Cooking is way easier than I thought. This dish basically involved chucking all the ingredients into a dish and letting it cook in the oven. The best part is it's so. good.
Ingredients:
600g of chicken (well, I just used the packet, which was 600g. I think it would be better with more chicken though, and I intend using a larger quantity when I next make this).
Peppers (I'd say at least two, though I would definitely recommend using more. Again, I would have done this, however we only had two peppers in the house)
Two red onions
One clove of garlic
One teaspoon of chilli powder
Half a teaspoon of paprika
One quarter of a teaspoon of cumin
Half a teaspoon of salt
One teaspoon of sugar
Olive oil
Tortilla
Condiments of choice (e.g. guacamole, salsa, sour cream etc.)
I started by chopping the peppers into large chunks. I also chopped the onions roughly, and the garlic clove finely. I placed them all in a glass dish.
The chicken I had was already cut into chunks, but I sliced had already been cut into chunks, but I cut them down further to make them a bit smaller and easier to eat in the tortilla. However, you could use larger chicken fillets and cut those in to strips too. It doesn't really matter, so long as it's chicken! I placed these chunks in a pan along with the peppers, onion and garlic.
I pre heated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (most people would do this before they started cooking but I feel like it's a little bit of a waste- it still gets cooked perfectly well even if you don't pre heat the oven for a very long time).
I combined the chilli powder, paprika, salt, sugar and cumin in a bowl. I added it to the ingredients in the glass dish along with a liberal drizzle (I think that's a bit of an oxymoron, contradicting itself slightly. What I mean is a didn't just add a few drops but I didn't drown it either). I mixed all the ingredients together with my hands in order to make sure that everything was well coated.
I put the dish in the oven for twenty minutes, took it out and stirred it thoroughly, then put it back in to cook for a further fifteen minutes.
We all ate it with tortillas, and no condiments because there were none. Well, I'm lying slightly. I had BBQ sauce on mine, since that was the only thing available, and I really love my sauces. I was the only one, though.
I can't believe how delicious it was. I can't believe that something I made, that chicken that I made came out succulent and juicy and tender. The juices ran and mixed with the pepper, onion, garlic and spices and it was unbelievable. It definitely has to be one of the best things I've ever cooked, and I don't often cook amazing things (in fact, it's a bit of a rarity).
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 May 2016
Wednesday, 4 May 2016
Wednesday Night's Dinner: Falafel
Another easy one! Cooking is easier than I thought! I think I was just scared for nothing really. I actually really enjoyed this one too, and I thought it was pretty fun to make.
Ingredients:
400g of chickpeas
Half a red onion
One clove of garlic
One teaspoon of cumin
A large handful of coriander
Half a teaspoon of chilli powder
Two tablespoons of plain flour (I used wholemeal)
A liberal sprinkling of salt
Sunflower oil for frying
I started by roughly chopping the half onion, garlic clove and coriander, and left it to one side.
I then opened the can of chickpeas, drained them and dried them with some kitchen towel.
I combined all the ingredients above (minus the sunflower oil) in a food processor and blitzed them until them mixture was smooth and could easily be moulded (if you can imagine shaping them into balls as you would do with dough then it should be okay).
I rolled them into balls using my hand and flattened them into disk shaped patties. I made them pretty small (and came out with twelve), but you could make them bigger, though it would make fewer.
I put them in the fridge to chill for a bit (well, around fifteen minutes). This isn't essential though.
Once out of the refrigerator I heated the sunflower oil in a large pan and fried them until they were golden brown on each side. It's important to use kitchen roll once you've fried the falafel and removed them from the pan as it will soak up the excess oil.
We ate the falafel with whole meal pitta bread and an red onion salad (which I did not make). I think it would also go well with cucumber and lettuce, and perhaps Greek yoghurt, though I'm less sure of that. I thoroughly enjoyed this and felt a real sense of accomplishment having made it, despite the fact that it really wasn't that difficult. I honestly wish I had some photos because they looked amazing too!
Ingredients:
400g of chickpeas
Half a red onion
One clove of garlic
One teaspoon of cumin
A large handful of coriander
Half a teaspoon of chilli powder
Two tablespoons of plain flour (I used wholemeal)
A liberal sprinkling of salt
Sunflower oil for frying
I started by roughly chopping the half onion, garlic clove and coriander, and left it to one side.
