everyday food from an everyday girl

RECIPE: Valentine’s Day Special – Spaghetti & Meatballs | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This cost me less than £1.25 per person.
What are the benefits? With the tomato sauce and onions, this provides one of your five a day as well as plenty of protein and is low in salt.

The OG of romantic meals, spaghetti and meatballs made its debut as the number one cutesy couples meal in the Disney classic Lady and the Tramp. Remember the moment when bourgeoisie spaniel Lady fell for loveable mutt Tramp over a plate of spaghetti… we can all relate, right?

It’s the perfect Valentine’s meal, so if you’re looking to impress that someone special with a cosy night in and a home cooked dinner, hun this is the one. It’s pretty easy; everything can be prepped, chucked in a couple of saucepans and left to cook, and the ingredients are nothing fancy. Surely you can take half an hour out of your night for your one and only bae. 💕

There’s lot of nutritional benefits to this recipe, including the fresh sauce with tomatoes and onions, wholewheat spaghetti and low fat mince. And anyone who is worried about eating a big bowl of pasta (which you shouldn’t be!) it doesn’t really matter when you’re gonna be working it off later tonight, if ya know what I mean…

INGREDIENTS
250g Lean Beef Mince
1 Medium Onion
200g (half a tin) Chopped Tomatoes
200g (half a carton) Passata
150g Wholewheat Spaghetti

SEASONING
Throw in a decent handful of dried basil, salt and pepper when mixing the mince and onions so your meatballs have plenty of flavour (you could even add some chilli flakes for an extra kick!) and don’t forget to add some garlic flakes, mixed herbs, salt and pepper to the tomato sauce as it cooks.

So, this is how I did it…

1. In a large bowl, smush together the mince and a handful of the chopped onion with some seasoning until everything is mixed in. It’s a gross job, but someone’s gotta do it!

2. Shape the squishy mince mixture into eight balls (pfft, the innuendo writes itself…), add to a hot frying pan spritzed with cooking spray and brown them off on a medium-high heat for a few minutes – try not to burn, it ruins the effect…

3. Pour half a tin of chopped tomatoes and half a carton of passata into a saucepan with the rest of the chopped onion, add the browned meatballs and whack it on a medium heat for, oh, say, around 15 minutes or so. Don’t forget to season!

4. Around the same sorta time, cook the spaghetti in a pan of salted boiling water according to packet instructions – usually takes around 12 minutes.

5. Leave things to cook. Go make yourself look pretty or something 💄 By time you come back, it’ll all be ready to be served, just in time for your loved one to walk through the door and be pleasantly surprised!

SERIES: My Journey to a Healthier Lifestyle #6 | #ThisGirlEats

1:30PM: I’m not really a big fan of honey 🍯 – my body is probably so used to processed sugar it gets all confused when something naturally sweet rears its head – but I’ve started eating this combo of fat-free Greek yogurt and mixed chopped fruit with just a drizzle of honey over the top, and it’s SO GOOD. Honestly, yum.

2:40PM: I HEARD RUSTLING IN THE FLAT, THE DAMN MOUSE IS STILL HERE SOMEWHERE. Oh God help me.

5:30PM: I brought home my very first car today, and now I’ve got a cute little car all of my own. This has nothing to do with food or anything but it’s still a pretty big deal so I thought you all should know.

6:45PM: Chilli is, like, the best meal. It doesn’t even need the meat, it’s just as good with Quorn mince – as long as you make it spicy, of course.

FOOD DIARY

Breakfast
👏 2 cups of green tea
👏 850ml water

Lunch
👏 2 slices wholemeal toast with Sour Cream Pringles (we had a few crumbs left in the bottom of the tube from the weekend and that’s one of my favourite weird food combos, don’t judge me)
👏 Greek yogurt, mixed fruit and a drizzle of honey

Dinner
👏 Home-made, oven-cooked spiced potato wedges topped with Quorn chilli “con carne” and a sprinkling of low-fat cheese

Snacks
👏 A couple of cubes of Dairy Milk chocolate and a cup of tea – well, it is Great British Bake Off night after all!

