Kitchen goddess :)

Saturday 23rd September 2023

I had a very productive few hours yesterday, I wanted to try out my new Ninja and I also had 2kg of chicken and some leg of lamb to use so this is what I ended up cooking.  Aryn had requested a pasta bake, I cooked this using a can of condensed chicken soup, cooked the pasta and broccoli together on the hob and the chicken  in the ninja, then topped with cheese and grilled grilled.  I could've used the ninja more I guess but this way was easier for now as I don't have accessories to fit the ninja yet.

I cooked a Chinese curry with Mayflower curry sauce and a lamb madras, both on the hob again as it was easier, plus I could use the ninja for something else.  I also wanted to cook the lamb slowly as I'd boned the piece and it had been frozen so I wasn't sure how it would cook but it was delicious and they lads ate most of that curry last night, I've manage to salvage a little bit this morning to hide for me to have, it's got a real kick but occasionally I can handle that.  The Chinese curry is to freeze for him to take to the van for eating.  It was the extra hot Mayflower curry sauce but I wouldn't say it was extra hot.  

 

After cooking a bit of chicken as the first thing I did, I decided to try and make a hotpot, I cooked it on roast with the lid on for 15 minutes at 160 degrees in the MEGAZONE ;) which is basically what Ninja calls the drawer when you remove the middle bit and cook in the whole drawer.  I then cooked it for another 15 minutes without the lid.  I had this for my dinner, it needed another 5 minutes with the lid on I think, as the carrots, onions and potatoes were just a little on the hard side, the chicken was cooked okay so no food poisoning gonna occur. 

 

 

I also experimented with these, they're very big chicken breasts, they weigh about 350g each, that's more emu isn't it I reckon, anyway I stuffed them with paxo wrapped in bacon and cooked them on actifry, I can remember how long they had in total about 15 mins as I had my brother on the phone getting me to sort something for him.   The chicken was cooked to perfection, the bacon was very crispy - not burnt though, so maybe next time I'd wrap completely in foil which tbf is what I'd do in the oven.  

Yeah that's a lot of food but my freezer is empty, I'm thinking sandwiches with those stuffed chickens at lunchtime maybe, buy some nice bread, sounds good. 

After all that, I went for my pain management group, can you believe next week is the last week of the 12 week programme.  It's been incredible, I'll never forget the first session when we did 'circuit' training and I had to sit in a chair and do bicep curls without any weights because I was in so much pain, yesterday we did a similar circuit and I did that same move standing with 3kg weights.  Another part of the circuit was standing with your back up the wall and lifting one leg at a time managing to balance, we were allowed to put our arms out if we needed to help balance us, we were all wobbling all over the place that first week, our balance and core strength was dreadful.  Yesterday, Nic pointed out not only was I doing it easily but I wasn't using my hands to balance either, proving my core is strengthening and my balance improving.  This is proof that you should always start where you are with what you have, then build, I honestly didn't think that first week that there was much hope for me as I sat there like a muppet lifting my empty arms - how wrong was I.  Yes I'm in pain this morning but partly it's muscle pain from exercise which will pass and part of it's my other pain that may never go but I'm learning to handle it and it's improved. 

We ended up in the pub for a couple of hours last night, I had a bottle of prosecco and he got to drink as many Guinness as he could in the time it took me to drink the fizz, we were in bed by 9 - rock and roll baby.  I like early drinking before all the dickheads arrive, I met him just after 4 and we were home about half 7 where we all enjoyed dinner together.  I enjoyed listening to the banter between Aryn and his dad, they're so alike in a lot of ways but not at the same time.  Great Friday night all round and now I'm sitting watching Sky news, it's 6.30am and I've been up since half five, so a decent night too.  

One last huddle this morning for the week, really enjoyed this week, it really shows how we've all changed since moving to calories and how we are learning to listen to our own minds and bodies and not being dictated too by other 'plans'!

Here's to a great weekend whatever we all have planned (I have no plans).

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x