I can remember my good friend Claire telling me about a microwave slice recipe and I was positive I kept a copy of it but couldn’t find it anywhere especially when I had company coming for afternoon tea and I needed something to feed the kids. I did a quick Google search and found this one on Best Recipes.
I can see this recipe being one of my favourites. Mix it all up in a dish suitable for the microwave, press down, cook for 3 minutes, allow to cool, ice and serve. I’ll add some nuts, use different flavoured icings and sprinkles, omit the cocoa, add sultanas, choc chips, dried fruit, you name it.
Mix all ingredients together in a microwave dish that will double as the slice dish. No need to grease the dish.
Cook on medium high for 3 minutes. (I had an 1100w microwave and cooked mine for 2 minutes 30 seconds and checked then I cooked for a further 30 seconds.)
Allow to cool slightly and ice with a simple icing of icing sugar, cocoa and milk. Top with sprinkles if desired.
Variations:
Omit cocoa
Add sultanas, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips
Serve uniced or with a drizzle of melted chocolate
Peach Cakes or Jelly Cakes are something my Nanna used to make for us all the time when we were young.
Based on the Aussie icon, the lamington, it’s just basically a vanilla cake or sponge, traditionally cooked in a gem iron.
Gem iron
When cakes are cooked, they are split and rolled in unset raspberry jelly and rolled in coconut and filled with fresh cream. I’ve got both gem irons and these kind of cake pans (below) and decided to use them instead.
I used my favourite cake recipe, the “No Fuss Fudge Cake” only because it’s so quick and easy but you could use leftover cake of any kind, a packet cake mix, a sponge cake recipe or any other vanilla (or chocolate if you like) cake recipe.
Once cakes are cooked and cooled, roll in unset jelly and coconut.
Fill with fresh cream and store in refrigerator.
Peach Cakes or Jelly Cakes Recipe
Use your favourite vanilla cake recipe OR packet cake mix OR leftover cake cut into rounds, squares, whatever
1 pkt raspberry jelly (make up as per directions and refrigerate until nearly set)
desiccated coconut for rolling
fresh cream, whipped to a stiff consistency
Roll each cake in the nearly set jelly.
Roll jelly covered cake in coconut.
Sandwich each half of cake with whipped, fresh cream.
And that’s it. Just another way to serve this Australian vintage classic recipe of Jelly Cakes or Peach Cakes.
Thai Basil & macadamia pesto is a lovely combination. I reckon you can make just about anything into pesto.
Pesto comes from the Italian word pestâ which means ‘to pound’. I’ve made pesto from sun dried tomatoes, spinach, silver beet, traditional basil and any mixture of nuts. At a recent trip to my local farmer’s market, I couldn’t pass up a beautiful bunch of Thai basil.
Thai basil leaves are a little smaller and there is an edible purple flower.
The flavour is a little different to regular basil which lends itself well to Italian tomato based dishes but the Thai basil is better suited to Asian style dishes. I knew I could pick a few leaves to add to a Thai curry or stir fry but I had better things in store.
I also had macadamia nuts in the cupboard so I ground some and made it up into a pesto with olive oil, garlic cloves and parmesan cheese, just whizzing it up in the food processor.
Thai Basil & Macadamia Pesto Topped Fish
I had a nice piece of snapper in the freezer and that’s what I was topping with my pesto. I just spread the pesto on top of the fish and wrapped in baking paper, baking for about 15 mins in a 170 deg C oven.
I served the fish with roasted and Thai caramelised truss cherry tomatoes (based on a Karen Martini recipe I saw on BH&G Australia). It was delicious. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more fresh herbs at the markets from now on. Making it in a pesto is a great idea to prolong the life of the herb and capture it at its freshest best.
This is a cost comparison on how to make your own muesli bars from scratch to save money and know exactly what ingredients are going into them.
Muesli bars are something that are worth making from scratch compared to if you buy them from the supermarket.
Using very basic ingredients you keep on hand all the time, you can make these muesli bars in no time and you’ll know exactly what ingredients are in them.
MUESLI BARS & OTHER LUNCH BOX SNACKS
Don’t worry. I get it. We’re all very busy and grabbing a $5 box of 12 muesli bars to throw in your child’s lunch box is super convenient.
