Party Mojito Cupcake Gourmet Style With Xanthum Gum

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Welcome to weekly Weekend party with A Light Perspective.  Last week, we explored BBQ Smoke Off Healthy Style.  It's worth a look, as I have a lovely guacamole recipe here which the guests absolutely adored.  Previous to that, we discussed How To Host An Italian Themed Party.  Pop by next weekend for a French themed article I'm sure, as the Frenchman's parents will be visiting.

But let's get on with today's awesome mojito cupcake recipe.  The recipe is not mine, I was inspired by Hummingbird ofcourse.  I tweaked it slightly to suit a milk, egg, wheat and soy free diet.  After all, why should one following this exclusion diet miss out on fabulous party food recipe ideas, right?

I had so much fun making this and so will you.  The recipe contains rum, so needless to day, this will not be suitable for children.  If you are hosting with children, skip the rum and use lime juice instead.

Try not to forgo the frosting in an attempt to save calories.  Stick to a whole cupcake and you'll be just fine.  The cake mix itself is quite 'light' I thought and so the frosting really does dress it up for a red carpet event.  Have fun and remember, you can tweak the ingredients if you do not need to exclude all of the allergens listed (milk, egg, wheat, gluten or soy).

INGREDIENTS

Sponge
100ml white rum
170g caster sugar
40g milk & soy free margarine
120g gluten & wheat free flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum
120ml rice milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Frosting:
40g milk & soy free margarine
65g icing sugar
Remainder of zest from 1 lime
Remainder of zest from 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime

Baking tray with muffin holes









DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 170º C.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the white rum and 30g of the sugar to boil.  Allow to reduce by half then set aside.  You will not need this again until the cupcakes are baked.
3. Beat the margarine, flour, salt, baking powder, lime and lemon zest, mint and remainder of sugar.  It will form a crumb like consistency.
4. Mix the remainder of the of the ingredients for the sponge in a jug.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture (except for the rum) and mix on low speed if using an electric beater.  
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin holes.  I had enough for 11 cupcakes.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cupcakes are light golden brown on top and springy to touch.
7. Whilst the cupcakes are still warm, spoon half the rum reduction over each cake, then leave to cool completely before frosting.
8. For the frosting, mix the margarine, icing sugar, lemon and lime zest on a low speed until combined.  Then add the remainder of the rum reduction and mix well.  If the mixture is very runny, consider adding 1/4 teaspoon of the xanthum gum.
9. Add the frosting onto the cupcakes and decorate with any remaining zest of lime and lemon that you may have.


Enjoy, this really is a delightful and FUN recipe!  Until next weekend's party themed recipe..

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Model Behaviour: How To Maintain An Accurate Food Diary

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If you are serious about weight loss, then you should be devoted to your food diary.  There is a growing body of evidence indicating success with weight loss in individuals who adopt the model behaviour of recording their intake in a food diary.

If you are not entirely convinced read Why Food Diaries Are A Girl's Best Friend.  Food diaries really can be key in ensuring that you achieve your short and long term goals.  We would all love a girl friend to encourage us through our weight loss journey, but when a friend isn't available, rely on these diaries.  The great thing about food diaries are that even when your mood changes and you abandon your diary, once you confidence and the courage to continue with the weight loss journey, you've always got your diary to refer back to.

The diary is a fantastic tool to verify what worked for you in the past and what didn't.  So if you are feeling inspired and want practical tips for completing an online food diary, grab a cuppa and let's go through a day's entry together.

Once you have created an account with myfitnesspal (or a similar online diary), you will notice straight away that you can log your food intake under the headings; breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

I am going to start today's entry with Breakfast.

Breakfast is a classic example of how important it is to read the nutrition tables at the back of any food packaging.  If you eat cereal like me, it really does pay to screen your cereals.  If you feel bewildered and are unsure which cereal brand to choose, read this short guide to make the selection process crystal clear: Breakfast Attack: How To Screen Your Cereal.

I find that the suggested serving sizes on breakfast cereals are completely unrealistic.  Who actually only ever eats a tiny 40g portion?  I would be starving and eating my arm by mid morning if that was all I ate.  What I suggest you do is to weigh your morning cereal just once,  so that your diary entries are as accurate as possible.  