I then opened the can of chickpeas, drained them and dried them with some kitchen towel.
I combined all the ingredients above (minus the sunflower oil) in a food processor and blitzed them until them mixture was smooth and could easily be moulded (if you can imagine shaping them into balls as you would do with dough then it should be okay).
I rolled them into balls using my hand and flattened them into disk shaped patties. I made them pretty small (and came out with twelve), but you could make them bigger, though it would make fewer.
I put them in the fridge to chill for a bit (well, around fifteen minutes). This isn't essential though.
Once out of the refrigerator I heated the sunflower oil in a large pan and fried them until they were golden brown on each side. It's important to use kitchen roll once you've fried the falafel and removed them from the pan as it will soak up the excess oil.
We ate the falafel with whole meal pitta bread and an red onion salad (which I did not make). I think it would also go well with cucumber and lettuce, and perhaps Greek yoghurt, though I'm less sure of that. I thoroughly enjoyed this and felt a real sense of accomplishment having made it, despite the fact that it really wasn't that difficult. I honestly wish I had some photos because they looked amazing too!
Tuesday, 3 May 2016
Tuesday Night's Dinner: Beef Kebab
I felt so awful today, my mood was so low that I actually felt physically sick, almost as if I had the flu. However, I pushed through as I really wanted to keep learning to cook (and I knew I wasn't actually sick) and made some beef kebabs for dinner. This was not entirely planned as I originally thought last night's dinner would last for two days, which it didn't. It was amazingly easy though! For some reason, I had always thought that making kebabs was really difficult, but this was a breeze- it was basically a question of combining all the ingredients in a bowl together, mixing and shaping.
The ingredients I used were:
300g (one packet) of minced beef
Half an onion, finely chopped
One teaspoon of garam masala
Half a teaspoon of cumin
One teaspoon of paprika
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped roughly
A handful of mint leaves, chopped roughly
A liberal sprinkling of salt (enough to enhance the flavour)
Metal skewers (technically not ingredients but they still help the meal to come together)
I emptied the packet of minced beef into a bowl. I then chopped half an onion (I used red, but I think green would work just as well), added that plus all the other ingredients into the bowl with the mince.
I mixed everything together thoroughly with my hands, making sure all the ingredients were well incorporated.
I then moulded the kebabs around the metal skewers, forming small sausage-like shapes (though they can be as large as you like), and laid them to rest in a tin foil dish.
I cooked them in an oven set to 190 degrees Celsius (it's probably best to pre heat the oven, though I didn't and they still turned out fine) and cooked them for 20 minutes. I assume they would probably take less time to cook if you pre heat the oven before hand. The cooking time may also be altered if you don't use metal skewers as they help heat the insides of the meat (because metal conducts heat, basic science, of course!).
As I said, it was really easy (even easier than last night's dinner!) and they tasted great! We ate them with some naan bread that we had in the house, though I think they would really compliment anything (especially pitta bread, cous cous or a salad). The only downside is that they didn't make very many- it only produced six small kebabs, which isn't really sufficient for a family of four, though you can easily overcome this by using more mince (though if you do double the amount of meat used don't double the spices, only add a bit more, as their flavours are pretty strong!).I definitely plan on making this again sometime soon; I only wish I had some pictures to show how good they looked!
The ingredients I used were:
300g (one packet) of minced beef
Half an onion, finely chopped
One teaspoon of garam masala
Half a teaspoon of cumin
One teaspoon of paprika
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped roughly
A handful of mint leaves, chopped roughly
A liberal sprinkling of salt (enough to enhance the flavour)
Metal skewers (technically not ingredients but they still help the meal to come together)
I emptied the packet of minced beef into a bowl. I then chopped half an onion (I used red, but I think green would work just as well), added that plus all the other ingredients into the bowl with the mince.
I mixed everything together thoroughly with my hands, making sure all the ingredients were well incorporated.
I then moulded the kebabs around the metal skewers, forming small sausage-like shapes (though they can be as large as you like), and laid them to rest in a tin foil dish.
