Recent Things: Lunching, Binge Watching and New Toys

Helllooooo lovely! This week feels all sorts of odd for me as we had a public holiday in almost the middle of the week! After taking Tuesday off I've been thinking Wednesday was Monday and Monday was Sunday. 

But nevertheless, I've got lots of goodness to share with you today! >> 

Recipe: Our Favourite Cheesy Baked Fish (Gluten Free & Low Fat)

This Healthy Cheesy Baked Fish Recipe is a favourite in our house. It's something we eat for dinner at least once a week, however, for a long time this recipe held a secret... 

You see, Jesse hates greek yogurt. Well... he thinks he does. If you tell him anything has greek yogurt in it, he won't try it. What he doesn't realise, though, is that most of his favourite foods have greek yogurt in them. 

The guacamole he has every Taco Tuesday, banana bread, his favourite brownies, mixed into pasta sauces or even stirred through his favourite soup.... and it's in this dish too. 

When he first tried this fish, I wondered if he'd notice that the sauce topping had greek yogurt in it - but just like all of his other favourite foods, he was oblivious. 

In fact, he had no idea that this recipe had any ounce of greek yogurt in it until I was sharing the recipe with a friend. 

"Hold up! You put WHAT in the cheesy fish?" he asked

"Greek yogurt... it's in the sauce" I replied

"But it tastes so good?!"

Yes husband, it does taste so good. He's since forgiven me for sneaking greek yogurt into this dish because it really is so good. It's one we never tire of - and the first thing we wanted when we got back home from New Zealand!

You can serve it up with salad or steamed veggies, rice or roasted potatoes - whatever your heart desires!

But let me share the recipe with you so it can become a favourite in your house too! >> 

Recipe: Gluten Free & Vegan Monte Carlo Biscuits (Copycat Arnott's Recipe!)

Over the weekend, I shared a delicious Healthier Homemade Arnott's Kingston Biscuits Recipe with you - but since I was giving the ol' biscuit tin a makeover, I couldn't stop there. 

After making those Kingston Biscuits, we decided there was another fan favourite I just had to make; Monte Carlos! 

Monte Carlos share the same crunchy biscuits used in the Kingston Biscuits (though they're usually oval shaped), however, they're filling is totally different. Instead of chocolate, these babies are filled with a layer of raspberry jam and vanilla flavoured mock cream. 

Whilst they weren't my favourite (I didn't like jam or anything frosting related at all when I was a kid), these were the ones everyone else in my family went for. They're sweet and have the perfect balance of soft and crunchy between the crunchy biscuit and soft filling. 

Just like the Kingston Biscuits, I made sure these were super easy to make so that you can impress your friends and family too! ;) Just think... next time you have people over to share a cup of tea or coffee, you can pull these babies (and the Kingstons!) out of your biscuit tin instead of a packet of boring store bought ones. 

Even better? They're a biscuit that everyone can enjoy as there's gluten free, vegan, dairy free and egg free options - and I've even included some sugar free options just in case you need that too!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Gluten Free & Vegan Kingston Biscuits (Copycat Arnott's Recipe!)

With Australia fast approaching, I was thinking about what sorts of iconic Australian foods and recipes I could make healthier and gluten free. 

In the past we've made a Gluten Free Fairy Bread Cake Recipe, a Gluten Free Homemade Tiny Teddies Recipe, Traditional Aussie Damper, Raw Lamington Chocolates, Raw & Vegan Lamington Truffles, Gluten Free Lamington Cupcakes Recipe (apparently someone had a lamington thing going on that year), a Healthier Gluten Free Buttermilk Scones Recipe, Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Crackles Recipe, Gluten Free Cheesymite Scrolls Recipe and Healthy ANZAC Biscuits - but this year I wanted to do something different. 

Instead of sticking to the popular Australian foods, I decided I wanted to play around with something totally different. I got to thinking about the foods I liked as a kid that I either couldn't eat anymore or couldn't get anywhere else - and that's when I realised something! 

Arnott's Assorted Biscuit mixes are pretty much an Australian classic. They're what Grandma probably uses to fill her biscuit tins, they're found in just about every church pantry around the cupboard and they're probably devoured by thousands of Australians each day with a cup of tea.

When I was a kid, I was a little bit choosy when it came to those biscuit mixes. I'd happily pass up every single biscuit; except for one. If there happened to be an Arnott's classic assorted packet opened, my little hands were going straight for those Kingston biscuits. 

In case you don't know what a Kingston biscuit is, let me explain; it's two crunchy buttery cookies (or biscuit, as Australians call them) sandwiching a milk chocolate filling. If you're eating them in the summer time, chances are that chocolate filling is deliciously melty - or you can pop them in the fridge for that hard chocolate bite (I'm a melty girl). 

