Something Different

Hello  gorgeous followers, hope everyone is well and happy! I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend too : ) Mine was great, I ran revision on Saturday again (my last Saturday revision and stupidly early start until exam season in June!) then went for my monthly wander around Rochester with co-pilot Clare. We love to take in the quaint little antique and home shops before stopping for a gorgeous lunch in our favourite shop/restaurant! I stayed round Clare's Saturday night and then returned home this morning. Waiting for me were some beautiful Christmas presents from hubby's grandma which I loved and put a huge smile on my face : )

 Later today hubby and I decided to lunch out at Chiquito's which has just opened near our house, there will also be a Nando's soon right next door, by the looks of things today it is very nearly finished, woohoo! We devoured three courses which left us stuffed, so much so that I didn't even want any popcorn when we went to the cinema afterwards! We saw Warhorse which was amazing, I shed a fair few tears as did hubby! ; )

As I like to mix it up from time to time, today's post is a foodie one, a dish that I made recently and enjoyed immensely. Hubby and I both love an Indian takeaway, and I also love making healthy curries in the week too. My recipe for healthy chicken korma comes from my favourite Sally Bee cookbook and is a winner in terms of health and taste.

1) Chop up a range of veg, whatever you fancy and enjoy. I chose green beans, courgette and red pepper.

2) Over a medium heat, heat some olive oil and saute the two onions, a couple of chopped chicken breasts, two crushed cloves of garlic and a peeled and chopped medium apple. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir in 4 teaspoons of mild curry powder.

3) Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the veg start to soften and the chicken has sealed in the spice.

4) Add 300ml of chicken stock to the pan, sultanas (if enjoyed, I left them out because I do not like them), and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

5) Just before serving, add some chopped coriander and 4 tablespoons of low-fat creme fraiche or fromage frais to the curry and stir in well. Season with freshly ground black pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes but do not allow to boil.

6) Serve with hot cooked basmati rice, adding one spoon of creme fraiche to each portion as you serve.

Very yummy and healthy too! Well that's about all from me today, I am looking forward to a slightly more laid back week, final GCSE until June is tomorrow morning so things will calm down a tad (for a while anyway!) XOXO

Chilli con healthy

Hi dolls, hope you are all well! I have been super busy this past couple of days as school has returned and I am following my full timetable now. The classes I have had so far have been really good and fun, although I am pretty tired by the time I get home in the evening! Today's post is a non - fashion one, instead a recipe that I wanted to share from our dinner yesterday. The weather in the UK has been pretty chilly and rainy so I have started to crave comforting old favourites for dinner. I decided to make Sally Bee's version of chilli con carne, a recipe she has dubbed 'chilli con healthy' and it was delicious!

Step 1) Chop up an onion, half a courgette and a green pepper. Peel two cloves of garlic. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and then brown the mince for around 5 minutes. Add the vegetables and continue to cook for another 5 or so minutes.

Step 2) Add one teaspoon of paprika, two teaspoons of cumin and two of chilli (more if you like things spicy) and  stir in. Continue to cook for 3 minutes.

Step 3) Add one can on chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree and 600ml of beef stock to the pan. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently.

Step 4) Add one tin of mixed beans to the chilli, and one tin of green lentils. Season with black pepper and  heat through gently for another 30 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, heat your rice and also some extra green vegetables for the side.

Step 5) Serve with rice and veg, I used brown rice, broccoli and spinach.

My new garlic pot! So cute!

 xoxo

Lasagne on a Monday

Hello Dolls, hope the start of the week got off to a good start for you all : ) I had a lazy morning followed by a leisurely afternoon of shopping with my sister, niece and nephew. This afternoon, as I flicked through my recipe books, looking for some inspiration for dinner, I landed upon Sally Bee's recipe for lasagne which I have never tried before. I have made lasagne of course, but was keen to try Sally's 'healthiest ever' lasagne. I have to say, the lasagne turned out completely delicious, which was pleasing after all my hard work preparing : )

Step 1) Chop up an array of vegetables into very small pieces. You can use any veg you fancy, I used 3 carrots, 2 celery sticks and 1 courgette. Cut up an onion and peel 2 cloves of garlic.

Step 2) Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the rest of your veg to the pan including the crushed garlic, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Step 3) Turn the heat up slightly and add your mince to the pan, stirring until browned and crumbly (this will take about 5 minutes).

Step 4) Stir in a can of chopped tomatoes, 450ml of beef stock, 4 tablespoons of tomato puree, 1 teaspoon of oregano and 1 teaspoon of parsley. Season with a good shake of black pepper and allow to simmer for 20 minutes until cooked through.

