AUTUMN RECIPES | HEALTHY DINNER IDEAS

Hello everyone! So when it comes around to this time of year, there is nothing better than having something warming yet delicious to eat for dinner. That being said just because it isn't summer anymore and you are going to want something a lot heartier, it doesn't mean it can't be healthy still because it can. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you some of my personal favourite healthy dinner ideas for autumn...

1. butternut squash and chickpea curry

So i recently picked up a copy of the October Slimming World magazine, not because i follow Slimming World unlike i know a lot of people do but because i have seen so many people create yummy syn friendly/free meals created by Slimming World and i wanted to give them a go. One recipe from the magazine that really caught my eye, is this delicious butternut squash and chickpea curry. Curry is a favourite of mine as i love anything spicy and it is perfect for autumn time, with some wholegrain rice or even lentils/bulgur wheat.

2. squash, spinach and walnut linguine

Next up is another squash inspired dish and actually a recipe from a blog post of mine from almost two years ago, still a firm favourite of mine during autumn/winter. This recipe is super simple yet super tasty and packed full of all the good stuff, the only thing i would say is if you are following a certain strict diet switch the olive oil up for a tiny amount of spray oil (which is what i now do also). 

3. one pan healthy sausage and roasted vegetables

This is a recipe that can be done with regular sausages or vegetarian sausages and definitely a favourite of mine, all year round not just autumn time. This can literally all just be thrown into one pan or a baking tray and be left to roast in the oven until cooked, not many dishes to wash afterwards either. Roasted veggies always have this beautiful taste to them, unlike when you would just boil them or steam them which makes them a lot more enjoyable to eat therefor you can get more veggies inside of you. 

4. sicilian-style salmon with garlic mushrooms

Fish dishes are another one of those perfect for autumn time, especially this salmon dish from the BBC food website which is paired with autumn style veggies and yummy garlic mushrooms. This dish is super quick to throw together, doesn't contain many ingredients but is still full of beautiful flavours and full of goodness. 

5. sweet potato + kale chilli

Just like curry to me chilli screams warming/hearty autumnal food, especially this delicious sweet potato and kale chilli inspired from Pinterest. I love how full of autumnal colours this dish is, with the orange of the sweet potatoes, green of the kale and deep red of the kidney beans. This is another one of those dishes that could be either served alone, with some rice or bulgur and if you have any left overs eaten alone is perfect for lunch time.

6. broccoli pasta bake

Two things i love to eat a lot are pasta and anything cheesy and i definitely limit the amount i have so much more than i would of in the past. That being said if you do cut down the amount you eat, a little once in a while will do you good as you do need some of the benefits from the two. Broccoli pasta bake is such a simple yet delicious meal that can be made/tweaked to your own specific diet. Cutting back of cheese and adding maybe some nutritional yeast as a substitute or even just bread crumbs, or a mixture is a great way to cut back on the calories yet you are still getting the same crusty topped effect. 

Want to finish your evening off with a low calorie/syn friendly snack/dessert? Catch up on my recent blog post sharing some of my favourites: here

xo.

SUMMER RECIPES I WANT TO TRY

Hello everyone! For today's post i am back with a food related post, more specifically to share with you some of the recipes i am excited to give a go this summer. I have done a similar style of post to this before, which you can catch up on here, if you didn't catch it first time round. Also whilst we are on the subject of food, i was thinking about doing a "what i ate in a day" post sometime soon, as i haven't done one for a while...

1. vegan roasted cauliflower bowl with tahini dressing

First up is this super quick summer perfect roasted bowl style dinner, which is full of veggie goodness and can be made in just 30 minutes. This is definitely one of those recipes, where you think how yummy it looks but then you discover there are one or two ingredients you don't like. That being said i think i would switch out the cauliflower and replace it with broccoli, as i hate cauliflower and i am also not a fan of avocado.

2.  satay sweet potato curry

As well as anything pasta related, i am also obsessed with curry/rice dishes and anything chilli flavoured in general. This particular curry from the BBC good food website looks like the perfect flavoured curry for the summer months, as it is a beautiful vibrant colour and it also has the coconut flavour to add to the mix. One of my favourite bases to have in curry is definitely potato or sweet potato, as well as spinach and chickpeas. Another great thing about this curry is that it comes in at under 400 calories, perfect if you are like me and are counting/watching those calories.

3. sun-dried tomato pesto pasta with roasted asparagus

Of course there was going to be a pasta dish on my to try list, especially as this is a pesto based pasta dish. This is definitely one of those recipes perfect for when you are pinched for time, as it is pretty much the case of just roasting the asparagus for 20 minutes just a little over the time it takes to boil the pasta and add all the ingredients together.

