King's Daughters

My heart breaks when I see people trying to lose weight or get healthier and they just can't. They end up yo-yo dieting, feeling like a complete failure, becoming malnourished or worse, putting on weight because they've completely messed their body up. So I've come up with a little analogy that will hopefully help those struggling. Our bodies are like computers, they are coded to work in a certain way. A shiny nice new computer starts up super fast and works really well, giving you no trouble at all, but after some time, it gets slower and slower and might even stop working completely. This is because you've perhaps downloaded things that have damaged the code or fiddled with the computer that confused the programming.  Your body is no different, it should run perfectly but we put things in it or neglect it and then it gets sluggish resulting in lethargy and weight problems.  So what do we do? We start dieting! We think that starving ourselves, or filling ourselves with...

Firstly we have a delicious raw chocolate cake from River Cottage -  absolutely healthy and totally yummy.   Get the recipe here . And then we have a really nice, easy, healthy and yummy sweet snack. Enjoy and please share any recipes that you have found that are tasty, sugar free and completely natural.

Everyone knows I LOVE cupcakes!  These are some cupcakes that I made ages ago but want to bring them to your attention for the Range Cookers Competition so I can win a new cooker - and so can you, enter here .  I used a regular chocolate cake recipe replacing the cocoa with half a cup of flour and thought all would be well. Sadly it seems not, so was hoping to get some feedback from all you King's Daughters :) The recipe I used was as follows: 175g margarine 1 3/4 cups sugar 3 eggs 2 1/2 cups SR flour 1 cup milk I mixed this all together then baked at 180 degrees and fully expected nice big yummy cupcakes. They looked lovely in the oven but when they cooled they sank and had little peaks in the middle - looked like little volcanic mountains without the hole on top. So what went wrong? Was it the recipe, the baking temperature, my very old over or just me? I would love to hear your suggestions or even a better recipe.  One of my favourite cupcakes recipes is this on...

There are many theories and old wives tales about the best ways to care for cut flowers, so I thought I would share some awesome info with you from Bunches .  Bunches provided us with the lovely chocolates that we had in our gift bags at the King's Daughters Conference recently, which was very kind of them.  All Bunches bouquets come complete with a flower care leaflet. For more flower care tips, visit their flower care page . 'Adding sugar or a copper coin to the vase water is the best way to keep your flowers fresh' – Fiction. It's best to use flower food as it contains the correct PH balance which prevents bacteria from growing. Liquid flower food is provided with every Bunches bouquet. 'Fresh flowers should be kept away from the fruit bowl' – Fact. Fruit produces ethylene gas which significantly speeds up the flower aging process. 'Putting Rose stems in boiling water for a minute before arranging helps them stay fresh' – Fact. Holding t...

Jordan & I had a bit of a girly night last night. Jordan found a recipe for a home made facial mask and a solution for refreshing our eyes - tea bags! As you can see in the photo, the mask didn't stick too well onto our face. I think we should have ground the oats a little finer. Also, we had to alternate which eye we had our tea bag on as we were watching a movie while allowing our mask to work it's magic on our skin. So if you are in the mood for a bit of a pamper or just a really good laugh, here is our recipe: 3 tablespoons of pulverized oats whole milk yogurt 1 tablespoon of olive oil Juice of half a lemon Apply the mixture to your face. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water, then pat your face dry.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about healthy living! I don't always get it right, I do eat McDonald's sometimes and drink coke way too often. Never-the-less I do work at healthy living and one day will stop drinking coke... In the meantime here are some things that I like to use at home: Teeth Whitening - I use bicarbonate of soda on my toothbrush after regular brushing to whiten my coffee stained teeth! It really works & is way less expensive than whitening products. Household Cleaner - Much to my children's disapproval I use white vinegar for cleaning most things in the kitchen. I shine stainless steal, clean my windows and wipe down my surfaces with vinegar. It kills mould & bacteria and gives everything a nice shine & again costs very little. I actually came across a website that gives 1001 uses for white vinegar - check it out www.vinegartips.com Hair Treatment - In the Bible it says that you should anoint your head with oil so base...

2-3 frozen chicken breasts 1 can sweetcorn 1 can black beans 1 can of diced tomatoes or one small jar of salsa 1 packet of taco or fajita seasoning · Place all ingredients in your hot pot (even frozen chicken). · Cook on low for 8-10 hours · After about 4 hours shred the chicken using 2 forks · Stir and let cook until time to serve · Serve on whole wheat tortillas topped with your favorite toppings (sour cream, shredded cheddar, green onion, avacado etc...) on rice.

I got a great tip from my mom while I visited her recently! You may already know this but I never even thought of it. So often I end up throwing away old herbs or ginger. Many times I go to the fridge to get some ginger out & it has shriveled up and looks really bad so it ends up in the bin. I go to the shop to buy more, forget about it again & when I need it... back to the bin. I know, I am so silly! My mom however is a very clever lady - she freezes her fresh ginger & herbs! Why didn't I think of that... The lovely lady in the photo is my mom with my very amazing step-dad. Silly question, mom can you freeze garlic too then? Do you have any handy kitchen tips?