I cooked them in an oven set to 190 degrees Celsius (it's probably best to pre heat the oven, though I didn't and they still turned out fine) and cooked them for 20 minutes. I assume they would probably take less time to cook if you pre heat the oven before hand. The cooking time may also be altered if you don't use metal skewers as they help heat the insides of the meat (because metal conducts heat, basic science, of course!).
As I said, it was really easy (even easier than last night's dinner!) and they tasted great! We ate them with some naan bread that we had in the house, though I think they would really compliment anything (especially pitta bread, cous cous or a salad). The only downside is that they didn't make very many- it only produced six small kebabs, which isn't really sufficient for a family of four, though you can easily overcome this by using more mince (though if you do double the amount of meat used don't double the spices, only add a bit more, as their flavours are pretty strong!).I definitely plan on making this again sometime soon; I only wish I had some pictures to show how good they looked!
Monday, 2 May 2016
Monday Night's Dinner: Pasta with Salmon and Pesto
I've decided that in order to successfully lead a truly healthy lifestyle I need to learn to cook properly for myself- I think this would make a huge difference in terms of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the long run. Today was my first attempt (in a while) at cooking something, so I decided to go with something that was pretty easy and I most likely wouldn't mess up. For me, the most 'challenging' aspect of the meal was cooking the salmon as this was completely new to me (I've made pasta multiple times over the past few years so that was virtually effortless), but it was very easy- all the instructions were on the back of the packet and it was really just a question of whacking it in the oven and leaving it there for around twenty minutes. Unfortunately, I'm not at the stage where I can make my own pesto, so that was shop bought, which did make the dish a whole lot more easy for me to make. I will definitely attempt to make my own pesto when I'm a bit more of an experienced cook.
As I said, the dish is super easy to make and it's also incredibly versatile. For example, you can use as much or as little pasta as you want or need, as well as whatever type of pasta you like (I mixed spaghetti, penne and fusilli, some of which was white and some of which was wholegrain). I suppose you can really add anything else you want (as well as the salmon and pesto); I'm a little sad that I couldn't find any appropriate vegetables to use- broccoli would have complemented this dish perfectly!
The ingredients I used were:
Pasta
Salmon
Shop bought pesto (which I'm sure could be very easily made at home if you're a better cook than I am. I'd actually recommend making it at home if you can)
and Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper to taste.
I baked the salmon first, following the instructions on the back of the packet (wrapped in foil for around 20 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius).
As soon as I put the salmon in the oven I set the water to boil in a pan, with a salt sprinkled liberally in the water. As soon as the water was boiling I added the pasta and left to cook for ten minutes.
I took the salmon out of the oven, unwrapped it from the foil and cut it into shreds. Almost immediately after cutting the salmon, I drained the pasta (after checking to see if it was done by tasting it to make sure it wasn't too hard).
I added the pesto to the pasta and mixed roughly, then added the salmon and mixed it slightly more thoroughly. I also added olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
As I have said multiple times, it was very easy, as you can evidently see from what I've written above. Not only that, but it tasted pretty good, and I got a lot of positive feedback from my family (though they were possibly just being polite). I'd recommend it as a starter recipe for people who want to learn to cook, it gets you off to a pretty good start as it's not challenging, yet it makes you feel like you've accomplished something pretty big.
As I said, the dish is super easy to make and it's also incredibly versatile. For example, you can use as much or as little pasta as you want or need, as well as whatever type of pasta you like (I mixed spaghetti, penne and fusilli, some of which was white and some of which was wholegrain). I suppose you can really add anything else you want (as well as the salmon and pesto); I'm a little sad that I couldn't find any appropriate vegetables to use- broccoli would have complemented this dish perfectly!
The ingredients I used were:
Pasta
Salmon
Shop bought pesto (which I'm sure could be very easily made at home if you're a better cook than I am. I'd actually recommend making it at home if you can)
and Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper to taste.
I baked the salmon first, following the instructions on the back of the packet (wrapped in foil for around 20 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius).
As soon as I put the salmon in the oven I set the water to boil in a pan, with a salt sprinkled liberally in the water. As soon as the water was boiling I added the pasta and left to cook for ten minutes.