I have chosen a cup of milk as I use this in cereal but also for cups of tea through-out the day.  I never add sugar to tea therefore to save time, I simply add this as a single entry.  I will choose 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 x 1/2 cup of cooked oats.  Equally, you may be given the option of selecting 1 cup of cereal.  I have not weighed my cereal recently, therefore I prefer to overestimate.

Let's move onto lunch.  Today I ate mash with mackerel in a tomato sauce, a monstrous bunch of grapes and a pottle of reduced fat yoghurt as a snack later in the day.  I grabbed this from the hospital cafeteria therefore I really am clueless for exact weights.  I will need to estimate portion sizes.  After navigating to 'lunch', type in the food item that you would like to search for in the search box.  I typed in mash potato and selected the first option.

I chose 2 servings of mash as it looked like a large portion (from memory).  I've entered the mackerel to what I felt was the best match in the search field.  I am half way through completing the diary.

Before amnesia conveniently strikes, I better enter the 5 fun sized chocolates that I ate today.  What a dreadful day to reveal my diary I am thinking...  I checked the labels and each fun bar consisted of 40 calories.  I have therefore entered 2.5 servings as each fun bar on this particular selection provided 80 calories.

Had I not checked the labels or the calorie content of the actual product before eating, on entering 5 x 80 calorie fun sized bars, the diary would have falsely given me a higher calorie reading.  

My rule is simply not to fret about each and every single calorie but I also like to be as accurate as possible.  The idea is to record your intake to get a sense of how many calories are remaining in the calorie bank that day.  For example, if your diary tells you that have met you target for the day but you are still hungry, then you know to reach for the darling clementine and not for seconds from your evening meal.

Don't forget to record your exercise or activity for the day too.  I personally ignore all other columns (carbs, fat and protein).  Having said that, watch for trends.  Are you regularly exceeding one macro nutrient and under achieving in the other?  For a detailed review of your food intake, consult a dietitian.

I have completed my diary in full for you to view.  Click here Food/diary/GirlnThePurpleDress.  Don't forget, you will need the key purple.


And so my lovely readers, a quick example of how to complete a food diary.  Next time, we'll go through how to enter a complicated recipe.  Have you got tips on entering your intake?  How do you monitor your intake on a weight loss plan?  

Do comment below, I love hearing from you!

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Masterclass - Feeding Your Child With Faltering Growth

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It’s a bit of work, but nothing is impossible.  It’s heart aching for a mum when a health professional diagnoses your child with faltering growth, but do you know what this term really means?

Faltering growth is a medical term used to describe when an infant or child fails to grow along their ‘own percentile line’ on a growth chart.  As a result, the child's weight and height may cross two or more centile lines on their chart. 

For example, assume baby Amelie was born on the 25^th centile as plotted on a girls growth chart.  A few months later, her weight dropped to the 9^th to 25^th centile.  She continued to grow along this line for the next two years.  Her height on a different centile line, continued to follow the same line through-out her childhood. 

Amelie may only be classified as faltering to grow or ‘failing to thrive’ if her weight drops from the 25^th centile down to less than the 2^nd centile.  Her height may or may not be following her own line on the growth chart.  There are a multitude of reasons why a child may struggle to grow at their expected rate, but this is not the purpose of today's post.  For more information on faltering growth, refer to this short article by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children titled Faltering Growth.

ROLE OF THE PARENT

Your dietitian or medical practitioner may prescribe high energy milks or special feeds to help your child grow.  Alongside these special milks, the use of high energy foods such as margarine, cooked breakfasts, high energy snacks and food fortification with oils and fats can promote weight gain for your little one.

Here are a few suggestions.

MENU DU JOUR

Breakfast

Toast - your child may only have a few bites but you can make every mouthful calorific by using more than one spread such as margarine AND jam AND peanutbutter AND chocolate spread and so on.

Cereal - consider using full cream milk and add sugar or honey to increase overall caloric content of the meal.

For a leisurely breakfast, offer pancakes or waffles with syrups, croissants or brioche.  Eat meals with your child to create a pleasant and social atmosphere around meal times.

Get into a routine and feed your child at the same time each day.  Allow 30 minutes for each meal and never 'force' your child to eat.  This will only increase your child's anxiety around meal times.  Instead, create a positive feeding environment whereby you encourage your child and reinforce positive behaviour i.e. when your child takes a bite or puts food into their mouth clap your hands or offer words of encouragement.

Lunch

Add meat AND an extra protein into sandwiches such as cheese.

