Movie night: pairing your wine with your popcorn

It's Saturday night so I'm sure a lot of you are enjoying a drink and a snack, maybe watching the X Factor or like me right now watching a film. What's your go-to snack for movie night?

Popcorn is closely associated with watching films since it's sold in cinemas, though that wasn't always the case. If you want to know how popcorn came to be sold in cinemas have a read of this article, it's fascinating!

I've sometimes made popcorn at home to recreate the movie night feel and my preferred drink to enjoy at the same time is either a glass of crisp white wine or a vodka and coke. The people at Skinny Pop, which makes popcorn with no artificial flavourings and no trans fat, asked me to share the infographic above. They offer a range of flavours - though their products are only sold in the US - and suggest different wines to go with each one, which is an interesting idea and something I haven't come across before. So my preferred sauvignon blanc would go well with original or salt and pepper popcorn, whereas I've discovered that the sweeter popcorns, which I do think taste better, would go better with a glass of red. Have you thought about pairing your drinks to your snacks in this way?

Disclaimer: I was not paid any compensation and did not receive any free products for this post. All text and opinions are my own.

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5 Sugar-Free Breakfast Recipes - Sugar Free September

People have differing views on breakfast: some say it is the most important meal of the day, others say 'breakfast like a king, dine like a pauper', others say if you skip breakfast entirely your body burns more of its fat reserves, and others still say you need something small (protein according to some, lemon juice and hot water according to others) to kick-start your metabolism.

It's really confusing and I've tried several approaches over the years, all with very little difference to my weight. What I am sure about though is that the 'traditional' breakfast foods in the UK of cereals and toast are the least good things to be eating. Sugar and simple carbs are not what you need first thing in the morning.

I've previously reviewed a breakfast cereal that I think has good health benefits but since I've started #SugarFreeSeptember I thought I'd give five breakfast ideas that are healthy and largely sugar-free. Some people say you can still eat fruit on a sugar-free diet but others disagree, since fruit is high in natural sugars. So none of my suggestions below include fruit, but you can add it if you like eg to the yogurt, or have some grapes with the cheese.

#1 Eggs - a great way to start the day and also sugar-free (just don't dip any soldiers in your boiled egg!). My favourite is poached egg with smoked salmon for an indulgent way to start the day. Omlettes are also a good idea, and if you have a bit more time to cook, try poached eggs on wilted spinach sauteed with olive oil, salt and pepper.

 

#2 Greek yogurt (unflavoured) sprinkled with chia seeds. Chia seeds are a good source of vitamins and minerals. They are not that cheap but I bought a big tub from the supermarket for only about £4 and it goes a long way.

 

#3 Cheese: good if you want to eat protein in the mornings and not as strange as it sounds- think continental breakfasts where you have ham and cheese on bread. The ham and cheese together make a good healthy and very quick breakfast if you are on the go - without the bread.

#4 Buckwheat pancakes: these are just like regular pancakes in method; the taste is a little different but I barely noticed, though of course my fussy husband did - but he still liked them! Using buckwheat flour instead of plain flour makes these gluten-free, so as well as not including any refined or natural sugar, these pancakes won't raise your blood sugar like gluten will.

I used 150g buckwheat flour to 250ml milk and one egg to make four pancakes; whisk the egg and milk together and make a well in the flour, and pour in, whisking well. Heat a little oil or butter or coconut oil in a frying pan, pour in enough mixture to just cover the base of the pan and cook until browned on both sides. My husband had his filled with grated cheese, while I spread mine with goat's cheese (I had a bit left over in the fridge from another recipe) and smoked salmon. Delicious!

 

 

#5 Homemade granola - I used this recipe from 'I quit sugar' by Sarah Wilson. I have to be honest and say it really wasn't my favourite thing to eat, but it wasn't that bad and I felt very virtuous eating it. You can make up a big tub at the beginning of the week and take it into work or portion it out as you need. I had a lot of the ingredients already, including the chia seeds which I bought on a whim and hadn't used yet; the coconut flakes came from Ocado, the mixed nuts from Lidl and the coconut oil from Amazon.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (along with some cinnamon and I used a tiny bit of agave nectar which is a natural sugar but very high in sugar - the recipe advises rice malt syrup as being optional and I wasn't sure where to buy that (health food shops perhaps?) but as I had agave nectar decided to use a little of that - I don't think it would have been very palatable without.

Baking in the oven:

And then a little tub to take to work with some Greek yogurt.

