W.I.A.W : the 2 ways to my heart

FOOD AND SHOPPING

oh and this creature..

 

Sleepy Bobbin woke me up with licks bright and early. She was pretty much sleeping on my face all night! but we slowly both got up and got food.

I had a gluten free brioche with raspberry perserve, pb and apple slices, all washed down nicely with 2x cups of tea!

 She went back to sleep and I went to the gym. Post workout fuel was a banana whey protein shake and the (sadly) last slice of the blueberry bakewell tart. I will miss you tart, you were yummy.

 This bank holiday weekend was relaxed and full of sprees of spending. I went shopping with my Mum and bought some new bake ware, flours and a new Gluten free recipe book, I'm so excited to try out some of the fabulous and inventive recipes!
On Saturday Me and Mr Bake n' Beebz hoped on a bus and headed out for some retail therapy, me and the plastic seemed to getting on very well, it kindly bought me many things... including...

 

Original fluff! Surprise and best?! find of the day!

 Perfect skyscraper platform heels.

 

MTV crop top from Miss Selfridge

Cutest pink cashmere cable knit jumper from Topshop.

Thanks Mr debit card. Thank you, love you. We rounded the shopping trip off with a shared fro yo cup. After a taste test we chose pomegranate yog with  blackberries. refreshingly sweet, perfect post shop refuel.

 Right now, back to business, and today's Lunch! A mish mash of Crunchy and fresh tasties!

It was made up of a shop bought roast Chicken Nisciose salad with ONE olive. I purchased the salad from Boots, it was marked down from £3 to 75p! I also had some left overs of a homemade beetroot, cucumber and Quinoa salad on the side ( the purple/pink section below!)

 

Dinner Time rolled around and It involved a whoooooole fridge of veggies! I cooked up Wagamama inspired stir fry with snap peas, mushrooms, carrots, butternut squash and onion served with rice ribbon noods and a chillimen sauce! so quick, easy, flavourful and pretty hot hot spicey. Could've eaten this X10

 Also had my fix of diet crack sodas X2! ( with Illuminous pink lippy mark! so glamorous)

Pretty much sums up  recent goings on here! What is the yummiest thing you've eaten today? Mine was definitely that last slice of tart!

Oh and Did you have a nice bank holiday (uk people)? do you looooove to shop?

Blueberry bakewell tarts and the bake off!

My newest reality TV obsession, amongst sooo many, is The BBC's  Great British bake off. An addictive cookery program where over the next eight weeks, 12 of the UK's keenest cooks compete to be crowned Best Amateur Baker. Each week, the contestants – young, old and from every corner of the country –  mix and bake their way through progressively tougher baking challenges. Their efforts are then meticulously scrutinized by the experts who inspect, prod and sample the baked goodies to decide who is the champ!

 My favourite form the start is Jason, (far left)

Hes a young student who is also so passionate about baking and is pretty witty. In last weeks 'pastry' episode he created mini Blueberry Bakewell tarts. Watching this program always gets me craving anything and everything they bake! So inspired by Jason's brilliant recipe and enthusiasm here is my Gluten free version!

I was kindly sent a parcel of Gluten free box mixes to try out by Mrs. Crimbles, they packaged me up a sponge dry mix and a short crust pastry mix. I decided to use and combine both of them to make a quick and easy Gluten Free tart! I only used half of each box as well so i can use the rest at my convenience for the next time my sweet tooth demands a comforting pudding.
Gluten Free Blueberry bakewell tart.
make a small tart for two!

