Tortilla Chicken Fillet Breast Wraps

Hello, how is everyone doing today? I hope you all had a lovely day 

I haven't had one of these in yonks and really fancied it today.And what Yems wants, Yems gets! So there we have it ....... This is a very simple and quick meal to make and very delicious too.

Ingredients

bell peppers(green, yellow and red)

courgettes

chicken breast fillets

tortilla wraps

tortilla spice mix (optional)

tomatoes

 Instructions

 For The Chicken Fillet Breast

heat the wok and add 2tsps of extra virgin oil 

wash chicken fillet in lemon juice and cut into squares

  For The Chicken Fillet Prep

place chicken breast into the hot oil and stir until it's cooked and brown

add vegetables and stir, do not let the vegetable be too soft

add the smokey bbq sauce and stir nicely...

 For The Tortilla Wrap Prep

heat the oven and place tortilla on the foil for 5mins till they are wam

( my wraps turned out to be a bit hard as I was on the phone and forget them in the oven) 

Tortilla Wraps

                                             Final Prep for Tortilla Wraps

             place wraps on a plate and add the chicken fillet and vegetable mix and wrap

Chicken Breast Tortilla Wraps

Tortilla wraps with tomatoes

Washed down with a nice glass of infused
 lemon water

Have a lovely evening.

Fruit And Vegetable Smoothie

Happy Thankful Tuesday Smoothie Lovers,

I have a lot to be thankful for and I am sure you all do too, so let's give thanks today.

I have two smoothies for you today which is a fruit smoothie and a green creamy smoothie.

Ingredients : Fruit Smoothie

• bananas
• blueberries
• kiwis
• strawberries

Instructions

• Place all the fruits in the blenders, add water or coconut water and blend until smooth

Fruit Smoothie

Fruit & Green Creamy Smoothie

Rich,thick and tasty blend of fruits

Ingredients:Green Creamy Smoothie

• avocado
• celery
• salad leaves
• kiwi

Instructions

• peel the skin off the avocado and kiwi and place in the blender
• chop the celery into small chunks and add the salad leaves
• add water and blend till smooth 

Avocado, Kiwi & Salad Leaves & Celery - Green Smoothie

Fruit & Green creamy Smoothie

Have a lovely day.

Grilled Stuffed Bell Peppers

Happy Thursday Lovely People,

How's everyone doing?

To all the lovely people reading this,it's been about a month since I posted a recipe.
The good and beautiful life of studies,career and the rest took over a little bit but I am not complaining :-)

Thank you to my readers who sent me messages asking If I was alright..... I'm alive and well ..... and now I'm back!

Just to manage my time and my other activities properly, I'll post recipes 2-3 times a week for now till my schedule is back to normal.

Right ... lets get started.

Ingredients 

aubergines

3 bell large bell peppers

courgettes

garlic

kale

tinned tomatoes

tinned tuna

mushrooms

onions

seasoning

 Bell peppers, Kale, Mushrooms, Tuna & Plum tomatoes

For the Bell Peppers 

preheat the oven

wash the bell peppers,cut the top carefully and remove the seeds carefully

wash the bell peppers again

place on tin foil, wrap and place it in the oven for 10-15mins till it's a little bit soft

Bell peppers with seeds removed and placed on foil

Bell peppers wrapped in foil and placed in the oven

For the Vegetable Sauce Mix

wash all the vegetables and chop them finely
heat a tablespoon of olive and stir fry the vegetables

once nicely browned, add the tinned tomato and kale to make a nice vegetable sauce mix

Tomatoes, Aubergines,bell peppers, courgettes & ginger

Vegetable Stir Fry Mix

Vegetable stir fry mix mixed with kale

                                                           

Fill the Bell Peppers with the vegetable sauce mix

once the bell peppers are slightly grilled and soft, place it in a baking dish and

fill the vegetable sauce mix into the bell peppers and place it in the oven for 20-25mins

Warm and soft bell peppers

Fill the empty bell peppers with the vegetable sauce mix

Ready Grilled Bell Peppers

once the bell peppers are slightly browned and the contents are bubbling then it's ready

you can sprinkle some cheese on it or eat it on it's own

serve it nice and  hot

Grilled filled bell peppers

Dinner is ready

Enjoy and have a nice evening.