 

 

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Slow Cooker Chicken Korma

I’m often trying different curry recipes to find one that is closest to take-away – I don’t have takeaway or restaurant curries very often (probably just a couple of times a year) but do love a chicken korma. This slow-cooker recipe isn’t quite like the takeaway ones, as the sauce is not as thick or as sweet, but I think it’s a lot healthier! It’s easy to make too – after a bit of initial prep you put everything into the slow cooker. The recipe comes from a book called 200 Slow Cooker Recipes but I adapted it.

You need: 

2 tbsp sunflower oil

8 chicken thighs, skinned boned and cubed

2 onions, peeled and chopped

1-2 green chillies to taste, deseeded and finely chopped

2.5m fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

5 tbsp korma curry paste

250ml coconut cream or milk (I took this to mean coconut milk, not regular milk)

300ml chicken stock

2 tbsp ground almonds

 

 

Fry the chicken in a frying pan until it has browned, then put it in your slow cooker.
 

 

Add the onions, chillies, ginger, curry paste to the frying pan, and fry for 2-3 mins.

 

Pour in the coconut cream or milk, stock and ground almonds. Chop half the coriander and add to the sauce and season. Bring to the boil then spoon over the chicken in the slow cooker.
 

 

Cook in the slow cooker according to the machine instructions 6-8 hours.

 

 

Serve with rice

 

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Sugar-Free September - Ways to Eat Less Sugar #SugarFreeSeptember

Welcome to Sugar-Free September!

 

It always used to be said that fat is the enemy- recent studies are suggesting that in fact it’s not fat we should be steering clear of, but sugar.

 

Aside from an increased risk of diabetes, a high-sugar diet has been found to increase weight gain; risk of heart disease; risk of cancer – the list goes on.

 

I’m no expert so rather than explain all the scientific theory behind what too much sugar does to your body, I suggest you do your own research on the intranet – here are a few articles and websites I’ve found particularly interesting.


 

The Guardian – the sugar conspiracy
 

I Quit Sugar blog (and book)

 

BBC Good Food – the truth about sugar

 

The NHS (UK National Health Service) – how to cut down sugar in your diet

 

I don’t believe in the demonization of food and that sugar should be Public Enemy #1 – and I’m certainly not going to completely cut it out of my diet. But I do need to lose weight and I think this might help – and we could all do with eating less sugar.

 

Scroll to the end for some links to some of my favourite sugar-free recipes.

 

An old school friend of mine, who writes a brilliant parenting blog called Single Mother Ahoy, cut out sugar for a month last year and saw some really positive benefits. Earlier this year I bought the book I Quit Sugar on her recommendation, and did a good job of cutting down on sugar for a couple of months before my wedding. I didn’t cut it out entirely, as a health professional I visited recommended 5 sugar-free days a week and eating a little sugar on the other two days if I wanted. It’s worth emphasising that this included foods with hidden or natural sugars – from fruit to bread (there can be up to 3g of sugar in a slice of processed bread) and even potatoes – starch converts into glucose when it is digested and potatoes have a very high proportion of starch. So 5 days out of every 7 I didn’t eat potatoes or bread, which meant I had to make some big changes in my typical lunches and dinners!

 

I also was advised to stop eating breakfast as the only way my body would use up its fat reserves but this seems to be quite a controversial point and I’ve read a lot saying you need to kick-start your metabolism in the morning by eating something. I haven’t eaten breakfast (other than rare occasions) for several months now, but I haven’t really noticed much effect in terms of extra weight loss (if everything else in my diet remained the same) so I’m going to go back to having small, healthy, protein-rich breakfasts. But definitely sugar free!

 

Last month Vicky at Single Mother Ahoy asked who wanted to sign up to take part in Sugar Free September with her again this year and I did so immediately. She has a Facebook group specifically for this challenge that you can join to get support and ideas.

 

I post my meal plans on my blog every week and will be sharing a sugar-free recipe every Wednesday, along with some links below to get you started. I’m also going to do a ‘5 sugar free breakfast ideas’ post this Saturday so look out for that if you are struggling to think of ideas!

