Simply Cook

Back in August I received an email from Simply Cook tempting me back to them with a half price box.  I had ordered myself a cook box back in April, however by the time it had arrived I had already received my results from my food intolerance test.  Each and every single recipe that was sent to me contained either garlic, chilli, ginger or meat stock – none of which I was able to use!  I gifted the box to a friend, and had accepted the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be.  Now that I’ve started introducing garlic and chilli back into my diet (I tried yeast, and it’s definitely a no go) I am now able to try out all of the lovely recipes that I had been sent out previously. 

Simply cook send you out a variety of different recipes, flavourings and spices every week, fortnight or monthly depending on your preference.  Each box costs just £8.95, which makes each meal pack just £2.23 (excluding anything you might need to pick up at the shop like veggies, chicken or pasta).  They normally do special offers on their boxes from time to time, however they offer a friend scheme for customers who are already signed up.  You can get your first box for £1 by using my name – lauren mcghee – in the promo code box, or clicking the link here https://simplycook.mention-me.com/m/ol/avm-lauren-mcghee-2

In my box I was sent a spicy vegetable stew, a Thai green curry, a spicy rice dish and a chorizo pasta dish.  Seeing as I’m vegetarian, I gifted the chorizo pasta dish to my dad, who cooked up a storm with it and told me it was amazing!  So good in fact, that mum decided to follow the same recipe guide – however adapted it completely to make it vegan.  She even made her own home made pepperoni for it!

So far I’ve made the spicy vegetable stew and the Thai green curry – both of which have been amazing!  The recipe cards come with a short and sweet shopping list for the extra bits that you’ll need to buy for each dish, you simply tear it off and take it with you to the supermarket, it’s really easy.  I made the Thai green curry dish for me and my boyfriend, and so had to prepare and cook them separately as he eats meat.  Despite this, the prep and cooking time was not hindered in the slightest, all it meant was two pans and splitting the flavourings.  Even though both dishes had half the spices it should have done, they were so strong and powerful that everything tasted simply delicious – it was really, really good!  The  whole meal only took about 30 minutes to prepare and cook, which was really surprising to me seeing as I don’t normally cook from scratch and following recipes normally means that I have to add an extra 20 minutes if not longer. 

I’m so super impressed the simplicity, easiness and taste of the simply cook dishes that I will definitely be ordering again!  The one thing I will tell you to look out for is the ingredients list, unfortunately you can only filter out the fish dishes and not all the meat ones, so if there is a dish you really like the look of double check that it is one you can actually eat.

What's your favourite dish to cook from scratch?

 Until the next one, 

Nakd Treats

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Nakd bars and nibbles have been my go to treats these last few weeks ever since I got my results.  I have a major sweet tooth, like a major one.  I feel like I need something sweet after every meal, which I know probably isn’t very healthy but I just can’t seem to shift the habit.  Nakd have really helped me out with this problem any time I’ve ever tried to diet or give myself a health kick.  More so now though, that I can’t sit back with a bar of chocolate or just any regular slice of cake.  They’ve been my saviour for my cravings, and a really healthy one at that!

Nakd treats are made with 100% pure and natural fruits and nuts, making them perfect for a quick snack or pick me up throughout the day. All bars and nibbles are gluten/dairy/wheat free, as well as being suitable for vegans too.  The majority of Nakd snacks have a total of 3-7 ingredients in them – and better yet, you can actually pronounce and would probably recognise them all if they were laid out in front of you to see!   Nakd have such a wide array of flavours that are available now, with anything from pecan pie to chocolate orange to ginger bread.  With so many flavours to choose from, and trust me… there have been many occasions that these bars have helped me out – I’ve been able to select the chosen few that makes me sad to run out of at any time.

Cherry Bakewell has been a favourite treat of mine for many years now, I love the sweet taste of the marzipan and the cherry with the icing – and I’ve been lucky enough to find a gluten and dairy free alternative of the real deal too.  When I spied that Nakd had created a healthy bar of one of my favourite treats – I grabbed it and can say with 100% honesty that it is the exact replica of the pretty calorific tea time tart!  From the smell, to the taste and even the texture, Nakd have managed to whip together the most perfect healthy alternative that there possibly could be.  Bakewell Tart is my absolute favourite out of all of the bars, and I try to always pick them up whenever they are available to buy.

