I took a few snaps on the day, you can see some of our traditional Iraqi Christmas food...Kibbeh, leg of lamb with rice, almonds and raisins...oh so good.
Oh Merry Christmas!
I hope that you all had an amazing Christmas! I sure did. I love love love Christmas. The day was perfect full of quality time with the family, laughter, silly jokes, glorious food, hugs and kisses, and plenty of nana naps.
I took a few snaps on the day, you can see some of our traditional Iraqi Christmas food...Kibbeh, leg of lamb with rice, almonds and raisins...oh so good.
I took a few snaps on the day, you can see some of our traditional Iraqi Christmas food...Kibbeh, leg of lamb with rice, almonds and raisins...oh so good.
Healthy recipe - Stuffed Chicken Breast - and anniversaries :)
Hello all,
I hope you all had a fantastic day yesterday (12th December) - I certainly did! It was my 2 year wedding anniversary! My dear husband spoiled me to bits.
First up it was a Monday, so that already had sad tones to it but I was quickly uplifted when I received an email from our secretary asking me to pick up a package.
I hope you all had a fantastic day yesterday (12th December) - I certainly did! It was my 2 year wedding anniversary! My dear husband spoiled me to bits.
First up it was a Monday, so that already had sad tones to it but I was quickly uplifted when I received an email from our secretary asking me to pick up a package.
I thought for a second 'Oh it must be my sister in law sending me more of my Melbourne mail, oh but I told her she didn't have to do that'. Then I go to the reception foyer and our secretary says "What day is it today?" and I replied "Monday" and she said "No I mean is it a special day for you?" and I thought to myself how does she know???? is she on my facebook?? hahaha feeling silly then I replied "Oh um, my er Wedding anniversary" and she smiled and pulled out a huge box of white roses and a sweet letter from my dear husband. Isn't he the sweetest? Yes, I was in mushy mushy land.
I also had no idea he had planned this but he managed to book us a table at the Aria Restaurant in Sydney. Popular Australian restaurant owned my super chef Matt Moran. Lovely views of the Sydney Harbour and Sydney Opera House.
The good news with fine dining is that the servings are so tiny that I didn't compromise my healthy eating habits. So my healthy lifestyle is still going strong (yay!) and now I will leave you with this recipe. It's colourful and pretty to eat, this really helps to not get bored with my meals!
I must admit that I didn't use the sherry vinegar with the salad as my pantry is quite limited here in Sydney, I only added lemon and olive oil as the dressing base. But I'm sure it's just as tasty!
I also had no idea he had planned this but he managed to book us a table at the Aria Restaurant in Sydney. Popular Australian restaurant owned my super chef Matt Moran. Lovely views of the Sydney Harbour and Sydney Opera House.
The good news with fine dining is that the servings are so tiny that I didn't compromise my healthy eating habits. So my healthy lifestyle is still going strong (yay!) and now I will leave you with this recipe. It's colourful and pretty to eat, this really helps to not get bored with my meals!
I must admit that I didn't use the sherry vinegar with the salad as my pantry is quite limited here in Sydney, I only added lemon and olive oil as the dressing base. But I'm sure it's just as tasty!
Ingredients
480g Chicken breast fillets, skin removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Stuffing:
60g frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
100g low fat ricotta, drained
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Spring onions, finely chopped
(tooth picks)
Salad:
200g green beans, steamed
250g grape tomatoes (yellow or red), halved
½ Spanish Onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
2 tbs tarragon leaves
480g Chicken breast fillets, skin removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Stuffing:
60g frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
100g low fat ricotta, drained
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Spring onions, finely chopped
(tooth picks)
Salad:
200g green beans, steamed
250g grape tomatoes (yellow or red), halved
½ Spanish Onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
2 tbs tarragon leaves
1 tbs
sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove
1 tsp olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. In a medium bowl combine the ingredients for the stuffing. Season.
3. Cut a deep pocket into the thickest part of the chicken breast and fill with the ricotta stuffing. Enclose the filling using tooth picks.
1 garlic clove
1 tsp olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. In a medium bowl combine the ingredients for the stuffing. Season.
3. Cut a deep pocket into the thickest part of the chicken breast and fill with the ricotta stuffing. Enclose the filling using tooth picks.
4. Heat the
olive oil in an ovenproof pan over medium heat. Brown the chicken on each side
until well coloured, transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until cooked
through.
5. To prepare salad combine the cooled green beans, tomatoes, onion and capers in a large bowl. Add the tarragon, vinegar, garlic and oil and toss to combine.
Serve with the chicken breasts
Farrah
5. To prepare salad combine the cooled green beans, tomatoes, onion and capers in a large bowl. Add the tarragon, vinegar, garlic and oil and toss to combine.
Serve with the chicken breasts
Farrah
Work Christmas Party snaps.
Hi all
This weekend my husband and I flew back to Melbourne for his work's Christmas party. It was probably one of the nicest parties I've been to so kudos to the organisers. There's an emphasis on family and having the children running around being silly was certainly a highlight. So of course I had my camera with me snapping away - mainly of the children being so adorable.
