TGI Fridays Belated Valentine's Day Meal

My mind's telling me no...

 

But my body, my body's telling me yes....

 

So I listened to my body. Oh, yes I did.

 

I've been to TGI Friday's once before in Piccadilly Circus and decided it was time to visit again after cravings for burgers once again.

 

I ordered the Jack Daniel's® Chicken Sandwich which was a grilled chicken breast with  Monterey Jack cheese,  bacon,  tomato, red onion and mayo on a glazed brioche bun. This came with a portion of fries and I also added some onion rings to my meal just because I was feeling cheeky. The cheesiness of the burger was a definite win-win situation and the Jack Daniels sauce was intensively sweet and very different, but equally enjoyable as regular BBQ sauce.

 

I felt that it took a very long time for my order to arrive and that it was overpriced for exactly what is was: a burger and chips.

 

My brother ordered Jack Daniel's Ribs which was coated in Jack Daniel' sauce. The same over sweetening property of the sauce on the ribs were less appealing, in my opinion, because the ribs were almost drenched in the sweet sauce. My brother almost couldn't finish it as 'it was giving him a sugar rush' and (quote) that he 'might not be able to go to sleep'. Oh, he does says strange things sometimes, but hopefully you get his point.

 

Also, on the same point of overcharging, my parents SHARED a steak dish at around the price of £20 and asked for the steak to be removed and replaced with chicken. It turned out that the meal was infact very small but expensive for no particular reason.

 

Overall, I enjoyed my dining experience and love the American vibe of the whole place. Have you been to TGI Friday's? What is your favourite dish on the menu?

 

Priyanka xx

Creamy and Cheesy Carbonara Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:
-1/2 Pound Pasta
-3/4 can Evaporated Milk
-1 Pack Bacon
- Olive Oil
-1 heaped Tbsp.. Butter
-Large Handful Spinach
-3 Eggs
-Cheese of choice (for topping)
-Salt
-Garlic Powder
-Ginger Powder
-Chilly Powder
-Other spices of choice

Method:
- Cook pasta in a little olive oil and salt according to the instructions given on the pack
- Cook bacon in oven / chop and fry bacon with 1 medium onion also roughly chopped (into small cube pieces) in a large frying pan.
- Allow for the bacon to fully cook and onions to be golden brown
- Mix in salt and spices of choice and of quantities (you can always modify after a taste test later)
- After pasta is fully cooked drain the pasta leaving a significant amount of the cooking water with the pasta
- Carefully stir the cooked pasta and water into the onion and bacon mix in the frying pan. Keep mixing as the spices begin to blend into the pasta
- Start to add the evaporated milk to the pasta in small quantities and mix under a low heat.
- Finally, finely chop the spinach  and stir into the pasta alongside a heaped Tbsp. of butter. Mix the pasta to make sure everything is evenly mixed and taste/add salt or spices to meet your preferred taste.

- Once everything is done, serve the pasta in bowls with cheese on top. You can microwave the pasta to melt the cheese and enjoy!

I really liked this recipe when  I made it - I don't even like pasta that much, so that is really saying something.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Comment your modifications / your own recipes below for me to try out next time.

Priyanka xx

Is All This Cake Really Going to Make Me Feel Better?

Cake.

 

It is becoming a common interest to me for some reason.

 

I really don't understand how I believe cake, burgers, chips, Nutella, crepes, salted caramel, brownie and well.....junk, is going to help me conquer anything at all.

 

In fact, instead of comforting me, I think all this is stressing me out even more.

 

This over load of calories makes me feeling like I haven't achieved my fitness goals in the slightest because I have simply sabotaged my self time and time again.

 

I would direct this issue primarily towards the need to feel happy.

I usually associate 'good memories' or exciting times around particular 'meal' (which probably was unhealthy) but tasted really good. Now, every time I feel a little down, I do back to these 'guilty pleasure' foods in hope it will help me feel better.

 

It usually works unless I keep doing it (every other night or so) during the week. This is because I also exercise and this completely counteracts all the will power I put into my work out.

 

Now, yes all this is a mental issue and something that has been striking my attention again and again just over the past few weeks. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to indulge once in a while but I really isn't alright to draw attention to food for comfort and happiness because that is simply not how the world works.

 

I hope you all have been hearing about how the NHS are planning to inject more money into mental health  issues and I am very passionate that every single person in the world will one day have access to advice help and understanding from other people around them and professionally because it affects so many people all around the world.

 

If fact either yourself or a very close family member/ friend will at least once in their life be affected by a mental issue, be mild or serious. I want to be able to be honest on my blog and encourage others to raise awareness, share stories and be able to share advice because we are all in this together.

 

I also was encouraged by Jack's Gap Video on this issue of not being afraid and being able to express our worries and concerns regarding mental issues.

 

I hope this is encouragement for everybody reading this.

 

Thank you.

 

Priyanka xx

Super Easy and Healthy Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Chocolate mousse? Hot chocolate sauce? Chocolate banana dip? Chocolate oatmeal topping? Chocolate anything?

Yes,please.