4. grilled spicy lime shrimp kebabs

When it comes to summer we can finally turn on the grill/barbecue and these spicy lime shrimp kebabs sound so good, especially if you served them with maybe some wraps, salad or even with some quinoa and veggies. This recipe is so straight forward as easy, as well as the cooking time being quick as shrimp/prawns don't take long to cook at all. This recipe would also work well with just veggies coated in the mix, or even chicken.   

5. spiced sausage hot pot

This is one of those dishes that sounds as if it should be a more winter style dish, yet to me the ingredients scream summer, especially because of the bulgur wheat base. This is also one of those dishes that could be tweaked to suit you, maybe by replacing the sausage with veggie sausages and the chicken stock pot for a veggie one. This is definitely on my high to try list, along with the satay sweet potato curry.

6. grillable veggie burger
Finally something that i love to eat all year round and that is veggie burger, yet the difference is that you can grill this one and still get that "barbecued burger" taste without the meat. This particular recipe looks super simple to make, as well as it being full of nutritious ingredients as one of these burgers contains 14g of protein. I also want to try out a falafel burger recipe, as i have had regular falafel's and loved them so burger form in bound to be just as good if not better.

 Catch up on a similar post HERE...

xo.

OVERNIGHT OATS | PINTEREST INSPIRED RECIPES

Hello everyone! So ever since the start of this year i have become obsessed with having overnight oats for breakfast, probably around 2 or 3 times a week (because i like to switch things up everyday) and i know quite a few other people also love to have them for breakfast too. Ever since first giving them a try, i have found a ton of different flavours/toppings to make them in and a lot of those recipes have come from Pinterest. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would do something a little different, by sharing some of my personal favourite overnight oats recipes and they are all healthy/can be modified to your own diet preferences but the most important thing is they taste good/are super quick to throw together...

1. pumpkin spice

| 2 tbsp pumpkin puree | 1 tbsp maple syrup | 40 g oats | 1/2 tsp mixed spice | 1/8 tsp vanilla extract | 1/2 tbsp chia seeds | 1 tbsp granola or nuts | 100 ml almond milk | 2 tbsp yogurt (optional) |

2. pumpkin + vanilla (super quick)

| 40 g pumpkin spice quaker oats | 1 tbsp dried mixed fruit | 100 ml aplro vanilla soya milk |

3. coconut latte

| 40 g oats | 50 ml brewed coffee | 2 tbsp maple syrup/honey | 50 ml coconut milk | 

4. almond + honey

| 40 g oats | 1 tbsp honey | 100 ml almond milk | 2 tbsp alpro almond yogurt | 1 tbsp almonds |

5. peach cobbler 

| 40 g oats | 100 ml almond milk | 2 tbsp vanilla or peach yogurt (dairy or dairy free) | 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon | 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg | 80 g peach diced |

6. espresso + salted date caramel

| 40 g oats | 1 tbsp chia seeds | pinch salt | 50 ml almond milk | 50 ml brewed coffee | 2 tbsp maple syrup | 1 tsp vanilla extract | 4 medjool dates (puree with water + pinch of salt) |

7. carrot cake

| 40 g oats | grated carrot | 1 tsp ground cinnamon | 1/4 tsp all spice | 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional) | 2 tbsp raisins | 1 tsp vanilla | 100 ml almond milk |

8. peanut butter (you can also add banana)

40 g oats | 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter | 100 ml almond milk | 1 tbsp honey | 1 tbsp vanilla |

9. vanilla, almond + blueberry

| 40 g oats | 75 ml vanilla soya milk | 2 tbsp almond alpro | flaked almonds | blueberries |

10. gingerbread cookie

| 40 g oats | 1/4 tsp ground ginger | 100 ml almond milk | 1 tbsp maple syrup | 1 tsp cinnamon |

11. cinnamon chocolate

| 40 g oats | 1 tsp cocoa powder | 1 tsp cinnamon | 100 ml almond milk | 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey | 2 tbsp chocolate milk/dark or cocoa chips | 

12. cherry bakewell

| 40 g oats | 75 ml almond milk | 1 cherry bakewell muller light or cherry flavoured yogurt |

Catch up on my quick/easy Pinterest breakfasts post HERE...

xo.

