Bacon and Mozzarella winter salad with roasted veg and sundried tomato infused olive oil Yum!!
I just had to share a pic of this lunch because I am so proud that I made it. I asked the question a while back What can you make with a vegetable box? and this is another sweet surprise. Continue reading
Pate sandwich with marmalade and onions
Todays challenge was very simple. Combine shop bought ingredients and finish with a home made twist.
My attempt was pork pate and I wanted to make it even more special with no effort or expense. I used orange marmalade because it’s in the fridge and goes with pork and the onions and leeks I made earlier in the week.
No effort but gorgeous. I know, I know, the pic doesn’t really sell it but how do you make a pate sandwich look good?
Answers in a comment please 
Cabbage
With delivery of our veg box I now have the challenge of making meals with a vegetable I have never liked. All my memories are of the soggy tasteless variety or that bitter taste that makes you feel like you are being punished. Continue reading
Home made coleslaw
I’ll confess straight up, I have always wanted to make my own coleslaw but never done it. There are so many things about it I love and it is not just the taste. For example, have you ever considered how much it can contribute to your 5 a day? Continue reading
vegetable box
A couple of evenings ago we got a vegetable box from fresh fields farm boxes and almost instantly I had to ask myself
What can you make with a veg box?
I don’t actually know. Continue reading
Blueberry scone and strawberry cream tea
When it’s a blueberry scone with strawberries and creme fraiche with fresh mint for extra zing. It was so appetising my little one seconded it and wolfed down. What I did have was delicious.
This continues the experiment I ran before when I asked what is healthier for breakfast cereal or fruit pie?. The results might surprise you.
Cherry and Plum crumble with peaches
Followed by plum and cherry crumble with peaches and juice for sauce.
You wouldn’t believe how many essential nutrients you get with this meal and they’re delivered pretty much as nature intended.
My taste buds didn’t care. They just went into overdrive.
Try it yourself it’s indulgent but refreshing. I used juice for the crumble to make it different to the cream tea. I’m continually looking for new easy sauces because they often make or break a dish.
The logic here is simple focusing on fantastic flavour I focus on quality over quantity and so I often eat less but smile more by using herbs, spices and natural juices for flavour.
When I want something substantial I explore substitutes like creme fraiche in place of cream. I now prefer creme fraiche in most situations but I always compare back to what I would have had for the same treat to remind myself that I am having essentially half the calories of the cream I would have had.
The same goes for using the juice from the fruit I’m having to replace cream or another high fat sauce. The juice has higher quality in terms of nutrients and automatically complements the dish as a sauce.
Though I don’t avoid cream, I just have more options, so I never say no to anything I like I just have so many more options than I used to that on average I automatically reduce my calories and increase the nutrients and flavour in my diet.
So this was an exploration of subsitutes for food that improve the flavour, nutrition and thus quality but reduce the calories.
Let me know if you have any ideas like this yourself. Let me know so I can try them.
Roasted vegetables in container
The best part of cooking is when one simple ingredient takes a dish in a different and interesting direction. Knowing how to do this right comes from experience but when you do learn, it means you can keep your meals interesting with the bare minimum of effort and expense.
For example last week I was bored with the takeaway that I had bought so I just threw in some roasted courgette and had a different experience. Another time I brought home a basic Mcdonalds meal, the burger with no frills and paired it with sweet potato chips and roasted onions for another personalised experience. Continue reading
Left over takeaway
Wouldn’t it be great if you could have that busy day where you really don’t have time to cook or you just wanted one less thing to have to do yet you still get to make some fresh stock for a soup, gravy or something else that is the epitome of health. Sounds like a contradiction right. That can’t happen…. can it?!!!
Inspired by diy stock ideas I figured out a way and it’s the simplest thing you can imagine. You get to:
I want to start making simple games for my son Nate to share things with him. He’s 2.5 so he doesn’t get proper games yet. He’s happier tapping to find things. This will build on the play I have done with the Unity3D game engine giving me something real and fun to use it for.
Michel said in a radio 5 live interview that you don’t need a protein in every meal. That is how I see things but you need someone of Michels reputation to nail this home.
