My Happy Things

So Tanya Burr mentioned this is one of her vlogs recently and this is something I've been a firm believer in for a long while now and that is knowing what things make you happy. I often have very down days, when it feels like everything and everyone is against me and I'm alone and I feel very defeated by life. A couple of months ago things got very bad when a close friend of mine betrayed me quite thoroughly and I spent whole days in bed just crying. I'm quite an emotional person which means that when I'm happy I'm ecstatic and when I'm sad I'm almost depressed. It took a few days of wallowing before I decided I had better get on top of my emotions instead of letting them control me. I tried distracting myself; throwing myself into my university work or the gym which worked while I was busy but as soon as I had a moment with my thoughts (or long sleepless nights) I became incredibly miserable again and this usually led to me being kept up by my stupid loud brain. So I looked for another solution.
And I think I've found one that works! I started focusing on what made me happy and took note of those things. Whenever things where bad I threw myself into the things that made me happy to cheer myself up. Distracting yourself from the sadness won't work, trust me. Instead you have to fix the sad.
Everyone will have different things that make them happy but I think that having a large and wide variety is best. I'll share a few of my things below to help give you an idea.

My Happy Things

- My  Happy Place - My Bed under the duvet

- Candles - Usually while I'm in bed

- TV Programs - I have lots, most of which are starting new seasons now. I like to make sure I always have                           at least an episode or two of something to watch so I can come home at the end of a bad                             day and crawl into bed and watch a wonderful fantasy. Currently I'm enjoying Grey's                                     Anatomy, Modern Family, The Originals and about 8 other programs. I'm never lost for                               something to watch though I make sure I'm not constantly watching things and letting them                             get in the way of my studies!

- My Happy Playlist - You can find this on my Spotify (username MorganC08) but it's full of songs I know                                     put me in a happy

- My Friends and Family - They're always there to perk me up
- Baking - This is a good little break from everything for me.

It is, I feel, important to make sure you have a range of things that make you happy no matter the circumstances. For instance make sure you have at least some things that don't rely on other people and things that you have access to everywhere (for example: I can't get into bed at university :( but I usually have access to my happy playlist.
Let me know some of the things on your happy list!
xx
nzunigirl

Weekly Meals 29.9.14

With things back to normal next week we have implemented our usual meal scheme. Once again this is a fairly uninspiring menu; I apologise.

Monday- Homemade Butter Chicken (again made with a packet sauce although we like to add coconut                      milk)
Tuesday- Vegetarian Fettucine with Garlic and Parsley Crumb (We subbed the pumpkin for kumara)
Wednesday- Roast Chicken with Roast Carrots and Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli and Green Beans (You                         can buy a ready-roasted chicken on the day if you prefer)
Thursday- Spaghetti Bolognese
Friday- Thai Beef Noodle Salad  Get creative with this! Add the sauces you have and omit those you don't.               Swap the noodles for some crispy noodles added on top. Honestly just take this recipe and make it               your own!
Saturday- Special Fried Rice with Chicken and Oriental Vegetables
Sunday- Homemade Burgers - go all out and use lamb or pork mince, pricey but worth it! Fill the burgers                   with salad and tomatoes and cheese and fried onion!

In other news, my best friend from Auckland is coming to stay this weekend and I am more than excited! Let me know your plans for the weekend!
xx
nzunigirl

Ultimate Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Hello All! I'm back with another baking post. This recipe is my brother's so I have no idea where it's from; all I know is that it makes the most delicious cookie (Disclaimer: I apologise if this is your recipe and make no attempt to claim it as my own! All rights to its original maker) Personally I think they're best eaten straight from the oven when they're still a little gooey but in my flat that's not an issue!

So I'll get straight into it:

Ingredients:

Ingredients:
* 100g Chocolate (you can use any kind and if it's easier you can buy chips or buttons; the bigger the better)
* 100g Walnuts/Other Nuts (we often omit the nuts and double the chocolate quantity - oops)
* 125g Unsalted Butter (soft)
* 100g Caster Sugar
* 1 large Egg
* 220g Plain Flour
* 3 tbsp. Cocoa Powder
* ½ tsp. Baking Powder
* ½ tsp. Baking Soda

Method:
Heat the oven to 180C on Fan-Bake or 200C without the fan.
1. Break up chocolate into squares and mix with nuts. Set aside until needed
2. Put the soft butter and sugars into the bowl of a food mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until soft and fluffy
3. Scrape down the sides then beat in the eggs
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl
5. Mix well then stir in the chocolate squares and nuts
6. Using a heaped tablespoon of mixture for each cookie, roll the mixture into balls then arrange them on the baking trays, flatten slightly with your fingers, spacing the cookies well apart to allow for spreading
7. Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes or until just firm, and then remove the trays from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Best eaten with a glass of milk or a hot cup of tea. I just m

Best Chocolate Mug Cake

Hello All! I hope you had a great weekend! Now I really should be doing a weekly menu since it's been over a week since the last but the truth is we haven't really had one. We've all been busy with uni and work and haven't all been home (especially since Izzy went to her parents house for the weekend) so we've been doing our own thing; which usually consists of nothing healthy. So hopefully next week I'll have one for you. I also thought I would do it at the end of the week in preparation for next week as I know a lot of people do their weekly shop on a Sunday.
Anyway, on with today's post! While in desperate need for something chocolatey - but not wanting to go out for chocolate in a hail storm - I perused the internet for some chocolate mug cake recipes. I have had a few of these and if I'm honest they have all failed to impress me (though they usually manage to fill the chocolate-gap). They often have a rubbery consistency and so I looked for one that might actually resemble a cake of sorts. I honestly looked for a good 15 minutes not wanting to be left disappointed again until I stumbled across this one by food wishes. And boy was it good! It had the texture of a real cake and it tasted delicious! I probably won't be testing out any more mug cake recipes because I truly don't see them being better than Chef John's! (That aside if you have one you think has been sent from heaven then do be sure to send me the recipe!)

