Refreshing springtime smoothie.

Whilst I was in my local Tesco store, I picked up their free magazine "Tesco Magazine, For Real Living". It's always an interesting read and usually includes some pretty good recipes. Well, I was flicking through the "January - February 2013" issue and came across their 'Perfect Blend' recipes (page 115). They all look so colourful and appetising - I just had to give one a go. I chose to try the 'refreshing kiwi fruit, apple, grape and lime' smoothie, firstly because it sounds delicious, and secondly because I already had most of the ingredients at home and if I didn't do something with them soon, they'd probably get chucked away. The sun was out this morning (for a change) - this smoothie felt perfect to enjoy in this wonderful weather. It's got a sharp citrusy taste to it that literally tickles the taste buds! A great start to my morning - I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day!

This smoothie serves 2 and is approx. 138 kcal per serving. (The two servings are very small though, so if you like a big smoothie, like me, this would only serve one). The only things I did differently are using a Gala apple instead of the ones they suggested, as it's all we have in our house at the moment. I also used plain soya yoghurt instead of vanilla yoghurt.. But I'm sure these tiny changes wouldn't have made much of a difference to the taste of the finished smoothie.

Ingredients:

- 3 kiwi fruit, pealed and cut into pieces

- 1 apple (such as Cox or Golden Delicious), cored and cut into pieces

- Large handful of green grapes

- 1 lime, juiced

- 100g low-fat vanilla yoghurt

- Large handful of ice

Method:

1. Put the fruit into a blender, then add the lime juice, yoghurt and ice. Whizz for about 1 minute until smooth, then pour into glasses and serve.

Diet-friendly chocolate macaroons.

(Second batch on the left. First batch on the right).

 As I'm try to eat as clean as I possible, I often get little cravings, every now and again, for chocolate and pastries and just sweet little treats in general. So I was really happy when I came across this low-kcal chocolate macaroon recipe in my 'Eat Smart Stay Slim' magazine (volume 1, page 126) - the second recipe I've tried from this magazine now, and I'm sure I'll try many more from it. I have never had a macaroon before, but have heard lots of good, yummy things about them, so I was eager to try it. And I'm glad I did because they were delicious! My boyfriend and I made them together as a little treat to enjoy after our Sunday family dinner. Everybody loved them - even the burnt batch went down well (I personally thought the burnt ones tasted nicer anyway). We burnt the first batch because we forgot to leave the oven door open.. So instead of taking 15 to 18 minutes to cook, they took about 5 and then lost they're fluffiness and burnt. But we learnt from the first batch and the second batch came out much nicer. Although most of them ended up being hollow because we didn't give them enough time to cool down before peeling them off of the parchment paper - oops! But they were still delicious and I will be making them again in the future, for sure.

This recipe makes 12 macaroons according to the magazine, but we only managed to make 9. If you make 9, it's approx. 127kcal per macaroon. If you make 12, it's approx. 95kcal per macaroon. If you make a different amount completely, just divide 1142 by however many macaroons you make and that will be an approx. calorie content per macaroon.

Ingredients:
- 100g icing sugar
- 50g ground almonds
- 15g good-quality cocoa powder
- 2 medium egg whites
- 40g caster sugar
- 100ml 3% creme fraiche
- 4 squares of 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°c/350°f/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and get an icing bag with a plain tip (about 2cm) ready.
2. In a food processor, whizz the icing sugar, ground almond and cocoa into a fine powder with no lumps. In a clean bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they start to hold their shape. Continue whisking and slowly add the caster sugar until stiff and firm.
3. Fold half the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture. Once it's incorporated, add the rest and continue to fold. When it's smooth stop folding and spoon the batter into the icing bag (stand the bag in a tall glass).
4. Pipe the batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in circles about 3cm across and spaced 3cm apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times to flatten the macaroons, then bake for 15 to 18 minutes, with the over door slightly ajar. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, gently heat the creme fraiche in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and drop in the pieces of chocolate, stirring until it has melted and the two are combined. Set aside to cool.
6. Once the macaroons and chocolate creme fraiche have cooled, sandwich two macaroons together with a small dollop of the mixture. Arrange on a plate.

Oatmeal pancakes with agave syrup.

