How on earth are we half way through February already? I’ve been so busy these past few weeks between work trips away, flying home for a dress fitting, trips down to Oxford and Leicester to see friends, gym and wedding stuff. It’s all been non stop. I actually can’t wait for this Saturday when I can have a lie in and have a lazy day with Mr T before we head to York in the evening to see a show.

A few weeks back (ok, a month but forgive me I’m seriously lacking in free time at the moment) Sainsburys asked me to take part in their freezer challenge whereby I had to make a meal using their frozen products. Initially my first thought was chicken nuggets and ready meals as to be honest the only freezer food I tend to buy is veg and pizza. I really wasn’t expecting a lot so I bobbed in one day after work to see what was available and to give me inspiration on what to make. Straight away I was drawn to the frozen seafood; it’s so good and so cheap!

I really liked the look of the frozen seafood mix and the pots of ready chopped garlic. I never get through a bulb in time and always end up chucking some which really bothers me. I also got some frozen blueberries which I used to try out Sainsbury’s new Panna Cotta kit.

The frozen seafood pack came into it’s own during these past few weeks where dinner has needed to be quick, easy and healthy. In fact I’ve actually been back and bought a second pack of the frozen seafood to make this dish again – Gok Wan’s Seafood Vermicelli which I’ve tweaked a bit to suit our tastes. Mr T liked it so much on both occasions that he went back for seconds and said it actually tasted like a Chinese takeaway. It’s now become a staple item in our freezer and as for the frozen garlic – it’s ace and saves on waste too. Double win!

Seafood Vermicelli

2 nest of dried noodles

2 tsp Sainsburys frozen garlic

2 red peppers

100g frozen peas

1 carrot thinly sliced

3 eggs

1 bag of Sainsburys frozen seafood mix (defrosted)

Light soy sauce

My only wish now is for a bigger kitchen so I could have a chest freezer and stock up on more of the yummy stuff available.

*Review but all thoughts are my own*

Do you remember ages ago I started a fitness mission to get better at running? Well I gave it my best shot even though I loathe running. I went out 2-3 times a week and really tried with it but I just couldn’t get in to it. Then the dark nights started to draw in, winter hit and exercising was the furthest thing from my mind. There is nothing appealing about running around in the dark and cold when I could be at home in front of the fire vegging out on the couch.

Then Christmas came and went and I realised I had a few more wobbly bits and that the wedding was rapidly speeding up. I wanted to be a healthy bride and feel good about myself but the thought of forcing myself into running again just filled me with dread. I want to enjoy getting fit, see it as a hobby and not as a chore.

I started looking into gyms but I didn’t want to spend £30 upwards on membership and be tied into something for 12months or more. After a bit of research on my good friend Google I discovered there was a Pure Gym 5 mins from my new job and also on my route home. Turns out it’s only £14.99 a month, includes all classes and no contract either – bargain!

I’ve joined with a friend which is a good incentive to keep going and so far we have been trying out different classes. I really enjoyed Kettlebells but the only class I can make is on a Saturday morning and I was busy last Saturday and away the next 2 Saturdays so it will be the end of the month before I can go to it again. The instructor works you so hard and is so helpful, I was really struggling with sit-ups and he said my core was shockingly bad (his words, not mine) and actually gave me a bit of one on one time. It felt like my own mini PT session but without the massive price tag.

Another class I’m totally hooked on is Spin. I had heard horror stories including how painful it is, how much you sweat and that you can hardly move the next day but I love it. Yes it hurts but nowhere near as bad as people have said, it gets your heart pumping and you feel so good by the end of it. I really feel like I have achieved something after a Spin class. I’m enjoying it so much that I’m going twice a week.

I know it’s still early days and who knows what weight I will lose or how much I will tone up from going to the gym but so far I love it. I’ve never enjoyed exercising as much as I do now but I think it’s all about finding out what works for you. I hate running and loathed every moment I was out pounding the pavement but Spin is just so different. I’m a little achy from yesterday’s class but at the same time I can’t wait for tomorrow’s.

Has anyone else tried any interesting fitness classes? What are your favourites?

Panna Cotta… it’s one of those desserts that rolls of the tongue. One that sounds luxurious, indulgent and something that I imagined being served at a posh dinner party.

It’s a dessert that I’ve always been fearful of making so when Sainsburys approached me and asked me to try out their new Panna Cotta kit I was very intrigued. Usually I can’t stand box kits but I’m coming round to the idea of some of them. There are certain kits I can’t get my head round when it’s just as simple to make from scratch but others are really good for trying something a bit more complicated. 