Step 5) Towards the end of the cooking time of the meat mixture, you need to preheat the oven to 200 degrees or gas mark 6, and then make your white sauce. For the white sauce, add 3 tablespoons of corn flour (corn starch) to a small bowl. Measure out 600ml (1 pint) of semi-skimmed milk in a measuring jug and add a little to the cornflour. Stir until the corn flour has dissolved, and then pour into a saucepan. Add the rest of the milk to this and stir continuously over a low heat until thickened to the texture of custard. Add a good pinch of nutmeg to the white sauce and stir.

Step 6) Pour half of the meat mixture into your dish, then layer several pasta sheets over the top. Continue with another layer of meat and another layer of pasta.

Step 7) Pour over your white sauce, and lastly 40g of grated low fat cheese. Put your lasagne in the oven for 4o minutes until the top of the lasagne is nicely golden.

Step 8) Remove from the oven, your lasagne should look something like this!

Step 9) Serve with a nice green salad or extra vegetables (I decided on tenderstem brocolli, sweetcorn and home-grown white cabbage).

Really yum, and super healthy. A good choice for anyone who wants to try a healthy take on an old favourite : )

100 followers! : )

Hello lovely ladies and first off a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all my amazing followers - I have now reached over 100 followers and I am so pleased! It makes me so unbelievably happy to think that there are so many lovely people out there who want to read my daily ramblings! I really enjoy reading all of your lovely comments, makes my day : ) xoxo

Well today was a nice lazy day for me, I felt a bit out of sorts so I just took it easy, did a bit of school work and a little food shopping. I still managed to try some new recipes though (I am thinking of re-naming my blog 'chef in style' hahaha) and I want to share my lunch time recipe with you because it was delish and super healthy! I made Sally Bee's roasted tomato soup recipe.

Step 1 - Wash a 1kg bag of tomatoes, cut them in half and arrange them on a roasting tray.

Step 2 - Sprinkle over 3 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of dried mixed herbs, ground black pepper and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 3- Roast the tomatoes for about 1 hour until they are started to brown at the edges.

Step 4 - Remove the tomatoes from the oven and wait about 10 minutes for them to cool a little. Put them straight into a blender, removing the skins as you go (This should be very easy at this stage although it is not necessary so leave them on if you prefer).

Step 5 - Add 600ml of hot vegetable stock and 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes and blend.

Step 6- Serve the soup in a bowl, adding a good shake of dried basil and mixing through, and then arranging some fresh basil on top. Delish.

* I sieve the mixture before I serve it to remove the seeds as hubby does not like them (and he says I'm a fussy eater!) but again, this is not necessary and they can be left in.

Hope you are all having a lovely week, until next time xoxo

Sunny Monday in London

Hello dolls, hope your Monday was just fine and the weather is nice where you are! Today was pretty warm here in the UK, and I spent the day in London with 3 of my closest friends, for a delicious lunch at one of my favourite restaurants Cafe Rouge (I had my favourite, french onion soup to start, baguette poulet for my main and tranche au chocolat for dessert). Later, my friend Clare and I took a little trip to Oxford Street where we spent a good hour in a shop new to the UK, that I have been desperate to visit... yes ladies, I finally made it to Forever 21!

My first impressions of Forever 21 was that it was huge, very girly (decorated in pastel pink and white), with fairly good merchandising, and clear 'zones' so you knew where to go for what. The changing rooms were a good size with proper doors (I personally dislike curtains) and the lighting in the changing rooms was pretty good. The queue at the till was long, but the staff were numerous, and therefore waiting time was minimal. The range of clothing was very good, with a style for everyone. Oh and the prices were amazing! I knew it was a cheap shop but I was particularly impressed with the quality and fit of the items, especially considering the low prices.

My new purchases! I bought 2 sheer tops (love that style as so easy to dress up and down), one in a print and one classic cream colour. I also bought a kind of slouchy long sleeved jersey top in a dark orange that I think will be great with jeans. Lastly, I bought the gorgeous shimmery cuff and horn necklace. All in, 3 tops and 2 pieces of jewellery cost only £48 so I was very impressed. I will definitely return to Forever 21 when I am in London as the styles are great and the prices even better!

I got home at about 7 0 clock tonight and was surprisingly hungry (after my huge lunch!) but pretty tired, so I wanted to try another recipe that was both healthy and quick. I decided on super healthy sausages and beans (another recipe from my Sally Bee recipe book)

Step 1 - Cut your sausages up into smaller pieces (each sausage into 3 to 4 pieces is perfect). Put to one side.

Step 2 - Chop up your chosen veg (pretty much anything goes, today I used carrots, celery, green beans, peas and courgette). Chop up one onion and peel 2 cloves of garlic.

