A Rather Interesting Tomato Salad

When I'm on holiday I love to go to the supermarket and buy a random selection of tomatoes, the uglier the better! I learnt this tip from a family friend when we were on holiday in Spain as children. The ugly ones really did taste the best! When the ingredients are great you don't need to do much with them, the simpler the better really. 

Now it's a bit early in the season for really good tomatoes, but I had been given some Red Wine Vinegar with Cassis and had some tomatoes that were pretty tasty so I left them out in the sun to warm up (I always think they're better that way) and decided to make a tomato salad. I'd heard that blackcurrants went well with mint and tomatoes. I couldn't get any of the actual fruits but the vinegar certainly made me want to try that combo! Very refreshing and summery. Perfect for a sunny bank holiday weekend. 

Recipe

1/2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 

1/2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar au Cassis Dijon

A spring of mint

100g tomatoes (preferable a mixture of varieties) 

Seasoning

1. Start with the dressing. Mix together the oil, vinegar and mint. If the leaves are small enough you can leave them whole. Mix well. 

2. Slice the tomatoes into chunks and add to the dressing

3. Season to taste and toss the tomatoes in the dressing. 

Enjoy! 

 

Budget Friendly Healthy Eggs in a Tomato Sauce

As part of the The Trussell Trust's Three Pound Challenge I was asked if I could create a meal for two for less than £3. This is the sort of challenge I love and as my goal is to eat clean, healthy food I jumped at the chance to prove this could be achieved on a relatively modest budget. Eggs are the cheapest source of good protein so seemed the obvious choice! 

This meal is ideal for a healthy, budget friendly supper when you're in a hurry, as it's quick and easy to make. 

Recipe 

2tsp oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tin supermarket economy chopped tomatoes
1 stock cube (I like beef best with tomatoes but chicken or vegetable work well too)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
1/2 bag spinach, shredded
6 free range eggs 
Salt and pepper to taste 
1/2 iceberg lettuce shredded 
One head of broccoli, cut into florets and boiled 

1. Start by gently sautéing the onion in a non stick frying pan in 1 tsp of oil. Once it starts to soften add the garlic. 
2. Add the tin of tomatoes, salt, pepper and stock cube and stir well. 
3. After a few minutes add the spinach and balsamic vinegar. Stir and allow the spinach to wilt. 
4. Once the spinach has wilted use the back of a spoon to make 6 wells in the sauce and gently break an egg into each well. Cover the frying pan with a lid or large plate until the egg white is cooked but the yolk is still runny (cook the yolk all the way through for anyone old, young, pregnant or sick). 
5. Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce coated with a little more oil and the cooked broccoli. 

Enjoy! 

Costing 

Tinned tomatoes 31p
Onion 13p
Garlic 5p
Oil 3p
Balsamic vinegar 3p
Stock cube 12.5p
Spinach 50p
Eggs 92p
Salt 1p 
Pepper 2p
Lettuce 25p
Broccoli 60p

Total: £2.96 

Prices correct as of 27th November based on actual amounts used

The Trussell Trust, a UK based food bank charity that is currently doing some incredible work in the community to help families who are on the bread line.  You can find a little bit more information about what they do here:http://www.trusselltrust.org/

Spiced Warming Beef Wraps

As mentioned in my precious post I've suddenly developed some pretty severe food intolerances. All kinds of ingredients are now off the menu and it's meant adjusting my normal diet quite dramatically. As it gets colder I crave winter warmers - stews, soups and spice. Anything large, rustic and warming. I've recently found that Knorr Stock Pots are pretty much what you'd put in stock you would make yourself. No MSG which is a change as most have this nasty chemical in. They do contain maltodextrin which I don't know much about so I need to check that out. I also added a Bovril for additional depth of flavour. 

This is my healthier, allergy friendly take on spiced beef wraps wraps. I love using iceberg lettuce leaves instead of bread wraps or flat breads. I also made a mint yoghurt for the other people eating. 

Recipe 

500g of lean beef mince

1 onion, finely diced 

1 garlic clove, crushed 

Oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tin of tomatoes

1/2 tbsp tomato purée 

1 tsp Bovril
1 Stock Pot 

1/2 tin lentils 

Iceberg lettuce, leaves whole. 

