My Deliciously Ella Adventure - Day 1

Day 1 of my Deliciously Ella adventure and it's shopping day! I had a list as long as my arm and ventured out to the supermarket.

Sainsburys:

Sweet Potatoes £4.11

Corn on the cob £1.50

Broccoli £0.50

Kale x3 £3.00

Spinach x2 £2.70

Carrots x4 £0.59

Red Onion x2 £0.23

Basil £1.00

Red Chillis £0.60

Garlic Paste £1.60

Coriander £2.00

Avocado x4 £3.20

Plum Tomatoes £2.40

Cherry Tomatoes £1.80

Bistro Salad £3.00

Peppers £1.50

Chestnut Mushrooms £1.00

Mushrooms £0.90

Courgette £0.64

Limes x4 £1.40

Bananas £0.94

Pomegranate £1.50

Blueberries £3.75

Houmous £1.00

Apple Juice £0.80

Orange Juce £0.80

Alpro Almond Milk x2 £3.40

Cider Vinegar £1.50

Olive Oil £2.25

Chipotle Chilli Paste £1.65

Tahini Paste £1.80

Tamari £2.00

Black Olives £0.42

Chopped Tomatoes £0.30

Tomato Purée £0.50

Black Beans £0.65

Kidney Beans £0.50

Green Lentils £0.50

Mixed Herbs £1.35

Cayenne Pepper £1.35

Crushed Chillis £1.35

Cumin £1.35

Quinoa Flour £2.90

Pumpkin Seeds £0.85

Raisins £1.20

Brown Rice Spaghetti £2.00

Brown Rice Pasta £2.00

Cashew Nut Butter £2.80

Almond Butter £3.95

Quinoa £1.80

Flax Seed £2.50 

Total: £84.33

Holland and Barrett:

Quinoa Flakes £4.95

Total: £4.95

I also purchased a few other household items for the week, but for the benefit of this exercise I have removed them from my shopping total. For a reminder of this weeks meal plan please refer back to yesterday's blog.

In all honesty I did not expect the shop to be as expensive as it was, however I did have to buy a lot of store cupboard essentials (and an insane amount of vegetables!). I imagine next time the total shop would be a lot less.

So let's start this plant-based diet...

Lunch - Broccoli, Avocado and Lime Salad

(From the Deliciously Ella app)

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Servings: 1

Ingredients for Salad:

1 ripe avocado

Handful of broccoli florets

Handful of fresh coriander

Ingredients for Dressing:

1 lime

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of tahini

1/2 a teaspoon of tamari

1/2 a teaspoon of raw honey or pure maple syrup

Sprinkling of salt

Method:

1. Slice and steam the broccoli for 7 minutes, until cooked but a little crunchy. Place to one side to cool

2. Slice the avocado into small cubes 

3. Chop the coriander into small pieces and mix with the broccoli and avocado

4. Squeeze the lime and mix the dressing together before drizzling over the salad

Deliciously Ella recommends serving this with homemade hummus, her pea and fennel salad and some sweet potato wedges.

I found this simple recipe surprisingly yummy. I will be honest I left out the coriander as I absolutely hate the stuff. Saying that I will be forcing myself to eat it in more complex recipes towards the end of the week.

I decided to serve the salad with some sweet potato seasoned with garlic and rosemary, accompanied by hummus and chipotle paste. This made it a more substantial and fulfilling meal.

This recipe I would use again, but probably more as a side dish than a lunch.

Dinner - Shepherds Pie

(From the Deliciously Ella app)

4 people

40 minutes 

Ingredients:

400g tin of black kidney beans

400g tin of lentils

400g tin of kidney beans

150g chestnut mushrooms

100g frozen peas

1.5kg sweet potatoes 

4 garlic cloves

3 medium carrots

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat grill to 220C

2. Peel sweet potatoes, chop to small cubes and steam for 20 minutes 

3. Peel and grate the carrots and then slice the mushrooms

4. Heat saucepan with glug of olive oil. Crush in garlic and mushrooms. Sautée for 5 minutes 

5. Rise and drain beans and lentils, add these to the pan along with carrots, tomato purée, tinned tomatoes, peas, chilli flakes, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper 

6. Mix and heat for 10 minutes 

7. Once sweet potato is soft, mash and add another drizzle of olive oil, pinch of salt and cinnamon. Mash until smooth

8. Pour bean mixture into a medium sized baking dish and add mashed sweet potato on top. Add small drop of olive oil on top and place in the grill for about 15 minutes, until top turns crispy and brown

I found this recipe really satisfying. Unlike a usual shepherds pie I've not been left feeling bloated. I altered the method to this just slightly by cooking it in the oven rather than the grill for around 20 minutes longer as I wanted to ensure the carrots, kidney beans, black beans and lentils were thoroughly cooked. I also added extra chilli flakes as my partner is a massive lover of spicy food.

