Breakfast was strawberries and blackberries... they were not so fresh but did the job. Had them with the usual greek yogurt, honey and walnuts. Mmmm. Its almost like a breakfast sundae.
Lunch was a huge disappointment, Lee picked me up and we had indecision plus, and ended up with Subway, and it sucked! Was meant to be toasted, instead it was sweaty, cold, and uneventful. The people in there were whiffy and the staff were unhappy. Never again.
Dinner was grilled chicken drumsticks with coleslaw. The slaw was good. The chicken not so much.
I ended up with a cup of almond cereal as I was totally disappointed. That made me feel better, but still. Meh to Monday!
August 28, 2011
After a bit of a sleep in, I totally skipped breakfast and was in desperate need of comfort food at lunch time. So Lee picked us up some more Harvey's chicken burgers, the ones yesterday were that bloody good we were craving another. Terrible, I know. This time we had chips with them, which is off the charts naughty but also really good!
For dinner I finally got around to making pizzas, which were awesome. The dough was a little hard to work with, I made it from whole wheat flour so it was a bit more dense than I anticipated. Still, they tasted ace, and will definitely do it again! They were really thin, so less wheaty and heavy than a store bought pizza, and I only used mozzarella, so lighter on the diary front too. They were just tomato and basil, so simple yet so satisfying.
And that wraps up the weekend. A little overindulgent but no point crying about it, might as well enjoy it while you can, right?
xxx
For dinner I finally got around to making pizzas, which were awesome. The dough was a little hard to work with, I made it from whole wheat flour so it was a bit more dense than I anticipated. Still, they tasted ace, and will definitely do it again! They were really thin, so less wheaty and heavy than a store bought pizza, and I only used mozzarella, so lighter on the diary front too. They were just tomato and basil, so simple yet so satisfying.
And that wraps up the weekend. A little overindulgent but no point crying about it, might as well enjoy it while you can, right?
xxx
August 27, 2011
So the day started with some cooking, and I totally skipped breakfast which was bad of me, but what are you gonna do eh?
Lunch was a bit dirty but bloody delicious - a Harvey's grilled chicken burger loaded with pickles and hot peppers. YUM! No chips or anything, just the dirty burger, and it did the trick, it was exactly what we wanted.
We head out to Guelph to hang with the McGregor's and to celebrate Krista's new job which she starts on Monday (congrats again Krista!). We started with a cheese platter - horseradish cheddar, goat's brie & raspberry parmesan. Soooo good. Oh, and lets not forget... BACON JAM! And it was awesome. It was Lee's and Jad's first time with bacon jam, but they were easily sold on it, it's the shizzle. Jad also bbq'd up some sliders so I had one of those too.
We snacked on some Lindt blackcurrant dark chocolate, mmmmmmm. Totally took me by surprise, though wasn't sure what to expect. But I can tell you I loved it! Wish there was some way to send some to Vickie in Vietnam.... Poor lass is going through chocolate withdrawals, they apparently only have really gross tasting chocolate there.
I made steak and guinness pies for dinner, they were meant to be sky high, but I dunno, I just cant seem to get them to puff up more than an inch! Maybe too much gruyere holding it down? Who knows, I used three layers so was expecting to puff right up, but it didn't. Never mind, it still tasted bloody delicious!
Also made some wicked garlic bread, a recipe I got out of my new Donna Hay cook book - sour dough with parmesan & basil. Awesome awesome awesome. Will be doing this again! I was meant to make some salad, but had the CBF well under way, and figured we didn't need it anyway.
Today we were meant to be going to Rib Fest in Guelph but we came home last night instead. Shame. We also missed a bull spit yesterday. Too much going on at once!
I am ready for winter, I tell you. I know that's crazy but I miss the snow under my feet and ruggin' up to be warm. I also miss winter foods. Looking forward to some comfort food challenges. Speaking of challenges, I think the time is ripe for another one. Only four months to go for this blog, so would like to fit in two more challenges. Stay tuned, the poll will return shortly.... once I get some inspiration....
Lunch was a bit dirty but bloody delicious - a Harvey's grilled chicken burger loaded with pickles and hot peppers. YUM! No chips or anything, just the dirty burger, and it did the trick, it was exactly what we wanted.
We head out to Guelph to hang with the McGregor's and to celebrate Krista's new job which she starts on Monday (congrats again Krista!). We started with a cheese platter - horseradish cheddar, goat's brie & raspberry parmesan. Soooo good. Oh, and lets not forget... BACON JAM! And it was awesome. It was Lee's and Jad's first time with bacon jam, but they were easily sold on it, it's the shizzle. Jad also bbq'd up some sliders so I had one of those too.
We snacked on some Lindt blackcurrant dark chocolate, mmmmmmm. Totally took me by surprise, though wasn't sure what to expect. But I can tell you I loved it! Wish there was some way to send some to Vickie in Vietnam.... Poor lass is going through chocolate withdrawals, they apparently only have really gross tasting chocolate there.
I made steak and guinness pies for dinner, they were meant to be sky high, but I dunno, I just cant seem to get them to puff up more than an inch! Maybe too much gruyere holding it down? Who knows, I used three layers so was expecting to puff right up, but it didn't. Never mind, it still tasted bloody delicious!
Also made some wicked garlic bread, a recipe I got out of my new Donna Hay cook book - sour dough with parmesan & basil. Awesome awesome awesome. Will be doing this again! I was meant to make some salad, but had the CBF well under way, and figured we didn't need it anyway.
Today we were meant to be going to Rib Fest in Guelph but we came home last night instead. Shame. We also missed a bull spit yesterday. Too much going on at once!
I am ready for winter, I tell you. I know that's crazy but I miss the snow under my feet and ruggin' up to be warm. I also miss winter foods. Looking forward to some comfort food challenges. Speaking of challenges, I think the time is ripe for another one. Only four months to go for this blog, so would like to fit in two more challenges. Stay tuned, the poll will return shortly.... once I get some inspiration....
Bacon Jam
A few of you probably already know about my obsession with bacon jam, we came across it in Collingwood, in a little fromagerie that was just divine. I saw a little sign near the samples saying 'bacon jam' and just had to try it. And oh... oh... oh dear.... it was awesome! I could taste that bacony goodness for hours. I nearly cried that we didn't go back and buy it. It's been on my list of 'I regret I didn't buy that' ever since.
