Tara Prana

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Clean, mean baked beans

November 23, 2015 by taranoosa

IMG_7794 ‘Clean’ baked beans?

No, I didn’t give them a good old scrub! These babies are clean because they are free from sugar, additives and preservatives.

Why bother?

Well, I used to go to a specific shop every few weeks to buy my kids a few cans of an organic brand of baked beans, which had me feeling like I was a ‘good mother’ and buying them quality food. I would go to that particular store because each can was $2.50 as opposed to the usual $4 + for organic versions. To me this was a good, cost-effective system that ensured my children had protein and variety in their breakfasts.

A few months ago though, I went to see ‘That Sugar Film‘ at the cinema. One of the foods that they spotlighted in the film as being high in sugar were baked beans. I watched the scene, smugly self-assured that my stockpile of ‘certified organic’ Australian baked beans were sitting at home in the pantry.

It was not until I got home later that night that I thought I would just check the label of the beans, using my freshly learned knowledge. I was gob-smacked- the can had per serving 12g sugar (3 teaspoons sugar). Well! Yes, yes it was Organic Cane Sugar but we all know that that is still: SUGAR. Organic or not, sugar is sugar and I had just learned that day that the WHO recommended sugar intake for children, PER DAY, was 4 teaspoons.

To be clear:

  • I am not anti-sugar. I am sugar-aware and definitely pro limiting it.
  • If you give your children canned baked beans, organic or not, that’s okay. I’m not judging.
  • This realisation was, for me, about easily replacing something with sugar with something without it.
  • This recipe is as cost-effective as the alternative.
  • For the record, I personally don’t like conventional Baked Beans however I really like these (I’m modest too;).
  • I used cannellini beans for a reason- for me personally they are the easiest beans to digest. If your gut is damaged you may not be as tolerant.
  • I think we all remember the following childhood rhyme. It’s very true- this easy meal packs a protein-filled breakfast or lunchbox hit to fuel their growing brains. Just don’t overdo it, for fear of the last line:

Baked Beans, Baked Beans, they make you smart

Baked Beans, Baked Beans, they make you fart!

If you want to give this recipe a try, do so and let me know how you go. The variations are endless. Start with something you or your child likes and experiment- be it bacon, smoky paprika, coriander, basil, cheese, anything. Or nothing, for those plain eaters! You could even be super-tricky and stretch it further by finely grating zucchini and carrot into this dish.

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Clean, mean baked beans
 
Print
Prep time
6 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
26 mins
 
A cost-effective recipe for sugar-free baked beans
Author: taranoosa
Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunchbox
Serves: 6-8 child serves
Ingredients
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • olive oil or ghee
  • 2 x 400g cans Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1TBS tomato paste
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • salt to taste
  • Optional:
  • rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano, italian herb mix, coriander, smoked paprika, bacon, cheese
Instructions
  1. Fry onion and garlic in oil/ghee
  2. Add cannellini beans and fry for a minute
  3. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika and herbs of choice
  4. Stir then simmer for 10-20 minutes.
Notes
Change the flavour depending on what your child likes- if they like tacos make them Mexican by adding coriander and cumin with the paprika. If they love cheese grate some parmesan in at the last step. If they like Bolognese use lots of Italian herbs. If they like smoky flavours use smoked paprika and ¼ cup of diced bacon at step one.
This recipe can be frozen in small portions ready for weekday breakfasts and lunchboxes.
3.4.3174

 

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: affordablemeals, bakedbeans, beans, cannellinibeans, cleanbakedbeans, cleaneating, cleanmeanbakedbeans, dairyfree, digestion, familymeals, gluten-free diet, glutenfree, glutenfreefood, grain-free, grainfree, JERF, kidfriendlymeals, kidsfood, kidslunches, lactosefree, lunchbox, notosugar, pickyeaters, protein, schoollunches, sugar-free diet, sugarfree, sugarfreebakedbeans, thatsugarfilm, toddlerfood

Triple C Frittatas- Coriander, Carrot and Cumin.

August 20, 2015 by taranoosa

Triple C mini-frittatas

Triple C mini-frittatas

Do you both love it and hate it when you go to quickly make one of your regular recipes and you find that you are missing some ingredients? I do.

It frustrates me as I am always rushing and short on time for most tasks. However, sometimes it forces creativity as I have to think outside the square and create something new with what I’ve got.

This happened last week when I went to make up a super-quick batch of my Mini-frittatas for the kid’s lunchboxes (you can find this recipe in my lunch-box eBook ‘Forget the Sandwich!’, available here). I needed to make up the batch as I was seriously running out of lunchbox foods and the cupboard was quite bare. Unfortunately when I opened the fridge it was pretty dire in the vegetable department- all I could find was some fresh coriander (cilantro) and a few carrots. Bing! Coriander, Carrot and Cumin mini frittatas were created.

The 3 year-old rejected them but the 7 year-old and we adults loved them. I hope you do too!

Triple C Frittatas- Coriander, Carrot and Cumin.
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
25 mins
Total time
35 mins
 
An easy recipe to make for school and adult lunchboxes.
Author: taranoosa
Recipe type: Lunchbox, snacks
Serves: 12-16
Ingredients
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
  • 1 lge carrot, peeled and grated
  • salt to taste
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder (optional)
  • Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions
  1. Turn oven onto 175C/160C Fan-forced
  2. Whisk eggs in a bowl
  3. Add other ingredients and mix
  4. Pour into mini-muffin trays, either silicon or lined with baking papers
  5. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top, if using
  6. Bake for 20-25 mins.
  7. Can be frozen once cooled.
3.3.3077

 

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: carrot, cilantro, coriander, cumin, eggs, frittatas, gluten-free diet, glutenfree, glutenfreefood, grain-free, grainfree, healthysnacks, kidsfood, kidslunches, lunchbox, mini-frittatas, protein, schoollunches, snacks

Healthy Jellies!

