Eat Clean 2016! #3

Here's the 3rd installment of my Eat Clean 2016! journey and I am in full swing and starting to notice the changes :)

Below are a few of my meals from January. I have learnt over the past couple of weeks that seasoning is the key to a tasty meal and I usually add more than required which I think is absolutely making these dishes! Before I tended to air on the side of caution but I am becoming brave in my cooking and it's paying off.

 . Healthy fry up - scrambled egg, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes . Roasted veggie & feta bake with salmon and lemon, bacon, mushroom sitr-fry . Chicken tikka salad . Tuna & Avocado salad .

. Broccoli and Stilton soup . Sausages & veggies in a tomato sauce . Homemade bunless burgers with brown rice & veggie stir-fry . Salted caramel granola .

Delicious!! 

More recipes coming soon - don't forget to follow me on Instagram :)

Salted Caramel Granola

Last weekend I wanted to cook up a batch of tasty granola to top some Greek yogurt I was saving as a sweet treat. Trying to find something different from the norm but still "clean" was a challenge - I searched Pinterest for ages and then decided to amend some of the recipes I found.

This recipe too around 2 and a half hours but it was cooked in the slow cooker and my gosh it is delicious!!

Firstly I gathered my ingredients and slow cooker and set to work...

I added a bag of mixed unsalted nuts to my blended and gave them a quick whiz so they were still a bit chunky.

I then added 4 cups of oats and blended mixed nuts to my slow cooker (set on high) and mixed thoroughly.

In a microwave proof bowl I mixed cashew butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and salted caramel extract and sea salt and blitzed for 30 seconds  then whisked with a fork.

Next I poured over the wet mixture and added a packet of Nakd's Salted Caramel fruit & nut nibbles and gave it a good stir.

I then checked the granola at half hour increments until it was lovely and toasted golden brown.

Once cooked I spread the granola out on a lined baking tray to cool completely and just before transferring to my storage container I added a handful of dark chocolate chips.

I love this recipe so much - it tastes like Crunchy Nut Granola! I have used it on so many meals and snacks -  topped on porridge, Greek yogurt, added to a banana sandwich, in smoothies! The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:

4 cups of rolled oats

1 bag of mixed unsalted nuts (blended to a chunky consistency) 

1/2 cup of melted coconut oil

1/2 cup of cashew butter

1/2 cup of maple syrup

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of salted caramel flavouring

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 bag of Nakd Salted Caramel fruit and nut nibbles

1 handful of dark chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

Blend nuts and add to slow cooker (high setting) with 4 cups of oats - mix well.

Add coconut oil, cashew butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salted caramel, sea salt to a microwave bowl and heat for 30 seconds - whisk with a fork.

Pour over oat and nut mixture, add Salted Caramel fruit and nut nibbles and combine.

Cook for 2-3 hours, stirring every half hour until golden brown.

Transfer to baking tray lined with parchment paper to cool.

Add dark chocolate chips and store in a sealed container.

 

Eat Clean 2016! #2

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the meals I had cooked so far during 2016 beginning my Eat Clean journey (well for this year at least).

I'm pleased to say that I am still going strong and have flourished with the aid of some new cookbooks and inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram.

I'm thoroughly enjoy cooking and testing out new recipes that are both healthy and nutritious is spurring me on (plus the extra energy from eating well!)

Below are pictures taken from my Instagram account where I try to post all my meals daily - I'm going to try and tie the pictures up with a blog post recipe soon so watch this space!!

. Meal Prep - egg muffins . Chicken and cashew stir fry . Turkey meatballs with tagliatelle . Chicken and Quinoa salad .

. Overnight Oats Smoothie . Cheesy Chicken and Chorizo with Spinach . Wrapless burrito . Scrambled egg, avocado, plum tomatoes .

I struggle with breakfast ideas and ideally would like things I can pack and take to work with me so any suggestions would be fab! I tend to be having Overnight Oat smoothies 3 times a week and forcing myself up early 2 days during the working week to make some eggs to mix things up a bit!

Recipes coming soon but if there is anything you've seen that you want me to prioritize just let me know in the comments below and I'll get them up asap!

Eat Clean 2016!

After a brief Christmas break I am back with an overview of my 2016 meals so far (yes it has only been 2 days!) 

. Welcome 2016 .  Sale buys - Jamie Oliver Mortar & Pestle, Breville Blend Active . Poached eggs for the 1st time . Cheesy cauliflower bites with jalapeno and bacon .