Anyway... Mike and Heather know all about this and were recently in Collingwood, and ventured into the same little kick-ass fromagerie. They asked if they sold bacon jam. Unfortunately the store no longer stocks it, apparently it wasn't a big success and didn't sell well. What?! I don't even comprehend what that means! Who wouldn't want bacon jam??
Anyhoo, long story short (too late?) the store manager did freeze a couple so they sold one to M&H with a discount, which they gave to us last night. Amazing friends much?!
Anyway... Mike and Heather know all about this and were recently in Collingwood, and ventured into the same little kick-ass fromagerie. They asked if they sold bacon jam. Unfortunately the store no longer stocks it, apparently it wasn't a big success and didn't sell well. What?! I don't even comprehend what that means! Who wouldn't want bacon jam??
Anyhoo, long story short (too late?) the store manager did freeze a couple so they sold one to M&H with a discount, which they gave to us last night. Amazing friends much?!
August 26, 2011
I would call this a successful food day! Lets see, my day started with this:
I think I might need to switch to an alternate calcium intake, the dairy really does take its toll but I love this greek yogurt, especially with the drizzle of honey and walnuts on fresh berries. YUM.
For lunch Lee came to get me and we had pitas. I ventured away from my usual grilled chicken, and had steak instead. Loaded with salad, pickles and hot peppers, its was bloody delicious! But I felt ziggy piggy after I inhaled it, was bloated all afternoon and rather uncomfortable!
Went to our friends house for dinner last night, they leave back to Ottawa next weekend after being here for the summer, which makes us a bit sad. Haven't been to Ottawa though, so I foresee some excursions in the near future! Anyway, back to food. Mike and Heather put on an awesome spread, we snacked on guacamole and corn chips for a bit, then Mike served up some mussels:
I didn't stop at this polite serving, I kept going back for more. They were really nicely done, thanks Mike!
Next stop was dinner, oh my god dinner... Steak, asparagus & twice baked potato:
Again, oh my god, spoiled much?! Mike cooked the steak to utter mouth watering perfection, and Heather.... Those potatoes were the bomb! Seriously need that recipe *drool*. Heather doesn't eat steak so Mike did some bbq chicken wings for her, which naturally I tried one of those too and it was awesome. Why do you guys have to go back to Ottawa?! This will not be the end of Team de Souzenbacher, you hear me??
I think I might need to switch to an alternate calcium intake, the dairy really does take its toll but I love this greek yogurt, especially with the drizzle of honey and walnuts on fresh berries. YUM.
For lunch Lee came to get me and we had pitas. I ventured away from my usual grilled chicken, and had steak instead. Loaded with salad, pickles and hot peppers, its was bloody delicious! But I felt ziggy piggy after I inhaled it, was bloated all afternoon and rather uncomfortable!
Went to our friends house for dinner last night, they leave back to Ottawa next weekend after being here for the summer, which makes us a bit sad. Haven't been to Ottawa though, so I foresee some excursions in the near future! Anyway, back to food. Mike and Heather put on an awesome spread, we snacked on guacamole and corn chips for a bit, then Mike served up some mussels:
I didn't stop at this polite serving, I kept going back for more. They were really nicely done, thanks Mike!
Next stop was dinner, oh my god dinner... Steak, asparagus & twice baked potato:
Again, oh my god, spoiled much?! Mike cooked the steak to utter mouth watering perfection, and Heather.... Those potatoes were the bomb! Seriously need that recipe *drool*. Heather doesn't eat steak so Mike did some bbq chicken wings for her, which naturally I tried one of those too and it was awesome. Why do you guys have to go back to Ottawa?! This will not be the end of Team de Souzenbacher, you hear me??
August 25, 2011
Last day on the lactose free milk I think - had cereal again for breakfast and it honestly made me feel rank. Same as any real milk does. Just not worth it. *sigh* shame, I am loving the cereal we have.
Lunch was left over pork and pickles on ryvita. With some cherry tomatoes. And it was gooood. A little difficult to eat, the ryvita kept breaking so my food was all over the place. Maybe not work appropriate? Haha. Shame. Oh and I seem to have failed to mention some Belgian chocolates I have been eating all week. Bosses boss bought them back from a work trip, the praline was to die for. I ate about ten of them over the week, whoops.
Dinner was a cheat, we went for a pint, and I fell on a buffalo chicken wrap with some sweet potato fries. I was starving for some reason. Unfortunately I ate that at 5:30pm, so come 9pm I was peckish again. So I had a ham sandwich on dark rye. Prob not the best thing to eat at night but it was pretty tasty!
I guess today was a boring day...
Lunch was left over pork and pickles on ryvita. With some cherry tomatoes. And it was gooood. A little difficult to eat, the ryvita kept breaking so my food was all over the place. Maybe not work appropriate? Haha. Shame. Oh and I seem to have failed to mention some Belgian chocolates I have been eating all week. Bosses boss bought them back from a work trip, the praline was to die for. I ate about ten of them over the week, whoops.
Dinner was a cheat, we went for a pint, and I fell on a buffalo chicken wrap with some sweet potato fries. I was starving for some reason. Unfortunately I ate that at 5:30pm, so come 9pm I was peckish again. So I had a ham sandwich on dark rye. Prob not the best thing to eat at night but it was pretty tasty!
I guess today was a boring day...
August 23 & 24, 2011
Argh I am behind again! But still have all the detail.
Lets see. Tuesday I had cereal for breakfast, using lactose free milk. It was pretty good actually and filled me right up. We did spin before work, so when I got to work I had somewhat of a second breakfast - blackberries, strawberries, greek yogurt and some hone and walnuts. Always delicious.
For lunch I had a boring broccoli slaw salad. Yawn. It tasted ok but just didn't really do it for me.
Dinner was pretty good though, I made baked chicken drumsticks and some coleslaw, and that was dinner. Mmmm. They crisped right up and were well juicy. And I am such a fan of this coleslaw, I could eat it all day. Who says they don't like cabbage?!
So for Wednesday I had cereal again for breakfast. Not sure this lactose free milk is doing me any good...
Lunch was left over coleslaw and two ryvitas with ham. Which was actually really tasty, even if it sounds a little bit lame.