Step 3 - Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and then add the sausage pieces. Cook on a medium heat for 7 minutes until the sausages are browned on all sides.

Step 4 - Add your vegetables (including the garlic which can be crushed right in) and let cook for another 5 minutes until the onion is beginning to soften. While this is cooking prepare 400ml of chicken or vegetable stock, and drain and rinse one tin of mixed beans and one tin of lentils.

Step 5 - Add your beans and lentils to the pan and pour on your stock. Add a good couple of sloshes of worcestershire sauce too. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes (by this time the carrots will have softened and your dinner will be ready). Around the same time, begin to cook your rice (or whatever you plan to serve the stew with).

Step 6 - Add 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard to the stew to taste and a generous sprinkling of black pepper and parsley. Serve with the rice and enjoy!

* Sausages often get a bad reputation but as long as you buy minimum 90% meat content they are actually healthy - I usually buy mine from a butcher to be sure.

xoxo

Sunday Inspirations

Hello lovely followers, hope you are all good and have had fabulous weekends! I have had a lovely weekend, yesterday was a very productive and rewarding day (see what I got up to here) and today was a lot slower paced. Hubby and I went into town as he was itching to spend his HMV voucher he received for his birthday, and I couldn't say no to a bit more shopping! Later, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law visited with their son which was really nice. Late afternoon I went for a run which felt great, although the heat made it harder than usual. Still, I do love to run, so I didn't mind too much : ) When I returned, I set about making dinner, trying a new recipe from my Sally Bee recipe book (which I blogged about here)

This experimentation was more than just a bit of fun: I am becoming acutely aware that the summer holidays are drawing to a close, and with this in mind, I am starting to think about our new routine. Being a housewife this summer has been brilliant, and I have truly enjoyed experimenting with different healthy dishes. I am all too aware though that upon return to work, I will no longer have the time or energy to devote to time consuming meals of an evening. I will probably arrive home around 6 0' clock and will need to plan my evenings to fit in cooking, exercise, TV, reading and marking. I am too health conscious to just accept my fate of quick, less than healthy dishes, and believe that it will simply require a little strategic planning to stay on the straight and narrow! With this in mind, I tried out todays dinner, and am pleased to say it ticked all the boxes: healthy, quick to prepare and filling.

Step 1 - Chop up your vegetables (pretty much anything goes, I used grated carrot, courgette and cherry tomatoes) and an onion. Put all the veg in a big bowl and add to this 1 cup of rice (I used wild rice), 400ml chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, a splash of worcestershire sauce and olive oil and lastly a good shake of oregano, thyme, garlic powder and black pepper. Mix this together with a spoon.

Step 2 - Make your 'parcel' by folding a large piece of foil in half. Add your mixture to the middle of the foil and then fold the sides up to resemble a bowl. Add one chicken breast to the top of the mixture and use a spoon to cover the chicken with some of the mixture. Step 3 - Fold the foil so that the parcel is fully covered and put in the oven for 45 minutes.

Step 3 - Fold the foil so that the parcel is fully covered and put in the oven for 45 minutes.

Step 4- Remove from the oven and eat! This recipe worked really well for me and the end result was delicious. It was quick and easy to make, but still very healthy (which is my main priority) and I think it will be a great recipe that can easily be chucked together in the morning before work ready for the oven on arrival home!

As well as cooking, I have also been trying new nail designs today and I love the result! I recently bought the beige NYC shade in Oh SoHo sweet and today I spotted the blue glitter NYC shade in Lights-Camera-Glitter. I painted the beige shade as a base coat and then applied 2 coats of the blue glitter over the top. I have to say, I was a little wary of the glitter as I have not worn glitter nail polish since I was about 13, but with the explosion of nail art recently, (and with my nail lady still away on holiday!) I have been more willing to experiment. I really like the larger blue glitter pieces and the subtle silver sparkle all over (which is not that visible in the picture).

Lastly: lipglosses! I tend to buy a lot of lip products and have many favoutites including Lancome juicy tubes, MAC lipglass and Bobbi Brown lip gloss. I also like cheaper brands as, lets face it, lipgloss is lipgloss and is never going to be that long lasting, so why pay more than necessary??! Today I tried 2 new 'matt' lip gloss type products. The Maybelline color sensational lip stain smells gorgeous and leaves a lovely pink tint behind that is long lasting and natural looking. The Collection 2000 Cream Puff is another 'matt' product and again leaves behind a nice tint that is not too strong, and lasts a fair while. I really like both of the products and they make a nice change from the usual lipgloss look I favour.

Well thats it for today, until next time dolls xoxo