The weekend I turned 30.....{Fish Pie Stew}

Well I made it to 30. Amazing! I had a fantastic weekend with lots of fun and laughter and I can honestly say I feel very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

So now that the celebrating is over its time for me to put my head down and overhaul my lifestyle a bit. I have been trying to loose weight for so long and I always put it off or had an excuse. Time to get focused and get exercising!

This is a new-ish recipe that has become a really nice staple evening meal. I started off by making the original but I've changed it around a bit to make it a really nice alternative to fish pie, It's also much less time consuming so there's that as well...

Fish Pie Stew 

Inspired from the recipe here 

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

3 sticks of celery, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

175ml white wine

300ml chicken stock or vegetable stock if you prefer

1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp cold water

200g raw prawns 

300g fish pie selection (the one I used had smoked haddock, cod and salmon)

small bunch flat leave parsley, chopped

300ml half-fat crème fraîche

150g new potatoes, already boiled and slightly squashed with a fork

heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion and celery until soft. add the garlic and cook for another minute them pour in the wine and simmer until most has disappeared. p

our in the stock and cornflour mix and simmer for 5-10 mins, stirring often until thickened. season, then add the fish, new potatoes and most of the parsley. simmer for a few mins until piping hot, then stir in the crème fraîche. serve with a sprinkling of parsley. you could have this with some bread, but I find that the addition of potatoes makes this plenty filling. 

Healthy Weekday Meal #14.........{Miso Salmon with Stir Fry Veg}

This is one of those great meals that takes next to no time to throw together and cooks really quickly as well. Inspired by a meal that my friend Paul ate when we met up for a drink the other day (non-alcoholic for me). Do what I do and buy some of the pouches of microwavable brown rice (50p in Sainsburys) and save yourself even more time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm training hard at the moment and the amount I am exercising has increased beyond recognition. Healthy eating supports all that I am doing and so this meal I have found to be perfect when coming in from a run or a swim - gets to your plate fast and fills you up nicely whilst being extremely good for you! Play around with the veg in this, Paul's one had red peppers in it which as H hates them I didn't bother with but they would work well! The Sriracha adds the heat so add more or less depending on how spicy you want it, this had a nice kick! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miso Salmon with Stir Fry Vegetables

 

2 salmon fillets

 

for the marinade:

4 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp. Sriracha

1 1/2 tsp. miso paste

 

1 tbsp. coconut oil

4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

4 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 carrot, sliced into ribbons (I used a peeler to do this)

1/2 head of broccoli, sliced into florets

fresh ginger, thumb sized piece finely grated

leaves of 2 pak choi

 

to serve - brown rice (or whatever rice you like or noodles)!

 

place all the ingredients of the marinade in a bowl and whisk together. place the salmon into a oven proof dish and cover with half of the marinade. cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven at about 200oC for about 20mins until the salmon is cooked (I uncovered it for the last 5 mins so the marinade went nice and glazed). In the mean time warm the coconut oil in a wok and then add all of the vegetables apart from the pak choi and cook for a few minutes. add the remaining marinade and the pak choi and cook for a further 4 minutes or so until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. serve over brown rice with the salmon on top.

 

 

Healthy Weekday Meal #13........{Chicken and Sweet Potato Chilli}

For  a while now I have been seeing lots various posts for turkey and sweet potato chilli - and for a while I have been intending to give it a go. When I got in from work yesterday I was going for a run so I wanted to make something that was quick and healthy so I could devour it when I got back form said run. I didn't have any turkey mince but I did have some chicken so I just ground that up in my food processor and it worked just as well. You can do what I did and blend up all the sweet potato for quite a thick chili or you can keep half as chunks and just blend the other half. Both seem to work.  