1/2 cucumber, diced

100ml natural yoghurt (if you can have dairy)

A sprig of mint

A squeeze of lemon

Salt and pepper

Serves 4

1. In a little oil sauté the lamb until browned and sealed, add the onion and continue to cook

2. Once the onions are golden add the garlic and spices and cook for a few minutes

3. Add the tomatoes, purée, Bovril, Stock Pot, lentils and seasoning and cook for about 30 minutes until the flavours have all melded together and the sauce has thickened 

4. Whilst it cooks select the best, large iceberg leaves and make a mint yoghurt (I just had the mint as dairy is off the menu for me) mix the yoghurt with fine,y chopped mint, a squeeze of lemon and seasoning. 

Too Tip: You can add a little crushed garlic if you wish but I find raw garlic a bit overpowering. A drizzle of garlic oil would be a good compromise. 

5. Allow people to make their own wraps up. Adding a spoonful of the beef mixture and a few cubes of cucumber to a lettuce leave and top with a little mint yoghurt. 

Enjoy! 

Ayurveda and Kerala, India

I've recently got back from an Ayurvedic and yoga retreat in Kerala, South India. For anyone who doesn't know what Ayurveda is there is more information here, but basically it is an ancient form of wellbeing and health which focuses on prevention rather than cure and if medicine is necessary using natural herbal options. The doctors train for longer than Western doctors and there seems to be growing research based evidence supporting this and similar approaches (unsurprisingly as much research is funded by drug companies there is tends to be more focus on chemical medicine). A large element of this is the way you eat with a focus on certain food suiting different types of people. The food is mainly vegetarian.

Whilst I was away I had a cooking course into how to make an Ayurvedic meal. The course was taken by the chefs from the hotels kitchen.





Apologies in advance for the quality of the photos but I didn't take my proper camera with me as I was packing light and it was pretty dark in the room we were in.

Dhal Maharajah

We started by making a Dhal Maharajah, which was a yellow lentil dish.

Pre-cook 100g of yellow lentils according to the instructions on the packet.

Then you need to add 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds to a little oil, add three cloves of crushed garlic, an equal quantity of grated gingered one large onion very finely diced. Sauté until golden brown and soft. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder and one tomato chopped finely. Cook the spices in for a few minutes.


Add the pre-cooked lentils along with a little of their cooking water. Put the lid on the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are thick.


Stir though some chopped coriander and serve.



Vegetable Thoram

Next we made a Vegetable Thoram. A Thoram means a dry dish which often has coconut in it.

Start by heating a little coconut oil in a pan and add to it 1tsp mustard seeds, 5-10 curry leaves. Cook until the mustard seeds start to pop and add 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1 crushed garlic clove, a very finely chopped onion, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2tsp chilli powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric. Cook until the onion is soft.



Very chop finely chopping your vegetables, we used carrots, green beans, cauliflower and cabbage and add to the pan with a little water. Cook, stirring occasionally to ensure they don't burn until the vegetables are cooked through and soft. Stir in 2 tbsps of grated dried coconut (unsweetened desiccated coconut) and serve.




Lemon Rice

Finally we made a lemon rice. Pre-cook 100g of basmati rice.

Start by adding 1/2 tbsp if cashew nuts and 1/2 tbsp of raisins to a little oil. Add 5-10 curry leaves and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and cook the spices in.





Stir in the pre-cooked basmati rice, along with the juice of a lime and 1/2 tsp salt and serve.




Here are some of the pictures of the buffet that the chefs prepared each day

One day I also went on a trip out to a local food market. I think my taxi driver thought I was mad, but as I've probably mentioned before I think going to a food market really gives you a feel of a places food and culture. It was only small but there were still many fascinating things. As I didn't have anywhere to cook I couldn't buy much but I did buy some mango for me and the driver. 

Simple Pleasures. - Three Cornered Leek and Wild Fennel

There is something very pleasing about picking food from the wild (or foraging as it now seems to have become trendy to call it) and making it into something delicious. Recently I was visiting my parents and on a walk came across not one, but two wild treats. the first was some beautiful three cornered leek and the second some wild fennel. I've spoken before about this before after picking blackberries and wild apples. Sometimes the simple pleasures really are the best...