Jesse had never tried a Kingston biscuit, however, he took one bite of these cookies and first complained that everyone else had gotten to the biscuits first and that was the second last one left - and secondly exclaimed that these were THE BEST COOKIES EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. 

Everyone who tried one of these biscuits agreed - they're absolutely delicious. Many of our friends and family were impressed by the fact that I was able to recreate a classic fave - but I'll let you in on a little secret.... they're ridiculously easy to make. What does that mean for you? Well, I suppose we can keep this our little secret and you can impress your friends and family with your baking prowess too ;) 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recent Things: Dehydration, Card Obsessions and Delicious Eats

Why hello there! I feel like I haven't written a Recent Things post in forever! Whilst we were away in NZ I never had a chance to catch you up as we had limited access to internet - but now we're back and I've got lots to share!

So let me catch you up on what we've been up to lately! >> 

Recipe: Starch, Yeast & Grain Free Paleo Bread

Whilst we were away in New Zealand, my brain was filled with recipe ideas. 

Why? Well, first of all because my brain is pretty much constantly thinking about new recipe ideas or flavour combinations (especially when I'm away from my kitchen and eating pretty boring meals!) - but secondly because I had an email pop up in my inbox from Amy. 

Amy is a Southern In Law reader who, much like myself, feels like her stomach pretty much hates her. Like me, she was diagnosed with coeliac disease as a young adult and found that whilst a gluten free diet made her feel a bit better - it didn't fix all her problems. 

After months of struggling, Amy finally found a doctor who got to the bottom of her issues. He found that gluten wasn't the only problem... Amy also couldn't have yeast, rice, soy, corn or starches - common ingredients in many gluten free products.

When you eliminate those ingredients, you eliminate a lot of foods - and that's why Amy emailed me. After three years of drooling over everyone else's sandwiches and toast - she wanted to join in on the action. 

Amy sent me an email asking if there was any way I could come up with a recipe for a loaf of bread that was grain free, gluten free, starch free and yeast free. As someone who loves a good challenge, I jumped at the chance to help Amy out - and here you have the recipe that resulted! 

Whilst I'm definitely going to work on creating other paleo bread recipes, I wanted to share this one. You, like Amy, might need a recipe that's free from yeast or starches or whatever it may be - so this recipe may be perfect for you as well. 

Once I perfected this recipe, I emailed it to Amy who (I kid you not!) rushed out to the shops to make her own. She replied to me a few hours later to let me know that she LOVED the recipe and had already eaten toast and a sandwich with the bread and was thinking about only eating toast for the next week. 

It's a recipe that's super simple and makes a loaf that's easy to slice, easy to toast and easy to enjoy. I find it's best suited to savoury toppings, however, you can play around with it! It's best as toast as it is quite dense - but don't worry! I'm still working on other bread versions ;) 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Travel: Our First Soggy Days in New Zealand

Why hello there! We are back from our trip to New Zealand and so glad to be back home! We arrived home on Saturday night after a day full of delays and cancellations (we were originally supposed to be back home at 9am - not 9pm like we were!) - but that's a story for another day. 

After catching up on some sleep yesterday, I thought I'd sit down this afternoon to share the first pieces of our New Zealand adventure with you all! We managed to get through the trip without a single glutening (Coeliac Travel SUCCESS!) and without any major mishaps, however, we did get up to LOTS of fun things so we have heaps to share.

But whilst I'll fill you in on it as we go along, we wanted to start right at the beginning! We started our New Zealand trip the same way we finished it, in Auckland! Here's we got up to on those first (very soggy!) days!

Recipe: Healthy Protein Pancake Bake (Gluten Free!)

Quick Note from Us! We're still travelling around beautiful New Zealand! Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see what we're up to! Whilst we're away, we wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on any delicious recipes, so we made sure to prepare some extras before we left!

I'm one of those people who simply cannot understand those who skip breakfast. You see, regardless of whether I ate late at night or earlier in the evening, I always wake up hungry for breakfast. 

Jesse could wait for hours for food after he wakes up - but me? I need food and I need it now. 

It's this need for breakfast that fuels my love of quick and easy breakfast options! I don't have the energy or patience to cook up a breakfast feast each morning, however, I still want to eat something delicious!

Make ahead breakfasts like my beloved breakfast bakes and overnight oats mean that all I have to do in the morning is add the toppings! This Protein Pancake Bake is a current favourite as it's the perfect base for toppings - and so easy to make!

All you have to do is make up a batch and store them in the fridge or freezer for a quick breakfast option. Eat them warm with butter and syrup, top them with peanut butter or greek yogurt or load them up with fresh fruit - the possibilities are endless! 

