This Week The Mice Have Mostly Been...

OMG it's only the....

And we're freaking EXCITED!! In a mere matter of hours you can click 'shut down', exhale, grab a cocktail and bask in the blissful feeling of 48 hours of pure relaxation and FUN!! 

This weekend we're heading home to Daddy Mouse's for a couple of days filled with delicious food, an endless supply of wine (parents never seem to run out?!) and a few peaceful nights sleep in our childhood bedrooms...there seriously is nothing like it!

When we haven't been counting down the days, hours and minutes until the weekend...The Mice Have Mostly Been...

Battling on with our clean eating approach...the getting lean is still to be seen...I'm such a poet! Believe it or not our daily green juices are flowing, gym sessions and morning runs are being squeezed in and our brains are continually whirring coming up with healthy yet tasty dinners! 

It's no easy feat but we seem to be hating the early morning alarms a little less, resisting the slabs of banana loaf in Whole Foods and are teaching our tummies to love a juice breakfast and not rumble from 10am onwards! These days the hardest part is constantly trying to think of new and inventive dinner options...ones we can still look forward to all day but aren't so calorific that they negate all your other good work! 

So I think it's only fair to share those good ones we do find to give you all some inspiration! This one is very easy, open to lots of adaption of whatever is left in the fridge and bursting full of delicious flavour. It's not the most photogenic one for a post but I enjoyed it so much I thought what the hell!! 

Brown Rice Noodle Soup with Spicy Pork and Greens

Below makes 2 large servings - if you're going to eat soup for dinner I believe it should be a large serving!!

You need...

250g pork mince
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes / fresh chili
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
950ml chicken stock
1-2 handfuls of kale, center ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Sea saly
Fresh ground pepper
120g noodles (wholemeal if you're being healthy!)

How to...

1. Place the pork, garlic, ginger, crushed chilies and cumin in a bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients.

2. Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, when hot add the pork mixture. Cook for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned, stir gently so not to break up too much.

3. Add the chicken stock, bring it to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 mins.

4. Add the kale, spring onions, soy sauce and fish sauce, and cook for 6-8 mins until the greens are wilted. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

5. Meanwhile cook the noodles...

6. Serve the noodles directly into your bowls and ladle the warm soup over them...ENJOY!!

Flying like billyo over to Selfridges to get our mitts on some much desired cinema tickets! Yup you heard it right...Selfridges have opened the first ever department store cinema and they've only gone and paired up with the fabulous Everyman group! 

We're loving that the opening bill of films have been picked by iconic fashion designers...what could be better after a stressful day in the office than settling down in chic surroundings to Marc Jacob's and Oscar De La Renta's favourite movies?!

As it's not just a pop up, the listing will be updated with a mix of all time favourites, new releases and even a preview screening of the new woody Allen film later this month!

Rumour has it you can also order nibbles and a sneaky tipple...PERFECTION!!!

 

Chilling to the amazing new album from Banks, Goddess. Now I know we've sung her praises numerous times before, but she really is something pretty special. With her hauntingly beautiful vocals, raw emotion and distinctive edge, she's the perfect mix of cool.

Listen to a couple of our new obsessions...

Right I think it's about time that you...

3BM Cooks : Sizzling Saganaki...

As promised last week, Mini mouse and I enjoyed many a rip-roaring foodie feasts in France a few weeks back. Our number one favourite has to be prawn saganaki, which we spied on The Londoner's blog before we headed off for sunshine, relaxation and overindulgence! We banked the recipe and whipped it up for our first meal of the trip. In summary - one to remember! Tasty, filling and monstrously moreish! So...

...here we are sharing the food love...

Ingredients for two:

300g king prawns (raw ones and the bigger the better)
2 cloves of garlic
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
A glass of white wine
A handful of feta
Chili flakes, dried oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Warm your frying pan up add the oil and get that garlic gently cooking. Keep stirring it and keep the pace up, there's nothing worse than burnt garlic! Once cooked, throw the prawns in and add your chilli flakes, oregano, salt & pepper

2. Once the prawns have turned, remove them and place them to the side. Then add your white wine and tommy toms to the sizzling pan and simmer away

3. Leave to reduce for five minutes and then add your tinned toms and leave to cook 

4. Once the cherry tomatoes are tender, your dish is ready to serve! YAY! This is the point at which you throw your prawns back into the mix and stir, stir, stir 

5. Lastly crumble your feta on top and serve up with fresh, hot, crusty bread - best sourced from France!!

3BM Kitchen: Garlic and Rosemary Cauliflower Mash...

So we've developed quite an unusual addiction...nope nothing to do with shoes this time, but wait for it...cauliflower! And I'm not talking about the type smothered in white sauce and oozing with cheese, but instead as a substitute for rice and potatoes! 

 

Sounds strange but it's seriously delicious, healthy and I guarantee once you start you won't stop!! 

 

 

Our love began a few months ago when we saw The Londoner blog about egg fried cauliflower rice. Again the concept doesn't sound like it should work but after HK mouse convinced me it was worth all the grating, I gave it a go! 

 

It doesn't even taste like you're eating vegetables - I must admit on it's own I find cauliflower quite bland, but with the kick from the chili and garlic, incredible flavours from the coconut and sesame oils (I'm a coconut oil convert after this recipe) and the fresh coriander to bring it all together - you seriously can't go wrong. 