Ingredients

+

• 1/2 (100g) Mrs Crimbles sponge box mix ( with 1 egg white, half the butter called for and 2 tsp of water)
• 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries
• 1/2 (100g) Mrs Crimbles pastry mix (with half the butter and water the box calls for)  
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 2 tsp jam or preserve

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 190 degrees C
2. Weigh out half of the pastry mix (100g) and crumble butter into dry mix. rub with your fingers until it resembles a fine bread crumb, then add 2 tsp of water and combine with your hands until it forms a dough ball, allow to rest for a minute.
3. Dust a clean surface with GF flour and roll out pastry to 0.5 cmm tickness. Drape and tuck pastry into a greased tin or pie dish. remove excess pastry and neated edges with knife.
4. Cover pastry with grease proof paper and baking beans and bake the pastry crust blind in the oven for 15 mintues.
5. Whilst pastry is baking... Half  and Follow the box instructions for the sponge mix adding in almond essence and stirring in blueberries.
6. Remove grease proof paper and beans from pastry carefully and spread jam on the base, pour in sponge batter and return to the oven to bake for an extra 18 minutes.

Serve hot or cold with with custard or ice cream but definitely goes with a good ol cuppa tea.

fresh and hot outta the oven!

 Really, Really genuinely impressed with these Mrs Crimbles mixes! The pastry was pretty perfect, flaky and buttery but not crumbly or tough. Pastry is notoriously a problematic part of gluten free baking and this mix made it easy and trouble free! the sponge mix was also lovely, not too sweet and complemented the tarter blueberries.  The crumb was light yet moist and it rose very well (as you can see!) A big thumbs up. I cant wait to use the remainder of these mixes now!

Nandos...gluten freeeer eatin' out

Me and my ol' mate Charlotte met up for some dinner out tonight. Food and gossip were our plans.  She picked me up and we headed to the chain restaurant Nandos to get us some chicken. I havent been to a Nando's restaurant since my 17th birthday (that's 6 years ago) A ll i could remember was greasy fried food and I didnt really hold much hopes for getting myself some tasty that Gluten Free. but I was pleasantly proven very wrong!

 I ordered me some seasoned chicken breast with a massive Mediterranean salad comprising of feta, black and green marinated olives, cherry tomatoes, sun dried toms and chilli peppers. all tossed in a  simple GF salad dressing of olive oil and lemon juice is used. Check out those massive olives they were the size of a meloooon! so flavourful!

The staff were really helpful and well educated in Gluten and food intolerance matters, the servers made sure I knew exactly what I could and couldn't have. Pretty much the whole menu was ayyy ohh kay apart from breads. I was really surprised by how great my meal was and will defiantly be back for more! some of the roasted veggie and bean side dishes sounded mouth watering.

But the best part was unlimited diet cola from the machines and refills of honey frozen yogurt.

 

Several servings were consumed... Helped by an old friend of ours worked there and willingly fetched us more.

Annnnd my box of cookies that I won arrived from the U.S today!  I have only tried the banana + walnut one so far but it was absolutely scrummy! A massive thank you to Tia at Glugle Gluten free who hosted the review and giveaway and sent me these Nutritious Creations cookies!

CAKE POPS!

As a thank you present I made my friend Charlotte some cake pops, she got me a paid temping job as receptionist at her office, so the least I could do was make her something sweet and chocolaty as a gift.

Using another of those delicious chocolate spreads I nabbed, (I used the chocolate coconut spread, I think this maybe my fave?!) I quickly rolled together some cake pops, dipped them in chocolate and shook lashings of sprinkles all over those babies.

These are so easy to make and there is absolutely no cooking involved, oh apart from just nuking the chocolate in a microwave.

Makes 8 lollipops
Ingredients 

• 250g (9oz) of Madeira sponge cake, bought or homemade. (For my gluten free version I used crumbled rusks!)
• 100g (4oz) two large tablespoons of chocolate spread.
• 100g (4oz) your choice of milk chocolate or dark or white, whichever you want to coat your finished pop with.
• A few drops of flavouring essence (you could try lemon, vanilla, coffee, almond again its your choice really, whatever takes your fancy.)
• Sprinkles
• wooden skewers