January 12, 2015 by taranoosa

IMG_1521 I didn’t really know much about Gelatin before going grain-free.

I knew that Jelly (or Jello if you are North American) was yummy but assumed it was not that good for you due to the sugar and artificial colouring it contains. This is actually an interesting point as it is probably most recognised as the food served in hospitals!

During my personal health journey of healing my gut with bone broths and stews, I quickly realised the benefits contained in good quality Gelatin from grass-fed meat and their link to gut repair. After all, this is predominantly how I healed myself by following the GAPS protocol. Because I was following many Paleo and GAPS diet blogs, I started seeing a Gelatin product that was sourced from grass-fed animals being used in various recipes. I purchased some and started experimenting with jelly and jelly shapes and then I heard about a ‘benefits of Gelatin’ workshop being run locally to me. It was run by Aimee from www.primalinfluence.com and taught us how to make the Jelly shapes that I had already been making using juice, but also Marshmallows and a Jaffa Panna Cotta! Don’t worry, I will share these other two recipes with you in another post- they were so delicious!

These days, I make the Jelly shapes about once a week and my daughters have them in their lunchboxes everyday. As a lunchbox addition it is just a wonderful sweet, fruity ‘treat’ but is packed with so many health benefits. Gelatin contains calcium, collagen, amino acids and magnesium and has gut-healing, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties. I make sure that I always use the best-quality juice that I can get and only use Great Lakes’ Grass-fed Gelatin.

This recipe features in my eBook ‘Forget the Sandwich!- Fast, easy, whole-food, kid-approved lunchbox recipes and ideas by a Teacher, School-Mum and Food-Blogger’, along with other easy, nutritious snack and lunch ideas.

** This recipe has been amended- it previously read as 2 LITRES instead of 2 CUPS, an error which has now been fixed. My apologies if you tried the recipe with the incorrect measurements**

Healthy Jellies!
 
Print
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
3 hours
Total time
3 hours 20 mins
 
Healthy jellies perfect for a healthy snack or lunchbox item.
Author: taranoosa
Recipe type: Snacks/Lunchboxes
Serves: 20+
Ingredients
  • 2 cups 100% Fruit juice
  • 4 TBS (AUS 20ml) Great Lakes Beef Gelatin powder
  • optional- 1-2TBS raw honey (or other sweetener)
  • optional- pinch of Beetroot powder
Instructions
  1. Grease jelly or chocolate moulds using macadamia oil (coconut oil will solidify).
  2. Pour the juice into a saucepan with a large surface area- don't heat yet!
  3. Sprinkle the Gelatin lightly and evenly and allow to 'Bloom' (it will start to look brain-like and the children will love watching!) for 5-10 mins or until translucent.
  4. Heat pan on medium heat and whisk until dissolved.
  5. If using, add optional sweetener and powder and keep whisking (I tend not to use sweetener if I am using apple juice)
  6. Pour into moulds and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
  7. Remove from moulds and place in a container in the fridge.
  8. Lasts approx. 5 days in the fridge. Yield depends on molds.
Notes
You can purchase Great Lakes Gelatin from www.iherb.com. If I am using straight apple juice I use the beetroot powder to give it an appealing pink colour. I have also experimented with combining apple, pear and beetroot juice to obtain that colour. Play around with the fruits that your children enjoy.
3.2.2929

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: birthday, dairyfree, digestion, GAPS, gelatin, gluten-free diet, glutenfree, grainfree, grass-fed, jellycups, kidfriendlymeals, kidsfood, kidsparty, nutfreepaleo, paleo, party, picnic, primal, schoollunches, snacks, sugar-free diet, sugarfree

Tried and tested Banana pancakes!

December 8, 2014 by taranoosa

Versions of this absolutely simple recipe have circled the internet blogosphere in many forms. This is mine.

OFGFD-Oct-22

Tried and tested Banana pancakes!
 
Print
Prep time
3 mins
Cook time
5 mins
Total time
8 mins
 
This is my version of a well-documented easy 'pancake' recipe.
Author: taranoosa
Recipe type: Lunchbox, Breakfast, Snacks, Kids food
Cuisine: Snacks
Serves: 2-5
Ingredients
  • 1 Large Banana (eg Cavendish not Lady Finger), the riper the better.
  • 2 Eggs (Preferably Free range/Organic/Pasture raised).
  • Butter or Ghee
  • Optional- Cinnamon or Nut butter.
Instructions
  1. Mash the banana well.
  2. In a separate bowl, Whisk eggs lightly.
  3. Combine (adding optional Cinnamon or Nut butter if using).
  4. Heat Butter or Ghee in frypan.
  5. Pour mixture to make preferred sized pancakes. I made pikelet-size.
  6. Flip then eat!
  7. Makes 2-5 depending on size. Can freeze in large batches for school lunches, but they do dry a little.
3.2.2885

OFGFD-Oct-15

OFGFD-Oct-18 OFGFD-Oct-19 OFGFD-Oct-20 OFGFD-Oct-21

OFGFD-Oct-23

The first time I made these I couldn’t believe just how easy they were! Best of all, everyone in the house loves them.

I hope you do too!

 

Tara x

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: bananapancakes, dairyfree, familymeals, GAPS, glutenfree, glutenfreefood, grainfree, kidsfood, lactosefree, lunchbox, nutfree, paleo, primal, schoollunches, snacks, sugarfree

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My name is Tara. I live in Noosa, Queensland, Australia and I am a mother, teacher and blogger. Read More…

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