JulieBhosaleAchive

Let us be honest, potato chips are quite irresistible. However, heavy processing of them has effectively rendered a favourite snack or side dish with very little nutrients and a few nasties in there. This recipe of mine is not fancy by any measure but turns our humble potato, skin still on into a homemade version which will be gobbled up (by big and little people) in seconds flat! Ingredients: 2-3 Russet Potatoes 2 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tsp of paprika 1 tsp of coarse salt Directions: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with non-stick paper. 2. Cut the potatoes into slices (use my photos as a guide to how thick!) and place into a large bowl. Add the olive oil, paprika and coarse salt then mix together. 3. Place potatos in single rows on the baking tray (you may need to do two lots depending on how many potatoes you use and how big your tray is). 4. Bake for approximately 30-40mins until the chips go golden brown. 5. Allow to cool for a bit and you can add a ...

It is no secret that I love slow cookers, also know as crock pots! We easily have at least two a week. Being a working mum they literally save my sanity come 5pm. Every year we do a special slow-cooker week so I was keen to create something new for this year. Based on the requests of some of my lovely VIP members I made this chicken curry using a whole chicken. Not only does this make it really easy for feeding a family but also cost effective. This whole meal cost less than $15!!! Plus having the chicken whole makes presentation really nice. My inspiration for this recipe came from one of my favourites in Healthy Easy Dinners for Busy Mums as well as Jamie Oliver's famous chicken in milk recipe. Soft succulent chicken still with nice crispy skin and seasonal vegetables...there was not much left over in our house! Ingredients 1 whole chicken Extra virgin olive oil (for browning the chicken) 4-6 baby potatoes 1/2 head of cauliflower 1 can of coconut cream 3 tsp of turmeric 6-8 Bay l...

A very hearty, wholesome meal which all family members can enjoy! This recipe is very high in iron with the inclusion of beef, chickpeas, some green leafy vegetables. I discuss more about the importance of iron for all family members over on my next blog . A casserole is a true classic and this version has a real taste kick with the Cajun spices, red onion and capsicum, without it being super hot (though you can add a chili if you really like!). For those with babies just blitz up a small portion of the vegetables, meat, chickpeas and juice into a blender for easy homemade baby food. Ingredients: 800g casserole meat (I recommend Quality Mark) Extra virgin olive oil (to fry) 2 Tb crushed garlic 30g Cajun seasoning 1 cup of chopped leek 2 potatoes diced 1 capsicum sliced 2 red onions sliced 1 tin (or 400g) chickpeas 2 cups of beef stock   Directions: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 140 degrees and prepare the beef. 2. Heat a medium sized fry pan, add oil and when hot quickly add the beef, g...

Do you have any foods or meals that are on your bucket list? By bucket list I mean that list of 'it would be nice to try and make some day when I have more time, energy and kind of know what I am doing?'. Well ribs has been one of my 'bucket list' meals. My husband loves them and the boys have always enjoyed them when we have eaten out together. As a #mumofboys I thought it high time that I had a crack at making them. Oh the slow cooker. Seriously one of my life savors in the kitchen. In fact I have even written blogs about just why I love them so much before! There is the misconception that you always need to have liquid in with meat in the slow cooker but here the ribs cook in their own juice! Simple, sugar-free (or at least low sugar) and ribs do not often seem to feature much. In particular I really did not want to add sugar to the rub or use a sauce laden with refined sugar. So I created a bit of my own recipe using spices I like (these can be easily adjusted) and...

I cannot take credit for this one (thanks Hubby) but I can promise you that it is easy, it tastes amazing and little ones will get very excited about it. If the thought of working with and preparing a crab is a bit daunting don't worry! I have a vlog for you (coming Tuesday) that will help guide you with this. Ingredients: 1 Tb Olive oil 1 Onion, diced 1 Tb Pre-crushed garlic 1 Tb Pre-crushed ginger 1 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Masala 2 Fresh crabs (keep crab fat when preparing) 1 x 400g tin of diced tomato Handful fresh coriander (to garnish)   Directions Clean and prepare the crab (I have a Vlog for you coming on Tuesday night!) Heat a large fry pan on medium heat, add oil is hot, add the onion and stir with a wooden spoon until it is soft and slightly brown. Add the garlic, ginger and crab fat and spices. Stir again to form a nice curry paste (the crab fat give this curry heaps of flavour). Add the crab followed by the tomato. Turn heat down, cover and allow to simmer for ap...