Wild fennel tends to have less of a bulb than cultivated fennel but the stalks and the lovely fronds were delicious paired with lemon, Parmesan and chicken in this simple recipe.

Three cornered leek really is a beautiful vegetable, from the triangular stem it gets its name from to the pretty little white flowers. It has a very delicate flavour, similar to wild garlic but milder, so be careful not to over cook it and destroy the flavour. Here is the recipe.

Now to find some wild garlic before the season is over...

One Week in Sarah's Diary: Sunday

I started the day with 20 mins of circuits before breakfast and also went for a nice, but bracing, walk. I was visiting my parents and they wanted roast lamb for dinner so I volunteered to cook it so I could make it as clean as possible.

Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. I then had a variation on this Baker Boys recipe. I didn't have any bread so I layered up 2 rashers of lean dry cure bacon with a luscious tomato mixture (made from tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, balsamic vinegar black pepper, oatmeal and a tiny piece of beef stick cube), topped with a poached egg. Here is my version. It really was delicious. .




Lunch: I was out again but managed to eat relatively well. I had a ham ploughmans with no bread and extra salad and a few olives

Afternoon snack: a latte made with skimmed milk

Dinner: as mentioned my parents wanted a roast dinner. I'm glad I decided to cook so that the meal was cleaner than a full on traditional roast. We had a leg of lamb which they had bought from a local farm. The lambs graze on the salt marshes, eating samphire, which makes the lamb very tasty. They would normally want roast potatoes so I substituted these for roasted veg (onions, carrots and celeriac) and also cooked some shredded cabbage.




For pudding I made a pseudo fruit crumble based on my granola. The base was blackberry and apple with a fruit prunes chopped very finely and stirred through for sweetness topped with a mixture of oats, egg, flaked almond and cinnamon. We had it with 0% Greek Total yoghurt rather than custard or ice cream. You could also serve it with plain frozen yoghurt. Considering there was no added sugar it was very tasty.








Water: 1.5 litres
Other drinks: 5 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk, 1 latte
Organised for tomorrow: nothing for tomorrow but I have booked a massage later in the week to help with relaxation

Exercise and Walking

Walking: 45 mins
Exercise: 20 mins circuits (ten each of elevated rear leg lungs, jump squats, push ups and burpees repeated for 20 mins)

Relaxation and Sleep

Relaxation: spending time with family, going for a walk, early night
Meditation: 10 mins
Bed time: 9.30pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7.5 hours

Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.

One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Saturday

It was so lovely to wake up from a good nights sleep after a long week. I started the morning with some yoghurt and nuts before going to the gym as I was doing a weights class and struggle if I don't have anything to eat beforehand.

As I've mentioned I try and eat cleanly all week with the exception of 1 treat meal a week. Some people call this a cheat meal, but psychologically I prefer the idea of treating myself for eating well rather than seeing it as cheating. I also plan this meal as part of my weekly food planning and chose something I really want so I have something to look forwards to. I tend to have this at the weekend and typically cook something. I try and still keep it as natural and unprocessed as possible but don't worry about sugar, refined carbs or fat. This week I'd decided to have it on Saturday lunch time as I had my friend and her girls coming to visit and she wanted to go to a nice bakery for lunch.
I find this meal important for three main reasons:

1. I love cooking and baking so the idea of never being able to eat some things and try some recipes is not one I'm willing to consider.
2. By having a treat meal I have something help me resist temptation during the week. If I fancy a bar of chocolate I ask myself if I'd rather have that or the treat meal I've planned and am looking forwards to.
3. From what I've read this shakes up your body and helps prevent your metabolism from becoming too sluggish.

Food and Drinks:

Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. I then had a small amount of 0% Total Greek yoghurt with a few lightly roasted nuts

Morning snack: this was more breakfast than a snack as I had it when. Got back from the gym but I went for scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach and added some thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms for flavour before adding 1 egg and 2 egg whites.