I took the salmon out of the oven, unwrapped it from the foil and cut it into shreds. Almost immediately after cutting the salmon, I drained the pasta (after checking to see if it was done by tasting it to make sure it wasn't too hard).
I added the pesto to the pasta and mixed roughly, then added the salmon and mixed it slightly more thoroughly. I also added olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
As I have said multiple times, it was very easy, as you can evidently see from what I've written above. Not only that, but it tasted pretty good, and I got a lot of positive feedback from my family (though they were possibly just being polite). I'd recommend it as a starter recipe for people who want to learn to cook, it gets you off to a pretty good start as it's not challenging, yet it makes you feel like you've accomplished something pretty big.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Favourite Meals- January
Since I've decided to make some lifestyle changes which largely focus on my diet, I've decided to make monthly posts about the healthy meals and food I enjoyed eating, as a reminder when I'm stuck choosing what to eat.
Salmon, Couscous and Broccoli- This sounds like one of the most boring meals on the planet (at least to me). I thought I disliked both salmon and couscous, so I was shocked to find that I actually thoroughly enjoyed this meal- it was delicious! The salmon had a tasty glaze, honey and sweet chilli, I think, and the couscous had raw red onion. I feel that these really enhanced the flavour. Unfortunately I didn't make it myself so I can't post a recipe, though I'm sure there are plenty online!
Porridge with Blueberries and Honey- The creaminess of the porridge, the tartness of the blueberries and the sweetness of the honey all complement each other perfectly- this is almost dessert like! Plus it's incredibly simple to make- just make porridge (I might have cheated and used porridge out of a packet which is less healthy but possibly quicker to make) and add about a handful or two of blueberries (or however many you like really) and a drizzle of honey.
Hot water with honey and lime- OK, this isn't really a meal but it's so delicious and refreshing I had to include it. Like the porridge, the contrast of tartness and sweetness is what really makes this. I could literally drink this all the time!
Pitta Pizza- this was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. The 'recipe' can be very easily adapted to suit your tastes, which makes it even better. I used BBQ sauce as a sort of 'base,' then chucked mozzarella, turkey, broccoli and raw red onion on top. I'd have used other ingredients (such as peppers, rocket, mushrooms, some other meat etc.) too if they'd been available. I think this is definitely one of my favourite meals.
Salmon, Couscous and Broccoli- This sounds like one of the most boring meals on the planet (at least to me). I thought I disliked both salmon and couscous, so I was shocked to find that I actually thoroughly enjoyed this meal- it was delicious! The salmon had a tasty glaze, honey and sweet chilli, I think, and the couscous had raw red onion. I feel that these really enhanced the flavour. Unfortunately I didn't make it myself so I can't post a recipe, though I'm sure there are plenty online!
Porridge with Blueberries and Honey- The creaminess of the porridge, the tartness of the blueberries and the sweetness of the honey all complement each other perfectly- this is almost dessert like! Plus it's incredibly simple to make- just make porridge (I might have cheated and used porridge out of a packet which is less healthy but possibly quicker to make) and add about a handful or two of blueberries (or however many you like really) and a drizzle of honey.
Hot water with honey and lime- OK, this isn't really a meal but it's so delicious and refreshing I had to include it. Like the porridge, the contrast of tartness and sweetness is what really makes this. I could literally drink this all the time!
Pitta Pizza- this was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. The 'recipe' can be very easily adapted to suit your tastes, which makes it even better. I used BBQ sauce as a sort of 'base,' then chucked mozzarella, turkey, broccoli and raw red onion on top. I'd have used other ingredients (such as peppers, rocket, mushrooms, some other meat etc.) too if they'd been available. I think this is definitely one of my favourite meals.