My husband being skinny and 6"4 has somehow ended up being Santa for the kids on the day. I must say he did a pretty fine job. You'll find a photo of me with him if you scroll down, oh dear.
x
Farrah
Healthy recipe - Pasta with Bacon, Spinach & Pine nuts
Hi all,
I tried this recipe the other night from healthy food magazine and it wasn't so bad, I had to do a few adjustments to it as I found it to be quite dry without sauce but I guess that's why it's a healthy pasta! When I say healthy though, I'd still eat it as a treat (once a week). But at least it gets rid of my pasta cravings and I'm not using crazy amounts of cream or oil.
Serves 4
(272 calories per serve)
4 cups of cooked pasta (any you like) I used Spaghetti, you could use Tagliatelle.
cooking oil spray
125g shortcut bacon, trimmed and diced (I used weight watchers shortcut bacon)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3-4 large handfuls of baby spinach
2 garlic gloves, crushed
1/2 lemon, zested, juiced
4 tablespoons grated parmesan
Chilli flakes (optional)
Sprinkle of olive oil (optional)
1. Cook Pasta according to packed instructions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, spray a frying a pan with oil and place over high heat. Add bacon and fry until just starting to brown (2-3 minutes). Add Pine nuts. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, until bacon is crispy. Add garlic and spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts.
3. Add pasta to frying pan, tossing to coat in spinach mixture. Add lemon zest and juice. Sprinkle with parmesan and season to taste with ground black pepper and chilli flakes.
4. Sprinkle a little olive oil if the pasta is a little dry.
Other variations:
Replace bacon with thin slices of lamb. Try adding blanched broccoli florets to garlic and spinach in step 2. Toss in some roasted sweet potatoe and crumbled reduced-fat feta in step 3.
xx Farrah
I tried this recipe the other night from healthy food magazine and it wasn't so bad, I had to do a few adjustments to it as I found it to be quite dry without sauce but I guess that's why it's a healthy pasta! When I say healthy though, I'd still eat it as a treat (once a week). But at least it gets rid of my pasta cravings and I'm not using crazy amounts of cream or oil.
Serves 4
(272 calories per serve)
4 cups of cooked pasta (any you like) I used Spaghetti, you could use Tagliatelle.
cooking oil spray
125g shortcut bacon, trimmed and diced (I used weight watchers shortcut bacon)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3-4 large handfuls of baby spinach
2 garlic gloves, crushed
1/2 lemon, zested, juiced
4 tablespoons grated parmesan
Chilli flakes (optional)
Sprinkle of olive oil (optional)
1. Cook Pasta according to packed instructions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, spray a frying a pan with oil and place over high heat. Add bacon and fry until just starting to brown (2-3 minutes). Add Pine nuts. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, until bacon is crispy. Add garlic and spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts.
3. Add pasta to frying pan, tossing to coat in spinach mixture. Add lemon zest and juice. Sprinkle with parmesan and season to taste with ground black pepper and chilli flakes.
4. Sprinkle a little olive oil if the pasta is a little dry.
Other variations:
Replace bacon with thin slices of lamb. Try adding blanched broccoli florets to garlic and spinach in step 2. Toss in some roasted sweet potatoe and crumbled reduced-fat feta in step 3.
xx Farrah
aglow.
My lovely and gorgeous friend Bianca from Oh my! Creative.
Isn't she stunning? I was testing the light at a wedding we photographed on Saturday. I love love love natural lighting and of course natural beauty.What a perfect combination!
It was the first time Bianca and I officially worked together, and I must say she is so easy to work with, she's definitely a keeper.
Oh so many more photos to share with you. Soon I promise x
Isn't she stunning? I was testing the light at a wedding we photographed on Saturday. I love love love natural lighting and of course natural beauty.What a perfect combination!
It was the first time Bianca and I officially worked together, and I must say she is so easy to work with, she's definitely a keeper.
Oh so many more photos to share with you. Soon I promise x
Healthy recipe - let's do this. Chilli Con Carne
Herro!
As promised to my lovely facebook friends (and perhaps my blog readers would like this too). A few healthy recipe's will be posted here from time to time.
Here's my husband's favourite healthy version of the chilli con carne adapted from the amazing Sally Bee. Once you make this, you'll never find the need to buy ready-made Mexican spices. Don't be afraid of the big ingredients list, it's really quite simple to make and all of those items can be purchased from your local supermarket.
Since living in Sydney both Wayne and I have lost around 5kg's because we're walking around everywhere and I'm exercising everyday. Back in Melbourne we'd spend at least 2 hours on the train to and from work, and now we are a 5 min walk to work. All that extra time is spent at the gym or cooking healthy meals. So good!
Serves 4.
450g extra lean minced beef
extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic gloves, peeled and crushed
2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree (paste)
600ml salt-reduced beef stock
ground black pepper
400g can red kidney beans, drained
chopped fresh coriander leaves, to serve
low-fat natural yoghurt, to serve
1. In a large, lidded saucepan, dry-fry the minced beef until brown over high heat. Drain off any fat. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add a little olive oil and then add the onion and garlic and cook gently until softened.
2. Add the chillies and all the spices and continue frying, stirring occasionally for a few minutes.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and stock. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until liquid is reduced.
4. Season with pepper and add the drained kidney beans. Cover and heat through for another 30 minutes, adding a little stock if needed.
5. Serve with sprinkled coriander and a dollop of yoghurt with some brown rice or salad of your choice. If you're having rice, keep it to just 1/4 of a cup of cooked rice per bowl if you are intending to lose weight. Otherwise 1/2 cup if you're maintaining your weight.
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