 

However, if you want to avoid sugar entirely, you might not be so keen on the other recipes on my blog. I want to point out that I normally try to eat quite healthily – I don’t make cakes that often, don’t eat out a lot at the moment, and most meals during the week are healthy. But posting a recipe for grilled chicken and vegetables, or poached salmon and broccoli, isn’t really that interesting – which is why the recipes I post are often more indulgent. Also, I don’t post things right away so there will be some recipes going up this month for things I’ve made previously. I just wanted to point this out so people don’t start posting comments asking why I say I’m doing sugar-free September and then posting recipes that are full of sugar!

 

My blog is designed to be a bit of something for everyone and I think it’s good to strike a balance between healthy eating and occasional treats, so I will continue to share recipes for cakes and other sweet treats while mixing in healthier meals, as I normally do, but with some extra sugar-free recipes this month.

 

Some people think going sugar-free means cutting out refined sugar so continue to eat fruit; others replace caster sugar with honey or even sweetener. I think at least for this month that defeats the purpose of Sugar-Free September so my recipes will be as purely sugar-free as I can get them.

 

So here are some recipes that you might enjoy, and will help get you started if you are taking part in Sugar-Free September. If you are, let me know in the comments how it goes!

 

Breakfast

(come back this Saturday for some more ideas)

 

Bacon and cheese omelette (note: cheese does have a very small amount of natural sugar)

http://ift.tt/2bDNPTr

 

Sugar-free coconut milk pancakes

http://ift.tt/2bDAAXM

 

 

Lunch

Easy lunchbox salads

http://ift.tt/2bDOlkq

 

Quinoa cheese tartlets

http://ift.tt/2bDAqPV

 

Roast cauliflower, sumac and rocket salad

http://ift.tt/2bDMImP

 

Dinner

Spiralized courgette with carrot, lemon and tuna

http://ift.tt/2bDzmeY

 

Slow cooker Thai green beef curry

http://ift.tt/2bDNS1z

 

Low-carb fish pie with cauliflower mash

http://ift.tt/2bDB1kL

 

Spiralized vegetables with broccoli pesto

http://ift.tt/2bDOeFz

 

Chicken en papilotte with orange veg

http://ift.tt/2bDzknr

 

Butternut squash quinoa risotto

http://ift.tt/2bDMKuX

 

Spiralized salmon and broccoli balls with carrot pineapple rice (leave out the pineapple)

http://ift.tt/2bDzgnK

 

Spiralized butternut squash with prawns and mascarpone (cheese has a small amount of natural sugar)

http://ift.tt/2bDN78A

 

Roasted cauliflower steak with stilton

http://ift.tt/2bDAj7g

 

Prawn Mooli stir-fry

http://ift.tt/1QNFdLQ

 

Sausage ragu with spiralized butternut squash

http://ift.tt/1OWOOgC

 

Chicken topped with homemade houmous

http://ift.tt/2bDNIHg

 

 

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Bring out the Branston - Barbecue Recipes with Pickle, Relish and Sauce

“Bring out the Branston” – the advertising slogan for Branston Pickle – is something I associate with cheese sandwiches, not barbecues. But the brand, which started life in 1922, is now known for more than just pickle and has a range of relishes and table sauces. By inviting a group of food and lifestyle bloggers to the London Barbecue School, they were able to showcase just what you can do with their products - and there wasn't a cheese and pickle sandwich in sight!

 

I've been to the London Barbecue School before; it's run by a very nice man named Alistair who is also the lead tutor at the School of Food. They specialise in using Kamado Joe barbecues, which are ceramic egg-shaped grills that gives you the ability to grill, smoke or sear; the grill itself is in two parts so can be used at different levels to create different heat zones.

 

Edward from Mizkan, the company that owns Branston Pickle, introduced himself and spoke a little about the brand, and then we were told about the recipes we would be cooking. We would be using Branston products in some of the recipes themselves, not just as accompaniments – and I learnt something straight away. Do you know the difference between a relish and a chutney? They often have similar ingredients, but a relish is made to go with hot food while a chutney is meant to go with cold food.

 

We organised ourselves into small groups and chose which recipe we wanted to do, from a choice of:
sticky pork chops
Tex-Mex chicken tacos
mushroom and grilled cheese burger
beer-braised brisket with blue cheese slaw

 

 

I decided I most liked the sound of the steak so my group began to prepare our ingredients.

We were given thin steaks rather than a large piece of brisket as that would have taken far too long to cook; the steaks had already been marinaded so all we needed to do was put them on the barbecue.

Meanwhile two of us got on with making the slaw – I am not normally a fan of coleslaw but thought this looked really good and it did taste great.

