Hello peeps
I hope you are all well.
I feel like I have gone a bit overboard with all the baking on here recently, so I thought it was time for a savoury post. When the weather starts getting colder, I really look forward to something warm for dinner (much less salads) and something that is cooked for a long time, like chilli, makes me feel even warmer.
The other weekend I had an afternoon of batch cooking, so my freezer has been well stocked for evening meals.
On of my favourite meals for this time of year is mexican casserole. I based it on Angela’s fantastic recipe, but mine is quicker. Sometimes I have it with spinach, sometimes topped with cheese, but my favourite way at the moment is with an avocado (and squirt that with a little lime juice). I make 3 or 4 portions at a time, and freeze the rest in little foil tubs so they can be defrosted in the week.
Bean wraps are so easy to make (and as a bonus, Andy loves them so it is a meal we can both eat together). They are also so quick, as the filling takes about ten minutes, then once you put them in the wraps they only need to warm through in the oven. Serve with a salad, and it is a speedy midweek meal. These ones had goats cheese in them, but often we use a little cheddar in there- it melts when they heat through- delicious.
I love cooking with quinoa- it seems very filling, and is easier than rice, plus it has a bit of flavour. But I like the idea of a risotto too, so I combined the too to make a quin-sotto. Last weekend I roasted a little pumpkin, chopped some sundried tomatoes and added these in to some cooked quinoa- I stirred a little pumpkin puree through the quinoa, and some rosemary too, as that goes so well with pumpkin/ squash. Topped with goats cheese- I promise it was nicer than it looks! This made 2 portions, so I froze one.
I also love chickpea stew. Anything like this is perfect to adapt because you use whatever veggies you like/ have on hand. I had some butternut squash left, so I roasted that with some red and yellow peppers and courgettes, then put it in a pan with tinned tomatoes, drained chickpeas, a little chilli and a tbs ground almonds. I would usually have it with some crackers or oat cakes or something- but I had to use pumpkin seed ryvita as that was all I had. It made about 4 portions I think, and the rest I froze in plastic “cups” (the ones with the screw on lids)- because I heat it in a pan once defrosted.
One of our favourite meals to have together is sausage and bean bake– we cook it together in a pan, then divide it in to two dishes to bake- I used to have veggie sausages, but they stopped doing the ones I liked (they were red pepper and courgette ones- I don’t like the pretend meat ones) so now I just have it with the beans. But it is an easy meal for both of us to have, as it starts off the same, so we often go for that.
Well, that should be enough savoury foods for now.
I have just realised that I have used a purple plate in each picture- we have 3 colours, green, blue and purple. The green is my favourite, but I try not to use them all the time as I think the colours fade. I will have green or purple, but never blue. I think that makes me sound a bit strange. I have certain cups for certain drinks too, and most of my cups are slightly smaller, and Andy’s cups are mostly huge. Is that just me?
On to the exciting news! I got an email today saying that my blog is featured (on a big list, but still, featured) on the Sainsbury’s corporate website- here. I managed to distract myself for quite a while today looking at some of the other blogs listed, and it is always nice to hear that someone likes reading my rambles! Plus the picture they used (I think) are of my stollen whirls- I will be looking forward to making them again soon.
I gave aerobics a miss on Tuesday (due to feeling dizzy) and missed my Sweatshop run on Wednesday, as I felt a little off that day, and there are loads of germs going around work, so I thought I had better be sensible. Tonight I was hoping to go to body pump, but I have a massive headache now, so I am not going to book on until that has gone. Honestly this week has not gone how I pictured it. Ah well, hopefully tomorrow (or tonight) I can get back to my normal routine.
Any exciting news to share? Do you have a favourite plate/ cup? Or use certain bowls etc for certain meals?
Yay! Congrats on being featured 😀
I do indeed have favourite plates and cups (both of which are massive – I should probably follow the whole ‘eat from small plates and trick yourself iinto eating less’ rule :P) but my main obsession is with a particular teeny-tiny spoon. Eating with any other spoon just isn’t the same – I need my little spoon so I can make things last as long as possible, plus taking smaller bites helps my sensitive stomach a lot so I don’t gulp down air by eating like a hoover! I think there was also a study that showed that people who ate their food from blue plates ate less – perhaps you should send me that spare blue plate of yours if you don’t want it!
xxx
Thanks 🙂
I have cutlery I prefer too- I like the bigger teaspoons for taking the teabags out, and smaller ones for eating things with (like yoghurt etc).
Oh wow how exciting! Congrats!
I always drink from the same glass. I have a pint glass as I always drink so much water with meals and throughout the day if I’m home, probably not especially healthy I suppose.
Drinking water is really good for you-I have a big glass for water, but it is not a pint- its 330ml (I know because when I have a carton of coconut water it fills it right up).
🙂
That’s brilliant, congratulations! I’ll have to go and check the list out 🙂
Those dinners all look good, quick is the way forward during the week, and goats’ cheese is always amazing.
Sorry you’ve not been feeling well, hope you can shake it off soon x
Yes- under the “g” there are a lot of gluten free ones too. I did get very distracted by looking at quite a few of them!
Hoping you feel better! Lots of yummy hearty winter food here! I have two special bowls which I use for breakfasts, but only I use them!
Congrats on your blog feature! Loving your savory dishes x x
Ooh, that is exciting!! What an honour! 🙂
I did a chickpea stew the other week, when we’d just got in from the cinema, it was cold and we were starving….we were eating 20 minutes later! Just divine, and very healthy. Can’t go wrong with a can of chickpeas. Sorry to mention the competition (!) but Tesco have a special on them at the moment – the East End brand you can get in the ethnic food aisle, 4 cans for £1!