Junk Free June Week 3

It is now the end of the third week of Junk Free June. I have found that the campaign has been really beneficial to me learning about food and what I am putting into my body. So far this month I have lost 7kg. I am so happy and have a lot of energy.

This is great considering it is exam time here, and I feel like I am studying 24/7 but as well as being helpful to me it is a great cause, raising money for the Cancer Society.

Image: Junk Free June Blog

I thought that I would share with you this amazing recipe from the Junk Free June Blog, you can find it here.

How is your June going? Do you have exams as well? What is your favorite healthy snack?

Junk Free June Week 2

The second week of Junk Free June is a lot better than the first. I am starting to feel like I have more energy and am noticing that my skin looks and feels a lot better. But I am still craving sugar. I can't wait until July to do a little bit of baking and enjoy the sugary sweetness again.

I found this great recipe on the Junk Free June Blog and have made it several times you can find it here. They are absolutely awesome.

Junk Free June is a really great campaign to raise money for the Cancer Society, but it is also helping me realise what I put in my body as well as helping me learn about food. So far I am pleased to say I have lost 5kg. This was really helped by me adding a little bit of exercise into my day.

I am a firm believer that by doing even a little bit of exercise is better than nothing. So even if I can't do a 30 minute work out I will try 10 or even 5 minutes, because it all adds up.

How is your June going? Have you ever done a campaign like Junk Free June? How do you like to exercise?

Junk Free June

I know that it is hard staying healthy in College, that's just something we all struggle with. So this June I have signed up for Junk Free June. An initiative to support the Cancer Society here in New Zealand. This means for the month of June I will be going without "Junk Foods".

Image: Junk Free June

This is going to be tough for me, I will have to stop baking for an entire month. But it is such a great cause and I would really love it if you could get on board and support me. You can donate here.

You could also sign up and do it too! It is such a great idea and I will benefit so much from this as well, as my eating habits are less than healthy. So I will be using this as a jump-start to a new healthier me.

Remember you can donate here.

ANZAC Biscuits

Tomorrow (the 25th) is a public holiday here in New Zealand (and Australia) as it is ANZAC Day. It is a special ANZAC Day as it marks the 100th Anniversary since the landing of our soldiers at Gallipoli in Turkey.

I thought that today I would share a recipe that has become a very popular biscuit in New Zealand and Australia. The ANZAC Biscuit!! But first I thought that I would share some history behind these biscuits.

First of all this is not my recipe, it is the original recipe and I don't feel as though it is right to change a recipe with such a rich history as these. However it is also illegal to change the recipe and still call them ANZAC biscuits, and are never to be called "cookies". ANZAC biscuits were claimed to have been sent by wives to the soldiers fighting in the First World War, these biscuits were sent because they did not spoil easily and traveled well. As well as being used as a fundraiser to support the war effort.

ANZAC Biscuits: Print

Ingredients:   

125g Flour
150g Sugar
1 Cup Coconut
1 Cup Rolled Oats
100g Butter
1 Tablespoon Golden Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Boiling Water

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 (350) degrees. Mix together flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats, set aside.
Melt butter and golden syrup. Dissolve Baking soda in the boiling water and add to butter and golden syrup. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, stir in the liquid. Place spoonfuls on a greased tray or baking mat. Flatten with a fork or the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden in color.

How are you spending your weekend? Do you have any recipes that are special to you and your family?

Friday Procrastibaking - April 10th

It is the end of my first week of our term break. I have three assignments due first day back. But I wanted to share with you a recipe I made this week, or last week really.

Yes it is Easter related!! I love Easter it is such a nice relaxing time to catch up with family. However for me it does not symbolize spring, as it is the start of autumn....

So I found a cute idea on (you guessed it) Pinterest. You may have seen it. It was these cute little chick cupcakes. So I thought I could easily whip up something like that for our Easter Sunday lunch. I found the original idea here.

 I made my favourite cupcake recipe which I shared last week, and just tinted the icing yellow and covered the cupcakes. I then dipped them in yellow tinted sugar. I then put chocolate drops on for eyes. Then drew little wings and covered them in sugar too. Remember to tap off the excess. I then added a little bit of red food coloring to the icing to make orange and drew a beak and feet.

I think that they turned out really cute, and everyone loved them!

How did you celebrate Easter? Any special recipes you love to make for Easter?

