January

January is a funny month don’t you think.  We stumble out of the haze of Christmas and New Year, armed with the good intentions of New Year’s resolutions.  The kids are still on holidays, but we return to work – but not everyone is back at work, so a lot of stuff just gets left until February.  Then before you can say “oi oi oi” it’s Australia day, the Country Music Festival is in full boot-scooting swing and we are playing host to a swag of visitors. 

So the way I see things, life at number 35 doesn’t return to normal until really the first week of February – school’s back, visitors have returned home, everyone is back at work.

Now is the time to start really thinking about what I want to achieve this year – not the usual “lose weight, be fitter” waffle that is trotted out every January 1 – things that will really make a change in my life for the better.  It’s easy to “resolve” to do something, but there is never any clear path or definite outcome.  Wouldn’t it be better to set some goals for each month with an end result that’s tangible?  I may still have a goal of losing weight, but what will I do each month to get there and what do I want to be at the end of the year.

But while I tend to concentrate on my weight and my fitness, I neglect other areas of my life that I would like to improve.  And maybe if I were able to get these other areas under control, then the constant battle with my weight wouldn’t be so...constant.

I’ve been reading Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project” and the monthly challenges she set for herself to find happiness.  She felt like life was racing by and the real things that mattered in that life were getting bogged down and neglected in the rush.  Each month she looked at particular area of her life – marriage, work, friendships – and worked on improving her focus on these things in order to be happier. 

In January, Gretchen turned to improving her vitality – she aimed to:

• Go to bed earlier
• Exercise better
• Toss, restore, organise
• Tackle a nagging task
• Act more energetic

The challenge for February was to focus on her marriage:

• Quit nagging
• Don’t expect praise or appreciation
• Fight right
• No dumping
• Give proofs of love

I have decided to follow Gretchen’s path to happiness – a year of really concentrating on the things that make up my life and the things that really matter.  Now that it is February, I’ll be playing catch up but stay tuned....

Chicken Avocado Wraps

Adapted from "Table Tucker" by Penina Peterson

Ingredients:

2 chicken fillets, sliced into strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
400g can corn kernels
400g can diced tomatoes
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 yellow capsicum, cut into strips
8 tortilla wraps
2 handfuls salad leaves
1 large avocado, cut in chunks
2 tsp parmesan, grated
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Method:

Heat the oil in a frypan, add chicken and cook until nicely coloured.

Add the chilli and the capsicum, cook for around 5 minutes until capsicum starts to soften.

Add the corn and the tomatoes and simmer for around 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the tortilla wraps according to the packet instructions and arrange the remaining ingredients on a nice platter.

To assemble, take a tortilla wrap, add some salad leaves, then the chicken mix.  Top with some parmesan or cheddar cheese and some avocado.  Roll up and enjoy.

Makes 8 tasty wraps - enough for 4 people.

Weekly Meal Plan

School's back, visitors gone, time to get back into some sort of routine.

This week I'm revisiting "Table Tucker" by Penina Peterson. Penina provides weekly meals plans based on seasonal produce, as well as annual, seasonal, monthly and weekly shopping lists.  The meals are based on simple, everyday foods and just to make our lives even easier, you only cook on three nights of the week. 

So on Sunday, you also cook Monday's meal; on Tuesday, you cook Wednesday's; on Thursday, you cook Friday's. 

If you were really keen, you could do all your cooking on Sunday, but where's the fun in that.  Because I'm starting on a Monday, I'm just going to cook every night instead and see how it goes.

Saturday is a free night - think leftovers, something from the freezer, takeaway or try out a new recipe.

I haven't tried any of these recipes before, so if they are a hit I'll let you know.

Monday - Chicken Avocado Wraps

Tuesday - Stuffed Capsicums with Raw Veggie Salad

Wednesday - Lentil Patties with Pasta Macaroni Salad

Thursday - Easy Sausage Risotto

Friday - Tomato Caper Fish on Couscous

Sunday - Chicken Asparagus Bake

Panzanella

As well as loads of eggplants and zucchini, we are also raking in the cherry tomatoes.  As a happy coincidence I have been watching re-runs of Italian Food Safari on SBS and had received the Italian Food Safari cookbook from my favourite nephew for Christmas.

The lovely Guy Grossi whipped up this Panzanella Salad and it looked particularly delicious.  It is also a perfect way to use up some beautifully sweet cherry tomatoes and some leftover sourdough that was lurking around.

Ingredients

½ stale  sourdough baguette, roughly cut in chunks
3 vine ripened tomatoes, cubed
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
Handful fresh basil, leaves picked
Handful continental parsley, shredded
Salt and pepper
Aged balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Toast bread chunks in a moderate oven until dry and lightly toasted. Leave to cool.
Combine tomatoes and onion in a bowl.  Tear over basil leaves and parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle over oil and vinegar and toss thoroughly before serving.

Chargrilled Zucchini, Eggplant and Goats Cheese Salad

We have had an abundance of eggplants and zucchinis from our garden so far this summer, so this salad has been a popular one.

Chargrilled Zucchini, Eggplant and Goats Cheese Salad - from Notebook magazine February 2009

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, trimmed, cut into 1cm-thick slices
3 zucchini, trimmed, thinly sliced lengthways
2 red capsicums, quartered, seeded
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bunch mint, leaves picked
100g goat's cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup (80g) toasted pine nuts
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Char-grilled crusty bread, to serve

Method

Step 1
Preheat a barbecue or char-grill pan on high. Brush the eggplant, zucchini and capsicum with 2 tablespoonfuls of the oil and sprinkle with cumin seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Add a quarter of the vegetables to the grill and cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until charred and tender. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat in 3 more batches with remaining vegetables.

Step 2
Add the mint, goat's cheese and pine nuts and gently toss to combine. Place on serving plates. Whisk the vinegar and remaining oil in a bowl. Drizzle over the salad. Serve with char-grilled crusty bread, if desired.

Cute Things

Found these little things at some garage sales today.  They cost $2 each and I think they are quite cute.

The tray reminded me of one from Jamie Oliver's "15 Minute Meals" - I think it will become a regular fixture on our table.

A Bush Christmas

Christmas 2012 at my brother-in-law's property between Hermidale and Nymagee aka "the middle of nowhere".  A good time had by all.