Happy Friday everyone! Hope you've started or completed what you needed to do this week. Let's get ready for the weekend. Are you ready for your weekend to begin? I know I am :-) But more so excited coming back from Woolworths. I got a little carried away I must admit. I found so many things for my upcoming posts such as recipes, table setting and so much more.

Today, I wasn't planning to buy so much but did and also decided to add on my mug collection this Christmas once again. Ahh woops! I got a Christmas mug, wop wop!!! It is more enjoyable to drink coffee or tea especially for this season. I think, its just makes it extra special. Don't you think? I'd love to know! How many of you are guilty of doing this?

I just can't help but love things that screams out, Christmas is hereeeeeee! :-P

I've come up with a few ingredients together ready for family and friends to come over this holiday season. I will be posting a few recipes for you all that you can enjoy this Christmas such as simple recipes for entree, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks in between for adults and children to enjoy. If you're keen to find out stay tune everyday.



How many days till Christmas? Are you ready for all the cooking, baking and spending time with your loved ones?

Have a lovely weekend and Merry Christmas!!!
Much love,
Lenie

As you all know by now how much I love to eat…but when out and about at work it’s usually super hard to find something that requires your time in the kitchen. Whipping up something delish that can be easily place into a container for tomorrow's lunch sounds like my kind of meal.





Recently I’ve been making an effort to food prep, and this hasn’t stopped at dinner – I’m really enjoying making sure I’ve got a lunch planned for the next day, especially if I’m out. Otherwise I'll be heading out to the nearest take away food place that you will guilt over once you've had it. You know exactly what I mean! Right?! So, I wanted to share one idea with you … whether you go to work, school, college or know you’re going to need to grab something, this will leave you full of goodness and energy for the day! What’s your favourite left over lunch?

1 medium sized head cauliflower (about 1.5oz), cut into bite-sized florets
4 stems of broccolini (about 1.5oz), cut into bite-sized florets
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Season w/ salt
Crushed red chilli flakes
250g pasta (regular, whole wheat, or a gluten free pasta are all fine)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves

Let's do this:
For the chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and sliced into bite-sized pieces
Lemon Zest
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Season with chilli, salt and pepper to taste

For the spaghetti:
250 g spaghetti
3 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus additional for serving
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (plus additional for serving)
Ground black pepper
Small handful fresh basil, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for your spaghetti.

Meanwhile, start with the small bowl combine the chicken pieces with the lemon zest, 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Marinate for about 10 minutes while you prepare the cauliflower and broccolini.

In another small small bowl stir together the vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In a large non-stick skillet heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until hot Cook the cauliflower and broccolini, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover the pan and sauté the vegetables until tender and browned, about 3-5 minutes more. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and toss with olive mixture and parsley. Season with chilli, salt and pepper and set aside.

Using the same pan that you cooked the vegetables in, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Saute the chicken pieces until completely cooked through and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken to the vegetables mixture.

Add a small handful of salt to your boiling water, and cook spaghetti until al dente. While the spaghetti is cooking, zest the lemons until you have collected a tablespoon of zest.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 a cup cooking water. Dry out your pot, then boil the olive oil, zest and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water together for two minutes over high heat.

Return the pasta to pot and stir until coated. Add the cheese and 1/4 cup lemon juice and toss, toss, toss everything together. Add more pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, if you’d like your dish a little juicier and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken and cauliflower to the spaghetti and serve immediately, drizzling individual portions with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

Do you have a favorite pasta recipe, if so what are they? Share your thoughts via the comments below!

Much love,
Lenie