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
Improved Confidence- January
I've decided that I'm going to make monthly posts up until I go to university (and possibly even beyond then) where I keep track of everything I've done in the month that has gone towards improving my confidence. These things would usually be stuff I wouldn't have normally done, but could also include things that made me feel much happier and gave me a better perspective on life. This will hopefully help me achieve my aim of improving my confidence over my gap year. These are the things I've done over January:
I also wanted to discuss these points in a bit more detail because I'm quite proud of myself this month. I started it out in the worst state. The effects of my time at university had finally caught up with me and had hit me with full force. I knew it was inevitable that I would feel very depressed about the fact that it had been a disaster and I had left while others were out there living it up and having the best time. I had been looking forward to the fun and freedom for years. Also, I had very little to do and it felt like my life had truly lost direction. The search for jobs was getting me down and the application process was incredibly draining. I felt so weak and fragile but I managed to pick myself up of the ground and keep on applying for jobs, even though it was sapping my energy. I realised I didn't have to take the application process too seriously- it was way more stressful that way. If I was lucky I'd get an interview but if not it didn't matter too much- more lie ins! After a few days I found I was feeling quite a bit better, which was great. I had more energy and I was happier- and I was proud of myself for actually getting past my fear for once.
I'd also told myself I would begin eating more healthily, after stuffing my face with crap for the entire month of December. I knew the food I was eating wasn't good for me at all, and it was best to try and stop before I found it more difficult to. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Initially it was hard, and I found it difficult to stop sugar, but then I suddenly found a wave of motivation. Since then, I've hardly had any cravings, which is actually a real surprise. I feel like I can do it and I'm determined to stick to it this time. I always end up giving up, and I really don't want that to be the case now. I actually want to make sure I see and feel the results. I'll keep updating as I progress, both as a way of celebrating my achievements and also keeping myself motivated.
- Pushed through a huge mood slump where I experienced a massive drop in confidence, picked myself up and kept going and applying for jobs even though I felt like there was no hope.
- Found a new wave of motivation that pushed me to carry on with my healthy lifestyle and completely resist temptation.
- Getting a job offer after appearing friendly and confident in an interview.
I also wanted to discuss these points in a bit more detail because I'm quite proud of myself this month. I started it out in the worst state. The effects of my time at university had finally caught up with me and had hit me with full force. I knew it was inevitable that I would feel very depressed about the fact that it had been a disaster and I had left while others were out there living it up and having the best time. I had been looking forward to the fun and freedom for years. Also, I had very little to do and it felt like my life had truly lost direction. The search for jobs was getting me down and the application process was incredibly draining. I felt so weak and fragile but I managed to pick myself up of the ground and keep on applying for jobs, even though it was sapping my energy. I realised I didn't have to take the application process too seriously- it was way more stressful that way. If I was lucky I'd get an interview but if not it didn't matter too much- more lie ins! After a few days I found I was feeling quite a bit better, which was great. I had more energy and I was happier- and I was proud of myself for actually getting past my fear for once.
I'd also told myself I would begin eating more healthily, after stuffing my face with crap for the entire month of December. I knew the food I was eating wasn't good for me at all, and it was best to try and stop before I found it more difficult to. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Initially it was hard, and I found it difficult to stop sugar, but then I suddenly found a wave of motivation. Since then, I've hardly had any cravings, which is actually a real surprise. I feel like I can do it and I'm determined to stick to it this time. I always end up giving up, and I really don't want that to be the case now. I actually want to make sure I see and feel the results. I'll keep updating as I progress, both as a way of celebrating my achievements and also keeping myself motivated.
Monday, 11 January 2016
Healthy Lifestyle
I decided that once the Christmas period was over it was time to start really working on adopting a healthier lifestyle, especially where eating is concerned. Since this blog focuses on keeping me motivated, I will be documenting my lifestyle changes and the effects these have on me. Each week I'll set myself a realistic goal that I'll try to stick to for at least the week, until I manage to transition to a healthier lifestyle- this week it's simply to get used to eating healthily after all my Christmas indulgences. I'm hoping to be realistic with this diet- no food is forbidden but less healthy foods are limited. I definitely don't intend cutting them out all together, I really don't think that will be sustainable. I'm also trying to do a little bit of exercise (Wii Zumba- it's fun and super effective!), but again. I'm trying not to push myself too hard with it. I want to be able to keep it up, and I won't if I'm constantly making myself tired and worn out. Though I'd rather focus on the health benefits of my lifestyle changes, it would be nice to lose a bit of weight too, so I'm taking photos of my body regularly (either monthly or fortnightly) in order to track my progress and keep myself motivated. I'm also hoping to gain a clearer mind, better concentration and focus, feel happier, have more energy and clear my eczema up at least a bit. I'll try and post frequently about how I'm doing with these changes, and whether I've gained anything from it. I'm also thinking about doing posts about meals I've enjoyed over the month, which will help me remember what I liked eating so I can have it again. I might post recipes of the ones I make, too.
