Ready for Easter?

Hot cross porridge


One of the things that annoys me about blogs sometimes, is that a perfect recipe/idea comes up-but its too late. Take a lovely advent calander someone put online on the 5th December. they must have made it a week before and I could have used their ideas!! By no means am I saying this recipe is perfect, but its pretty yummy and the spices and rasins do make this taste rather hotcross bun like. These pictures show my beutiful arrangement of the fruit and nuts to look like a cross. Of course this isnt nessaccary, and once I added the milk it was ruinined :( but at least my pictures prove I tried. I think this would be a perfect good friday or easter breakfast. I have to say, my personal plans for easter morning invole chocolate!

Ingreadents
1/2 cup oats
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp raisins*golden if you have them!
1 tbsp sultanas
1 tbsp currents
small handful chopped nuts/seeds

Method

1. Mix the milk, spice and oats in a bowl.
2. top with the nuts and fruit-cross pattern optional.
3. Microwave for 2-3 mins
4. Sprinkle with a little more spice and enjoy!

To anyone in the UK..how are you holding up in the cold?! Where is our spring?

Celery Salad with Jamaican Beans

Celery Salad with Jamaican Beans

Staying with my grandparents food wise is exactly how I expected it to be. So far dinner had been veggie sausages and scrabbled egg on toast and then quorn bolanase…Veggiefree meals. So I’m making lunches as vegetable packed as possible. This isn’t easy considering all I have are bags of beans, lentils some celery and spinach.   I’m finding it a bit stressful, making my lunches like this is helping-but then my grandma keeps trying to be helpful and make my lunches-cheese on toast is not what I want, but today that’s what I had to have. Great. And dinner will be vegetable less too. It makes me not want to eat.  To top it all off she said ‘are you stuffing your face again?’ when I had a snack of orange and rice pudding. I know she was joking, but I threw it away and its made me over think again. Really finding it hard right now.

This lunch is the left overs of my celery and some black beans I boiled up.Not everyone likes celery, raw and stringy I can kinda see why. This is a really different way of having celery- the spices make this lovely and frying gets rid of some of the water, but keeps the celery crunchy. The beans add protein and are always good.

Celery Salad
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 sticks of celery
1/2 bell pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat up the oil in a pan, whilst chopping the celery and pepper.
2. Add the veg to the pan and heat through. The celery wont exactly go crispy, but frying evaporates some of the water off.
3. Add the ground pepper and stir for around 5 mins.
4. Put into a bowl, and keep the frying pan

Black beans

1/2 can (120g) black beans or dried beans

1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk spice (or 1/4 tsp each chili powder, cinnamon and thyme).

Method

1. Boil up the dried beans, boil for 10 mins then simmer for 30-40 mins.
2. Drain the boiled beans or the can.
3. Add the beans and spices to the pan, stir through to coat the beans.
4. Top the celery mixture with the beans

Strawberry syrup Porridge

Coconut porridge with hot strawberry sauce

My favorite thing to do with strawberries, is heat them up into a hot sauce, and pour onto yogurt. But since finding out I’m lactose intolerant and allergic to soy  there isn't really a yogurt I can eat right now. So I made a plain (but lovely) oat mix, with coconut and cashews and topped with my hot strawberry sauce. Quite nearly as lovely as with yogurt..

 Recipe

• 1 Handful of strawberries
• ½ cup oats
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 1 palm full of cashew nuts

Method

1. Chop the strawberries into very small chunks, put in a small cup or bowl
2. Chop the cashew nuts finely
3. Mix the nuts, coconut, oats and milk
4. Put the strawberry mixture and porridge in the microwave for 2 mins.
5. Remove oats and microwave the strawberries for another 30 secs
6. Pour sauce on top of oats
7. Enjoy!



I decided to splash out and have strawberries while I can. My parents leave for a 3 week holiday tomorrow and despite being nearly 18 I have to stay with my grandparents. I don't really mind, i get on very well with them and it means I can look after my grandma. It just through up a few issues for me.
Number one is food. I think over the last month or even two months, I haven't worried about food at all. The odd wobble  (sugar encrusted dried  pineapple...my brain starts to scream "so much sugar, unnatural, colourings, CALORIES" and I just ate it anyway! I felt pretty proud for over coming that. I don't want to go backwards because I know I will have lots of ready made frozen stuff there. (My grandparents do not understand vegetarianism) I think it'll be OK though, as I cant cope with being hungry any more, and I'll just have healthy lunches-but I'm not looking forward to it. They defiantly wont be buying any strawberries, so I had them today, whilst I can still just ask my mum to buy stuff for me!
Number two on a similar point is, I wont have my scales, so for three weeks how will I check I'm not loosing weight? this I know is silly, but its taken me months to put on.
Number three is sleep. Last time I stayed down there, I didn't sleep more than 4 hours per night...and its 3 weeks.
I think that's enough of me admitting my life and silly problems to the world!

