Bye Bye Beef! Hello Turkey!

Im talking mince!

Not sure if its just me or if its just taste but the last few times we have had beef mince its been either really grainy or really fatty!  To the point where we have been put off having homemade burgers, bolognaise, meatballs etc.

I thought i would try the turkey mince to make meatballs yesterday and was very pleasantly surprised.  The recipe is included below and since i made it up as i went along i was delighted that everyone loved them and have asked for them on a regular basis!

Turkey Meatballs 

(with roast veggies and sweet potato mash!) 

Serves 6 (grown up size portions plus 2 littles)

For the meatballs you will need:

1tsp coconut oil

1kg turkey mince

4 cloves of garlic (grated)

1 large sweet white onion

a handful of basil (chopped finely)

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp cumin

salt & pepper

2 eggs

Sauce:

1 jar passata

2 sweet peppers (diced finely)

1 jar chopped tomatoes

Roast Veggies:

1 Aubergine (diced)

2 courgettes  (thichly sliced)

2 large flat mushrooms (quartered)

2 sweet white onions (quartered and seperated)

2 tbsp pure honey

salt & pepper to taste

1/2tsp paprika

Sweet Potato Mash:

8 large sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)

Salt and pepper 

What to do:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees c.

Place the mince, garlic, onion basil, chilli, cumin, salt, pepper and eggs into a bowl and combine with your hands until fully mixed.  Form into balls and refridgerate while you prep the veg.

Line a roasting tin with greaseproof paper and spritz with 1 cal spray.  Mix all of the diced vegetables with the honey, salt, pepper and paprika and empty onto the roasting tray.  Roast for around 40 minutes. 

Whilst this is cooking place the coconut oil into a large frying pan and add the meatballs.  Brown on all sides before adding the passata, peppers and tomatoes.  Place on lid and allow to cook through for at least 15/20 minutes.

Put the sweet potatoes into a pan of boiling salted water and allow to soften before draining and mashing.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste. 

Dish out and enjoy! 

Please let me know if you try this recipe and i would love to see pictures! :) 

TTFN

Debbie

x

Lounge makeover with Homebase #myway

Our lounge has to work as both a living room for 8 people, storage room for my crafts and somewhere for me to work too.  With this in mind i set about this project with the plan to incorporate all of this into a shabby chic, peaceful, relaxing room.

Thankfully the boys dont mind that im a flowery, cream and pink type girl and they all gave me free reign to go for it!

A little bit about the project before i launch into before and after shots and tell you how fabulous it is to be able to overhaul a room completely!

Recent research conducted by Homebase reveals that most homeowners think DIY is about creating a look or style in their home without expert help – and consumers are increasingly using ‘friendspiration’ to achieve their look. 55% of shoppers say they use friends (offline and online) to get ideas for styles, products and colours.

Homebase is launching a new portal called The Project Centre where customers can find inspiration as well as help and advice for their own home projects.

On average, shoppers spend 29 days researching ideas before kicking off a project, and then spend  £243 on updating their home décor.

I changed the wallpaper to the stunning Briar Rose paper and painted the walls in Homebase emulsion/cream.  A small bookcase fit exactly into the alcove and created a lovely dresser type feature which i added candles, some of my favourite ornaments and the fabulous stag head (*also from Homebase!) 

My favourite corner of the room is my creative corner as hubby calls it!  I managed to get a new desk, chair and lamp plus a cute cushion to go on said chair!  All from homebase!  I never dreamed that i would be able to get anything like this  - i imagined paint and papers, kitchen and bathrooms etc but to find so many pretty bits just made my day! 

I love sitting there making now - it really has brightened up and made the area so much nicer to work in! 

Highlights from the Homebase research includes:

•          55% of people surveyed by Homebase said that they now get their inspiration from friends both on and off line

•          For bigger projects, such as kitchens and extensions, over half of consumers will outsource the work but 35% of men said they would eschew professional help for undertaking other restoration projects – such as restoring floorboards or upgrading fireplaces – themselves

•          43% of consumers say they happily upcycle old furniture and take on DIY art projects that include techniques like stencilling and stressing

•          30% say they are comfortable undertaking other home craft techniques such as making cushions

•          Over one in five (21%) feel more comfortable having a professional undertake work in their home whilst 15% will ask for help from friends or family members for even simple DIY tasks

•          Nearly 50% of men feel confident in their knowledge and ability to carry out home improvements, compared to 28% of women

•          37% of women say they would delegate the actual ‘doing’ of these projects to their partner

•          people spend on average 29 days looking for ideas and undertaking research before taking on home enhancement work

•          However, cost (80%), ease of completion of a project (51%) and inconvenience (30%) are the biggest factors that delay the start of a project in UK households.

This was part of a Tots100 and Homebase project and i was sent £243 to complete the blog post.

Thank you

Debbie

x

Clean eating - part 1!

Its a new one for me but im actually enjoying it!  

I won some book vouchers so bought myself a couple of book, one of which is Get The Glow by Madeline Shaw. I have read lots about lately and comes highly recommended.

Week 1 of clean eating is Ditch the Junk - meaning cut out the sugar .Basically this means read labels, watch what you eat and just take note of how much sugar you add to meals or is in your meals.

Ive cut out morning coffee and switched to hot water and lemon - its actually nice (a little like an un-sweet lemsip) but nice and fresh none the less!

Lunch i have been having rice cakes with a teaspoon of Sweet chilli Philadelphia topped with prawns and sesame seeds.

I think im doing ok so far and have mastered a couple of the recipes so far and created some of my own with ingredients i already had in. 

Dry fried turkey breast with oven roasted veg...

Stir fried beef with courgette noodles! (lots of taste with ginger, garlic, lots of fresh veg and then the sesame seeds - mmmm!  This is from the book above)

Now i just need a spiralizer to get really down with the noodles!! 

Everyone needs a little treat and im loving these 'shots' from Whitworths - not many calories but loads of taste and they do actually feel like youre having a 'treat'.  The chocolate coated coffee beans from Whittards of Chelsea are delicious and because they are so rich you only eat a couple at a time - thus limiting calories and making them last forever!! 

Would you like me to share some of the clean eating recipes?

Happy eating!

TTFN

Debbie

x

This is not a sponsored post!