Sunny Sunday with Baked Sweet Potatoes

Happy Sunny Sunday!! 

I hope everyone's having a lovely Sunday.

You'll be glad to know that this weekend the sun came out for us in the United Kingdom Yay!! The weather was beautiful .Thank You Jesus!! More of this weather please Lord...more :-) 

I hope the sunshine has come to stay!!

I haven't had sweet potatoes in a very long time and instead of the normal roast potatoes on a Sunday I bought some sweet potatoes instead.

Sweet potatoes  have some great benefits which include a high volume  of vitamins B6 and C.

Read more about the benefits of sweet potatoes http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-reasons-to-love-sweet-potatoes.html

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes

clear bag

chicken drumsticks (cleaned & seasoned overnight)

gravy granules

seasonings (salt,sugar and mixed herbs)

mixed vegetables

olive oil

                                                   For the Sweet Potatoes
                               Preheat oven and wipe the foil or baking tray with some olive oil

                               Wash the skin of the sweet potatoes and then peel

                     Cut the sweet potatoes into circular or your desired shape

               Place sweet potatoes into the clear bag, add seasoning, olive oil and shake well

 Place the sweet potatoes shapes unto the tray and allow to bake for 25mins and turn over                                                       once sides are done

Baked Sweet Potatoes

                                                        For the Chicken

                  Clean chicken, add seasoning and place in bowl and season overnight

                                    Preheat oven and oil the foil or baking tray

          Place chicken on the tray & allow to cook for 35-40mins turning over once each                                                                   side is cooked

Ensure your chicken is cooked properly before serving

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

For the Gravy

Bring water to boil

Add gravy granules to a small saucepan or metallic bowl, add little cold water and mix well till it's a runny paste

Add hot water to gravy mix and stir until it's nice and thick without any lumps

Place in gravy funnel

Gravy

For the Mixed Vegetables

Rinse the vegetables

Bring water to boil and add a pinch of salt

Place vegetables in boiling water allow it to steam for 4-5mins

Drain vegetables

Serve Baked Sweet Potatoes, Chicken, Vegetables with Gravy.

Voila

Enjoy!!
                            

Cucumber Kale Mango & Pear Smoothie

Happy Saturday!!!

I am currently loving the fruits and vegetables smoothie swirl mix. The taste of the vegetables as you take your first sip on the smoothie and before you get to the end the sweet fruit hits your taste buds  hmm-mm bellissimo.

Ingredients

• cucumber
• frozen pears (skin peeled)
• frozen mangoes (tinned)
• kale 
• unsweetened almond milk

Some of my readers have asked me to list alternatives fruits as they might not have the fruits I use in their countries.

 

Blend fruits and vegetables separately

Alternative fruits

• to achieve the green mix : you can use spinach/green salad leaves or any green vegetable will do.
• to achieve the cream mix : you can use mangoes,apples, pineapple or bananas

Green & White Smoothie

Fruits and Vegetables Smoothie

Instructions

• to achieve the swirl you will need to blend the fruits separately
• place frozen mango and pears in the blender, add unsweetened milk and blend until smooth
• place kale and cucumber in the blender, add unsweetened milk and blend until smooth
• pour the mangoes and pear mix in your cup and top it up with the kale and cucumber mix
• serve cold

Enjoy.

Stir Fry Noodles with Runner Beans & Skewered Beef

Skewered Beef

Meat and poultry form a good part of our diet.I  fancied some beef and chicken this weekend so I did a little bit of meat shopping and also bought some mushrooms and vegetables to make a lovely supper.

