Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Sultana, Oats & Coconut Cookies (Nut-free & Cholesterol-free)

These delicious healthy cookies are crunchy, chuck full of whole-grains and cholesterol free.

Time:
Prep: approx 20 minutes
Cook: approx 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
120ml olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon boiling water
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
extra water during mixing (approx 2 - 3 tablespoons)





Method


  1. Preheat Oven to 190°C/170°C fan-forced.
  2. Using some oil, grease 2 large baking trays and line with baking paper.
  3. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and mix in rolled oats, sugar, sultanas, desiccated coconut and salt.
  4. Pour oil and honey into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while stirring for about 3 minutes until mixture bubbles slightly.
  5. Combine boiling water and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Stir this into the oil and honey mixture. The mixture will froth. Add to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
  6. Add the extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a mixture that sticks together (like mince meat). You want it just wet enough to roll into balls without falling apart. 
  7. Wet your hands in some water (this makes rolling easier) and half tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Place balls about 5cm apart on the baking trays and flatten slightly. 
  8. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. 
  9. Cool completely on trays and serve or store in cookie jars. 
These made 54 small cookies with a calorie count of 65 cal each. 

Variations
  1. If you want these to reduce the saturated fat, swap the coconut with whole sunflower seeds.
  2.  Add some diced fresh fruit for a fresh twist. 
  3. Add 2 more tablespoons of honey to the oil mixture and reduce sugar to 1/4 cup. 
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One idea for Pantry re-organisation

Today I enjoyed bring some long overdue order to my pantry. I re-purposed old honey, jam, tomato sauce, etc bottles for pantry storage. To make the labels, I downloaded some free printable templates and I have shared some links below. I have used some black duct tape to cover bottle labels that came off partially during the dishwasher cycle and the labels have been stuck on with wide clear sticky tape. I have run the wide sticky tape over the front of the labels to protect them from stains & dust.
This project only cost me the $2.00 it cost to buy extra sticky tape.


Lots of free printable labels can be found on the Better Homes & Gardens website and Pinterest.


Today, take your time.



Today.
It's yours. Don't let it slip away. 
Take your time to breathe today in, the bits you loved, deep into your lungs and your soul.
Take time to breathe out the anxieties, the rushing and the stress.
Your coffee. It's yours. Take time to remember it's aroma.
Your food. It's yours. Take time to let the taste sink into your tongue.
Today, remember that if these were the only gifts you had, you were blessed to have them at all.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Quiet! Still your anxious thoughts.

The Christmas bells have stopped jingling and the fireworks that ushered in the New Year are now kilobytes in memory sticks. A new Calendar with brand new months to live present a long list of aspirations, increasing responsibilities as the family grows and parents age, potential career progression opportunities, new movies to add to our 'haven't had time to watch' list and new books we must try to read this time around.

Work has begun and the hours drag on but there aren't enough of them to do what we really want (need) to do. The weekends whiz by as they do and with them the new year resolutions start to slip away 'again'. The mind begins to worry. Am I doing it right? Is this déjà vu or am I actually growing, becoming better, beginning to flourish or whatever? Is anything changing in my life for the better or is it just a mirage, a distant hope, a spiderweb in my cluttered mind?


  
                                                                                                                                 Cubberla Creek, Chapel Hill, Brisbane.


All this worrying doesn't help, it just muddies the waters and it's hard to see the direction one is swimming. Anxiety is meaningless but it's a familiar drug. It doesn't serve any useful purpose but it's easy to pick it up as a daily hobby.

Remember. Today, your life is full. You are where you should be, doing what you are supposed to be doing. You have all you need to achieve all that is required of you today. Rest deep in this thought. Quiet, oh anxious mind. Still yourself. All the worry and flailing thoughts sap all the energy. In quietness and rest we find the strength to live each day best.



Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Today I loved...


Early morning raindrops, dripping down bright green leaves. 




Cool wind on my face, raindrops dripping onto my hair and shoulders. A welcome change from the humid warmth of the past week. Quiet morning walk while my offspring slumber. Peace & Calm before the hustle and bustle of the day. Daily gifts, received, unwrapped and enjoyed. When I take the time to receive, to notice, I remember that life is always blessed. Full. #Thankful