Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Veg and Feta Rice Tart - Diabetic foods

Last pregnany, I got told I had Gestational Diabetes. I was pretty sceptical as I was 2 months into strict bed rest when they did the test. BUT it was a pretty good reason to what my carb and fat, therefore energy intake. A good thing for anyone really. Substitute the white rice with any alternative grain - diversify the diet!


1/2 cup cooked long grain rice (or millet, brown rice, pearl barley)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
75g button mushrooms, sliced
50g baby spinach leaves, shredded
100g reduced-fat feta, crumbled
250g pumpkin, cut into 2 cm cubes and steamed
4 eggs, extra, lightly beaten
6 cherry tomatoes, halved


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and lightly grease a 23cm pie dish.
Combine rice and egg and using the back of a spoon, smooth into the pie dish.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and cook the onion for 3 min, add mushrooms and cook for 3 min until soft.
Add spinach and stir through until wilted slightly.
Arrange half the feta into pie shell, and top with the pumpkin.
Spread the onion mixture over the top, then the remaining feta.
Pour eggs over, and nestle the tomatoes, cut side up, into the filling.
Bake for 45 minutes, until set and golden.

Bed Rest Checklist with a toddler

I entered this second round of bed rest with a 15 month old in tow.  It is going to be vastly different from the first time, when I filled my time with craft and organising files. I now have a baby I’ve fought hard for and I desperately don’t want to lose any time with her. She’s had been walking a few months and is starting to talk. Such a personality starting to blossom.  In anticipation of another high risk pregnancy, we decided to move closer to family who could help. So here is my top tips for surviving happily and healthily, while still getting to be a mum to a gorgeous little girl.

Bed rest checklist

Roster of helpers – If you are that lucky. I have 3 sisters, 2 parents, 2 in-laws and a partner all pulling this pregnancy through. With a roster, they all know when to be here, so there’s not 5 people turning up at once asking if there’s anything they can do. AND they can plan the rest of their day around the enormous amount of time they are giving up to be here.

Litres of water and snacks  – I was so thirsty and hungry for days, waiting for someone to finish feeding, cleaning, dressing the toddler . Once I had supplies set up by the bed, I could help myself and put less stress on the ‘staff’.

Tissues – Toddlers are messy! So am I for that matter, I just seem to need one all the time. Normally I wouldn’t be so 'disposable society', but I am making a few exceptions at the moment.

Small Bin – To put messy toddler/bedrest momma by-products in.

Cosmetics – Once it’s by the bed, it’s there for good. Helps you to maintain some level of dignity! Hair brush , dental floss, moisturiser, facial wipes, mirror, tweezers, nail clippers, nail polish remover, nail polish are top tips.

Communication – Phones to contact the outside world,  for fun or in emergency.

Activities – Your not sick! Your alive and well. Don’t waste time away with droll TV full of ads. Read books, do puzzles, craft, knit -  all those activities you just never had time for before. I’d be lost without a lap top and hard drive. I’m making a movie from the footage taken from our last holiday.

Remotes – for TV, DVD, aircon, stereo.

Power board – To power the life of a ‘bed rester’. Phone and camera chargers, fans/heaters, light. I’m lucky enough to have a hospital bed rented at home that needs powering!

Purse – Credit cards for online shopping! Spare change to give helpers to get supplies.

Stationary – Pens, diary, scrap paper/notebook

Medicine, nutrients – So you don’t forget to take it.

Bed side light – Helps to see!

Climate control – For changes in weather. I just use a doona if I’m cold, but last bed rest was in summer.... my guilt over air con was forgotten! Having EVERY body surface touching a bed, or other parts of your body gets pretty sticky and hot.

Socks/slippers  for cold feet - Not moving makes me cold.

Pressure socks to stop blood clots – I had leg pumps on 24hours a day in Bed Rest 1but at home have pressure socks to minimise the risk - it's a real risk, don't get slack!

Photos – I put of the scan print outs and photos of my last pregnancy when I  actually made it far enough to get out of bed occasionally. I want to get there this time too!


Bill paying -  Unfortunately the bills still come rolling in. If you have as much information with you, you won't fall behind.