But let me share the recipe with you so you can make them yourself! >> 

Recipe: Healthy Chicken and Ricotta Lasagna

A quick note for us: Whilst Jesse may wish we were at home eating this lasagna, we're still in beautiful New Zealand! Be sure to follow us on Instagram or Facebook to check out what we've been up to!

Lasagna is one of those recipes that always seems to be a family favourite. For years, it was one of my favourites too, however, first I found out I couldn't eat tomatoes - and then I found out I had coeliac disease and gluten was off the cards.

For years I simply went without lasagna - until I realised that lasagna didn't have to be made with tomatoes - and it certainly didn't have to be made with gluten either. 

This recipe isn't pretty and it isn't fancy - but it is one of our favourites. It's the dinner Jesse asks for week after week, month after month and one that never ceases to satisfy. In fact, Jesse's already told me it's what we have to have for dinner as soon as we're back from NZ on Saturday.

It's quick and easy to make - especially if you use fresh pasta sheets! We used to make these with dried lasagna sheets (just par-boiling them beforehand), however, when Latina Fresh launched their GF lasagna sheets we started using them and haven't looked back since! 

This recipe is also super adaptable. We change it up each time we make it - adding in sliced mushrooms to our chicken layer or adding thin slices of zucchini on top of each of the pasta layers for something different! 

So let me share the recipe with you >> 

Recipe: Healthy Gluten Free Protein Waffles

A quick note from us! We're currently traveling around gorgeous NZ (in fact, today we're driving up NZ's east coast on our way to Coromandel!) and whilst we're wishing we were back in our kitchen making these waffles, we're enjoying every second! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to catch up on our adventures!

I had a waffle iron years ago, however, I ended up throwing it out after having my waffles stick way too many times or having the batter explode out of the machine every time I decided to give it another go. 

For Christmas, I got a brand spankin' new waffle iron - but this one was picked by me with a purpose in mind. I decided that the ultimate no-disaster waffle iron would be a waffle stick maker. Why? Because the less surface area the waffle has, the less my chances of having a sticky waffle mess :P 

Luckily for me, my waffle stick theories were correct - and in the five days we had between Christmas and heading off to NZ, I found myself making (and devouring) batch after batch of delicious waffles!

As the protein queen, naturally, one of those batches had to be a batch of perfect protein waffles. After a few tests and tweaks, I came up with the perfect recipe that both Jesse and I loved! 

They're crunchy on the outside but soft and delicious in the middle. They're perfect for dipping or  drizzling with maple syrup - or even just sprinkling with icing sugar. Best of all? The waffle sticks make the perfect blueberry eating vessel as you can pop one in every hole!

Those holes are also perfect for toppings like melty peanut butter or drizzles of our homemade healthy caramel sauce recipe... and now I'm wishing we'd packed the waffle iron in our suitcase! :P 

But let me share the recipe with you so you can experiment with your own toppings! >> 

Recipe: Healthy Macadamia Crusted Baked Fish

A quick note from us! We're still travelling around beautiful New Zealand and whilst we cannot wait to get back home to make this recipe again, we are having so much fun! Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see what we're up to!

I love fish - but if you had have asked me if I liked fish this time last year, I would have turned my nose up. You see, as a kid I hated fish - and the only fish I'd really tried was fish fingers. 

My Mum isn't a fish fan so she never cooked it - and as she had too many bad experiences with her own parents force feeding her food she didn't like, she never pushed Katrina or I to try anything we weren't interested in. 

For years I thought fish was disgusting - until I realised I'd never really tried it... and my tastes had definitely changed since I was a kid. When I was first diagnosed with coeliac disease, my allergy specialist and gastroenterologist told me trying fish and seafood wasn't a good idea as I had so many other allergies, however, now that I'm a bit further down the track - I decided last year that I would try fish... 

And I fell in love!

These days I could eat fish every single day, twice a day without a complaint - and it's all because of delicious recipes like this one! 

This recipe is one I came up with on a whim. I'd been shooting product photos all day for a client using lots of different nuts as props and the macadamias had caught my eye. I reaaaaaaaaally wanted fish for dinner - but I'd been starring and drooling over macadamia nuts all day - so I combined the two and came up with a recipe we've been making ever since!

So let me share the recipe with you so you can make it yourself! >> 

Kick Start The New Year - Our Favourite Protein Snacks

Hello my sweets! We're currently exploring beautiful New Zealand, however, before we left, we decided that January was the perfect time to share some of our favourite protein snacks with you! 

As many are thinking about their New Year's Resolutions, we thought you'd give you some tips to kick start the new year - and what better way to start that with some delicious snacks to keep you fueled and on track! 

Protein bars and protein powders can be expensive - and it's hard to know what to choose! We've taken the mystery out of the selection and rounded up the best of the best gluten free protein snacks to share with you!

Here's our favourite protein snacks of the moment! >>