Me and my husband are making a conscious effort to eat "clean" this year and I have spent the 2-week break over the festive season reading some awesome cookbooks and getting some yummy recipes together ready to try in the New Year.

. Homemade tortilla chips . Fresh prawn salad with a curried yogurt dressing . Snack-time! Apple, banana and Whole Earth peanut butter. Eat Clean .

I read the Deliciously Ella book cover to cover in one day! It was so good and a really interesting read. It opened my eyes to a plant-based diet and although it wont work for me and my household personally it has motivated me to incorporate more meat-free meals into my week, so much so I have proposed #meatlessmonday

Stay tuned for some awesome recipes coming soon and don't forget to follow me on Instagram to see my day-to-day meals and snacks!

Recipe: Seared Curried Scallops and Creamy Leeks

Did you know that Leeks are one of my favourite vegetables?! #lovemyleeks

Leeks are best during the colder months and are in season - I picked up these beauts from my local farm shop #shoplocal 

I love how simple, nutritious and delicious they are. I tend to use them in stews, casseroles or bolognaise but today I thought I'd try out a new recipe idea!

Creamy leeks with seared curried scallops.

This dish is quick, simple and would be ideal as a starter or a main dish - win win!

Let's get on with the show....

Firstly I heated the butter on a medium/high heat and then added leeks, water and salt and pepper to the saucepan and cooked until soft and tender.

Meanwhile I patted dry the scallops and sprinkled with curry powder.

Then I added cream and a pinch of nutmeg (perfect for Christmas!) t the leeks and cooked until the sauce thickened.

Using my griddle pan I heated the oil and seared the scallops for 5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.

To serve - add the scallops on top of the leek mixture and voila! Simple dinner or starter.

Ingredients:

2tbsp butter
1/3 cup water
2 leeks chopped (I like to keep them in circles and fairly chunky)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of cream (I used double)
A pinch of nutmeg
Scallops
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Melt butter on a medium to high heat in a saucepan, add 1/3 cup of water, leeks, salt and pepper to taste and stir occasionally until soft and tender.
2. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream and nutmeg. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
3. Meanwhile pat scallops dry and sprinkle with the curry powder (both sides) and a pinch of salt.
4. Heat oil on a medium to high heat (I used my griddle pan here). Cook scallops until golden brown brown on the outside, turn once. The centres should be opaque. No more than 5 minutes.
5. Serve on top of the leeks.

Best bolognaise/ragu recipe

   

I may have mentioned in a previous post that I like to spend my Sunday's batch cooking for the week ahead. My mantra is "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!" 

I need to have a fully stocked fridge and freezer full of quick and easy dishes and snacks to keep my on track with my clean eating regime.

Pretty much every other Sunday I tend to cook a kilo of mince and make bolognaise, taco mince, cottage pies and chilli con carnes for the freezer. 

This week I decided to mix it up a bit - I chose to use beef AND pork mince and the gamble paid off!! (Yes, I do realize this isn't a game changer for most people but for us it revolutionized our spag bol's.)

Firstly, I browned off the mince with a glug of olive oil. I used 500g of beef and 500g of pork, both at 5% fat so nice and lean.

While the mince browned I gathered together the rest of the ingredients and chopped mushrooms and a red onion. I was extra lazy this week and picked up a Veg Base Mix (carrots, onions and celery pre-chopped super finely) so my chopping time was minimized drastically.

I added the red onion and pre-chopped veggies and let them cook down for 5 minutes and then added the other ingredients (again being lazy!) a Knorr garlic flavour pot and extra rich beef stock, a stock cube, Herbs & More rosemary and thyme melt, half a jug of veg stock, leftover passata and a tin of plum tomatoes, Worcester sauce and red wine (phew!!)

Then begins the simmering process. I try to let it simmer for 2-3 hours before letting it cool fully and transferring to freezer containers or zip-lock baggies. 

 

During the simmering time I taste tested often (treat for the cook!) and added a few sneaky extra's to enhance the flavour. A lidful of mixed herbs (official chef terms coming out now, ha) and a whole tray of mushrooms cut on the chunky side - my fave!

And voila! THE best bolognaise/ragu recipe I have ever made. The meat was soft and crumbly and the sauce almost authentic, even if I do say so myself!

