Easy peasy Mexican eggs!…Cooking with a sprained ankle :(

Mexican Eggs!

Start with sautéing corn and peppers with fajita seasoning

So this week I sprained my ankle which has meant lots of sitting around on my butt with my leg elevated and wrapped in ice packs…not fun…and very boring..so I’ve had to make my meals exciting! And they also had to be easy because standing on one leg in the kitchen does not last very long 😉

Add in some kidney beans and salsa

So I started out with some tinned corn (so easy) and frozen peppers(no chopping!) and some fajita seasoning. I sautéed them for a bit til they got a bit crispy. I added in 1/2 tin kidney beans and 1 tablespoon salsa. I added a few chili flakes for an extra kick. I let that all warm up together then popped it in a plate. I used the same pan to fry an egg and then put that ontop of the beans. Iadded a dollop of Greek yogurt(instead of sour cream) and some salsa. I also got a piece of 100% rye toast to dip in the egg yolk 🙂

Mexican beans ready for the eggs!

This was such an amazing lunch. Full of my favourite things and absolutely so easy and delicious!

For dinner I made something equally as healthy, easy and tasty. Frozen stir fry mix, frozen green beans and a frozen fillet of haddock. Toss it all in a pan and stir! This was incredible. Veggies and fish are basically the best meal you can make. And within 10 minutes!

Fish Stir Fry straight out of the freezer! Healthy and easy 🙂

Snack time!!! Peanut butter dip <3

This afternoon I really really wanted peanut butter!!! I use all natural peanut butter with no added sugar or oil that is DELICIOUS! But it is so calorie dense that you can’t really have very much of it and I wanted a treat that was filling and a bit more to feast on 😉

So I grabbed my non-fat Greek Yogurt and made a blend 🙂

1/2 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon honey
Large dash of cinnamon 😉

I paired it with a sliced apple. Yum!!!

Greek yogurt is amazing for you! It’s an awesome source of low fat protein. There have been numerous studies saying that regularly eating low fat dairy daily. It is also such a good alternative to sour cream, dips, and salad dressings.

Peanut butter gives you healthy fats and oils and protein. It is so good for you but easy to go a bit overboard and have too much too quickly so watch out!

Cinnamon is so good for you. It raises your metabolism and keeps hunger at bay. It also contains healthy antioxidants which makes your body say THANK YOU!

apples!!!! my favorite! Apples and bananas rule my fruit bowl. Apples have a low GI which means it keeps your body feel full for longer plus they are crunchy and sweet which is a major win for me 🙂

Creamy Barley, eggplants, and zucchini :) {Food from last week}

Bulgar Wheat salad with seedy bread!

Yummy Bulgar Wheat salad

So this week is a very good example of why I plan out meals but also stay flexible.

So on Monday we had creamy barley salad and OH MY GOODNESS! SO GOOD!!! Going in the cook book 😉

I even had enough left over for my lunch the next day. The sauce was so tangy and crisp. I did have to make sure my man had enough to fill him up so I added some seedy bread on the side 🙂

Tuesday Andy made dinner so that moved my schedule for the week around a little bit. Which is why it is important to STAY FLEXIBLE! You can keep healthy by planning meals out but if you’re so stressed out about it then that is not a very healthy lifestyle and definitely not sustainable. So tuesday’s meal of Cuban Beans and rice got moved to Wednesday which was fine. The Cuban beans were awesome. We have a hard time finding black beans in the UK so I have realized that kidney beans make a great substitute.

Cuban black(kidney) beans and rice

Thursday we had some curried eggplant which was pretty good. I made it a bit too spicy (not too sure of how intense cayenne powder is…) but that means Andy loved it! I guess it went down well because there was not enough left over for my lunch the next day 🙂 So I grabbed some leftover veggies and salad (from Monday’s dinner) and added some salmon, cottage cheese, and walnuts. AWESOME SALAD! No need for dressing, there’s plenty of goodness and flavor in there just on it’s own. Keep your mind open to various dressings, Ranch is not where it stops 😉 This salad also is packed full of protein 😛

Awesome lunch!