Lunch: at the bakery I had a croissant filled with gruyere cheese and ham with grainy mustard and a side salad followed by a raspberry tart with a pot of tea and a small bar of dark chocolate with pink peppercorns (very unusual but quite tasty!).

Afternoon snack: as I had a big, late lunch I didn't have any snack.

Dinner: As I was home I wanted to cook something tasty but clean. I had some Tenderstem broccoli which needed using up so I decided to make a Thai green curry served with Tenderstem broccoli and asparagus dressed in a soy, chilli and lime dressing. The Thai curry was a recipe I picked up when I was on holiday in Kao Tao, Thailand. They used a bought curry paste so I did the same but do sometimes made my own and freeze it in small portions. You can find good recipes on google.








For pudding I had a foil baked orange



Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk, 1 black decaf coffee, 1 regular tea
Organised for tomorrow: I am visiting my parents so packed my gym kit

Exercise and Walking

Walking: 30 mins
Exercise: 1 hr weights class - Body Pump

Relaxation and Sleep

Relaxation: I then listened to some music whilst cooking and watched a TV programme I'd missed in the week and then went to bed early
Meditation: none
Bed time: 9.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 8 hours

Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.

One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Friday

Last day in the office of the week. I always forget how long these exercises are! As I travel most weeks for work it was lovely to sleep in my own bed every night for a week but 12-14 hours in the office each day in a high stress situation has taken it's toll. I'm very glad it's the weekend!

Food and Drinks:

Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. Followed a little later by Protein Pancakes. However unlike the recipe I had them plain with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.




Morning snack: a healthy Eton Mess. Made my mixing 0% Total Greek Yoghurt with raspberries, blueberries, chopped dates, grated apple and vanilla. I normally top with a few flaked almonds or mixed seeds but I forgot. Yum!

Lunch: tomato and lentil soup


Afternoon snack: roasted nuts and a pear

Dinner: As I was home at a reasonable time I wanted to cook something but as I was feeling pretty tired it needed to be quick I went with this recipe. It is basically a tomato sauce with eggs cracked on top and allowed to cook. I added onion and plenty of spinach to the tomato sauce to increase the vegetables and served it with a green salad.




For pudding I followed this with a healthy version of chocolate mousse and I don't mean those awful low fat and low calorie pots you buy which I full of sweeteners and very little nutritional value.

Water: 1.5 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: my gym kit

Exercise and Walking

Walking: 15 mins
Exercise: Rest day - I had wanted to do a weights session but after a long week I was too tired.

Relaxation and Sleep

Relaxation: turned off my phone all evening for Quiet Night Friday. I try and do this every Friday to have a break from everything. I then listened to some music whilst cooking and chose a nice classical album. I then had a bath soaking in Epsom salts. I then read a chapter of my book in bed. Both still listening to music.
Meditation: 10 mins
Bed time: 9pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 8.5 hours

Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.

One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Thursday

It was a real struggle to get up and motivated to exercise. I had originally planned to do a weights class at 6.45am but the gym is a 30 min walk away and as I got to bed later than planned I changed my plans so that I could get up at 7am rather than 5.45am. Instead I went to the local park and did some fasted sprints. I also went out for dinner in the evening and after a long stressful week it was very difficult not to sucumb to temptation. I'd eaten well throughtout the day though so I didn't arrive hungry and made sensible choices.

Food and Drinks:

Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. After exercise I had an almond protein shake for my breakfast


Morning snack: Minted tuna and lettuce wraps. To make these I mixed some tuna with 1/2 teaspoon of mint, added a sqeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and then used iceberg lettuce leaves instead of wraps to wrap them up.

Lunch: Roasted Cauliflower and Cumin Soup followed by a plum and an apple

Afternoon snack: Two oat cakes with hazelnut butter

Dinner: as the week had been long and stressful and it was another late finish in the office I was taking my team out for dinner. I eat out regularly, so I have become used to making good choices when on the move. As a rule I don't have alcohol or too much starch unless it's treat night. This time I had aubergine topped with chopped tomatoes to start followed by chicken with mushrooms and asparagus served with veg and I swapped the sauté potatoes it was supposed to be served with for salad. I didn't had a pudding but to prevent 'pudding envy' whilst the others were eating theirs I had a decaf latte.

