Start Your Day with a BRUNCH.

You spend your weekdays working for the weekend. Planning every detail so you don’t miss a load of washing whilst also trying to catch up with all your nearest and dearest. After a long week of early mornings, you want a bit of a lie in, but planning a lunch date completely wipes out the rest of the day. So a compromise?

Brunch. The perfect meal. Anything is acceptable at this time of day. But a brunch date doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go out and spend $25 on a bacon and egg roll and frappe. So here are some delightful home-made brunch ideas that will impress any brunch date. You could even catch-up whilst preparing the meal together.

1. French Toast

Estimated cost? $3pp. for the fruit. The rest of the ingredients are staples you should already have in your kitchen. Got some left over bread, eggs and milk? French toast is a cheap and yummy sweet treat for brunch time. A thick cut of bread works best, but really anything will do. French toast is best when it’s served with some sort of fruit. Berries and cinnamon sugar, or banana and maple syrup are some divine combinations.

2. BLAT

Estimated cost? $5pp. A couple of pieces of bacon, plus some lettuce, avocado and tomato. Not that expensive right? Not sure why you are charge $15 at your local café… So invite your friends over and revel in the not too greasy, bacon goodness.

3. Crepes

Estimated cost? $1pp. Really, all crepes are is some flour, salt, egg and milk. You already have this. Plus your choice of toppings. Personal favourite is a squeeze of lemon and some caster sugar. Super cheap and super satisfying. No café needed when you’ve got café la home!

Smooth Move

It seems like the latest craze is to chuck a whole load of fresh and organic ingredients into a blender, whiz it until it’s completely smooth, place it in a fancy jar and sip it through a fancy straw. I find that smoothies from your local café filled with bearded men with topknots, wearing skinny jeans and lens-less glasses are far too over-priced. If you make them for yourself you can have a quick and reasonably priced meal. It’s not like they actually do anything other than put some ingredients into a blender then charge you $10 for their services. So here are some tips for a delicious DIY smoothie:

1. Invest in a good blender – There’s nothing worse than sipping down a silky smooth drink, then a chunk of something gets caught in your throat and starts choking you. Where did that come from? It’s because you bought a $15 blender that cant break through the tough stuff.

2. Nutritious, delicious – If you get the flavours right, this can actually be a tasty way to get a dose of nutrients for the day. Unlike juicing (extracts the healthy stuff, leaves the tasty stuff), blending your fruits and veg keeps the nutrition in the drink. There are so many different flavour combinations, and you can even hide the taste of some of the less favourable veg amongst more tasty ones. Kale and spinach blend into your favourite berry smoothies and become invisible, yet you still get all the good stuff out of it. So experiment with flavours to create something that is perfect for you!

3. Transportation – Place it in a Sippy cup, and you can also take it on the go. Our busy lives make it difficult to sit down and have a decent meal. A smoothie is basically a meal in a glass, put it is a travel mug or Sippy cup and you can have your meal wherever you like!

Here’s a list of smoothie recipes for you to try at home!

Shopping Made Easy

What girl doesn’t love shopping? Am I Right?

That incredible feeling of wandering around the shops looking for that perfect thing that belongs to you. Every girl loves shopping.

Unless it’s grocery shopping. No one likes that. So here are a few tips to make that dreaded trip a lot more bearable.

1. Shop Weekly – Shopping once a week means you get it over and done with. It means you don’t have the battle with other angry and tired humans trying to run in and out of the store with kids screaming and wrapped around each ankle every single day. Shop once. Get what you need. Then wait a whole week to the entire thing again.

2. Write a Shopping List – Having a clear list of what you need for the week, means you have a strategic plan of navigating the maze that is the grocery store. This makes the journey far quicker than if you were too wander aimlessly up and down the aisles, unsure what it is you came to the shops for in the first place.

3. Look for bargains – Everybody loves a good bargain. Whether it is for that dress you’ve had your eye on for the past 2 months, or those cans of tomatoes that are on sale for 3 for the price of 2. Be careful of clever marketing ploys that trick you into thinking it’s a bargain, when really you are buying 2 cans of tomatoes for the price of 3. If it really is a bargain for non-perishable products, such as cans of tomatoes, buy in bulk.