Stir fry “en process”

Friday was meant to be stuffed zucchini but we had quite a few veggies leftover from previous meals and I just couldn’t be bothered following a recipe. So I made a stir fry! I started with sautéing onions and garlic in toasted sesame oil and toasted a few tablespoons of sesame seeds. Then I started chopping carrots, peppers, zucchinis, and threw in some frozen peas. I boiled a pot of rice and voila’ ! Yummy stir fry that the guys loved 🙂 Wonderful collection of color and flavor. Awesome easy standby meal to use up leftover veggies.

Ready to dish up!

Ready to dish up!

Ta Da! Awesome easy stir fry 🙂

Food this week! Salads, steak, and curry!

Zesty Bulgar Salad!

So what tasty things did we end up eating this week? We had some Zesty Bulgar Salad, Moroccan Mushroom Steak, and a veggie curry 🙂

Zesty Bulgar Salad

Monday was the Zesty Bulgar Salad. A huge hit with the husband! This one is definitely going in the cookbook. Andy forgot to buy radishes but it was still amazing! Very refreshing, simple and quick. A great summer salad 🙂

The man with his steak 🙂

Tuesday was our 2 year anniversary of our Alaska Wedding so I made him a Moroccan Mushroom Steak. It has dried apricots! I added green beans on the side and for mine (not the biggest meat lover) I had an eggplant steak which was perfect. A warm, hearty healthy dinner that was much approved 🙂

Moroccan Mushroom Apricot sauce with steak and green beans (And a bit of my eggplant steak)

 

 

 

 

 

Veggie Curry!

 

 

Wednesday I made a Veggie Curry. I didn’t even realize that currys were usually meat based but hey-ho, you live and you learn eh? Well regardless of what is “normal” this curry turned out to be pretty awesome. Ben and Andy both liked it and we had enough leftover for our next meal. It is also so cheap being mainly potatos, onions, and spices; it is a great meal for lots of people or a big family without breaking the bank at all 🙂

Veggie Curry 2.0 😉

The next two meals were eaten on the go while we were touring around Dover England. Subway for me, chippy for the boys 😉 When we got back we got to sit down to a big plate of curry once again, this time I added some peas into it (i forgot them the first time, hehe) which made it even healthier and added lots of color. Also, a side salad with Greek Yogurt as dressing. Yummy, healthy, cheap, and so easy!

Yummy tasty cheap food! Also I made the yummiest sandwich ever and just had to share it 😉 Quorn, Quark, mustard, and spinach. Perfection between two pieces of bread and the perfect lunch on the train 🙂

Best Sandwich EVER!

 

 

 

 

What’s for breakfast?

So it is tradition that every morning Monday-Friday Andy makes me breakfast in bed! What a great tradition eh? He makes 1/2 Cup porridge with cinnamon, ground flax seed, and goji berries mixed in. 1/4 Cup low fat Greek Yogurt on top and some frozen berries. It really is the perfect breakfast! I could eat it all day long if I could 🙂 It keeps me going and fills me up with all the good healthy things that I need for the day. On Saturday Andy makes me a cooked breakfast with baked beans, eggs, veggies, and fruit. Sunday is my day 🙂 I usually make pancakes. I make many different sorts of pancakes but my two main types are my banana pancakes and my sweet potato pancakes.

Yummy baby banana pancakes!

Banana Pancakes (makes 10 little baby pancakes) :

• 2 Bananas
• 1 Egg
• Dash of baking powder
• Cinnamon (optional)
• Crushed Walnuts (optional)
  Mash it all up and make into tasty pancakes. I like to top mine with low fat Greek Yogurt.

Sweet potato pancake heating up!