Best thing about this recipe is there is extra portions to freeze! I will definitely make this again.

I'd personally say day 1 has been a success! I haven't even snacked which is highly unusual for me! I'm looking forward to seeing what tomorrow has in store. Make sure you come back to see what tomorrow has in store.

The start of my Deliciously Ella adventure

I'm a big lover of cook books. I've been obsessed with Joe Wicks' Lean in 15 - The Shift Plan for months now. So obsessed that I've exhausted all the recipes. So whilst I wait for his next cook book, Lean in 15 - The Shape Plan, to be released I've been searching for alternative recipes.

One morning whilst watching ITV's This Morning, I came across Deliciously Ella. Whilst I wait for the cook book to arrive in the post I decided to download her app. I became inspired to attempt a plant-based lifestyle. As you can tell from my previous blogs my current lifestyle is far from plant-based. My partner and I decided to attempt this as we have read about the great health benefits that come from maintaining a plant-based lifestyle. These health benefits can be found on the Deliciously Ella blog and app.

Over the next week or so see how I maintain a plant-based lifestyle with my daily blogs containing the Deliciously Ella recipes, recipe reviews, shopping lists and my feelings on the health benefits.

My meal plan for the next few days is as follows:

Wednesday:

Lunch - Broccoli, Avocado and Lime Salad

Dinner - Shepherds Pie

Thursday:

Breakfast- Quinoa Cashew Porridge

Lunch - Kale, Pomegranate and Avocado Salad

Dinner - Sweet Potato and Tomato Pasta Bake

Friday:

Breakfast - Quinoa Cashew Porridge

Lunch - Simple Rainbow Salad with Hummus Dressing

Dinner - Quinoa Pizza Crust

Saturday:

Breakfast - Blueberry, Banana and Raisin Muffins

Lunch - (Lunch Out)

Dinner - Sweet Potato Cakes with Salad  

Sunday: (Flying*)

Breakfast - Blueberry, Banana and Raisin Muffins

Lunch - Sweet Potato Wedges with Avocado Cream 

Dinner - Mediterranean Vegetable Spaghetti

So come back tomorrow to see my shopping list and how Day 1 of my plant-based Deliciously Ella adventure goes.

Please comment with any recipe ideas or suggestions as I'd love to hear your opinions.

*As some of you may know I am Cabin Crew so on days I am working I try to take healthy and simple food with me

The U S of A... Part 1

In November, I went galavanting around America with my other half. We visited Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York. We ate and we drank until we couldn't move (I love American portions!!).

In my opinion America is the best place on the planet. It has so much to offer, no matter the time of day or night (if you are ever in New York head to Insomnia Cookies it's open till late - OHHH EEMMM GEE - the best cookies ever, they are even served warm).

I've decided rather than bore you to tears with photos and chit chat of my holiday, I shall split this up in to four parts, Part 1 being Los Angeles.

Los Angeles

LA - The home of the rich and famous, has some pretty amazing restaurants. From Downtown LA to West Hollywood, we stuffed our faces with anything from burgers to fine dining dishes and it's safe to say the restaurants there do not disappoint. 

Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill

The restaurant where I discovered my love for mules (the WP Cali-Mule to be precise) and possibly ate my favourite meal of the whole holiday, Pancetta wrapped meatloaf with potato purée, crispy fried onions and a port wine sauce. It was utterly incredible.

Take a look at the website, http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/12387 and look out for a Wolfgng Puck near you, for those in the UK there is one in London in Dorcester Hotel!

Universal Studios

Universal Studios "the entertainment capital of LA" had some pretty delicious sweet treats from delicious double decker chocolate cookies to thanks giving themed treats. The chilli cheese fries in Mel's Diner were pretty dam good too! The uh-mazing cookie was also from Mel's Diner. How do I describe  Mel's Diner? It's like an old school drive though burger joint that you see in the movies. In my opinion the ultimate American foodie experience.

Fat Burger

In my opinion Fat Burger is a healthier version of a fast food joint! With burgers that are cooked to order and made from 100% pure lean beef and fries that are cooked in cholesterol free oil, can fast food get any healthier!?! You can even decide on what fillings you fancy, perfect for the fussy amongst you! I can't wait for this bad boy to come to Europe!!

Have a gander at their website http://www.fatburger.com/home/

Tom's Urban

The coolest restaurant at LA Live in Downton LA. Serving small plates and tacos, and a fantastic cocktail selection. Have a look at their mouth watering menu here, http://tomsurban.com/los-angeles/la-live/menu#small_plates

My recommendations are the buffalo wings (obviously!), french fries two ways (the chipotle cinnamon sweet potato fries are to die for!) and sadler's smoke house pork bbq sliders. My cocktail recommendations have to be the Tomm's Cup and the Urban Mule (in a massive mug!) - I enjoyed a few to many cocktails before watching the Lakers game as you can see in the picture above!! You can also venture to Tom's Urban in Las Vegas!