Chicken and Sweet Potato Chilli

400 - 500g chicken breasts, blended until small chunks / or just use turkey mince

1 onion, sliced 

3 cloves garlic, finely diced 

2 dsp chilli powder (i used hot but you can use medium if preferred)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried red chilli flakes (optional)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 medium sweet potatoes , diced (i kept the skins on but you can peel if you want)

400g tinned chopped tomatoes 

2 fresh tomatoes, diced

200g black beans, drained (alternatively use kidney beans)

300ml chicken stock

water

S&P

Greek yoghurt to serve 

in a tbsp of olive oil cook the chicken, onion, garlic and spices until chicken is browned and onions are soft, make sure you season well. I added a bit of water at this stage to keep the mixture moist. remove from pan. add the sweet potatoes to the pan and cover with the stock (add some extra water if you need to) then let boil until soft. blend the potatoes and stock until smooth. Add back in the pan with the chicken and onions and the tin of tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. simmer and add some water until you have the desired consistency. after 10 minutes add the beans  and cook for a further 10 minutes, season. Serve with a dollop of greek yoghurt. You can serve it with rice or a salad and avocado but I found it filling enough on its own! 

SOmetimes good food isn't pretty...........{tomato zoodles}

 

 

As a (sorta) food blogger I sometimes find myself stuck on whether or not to post a recipe as the photos don't make it look the best or its just not a "pretty" recipe and sometimes food just isn't that pretty. But then I didn't start this blog to be popular, or pretty. I just wanted to make tasty food, share my love of flavours and perhaps inspire a few people in their kitchens. So these zoodles are quick easy and really tasty. Like all my zoodle recipes the sauce would taste just as good if it went over some spaghetti or pasta.

Cherry Tomato Zoodles

2 tbsp. olive oil
120g cherry tomatoes - I used red and yellow, cut into halves and quarters
2 tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and squashed down but kept whole
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. tomato puree
S&P
1 tbsp. parmesan, grated
2 courgettes (zucchini), spiralized to make noodles

warm olive oil in the pan and add in the onion, cook until softened and then add in the garlic clove. when fragrant add in the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and cook through for 10 minutes. Add in the tomato puree to thicken the sauce. season. add in the zoodles and cook through for a few minutes. sprinkle over and serve. 

I served this alongside a stuffed mushroom and it was lovely

The Man Made Food.........{Greek Style Lemon Chicken & Rice}

You know how it is, you're late leaving work, the man calls and asks what time you will be home. When you tell them that you've only just left you can hear his brain whirring as he realises that it will be a long while before dinner is made, so he actually offers to cook. To be fair to H, if I wasn't such a little chef I'm sure he would do more cooking but when I love it so much he kind of just lets me get on with it.... what can I say, he irons my creased shirts - it works for us. It was a lovely meal, all cooked in one pot (bonus) and pretty healthy as we are trying  to eat more healthily and I am trying to loose quite a bit of weight. We ate this out in the garden which was just lovely. He is lovely. How lucky I am.

 This recipe is adapted from RecipeTin Eats which is fast becoming a favourite blog of mine!

Greek Style Lemon Chicken and Rice

for the marinade:
5 - 7 chicken thighs / legs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp dried oregano
1tsp salt

for the rice:
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup long grain rice
500ml chicken stock
200ml water
1 tbsp. dried oregano
lemon quarters
S&P

take the chicken and marinade ingredients and combine them in a bowl. cover and refrigerate - H left it for a couple of hours but the original recipe suggests overnight. heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy based pan and place the chicken in skin down. brown both sides of the meat and then remove from pan and set aside. add a tbsp. of olive oil to the pan and cook the onions until translucent then add the garlic. after a minute add in the rice, reserved marinade from the chicken, the oregano and the stock and water. bring the pan to a simmer , season and then place the chicken on top of the rice. put lid on the pan and then cook covered for 40 minutes (180oC)  then take the lid of and cook for a further 15 minutes. serve - we served with some broccoli which was lovely.



Linking up with Honest Mum for #tastytuesdays

My type of comfort food........{Spicy Lentils}

I'm really getting back into healthy eating thing - I've found that using My Fitness Pal and Instagram to record my progress really does make a difference and helps keep my on track - I do well with accountability! Last night I was feeling hungry but really just wanted something quite light but I was also tired and when I'm tired I crave all the comfort foods! So in lieu of a steaming bowl of mash potato I went for I nice healthy bowl of lentils. This can be served as a side dish but last night we let it be the star of the show and served it with a warmed pitta and a bit of Greek yoghurt. They are also great the next day - I had mine for lunch!