Fast Food? No thanks.

1 – Is fast food really that tasty?

It could just be me, but what fast food actually tastes any good? Just about the only the thing I ever eat are some French fries, and that’s after a few drinks and a long night of dancing. So the fact that some people eat fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, whilst sober, astounds me. IT DOESN’T TASTE GOOD.

2 – Do you know who is handling your food?

Are you really able to trust the people handling your food? If this Domino’s Pizza joint were anything to go by, I would think twice before exchanging your spare change for a soggy burger and fries. Many employees hired in the food industry are also not provided with necessary training and food safety education.

3 – What do you get out of eating fast food?

The nutritional value of fast food is slim to none. So what’s the point of even putting in your body? It doesn’t do anything positive. On daily basis there is certain amount of proteins and vitamins, that is needed for a healthy life style, or even just to live, so what’s the point?

4 – Ever wondered why it gets to you so darn fast?

It’s because it’s not made fresh. Its probably been sitting in the bain-marie for a week being pumped full of chemicals and preservatives. So is it worth risking your health to save a few minutes on preparation time while cooking at home.

So what do we learn from this? Cook at home for yourself and you’ll avoid it all!

Making Lunch for the Week

Wondering how to get enough nutritional food in your diet each day, whilst still living your busy life? Check this out for some great hints and tips.

Get Your Bake On

Feel like a treat to make your weekends that much sweeter? Becoming an expert of the basic sponge cake will enable you to quickly whip up a delicious afternoon tea, or allow you to apply your creativity and use it as the basis for something super impressive. Add some cocoa powder and chocolate butter icing to make a chocolate cake, some coffee and a coffee butter icing, make some cupcakes with a dollop of lemon curd to make butterfly cakes, or just some simple jam and cream. The variations are endless, but it all starts with that one SIMPLE batter.

There are 4 ingredients to bake your basic sponge cake.

• 6oz butter
• 6oz caster sugar
• 6oz plain flour
• 3 eggs

Plus anything you want to add to make it just that little bit fancier.

Preheat your oven to 180c and start with all of your ingredients at room temperature. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until it becomes pale and fluffy. Around 4 minutes, or as long as you can really. Then beat in 1 egg at a time until they are just incorporated. Gently fold in the flour. Now is the time to add in any of those extra ingredients. Some choc chips, vanilla essence, coffee, cocoa, sultanas, berries, walnuts. ANYTHING! Get creative.

Divide the mixture either into 2 greased round cake tins, or into small cupcake patti pans, and place the tins into the oven. SLOWLY. If you bash the mixture around too much, the cake could deflate. Bake the cakes for around 23-25 minutes (check to see if it springs back when touched gently). For cupcakes, bake for around 15 minutes.

Decorate with whatever you desire and serve with a steaming hot cup of tea.

YUM.

Corny Cooking Conundrums

Here are some of our favourite jokes that make cooking even more fun! What are your favourites?

Q: What did the baby corn say to its mom?

A: Where’s my pop corn?

Q: Why did the tomato blush?

A: Because it saw the salad dressing!

Q: What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?

A: Nacho cheese!

Q: What do you get when you play Tug-of-War with a pig?

A: Pulled-Pork

Q: What do vegan zombies eat?

A: Grrraaaaaaaaaiiiins!!!

Q: How does Lady Gaga like her food prepared?

A: Raw, raw, raw raw raw!

Q. Why did Mrs. Tomato turn red?



A. Because she saw Mr. Green pea

Q – What does cheese say when it looks in the mirror.

A. Halloumi.

The Sunday Roast

There’s no better way to end a fun-filled weekend than sharing a home cooked roast dinner with friends or family. It’s like a warm and delicious hug that allows you to reflect of the week that was and mentally prepare for your week ahead. A roast dinner seems too tasty to be easy, but if you break it down into four simple parts, you will become the king or queen of warm and delicious hugs.