SUR

We decided that during each stop of our trip we would splash out a little in one restaurant, SUR was our choice in LA. In the beautiful location of West Hollywood, this is. Must see For any "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" fans. Owned by the fabulous Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd, the restaurant and lounge even has it's own reality tv show, "Vanderpump Rules". Whilst I was there Katie and Kristen's new English boyf from the show were working! The restaurant itself is a little pricey, but it was so worth it. The decor is amazing and the service was very efficient. I ate the fried calamari with chipotle mayonnaise and hot tomato sauce for an appetiser and lobster and crab ravioli over spinach and a vodka lobster cream sauce for my entree. My other half had the fish special of the day which was sea bass. We drank a few too many mojitos in the lounge whilst accompanied by a super cute dog, unfortunately it wasn't Jiggy.

Take a look at their website, http://www.surrestaurantandbar.com

Come back soon for Part 2 of my U S of A blog, next stop San Francisco.

The Scotsbridge Mill

I know I haven't blogged in ages, I could use the usual excuses of being too busy working and there not being enough time in the day. However, if I'm being honest I've been saving my money for my trip to America in November and moving out in August (who knew there was such a array of home stuff to purchase).

A while back I went to the beautiful Scotsbridge Mill in Croxley Green, nestled in the charming suburb of Rickmansworth. This beautiful riverside pub was chosen by my lesser half's family as the location for their Grandfather's birthday. This recently refurbished traditional pub also has a charming working mill attached.

We had a delicious meal including starters and mains, we passed on desert to save room for the birthday cake! My choices were Salt and Pepper Squid with garlic aioli followed by Roasted Mushroom, Feta and Onion Tart with asparagus and pea shoots. Being the greedy devil I am I also ordered a portion of twice cooked chips.

The Scotsbridge Mill

The Bar

Pimms

Artisan Rustic Breads with Dukkah, Olive Oil an Olives - £4.95

 

Artisan Rustic Breads with Dukkah, Olive Oil an Olives - £4.95

Salt and Pepper Squid with Garlic Aioli - £4.95

Home-made West Country Beef Burger with Gherkin, Mustard Mayo, Emmental Cheese, Relish and Frites - £10.95 with added Chorizo - £1.50

 

Roasted Mushroom, Feta and Onion Tart with Asparagus and Pea Shoots - £9.50

The Scotsbridge Mill is excellent value for money, 10 of us ate and drank for a very reasonable £30.00 a head.

If you are ever over in Croxley Green, Rickmansworth I highly recommend a visit. The staff are very pleasant and attentive and the food was delicious. Ever better, on a Monday to Friday until 6pm The Scotsbridge Mill offer a fixed priced lunch menu priced at £11.50 for two courses or £14.50 for three courses.

Why not have a look at The Scotsbridge Mill's fantastic website and scrummy menu here - at the moment you can sign up to their newsletter and get a free bottle of Champagne on your birthday. You can also follow them on twitter @ScotsbridgeMill

Banana Blondies

After suffering from "one of those days" I fancied making something that was sensationally sweet and fabulously fudgey. Following my recent love for my Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondies, I trawled the internet for something just as yummy but a little different, that is when I stumbled across Banana Blondies. Blondies are pretty much white chocolate brownies and for those of you who aren't aware BROWNIES ARE SO LAST YEAR!! This recipe very naughty but contains banana so that's at least one of your five a day right?

How do I make these delicious treats I hear you cry?

Ingredients
100ml Double cream
225g   Caster sugar
225g   Plain flour
200g   White chocolate
200g   Unsalted butter
100g   Soft dark brown sugar
  50g   Toasted flaked almonds
    3     Bananas, chopped
    1     Egg
    1     Vanilla pod
¼ tsp  Baking powder

The Ingredients

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the sugar, cream and 100g butter into a saucepan for 5 minutes to form a thick sauce. Allow the sauce to cool slightly and add the bananas, chopped.

2. Melt the remaining 100g butter and the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of water.

3. Into a large bowl beat the egg with the brown sugar and vanilla seeds from one vanilla pod. Once mixed fold in the white chocolate mixture.

4. Next sieve the flour and baking powder and gently fold. At this point add the banana mixture and flaked toasted almonds.

5. Place the mixture into a lined baking tin and bake for about 35 minutes.

The Finished Product

I will admit they do not look the most appetising but they are honestly incredibly scrumptious. Why don't you give this mouth-watering recipe a go and send me the pictures of your Banana Blondie attempts!

