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As you may know, I’m not usually a fan of icy smoothies (like my Rainbow Smoothie) in the winter. They make me feel cold, miserable and in need of a large latte with a bacon butty. I’d usually go for one of my hot smoothies instead (Oaty hot chocolate smoothie is my favourite). However, I was kind of forced into it because of my mini ‘ridiculous’ diet that I did a couple of weeks ago (which I’ll tell you all about on Wednesday) and I have to say, it was delicious!...

Full Disclosure, apart from the receiving the products, I’ve not bee compensated for this post. Any opinions I’ve expressed are completely my own. Check out Jess’s other products - including the coconut oil here. I’ve eaten my original coconut macaroon granola pretty much every day for the last few months. I’m so addicted that I was starting to worry I might never eat anything else for breakfast again. So I started thinking about variations of my original recipe (baby steps people - you can’t expect me to wean myself off, straight onto egg-white omelettes)....

A slurpy, splash-orange-coloured-sauce-down-your-white-top-in-enthusiastic-eagerness kind of soup, that makes you look at your husband’s bowl to see if he has any left that you could steal. That’s how good this soup is. It’s also on the table in less than half an hour. I first had laksa soup in a Thai restaurant, and I adored all the flavours and textures. I may have mentioned before that Thai is my favourite kind of food, and seafood laksa is such a great way to get a fabulous meal on the table quickly, using only one pan....

Eggs for breakfast. They’re supposed to be the best all-round choice right? No carbs, low calorie, good fats, high protein, plenty of vitamins and minerals. Sounds a million times better than the piece of jam on toast I sometimes find myself shovelling in whilst I’m trying to empty the washing machine, test Lewis on his spellings and look for the missing football sock - all at the same time! Jam on toast = bad (and hungry again 20 minutes later)....

Jump to:📋 What do we need? 🔪 How to make this sweet and sour turkey 🍽️ What to serve it with 📺 Watch how to make it 🍲 More Asian Inspired Recipes Sweet and Sour Turkey 💬 Reviews One of my favourite cooking challenges is deciding what to do with the leftover turkey after Christmas day. I always buy a big turkey that will provide enough meat for turkey butties as well as AT LEAST one other full meal....

These little fishcake bites are absolutely packed with flavour. Chilli, lemongrass, garlic, coriander, kaffir lime leaves, ginger - all the stuff that equals serious Thai flavours. They’re so simple to make - just whizz everything up in the food processer for a few seconds, and then roll your sleeves up and get your hands in there to make them into little bite-size morsels. This Thai Fish Cake Skewers recipe is largely based on a Thai Fishcake recipe I posted about this time last year....

I think I may be more excited about this sandwich than when I got 4 numbers on the lottery!! Sandwich shops definitely need to get on board with this method of making their sarnies. 3 different strips of ingredients lying across the width of one piece of bread, and another 3 strips lying across the length of another piece. Put them together, and voila - 9 little mini sandwiches:...

I’m going to start today with a tiny history lesson (no sleeping at the back!!). I grew up in what used to be Lancashire (the boundaries have changed over time), so it’d be wrong of me not to give you a bit of the background of this dish. The History of Traditional Lancashire Hotpot Lancashire Hotpot is thought to have originated during the cotton industry in the 19th century. It’s a simple meal that would have been left to cook slowly all day, ready for the hungry cotton workers at the end of their shift....

We love a good curry at home, and you’ll often find me whipping up a quick Thai curry on a busy weeknight, or making a slow cooker curry when we’ve got friends round for dinner. It’s also the number one food I crave when we come back from holiday. We have so much fun trying all the local cuisines and basically eating everything in sight, but when I get back home, dinner is a saucy curry with lots of rice....

This Chicken Yakisoba is a quick stir fry, made with soba noodles, chicken, prawns and egg. The dish is all finished off with a sprinkling of crispy onions and slices of pickled ginger for a bit of fresh heat. Jump to:📋 What do we need? 🔪 How to make it 🍲 More fantastic Japanese-inspired recipes Chicken Yakisoba More Noodle Dishes 💬 Reviews A quick and easy make-at-home copycat version of Chicken Yakisoba....

