Fruit & Yoghurt Biscuit Trifle in a Jar. Healthy, Happy Lunch Boxes.

This recipes was my favourite of the three I demonstrated with the help of amazing little chef volunteers at the Sunshine Coast Agricultural Show this year.

All the fruit & Yoghurt Biscuit Trifles at the show where made with stunning local produce from Jeffers Market if your on the Sunshine Coast or visit this way ever - you NEED to go and check out Jeffers!

I love this recipe so much and I wanted to demonstrate just how easy and simple it can be to make something AMAZING and healthy for the lunch box that kids really will demolish and better yet can even make themselves for their own lunchbox the night before! Oh yeah! Less work for us mums!!

And one of the greatest things about this recipe is you can use whatever fruit is in season right now, whatever fruit is on special or locally grown and beautiful and whatever fruit your kids like and each child can make theirs with their favourites!

What you need

• A nice clean jar with a good sealing lid.
• Yoghurt of choice. I like Maleny dairies, Jalna, Qld Yoghurt and Five AM. (Not paid to say that). For all the ones made at the show and the one pictured here I used Maleny Dairies yoghurt.
• Assorted fresh fruit, think things like blueberries, strawberries, rock melon, kiwi fruit, watermelon, passionfruit, pineapple, paw paw grapes and whatever is in season and tastes great in your area.
• A nice healthy biscuit. Homemade is best or look for one that is gluten free and refined sugar free.
• Spoon to pack with it!

Method

• Prepare all the fruit you will be using.
• Make sure jar is squeaky clean.
• Get the kids to assemble a generous layer of yoghurt.
• Top with lashing of beautiful fresh fruit.
• Place biscuit in a paper bag and smash until it resembles crumbles.
• Sprinkle biscuit crumbs on top.
• Seal and pack with an ice pack for an exciting morning tea!

Simple. Delicious, Budget Friendly, Healthy.

And irresistible!

Notes

• For dairy free use coconut yoghurt or soy yoghurt.
• You can either create just like this OR do it in layers like a real trifle, starting with a biscuit base, then yoghurt, then fruit, then biscuit, then yoghurt then fruit etc.
  
  Check out my NEW FB page Healthy, Happy Lunch Boxes for HEAPS of lunch box inspiration and ideas.
  
  Bek xoxo

Dinosaur Biscuits. Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Nut Free, Egg Free.

Dinosaur Biscuits

Gluten free, Refined Sugar Free, Egg Free


My little miss 4 is a funny little thing. While she belts out Frozen songs as much at the next girl and does ballet and loves barbie dolls she also absolutely LOVES dinosaurs, dragons, bugs, crocodiles, sharks and trucks and motorbikes.
Myself and my miss 9 often just look at each other mystified as we are both very much girly girls.
Violet's bedroom greets you with dinosaurs and dragons. her favourite colour is green and when she grows up, she wants to be a DRAGON.
Yep.

For her fourth birthday of course it was a Dinosaur Party - you can see the food and party ideas for that one HERE 

These biscuits both my 4 and 9 year olds can make and they both love! Though my 9 year old often makes hers with a love heart instead.

Ingredients

100 grams butter

½ cup coconut sugar or Natvia stevia

1 & ¼ cups gluten free plain flour or spelt flour plain – note spelt is not gluten free only low gluten)

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or essence

¼ teaspoon baking powder (gluten free)

3 tablespoons almond, coconut, soy or dairy milk

¼ cup jam with no sugar added. You will find many of these at supermarkets and health food stores or better yet, make your own yummy jam!

2 tablespoons water

1 potato (or very clean dinosaur)

Method

Pre heat oven to 180’c or 160 if it is fan forced.

Line a baking tray with baking paper, I use non bleached If You Care brand.

Heat jam in a saucepan with the water, stir and set aside.

Cut a large potato in half. Then take one half and score/cut a dinosaur shaped foot print into one side so that it sticks out.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until it looks fluffy and well together.

Gently fold in the flour and baking powder with a wooden spoon.

