We can do it together
With the weather turning rather cold again I needed something that was hot, tasty and quick for lunch so this sweet chilli beef stir-fry was just perfect. The best part about this recipe you can use up any leftover roast meats or if you’re not too keen on meat some prawns would work just as well. [Read more...]
When you’re strap for time and your belly is rumbling, fast foods like takeaways and microwave dinners are just perfect, or are they? Yes they might be convenient for filling a hungry tummy, but satisfaction is only half.
Fast food might get rid of that hungry feeling, after eating a lot of it due to the high sugar content most fast foods contain (Sugar makes you eat a lot), but your health and weight must now pay the price. Other than sugar, fast foods and microwave dinners are also high in salt and saturated fats, not to mention all the hard to pronounce preservatives.
On the other hand, when time is against you and all you can think about is food, you could reach into the freezer, take out a pack of that healthy, nutritious chunky beef chilli you cooked in your slow cooker a few days ago. You know, the batch of chilli you cooked, portioned off and freezed for a day just like this. [Read more...]
The slow cooker has grown in popularity due to the ease of cooking and the wonderful, delicious heart warming meals it delivers. It is also perfect for cooking healthy nutritious meals, making it even more popular amongst the health conscious person and dieters alike.
When cooking with your slow cooker you are more likely than not to use fresh ingredients. Because the ingredients are cooked on a low moderate temperature for many hours, the natural juices produced by the meat and veg are retained, preserving most of the vitamins and nutrients.
Unlike conventional cooking where the liquid escapes via vaporisation, with slow cooking the liquid becomes part of the meal. Also meaning the leaners of meats are juicy and tender too. [Read more...]
Believe it or not but you can eat healthy and save on the pennies by utilising your slow cooker. If you’ve put off healthy eating in the pass because you’ve been under the impression that healthy eating comes with a hefty price tag, you’re about to discover that this is not the case if you put your slow cooker to good use.
First of all you would save on your energy bill, because even though slow cooking can take up to 7 hours to cook a meal, the slow cooker itself is actually very energy efficient. Let’s compare the slow cooker with the conventional oven. One hour of cooking in your oven would use on average about 4000 watts, whereas your slow cooker would only consume on average about 250 watts of energy. I’ll let you work out what that means in monetary value.
Next is your grocery bill, because the slow cooker does what it says on the can, cooks your food slowly on low temperature for a number of hours, you can use cheaper cuts of meat and still be served a healthy meal with meat that is tenderised, melt in your mouth succulent… Drool! [Read more...]
The slow cooker is a great way to ensure you stick to your dieting plan. Do you ever notice that every time you choose to pursue your weight loss goal, you are suddenly faced with obstacle after obstacle? You are not alone, one of the main reasons people never stick to their diet or reach their weight loss goal, is due to the obstacle of time or should I say the excuse of time.
Not enough time to prepare a healthy nutritious meal, It’s late in day, it’s been a busy day at work and the kids are screaming blue murder, they want to be fed. The takeaway menu that’s stuck to the fridge is now starting to look like a godsend. It’s convenient and what can one night’s takeaway do to your diet, not much right? And you’ll be more prepared and back on plan tomorrow right? You will wont you?
Look, it happens to the best of us, no matter how good your intentions are towards weight loss and healthy eating, they are useless if you are not prepared and find yourself slap bang in the middle of a situation like described above. [Read more...]
I’m not sure about you, but when it comes to food there are two things that is important to me, taste and presentation. If food lack taste and looks rubbish on a plate whats the point of eating it? Having never made a spaghetti carbonara before I thought it was about time that I put together some ingredients and see what the results were, Well I dont mean to blow my own trumpet here but you know what this was one amazing plate of food, one that I,m proud to share with you 
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Being a big fan of pizza this was a recipe that I just had to try out, when the concept of using cauliflower as a base was shared with me by the lovely Karon Whyte (A friend and fan on our Facebook Page) I just had to give it a go. This recipe is a bit like marmite, you will either love it or hate it lol.
I have played around with the ingredients a bit and although somewhat different to the original recipe I found this one works for me. But like I always say use my recipes as a base to build your own, your creation might be 10 times better than what I come up with so do please share yours too
I’m not overly happy with the video I made to go with this recipe, I somehow made bit of a pigs ear of things, but you will get the basic idea of how it’s done, just make sure you follow the ingredients in the written recipe below the video for better success lol. [Read more...]
I can still remember the day I cooked my very first meal all on my own, I was only 12 years old, my mum was running late. Normally when we got home from school are dinner was waiting but not this day. I didn’t want my sisters to go hungry so I took it upon myself to start dinner and curried corned beef hash it was. I managed to cook quite a decent meal only problem was it was just enough for me and my sisters. Anyway with a few changes I have now made this a more healthier recipe and want to share with you [Read more...]
After watching the Hairy Dieters create their low fat version of a lasagne using leeks to replace the pasta sheets, I knew it was a fab idea and had to give it a go, after looking over their original recipe I soon realised that I with a few small changes I could still lower the calorie content even further (over 140 calories lower) without compromising on flavour, and the results were amazing, anything at all I think I prefer this lasagne more compared to one made with pasta sheets.
Serves 6
Low Fat Lasagne
500g extra lean minced beef
½ medium white onion finely chopped
2 medium leeks
2 sticks of celery finely sliced
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
150g chestnut/closed cup mushrooms
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp mixed herbs
100g fat free natural cottage cheese
80g primula light soft cheese
45g reduced fat mature cheddar grated
1 egg
1 oxo cube
2 large fresh tomatoes sliced
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
Method
Nutritional value per serving: Calories 212, Carbs 13g, Fat 7g, Protein 27g
If your dubious about trying this recipe I can reassure you that this is well and truly one tasty lasagne, the leeks just adds another dimension and the overall dish was one that was enjoyed by all the family.
Have you tried making a lasagne using leeks yet, what were your thoughts? Please leave your feedback below and don’t forget to share with your friends and family x
I’m a big fan of pasta so I like to keep it interesting, with the beautiful summer sunshine upon us, this lovely roasted vegetable pasta salad is just perfect. It’s simply bursting with Mediterranean flavours. [Read more...]