Ingredients:

500g lean beef mince

500g lean pork mince

1 tbsp of olive oil

Finely chopped veggies (2x onions, 2x carrots, 2x celery)

Mushrooms (optional)

500ml of stock (i used 300ml of Bouillon veg stock and added a Knorr extra rich beef stock pot and a stock cube)

1 Knorr garlic flavour pots/4 cloves of garlic (minced)

250ml of passata

1 tin of plum tomatoes

1 tbsp Worcester sauce

1 cup of red wine

2 tbsp mixed herbs

Method:

1. Heat oil in large pan and fry mince until brown

2. Add veggies and fry for a further 5 minutes

3. Add rest of ingredients and give it a good stir, bring to boil

4. Simmer for 2-3 hours

Sunday Lunch #1

 

 

What's this?! A brand new series for you to enjoy! ... Sunday Lunch is where I will post my fave recipe of the week whether it be a dinner I’ve made, a tasty snack or a yummy dessert.

 

Recently we’ve gone on a bit of a health kick and tried to kerb the takeaways and meals out and switch to healthy homemade delights. Since doing this I’ve ignited a passion for cooking, finding recipes and trying new things.

 

Today I’m showing you a tasty fish dish inspired by this Slimming World recipe.

 

I wrapped the salmon in tin foil parcels with 2 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of honey, 2 teaspoons of lazy chilli and a spoonful of lazy garlic.

 

I then stir-fried a selection of veggies. Mange tout, spinach, button mushrooms, red and white onion and half a chilli chopped up finely. I chose these vegetables for no other reason other than they needed to be used up! Ha.

 

As a yummy accompaniment I made Sweet Potato Jackets – I’m not a massive potato fan but these were a delicious alternative to an old classic. To make simply prick the sweet potato several times and cook in the oven for 40 minutes.

 

And voila! A healthy homemade dish oozing with flavour!

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Centre's

The other week I fancied a little naughty treat and decided to make these light and fluffy chocolate chip cupcakes with gooey peanut butter centre's!

 

They turned out perfectly! Super light and moist (ok, they are a little burnt around the tops but they didn't taste it!) with a hidden surprise in the middle!

 

To make these you will need:

 

100g sugar

115g butter

150g self raising flour

1 egg

Chocolate chips or chunks

Peanut butter (I used crunchy)

 

~ Preheat oven to 190°C and grease a muffin tin

 

~ Cream butter (I softened mine first in the microwave a little) and sugar for 1 minute (I used my electric hand mixer)

 

~ Add the egg and beat on low until combined

 

~ Sift in the flour and add chocolate chips or chunks and mix together with a wooden spoon (or spatula or any other tool you have handy!)

 

~ Scoop a small teaspoon of mixture into the muffin tin, then add a small spoonful of peanut butter and then top with another spoonful of cake mixture.

 

~ Repeat until muffin tin is full (my mixture made 6 generous sized muffins!)

 

~ Cook for 15mins or until golden brown.

 

~ Devour while still warm!!

 

 

I'm so excited - I've finally took the plunge and ordered myself a beautiful, shiny stand mixer! Just waiting for it to arrive - cue lots of baking, treats and recipes very soon!

 

 

Have you tried making these? Let me know what you think :)

 

Makeover

 

 

After careful deliberation and being on and off hiatus for just over a year i have decided to take this blog forward in a slightly new direction.

 

That can only mean one thing! ... A MAKEOVER!!

 

So tadaa!! Welcome to my all new blog!

 

Apart from the visual aesthetics of my blog undergoing a makeover (thanks to the very talented Kayla) i have also renamed my blog to fall in line with my new craft store.

 

Kirsti @ the Notebook is now ... and pictures on my wall.

 

Since fleeing the family nest and moving in with my boyfriend, fashion and beauty has taken a back seat. I am still very much interested in these things and am still reading your blogs daily but for me personally my priorities have changed. I have taken on the role of housewife (while still working a 9-5!) and am relishing my new role. I’ve learnt to cook! I DIY (well, i DIY’d before as my full-time job requires these skillz) and am a proud step-mummy. I find myself reading home decor magazines and searching for new recipes rather than picking up a gossip mag or trying to hunt down the latest MAC collection.

 

So with that in mind i have decided to move forward with a more lifestyle & home based blog (while incorporating some of the ol’ favourites like reviews, DIY/handmade projects, etc). I will also be using this space to showcase some of my crafty wares that i recently launched.

 

I would love to hear from you - I’m looking for feedback on my craft items, guest bloggers (whether it be showcasing your handmade items, recipes, DIY skillz, etc) and general chit chat about what content you’d love to see around here now on 'and pictures on my wall'.