PINTEREST RECIPES I WANT TO TRY

Hello everyone! When it comes down to looking for good food inspiration, what better place to go than Pinterest am i right? There are thousands of great recipes from easy lunch ideas, to healthy recipes and my personal favourite ironically the opposite of healthy, the dessert recipes that i drool over as i scroll through my app. For today's post i thought i would share with you some of the recipes i have discovered on Pinterest and want to try/make myself. Also it came to my attention that i haven't shared a "what i ate in a day" type post for the longest time, so i am thinking one might make an appearance in a post sometime soon.

blueberry and coconut baked oatmeal by loveandlemons

I love porridge or oatmeal whatever you prefer to call it and i have seen a few different recipes for baked porridge and to me it sounds amazing, so add blueberry and coconut into the mix and i am sold with this particular recipes (except i will probably skip adding the banana).

cajun shrimp with tomato alfredo pasta by jocooks

How could i not want to give this particular recipe a try, as it has two of my favourite things in the dish prawns (shrimp) and pasta, the two just go hand in hand for me. I actually have a pasta/linguine recipe post on my blog, which you can catch here and trust me it is yummy!

coconut fish curry by sainsbury's magazine

I love fish but i don't think i have actually ever had it in curry before, which is odd as i love both things separately. This seems like it could be one of those really yummy yet healthy and quick dinner recipes, as it only has four steps involved (that ticks all of the boxes for me).

italian baked eggs by damndelicious

We actually already gave this one a try out but we didn't have the smaller ramekins like the recipe suggests and we also added a couple of different ingredients to it, but i will definitely have to get some and give this recipe a go the exact way it is meant to me served.   

stuffed sweet potatoes by laurencariscooks

I love love love anything sweet potato, especially baked sweet potato and i always make this particular Jamie Oliver one with cheese, chilli and garlic that i am obsessed with. That being said it is always good to try some new toppings and this lentil stuffed sweet potato, sounds amazing!

peanut butter snickers cookies by wellplated

I couldn't not included at least one naughty dessert even though i am trying to not look, but this peanut butter snickers cookies recipe looks and sounds too good not to try out. Yet again another two things i love peanut butter and cookies, so why not mix the two together and be extra naughty, i mean if you are doing it you might as well go all out right?

thai coconut curry butternut squash soup by hoastthetoast

Another coconut curry recipe but this time in the form of a soup, with one of my favourite things butternut squash in fact i think it is my favourite flavour soup. So add coconut and some spice into the mix and i am completely sold, this one also looks super simple/quick to make.

grilled hassleback fajita stuffed chicken by thegirlonbloor

Finally besides pasta dishes, fajitas are one of my favourite dinners and whilst i was browsing one day for different fajita recipes i came across this one. I think is is such a cool/different way to have fajitas, as you could cut them up, serve with wraps or leave whole and serve with some roasted sweet potatoes like the recipe. I will definitely be trying this one out sooner, rather than later.

♥

TRIED IT OUT TUESDAY: CHEEKY CHERRY CUPCAKES

Hey guys, i hope you are all having a great day! For today's post i am back with another cupcake recipe as it has been a while now. So if you love anything cherry flavoured or just cupcakes in general and you want to recreate them then please keep reading..

To make the cupcakes you will need:

175g Self Raising Flour (Sifted)

1 tsp Baking Powder (Sifted)

175g Caster Sugar

175g Soft Unsalted Butter or Light Baking Spread

3 Eggs (Whisked) 

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tub Glacé Cherries

12 Cupcake Cases

For the icing you will need:

225g Icing Sugar

2/3 tbsp Water

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

First things first you are going to want to pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 4/180c or 350f and then line your cupcake tin with your paper cases. You are going to want to take your sifted flour and baking powder and place them in your mixing bowl, next you are going to want to add the caster sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and begin to mix them in your mixer. (Make sure you start your mixer on a slow speed and then gradually increase your speed) Mix until combined.

Once combined you are going to want to add your glacé cherries (Make sure you save 12 cherries for decoration). You can either add your cherries to the mixture cut up or whole if you prefer. Slowly mix the cherries into the mixture until all combined.

Next you are going to want to place your mixture into your pre lined cases allowing room to rise and then place them in the oven for 25 minutes. Once cooked and take them out of the oven and place on a cooling wrack to cool completely before decorating. Once cool you can begin decorating... 

Take your icing sugar, water, vanilla and stir until the ingredients are all combined to make a paste.

Finally you are going to want to take you icing and spoon on top of the cupcakes how you desire and then place a whole glacé cherry on top to finish.

If you decide to give these cheeky cupcakes a go please let me know!

♥  

WHAT I ATE WEDNESDAY

For breakfast i had pretty much the same as always but this time i had Bitesize Shredded Wheat topped with Currants and Soy Milk. To drink i had some Orange Juice.

For lunch i had a Toasted Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Ciabatta roll with Ham. To drink i had a can of Sanpellegrino Limonata (one of my favourite drinks ever).

After my sandwich i had one of these Muller Light Greek Style yogurts which was Coconut flavour with a hint of Vanilla, they are so nice especially if you love anything Coconut. 

It was a little later in the afternoon and i was feeling hungry, so for a snack i had a piece of this homemade granola squares made by my mum. They are super healthy, packed full of oats/nuts/dried fruits and they taste so so good!!!

For dinner we had Enchiladas made by my sister, they were so nice! I took a picture of them straight out the oven rather than on a plate as Enchiladas don't tend to stay looking neat ha ha.