Spicy Lentils 

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced 

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced
approx. 350g green lentils (this would work well for red lentils too, although you may have to amend quantities)

1 tin plum tomatoes

250ml water

1 fresh tomato, diced  

in a little olive oil add the onions, carrot and chilli to a pan, once softened add the garlic for a minute or so before adding in the lentils. stir and make sure the lentils are coated in the vegetable juices and then add the tomatoes and water. simmer for 20-30 minutes until lentils are softened. and yes, its that easy 

A summer soup........{Watercress Soup}

I get so into soups in the summer - so fresh and light and easy! My favourite kind of summer soup is watercress! British watercress is just wonderful and I like to use it as much as possible whilst it is in season. This soup is a really simple and tasty way to highlight the peppery tones of this versatile salad leaf. I’ve kept this one a little bit chunky but you can always blend it until it’s really smooth (and bright green in colour)! Parmesan crisps are so simple but look great – your guests are bound to be impressed when you serve them! You can also serve this hot or cold - its up to you!

Watercress Soup with Parmesan Crisps

1 tbsp unsalted butter
300g watercress, chopped (make sure the stalks are finely chopped and the leaves just roughly chopped)
2 leeks, finely chopped
3 Cyprus potatoes (or other baby potatoes) finely chopped
 500ml chicken or vegetable stock 
Double cream 

75g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 

For the parmesan crisps – line a baking tray with grease proof paper. Take the grated cheese and make rounded mounds (they don’t spread too much so you can make the circles quite close together). Pop in the oven (200°C) for 10 minutes or until they are nicely golden. Allow to cool before serving. 

For the soup - Melt the butter and add in the leek and potatoes, cook until soft and the leeks are going translucent. Add in the watercress and stock and simmer for around 10 minutes. Take off the heat and then blend until you have the consistency you like. Add in a splash of cream and season. Serve with a swirl of cream and with the parmesan crisps on the side.

Healthy Weekday Meal #11..........{Fish Tacos with Avocado and Mango Salsa)

Sometimes it's really hard to get back into the swing of things after a holiday and this blog has probably been the biggest casualty of my holiday blues. Oh how I miss the sun and sea and food of Italy. At some point I will actually get round to doing a post on our time there but until then i have a lovely healthy fish taco recipe for you which is perfect after a week of eating a lot of pasta!

Fish Tacos with Avocado and Mango Salsa

selection of fish - I used a piece of cod and a couple of handfuls of raw prawns 

2 limes

2 large tomatoes, diced 

1 medium avocado, diced

1 red onion, diced

1/2 red chilli, finely diced

1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped 

1/2 mango, cubed

lettuce leaves

mini tortillas 

season the fish and squeeze over juice of 1/2 lime, cook of in the coconut oil and leave aside to cool. in separate bowl mix together the tomatoes, avocado, onion, chilli, coriander and mango. season and squeeze over the juice of 1 lime. warm the tortillas in a dry pan. take the tortilla wrap, add a handful of lettuce leaves, a couple of spoonfuls of the salsa and then top with the fish (which i shredded up a bit). Serve 

Healthy weekday meal #10.......{carrot & Coriander soup}

Hello lovelies, did we all have a good weekend? H was away so I enjoyed a very peaceful weekend and got lots of chores done and went for a couple of runs. It was lovely but it was very nice when he returned home to me, albeit a little worse for wear.

Whilst cleaning out the fridge I found many carrots, and some coriander lurking at the back of the fridge. So a lovely, flavoursome and healthy soup was made. It's very filling as well which makes it a really great option when like me you are trying to be good!

Carrot and Coriander Soup

700g carrots, diced 
1 tbsp butter
1 dsp coriander seeds
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 pints chicken stock (use vegetable if you prefer)
3 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp creme fraiche

dry toast the coriander seeds in a pan for a couple of minutes and then roughly grind them in pestle & mortar or spice grinder. melt the butter in a pan and add the coriander seeds, garlic and carrots. cover and leave to soften for 15 mins. uncover, add stock and season and bring to boil. turn heat down and simmer for 20 mins. liquidise, put back in pan and stir in the coriander leaves and creme fraiche. once all warmed through serve with a swirl of creme fraiche 

When your BBF goes on a holiday......{Thai Seafood Salad}

 

 

So my wonderful bestie Paul decided to go and spend a month in Laos, lucky thing! Although I missed him desperately, I loved that every few days he managed to find the time to send me pictures such as these;

 

 

 

Hard life huh?! He also sent me a recipe - the boy knows me too well! He proclaimed it the best salad he had ever eaten so I had to give it a go myself - it was delicious with lovely fresh flavours which are perfect for the summer. I changed a few things, his version had mint leaves instead of coriander and the shallots were in the salad not in the dressing, but hey recipes are meant to be played around with. How lucky I am that even when half way across the world lovely Paul things of me and this little blog of mine! And whilst I love the photos and food stories and the fact he is having amazing experiences I am so very pleased that he is home safe and sound, he has been missed.