I dragged myself out of bed at stupid o'clock this morning so I could make breakfast for myself and my family. I say stupid o'clock because my sister leaves for school before 8am and my Mum cycles to work every morning.. I work evenings, so I can usually have a long lie in. But I didn't mind too much, because I finally got to try out the recipe I have been eyeing up this past week - oatmeal pancakes! I found this recipe in a new magazine called "Eat Smart Stay Slim" (volume 1, page 50) (I'm not sure how long it'll be between each volume of this magazine, as I can't actually find a page saying when the next one's out.. It could be a one off? I'm not sure). On Instagram I follow some people who are all about fitness and eating clean, and a lot of them post pictures of their homemade "protein pancakes" and I've always wanted to try them, but of course I don't drink protein shakes of any kind, so I don't own the protein powder needed in their recipes.. So I'm really happy I've found this! I've tweaked the ingredients a little (as I often do) to make it a bit less calorific, and still taste amazing! Everybody loved them and thought they were delicious. I ate them over 3 hours ago now, and I'm still feeling relatively full, so I think they're a complete success! Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
- 75g porridge oats
- 150g wholemeal flour
- 1.2tsp cinnamon
- 0.5tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 275ml almond milk (the original recipe used skimmed milk)
- low-kcal cooking spray (such as 'Fry Light')

Method:
1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the egg and 2tbsp of the almond milk, then slowly add the remaining milk until the mixture becomes a smooth batter (like thick yoghurt). If it's still too thick, add a touch more milk.

2. Heat a large frying pan and spray with the low-kcal cooking spray. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the batter into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden.

3. Keep the pancakes warm in a low-heat oven until ready to serve.

You can serve these pancakes with whatever you fancy. We used agave nectar syrup on ours, but alternatively you could use: the traditional sugar and lemon juice; granulated sweetener; honey with fresh berries and fromage frais (as the magazine suggests); golden syrup with banana slices; maple syrup - the possibilities are endless!

Vegetarian sweet potato & Quorn dopiaza curry.

I do really love an Indian takeaway from time to time! My family are more keen of a Chinese but I much prefer a spicy Indian! But with the amount of grease and fat in it, I don't like to have them very often. For a very long time I have been meaning to create a healthier curry for me to enjoy, without feeling the guilt. And I have FINALLY got round to doing it! I've put together a vegetarian dopiaza curry (medium heat) and it's absolutely delicious! I picked to do a dopiaza curry because that's one of the ones I often order at my local Indian and I love it - it's a little hot, spicy and heart-warming. But, just so you all know: I have never ever made a curry before; I didn't look up a recipe; and I used a pre-made curry sauce (as I would have no idea where to start, without a recipe at hand to follow).

This recipe serves 4 people and contains approx. 218kcal per serving. So here's what I did:

Ingredients:

- 1 jar of 'Tesco' dopiaza sauce (450g)

- 500g sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

- 1 whole small/medium brown onion, chopped largely

- 150g portobello mushrooms, cut into large pieces

- 85g frozen 'Quorn' chicken style pieces

- 1 packet of 'Just Add' one shot chilli (15g) (or 1-2tsp fresh finely chopped chilli)

- 'Fry Light' 1 kcal cooking spray

Method:

1. Firstly, fill a medium-large saucepan with water, put onto a hight heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling add in the sweet potato. Boil until the potato starts to turn soft (test with a knife - you should be able to just about push a knife through it, but no super easily). Once ready, take off the heat, drain the potato and leave to one side.

2. Now put the Quorn chicken pieces, along with the onion and mushrooms, into a medium-large wok and put it onto the high heat that the saucepan was on. Spray it all with Fry Light, stir regularly and cook until the Quorn has cooked through (taste a little or cut in half to check) and the onion and mushrooms have started to brown.

3. Now add all of the sauce into the wok and turn the heat down to medium (to help stop the sauce spitting). Stir occasionally. Now stir in all of the chilli. After 2 minutes, add in the sweet potato. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly, until all is pipping hot.

4. Share it all equally into 4 and serve immanently. Enjoy!

As no one else in my house likes mushrooms, sweet potatoes or chilli so I separated the curry into 4 containers - I've eaten one and froze the other 3, to enjoy another time.

TIP: meal prepping in advance is a great way of keeping your healthy eating on track! Whenever you are low on food in your cupboards, having a naughty day and are in need of a quick, healthy meal to give you a boost or are just craving an Indian takeaway, take it out of the freezer and heat it up - sorted!