My dad made this every autumn and winter when I was growing up, and now I always look forward to cooking up a huge pan once the weather starts getting cold. I know tinned corned beef isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m not a fan of tinned meat generally, but this corned beef hash soup is a MUST. 📋 What do we need? Ingredients Swaps If you don’t want to use the vinegar from sliced pickled beetroot then you can swap it out for cider vinegar....

Jump to:📋 What do we need? 🔪 How to make Coronation Chicken 🍲 More fantastic chicken salad recipes Coronation Chicken Recipe 💬 Reviews If you’ve never heard of Coronation chicken, it’s a cold dish of cooked chicken (shredded or chopped) in a curry spiced mayo-based sauce with mango chutney, sultanas and apricots for sweetness. Sounds like a bit of an unusual combination, but it really works. It was invented back in 1953 as part of a celebration banquet for the coronation of queen Elizabeth II....

Nachos are irresistible. We’re all in agreement here right? We go to a fabulous Mexican restaurant, looking forward to all of the delights on offer, but it’s almost impossible to resist the nachos! Then we eat all of those nachos, and we’re too full to enjoy the juicy steak, spicy rice, 3 other sides that would be a shame not to try, and the bite of oversized-burrito from my husband’s plate that we know he won’t mind us nicking…....

I guess they’re just that versatile. Also good for evening snacks, brunch, and the time you’re making a cup of tea and they’re right next to the cups - so a nibble of the corner ends up being a whole one. I LOVE easter baking. I’m not as fussed about making Easter cakes and sweet treats (it almost seems pointless when you can just eat crunchy Easter chocolate straight from the fridge - my favourite), but I’m all about the breakfast/brunch bread treats like these hot cross buns, my chocolate orange version, raspberry and almond-stuffed croissants or these savoury ham and cheese croissants....

This salad is guaranteed to get your tastebuds tingling. I know there are lots of variations of the classic Panzanella, but the for the most part, the basic recipe consists of beautifully ripe tomatoes, bread (usually stale) soaked in tomato juices, a simple dressing and plenty of seasoning. I’m not really keen on the soggy bread thing, so I use slices of garlic bread that have been chopped and then crisped up in a pan....

Forget the packets of dried ramen noodles this is the BEST! I’ve had so-so ramen (always a little disappointing when the broth is too watered down) and I’ve had great ramen, like when we visited New York (that definitely falls into the category of great, if not magnificent!). The broth is made by slow cooking the pork for 4 hours, along with lots of delicious extras such as garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin and gochujang....

I make pasta meals at least a couple of times a week. Good old spag bol appears on the menu most weeks, and then there’s usually some kind of variation with salmon or chicken. I like to throw in whatever I’ve got lying around at the time - maybe some chorizo, or crispy bacon. Sometimes cream or chillies. I’m slightly constrained at the moment since I’m trying to lose a few pounds, so I’ve been looking at other ways of getting in a flavour punch without going over-the-top on the naughty additions....

One thing I love about the eating season - err I mean Christmas - is the endless selection of canapés and mini versions of pretty much every type of food. We all want to have a taste of every delicious dish on offer, so we scale it all down in order to fit more in. It’s genius really. I don’t know why we don’t do it all the time. After all, who can resist I plateful of doll-sized food?...

A simple party dessert that I always come back to. These strawberry cheesecake bites are loved by kids and adults alike and i’ve never seen one left on the party table. They’re really quick to whip up, and, whilst yes, they are made with cream, sugar, cream cheese and crumbled biscuits….. ……strawberries also feature pretty bloomin heavily, so I consider them to be an all round great snack. Here’s a quick rundown of how to make them: Full instructions are in the recipe card below, and there’s a video just above the recipe card....

I started my personal training sessions again last night, followed by an outdoor fitness class this morning. My body is screaming at me to lie down and watch TV until at least Sunday, but I’ve arranged another mini-workout session tomorrow with a friend. I’m not normally (or ever?) this enthusiastic about exercise, but something needs to be done about my sausage thighs. All that weight I lost (if you remember those before and after pics from my May 2016 income report?...