Meat:

The hero of your roast will always be the juicy piece of meat at the centre of your dinner table. Roast lamb is without a doubt my favourite, but how do you cook it to allow it to be as flavorful and juicy as possible?

• Preheat Oven to 180c
• Cut some shallow slits in the top of your meat, and stuff with peeled garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs.
• Place lamb in oven and cook for 25 minutes per 500g + 20 minutes
• Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes before carving.
• (If you a sweet potato fiend, peel and slice sweet potato then place in with the lamb for the entire cooking time to absorb the meat juices. YUM).

Potatoes:

You can’t have a roast dinner, with some golden roast potatoes to mop up that gravy. Here are some tips for the best roast pots.

• Place tray with 2-3tbls vegetable oil in oven for around 1hr.
• Peels potatoes and chop into equal sized pieces.
• Parboil potatoes (place in saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil, then cook for 5mins)
• Drain potatoes.
• Carefully place in tray with hot oil and turn to coat with the oil.
• Place tray back in oven and cook for 45-60 mins, or until crispy and golden, turning once.
• Voila! The perfect roast potato.

Vegetables:

Choose a selection of in-season vegetables and steam them for the most tasty and crisp results.

• Clean, peel and chop your vegetables.
• Bring water to the boil in a saucepan with a steam basket and a lid.
• Add your root vegetables (carrots etc.) then after a few minutes add your greens to the basket to steam.

Gravy:

And what brings the entire meal together? Why it’s the gravy of course.

• Stir ¼ plain flour into the meat pan juices, ensuring there are no lumps.
• Place the pan over a medium heat and introduce the beef stock little by little, whilst whisking.
• Bring to the boil, then season.

The One-Pot Wonder

Top up your spice racks, invest in a good casserole dish and explore your local supermarket for whatever juicy meat is on special. Slow cooked, one-pot meals can be a lifesaver and often have much more flavor than the delicate dishes you spend hours preparing.

Draw inspiration from recipes, but don’t rely on them. The way I go about cooking is to find some meat, fish or legume, (for vegetarian nights) to base my meal around. I then check out what is already in my cupboards, and what vegetables I have in the fridge. This allows me to play with flavours and get creative with what I’ve got, rather than buying lots of expensive produce every time I go to the shops.

Fry up some onion and garlic, brown off the meat/fish/legume/vegetables then throw in whatever you feel like a the time to create a flavor explosion that also clears out your cupboards. Once you’re happy with the flavor, then chuck the pot in the oven to cook for an hour or so (meanwhile working your way through a stack of uni assignments, doing some chores or just relaxing in front of the TV). The only issue with the one-pot wonder is the smells that will waft their way through the kitchen, tantalising your taste buds and distracting you from whatever you’re trying to get done. Once you’ve consumed your meal, and feeling completely satisfied, all you have is one pot to clean up after dinner. ONE POT. (Especially if you eat straight from said pot).

Here are some one-pot recipes to have a look at, then adapt according to your own taste and whatever you’ve already got in your cupboards.

Supply and Demand

Many young adults tend to live paycheck to paycheck. Fruit and veg is a very important part of the human diet, but it isn’t always the first thing on the shopping list as it doesn’t fit into the limited budget we set aside for food. Have you ever heard of supply and demand? Well fruit and vegetables can actually be among the cheapest items in a supermarket. You just have to know when to buy them!

Buying fruit and vegetables in season often means they’ll be cheaper due to their abundance. Seasonal food is cheaper because it doesn’t require anywhere near as much effort to produce. It is also naturally more delicious and nutritious as it is at its prime. Out-of-season produce has been grown in artificial conditions, or grown in some other part of the world, picked before it should be and than transported to your local grocery story. No wonder it’s so expensive!

In Australia, we are currently in spring. So what does this mean we should be looking for in the fruit and veg aisle of our supermarket? Bananas are at their prime, along with grapefruits lemons and oranges. For vegetables; artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, leek, mushrooms and spinach are all at their finest. The in-season produce may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But there are some great recipe’s using these products that are delicious and definitely worth a try!

So figure out what is in season and you can get your daily dose of fruit and veg without chipping in to your rent money.