20 Minute Meal Prep

Hey guys!  I made a new video on my YouTube Channel to help you eat healthier in 2021!  Here’s the deal, to be a true boss babe you’ve got to be strong and healthy.  Here’s how I plan my meals for the week to ensure I’m getting adequate nutrition to lead my business and take care of my family.  Hope you enjoy the video and be sure to subscribe to my channel.  xo, Brit

Recipes for my meals for the week (3 meals prepped)

  1. Crockpot Beef Stew: https://kristineskitchenblog.com/slow-cooker-beef-stew/
  2. Healthy Breakfast Quiche: https://soveryblessed.com/healthy-biscuit-breakfast-casserole-recipe/
  3. Trader Joes (TJ’s) Saute Bowls
    • Southwest Style Sweet Potato Saute
    • Garbanzo Beans and Greens Saute Bowl

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Merry Christmas + English Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe

Hello friends – happy Monday and happy (almost) Christmas.  Before I head out to spend some down-time with my family, I want to take a moment to tell you how much I LOVE YOU!  Writing this blog brings so much joy into my life.  What makes the effort most meaningful is knowing that people actually read what I write and even like it (for the most part).  Thank you for your emails and messages of kind words over the past 2 and half years.  I hope that you have a Merry Christmas filled with good times, great friend and family and yummy food!

On the last note, last night my friend Caroline hosted a FABULOUS holiday dinner.  We devoured a delicious, decadent sticky toffee pudding for the dessert.  I can still feel it melting in my mouth and have been craving more all morning.  So, I searched around for promising British Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe that I could share.  I’m going to attempt to make a batch today and bring it to my family’s Christmas Eve gathering.  It takes only 40 minutes to prepare and serves about 6.  We won’t talk about the calories 🙂

Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe

by: Elaine Lemm, British and Irish Food Expert

INGREDIENTS
  • 8 oz/225g cooking dates, stoned and chopped small
  • 6 fl oz/175ml boiling water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 oz/ 175g self-raising
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 large, fresh eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 oz/85g butter , softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 5 oz/140g demerara sugar
  • 2 tbsp black treacle 
  • 3 ½ fl oz/100ml milk
  • SAUCE
  • 6 oz /175g light muscovado sugar
  • 2 oz/55g butter , cut into pieces
  • 8 oz/ 225ml heavy/double cream
  • 1 tbsp black treacle 

INSTRUCTIONS – to make the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C/Gas 3
  • Butter 6, 7fl/oz/200ml individual pudding tins or use an 8″ x 8″ x 2 ½” deep (20cm x 20cm x 6.5cm deep) square baking dish and dust lightly with flour.
  • Put the chopped dates into a large glass bowl, cover with boiling water, leave for 20 minutes to swell and soften. Once soft, add the vanilla extract.
  • Sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large baking bowl.
  • In another baking bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, don’t worry about grains of sugar, they will melt during cooking.
  • Little by little, add the beaten eggs, mixing really well between additions. Add the treacle and beat well.
  • Using a large metal spoon carefully fold in one third of the flour, then carefully stir in one third of the milk. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used up.
  • Add the chopped dates (including any liquid in the bowl) and stir gently. The pudding mixture will resemble a thick batter.
  • Divide the mixture between the six pudding tins, place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20 – 25 mins for individual puddings or 45 – 50 mins for the large square. The cake should be raised and firm to the touch, if not cook a little longer but take care not to burn. Once ready, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out.

INSTRUCTIONS – to make the sauce (meanwhile)

  • Over a medium heat, melt the butter, sugar and half the cream in a saucepan. Raise the heat slightly and bring to the boil stirring constantly until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the treacle and allow the sauce to bubble for 2 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 1 minute then stir in the remaining cream.
  • Place a portion of the cake onto warm individual serving dishes, and drizzle generous amounts of sauce over.
  • Serve with custard or ice cream.
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Simple Kombucha Cocktails for Healthier Holiday Party

I first discovered Kombucha when my co-worker had a huge bottle on his desk and explained to me that he was on a “cleanse.” Immediately I thought, “I’ve gotta get my hands on this stuff.” Three years later, I’m now recommending a way to “re-tox” a detoxifying drink – funny how that works.

Kombucha receives a lot of health buzz due to it digestive cleansing and detoxifying abilities. This fermented sweetened tea is slightly effervescent and tart making it a perfectly refreshing cocktail mixer. Though it may seem counter productive to mix a detoxifying beverage with alcohol, I figure it’s a means of making a healthier holiday cocktail! While Kombucha offers several health benefits, keep in mind that it’s not sugar free. It has about 8 grams of sugar per serving, so don’t over do it.

I recently tried Kombucha Wonder Drink and LOVED all the yummy flavors – prefect cocktail mixers!

Here’s a simple Kombucha cocktail recipe I’m planning to showcase at my upcoming holiday party. If you’re feeling brave, you can make your own Kombucha. Otherwise, you can simply buy it and mix with the ingredients below:

Ingredients:

  • Kombucha (flavor of your choice)
  • Vodka
  • Fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice
  • Ice

Instructions:

Fill a small glass half way with ice. Pour in Kombucha and vodka (whatever ratio suits you). Add a little lemon/lime juice to taste and garish with a lemon slice.   If you are using berry-flavored Kombucha, garnish with berries instead of lemon or limes.

Give it a whirl and let me know how you like!  Happy (healthy) Holidays! xoxo, Brit

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Butternut Squash Recipes I Love

Happy Thursday my friends.  I hope your week is going well.  It’s freezing cold in Dallas today – WTF!  I’m so not ready for cold weather, boo!  I just finished teaching my usual, back to back cycling classes at BEYOND Pedaling and when I left the studio I felt like my sweat immediately transformed into icicles.

Fortunately, I have no plans this evening so I’m going to curl up at my bachelorette pad and cook a yummy dinner.  I recently had a delicious butternut squash pizza at True Food Kitchen (love that place) which got me in full-on “butternut squash recipe mode.”

Thoroughly enjoyed my butternut squash pizza from True Food Kitchen last weekend!

I bought myself a butternut squash earlier this week and just just chopped it up and roasted it.  The squash I bought is huge, so I can make lots of different dishes. I did some web research and discovered 5 butternut squash recipes that I’m determined to try before the end of the month.  They all look amazing!

Getting ready to scoop this sucker out and chop it up!
My butternut squash, roasting away. Can’t wait to try these tasty recipes!

Nutrition Tip: Not only is this butternut squash delicious,  it’s loaded with anti-oxidants, fiber and Vitamin A (more Vitamin A than pumpkins).  It’s also low in calories (only about 45 per serving) and has no saturated fats or cholesterol.

Have you made any of the dishes below?  Let me know!

5 Butternut Squash Recipes I Love

  1. Baked Cottage Cheese & Almond Butternut Squash from Ripped Recipes
  2. Butternut Squash, Spinach & Goat Cheese Pizza from SELF.com
  3. Butternut Squash Quinoa with Kale, Cranberries, Walnuts and Goat Cheese from Stuck on Sweet
  4. Mashed Cinnamon Squash with Almond Butter from The Scrumptious Pumpkin
  5. Butternut Squash, Carrot & Ginger Soup from with Syle & Grace 
Loving Fall – yay for squash!
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