Hummus

Hummus not only tastes great, it’s good for you. It’s fast and easy to make and once you have made it at home, you will never go back to eating store-bought hummus again. What you need 1 x 400g jar or tin of chickpeas 3 tablespoons tahini 1-2 garlic cloves crushed ½ tsp sea salt 5…

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Butterfly Cupcakes

I made these cute Butterfly Cupcakes for my daughter-in-law’s surprise baby shower using a recipe from Gourmet Traveller. The cupcakes are a little fiddly to make, but they are so worth it because they look so lovely and taste great. As I was making these Butterfly Cupcakes, it suddenly struck me that I was about…

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Zucchini and Parmesan fritters

The first time I made these fritters, I used zucchini grown in my own garden that were picked by my grandson. Like most kids, my grandson is not keen on green vegetables. He has this weird habit of analysing food and picking out bits he doesn’t like before he takes a bite. This usually means…

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Pedro’s Blueberry & Muesli Cookies

“Hurry up cookies!”, is what my little grandson said while he was waiting for his Blueberry & Muesli Cookies to bake. I can’t blame him for being impatient. The aroma wafting from the oven was enough to make anyone’s mouth water. These Blueberry and Muesli Cookies are buttery, crunchy and delicious, with a hint of honey…

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The joy of a new grandchild

We’ve had to put Sunday family dinner on hold the last few weeks for a number of reasons and the most exciting one is the arrival of the newest addition to our family, grandson number two 👏 The first thought I had when I was told another grandchild was on the way was, will I…

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Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Pepitas

How do I describe this soup? It’s sweet, spicy, velvety, rich, flavoursome and hearty, with a touch of crunchiness – YUM! I don’t know about you, but this Roasted Pumpkin Soup has everything I need to warm up on a cold winter’s day. To be totally honest, I love this soup any time of the…

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Chicken and Leek Patties

Like most grandmothers, I am always worried that my grandson P has not had enough to eat when he spends the day with me, so I constantly try to create new recipes for him to try and these Chicken and Leek Patties are a recent addition. He is quite picky with his food, so when…

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Breakfast Egg Cups

Do you love eggs and bacon for breakfast, but don’t like the idea of having to slave over a hot frypan to make them? I guess you could go out to a cafe to eat them, but that means having to get out of your PJs and who wants to do that early on a…

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Sweet Potato & Quinoa Cups

What’s not to love about these Sweet Potato and Quinoa Cups! They are sweet and savoury, soft and crispy, all at the same time. The flavour and texture combination  makes these savoury cups very delicious and the ingredients make them a really healthy snack, hot or cold 🙂 I especially love the creamy tangy flavour of …

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What’s better than baking ‘koulourakia’ for Greek Easter?

It’s definitely baking koulourakia with my little grandson P! There is nothing that gives me more joy in my life than spending time with my family and, in particular, spending every Thursday looking after my grandson P. Yesterday was no exception and it was so much fun! Watching P rolling the dough with such a determined…

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Cacao Chip Cookies – the healthier option

Who doesn’t love choc chip cookies – right? The delicious little chunks of sweet chocolate embedded in the soft buttery cookie is a taste hard to beat. I especially love eating them while they are still quite warm and the chocolate oozes out when I break one in half – YUM! But…and there is a big…

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Sugar Challenge Week 6 – Healthy Muesli Cookies

It’s now week 6 of my challenge to replace white sugar with healthier alternatives in my cooking and this week it’s all about creating healthier cookies! So stick with me and I’ll tell you all about it. Now, like most young parents these days, my son and his wife are very careful about what they…

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Lunchbox Friendly Bliss Balls – 2 more flavours

Hi and welcome back! This morning I was pinged by Instagram that thesmallthing.com.au had mentioned meatballsandmuffins.com in a post about making the bliss balls I’ve shared over the past few weeks (thank you Krystina) and, that got me wondering if others have tried making any of them. So I thought I’d ask you and, if…

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Sugar Challenge Week 4 – Lunchbox Friendly Bliss Balls

This is a special post for Krystina from thesmallthing.com.au, a fabulous children’s decorator and stylist who does amazing work – just check out her website and you’ll see what I mean. Krystina wrote a comment on my Instagram post for RASPBERRY BLAST BLISS BALLS last week and asked if I could create some “lunchbox friendly”…

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Falafel – crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside – perfect!