Once mixed well roll into small balls and place on the baking tray.

Flatten down slightly.

Use the potato (or dinosaur) to put a footprint indent into each biscuit.

Fill indents about ½ to ¾ with the jam.

Bake for around 12 minutes or until nice and golden looking and firm.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Notes

You can of course swap the dinosaur foot print for a love heart, star, circle etc have fun with it! 

Marigold Biscuits - Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Easy and Delicious

Marigold Biscuits

As a child my mother use to make calendula biscuits and there was something so enchanting about them, like they had come straight out of my favourite book, The Lord of The Rings.

As a horticulturalist I love combining gardening with cooking and these biscuits are so incredibly easy to make and marigolds are such a delight to grow, so I just love these biscuits. We always have marigolds on hand, of all different kinds, I just love their vibrant beauty and they are an important inclusion in our organic plantings for their ability to repel nematodes in the soil and many other garden pests.
Companion planting partners include eggplant, strawberry, leafy greens, tomatoes, potato, pumpkin, squash, chili's, capsicums but not too close to legume crops.
Marigolds grow easily with a nice compost rich soil, good drainage, plenty of sunshine and some regular liquid fertilizer like seasol. They grow very easy from seed and most nurseries have seedlings in punnets.

Ingredients

• 125 g butter
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar if you have sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 & 3/4 cup cup almond meal
• marigold petals, removed from flower, trim ends if needed, washed and let dry (about 4 flower heads)

Method

• Preheat oven to 160ç
• In a bowl combine the butter and sugar together, add in vanilla
• Mix in the almond meal and about half the marigold petals
• Roll the mixture into small balls - note - it should be fairly dry not too moist or the biscuits wil spread when you bake them, if it feels to moist add a little more almond meal
• Place the balls on a tray lined with baking paper, press each one down slightly and then press a few petals on top for a decorative look
• Bake the biscuits gently, they do not take that long so stay close by.
• Once they are gently browned on top and have a golden hue, around 12 minutes in my own take them out and let them cool on the tray or on a wire rack
• Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Bek XX

Eat beautiful - Live Well.
Recipe and photography (c) Rebecca Mugridge 2014

Spelt, Beetroot and Walnut Chocolate Brownies

It is school holidays here and the kids love to eat a lot, cook alot, do fun things, explore, run amok,  and did I mention eat a LOT?

The recipe below has been one of their favourite picks these holidays.

Spelt, Walnut & Beetroot Chocolate Brownies

We  made these brownies right after the grand opening of Coles in Nambour, yes, I was made delighted to go down for all the face-painting, balloon blowing, stilt walking, live music, games, colouring in, ring tossing and fun and festivities after my kids discovered everything that was going to be happening down there.

I have to be honest and say we were a bit disappointed with the main lift not working and traipsing across to the next one and then all the way around to the said open new shop and through non automatic doors (you notice these things pushing a pram or trolley) and we had been hoping to see more specialty stores, when it is not so busy I would recommend parking up the top rather than underneath if you have a pram, I think a lot of Nambour and surrounds was excited and eager to see what specialty stores were going with it, I was naturally hoping for a kitchen ware shop ;) I can't say I am a huge fan of the design of these shops being wrapped around outside in the heat instead of inside a shopping centre design with air con, I don't tend to browse a lot when we are all hot but I am very happy to see Coles is moving with times and taking great strides like teaming up with WWF to source and supply sustainability caught seafood.
And we were all very impressed with Not Just For Kids entertainment that was put on and the general atmosphere was great and staff were very happy and friendly, it is good to see more jobs in the region and growth in Nambour.

Couldn't believe she stayed so still!

Lily is always a fan of free balloons and promotional giveaways!

AND I was very surprised and happy that this Coles had a lot of organic and healthy food items that you just don't often see in such a large supermarket chain store and at very family budget friendly prices, which when you are on a tight budget can make a big difference to what you can actually buy and make for your family each fortnight.
The organic, wholemeal spelt flour in a large bag I was very happy to see and it was that we used for these brownies.