Spare sheets - They get so dirty when you eat. live, entertain and sleep in them.
Looking after a toddler when mum is on bed rest

Medicine for the toddler – I like Bruer homeopathic brand for teething and other toddler ailments. I got the little case of potions moves close to the bed so I can still look after her health myself.

Box of bribes – I’ve got her favourite books, toys, drawing stuff, jigsaws, some socks, bibs, face clothes under the bed, so I can seduce her into spending quality time with me as she whizzes past.

Anything in a highchair -  Eating, drawing, play dough, painting, jigsaws. Someone can put the high chair beside the bed and trap them in so they can’t escape!

Drawing – I have a bag with paper, crayons, and paint close by.  I skip the paint if she’s not in the high chair though!

Reading books – We read the same books over and over and over again, laying in bed cuddling. It’s just divine!

Jigsaws – She’s not the greatest fan, but it’s a great 5 minute activity before she gets frustrated and throws it. Then I need someone else to pick it up.

Practicing cuddles – I get so many more cuddles now. It’s fabulous. Some kisses and a bit of pretending to sleep. Must be copying my horizontal position....

‘Putting back’ – At the moment, she thinks putting back is a great game! She can prove she understands me, and can copy grown ups. I know this will be a short lived phase, but it is working so well now!

A low table – To put beside your bed so they can eat, draw, play near you.

Get someone understanding to hide all the things you’d rather not be used – I found the first few days, I’d see her whizz past with all sorts in her hands and I couldn’t do anything about it. 3 toothbrushes went missing in days! I also don’t like using plastic for eating or storing, so my sister hid all the emergency back up rarely used plastic from view for me.  

My set up,including a box a toddler delights under the bed. It's so effective!


The lastest scan, the last 3 weeks of my first pregnancy, and the result of it! A healthy bubba!
PDF available:
BEDREST - EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW!
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56985230?access_key=key-wdnzkzcayzeiune08nv


Bed Rest - I'm not sitting around watching TV and eating boiled lollies!

So, the only reason I have time to do this and look after THE busiest 16 month old, is because I spend 23 ½  hours a day in bed. I'm 'lucky' enough to be given "toilet privileges" which means I'm allowed up to go the toilet and have a quick shower, which probably gets me half an hour out of bed. Other than that, it's bed bed flippin bed.


This is the second time in a year and a half. First time was for 4 months - 2 months hospital on strict bed rest and 2 at home, attempting to get back to normal by completing such strenuous tasks such as making a sandwhich or walking to the letter box. This time is looking like being 13 weeks.


Why do this, when I'm not sick, injured or dying?


I'm merely pregnant - something millions of women get to be and live a normal life. It turns out I have an incompetent cervix (IC), like it failed that subject at school. As my uterus grows and the baby put pressure on the cervix, it softens, shortens and eventually opens.


I found this out the hard way with our first baby when my waters broke at 20 weeks. Babies don't survive that. Sometimes I feel like I barely survived. An infection got in. My temperature was 41° C when the ambulance came, but I know it had been higher. I was gushing blood like I’d cut an artery and it turns out, he was completely covered in Strep B. My body was ejecting him as fast as possible to save itself.


So I had extra scans for the second pregnancy. At 18 weeks my cervix was 27mm (as opposed to an ideal 40mm). I was told to quit work that day and go to bed as much as possible. An internal scan at 20 weeks was more accurate and read 9mm, less than a quarter what it should be. I was sent straight to the doctor who sent me straight to the hospital for a cervical stitch/suture. This was crazy and he’d previously talked me out my request for one, citing risks of labour and infection, and success rates as reason not to. But now, I wasn’t even allow home for a change of clothes and a toothbrush – things I know are nice from my first experience of being rushed to hospital.


So that’s where I stayed for 2 months. The admitting nurse said crazy things like I’d be transferred 500kms away to a major hospital when I was 24 weeks because there’s no use before then as the baby isn’t ‘viable’. And I’d be there till I gave birth. My mind was spinning! It turns out this wasn’t true, and I was to spend the next 2 months in my local hospital at least.


