Welcome to a new Mini Capsule!
Whilst I love sharing my own kitchen stories, it is especially important to me to show that balanced and healthy food choices may look different for each of us. It is simply impossible to follow all the conflicting rules and suggestions about healthy eating.

In this series I introduce you to different people and the meals they whip up that make them feel good. Let’s be inspired by having a peak into someone else’s kitchen!

It is possible to feel confident in creating your own Capsule Kitchen to live a healthy, happy and balanced life. Your kitchen, your rules!

Mini Capsule

Maddy Baumgart : Non-diet nutritionist/dietitian & registered nurse from Brisbane, Australia.

Who do you cook for in your family?

Myself, my husband, a selective preschooler and a toddler.

What food challenges do you face in the kitchen?

We have a few challenges to contend with. My husband is allergic to all shellfish, kiwifruit and buckwheat; I limit fructans and lactose, while my daughter has some sensory issues around food. Thankfully the youngest eats almost anything. We tend to stick to easy meals as I work three evenings a week and my husband shares in the cooking. We try to include at least a couple of safe foods for the kids so that if they don’t like a food, there is something they can eat.

Breakfast

The girls have been enjoying banana semolina, porridge or sultanas wheat flakes with warm milk. I enjoy Goodmix Superfoods Blend 11, a seed and fruit mixture that is low fodmap. I absolutely love it, it’s so filing and full of fibre that won’t trigger my IBS. I’m not sponsored but should be ha ha.

Lunch

The girls love peanut butter sandwiches while I tend to have salmon, tomato & cheese on rice crackers or salmon with kaleslaw and almonds. I really enjoy crunchy textures and fresh flavours.

Dinner

This could be as simple as chicken grilled on the BBQ with steamed carrots, broccoli, zucchini rice and olive oil, or home made spaghetti bolognese with red kidney beans and mushrooms. Last night I had a bit more time so did a lovely grilled salmon with lemon sauce, steamed vegies and rice.

salmon with rice, brussel sprouts and carrots

You can find the thermomix recipe is here.

If you don’t have a thermomix, you can make a dressing out of

  • 1-2 tsp lemon rind, finely grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 4 tbs olive oil
  • 4 tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • salt and pepper

Drizzle 500g white fish fillets with 1/2 of this dressing and then steam them. Serve with your favourite vegetables, rice and the remaining dressing.

I also love a good mushroom risotto:

You can find the thermomix recipe here.

If you don’t have a thermomix:

  • Sauté 1 onion, finely chopped in 40g butter and 40g olive oil.
  • Stir in 320g risotto rice for 1 min.
  • Stir in 60ml dry white wine and 250g fresh mushrooms, cut into slices.
  • In a seperate pot heat up ca 750ml vegetable stock.
  • Add stock to rice one ladle at a time and stir it in until absorbed before adding the next. Continue until all the stock has been absorbed.

Snack or Treat

Common snacks are sweet biscuits (I love sweet food), Greek yoghurt with nuts, berries and coconut flakes or popcorn.

yoghurt with nuts in a bowl

Rice pudding is the ULTIMATE comfort food! To me, it’s filling, nourishing and one that my mum would cook for dessert as we were growing up. When I lived in the UK I particularly enjoyed the clotted cream versions.

My favourite tool in the kitchen is:

My Thermomix for sure! Without sounding like an absolute tool, it really helps with meal times, and making things like bliss balls and nut butters. I also cook curries, risotto and steam fish in it so it gets used very often.

My fondest food memory is:

Oh where do I start? Many of my food memories are linked to travel for me. Some highlights are coconut rice and mango in Thailand, grilled fresh fish served by locals on an island in Croatia and the delicious warmed candied nuts you can buy from street vendors at the Christmas markets in Germany.

An ingredient I hate and never cook with is:

I really can’t stand capers. The salty, squishy little berries really make me squirm, consequently I have never cooked with them. I’ll actively pick them out if I find them lurking in a restaurant meal.

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madeleine baumgart

Maddy is a weight-neutral, non-diet dietitian, nutritionist and registered nurse. She is very passionate about establishing a healthy relationship with food and teaches people how to tap out of the diet mentality and trust their own body.

Find out more here.