Friday Procrastibaking - 3rd April

Happy Easter everyone! I am the first to admit that when I have a lot of things that I need to get done I tend to not do it. Instead I prefer to clean, organize and bake. So I decided to start this new feature of what I like to call "Procrastibaking". What is it you ask, well, it is simple it is just how I describe how I bake while procrastinating.

Because I have no lectures on Fridays I tend to think that I have three days to get this stuff done, I will make a cake/ some cupcakes/ a pie/ whatever I see on pinterest that looks really really good.

So this weekly feature will show the things that I made, which will not always be my own recipes but I feel are really great that I should share them and you should try them.

Anyways, this week I made cupcakes, cute little cupcakes with pink icing and sprinkles or 100s and 1000s as I call them (must have been feeling really girly this week), so here are the pictures (sorry were taken with my phone...):

 These cupcakes were absolutely perfect, super fluffy and the icing was so good (like lick the bowl good). I got inspiration from a photo on Pinterest which linked to here. And I also think that I fell in love with everything on this blog.

 I made my standard vanilla cupcake and butter-cream recipe. I iced the cupcakes with a number 30 Tala icing tip.

So here is the recipe:

Vanilla Cupcakes With Butter-cream Icing: Print

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Softened Butter
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Cup Milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 12 muffin cups with cases
2. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
3. In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.
4. With the mixer on low, add a cup of the flour mixture and mix until combined, then the milk until combined, followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until well combined and when the mixture has a mousse like texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17-20 minutes or until just set and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean. Remove from oven, and allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes. Then place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled ice with buttercream.

Buttercream:

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Confectioners Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Softened Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Milk
• pink food colouring

Method:

1. In an electric mixer beat together the butter for 2-3 minutes until soft and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium until well combined.
2.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the vanilla and milk. Beat for 3 minutes until everything is nice and creamy, but stiff enough to pipe.
3. Add the food colouring and mix until well dispersed.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins

Hi,

Today I am going to share with you the recipe for my favorite type of muffins: Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins! These muffins are so delicious and perfect for a snack at anytime of the day. This recipe is a variation of Sally's Orange Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. I also always use her muffin rising trick in all my muffins. So here you go.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins: Print
Makes 12 regular sized muffins
Ingredients:
2 1/3 Cups Flour (all-purpose)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 1/2 Tbs Poppy Seeds
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
115g Butter (melted)
juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 large eggs
120g Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 425F. Grease 12 Cup Muffin Pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, both sugars, poppy seeds, baking powder, and baking soda together until combined.

In a smaller mixing bowl, mix the butter, lemon juice and zest together until thoroughly mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream. Mix until combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F. Then reduce heat to 375F and bake for a further 10-13 minutes or until tops are lightly golden. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out and enjoy. Store in a airtight container for 5 days, or freeze for 2-3 months.

Cookie Dough For One

I love some cookie dough, it is so yummy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, but it is really unhealthy so I don't eat it very often. But when I do this is the recipe that I make.

Cookie Dough For One: Print
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)
28g Butter (softened)
1 1/2 tsp Milk
1/8 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/3 Cup Flour (all-purpose)
1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Cream butter and brown sugar either by hand or with a mixer for about a minute. Add in the vanilla and milk, mix until just combined. Add in flour mixing until well combined. Then add in chocolate chips and stir until mixed.

Enjoy!

Chocolate and Blueberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

Hi all!

Today I am going to share one of my favorite cupcake recipes. Chocolate and Blueberry Cupcakes (Yippee!). I love to make cupcakes, they are so yummy and you can change the flavor combination so easily. I have perfected my cupcake recipe after years of trying to find the best recipe for lovely soft and light cupcakes, so here you go.

Chocolate and Blueberry Cupcakes Print
 makes 12

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Butter (softened)
2/3 Cup Sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essense
1/4 Cup Blueberries
11/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
11/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 Tbs Cocoa
1/4 Cup Milk

Directions:
 Preheat Oven to 350F and line 12 muffin cups with cases.

In your electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla essence. Add in the blueberries and mix them until combined.

With the mixer on low, add a cup of flour and mix until combined, then the milk until combined, followed by the rest of the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Mix until well combined and when the mixture has a mousse like texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17-20 minutes or until just set and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled ice with buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:
13/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbs Milk
1/4 Cup Cocoa

Directions:
In a electric mixer beat together the butter for 2-3 minutes until soft and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa and beat on medium until well combined.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the vanilla and milk. Beat for 3 minutes until everything is nice and creamy, but stiff enough to pipe.