I tried the Sainsburys marshmallow kit before Christmas and I was totally sold on that. I was hoping the Panna Cotta would be to a similar standard and it did not disappoint. It was easy to follow and the result was a shiny (oh so shiny!) and wobbly dessert that just melted in the mouth.

I wanted to jazz it up slightly by adding white chocolate and a blueberry coulis. I used frozen blueberries as I'm also taking part in Sainsburys freezer challenge (more on that later in the week) and I was so pleased with the result. So much so it’s given me the confidence to try making the Panna Cotta from scratch. At least if all else fails I know the box kit is there to fall back on. 

Mr T isn’t keen on these sorts of desserts and he really liked it too – win!

White Chocolate and Blueberry Panna Cotta

1 x Sainsburys Panna Cotta box mix

100g white chocolate

100g frozen blueberries

2 tbsp sugar

Enjoy!

Thanks Sainsburys for sending out this kit, it really is ace!

***Product sent for review but all thoughts are my own***

After making the meringue brownies last week I still had some packs of icing sugar left over from my pack from Sugar and Crumbs. I wanted to make something else with the coffee one and I suddenly had a lightbulb moment – cookie meringues!

I needed a good chewy fudgy cookie recipe to make it work so after flicking through some of my cookbooks I spotted the ideal recipe in Jo Wheatley’s Home Baking.

In many ways it reminds me of a whoopie pie but cookie instead of cake. Mr T brought them into work as a thank-you to everyone in his dept for working so hard these past few weeks and they went down very well.

Once again Sugar and Crumbs did not disappoint, I really liked the coffee flavour and the smell when I opened the bag took me right back to Christmas’s as a wee girl having the coffee cream chocolates from the tins of Quality Street/Roses (which one had those or was it both?)

Coffee Cookie Meringues

200g unsalted butter

325g light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla paste

400g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

200g chocolate chips (I used half milk/half dark

Preheat the oven to 170C (fan)

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla

Fold in the flour and baking powder and chocolate chips until you have a stiff dough

Take 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and shape into a ball and place on a lined baking sheet (they need to be well spaced apart so I found 4 dough balls a sheet worked best

Bake in the oven for 12 mins, leave to firm up on the baking sheet for 5 mins and then transfer to a wire rack to cool

Repeat this process until all the dough has been used up

Meringues:

2 egg whites

100g flavoured icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 130C (fan)

Whisk the egg whites until stiff

Add the icing sugar 1 teaspoon at a time and continue to whisk until stiff and glossy

Fill a piping bag and pipe blobs of meringue slight smaller than the cookies onto a lined baking sheet

Bake in the oven for 30mins and leave to cool in the oven

Buttercream:

80g butter (softened)

125g flavoured icing sugar

125g normal icing sugar

A few tbsp of cocoa

A few tbsp of milk

Whisk all ingredients on a high speed until light and fluffy

Pipe a small amount of buttercream onto a cooled cookie, place a meringue on top, pipe another small amount of buttercream on top and press down with the other cookie

Repeat this process until all the cookies have been used up

Enjoy with a steaming cup of coffee!

Thanks again Sugar and Crumbs, you're products really are ace!

***Products sent for review but all thoughts are my own***

I really should properly meal plan this week but it’s a bit of an odd week food wise. We have a lot of bits and bobs to use up in the freezer and it’s my birthday on Wednesday so we will be treating ourselves to a cheeky takeaway.

I decided instead of meal planning I would share with you a recipe that is a midweek favourite of ours – Paneer Curry. It’s quick and easy to throw together and easy to bulk out with extra veg if you want to make it a bit healthier.

I always get a Paneer starter when we go for a curry, it really is an addiction of mine haha! When I spotted a recipe for Paneer Curry in my Rick Stein India book way last year I knew I had to try it and before I knew it we were eating it about once a fortnight (sometimes more!)

I have adapted this a bit as it was far to spicy for my palette but feel free to add more chillies/chilli powder if you wish. I also doubled the cheese quantities, you can never have too much of this!

 

Rick Stein’s Paneer Curry (serves 4)

3tbsp vegetable oil

1½tsp cumin seeds

25g ginger finely shredded

3 small onions

2 red peppers

1tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric

½ chilli powder

450g paneer cut into cubes

3 tomatoes (diced)

¾ tsp garam masala 

Enjoy!