Sweet Potato Pancakes (makes 3 big daddy pancakes)

• 1 sweet potato mashed without skin (microwave potato for 6-8 minutes then scoop out insides and you have mashed sweet potato!)
• 1/2 C. Oats
• 1 Egg
• Large dash of Baking Powder
• Dash of Cinnamon (optional)
• Crushed Walnuts (optional)
• Milk
  Mash up all the ingredients and add milk until you have a desired consistency. I use 1/2 Cup measuring cup as a scoop and top mine with low fat Greek Yogurt and either jam or microwaved frozen berries. Andy goes a bit cray-cray and puts anything on it. He thinks they are either sweet or savory and tops them with Hummus, Quark, Cayenne, mustard, peanut butter, jam, horseradish, and anything else he can find. Today he chose peanut butter, quark, and cinnamon on two of them and hummus, cayenne, chili sauce on the other one. I love it! Cracks me up!  So that is the most wonderful start to a sunday morning. Pancakes in bed with my best friend

Sweet Potato Pancakes in all their glory!

Salmon, Omelets, Potatoes and Quinoa Crunch :)

So food for this week has been a bit crazy to say the least. Started out fairly normal, Andy cooked me dinner on Monday. Had grilled salmon with cinnamon rice, carrot fries, and grilled zucchini. It was lovely! He’s a good husband who helps me stay accountable with my healthy eating 🙂
Carrot fries? Chop carrots into fry-size, toss with some fajita seasoning, garlic, and a few sprays of olive oil spray then put on a grill for about 20 minutes.
Cinnamon Rice? Just make rice and add a few tablespoons of cinnamon for added taste and health benefits!

Tuesday we thought we were going to have our god-baby and her dad Ben with us but last minute realized that we had gotten the dates wrong so we had to put off the white fish for a night and made a sweet potato/zucchini omelet. I sautéed the sweet potatoes and then added the zucchini, some onions until it was all softened up a bit. Added 3 eggs, mixed herbs and some milk and then put it under the grill until it was crispy. Added some low sodium/low sugar ketchup to it and it was perfect!

Wednesday we finally had our guests so Andy made a veggie stir fry with some white fish topped with Quark . What is Quark? Basically it is a high protein virtually fat free cheese. Similar to cream cheese it is a great topping to crackers, as a dip for veggies, or a substitute in cooking. My new best friend! I think Ben liked it aswell 🙂

I usually eat leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day but we ate all the fish and veggies the night before. So what did I eat for lunch? Made a kidney bean, chick pea, corn, mustard salad. Also made some air popped popcorn and chopped raw veggies. Perfect healthy lunch/snacks.

That night we had dinner ready and waiting for us after a long day out showing Ben Oxford so Andy jumped in and made us a wonderful baked potato dinner with grilled zucchini! He had allsorts of toppings. Baked beans, Quark, or Tuna-Quark-yellow pepper. I love baked potatoes because they are so quick and easy, you can put all sorts of toppings on them and as long as you avoid butter, and sour cream then you are likely to be able to keep them so healthy!

Lastly, Saturday night: Made my much loved quinoa crunch ! Healthytippingpoint is one of my go-to blogs for all sorts of recipe ideas. This one in particular is super healthy, uses on-hand ingredients that I usually have in my cupboards (have to plan to buy broccoli and we make our own hummus!). The best part is that you just toss everything into a bowl and bake it for 30 minutes and you’re done! Big hit tonight 🙂

 

 

 

 

Cheap, easy, tasty, healthy food

So much to my delight, I am constantly being asked for recipes, meal plans, shopping lists and snack ideas by my friends and family so I’ve decided to compile my advice into a running blog. So my hopes are to show my readers that eating healthy, losing weight, saving money and having the most delicious food available all can happen quite easily. All you need is a bit of planning and some extra help (from me) and you can start making healthier choices for a happier you!

So are you ready!? I’m quite excited about all of this. I cannot wait to share ideas, get feedback and invite people to eat tastier food 🙂