Taking advice from other mothers online, I researched this issue of ‘viable foetus’ further to establish how I felt about it. Turns out that she meant they don’t bother resuscitating as the chances of survival are so slim and the health risks are huge – bleeding on the brain, strokes, detached retinas, cerebral palsy, blindness, lung development. You are forced to make a decision on the spot. So I wanted to be educated on what it meant.


This pregnancy, I had the operation early – 15 weeks (a ‘preventative stitch’ instead of an emergency one). At 18 weeks my cervix was 37mm with an internal scan! Awesome! At 21 weeks it was 21mm... not so awesome and I was sent home to rest as much as possible (sure, with 15 month old). So I spent the days on family’s couches while they looked after my toddler.  An internal scan at 22 weeks showed a 17mm cervix. Man! Things had been going so well dammit. The doctor wanted to consult his superior.


He called me back that after to tell me to drop everything, go to bed and don’t move unless it’s for showers or the bathroom. No making food, doing ANY lifting, walking, even sitting more than a 30° angle. At the time I was locked out of the house with a toddler and had walked down the road to buy an ice block and cool drink. I was wrangling to toddler, a melting ice block, a leaking drink, my purse and the phone..... not the right image for someone who was moments away from strict bed rest.


Up until this point, I’d given up all the ‘normal’ things you can do in pregnancies, particularly once the stitch was in. Walking distances, standing for more than 2 hours at a time, sex, immersing in water, coughing, sneezing and pooing all compromise the ‘competence’ of my cervix. Still, it wasn’t enough.


Prior to this current pregnancy I had really only just started to feel like I'd recovered from the first stint. I was able to surf for an hour, bike ride for half an hour, get up a short trot jogging and even had a snowboarding holiday (which I notice the extreme loss of muscle strength), all things I didn't without thinking before bed rest ever happened. BUT, we wanted a second child, and this is the only way we know how.


Looking after a new born is hard enough, but to do it AFTER 4 months in bed is exhausting. I made up a new term for it S.O.F.T - Sudden Onset Fatigue Trauma... it hit me like a wall! If I cooked dinner for friends or helped my father in law out at his work (why?? did I feel that guilty?) it took me days to recover. An attempt at a slow walk after she was born resulted in collapsed arches of the my feet (called plantar fascia). It feels like your feet and heels are bruised and you have to hobble, strap and ice your feet to cope. The pain lasted for months and months


OK, I don't have cancer or a terminal disease, and the baby was fine in the end. But it could have ended differently, and you never know the ending in this instance until you reach it. Till then, it’s all guessing a hoping and praying. Bed rest for this pregnancy holds no certain guarantee.


My cervix is currently open all the way to the stitch. If it gets 1mm shorter, he wants to send me to the capital city until I’m 34 weeks. I want this baby to as healthy and strong as the first, but lay here silently sometimes just doesn’t feel like I’m doing enough.


I’d read a quote from the husband of a mother on bed rest, so was told over and over again how nice it must be for her to lay down all day. His response was something along the lines of “She’s not at home watching TV and eating boiled lollies you know!”. I think it sums up how I feel perfectly.


http://www.sidelines.org/
Bed Rest 1


Bed Rest 2 - Cuddling the result of Bed Rest 1


PDF on all things bedrest:
BEDREST - EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW!
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56985230?access_key=key-wdnzkzcayzeiune08nv

Bed Rest - What it is!

What bed rest isn't


A dream come true - even though I'm 'only' laying down, I'm fighting for the life of my baby.


Relaxing - I live in a very real fear that my waters will break any minute, as they did before at 20 weeks and 34 weeks.


Better than being at work/out in the heat/cold/wind/traffic/shops – It’s not better, I'm a human being that’s terrified of moving.


Doing the best thing - I'm risking blood clots, diabetes, loss of bone mass,  loss of muscle and fitness all the while knowing that this doesn’t guarantee success. NASA has done research on bed rest to study the effects of anti gravity on the body in space. Results suggest a number of negative effects on the body. Don’t even ask me about the constipation!


Comfortable – your hips hurt from laying on them and not moving, you sweat under your boobs, you have a constant double chin....lots of food gets caught in it.


Encouraging - it makes you feel sick and helpless like something is TRULY wrong


Just another sacrifice – most people give up wine and soft cheese. I’m giving up being upright.