Method 

1. break and Crumble the cake or rusk into a bowl.
2. Add the chocolate spread to bind the cake crumb,  this gives a 'cookie dough' like texture to the finished pop.
3. Mix it all together with a spoon then your hands, it's ready when it looks like play dough.
4. Take even amounts of the dough, roll into balls a bit smaller than a golf ball. Pop the balls into the fridge, on a prepared tray/container lined with silicone paper, to firm up.
5. Melt the chocolate on a medium setting in the microwave, regulary checking and stirring to vaoid burning the chocolate.
6. take the balls from the fridge, dip the wooden sticks in chocolate and really get it stuck into the ball. 
7. Return the balls to the fridge to let the chocolate set.
8. Remove from the fridge once again and coat / roll each ball in the melted chocolate of choice, add sprinklings.  Return to the fridge to set.

For presentation, as they were a gift, when set, I put my finished cake pops in cellophane bags and add curled ribbon for a finishing touch. 

What I ate Wednesday!

 

Bobbins had a shower this mornin' getting fresh (FTD)for the days activities of nappin' and ballin'

we both had breakfast together, she had rice and chicken. I'm not one for savoury breakfasts and Beebz doesn't share so I enjoyed raspberry and PB protein buckwheat oats! pink and perfect. 

I also had some wheat grass and carrot juice to get things started.

this morning I had planned to head out early for  a group yoga class at the new gym I've now officially joined... but I got too distracted by playing with Beebz and devouring taste testing cake pops. just having one of those lazy kinda days which seem to fly by before ya know it, ya know!?

I then, at around 12ish, got my act together and trundled along to the gym for my usual cardio and strength workout. 25 min HIIT on treadmill followed by some abs and shoulder work with weights and machines then a sauna session. job done.

After beastin' it out I headed home to refuel with a simple vegetable loaded pasta salad with chicken breast chunks and hummus dollop for good measure.

ohhh and most importantly and a GF cake pop for dessert.... Recipe to be coming very soon!

Did some more lounging around and cleaned the bathroom then it was...

Dinnaahhhh time!

  Gluten free Homemade southern style crispy chicken with healthy baked fries!

I will definately be posting this recipe up very soon, its too good/ amazingly healthy not to share! . It tastes like the real deal but no guilt or gluten to be found. exciting ay?

oh and in other news... oh I know you have been waiting in anticipation from last weeks WIAW ....  I PASSED last weeks driving theory with flying colours... now for the more difficult part of actually getting behind the wheel. 

What awesome things have you eaten today?

Gluten Free Stuffed French Toast + Review

Popping Candy and Marshmallow

Peanut Butter +chocolate chip +banana stuffed french toast

This is what Sunday mornings were made for, long lazy lay ins and comforting yums. As much as I love cereal and oats, It always feels like a special and somewhat luxurious treat to have a specially cooked breakfast, with out fail, it keeps me smiling all day long. (take note Mr Bake n Beebz if you want to avoid grumpy a Alice.) 

This week I was sent an amazing new range of 4 new spreads by Sainsbury's to try out along with a loaf to sample it with. In my delivery I was excited to receive popping candy chocolate and a peanut butter chocolate chip spread... They must of made these with Bake and Beebz in mind! I could have just had plain ol toast with lashings of spread on (which I did as well ;) but Its Sunday, I'm hungry and I want my special breakfast. now. thank you.

I cant tell you how long I have been meaning to indulge in making myself french toast, maybe years?!! anyway...TOO LONG. Well today I am rectifying this grave injustice and i'm taking it further to compensate by stuffing it with these extra special chocolate spreads.

In one corner I have popping candy chocolate + mini marshmallow and in the other peanut butter choc chip with banana stuffed french toast. Taste tasting these is going to be a very tough job, but someone has to do it! you can too... here's the recipe.