I’ve tasted those store bought muesli bars and I don’t think they compare in taste to anything you can bake at home. Muesli bars (or oat bars, flapjacks, etc etc) are such an easy thing to throw together while you’re getting dinner ready.
They’re so easy for the kids to make as well. It’s just melt and mix. All you need is rolled oats, a few other very basic pantry staples and then you can let your hair down and throw in whatever your child’s favourite things are.
Things like:
chocolate chips
nuts
dried fruit
or check out the supermarket aisle for recipe combination inspiration
My biggest problem is what’s in the supermarket muesli bars. Check this out for a popular brand of Chocolate Chip Muesli Bars.
Seriously? You need a science degree to know what half of those things are!
THE RECIPE I USE FOR MAKING MUESLI BARS FROM SCRATCH
My recipe for Honey Oat Bars (from my high school Home Economics cook book “Day to Day Cookery” which I use as a base for my muesli bars) has these ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup honey
90gm butter
1/4 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 chocolate chips (optional)
That’s it! Other than the bicarb soda, everything is natural, they aren’t too sweet and this recipe produces about 18 ‘bars’.
COST COMPARISON OF MAKING THEM FROM SCRATCH
I did the exercise and costed out this recipe.
Compared to the 12 pack box of branded Chocolate Chips Muesli Bars at $5.00 ($0.60 each), the cost to make these yourself as above works out at a total of $1.46 for 18 bars or 9 cents each!
A SAVING OF $3.64 per BOX or $0.51 cents each.
If you bought a box per week, that would cost $260 for 624 bars in 12 months.
If you made a batch per week of 18 (or made a double batch and stored them in the freezer) at a cost of $1.46, it would cost you $75.92 for 936 bars!
That would be a saving of $184.08 over the course of the year.
Not only that, you’ll know exactly what’s going into the bars compared to that massive list of ingredients above.
THE COST COMPARISON & THE RECIPE
I’ve based the cost of the ingredients on current Coles Supermarket prices (as at October 2020) and used the homebrand ingredients and, in this case, I opted to use syrup instead of honey in this recipe because syrup is cheaper.
It’s a bit fiddly because you need to find the cost of the total ingredient, how much a serving weighs (just Google it) and then enter into the calculator above. A good exercise and you’ll soon see how much you can actually save from making your food from scratch.
Just about everything you see in the supermarket can be made from scratch whether that’s a food item or something like dishwashing liquid. I want to highlight just how good Greek yoghurt is for it’s nutrients and how to use it.
Greek yoghurt nutrients & health benefits
Higher protein content
The reason why Greek yoghurt has more health benefits than regular yoghurt is because it contains more protein. According to Prevention.com, 170 grams of Greek yoghurt has the same amount of protein of 85 grams of red meat.
This means that eating Greek yoghurt as a snack will help you feel fuller for longer. It’s also great for vegetarian recipes when you’re looking at increasing your protein intake.
Low in calories
There are approximately 61 calories in 100 grams of full fat Greek yoghurt. This makes it the perfect addition to a healthy diet.
Because of the versality of Greek yoghurt in so many different recipes, it’s the perfect ingredient for so many different healthy meals. It also makes the perfect substitute for higher fat options like sour cream, cream and mayonnaise.
Contains good fats
Depending on which advice you read and what time of the year, everyone has their opinion about full fat or low fat when it comes to dairy products and in particular, Greek yoghurt.
One minute caffeine is good for you and then it’s not. The experts are forever changing their minds but my opinion has always been ingredients that have had the least amount of processing done, will always be best for you.
If you do choose a low fat Greek yoghurt, check the sugar (or carbohydrates) content as sugar is often added to low fat Greek yoghurt. Also, if you buy flavoured Greek yoghurts, more sugar is often added in the way of flavouring that’s why I always buy the plain full fat Greek yoghurt and I can use it in sweet or savoury recipes.
Vitamins and Minerals
Full fat Greek yoghurt contains nearly every nutrient you need in a well balanced diet.
Greek yoghurt made from whole milk contains Vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus and riboflavin (Vitamin B2).
Probiotics
When we started tampering with our diets and eating more low fat, processed foods, our overall health suffered and obesity is at an all time high.