I'm sure you've all heard by now but Google Friend Connect is departing us and while I'm a little annoyed about this I have embraced some new tools to help you guys follow me easily so you don't miss any of my updates!

You can follow me via Bloglovin' (don't forget you can import all of the blogs you follow on GFC by going to this link!), Hellocotton and NetworkedBlogs. You can also find the easy 'Follow me' icons down the left-hand side of my blog!

 

I do hope my you stay around and join me on this new journey, take care for now ...

 

 

Cooking with Kirsti #2

Why hello there!!

Another installment of Cooking With Kirsti ... today (well Sunday!) i made my first ever trifle. Decided to give myself a head start and do a practice run for Christmas Day. Very easy to do, so i'm pleased with that :) Here's what i did ...

Ingredients:
 

Jelly (strawberry)

Sponge fingers

Custard

Dream Topping

Flaked Almonds

Dark chocolate
 

Firstly i took my trifle bowl (i say trifle bowl, i don’t actually own one yet! I had to buy this Pyrex bowl when buying the ingredients as that’s all they had, lol) and laid sponge fingers over the bottom of the bowl as a base ... i think when i make this again i may use different sponge instead of the fingers but that’s purely for aesthetic reasons.

 

I then made up the jelly and poured over the sponge base. The sponge fingers then rose and mixed in with the jelly. At this point you could add some fruit pieces to the mix but i forgot to buy fruit when shopping! I left this overnight to set in the fridge.

 

The next day i poured a carton of custard over the jelly and sponge. As mentioned in my first cooking post I’m a lazy cook so i bought pre-made custard, you can make your own if you wish (and have the time!)

 

I then mixed up the Dream Topping. I have never even heard of Dream Topping before, my mum always uses whipping cream with icing sugar for the topping of a trifle but the boyfriend insisted i made it the ‘proper’ way so i hunted it down and gave it a whirl. O.M.G !! Why have i never tried this before, it was absolutely amazing ... i even licked the bowl!

 

To finish I quickly crushed up some flaked almonds and made some dark chocolate shavings and sprinkled over the top. I then left to set for a couple of hours in the fridge and viola! A simple, pimple trifle!

 
 

What trifle tips do you have?

 

xoxo

 

 

Cooking with Kirsti #1

Lets rewind the clock 12 months shall we!

I was a very undomesticated chicka spending my time between living at home with my parents and living out of a bag at the bf's. Now i have my own place, do all of the cleaning (yep that's right Samuel i have named and shamed you :p ) and have some cooking skillz which have appeared from nowhere!

I'm hoping to share some of my cooking accomplishments here on the blog - the majority of them will be simple and quick #winfortheworkinggirl

Today we have Sausage Casserole:

Ingredients:

Sausages
Onions (I used 1 large white and 1 small red)
Peppers (Green, yellow, red)
Mixed Mediterranean veg medley (not pictured)
Herbs (Mixed herbs and basil)
Stock pot (not pictured)
Gravy granules (not pictured)
Casserole mix

I decided to use the slow cooker to cook the casserole as i put this on at about half 10 in the morning after breakfast one Sunday and did the housework while it was cooking, by the time i had finished a top to bottom clean it was lunchtime and ready to eat, yum!

Firstly i cooked through the sausages in the oven for 20 mins.

I get very confused with slow-cooker cooking. I have a cookbook dedicated to cooking all things slow and it always says to cook the meat and veggies first - surely this defeats the purpose of the slow-cooker!?

Anyways, while the sausages were cooking i chopped up the onions and peppers and fried them off on the hob until soft and then added them to the slow cooker.

I then added a handful of frozen Mediterranean vegetables, herbs (i used a shake of mixed herbs and a pinch of basil), a Knorr stock pot, a tablespoon of gravy granules (Bisto Best), 300ml of water and the contents of a Casserole mix packet (this was in fact a lamb version that you are meant to shove in a bag and cook in the oven but I'm a maverick and don't follow the rules :p )

I then added the sausages and stuck the slow-cooker on medium. It then cooked for around 3 hours; stirring occasionally.

I served this with Yorkshire pudding boats but #bloggerfail i didn't take any final pictures!

You may notice that some of the ingredients aren't pictured - I'm one of those cooks that scours the cupboards as they go seeing what else they can throw in or needs using up :) anyone else do this!?

It was a rather scrumptious dinner, albeit a little bit cheating with the packet mix but hey-ho ... I'm a busy gal ;)

Hope you enjoyed my first cookery lesson - let me know if you'd like to see more :)

xoxo