So for a few weeks I was very conscious of the fact that I wasn’t cooking, I would just grab the quickest thing I could find instead of putting a bit of thought into what I should be eating, what I had already eaten that day or even that week and choosing my meals based on that.

I have already noticed this week that I have really changed the way that I think about what I should be eating. I’m really making sure that I get the vegetables I should, and the fruit as well which I have been eating as a snack. There is something about clementines and similar fruit that should be eaten just at autumn and Christmas, maybe that’s when they are in season? I don’t know, either way I know that I will be regularly buying these fruits in the build up to Christmas to make sure that I get all of the vitamin C that I should be.

Now you all know how much I love cooking and I always have the freezer stocked up with all kinds of food so I am now using what I’ve got and making up recipes with the ingredients that I have, so that I am not spending money which I don’t have!

I start work again in a couple of weeks, in a retail store and I know that this is going to be quite a hard job over Christmas and I need to be able to keep my energy levels up and also not get ill at Christmas! I’m already thinking about the meals that I can make while being in my budget and also things that are quick and easy after a long day at work. As well I need to consider what to have for my lunch so that I don’t go out to Marks and Spencer and spend nearly £5 a day, I know I can make myself a better lunch than that ;)

I’ll come back in a couple of weeks and show you the ideas that I have been making myself. If you have any good ideas that I can use then please send them my way!

My Weekend in the Countryside

To top of what started as the best week ever, ended with the best weekend at home. It started off with receiving my Graze boxes. Then driving home to Salisbury.

My Nan came over for her Friday afternoon visit, and then we went to Nandos for dinner. Again, standard Friday night dinner! It was delicious as always and nice to spend some time as a family.

Saturday has to be the most eventful day of the weekend. I went out for lunch to Fisherton Mill with my Mum, as it’s so great there. This time they had changed the menu entirely so it was time to try something new. I had marinated chicken and avocado salsa on an open sandwich. It isn’t my most favourite thing that I’ve had there but it was good to try something new. My mum had a smoked salmon and prawn open sandwich. Then we couldn’t resist but got dessert, I mean look at this meringue my mum had!

Back at home I relaxed for a bit with my dogs who I don’t get to see until I get home again on Christmas eve (I can’t begin to explain how much I’ll miss them). When my dad got home, I helped to unpack the shopping to make dinner, and then I got the phone call that made my entire week! At the beginning of the week I got one job, but being in a difficult financial place I had in the back of my mind that I needed to get another part time job as well. So I got the phone call that is going to help my career a huge amount!

I decided a couple of weeks ago that retail is the way that I want to go with my career, and this has given me the chance to be trained up through the company. I’ve never been so excited! And to make it even better, I’m jumping in at the deep end and starting Monday evening to help with Launch night. This means I get a good glimpse at the season ahead and ideas on my uniform! I’m unbelievably nervous with that bit of excitement as well.

That night we celebrated, a bit too hard, with sushi and so much wine. My sister was having a party so I joined in with them and ended up with small recollection of the night. Oops.

Needless to say I woke up with a horrible headache that I still have now! I tried to get rid of it with an amazing roast dinner but that didn’t seem to work, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

It’s now going to be one of those relaxed Sunday evenings watching X factor before I go back to Kingston and start working!

Marinated Salmon

I’ve been meaning to do a recipe with salmon for a while; I normally just use soy sauce and some chilli flakes, which has to be one of my favourite dishes. You should definitely try using this, as it is so simple and quick.

However, this recipe is an adaptation of my basic recipe, as I wanted to try something different and use a few more ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 Salmon fillets

1 tsp of fresh chilli, chopped

1 tsp of fresh ginger, chopped

5 tsp of soy sauce

2 tsp of maple syrup

I was originally going to use honey but I didn’t have any so I used maple syrup instead.

Method:

Start my skinning the salmon fillets if they have the skin still on them, then chop them up into small chunks and place in the frying pan or wok.

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade, taste and adjust to your liking.

Pour the marinade over the salmon and leave for 20 minutes or leave for as long as you can.

Cook on a medium heat until the salmon is cooked through, around 5 to 10 minutes.

I normally serve it with rice and on this occasion I did, along with some cabbage, delicious!

D… is for Dinner

This has to be my favourite meal of the day. I’ve always hated the idea of breakfast and it’s normally quite boring too. Lunch just fills you up during the day.

So dinner is my favourite, it is normally when I will cook that dish that I’ve wanted to make for a while. It’s also when I will eat with family or friends making it the most sociable meal as well!

Here's a few reminders of what I've previously made:

Spicy Chicken Rice

This is my take on spicy rice. If you've ever had it at nandos, it is possibly the best thing since sliced bread. It is the ultimate comfort food but without any guilt. Everyone should try this, you won't regret it.

Ingredients (per person):

2 oz of brown rice

½ a pepper

½ an onion

Chilli powder

1 crushed clove of garlic

1 egg

1 chicken breast

Olive oil

Soy Sauce

Butter

Method:

Start by weighing out your rice, you don't want more than this otherwise you will lose all the other ingredients and basically just eat rice. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Also cook the chicken breast with a bit of seasoning in the oven for 25 minutes on 180C.

Melt the butter in a pan. Then turn down the heat and crack the egg in the pan, then scramble it. Cook it for about 4 minutes or until it is to your liking.

 Chop up the onion and pepper and crush a garlic clove in with the onion.

Put some olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic. Let it cook on a medium heat for about 5  minutes so the onion softens. Make sure you keep stirring so that it doesn't catch.

Add the pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes, then add in the rice and soy sauce (as much to your taste) and chilli powder (again to your taste, depending on how much spice you want). Mix it all together and cook for about 3 minutes, make sure you keep stirring so you don't burn the rice.

Shred the cooked chicken so it is in smaller pieces. 

Add the egg and chicken and mix in with the rice mixture and cook for a bit 3 minutes to heat it all through.

And here's the delicious final dish! I could eat it all over again, it was that good. I could give nandos a run for their money :) 

Next time I would probably add carrots but we didn't have any in the house at the time. And maybe a bit more chilli powder!