Water: 3 litres (this included the sparking water I had in the restaurant)
Other drinks: 1 black decaf coffee, 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk.
Organised for tomorrow: in very late so nothing

Exercise and Walking

Walking: 15 mins
Exercise: 20 mins sprints - sprinting for 20 secs followed by rest and repeat

Relaxation and Sleep

Relaxation: none! Another seriously stressful day.
Meditation: none
Bed time: 11.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 6.5

Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.

One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Tuesday

The second day started well with 30 mins of circuits followed by an early start in the office. Again I'd prepared most of my food the night before so pretty much stuck to plan.

Food and Drinks:

Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. After exercise I had an almond protein shake for my breakfast


Morning snack: Thai Chicken and Lettuce Wraps. To make these I mixed some left over roast chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of green Thai curry paste, added a sqeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and then used iceberg lettuce leaves instead of wraps to wrap them up. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo

Lunch: Roasted Cauliflower and Cumin Soup followed by a plum and a pear

Afternoon snack: Low Fat Moroccan Spiced Hummus with cherry tomatoes and sticks of carrots, celery and cucumber

As it was a late night in the office I also had a cocoa made with oat milk about 6pm

Dinner: due to a very late finish in the office I raided the freezer for a 'ready' meal I'd frozen when I'd made extra dinner one time.I had a chicken and veg stew with some steamed broccoli, cabbage and spinach

Evening snack: an orange
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: gym kit, soup for lunch and snacks

Exercise and Walking

Walking: 50 mins
Exercise: 30 mins circuits - elevated rear leg lunges x 10 (on each side), squat jumps x 10, burpees x10, tricep dips x 10, pushups x 10, bicycle crunches x10 (on each side), plank (30 secs), side plank (30 secs each side) - all repeated 3 times

Relaxation and Sleep

Relaxation: Reading a chapter of a book in bed before sleep
Meditation: ~10 mins
Bed time: 9.45pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7.5 hours

Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.

One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Monday

So it's the first day of posting what I eat. After a busy weekend, today is rest day (exercise wise) so no gym for me and just some walking.

I was in work early but started the day as I had intended, largely due to the fact I had everything I could ready the night before.

Food and Drinks:

Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water followed a little later by scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach (2 eggs, 2 eggs whites, large handful of spinach and plenty of mushrooms).

Morning snack: a green smoothie with a teaspoon of spirulina powder added

Lunch: tomato and lentil soup and an apple



Afternoon snack: lightly roasted nuts and kale crisps



Dinner: bolognese made with a mixture lean beef and turkey mince and bulked with mushrooms and onion with some steamed cauliflower, broccoli and spinach. The Bolognese was similar to the one I used for my savoury pancake stack

Evening snack: frozen grapes - these are a fab as taste a bit like sorbet. I sometimes even blend them so they form a sorbet.



Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk and 2 mugs of herbal tea
Organised for tomorrow: gym kit, soup for lunch and snacks

Exercise and Walking

Walking: 30 mins
Exercise: None, rest day

Relaxation and Sleep

Relaxation: 30 mins soaking in the bath
Meditation: none
Bed time: 10.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7 hours

Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.

Overall I was quite pleased with the day. I would have preferred to have got to bed earlier and also made time for some meditation

One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Musings on Food and "Diets"

I've mentioned a few times on my blog that I like to eat clean and healthily, whilst enjoying an occasional treat. I also try and create healthier versions of my favourites to help avoid crumbling and succumbing to the oh so wonderful looking biscuit, cake, chocolate that in reality leaves me feeling not so great afterwards! In general, when I eat well, do some exercis, relax and have enough sleep I feel better. My physical and metal health are better, my skin, hair and nails respond positively and my body looks better. So I thought it'd be good for me to share this what I do each day for a week. I also think that the discipline of posting every day will be good for me as I can be a bit haphazard with keeping up to date and one of my resolutions was to blog more often. Also, after an extremely stressful week my body feels like it's been through the mill and some extra care and attention is needed.

