Chorizo and Mushroom Pan Fry

This is a great brunch recipe and gluten free if you don't chose to eat it with toast.  The kind of recipe which will sort you out and wake you up with enough gentle spice to tingle the tastebuds.

Sea Bass with Ginger Dressing

After a run I wanted something healthy but not too healthy.  There is something delightful about a sweet, sticky, spicy dressing with a salad, like the good stuff almost cancels out the bad stuff.  Kinda.  Ah just go with it, this tastes great.

Recipes I go back to again and again

I used to have a blog called "Mamacook" which was intended to have recipes for babies and toddlers.  As my son grew up, his diet was wider than many adults so it became difficult to come up with specific "kids" recipes.  I always liked making recipes which appealed to me anyway and these are some which I still love to cook, often just for me.

I hope you enjoy these tried and tested recipes as much as I do.

Individual Fish Pie

Oh when will the weather warm up?  It still feels right to be having cosy wintery food like pies and stews.

Fish pie is one of those dishes which is great for kids, great for adults and great for that transition between seasons too.  Lovely cheesy fish and mashed potato.  Yum!

The Eat Well Guide

The eat well plate in the UK has been superseded by the "Eat Well Guide".  For those of you that don't know, the eatwell plate was an infographic (produced before we started calling them infographics) to give guidance on what to eat.

So this is the new version.  I should say now that I'm not a dietitian but I am interested in dietetics and food.  My opinion on here is no more valid than any other blogger but it is my opinion.

The best place to start in reviewing it is probably to compare it with the old version and here it is:

Individual Cottage Pie

This was made at the request of my son who loves his traditional food.  I have to admit it was pretty lovely.

This is an unusual recipe for me because it makes 3-4 small portions but it's easy to freeze before baking with the mashed potato on top, then defrost prior to cooking; add the cheese and bake.

Crayfish and Spinach Linguine

I was so hungry.  I had done a 3 mile run after breakfast of yogurt and I was so hungry.  I love linguine, love it, love it, love it.  It has a delicious way of being easy to cook but still keep al dente.  I always think we should rethink pasta as well.  It doesn't have to be covered in thick gloopy sauces, it can be light, fresh and super quick.

I came up with this idea realising I wanted to eat within 10 minutes (my linguine were cooked in 6) and wanting a bit of something tasty and lovely.  The small crayfish I used were inexpensive and so tasty and juicy.  You could always use prawns though if you prefer.

Cinnamon Fruit Smoothie

Desperately looking for something healthy for breakfast this morning I remembered I had a bag of frozen fruit in the freezer.  A smoothie might not sound like the most obvious of winter breakfasts but it's nearly spring and the cinnamon makes it feel somehow cosier on these crisp mornings.

Citrus Fruit Salad

I filled in a questionnaire recently on the health of my diet; I realised that although I try to eat a healthy, varied diet, like any of us, I occasionally get stuck in a rut.  It occurred to me that despite loving citrus fruits, I rarely ate them.

Prompted by a trip to the supermarket with my son, I decided to make this simple fruit salad.  We decided to buy a fruit or vegetable we didn't normally buy, he chose a pomelo.  I'd never tried pomelo before and we tried it and it was delicious.  It has a very thick skin which needs cutting off but the flesh takes like firm, less bitter, sweeter grapefruit.

Red and pink grapefruits are also naturally more sweet than the yellow variety meaning this needs no sweetening.  A super healthy dessert or light breakfast.

Baked Sea Bream with Olives and French Beans

I love sea bream, it is a gloriously delicious fish, like Sea Bass but with thicker fillets and more flavour.  Yummy.

When I first started working, I used to go to my local fish stall in the market and chose a delicious sea bream.  If I'm honest, most of the time, I cooked it simply and served with lemon juice with coarse sea salt but trust me on this sauce; it is stunning.

Rainbow Fruit Salad

So simple it doesn't really need a recipe but there is something lovely about so much colour as we approach the end of winter.

Salmon with Mussel Sauce

This looks like such an expensive dish but in reality salmon and mussels are pretty cheap and it's so simple and tasty.

Slow cooked lamb shanks

Lamb shanks might not sound like the most romantic of meals but providing your other half is a meat eater there is something that feels pretty special about it.

I mean look at that?  Meltingly tender meat with lovely fresh vegetables.  That's romance on a plate that is!

Alternatively if you are on your own, this is a great special meal or Sunday Lunch option.  I cooked two shanks together and took the meat off the second one, serving with leftover gravy and vegetables heated in a microwave at work (in front of jealous stares.)

Pancakes

Pancake day is approaching; it always surprises me that there is a market for pre made pancakes or "pancake mix".  Pancakes are one of the quickest and easiest things to cook and are still worth making, even only for yourself!  Great for a pudding or a lovely breakfast.

Top tip; use a really non stick frying pan, then it's a piece of (pan)cake!

30 little things to keep you smiling

Although my blog is called "Eat Like You Love Yourself", I've always had an interest which I've tried to share in physical fitness.  I was talking to a recruiter recently who said how many recruiters now focus on mental resilience when recruiting.  I think this is a sad indication of our times that work takes so much out of us.  Personally I would always (and do) a job I love over a job which just pays.  If you love your work, you don't have to recover from it so much but even then there are stresses and strains in the workplace and at home.

I remember one person, who shall remain nameless who would come in every morning and swipe her card as "in".  The swipe machine was near where I sat and every day she would come in, swipe her card and sigh with as her shoulders drooped.  I always tried to make her smile as it upset me so much that this was her life.  how horrible, you could almost see the "I hate this" thought bubble.  I hope she's now in a place where she's enjoying what she does more.  Life is too short to hate what you do.

So much advice on being good to yourself is about what you shouldn't do.  Negatives don't work for me so I thought I'd put together a list that I (and others) can refer to on nice things you can do to help your body and mind.