It's been around a week since I started making the transition and I think I've done OK. I haven't completely stopped sugar but I've cut it down a lot, and I'm eating much more healthily (three meals a day with minimal snacking in between). I've even managed to incorporate a bit of exercise into my routine. I think I've been fairly successful in achieving m goal this week. As for effects I don't think I've lost any weight, my eczema isn't much better and I don't feel like my energy levels have increased that much, but I couldn't expect drastic changes in such a short space of time. One thing I have noticed, however, is that I feel a bit happier. Before this I was feeling really down, but I've found a second wave of strength and right not I feel better than I thought I would. I wonder is this is down to my dietary changes?
My goal for next week is to stop sugar for the week.
It's been around a week since I started making the transition and I think I've done OK. I haven't completely stopped sugar but I've cut it down a lot, and I'm eating much more healthily (three meals a day with minimal snacking in between). I've even managed to incorporate a bit of exercise into my routine. I think I've been fairly successful in achieving m goal this week. As for effects I don't think I've lost any weight, my eczema isn't much better and I don't feel like my energy levels have increased that much, but I couldn't expect drastic changes in such a short space of time. One thing I have noticed, however, is that I feel a bit happier. Before this I was feeling really down, but I've found a second wave of strength and right not I feel better than I thought I would. I wonder is this is down to my dietary changes?
My goal for next week is to stop sugar for the week.
Monday, 9 November 2015
Brownies
I had been wanting to make this post for some time but didn't quite get round to it since I've had a few other things that were a bit more urgent that needed doing.
One of the first things I did when I got back to help me settle into my new routine was make brownies. I had decided that I would work on improving my cooking, especially focusing of healthy (or healthier) dishes. I had seen a recipe online for healthier brownies that I had been wanting to try out for a while, mostly to see if it tasted as good as the recipe claimed it did. We happened to have (mostly) the right ingredients in the house, so I thought I'd give making these brownies a go. I'm not the best cook so I was a bit apprehensive about these, especially since they are egg-less, flour-less and sugar-less, but they were surprisingly good! Actually they were pretty damn delicious, and I really enjoyed them. I'll link the recipe I used for these in this post, but they consisted primarily of banana and peanut butter, which is not really something you would think of when it came to brownies.
These basically mimicked brownies very closely- they had a very similar texture (though they were less cakey since no flour was used), and the same chewyness that is one of the key characteristics of brownies. Those things alone made for a pretty tasty treat. They also tasted very similar to real brownies, though the banana taste comes through a bit. It's not dominant, though, so it still feels like you're eating brownies. They were a nice brown colour, though they were a bit burnt around the edges since the mixture didn't make much and ended up thinning out around the sides. I'm pretty sure that's happened to me with real brownies before. They were also amazingly easy to make- I just chucked all the ingredients into a food processor and blended until smooth, poured out the mixture into a baking tray then left it in the oven to bake. The only problem with my brownies is that I used sweetened cocoa powder instead of cacao (it's really expensive!) and processed peanut butter instead of raw peanut butter as the recipe states, so the brownies were less healthy than they should have been, and I'm not sure if they would have tasted as good if I'd used these ingredients.
Having said that, I'm really pleased with this recipe, and proud of myself for make something (kind of) healthy that tasted really nice and that I enjoyed eating. This is relatively rare for me! I would have posted pictures, but they wouldn't have done the brownies justice- they tasted much better than they looked. I've also eaten most of them. I'll definitely make them again though, and this time I'll try and use the healthier ingredients.
Recipe: http://www.loveyourselfgreen.com/2015/01/double-chocolate-grain-free-brownies-100-flourless/
One of the first things I did when I got back to help me settle into my new routine was make brownies. I had decided that I would work on improving my cooking, especially focusing of healthy (or healthier) dishes. I had seen a recipe online for healthier brownies that I had been wanting to try out for a while, mostly to see if it tasted as good as the recipe claimed it did. We happened to have (mostly) the right ingredients in the house, so I thought I'd give making these brownies a go. I'm not the best cook so I was a bit apprehensive about these, especially since they are egg-less, flour-less and sugar-less, but they were surprisingly good! Actually they were pretty damn delicious, and I really enjoyed them. I'll link the recipe I used for these in this post, but they consisted primarily of banana and peanut butter, which is not really something you would think of when it came to brownies.
