Hello! Another week of lockdown and another week of turning to the kitchen to find some calm in the chaos. This week, I was really motivated to hit my target of 5 to 7 portions of fruit and veg per day. I did my shopping on Monday and just felt more organised. I always eat better when I am one step ahead of myself. One of the biggest things I changed after I got sick was dedicate more time to myself. Time to prep food and really think about what I wanted to put into my body.
When I’m looking for recipe inspiration I’ll often turn to Goop, Donal’s Kitchen or Jamie Oliver. This week, I started off with some veggie fritters with an avocado dip. This was really easy to make and much more filling than I expected. This is a Goop recipe which I’ve linked HERE.
I started off shredding carrots, courgette (I sprinkled the courgette in a little bit of salt and left it sitting for a few minutes on some kitchen roll to get out the excess water), onion, kale and red cabbage. I mixed it all together and added some flour and water. I did find it quite hard to get all of the veggies to stick together so next time I’ll use an egg to make this process easier.
Shape the veg into patties and leave your fritters in the fridge for about 10 minutes so they set. In the meantime I put an avocado into my Nutri-bullet with a teaspoon of creme fraise and some lime and blended it up into a really smooth dip. As I said this dinner was much more filling than I expected, I served it with a mix of cubed regular potato and sweet-potato and Jamie had some grilled chicken on the side. It was so tasty and I will definitely make it again. Also this could be a super working from home lunch option that you could prep in advance.
Next up, hello granola, you never let me down. When the porridge life gets too much, we make a batch of our own granola. I would be really conscious that a lot of the supermarket granolas would have added sugar so we like to make our own to just so we know exactly what’s in it. Also, it’s a much cheaper option and easy to do.
We coat our porridge oats (approx 750 grams) in honey (around a third or a regular sized jar). We heat the honey in a big pot (make sure not to boil) with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Pour the porridge into the pot and give it a good stir. By heating the honey it helps coat the porridge much easier. We add in our seed mix (pumpkin, sunflower, whatever you can find), chopped almonds and desiccated coconut. Bake in the oven stirring regularly for about 15 minutes. You have to really watch it as it can burn quite easily. When it’s out of the oven we add some raisons and it’s as simple as that. I love eating granola in the morning because I always add some berries. Jamie eats it with organic milk (so accessible in all supermarkets now) and I have some natural yoghurt.
Have you ever thought about food being energy? I started to notice that when I put positive energy into my cooking, my food tastes better. Jamie cooks the dinner every Saturday and he loves the process. He makes gorgeous potatoes, preps the steaks, stands over the BBQ. It’s often one of the nicest meals we eat in the week. Jamie on a Monday is a different story, he just wants to get it done and often (no offence Jamie) it won’t be up to his usual Saturday standard because he doesn’t enjoy it as much on a Monday. And it happens to us all.
Do you think your mums Sunday dinner is just the best? That’s because our mums (or dads) stand over that dinner for hours in advance. They think about what they’re going to cook for us all, they love having us over to the house, they set the table, they want us to enjoy every bite and they are putting all of that loving energy into the experience. And we feel this when we eat it. It’s comforting and wholesome. I really miss Sunday dinners in my mum and Jamie’s mum’s house. Not just because of the food, but I miss the feeling of love and togetherness. I know we’ll get there again soon but I just wanted to point out that when you put the good vibes into the food, your body wins. You are putting that nurturing love into your body and all the bodies of the people you have around your table. I really believe it. Of course, it’s not possible to do all the time. We are tired and worn out at the end of the day, but it’s just something to keep in mind. If you have time, try putting love into something you cook this week and ask yourself if it tastes better.
My soup maker is my new BFF. It is honestly one of the best things I have ever bought. I’ll share some pictures of the one I got next week. But it is the easiest, most efficient appliance. The worst part of making soup for me is blending it all up. The soup maker does it all for you. I usually stick it on after breakfast and I know that my soup is ready and waiting for me at lunchtime. This week, I made broccoli with a sprinkle of cheddar. Absolutely delish.
On my birthday last week, we made a fresh batch of veg soup, put it into a flask and had a picnic in our local forest with my mum and stepdad Joe. It was the most perfect day.
Over the weekend, we were sent an At Home box from Luttrellstown Castle. I was blown away by the detail and quality of the food. I would highly recommend if you are having a celebration at home and want to make it special. We got nibbles to start, then a beautiful chowder, a pork belly main, dessert, cheese, wine! The flavours just kept coming and so much love went into that box for us, I could feel it. I’m so grateful to them for sending it to us and I know they are doing Sunday lunches and a Valentines tasting menu so we will definitely order again to try to support local businesses. You can check out more about that HERE.
Another tasty go to dinner for me. Is roasted butternut squash, it’s so affordable and really filling and nutritious. I’ll make it this week and take some pictures so I can show you next week. I’ll also tell you a little bit more about why I’m eating as much organic fruit and veg these days as I can.
Lots of love, I hope you have a great week.
All my love,