Spelt, Walnut & Beetroot Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

• 2 cups wholemeal, organic spelt flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 4 free range eggs
• 1/2 cup raw honey (or to taste)
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly smashed - see notes
• 200g dark chocolate of choice - see notes
• 1 cup firmly packed grated, raw beetroot
• 1/2 teaspoon pink himalayan salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• baking paper - I use If You Care non toxic baking paper

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 180ç. 
• Grease and then line a suitable baking dis with baking paper.
• Over a low heat melt the chocolate and butter together. (You can of course do this double boiler if you want too but I find over a low heat as it is with butter (and as a busy mum) I often just do it this way).
• Remove from heat.
• Stir honey into chocolate mixture.
• In a large bowl combine the spelt flour, salt, baking powder.
• Add in the eggs, mix together.
• Mix in the walnuts and beetroot.
• Combine it all together and pour into the prepared tin.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until nice and golden and firm on top but you want the skewer to come out a little sticky in spots so that your brownies are still lovely and chocolately gooeyness in some places but still quite firm. Sometimes ovens vary so a lot will depend on how yours cooks too.
• Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack, cut into squares.
• My kids especially liked theirs drizzled with Maleny Dairies fresh, nothing added real cream, by themselves and with a chocolate sauce.

Notes

• You don't want to over-smash your walnuts as you want mostly crumbly with some bigger chunks through it.
• Use your preferred dark chocolate, you could even use Sweet Williams sugar free or an organic bitter dark - just remember to taste your batter in case it is not sweet enough if the chocolate is really bitter- unless you like it that way!
• Use a GF flour to make these gluten free.

Happy Cooking!

Bek XX

Note: this was not a sponsored post

Kids in the Kitchen making Ginger Bread Men

Gingerbread Men!

To me the smell of gingerbread men cooking takes me back to my childhood and it is something I now love to do with my own kids too.

I love  GINGER and enjoy the smell of it in the kitchen so much. This is such a fun Kids in the Kitchen recipe, perfect for an indoor activity like on a rainy day or as a cooking learning activity, letting them measure and follow the recipe list, mix and time the cooking. You would be surprised at how much can be learnt during cooking and it is wrapped up in this fun thing to do together with delicious results!

These can be made treat like or healthy, it really is up to you and things like what you want to decorate them with.

Big fan of GINGER? 

Check out our family visit to the amazing Buderim Ginger Factory

And my GLUTEN FREE moorish, macadamia and ginger biscuits

Ingredients

• 125gms of butter, (soft)
• 1 free range egg separated
• 1/2 cup of fine organic brown sugar
• 2 &1/2 cups of organic plain flour ( can use whole meal but makes them a different consistency )
• 1 teaspoon bi carbonate of soda
• 3 teaspoons of fine ground ginger
• tiny pinch cinnamon
• tiny pinch nutmeg ( a little goes a long way! )
• 1/2 cup of golden syrup
• icing mixture
• Gingerbread people shape cutters
• Piping bag

Method:

• Pre heat oven to approximately 160`c fan forced
• Line flat baking trays with sheets of baking paper
• Mix butter, egg yolk, sugar together really well
• Add in the golden syrup and flour, ginger, bi carb, nutmeg, cinnamon and mix together into a soft dough, kneading well until its pliable and has changed in colour.
• Put covered in the fridge for 10 minutes to ‘rest’
• Roll out with a rolling pin on a well floured flat bench, if it’s too sticky you may need to add a little flour to the mixture.
• Cut out shapes and arrange on baking trays
• Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until just browned and remove and gently place on cooling racks.
• Once completely cooled mix some egg white with some icing mixture until it is a thick consistency. Separate and add some food colouring to different amounts if desired.
• Decorate the gingerbread people with the firm icing.
• Allow a couple of minutes to set.

