This is a sponsored post for SunRice.
I have a confession to make; I haven’t eaten rice cakes in, oh, about 6 years.
It has been a long time between crackers. And it’s not just rice cakes; it’s all the various crackers found in the biscuit aisle. I must get blindsided by the Tim Tams and skip the savoury section altogether.
It’s not because I don’t like them either. I’m partial to a cracker or two. I’ve just been distracted by the sweet things and forgotten that they even exist! Sigh.
Back in the olden days, when I was about 20, I used to nanny for the sweetest little boy. Oh, he was so sweet. And he had two beautiful parents too. When I went for the position he was just a teeny baby and we {the parents and I} were talking about the package I’d receive in return for looking after their baby. We basically fell in love from the moment we met, and when we talked money the parents threw in, “And we’ll feed you breakfast and lunch too. You can have whatever you like!”
And so, being a 20-something single girl who lived in a share house with a fridge that was basically a no-go zone of various germs and leftover food, it was one of my favourite perks of the job. It’s where I discovered rice cakes. They were stored in the pantry in bulk, and they were my staple for lunch, dinner or an afternoon snack. Sometimes I’d have them with honey, others with vegemite and when I wanted to be truly fancy… well I’d add a little cheese, a slice of meat, some tomato and sprinkling of fancy sea salt. I was living the high life right there.
Fast forward to this past weekend when SunRice sent me out to give them another go. They’d been on my radar for the past couple of weeks because I recently saw a friend post about them on Instagram. She said, “We’re a packaged food-free house usually, but these are the only things we let in.”
I was intrigued. The only thing? I needed to reunite myself with those babies {the rice cakes, not the kid I nannied} of my younger years. And so I did. I went off, collected an array of toppings, a packet of SunRice Thick and Thin Rice Cakes and went on my way – determined to satisfy my little family with a fancy lunch of deliciously topped rice cakes.
Before I start being all fancy-pants and show-offy with my toppings, let me share a discovery. When I got home, I realised one of the main reasons why my Instagram friend allows rice cakes into her home. They contain just one ingredient; whole grain brown rice. No artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, just 100% brown rice. And they’re gluten free. Mind blown? Yes, mine too.
So, first up was pleasing my meat pie-loving husband. I tempted him with a little cheese, some finely sliced ham and a juicy slice of tomato – and some cracked black pepper. Verdict = winning.
Then there was me. I’m easily pleased, a little cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes, salt and a basil leaf. Heaven.
This was another winning combination. I made a little tomato mix of cherry tomatoes chopped, red onion, basil, a dash of olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar on a bed of spreadable goats cheese.
So while I was making these creations, it came to my attention that it was quite likely that Lacey had never tried a rice cake. While I made her some simple rice cake toppings, she pulled up a stool and said, “I’ll make my own.” It’s as if she was trying to tell me that she was far too fancy and wasn’t having a piece of my simple ways. So she swiped a little cottage cheese across her rice cake and plonked part of a banana on top. And she ate it, with gusto.
And then along came Ma who also wanted in on the rice cake action. She gathered a few ingredients and whipped up this. It’s made with hummus, salami, roma tomato and basil. She approved of her own creation.
It’s safe to say, rice cakes are back on the menu in our house. I won’t be by-passing the savoury section of the biscuit aisle. Hubby will have goodies for work and most importantly, of course, Lacey has a new treat for her lunchbox.
You can find SunRice Rice Cakes at your local supermarket in the biscuit aisle. They’re a healthy, nutritious snack to keep the whole family happy.
One lucky person will have the chance to win nutrition consultation valued at $1,500 PLUS a $500 Woolworths gift voucher and 6 packs of SunRice Original Thin and Think Rice Cakes to get your family on the right track. Full terms and conditions are here.
To be in the running, just leave a comment below {in 25 words or less} with what your favourite topping would be? What fancy creation would you make?
Due to some down time on my site this week, I’ve decided to extend the competition for another 24 hours so that people have time to enter who may have missed out. The competition will close Saturday 16th February 11:59pm.
The lucky winner of this competition is Eve. An email has been sent your way. Congratulations!