 

After realising it's not OK to eat the same dinner every single night, I thought it was time to look into some other cauli-tastic recipes! That's when I came across the great foodie blog Eat Yourself Skinny - it's full to brim of unusual ideas that are all clean and healthy recipes...perfect! 

 

Anyway, that's where I came across this gem, and thought why not give it a whirl to see if my obsession could be extended to further realms! Now I'm a true potato lover but this to me was even better than buttery mash! Creamy, garlicky and feels like it should be oh so bad, but somehow it's not - thank God there is such a thing as an innocent treat after all (as long as you use low fat cheese and yogurt!). Oh and a glass of summery Pimms by your side to keep you company whilst you cook...

You will need...

 

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt (low fat but make sure that it's one without added sugar)

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese (garlic and herb - this is optional I didn't add and it was still delish!)

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

 

How to...

 

1. Bring a pan of water to a boil and add the chopped cauliflower

2. Boil for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Drain and pat dry with a towel (important step to get the right consistency)
 

3. Add the hot cauliflower to your food processor and add the chicken stock...

...the Greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic... 

...and cheeses...

4. Blitz until completely smooth. 
 

5. Stir in the salt, pepper and rosemary and enjoy with the meat and side of your choice!

Super-CAULI-fragilisticexpialidocious!

The 3BM Kitchen: Caponata Aubergine Stew

We've made it to late June, have passed the longest day of the year and are now on our way to darker mornings and evenings. This year Summer has officially been skipped in the UK, I have barely had a chance to get my wedges, Josa dresses or straw fedora out, but instead spend the majority of my time in skinny jeans and a leather jacket! Believe it or not Autumn ranges are winging their way out onto the high street ready for us to start stocking up all over again! 

 

This calls for one thing only....a perfect transitional summer/autumn recipe of course! After a fantastic weekend being bridesmaid at my best friend's wedding, I was feeling particularly weary, tired and very much in need of a bit of chilling after a ridiculously early Monday back at work. The one thing getting me through the drawn out day, was knocking up a hearty bowl of deliciousness alongside a big glass of red wine! 

I bring to you 3BM's new favourite dish...Caponata Aubergine Stew. I saw this recipe on Emerald Street (Stylist Magazine's trusty website for everything fabulous) and immediately clicked on it -  super easy, bursting full of Mediterranean richness and reasonably healthy! Tick, tick and tick! Another bonus is how versatile this beauty is....keep it simple or add chicken or lamb and serve it up with salad, rice, cous cous or even warm crusty bread...anything goes! The perfect recipe to cook a big portion of and then swap it up throughout the week with different combos for a tasty lunch or dinner in an instant! 

Ingredients - Serves 4

 

2 aubergines (500g), cut into 1cm cubes
2 tsps salt 

2 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp finely grated dark chocolate
50g sultanas 

2 tbsps baby capers
50g stoned green olives, sliced
Mint to garnish
 

1. Put the aubergine cubes in a colander and add the salt. Leave to drain for 30 mins, rinse and pat dry.

 

2. While the aubergine is draining, heat half the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, celery and garlic and fry for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and simmer for a further 5 mins.

 

3. Add the balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of sugar, chocolate, sultanas, capers and olives. Simmer for 5–10 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat.

 

 

4. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and then fry the aubergine for 5 mins until golden. Add to the tomato sauce. Return to a simmer and cook for 10 mins then remove from heat. Sprinkle with ripped fresh mint - this seriously makes a difference and adds an amazing finish to all the flavours!

 

Now all that's left to do is to ladle into pretty bowls, pour a couple of large glasses of wine and gobble it all up while dreaming that you're somewhere sunsoaked and beautiful in the Medditerranean...

 

 

The 3BM Kitchen: Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya

Two weeks have whizzed past since we posted 3BM's guide to the best gym get-up, we're still diligently scheduling in our weekly workouts and desperately trying to steer clear of chocolate! Summer is fast approaching and the ever looming thought of squeezing into a bridesmaid dress let alone a bikini, haunts me everyday!  

A few weeks ago I was invited to one of my girl's houses for wine, curry and Magic Mike....perfect combo for the best night in! In my bid to be as perfect as Cara Delevingne we decided to skip the curry and knock up something ourselves a little less calorific...low fat Chicken & Chorizo Jambalaya ticked all the boxes! With only 445 calories a portion you can't go wrong and I like the way its still hearty and feels like a real dinner. Even better it couldn't be easier to make...literally a one pot dinner! There's plenty of time for naked lettuce leafs and celery!

Make sure you've got the following essentials... 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 chicken breasts chopped (or chicken thigh meat)

1 onion diced

1 red pepper sliced

2 garlic cloves crushed

75g chorizo sliced

1 tablespoon Cajan seasoning

250g long grain rice

400g plum tomatoes

350ml chicken stock

All you need to do is heat the oil in a casserole pan, brown the chicken for 5-8 mins until golden. Remove and set aside. Add the onion and cook until soft, add pepper, garlic, chorizo and Cajan seasoning and cook for 5 mins. 

Add the chicken back in,and then chuck in the rice, tomatoes and stock. Cover the dish and simmer for 20-25 mins until the rice is tender.

Voilá...dinner is disco done! 

Yum!