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! :)

What did u do last night??

I was in the mood to try something different yesterday...I rushed to the grocery store..got some random ingredients (cream, basil, fish, bran, cup cake holders, and and and) and threw everything together when I got home...

The result....a yummy creamy fish spaghetti dish....served with caramalised onions (did I mention that I love caramalised OnIOnS?!?!?!?! - Yes I do...probably not so good to eat if ure going on a first date but I have a loving man who loves with my onion breath hahaha)..All of that was served with some yummy Merlot..just one glass! Good for your health and sense of humor :) Someone out there wull probably frown at this combination, but there is no rule book when it comes to taste buds! 

Dinner down.. 

There is no set recipe for this dish as it really was a "throw-together-get-in-mytummy-now" dish! I used hake, fresh basil, garlic, butter for the fish..ordinary spaghetti (500 grams) and 500ml fresh cream...I love chillies so I added some to my dish as well. Fresh red chillies. 

Fish in the pan.. I added garlic, basil and butter to this mix

"CarMAlised Onions" :)

Fresh Basil..so pretty and earthy and fresh!

End result...creamy pasta!

Oh my heaven!!!

I have this unbelievable love and "lust" for potatoes! I could eat potatoes all day everyday..any which way - boiled, baked, fried, steamed, mashed, curried and a whole host of other ways!! I came across the following recipe a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try, the same night I got the recipe.

Now, I'm not a fan of camembert cheese, but I love cheese! And I figured that Cheese, all stringy and tasty, would go so well with my 1st love - POTATOES!!!! It took me more than an hour to make this dish (prep time and cooking time) but it was OH SO worth the wait!!! I had this dish for 2 consecutive days and my heart broke when I had to throw out the last little bit of pie! Anyway I hope u enjoy this pie as much as I enjoyed making it and eating it!!! :)


6 large potatoes, peeled and cooked (I used 10 potatoes cos mine were kinda small and I LOVE potatoes ;))
2 large onions, finely sliced
1 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 rolls puff pastry
1 1/2 cup grated mature cheddar
2 rounds camembert, sliced
Salt, pepper & paprika to taste
125ml cream
2 Tbs onion soup powder
1 egg, beaten

In a pan, fry the onions in some oil until soft and golden.

Add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.

Remove and set aside.

Thinly slice the potatoes, and set aside.

Roll the pastry out to about 2-3mm thick.

Place on a suitable baking tray.

Spread the onions over the pastry leaving a 2-3cm border free.

Scatter the Cheddar cheese over the onions followed by a layer of sliced potatoes.

Season each layer of potato well with salt, pepper and paprika.

Layer the camembert over the potatoes, followed by another layer of potatoes.

Season well.

Mix the soup powder with the cream and beat until smooth.

Slowly pour over the potatoes and bring the edges of the pastry up.

Roll out the remaining roll of pastry and lay over the pie.

Crimp the edges and brush with the beaten egg.

Bake in the oven (180°c) for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Some notes:
- I don't think two rolls of puff pastry are necessary! Yes having pastry at the bottom of the pie is great but you don't have to use it.
- Make sure that your potatoes are cooked thoroughly cooked through. I made the mistake of parboiling them thinking that they would cook faster in the oven (mistake!! so I had to bake my pie longer than the prescribed time shown above)
- I tried to be smart and used a whole carton of cream (it was really creamy and great but while it was baking in the oven, some of the cream 'escaped' from the dish :)
- Don't be shy with ur cheese!! Or the paprika! :)

Enjoy with a green salad if u're feeling guilty about this indulgent dish! I never had that feeling *cough cough* hahaha

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did! I will most def b making it again!