Notes:

• Add smiles, buttons and decorations by attaching choc chips, sultanas, cranberries, smarties, dried apple, dried apricot, carob nibs, organic cacao nibs, stevia chocolate chopped, dairy free chocolate chips, mini m&m’s, sprinkles etc with the icing - whatever you personally would like to use.
• You can make these using hard coconut sugar in place of golden syrup if desired (comes in a log) which you finely grate and I would dissolve in hot water which is a healthy alternative that still gives a caramel like flavour, it is not as sweet so you will need to taste test the mixture and also adjust liquids to get the right consistency, alternatively you could use dark, raw agave or even honey but the flavour will be different.
• Be very careful not to leave them in the oven too long as they will become hard. Remember biscuits continue cooking after they come out of the oven. If your not sure you can always try cooking one or two first before baking the whole batch to get the timing right as all ovens are a little different but 10 minutes is usually just right.
• Be creative with cutters and shapes. You can make people, houses, dogs and cats, shapes, numbers, stars. Great fun to make with kids.

Thanks for reading!

Rebecca xx

Recipes by Rebecca
This recipe and photograph is copyright to Rebecca Mugridge (c)2011 

If you want to use or share this or any of Rebecca's recipes - contact her for written permission first or share using the share features from this blog post to avoid copyright violation and to respect the author work and creative rights - thank you!

Healthy & Delicious Picnic Food Recipes

There is something so magical about a picnic.

Packing a basket of lovely scrummies and heading into nature.
Basking under the sun's rays.
Breathing in that fresh air.
 Kids laughing.
Relaxing.
 Everybody slowing down for awhile and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.

It is a joyful escape from our busy schedules, a really great way to have some downtime together as a family and with friends.
To me at the heart of a picnic is also the glorious food.
I love food and I love making food so the idea of picnic is always an exciting opportunity to me to bring some lovely recipes, ingredients and food creations together and share them with loved ones, even better is when we can all bring some food creations we have made to share and bond over our food together.

Here are some of my favourite picnic food ideas X

Spelt TomatoTartAs seen in Holistic Bliss Magazine HERE

Carrot & Zucchini Rolls RECIPE (super easy)

Perfect Kids in the Kitchen recipe

 Healthy Cacao and Maca Bliss Balls RECIPE

 Sundried tomato & marinated feta savoury muffins RECIPE 

Tasty Tempeh chickpea bites RECIPE

No added sugar - choccyliscious muffins RECIPE
All the yummiest of chocolate indulgenec without the refined sugar!

 Pineapple & Sweet Corn Mini Quiches RECIPE (Super Easy)
Great Kids in the Kitchen recipe!

Smoked Trout, Avocado & Pomegranate Salad RECIPE

Mushroom and Brie Cheese Strudel RECIPE

Chocolate zucchini and chia seed cake RECIPE

Spinach, Pesto and Feta Savoury Scrolls with Quinoa and Avocado Oil RECIPE

Moist Carrot and Ginger Cake RECIPE

And by popular request from FACEBOOK
My Mushroom and Quinoa mini pasties

Ingredients

• 200 grams fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 cup Quinoa flakes
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons garlic (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• Himalayan salt to taste
• 2 sheets puff pastry or your own homemade puff pastry alternative
• 1 free range egg
• 1 free range egg yolk

Method

• Pre heat oven to 180'c.
• Line two baking trays with baking paper.
• De - frost pastry just slightly. 
• In a frying pan saute the leek and garlic together until lightly transparent.
• Add in the turmeric, stir through.
• Add all the mushrooms, stir together over a medium heat until all the mushrooms are lightly collapsed.
• Remove from heat, mix mushrooms mixture with the quinoa flakes and whole egg until all well combined.
• Lay a sheet of puff pastry out on a bench. Cut into 16 small squares.
• Place a small amount of the mixture in the middle of a pastry square.
• Pick up two opposite corners and bring together, then do this with the other two and you should have a little square parcel. Pinch the edges together.
• Continue with all the pastry squares, placing them onto the trays with baking paper.
• Lightly whisk the egg yolk and use a pastry brush to brush the little pasties.
• Bake in the oven until they are golden brown.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• Serve.