Exercise
👏 15 minutes on the exercise bike

I Am Worthy: Learning to Cope with Being the Dreaded Wedding “Plus One” | #ThisGirlEats

Weddings are fun; a chance to tart yourself up, get disgustingly drunk and catch up with distant friends and relatives. The romantic joy of a newly-married couple (and getting a free meal on them) is great, as far as I’m concerned

But it can be difficult if you’re there as the dreaded “Plus One”. Freaking out about how you look even more than usual, getting faaar too drunk out of blind fear (and, as a result, end up dancing like Neil out of The Inbetweeners – but worse) and dine out courtesy of people you barely know.

No? Just me?

I attended a wedding as a Plus One recently and, le’me tell you, it was fantastic. But once upon a time, such an occasion wouldn’t have gone so smoothly for me. The thought of trying to mingle with strangers for hours was the stuff of nightmares… like, Freddy Krueger level nightmares

This time, I’m proud to say I handled it. Armed with a new positive outlook, I taught myself a mantra that got me through with newfound ease, chatting, drinking and feeling totally comfortable with my partner’s mates who have known him since he was a scruffy, boozed-up teenager – long before I straightened him out, obviously. (LIES – if anything, I’m a terrible influence!)

So, what was my mantra, you ask? Well, it’s just three simple words.

I am worthy.

That’s it. And it worked.

Don’t get me wrong, I had to say it a lot.

I said it as I agonised over my dress in the mirror, deciding between “oh, that’s a cute summer dress” and “inappropriately short for a wedding, you hussy”.

I said it when I realised I couldn’t walk in the heels I’d worn and I looked more like Bambi on ice than an elegant wedding guest.

I said it when I was introduced to strangers, intimidated by old friendships and tried to think of witty, intelligent dinner conversation.

But I said it.

Eventually, I felt comfortable with my outfit, just like many of the other gorgeous guests. I walked with pride (and clung onto my boyfriend’s arm) in my silly heels. I made polite small talk with strangers, played drinking games with our friends, and felt more relaxed than ever before.

So yeah, it turns out telling yourself you’re actually an alright person makes you feel like, you know, an alright person.

For those of you who are thinking, “What the hell?! I came here for food, not your life story!” – at the wedding meal, I had a goat’s cheese tart (I don’t like goat’s cheese), chicken and bacon in a deliciously creamy sauce with veg and roasties (amazing) and chocolate sponge (you can’t go wrong). So there!

RECIPE: 3 Super Smoothies to Start Your Day | #ThisGirlEats

For me, smoothies are the answer to everything. Don’t have time for breakfast? Make a smoothie. Need more fruit in your diet but can’t be bothered to actually sit and eat it? Drink a smoothie. Kinda peckish but don’t want to give in to junk food temptation? Have another bloody smoothie.

I use a Blend Active Pro to make my smoothies – they’re simple, easy to clean, come with their own bottles and you can get them for around £20 online.

These are just three of my own favourite smoothie recipes, all of which take about 30 seconds in the smoothie maker. Couldn’t be simpler!

Berry Burst & Banana
High in antioxidants and potassium, great for your immune system!

INGREDIENTS
90g Frozen Berries
1 Medium Banana
200ml Skimmed Milk (or milk alternative)

Vegan Choco-Nana
Oats are full of fibre and keep you fuller for longer!

INGREDIENTS
1 Medium Banana
200ml Soya Chocolate Milk
15g / 2tbsp Porridge Oats
Handful of Ice Cubes

Pinapple Sugar Rush
This will give you a quick zap of energy, not to mention loads of vitamin C!

INGREDIENTS
115g (or roughly 3tbsp) Pineapple Chunks
Small Pot of Low Fat Fruit Yoghurt
200ml Fresh Fruit Juice
Handful of Ice Cubes

My First Venture Into YouTube – All for the Sake of Food | #ThisGirlEats

YouTube, to me, has always seemed something of a nightmare. Like an internet jungle full of egos, instant fame and incredibly beautiful people with incredibly interesting things to say, it’s a place I definitely never saw myself going.