Dinner was roast pork loin with salad, and was also really good:
The rest of the evening was actually pretty exciting, we were on a tornado watch, which turned into a warning. The storms were terrific, and a little bit on the 'end of the world' insane path, but there was such electricity in the air we couldn't help being captivated by the whole experience. Apparently some 'funnel clouds' did form but nothing landed so no tornadoes were actually formed. Slept like a log after, all the anticipation and excitement had us tuckered out!
Lets see. Tuesday I had cereal for breakfast, using lactose free milk. It was pretty good actually and filled me right up. We did spin before work, so when I got to work I had somewhat of a second breakfast - blackberries, strawberries, greek yogurt and some hone and walnuts. Always delicious.
For lunch I had a boring broccoli slaw salad. Yawn. It tasted ok but just didn't really do it for me.
Dinner was pretty good though, I made baked chicken drumsticks and some coleslaw, and that was dinner. Mmmm. They crisped right up and were well juicy. And I am such a fan of this coleslaw, I could eat it all day. Who says they don't like cabbage?!
So for Wednesday I had cereal again for breakfast. Not sure this lactose free milk is doing me any good...
Lunch was left over coleslaw and two ryvitas with ham. Which was actually really tasty, even if it sounds a little bit lame.
Dinner was roast pork loin with salad, and was also really good:
The rest of the evening was actually pretty exciting, we were on a tornado watch, which turned into a warning. The storms were terrific, and a little bit on the 'end of the world' insane path, but there was such electricity in the air we couldn't help being captivated by the whole experience. Apparently some 'funnel clouds' did form but nothing landed so no tornadoes were actually formed. Slept like a log after, all the anticipation and excitement had us tuckered out!
August 22, 2011
How silly of me. I failed to mention that yesterday I made a lemon meringue pie. I nailed the lemon filling, and the meringue. But, yep, there is a but. It was a huge but. The shortcrust pastry I made started as a winner, but it was wrong, all wrong. What a shame. I was meant to take it to work but the pastry sucked so I figured why bother. What a waste. *cries*
For breakfast I ate some cereal and that got me through til lunch. Lunch was awesome, Lee met me as he had the day off, and picked up a rare roast beef sandwich on dark rye from Vincenzos. Gosh that is such an awesome sandwich.
We did some grocery shopping after work, after that I made yummy caesar salads. You know the drill, grilled chicken brushed with bbq sauce, sliced up on a bed of cos lettuce with pickled peppers, garlic lemon dressing with some crispy prosciutto on top. LOVELY. Not presented as well as usual, plus it really was missing a poached egg (CBF kicked in half way through prep time). But still, lovely.
And that was it. Well, that and 'some' pie filling, which we ended up chucking out cos of the shocking pastry. Shame. I hate cooking fails.
For breakfast I ate some cereal and that got me through til lunch. Lunch was awesome, Lee met me as he had the day off, and picked up a rare roast beef sandwich on dark rye from Vincenzos. Gosh that is such an awesome sandwich.
We did some grocery shopping after work, after that I made yummy caesar salads. You know the drill, grilled chicken brushed with bbq sauce, sliced up on a bed of cos lettuce with pickled peppers, garlic lemon dressing with some crispy prosciutto on top. LOVELY. Not presented as well as usual, plus it really was missing a poached egg (CBF kicked in half way through prep time). But still, lovely.
And that was it. Well, that and 'some' pie filling, which we ended up chucking out cos of the shocking pastry. Shame. I hate cooking fails.
August 21, 2011
So I slept in a bit, and skipped breakfast. Lee dropped off a grilled chicken pita for me for lunch around 1pm, and it was soooo gooooood. Probably loaded it with a bit too much tzatziki but really, is there any such thing?!
I defrosted some mega steaks for dinner, here is my standard comparison scale for you:
I served them with a salad of lettuce, tomato, onion, pickled peppers & illegal croutons (but so worth it!), and also some oven baked mushrooms wrapped in prosciutto. I thought 'why not' as they were left overs but to be honest the mushrooms were a little overpowering. Would have been better to crisp up the prosciutto and throw it in the salad. Still, was a really easy dinner and the steaks were so mighty, a great way to celebrate Lee coming off shift work for the next month. :D
August 20, 2011
So I was a bit stupid on the food front. I didn't have breakfast, and for lunch I hate 5 strawberries with some greek yoghurt and walnuts. I did prepare some bbq food for the party I went to - pork kebabs, honey soy chicken drumsticks and smokies (sausages). The hostess is a friend from when I was at Sun Life, it was good to see the crew again!
I took a photo after I prepped the food but the camera battery died as I did, just checked it now and its not on there. Bummer. I was a bit disappointed with the pork, mainly because I put in a buttload of chilli but they were not spicy at all. Still, they were fairly tasty & loaded with veg. I had two pork kebabs, one sausage and one chicken drumstick.
I also ate some 'nacho dip' made by one of the guys also from Sun Life, and I couldn't get enough of it. I might see if there is a lighter and less dairy way to make this. I have always been a sucker for corn chips!
And that was it for the day. I spent a good portion of the morning pouring over my new cookbooks (they arrived quickly, thanks Amazon!), this is what I got:
I have been eyeing off the Thai Street Food cookbook since I first saw it in a book store in Mosman in October 2009. I have been keeping an eye on it since, and got it discounted on Amazon. Stoked. It is very much a picture/coffee table book though, and definitely gives me the travel itch again. Might have a crack at some of the recipes soon I think.
I picked up the Donna Hay book while in Chapters (kind of like Borders here) and fell in love with it, so glad I ordered that one too. I love Donna Hay cookbooks, the photographs alone are worth it, but I always find the recipes easy(ish) and fun, not to mention delicious. I am already planning what to make first, second, third, etc!
And for G-Ram (Gordon Ramsay), I was looking at this and wasn't sure, but glad I took the plunge and bought it. There are loads of good recipes in there, and I am glad some of it is a bit westernised as it means the produce will be available. Still, nothing beats authentic cuisine, maybe its time to get the backpacks out again?
