Saturday roast

Training: 15km

My morning run went well – with my knees holding up. I am now feeling a lot more confident about the half marathon in a few weeks time!

After a relaxing day, I decided on a roast chicken for dinner.

I found this book at a great shop in Kangaroo Valley last weekend, and was keen to give its recipe for roast chicken a try.




I am always a little scared of cooking whole chickens from scratch. However, this recipe was actually quite simple. All I had to do was stuff the chicken with lemon and herbs (I used thyme, marjoram and tarragon) then roast for an hour and a half or so.  

 

Does anyone else think that uncooked chickens look….well…a little sad?
I also roasted some dutch carrots in the same pan.

  

The chicken was beautifully tender after roasting, and the carrots had caramelised perfectly. 



Served with a side of steamed green beans for good measure.



I was really happy with the quality of this free range organic chicken. The meat was tender, and the skin was not too thick. The lemon / herb combination also added a lovely fragrance and flavour to the chicken.

Happy baking :)

Pizza night

Last night I decided on one of our favourite ‘got to ‘ dishes for a Friday night. Homemade pizza.

This used to make an appearance on our menu at least once a fortnight – and was well overdue.

Normally I make a wheat free crust using rice flour, however I knew I had this box of GF flour in the pantry (with its accompanying pizza base recipe) so figured I would give it a try.

Immediately I was struck by how much of a batter it was, rather than a dough.

I literally poured the mixture onto two lined pizza pans, then let it rest in a warm place for 20 minutes or so.

Looks like a pancake?!

I then placed the pans in the oven for 10 minutes, after which they came out looking a lot more like pizza bases.

Ready to be topped with a variety of vegies and mozzarella.

Starting with basil and tomato sauce.

Followed by sweet potato and red capsicum.

And topped with mushrooms, tomato, pineapple and cheese.

Then baked to pizza perfection…

While the GF base burned quickly on the edges, the flour produced a wonderfully light and fluffy pizza base – something that I have not, before today, been able to recreate. Given that the flour is wheat, dairy and yeast free, and the only addition when making the dough was water, I am quite impressed. Mr BBB also enjoyed the pizza base, which is great as it now means I don’t have to make 2 pizzas (ie. a WF one for me and a ‘normal’ one for him!)

Training:

Well it is Saturday morning, whilst I would like to say that I am having a leisurely brunch with friends, or doing something similarly relaxing, I am about to head out on my longest run ever……

15 kms!

Wish me luck! I can’t believe that there is only two weeks until the half marathon eek.

Happy baking :)

Guest post

Happy Friday!

I was lucky enough to be asked to do a guest post by the lovely Michelle at Eating Journey.
Feel free to drop by and check it out.

Happy baking :)

Make mine a soup….

Training: Run 5k

After a long day in the office, Mr BBB joined me for a 5km run. It was one of those summer evenings that was perfect for running. Not too hot, just right. It was also nice to have company on the run – given that I normally run alone.

My dinner, however, was more ‘winter’ inspired.

I made a big batch of minestrone soup last night, which I knew would be enough for two dinners – and tomorrow’s lunch!

 

Whilst this may not have been the most 'traditional' minestrone soup, it was super easy to make. I  threw some carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, vegetable broth, GF macaroni, dried oregano and a tin of beans into a pot,  then let the mix simmer for an hour or so.

Tonight it was simply a matter of reheating the veggie goodness and topping the bowls with parmesan – for a little extra bite.

Served with a grilled cheese toastie (on a wheat-free roll) on the side.

 

And voila! Simple yet delicious. I think this made it from "fridge to tummy" in under 15 minutes too. My kind of weeknight meal really…

What is your favourite "time saver" weeknight meal?

Happy baking :)

Beach adventures part 3

On Sunday I got up early so that I could play photographer for my friend who was racing in the long course championships (2km Swim / 83km Bike / 20km Run). She did brilliantly and finished the course in 5.5 hours. This girl is seriously super impressive!


After watching her head out on the bike leg, Mr BBB and I headed to a local cafe, Supply,  for breakfast. We had walked past  on Saturday and I was insistent that we returned there for breakfast on Sunday.





Whilst it may not be much to look at from the outside, the menu was super impressive, being FILLED with healthy and interesting breakfast options, including a large range of wheat-free dishes.



I loved how the shop was also filled with organic and interesting produce and products. I could seriously have spent a fortune in here.
 


I ordered the "Breakfast Salad", comprising poached eggs, roast tomato, avocado, rocket, haloumi and dukkah.

 

The dukkah added a gorgeous fragrance and crunch to the salad – and is something I will definitely try to re-create at home.   

Owing to the triathlon festival, the cafe was extremely busy. Both Mr BBB and I agreed that the quality of our dishes was probably a little lower than what they would normally serve, but given how busy the cafe was we were more than happy with what we received.

After breakfast we watched the race a little more then decided it was time to head back to Canberra. We opted to take a scenic route through Kangaroo Valley, stopping at the various little towns and lookouts along the way.









I came across a wonderful second hand book store, and felt very restrained only buying 3 books. I could have walked away with a lot more. Stay tuned - I am sure further mention of the books I purchased will be made in the near future.



A little later in the afternoon we came across a sign for the Fitzroy Falls, and curiosity got the better of us.



Another walk through the lovely Australian bush…









And we arrived at a breathtaking waterfall…I was in awe.....



Gorgeous!



Again I wish we had proper hiking shoes as there were so many trails to explore!

The rest of the trip home was rather uneventful – although we did stop for a cool refreshment….



And a little sweet fix…
          


There is something about Belgian dark chocolate that prevents me from stopping at just one piece ;) Delicious.

5 hours later we arrived home, tired yet happy about our wonderful weekend away. It was great to explore a part of Australia that I had not yet seen - despite it being so close to home. We may have only been away for a few days – but in reality it felt like a week. And I loved every minute of it.

What about you? Do you prefer relaxing or adventurous trips away?

Happy baking :)

Beach Adventures part 2

Thankyou all so much for your sweet words about the race. It really was a lot of fun - and has definitely given me that fighting spirit to train for an even longer race! Unfortunately the triathlon season is almost over in Australia - but I have until October or so to get my mileage up.

Beach adventures - part 2

After the race, Mr BBB and I headed back to the beach house, stopping at the beach down the end of the street for a quick swim.

  

After a swim and a shower, we set about exploring the beautiful Jervis Bay area.

First stop - the Jervis Bay Nature Park - where we were surprised to find out that we had to pay $10.00 just to enter?



I was starving by this stage, so we stopped at the only shop in town for some lunch.
 


  I started with a banana and yoghurt...



Then inhaled this box of hot chips.



Unhealthy I know - however wheat-free choices were pretty much non-existent at the lunch shop we went to :( I don't eat hot chips very often so I enjoyed every carba-licious chip on this occasion :)

After lunch we parked the car then headed out on a gorgeous trail for a kilometre or so to the lookout.



 

There were a lot of trails in the area, but we decided not to go too far given that we weren't in proper walking shoes and didn't have any water with us.







Once at the lookout we were rewarded with gorgeous views of Jervis Bay.



The water was so blue, and simply stunning.



We spent the remainder of the day / evening catching up with friends.

I made it until 10pm, then I think I fell  asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

Part 3 to follow…

Happy baking :)