I roasted a chicken the other day and was able to use up the leftovers for this glorious pasta! I was really happy because I was able to use the carcass for bone broth and the leftover meat (along with some too dry breast meat) for this pasta… wasting absolutely nothing!

The pasta ended up being SO DELICIOUS and is now definitely a new favorite in our household. I can’t wait til the baby is old enough to try it (thinking ahead too much yes…)

Ingredients

• Shredded chicken meat
• Full fat milk
• 5-6 large brown mushrooms – sliced
• Penne or any type of pasta (I love using whole wheat or in this case, flax pasta. It is a little firmer!)
• 1/2 an onion – finely diced
• 5-6 garlic gloves – finely diced
• Butter
• Flour – 1 Tablespoon
• Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Take out the leftover chicken and shred it finely with a fork. If you do not have leftovers from a roast chicken, just pan fry some chicken breast or thigh and shred it up with a fork. Or you could even buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it up.
2. Boil up some water and cook the pasta according to the directions. I like to make them a little harder than al dente since we will be baking the pasta later. Tip: save a little bit of pasta water in case the sauce is too thick later.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C
4. Heat up the pan and add a large knob of butter. Add the onions and cook until brown. I actually accidentally cooked it a bit browner than I intended and it ended up being so good! Just be careful its not burnt.
5. Add the garlic and mushrooms.
6. Make a little space in the pan and add more butter. Add flour and mix.
7. Add a splash of milk (maybe 1/4-1/3 cup?). We want the sauce to be pretty thick.
8. Mix everything together and make sure there are no flour lumps.
9. Add the chicken and a handful of each type of cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Add the strained pasta.
11. Mix together and pour into a baking dish. Put more cheese on top and bake for 15-20 minutes – until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I really hope you guys love this pasta as much as we did! The chicken comes out perfectly moist and is perfect with the sauce. The browned onions also add so much sweetness and smokiness! Enjoy!

We LOVE chicken satay and it is a dish that we always order whenever we see it on the menu. I wanted to recreate it at home for Jerry’s birthday and it was absolutely delicious!

Ingredients 

• 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks ⁣
• 5 metal skewers (more eco friendly and cost efficient than wooden sticks!) ⁣

Marinade⁣

• Coconut milk/cream⁣
• 1 teaspoon curry powder⁣
• 1 teaspoon turmeric ⁣
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste ⁣
• A pinch of salt ⁣

Satay sauce ⁣

• 3-4 tablespoon of natural crunchy peanut butter ⁣
• Soy sauce ⁣
• White vinegar ⁣
• Brown sugar ⁣
• Warm water ⁣

⁣

Method ⁣

1. Mix all the marinade ingredient together with the chicken and marinade overnight in the fridge. ⁣
2. The next day, skewer the chicken pieces onto the skewers. Heat the grill pan (or frying pan) and brush on oil. Grill on each side until cooked. ⁣
3. To prepare the sauce, mix all ingredients together and add water until it becomes the desired consistency. Keep tasting and adding more of each ingredient until it is perfect! ⁣

Enjoy!

Bliss balls are all the rage right now and I love the “Keep it cleaner” ones from Australia! I bought a bunch back when I was in Australia but then thought, why not just make some myself?! J and I both LOVE peanut butter so it was the obvious choice of flavor for this first batch. These are a delicious and healthy snack filled with wholesome ingredients that will leave your tummy and tastebuds totally satisfied!

Ingredients

• 7 dates
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup cashews or any other nuts (walnuts or almonds also work well)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I use all natural ones with zero sugar or preservative)
• Chia seeds (I always just pour liberally… but maybe 1/4 cup or so?)
• 1 tablespoons of coconut oil
• Dash of water if needed (used to loosen up the mixture in the end)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients (except the water) in the processor and let it riiiip!
2. It might look a bit chunky but be patient and mix until the oats are no longer in big bits and everything is well mixed. You may have to scrap the mixture down the sides and processing again.
3. Take a little handful of the mixture and roll into little balls.
4. Store in the fridge. Mine lasted for at least 1 week.
5. Enjoy!

It’s time for another recipe! Ironman training is in full force right now and I will write a post about amping up training soon! Apart from increasing training, I am also trying to improve my diet. I am not super strict at all but would like to feed my body with more nourishing meals. This pasta contains no meat, no cream, and no simple carbs – but is absolutely delicious and I found myself really excited to eat for lunch the next day!

Ingredients

• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Whole wheat pasta (I like mine from Marks and Spencer)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Procedure

1.Wash and slice the veggies into small pieces. Toss in olive, salt, and pepper. Line the tray with some aluminum foil and spread the veggie pieces evenly. Try not to have them on top of each other. Put in oven at 180 C and roast for approximately 25-30 mins. Remember to toss midway. They should come out looking like this:

2. Cook the pasta according to the instructions. Save a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.

3. Finely dice an onion and mince a lot of garlic. Sauté this in the pan with some olive oil and then add in the pasta. Add in the roasted veggies and some pasta water.

4. Add a handful of cheese and you’re ready to eat!

This pasta does not have much of a sauce but the veggies with the sautéed garlic and onion provides tons of flavor! Enjoy!

Everyone who knows me knows I love a great piece of juicy steak. However, I also love eating tofu and veggies and sometimes don’t miss the meat at all! I love ordering bibimbap in Korean restaurants and always felt like the minced meat was not necessary, which is why I decided to recreate a vegetarian version at home! This is a little time consuming because you have to cook all the components separately but it will be so worth it! Apart from being healthy, cutting down on meat is also eco-friendly because the production of meat (especially beef) has significant detrimental effects on the earth as shown in the little infographic below:

While I am trying to lead a more eco-friendly life, I would be lying if I said that I am going to give up on beef. So all things in moderation! I think it is important to be conscious of our decisions and it impact it has, but also to find a happy balance between sustainability and your own personal lifestyle. J and I are trying to cut out beef as much as possible but will still enjoy our burgers and steaks from time to time!

Now on to the vegetarian bibimbap, I am quite an “eyeball” type of cook where I don’t measure anything but I will try to quantify as much as possible! Also, feel free to add any other veggies that you love but below are the ingredients that I used:

Serves 2-3 people 

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot
• 7-8 large shitake mushrooms
• 1 cucumber
• 1-2 handfuls of spinach
• Kimchi
• Eggs
• Scallions
• Sugar
• Mirin
• Salt
• Brown or white rice

For the sauce:

• Gojuchang (fermented Korean chili paste)
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Water
• Sesame oil

Instructions:

1. Cook the rice.
2. Julienne the carrots and cut the scallions and spinach.
3. Slice the mushrooms into 1 inch width pieces.
4. Peel a little bit of the cucumber skin (not all off, peel so there are stripes of skin and no skin) and slice into thin slices. You can also cut the cucumber down the length into a semi circle if its a large cucumber.
5. Put the sliced cucumbers into a bowl and generously salt. Let sit and then rinse and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add sugar and vinegar.
6. Sautee the carrots and then add around 1/2 cup of water and let it soften. Carrots take a little while to cook! Add in mirin, salt, and a dash of soy sauce. Set aside.
7. Sautee the mushrooms and add soy sauce and sesame oil.
8. Sautee the spinach with some salt.
9. Mix the sauce with all the ingredients listed above and loosen it up with some water. Adjust according to tastes.
10. Time to organize the bowl! Add the rice to the bottom of the bowl and then organize the veggies and kimchi around. Add a fried egg (keep the yolk runny) on top and sprinkle more scallions and sesame seeds if you want! Add the sauce, mix, and enjoy!