ThermoFest Hawaii & My Easter Menu

The view from my room at ThermoFest - Sheraton, Waikiki!

Hi everyone! Sorry there have been a lack of blog posts lately, but I have a good excuse - I've been in Hawaii being totally spoilt by Thermomix in Australia. And now I'm trying to catch up on sleep and work... Oh my goodness, what an amazing week. We packed so much into a short time, and came home exhausted but happy. Here's a few photos of the highlights of my week at ThermoFest!...

Beautiful scenery

Kualoa Ranch with Mokolii Island in the background

Special friends

Kelly, Felicity and me.

Delicious food

Lots of fresh fruit! This is iced, minted green tea, with melon balls.

So refreshing.

Relaxing meals

Lunch under the palm trees.

Lively conversations

With lots of food-loving, Thermomix-crazy people!

Great cooking tips

Chef and Thermomix consultant Fiona Hoskin,

author of the new 'Devil of a Cookbook' which will be sold

to raise money to save the Tasmanian devils.

(Soon to be available here)

Motivating training

with amazing speakers who spoke from the heart.

Amazing shopping

At all hours of the day and night. (Yeah, dangerous!!)

Lots of laughs

Hawaiian dancers teaching the hula to anyone
crazy enough to get up there!

Inspiring people

Anya & Dirk Reznik, Chief Executive Officer, Thermomix (Vorwerk)

(with me in the middle)

So as you can see, we had a mind-blowing holiday/seminar in Hawaii, and I'm so happy I work for this amazing company, and have had this opportunity to enjoy spending time with so many beautiful Thermomix people. (By the way, there's plenty more photos from ThermoFest here on my Quirky Cooking Facebook Page!)

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Last week, while I was away, I had a basic menu plan organized for the family and they did really well cooking for themselves, thanks to our 'kitchen robot'! Even my cooking-challenged husband can get dinner together when there's a Thermomix to help out. My fourteen year old daughter was a great help too, whipping up homemade spelt pizzas galore, and beef stroganoff amongst other things. It's great to be able to rely on the family to help with meals these days. I'm loving it.

Easy meals last week for the kids and dad!

So now it's suddenly Easter. I noticed on Change.org that Lindt and Ferrero Rocher are using cocoa produced by child slave labour, and I don't want to support that, so sadly there'll be no Lindt chocolate bunnies this year for us. I will be making my own chocolate truffle 'eggs' for the kids out of Green & Black's Fair Trade Organic Chocolate (70% cocoa, no dairy). And maybe some homemade Ferrero Rocher chocolates, plus double chocolate truffle ice cream (dairy free), raw cacao nib and walnut bliss balls, and also a few other treats, so I don't think the kids will feel deprived. :) (Okay, all that decadent stuff isn't just for us - I'm doing some Easter cooking for others too!)

Dairy free, grain free, homemade 'Ferrero Rocher' chocolates

Do you need some healthy Easter menu ideas? Below is my Easter weekend menu, and if you join us on the Quirky Cooking Facebook Page you'll find many more ideas. Be inspired to try something different this Easter - like Raw Chocolate, or Hot Cross Bun Monkey Bread. I'd love to know what you're planning for your Easter cooking too, so leave a comment below, or on my Facebook page. Have a great week!

Easter Menu Plan

Good Friday

Star Anise Seared Tasmanian Salmon (Green Tea Smoked)

Quinoa

Steamed carrots & bok choy

Leafy green salad

Double Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream (dairy free, naturally sweetened)

(recipe coming!)

Saturday

Creamy Chicken & Brown Rice Soup

Shallow fried marinara mix (using this method)

Leafy green salad

Leftover ice cream (hopefully!)

Easter Sunday

Slow poached eggs with hollandaise sauce & smoked salmon

Roast lamb with lemon, garlic & rosemary

Baked sweet potatoes

Baked pumpkin

Thermomix gravy

Leafy green salad

Dairy free, naturally sweetened chocolate truffles & coffee

Thermomix gravy

Easter pull apart bread with orange cinnamon syrup

Walnut & raw cacao nib bliss balls

Have a happy and safe Easter!

Jo xx