Notes

• These are really quick and easy, tasty and perfect for picnics and lunch boxes.
• You can really increase the garlic in these to give them a great, rich flavour and cold fighting power!
• You can use normal quinoa, pre cooked and cold if flakes are unavailable.
• Use bigger squares to make bigger pasties.

Toddler Tips

• These are excellent for toddlers due to the great little hand friendly sizing.
• Add some cheese to make them extra tasty.

Happy Picnicking!!

Rebecca xx

Recipes, photography and text by Rebecca Mugridge
(c) RebeccaMugridge 2013

Cheesey Potato & Carrot Hash Browns

Cheesey Potato & Carrot Hash Browns

Tasty for dinner, lunch and school lunch boxes or makes a great hors d'oeuvre. Delicious hot or cold. Flavoured with local Gourmet Garden Herbs and delicious local Kenilworth Cheddar Cheese and introducing the new Kenilworth Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil. 

Ingredients

·         1 large sweet potato.

·         1 washed potato, washed.

·         1 large carrot, washed and peeled.

·         2 stalks spring onion.

·         1 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Chives.

·         2 teaspoons Gourmet Garden Garlic.

·         1 cup Kenilworth Cheddar Cheese, grated.

·         3 Sanitarium rashers.

·         1 teaspoon Tumeric.

·         Karom Himalayan pink mineral salt to taste.

·         Pepper to taste.

·         Organic tomato sauce to serve.

·         1 & 1/2 tablespoons  organic cold pressed olive oil ( I use Kenilworth).

Method

·         Heat ½ tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan.

·         Slice thinly and fry the rashers until nicely cooked, set aside.

·         In a bowl grate the potato, sweet potato and carrot, mix together

·         Add in the chives, garlic, turmeric, salt and pepper to taste, cheese and rashers, combine well.

·         Heat 1 tablespoon or so of oil in a frying pan.

·         Take tablespoon size amounts of the mix in your hands and press the mixture together to make a patty shape, squeeze out excess moisture.

·         Fry just a couple at a time on a medium heat, allowing to go golden brown on each side, press down gently as you do.

·         Drain on paper towelling.

·         Turn onto a wire cooling rack.

·         Serve with a bowl of organic tomato sauce.

Notes

·         Great for kids lunch boxes, include a small container of the tomato sauce.

·         Use ham instead of the sanitarium rashers.

·         Swap the dipping tomato sauce for a bowl of sour cream mixed with gourmet garden chives and some fresh chives on top.

·         Great for picnics.

Toddler Tips

·         Make theirs toddler hand sized for ease of use. Serve with a fresh crunchy salad including things fresh beans, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and red capsicum.

This recipe I created for client Maleny Supa IGA and their Local Product Local Recipe - recipe cards. 
Recipe & Food Image Photography ©RebeccaMugridge 2013

RECIPE - Pineapple & Sweet Corn Mini Quiche's

This recipe is an absolute hit with kids! I have yet to see a child not love it. There is never left overs with a tray of these are they are SO easy. A real fail safe recipe you know the kids really are going to eat! They can even easily be made gluten free too!


These are perfect for school lunches, picnic's and entertaining. The flavour combinations of sweet and savoury make them a real hit with kids and adults alike. Freezable. Makes 24.

Ingredients

·         1 cup cheddar cheese, grated.

·         4 free range eggs.

·         ½ cup cottage cheese.

·         1 tin Australian sweet corn, drained.

·         1 tin pineapple pieces, in natural juice, drained OR fresh pineapple - local is best!

·         3 sheets butter puff pastry or gluten free puff pastry or homemade pastry.
            1 tablespoon Superfoods for Kidz Vital Veg powder (OPTIONAL) see notes

Method

·         Pre heat oven to 180’c.

·         Lightly grease 2 muffin baking trays.

·         Remove pastry sheets from freezer.

·         Make sure pineapple and sweet corn are really well drained.

