Author: shauny

Last week on TV

Posted on by shauny

Doctor Who Midjourney AI Art

Posted on by shauny
The Doctor's TARDIS in a world of bubbling, churning lava and molten rock.
The Doctor’s TARDIS trapped in a world of bubbling, churning lava and molten rock.
The Doctor standing next to his TARDIS, looking out on a vast alien planet. There are stars and planets in the sky.
The Doctor standing next to his TARDIS, looking out on a vast alien planet. There are stars and planets in the sky.
The Doctor's TARDIS parked in a world of endless, rolling sand dunes, with towering storms of dust and debris raging across the horizon.
The Doctor’s TARDIS parked in a world of endless, rolling sand dunes, with towering storms of dust and debris raging across the horizon.
The Doctor's TARDIS parked in a vast, desolate landscape of towering, jagged mountains and deep, cavernous valleys.
The Doctor’s TARDIS parked in a vast, desolate landscape of towering, jagged mountains and deep, cavernous valleys.

November Fitness

Posted on by shauny

November was a bad month in fitness for me – in my defence we did spend a week of this away with no access to a gym, and early morning starts. On top of this, it was a very wet and cold month – waking up in the morning feeling cold is not a motivator for me!

In an attempt to make December better, I will be using the treadmill a lot more now. I did do a 6km run on the treadmill a couple of days ago.

November 2022 stats

I worked out 10 days, a total of just 4 hours of workouts.

4 hours of exercise – worst month this year!

Vegan Mushroom Cottage Pie

Posted on by shauny
Vegan Mushroom Cottage Pie

Vegan Mushroom Cottage Pie

Course: MainDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Calories

633

kcal
Carbs

108

g
Fat

14

g
Protein

20

g
Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Baking Potato

  • 2 Sweet Potatoes

  • 300g Chestnut Mushrooms

  • 1 Leek

  • 1 bunch of chives

  • 10g Panko Breadcrumbs

  • 1 small carton of tomato passata

  • 10g red wine stock paste

  • 15g mushroom broth paste

  • 120g peas

  • Olive oil (1 tbsp)

  • 20g plant-based spread

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Boil a full kettle of water. Peel the potato and chop into 2cm chunks. Peel the sweet potato and chop into 1cm chunks. Pour the boiled water into a saucepan with ½ tsp salt and heat on high. Once boiling, add the potato and sweet potato, then simmer until soft, 12 mins.
  • Meanwhile, roughly chop the chestnut mushrooms into a small pieces (use a food processor if you have one). Peel and finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Trim the root and the dark green leafy part from the leek, halve lengthways, then thinly slice. Roughly chop the chives. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, half of the chives and 1tbsp olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil. When hot, add the chestnut mushrooms and leek and cook until softened, 3 mins. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 min. Pour in the passata, red wine stock and mushroom broth paste. Stir to dissolve the stock, then simmer until thickened, 5 mins. Season with salt and pepper.
  • When the potatoes have finished cooking, drain in a colander and return to the pan. Add 20g plant-based spread, then mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a deep ovenproof dish (or use two for easier serving). Top with the mash, ensuring it covers the mixture. Run a fork across the mash to make lines across the top, then sprinkle with the herby breadcrumbs. Bake on the top shelf, 12 mins.
  • Wash the saucepan used for the potatoes. When the pie has 5 mins remaining, boil a half-full kettle. Pour the boiled water into the saucepan used for the potato with ¼ tsp salt and heat on high. When boiling, add the peas to the water and cook for 3 mins. Drain in a colander and return to the pan. Drizzle with oil and, if you’d like to, season with salt and pepper.
  • Divide the vegan mushroom cottage pie between your plates. Serve with the peas and sprinkle with the remaining chives.

Notes

  • For more protein, and to make a larger pie, try adding cooked lentils to the mushroom mixture.

Last week on TV

Posted on by shauny

Vegan cheese & Veg Pasta Bake

Posted on by shauny
Vegan cheese & veg pasta bake

Vegan cheese & veg pasta bake

Course: MainDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

25

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 10g fresh basil

  • 200g vegan cheese

  • 1 large courgette / 2 small ones

  • 125g cherry tomates, or 125g tomato

  • 150g pasta – I like protein-packed pea pasta

  • 1tbsp dried basil

  • 15ml balsamic vinegar

  • 1 vegetable stock cube

  • 16g tomato paste

  • 210g finely chopped tomatoes

  • 1tsp sugar

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 240°C / 220°C (fan), and boil a kettle.
  • Peel and finely chop or grate the garlic. Grate the vegan cheese (or buy it already grated!), finely chop the basil, including stalks.
  • Add the pasta to a pot of boiled water with a pinch of salt, bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 10 minutes (or follow instructions on the packet) until cooked with a slight bite. Once cooked, drain the pasta and set aside.
  • While the pasta is cooking, chop the courgette into quarters lengthways, then slice finely.
  • Heat a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat, and reboil a kettle (100ml)
  • Once the pan is hot, add the sliced courgette with a pinch of salt and cook for 4 mins or until beginning to soften.
  • Meanwhile, disolve the stock cube, dried basil, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste and 1 tsp sugar in 100ml boiled water – this is your stock.
  • Cut the cherry tomatoes in half – or if you’re using whole tomatoes, cut into pieces.
  • Once the courgette is beginning to soften, add the chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add the stock, the halved cherry tomatoes, and finely chopped tomatoes, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Season with a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper and cook for 4 minutes further.
  • Add the drained pasta to the sauce with some chopped basil (save some for garnish!) and mix it up.
  • Add half the pasta to an oven-proof dish, and top with half the grated cheese. Add the remaining pasta on top, along with the rest of the vegan cheese and put the tray in the oven for 10 minutes.
  • Serve, with extra chopped basil and black pepper on top!

Notes

  • Instead of normal pasta I like to use protein-packed pea pasta, like the ones from ZenB. It’s also gluten free!
  • Because of the many different types of pasta and vegan cheese, I haven’t added calorie or macros for this recipe.
  • If you’re a fan of Nutritional Yeast (nooch!), add this to the top before baking for extra crispy and cheesiness!