Winter warmer

There's nothing.....well there a few things better than curry in winter. The heat on your lips and tongue somehow warms your entire body. Then again, that could just be me and how my body works.

Homemade curry is a winner in my books and the hotter it is, the better. I made this beef curry on Sunday for a breaking mix and Hellas bells it went down oh so good. I really wish I could share the recipe, but the spices used were of the premix nature (where u just buy, snip, pour into pot and mix) an allow your nostrils to be filled with the awesome aroma of the marrying of spices. The specific mix I bought can't be purchased from a little Indian store at the buccleuch shopping centre in buccleuch (Jhb) 😁

My next one will be more authentic!!

Oh- I'm also trying to eat healthier so to increase the nutritional value of this meal I ate half a cup of Breyani and added half a cup of grilled baby marrow (courgettes) to the meal. It didn't remove anything from the meal - in fact it added to it. Just an idea 😜

Its been a while

What to even say after having been away for so long???

...

Guessss who's baaccckkkk????? Well ...ALMOST. I need to first relish in the fact that I am finally done with exams for the year~! So that means copious amounts of free time! As well as lots of wine to drink and lotsa free nights to do whatever the hell I want to !! Couldn't get any better!!!

Will try and update my posts as soon as possible!!!

Asian Style Cooking for the Weekend

Sweet and Sour is not something I generally order when I go out to eat, but I figured that by making it at home, I could control the tastes. And I was right.

This quick and easy to follow recipe is definitely a WINNER

What's Needed

1 cup long grain rice (I used tastic)

1 Tablespoon cornstarch (Maizena)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup white vinegar

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

about 500 grams boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces

2 peppers (any colour), seeded and diced

½ pound green beans, trimmed and halved

5 spring onions thinly sliced

1 tsp ginger (or you can use a piece of fresh minced ginger)

3 garlic cloves, minced (or u can use a tsp or 2 of chopped garlic)

2 Tablespoons roasted peanuts (almonds or pecan nuts)

And Then

1.                  Cook rice according to packet instructions and set aside

2.                  In small bowl, whisk together Maizena, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar and set aside

3.                  In a large wok, heat some oil on high heat. I like my oil to just start smoking a bit then I know that its really hot. Add the cubed chicken, peppers and green beans and cook. Make sure to stir so that it doesnt stick/burn. Once the veggies have softened, add the ginger and garlic and cook.

4.                  Keep stirring until the chicken has cooked through. (between 5 and and 10 minutes?)

5.                  Whisk the soy sauce combo again and add to wok. Stir frequently until the sauce has thickened. This step should not take long – about 3 minutes of stirring.

6.                  Remove from the heat and prepare to serve.

 

Serve on bed of rice and garnish with nuts. T doesn't like nuts so I saved the roasted goodies for my own dish. The dish is just as good sans nuts.

Some side notes:

• The sweet and sour flavours in this dish are subtle, but just enough to excite the taste buds
• Add mushrooms instead of chicken for a vegetarian option
• A nutritious meal that's easy to prepare
• For a healthier option, add less brown sugar and use brown rice instead of white

 Feel free to have more than one helping :)

I'm writing exams in the next week and doubt that I will be trying anything new...the dubious take outs and late night popcorn snacks with coffee are what will sustain me until the dreaded papers are over....It's just one week ;) I shall be back soon ;). Have a fab weekend and week everyone *chest bump*

7 Colour Meals..well almost 7 colours.

I haven't had much time to write up any posts lately and it's been bugging me. I have some saved at home, which I wrote sometime ago but keep forgetting to upload them OR when I am ready to load them, the USB that has the pics is missing?

And to be honest ...I haven't made that many wonderful indulgent things lately. Not for myself anyway. I've been trying to watch what I eat and also "reset" my bodys need for all things fabulous (i.e.cake and cupcakes and anything that has a lot of potatoes and cream). This matched with gym is my action plan...which I didn't want to tell anyone about because then you're under the magnifying glass every time you put something in your mouth. You're usually met with comments like "oohhh..what happened to your *diet* (cursed word) OR " do you really think u should have that" (well tha's kinda out the window now if I know you and you're reding this.)