 

 

 

 

 

Paul's Thai style Seafood Salad

 

 

salad:
 

2 gem lettuces, roughly chopped 

small bunch of coriander, chopped

3 spring onions, sliced

200g cooked basmati rice

1 dsp coconut oil

3 squid, cut into rings

10 unpeeled raw prawns (shell on)

dressing:
 

4tbsp fish sauce

1 shallot, very finely sliced

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 1/2 lemons (or limes), juice of

1 dsp light brown sugar

 

 

put all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix together. warm coconut oil and toast the rice - you want to be scraping it off the pan so it looks crusty and it is more flaky then rice grains - don't be scared you need to just stand by the pan and keep on scraping and stirring. remove from pan and set aside. in the same pan cook the seafood, this takes no time at all about 5 mins for the prawns and 3 mins for the squid. take the salad vegetables and herbs and toss in a large bowl with 1/2 the dressing. and the toasted rice. divide the salad in two bowls and top with the seafood and the remaining dressing. Eat outside, dreaming of warmer climates and beautiful beaches!

Today I'm linking up with the lovely Miriam at Farm girl

For the many times we are time poor.............{enchilada bake}

Everyone needs a few "cheat meals" up their sleeve - you know the ones where you grab a few ingredients from jars and packets and make some thing that's pretty tasty and easy. This is one of those meals. I'm not trying to claim its the most natural and homemade meal in the world but it is a damn tasty dinner and its just too easy to make! And by using no bread and brown rice its healthier than your usual enchiladas. I've made this both with the chicken and chorizo but it also tastes just as good without. You can also substitute the rice for quinona as the original recipe that I got the inspiration for this dish from!

Enchilada Bake

(inspiration for this dish came from Damn Delcious)

2 chicken breasts (optional)
50g chorizo (optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder 
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 onion, diced 
250g cooked brown rice
200g (1 tin) black beans 
260g (1 tin) sweetcorn 
bunch of coriander, roughly chopped 
1 jar enchilada sauce (I use Discovery)
half jar green (or red) jalapenos
150g Grated cheese, i use a mixture of cheddar and hard mozzarella 

If using chicken and chorizo cook that off and remove from the pan. Add the onions with the spices and cook off in a little olive oil, when soft add in the chorizo and chicken if using, brown rice, jalapenos, beans, sweetcorn and half the coriander, half the cheese and the sauce. mix it all together and then top with remaining cheese. Place in oven for around 20-30 mins until hot all the way through and cheese melted. Serve with remaining coriander, avocado and tomatoes. 

Linking up with Vicky at Honest Mum

Healthy Weekday Meal #8 ...........{ham & mushroom coodles/zoodles!}

Spiralizing - it's a craze that you just can't get away from at the moment - it's everywhere. And my oh my I'm jumping on the bandwagon with gusto! I'm pretty focused on changing my diet for the better and I love the fact that by making "coodles" (because I'm English not American) I can make my favourite pasta dishes but they are so much healthier and low carb. This is a old favourite for me and it works really well with the courgette noodles. If you don't have a spiralizer then you can use a peeler to make ribbons, and if you did want to have pasta, add in the courgettes to the sauce and then serve over pasta.

Ham and Mushroom Coodles

1 onion, sliced

75g chestnut mushrooms sliced

3 courgettes, spiralized into noodles / or sliced using peeler (If you are serving this with pasta you only need 1 courgette)

2 good handfuls sliced ham, or you could use pancetta or parma ham

4 tbsp low fat creme fraiche

grated Parmesan

sweat of the onion in a tbsp of olive oil until soft. add in the mushrooms and courgette noodles and cook for five mins or so - the mushrooms should absorb the moisture released by the noodles. stir in the creme fraiche, ham and a couple of tbsp of Parmesan cheese and cook of a few minutes before seasoning and then serving.