Homemade mince pies!

Mince pies are one of my favourite Christmas treats. The taste of mincemeat is just gorgeous! The only downside I can think of when it comes to mince pies is their calorie content, which is pretty high! So I was very determined to find a low-kcal mince pie recipe to help me and my waistline out this year. Luckily for me there was one in my new issue of Healthy Food Guide (Winter 2012 issue, page 72/73). I can't tell you how excited I was just thinking about making them! So as soon as I got paid I went out and bought all the ingredients I needed so I was prepared (I had to work a lot though, so I couldn't make them straight away..). My sister and I made them together earlier today. They were a lot of fun to make and they tasted absolutely wonderful. Such a Christmassy, heart warming taste. Mmmmm!

These taste great both warm and cool. They could be served as a pudding, eaten as a cheeky snack, put in yours or a kid's lunchbox or even leave some out on Christmas Eve for Santa and his elves! ;)

This recipe makes 12 mince pies and is apparently 164kcal per mince pie, but I make it out to be approx. 183kcal. So I'm not sure, but I'd go bang in the middle (178kcal), to be safe. They're best eaten within two days or can be frozen for up to three months, then defrosted at room temperature.

Ingredients:
(for the pastry)
- 125g Flora Light (the original recipe uses Flora Original, but I chose to use Light)
- 275g plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
(for the filling)
- 175g mixed dried fruit
- zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 50g dark muscovado sugar
- 1.5tbsp rum or brandy (I used dark rum)
- 1.5tsp mixed spice
- 1 small dessert apple, coursely grated and excess juice squeezed out
- 1 tsp icing sugar, to dust (optional - I chose not to)

Method:

1. In a bowl rub the Flora into the flour and baking powder until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the egg with 2tbsp cold water. Reserve 1 tbsp and add the rest into the flour mix. Bring the mixture together to make a smooth dough - you may need to add a little more cold water or a little more flour. Wrap in clingfilm, and chill for 20 minutes.

2. Put the filling ingredients into a saucepan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until the apple has broken down a little. Leave to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 190°c/fan 170°c/gas 5 and grease a 12-hole muffin tray, or fill the tray with 12 foil mince pie cases (which is what I did). Roll out the pastry on to a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 12 x 7cm discs/circles and use to line the tins. Spoon the cooled filling into the pastry cases.

4. Cut out 12 x 3-4cm stars from the remaining pastry and put on top of each filled pie. Brush with the reserved egg mix and bake for 18-20 minutes until the pastry is golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and dust with icing sugar (optional). Enjoy! :)

My experimental bean burgers.

Anybody who knows me personally will probably know that I love I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! I have been watching it everyday! The other day, after watching Rosemary Shrager (TV Chef and one of celebrities in the jungle this year) turn their boring beans into mini bean burgers, it inspired me to give bean burger making a go. I decided to try it without looking for a recipe in books or online, just to see what I'd come up with. Unfortunately the burgers I created didn't stick together as planned. It started off as a circular burger shape, but ended up as more of an oval shape.. But they did taste really good! In my opinion, they tasted like sage and onion stuffing - yum yum! So if you like stuffing, you'll most probably like this.
Here's what I did:

The way I have made it below serves 2 people and is approx. 125kcal per bean burger (without the cheese on top).

Ingredients:
- 1 big tin of three bean salad (contains cannellini beans, flageolet beans and adzuki beans)
- pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
- a small splash of Worcestershire sauce
- a pinch of dried mixed herbs (or herb(s) of your choice)
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 20g of low fat grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Method:
1. Empty the entire tin of beans into a sauce pan, place on the hob and cook for about 4-5 minutes - do not allow to boil. Once that's done, drain the beans well and then put them back into the sauce pan.

2. Get a masher and mash up all the beans until they're mushy. Season to taste and add the Worcestershire sauce and herbs to taste too (if you're comfortable with it, give the beans a little taste before adding each thing to make sure they taste alright, plus you might like the taste without the herbs/Worcestershire sauce).

3. Place a frying pan onto the hob and heat up the oil.

4. (This step is messy). Now, using your hands, mould the mushy beans into 2 burger shaped "balls". Once moulded, place these onto the frying pan.