This also upset the natural balance of good and bad bacteria found in our digestive system. With the introduction of probiotics in the form of supplements, it helped regulate the bacteria found in our guts but this probiotic is found naturally in Greek yoghurt due to the live and active cultures found in the yoghurt.
Benefits of these probiotics include enhanced immune system, lower cholesterol, vitamin synthesis, relieve the symptoms of Irritable bowel Syndrome (IBS), protection against both diarrhea and constipation and lessening the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Other health benefits
Because of the calcium found in Greek yoghurt, it is beneficial for bone health and osteoporosis and has been known to lower blood pressure in those people suffering from high blood pressure.
Make your own flavoured yoghurts with blended or chopped fruit. Sweeten with a little honey or syrup. Great for school lunch boxes for the kids and will save you a packet on the yoghurt pouches.
Frozen yoghurt treats: mix yoghurt with your favourite fruits and freeze as ice blocks or ice cream for any icy sweet treat.
Add to cakes for a lovely textured cake. I have made many cakes as per the recipe and then added any leftover yoghurt to the cake and it’s turned out beautifully.
Make your own ricotta, labna or other soft cheese. Wrap yoghurt in a clean cloth (like Chux or muslin fabric) and hang over a dish until the liquid has drained. Use in any recipe as desired.
Add to smoothies for extra creaminess and a protein boost.
Use instead of sour cream or mayo for a healthier version.
Use as a meat marinade eg Indian Tandoori or Greek dish.
Add to hummus, guacamole or make your own dips. Add corn relish, gherkin relish or a packet of French Onion soup.
If you’re looking for an easy ANZAC Biscuit recipe, this is mine. It’s the same one I used when I was a child and is probably the same one (or similar) used back in the days of World War I. This is my easy ANZAC Biscuits in less than 30 minutes recipe.
Today is ANZAC Day, a day all Australians (and New Zealanders) commemorate the day the ANZAC soldiers landed on the beach at Gallipoli, Turkey in 1915 and remember the fallen soldiers (and still serving soldiers) in all conflicts since. We have a day off from school and work and every town and city in Australia marks the occasion with a dawn service at an ANZAC Memorial and a morning march.
Everybody usually makes Anzac Biscuits for ANZAC Day (or any time of the year really). They’re so easy to make and it was thought the women back home baked these biscuits for the soldiers overseas during World War I as they traveled and kept well.
I’m all out of rolled oats so we won’t be making them tomorrow. The above photo is from a previous time I made them. The kids enjoy making them (and eating them). The kids have had their fair share of sweet things for a while. The following is the recipe I use all the time, from my high school Home Economics text book “Day to Day Cookery”.
Anzac Biscuits
1 cup plain flour 1 cup rolled oats 3/4 cup coconut 3/4 cup sugar 140g butter 3 tsp golden syrup 3 tbs boiling water 1 tsp baking soda
Mix dry ingredients. Melt butter in saucepan, add syrup and water. Add baking soda, allow to foam and pour into dry ingredients. Mix well and drop spoonfuls onto baking tray. Allow room for spreading. Bake in a 160 deg C oven until golden brown.
The Ode of Remembrance
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
The weather is warming up, it’s time to drag the barbecue out and start grilling that meat. Summer time is here. There’s pasta salad, potato salad and coleslaw to make but no time, right? These easy to prepare platter salads are great to prepare ahead of time and make the perfect accompaniment to any family dinner.
There are no hard or fast rules with these recipes. In fact they are a great way to use up vegetables and/or fruits that are getting near their use by date.
It’s best to keep a good supply of pantry staples like oils, vinegar, herbs and spices, nuts, canned pulses etc to throw together these one platter salads so everyone can help themselves and, most importantly, you aren’t spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing a variety of salads.
Dinner can comprise grilled, poached, fried, baked meats, for example, with one of these salads. Serve with bread rolls, pita bread, Lebanese bread, garlic bread and you’ve got an easy meal on the table.
Add the grilled meat to the salad or just have another protein like canned pulses, boiled eggs or cheese for a meat free dinner.