·         Crack the eggs into a large bowl, whisk lightly.

·         Add in cheeses, sweet corn, vital veg and pineapple, combine well.

·         Cut pastry sheets into 9 squares.

·         Line each muffin hole with one square. Remove pastry corners (optional).

·         Fill with mixture.

·         Bake for approximately 15 - 20 minutes or until nicely golden and pastry is cooked. This will change depending on the size of the quiches you make.

Notes

·         Perfect portion sized for school lunch boxes.
            The Nutra organics SuperFoods for Kidz range is absolutely amazing and products I happily give to my own children all the time. Everything is honestly labelled and organic, raw, vegan and paleo friendly. Even if you have kids that eat well these powders taste great and can be added to all kinds of foods to really boost their immune system and overall health and vitaliy.
Find them HERE

Toddler Tips

·         Use a miniature muffin tray and this makes lots of tiny, toddler hand sized quiches.

This was a recipe created for the Maleny IGA's Local Product Local Recipe - Promoting local Sunshine Coast producers.

Along with my blog, books and cooking events I am available for professional recipe creation and styling and photography work or even just recipe styling and photography of YOUR recipe.
I specialise in healthy cooking, plant based cooking and product promotion and creating recipes around brands and products.
EMAIL ME for a quote!

Recipe and photography (c) RebeccaMugridge2013

Kenilworth Cheese Festival and Ricotta, Carrot & Zucchini Rolls

A fabulous and easy recipe the kids will LOVE 

Kids love pastry. They love sausage rolls and party pies but as a parent you can be horrified at some of the ingredients and fat content in the ones you buy, sometimes ingredients you can't even pronounce! Which is why it is so exciting and rewarding to make your own.

This is a great, really quick and easy recipe and the kids can even help make it,and it is very budget friendly too!  

In this recipe I have used a beautiful local ricotta cheese by Kenilworth Cheese.

Kenilworth is a gorgeous little inland town in South East Queensland, a very picturesque spot and home to the fantastic family fun day out

the Kenilworth Cheese Festival

Mark the date for this festival in your diaries as it is a fantastic day out with so much to do, see and taste and lots of fun for the kids.

They even have
Cheese rolling and a cheese hunt for the kids.

We had a great time! It was a really fun day out and you come home with cheese!
It is also a really lovely drive out there and you can make a day of it, taking in the hinterland and surrounds.

Ingredients

• 250g Kenilworth fresh ricotta cheese
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large zucchini
• ½ cup grated Kenilworth mild cheddar cheese
• 1 Rawganix free range egg
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• salt
• 4 sheets reduced fat or gluten free puff pastry

Method

• Pre heat oven to 180`c.
• Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
• Remove pastry from freezer and let thaw slightly.
• Combine the egg and ricotta, mix together and add in turmeric and a pinch of salt.
• Add the grated carrot, zucchini and cheese, combine well.
• Cut each sheet in half. Put a layer of mixture down the centre of each piece.
• Roll closed with the pastry rolling over itself so you end up with two long rolls.
• Cut into desired lengths.
• Brush them lightly with beaten egg.
• Bake until golden brown and pastry is cooked.
• Serve!

Notes

• Add some fresh chili for a more adult version.
• The addition of some curry powder or curry paste gives a different version.
• Freeze for your own healthy version of takeaway for those times when you want a quick and easy dinner.
• I have used turmeric in this recipe for its great health properties with my own children, you can leave out.
• Great cold in the school lunchboxes!

Toddler Tips

• Make them nice and small so they are toddler hand sized
• Serve with a toddler salad of salad greens, boiled eggs, fresh crunch snow peas, cherry tomatoes, avocado and some sunflower seeds.

This is a recipe I created for client Maleny IGA and their Local Product Local Recipe - recipe card series promoting and celebrating local products from the Sunshine Coast Region.
Collect and keep the Local Products Local recipe Cards instore from the Maleny IGA.
©RebeccaMugridge2012
Maleny Supa IGA have an extensive range of kenilworth cheese products in store.