at "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for more ideas. :)


[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]


Monday:
(lunch) Leftovers soup - lamb, veges & gf alphabet noodles (tmx - from leftover lamb roast; see photo and recipe below)
(dinner) Steamed fish, broccoli & tomato sauce (tmx) and baked potatoes

{How to make 'Leftovers Soup': Cover the meaty bones left over from a roast with water, add a splash of apple cider vinegar and some herbs, and cook over low heat (a few hours in crockpot on low, or an hour or two in stock pot on stove).  When close to meal time: In Thermomix, chop up garlic, onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, tomatoes (or whatever you like), and saute  for a few minutes on 100 degrees.  Then add some tomato paste, some vege stock concentrate, and a little water and cook for 15 mins on 100 degrees.  Remove meat from bones, chop, and tip back into pot/crockpot, adding the veges from the Thermomix.  I also add in any leftover veges & gravy from the roast dinner.  Reheat and season to taste with a pinch of rapadura, sea salt & freshly ground pepper, and serve.  Note: If using leftover roast chicken, you may want to omit the tomatoes & tomato paste, and use chicken stock.}

Tuesday:
(lunch) Spelt rolls (tmx) with tuna & salad
(dinner) Molly's Chicken & Cashew Noodles (tmx)  

Wednesday:
(lunch) Pasta e Fagioli (tmx)
(dinner) Johnro's Gourmet Beef Casserole (cooked in tmx & kept warm in server) with mashed potatoes & steamed veges (cooked together in tmx)

Thursday:
(lunch) out for lunch
(dinner) Sweet n sour meatballs (tmx) & stir-fried veges (tmx) on rice (tmx)

Friday:
(lunch) Spelt tortillas (tmx) with chicken salad filling (tmx)
(dinner) Pasties with assorted leftovers and veges using this pastry recipe (tmx)

Saturday:
(lunch) Baked beans (tmx) on toast
(dinner) Tuna mornay df (tmx) on gf noodles

Sunday:
(lunch) Roast dinner with baked veges
(dinner) leftovers/sandwiches

Menu Plan Monday - 11th October

How's the menu planning going?  I get so frustrated when I don't have a menu plan for the week - seems like I'm always rushing off to the shop because I need something else.  That's one great thing about menu planning - it cuts down on your grocery bill, because you can get your shopping done for the week in one hit - we all know that the more often you go to the store, the more unnecessary treats you buy!

Another way to save money with menu planning is to buy the specials that are freezable or will keep for another week or so (meat, frozen berries or vegetables, potatoes, onions, oats, etc) and plan them into the next week's menu.  The fruit and veges you get on special, or from your garden, or a vege box system, will mostly need to be used that week - which is why I don't usually plan exactly what kind of salad or vegetables we're having with each meal - it depends on what I end up with that week.

If you need some help planning your menu and don't know where to start, here's some of my ideas, and there's lots of help at Menu Plan Monday too.  Have a great week!

Note: We sometimes have our main meal at lunch time because of my dh's work schedule.

[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]

Monday:

(lunch) Lunch at the park - sandwiches

(dinner) Chicken fried steak strips with mashed potatoes & steamed veges
(both in tmx) and df milk gravy

Thermomix mashed potatoes - so quick and easy, 

and the veges steam on top while it's cooking!

Tuesday:

(lunch) Fish & potato patties (made with leftover mashed potato, veges & tinned tuna)

(dinner) Spelt pasta with vege-tomato pasta sauce (tmx)

Wednesday:

(lunch)  Lamb mince & salad pizza (tmx)

(dinner) Pumpkin soup (tmx) with spelt bread rolls (tmx)

Thursday:

(lunch) Sausage & dumplings casserole (tmx)

(dinner) Creamy chicken & brown rice soup (tmx)

Friday:

(lunch) Warm chicken, pumpkin & spinach salad (tmx)

(dinner) Out for dinner

Saturday:

(lunch) Sunny scalloped eggs (tmx)

(dinner) Black eye-pea stew (tmx)

Sunny Scalloped Eggs (dairy free)

Sunday:

(lunch) Leftover stew (warmed in tmx) with grilled chicken fillets & salad

(dinner) Leftovers/sandwiches

Menu Plan, Party Food, Camp Cooking and more...

My little Princess (left) having fun at her party!

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've managed to get a menu plan posted - this has been a really busy month! We've had a birthday party, sick kids, camp (where I was one of the cooks, mostly cooking the special diet meals)... plus I've been really, really busy with Thermomix demos... so I haven't had much time for blogging!!!  But thankfully it's school holidays now, camp's over and the kids are almost recovered from the flu, so it's time to catch up.