The Warehouse Grill

In my home town of Colchester sits The Warehouse Grill, a restaurant that never disappoints. If you are a lover of steak or you enjoy a tasty burger or even love a good cocktail; it is safe to say that The Warehouse Grill is your perfect dinner location.

Their website claims that The Warehouse Grill is the home of "the best burger in town".
 With an impressive grill based menu of ribs, steaks and burgers its safe to say you won't leave hungry. The quality of the food and cocktails is superb and excellent value for money.

I visited The Warehouse Grill with three friends a few weekends ago and divulged in the following:
- For starter, Half a Pint of Shell on Prawns with garlic and parsley mayonnaise and homemade bread.
- For mains I ate the Chilli Dog, consisting of 1/4 pound of Cumberland sausage, spiced beef chilli, mature cheddar, mozzarella, sour cream, pickles and shoestring fries. 
- For desert the White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis and Fresh Raspberries.

The Menu

 The Chilli Dog

The White Chocolate Cheesecake

 

The food itself was, as always, delicious. I can safely say I have recommended the chili dog to my friends and family. My only gripe is not receiving a finger bowl with my half a pint of prawns. I personally feel that this is something that should be automatically done and not something that needs to be requested. Nobody wants to be left with fishy fingers!!

 

We were being bores and on this occasion didn't drink any of the delicious cocktails, however I do recommend the Bellini's which I have tested numerous times on different visit's! Therefore our bill was rather low, around £25.00 per person including a tip!

 

I surprised myself by not ordering my usual, one of the delectable steaks! However, if you want my advice go there on a Monday - Thursday for lunch or dinner and save a few pennies with mouth-watering steaks starting from just £10.00.

 

Check out there website for menus and  special offers www.thewarehousecolchester.com
If you have dined at The Warehouse why not share your experience with my fellow readers in the comment section below.

The Stockwell

With family friends over from the Czech Republic who have a keen interest in history and art we decided where was better to eat than The Stockwell. Situated in the historical town of Colchester in Essex, sits the recently refurbished Medieval Restaurant and Real Ale Hall. It's one of Colchester's most historic buildings located in the Dutch Quarter.

The Stockwell has the most incredible lunch and dinner menus, as well as producing beautiful Afternoon Tea's (I have previously reviewed the Afternoon Tea at The Stockwell, and you can read this review here http://fallingjess.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/mothers-day-madness.html).

On this occasion we were seated in The Empire Room. Their website states that The Empire Room which is "set off by an imposing chimney-breast ... offers lavish and luxurious dining at its secluded best and is ideal for private dinners or family celebrations for up to 16 guests. Escape into a world of majestic opulence as dedicated staff cater to your every need". I can honestly say that the secluded and intimate dining experience wowed our guests and that the enthusiastic, friendly, informative and attentive staff satisfied our every need.

On to the crux of the matter, the food. My choices were:
- For starter the "Surf and Sty" consisting of warm flavoursome pig’s cheek terrine, sauté baby scallops, wilted English chard and wild garlic velouté.
- For the main event myself and my lesser half shared their signature dish, "The Stockwell Sharer". Served on a medieval style metre long banqueting board, were the delicious garlic infused chicken breast, pulled pork, stuffed Hiso cabbage leaves, roasted belly of pork, Peasant’s Catch, squid bolognaise, mashed potatoes, saffron cereals, roasted spring vegetables, grilled field mushrooms and cured tomatoes. (With our eyes bigger than our bellies we also ordered a side portion of their incredible Triple Cooked Chips!)
- And finally for desert I indulged in the "Heaven Scent Lemon Sharer" for Two (I did share honest!). This sharing board contained a glazed lemon tart, lemon sorbet, chilled lemon cello shot and lemon meringue pie.

The Stockwell Sharer

The Stockwell Sharer from a different angle

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, I even surprised myself and enjoyed the Nettle Tea and The Peasants Catch; which is The Stockwell's take on medieval porridge containing mussels, semolina, samphire and spring onions in smoked haddock milk, finished with baby watercress.

Other diners within my party enjoyed for starters the Soup of the Day, Line Caught Cornish Mackerel, Chargrilled New Season Asparagus and The Stockwell Snag. For mains they feasted on the Steak and ’Umble Pie, Crispy Pork Belly and Sweet Spiced Pulled Pork, Garlic Chicken and Crispy Salted Pork and the 28 Day Aged Chateaubriand (8oz). Their desert choices consisted of Stockwell Eton Mess, Warm Poached Rhubarb and Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.

As a large group of 10 we consumed a fair amount of alcohol, however our final bill was around £44 per person. For the vast amount and impressive quality of the food it is safe to say that I felt this was superb value for money.

Check out there website for menus, special offers and private dining information
http://www.thestockwellcolchester.com/
 If you have dined at The Stockwell why not share your experience with my fellow readers in the comment section below.