It’s ~~fucking terrifying~~ a little daunting. But, having dabbled in music, blogging and media for a few years now, I’m obviously aware of how instrumental YouTube has become in getting your work out there and, with the start of a new food blog and a new venture, it seemed like now was as good a time as any to strap on a pair and maybe just dip my toe into the murky waters of vlogging.

Anyone who knows me knows that in front of a video camera is the very last place I want to be. It’s a million miles from my comfort zone. I’d be lying if I said hearing the sound of my own voice played back in the editing process didn’t make me cringe and I won’t pretend I didn’t scrutinise every inch of my appearance until I starting going cross-eyed.

But I decided it was time to open myself up to my own vulnerabilities. I really want #ThisGirlEats to do well because it’s something I’m really passionate about and if that means putting my most self-conscious side out there for all the world to see, then so be it.

So I’ve really pushed myself and, ignoring the fact that I had no idea how to edit, present, read a script, frame a shot, promote myself as a vlogger or make myself look “YouTube beautiful”, I created my very first vlog for #ThisGirlEats.

Please check it out below! If you want to subscribe, comment or just have a little nose at the YouTube channel, you can find it all here.

Dirty Burgers on a Healthy Diet (& a Healthy Budget!) | #ThisGirlEats

I love a burger. Who doesn’t?! Tucking into a greasy one from the local chippy after one too many drinks, spilling ketchup down myself and eradicating any ounce of class I left the house with several hours earlier. It’s a beautiful thing.

Last week we needed to use up some mince at home and also found some mega-cheap rolls in the shining light of a late-night supermarket shop, the reduced aisle. They’re super easy too so I thought, bugger it, why not?

But then I hit a bump in the road – I couldn’t really imagine having a big, juicy beef burger without an equally gorgeous side – golden chips, spicy wedges, crispy fries, etc. And that would take our dinner from being only “slightly cheeky” to “one big fat whopper of a meal” and I really wanted to avoid that.

Then BAM. It hit me! A salad – so simple, so obvious – but with the scrummy addition of some chunky roasted vegetables. Big on veg, big on flavour! Hurrah.

And then I thought, well, in for a penny in for a pound – why not load up the burger as well?! Topped with tomato, cheese, avocado, onion and mushroom, I created some serious towers on a plate and, in the end, it looked like one of the dirtiest burgers imaginable. But it was all a lie! A lie loaded mostly with vegetables and surrounded by salad. Brilliant!

Home made beef burgers with roasted vegetable salad

I mean, honestly. How good does that look?! It’s making me hungry…

You can check out my recipe for homemade beef burgers here.

#ThisGirlEats

#ThisGirlEats
Everyday food from an everyday girl.

I’m someone who loves food and loves to cook, but hates how difficult it can be to balance healthier choices with affordable, delicious food that I enjoy.

I’ve followed so many celebrities and health gurus over the years who talk about creating “normal meals” on a “normal budget” but, for me, they always inevitably end in disappointment when I realise this is food that I would never be able to fit into my normal working life with my tight budget.

I want to be more conscious of what I’m putting into my body – but I don’t want a life of kale smoothies, spelt flour and soya milk. I don’t want to cut out carbs, sugar or, God forbid, cheese. I don’t want to ban myself from ever eating a slice of pizza or a bar of chocolate again. I don’t want to change my entire lifestyle just for the sake of cutting a few calories!

I’m also a graduate with mounds of student debt and a retail job behind me, so it’s not like I have money to waste. Food that might be “affordable” to a celebrity chef certainly isn’t affordable for thousands of hard-working, bill-paying, money-saving people like myself. I want to be healthier, but I want to use the food in my cupboard and my usual weekly budget to do it.

#ThisGirlEats is about finding a healthier lifestyle in a truly realistic way, in a way that doesn’t break the bank and doesn’t change my whole life. So follow me as I work out some new recipes, discover helpful tips and try my best to make little differences that still fit into a normal lifestyle – but still stuff my face on the way!