Introducing… The Same Old Crap

Introducing… The Same Old Crap
5 February 2014

Welcome to Same Ol’ Crap, another regular series of posts for lunchlady.

Same Ol’ Crap was inspired by a conversation I had a couple of weeks ago with a woman I share office space with (I know I have my own office now, so fancy). She is a smart, lovely and super busy mum of two boys and feeding them good food is important to her. Legend. But she said “i feel like I just feed them the same old crap”. It turned out that her ‘same ol’ crap’ was entirely different to mine! LIGHTBULB! Let’s share our ‘same ol’ crap’. Then we will have a HUGE resource to draw on when we are feeling a little less than inspired. I also hope it will create a little (or big) community of like minded mums (and dads). And if there is someone that needs a little help, we can be there for them.

I know it isn’t easy being in the kitchen every time meals need to be prepared, but hopefully the ideas we share can help us all and inspire us too!

The recipes will be simple and easy. I mean, if you’re struggling for inspiration or motivation the last thing you want to encounter is 50 ingredients and hours of prep and cooking time. And if you have a great idea for SAME OL’ CRAP, please get in touch via the contact button in the menu.

I am extremely lucky to know some amazing people with great ideas. Coming up in the next few weeks there will be the lovely ladies behind Foxs Lane, Meet Me at Mikes, Hugo and Elsa, Gourmet Girlfriend and Veggie Mama. But first up we have my oldest friend and creator of the yummy blog, Eat This My Friend, Jade O’Donahoo. She is clever, hilarious and a fabulous mum to Clancy, who just started school this year. Take it away Jade!

SAME OL’ CRAP #1

Those who know me well, know I am big on ‘homemade’. Rather than buying products from the store, I prefer to recreate my own versions at home. I am fairly certain this has been instilled in me from my childhood. Growing up with a single mum, funds were very limited. We didn’t buy name-brands, it just wasn’t an option.

This was not a trend reserved only for food – it was the same for clothing, jewellery, homewares, art. Actually, everything. If I wanted anything, I had a go at making it, or scouted the op shops for it. This general attitude has transcended into my everyday adult life.

I first noticed when my little boy would ask me for a new toy at the shops, my instant response, regardless of whether we had the money or not, is always, “No – how bout we make one when we get home?’. Being 5 years old, he still sees this as a win. Besides, it means we have a fun little project to work on together too. We make everything from homemade play dough to band t-shirts, stuffed toys, friendship bracelets, colouring pages, birthday cards, mixtapes, and most especially food. I don’t buy treats down the street, I make them.

And for a long while I have been tempted by the healthy choc-nut spreads at the health food stores. You have probably seen them around, they are even creeping their way into supermarkets these days. Right next to the nut butters (yum!). I first made one with almond-cashew butter which was truly amazing. Then I had the idea of using tahini as the base instead. Holy cow it is so good! Especially for a tahini lover like me. You can use whatever tickles your fancy really, I am sure peanut butter would also be divine.

It has become quite the hit with my son – we now refer to it as ‘mum’s healthy nutella’ in our house. He feels like he is getting a treat when he has healthy ‘nutella’ sandwiches in his lunchbox. Not only is is great for the kids’ (and grown ups!) sandwiches, it can be drizzled on fruit salads, slathered with bananas on toast, dolloped onto your morning porridge, and I have to admit – directly off the spoon!

It literally takes 5 minutes to prepare so it is no surprise it has become a bit of a pantry staple for me. A super versatile, superfood go-to recipe. Be warned though – it is super addictive. This little treat is raw, vegan and paleo friendly, but is also nut free!

CHOC – TAHINI SPREAD

What you need:

• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 or 3 Tbsp raw cacao powder

What to do:

1. Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.
2. Pour into a jar and store in the pantry, next to the other spreads.
3. Makes approximately 3/4 cup of deliciousness.

Stay tuned next week, Kate Ulman of Foxs Lane is going to share her fruit leather recipe.