Thai Green Curry

Thai-Style Green Vegetable Curry (serves 2)

Curry paste
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 lemon grass stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2cm root ginger, peeled and chopped
6 dried red chillies
handful chopped coriander (keep a little for decoration)
tsp each ground coriander and ground cumin
juice of a lemon

Put all ingredients in a blender and blitz until a smooth paste forms. No need for any oil as the juice will come out of the onions and ginger. 
I used dried chillies but if you have fresh use them, or if you can't find either, put in a couple of guindillas but wash thoroughly to remove vinegar. 
If you don't have lemon grass throw in some chopped lemon rind.

Baked Fish with Fennel Cabbage and Lemon Gremolata

Continuing on with the Nordic theme diet, as promised I tried out the baked fish and lemon gremolata recipe. The verdict; "Very tasty" from Mr E. and "let's have this again". So that's a resounding success in my book!

Get the Recipe

Nordic Inspiration

"Eat your way to health and happiness" - er yes please! When a recipe book has this as the tagline how could I possibly resist? Trina Hahneman's The Nordic Diet was gifted to me by my good friend Sarah, and promising to cook her a recipe or two from its 144 pages, I delved in, finding myself not only inspired but also encouraged to look beyond the ingredient rut that I get myself into.The book focusses on the traditional diet of northern Europeans, consisting of a variety of grains, berries, vegetables, fish, poultry and game. There are plenty of vegetarian options and creative ideas for any meal of the day.

Zesty Coleslaw and Sardines & Tomato Breakfast Smorrebrod

Bean and Beetroot Burgers

Looking for a new take on the classic bean burger I raided the 'fridge and came up with this tasty delight. I've yet to develop green fingers and grow my own herbs and I'd already used up my fresh supplies so I resorted to the store cupboard for the dried varieties. If you have fresh, use them but up the quantity to a tablespoon.

Week 2 - Living healthy

The second week has passed and we are sticking to our oh so good healthy eating plan. I started the week feeling well rested after a relaxing weekend with plenty of good quality sleep. The massage on Saturday worked wonders for my aching muscles after all the running and I was ready to start over again.

Our weekly plan was made on Sunday so off I popped to the local supermarket to stock up on the veggies we'd be having this week, plus a few extras including steak, dried herbs, dried beans, tinned tomatoes and sweetcorn.

Cauliflower tabouleh

Monday
Hot water with fresh lemon juice and ginger
Porridge oats with blackberry and apple compote
Cup of tea
Cauliflower tabouleh with grilled aubergines, peppers and herbs
2 ryvita with butter and marmite, cup of tea
Kiwi fruit
Panfried herb marinated steak with red cabbage,rocket and beetroot salad

5 Day Plan

Back home from a fabulous dive trip in Indonesia and whilst its been great to be cooked for and all the meals were delicious, I’m happy to be back in my own kitchen and in control of what I’m eating. I’m not good at limiting myself when it comes to buffet food so I have a few kgs to shed before my next vacation in just 2 weeks! The fridge was empty upon my return but the freezer was stocked so I was able to have the first couple of days back grazing on vegetable lasagna and baked fish with vegetables, but then it was time to shop for some healthy fresh fruits and veggies. 

True to form before I headed to the supermarket I made a menu plan for my weeks meals, its just me here so no need to take into account Mr E’s wishes. I spent just 1500 Thai Baht (30GBP / 46$ / 43 Euro) for my groceries which I think will give me enough food for at least 2 weeks.

Intolerance? Imbalance? Allergy?

In recent months there has been a certain hype in the media over gluten-free celeb diets, particularly after comments made by Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence that it was a new "eating disorder". There are around 27 million people world-wide who suffer from Coeliac disease and for whom eating products with gluten in can be seriously detrimental to their health. Gluten is typically found in wheat and related grains such as spelt and durum but also in rye, barley and sometimes suffers are sensitive to oats too. 

Yet there is a growing trend in diets which suggest that avoiding wheat and other gluten products is beneficial to health. Many people seem to be finding that they have become intolerant, or have an increased sensitivity, to wheat resulting in bloating or an overfull feeling, which is not so surprising when you have a bran cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner. I know if I indulge in lots of fluffy white bread over the weekend that I can feel lethargic and bloated - that doesn't stop me eating it but I may well choose to avoid it when I have a dress I wish to fit into for a special occasion!