Of course, you are not limited to the ingredients in these recipes. They really only serve as a guide. It’s all about using the fresh vegetables you have plus any canned pulses you’d like to add for more protein or even to eat as is as a whole meal.
Check out the ingredients list and keep a few different oils, nuts, seeds, vinegars etc in your pantry so you can make any or all of these platter salads for your next dinner or barbecue. I trust it makes meal times more easy and enjoyable for you and your family.
Buying pre-packaged snacks can add a lot to your grocery bill, especially if you’ve got children (or teens in my case). They seem to have ‘hollow legs’ and no amount of snacks or meals will fill them up. You also don’t want to be baking every day. Not everyone has the time. Here are a few ideas of how to save money buying snacks for your family.
Popcorn
Popcorn is so cheap to buy and easy to make. (The kids can make it in the microwave in a brown paper bag, as long as they are careful getting it out.) A little bit goes a long way.
For kids who are used to eating packaged chips etc, it might be a hard habit to get into but it’s worth breaking up the chip snacks with the occasional popcorn in their lunch boxes or for an after school snack.
Potato Chips & Cheesy Snacks
If you absolutely, positively have to buy potato chips (or similar) snack items for lunch boxes or snacks, buy the larger packets and put into smaller bags. (You can reuse ziplock bags. Just give them a rinse out or use a container or paper bag to put them in.)
Using the Coles homebrand as an example, check out these cost comparisons:
Cheezels
1 x 110g box Cheezels @ $2.40 / 10 bags ($2.18/100gm) = $0.24 cents per bag 1 x 170g bag Coles Cheese Tubes @ $1.50 / 10 bags ($0.88/100gm) = $0.15 cents per bag
Difference of $0.90 per bag Buying homebrand once per week = Savings of $46.80 per year
Potato Chips
1 x 380g 20 pack brand name box of chip packets @ $5.50 / 20 bags ($1.45/100gm) = $0.28 cents per bag 1 x 175g packet Coles homebrand chips (plain, salt & vinegar, chicken flavours) @ $1.60 / 10 bags ($0.91/100gm) = $0.16 cents per bag
Difference of $2.20 per 20 bags of chips Buying 2 x homebrand packets per week = Savings of $119.60 per year
As you can see, nearly double the price if you buy the individual packets. Try to bag them up as soon as you get home and HIDE them!
You can apply this principle to any packaged snacks like pretzels, corn chips etc. Always go the larger bag of homebrand snacks from the supermarket and bag them up yourself.
Nuts
Nuts are a great snack for older children (and obviously who don’t have allergies) because they contain a lot of protein which keeps them fuller for longer.
Nuts can be expensive though but if you put a couple nuts into a trail mix of popcorn, pretzels, dried fruit like sultanas and even a few choc chips in the mix, they make a tasty snack and a lot will go along way. Think almonds, walnuts, pecans or even peanuts.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit chopped up and mixed into a trail mix, as above, or on their own make a good healthy snack alternative especially when you run out of fresh fruit. It also mixes up your baked goods. Dried apricots, dates, sultanas or any dried fruit for that matter, are great in cookies, cakes, slices or bliss balls.
Bliss Balls
I don’t know where Bliss Balls were when I was growing up but I wish they were around. I love them myself for a mid morning, healthier snack and they really don’t take anytime to make at all.
You don’t need fancy ingredients. Usually a base of oats, any nut butter, a sticky sweetener like sugar-free maple syrup or honey and then add blitzed dried fruit like apricots or dates, add blitzed nuts and/or coconut and roll into balls using a small ice cream scoop and keep in the fridge.
One or two in your child’s lunch box and then a few on an afternoon tea platter of fresh fruit, cookies, popcorn and/or any baked goods should keep them full until dinner time.
You don’t even have to make them into balls. Roll it into a log shape, pop in the fridge to firm up and cut into slices like I did for these Apricot & Coconut Bites.
High Protein Snacks
Snacks with a high protein will always fill your hungry family members bellies.
Things like boiled eggs, slices of deli style meats, cheese cubes or slices etc will always go down a treat in a lunch box or on an afternoon tea platter for your children.
Throw on some pickled onions, gherkins or olives too if they’re to your children’s tastes along with some crackers or homemade pita bread chips. These can be made from Lebanese bread or even tortilla which have been sprayed with a little oil, sprinkled with your favourite seasons and baked in the oven until crisp.