Noodles, Beef and Vegetables

Dinner is served

Ingredients

All purpose seasoning

Beef

Black pepper

Bell peppers ( Red & Green)

Light Soy Sauce

Mushrooms

Noodles

Onions

Olive oil

Runner Beans

Salt

Sweet Corn

Stir Fry Vegetables

Wooden Skewer

Instructions

For the Beef 

Preheat Oven

Cut beef into square pieces

Wash well with vinegar and let it stand for 10mins

Rinse  and season with beef seasoning, black pepper,salt, onions and place in the fridge for a little while.

Chop bell peppers into squares

Remove wooden skewers from pack

Place beef squared pieces unto the wooden skewer with bell peppers, repeat process till you have no more beef or bell peppers left

Wrap the end of the wooden skewer sticks with some foil so it doesn't burn you when you turn it over

Brush the foil with some olive oil and place skewered beef in the preheated oven.

Turn over 25mins later, ensure the beef is cooked

For the Stir Fry Vegetables

Preheat a little bit of olive oil in the wok and add already washed vegetables to the hot oil and turn until the vegetables are nice, soft and crunchy

Pour in a separate bowl

For the Noodles

Preheat a  teaspoon in the same wok, add noodles and stir till soft, add  some soy sauce

Add the stir fried  vegetable waiting in the bowl to the noodles

Stir until both vegetables and noodles are nicely merged

For the Runner Beans

Add runner beans to already boiling water for 5-8 mins, remove and drain

Serve Stir Fry Noddles with Runner Beans and Skewered Beef.

Enjoy.

Salmon and Steamed Vegetables

My love for salmon started a few years ago.

As a child I despised fish with a passion and still do but secretly I love fried fish especially red snapper or white fish (my sister calls me a fake fish eater) the trick for me is that the fish has to be fried and then really dry otherwise I won't eat it.

My mum always cooked/baked mackerel, the black and blue skin often made me sick. 
On many occasions she would place the baked mackerel, garnished lemon and all that jazz on the table and I would literally feel sick at the sight of the black and blue creature staring at me on the plate.

What you looking at huh??

I hated fish of any kind and refused to eat it. I am still very fussy and won't eat any cooked fish but salmon won over my heart and to be honest when I do bake my salmon I  rip the skin off as I can't bear to taste the skin but I have resorted to buying the skinless salmon fillets from the supermarkets.

The truth is when my mum put the mean looking mackerel on my plate I would it pass it to my sister and if she was unable to pick it from my plate without my parents catching us then the teddy bear would get stuffed with it ..mum will be shocked if she ever found out ha ha ha!!  Sorry teddy :-(

Tonight I fancied my favourite salmon and matched it up with some steamed vegetables and a little sweetcorn, tomato and cucumber salad.

Ingredients

• broccoli
• cucumber
• cauliflower
• carrots
• salmon
• sweet corn
• tomatoes
• lemon sauce

Salmon, Cauliflower,Carrots,Broccoli, Tomatoes, Sweet Corn and Cucumber

Have a lovely evening!

Let's talk about Avocados

Is avocado a fruit or vegetable? The jury is still out on that one haha!!

I will admit that Avocado was never a fruit that I  liked and I know of a few people who do not like it.

Thinking back to the first time I had an avocado it was in my salad and I picked it all out muttering to myself what is this horrible green thing in my salad, I couldn't stand the taste.

But in 2013 a friend of mine invited me round to hers for lunch and made Avocado soup. As I sipped a few spoons of my green soup my mouth was lost in a familiar taste and I asked her what was in the soup and she said avocado....I was shocked because the soup tasted so rich and you'll never guess what we had for dessert ...Yep!Avocado cake! From that day onwards I was in love with avocado and started putting it in all my meals.

Did you know that there are more than 75 things you can do with avocados?  To mention a few-avocado margaritas,avocado pudding, avocado cake, avocado salad,avocado bread, avocado ice cream,avocado toast, avocado fries, avocado cake, avocado lettuce and the list goes on and on.

Nutritional breakdown of avocados

Healthy fats- fats account for around three quarters of the calorie count of an avocado.Most of it is monounsaturated fat, in the form of oleic acid. Monounsaturated fat is considered to be " good fat" which reduces levels of bad cholesterol in your blood and lowers your risk of stroke and heart disease.

