Yay it's Sunday, day of rest

11th December 2016

Magic happens when you do not give up, even though you want to.

I made a comment on Facebook the other day of not living in a "Bullshit bubble" and a few of us seem to have embraced the concept and are now happy to share the reality of life as well as the good moments, it's being done in a comical way too, proving just because there's crap going on in our world doesn't mean we can't laugh at it and focus on the good going on.

Yesterday was a good day, lovely meeting as always, followed by breakfast at Essington Farm, I was overcharged £2 at the till for 3 cakes which I didn't notice till I got home, I thought they were blooming expensive, but hey, at least I can say I helped to pay for the expansion of the farm ;)

The rest of my day was spent doing nothing, absolutely nothing, just sat on my backside catching up on my tv viewing, followed by an early night - perfect.  Today I'll finally sort through the gifts that have been donated by my members for the hostel, so that'll keep me busy, then I'll cook up something tasty, I have all the makings of Massaman beef curry, which I reckon will taste even better the day after so will cook today for tomorrow because I have chicken and chorizo that needs to be eaten today.

I cooked meatballs on Wednesday and they were tasty, but it reminded me of a meatballs recipe that I made weeks ago that was also delicious, maybe more so as I've remembered it and actually want to cook it again unlike the one I made on Wednesday.  Anyway I just did a quick internet search and it's on the internet as a free recipe so I can share it without 'pinching' as it's out there for all to find.  Here you go;

Greek Lamb Meatballs

Serves 4, 7 SmartPoints^® per serving

1 aubergine, cut into large chunks
Calorie controlled cooking spray
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A small bunch of chopped fresh parsley, to serve

For the meatballs

40 g bulgur wheat
350 g lean (less than 16% fat) lamb mince
½ onion, grated finely
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
A handful of chopped fresh parsley

For the sauce

1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
400 g can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato purée
​250 ml vegetable stock                                                                                   

Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200ºC/fan oven 180ºC. Put the aubergine on a baking tray and mist with the cooking spray. Roast for 20 minutes, or until soft.

2.    Meanwhile, cover the bulgur wheat with boiling water and leave to absorb for 5 minutes. Put all the remaining meatball ingredients into a bowl, season and knead together. Drain the bulgur wheat, add to the bowl and mix well. Next, take golf ball-sized portions of the mixture and roll into 16 meatballs. Chill on a plate for 30 minutes.

3.    To make the sauce, fry the onion in the oil until lightly coloured. Add the garlic and continue to fry. Next, add the herbs and tomatoes, followed by the tomato purée and vegetable stock. Bring the sauce to the boil and season.

4.    Brown the meatballs in a frying pan misted with cooking spray before adding them to the sauce and simmering for 30 minutes. Stir in the aubergine 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Just before serving, add the chopped parsley.

I think I was surprised how much I enjoyed it because I don't really like aubergine, it's not an ingredient I'd usually buy, it was however really tasty and the aubergine really added to the meal, mom enjoyed it too.  I really recommend you give it a go, I'll make it again.

Ooo I do love eating, the breakfast we had at Essington farm yesterday was awesome, it literally kept me going all day, I did indulge in an extra slice of toast on it though, 10 piece breakfast and 2 slices of toast, I'll never be known as having a little appetite that's for sure!  I have 2 slices of bacon in the fridge, think I'll have that for breakfast to use it up, mmm tasty.  I'm not going to do an online shop this week, I need to work my way through the freezer again and just buy bits if I need it. 

But now, I'm off to make another cuppa, before sorting out my living room that's full of carrier bags of goodies.

Here's to a slow Sunday, take care BeYOUtiful, enjoy your day.