Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats

This couldn't be easier... spend a few mins the night before for a healthy and filling breakfast with slow release energy to bring you up to lunch time!

Calories 275

Ingredients

50g Porridge Oats

140ml Fat Free Yogurt

Fruit of your Choice

25ml Skimmed Milk

Method

Layer the porridge oats, yogurt and fruit into a pint glass the pour over the milk and leave in the fridge overnight.

Serve cold.

COYBIG/Olé Olé Olé

What a huge day of Irish sport ahead.. not only do we have some County finals on the go but in Irish Rugby we are taking on the French to see who will finish top of the table in the group stages of the Rugby World Cup... whoever finishes second looks set to face the All Blacks in the quarter finals... so that is a huge incentive to beat the French and miss that feat.
Then right after that we have the Republic of Ireland facing the Polish to secure a spot in the finals at Euro '16... So as I say it will be a huge day in Irish sport. I'm sure there will be many's a hangover tomorrow regardless of any of the results!!

I myself will be staying in to watch all from the comfort of my own home... myself, Amy, the 2 pups and a roaring fire... what could be better??
Some good food... that's what could be better!!!

Here are some ideas for food if you are thinking of making it a family day in like myself...

Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

Sticky Bacon Ribs

Caramelized Red Onion Tartlets

Bacon, Egg, Lettuce and Tomato (B.E.L.T)

Grilled Homemade Beef Burgers

Baked Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas

Healthy Cookies

Super Quick Banoffee Pie

Banana Ice-Cream (3 Ingredient)

World Mental Health Awareness Day

Today is World Mental Health Awareness Day... What does that mean to me?    Nothing.
From my own point of view it means nothing because at the moment, it is just another day stuck in the struggle over the Dark Side.

Don't get me wrong, I do think that raising awareness is what it is all about, get rid of the dumbass stigma that is associated with mental health problems, however I would imagine that having an awareness day for Cancer (which I know there is, and I fully support as my Father died from it many years ago), but having that day and telling someone that is in the heart of treatment, I'm sure their reaction would be pretty much the same... so fucking what, it is just another day stuck in the struggle! And yes before the trumpets blare and the lynch-mob is called for I did compare the two illnesses...

I compared them because I often tell myself that depression/the black dog/the dark side or whatever you want to call it is in fact the Cancer of the mind... it stops you in your tracks... it affects your life and those around you, it takes a horrible toll on your mind (obviously) and your body and unfortunately it takes many many lives in our parishes, towns, cities, counties and country.

I'm sitting writing this with a crippling feeling within my head and body, I say I'm fine, I want to believe I'm fine but it is there... it's always there... at best it just hovers in the background like a mist that you know will stay a few feet away from you if you face the breeze... and for days-weeks even you are strong and happy enough to always face the breeze. But then some days you waken up and somewhere over the course of a few mins/hours maybe even days you have strolled into the mist, it is there all around you, nipping at you, choking you. If you stay low enough you can maybe escape its poisoning charm, but then you realise it has brought you to your hand and knees and the only slight relief is if you curl into a ball in the corner of your mind or even in reality in a lot of cases... its safety its security, but its not living!

You know if you want to go out the door, to go to work... go to town... even go out into your garden you gotta stand up into that mist and walk forward, despite the choking, the nipping, the negativity, the drama, the gut wrenching anxiety... and I can tell you right now from full on experience, that takes balls!

So maybe on this day or even over the weekend, take a few moments out, text someone, call them, visit... all it takes is a few kind words, a bit of reassurance, a chat over a cuppa... and its not being dramatic to say that you could very well save somebody's life... one way or another.

Melon and Yogurt Crunch Pots

I'm down with a bug this past few weeks... and every time I feel like I'm getting better I get hit again!! Possibly 6 years of non-stop work catching up with me... who knows! But here is a quick fire recipe with the goodness of comfort food in it...

Melon and Yogurt Crunch Pots

These are a super healthy, fast and delicious start to the day… and not a cooker in sight.

Calories 350 each pot

Serves 4:

1 melon or a melon medley pack

Natural low fat yogurt

A handful of bran cereal

A handful of seeds

Honey

Method

Slice the melon into eighths and remove the seeded middle and the skin, chop roughly into bite sized pieces. Divide them among 4 tumblers, pours some yogurt over the tops, top this with the cereal and seeds and finish off with a squirt of honey.

Serve immediately. 

