In My Kitchen: February 2014 - lunchbox, heatwave and fun

In my kitchen this month is lunchboxes and too much heat.  And you know what they say.  If you can't stand the heat, turn on the air conditioner!  Seems like only yesterday I was enjoying the milk days of summer.  Well they are but a pleasant memory.  With the heat and the start of school, there are some changes in the kitchen.

Above is the one photo I have of Sylvia's lunchbox.  School mornings are too hectic to allow much time for taking pictures.  The above lunchbox is crackers, cherry tomatoes, swiss cheese, leftover boiled potato, chickpeas (hidden from view under another box), choc chip cookies and plums.  I have also given her sushi, cheeseymite scrolls cherries, apple and ANZAC biscuits.  She still comes home from school starving.  Maybe one day I will find a bento box to replace the tubs.

With the heat I have been off porridge.  Porridge is for winter.  Fruit and yoghurt is for summer.  We have had a whirlwind love affair with this five:am vanilla bean yoghurt.  So creamy and pleasantly sweet.  Then suddenly I am onto toast and cashew cheese spread for breakfast.  Yes, I am fickle.

Here is the cashew cheese spread.  It comes from a company called Botanical Cuisine.  It is super smooth with subtle spicy garlic undertones.  Sometimes I have it spread on toast with relish on top.  E sometimes tops his with jam.  Other recent health food store purchases include some very refreshing raspberry passion kombucha from Mojo and some coconut butter from Artisana.  I am a little unsure how to use the coconut butter but the label is very pretty, so at least it look pleasing when cluttering up my kitchen.

Another recipe health food store purchase is Stevia.  I have been trying it in recipes.  In small doses it can work for me but I find I don't like the taste if there is too much.  I can see how people can find the amount that suits them and get used to it.  I still prefer other sweeteners.

I have been recipe testing for Ricki Heller.  It is a great privilege and joy to try out some of her wonderful recipes.  I have been in the kitchen a lot and eating lots of great healthy food.  Her cookbook is due out in late 2014 and I can't wait.  You can see some of the tester photos on her Candida Cookbook Recipes Pinterest Board. 

After a cool start to summer, January has brought the heat and it is refusing to go away.  Today it is forecast to be 40 C.  Yet another wilting weekend.  I have been keeping the freezer well stocked with ice blocks.  We love these cat shaped ice blocks.

Here is a peek into a heatwave kitchen.  Watermelon, ice blocks and fruit flavored ice blocks help keep us hot.  Sadly chocolate is best kept in the fridge or it ends up looking like this.

January also brought out some patriotic food for Australia Day.  I wondered if this is why this packet included macadamias.  I quite liked the dark chocolate covered macadamias.  Sylvia preferred the yoghurt covered cranberries.  E loved both.

This packet of Pringles was a Down Under Limited Edition.  I assume it was for Australia Day.  The Pringles are just plain.  Shame they couldn't have been more creative with an Australian flavour.  Bush tomato and wattleseed perhaps?

I was all prepared to buy the BBQ shapes for Australia Day until I saw the flavour was meat lovers.  Instead I bought these Shapes which were Sweet Chilli and Sour Cream.  It is a flavour combination I used to buy more.  I don't know if they have changed the flavouring but I found it really strong and addictive - in an unhealthy sort of way.  I don't think I will buy these again in a hurry.

Summer means lots of stone fruit.  I am loving nectarines, cherries and peaches.  Sylvia loves bananas - in smoothies and pancakes.  We even tried some icy poles made of banana and cocoa.  They were quite good.

Finally, here is a bit of dinner time fun.A house made with some tempeh bacon from recipe testing and a garden of vegies and cheese for Sylvia.

I am sending to this Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for her In the Kitchen event.