So thankful to have received the award from work allowing me to buy these cookbooks. Another friendly reminder that we are both in the right place. Doesn't mean we don't miss Australia or the UK, or the fab people we love who are currently scattered across the world, but this is where we meant to be.... for now :)
I took a photo after I prepped the food but the camera battery died as I did, just checked it now and its not on there. Bummer. I was a bit disappointed with the pork, mainly because I put in a buttload of chilli but they were not spicy at all. Still, they were fairly tasty & loaded with veg. I had two pork kebabs, one sausage and one chicken drumstick.
I also ate some 'nacho dip' made by one of the guys also from Sun Life, and I couldn't get enough of it. I might see if there is a lighter and less dairy way to make this. I have always been a sucker for corn chips!
And that was it for the day. I spent a good portion of the morning pouring over my new cookbooks (they arrived quickly, thanks Amazon!), this is what I got:
I have been eyeing off the Thai Street Food cookbook since I first saw it in a book store in Mosman in October 2009. I have been keeping an eye on it since, and got it discounted on Amazon. Stoked. It is very much a picture/coffee table book though, and definitely gives me the travel itch again. Might have a crack at some of the recipes soon I think.
I picked up the Donna Hay book while in Chapters (kind of like Borders here) and fell in love with it, so glad I ordered that one too. I love Donna Hay cookbooks, the photographs alone are worth it, but I always find the recipes easy(ish) and fun, not to mention delicious. I am already planning what to make first, second, third, etc!
And for G-Ram (Gordon Ramsay), I was looking at this and wasn't sure, but glad I took the plunge and bought it. There are loads of good recipes in there, and I am glad some of it is a bit westernised as it means the produce will be available. Still, nothing beats authentic cuisine, maybe its time to get the backpacks out again?
So thankful to have received the award from work allowing me to buy these cookbooks. Another friendly reminder that we are both in the right place. Doesn't mean we don't miss Australia or the UK, or the fab people we love who are currently scattered across the world, but this is where we meant to be.... for now :)
August 19, 2011
I worked from home yesterday, which is usually dangerous on the food front, as food is mostly readily available. For breakfast I had some almond cereal. I know I shouldn't have milk but I just wanted it. And then promptly regretted it (thankfully I was working from home...).
For lunch I had some noodle soup, which was ok, but didn't cut it, so two hours later I had a salad with a poached egg.
I know, my poached egg looks a bit rough eh? Not even a sprinkle of paprika livened it up!
By the time Lee came home from work (around 7:45), we were both knackered and uninspired. I knew what I wanted, and knew I shouldn't have it, but we thought sod it, and went to Boston Pizza. *sigh* Why does pizza have to taste so good, and be so bad for you? Plus the wheat and the dairy, what was I thinking?? Same thing as always, I really love pizza! And my thin crust pepperoni, feta & sundried tomato pizza was delicious.
We had to do some grocery shopping after that, I am going to a bbq today and taking some food, so stay tuned for that update. We were exhausted last night. I know the old saying 'I fell asleep before my head touched the pillow', but that's pretty much what happened.
For lunch I had some noodle soup, which was ok, but didn't cut it, so two hours later I had a salad with a poached egg.
I know, my poached egg looks a bit rough eh? Not even a sprinkle of paprika livened it up!
By the time Lee came home from work (around 7:45), we were both knackered and uninspired. I knew what I wanted, and knew I shouldn't have it, but we thought sod it, and went to Boston Pizza. *sigh* Why does pizza have to taste so good, and be so bad for you? Plus the wheat and the dairy, what was I thinking?? Same thing as always, I really love pizza! And my thin crust pepperoni, feta & sundried tomato pizza was delicious.
We had to do some grocery shopping after that, I am going to a bbq today and taking some food, so stay tuned for that update. We were exhausted last night. I know the old saying 'I fell asleep before my head touched the pillow', but that's pretty much what happened.
August 17 & 18, 2011
Sorry! Another double update. Don't worry, its all in here, but not that exciting I am afraid.
Lets see. Wednesday. Breakfast was some cereal even though I said I would stop eating it. Whoops.
For lunch, Lee came and met me and we went to the Mongolian grill, and I had this:
I know, it looks a bit dirty but it was delicious. Pork, tofu, corn, broccoli, sprouts & cabbage. Oh and loads of chilli, has to be looooaaaads of chilli!
Dinner was a chook from the supermarket and some broccoli slaw. not very exciting stuff I am afraid but still pretty yummy. I really need to cook again, I guess it has just been one of those weeks.
Thursday I had half a grapefruit and some strawberries for breakfast. Lunch was leftover chicken and broccoli slaw, which was actually quite delicious but didn't look or smell as good as the chicken & chips the HR team ordered for a colleagues baby shower! Never mind, I wasn't the only one with a packed lunch so that was a good thing.
Daisy (the girl at work who bakes delicious goods) made two amazing cakes for the shower. I had a giant piece of the chocolate cake and it was amazing. Thanks Daisy! I didn't get a picture of lunch or the cake, which is probably a good thing, otherwise you might be judging me right about now... It wasn't on my plate long enough to take a photo anyway!
After work I had a meeting with the volunteers at the FoodBank about the recipe book which is coming on well. Still lots of work to do but things seem to be happening. Seriously, if you have a cheap, cheerful, easy & healthy recipe, please let me know.
So for dinner Lee suggested the Moose and I was all over that. I had a cajun chicken salad with surprise corn chips in it. I do love that, but imagine its not very healthy...
Check out those massive rings of raw onion, there is about half a red onion in my salad! What where they thinking??
No, I didn't eat them, they made their way to a side plate where I wanted to make it obvious, that much raw onion in a salad is ridiculous.
And that's it. Here's hoping today and this weekend bring more interesting eating shenanigans this way eh?!
xx
Lets see. Wednesday. Breakfast was some cereal even though I said I would stop eating it. Whoops.
For lunch, Lee came and met me and we went to the Mongolian grill, and I had this:
I know, it looks a bit dirty but it was delicious. Pork, tofu, corn, broccoli, sprouts & cabbage. Oh and loads of chilli, has to be looooaaaads of chilli!
Dinner was a chook from the supermarket and some broccoli slaw. not very exciting stuff I am afraid but still pretty yummy. I really need to cook again, I guess it has just been one of those weeks.
Thursday I had half a grapefruit and some strawberries for breakfast. Lunch was leftover chicken and broccoli slaw, which was actually quite delicious but didn't look or smell as good as the chicken & chips the HR team ordered for a colleagues baby shower! Never mind, I wasn't the only one with a packed lunch so that was a good thing.
