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Showing posts with label homemade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homemade. Show all posts

Sunday, April 24, 2016

HOMEMADE FISH CAKES

I am sure I have mentioned on this blog previously that I am following the 5:2 diet. I had originally tried it last year but it didnt work as I was too impatient, I didnt stick to it completely and I would go totally crazy on my "5" days and consume about 4000 calories!! 

I started it again in January and this time it is much more successful - the weight loss is slow but it is consistent and on my two 500 calorie days each week I feel really good to be so disciplined plus I end up eating a lot more fruit and vegetables than I used to. Now I just have to continue to stick at it.

On a "2" day I tend to eat either soup or plain fish and vegetables rather than cooking something new. However Arabella had been asking for fish cakes for ages and I was pleasantly surprised when I realised that if I made them myself they are only around 245 calories when served with 85g of peas - a great healthy 5:2 meal!!

Ingredients for 2 people:

150g potatoes, peeled and chopped
150g cooked smoked trout 
Finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp of fresh chives
1 big tbsp dried polenta
Olive oil or fry light

Optional Sauce (I didnt bother with this and Arabella had mayonnaise)
2 tbsp half fat creme fraiche
1 tsp Dijon mustard



First of all boil the potatoes until cooked and then drain, mash and leave to cool.



While the potatoes are cooking, flake the fish into a bowl. My trout was annoyingly full of bones so do take care. I would be tempted to use salmon next time in hope there were less bones.



Add the lemon juice and lemon zest of half a lemon.



Next add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and some salt and pepper.



Finally snip in the chives.



Add the mash and mix well.



Be prepared to get your hands dirty as you form the mixture into 4 patties. It is easier if your hands are very slightly damp and keep your eyes open for any missed bones.



On a plate or bowl spread out a heaped tablespoon of polenta.



Then coat the patties in it.



Cover and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I actually chilled them for longer, around 3 hours but it all depends on your timing.

When you are ready to eat, heat either the olive oil or some fry light in a frying pan and then add the patties.



Fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.

Finally serve and tuck in. If you fancy the sauce just mix together the creme fraiche and Dijon mustard or you could even use just mayonnaise or tartare sauce.



Delicious - really simple and healthy and I love the fact that you know exactly what is in them….not always the case with pre-prepared fishcakes bought from shops. Arabella and I both really enjoyed our supper and it added some variety to my "2" day of 500 calories. Like with lots of recipes you could mix it up by adding some spring onions or using different fish like salmon or tuna. It is also possible to make a big batch of these and freeze them, a great freezer staple for the days when you cant be bothered to cook but still want to eat well.
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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Homemade Tahini

& Day 3, Week 3 
*Homemade Tahini recipe below

Happy hump day to everyone!  I feel like this week has been going by rather slowly.  Probably because we have such a fun weekend coming up.  On Friday, our good friend Marley is coming into Spokane from our college town of Pullman to go out for her 21st Birthday.  Then, on Saturday, our couple friends, Ian and Danielle are having a BBQ at their new house and a party through the evening for Dannielles Birthday.  One other thing that is quite eventful this weekend is.... Arrested Development coming out on Netflix!!!!!  Kevin and I will, probably spend any second we get watching all of the new episodes.

Tonight for dinner, I ended up going to my parents house to catch up with my mom and help her make dinner since she has been working all week.  We ended up making a sweet Thai curry with a bunch of veggies and a spice mix I got this weekend from this great local spice store.  All I can say is, YUM!  Check out the picture in my daily log below. 

Food log:
  • Breakfast: 2 bananas, 1 apple
  • Lunch: mixed greens with broccoli and chive hummus, 1 apple
  • Dinner: sweet Thai curry over brown rice, sugar snap peas
  • Extras: my Moms homemade guacamole with whole grain chips as an afternoon snack, (1-2) beers in the evening at trivia

Exercise log: Walk with my parents dog around the neighborhood

 How I feel:  I weighed myself this morning to find that I was one pound down from last week. That makes 9 lbs total since I started the 6-week Eat to Live plan.  Im happy with this progress, but I think what shows even more of my success is my appearance. I feel like I can feel the fat melting off the many places it has been hanging on to, and the muscle underneath developing and showing through with each trip to the gym.  My husband Kevin even has said that, while he always thought I was skinny (thanks dear), he is noticing that I seem "smaller", like somehow my bones are shrinking me to be leaner.  Im hoping that is not the case, and that my fat I have been holding on to for too long is coming off.  That reminds me of this picture I saw the other day (source unknown):
So, over the next week I have two BBQs that I am going to.  One tomorrow for work, and another for our friend Dannielle as I mentioned above.  For BBQs my go-to food to bring is always my hummus (recipe here).  It is great because it is healthy, but on the "approachable healthy-side" for most people.  Since a large part of hummus is tahini (sesame seed butter), and buying it in the jar generally costs up the ying yang, I decided to try to make my own.  Here is how I did it:

Homemade Tahini
Ingredients: 
  • 2 cups unhulled sesame seeds
  • 1-3 TBSP sesame or other oil
Directions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the sesame seeds on a cookie sheet and shake to evenly spread.  No need to stray your pan, the sesame seeds produce their own oil. (In a toaster oven, toast at 400 and do 1 cup at a time). 
  2. Toast for 8-12 minutes until the some of the seeds turn a very light brown.  During toasting, make sure to take out the pan and lightly shake to move the seeds around.
  3. Once toasted, immediately scoop into a food processor with a small amount of oil.  Process and scrape the sides periodically.  It will take a few minutes to go from seeds, to crumbles, to liquid-y tahini.  Be patient!
  4. Store the tahini in an airtight container in the fridge and use for dressings, hummus, or spreads. Yum!
Amys Notes:  Like I said above: be patient with the tahini!  It will come together.  I dont have too heavy duty of processor (although it is quite loud and I was worried the neighbors might come knocking to see who was running a chain saw), and mine was able to get the job done with about 8 minutes of processing.  This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of tahini, which is about how much comes in a jar at my local grocery store (for nearly $7 a jar!).  When buying the sesame seeds in the bulk section, I was able to get 2 cups of seeds for about $2.  Thats over a 70% savings!  

What sorts of foods do you make at home to save money, or avoid preservatives and other additives?

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