Apple and toasted seeds

Apple and toasted seeds
Yesterday was been such a lazy day for me! I spent the morning in my Pajamas, just making my lunch for today somehow took me 2 hours!! I have never bothered to toast seeds before. So when prepping my porridge last night, to combat my lazyness I tried it. I will do it again and again! It's really worth toasting them just for the smell. It really does bring out the flavor as well though, in particular sesame seeds which can be a little tasteless otherwise.
Sweet apple and a few raisins cut through the seeds bitter toastynes and make a nice balanced bowl.

Ingreadents

• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup milk

Method

1. Heat up a small frying pan (no need for oil!)
2. When hot add the seeds and stir, keep an eye on them as they go from plain to toasty very quickly!
3. Chop up the apple, mix in a bowl with raisins and oats.
4. Pour over the milk.
5. Top with seeds, mix or leave as a topping.
6. Microwave for 2-3 mins
7. Enjoy!

Thinking about it, I wasnt that lazy, I did go for a run, make my lunch for today; did 45 mins of revision; Make my mum some roasted butternut squash/sage toastys and wrote up 3 blog posts... Maybe I'll say nice and relaxed day instead?!

Not the greenest day!

Butternut, Sage and goats cheese sandwich
Today is Friday  but I'm not in school! We where supposed to have mock exams, but as we've only learnt half of our topics, most of my teachers decided not to give us one. So I've had a 'day off' catching up on notes, sorting out books and tidying up! I've just got to make dinner, sort my Grandmas computer out and do some revision... Of course I have done some nice things too, I had a lie in until 7:45, went running, make some peanut butter dough biscuits (ate them all...) and whilst typing this I've watched F.r.i.e.n.d.s. Still why not treat myself on this day off..Butternut squash is my favouirte food! Its awesome in soup, salad, curry, everything! (Haven't tried it in porridge yet though). Roasting it makes it go really sweet and pumpkin like. This sandwich is actually inspired by some soup I had the other day-Butter nut squash and sage. By adding dried sage to the oil, the squash really takes on the flavour.

Ingredients
1/4 cup butternut squash (or pumpkin) (double for 2 slices worth)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried sage
1-2 slices bread
Some goats cheese grated

Method

1. Heat the Oven up to 180C
2. Chop the squash into small pieces (the smaller they are, the faster it cooks)
3. Mix the squash, oil and sage, so the squash is well coated
4. Roast in the oven for 30ish mins. Longer if you use more squash, or large pieces.
5. Remove the squash (if soft and goldeny).Toast the bread.
6. Top the bread with the squash and cheese.
7. Grill for 2ish mins, until cheese melts
8. Enjoy!!

As well as this I had a veggies sausage sandwich, onion bhaji and an orange. So really there really wasn't a green thing in site (unless specks of sage count??)! I'll make up for it at dinner tonight!

Apple and dried fruit with a twist

Apple, current, raisins and sultanas

Today was a little different. This is a mixture of currents, raisins and sultanas. I normally don't bother with all these (I just chuck in a few raisins) but today was special. Why special? Not really sure! I just felt like splashing out. Its amazing how different they all taste, although all sweet, I think sultanas are the sweetest and currents are lovely and chewy. I just left the apple sliced, rather then chopping/dicing. This was great on top, the slices just softened slightly and heating them really made them sweet.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp each currents, raisins and sultanas

Method

1. Mix the oats and milk and mix in the dried fruit
2. Slice the apple and put on top of oats
3. Microwave on high for 2-3 mins
4. Enjoy!

Mango and dried fruit morning starter

Mango and dried fruit porridge
 Just looking at this makes me hungry! I started off with a mango, but it was so sadly bruised I didn't feel there was enough for one portion. So I added some lovely dried fruit. Chewy natural dried apricot, dried cherries and the 'super food' gogi berries.
I drizzled with coconut milk to make this a fabulous start to the day.

Recipe

• 1/4 mango
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• Mixed dried fruit (cherries, gogi berries, apricot).
• 2 tbsp coconut milk

Method

1. Chop the mango.
2. Mix the mango, milk and oats.
3. Microwave for 2-3 mins
4. Top with dried fruit, and drizzle with coconut milk
5. Enjoy!

Unfortunately this was the only really good thing today, as my dad was taken into hospital after having chest pains on the weekend. Hopefully all will be OK.

Butter Bean and Swede salad

Bean and Swede salad

Happy Mothers day to all mothers in the UK!! and A lovely day to everyone else elsewhere too.

This is my Friday lunch. Fridays tend to be one of two things; a bit of a left overs mix, or Dahl day!  Only I couldn't be bothered to boil up any lentils and had no left over beans. I’d left it too late to do more beans (they have to soak for 8 hours and that takes forward planning).  So I splashed out and used canned. And not just any canned beans-butter beans! They were so lovely I ate the other half of the can that night… good job they are healthy! (I make my lunch the night before-mornings never have enough time in them). Not many people like swede but its so sweet and cheap! Mine had been in the fridge too long and was looking a little sad. But dicing and frying the swede but frying brought it back to an edible state. I think that when fried it tastes rather like pumpkin! (and unlike pumpkin, cheap and in season here).

I paired with some chopped pepper and mixed nuts as a snack.

