Tomorrow morning Little Miss 5 and I will be off to her Prep Orientation Day. She’s very excited, but can’t understand why she doesn’t need to wear her school uniform to school. I know she is ready for Prep, and I know that being the Social Butterfly that she is, she will have a great time, but I can’t help feeling a little bit sad that she has reached this milestone already. The more babies I have, the faster they seem to grow. Plus she absolutely loves her Kindy, her beautiful little friends there, and she has two great teachers she adores. Sounds like the start of a Mummy Melt-down doesn’t it!? Wait til you see me on the last day of Kindy!
So, tonight I will be packing four lunch boxes, one for Miss 9 (our little diabetic), one for Miss 5’s Orientation Day, and one each for our 7 year old twins (Miss 7 and The Vegemite Kid), who are off to the bush on a school excursion. For Miss 9 and Miss 5 I have baked a Fruitastic Slice, firstly because it is Diabetic Friendly, and secondly because I don’t want to be “That Mum” who packed an unhealthy baked treat in her child’s lunch box. Be honest, we really do care what other people think.
The twins however will be packing something a little naughtier. Nestled between their fruit snack and their carrot sticks, they will find Double Chocolate Muffins! These muffins are everybody’s favourite, and I have been fighting them off all afternoon.
Both recipes are quick and simple and you can easily double both recipes. I like to freeze the second batch of muffins for those crazy days when I am short on lunch box snacks.
Fruitastic Slice
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. bicarb soda
1/2 cup apple sauce (in jar)
2 cups fruit medley (or 2 cups mixed dried fruit)
3/4 cup peeled apple, diced
1/2 tsp. mixed spice
1/2 cup skim milk
3/4 cup wholemeal self raising flour
3/4 cup self raising flour
cooking spray
Method:
Preheat oven 180C fan forced.
In a medium sized mixing bowl beat egg whites and sugar for 1 minute using an electric beater.
Stir bicarb soda into apple sauce (it will froth), add to bowl.
Add all dried fruits, deced apple, mixed spice and milk.
Sift both flours and gently fold into mixture in one go, treat as if it is a sponge. DO NOT BEAT as this will make the slice tough.
Coat a slab tin with cooking spray then pour mixture into tin. Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until firm to touch. Allow to cool in tin then cut into 15 slices.
LunchBox Tips….
This slice is quick and simple to make and will disappear quickly! It comes from Book 4 of the Symply Too Good To Be True series by Annette Sym. Annette’s books are a great resource for Diabetic Friendly recipes the whole family will eat, and were a real life-saver for us when our daughter was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
Nutritional Information (per slice): fat (total) 0.3g, (saturated) 0.1g, fibre 2.7g, protein 3.0g, carbs 26.5g, sugar 17.2g, sodium 152mg, kilojoules 499(cals 119), GI Rating Low.
Double Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients:
2 Cups Plain Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Bicarb. Soda
1/4 Cup Cocoa
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Egg
1 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Oil
1 t. Vanilla
Method:
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
In another bowl, combine wet ingredients, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
If you are like me and always in a hurry, just add the wet ingredients straight into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Less washing up and it made absolutely no difference to the quality of the muffins. Just don’t over-mix them!
Fill your greased muffin tins or muffin papers 3/4 full and bake at 180C. for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly touched.
LunchBox Tips….
These muffins freeze well. Place muffins in freezer bags or rigid containers. Seal, label and freeze.
Thaw in refrigerator or at room temperature. They can be warmed in the microwave after thawing. Microwave on high for 10 to 15 seconds.
Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 249 Calories; 10g Fat (36.1% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 17mg Cholesterol; 151mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 2 Fat; 1-1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
Source: http://www.30daygourmet.com/Recipes/999.aspx