Healthy Weekday Meal #7.........{my copy of Pret's Chicken, Edamame & Ginger Soup}

I have got really lazy the past couple of weeks - I had my birthday and then a couple of busy and tense weeks at work. This all led to me not having time to run and to eat well and to nourish (and of course no time to blog). I think when things like this happen you have to let it go a bit. Take a deep breath and just start it up again. The more I beat myself up about it the more I'm admitting defeat.
 

Working in London it's really easy to pop out and get lunch and we have a pret a manger around the corner from the office (like most offices in London I guess). I love pret especially their soups - my favourite is the Chicken, endame bean and ginger soup. But dang it gets expensive and I'm enjoying spending my earnings on clothes the size smaller. So I did what any self respecting wannabe blogger would do. I looked online, found the list of ingredients and then just kind of figured out what sort of amounts I wanted of each ingredients.

And so soup was made and now I have healthy soup everyday. The ginger makes it really healing too, so this is great if you have a cold. And it tastes good.Next to figure out their Asian Pepper.... 

(Forgive my really loose measures, I really did just throw this together)

Chicken, edamame and ginger soup 

1 large Spanish onion, diced  
couple of handfuls of cooked chicken, shredded 
a large piece of ginger (size of an egg, or a banana shallot), peeled and then half grated and half finely sliced 
2 large or 4 small tomatoes, diced
small handful uncooked brown rice 
2 pints chicken stock 
couple of handfuls frozen edamame (soya) beans 

in a bit of coconut oil cook off the onion until softened. Add in the ginger and cook until fragrant. Add in the chicken, tomatoes and rice and let them all get coated in the flavours. Pour over the stock, bring to the boil then turn down to simmer. After 20 minutes add in the edamame and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Then its ready. Just keep in the fridge and dip into it as and when you fancy! 

40 Days of Fitness.......... {Thai Red Prawn Curry}

 

 

 

 

 

So Sunday is a day of rest on 40 Days of Fitness although yesterday I went on my first run with H. Feeling pretty proud of myself and I loved finally being able to run with him! The programme suggested that rather than a roast we have a healthier Thai red chicken curry. We don't really do roasts in our house but we love Thai curry so rather than use shop bought paste I rustled up my own and used prawns and veg rather rather than chicken as I'm trying to use up bits in my freezer but the paste can be used with any protein combination. Making your own pastes are quick and easy and really are much more flavoursome and fresh - give it a go.

 

Thai Red Prawn Curry

for the paste:
2 red chillies, chopped
4 cloves garlic
thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
1 TSP paprika
1 lime, juice
1 TBSP fish sauce
1 TSP sugar
2 TBSP coriander stalks

for the curry:
coconut oil
1 red onion, sliced
4 baby aubergines, cut into chunks
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
150g raw king prawns
100g small peeled prawns
couple of handfuls soya beans
2 TBSP Coriander leaves, chopped 
1 lime, juice

to serve:
brown rice
lime wedges, sliced red chilli and some coriander  

place all of the paste ingredients in a blender and blend until a smooth paste. heat the coconut oil in the pan and place in the onions, cook until soft and then add in the aubergines and peppers, cook until aubergines have softened. add in the paste and coast all of the vegetables. add in the coconut mil, fill the tin up with water and add that in as well. bring to boil and then turn down to simmer. add in the prawns, soya beans, coriander and lime juice and then leave to simmer for 10 minutes or so until prawns are cooked through. serve over rice in lovely deep bowls  

 

 

 

Healthy Weekday Meal #6........{Spicy Lentils and Baked Cod}

This dinner came about by using up things that were in my cupboard, fridge and freezer. And boy were they tasty. A healthy and nutritious dinner that really didn't take long to throw together. I share the recipe so you can bung it together yourself! Don't feel limited by the cod you could serve the lentils with salmon, chicken, pork etc the options are limitless!  

