The first Tuesday of the New Year…2021…

 

Time to start again…at this time of year most of our thoughts turn to our waistlines…There are no quick fixes though…they may work in the short term that is one thing I have learnt over the years…I have tried most quick fixes and now I have accepted that I can safely keep the pounds at bay by being sensible…by accepting that at certain times of the year I will indulge BUT I shelve the guilt and enjoy my indulgences and guilty pleasures but without the guilt…Hey, this is real life…

I have decided to repost my Healthy Eating posts with a few updates as my thoughts on eating and cooking have changed in some ways…

I will never be vegan or a full vegetarian HOWEVER I do believe that we should cut down on our meat consumption…I also love my veggies as do my family…We WILL be having a Meatless Monday in our house and one clever clog said oh we will be having fish then…with a smile as he ducked…haha…

My first e-mail from Meatless Mondays has arrived with some great ideas some of which I already follow, some I will try and some which I am unlikely to try BUT something for everyone which is great…Lots of choices…Thank you, Becky, for the introduction…

https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/meatless-monday/21-ways-you-can-eat-more-plant-based-foods-in-2021

Which means this week I will be trying out some of the recipes ready to start next Monday…My family are overjoyed(NOT) but have admitted if I can provide the taste they will AT LEAST try it…

Baby steps…Slowly, slowly catchee monkey…

All in all, I am looking forward to trying some new recipes and a slightly different way of eating but as always I am a firm believer in eating a varied diet unless of course, you have a confirmed medical reason to exclude food groups or you have a confirmed diagnosis of an allergy…

We need variety and moderation in our diets…I also believe we should encourage children to cook as I was as a child and they then carry this forward into adulthood.

It is also a known fact that if children help to prepare their food they will eat it and it encourages them to cook and experiment with food and flavours…no fussy kids in my family…they don’t like everything but none of us does but they try it and as their tastes develop and change they may eat it in the future…

My posts will contain choices and also maybe I will end up liking tofu which I don’t at the moment but I am willing to try it now and again…sigh…who knows I may come across a great recipe which changes my mind…

In the meantime, Sally posted a great post on Healthy Eating which I will share here...She shares many of my beliefs like intermittent fasting..which works for me and the 80/20 approach (which) allows for those moments when you just have to…

Sally also delivers lots of other great health advice…Sally is the trained nutritionist I am not… I just trust my gut, my instincts, what my mother taught me and what I have learnt which works for me over the years…

Please pop over and have a read and say hello…Sally can answer any questions and will always make you welcome…x

My recipe today is Prawn(shrimp) stir fry with beansprouts…

• 200g raw, peeled tiger prawns from a sustainable source
• 1 green Thai chilli, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, 1 crushed and 2 finely sliced
• 1 bunch coriander, leaves and stalks separated
• A scant half tbsp caster sugar(optional)
• juice 1 lime
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3cm piece ginger, finely sliced, then shredded
• 8 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 85g water chestnuts, sliced
• 100g beansprouts
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

To serve:

• Egg or rice noodles or rice.
• Lime wedges.

Let’s Cook!

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, add the ginger and spring onions and fry for 1 min. Add the red pepper and fry for 1 min, until the pepper starts to soften. Add the water chestnuts(my) favourite stir fry ingredient and bean sprouts, and toss together until the bean sprouts start to wilt. Add the soy sauce and a really good grind of black pepper.

..Gently push the mixture to the side…heat the remaining oil in the wok and add the prawns, lifting them out of their juices. Toss for 1-2 mins until they turn pink, add the marinade and swirl the wok quickly, then gently stir into the veg.

Snip over the coriander leaves and sprinkle on the remaining lime. Serves over noodles/rice with extra lime for squeezing over.

Enjoy!

Let me leave you with this to ponder on…

Thought for the Day!

There are too many people counting calories and not enough people counting chemicals x

Thank you for popping in and reading this post I hope you will leave a comment as you know I love to chat…Love Carol x