********

First, here's my basic menu plan for this week... 
[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]


Monday:
(lunch) Tuna pasta (tmx) & spelt bread (tmx)
(dinner) Pizza pies with filling made from leftover roast beef... (tmx)


Tuesday:
(lunch) Spelt pasta with pasta sauce made from leftover filling for pizza pies! (tmx) 
(dinner) Butter chicken (tmx), rice & pappadums


Wednesday:
(lunch) * Varoma demo here - berry fruity dream, cashew & sun-dried tomato pesto, pizza bianca, chickpea & spinach soup, warm chicken-pumpkin-couscous salad, and steamed lemon puddings (all tmx)
(dinner) Leftovers - from demo & butter chicken


Thursday:
(lunch) Baked potatoes, salad & homemade mayonnaise (tmx)
(dinner) Fish, potatoes, broccoli & tomato sauce (cooked all at once in layers in the tmx)


Friday:
(lunch) Fried rice (tmx)
(dinner) Steak, leftover rice (warmed up in tmx), beetroot salad (tmx)


Saturday:
(lunch) Hamburgers with spelt buns (tmx)
(dinner) Roast chicken and veges (gravy in tmx)


Sunday: 
(lunch) Chicken a la King (made with leftovers from roast dinner, on spelt toast) (tmx)
(dinner) Potato wedges with dairy free 'sour cream' (tmx) & raw vege sticks


* If you'd like to see a Thermomix demo for yourself (and you live in Australia), let me know and I'll put you in contact with a consultant in your area.  If you're wondering how often I use my Thermomix and how it saves me time and money, keep reading...

********

I promised to also post the menu for my daughter's Princess Party, as I know other mums out there are also looking for ideas for healthier kids' party food... I don't go overboard with parties, so it's pretty simple.  This is what we made:

- Chicken & vege sausage rolls - I ground up bread crumbs and minced the chicken and veges in the Thermomix, added herbs, seasonings, tamari, sweet chilli sauce, etc, and made lots of mini sausage rolls using ready-made butter puff pastry.  (Yes, I'm afraid I didn't make the pastry, as there was just too much to do, and I didn't actually have time to cook for the party until 10 pm the night before! But I did make sure I got the puff pastry made with butter, not the one with heaps of unintelligible ingredients.)  For a spicier version of these sausage rolls with homemade spelt rough puff pastry, see Spicy Chicken & Vege Sausage Rolls.

- Parmesan popcorn - hot popcorn sprinkled with fresh parmesan (grated finely in Thermomix).

- Chocolate cupcakes - I used my wheat free, dairy free variation of Cyndi O'Meara's chocolate cake, as it's so quick and easy, is moist and delicious, and uses macadamia oil instead of butter.  (Recipe is in Cyndi's book "Changing Habits, Changing Lives Cookbook").  The cupcakes were stacked up instead of a birthday cake, undecorated, and the kids decorated their own with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows (my concession to daughter's plea for some lollies), strawberries, and...

- Strawberry cream - I mushed up fresh strawberries in the Thermomix and whipped them into cream to make it pink, for the kids to put on their cupcakes (for those who could have cream).

- Raspberry lemonade - yum yum!  Homemade lemonade is the best; add raspberries and it's even better!!

- Strawberry Fruity Dream - fresh, pink and delicious - the girls loved it!

- Party bags - I didn't want to fill the party bags with lollies, although I did give them each a chocolate frog and a naturally sweetened lollipop, so I added balloons, bubbles, party blowers, bracelets, and heart-shaped pink and purple play-dough (made in the Thermomix of course!)

********

I often have people ask me how often I use my Thermomix, as they worry they wouldn't use it enough to justify buying one... so yesterday I decided to write down everything I did in the Thermomix to see how much I used it.  Here's what I did, including the mixing or cooking times:

- ground up two lots of spelt grain to make spelt flour (1 min per batch)

- made nut butter (2 mins)

- made raw almond milk (2 mins)

- made banana & nut butter protein shakes (2 mins)

- made a double batch of spelt bread dough (2.5 mins)

- made rice-almond milk (7.5 mins)

- made tuna pasta for lunch, all in one bowl (20 mins)

- made pizza dough for pizza pies (2.5 mins)

- cooked pizza pie filling (30 mins)

- steamed veges for dinner (12 mins)

- made choc-orange sorbet for dessert (3 mins)

The Thermomix replaces so many kitchen appliances that you'll find you use it constantly - don't be scared off by the price (in Australia they cost $1939, plus up to $40 postage)- they are so worth it!!!  (And there are payment options that make it affordable for most households.)  I've had one since 2004 (a TM21 which is still going fine - I sold it to my sister last year), and would never be without one again!  


