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This Sydney Life

~ Mostly Recipes & Musings on Health

This Sydney Life

Tag Archives: Sugar

Make Cooking Your (Next) Hobby

13 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by Joanna in Health, Nutrition

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Cooking, food, Healthy Cooking, Hobbies, Hobby, Learn to cook, Sugar

TSL Make Cooking Your Hobby

If you want to get healthy, make cooking your(next) hobby!

I’m going to get mildly provocative for a moment and just put it out there that I believe you need to cook if you want to get really healthy. And, the corollary of that is, of course, that this will involve spending time in your kitchen. Unless you have as much money as Oprah, and have your own personal chef.

I have discussed this belief of mine on more than one occasion with The Paleo PI, most recently at our last Autoimmune Protocol Picnic. I quite like talking with PI. He’s male, and I’m not. He lives in a different city to me. And, there’s almost 20 years between us. He almost always gives me a different perspective. And he happens to be a great guy…

PI reckons he’s not much of a cook. I think he’s a little on the modest side. He’s successfully cooked for me, after all.

And – like anything – cooking takes practise. The more you do it, the better you get. And, given I happen to have a few years on PI, I’ve had a little more time to practise!

I didn’t start really cooking until I turned 30. Until then, I just ate!

I’ve mentioned before that my Mum is a great cook. We ate very well as a family growing up. My Mum’s chicken liver pâté remains a firm favourite for all of us. My annual birthday meal request was always filet of beef with Mum’s béarnaise sauce, usually served with duck-fat roast potatoes and green beans. And, I am still mourning the fact that I will never experience one of her 100% homemade Christmas mince tarts again (made with the shortest of gluten-filled pastry). They are so, so, SO good!*

But me, I didn’t really start to cook until I turned about 30. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to eat. Still do! But, cooking wasn’t really my thing during my traveling 20’s. I was too busy to do much more than reheat.

And, reheating is not cooking.

Now, I can’t help but wonder if I had cooked more and eaten out less; if I had taken more notice of what I was choosing to put into my mouth; if I had been more mindful about my food choices, would I still have had the same autoimmune issues…?

I suspect the answer is: probably. It’s never that simple. But, it has definitely contributed.

TSL Ginger Tea

(Image from here)

I happen to quite like the actual craft of cooking. I definitely love eating good food. But, for me the real enjoyment is about the whole process – selecting the freshest seasonal and local produce at the markets, talking with the farmers (and sometimes the butchers) to understand where my meat comes from, learning about the nutrient density of the food I am ingesting, and the knowledge that the food I am preparing for those I love is doing them good.

And, occasionally, I like satisfying LM’s sweet tooth with a healthier version of traditional deserts and ice creams. And, in his case, this always means dairy free.

But, you don’t have to love cooking to make it your hobby.

You just need to want to make healthy choices. And, you can’t make healthy choices if you are always dining out or eating out of packets.

I dragged LM off to see That Sugar Film earlier in the week (I recommend the film!). Did you know that there is sugar added to approximately 80% of all products sold in an Australian supermarket? And that’s before we even start talking added preservatives, GMO foods, trans fats and other nasties.

TSL That Sugar Film

‘That Sugar Film’ Q & A at the Orpheum cinema
(Image by TSL)

Do yourself a favour and spend some (more) time in your kitchen this week.

Commit to it. If you’re not a cook, start slow. Start easy. Make some bone broth. Make a frittata. Make a Jamie Oliver Inspired Four Hour Lamb (If you leave off making the gravy, it only has 3 ingredients!)

Do you cook? Have you made cooking your hobby? I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this topic!

*Maybe I’ll start working on a gluten-free version…?

Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups (TSL Style!)

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Joanna in Food, Random Stuff

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Chocolate, Dairy Free, food, Gluten Free, Paleo, Pana Chocolate, Peanut butter, Peanut butter cup, Recipe, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, Sugar

Chocolate Macadamia Butter Pieces

TSL’s Chocolate Macadamia Butter Pieces
(Image by TSL)

Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put ‘eat chocolate.’ Now, you’ll get at least one thing done today.(Gina Hayes)

I remember the first time I ever tried a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup. It was well over twenty years ago, now. I was on a working-holiday in Lake Louise at the time. My very good buddy, Michelle, introduced me to this sublime wee number of super-sweet confectionary and we both lamented the fact that we could not find them in New Zealand back then…

Reece's Peanut Butter Cup (Image from here)

Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup
(Image from here)

How times have changed! Reece’s are now readily available down under. But, here’s the thing, I try pretty hard to reduce the amount of sugar I have in my diet. And, let’s face it, because I do most of the cooking at Casa TSL, that means LM and the teenager also suffer from major sugar withdrawal. We have cut down our sugar consumption significantly. And, I just don’t eat such preservative-and-sugar-laden-yet-so-still-good stuff like Reece’s pieces anymore. 

Regular readers will know that LM has a seriously sweet tooth*. That hasn’t changed. We still indulge in our after dinner chocolate treats from Pana Chocolate. And sometimes, I get the urge to experiment a little…

And, yesterday was one of those days…

My good blogging buddy over at Clean Eating With a Dirty Mind posted about her version of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups back in April. And, then I saw another version at Lexi’s Clean Kitchen recently. Clearly, it was time for me to take action!

I took a pinch of CEWADM’s recipe and combined it with a dash of Lexi’s. Then I added my wee Australian-influenced spin (macadamia nuts!). The end result was these seriously fab’ little morsels which have received the LM seal of chocolate approval.

Chocolate Macadamia Butter Pieces

TSL’s Chocolate Macadamia Butter Pieces
(Image by TSL)

They are surprisingly easy to make AND they only have five ingredients. Michelle, if you’re reading this, I’ll make you some next time you’re in town!

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. (Charles M. Shulz)

Chocolate Macadamia Butter Cups (TSL Style)

You’ll need:

1 cup dark chocolate (72% or higher). I used 120g.
1/3 cup macadamia butter. I used my favourite Hand ‘n’ Hoe roasted macadamia butter but choose your favourite nut or seed butter)
1/2 Tbsp raw organic honey. Not an exact measurement. Sweeten to your taste.
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
Pink Himalayan sea salt flakes for sprinkling

You will also need about 12 mini muffin liners

Directions:

In a small bowl mix your macadamia butter, honey, and vanilla extract. Place bowl in freezer to firm up.

Break your chocolate into small pieces and melt by placing into a heat-resistant bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and stirring until smooth.

Drop about 1/2 a tablespoon of chocolate into the base each of your muffin liners. Swirl to coat thoroughly. Place into fridge.

Remove your butter mixture from the freezer and roll into small balls.

Take your muffin cases out of the fridge. Place a butter ball into the center of your chocolate and slightly flatten.

Top with the remaining chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in the fridge until set.

ENJOY!

Store any remaining butter cups in the fridge.

Makes about 1 dozen

TSL Chocolate Macadamia Butter Pieces

TSL's Chocolate Macadamia Butter Pieces (Image by TSL)

TSL’s Chocolate Macadamia Butter Pieces
(Images by TSL)

*On our first date, when I asked if there was anything I needed to know about him, he said (and I quote), “I don’t share desserts”.

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