To serve, we placed the steak, some slaw, some little gem lettuce and some Branston in a tortilla and wrapped it up - delicious!

I saw people making the other recipes and they all looked very tasty; I would never have thought of using Branston to jazz up chicken tacos and as part of the recipe rather than an accompaniment.

I also cooked some burgers for the rest of the group, which went really well with the Branstons Rich and Smoky sauce; I really had no idea they had so many products beyond just pickle!
 

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Meal Planning Monday 2016 - week 35

A friend of mine did something called Sugar Free September last year where she went a whole month without eating any sugar - I can't remember if she was able to stick to the plan 100% but she certainly did very well, lost weight and felt a lot better. It was on her recommendation that I bought a book called I Quit Sugar, which is full of great recipes, even if they tend to take a bit longer than just putting something from the freezer in the oven.

I've set myself a weight loss target by Christmas (I'm not saying what it is, as every other diet I've tried has failed as I have zero willpower and like food too much!). So I've decided to try to do Sugar Free September as well - as much as I possibly can, which I'm targeting as at least 5 days a week, if not 6 or 7. There are things coming up where it will be near-impossible to avoid sugar - for instance this week I am going out for afternoon tea with the in-laws. But I will stick to a no-sugar diet as much as I can - which includes not eating foods with hidden sugars like potatoes or bread. It's going to be fun. But it's just for September and if I can't manage this for a month then I don't know how I ever expect to be able to stick to a diet and lose weight!

If anyone else is doing Sugar Free September I'd love to hear from you, about how it's going, what your pitfalls are, and any good recipes you can suggest!

Monday
bank holiday - I'm at a friend's in Devon
 

Tuesday
day off travelling back from Devon (5 hours +) so lunch will be something en route
Dinner: pesto chicken I was going to do for the past two weeks but still haven't!
 

Wednesday
 spaghetti carbonara, with spiralized veg instead of pasta for me
 

Thursday
At a jewellery making class where food is provided
 

Friday
salmon with quinoa for me, sausage roll for him
 

Saturday
Lunch buckwheat galettes for me, ham and cheese pancake for him
Dinner- Slimming World gunpowder pork (chicken for my husband as he doesn't eat pork) with rice.
 

Sunday
Today we are having afternoon tea with my inlaws, which has been booked for ages so there's no way I can stick to a sugar free diet! We probably need to leave around midday, so will have a big breakfast and small dinner (or maybe no dinner at all),
Brunch: omelette for him, smoked salmon and poached eggs for me
Dinner:  probably won't be hungry but he can have something from the freezer when we get in if he likes and I will have spiralized veg.

This is a blog hop, join in here:
 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Cheddar and Mustard Loaf

 

I wanted to make some bread to have alongside a barbecue at home so had a look in my Great British Bake Off Big Book of Baking. This is the book that came out to accompany the series before last that was won by Nancy.

There's a whole section on bread, and I hadn't made any of the recipes from the book, so decided to have a go at the cheddar and mustard loaf. It turned out really well, even though it was left to prove for a lot longer than intended as we went round to my mother-in-law's part way through and didn't get back until late!

To make one large loaf, you need:
150g mature Cheddar, grated
500g strong white bread flour
5g salt
7g fast-action dried yeast
2.5 tbsp. Dijon mustard
300ml lukewarm milk


Mix the cheese with 1 tbsp. of the flour in a small bowl - this will stop the cheese sticking together in clumps. Put aside until later.

Put the flower, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the mustard and milk and mix together, either by hand or in the slowest setting in your mixer.

Either turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or if you are using something like a Kitchenaid, continue to mix on the slowest speed setting for 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to rest for 5 minutes, then add the cheese and knead again for the same length of time.

Return the dough to the bowl if necessary and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rise at normal room temperature for an hour until doubled in size (personally I'd advise a warm room or a warm place as I left mine at room temperature and it didn't increase in size that much).

Then roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Roll up from the short end and tuck the seam under. Place in a greased loaf tin- I couldn't find mine and my dough was far too long anyway so I put it on a flat baking tray.

Put a large plastic bag over the tin and secure the ends so the dough has space to rise inside the bag. Leave again at room temperature for an hour until doubled in size.

Towards the end of the rising time preheat the oven to 190C/ Gas 5. Brush milk over the top of the loaf and bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on a rack before slicing. We had a lot more bread than we needed for our barbecue and it kept for several more days which was good. You can definitely taste the cheese and mustard in it!

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