Use margarine or other high fat spreads AND other fillings for sandwiches.

For soups, consider adding a teaspoon of oil or cream.

Similarly, mix in a teaspoon of margarine or vegetable oil into hot meals to boost calories

Dinner

As above and always offer dessert even if it is something simple like yoghurt, jelly or tinned fruit.  Every extra bite counts!

Snacks - carry snacks with you so that you have something on hand if your little one says that he/she is hungry.  Cereal bars, dried fruit, biscuits, pre-packaged slices of cake or crisps are easy to transport for the busy mum on the go.  At home, you could offer cheese and crackers, toast with spreads, mini sandwiches, flavoured milk, fruit drizzled in honey or syrups or anything that the little one will accept and enjoys eating.

These are only a few ideas for increasing energy intake for the little one needing the extra calories.  For recipe ideas that are milk, egg, wheat or soy free, refer to the section Collection of milk, egg, wheat or soy free recipes. 

SUMMARY

• Offer 3 meals and 2 - 3 snacks per day at the same time each day
• Allow up to 30 minutes for meal times
• Never force your child to eat, encourage him or her to eat and reinforce positive behaviour with a hug or words of encouragement
• Use two spreads on bread and choose at least 2 protein fillings in sandwiches to increase calorie intake
• Consider adding a teaspoon of vegetable oil into a hot meal (mix this in prior to serving)
• Offer dessert or a bed time snack 

This post has now been reposted on www.ukkidsnutrition.com

Good luck and do share any tips that you have found useful.  Please do comment below, I love hearing from you.

Should You Risk Losing Your Beauty Sleep & Flat Belly?

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Are you feeling the pressures of work?  Are there pressing deadlines to meet; exams to study for?  Are you burning the candle at both ends?  You can survive on a few hours of sleep surely, right?

Choose to give up your beauty sleep and you are probably more likely to throw out your healthy eating habits too, reports a study in Nutrition in 2012.  Short sleep duration was associated with poor diet quality in 410 medical students in Iran.  Unfortunately, females who slept for less than 6 hours per night were significantly more likely to be overweight and obese.  They were more likely to carry fat around their middle.  Do You Know Your Waist To Hip Ratio?  Their diets tended to be higher in calories, low in fibre, fruit, whole grains and beans.

These findings are duplicated in other studies such as ‘The Swan Sleep Study’ in Obesity 2012.  Interestingly this study reported that for each hour of less sleep this equated to an increase in Body Mass Index by one point.  Remember that the cut-off for normal healthy range is less than 25 kg/m².  An increase by one point would therefore push you from the normal to the overweight category if you hold a BMI of 25.

This is also true for children it appears.  A study of Australian children over 4 years showed that children from the lower socio-economic backgrounds and low sleep duration were more likely to increase their risk of obesity, as reported in Paediatric Obesity this year.

It is important to appreciate that lack of sleep may not necessarily cause weight gain; simply that it is merely associated with higher risk of being overweight or obese.  Could it be that whilst you burn the midnight oil finishing off that incredibly important piece of work yet again, you are also reaching for bags of crisps or other high fat snacks?  Are you so tired from lack of sleep that the next day, you pounce on endless mugs of coffees with cream and sugar, have little time for grocery shopping and hence spend little or no time preparing a healthy menu for the day and week?

Is your starring role at work, hours of sweat over documents, sleepless nights and poor food choices worth it, once at the end of your journey, you can barely squeeze into that gorgeous black dress to celebrate?  It’s a tough world out there and you may not think twice about trading in sleep for an extra hour of work, but make this a regular routine and you really may run the risk of weight gain.  The International Journal of Obesity, in 2008 reported that you may be up to 3.8 times more likely to be obese for men and 2.3 times more likely at risk for women if you sleep less than 5 hours per night.

What’s the solution?  Aim for 7 to 8 hours of beauty sleep each night.  If that sounds impossible, try to get to bed at least a half hour early each night.  If that fails, leave the crisps, chocolate and biscuits in the trolley at the supermarket and replace with a spectacular fruit bowl that’s within easy reach. 

You may also find that on the nights that you do get time to cook, make extra so that you have extras for the next evening, saving on cooking time.  Certain microwavable meals may be ‘okay’ every now and then, just make sure that you screen your labels (see Be Shopping Savvy: Nutrition Labelling Decoded).