Through research and my experience I don't sign up to the standard diet advice or 'calorie model' so many of the standard diets are so focused on calories and not enough on nutrition, and what that nutrition does to the hormones in your body. Put simply, I sign up to the belief and research which states a calorie is not just a calorie and that hormones have a bigger effect on your body shape than calories alone. I also don't aim for a massively low fat diet, especially good fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olive or rapeseed oil.
I also, have huge concerns with the amount of chemicals and unknowns that go into the food we eat and what this may do to our health now and in the future The recent findings of horse meat in beef doesn't concern me from the point of view of eating horse but from the point of view of what else is in our food that we don't know about? Most people don't realise that food manufacturers don't even have to put everything on the label! For example most processed bread is made using a enzyme which is potentially concerning, but they don't have to mention it as it's only used in the processing.

It actually makes me angry when I see products loaded with chemicals and unnatural ingredients marketed as 'healthy' as soon as I see "sugar free", "diet", "low fat" I immediately look at the label to see what they have replaced the sugar and fat with and try to avoid things like chemical sweeteners. Where is the legislation to protect people from these blatant lies?

I mentioned above that I try to make healthier versions also, I have often found when I crave something not necessarily exactly what I want. For example the other day I really wanted cheesy chips. I've not had them in years, probably since uni but for some reason I really really wanted them. I tried to work out if it was what I really wanted or if something else would do and realised that what I really wanted was melted cheese. It wouldn't have matter if it was on a chicken breast. It wasn't really the chips I wanted (incidentally, as it turns out by the time I got home I wasn't too worried about the idea at all and was able to make a healthier choice all together but it has made me stop and think what I really want).

I should probably make it clear I'm not a nutritionist or similar so this is by no means advice. It's simply a diary of my food and the associated recipes made primarily from food that, through research, I consider healthy and balanced.
As I believe that food, drink, exercise, relaxation and sleep are all elements in the equation that makes for a lean, healthy body and mind each day I will fill in the following template.

If you want to read more research on this sort of thing I would start with Metabolic Effect as they have lots of blog articles on research papers and so on.

Food and Drinks:
Breakfast:
Morning snack:
Lunch:
Afternoon snack:
Dinner:
Evening snack:
Water:
Other drinks:
Organised for tomorrow
Exercise and Walking
Walking:
Exercise:
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation:
Meditation:
Bed time:
Estimated hours of sleep:

Please comment if you have any feelings on the subject or if there is anything else you would like to see.

Bircher Museli

I start the morning most days with some form of oats. This is one of my favourite ways and is so versatile as you can use whatever you have in.

Basically, you soak the oats overnight in your chosen liquid. I used almond milk and then stirred in grated apple and topped with berries, cranberries, flaked almonds and seeds.

The method can be found in my guide

Check out How to Cook Bircher Museli #Healthyeating by Sarah's Kitchen Diary on Snapguide.




Enjoy!

Porridge with Spiced Apple

On a cold day like today a steaming bowl of porridge is a great start to the day.
I try not to add any sugar and also use non dairy milk so have to be fairly inventive with the toppings so it doesn't become bland and boring.
The recipe can be found in my guide

Check out How to Cook Porridge With Spiced Apple by Sarah's Kitchen Diary on Snapguide.

Here is the finished result




Tasty!

Steak with peppers, onions and spinach

This is another super quick dinner. I tend to cook the veg first and then flash fry the steak as I like it to be served medium-rare.

This is a made up recipe and I intensified the depth of flavour by dusting the steak in porcini mushroom powder before cooking it. The first time I heard of porcini mushroom powder is when my mum bought me some for Christmas last year, but not it's a staple in my kitchen. It is great in obviously things like a mushroom risotto but also adds depth of flavour to stews and steak.

The spinach was spinach beet from my garden







And I served it with salad, also from my garden.







Recipe to follow

Chicken cataccioa and minted courgettes

This is another recipe I picked up whilst on a cookery holiday with my mum.

The recipe is slightly different to what I have always thought of as traditional. I'm not sure if that is my ignorance or if this is a regional variation but I don't really care as this version is fab!

I paired it with minted courgettes using baby courgettes grown by my our fair hand.










Recipe to follow

Diana Henry's Roast Chicken with Quinoa and Feta Stuffing and Lebanese Beans

I love a Sunday roast but when the weather is warmer (or not cold at least) I don't feel like a full Sunday lunch with gravy and so on.