Sweet or Savoury Scrolls
If you don’t have a lot of time for baking, these pastry scrolls are great to pop into the oven while the oven is on (like when you’re cooking dinner.)
One sheet of puff pastry will make up about 18 small scrolls (if you cut them into 1cm slices).
Just spread with your favourite spread like Vegemite or lay ham or salami slices on the pastry, a sprinkle of grated cheese, roll up and bake for about 20 minutes in a 200 deg C oven. I’ve even made them by spreading butter on the puff pastry sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and they taste like doughnuts.
They can be frozen and taken out as needed or eat straight away.
I love baking but I don’t want to be in the kitchen all day baking either, especially when my kids devour it as soon as I pull it out of the oven. I want a lot baked in a short amount of time with as few ingredients as possible.
My Bulk Cookie mix using only 5 ingredients will allow you to create a few different flavoured cookies at once and makes a nice, crunchy cookie.
Double or triple a basic muffin batter and make 3 different flavoured muffins at once.
You can check out my Best of Lunch Box Baking with Pantry Staples recipes here.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
You can’t beat it for healthy snack option but sometimes they can be expensive. Only buy what’s in season.
You can also save some money by buying frozen or canned fruit. It will last longer and having a couple cans of tinned fruit in the pantry to use when all the fresh has been used up is a handy standby.
I like to dispense a can of tinned fruit into small containers and mix up a jelly and add that to the fruit for fruit and jelly cups.
Carrots, celery, capsicum, baby corn, radishes etc etc all make great dippers for a homemade dip like hummus or another homemade dip made with cream cheese.
To make a simple dip, buy the homebrand spreadable cream cheese or use sour cream and mix in chutneys, relishes, soup mix packets or use a salsa for dipping.
Don’t forget sweet dips too for fruit. Greek yoghurt flavoured with a little vanilla and unsweetened maple syrup is great for strawberries, other berries, apple and pear slices, bananas etc.
I also like to buy the occasional bag of marshmallows for hot chocolates, for baking or to make fruit kebabs where I thread chopped fruit and a marshmallow on a skewer for an afternoon snack.
Don’t forget about making a fruit smoothie for an afternoon snack and even freeze them into icy poles. You can grab the icy pole molds here.
There are so many different ideas for snacks. Your best inspiration is from the supermarket itself. If the supermarket sells it you can bet that there’s a recipe online for it. Don’t go out of your way to buy special ingredients but search for an easy recipe version of it.
If your children are used to those pre-packaged snacks, it’s time to make a change. Not only will it be healthier for them, you’ll save a ton of money. My kids have gotten used to my home baking and realising that not everything comes out of a packet from the supermarket.
I first remember cottage cheese in the 1970s when my mother bought it. I think it was because of the diet craze and somehow cottage cheese had all these health benefits. For me, as a teenager, I took one look at it and knew it wasn’t for me but as an adult, I’ve found it to be just as good to use in recipes as cream cheese but lighter and healthier. Here’s 26 sweet or savoury recipes using cottage cheese.
What is cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese has a mild flavour and is made from milk. It is made usually by heating the milk then adding an acid product to separate the curds from the whey. I think a lot of people are put off by the look of it but it can easily be whipped to a smooth consistency with either an electric hand beater or whisk.
Commercially, the product undergoes a few more processes and then mixed with cream ready for packaging and sold in the supermarket as we know it today. There are various levels of fat content available.
It’s easy enough to make yourself at home. It’s also the perfect substitute where ricotta cheese or Greek yoghurt is needed in a recipe. Blend the cottage cheese until smooth and use as required.
Is it healthy?
As mentioned earlier, it is well known in dieting circles as being the perfect light solution to cream cheese because of the lighter fat content. It can be used for both sweet and savoury options.
That doesn’t mean that it can’t be used normally to replace cream cheese in recipes if you don’t have cream cheese.
Many countries around the world use a product similar to what we know as cottage cheese. It’s called quarkand used regularly for both sweet and savoury dishes.
If you’re looking for ways to use up cottage cheese, search for quark recipes for more inspiration.