When you do finally hit the sack, don’t forget to read a book for a few minutes or listen to soothing music to create a moment of calm and tranquility so that sleep envelopes you the minute your sleepy head touches the pillow.

How much sleep do you get each night?  I need at least 8 hours to function fully but 7 hours is pretty good too!

Do comment below, I love hearing from you!

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A BBQ Smoke Off Healthy Style

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If you are like me, you've probably had an entire weekend of jam packed with BBQs.  I attended a German themed BBQ on Friday and yesterday hosted my own.  The first to be made was the Summery Sangria.  For recipe see How To Summon Sun, Sea & Spain With Spanish Sangria.  You may want to add peaches and tonnes more fruit such as grapes and strawberries, for a refreshing summery drink.

The next to prepare were the garlic & basil chicken thighs.  The original recipe called for butter, so I threw in a tablespoon of butter and substituted the rest with a drizzle of olive oil.  Throw in crushed garlic and fresh basil leaves and leave to marinate for a few hours in the fridge.  Serve with sweetcorn.  A very tasty treat.

For the starter, you may also wish to prepare guacamole for some heart loving fats (mono unsaturated fatty acids; the MUFAs).  

Recipe

2 avocados, flesh only

3 large cherry tomatoes

1/2 medium red onion, chopped 

1 - 2 tablespoons coriander

Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Mash avocado with the back of a spoon, mix in tomatoes, red onion and coriander.  Then add juice of 1/2 lime, salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Serve with toasted pita bread, cut into strips.

It would be crazy not to prepare my favourite food - salmon so I did!  I opted for Stuffed Salmon which really is amazing with very ripe tomatoes, carrots, red onions, a generous squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkling of herbes de provence from South of France.  You can wrap this in foil then place on the BBQ when the coals are a soft glow.  You'll enjoy being seated next to the warm glow as the last rays of sun fade away.

There were plenty of spicy sausages and other meats that the guests brought but sadly no photographs for display.  Merguez has always been a favourite.  It's peppery and spicy flavours are best washed down with a bit of the sweet sangria.  For a fabulous photo of this see Day Two: What To Expect When Dining With The French In The South Of France.

There was a mozarella, tomato, cucumber and avocado based salad as well as a rice and sweetcorn based salad.  The latter was an offering by a lovely friend Sinead.  Alternatively why not try Under The Sun: Grown Up Mediterranean Salad.

Look at these amazing breads freshly baked by a very talented Vaani!  Don't they look professionally baked?  I will be booking in for baking lessons with her very soon.  The lattice breads were infused with olives.  Delicious.

Finally but not least was dessert.  When you are feeling too stuffed for the third course, fresh fruit can be the perfect solution.  You could either prepare a fruit salad (for recipe ideas see Lazy Fruit Salad) or go with fresh fruit on its own such as delicious grapes and mouth watering slices of watermelon.

I do love BBQs and there are plenty of ways of incorporating nourishing foods, fruit and vegetables at these parties.  Enjoy your Sunday lovely readers!


Do share the love with a TWEET or LIKE and please do comment below your recipe ideas for a BBQ Smoke off.  I do love hearing from you!

Baking With Xanthum Gum: When Less Is Moreish

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I wanted to bake a gorgeous strawberry cake (that is if I could stop myself from eating the strawberries first).  I do love strawberries, they photograph beautifully and possess a fabulous red colour that instantly makes you happy with every viewing.

Berries are abundant in vitamins and antioxidants and so really do make the perfect snack as outlined in 8 Perfect Reasons To Indulge In Berries.  Fruit can be a useful way of reducing the amount of added sugar required in baking as explained in Can You Have Your Cake & Keep Your Waistline Too?  

When it comes to natural binders that are egg free, bananas are by far my favourite.  This lovely yellow fruit is accessible all year round, cheap and has a pleasant flavour even as a binder.  It works wonderfully well every time.  The only problem?  It can get a little bit boring.  That's where alternative binding agents can become useful.

Baking with xanthum gum for the first time was indeed a very memorable experience.  I tried it for the first time today and I was very impressed that only a small amount was required for binding action.  In the strawberry cake that I wanted to try, I only ended up using 1/2 teaspoon along with 1/4 teaspoon of arrowroot powder.  I needed more wet ingredients therefore instead of milk, I used mango puree, strawberry jam and half of a small banana.  The other half, I ended up eating of course!

