Skinny Beef Burger

Another comfort food favourite of mine is McDonalds McFeast Deluxe!  I have found another great dish that is less than half the calories.  But who even cares about the calories, it is sooooooo yummy, I welcome it any day.  Indulge my darlins :

Ingredients :

• Ostrich / Turkey Mince
• 1/2 Onion Chopped
• Paprika
• One Chilli Chopped
• Garlic
• 2 Tomatoes Diced
• Red Onion Chopped
• Coriander
• Black Eyed Beans
• Melba Toast
• Avocado

Putting It All Together : 

Mix the mince, chopped onion, chopped chilli, garlic and paprika together.  Best to mix with your hands.  Then form some patties and start frying them to get that chargrilled effect.  To make the salsa, mix the chopped tomatoes, black eyed beans, red onion and coriander together.  

Burgers needs sauce and the cream factor is the way to go.  So blend avocado with some garlic to get a lovely creamy sauce.  I normally eat this with melba toast.  I find it fresh and delicious.  Enjoy!

Skinny Fried Chicken

So I have a weakness for Kentucky Fried Chicken.  It is the best comfort food I could ever ask for.  But I have found a skinny version!  I love it and it is so versatile with what you can mix it up with in terms of dishes.  So see how simple it is to make.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Egg White
• Polenta
• Parmesan Cheese
• Cayenne Pepper
• Bulgarian / Greek Yoghurt Fat Free
• Crushed Garlic
• Chilli Sauce
• White Pepper
• Parsley

Putting It All Together : 

Start heating up your frying pan.  Loosen some egg white in a dish.  Mix polenta, some grated parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper in another dish.  Slice your chicken and start the dipping process.  First in the egg white and then in the polenta, parmesan and cayenne pepper mix.  Simply fry till crispy!  In terms of sauce, mix crushed garlic with a little chilli sauce, greek / bulgarian yoghurt and parsley.  Add some white pepper for seasoning.

I normall add some melba toast to give me that eating a crispy chicken burger feeling.  Love it!

Skinny Chicken Chinese Food

The Dish CB was Inspired to Make

I discovered this recipe watching the series Cook Yourself Thin on BBC Lifestyle.  I absolutely loved this and have added this dish to my recipe book!  Happiness!

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice (my favourite) or normal rice or brown rice
• Chopped Spring Onion
• A chopped Red Pepper
• Sliced in half Sugar Beans
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Sesame Oil
• Soya Sauce
• Sweet Chilli Sauce
• Chopped Chicken Breasts
• 2 Eggs
• Chopped Coriander
• Sesame Seeds

The Egg Pieces Technique

Putting It all Together:

• Boil your rice and ensure it is ready before you start with the rest of the dish
• While rice is boiling, prepare and fry your chicken pieces in a pan. Chop them into bite sizes and fry.  I usually fry mine with some white pepper and some paprika.
• Chop up all your ingredients and get them ready for tossing in the pan / wok.  This includes the Spring Onion, Red Pepper and Sugar Beans (I usually chop the sugar beans in half)
• Prepare your sauce by adding sesame oil, soya and chilli sauce.  I vary between 1 to 3 tbl spoons for my flavour
• Whisk your eggs like you getting them ready for scramble egg
• When your chicken and rice is ready, start the stir fry process
• Add in your chopped spring onion, red pepper, sugar beans, ginger, garlic and rice.  Toss it all together
• Make space in your pan/wok and pour the egg in one corner of it to allow it to set.  You ideally want egg pieces mixed in rather than soaking the food in it.  See pic above.
• Mix in the egg pieces and then add your chicken and coriander
• Add your sauce with some sprinkles of sesame seeds
• Mix all together and Enjoy! I love the flavour and colour of this dish!