30 Garlic Clove-Chicken Casserole

30 Garlic Clove-Chicken Casserole

 I know 30 cloves of garlic might seem excessive but once you taste this you will understand. Plus the health benefits from garlic alone are worth it.

This is a fantastic casserole to make if you are feeling under the weather, which I am at the moment!!

30 Garlic Clove-Chicken Casserole

Serves 2

4 chicken legs

Olive oil

2 medium red onions

2 tablespoons of plain flour

200ml dry white wine

200ml chicken stock

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

Sea salt and black pepper

3 bulbs of garlic

A small bunch of thyme

Method

Preheat oven to 200°c

Joint the chicken legs in 2 pieces between the thigh and drumstick. Get a large pan nice and hot and heat the oil. Brown off the chicken in batches, adding them to a large casserole dish when done.

In the same pan add a little oil and reheat, peel and quarter the red onions and fry off in the pan until slightly coloured all over, add in the flour and gradually stir in the wine and stock until smooth. Add the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Allow this sauce to simmer slightly.

Break up the garlic bulbs and count out 30 cloves and add them to the casserole dish, no need to peel them. Add in the thyme and carefully pour over the sauce. Place in the oven with the lid on and cook for 1 ½ hours.

Serve with some creamy mashed potatoes for the ultimate ‘feel good’ meal.

30 Garlic Clove-Chicken Casserole

Broccoli and Leek Bake

Broccoli and Leek Bake

One day I was making creamy leeks but decided I wanted a bit more texture, so this was the result. This dish works well with chicken or lamb but any type of roast meat would work. I think breadcrumbs are something that everyone should have to hand, we all have times where bread has gone hard on us, especially crusty loaves or baguettes, so instead of turfing them out why not blitz them up and freeze them.

Calories 1519

380 per portion

Serves 4:

1 head of broccoli

2 large leeks

2 shallots

50g of butter

50g of flour

175ml semi-skimmed milk

100g low-fat cheddar cheese

Half a nutmeg

A vegetable stockpot/cube

Large handful of breadcrumbs

100g Parmesan cheese

Method

Cut the broccoli into small pieces and steam or par-boil them.

Cut and wash the leek then thinly slice. Finely chop the shallots and add them and the butter to a pan on a medium-high heat, sauté for a few mins before stirring in the flour. Once it is all absorbed add the leeks and sauté for another few mins until softened.

Stir in the milk a little at a time over a low heat until you have a creamy consistency, add in the grated cheddar and stir until dissolved. Grate in the nutmeg and add the stockpot or ‘crumb’ in the stock cube. Again stir until dissolved.

Add the steamed broccoli, give all a good stir then transfer it to a suitable sized oven dish. Level out the contents and add a layer of breadcrumbs topped with the grated Parmesan cheese. Place in a preheated oven at 200°c and bake for 25 mins until golden and crunchy on top and bubbling around the edges.

Honey Glazed Ham

I love to make a good ham from time to time, I always make a bigger one than I need to so I'll have plenty of leftovers for during the week. I find that I can make a few meals out of the leftovers if I plan ahead... and of course there is nothing like a good ham sandwich too later that evening with a cuppa.

Honey Glazed Ham

Serves 6-8:

2kg unsmoked boneless joint

1 carrot

1 onion

2 sticks celery

A teaspoon of black peppercorns

A teaspoon of coriander seeds

2 bay leaves

Cloves for studding

For the Glaze:

200g Demerara sugar

25ml white wine vinegar

100ml dry white wine

200g honey

Method

Place the ham into a large pot and cover with cold water. Peel and chop the carrot and onion and roughly chop the celery, add these to the pot along with the black peppercorns, coriander seeds and bay leaves.  Bring the pot to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer for 2 ½ hours. Skim off any impurities on the water surface and top up with water if needed during the cooking time.

Carefully pour the cooking liquid away and allow the ham to cool slightly on a plate. Preheat the oven to 180°c. Place the ham into a suitable sized roasting tin. Carefully cut away the skin with a thin layer of fat leaving a layer on the ham. Score the fat with a knife in a criss-cross pattern and stud these with cloves.

To make the glaze, put the sugar, vinegar and wine into a pan and bring to the boil. Add the honey and bring to the boil again and remove from the heat.

Pour half the glaze over the ham and roast in the oven for 15 mins. Remove from the oven and pour the rest of the glaze over. Roast for a further 30-35 mins basting and turning the roasting tin a few times to get an even colour all over.

This ham can be made a day or 2 in advance of when you need it.