The Fruit Salad Nakd Nibbles have been my go too snack for whenever I fancy a sweetie style snack.  Depending on what I have just had for my tea, I either like to have something chocolatey or fruity – so the Fruit Salad and Mint Humbugs have been my favourites for these occasions. They are perfect for munching straight out of the bag, or mixing in with a yoghurt or even in some cereal throughout the day.  Surprisingly enough too, they are actually pretty filling on their own, so they are great for munching in-between lunch and tea time to keep you going. 

My all-time favourite chocolate snack is always anything chocolate orange flavoured.  Coffee, body scrub and the real deal itself, if its chocolate orange – I’ll probably love it.  So the fact that Nakd have managed to create another one of my all time favourite treats was absolutely fantastic news for me.  Although slightly more chocolatey than orangey, it really is a yummy snack to munch on whenever I’m feeling the need to satisfy my cravings.  Not quite as good as the real deal, but hey – they can’t all be perfect!

If you’ve not tried out any of the Nakd nibbles or treats yet, then I highly recommend that you do.  They are the perfect little sweet treat to munch on, and are pretty much guilt free too!  I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the mint chocolate bars right now, but I can't seem to find them anywhere!

What is your favourite Nakd treat?

Until the next one,

Food Intolerance Test – Foods I Can Eat

I’m now starting my fourth week on my yeast/dairy/gluten/garlic/chilli/ginger free diet – what a mouthful, huh?  It was really daunting and difficult to start off with, but I can actually say that I’m almost enjoying it now.  I’ve seen a great improvement to my overall health this last month; I’m not bloated every day, my skin feels and even looks healthy, I’ve lost weight and I’ve felt that I’ve had a lot more energy overall.  I don’t tend to take many naps anymore either, which was something I used to do near every single day!  So yeah, I’m really happy that with another two weeks to go, there is still potential to see even more good come from my diet change. 

Mum made me some blueberries muffins!

At the end of the six weeks, I’m looking forward to introducing garlic and chilli back into my diet… slowly.  I’m pretty content now with my gluten/yeast/dairy freeways, but I’m really excited to get some flavour back into my life!  I’m just really hoping that these are not the foods that are contributing to my eczema, as the one thing I miss the most from this whole experience is garlic! 

When we discovered that chilli and garlic is in almost every single jar of pasta sauce, we improvised and made our own!

There are a number of foods that I have come across this last month that are surprisingly gluten/dairy/yeast free – which have pretty much been my go too snacks and dinners:

-baked beans         

-almond butter                 

-quorn roast chicken peices

-pombears             

-kettle chips                     

-quorn peppered steak

-ruffles bars           

 -seabrook lattice crisps     

-linda mcarthney red onion sausages

-skinny popcorn      

-propercorn                      

-quorn bacon

-nakd bars              

-eggs                               

-fruit yoyos

-rice cakes              

-rice                                 

-fruit winders

-plant based milks  

-violife cheese                   

-free from salad cream

-free from pasta     

-free from chocolate          

-fruit and veg (low sugar preferably)

-frys peppermint creams                                  

-tellytots                         

-alpro yoghurt        

-lizis granola                     

-seabrook ready salted crisps                       

-coconut oil            

-nutribix                           

-tofu 

-ninebars  

There really isn’t that many things that are suitable, but at the same time I’m still really surprised by the amount of choice there is for the people who simply cannot eat gluten or dairy alone.  I thought that these two would be the most difficult for me to stick too – but it turns out that finding foods without garlic, ginger and chill has been just as equally awkward!

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I have actually enjoyed watching what eat, I feel really good about my overall health at the moment and I hope that I have the will power to keep going in the long run!  I’m hoping to be able to cut back on the flavoured water that I drink daily too, because I’ve recently become more aware of the artificial sweeteners and how they can affect the body.  One thing at a time though kids!

Do you know anyone adjusting their diet right now too? 

Until the next one,