A chance to catch up on sleep -  sleep isn't a coupon I can cash in in 5 months time when I have been up all night with a new born. It really only effects tomorrow, but the stress and anxiety and loss of physical conditioning negates any rest anyway.





What it is


Happening to me - what anyone says about it isn’t going to change how I feel  counting the seconds of the day, willing the day to pass so you are one day closer to a healthier baby.


The biggest thing that has happened to me – it strange how other life changing events are treated like deaths and relationship break downs? This is huge and scary too!


Something I researched - I probably as much about it as anyone else, I've research, asked dozens of doctors, questioned, gotten answers. I know the risks and outcomes  and I’m not sitting here worrying about nothing.


The only thing we can think off -  when your on bed rest, your out of options.


Terrifying – this equates to being told not to move or my baby will die


Frustrating – it feels passive, like I’m not doing enough. On the other hand, I’m hungry and thirsty and bored and have to wait for everything to be given to me.


Battery hen – don’t they also sit under artificial lights breeding too?


Debilitating – I’m not allow to do most things by myself.


Embarrassing -  I have to ask for everything - food, water, entertainment.


Exhausting – I’m not pumping any blood around my body, I feel sluggish and tired.


Hungry - I am still growing a baby. I ate every 2 hours and my tummy grumbles if I don’t.


Ugly - I seriously have the worst bed hair ever!


No guarantee - statistically there is no greater chance of a 'successful' outcome.


A compromise – saving one baby means I losing the other. I struggle do anything for my hard fought for toddler. I barely feed her and entertain her. All her other needs are met my someone, anyone else.

PDF of bedrest:
BEDREST - EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW!
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56985230?access_key=key-wdnzkzcayzeiune08nv

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Do's and Dont's a Baby Led Weaning

DOs and DON’Ts for baby-led weaning

1. DO offer your baby the chance to participate whenever anyone else in the family is
eating. You can begin to do this as soon as he shows an interest in watching you,
although he is unlikely to be ready to put food in his mouth until he is about six months
old.

2. DO ensure that your baby is supported in an upright position while he is experimenting
with food. In the early days you can sit him on your lap, facing the table. Once he is
beginning to show skill at picking food up he will almost certainly be mature enough to
sit, with minimal support, in a high chair.

3. DO start by offering foods that are baby-fist-sized, preferably chip-shaped (i.e., with a
‘handle’). As far as possible, and provided they are suitable, offer him the same foods
that you are eating, so that he feels part of what is going on.

4. DO offer a variety of foods. There is no need to limit your baby’s experience with food
any more than you do with toys.

5. DON’T hurry your baby. Allow him to direct the pace of what he is doing. In particular,
don’t be tempted to ‘help’ him by putting things in his mouth for him.

6. DON’T expect your baby to eat any food on the first few occasions. Once he has
discovered that these new toys taste nice, he will begin to chew and, later, to swallow.

7. DON’T expect a young baby to eat all of each piece of food at first – remember that he
won’t yet have developed the ability to get at food which is inside his fist.

8. DO try rejected foods again later – babies often change their minds and later accept
foods they originally turned down.

9. DON’T leave your baby on his own with food.

10. DON’T offer foods which present an obvious danger, such as peanuts.

11. DON’T offer ‘fast’ foods, ready meals or foods that have added salt or sugar.

12. DO offer water from a cup but don’t worry if your baby shows no interest in it. A
breastfed baby, in particular, is likely to continue for some time to get all the drinks he
needs from the breast.

13. DO be prepared for the mess! A clean plastic sheet on the floor under the high chair
will protect your carpet and make clearing up easier. It will also enable you to give
back foods that have been dropped, so that less is wasted. (You will be pleasantly
surprised at how quickly your baby learns to eat with very little mess!)

14. DO continue to allow your baby to breastfeed whenever he wants, for as long as he
wants. Expect his feeding pattern to change as he starts to eat more solid foods.

15. If you have a family history of food intolerance, allergy or digestive problems, DO
discuss this method of weaning with your health advisers before embarking on it.

