Savoury Muffins

These muffins are super easy, very yummy and economical to make.  Also a great way to use up vegetables, both raw or cooked (dice up left over roast veges).  There is no butter or oil in this recipe - the cheese brings the richness.

Makes 10 -12  muffins

3 cups plain flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
3 pinches salt
3 pinches black pepper
2 cups grated tasty cheese (go for a mature cheese)
4 cups mixed roasted vegetables, with feta. spinach, mushrooms, or or frozen corn etc.
3 free-range eggs
1 1/2 cups  full fat milk
3/4 cups relish or chutney
Poppy seeds or sesame seeds for top

Ready to go into the oven

Pre-heat oven on fan bake 190°C. 
In a large mixing bowl sift flour and baking powder. Add salt, pepper and grated cheese mix through. Add chopped veges, feta, spinach and whatever else you want to put in the dry mixture.
Add eggs and milk then mix with a large spoon to combine, making sure all the flour at the bottom of the bowl is incorporated.
Set aside for five minutes as you grease your muffin tin.
Pile the mixture into the muffin tin, making sure there is an even amount in each space.
Top each with a generous teaspoon of your favourite relish or chutney and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
Place muffin tray in the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for a few minutes before turning out and devour with lashings of butter.


Savvy Tips

The chutney or relish on top of the muffins is important.  If you don't have any use pesto or tomato sauce.

When making these muffins prepare the dry and wet mixes the night before. Just combine the next day when you are ready to make them.

Try adding chopped up parsley or thyme to the mix for added flavour.

Fabulous Feijoa Muffins

Excess Feijoas? Try these easy and delicious muffins

FABULOUS FEIJOA MUFFINS

Ingredients
75g butter, melted
1 cup finely chopped feijoa flesh
2 large eggs
finely grated rind of 1 orange
¼ cup orange juice
¾ cup sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1. Heat oven to 210°C (200°C fanbake), with the rack just below the middle.
2. Heat the butter in a large bowl until it is liquid.
3. Halve the feijoas and scoop out the central part with a teaspoon. (Muffins are nicest if you do not use much of the firmer outer shell.)
4. Chop feijoa into pieces no bigger than peas. Pack into cup measure, then mix this into the melted butter with a fork.
5. Add the unbeaten eggs, orange rind, and the juice of the orange (made up to volume with a little lemon juice if necessary). Mix until everything is combined.
6. Mix the sugar and self-raising flour in another container. Sprinkle it over the egg mixture, then fold it in without overmixing. (If you have used too much firm feijoa flesh you may need to add a little extra juice or milk to reach usual muffin consistency.)
7. Divide the mixture between greased muffin pans.
8. Mix the cinnamon and second measure of sugar, and sprinkle it on the muffins.
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the centres spring back when pressed.

Variation: For Raspberry and Feijoa Muffins, add an extra ¼ cup of sugar and fold in 1 cup of frozen raspberries.

Enjoy with a hot cuppa!

From Marvellous Muffins by Alison Holst (Hyndman Publishing, 1994). 

Anzac Biscuits

SUPER ANZAC COOKIES

We've adapted these so they pack alittle more nutritional punch than the traditional!

Prep 10min / Makes 40

1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tblsp Chia Seeds (optional)
1 1/2 cups Oats
100g butter
2 T honey or Golden Syrup for a more traditional flavour
1 tsp baking soda
5 T boiling water

Mix together flours, sugar, coconut, seeds and oats. Melt butter and honey. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water and add to butter and honey. Combine with dry ingredients. Place tablespoon lots onto baking trays. Bake 180 for 15mins or until golden brown.

Savvy Tips ...

# Time saver: Divide the mixture in half, add in cranberries & cashews to one half then you will get two types of cookies.

# The mixture is quite wet and will stick to your hands, wet them lightly with cool water to stop the mixture sticking.

# Flatten these with your palm to get a good height cookie - they don't alter shape much with cooking.

# You can also make these into bars - a great snack and a good sustitute for store brought muesli bars.

# Dip or drizzle with good quality dark chocolate - delcious!

Adapted from the "Edmonds" Cookbook original recipe below.

Anzac Biscuits (Edmonds Cookbook recipe)

Minutes to Prepare: 15
Minutes to Cook: 15
Number of Servings: 20

Ingredients
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1/3 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Coconut (dessicated)
3/4 cup Rolled Oats
50g Butter
1 Tbsp Golden Syrup
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Boiling Water

Directions
*Mix together flour, sugar, coconut, and rolled oats.
*Melt butter and golden syrup.
*Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water and add to butter and golden syrup.
*Stir butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Place level tablespoonful of mixture onto cold greased trays Bake at180'C for about 15min or until golden.

Makes 20.

Vitality truffles – Choco dream

Vitality truffles – Choco dream

100g pitted dates (or a mixture of figs & dates)
100g apricots (soak in hot water for ½ hr first)
100g rolled oats
4 t cacao powder
2 T coconut oil
½ cup hazelnuts

Process all ingredients except the hazelnuts until well combined. Add hazelnuts and pulse or turbo until they are finely chopped. Use damp hands and roll into balls. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Savvy tip
For Easter - If you want to make them extra decadent, melt some good quality chocolate (I like to use 70%) and dip them. Set and keep in fridge. Might not tick the supper healthy box :) but a great nourishing homemade option for a chocolate hit.

Savvy Easter treats

Great alternative to chocolate eggs. So easy to make. There’s no cooking, no fussing and no lengthy preparation time. These treats are nourishing, healthy and delicious.