Daisy (the girl at work who bakes delicious goods) made two amazing cakes for the shower. I had a giant piece of the chocolate cake and it was amazing. Thanks Daisy! I didn't get a picture of lunch or the cake, which is probably a good thing, otherwise you might be judging me right about now... It wasn't on my plate long enough to take a photo anyway!
After work I had a meeting with the volunteers at the FoodBank about the recipe book which is coming on well. Still lots of work to do but things seem to be happening. Seriously, if you have a cheap, cheerful, easy & healthy recipe, please let me know.
So for dinner Lee suggested the Moose and I was all over that. I had a cajun chicken salad with surprise corn chips in it. I do love that, but imagine its not very healthy...
Check out those massive rings of raw onion, there is about half a red onion in my salad! What where they thinking??
No, I didn't eat them, they made their way to a side plate where I wanted to make it obvious, that much raw onion in a salad is ridiculous.
And that's it. Here's hoping today and this weekend bring more interesting eating shenanigans this way eh?!
xx
August 15 & 16, 2011
Sorry, another two day backdated update. How slack of me eh? Lets see....
Monday - breakfast was half a grapefruit and some strawberries. My boss bought in some yummy home made chocolate zucchini loaf so naturally I had some as soon as the container opened. So good, gotta learn to make that...
Lunch was a salad with lettuce, tomato, olives and some ham. Oh and some left over croutons from Friday night's caesar salad. I know I shouldn't eat the wheat but damn they were good croutons!
Dinner was meant to be some beef mince thing I made, it was unappealing and the beef was a bit old so we got a pita instead at the last minute. Gosh it was good, the trusty usual grilled chicken pita. Mmmm.
Tuesday - out of grapefruit, had strawberries with greek yogurt & nuts and honey:
Lunch was eggplant & spinach on ryvitas with avocado and tomato. And surprisingly good! I know I know, all my lunches look the same.
Dinner was... well... Let's just say it was kicked off with an after work pint. It happened to be $2 taco night at Ethels, you get four tacos for $2! They were actually pretty good considering. I did get hungry later on so defrosted a pita bread and had some ham & cheese in it. Was actually really good too.
My bosses boss nominated me for an award at work, which I am completely humbled by. So I think I will buy some more cookbooks with it.... :)
Monday - breakfast was half a grapefruit and some strawberries. My boss bought in some yummy home made chocolate zucchini loaf so naturally I had some as soon as the container opened. So good, gotta learn to make that...
Lunch was a salad with lettuce, tomato, olives and some ham. Oh and some left over croutons from Friday night's caesar salad. I know I shouldn't eat the wheat but damn they were good croutons!
Dinner was meant to be some beef mince thing I made, it was unappealing and the beef was a bit old so we got a pita instead at the last minute. Gosh it was good, the trusty usual grilled chicken pita. Mmmm.
Tuesday - out of grapefruit, had strawberries with greek yogurt & nuts and honey:
Lunch was eggplant & spinach on ryvitas with avocado and tomato. And surprisingly good! I know I know, all my lunches look the same.
Dinner was... well... Let's just say it was kicked off with an after work pint. It happened to be $2 taco night at Ethels, you get four tacos for $2! They were actually pretty good considering. I did get hungry later on so defrosted a pita bread and had some ham & cheese in it. Was actually really good too.
My bosses boss nominated me for an award at work, which I am completely humbled by. So I think I will buy some more cookbooks with it.... :)
August 14, 2011
So last night around 9pm when I realised those pissy little prawns were not cutting it (that was my dinner, a few measly prawns heated up on my new skillet), I decided to make a delicious sandwich - ham, cheese and mustard. Ed Wilke would have been proud.
This morning I had more cereal for breakfast, which upset my stomach a bit so no more of that!
For lunch, I had a toasted pita with ham, avocado, cheese and bbq sauce. Again dairy overload, but never mind. It was actually delicious even if it does look a bit dirty!
Dinner was pathetic, Lee and I had twisters from KFC. And they were rank. Ah well, lesson learned, wont be doing that again!
Have been working for the last few hours on my recipes for the FoodBank. I have emailed the crew with what I have, so when confirmed I will let you know. Everything is something I have made before, so it's doable. I need to add costings and nutrition value to them, as well as adding pictures, so will know more on Thursday after our next meeting. It's all coming together so exciting stuff!
This morning I had more cereal for breakfast, which upset my stomach a bit so no more of that!
For lunch, I had a toasted pita with ham, avocado, cheese and bbq sauce. Again dairy overload, but never mind. It was actually delicious even if it does look a bit dirty!
Dinner was pathetic, Lee and I had twisters from KFC. And they were rank. Ah well, lesson learned, wont be doing that again!
Have been working for the last few hours on my recipes for the FoodBank. I have emailed the crew with what I have, so when confirmed I will let you know. Everything is something I have made before, so it's doable. I need to add costings and nutrition value to them, as well as adding pictures, so will know more on Thursday after our next meeting. It's all coming together so exciting stuff!
August 13, 2011
Right... soooo... I woke up before Lee got home this morning, hobbled my way to the bathroom (I can hardly walk, I have a ridiculous bite on my leg/food and its almost immobilizing me) and thought I would wait up for Lee. My leg hurt so bad I went back to bed, was asleep when Lee got home, and slept in until after 10. Nice. So much for an early breakfast and spin class today.
I quietly got up around 10am, and at around 11 I had some cereal with some milk. You don't see cereal and milk in this blog much because I have to try to stay away from dairy, and I choose to cheat with cheese rather than milk. Having said that, I always say if your body says it needs something, listen to it. I felt like milk, so I had some. And regretted it soon afterwards, hahaha.
I didn't eat lunch until 4pm, which is terrible, and I had some yogurt and strawberries with some nuts. I made a mistake though... I used a knife I used previously to 'score' the eggplant I was roasting to cut up the strawberries.... I completely forgot I also cut up some garlic with the same knife, to roast along side the eggplant. I kept sniffing my spoon and my cup and couldn't work out why my fruity goodness tasted so... rank! Garlic yogurt anyone?
Before Lee went to work I made an eggplant and spinach dip, used cheese again (three, actually), and it was pretty good. Might post a pic of it later.
