Have you met Hermes?

No? Well, here he is, and seemingly permanently perched upon Kookaburras' shoulder. Hermes is Kookaburra's little Quaker Parrot, a gift from myself and his Dadda for his ninth birthday way back in May. Quakers are meant to talk, a great attribute but that wasn't the reason for choosing Hermes. Quakers are well known for being extremely affectionate and make a beautiful companion bird for children, which Hermes more than is. We also chose a male because they are less likely to be hormonal, feisty, territorial and aggressive then their female counter parts. Sound familiar girls?! Hermes has learnt a few words. Hello, Kookaburra's name, Out! (okay that's my fault but it's not me yelling at my boys , instead it's just something that's often said/ yelled at the dogs when they start play fighting inside the house - remember the no screened entrances to Little House, it is a problem) and the best one would be his maniacal cackle which develops into a good, crazy belly laugh. Good sign that!

Not long after what felt like dawn, Kookaburra and Hermes hit the kitchen to make some pancakes and our hands down favourite recipe is by clever Vicki from Home Revolutions. Kookaburra has made these pancakes a few times and is gradually becoming more confident. I'm slowly easing him into the idea of keeping his own recipe journal too. He's excited about the idea but Kookaburra hasn't got so much love for the writing part of it.

We love these pancakes topped with Blueberry Sauce and Ice-cream. The Sauce recipe comes from a health conscious fellow homeschooling Mumma who loves to experiment and tweaks recipes to get things for more nutrition. I find that pretty hard to do because I loathe waste and bad cooking does lead to exactly that around here and of course it also means wasted money and I just can't bring myself to do it. Oi! The responsibility! Anyway, here's the recipe :)


Blueberry Sauce

* 1 Tbs of cornflour
* 1 Tbs of caster sugar
* 2 Tbs of apricot jam
* 1/2 a cup of water
* 2 cups of frozen blueberries

:) Put everything, except the berries, into a saucepan, mix and place on medium heat and keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Add the berries and stir gently until heated. (use a lower heat if using gas)

:) Serve with pancakes and ice-cream :D

Maybe we can see the true reason for Hermes hanging with Kookaburra so much.

I actually have another recipe to add tonight.

Since I stopped playing soccer and hockey two years ago, I've become ridiculously, extremely sedentary and instead of tailoring down my eating to suit, I seem to have done the opposite! All those blocks of chocolate and Mummy Morning Teas with cake and coffee have finally hit gravity central and I'm shocked and increasingly unhappy about the weight gain. So now I'm counting calories and next week I'll be signing up for a membership at the gym. I'm also getting my boys on board and together we're trying to get Mumma moving in at least one way every day. Just so you get an idea of just how freaked out by the weight gain I am, I now weigh the same as when I was full term with Kookaburra. Not good. I really miss my sport but I did not enjoy the time commitment away from my boys, the big one included.

Here's that recipe:


Teriyaki Salmon with Noodle Salad

2170kj per serve low fat high, protein and great brain food too

* 400g salmon fillets (we only had one piece which weighed maybe half that and it was fine for one adult and two children. Salmon = Expensive!!!)
* 2 Tbs teriyaki marinade
* 1 Tbs honey
* 2 1/2 cm piece ginger, grated (I didn't have any so I just omitted it :)
* 300g rice noodles
* 150g snow peas, halved
* 2 carrots and 2 zucchinis, use a peeler to cut into ribbons
* 3 Tbs of sweet chilli sauce
* 2 Tbs salt-reduced soy sauce

:) Gently toss salmon with teriyaki, honey and ginger in a non-metallic bowl. Set aside.

:) Cook noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl.

:) Spray a large wok with oil and cook snow peas, carrot and zucchini over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Toss with noodles, sweet chilli and soy sauces.

:) Cook the salmon either on the frying pan or in the the grill on medium heat for about five minutes each side. Rest and then roughly chop into the noodle salad.


Thanks Australian Healthy Food Guide!

Hopefully, with a huge amount of effort, I might begin to be a heck of a lot healthier over the next few months. I may even develop that super power ability to resist temptation and once again gain control over my conveyor belt eating habits. Here's hoping and praying for strength when my will is so self-sabotagingly weak :)

'Feed Us!', They Cry.

Some nights making dinner is like extracting a tooth.

I don't want to do it and even if it's fast, it still feels pretty painful. Throw in the vegetarian complication of trying to eat meals that satisfy without tasting completely strange, after all our tastes have been trained a certain way, it all feels a bit too much. So I threw a plea out to Mr E this arvo to please hunt and gather my favourite chocolate (mmmmm..... Greens & Black Organic Dark Chocolate - Maya Gold ,thanks Babe) to help fortify poor little me :P for my mini ordeal of meal preparation. Tonight's recipe is so easy it's kind of a crime to complain and it's a great one to have as its mostly healthy. I haven't yet mentioned that for our family of four, it will feed us for at least two or three meals with usually leftovers for Mr E's lunch. So this is how it goes:

Tortellini with Ricotta and Roast Vegetables in Pasta Sauce

* 630g bag of Tortellini with Ricotta and Roast Vegetables

* Jensens Organic Pasta Sauce Basil & Garlic 500g x 2

* 800g tinned crushed tomatoes

* 1 medium onion, finely diced

* 2 small zucchinis, finely grated

* approx 350g mushrooms, sliced

* 3 celery sticks, finely diced

* 200g baby spinach, washed

:) In one big pot fry diced onion with a splash of olive oil until it changes colour.

:) Add the zucchini, and wait until its cooked. Be sure to stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom.

:) Add Mushrooms and once they've cooked through add the diced celery.

:) Once its all cooked up, pour in the crushed tomatoes and pasta sauce. Bring to the boil and then turn it down to a simmer and let the pasta sauce reduce its liquid whilst you're putting on a big pot full of water to get ready for the pasta. Very near the end when the pasta is nearly ready, turn off the heat to the pasta sauce and add the spinach leaves which will curl up with the heat. Stir in.

:) Follow the instructions on the pasta and when cooked combine the pasta and pasta sauce ready to serve with a little Parmesan sprinkled on top.

:) Voila! One mostly healthy, fairly easy, filling and tasty, vegetarian meal. Not ingenious but fills the belly's of my little family with loads extra to spare!