This is a little taster for you of one of the most popular recipes from my first cook book, Healthy Easy Dinners for Busy Mums. This meat loaf is an old school recipe with a bit of jazz. The spices and herbs can be easily adjusted to your liking and according to what you have in the cupboard. This can be made in the morning and re-heated for dinner and any leftovers make a great lunch option. Ingredients: 500 grams mince (beef or lamb would work best) 1 Egg 2 carrots grated 5 button mushrooms chopped finely 1 small red onion finely chopped 1 tbsp each of crushed garlic and ginger 1 tsp crushed chilli (optional) 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander ¼ Cup fresh parsley (can also add dried) Salt and pepper to taste Topping 3 tbsp of rolled oats (optional) 3 tbsp of tomato sauce (I recommend Get Real Food sauces) 2 tbsp of chopped parsley and coriander Ground pepper to your liking Method: 1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and press into a loaf tin. Make the topping and s...

This is a great meal for the whole family, baby included, which is very high in iron, fat and B-vitamins. It honestly takes all of five minutes preparation in the slow cooker and then a quick pulse in the Philips Avent 2-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker   when you get home! The puree is so good even the big people of the house will love it! You can read more about the importance of adding meat into your babies diet when starting solids in my earlier blog here.  Ingredients: 500g-750g of rolled rib beef (ideally get one with the string already on!) 3 carrots, chopped 2 onions, sliced 1-2 red kumara, chopped 1 and 1/2 cups of beef stock Extra virgin olive oil (to seal the meat) Directions: 1. Turn a large fry-pan on medium heat, when hot add a little bit of oil and place in meat to seal all the sides. Remove from heat and place into the slow cooker. 2. Put in all the chopped vegetables around it. 3. Pour over beef stock, cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-7 hours. 4. To make baby...

How to introduce meat to babies is something that I see a lot of parents unsure about and there is not a lot of information on why this is really important. In my previous blog on starting solids, I discussed some crucial reasons why I do not recommend starting babies on baby rice (or variation of infant cereal). I also spoke about starting off on a staple vegetable such as pumpkin or kumara, quickly followed by a meat source. The key reason for this is due to babies iron levels. Breast milk contains only low (or little levels) of iron, and to compensate babies are born with sufficient iron stores to last up until approximately six months of age, after which it drastically drops off. This is why the recommendation is for babies to start complimentary feeding at six months of age. Adding to the current whirlpool of information we are seeing some research to suggest (as well as guidelines from some health care providers) starting babies at four months on solids. Babies develop at differ...

This recipe will be sure to impress with flavours that sing together and of course - it's super simple!! Perfect for Fathers Day (we know just how much men love their meat) but actually it is also an easy yet super tasty dinner which children will love and can be really easy to add to a puree for little bubs. Ingredients: 700 grams of chicken drumsticks 6 tb of olive oil 3 tb of garlic 1 lemon 2 tsp of paprika 2 tsp of dried thyme (or mixed herbs) Handful of fresh coriander Salt Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 2. To make the marinade, in a large bowl add the olive oil, garlic (you can do 2 tbs if you wish), paprika and thyme.  Finely chop 2-3 tb of coriander and add to the bowl then squeeze in the juice from half of the lemon. 3. Place in chicken drumsticks and coat well in the marinade. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least an hour (can leave for a few hours). Just take chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking (to ensure even cooking). You can ei...

From raw vegetables to warm, healthy soup in less than 8 minutes? It is possible with the amazing NutriBullet ! It's fair to say I am a little more than obsessed with this with this must-have kitchen appliance...you will see why when you watch the vlog on Facebook tonight! I love pumpkin soup - it is really cost effective, an important source of potassium and the color is always amazing! The following is a version of my Pumpkin Soup with a Twist recipe but NutriBullet style! Ingredients: 1/4 of pumpkin, chopped roughly 1-2 potatoes 1 cup of chicken stock 2-3 slices of onion 1 small glove of garlic 1 carrot (optional) 1 tsp of paprika Directions: Place all ingredients into the Souper Blast pitcher. Place on the NutriBullet and hold down the main button until it turns red (this is what turns on the soup heating function). After exactly 7 minutes it will stop automatically. Done! It really is that easy! And it's the perfect temperature to enjoy straight away! P.S We hav...