So it has been a dairy heavy day without it being a heavy day on food. Might need to eat something later on. I defrosted some prawns, might chuck them in the skillet for a few mins... maybe.
Spoke to mum for a bit this evening, it was good to hear her voice. I hope the move goes well, and I must say I am looking forward to cooking in that kitchen mum! Might bring some of that special fancy pasta from Vincenzo's!
xxx
I quietly got up around 10am, and at around 11 I had some cereal with some milk. You don't see cereal and milk in this blog much because I have to try to stay away from dairy, and I choose to cheat with cheese rather than milk. Having said that, I always say if your body says it needs something, listen to it. I felt like milk, so I had some. And regretted it soon afterwards, hahaha.
I didn't eat lunch until 4pm, which is terrible, and I had some yogurt and strawberries with some nuts. I made a mistake though... I used a knife I used previously to 'score' the eggplant I was roasting to cut up the strawberries.... I completely forgot I also cut up some garlic with the same knife, to roast along side the eggplant. I kept sniffing my spoon and my cup and couldn't work out why my fruity goodness tasted so... rank! Garlic yogurt anyone?
Before Lee went to work I made an eggplant and spinach dip, used cheese again (three, actually), and it was pretty good. Might post a pic of it later.
So it has been a dairy heavy day without it being a heavy day on food. Might need to eat something later on. I defrosted some prawns, might chuck them in the skillet for a few mins... maybe.
Spoke to mum for a bit this evening, it was good to hear her voice. I hope the move goes well, and I must say I am looking forward to cooking in that kitchen mum! Might bring some of that special fancy pasta from Vincenzo's!
xxx
August 12, 2011
So a good day to not have to ride my bike in to work! Lee came home and drove me, was lovely to see him for 20 minutes, I really hate it when he is on night shift.
For breakfast I had half a grapefruit and some nectarine. I made myself a nectarine & berry fruit salad with some greek yogurt, honey and nuts, however when I got in to work my day wasn't so easy and I forgot to eat it. Bummer!
Lunch was... well, weird to some but delicious to me. I cut up some pork into tiny chunks, mixed it with some olives and a teaspoon of sour cream, and ate that on two ryvitas. Look, it sounds crappy, but it was really yummy and got me through til the end of the day. Cant complain eh?! Leftovers rock! Talk about stretching the food eh? Its like the lasagne all over again!
For dinner I made chicken caesar salads and had Mike and Heather over which was great. Probably drank a bit much but we laughed a lot and we were celebrating - Heather got her 'articling' job for next year in Toronto. They live in Ottawa normally as Heather is studying law there, and have been home for the summer so it will be great to have them closer! Plus Mike is a pilot and works out of Toronto so will be awesome for them.
Anyway, the caesar salads were pretty good, I added pickled peppers (as much fun to say as they are to eat) to the salad mix, and brushed the chicken with a spicy habanero tequila bbq sauce. Lush. I also baked up some prosciutto to be nice and crispy and garnished the salads with that. No egg this time, but still tasty stuff. They were quite pretty, I think I was too hungry to even get a photo, sorry.
Afterwards I bought out some goats brie, crackers and some crackers and we munched away on that with some apples, strawberries and grapes until we were just about out of beer & wine. Whoops! Still, great way to spend the evening, it was just a shame Lee was on night shift.
For breakfast I had half a grapefruit and some nectarine. I made myself a nectarine & berry fruit salad with some greek yogurt, honey and nuts, however when I got in to work my day wasn't so easy and I forgot to eat it. Bummer!
Lunch was... well, weird to some but delicious to me. I cut up some pork into tiny chunks, mixed it with some olives and a teaspoon of sour cream, and ate that on two ryvitas. Look, it sounds crappy, but it was really yummy and got me through til the end of the day. Cant complain eh?! Leftovers rock! Talk about stretching the food eh? Its like the lasagne all over again!
For dinner I made chicken caesar salads and had Mike and Heather over which was great. Probably drank a bit much but we laughed a lot and we were celebrating - Heather got her 'articling' job for next year in Toronto. They live in Ottawa normally as Heather is studying law there, and have been home for the summer so it will be great to have them closer! Plus Mike is a pilot and works out of Toronto so will be awesome for them.
Anyway, the caesar salads were pretty good, I added pickled peppers (as much fun to say as they are to eat) to the salad mix, and brushed the chicken with a spicy habanero tequila bbq sauce. Lush. I also baked up some prosciutto to be nice and crispy and garnished the salads with that. No egg this time, but still tasty stuff. They were quite pretty, I think I was too hungry to even get a photo, sorry.
Afterwards I bought out some goats brie, crackers and some crackers and we munched away on that with some apples, strawberries and grapes until we were just about out of beer & wine. Whoops! Still, great way to spend the evening, it was just a shame Lee was on night shift.
August 11, 2011
Ok, so today wasn't exactly a healthy day either...
Breakfast was the usual grapefruit, and a fruit salad with yogurt when I got into work.
Lunch was a salad of roasted pork loin (it was defrosted, I had to cook it) and to be honest it was really good.
I accidentally fell on two of these in the afternoon, which were made by Daisy, a girl at work who has a baking talent that I have to take advantage of when it's in front of me!
Dinner? Well, dinner was shameful but yummy. Pizza. Terrible! Still suffering the wheat and dairy aftermath unfortunately, but what can you do?!
Breakfast was the usual grapefruit, and a fruit salad with yogurt when I got into work.
Lunch was a salad of roasted pork loin (it was defrosted, I had to cook it) and to be honest it was really good.
I accidentally fell on two of these in the afternoon, which were made by Daisy, a girl at work who has a baking talent that I have to take advantage of when it's in front of me!
Dinner? Well, dinner was shameful but yummy. Pizza. Terrible! Still suffering the wheat and dairy aftermath unfortunately, but what can you do?!
August 9 & 10, 2011
Sorry, been a bit slack on the o' blog front. Been busy hanging out with husbandman before he goes back on night shift.
Lets see. Tuesday I had a grapefruit for breakfast, and that's it. By the time lunch came around I was starving, I went for 'wings' with a girl from work. When I say wings, they are 'boneless' wings, which are essentially just chicken nuggets. Anyway, I had mine with spicy maple sauce, and they were pretty good. Way too many though, couldn't finish them. And to be honest, a bit too much of a calorie fest which wasn't worth it...
