Actually thinking about what food does other than taste good!

Thursday 6th July 2023

Another day in the bag, starting day 11 feeling positive and in the zone.  1345 calories consumed yesterday, so I'm in credit for the weekend now with 3 days under budget :) 

My overnight oats were okay, I wouldn't go overboard to have them again but I think I will have porridge instead.  A can of soup for lunch was tasty and then we had this for dinner and wow was it worth waiting for - food tastes better when you're hungry!  I'd give this a 10/10, I loved it, especially the crunchy onions, plus I got Aryn's onions as he doesn't like them.

  

Plus there's two portions in tubs ready for another day, I put them up as I dished dinner up to stop us having too much. I am loving this being in control, long may it continue.  Oh the recipe is at the bottom of the page, really easy to cook too.  

Later on I had a small slice of seeded bread with a cheese triangle to snack on, I fancied something and I was a tad hungry, so win/win.  Was thinking about calcium in my diet last night, there isn't a lot I decided, and of course Calcium has several important functions, including:

helping build bones and keep teeth healthy

regulating muscle contractions, including your heartbeat

making sure blood clots normally

I'm gonna start thinking a little about it, I have skimmed milk in my tea which has 130g per 100ml, we need 700mg a day, so my cheese triangle had 138mg which is awesome, a lot lower in calories than cheese that has a lot of calcium, plus I use it instead of butter.  There's calcium in the bread too, they add calcium to the flour in breads and to cereals usually.   I found out that 2 dried figs have 100mg and I love them, I could easily snack on two of them a day, they're even better in fig rolls ;) but I can enjoy them without the biscuit bit!

I spent so much time looking at Aryn's diet and my moms when I needed to, so it's about time I did it for myself.  It would've been my mom's birthday today, it still is my brothers so I'll focus on that because life goes on doesn't it.  She'd want us all to have make the most of our lives and be happy every day, even on her birthday.

Right I've not had a great nights sleep, so I'm gonna go have a quick shower to wake me up Aryn gets up for his, then get ready for work.  Looking forward to the day ahead, loving the huddle making me think again, long may it continue.

Give that recipe a try and to be honest, it doesn't need lamb, I'd be tempted to try it with chicken mince or even quorn as the flavours are so powerful, oh and I've just looked and there 48mg per 100g of calcium in quorn mince and only 92 cals per 100g - bonus.  

Let's have a great day, 

Mwah, luv ya

Love me xx

Mongolian-Style Lamb Stir-Fry with Garlic Rice

An Aussie takeaway favourite, this stir-fry owes its tasty roots to Northern China. You’ll sizzle lamb mince, onion and carrot before adding your hoisin, five-spice and chilli sauce. Serve with buttery garlic rice on the side and dig in.

For 2 people [double for 4]

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

16g tomato paste

15ml Chinese rice wine

40g hoisin sauce 

1 spring onion

15ml soy sauce 

1/2 tsp five-spice mix

130g basmati rice

1 carrot

250g British lamb mince

2 garlic cloves

1 brown onion

You’ll also need

Butter, flour, pepper, salt, sugar, vegetable oil

 

Cooking instructions for 2 people [double for 4]

1.   Peel and finely chop (or grate) half the garlic (you'll use the rest later!)

Heat a pot with a matching lid over a low heat and add a knob of butter

Once melted, add the chopped garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for 1 min or until fragrant

2.   Once fragrant, add the basmati rice and 300ml [600ml] cold water to the pot, give everything a good mix up and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-12 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked.  Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving – this is your garlic rice.

 

3.   Peel and cut the brown onion[s] into quarters, then separate the wedges so you end up with a pile of onion petals.  Top, tail, peel and slice the carrot[s] into discs on the diagonal.  Slice each individual carrot disc into matchsticks.

4.   Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a small drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat.  Once hot, add the lamb mince with a generous pinch of salt and cook for 5-6 min or until nicely browned all over, breaking it up into large chunks with a wooden spoon as you go.  Boil half a kettle.

5.  Trim, then slice the spring onion[s] finely, keeping the whites and greens separate

Peel and finely slice (don’t chop!) the remaining garlic

Once the mince is browned, add the onion petals and carrot matchsticks to the pan

Cook for 4-5 min, stirring frequently until starting to soften and the mince is cooked through (no pink meat!)

6.  Meanwhile, dissolve the hoisin sauce and tomato paste in 150ml [275ml] boiled water

Add the soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, half [all] the five-spice mix (cooking for 2? Save the rest for another recipe!) and half the chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy!)

Season with a generous pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar – this is your hoisin stock.

7.  Once the onion petals are starting to soften, add the spring onion whites (you’ll use the spring onion greens for garnish), sliced garlic and 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] flour to the pan and cook for 1 min or until fragrant.

Once fragrant, add the hoisin stock to the pan and reduce the heat to medium

Cook for 2-3 min or until the sauce has thickened to a bolognese-like consistency – this is your Mongolian-style lamb stir-fry.

Serve the Mongolian-style lamb stir-fry over the garlic rice.  Garnish with the reserved spring onion greens, remaining chilli flakes (not a fan of spice? Just add a little!) and plenty of black pepper. Enjoy!