Before I had a Thermomix there was so much I couldn't do, and because I make so much from scratch, I was in the kitchen A LOT!  Being able to walk away while the machine does the work for you saves so much time.  It may sound like I spend all day in the kitchen, but I really don't - I also homeschool four kids, am a Thermomix consultant (so I cook for other people at home demonstrations and classes), write articles for a couple of magazines, blog, draw and paint (when I can), help with a homeschool group and a youth club, do a little bit of graphic artwork from home, teach a parenting class off and on... the list goes on.  So without my Thermomix, I'd be REALLY struggling to keep up with healthy, homemade food for our family.  If you're considering buying a Thermomix, I'd say "Go for it!"  You won't regret it.  Email me for more info about Thermomix in Australia,  and if you are in Australia and decide to buy one after seeing it here on my blog, please mention my blog as your referral :)

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For those who doubt a Thermomix is big enough for your family, let me just say that I wouldn't want to have to cook for a large family without one!  I use my Thermomix to cook for large groups of people, such as cooking at our church's youth camp, and it really makes food preparation a lot quicker and easier.  Here's some of the things I use Thermy for at camp - there are usually about 60 to 100 people to cook for:


- grating blocks of cheese (only takes seconds to grate, it's cheaper to buy the whole blocks and grate them yourself, and it's healthier too, as pre-grated cheese is coated in anti-caking agents to stop it lumping together)
- chopping onions (we filled the bowl with halved onions and chopped them all in about 5 seconds! No tears!)
- grating carrots, apples, etc for salads
- grating chocolate and grinding coconut (for flourless cakes)
- mixing batter for cakes
- grinding grains (for bread dough)
- making bread dough for cinnamon scrolls and cheesey-mite scrolls (for snacks)
- making rice milk and other special diet foods (dairy free white sauce, custards, etc)
- making butter from cream
- making custards & gravies (we did 2 litre batches, and emptied them into a pot on the stove to keep warm - it was quicker than cooking them completely on the stove, and there were no lumps!)
- making sorbet or fruity dream (a couple of batches each afternoon for afternoon tea)
- making cappuccinos, lattes and iced coffees for tired kitchen workers!


...Obviously we eat well at our camps!

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Holidays are a great time to spend time with the kids, cooking up some treats.  The other day my boys were looking for something to do, and decided to make baked apples.  They begged me to put a photo of their creation on my blog, so here it is...

As you can see they were very creative - instead of just coring the apple and slitting the skin around it, they used the apple slinky machine, making it a very fun version of baked apples!

So there you are - it's been a busy month, but I feel a bit more 'caught up' now!


Hope you all have a great week,
Jo :)

Menu Plan Monday - 6th September

Here's my menu plan for this week - if you'd like some help organizing yours, check out Menu Plan Monday at "I'm an Organizing Junkie", and also my article here.  And if you're looking for some new Thermomix recipes, have a look on the Thermomix Forum and you'll find some real beauties!!

Today I made a batch of nut butter for our toast at breakfast time (from cashews, almonds & macadamia nuts), and some almond milk, then for lunch we had a nut butter & banana protein shake (very rich and filling!), and I also made some nut butter and chocolate swirl brownies (see photo below)... YUM!!  So we've had a really nutty day :D  (Recipes coming!)  I really enjoy taking a decadent and unhealthy recipe, and converting it to a healthier version that still tastes just as decadent.  Of course, you still shouldn't have too much of it, but it's nice to have a treat now and then :)

Nut Butter Chocolate Swirl Brownies

We'll be having a 'princess party' on Saturday for our little princess, so if you'd like some party food ideas that are healthy and kid-friendly, check back here later in the week to see the menu and recipes.  And if you have any healthy party foods that your kids love, let me know!

Have a great week :)

[tmx = prepared and/or cooked in my Thermomix]

Monday:

(lunch) Tuna & salad sandwiches & banana-nut butter protein shakes (tmx)

(dinner) Lentil bolognese on leftover brown rice (warmed up in the Varoma while bolognese is cooking) (tmx)

Tuesday:

(lunch) Leftover bolognese & salad in spelt tortillas (tmx)

(dinner) Corn & potato chowder with chorizo sausage (tmx & crockpot)

Wednesday:

(lunch) Leftover soup with spelt tortillas

(dinner) Steak (with homemade bbq sauce), baked potatoes & carrot salad (tmx)

Thursday:

(lunch) Fried rice (tmx)

(dinner) Mushroom carbonara (tmx) on spelt spaghetti

Friday:

(lunch) Sandwiches & leftovers

(dinner) Thai chicken burgers (tmx - from Chef Laurent's cookbook) on spelt rolls (tmx)

Saturday:
(lunch) Birthday party (kids) / Thermomix party (mums) - menu still being sorted!
(dinner) Tuna-tomato calzone with spelt pizza dough (tmx)

Sunday:
(lunch) Roast (beef or lamb) & veges
(dinner) Soup with leftovers (tmx) & spelt rolls (tmx)