Blueberry Muffins - a savvy makeover

Food should taste great, this is something I'm not willing to compromise on. 

Obviously what I think is delicious you might not. These muffins are HIGH in FIBRE and SUGAR FREE! I'm not usually a fan of trying to make baking "Healthy" as often I find you end up loosing the deliciousness of it. I'd rather have the full fat, full sugar, full flavour version than a taste-less and rubber imitation. You can find some fantastic adapted recipes that still taste good but use real ingredients. These are a good healthy muffin alternative that still tastes great and 'cos its adaptable you make them to your personal tastes. We love them with blueberries! 

Here's some simple adaptions ...

Apple and Cinnamon
Banana Chocolate Chip
Raspberry and White Chocolate
Feijoa 

We'd love to hear your adaptions!

P.S Don't be fooled these lil muffins will fill you up!

Blueberry Muffins

Prep 10mins / Makes 18 - 24 mini muffins

These muffins are a great addition to lunches boxes for little ones and big ones. Morning/Afternoon Tea or after school snack. Full of fibre they are light but fill you up. No white flour! No sugar!

1 egg
1/4 cup Oil (I used olive, coconut oil would be nice too.)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup unsweetened greek yoghurt
Blueberries

Whisk egg, oil and honey to combine. Stir in wholemeal flour, coconut, oats and yoghurt.
I make this in a mini muffin tin greased lightly with oil, fill each case 3/4 full with mix. Push a Blueberry into the middle of each one.  Occasionally we add choc chips too.
Fan bake at 165 for 10mins

Savvy Tips ...

# Make these "dairy free" by changing out the yoghurt for almond milk.

# Change the Blueberries for other fruits.

# Try adding nuts, seeds and dried fruit - this could be a great breakfast muffin!

# Freeze them for a quick healthy treat in yours or the kids lunchbox!


Happy "Healthy" Baking!

Trish and Treena x

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Lunchbox Inspiration

We hope this helps take the stress out of making homemade lunches and allows you more time in the morning to spend with your kids or maybe fit in some exercise.

Get Organised
These “Savvy” tips take the guessing out of our morning routine and help to have things run smoothly as we are trying to manage breakfasts, get kids dressed and actually in the car ready to go. Having a list on your fridge of lunch ideas, helps jog the memory, a great tool if your kids are making their own lunches.

Lunch Boxes
There are some great containers with individual compartments that make it easy to pack individual lunch items. Try to avoid using clingfilm!

Prep Time
This is a way to make the task preparing homemade foods for your lunches simple and smooth.

Weekly Prep: Sunday evening is a great time to prep for both the kids and your own lunches. We pre-cut fruit and veggies, make dips and dressings and bake muffins, cookies or a slice. Also roasting pumpkin and other vegies and keeping them in the fridge is a great way to be able to assemble a quick salad or wrap. Make this part of your Sunday dinner prep. Once you get into the swing of this it will make lunch making easy. If your kids are at the right age get them to help too.

Daily Prep: Put together each kids/adults lunch from your Sunday prep. Add any fresh components. Try do this the night before so its ready to go in the morning!

Leftovers
Make extra dinner so you have leftovers to pack in your lunches the next day.

Lunch inspirations
Rice Paper Rolls
Wraps  (ham, cheese and tomato / Chicken & Salad - endless possibilities)
Quesidillas
Risotto cakes
Vegetable frittatas
Piklets
Mini Pizzas
Pita Pockets  (keep in freezer, make great pizza bases)
Smoothies  (Freeze and they should defrost by lunchtime)
Homemade Pita Crisps with hummus or Avocado dip
Homemade Lavash Chips with salsa or above dips
Quinoa Salad
Pasta Salad
Rice Salad

Panini's (Pre-make & freeze these, take out the night before and toast in the morning)
Savoury Muffins (spinach/feta - tomato/ham - corn/cheese - endless possibilities) 
Fruit Kebabs 
Corn fritters
Quiche
Tortilla Stack
Homemade Scrolls
Sushi
Boiled Egg

Old-Fashioned "Convenience"

Apples, Grapes, Cherry Tomatoes, Plums, Nectarines, Berries - wash and eat

Mandarins, Bananas, Grapefruit, Oranges - Peal and eat

Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Watermelon,  - Chop and eat

Avocado - Slice and dip in citrus juice to stop browning.

Savvy Tips … 

# Portion out snacks, make up bags of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, popcorn etc. that way you can just grab and go. 

# Freeze half of your baking, after a few weeks you’ll end up with a nice stash and you can then either have a week off and/or add variety buy choosing a new piece of baking each day.

# Kids love pre-packaged foods. So they don’t feel like they’re missing out choose carefully. You can find some that aren’t full of additives and preservatives.

# Silicone muffin cups add colour and are a easy way to divide up a plain container (just make sure your container doesn’t tip up!)

# Frozen baking will help keep other lunch items cool and will defrost by lunchtime.

# Leftovers such as mince, chicken, roast meat are great to pop on pita bread to make a quick pizza for lunch

# Freeze Fruit for a healthy and cooling snack in summer

# Freeze smoothies, will help keep them fresh and cool till lunchtime.

# Freeze your morning smoothie in iceblock molds for a cool after school snack

We hope you find this helpful and would love to hear your ideas and feedback. 

Remember to "Nourish your body each day with great food choices"

Hope this helps
Trish & Treena x