Hearty Chicken & Veg soup (sorry no picture)

This one is for Mel. It's a very basic, cheap and nutritious chicken and veg soup that can really be made to everyone's taste.

Ingredients

2lt chicken stock

1cup diced potato

1 med diced carrot

I small diced zucchini

1 med brown onion diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 long red chilli (seeds removed and sliced)

1/2 cup dried soup mix

1/2 cup soup pasta

2 stalks celery diced

500gm free range chicken fillets (skinless)

1. brown onion in a little olive oil.

2. add all veg and garlic and heat through a little.

3. add stock and bring to the boil

4. Add chicken and the dried soup mix and cook for 10 mins then remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and shred with forks.

5. Add the chicken back to the pot and bring back to the boil. Add the pasta and simmer till all vegies and pasta are tender.

6. serve, seasoned with cracked black pepper and perhaps some crusty bread.

Notes: I use salt reduced stock, anywhere between 1.5 and 2lt depending on how soupy I want it. You can use whatever veg you like. I have tried this with various spices and herbs but prefer it without any. The original recipe also called for some lemon juice, sometimes I add it, sometimes I don't. Make the clove of garlic a good one ;)

Quinoa Breaky.

Quinoa Breaky.(serves 1)

130gm cooked Quinoa
1/2 cup skinny milk
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract
3-4 dried prunes
1 pce dried pear
1 Banana mashed

1. Place Quinoa, milk, Cinnamon, vanilla and dried fruit in a small saucepan and bring to the boil stirring occasionally then turn down heat and simmer stirring until the milk is absorbed and the quinoa is to your prefered consistancy.


2. Stir though mashed banana and bung the lot into a bowl.

3. Enjoy.

*Honey can be added if you need extra sweetness but I find the fruit makes it sweet enough. Experiment with different fruits and add nuts and seeds.

* to cook Quinoa my preferred method is to wash 1 cup quinoa well, rubbing it between my fingers to make sure it's really well scrubbed. I change the water a few times then leave it to soak for about 30mins. Then I bung it in the rice cooker with 2 cups of water and let the rice cooker do the rest for me. I store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

*Nutritional info per serve
Cals - 379
kjs - 1587
fat - 2.9
sat fat - .1
Protein - 12.8
Carb - 73.9
Sugar - 37.6
Fibre - 7.9
Sodium - 94mg

*worked out using calorie king.

Banana & Oat Muffins

* 2 cups (260gm) wholemeal SR flour
*1tsp ground cinnamon
*1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
*1 cup (100gm) rolled oats)
*1/2 cup (100gm) brown sugar
*2 whole eggs
*3/4 cup (185gm) low fat passionfruit yogurt
*1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable or canola oil
* 2 bananas mashed (250gm)

1. Preheat oven to 200deg and bung some paper muffin cases in a 12cup muffin tin

2. Sift flour, cinnamon and soda into a bowl. Empty flour husks from sifter back into the bowl along with the oats and sugar, stir to combine

3. Whisk eggs, oil and yogurt. Add the mashed banana and stir until combined. Pour into the dry ingredients and gently mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

4. Spoon even amounts into the muffin tray and bake for 20mins or until golden and cooked through.

*I used the devondale dairy thick and creamy vine passionfruit yogurt, anything yogurt would work.

*Nutritional Info per muffin
Cals - 229
KJ's - 960
Total fat - 6.8
Sat fat - 1.5
Protein - 5.7
Carbs - 34.9
Sugar - 14.4
Fibre - 3.9
Sodium - 225
*worked out by using calorie king.