Fake burgers!

 

The season of BBQs is upon us, YES! 

The beautiful men in our lives start thinking they are Heston Blumenthal for the summer, and start shoving burgers, and beers in our face all the live long day! 

Why do they do that??

An action plan has to be formed, and well we cant refuse the burger can we?  That`s just rude!

So picture this- a guilt free burger, the sun beaming down, and a cold glass of beer is in ones hand!  Yes you can still have all that - I promise.

 

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I made these as a low carb, and low fat alternative to the typical burger, solely because I don't want to be rolling into the winter months a couple of stone heavier.

Yes always about fighting the podge!

 

Portobello Turkey Mushroom Burgers with Halloumi Skewers

 

Burgers

120g Turkey Mince

1 egg

Tablespoon of mixed herbs

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)

Salt and Pepper

 

Portobello mushrooms

4 Portobello mushrooms

1 tablespoon of Philadelphia

1 teaspoon of sweet chilli sauce

 

Halloumi Skewers

Mixed peppers

Courgette

60g Halloumi

 

Method

 

1) Wash hands, and combine turkey mince, egg, herbs, chilli and salt and pepper and mix together.

 

2) Form burger shaped patties with your hand. Four small ones or two large ones.

 

3) Add to a frying pan with a teaspoon of olive oil and fry on a low heat. Flipping occasionally.

 

4) Skewer cubed halloumi, peppers and courgettes onto three skewers and place in a Pyrex dish, to be grilled.

 

5) Place mushrooms in the same Pyrex dish as the skewers and cook on a medium grill. Five minutes into the cooking time, flip over the mushrooms so the stalk is facing up, and smear Philadelphia and sweet chilli sauce in the mushroom, and place under grill for another 2 minutes.

 

6) At this point the turkey burgers should be golden brown, and cooked through. To check and be sure, place a skewer through the middle, the juices will run clear if cooked.

 

7) Take the Pyrex dish from grill, and plate up mushrooms and skewers

 

8) Place the turkey burger on one mushroom and add another mushroom on top, to form a fake burger.

 

9) Serve with a salad of your choice, and any condiments. I added some wilted spinach.

 

What do you think? Will you try?
 

 

Pimp your pasta!

As the summer approaches, quick, easy, tasty, and light food vibes is the way I go.

But also filling, in my opinion life is to god damn short to battling with them hunger pangs.

This meal is becoming a firm favourite in our house ,and one I just had to share.

So everyone loves tuna pasta right? Of course if you are a vegetarian, leave the tuna out, the basis of this dish and the ultimate star, is the dressing.

Ingredients

Pasta 120g

Tin of Tuna

2 eggs

1 red onion

1 carrot
1 tin of sweetcorn and peas

70g of diced cucumber

Half a bag of mixed lettuce leaves

40g of light mayonnaise

20g of English mustard

Juice from a full lemon

Teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)

Method

1) Pour pasta and diced carrot into pan, and cook as stated on packaging. ( I turn heat off one minute before recommended cooking time).

2) In another pan boil 2 eggs for around 4 minutes on a medium heat

3) Slice red onion finely, dice cucumber into bite sized chunks and shred lettuce leaves.

4) Drain pasta and carrots, and transfer back to pan.

5) Add all the salad, tin of sweetcorn and peas, and tuna to the pan and mix through.

6) Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and chilli flakes.

7) Season the dish with salt and pepper.

8) Run the boiled eggs through cool water, and peel shells, and dice into quarters.

9) Plate up, and tuck in!

Such a simple, store cupboard meal, that's super quick and easy, the mustard and lemon juice pimps the whole thing up, and adds a super tasty, distinct flavour .

Beauty | | Clarins Daily Energizer Wake-Up Booster

The title grabbed me! Energiser Wake-Up Booster, sounds just like what I need in the morning, that, and a rocket up my backside.

I was on the hunt for a light refreshing toner, that brightened, and lightly refreshed the skin in the morning, and made me look 16 again. (One can wish).

Reading the description of this product - I was like YES this is what I want.

Clarins describe it as: "A radiance boosting gel with a moisturising action to ensure a soft, smooth look while its toning benefits refresh and provides a pleasant feeling of well-being. The complexion is left looking radiant and healthy"

Beauty || La Roche Posay Skincare for Dry Skin

I have rambled on about La Roche- Posay before and it`s one of my favourite pharmacy skincare brands.
 

I have been using the *La Roche-Posay  Physiological Cleansing Milk of a morning.  This is a white, light milk cleanser which has a very clean none offensive scent. Pretty much what ya want first thing. A nice light cream lotion that is just washing away any dirt that has built up overnight. 

 

It is Physiological pH, soap-free, alcohol-free, colorant-free, formulated without paraben.

Yes, yes, yes so it is just perfect for sensitive skin.  

 

My skin has been loving this, it feels soothing and hydrating on application. I love the pump dispenser and overall for me it`s pretty much perfect.  This can also be used to remove make-up of a night and has rave reviews that it 100% does, but I haven't personally tried it in my night time cleansing routine.

My skin kicks up a fuss if it doesn't like something. It`s extremely sensitive. It will go red, spots will descend and it is just a nightmare so I am always genuinely sceptical trying new skincare, but this is an affordable cleanser that I just couldn't be without. My favourite product out the three.

Onto the *La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water Spray. I could imagine this is just perfect in the more warmer months to freshen up, without having an actual wash and all your make-up sliding off your face.

It`s a light spray mist of La Roche-Posay`s specially formulated thermal water dispensed like an aerosol that feels soothing and cooling, personally I spritz after I have used an exfoliating toner in my skincare routine.

I feel it just refreshes the skin and moistens things back up a tad before I apply a serum. 

*La Roche-Posay Hydreane Rich Moisturizing Cream for Sensitive Skin 40ml this product has everything you would want out of a moisturiser. It has a deeply nourishing formation that is perfect for dry skin. It is a white rich cream that feels super soothing on application and doesn't leave a greasy residue behind. I use the word soothing quite a lot as people who have dry skin know that's all you ever want to feel when applying a product.

 I especially love it in the morning before I apply my make-up. It feels so rich on application and feels like it is protecting the skin, (love when you can feel a product doing its thang) with the colder months creeping in I just couldn't be without a product like this. The harsh elements and increased exposure to central heating start playing havoc with our skin. So we need to be prepared. This will be a product I will repurchase and use daily.

So to surmise La Roche-Posay rocks! It`s an affordable French skincare brand (and we all know the French have skincare nailed anyway) that offer a range of products catered for all skin types, and well if you haven't tried anything from them I 100% recommend you should.

Escentual currently have a 1/3 off all French Pharmacy brands, so go take advantage.

As if it wasn't cheap enough, well now you have no excuse.

Escentual website here