Like many (MANY) Mondays, I woke this week determined to pay for the excesses of the weekend. Tell me I’m not the only repeat offender who does this? There was a bit of carb-fest on Sunday as we hibernated, watched a movie and lazed around with …
Last week we braved the long drive, the blizzardy weather, the LOUDEST two children on earth and made a family mini-vacation in the snow happen. I’m going to need a whole year to recover before I attempt that again so I hope our little guys …
If you haven’t yet stumbled upon the goodness that is the super grain phenomena, fear not. It’s not as hipster/foodie as it sounds and, it could be as simple as switching your white rice for brown.
There’s been a very defined consumer shift in the past 18 months or so, with both singles and families driving a movement towards less processed, packaged foods and welcoming a return to whole, simple foods which pack a massive nutritional punch with minimal additives.
Enter the super grains!
Also known as ‘Ancient Grains’ or ‘Heritage Grains’, super grains hark back to civilisations of old, where nobody had the time nor the technology to hull their grains. Thus, they were simply eaten in their whole (unprocessed) form – which is what makes these little pantry super-heroes so nutritious.
Iconic kiwi brand Tasti have just launched their new range of SuperGrains Bars which I’m loving because of the low sugar content (the three varieties are all under 6g per serve!). As I’m quite a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants Mum who’s always in need of quick, convenient and nutritious options as the kids and I are racing out the door lol, I was keen to find out what was so special about the ‘special’ ingredients used in these new bars – quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, brown rice, oat and millet.
Ready to Level-up on your foodie knowledge? Read on!
Quinoa
(Keen-wah) Guess what? Quinoa is not even a grain!! It’s a seed, a pseudocereal as it’s not a member of the true grass family but is grown and harvested the same way as grains.
Quinoa originated in Peru, is a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids, is high in dietary fibre and is a low GI option. Quinoa is yum! We switch it out for rice or add it to salads.
Amaranth
Like it’s mate quinoa, Amaranth is actually a seed. It’s also a complete protein, is a great source of vitamins and minerals – calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and 1 cup contains around 80% of your daily recommended iron intake! Again, to use at home, substitute your rice for more nutrient dense amaranth.
Buckwheat
You guessed it – another super seed! Like quinoa and amaranth, buckwheat is a great source of protein but also boasts higher levels of B vitamins, copper and magnesium. Buckwheat flour is one of the key ingredients in Japanese Soba noodles and the groats can be used to create textural, delicious salads.
Brown Rice
Exactly the same as white rice, but subject to less processing. Brown rice only has the outer hull removed whereas white rice has the outer hull, the bran layer and the germ cereal removed. The ‘wholeness’ of brown rice results in a grain that offers proteins, thiamine, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and potassium without the artificial enrichment that white rice is subject to.
Oat
Oat is a grain that has been grown for its seed for generations. Though it has been touted for it ‘healthfulness’ for years now, it has experienced a renaissance as Bircher Muesli and Oatmeal have become popular (again!) as part of increasing consumer value being placed upon whole foods.
Oats are lauded for their cholesterol lowering effects and are an excellent source of protein, dietary fibre, B vitamins and numerous other vitamins and minerals including manganese.
Millet
A popular replacement for gluten-containing cereals, millet is a seeded grass, thought to have originated in Africa and is present throughout history in many ancient civilisations, particularly in Africa and Asia. Relied upon as a dietary staple in many parts of the world Millet is high in starch, B vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium, healthy fats, protein and dietary fibre.
Finding a snack option that I can add to my grocery list guilt-free, is a rare coup these days – the fact that the Tasti SuperGrains range are chewy, moreish, and delicious and are loved by both adults and kids in our household is even more awesome. The winning combo of between 34-38% whole grains in each bar, low sugar and three kick-ass flavour combos (Pepita, Chia and Manuka Honey, Almond, Cranberry and Linseed, Cocoa, Toasted Coconut and Quinoa) makes this new range from Tasti a lunchbox/purse essential.
Available in-store at leading supermarkets now.
One reader will win a box of each flavour from the new SuperGrains range from Tasti. Enter by telling me which flavour (Pepita, Chia and Manuka Honey, Almond, Cranberry and Linseed, Cocoa, Toasted Coconut and Quinoa) sounds like a bit of you in the comments below.
Competition closes 9/10/16. NZ residents only.
The 2016 rugby season has just about wrapped up for us. Ethan’s J1 team played their last game together on Saturday, a huge milestone as 18 out of the 22 boys are heading off to high school next year. Saying goodbye to the rugby club …
Friday is always the best day of the week when you’re a kid and this winter Dave has started a new breakfast tradition that has the boys getting to the breakfast table even faster than usual. Ethan is a kid who has remained true …
Having an indulgent, ‘treat’ breakfast is one of life’s little luxuries whatever age or stage you’re at. By getting a bit creative with the ingredients, you can help reduce the ‘guilt’ factor many of us feel and make an easy family-friendly meal that can be adapted to meet many specific dietary requirements.
We’ve been using Almond Milk in our smoothies for a couple of years now and I love it. I do find that life gets in the way however, and I’m often throwing out a half-finished carton that’s been open for longer than it’s recommended 5-day fridge life. I am way too frugal to be doing that – it kills me!
Plus, to be perfectly honest, I have zero time for soaking my own nuts and whipping up homemade nut milk. You can chastise me and tell me a thousand times how easy it is, but it’s just not happening lol. Ain’t nobody got time for that – in my house at least!
Convenience is key right?