Spicy Lentils and Baked Cod

250g dried green lentils, rinsed and soaked overnight

1 TBSP coconut oil

1 red onion, finely chopped 

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated 

handful of fresh coriander, chopped  

2 TSP dried red chillies 

1 TSP cumin

1/2 TSP chilli powder 

3 large tomatoes, diced 

vegetable / chicken stock 

2 fillets of cod (or however many you need)

slices of fresh lemon / lime 

melt your coconut oil in a pan and then add in the onions. once they have softened add in the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and peppers. after a couple of minutes add in the lentils, the remaining spices and the coriander and make sure that the lentils are coated in all the flavours. cover with stock and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and season. continue to simmer until the lentils have soften, although i do like them to retain a bit of bite - personal preferences people! in the meantime quite simply season your cod and bake in foil/greaseproof paper parcel in the oven for 20minutes or so. Serve the cod on the lentils and sprinkle with a bit of coriander and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice! 

These lentils taste even better the next day - I had them for my dinner with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt. Yummy!    

Healthy Weekday Meal #5..........{Creamy Roasted Cauliflower with Courgette ribbons}

I need a Spiralizer in my life. I'm kind of sick of using my peeler to make ribbons and I'm sick of having zoodle envy, except in the UK would it be coodle envy?! This recipe is kicking around the internet quite a lot at the moment and I am jumping on the band wagon with my version! Roasted cauliflower makes this dish a bit more filling and the yoghurt dressing really compliments the dish perfectly. Healthy and very satisfying with a pretty unique selection of ingredients - be prepared to be surprised!

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Prosciutto with Courgette Ribbons   

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
5 slices prosciutto, roughly torn
1 banana shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed 
pinch red chilli flakes 
3 - 4 courgettes, cut in to half and then peeled into ribbons (or use your spiralizer to make zoodles)
3 tbsp 0 fat greek yoghurt
zest half lemon 
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp djion mustard
1 1/2 tbsp grated parmesan

Toss the cauliflower in a bowl and toss with a tbsp of oil, lay on a baking tray and season with S&P and paprika. roast in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown (i left mine in a little too long!) in separate bowl combine yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, parmesan and mustard and whisk together. season. add a tiny bit of oil in a pan and cook off the prosciutto until it has turned a deep red colour. remove from pan and then add in the shallots, garlic, and chilli flakes and when they become fragrant add in the courgette ribbons. let the courgette cook until al-dente (about 3 minutes) and then remove heat. add the prosciutto and cauliflower and then stir in the dressing, i do this a bit at a time as you may not need it all. serve  

Finding my stride...... {Week 2 Couch to 5K}

Week two of couch to 5k is complete! And when I think about it the fact that I have now done six runs in two weeks makes me feel pretty accomplished - I'm coming from nothing here guys! I found this week pushed me harder but getting into my groove was a lot easier. There's a repetitiveness to jogging that this week I started to fall into - where you don't even think about your breathing you just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other... I just can't wait for the day when I can do this for even longer periods of time! 

Bought myself some new running gear and H bought me a new pair of running trainers so I'm all ready for week three! Bring it on! 

healthy Weekday Meal #4 ............{Halloumi with cous cous and kale}

A hit is how I describe this dish. Went down very well in our household and H appreciated the extra protein in the form of chorizo in his version. I didn't miss the chorizo and found this dish really nice and filling. Its  very quick and easy to make which makes it perfect for an evening meal after a long day at work and you could also substitute the couscous for quinona if you so wish, it works just as well.  

Halloumi with Cous Cous and Kale

block of halloumi cut into slices 

around 50g of chorizo, sliced  *OPTIONAL*

50g couscous, made according to instructions (i make mine with stock)

good few handfuls kale, as much as you like!

mustard vinaigrette - i make mine - few glugs of OO, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 clove garlic chopped, 1 tbsp mustard (Dijon or wholegrain) a squeeze of lemon juice and some S&P all shaken up together. but use shop bought if you want 

steam your kale for just a few minutes until the leaves have gone slightly darker but it's not soggy. drain and let cool down slightly. take a pan, if you are cooking the chorizo add them to the pan and cook off for a 5 or so minutes then remove them from the pan. add in the halloumi and then cook that, turning occasionally - if you have used the chorizo then it will just cook in the oils released if not add a tiny bit of oil to the pan. toss the kale, cous cous and a bit of dressing together and place in pan. add the halloumi and chorizo to the top and serve. 

Linking up with Vicky at Honest Mum