Simple 20 minute food - Veggie taco bolognese in pittas

I bet we all feel the same when we come home after a long day at work... 

We can't be bothered cooking!

But then we don't want to waste money (and increase our waists) on unhealthy takeaway food. 

The answer to this is quick and simple everyday meals, that don't take you more than 20 minutes to prepare! Even the local Chinese place can't beat that time! ;)

One of my simple and quick meals I threw together recently is a healthy, vegetarian, taco flavoured bolognese, which I served in pitta breads. It seriously didn't take more than 20 minutes, and the ingredients were really cheap as well. 

All you need for this yummy everyday dish is:

Quorn mince

Chopped tomatoes

Sweetcorn

Taco spice mix

Pitta breads

Sour cream 

(and potentially salsa, depending on how spicy you want it)

It's obviously up to you if you want to serve it with anything else on the side.

 

Start off by frying your Quorn mince (from frozen) in some cooking oil. Do this for a few minutes, then add the sweetcorn.

 Stir in the taco spice mix and the chopped tomatoes next, and let it simmer for 10 minutes or so. Add salsa if you think this Mexican inspired bolognese needs to be a bit spicier.

I chose to serve my taco bolognese in pittas with some plain lettuce, grated cheese, and sour cream on the side. You can also opt for salsa, or even chopped up avocado.

And here's the finished result! Not a gourmet dinner, but definitely good enough for a weekday evening when all you want is "fast food".

Burger blind date at TGI Fridays in Leeds

Last week, I was invited to a ‘burger blind date’ at TGI Fridays.

“A burger blind date??!”, I hear you say.

The invitation said;

Do you lie in bed craving a relationship you can really sink your teeth into?

Are you looking for romance of the incredibly meaty variety?

We’ve arranged a line-up of our sexiest new handcrafted burgers who are all dying to meet you – but choosing your lover for the night won’t be as simple as love at first sight.

So I asked my dear friend Laura from the blog Top Style Advice if she fancied sinking her teeth into a juicy burger and come sip some cocktails with me, and off we went – not knowing what to expect.

We were welcomed by the lovely staff at TGIFridays in Trinity shopping centre in Leeds, and were offered some lovely mahooossive cocktails by some quirky bartenders who thought they could perform magic. To be fair they were really good at flaring, but I don’t know about the family lime trick with the shakers… anyway...

We were then sat down together with a few other bloggers and got presented our date candidates – the sexy burgers!

The menu was set out as a dating profile. It didn’t explain what was in the burgers, but it explained their personality, and you simply had to guess what might be in them and base your choice on that. For example, contestant #2 said;

Down south, everything’s better when it’s smooth... and I’m no exception. One bite, and you’ll be mine. I’m all over everything and I’d like to be all over you. (PS – Think you know me? You don’t know Jack.)

I really liked this concept. It’s cheeky, interesting, and it definitely brings a smile to people’s faces. The one I chose in the end was contestant #5, which said;

Bonjour. I bring a certain je ne sais quoi to this date. I’m rich, romantic and mysterious… but pour your sauce over me and Voila!! I’m Yours.

Based on this dating profile I guessed that it was a French inspired burger, probably with a red wine gravy to pour over it – and I was right! This burger was amazingly tasty. Soooo delicious!

I personally think the event was a success. The campaign was very well planned from the initial email invite to the actual event, and we all had a good time. As a fun memory we all had to pose for a #burgerface photo, which then was printed and framed for us to take home by the end of the evening.

Thank you so much TGI Fridays for inviting me along to this.

Oh, and happy Friday! :D

Freshen up your home with scented candles

When I’ve talked about interior decoration before, a lot about it is about candles and candle holders. I can’t get enough of them, and I always try to match them with the rest of the interior. When the candles aren’t lit they simply match the room, but when you light them – as you know – they change the atmosphere of the whole room. There’s nothing cosier than a Friday night in with some lit candles and music :)

Anyway, so when the lovely people at Scented Candle Shop asked if I wanted to review some of their offering, I jumped to the chance! The first item I chose was a classic Yankee candle in a jar. I went for the medium size, but cared more about the colour of the candle rather than the smell, as I wanted it to match my purple bedroom. This scented candle is called Midnight Oasis, and leaves a subtle but absolutely lovely smell that reminds you of summer and holidays.

The second item I chose is not a candle, but a room diffuser. I’ve never had one of these before, but have always been curious about how they work. The one I picked is by the brand Bolsius and has a scent of Lily of the Valley – super fresh and gives you lots of spring feelings! I’ve placed it on a shelf in the livingroom, so everytime you walk in the door after having been out of the house you are met by this lovely flowery smell. You don’t light a room diffuser, but the oil in the bottle spreads its scent through the wooden sticks you place in it. For a boost of scent you can simply flip the sticks around after a few days or so.

I also picked out a few wax melts of different scents from the brand Colony as well. These are supposed to be melted in an oil burner with the help of a normal tea light, and your room will be filled with a lovely smell.

Although, I’m also using these wax melts for an alternative use. Since they give away a lovely scent without being burned, I’ve simply popped one in a jewellery bag (without the plastic film on, obviously) and I’ve placed it in a drawer of clothes so that my garments will smell fresh when I get them out to wear.