This is a great, super easy and healthy chocolate sauce recipe that you can put together in no time (and practically with no brain power at all!).

Ingredients:

- 1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk (Unmixed)
- 100% Cocoa Powder / Bar of Dark Chocolate
- 2 Tbsp. Honey / Alternative Sweetener
-Cinnamon
-Pinch of Salt

Method:

-Boil 1/3 saucepan of water and place glass bowl on top
-Add thick coconut milk from the top of the can into the bowl without any of the excess water
-Add dark chocolate, honey cinnamon and salt to the bowl and allow the heat from the water below melt the ingredients
- Stir frequently until a sauce like consistency is reached and check the sweetness (I know that sweetness varies between people a lot!)
- Move the sauce into an open glass container to cool before refrigerating,

When the sauce is cool it has a mousse like texture but you can always warm it up in the micro oven to use as a hot fudge sauce.

Let me know if you enjoyed this recipe and how you enjoy eating the sauce the most.

Priyanka

Things That Make Me Happy #9 My Mother's Rice Pudding

Its been a (long) while since I have done a 'Things That Make Me Happy' post.

 

I guess I place all my excuses into being busy, stressed, tired, busy and busy. However, I am trying to get back to the happy place in my life that I was a year ago from now. It has been a strange and unexpected period that almost made me forget what I love the most in life.

 

But, no doubts here.

 

I do love a little (or a little bit too much) rice pudding. Now, the Muller Rice Pudding Pots you can grab from Asda simply do not classify as 'REAL' rice pudding. For you to have tasted 'REAL' rice pudding you must have tried my dear mother's or grandmother's one.

 

Honestly, it seems that generations of women from the Indian culture have been taught to cook rice pudding in several varieties from a young age and now behold many years of skill, practice and a specific taste to the puddings that they make.

 

My favourite type of rice pudding is a version make with long rice, date juice (which has been boiled to harden into a solid and melts in heat - I'm not quite sure of the name!) and milk. The rice is usually cooked slowly in the hot milk and then sweetened.

 

Oh my world, does this taste incredible.

 

Maybe its the fact I don't get a chance to eat it often or that it is simply damn incredible to me....sometimes even adding Rice Crisps / Puffed Rice adds a special dazzle.

 

Have you ever tried Indian style rice pudding? Which type is your favourite?

 

Priyanka xx

Meena Herbal Multani Face Mask

Meena Herbal Multani for oil balancing

 

During my time in India, my sister, mother and I went to a parlour for pedicures and manicures. One strange thing I saw was that they used Multani Mud as a mask for our hands and arms as part of the manicure. I've never seen this in London!

 

We asked where we could find this clay and grabbed some from the shop next door because it is much cheaper than in the UK.

 

The Multani packet inside is a powder which I added rose water and a little honey to make a paste (you can also use milk and olive oil if you have dry skin). To prevent the paste from becoming slightly clumpy, you should mix a little amount of liquid at a time and add more if needed; it is recommended that you leave the mask on for 30 minutes. I found that my skin was definitely softer and brighter. It also helped reduce the appearance of any spots.

 

It is said that over time using Multani pigmentation and scars are less visible.... I guess I will have to see if it does work in the long run.

 

Have you ever used this type of mud mask? Which do you think works on your skin the best? Everybody is different!

 

Priyanka xx

Browned Paleo Banana Coconut Cookie Recipe

 

Overly sweet tooth like me? In need for chocolate? Want to become a cookie monster without the 'unhealthy' feel?

 

Dear ones, join me.

 

I accept that my cooking skills are not perfect and that these cookies are a little over browned but doesn't mean that they taste bad at all!

 

To make these quick and easy yummies, you will need:

 

- 2 Bananas

- 1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seeds

-1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut

-1/3 Cup Hemp Seeds

-5/6 Dried Dates roughly chopped

-2 Heaped Tbs Honey

 (more or less depending on your preference; you can also sub any other sweetener)

- 4 Squares Dark Chocolate (I used Lindt 85%) Chopped

-1/2 Tsp Cinammon

-1 Tsp Nut Butter

-2 Tbs Olive Oil/ Coconut Oil

 

Method:

 

- Preheat the oven to 200 °c

 

-Line an oven tray with tin foil and spread with olive oil to prevent cookies from sticking to the foil

 

- Mash the bananas (TIP: Peel and warm the bananas for 40-50 seconds to make mashing them up easier) and mix flax and hemp seeds, coconuts, oil, cinnamon, honey and nut butter together in a large bowl.

 

-Allow to cool a little before gently stirring in the dark chocolate chips and chopped dates

 

- Place mixture on the foil and press into cookie shapes

 

-Bake in over for 6-10 minutes

 

TIP: To prevent over burning keep checking the cookies and take out of the oven before it goes too brown , pretty self  explanatory but I always seem to find the simple things in life too straight forward.

 

I ate my cookies with hot almond milk hot chocolate whilst I watched Vampire Diaries like a typical girl on a typical Friday night.

 

Let me know if you know if you liked this recipe and any variations you may have made.

 

Priyanka xx