Recipe:

·         100g swede

·         ½ tsp chilli powder

·         ½ tbsp olive oil

·         ½ can butter beans (or boil up 1/3 cup dried)

·         Couple of handful salad leaves

Method

1. Dice the swede into small pieces so it will cook nicely, heat up the oil in a frying pan.
2. Add the swede and chili powder and fry the swede until golden brown and smelling lovely. Then remove from heat.
3. Drain the butter beans and add to the cooling swede (the heat will remove the excess water which can make your salad limp).
4. Wash the salad and put in to bowl/container then top with the bean/swede mix once it has cooled.

Its not Terry's...its mine!

Chocolate Orange porridge

Today I knew I would need a bit of cheer. It’s a-level results day and I was pretty much convinced I’d failed chemistry at the very least, which considering I’m apply for it an university was a bit worrying. I decided to go for a ‘ Terry's chocolate orange’ inspired breakfast, quite simply chocolate orange! I always get one for Christmas, but didn't this year, so have been hankering after one since. This is pretty lovely-not as sickly and chocolaty as a real chocolate orange, but sweet, juicy and just a little chocolaty! If you want it to be really chocolaty add 2 tsp. of cocoa powder and maybe melt a little milk chocolate on top. Of course the perfect a compliment would be a real segment of Terry’s…Oh we can dream!

This lovely bowl kept me through until I got my results I ended up getting Chemistry-A, Biology-A, General studies-A and Psychology-B. Unfortunately now I've got my results and found out  got an A I almost feel worse. If I failed the pressure would be off and the decision out of my hands. I don’t want to do chemistry, and hate my lessons but I also don’t know what else to do. My back up plan is now out the window as psychology didn't go too well.

Enough of my moaning- here’s the recipe!

• 1 Orange
• ½ cup oats
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• ½ cup milk
• Milk/dark chocolate* (optional)

Method

1. Peel the orange and cut up the segments into chunks
2. Mix the oats, orange and cocoa powder in a bowl.
3. Add the milk and stir well to mix all the chocolate in
4. Microwave for 2-3 mins*

*(if adding real chocolate, take out 30 secs before the end and add, before finishing off to avoid burning)

<--Mmm...Just look at the lovely chocolaty mix (although I must say sorry about the terrible photographs, I only had my small digital camera, complete with flash).

Apple and raisin porridge

Apple and Rasin Porridge

This is one of my favorite basic breakfasts. I often chop up the apple the night before, mix with the oats to stop it going brown and save myself a bit of time in the morning. Let’s face it at 7am no one wants to be wielding a knife and my family certainly don’t want me to be doing so!

Recipe

• 1 apple
• small handful sunflower seeds
• small handful raisins
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 serving of oats (1/2 cup)
• 1 serving of milk

Method

1. Chop up the apple, small and big pieces adds texture.
2. Put the chopped apple, rasins and sunflower seeds into the bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon. Mix together. Then add the oats.
3. Pour in the milk, if leaving overnight add a little more milk then normal (just a dash) as it will absorb into the oats. Top with nuts (or mix in).
4. Microwave for 2-3mins
5. A perfect warming meal!

A special treat

Chocolate and Raspberry Porridge

 This is my all time Favorite porridge. ever. Its the best! I love raspberries  and they'd be great on their own, but combined with a chunk of  lovely dark and bitter chocolate it makes a completely irresistible bowl. I think the cashew nuts look like white chocolate chips too-which isn't a bad idea, why not double chocolate!
 Raspberries are expensive at the best of times, but right now they are 3 pound a punnet :O. Thank goodness for frozen berries! They work just as well, and once microwaved you don't notice the difference really. Normally I'd have this as a treat, but today there was no special reason-but hats no bad thing, sometimes its good to just treat yourself isn't it?!

Recipe

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 80g/a handful of raspberries
• cashew nuts/other nut
• 1-2 squares chocolate

Method

1. Gently mix together oats, milk, nuts and raspberries.
2. Microwave for 2-2.5 mins
3. Add the chocolate and microwave for 20 seconds further  ** the chocolate wont melt fully at first, but it will do once you start eating as the oats heat it up.
4. Enjoy!

Pear and cinnamon porridge

Pear and cinnamon Porridge

Today I jut felt like a nice simple breakfast. Even simpler then normal! Probably as I was so hungry-not even sure why! Just chopped up a pear, added to oats, sprinkled with cinnamon and microwaved. I ate half of it before microwaving today-I was that hungry! It still tasted good raw though, really good.So if the bowl looks a little empty, its not because I'm down sizing portions (haa ha-that would never happen nowadays!!). I drizzled the lot with some coconut milk, which is so rich its like cream, but a bit healthier! I can hardly keep myself from drinking it straight from the can.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 small pear
• 1/2 tsp-1 tsp cinnamon (depends on how spicy you like it!)
• 1 tbsp coconut milk/cream

Method

1. Put oats and milk in one bowl
2. Chop up pear.
3. Mix pear and cinnamon in one bowl, then put on top of oats
4. Microwave for 2-3mins

Or..combine stage 1-3 and skip the rest and shovel raw porridge into your mouth.... (Really the whole time consuming cooked way is better even when your starving).