The CrazeeBee Version

5 Things About Eating Healthy

I have started seeing a nutritionist. My weight is really getting out of hand and I decided that I was not going to do the whole diet and discipline thing.  I figured rather get yourself educated and then make it about my choice to better food and better nutrition.  In this process of wanting to educate myself, I have been blessed with some interesting insights.  Thought I would share with you :

1. It's all about balance.  When one looks at the cell itself.  It needs water for the overall cell functioning, carbohydrates to power energy, protein to ensure proper functioning and growth and fats to ensure the correct nutrients get into the cell.  Each part is needed for a fully functional cell.  So a balanced intake of those aspects is required whichever way you look at it.  It's that simple!
2. Being obsessed with food means that you have no idea how to get love out of what you are obsessed with.  A truly loving relationship benefits both parties.  If obsession with bad food is a reality.  You are allowing yourself to be hurt by something.  Maybe it is time to choose to get some love back for what you give out.  See how that impacts your relationship with food?
3. You cannot out train bad eating.  You really are wasting time in the gym if you think a good run after loading so many calories will work!
4. You must eat before you get hungry.  When you  hungry, your body is already in survive mode and has started its process of survival and protecting fat and slowing down the metabolic rate to make it through the perceived starvation
5. Your body is designed to balance and heal itself.  So when you are in balance, your body functions and heals itself rather quickly.  How we look and feel is basically our body reacting to how we choose what we do and all it does is respond to keep the balance

CrazeeBee Scramble Egg

So I am took a leap and started cooking for myself.  I used to hate it but there is something quite awesome about cooking your own food.  So I am sharing one of my favourite breakfast treats.  It is quick and easy and well yummy in my opinion.

Ingredients : 

• 2 Eggs
• Spring/Salad Onions
• Chives
• 1 Chopped Tomato
• Turkey Pastrami
• Low Fat Margarine or Olive Oil
• Grated Mozzarella

Getting on with it : 

Start with a non stick frying pan on high'ish heat.  I find that margarine just gives it that certain luxury I get from eating comfort food.  Add in your chopped spring onion, chives, tomato and turkey pastrami pieces.  The mixture/quantity of ingredients are really by feel.  Stir in for a while to get a simmer.  Add in your 2 eggs and try and spread it over the pan.  Let it fry for a little while to set.  Then flip the egg parts to set some more.  You need to chop the formed egg up in the pan rather than stir it in as it looks better and tastes better having egg pieces versus drenched egg ingredients.  Add a pinchful of mozzarella in the end just to add a little more comfort to the mix.

Ta-da - a CrazeeBee scramble egg dish below.  Enjoy

Let CrazeeBee know how it turned out for you.  Mail me at crazeebeelivin@gmail.com 

CrazeeBee Essential Kitchen Items

So I will go on record saying that I am not the expert when it comes to Food, but I am the expert on what I love eating.  So read at your own risk and if you like it, try it ;)  So my journey with food has resulted in some shifts of attitude of late.  Getting my hands on Geenen Roth's book "Women, Food & God" and now Marianne Williamson's "A Course In Weight Loss", has started changing my relationship with food.  There is still more work that I need to do but one step at a time.

So a big shift is that I have started spending more time cooking rather than buying ready made meals.  Based on that, below are some key items to consider for the kitchen that can make the difference (All based on what I love ofcourse!) :

1. Non Stick pots and pans - Your life will never the same.  Food just looks prettier when it is made in a non stick pot or pan!  This was not as obvious to me until I tried it
2. Oil in a spray/spritz - Whether it be coconut or olive oil, rather spray it than pour it.  Combine that with a non stick pan or pot and you are on your way to hardly using any oil
3. Containers that remove excess air - For the single folk, this is soooo handy.  It keeps your wastage down as well as allows you to cook smaller portions
4. Must Have Ingredients - Avocado, Salad Spring Onions, Mushrooms, Fresh Tomatoes, Pepadews, Wok Egg Noodles (a handful adds a touch of luxury and comfort to those fry pan meals. Yum), Paprika and Garlic.  I love the flavours it can bring out in a meal :)
5. Create Your Own Cookbook - Cooking is so flexible. So take a recipe that appeals and experiment.  Change up some stuff and experience the difference. I am having soooo much fun taking a recipe and changing it up.  Once I am happy that I have a winner, in my cookbook it goes
6. Happy Music While You Cook - It just adds to the energy and creative process.  Be sure to turn off the TV.  I found that it distracted me from really enjoying the full process as I could not engage my full senses
7. Pour In The LOVE! - Most important.  Pour in love and blessings as you cook.  I have found that the savouring of the food while I eat after such a process is amazing.  I have noticed that fast food just does not get to that same satisfaction level after I tasted food made with love.  Probably why most miss their Mom's cooking.  It has to be the love factor missing?

So there you go.  Chef CrazeeBee has shared some ideas on his cooking essentials.  xoxo