I figured I can still share pics of what I have been eating - because well food is food! And that's what I do here...talk about food :) :) :)

These meals are very easy to prepare!! Very tasty too! I hate bland food (yes hate) so have worked at making these low cal meals as crunchy, colourful and tasty as possible! :)

2 Veggie burger patties (I bought mine from woolies)

1 handful or more of raw green beans

1/4 red cabbage sliced

Warm patties according to packaging instructions (can be done in the microwave)

Add asian dressing to veggies (allow to marinate for 20mins if possible) and serve :)

This meal was SOOOO filling omg. It's all raw. And almost zero points (for those who are doing the weight watchers thing)

4 Raw baby marrows (cut into strips and shavings (which I achieved by using a cheese cutter)
A few Rosa Tomatoes
1/4 Lettuce (normal cos Lettuce)
1/4 Red Cabbage
Honey and Mustard dressing from woolies
Pinch of fresh mint and fresh parsely. Just pinching it from the garden was so cool :) I plan on planting more goodies. 


Slice all your goodies and mix up! Again allow dressing to marinate for a bit - adds that extra va va voom.

 I wish this was my creation but it wasn't. This was dinner at a girlfriends house. A filling DELICIOUS meal thrown together in 10mins (not even). Grreen salad with prawns = winning! I really didnt expect to get full on this meal but I did! and maybe my 2...3 glasses of wine helped ;)

Shavings of RAW baby marrow

Red and yellow peppers thinly sliced

Some more red cabbage

Lemon juice and EVOO dressing with salt and pepper :)

 

These unflavoured roasted nuts (available at all Pick n Pays) is absolutely a-ma-zing!!! I've had them sprinkled over salad to add extra crunch. They work just as well as the daily 4pm snack! I keep them on my desk and just grab a handful when I want something "chewy" ;)

So you see. the healthy options don't have to be bland boiled options all the time. Easiest tip is to make sure there is colour!! 

 

Colour = variety on your plate :)

Variety = NO BOREDOM OR BLAND FOOD! :)

Social networks: trust or not...

My instinct has always told me to go with the latter ......





My heart skipped a beat (or a million rather) when I saw the flyer below on 'x' social network. And not being very trusting of social networks, I opted to check in with friends who work at Mnet...... It's a hoax. Adele is not coming in November.

No she is not coming it's a hoax!

 

 

Which fool takes time out of their day to create a false flyer??? MXM Can you tell I was rritated...yes...highly.


I have been told though that I can start selling my shoes now in order to buy her tickets....soo who would like a range of size 5/6's stiletto's? huh huh huh....

If you know me you'll know that I LOVE shoes...but I LOVE Adele equally..so she's worth me walking around barefoot ;)

I do, I do, I do....I already do.

I'm not married...yet..I think will get married one day though. At the moment I'm still trying to figure out WHY it's necessary to gety married.

Personally, I cannot do it for religious reasons because I'm not very religious (i.e. I do not read the bible everyday nor do I go to church every Sunday however I am spritiual). I don't want to do it because it's the next step in my relationship (T and I have been together for nine years and have been living together for 3 years and I already feel as though I am married. Me changing my surname will not make me more faithful or more loving than what I already am. My current state of both these matters is actually immeasurable!)

Sooooooo.......what's my reasoning?

At this stage:

I want the party...that means I want the chapel, the reception, the cake cutting, the honeymoon....and *drum roll*..

THE DRESS!!!!

And I may want it to look something like this:

 Curves for daysssssssssssss

I can. I will. I shall.

Zucchini Pancake for breakfast?

Hell yes :)

This is low in calories, tasty and so quick and easy to make. Perfect if you're watching "the expansion of your girth" or if you just want to have something different for breakfast (that doesn't require too much work ;))

All you need is the following:

1 Egg

2 grated zucchini (uncooked)

½ small onion finely sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by spraying your pan with some spray and cook and turn up the heat - Alternatively you can use butter or normal vegetable oil.. A high heat worked really well for me.

Crack the egg into a bowl and scramble using a fork

Add the raw grated zucchini to the same bowl and mix until all zucchini is covered in egg

Add sliced onion

Add this medley to the hot pan.

Pour egg and zucchini mix into pan. Cook for 2/3 minutes on each side or until brown.

Remove from heat and serve with other "standard" breakfast goodies like herbed mushrooms or roasted tomatoes.

Et voila! Delicious and seriously nutritious.

Side note: If you'd like to make smaller pancakes to increase the quantity served, divide the mixture in 2 when adding to the pan or double the mixture.