Ingredients
to make 2 sandwiches

4 Slices fresh Gluten Free Sliced Bread

2tsp skim or non dairy milk
1 egg white
1 tsp cinnamon
sweetener (optional)
For the stuffed part!
1 tbsp popping candy spread
6 mini marshmallows
1/2 small banana
1 tbsp peanut butter chocolate chip spread

1. Take the 4 slices of  GFbread and remove crusts
2. Spread 2 pieces of bread with PB/chocolate and top with chosen toppings and place another slice of bread on top.
3. With a fork or your fingers pinch together edges of bread securely.
4. In a bowl whisk together milk, cinnamon and egg and dip each piece in to the liquid.
5. Heat a frying pan on a medium flame, once hot carefully place the 'parcel' into pan and cooked on each side until golden brown. serve immediately!

 

We are non biased here at BnB I'm not affiliated with Sainsbury's but I am in love with them for conjuring up these spreads! The popping candy gave my toast a fun extra pop, mixed with the melted marshmallows made me feel like a very happy kid. Oh and you certainly can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter, its a Bake n Beebz staple. good job Mr sainsbury's, Bake n beebz approved. 

 

What I ate Wednesday... snack time.

WAAAAHEY its Wednesday! its W.IA.W! haha. I'm pretty excited as i completely missed the boat last week, and its certainly a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder. Anyway, Im back and I have... Breakfast! This morning I had a bowl of mesa sunrise cereal flakes with fresh strawbs and bloob berries. I flooded the bowl with Lactose free milk and topped with some shredded coconut and sweetner.

 

Bought this at the market today. I have wanted to try Carrot Juice since this lady mentioned it, I don't know what I was expecting but it tastes very... earthy! Definitely felt more energized. It could be in my mind, But it does make me want to invest in a juicer and have a healthy vitamin packed juice daily.

Well, the sweet tooth didn't take long to kick in today....And so.... The snacking begins.  I'm studying for my driving theory test today, the exam is tomorrow and I have yet to pass a online practice hazard perception test... whats wrong with me!?!?! I have very slow, delayed reactions with my mouse!

 yup today I was the cookie monster, knocked back a few pints of milk and rocky road cookies oh and more baby rusks to boot.

What I wore Wednesday!

Finally got dressed and ventured into town for a study break and bit of fresh air!

When I got home I was ready for lunch! Egg white scramble with a toasted Gluten Free seedy roll, topped with smoked salmon and a twist of the pepper grinder. simple and delicious! Has to be my favourite savory food combo! ohh apart from cheese with more cheese obvs.

Then I moved on to some savory Snacks, Mrs Crimbles Sour Cream Cheese and onion cheese bites. The lovely people at Mrs Crimble's sent me a little package of goodies to try out and review. I popped the bag open and a few nibbles of the triangle puffs... not bad! light and crispy but not much of a cheesy chive vibe going on, definitely needed more seasoning. So, I whipped up a quick dip made from GF and dairy free mayonnaise with garlic powder, chopped fresh chives ad a sprinkle of paprika. Much better, they are definitely more of a dipping kinda chip, I liked the was the triangles were good for scooping! I would certainly have these again,  Especially some of the other varieties of flavours, like the tomato, oregano and olive pack. Im pretty excited to trying out some of the GF cake and baking mixes they have too.

Then I decided I was time to close the laptop, put the food down and hit the gym with Harry,  I did 20 min stationary bike warm up Firstly, Then hit the grunting 'cave' man weight section and did some heavy lifting (well heavy for puny me) mainly concentrating on shoulders, back and biceps...

I love how much stronger I feel already!
 ....After more frustrating revision of signs, road markings and hazardous motorway situations It was pretty late.

I wasn't too hungry since i had snacked all day but  I rustled up a quick small dinner of buckwheat pasta spirals, pan fried courgette, mushrooms , spinach and chicken tossed in a dairy free cream cheese sauce topped with a little extra grated cheese...

and that my friends sums up a day of eats! HAPPY W.I.A.W!!!


What was the best thing you ate today?
Oh and have you taken your driving theory test? any pointers/advice for this hopeless case?