As I've mentioned before I think that Diana Henry is one of the most underrated cookery writers I have come across and this is one of her recipes which I love.

She roasted the chicken with the stuffing inside but I don't like to do this as I don't think you an fit enough in!

So I just simply roasted the chicken with a little herb butter under the skin and no stuffing. I like to use roasting bags (which you can buy in the supermarket near the cling film) as I think they result in really moist chicken. I forgot to take a photo of the chicken but it just looked like a roast chicken so nothing unusual!

I made the stuffing separately. I mainly followed her recipe but removed the bread that she uses and replaced it with quinoa so that it was gluten free.

While the chicken is roasting sauté one finely chopped onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a packet of chopped cherry tomatoes. Stir into quinoa cooked according to the instructions on the packet add 100g chopped feta, a handful of chopped mint and parsley, 1 tbsp tomato purée, an egg and seasoning and stir. Put into an oven proof bowl and bake in the oven with the chicken for around the last 45 mins. You may need to cover it with foil to prevent it from getting too brown and dried out.




I served it with her Lebanese beans and some green salad.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add a roughly chopped onion and sauté until soft. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves and cook for a couple if minutes. Add 4tsp ground cumin, 800g tomatoes (I used tinned) and season. Stir well and add 75ml of water and 1/2 tablespoon of tomato purée and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover the pan and sweat the tomatoes for about 15 mins until they are soft and mushy. Add 500g chopped runner beans and cook for 15+ mins until they become really soft. Add additional water if the moisture starts to dry out and additional seasoning if you need it. You can finish with a few torn mint leave if you like.

Boiled eggs with asparagus 'soldiers'

This is great for a decadent Sunday breakfast (or any day you fancy a treat!)
Start by boiling your eggs to your personal taste. I like 5 minutes for a large egg so the white is set but the yolk is still runny.
Whilst the eggs cook blanch the asparagus by placing it in boiling water for a couple of minutes. You still want it to hold its shape and have a bit of crunch. Drain and wrap each spear in a slice of Parma or Serrano ham.
Serve with the top cut off the egg and the wrapped asparagus spears to dip in the yolk.
Yummy!

Chunky chicken and vegetable soup

This soup is great as you can use whatever veg you have left over and in fact whatever meat. Some left over roasted lamb would be good for example, or just leave it out. You could also add your choice of beans. I think butter beans would work well. Just put in what you fancy/have. It's as simple as that!
I placed the following in a pan, you could fry the veg and chicken up first for more flavour but I didn't bother. I just chucked it all in and cooked it on the hob. What could be easier!
- 1 leek roughly chopped
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 1 pepper roughly chopped
- two large handfuls of kale roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tins of tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of tomato purée
- two chicken legs with the skin on (just throw them in as they are)
- 1/2 litre of chicken stock
- salt and pepper
Boil the above for about 45 mins until all of the vegetables are soft. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and cook for a few more minutes. Remove the chicken legs and allow to cool slightly until you can touch them without burning your hands. Remove all of the meat and discard the bones. Chop the meat into smallish pieces and put back into the soup and stir.
Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate until you want to eat it. I make two big soups on a Sunday and eat them through the week. Just remember ones with meat in might not last for a week so eat these first!

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a funny thing. It looks and acts a bit like couscous but is in fact a seed so it's a lot better for you. I love it's flavour as well which is slightly nuttier than couscous. This could also be made with bulgar wheat or buck wheat, or a mixture.

Start by cooking the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Mine was to boil it for 20 mins. Drain well and put to one side to cool. Diana Henry has a recipe which toasts the quinoa first, which I imagine to be delicious, but I haven't tried this yet.

While it cools make a dressing from a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, the juice and zest of half a lemon, a handful of chopped mint and parsley, half a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Chop your choice of veg up. I uses carrots, cucumber and spring onion, all raw but a mixture of roasted onion, peppers and courgette would be good, or some blanched asparagus.

Once the quinoa is cold mix with the dressing and vegetables. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or lemon to taste

Apologies for the rather ugly container but it was ready to go to work!