So, for this recipe I switched the dairy milk I would normally use for French Toast for organic Almond Milk Powder from Stir it Up and the results were amaze! Creamy milk and zero waste as I made up exactly what I needed plus the prep was completely unfussy and quick.
1 heaping tablespoon of Stir it Up Almond Milk Powder
½ Cup of warm water
3 Eggs
6 Slices of bread
1 Tablespoon of Harvest Rice Bran Oil
Icing sugar, maple syrup, fruit to serve
What do you think – on the menu this weekend?
Here’s something interesting I noticed, the almond content of my usual carton milk is only 2.5% compared to 20% in the Stir it Up powdered milk product! That’s a BIG nutritional win.
You can find Stir it Up’s range of plant based milks which includes Oat Milk Powder ($12.99), Coconut Milk Powder ($15.99), Soy Milk Powder ($12.99) and the Almond Milk Powder ($15.99) I used in the French Toast recipe in leading supermarkets in the long-life section.
I have an amazing prize pack to give away from the awesome people at Stir it Up!
Simply comment below with your ideas for simple ways to switch dairy for plant milk and get in the draw to win the following;
Yay! Competition closes 18/9/16 NZ residents only.
Last week I shopped online at The Warehouse* and was able to pull together a super cute spring outfit for Nixon in literally, a matter of minutes (you can check it out here). This week, for Part 2 of my Head to Toe series, I …
The weather’s not really giving much away at the moment but the daylight hours are gradually increasing and we’re all feeling like spring is j u s t around the corner. Nix has jumped up another size over winter so it’s time to hit the …
When I signed on to throw some Best Nest styling at a gorgeous lounge in a Golden Homes showhome, I truly floundered for a little bit. What on earth was I going to bring to a professionally styled and curated room that had been designed to make people fall in love with a house?
I had no clue.
Golden Homes have been innovators in the New Zealand building industry for over 25 years and though I was flattered to have been asked to collaborate, I was also super-nervous about doing justice to their high quality home!
After visiting both the Albany and Millwater locations and spending some time exploring both homes I realised that what I wanted to do with this project was bring a piece of ME to the showhome. I wanted to create a room that was perhaps a little bit quirky, exuded warmth, was welcoming, eclectic and representative of our family. It needed to be kid friendly and functional, comfortable and down to earth. I wanted to leave having created a room that I loved and wished I could pick-up and pop back down in my own home.
Turns out it was easier than I had initially thought.
Once I got over the initial hurdle of undoing the existing picture-perfect styling I began to have a lot of fun. My canvas was my dream room – a perfect 4.7m square lounge with plenty of wallspace and a natural flow between the two entrances. Both showhomes I visited had a separate lounge like this and it makes such a difference to the overall feeling of space and functionality of the house.
As for bringing warmth to the house? My fears of a visually sterile environment were nullified by the sundrenched north facing aspect that made my morning’s work a light-filled (hot!) dream. Warmth and personality in a house aren’t just the result of drag-and-drop accessories that provide an instant quick-fix. The finishing in this lovely room is what sets the stage for successful styling. The cut pile carpet creates such a natural warmth and the framing of the room is completed by a heavy textured wallpaper that creates interest and a point of difference without jostling for attention.
When you own an older home like ours (circa 1950) you become acutely aware of the price of home maintenance and the huge cost of inaccuracy in builds. Three years ago when we were redecorating and replacing every door in our house, it took our builder 2 hours plus to fit each internal door because nothing was square. Steel framing has now eliminated many of the problems and inaccuracies that are common with timber framing such as expansion and contraction and mould and mildew due to moisture exposure. Every Golden Home is built using New Zealand Axxis steel using ZOG® steel-frame technology and is signed off by a registered engineer. This house was warm, quiet and grounded. As soon as I began to unpack my props and vintage items from home my vision for the lounge began to take shape.
I used a mix of items I love from home, items I shopped from Freedom Furniture and items that I ‘shopped’ the showhome for. If you want to restyle a room at home look at it as an entire project rather than picking up bits and pieces here and there. Start with a blank canvas – at least figuratively speaking. I took lots of pics and video during my visits and worked from those to find exactly what I needed for each space in the lounge. This helped keep me on-budget and ensure that I covered all of the essential lounge requirements. Managing a room in this way is like a new home build, but on a much smaller scale! Minimise surprises and ensure your wishlist is fulfilled. When they quote a build, Golden Homes are accurate and inclusive of all key costs at the outset to give you the complete and honest cost of your build so you are able to stick to your budget – that means more $$ to shop for homewares!!
The feeling I wanted to recreate here was what I loosely named “South-West Eclectic”. The couches, buffet, landscape painting and mirror were already in place and totally worked. The tall corner shelf and vintage coffee table I brought from home, plus, I shopped Freedom Furniture for on-trend, statement pieces that cemented the theme such as the Spectrum Rug $299, the Sakia Pouffe $299 and those Stag Prints $299 ea!!! Eclectic perfection.
I am so proud of this gorgeous space! My new-build snobbery (I’ll admit I had some, as I’m seemingly drawn to anything old and rundown that requires much $$$$ to fix it up :::sigh:::) has all but vanished and I now dream of a gorgeous, perfectly finished home to unleash Nixon on.
Joking, that would be a crime against humanity (Golden Homes, my toddler will never set foot in one of your showhomes I promise!).
Obviously my loud, bright and colourful style won’t be to everybody’s taste, but it goes to show just how personal you can make a room, and transform a house into a home, in a very short amount of time.
Thank you so much for having me Golden Homes, love your work xx