So here it is:

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola since that's what's in my cupboard)
2 tbsp melted butter (melt it in the microwave but perhaps use a low setting and watch it as it tends to explode and make a mess!)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract (just a couple drops will do if you can do without the faff of measuring)
3 tbsp milk
1/4 cup self raising flour (or make your own by adding 1/4 tsp baking powder to 1/4 cup plain flour)

Optional: chocolate chips, slivered nuts, shredded coconut, anything else you may want to put in your cake

Instructions:

This is best made in a bowl rather than the mug as it makes two.

-Beat egg then add sugar, salt, cocoa, oil, butter and vanilla and mix well.
-Add your extra ingredients such as the chocolate chips (I omitted these as we didn't have any in the cupboard) along with the milk and mix well again
-Add flour and mix until just combined.

Divide between two mugs (Chef John uses coffee cups) and microwave on high for 45 seconds. I had to do a minute but I think that might be to do with the mug. You may have to play around with timings to get it right for your microwave and your mug. You could eat this all yourself but I would still recommend cooking it in half batches as it'll cook better! Personally I think the half batch satisfies me perfectly and leaves a less guilty feeling in my mouth.

Head over to Chef Johns post here ---> YUM! He's got the recipe, his thoughts on it and also an instructional video for you  visual people! All credit of course goes to him!

Let me know if you try this and I'll see you all next post!

xx
nzunigirl

September Playlist

So we're already into week two of September and I haven't posted my playlist! I think that deserves a slap on the wrist!

To be fair it isn't the greatest playlist in my opinion. I've rediscovered Marina and the Diamonds so I've been listening to every single one of her songs! (But I've only allowed myself to include two in my playlist) I've also been listening to Sam Smith's album (yes the whole album - I love it all! But again there are only two of his songs on my playlist) I've also been hooked on Disney songs so there are a couple of those too I'm afraid. I've then bulked it up with songs that I've been listening to just not as obsessively!

> Ugly Heart - G.R.L (thoughts are with Simone's friends and family) 

> Beautiful Pain - Eminem ft. Sia

> This is How we Do - Katy Perry

> Like I Can - Sam Smith

> Not In That Way - Sam Smith

> Belle - From Beauty and the Beast

> When Will My Life Begin? - From Tangled

> Part of Your World - From The Little Mermaid

> Poor Unfortunate Souls - From The Little Mermaid

> Mowgli's Road - Marina and the Diamonds

> How to be a Heartbreaker - Marina and the Diamonds (you have no idea how hard it was choosing just two. Go and listen to all of her songs!)

> Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes

> I Want You Back - The Jackson Five

> Come and Get Your Love - Redbone

Also by way of explanation for the last couple of songs; I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy. If you haven't yet go and see it! It's such a great movie!

Follow me on Spotify for a more up to date version of my playlist! My username is morganc08

xx
nzunigirl

New Segment: Weekly Meals!

So I thought I'd try something new out this week, and hopefully make it a weekly thing. In my flat we do a weekly shop and plan meals for the whole week and then we usually all cook together or take turns cooking but we definitely always buy our meals for the week together. So before we go to the supermarket we have to decide on dinner for the next week which is often the hardest thing in the world to do! I definitely understand my mothers stuggles a little more now. So I thought I'd share with you all what we're having for the week and you can hopefully give me some ideas for next week!
Now normally we go shopping on a Wednesday because that seems to be when our supermarket has the most specials but I'll order it Monday to Sunday just to make things easier for everyone!
I'll also sometimes post the recipes but oftentimes we don't follow one but I'll try and put one on anyway for you!
Monday - Cottage Pie (Layer of cooked mince and steamed mixed veggies topped with mashed potato and a sprinkling of cheese then cooked in the oven, there are loads of recipes for this online)
Tuesday - Chicken Stir Fry (we just stir fry chicken pieces and veges with noodles or rice. You can find all sorts of recipes for this online)
Wednesday - Italian Sausage and Tomato Pasta
Thursday - Chicken Biryani (We used a jar sauce which gave us instructions)
Friday - Slow Cooked Beef Stew (beef chunks, carrots, onions, leeks and beef stock all chucked into a slow cooker while we were at uni and served on mashed potato when we got home. What could be easier!)
Saturday - Beef Burritos (you can just leave them as wraps if you can't be bothered cooking them in the oven)
Sunday - Tuna Pasta Bake (Tuna, cooked pasta, jar of pasta sauce all mixed together and put in the oven until warmed - substitute the tuna for bacon if you don't like fish)

If you need some more inspiration check out Countdown's Feed Four for 15. They have a tonne of cheap and delicious meals and we often cook from these recipes. The sausage and tomato pasta is a particular favourite of ours!

Let me know what you're eating this week!

nzunigirl
xx