Fruit Smoothies: A great way to start the day...

One the best ways to start the day is with a healthy fruit smoothie. My husband has a very early start to his day and he struggles with his appetite so early in the morning. For awhile he was going to work without eating anything at all for breakfast. Skipping such an important meal is not good for your health or wellbeing – and he was beginning to suffer. Headaches, unhealthy weight loss, mood swings and tiredness were all results of him not having a good start to his day.

Fortunately we discovered the one thing he can stomach early in the morning: a smoothie.

We use plain organic yoghurt and also add about ½ a cup of semi skimmed organic milk. Then we add some fruit. You can really have fun and experiment with different fruit combinations. The great news is that you can easily get at least 1 portion of your 5 a day. Some fruits that work really well in smoothies are:

• Bananas
• Mangoes
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Apricots
• Melon
• Kiwi Fruit

If you really want to add an extra special dimension to your smoothie you can also try adding one or more of the following:

• Peanut Butter
• Runny Honey
• Cinnamon
• Porridge Oats

Here is one of our favourite recipes.

Combine the following in a blender.

¾ cup Organic Plain Yoghurt.

2 Bananas.

1 cup of Strawberries.

3 Tablespoons of Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter (depending on your preference)

½ cup of Semi Skimmed Milk

Sprinkling of Cinnamon

Have a go and see what amazing combinations you can up with. I would love to hear what you create so please feel free to share your recipes!

French Onion Soup A Delicious Vegetarian Version....

French Onion soup has to be one of my all time favourite lunches. It has everything you need; sweet caramelized onions in a rich broth, crispy garlicky croutons and lots and lots of Gruyere cheese. Comforting, nourishing and flavoursome – it always scores 11 out 10 with me!

It’s the perfect meal for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Check out this great recipe for the vegetarian version I used.

The only changes I made to the recipe was using 1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese rather then the Swiss cheese she used. I also used a small baguette and cut 3 pieces for each bowl of soup. I lightly grilled them with a garlic butter mixture before placing in the soup and topping with the cheese.

Delicious!

The Lemon Posset Has Landed!...

Well here it is, my first ever lemon posset. I decided to garnish it with a bit of whipped cream and a few glace cherries. An experiment with making my own candied lemon peel ended disastrously – I will save that story for another day.

As for the actual dessert I still can’t believe how simple it was to make.

Now to get stuck in!

Here is the recipe I used, kindly shared by MARLENE28 at All Recipes.

Ingredients

750ml (1¼ pints) double cream

200g (7 oz) caster sugar

3 lemons, juiced

Directions

In a saucepan over medium high heat, stir together 750ml cream and sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate until set, about 5 hours. Pour a little more cream over the tops just before serving.

Organizing Your Weekly Shop....

Saturday is the day we normally do our weekly shop. It’s a good day to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables as there is farmers market nearby. For the other bits and pieces we need we visit our local supermarket.

During the week I make a note of items that need to be restocked. This helps to make sure I don’t forget anything (believe me I need all the help I can get!). I also always check that I have the ingredients for some simple no fuss suppers. Things like;

Pasta: for macaroni and cheese or another simple pasta dish.

Butter Beans or Pot Barley: for soup.

Rice: for egg fried rice.

Baked Brown Beans: for beans on toast.

Self Raising Flour and chocolate chips: for easy bake cookies.

I also like to research at least 2 new recipes and buy the ingredients for them. That way we have the option of either cooking something new OR  if we are feeling tired we can put together something tasty and homemade very quickly.

One of the recipes I am going to make this week is from All Recipes. It’s for a wonderful looking dessert – Lemon Possets.

I will let you know how they turn out!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

750ml (1¼ pints) double cream

200g (7 oz) caster sugar

3 lemons, juiced

3 tablespoons additional double cream to serve

Preparation

In a saucepan over medium high heat, stir together 750ml cream and sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate until set, about 5 hours. Pour a little more cream over the tops just before serving.

COOKING. A GREAT WAY TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH LO...

Although we sometimes may feel tired and uninspired when it comes to cooking, my husband and I do our best to make the preparation of our meals a special moment in our day. Sometimes we will have a glass of wine or sherry as we do our prep and we always put on some music. It helps to liven our mood and gently eases us away from the mundane worries and stresses of the day.

