Schools and Healthy eating

Ok so its really bugging me know with schools and their teachings of healthy eating and what they serve up at lunch time.

While on one hand I think that school dinners are far much better and tastier than when I was at school, they still aren't exactly the most healthiest of healthiest of meals for instance they still get chocolate cake for pudding.
But my problem is they serve up these meals yet in the classroom teachers discuss healthy living and how they shouldn't eat too much food and you shouldn't eat fatty food and shouldn't eat this and you shouldn't eat that because your get fat and that leads to obesity... While yes this is true don't brain wash my kid and then serve chocolate cake!!

But above all that's not my biggest moan of schools and their dinners v's healthy living. My biggest thing is that they concentrate in obesity and how kids today are fat and need to eat properly (again this is to a certain extent true) but no one is teaching them the other end of the scale and how not eating and being underweight is also just as unhealthy. Both my 2 oldest children now (middle mouselings when she was 8 and now the oldest mouseling aged 12) have gone from eating healthy meals to not wanting to eat anything in fear of becoming fat!! Twice now I have had to sit down and explain exercise also plays a part in staying healthy and some foods that nay be classed are high in fat are also ok due to the vitamins they contain and with food its all about moderation. I think its important that every angle is looked at when talking about this subject because eating disorders aren't nice and not giving children the facts especially those becoming teenagers and having hormones floating around is more dangerous than having obese kids!!! 

Easiest Fish pie ever

So another recipe - well it has been a while since I've blogged ;)

I have always thought fish pie was so hard to make yet this simple recipe and method will be getting you chewing up that Omega 3 ;)

First pick what fish you want, yup I have tried this recipe with mixed fish, salmon, monkfish and haddock (unsmoked and smoked) and each time its been scrummy!!

Once you've picked your fish (you will need a small piece for every person you are catering for - me and my 2 smallest Mouselings will only eat fish so I use 3 small portions for is and I often get a serving for lunch) cut it up into pieces and spread into your pan.

Then you will need to peel and quarter them enough potatoes (I do 6 medium sized for a dish for 4). Add them to a pan of boiling water and then drain when soft right through. Return to the saucepan add a splash of milk, enough to cover the bottom of the pan ( if intolerant to milk then add your alternative) and two tablespoon of Marge (again if intolerant use your alternative - I use vitalite as its dairy free) and then mash. If you don't own a masher go old school and use a fork.  Mash until fluffy and then leave to one side.

Now for the tricky bit the sauce, however you get this and then you have got the base to most creamy sauces without the cream for us with intolerance lol

15g Marge (I use stork again the brick version NOT the spread as the spread is not lactose free whereas the block is)

1/2 milk (again use your alternative)

And some chopped parsley

2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Melt the Marge in a saucepan when melted add the parsley. Stir the flour in to make a wet paste. Slowly add the milk and stir constantly to make a creamy sauce (if it thickens too much don't worry add more milk). When the sauce is ready pour over the fish.

Add you mash on top and smooth it out across the pan over the fish and sauce.  To make it look nice and gain those lovely crispy bits your mum used to do with that Shepard's pie get a fork and make lines vertically across then do the same horizontally so making a square pattern.

Cook in a pre heated oven of 200° until the mash potatoe is  golden on top.  Before serving and because its always good to check just dip your knife into one side and check if the fish has cooked. Mine always seems to be cooked as it is steamed from the sauce while under the potatoes keeping it melt in your mouth.

Enjoy and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Disclaimer: I am not a Chef I do not cook for a living I'm just a mum of 3 with good easy recipes on a strict low budget that I want to show are easy, you can cook healthy and you can cook good food even when your like me and can't eat anything ;)

Lasagne mouse style

So today I woke up craving lasagne, now for me this gives me a few issues with this:

1)I'm lactose intolerant so means no cheese or milk
2)I'm gluten and wheat intolerant which rules out pasta
3)I can't eat onion
4)I can't eat garlic
5) you get the picture

So does this rule out lasagne for me? Hell no I adapt and am grateful for the ever growing free from ranges in supermarkets - however I do still read labels as I've found wheat and gluten free may not be lactose free or it has something else I can't eat!

So ingredients:

The best free from wheat and gluten free lasagne sheets I have found so far are in fact tescos, these also I found do me at least 2 big lasagne's, I normally make two 1 with normal pasta for Mr Mouse and the mouselings as the leftovers of mine become my lunch the following day and Mr mouse gets their leftovers for his lunch (no wasting in our house) bit more importantly it helps spread the cost.