Protein- an average avocado contains around 4 grams of protein, which is more than most
other fruits.

 

Sugar-avocados sugar content is low compared to other fruits. Half an avocado contains approximately 0.2g of sugar.

Vitamins and minerals-avocados are an excellent source of potassium(containing more weight than bananas). In addition avocados are rich in vitamins K and B.

Health Benefits of avocado

Apart from being an excellent source of fiber and vitamins, research suggests that there may be a number of other benefits associated with the fruit, including: lowering cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of  diabetes promoting lower body weight and preventing cancer.

After a week of following the avocado enriched diet the patients experienced a 22% decrease in bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels and an 11% increase in good cholesterol.

Risks and precautions

Despite being very rare, avocado allergies do exist. According to a case report published in the journal Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, avocado allergies are associated with "coughing, wheezing, nasal stuffiness, generalised urticaria and periorbital edema".

It is important to consult your doctor if you begin to experience any unpleasant side effects after eating avocado.

Credit  :Medical NewsToday

Supermarket Vs Local Market Stalls

What's your preference and why?

The Supermarket or your local market stall?

Every fortnight on a Saturday morning I get ready and head to my local market to pick my fruits and vegetables.

As I walk into the market lane of which I love the atmosphere  I can immediately hear George, 50 my favourite fruit trader call out to shoppers and passers by  " Buy your apples and vegetables here, pound a bowl, pound a bowl all fresh, today's produce, fresh on the stall"  the atmosphere in the market is always buzzing and full of life.

As I walk up to him he says " Ello darling you a'right " ? I reply good thanks George what do you have for me today?  The warm reception and smile makes me giggle, he sometimes compliments me on my hair and my lipstick and I tell him that I know it's a ploy to get me to spend more money on his stall. No darling he replies "you know you're my favourite customer" ....Y eh right I reply I bet you say that to all the girls. 

George hasn't lost his touch as his compliments often works a charm.

His fruits and vegetables are always fresh and he sells

• a bowl of 10 granny smiths apples
• a bowl of golden delicious apples for £1, 
• a bowl of juicy red grapes for a £1, 
• 6 raw beetroots for £1, 
• 6 cucumbers for £1, 
• 6 grapefruits for a £1,
• 4 courgettes for a £1,
• a bowl of ripe cherry tomatoes for 50p and lots more.

Shallots, Strawberries and Courgettes at the local market

Cauliflower and  Potatoes at the local market 

Onions,Green-beans and Sweet Potatoes at the local market 

I must say that even though I spend a lot of money on George's stall I like to look around the market as there are also some brilliant bargains on other stalls. The other day I bought 8 avocados for £1 ..YES 8!! I was in avocado heaven if such a place exists and 3 big butternut squash for £1.50.

The highlight of last week was when I bought 3 trays of strawberries for a whooping sun of £1, thinking about it now I was so silly not to have taken a pictures as I got home and for me that was an immediate wash, bag and freeze process with my other fruits.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I love going to my local market stalls to support the traders and I get real value for my money.#Buylocal #Supportthemarkettraders

Oranges, Apples, Bananas and Kiwis at the local market stall

My local supermarket is great but I am never satisfied when I go there. I don't get that one to one attention from George and I meet with lifeless fruits and vegetables on the shelves.

The thought of weighing my fruit irks me especially as I pay so much for so little. Do not get me wrong the supermarket is a great place to shop for fruits and vegetables if that's your preference but it isn't for me.

The supermarket is great when I run out of my favourite fruits or vegetables and for me to quickly pop in and get my produce but for a big batch I rarely go to the supermarket. The other day I ran out of cucumbers and lemons for my infused water and I popped into the supermarket to get a cucumber and I had to pay 90p for a slim mean looking cucumber, I begrudgingly paid for it of course but kicked myself because I could see George's 6 cucumbers for £1 in my thoughts haha!!!


So what's your preference and why? Is it the Supermarket Or Market Stalls? 


Let me know your thoughts.



Photo Credit: My Sister