16. Finally, DO enjoy watching your baby learn about food – and develop his skills with his

Baby Led Weaning

I clearly remember my sister telling me one day to turn around a look at her daughter in the high chair. She was eating spagetti, cramming it in by the fist full. It was all over the table, her hands, her face, and even the floor. What a joy! She wasn't being naughty, she wasn't throwing it. She was enjoying herself throughly, while controlling how much went in her mouth herself.


This, it turns out, is Baby Led Weaning (BLW). Heres a low down on what it is and how to do it.


CONTROL - Whether breast fed or bottle fed, babies are used to controlling their intake of milk - how fast they suck, how much they suck and sometimes, how often they feed. It makes sense to me that they are able to control the intake of solids as well.


Babies are inquisitive little creatures too, and are eating solids out of cusiosity, rather than hunger. When first introducing solids, the bulk of nutrition and energy comes from milk.


Once their little hands get moving, babies are out to touch and taste almost anything they can get their hands on - car keys, dirt, their own feet. They love to explore and feel their world, including the food they eat.


CHOKING - I guess your first reaction is to assume to baby will choke if the food isn't pureed. With BLW, babies control what enters their mouth - Sakura would feel it around the front of her mouth before mushing it with her tongue and swallowing. Plus she was feeding it in herself with her hands, only putting as much in as she could handle.


It feels like she has LESS chance of choking because she never puts anything new in her mouth without feeling it around inside her mouth first. We're yet to see if I'm wrong, but being a baby, theres been some pretty weird stuff go in there!


Spoon feeding on the other hand encourages babies to suck the food straight into the back of their mouths. No feeling, tasting or discovering done on the way there!


GUMS CHEW FOOD - babies are capable of sucking or biting of a section of soft strawberry, avacado or steamed veg with their gums, and mushing it around with their gums and tongue before swallowing.


FIST SIZED FOODS - cut the food into long chip sized pieces, so they baby can hold onto a section and bite of the other. This allows them to control the amount of food, as opposed to bite sized pieces were they are forced to cram the whole lot in.


Baby unable to hold the food? It would make sense that they just aren't ready for solids yet?


VARIETY - offering a variety of textures, colours, flavours, sizes, and shapes gives the baby an amazing introduction to real foods, A couple of different vegetables pureed to a pulp offers none of this!


FOODS
Avacado
Strawberries
Pear
Banana
Kiwi Fruit
Stone fruit - mango, peach.
Steamed apple
Steamed pumpkin, cauliflower, choko (chayote), zucchini


WHEN YOU GET CONFIDENT - these foods are a little firmer
Steamed brocolli,  carrot sweet potato and potato
Cherry tomato
Grapes, watermelon, mandarine


Have fun and take lots of photos! Its such a joy to see a baby really discover the appearance, taste and texture of food.


Heres a great link to help : http://www.babyledweaning.com/

BABY LED WEANING
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56984967?access_key=key-25rq8gkjd79ij5pb8cep
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56984907?access_key=key-e8umtr1f2oho11zhmd5

Going in for the kill!

First Pumpkin Happiness!



First Mango - The JOY!



Wheat Alternatives - Theres HEAPS out there!

When it came to feeding my baby her first foods, I really had a look at what I ate.... and found I didn't like it! This may sounds COMPLETELY unjustified, but I do think that many common allergies are a result of over exposure. Wheat for example - we have toast ot cereal for breakfast, sandwhich for lunch, crackers or museli bar for a snack, pasta/bread for dinner. All wheat...


So I try to diverisfy our diets more, give the body a bit more variety in life. But being a chef, I loath bland boring food. So it has to be yummy, nutritionous and varied.... Heres a start in finding the right grains....


Use these flours instead of white flour when making a white sauce, binding ingredients or mix half / half when baking! 

