Autumn breakfast options

Here we are back in coverage, enjoying a beautiful autumn on the east coast while parking up for the next couple of months in Kaikoura while himself does some work to restore the local rail network after earthquakes last October. It has been a busy 2 weeks of travelling from the bottom of the South Island up to nearly the top of the South Island while catching up with friends and family along the way.

Many of the aspects in our life took a back seat (such as school work, blogging and journalling) to the travels and socialising however domestic life continues regardless of the location or dwelling.  Dishes still need to be done, floors swept – yes, swept as we lack any modern devices at the moment to assist … soon though my dreams may become reality 🙂 – and food prepared.

I have continued to make our bread, which is a bit of a staple food now, and as I let you know the other week our ferments are still on the go.  Another staple I have been making at the moment is muesli so that now that some of the other cereals have been used up we have an option besides toast in the morning.  Muesli is a great autumn transition food before the winter porridge appears and is also a fantastic way to get a few more nutrients into themselves without much effort on my behalf which makes it a very appealing plan!

Warm and toasty out of the oven … hard for themselves to resist especially with some creamy raw milk we were given!

This muesli is super easy as it is really just chucking in what ever you like and then drizzling with oil before baking in the oven, of course you can also have a raw version by omitting the oil and oven part.  I have been making muesli for a few years with a honey and oil drizzle, then when the price of honey went up and we noticed the effects of honey on our youngest I began to just use oil without any objections.  What you don’t know doesn’t hurt you I say! 🙂  I do add a few dates chopped up and coconut so that is a fair bit of sweetness to soothe the soul.  Below is what I use to create our morning muesli however it is really just a guide for you to explore and create your own, dependent on tastes. I don’t use a measure either (sorry), rather I just chuck in a bit of everything with oats being the majority of the mix

Morning Muesli

Oats – largest portion

Pumpkin Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

Sesame Seeds

Desiccated Coconut

Dates – chopped

Almonds -raw

Olive oil or similar (optional: omit if you want raw muesli)

• Mix everything thoroughly, especially the chopped dates as they will clump together if not mixed into the dry ingredients.
• Drizzle olive over the top and mix well again.
• Bake in an oven at around 200 C, watching and mixing occasionally until it is golden brown.

Play and enjoy.  Until next time I hope this finds you all basking in the sunshine of life.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Time for a change

Yes … it is time for a change here.  For those of you who aren’t closer by I thought I would update you on the changes afoot for myself and the family.  You see 3 weeks ago we got a house bus and our plan is to hit the road in it come Christmas this year!!  It is super exciting and a dream that has been many years in the making however the reality is starting to hit home as I have to sort, de-clutter and prioritize what will come with us.

Our new home

On the whole we don’t have that much stuff but when your kitchen space is suddenly about a quarter (maybe even less) of what you have then things start to get interesting.  As I open my kitchen cupboards and begin the process of deciding what comes, what is stored and what is given away I realize just how much sits there waiting for an occasional use.  Three sizes of cake tins, two loaf tins, three different kind of muffin tins …. now it will be down to one of each.  Do I sell things which haven’t really been used yet …. like that Tupperware thing that looked so good at the party??!! ….. do I start using them or do I just store it to deal with later?

No more of this stockpile … Not even sure I’ll get my flour jars on.

Even our shopping habits are going to have to change with our limited cupboard space on the bus.  At the moment we do one weekly shop and a monthly bulk co-op order however I can already see that this will have to be converted to a few little shops in the week.  We just don’t have the space to stockpile or have things just in case any more.  Our cooking and baking will also all have to be adapted to a tiny space and while I’m welcoming the challenge I’m also aware that there are things I haven’t even considered yet.  Things that I’m sure will come to bite me in the you know where once we start the shift from house to bus.

My new kitchen!! There is a fridge/freezer opposite and a few other  little cupboards to the side but pretty much this is it.

So please excuse me if the blog is a little late or non-existent in the next few weeks/months as it will be due to our focus on sorting and using up the stockpile of food, which I doubt will be that exciting to share, rather than baking up a storm and trying new recipes.  Soon enough though I’m sure I’ll be in the swing of things and bringing your recipes from on the road 🙂

I’ll keep you posted and until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy and full of the joys of life.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz