Semolina Porridge (Semiliegrynsgrøt)

This is a recipe that takes me back years and years to when I was a toddler, up until the late years in primary school.
Sometimes instead of having a sandwich or snack in the evening, my mum would boil up some macaroni that she and I would share smothered with ketchup, or she would make velvet porridge or semolina porridge! I decided to recreate this long lost favourite (thankfully not lost anymore!) that is the semolina porridge, "semulegrøt" in Norwegian, but for some reason I remember I used to call it "semiliegrynsgrøt", for breakfast. This was a treat, and topped with some sugar or sukrin gold and some cinnamon, it is sure to hit the spot!

On it's own, this porridge might seem a little dull, but trust me, it isn't! I had to try my way with the amount of semolina, if it gets a little too thick when stirring, add a good bit of water or more milk!

Semolina Porridge (Semiliegrynsgrøt)
(Serves 1)

250ml whole or semi-skimmed milk
30g semolina flour
A good knob of butter
Brown sugar/sukrin gold and cinnamon for topping

- Heat up the milk in a small pan on medium heat, make sure it doesn't start boiling.

- Once it's gotten quite warm, add the semolina flour and stir almost continously with a whisk for a few minutes. Make sure the porridge is smooth and free of any lumps. Once it's getting quite a thick consistency, either add a little more milk or water and stir for a bit longer, or simply skip that bit and add the butter. I think I boiled mine for ten minutes, which was way longer than it needed, I had to add more water to the mixture twice!

- When you have melted the butter and stirred it through, it's ready to serve! Top with brown sugar or sukrin gold along with a little bit of cinnamon and enjoy!

You can also serve this with rasberry or strawberry sauce, chopped nuts and raisins along with cinnamon, or honey, syrup basically anything you'd top porridge with that's on the crunchy, fruity, sweet and fresh side!

Also, yesterday I came across these crisps in a health shop, and they were on sale!

They are delicious! Made with quinoa flour amongst other things. I had the Chilli & Lime flavoured one yesterday with a little tortilla-yogurt mix I made up, and they were delicious! They actually had a bit of a bite to them too, which I didn't mind at all! Might have to go back and buy some more! What are your favourite crisps?

It's almost the weekend!


Original source:
http://www.tine.no/oppskrifter/lunsj-og-smaretter/grot-og-kornblandinger/mormors-semulegr%C3%B8t

Quick & Light Egg Salad for One

The concept is simple - just a handful of ingredients, the result? An amazing snack that tastes like something from the deli counter, and it's whipped up in less than a minute if you have a boiled egg waiting for you! Great as a protein boost in the morning if you#re in a hurry, but want to treat yourself.

This portion is enough for a roll, or two slices of bread. Accompany it with whatever you like, or simply let it shine on its own. Along with the crackerbreads I used, it almost tasted like butter-popcorn, funnily enough!

Quick & Light Egg Salad for One
(Serves 1, enough for two slices of bread or a big seedy roll!)

I couldn't help myself before taking the photo, had to test it!

1 hard boiled egg
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp dried chives (or fresh! Finely chopped)
A pinch of salt
You can also add seasonings such as a bit of onion powder (yum!), garlic powder or perhaps add some black pepper or Italian herbs like basil or oregano? I kept it simple....this time!

- If you haven't boiled an egg already, now's the time! Make it two...just in case you want more, I sure did after I'd polished this off! Boil for about 8-10 minutes and let it cool (impatient? Drain off the boiling water and keep it under running water for about a minute or so).

- Now, in a small bowl, add the herbs, the mayonnaise, and finally break the egg into it, use a fork to mash it up until you have a nice little egg salad!

- Serve over bread (It would be amazing with smoked salmon I bet!), cracker bread, or perhaps top your salad with it for a bit of extra protein! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did *smiles*

I hope you have had a lovely weekend! Did you get up to anything exciting?
I have got some goodies lined up for the upcoming days, so stay tuned!


Recipe by yours truly,

- Jules

Orange & Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Craving something sweet, but not wanting to make a whoooole cake because you're home alone? (You could make a cake and invite people over, I'd fully support that! Or just double or triple this recipe!)
I find that if I'm wanting something cakey of sorts, it's difficult, because most recipes make enough to feed a crowd, this one however, makes two lovely large cupcakes! I didn't have big cupcake cases, and so I decided to just use two greased ramekins, and it worked a treat! These were gone without minutes, so tasty!

Mind the orange zest though, as I found it a bit bitter, and will leave that part out next time I made them. The cupcakes with the topping was lovely though!

It was definitely about time this post got fed a sweet treat...

Orange & Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
(Makes 2, 95 calories each without topping, 140 with)

For the cupcakes:
1 egg
10g coconut flour (or normal flour)
10g vanilla protein powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp sukrin icing sugar, sukrin gold, or xylitol
Juice of 1/3 orange
2-3 drops stevia with vanilla or vanilla creme

Frosting:
1 1/2 tbsp philadelphia light
1 tbsp sukrin icing sugar
1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

- Mix all the ingredients for the cupcake batter until you have a smooth mixture. Pour into two large cupcake cases or greased ramekins, and bake for about 20 minutes until cooked through and risen.

- For the frosting, simply mix the cream cheese, sukrin icing sugar and cocoa powder together. You can leave this in the fridge until it's required.

- Once the cupcakes are done, simply take out to cool before topping with the frosting. You can also add a little bit of grated orange zest on the top, if you don't mind the slight tangyness of it.

What are you waiting for? Help yourself! *smiles*
Have these on a Saturday as well as any Monday, Tuesday or other day of the week!


Original source:
Sunnere & Sterkere med Proteinrik Mat, p. 82

- Jules

Vegetarian Semolina Pizza

I based this on the white smoked salmon pizza I made recently! I wanted to try with a different flour and noticed that I had an unopened bag of semolina in the cupboard. Lightbulb! I topped it with whatever I had at hand and that needed to be used up, and it turned into a pretty delicious vegetarian feast!

Vegetarian Semolina Pizza
(Serves 1, about 510 calories)

For the base:
60g semolina flour
3 egg whites
Oregano
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp psyllium husk (optional)

Topping:
60g light Philadelphia
A few tbsp chopped tomatoes (or 1 1/2 tbsp tomato purée)
2 small Spring onions, chopped
30g camembert, chopped
Freshly torn basil leaves
Salt, pepper, oregano
Or anything else you want to add!

- Start by pre-heating the oven to about 200-220°C.

- Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and leave it to stand for a couple of minutes so the psyllium husk (if using) gets the chance to thicken up the dough a little.

- Grease (VERY important!) 10-15cm quiche or cake tin and spread the base-batter evenly. Pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Take it out and top with the cream cheese, tomatoes, Spring onions, camembert, basil leaves and seasoning, return it to the oven for another five minutes until the camembert is melted and the basil leaves slightly wilted.

Dinner's ready!


Recipe by yours truly,

- Jules

Pesto & Tomato Poached Egg

Originally, this was a little simpler, served up neatly in big juicy tomatoes. I however, had some chopped tomatoed that had to be used, and so I decided to make this almost like a breakfast risotto, and it was great! So simple, but comforting, perfect for a rainy morning...

Pesto & Tomato Poached Egg
(Serves 1, about 270 calories)

Good morning, Glasgow!

30g dry (or 1/2 cooked) brown rice, I used my trusty 10-minute one
200ml chopped tomatoes from a can
1 tbsp green basil pesto
Salt and pepper
1 egg
Fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)

- If you're using dry rice, start cooking it up now. I did it in the same pan that I prepared the rest of the dish, since there wasn't much, but it fluffed up nicely!

- Once cooked, add your chopped tomatoes and pesto along with a little salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for about 5 minutes. Now, if the mixture looks a little dry, add a splash of water for the last interval so you don't end up with a burnt pan of...well...burnt thing, hehe.

- Make a well in the middle of the mixture and crack the egg into it. Cook for about 5 minutes. If it hasn't quite cooked through, place a lid on top of the pan and this will help it doing so, I had to do that for the last 45 seconds-minute. I like it in the way where it's juuust cooked enough but you still get the runny yolk, so good!

Once the egg is cooked to your liking, it's ready to serve! I took no chances, and served it straight out of the pan, just remember to use wooden cutlery if you do, so you don't damage the frying pan.

Original recipe:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6347/baked+egg+in+tomato

- Jules

Sweet Potato, Lentil & Coconut Curry

So I maaaay have only realised that in if you're only using HALF a tin of coconut milk, you have to shake it well before opening it, as otherwise you'd end up only with the layer of coconut cream on top.
Because I didn't think that was the case if using liiiight coconut milk, I had to use a whole tin, but you know what? That was OK, because it didn't turn out too thin, just lovely and creamy. You can of course use only half of it as stated in the original recipe, but if you don't mind a subtle coconut taste - it's all good! Add a chilli to it if you like it spicy!

This is the first recipe I have tried from Deliciously Ella's blog, and it made for a lovely vegan curry. Serve this with rice and naan brean and you have yourself a feast!

Sweet Potato, Lentil & Coconut Curry
(Serves 2-3, about 635-435 calories each)

1 large sweet potato (about 550g), peeled and diced
40g black, pitted olives, sliced
100g dry red lentils
400ml light coconut milk
200ml chopped tomatoes from a tin
Handful fresh coriander, torn
1 heaped tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger, or 1 cm fresh, finely chopped/grated
Salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each)
Juice of 1/4 lemon
(1 small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped)

Rice and naan bread to serve

- Now comes the tricky part...wait for it.... Tip everything except from the lemon (and rice and naan...of course) into a big pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so. Once the lentils and sweet potato are starting to go tender, cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

- Complicated, huh? But it doesn't taste like you only threw it together like that! It tastes delicious! Now, turn off the heat, and squeeze in the lemon juice right before serving. Serve up this mighty casserole of goodness topped with a little fresh coriander, don't forget the rice and naan bread!

Enjoy your Sunday! Any plans?


Original source:
http://deliciouslyella.com/sweet-potato-lentil-and-coconut-curry/

- Jules

Stress Less & Update

stress!

I thought I would get back to the subject of amenorrhea since it has been a long time since I last posted about it as a quick sort of update.

My aim was to recover as soon as possible, gain weight in order to restore my normal hormone levels and assume my body would get back to normal. Things are still the same since October 2012, which I find a bit odd. 3-4 kilos and a year and three months later, nothing has changed apart from the fact that I get a bit more hormonal now than what I used to - which funnily enough I have to count as a positive! I went on the pill for three months just to see if that would trigger my body to respond, which it did, but as soon as I stopped taking them - it went back to normal, unfortunately.

A part of me tells me that it might not have to do with the working out and running now as much as it did before. Amenorrhea can also be triggered or go into "standby" if you are stressed though, and I have been stressed out a lot over the last year due to numerous reasons. I feel a lot healthier as far as my diet goes, and I also make sure to care more about the food I eat, ever-looking for inspiration and new ideas. As far as the blogging goes, I enjoy it more than ever, and I love when you drop by and give me feedback - sometimes giving me helpful advice - thank you so much!

And...if you happen to have any good advice as to how you relax at the end (or even better during!) the day, please feel free to share - I would definitely appreciate it big time! And I also reckon other readers could find it helpful.

Sometimes, you don't take note of these little underlying things that cause you to worry, but once it piles up - it isn't hard to tell at all. It's good to be a little organised, and try and work on ticking off little to-do boxes in order to keep everything up to date.

As far as working out goes, make sure not to over-do it, because then you are more likely to get fed up after not long, and motivation can sink. Find something that YOU enjoy doing, don't try and manipulate yourself into thinking you like it just because everyone else for example seems to be attending the gym instead of going hill climbing, or taking a ride on your bike.

Don't over-think what you're eating, aim for your 5-a-day and get enough protein! Through a varied diet and portion control, you will get all the nutrients you need. Make sure to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your system working, and allow yourself to indulge every now and again. Food is meant to be enjoyed, and you don't necessarily have to count your calories. In fact - I wouldn't advise it at all, unless making sure your body is getting enough fuel. 70-80% of your diet should consist of primarily healthy foods, then the remaining 20% you can do as you please with! That's a handy thumb-rule to go by I think!

I had to feature this little guy - too cute! And most certainly relaxed *winks*

If you find yourself a little overwhelmed, try taking a couple of hours to yourself, draw a bath, read a good book, or cook up a nice meal. You don't always have to be on the go, or run... Peace of mind is necessary for your mental and physical health. So relax - it's Saturday!


All the best!

- Jules

PS. All the pictures in this post are taken from Google Images, all the pictures of the food I make are taken by myself.