List of wheat flour substitutes/alternative grains

  • Barley, oats, rye. Although these grains can be used in place of wheat, they all contain GLUTEN.  Remember that "wheat-free" doesn't always mean "gluten-free".
Oats are a very good source of silica, which is important for supporting the body's connective tissues. Rye flakes can be used to make a nourishing, warm, cooked cereal.
  • Millet. This is the most easily digested grain available - and is also the least allergenic. It is a good source of silica and protein. Millet flour can be used for baking and the grains can be used to make porridge, or can be cooked and served like rice.
  • Rice and wild rice. Rice flours are often used as wheat flour substitutes. Creamed rice can be given to baby as a cereal and, for older babies, cooked rice can be used in place of breadcrumbs to make stuffing.
  • Sorghum is a cereal grain, similar to millet, which is ground to produce sorghum flour.
  • Buckwheat (despite its name) is not a type of wheat and is not even a cereal grain! It is gluten free and therefore safe for a gluten intolerant baby. It is very rare for anyone to develop any type of sensitivity to buckwheat.
Buckwheat flour is also known as beechwheat, kasha or saracen corn. Buckwheat groats can be used to make a hot breakfast for baby, or simply served as part of a main meal!
  • Amaranth is another non-cereal, gluten-free grain which is ground for baking. It is a very rich source of calcium and is also high in magnesium and silica. Amaranth has been widely used in Mexico to prevent malnutrition. It can be prepared and served like rice.
  • Quinoa is related to the amaranth grain - like amaranth, it is a particularly rich source of calcium. It has the highest protein content of all grains and also provides baby with phosphorus (important for a healthy heart, kidneys and brain), iron and vitamins B and E. Quinoa, too, can be cooked and served like rice, although many people prefer to serve it with other grains.
  • Chick pea flours can also be used as wheat flour substitutes and are also known as gram or garbanzo flours.
  • Ground flaxseeds. These are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, fibre and manganese. Flaxseeds are digested more easily when ground.
  • Potato starch, arrowroot powder, tapioca and cornstarch are good wheat flour substitutes to use for thickening gravys or sauces for baby, or for binding ingredients in baking.
 Apple and sultana baby oatmeal (6 months+)
1/2 cup cooked millet
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple juice
1 apple
peeled, cored and diced
pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp sultanas 
Pour the water and juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the diced apple and sultanas, then sprinkle in the cooked millet, stirring well.
Return the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Add the nutmeg and cook until thick and broken down (10-15 mins).
If this recipe is too lumpy for your baby, you can puree it directly in the pot using a hand blender.
Another alternative is to soak the sultanas to soften them, then puree them before adding them to the dish.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Millet - Much more than just birdseed

Many people consider millet as nothing more than birdseed, but it is the principle grain for many societies, after rice and wheat. It is speculated that millet was the first grain to be harvested during the Neolithic period and most likely originated in Africa or Asia. One reason why it is grown in poorer areas of the world is because it grows in poor soil and adverse weather conditions.

Millet is exceptionally nutritious and is rich in protein, phosphorus, the B vitamins and iron. It is available as a whole grain and follows similar cooking methods as to brown rice or bulgur wheat. Millet meal is coarsely ground flour that is used in baking or porridge, and puffed millet is similar to puffed rice and is used in cereals or bread.

It can be soaked the night before to cut down of cooking time. Unsoaked, add 1 cup millet to 3 cups water (or milk), bring to the boil, then simmer for around 40 minutes. Roasting it for 4 minutes or so before boiling can increase the nutty flavour.

Quick Ideas

Stir fry with veggies and yummy asian sauce
Use as a herbed stuffing for tomatoes, eggplant or capsicum.
Add to the raw egg mix if an omelette

Millet Vege Cakes

I Cup Water
1/3 Cup Millet
1/4 Cup Onion, chopped
1/4 Cup Capsicum chopped
1/4 Cup Carrots, chopped
1 Garlic Clove
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Chopped fresh herbs
1 Egg, beaten

Bring the water to a boil, add the millet, cover and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes or until fluffy and a little sticky.
Chop/grate or foor process veg and herbs .
Saute until for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Combine egg, millet, and vegetables and egg in a bowl.
Place 1 tbsp of the mixture between your moistened hands to make patties.
Fry the patties for 2 minutes on each side or until golden.

Breaky Millet Cakes
2 cups left over cooked millet, sweet potato and/or potato
3 - 4 Tablespoons buttermilk or yoghurt
salt
flour for crumbing )whole wheat, spelt, rice...)


Mix all ingredints, but only adding enough buttermilk/yoghurt to form patties.
Pat in flour to coat.
Shallow fry till golden and serve with butter, maple syrup or golden syrup. Yuuuuum!