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Product Review - Ainsley Harriot CousCous
Stars - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
If you can get your hands on Ainsley Harriot’s couscous range, then DO IT! It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done! Here’s why:
- It’s CHEAP- only $1.99 for the small packet (x2 servings) or $3.79 for the twin pack (x4 servings)
- It’s HEALTHY - couscous is made up of semolina and it’s less heavy than rice.
- It’s LOW-CAL - 1/2 a packet is only about 150cals and it fills you up when you have it with some chicken and salad. I sometimes just have a huge bowl of it (all 2 servings) for only 300 cal and it’s a great warming late dinner after my dance training.
- It’s CONVENIENT - you can take it anywhere - make some at home and then bring it cold to work/school/college/picnic. Or you can just bring a bowl because…
- …It’s SUPER QUICK & EASY to prepare - Just add boiling water to the couscous, let it stand for 5 mins (it will absorb all the water and become fluffy) and then just fluff with a fork or spoon.
- It’s SATISFYING - a bowl of this fills you up!
- It contains NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS OR PRESERVATIVES - enough said!
- It’s DELICIOUS - the flavours are truly amazing. My fave is the Moroccan one and the Sundried Tomato & Garlic one…
THIS MADE MY EATING EVEN HEALTHIER! I buy it from Woolworths =)
Delicious dinner! Poached chicken breast, Moroccan couscous, salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum and mushrooms!
Cumin prawns with greenpeas!
Simple Veggie Stirfry! You can’t go wrong =) yum yum!
HEALTHY GARLIC PRAWNS
Prawns are delicious, low in fat and high in protein, so give this easy recipe a crack! =)
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp finely chopped parsley
- 4 large garlic cloves - crushed or grated
- salt + pepper
- 300g raw prawn meat (I like green prawns)
Easy steps:
- Heat the olive oil in a small frypan and add all ingredients except prawns.
- Saute the flavours for about 2 minutes to warm them through and bring out the flavours.
- Add prawns and stir-fry them for about 3-4 minutes until they’re no longer opaque (if you’re having trouble coating the prawns because the mixture is too thick, add a splash of water).
- Transfer to bowl and serve with a garden salad, quinoa/rice or noodles/soba noodles =) Yum yum!
Soba Noodles to Fight The Cold!
For a whole week, I felt like I was getting a bit of a cold - my throat was sore, my nose was stuffy, I felt weak etc - But I eased these symptoms by eating plenty of garlic! Now, garlic ain’t the loveliest thing to eat straight up, so I incorporated it into a simple fresh tomato sauce which I had with soba noodles! It tasted very garlicy and delish, and I can say that I definitely felt better afterwards! Here’s the recipe =D
Serves 1
Calories - roughly 300-400
* Don’t freak out about the calories, because this is a very low fat and VERY nutritious meal =)
- 6 (or as many as you can handle) crushed or diced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 1 serve of cooked soba noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional - fresh or dried herbs like basil, parsley, oregano etc (If you don’t have these, it’s okay, you’ll still get a lovely flavour from the garlic!)
What to do!
- Fry off the chopped garlic in the olive oil in a small frypan on high heat.
- Once a few of the garlic pieces start to become slightly brown, add the chopped tomatoes and saute for about 5 minutes on medium heat (until tomatoes become mushy and the sauce smells delish!)
- If you have them, add your herbs now.
- Add your soba noodles to the sauce and toss through.
- Add salt + pepper and transfer into a small bowl =)
**GARLIC BREATH!** The more garlic you add to this dish, the better. However, if you’re scared of having garlic breath, brush your teeth straight after eating this and munch on some parsley! =)
Vietnamese Vegetarian Salad!
I had a dance competition on Sunday (we didn’t win, but we danced very well for our first comp - Waltz, Foxtrot and Quickstep!!) and they sold these really yummy salad packs for dinner. I bought the Vietnamese chicken salad one, and it tasted so good that I thought I’d make it at home =) The one which I had there contained chicken and rice vermicelli noodles too, but I didn’t have any at home (although I want to go and buy some now, and have it for dinner!) so I just made a vegetarian version for lunch! =) Here’s how:
- 1 grated cucumber
- 1 grated carrot
- handful of bean shoots
- sesame seeds
- pinch of dried chilli seeds
- splash of soy sauce
What would make it even better:
- Rice vermicelli noodles
- Shredded cooked chicken breast
- Finely julienned red peppers
- Shredded lettuce
(Source: healthysnax)
Nella’s Spiced Prawns Recipe!
Today I came home from work and found some raw green prawns in my fridge…meaning it was time to get to work on a new tasty recipe! So this is what I came up with by using:
- 1 small bowl of small raw green prawns
- 2 eggwhites (whisked, so that they aren’t all gluggy)
- 1 teaspoon sweet hungarian paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons tumeric
- pinch chilli flakes
- pinch of salt
- 4 drops Stevia extract (for sweetness - optional!)
- Olive oil spray
Basically, I mixed all the spices into the eggwhites and got a marinade-ish-looking thing. Then I heated a large pan, sprayed it with olive oil and fried off the marinade-coated prawns in it (about 2 mins on each side). Now, when I say marinade, I actually mean I just dipped them in the mixture and wiggled them around a bit, but it would be good to keep them in there for about 15 mins. They still tasted good in the end! You will get a bit of scrambled-egg-looking stuff in the frying pan, or attached to the prawns, but it tastes yummy! =D GIVE THIS A GO!!
(Source: healthysnax)
Soba Noodles with Carrots and Capsicum
Actually can’t stop eating this for dinner every day…Seriously, best thing ever!!! <3 Soba noodles with zucchini!
(Source: healthysnax)
Super healthy curry-inspired chicken and veggie stew!
I wasn’t sure what to call this, so…I hope you like my creative name! I made up this recipe today before work because I felt like something healthy but filling and full of flavour!
In a small saucepan, toss some broccoli, finely sliced carrot and zucchini in 1 tbspn olive oil on high heat. After about 2 mins, add a cm (off the bottom of the pan) of water to simmer the veggies in. Then add 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon tumeric. These recipes sometimes require sugar or a sweet element, so I added 3 drops of liquid Stevia extract to balance the flavours. I didn’t have these ingredients at home, but it would taste amazing if I added a handful of shredded parsley and some fenugreek. Add some shredded chicken breast and continue simmering for about 20 mins until all ingredients become soft and the liquid has almost fully simmered away. Add salt to taste, and serve! So light and yummy!
(Source: healthysnax)
(Source: healthysnax)
Today’s lunch filled me up sooo good, because it took so long to eat for some reason! All I did was fry off 2 chopped zucchinis in a bit of olive oil and a splash of soy sauce and BBQ sauce…then I added some cooked soba noodles and stirfried for a further 2 minutes…It was so yum-yum and light! =D
(Source: healthysnax)
Vegetarian Stirfry! =) My lunch for today!
The more colours in your meal, the better! Just look at those vibrant and nutritious veggies! Mmm yum yum!
(Source: healthysnax)
Spiced’n’Baked Sweet Potato Chips!
These little babies are so easy to make and are SO delicious - and less fatty and carby than normal potato chips!
Chop up 1 large sweet potato into wedges/fries and spread out on a nonstick tray. Sprinkle evenly with a bit of paprika, cumin and salt - then spray with some olive oil. Toss them around to coat. Then just pop into a preheated oven at 220’C and bake for about 25-30 mins until they’re soft on the inside but slightly crispy on the outside! Serve with greek yoghurt or tzatziki! =)
(Source: healthysnax)