It is difficult to describe the effect of xanthum gum, except that it really does scoop up absolutely every bit of powder in the bowl.  The final result was a thick custard type mixture that was almost jelly like.  It binds so well that I had to loosen up the loaf from the cake tin with a butter knife, before turning it over to cool.  Perhaps greasing the tin beforehand would have been helpful, but I usually never find the need to.

The final product did not have a lot of 'height' to boast about yet it pleasantly maintained the gel type consistency out of the oven.  It was definitely going to maintain its shape but missed the satisfying 'crumb' that you would expect from a cake.  Xanthum gum may work best in a biscuit or bread recipe.  The final verdict?  It performs its duties as a binder, but I personally prefer bananas or alternative fruit puree.  However, if you need to follow an egg free diet, it's great to know that you have options.

Have you baked with xanthum gum?  If so, do share your experience and words of wisdom.  I love hearing from you lovely readers!

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A Busy Mum's Guide To Supper

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Would you rather hit the couch and dream of holidays than cook supper?  Tempting thought yes, but the kids are screaming and they need feeding.  Read these recipe suggestions below and before you even have the time to say 'takeaway' you will have dinner ready whether it be made by you or the kids!  Simply get them involved to speed up the process and plan your menu the week ahead.  

For year round easy recipes, pizzas are always a great place to start.  You can purchase pizza bases in advance or prepare your dough ahead of time during the weekend.  A girlfriend prepared her pizza dough two days in advance and the base was crispy and delicious.  To view see How To Host An Italian Themed Dinner Party.  I am not a fan of takeaways it's true  and you probably know this from my outrageous post Naming And Shaming The BurgerPizza, but when prepared at home you can truly have a lot of fun with a very nutritious outcome.

For recipe ideas see DIY: Are You Up For The Health Food Challenge?  What I love about pizzas are that the whole family can get involved.  Toppings can range from lean meat, poultry or seafood with plenty of favourite vegetables that the children can choose.  Don't forget that pita breads can make an excellent pizza base for individual pizzas.  This is a great 'norecipe' way of cooking!

Stuffed vegetables are another fantastic supper idea that the kids will also enjoy preparing.  Think of it as dinner chic presented in the most simple way and yet oh so delicious.  Why not try Seafood Stuffed Peppers With Garlic & Basil Squid.  Once the peppers have been halved you can just about throw in anything you want from cous cous, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, stir fried vegetables or lean mince.  Combine with fresh herbs for flavour and enjoy a well deserved cuppa whilst this cooks in the oven.

I really enjoy reading recipe ideas from An Edible Mosaic.  Faith's Cabbage, Carrot & Chicken Stir Fry sound flavoursome, quick and tasty.  It's totally desirable and perhaps the brave step you need for increasing vegetable intake for your family.

Curries may look scary with their large ingredient list but let me tell you a secret.  Once the ingredients are measured and set aside, it's essentially dinner in a pot as all you really need to do is throw in all the ingredients in a large pot then cover and simmer.  You'll see what I mean when you try Flavoursome Chicken Curry or Sushila's Paneer Explosion.  In fact, dhal or lentils really are the easiest and quickest things in the world to make.  Very appropriate for meatless Monday nights too, don't you think?  See Parippu (lentils) and you'll quickly see that  you will save time whilst preparing nutritious healthy meals for your family.

Are you a fan of rice?  This naturally wheat and gluten free alternative to pasta is done in about 10 minutes so why not combine rice with your favourite ingredients.  Try Prawn and Wild Mushroom Rice.

If you have a little bit more time up your sleeve, the extra effort that goes into preparing risottos are worth it as you will be rewarded with satisfied bellies all around the dinner table.  I especially enjoy eating Creamy Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto With Sundried Tomatoes.  Again these are recipe suggestions only so vary the ingredients to suit what you've got going in your vegetable drawer.

Stay tuned for more quick and easy recipe ideas.  I will be sure to touch on this again in the near future.

In summary quick dinner ideas could range from home made pizzas using pita breads, stir fried dishes, risottos, alternative rice based dishes or curry type dishes if you fancy a bit of heat in your kitchen.  Whatever you choose to make, have fun and involve the kids.  They will appreciate the meal and the quality time that they get to spend with you in the kitchen.

And so my lovely readers, what are you favourite quick and easy family recipe ideas?  

Mine at the moment is this Satay Tofu Recipe but I like to change the base ingredients to salmon, spring onions and broccoli.  Absolutely delicious!


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