Dinner was naughty again, our regular pub reopened after renos, so we went for a 'quick pint before doing the grocery shopping'. I wouldn't call it a mistake, but it could have been healthier! I had a chicken quesadilla.
Wednesday I had grapefruit for lunch and some yogurt with berries and nuts when I got in to work. Lunch was provided at work but they were massive sandwiches with inch thick slices of wheaty bread. Argh! Couldn't do it, so I had to get Lee to drop me off something. And of course that something was a chicken pita. Less wheaty that's for sure. And it was nice to hang out with Lee for 15 minutes.
Dinner, well, dinner was another quick pint before grocery shopping, and I fell upon a chicken fajita wrap. This theme has not been good this week, has it?! The wrap was pretty good, but had cheese in it. I never put cheese in fajitas. What's that all about?! Where was my warning?! *sigh*. Oh and I forgot to mention the side of sweet potato fries... *tee hee*
Today (and this weekend, and next week) will bring much healthier things, will tell you all about it later....
Lets see. Tuesday I had a grapefruit for breakfast, and that's it. By the time lunch came around I was starving, I went for 'wings' with a girl from work. When I say wings, they are 'boneless' wings, which are essentially just chicken nuggets. Anyway, I had mine with spicy maple sauce, and they were pretty good. Way too many though, couldn't finish them. And to be honest, a bit too much of a calorie fest which wasn't worth it...
Dinner was naughty again, our regular pub reopened after renos, so we went for a 'quick pint before doing the grocery shopping'. I wouldn't call it a mistake, but it could have been healthier! I had a chicken quesadilla.
Wednesday I had grapefruit for lunch and some yogurt with berries and nuts when I got in to work. Lunch was provided at work but they were massive sandwiches with inch thick slices of wheaty bread. Argh! Couldn't do it, so I had to get Lee to drop me off something. And of course that something was a chicken pita. Less wheaty that's for sure. And it was nice to hang out with Lee for 15 minutes.
Dinner, well, dinner was another quick pint before grocery shopping, and I fell upon a chicken fajita wrap. This theme has not been good this week, has it?! The wrap was pretty good, but had cheese in it. I never put cheese in fajitas. What's that all about?! Where was my warning?! *sigh*. Oh and I forgot to mention the side of sweet potato fries... *tee hee*
Today (and this weekend, and next week) will bring much healthier things, will tell you all about it later....
August 8, 2011
Right, back to work. Breakfast was half a grapefruit, and somehow... SOMEHOW that got me through to lunch. Lunch was... odd. Leftovers, on ryvita. Check out what I did with some baba ghanoush, avocado and tomato:
Dinner was grilled chicken fillets in thin buns with some goats cheese & tomato, and calabrese salami. Pretty tasty but a bit unfulfilling, no idea why. So polished it all off with some cereal and milk, about half a cup. Pretty ordinary bit it did what I wanted it to.
Oh and I feel on 1.5 Reeses peanut butter cups today. *drool*
Dinner was grilled chicken fillets in thin buns with some goats cheese & tomato, and calabrese salami. Pretty tasty but a bit unfulfilling, no idea why. So polished it all off with some cereal and milk, about half a cup. Pretty ordinary bit it did what I wanted it to.
Oh and I feel on 1.5 Reeses peanut butter cups today. *drool*
August 7, 2011
Breakfast this morning was watermelon, and it was lush. Love the sweet watery rehydration of watermelon first thing in the morning.
Lunch was not in the healthy league at all, I had turkey & avocado eggs benedict, and it looked like this:
I didn't get through that potato, not by a long shot, but it was attempted, thats for sure. And it was gooood.
Dinner is still undecided. Neither of us are hungry or inspired. We have had a busy day and its not over yet, so it could go in any direction. Although I am thinking chicken salad... we will see.
Lunch was not in the healthy league at all, I had turkey & avocado eggs benedict, and it looked like this:
I didn't get through that potato, not by a long shot, but it was attempted, thats for sure. And it was gooood.
Dinner is still undecided. Neither of us are hungry or inspired. We have had a busy day and its not over yet, so it could go in any direction. Although I am thinking chicken salad... we will see.
August 6, 2011 - Mezze rounds 2 and 3
So breakfast... I branched out and did something unusual. I had half a bowl of cereal. With milk. And it was gooood.
Lunch was leftovers - falafels, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush & muhammara in pita breads. Deeeelish!
Dinner was leftovers again - falafels, kibbeh, tabbouleh, sambousek and the dips with oven crisped pita quarters. Bloody yummy, but glad its over, ready for something else!
Lunch was leftovers - falafels, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush & muhammara in pita breads. Deeeelish!
Dinner was leftovers again - falafels, kibbeh, tabbouleh, sambousek and the dips with oven crisped pita quarters. Bloody yummy, but glad its over, ready for something else!
August 5, 2011 - Little Things
And the winner is... MEZZE!
Lets see, where to start... This isn't going to be a typical write up, as I usually only make one thing, take loads of photos of the steps and walk through the steps. But because I made several things, I am going for a different angle. I hope you like it, its a huge post.
The menu consisted of two dips (baba ghanoush and muhammara), falafels, kibbeh, tabbouleh, sambousek, pitas and halloumi. It was originally going to include lahm bi ajeen but I ran out of time so will be making this in the next few days. Confused yet? Don't be, I will explain everything.
Baba ghanoush - Basically eggplant dip. And very easy to make. Score some eggplant, bake in a 'really hot' oven, pound or process the soft cooked flesh, add a bit of olive oil, tahini, parsley, lemon juice and garlic, and voila.
Pita - Gutted, I didn't have time to make these either, and couldn't time the oven coordination with everything else, so I bought these at the store. Still pretty good though! Haha. Cheated again. I will make them though, so stay tuned.
Halloumi - Ahhhh... my good friend halloumi cheese, how I love you. Ok, so all that I did was buy a chunk of halloumi, cut it into thick slices, sliced a lemon, got the lemon going on my brand new skillet (see falafels above), once the lemon was all nice and glossy & grilled, chucked on the halloumi for about three minutes a side, served with lemon (grilled and fresh to squeeze over the top). Simple, and simply beautiful. I love you halloumi!