5. Fry these for approx. 10 minutes, turning often, until golden on both sides. (Turning them over is where it all went wrong and crumbly for me. They squished back together, but not into the original shape).

6. Once finished, transfer these onto a plate and serve with a bit of cheese on top (optional). You can serve these alone, in a roll/sandwich, with vegetables, with your Sunday roast, etc. - whatever you fancy!

Enjoy!

If you know of anything I could do or add into my little experiement to make these bean burgers stick together better whilst frying in the pan, pleeease let me know - I'd be soooo grateful! :)

Skinny lemon cupcakes with drizzly icing.

Whoever thinks you can't enjoy a spot of cake whilst on a calorie counting diet is very wrong! You can most definitely enjoy it, but in MODERATION. It also helps if you can find a low-kcal cake/cupcake recipe! Here is a lovely little recipe I have tried from my new "The Hairy Dieters" cookbook - the "Hairy Dieters" are Dave Myers & Si King (most well known for being "The Hairy Bikers"). They use to be pretty hefty blokes, but now they have slimmed right down! They've made a lovely recipe book packed full of healthy recipes (with calories per serving included - yaaay)!

These cupcakes taste gorgeous! They are very sour though, because of the lemon icing (if you don't like sour things, you can always replace the lemon juice in the icing with water). As great as these taste, try not to be tempted to sit and eat the whole batch! Remember: moderation is key.

This recipe serves 12 & is approx. 167kcal per cupcake.

Ingredients:

- 200g self-raising flour

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- 75g golden caster sugar

- 100g blueberries

- finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

- 2 large eggs

- 150ml low-fat natural yoghurt

- 2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

- 50ml sunflower oil

Lemon icing:

- 100g icing sugar

- 4-4.5 tsp fresh lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c/Fan 180°c/Gas 6. Line a 12-hole deep muffin tin with some non-stick paper cases or folded squares of baking parchment.

2. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and stir in the sugar, blueberries and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre.

3. Beat the eggs with a large whisk until smooth, then beat in the yoghurt, milk and oil until well combined. Stir into the flour mixture with a large  spoon until very lightly mixed.

4. Working quickly, divide the batter between the paper cases. Bake in the centre of the oven for 16-18 minutes or until the cupcakes are well risen and golden brown. Transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool.

5. To make the icing, mix the icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and runny. Using a spoon, drizzle the icing over the cupcakes and leave to set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Homemade pumpkin & apple soup.

Lately I have been dying to try cooking with pumpkin, simply for the fact everywhere is selling them and I've never tried one before. I spent quite a while deciding what I wanted to make with my pumpkin - a pie, a cake, a soup, a salad - so many to choose from! I finally decided to make a soup as veggie soups are normally pretty healthy, everyone loves a good soup and today is definitely "soup weather" (cold and rainy).

This is the first soup I have ever made from scratch (with some help from my lovely boyfriend - thank yooou!). I always thought soup would be hard to make, but it was surprisingly easy. This soup was so delicious! The cider really gave it that kick. Such a unique taste - really hard to explain.. But trust me, it is amazing - even my boyfriend loved it!

This recipe serves 4 people and only has approx. 177kcal per serving!

Ingredients:

- 1 small pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and cubed

- 3 small/medium apples, peeled and chopped

- 1 small/medium brown onion, diced

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

- 500ml (1 pint) of vegetable stock

- 250ml (1/2 pint) of dry cider

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- freshly ground salt and pepper

(If you aren't happy with using cider, you can always substitute it with 250ml (1/2 pint) of not-from-concentrate apple juice).

Method:

1. Get a large saucepan and heat up the oil. Cook the onions and garlic in the pan for 2-4 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent.

2. Now add in the pumpkin, apple and season to taste. Cook for another 2-4 minutes.

3. Pour in the cider, and cook for 1 minute. Then add in the vegetable stock. Bring everything to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 25-30 minutes.

4. After it's finished simmering, pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.

5. Now pour it back into the saucepan and heat it back up, so it's nice and hot when served.

6. Spread evenly into 4 servings and serve immediately. Serve alone, or add some cream/milk into it, or even enjoy it with some fresh baker's bread (such as a slice of cottage loaf - yum!).

P.S. I'm pretty sure this soup can be kept in a sealed box to be heated up the next day, or even frozen to enjoy on a later date - I can't see why not. :)