The meal doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s more about working together and spending time together. We laugh, joke and lose ourselves in the cooking. After we have enjoyed eating our meal, we share the kitchen duties. This means it’s done faster so we can settle in to a good film while the night’s still young. More importantly though it helps share the work load rather then have one person feel like they are always doing everything – which can become overwhelming.

Get out of the mindset that cooking is a chore. It is actually a wonderful way to relax, unwind and spend quality time with those you love.

Easy Salad Dressing...

Tonight I had a sudden craving for a rocket (Arugula) salad alongside my jacket potato. A very dear friend of mine first introduced me to rocket about 10 years ago and with it she made this very tasty dressing.

2 large handfuls of rocket leaves.
3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar.
1 Tablespoon (or a generous squeeze) of fresh lemon juice.
1-2 cloves of minced garlic (I tend to use 3-4 but I love things to be very garlicky)

It’s as quick and easy as that!

Breakfast for Dinner...

Tonight is one of those nights when I actually don’t feel like cooking. It’s cold and I’ve had a hard day. Right now something simple and easy is exactly what I want.

When I feel like this I often have ‘Breakfast for Dinner’. Some of my favourites are:

Eggs on toast.
Scrambled eggs with cheese and onions and a quick salad.
Boiled eggs and soldiers.
Eggs, chips and baked beans.

Tasty, comforting and easy to make!

Delicious Creamed Leeks – an easy recipe....

I have always loved leeks but usually I have them chopped up in soups. A few months ago I discovered a recipe for creamed leeks and thought I would give it a whirl. The result is that now my husband and I are eating them 2-3 times a week. We have become creamed leek addicts!

It is a wonderful side dish that works especially well with chicken. I have also used them as a topping for veggie burgers and have spread them liberally over mashed potatoes.

Do try to use organically grown leeks if you can.

Recipe for Creamed Leeks (serves 2-3)

2-3 medium to large leeks finely chopped.

add to pan with a knob of butter and stir for 3-4 minutes until leeks have softened.

add 2 Tablespoons of cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Yes it’s thats simple!

Enjoy!

Banana Bread with Unsweetened Cocoa Powder and Gla...

Banana Bread: Old Favourite, New Favourite!...

I know we are already well into the New Year but I am still recovering from all the fuss and general craziness of the holiday season. During the holidays I was able to spend a bit more time in the kitchen trying out different recipes and experimenting with some new kitchen gadgets.  However, I was so caught up in exploring the new and different that I neglected a few things in my kitchen.

The main casualty of my neglect was a bunch of bananas which were almost at the point of no return. Not wanting to waste them, I found myself going back to one of my all time favourite recipes – Banana Bread.

Banana Bread is one of the easiest things to make. What is so wonderful is that you can have it just as it is OR you can jazz it up a bit if you want. Here are just some of the things I love to add to a basic Banana Bread recipe:

• Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
• Fresh Blueberries or Raspberries (you can also use frozen)
• Grated Courgette (Zucchini)
• Grated Carrot
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

For this particular recipe – which is a low fat version – my husband and I decided to add 2 Heaping Tablespoons of Un-Sweetened Coco Powder and approximately 9 Glace Cherries cut into quarters. We also used a spring form cake tin rather than a loaf tin. The results were simply amazing and ok we confess… not as low fat as it could have been. However it was absolutely divine with a cup of tea and an episode of Columbo.

I found the recipe on the following site; lowfatcooking.about.com, which is brilliant. Have a go with the recipe as it is – or add a little something extra. Then sit back, relax and enjoy!

For low fat banana bread recipe click here

I have also written out the recipe below.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened or 1/4 cup trans-fat free shortening
• 2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 small bananas)
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon flour gently into measuring cups and level with a knife. Stir flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Put aside. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat at low speed with a mixer until well blended. Add one egg at a time and blend well after each one. Add in mashed banana, yogurt and vanilla extract, beat until blended. Add flour mixture and blend until just moist. Do not over-mix. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Remove from pan after 10 minutes or so and cool on a wire rack.

Yield: one loaf, 14 slices.