Another day, another go!

Thursday 16th March 2023

Take back control.

Went to bed in pain, I had a bath beforehand which helped but I was still achy, a combination of being middle aged, having a bad back and doing more walking than usual round shops.  It'll settle soon I'm sure, I'm gonna take painkillers in a bit, not done that in a few weeks.

On a positive, I enjoyed my breakfast yesterday, Allbran, banana, pear and natural yogurt.

I saved money stocking up on my wine, it was already reduced from £8 to £6.50 then Sainsbury's has it's 25% off 6, so £4.87 a bottle - bonus!  

I only managed half hour in the swimming baths, it was heaving with kids!  I'm assuming the half that weren't swimming lessons were kids at home because of the strike, Aryn's home today but he's gonna be doing online learning.

This was the Gousto meal he choose for us last night, I know my photo doesn't look good but the food was tasty, Aryn really liked the potato cakes and they were so simple, .lus an easy way to get greens into him.  The sauce was a bit too much for me, but the rest was very tasty, I do love greens.  Recipe at bottom of blog.

  

I was out the house from half 8 till 3, so didn't get my usual lazy Wednesday afternoon, no sooner was I home than Aryn walked in, I also had an appointment at 4, so got back just after 5 to make dinner.

I did finish my book though and it was so good, JoJo Moyes, Someone Else's shoes, such a different story, she really has a knack of doing that, coming up with original ideas and keeping you focussed until the very last page, I need to check out ones she's written that I've missed, but not now because I'm running a little late!

I still haven't finished the book I had for holiday, mostly because it's paper and I listen to audio because I can multitask then, it's great in the car and it helps me do housework! 

I didn't make all great meal choices, because I hadn't planned to be out for so long, I hadn't thought about lunch, then I walked in Sainsbury's in Cannock and spotted the rotisserie chicken and I bought one!  I was shocked at how small it was though I have to say, they have definitely shrunk in size!  Now I went to 3 Sainsbury's yesterday for wine (don't judge me lol) and I bought diesel too, it was 12p cheaper in Wolverhampton town centre than Cannock and 10p cheaper than Bentley Bridge!  They price it based on whether they believe the area to be affluent - that stinks!  I saved about £8 filling up, it all makes a difference, I actually saved £282 on wine, yes I bought a lot of it but I won't drink it any quicker than I usually do and a bottle cost me what a pint of Guinness costs him in some pubs!   Then I get 3% on my UW cashback card shopping in Sainsbury's and their petrol when I spend £50 in store so I saved about another £16, it all adds up doesn't it.  

Anyway, this lush needs to get ready for work, I'm feeling a bit better than I did when I got out of bed, a couple of cups of tea, I was gonna switch completely to decaf tea until I looked yesterday at Yorkshire tea, twice the price for decaf - nah I ain't doing that.

We've got Persian-style lamb burger with herby feta and harissa mayo for tea tonight, it comes served with fries, but we may have it with leftover colcannon cakes, or I'll freeze them.   I had the 4 meals for 4 people with that discount!  If you want to give it a go, here's the link cook.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=BEVER43868435&utm_source=weblink

Have a good day, I plan too!  

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

Colcannon-Style Potato Cakes With Creamy Mustard Basa

318 reviews

This is one hot potato you won’t want to put down. You’ll shape cheesy spring green mash into Irish-style potato cakes. Bake them til golden and serve with crispy basa, buttery greens, and creamy mustard sauce.

30 mins

British

Ingredients

For 2 people [double for 4]

• 
  50g soft cheese †
• 
  21g wholegrain mustard †
• 
  40g cheddar cheese †
• 
  2 x 100g basa fillets †
• 
  3 white potatoes
• 
  120g shredded spring greens †
• 
  2 garlic cloves
• 
  8ml soy sauce †
• 
  1 shallot

You’ll also need

Butter, flour, milk, pepper, salt, vegetable oil

Cooking instructions

For 2 people [double for 4]

1. 
   1. 

   Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7 and boil a kettle

   Chop the potatoes (skins on) into bite-sized pieces

   Add the chopped potatoes to a pot with plenty of boiled water and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

   Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 12-15 min or until fork-tender

2. 
   2. 

   Meanwhile, wash the shredded spring greens then pat dry with kitchen paper

   Grate the cheddar cheese

   Peel and slice the shallot[s] finely

   Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

3. 
   3. 

   Once the potatoes are fork-tender, drain and add to a large bowl, reserving the pot

   Mash until smooth

   Add half the shredded spring greens (you'll use the rest later!) and 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] flour to the bowl with a splash of milk and the grated cheddar

   Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and give everything a good mix up until fully combined – this is your potato mix

4. 
   4. 

   Line 1[2] baking tray[s] with non-stick baking paper

   Shape the potato mix into 8 [16] patties and add them to the tray[s]

   Add a drizzle of vegetable oil, then put the tray in the oven for 20 min or until golden – these are your colcannon-style potato cakes

5. 
   5. 

   Add the remaining shredded spring greens to a large piece of tin foil with a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] cold water and a knob of butter

   Scrunch the edges of the foil to form a sealed parcel and add to a baking tray

   Tip: Cooking for 4? Make 2 separate parcels!

   Put the tray[s] in the oven for 10-12 min or until the spring greens are tender – these are your buttery spring greens

6. 
   6. 

   Add 2 tbsp [4 tbsp] flour to a plate with a pinch of salt, then add the basa fillets to the plate and press them into the flour until evenly coated

   Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

   Once hot, add the coated basa fillets and cook for 3-4 min on each side or until cooked through – this is your crispy basa

   Tip: Your fish is cooked once it turns opaque and flakes easily

7. 
   7. 

   Return the reserved pot to a medium-high heat with a knob of butter

   Once hot, add the sliced shallot and chopped garlic and cook for 2-3 min or until softened

   Once softened, add 1 tsp [2 tsp] flour and soft cheese to the pot with the wholegrain mustard, soy sauce and 100ml [200ml] cold water

   Bring to a boil and cook for a further 3-4 min or until the sauce begins to thickens – this is your creamy mustard sauce

   Serve the crispy basa with the creamy mustard sauce and the colcannon-style potato cakes and buttery spring greens to the side

   Enjoy!

Typical values	per 100g	per serving
Energy	433 kJ	1673 kJ
	103 kcal	399 kcal
Fat	4.5 g	17.3 g
of which saturates	2.6 g	10.0 g
Carbohydrate	8.5 g	32.8 g
of which sugars	0.9 g	3.5 g
Fibre	1.3 g	5.2 g
Protein	7.6 g	29.2 g
Salt	0.46 g	1.76 g

*Gousto’s nutritional information only applies to ingredients supplied by Gousto. The cooking process and additional ingredients added at home (listed under “You’ll also need”) will affect total values.