These basically mimicked brownies very closely- they had a very similar texture (though they were less cakey since no flour was used), and the same chewyness that is one of the key characteristics of brownies. Those things alone made for a pretty tasty treat. They also tasted very similar to real brownies, though the banana taste comes through a bit. It's not dominant, though, so it still feels like you're eating brownies. They were a nice brown colour, though they were a bit burnt around the edges since the mixture didn't make much and ended up thinning out around the sides. I'm pretty sure that's happened to me with real brownies before. They were also amazingly easy to make- I just chucked all the ingredients into a food processor and blended until smooth, poured out the mixture into a baking tray then left it in the oven to bake. The only problem with my brownies is that I used sweetened cocoa powder instead of cacao (it's really expensive!) and processed peanut butter instead of raw peanut butter as the recipe states, so the brownies were less healthy than they should have been, and I'm not sure if they would have tasted as good if I'd used these ingredients.
Having said that, I'm really pleased with this recipe, and proud of myself for make something (kind of) healthy that tasted really nice and that I enjoyed eating. This is relatively rare for me! I would have posted pictures, but they wouldn't have done the brownies justice- they tasted much better than they looked. I've also eaten most of them. I'll definitely make them again though, and this time I'll try and use the healthier ingredients.
Recipe: http://www.loveyourselfgreen.com/2015/01/double-chocolate-grain-free-brownies-100-flourless/
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Making the most of my free time
Since leaving university I have an abundance of free time, in which I have chosen to work on improving certain hobbies and pass times of mine (at least until I get a full time job). I just feel like I need to be doing something productive with my time, and I think that this will really help with my self development. I have certain things that I have prioritised, such as reapplying to university and finding a job, and I will also be doing most of the housework now (I'm very grateful to my parents for supporting me through the whole process and letting me come home immediately when I wanted to), but rather than waste the rest of my time binge watching Netflix, I thought it would be character building to focus on improving on activities I already enjoy. I will probably still do a bit of Netflix binge watching.
These activities include:
These activities include:
- Drawing- I like drawing but I have always wanted to be better at it and learn how draw more realistically. I've decided to choose something to draw and follow some online tutorials and persist at it until I'm really happy with it (if I'm actually ever happy with it). I'll post the progress and results to this blog.
- Playing guitar- I've been playing guitar on and off for years now. I've never been particularly good at it, though I've always wanted to be. Maybe if I stuck at it I'd be a lot better at it. This time I'm going to try and stick at it and see where it gets me.
- Cooking- I generally want to improve my diet actually. I'd like to be healthier and ultimately aim to clear up my eczema as best I can. It would be much easier to achieve a healthy diet if I could cook well and make healthy food, so I've decided to do that too. Again, I'll blog about my progress with this, and share my favourite recipes.
- Reading- technically this isn't something that I want to improve as such, but I do want to read more widely, and to read things that I wouldn't usually read for leisure. My aim is to basically never be without a book.
- Writing- I want to write more. I've always wanted to write more. That's why I've set up this blog, in order to encourage me to do so. I haven't really had the confidence and I've never known where to start either, so I think this blog is a good starting point.
- Hair and make up- this one is pretty frivolous, but I thought it would be pretty fun nevertheless. I know there's more to life than looks, but I think it would be nice to see what I can do with my appearance too, and it would be awesome to learn some hair and make up skills. It's not a priority, but it might make me feel a little better in some way. I'm focusing on the inside, but it might be nice to give a bit of thought to the outside too.
I'm going to try and bog about these activities- for the moment this is most likely what I will focus on in my blog posts. I'm quite pleased with my progress so far- I've filled in quite a bit of my UCAS form and I'm beginning my personal statement (this was a great source of anxiety for me but it's far less terrifying than I thought it would be), I've already started reading Jane Eyre, I'm practising a song on the guitar and I've made healthy brownies which tasted fantastic! Oh, and I set up a blog and made two posts :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)