Then the rest is simple

Lean mince meat (lean is always better as less fat)

Tinned tomatoes - I normally get the chopped up version

Mixed herbs (depending on what you can eat - this helps add some flavouring you would miss from the onions and things)

Because I use beef mince I always sprinkle a pinch of rosemary again for flavour ;)

Now for the sauce:

Lactofree are amazing and have a fantastic lactofree range however for those with dairy allergies this brand wouldn't be suitable as it is still dairy but has enzymes to break the lactose away.

But for my sauce I use their lactose free hard cheese as its great to cook with, you can get mild or mature and either is nice. I use a while block and you will need to grate it.

I also use their lactofree milk (I prefer the red version, but there is blue or green it doesn't matter which) I use 1 pint.

And some baking vegetable Marge - I use stork (NOT the spreadable version as this has lactose in but the block version) I use it to make cakes as well or Asda do a great best for baking version too. You will need 75g or there abouts

And then last not least I use a wheat and gluten free plain flour (this is made up of rice flour and other types of flour) from Tesco (you have to look for this as its often had to find) I use about 4 tablespoons

Method

I put the mince and sprinkle the herbs and rosemary (just a pinch of both) in a saucepan and cook until the mince is brown. I then add the tomatoes and cook until it starts to bubble (boil)

I pour the mince into the dishes and leave to cool.

When the mince has cooled I turn the oven on 200°c and get it warming up.

While the oven is warming I add about 75g of the blocked Marge and melt it.

When its melted I add 4 tablespoons of flour and mix until it's a mushy dough. I slowly (and this is important) add the milk while whisking at all times do this until the mixture is of a creamy consistency, if it thickens too much just add more milk.
Once the sauce is creamy add the cheese leaving a big handful behind. Keep whisking!!
Once the cheese has melted into the sauce take it off the heat.

Now place the pasta sheets over the mince (I use normal pasta on one dish and the other I use the free from pasta - again this is to help spread the cost as free from food is expensive) so that the mince layer is covered (You can add another layer of mince and then another layer of pasta if you wish but we find one layer is enough)

Then add the sauce covering the pasta.

Sprinkle the left over cheese on the top and then pop into the oven.

I'm not good at cooking times as I can just tell when its cooked and I just seems to have a good radar so I couldn't tell you how long for. However if you can smell it and the cheese on top has bubbled and browned its ready :)

All that's left to do is serve and enjoy.  My measurements are based on a family of 5 plus 2 extra portions as leftovers so please if there is only 2/3 of you,you may want to halve the quantities stated ;)

For Mem ( Hope this gives you a "normal" family meal to get you started. Much Love xxx

Free From the food stuff

So the last few years I have been battling with my intolerance to lactose, the sugars in milk. Now if you read the labels on the things you buy you would realise EVERYTHING has some form of milk in.  After getting used to living on alternatives my intolerances got worse I became wheat and Gluten intolerant too :( suddenly food was my enemy once again, a battle I once thought I had won. My Doctor added to that by putting me on what's called a FODMAP Diet (google it - its harsh) meaning not only could I not have the good every day foods I was now limited to what fruit and vegetables I could eat and I still had to balance what I could eat because my stomach just couldn't handle it. Knowing I had once managed to combat my bad relationship with food ( the baddest was looking at food and thinking I'm not eating because i get sick and skipping every meal), i decided it was time to think positive. I spent a day crying at what I could no longer eat and then picked myself up and decided to look at what I CAN eat.  Its so important to keep positive, if you don't depression and despair will follow (I have been there and it is a dark place), its also important to eat the right foods, the saying "you are what you eat" isn't far from the truth and I have also learnt not eating the right food and the things my body can't tolerate also leads me into "the dark place" quite quickly!!

I'm not saying every day is easy because well its not and there are times you will end up eating the wrong thing (and you will know you will pay the price later) just don't give up hope, its just time to learn to cook again. Starting from fresh lists are so very important.

I must admit I have been lucky to have not one but two parents who can cook as well as older siblings and grandparents, all that where willing to teach me as I was growing up so I already had the advantage of cooking skills and plenty of recipes.

However you can't be Delia smith every day, especially in this house with 3 mouselings growing up fast and having a better social life than I ever did, not every recipe is quick enough!! This means I tend to bake " simple" and its time to share the ups downs and recipes (it may even get me blogging more, I mean look I've blogged more than last year already lol)

For now I just can't stress enough don't give up hope and stay positive food allergies are often very misunderstood and people don't realise how it effects your every day way of living, also the best thing is you do have start eating healthier and your trouser waistline certainly benefits ;)