We all understand that eating healthy and nutritious food is good for us. Yet eating healthily can be hard because nobody wants to eat kale salad day in, day out. So how do we balance eating well, with eating things we enjoy? A family favourite of ours are Brazilian Cheese Puffs.
We follow 3 key principles in the Kershaw household when it comes to food.
- DIY as much as possible
- Minimal processed foods
- Spray free or organic is ideal
We also eat gluten free, as two of our kids are coeliac. You might assume that GF means zero fun, but let me assure you that our Brazilian cheese puffs or wraps are loved by everyone, regardless of whether they are GF or not!
Why should I make it myself?
Whilst you might be able to buy ready-made cheese puffs from the supermarket, we try to make as much as we can from scratch, using the ingredients that we know are nutrient dense and high quality, they are also more of a luxury to buy as we would whizz through them in no time! It helps us to avoid nasty additives and preservatives that do more harm than good by making them ourselves. You can read more about additives here.
In the free online presentation I did on cost-effective ways to take care of your health, I talked about the challenge many of us face these days – feeding ourselves and our family well, without breaking the bank. We discussed some simple ideas to take care of your health in the short term for long-term benefits. I also shared some ideas on how I feed my family of 5 predominantly organic, junk-free meals for less $$ than you would expect. You’ll find the replay of that presentation here.
Something that I like to talk about when it comes to healthy food is the idea that fresh food can appear to cost a lot more than ready-made meals. But I want you to consider, is that really the case?
Is fresh food more expensive?
I know that we are all busy and for anyone with kids, foods that are convenient, quick and easy are important. If nutrients are important to you, ready-made foods (such as pre-made meal bases that you pour over your chicken and vegetables) are not the answer.
Processed foods (and junk food) can leave us feeling terrible, lack nutrients to give us energy and can even lead to suboptimal habits, like sugar cravings. Fresh food will leave you feeling fuller for longer, which just might end up costing LESS than eating convenient foods that lead to unhealthy snacking (and more $). Perhaps fresh food can help us break the cycle, what do you think?
- Here are a couple of ideas for balancing good nutrition with the cost of living. Go slow and steady as you:
- Start making one or two snacks/meals from scratch
- Begin to swap processed foods for fresh food
- Start buying more from the outer aisles of the supermarket (or from a farmer’s market if you can)
This recipe is a quick and easy way to get you started with making more your own food. It’s yummy, kid-friendly and if you’re not much of a cook, rest assured that this recipe is very simple.
Brazilian Cheese Puffs and Wraps
Ingredients
- Butter for greasing
- 70 g cheese – parmesan, vintage or tasty are what we use – cut into pieces if needed (~3 cm for the Thermomix)
- 160 g full cream milk
- 60 g butter
- 1 egg
- 170 g arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp salt
Preparation steps: baking
For either method, preheat the oven to 220°C. Grease a 24-hole mini muffin tray and set aside.
Thermomix method
- Place cheese into Thermomix mixing bowl and grate 10 sec/speed 9.
- Add all remaining ingredients and blend 20 sec/speed 8.
- Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula and blend for a further 5 sec/speed 8.
- Complete steps below in ‘final preparation for either method’ section
Alternative method – food processor, blender or in a bowl
- Place cheese into food processor and grate – you may need to do it in batches, or manually grate your cheese if your tool isn’t suited to grating.
- Add all remaining ingredients and blend. If doing by hand, combine thoroughly (you may need to beat it a bit).
- The final texture should be similar to thick pancake batter
- Complete steps below
Final preparation for either method:
- Fill each mini-muffin mould three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 12-15 minutes (220°C), or until puffy and just lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and leave to cool in tin for a few minutes before serving warm (if your family leaves them this long!)
Preparation steps: Wraps
Make the batter via your preferred method. Instead of baking in a mini-muffin tray, use a sandwich press or frypan to cook small portions of the batter. You may find it best to add a little milk and to combine, to make it easier to pour the right amount and to get the right final size.
We have found that using two pieces of baking paper in a sandwich press makes it easier to get them off when ready and is an easier tidy-up at the end.
If using a frypan, make sure you pre-heat the pan and when preparing, quickly pour it in then spread out by rolling the pan around. If using cast iron pans, make sure it is at the right temperature before you start, and consider a small amount of butter for the first wrap or two to make sure they don’t stick.
It’s easy to over cook them when getting used to the tool you use – don’t do it in a rush if you can avoid it! You want them cooked but just slightly brown and that’s it, or they won’t be pliable.
Store wraps either in a thermoserver (insulated bowl) or potentially with pieces of baking paper between them to stop them sticking.
Take your time
Make upgrades to the quality of the food you eat one thing at a time instead of trying to overhaul everything all at once. It’s really not sustainable and can leave us feeling deflated when we can’t keep it up!
Want to learn more?
If you’d like to learn more about healthy eating, we’d love to share some more info with you. Take a look at the free webinar mentioned above to see what we do at home. Watch the replay here.
If you’re looking for more recipes, click here.
We are here to guide you along your journey to better health and we’d love to support you. Connect with us here.
I have made Brazilian Cheese Puffs many times and now often make larger cheese puffs to use as breadrolls for hamburgers but have never used the mixture to make wraps. I’m going to give that a try.