And how it came together? Well, it was enough food (even with the missing lahm bi ajeen) to feed an army. We had Mike and Heather over, and it was a great feast. My first cooking challenge to be enjoyed by an audience! And to be honest? While all of this was rather easy, it was definitely time consuming, I spent about 4.5 hours in the kitchen (I blame the dishes), so really really good to sit down and enjoy it with a crew. Thanks for coming guys!
So what did I learn? Loads - spices are everything. This type of food is so simple, and so filling! Doesn't look like much but it honestly could have fed 8 people. Also the power of a food processor, my gosh I am glad that The President took some time out of his busy day to help me today. Was a nightmare to clean every time but still, saved me loads, definitely an AA+ performance (see what I did there?). Also, I think my next kitchen purchase will be a mortar & pestle. Coriander seeds all over the kitchen when trying to 'roughly ground them'. They kind of make Star Wars shooting noises *pichew pichew*.
And to top the whole evening off, Heather bought some dessert. I didn't even know these existed... Illegal!
And at the end? Well, the end looked like this, so not too bad really. Thanks for voting everyone, I think this one was my favourite so far! Will be eating the leftovers all weekend. xxx
Lets see, where to start... This isn't going to be a typical write up, as I usually only make one thing, take loads of photos of the steps and walk through the steps. But because I made several things, I am going for a different angle. I hope you like it, its a huge post.
The menu consisted of two dips (baba ghanoush and muhammara), falafels, kibbeh, tabbouleh, sambousek, pitas and halloumi. It was originally going to include lahm bi ajeen but I ran out of time so will be making this in the next few days. Confused yet? Don't be, I will explain everything.
Baba ghanoush - Basically eggplant dip. And very easy to make. Score some eggplant, bake in a 'really hot' oven, pound or process the soft cooked flesh, add a bit of olive oil, tahini, parsley, lemon juice and garlic, and voila.
Muhammara - spicy red pepper dip/sauce. Also easy to make, use about 7 red peppers, roast them, and throw them in a food processor. I know this is cheat but red peppers are very expensive, so I opted for a jar of roasted red peppers, which were lovely and only $3. The recipe said for a jar anyway but I still feel like I cheated. Anyway, I threw in some fine breadcrumbs, some walnuts, lemon, garlic, loads of chilli and some olive oil. The recipe also called for pomegranate molasses, unfortunately my muhammara had to go without. Maybe next time, as I will definitely make this dip again. It was awesome.
Falafels - quite easy to make but rather time consuming for some reason. Soften onions and garlic in a saucepan. Throw chickpeas, parsley, garlic, tahini, soft onion mix, crushed cumin seeds & coriander seeds, turmeric (which unfortunately I didn't have so that had to sit out), chilli & lemon juice into the food processor. Be careful not to over process it! Take out, mix in egg and breadcrumbs with a fork, roll into balls, and cook.
Kibbeh - a meat stuffed meat ball, what makes this one strange is its stuffed with the same meat but cooked?! Anyway, I went for a beef version as lean mince beef was $5 for 500g, where as lamb was $11, and I don't know about you but if you are willing to pay $11 for ground lamb, why not just upgrade to lamb cutlets and change the menu?! Back to Kibbeh. So much fun to say, haha. Basically I separated about 1/5 of the mince - used the smaller portion to cook up with some onion and toasted pine nuts and added sumac and some all spice, let that cool and prepped the bigger portion of mince by adding half a grated onion, some burghul wheat, some all spice and seasoned lovingly with salt and pepper. Roll into balls, press finger into centre, stuff with cooled cooked mix, and round into a small fat sausage shape. Try not to confuse the fat sausages with my fingers:
Tabbouleh - Honestly this is one of my favourite things ever, every time I eat it I get fond memories of hummus & tabbouleh in Falls Creek. No idea why. Anyway, I roughly chopped up a whole bunch of fresh parsley and mint, chucked it in a bowl, added some softened burghul wheat to some lemon, olive oil, salt & pepper & let it sit until just about ready to serve. When ready, I threw in some spring onions chopped up, some tomato, mixing it a little bit at a time. Squeeze some more lemon over the top, and voila, awesome tabbouleh.
Sambousek - meat or veg triangles/dumplings. I opted for the veg one, going with spinach and feta, and instead of making them in heavy dough, I went with some filo. Very very easy stuff, I guess once you take out the dough making that's what happens! Time saver 2000. Anyhoo, I cooked up some onion & garlic in a saucepan, added fresh spinach until it wilted, then cooled a little. I added the feta, then made the triangles.
Halloumi - Ahhhh... my good friend halloumi cheese, how I love you. Ok, so all that I did was buy a chunk of halloumi, cut it into thick slices, sliced a lemon, got the lemon going on my brand new skillet (see falafels above), once the lemon was all nice and glossy & grilled, chucked on the halloumi for about three minutes a side, served with lemon (grilled and fresh to squeeze over the top). Simple, and simply beautiful. I love you halloumi!
And how it came together? Well, it was enough food (even with the missing lahm bi ajeen) to feed an army. We had Mike and Heather over, and it was a great feast. My first cooking challenge to be enjoyed by an audience! And to be honest? While all of this was rather easy, it was definitely time consuming, I spent about 4.5 hours in the kitchen (I blame the dishes), so really really good to sit down and enjoy it with a crew. Thanks for coming guys!
The Table
Baba ghanoush, falafels & muhammara
Everything but the pitas
Sambousek and kibbeh
So what did I learn? Loads - spices are everything. This type of food is so simple, and so filling! Doesn't look like much but it honestly could have fed 8 people. Also the power of a food processor, my gosh I am glad that The President took some time out of his busy day to help me today. Was a nightmare to clean every time but still, saved me loads, definitely an AA+ performance (see what I did there?). Also, I think my next kitchen purchase will be a mortar & pestle. Coriander seeds all over the kitchen when trying to 'roughly ground them'. They kind of make Star Wars shooting noises *pichew pichew*.
And to top the whole evening off, Heather bought some dessert. I didn't even know these existed... Illegal!
And at the end? Well, the end looked like this, so not too bad really. Thanks for voting everyone, I think this one was my favourite so far! Will be eating the leftovers all weekend. xxx
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