It's that time of year again! I love all the festivities, food & fun of Christmas & I am just starting to get into it by baking our Christmas cake so I thought I would share the recipe with you. The photo above is of last years half eaten cake ha ha. 800g mixed dried fruit 75g glace cherries cut in half 200ml brandy 300g plain flour I t ground cinnamon A little freshly grated nutmeg 125g ground almonds 150g softened unsalted butter 150g dark muscovado sugar 4 large eggs I t cocoa powder Pinch of bicarbonate of soda 6t apricot jam 450g marzipan 900g ready-to-roll fondant icing · Soak the glace cherries in the brandy for 24-48 hours. · Lightly grease the cake tin & line with greaseproof paper. · Sift the flour with the cinnamon, a pinch of salt & a little nutmeg. · Whisk the butter until creamy & add sugar gradually until light and fluffy. · Beat in the eggs & add the flour mixture & almonds, then the fruit and its liquid. · Add the cocoa and bicarbonate...

While Amy got stuck into one of our kitchen cupboards today, Daniel & I had great fun making play dough. He absolutely loves play dough & it keeps him busy for hours, so well worth the time it takes to make it. Here is the recipe. Ingredients 1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 2 tsp cream of tartar 1 cup water 1 tsp cooking oil liquid food coloring Directions 1. In a heavy sauce pan, combine flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Pour the water and oil into the dry mixture and stir well. 2. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until dough forms (will pull away from the sides of the pot) 3. Let it cool in a bowl covered with a wet cloth for a minute. Add food coloring (or ready mixed paint) and knead until smooth and blended. 4. Store in an air tight container.

Thank you Marli for sending this recipe in, I tried it yesterday & it is delicious! One thing I would mention though if you are going to try this, leave a space at the top of the baking dish as the topping rises. I found this out after filling my baking dish up all the way to the top! 1 medium aubergine, peeled & sliced into 1/2 rounds 1 tin crushed tomatoes 2 large potatoes, thinly sliced olive oil 1 cup Parmesan, grated 1 large onion, minced 2 cups plain whole yoghurt 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 eggs, beaten 450g minced beef 3/4 cup single cream 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon butter · Preheat oven to 190 C. · Brown aubergine rounds in olive oil & season with salt & pepper. · Cook onion & garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil · Brown mince, add spices, onion, garlic & tomatoes then simmer. · Brown potatoes in olive oil, salt & pepper. · Butter baking dish & add potatoes, meat, aubergine & Parmesan. · Combine yoghurt, eggs & cream i...

Every week I get a delivery of lovely fresh organic food from Riverford . This week in the box were loads of broad beans so I thought I would find something interesting to do with them & came across this recipe. 1T vegetable oil 1 onion 2 cloves garlic 2 medium potatoes, chopped 300ml vegetable stock 1½C shelled broad beans juice of 1 lemon 300ml single cream 1 sprig mint chopped salt & pepper to taste ·Lightly fry onions and garlic in oil. ·Add the potato and stock & cook for 15 minutes. ·Cook the broad beans in boiling water for 5 minutes & add to potato. ·Leave the soup to cool then add the lemon juice, cream and mint. · Purée until smooth.

Thanks to Helen for her Romatic Rose Cupcake comment, I tried them and they worked :) One thing I found was to use a muffin tray and cases instead of the tiny cupcake ones. Here is the recipe! 150ml pot natural yoghurt 3 eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 175g golden caster sugar 140g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 100g ground almonds 175g unsalted butter, melted Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and heat oven to 190C. In a jug, mix the yoghurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Put the dry ingredients, plus a pinch of salt, into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add yoghurt mix and melted butter, and quickly fold in with a spatula or metal spoon - don't overwork it. Spoon into the cases (they will be quite full) and bake for 18-20 mins. Icing 100g white chocolate 140g unsalted butter 140g icing sugar Melt the chocolate in the microwave on High for 1½ mins, stirring halfway. Leave to cool. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl unti...

I am so excited about Eric's birthday this Sunday and all I can think about is cake so I thought I would share our favourite recipe with you. Cake: 200g dark chocolate 200g butter 1T instant coffee 85g self-raising flour 85g plain flour 1/4t bicarbonate of soda 200g light Muscovado sugar 200g golden castor sugar 25g cocoa powder 3 eggs 75ml milk (or buttermilk) Break chocolate and melt into butter Mix coffee in 125ml cold water and pour into pan Warm over low heat until melted Mix both flours, bicarbonate of soda and sugar into big bowl Beat eggs in separate bowl and stir in buttermilk Mix everything together Bake at 160 for 1 1/2 hours, leave to cool in tin Icing: 200g chocolate 284ml double cream 2T golden castor sugar Melt chocolate and mix everything together Add your favourite recipe here too if you like or see some of our other favourites ! We have even published a little recipe book called Family Favourites which is available on Amazon . Lov...

I thought it was time to do something very girly on our Blog, let's swap recipes! I don't very often cook from a recipe I generally make it up as I go along, but from time to time I am inspired to try a recipe. With winter on it's way I thought it would be great to share one of my favourite recipes which we have recorded in our Family Favourites recipe book. So give it a try and see if you like it and why not add one of your favourite recipes in the comment box below. Ingredients  5OOg diced beef 2T plain flour 2T sunflower oil 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 2 large carrots, thickly sliced diagonally 1 large parsnip, thickly sliced 2 large potatoes, quartered 1 fat clove garlic, peeled and crushed 1 x 440ml can stout 150ml beef stock dissolved in boiling water 1 Bouquet Garni IT red wine vinegar IT Whole Grain Mustard 1t sugar 4T freshly chopped parsley Put the flour on a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper and coat the meat in the flour. Heat th...