Have you eaten homemade falafels? If you love chickpeas and haven’t ever made your own falafels, you are truly missing out! I promise you, that once you make them at home, you will never again want to eat store-bought falafels. Not only do they taste fantastic when they are just cooked, but they are incredibly easy…

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Gojis, Nuts & Seeds Protein Balls

If you’ve been following Meatballs and Muffins the past couple of weeks, then you’ve probably read my other posts on healthy balls and bars I’ve been creating. If you haven’t, then just scroll the HOME page and you’ll easily find then. This is a new combination I came up with yesterday that I really liked…

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Sugar Challenge Day 6 – Peanut Butter & Cocoa Bliss Balls

Today is Day 6 of my personal challenge to replace refined white sugar with healthier alternatives in the food I cook. It’s been an interesting challenge so far and in the process I’ve gone a bit mad on making healthy bars and little balls of yumminess. Well, the fact is that I can’t help myself…

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Dates & Coconut Energy Balls

My husband called me from work yesterday and said “Can we eat something light for dinner tonight?  I’m feeling really uncomfortable and I’ve reached my limit, so you have to stop me from eating bread and sweets”. “That’s easy!” I replied, “Just don’t buy any of that stuff when you do the shopping!” Realistically, I…

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Chewy Fruit & Nut Bars

Have you used Amaranth grains to cook with? If so, how do you use it and what do you think about it?Recently, I came across a packet of Amaranth grains that my daughter-in-law gave me some time ago. It’s been sitting in my pantry for ages mainly because I wasn’t sure what to do with…

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Berry Nutty Smoothie

Summer berries make the most delicious smoothies. I love the combination of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries any time of the day, but especially after a pilates workout when my body is screaming for something refreshing and nutritious and this Berry Nutty Smoothie does it for me! I know you’ll love this smoothie because, not only…

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Spinach, Feta & Pinenuts Muffins

Well hello, Thanks for visiting! If you’re a mum who’s looking for a healthy snack to add to your child’s lunchbox, then you MUST try these delicious muffins. They have just enough feta to add a little saltiness and the pinenuts add a delicious nutty flavour, making them a great way to get kids to…

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Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs

This is one of my ‘go to’ dishes when I need to cook a hearty meal but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. I can have this dish on the table in 15 minutes from start to finish. Although it’s not made the traditional way, my version of spaghetti and meatballs is just…

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Food, Fun, Laughter & Song

FOOD, FUN, LAUGHTER and SONG – these are the words that come to mind when I think about our Sunday family dinners and our last one was no exception. Last Sunday was such a warm sunny day, which seems to be the norm in Melbourne at the moment and I’m loving it, so we had…

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Asparagus, Ricotta and Feta Tart

This is another dish that celebrates Spring! This delicious tart has a creamy filling and light buttery pastry. It’s one of those recipes that you will go back to again again because it’s easy to make and so delicious to eat. It makes a perfect lunch served with my BABY LEAVES & HERB SALAD on…

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Do you worry that your toddler is becoming a fussy eater?

Well, the good news is that you can you can stop worrying because, fussy eating is simply a stage that many toddlers go through, often in their second year. Having raised 3 children of my own and looking after my grandson (that’s him in the photo above), I can tell you from experience, that a…

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Good Food for Little People – Veggie Fritters

Getting children – big and small – to eat more vegetables is a never-ending challenge for parents. And like many parents, I spent a lot to time and effort trying to encourage my sons to eat vegetables by serving them in creative ways and as a result, they grew up to love most greens and…

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