How I Gain Weight

I know most people that read this will probably be like "Seriously! We need a post on weight loss mahn not weight gain! You have no idea how much weight i put on during the holidays".
Well i gat u, i already wrote about how to lose the holiday weight fast and i am personally finding it useful currently. Can you imagine that i moved from a Size 8 to Size 10!

Woe unto small chops & cakes!

Majority of my clothes did not fit after the holidays and i'm definitely not ready to accept this new size and change my wardrobe. Nope!
I have started working out, eating really healthy, snacking mainly on watermelons, counting my calories and i'm currently on a 40 day church fast. Fasting is not only a spiritual exercise it also helps detox the body when done properly and combined with a healthy diet. Thankfully i'm almost back to my regular size and i won't stop till i get my Teyana Taylor bod😁 *fingers crossed*

Anyway enough of my stories ba, this post is about how to gain weight not how to lose weight.
There are people who struggle with weight gain and for a variety of reasons either because of stress, eating too little, high metabolism, burning more calories than is consumed, etc. I recommend the Superskinny vs Supersized show for anyone facing this challenge. You will definitely learn a thing or two about how to improve your diet. I typically lose weight when i'm really stressed with work and extra-curricular activities.
Being skinny does not always mean you are healthy/fit. We need to always find a balance, if not you end up fatigued and burned out very easily.

Food is Fuel for our Body.

I'm no professional but this is how i gain weight somewhat healthily:

• Know your Body Mass Index (BMI)
• It goes without saying that you will need to eat and not just eating your regular portions. 
• You will need to increase your food intake even if it is slowly and more times a day 'cos it will take a while for your stomach & body to adjust to not getting full quickly. Try to eat at least 3 proper meals a day and increase it from there
• Accept that it may take some time to add the weight
• Accept that you may add weight in places you don't want to except you are also on a good workout routine (e.g thighs, stomach) 
• Balance your workout with a proper diet- It could be with smoothies and fruits before you can access a proper meal
• Eat a balanced diet- It should include good fats & oils, protein & carbs at the very least. You want clean calories
• Eat coconuts, avocados & dates
• Drink full-fat yoghurts (I recommend Habib Yoghurt) esp with Fura (ground millet)
• Dairy & Whole Eggs are great for weight gain
• Drink Water only before or after your meals not during
• Do not keep climbing the scale to see how much u've gained-You will be disappointed, instead measure ur weight loss by how ur clothes fit or by using a tape rule
• Meal planning you can have a timetable, make a list and cook from it or prep ur meals for the 3days-1week ahead. Planning ahead helps you if you are not one who enjoys cooking or has time to eat out.
• Diligently keep a daily food diary/calendar (click here) to account for how well you eat daily (You can take pictures of what you eat as a photo diary)
• Involve a close friend or family member to help you on your journey and keep you accountable
• Switch up your meals every once in a while. You can go to restaurants or find new recipes online to spice things up
• Take Multivitamins especially the ones that improve your appetite
• Stock ur fridge, freezer and pantry with the good/healthy stuff and snacks (Fruits, Veg, Nuts, etc)
• Find useful resources online
• Get enough sleep, rest or downtime especially when stressed
• If your case is serious you may want to consult a nutritionist or dietitian to recommend a n effective solution for you.

I hope this helps someone out there that has been struggling with weight gain.

 Toodles!XooX

Beginners' Guide to Solo Christmas Cooking

This post was inspired by Ummi's post on Naman Sallah for Beginners. Do check it out.

Christmas cooking and sharing food to neighbours is one of the things i looked forward to and dreaded at the same time about having my own family. It was a tradition in my parent's house and i couldn't wait to make it my family tradition as well but i dreaded doing it all on my own as it can easily get cumbersome, overwhelming and stressful to execute all alone (i don't have a maid); especially if you don't intend spending your entire Christmas eve and Christmas day cooking.

My 1st Solo Christmas Cooking (Dec 2014)

I have already commenced preparations in full force for my Christmas Cooking therefore i thought it best to put up this post as someone may find it useful. I wouldn't say i do the cooking completely solo 'cos hubby has really started helping out with cooking especially dicing & slicing all veggies and i'm loving it!

Christmas (Dec 25th) is on a Sunday this year so if you haven't done your shopping for your key ingredients, you are carrying last. The only thing you should be buying a day to or on Christmas day in my opinion is veggies for your salad (Cabbage, Lettuce & Carrots)so they are fresh.

The reason for my statement above is mostly hiked market prices, the traders know the meals most people cook during the Christmas and Festive period and increase the prices for the ingredients in order to make maximum profit (can't really blame them). Also some things get sold out and the traders don't bother to restock.

I kinda carried last too 'cos i was too busy to go to the market and i don't have a maid to do that; i finally did my shopping on Friday, Dec 16th and the prices hurt my pocket quite a bit.

The major key to a successful and stress-free Christmas Cooking is early preparation.

1. First thing is to create your Christmas Menu and the days it'll be convenient for you to get them prepared with minimal stress, mine is as follows:

• Spring Roll (25th)
• Samosa (25th)
• Puffpuff (25th)
• Fried Rice (25th)
• Peppered Chicken (25th)
• Fried Plantain (25th)
• Gizdodo (22nd)
• Chicken & Sausage Salad (24th or 25th)
• Pan Sweetpotato Meatpie (24th or 26th)

I don't like to cook on Dec 23rd 'cos its my birthday and all i really want is a proper lazy day after work (my office typically closes for the year on this day).

2. Find recipes for all the meals on your menu (Check the links for mine above), review them thoroughly and draw up your market shopping list. Last time i went to the market (Utako) the prices for popular items were as follows (after bargaining on some):

• Orobo Chicken -N1,200 per Kilo
• Soft Chicken -N1,200 per Kilo
• Turkey -N1,300 per Kilo
• Turkey Gizzard -N1,600 per Pack (it used to be N1,200)
• Tomatoes- N700 per Regular Basket 
• Tatashe a.k.a Romano Pepper- N800 per Regular Basket 
• Rodo a.k.a Scotch Bonnet Pepper -N100 per Medium Bowl
• Onions- N200 per Medium Bowl
• White Yam- N600 per Medium size
• Plantain -N1,200 for a huge bunch (I bought an unripe bunch so they are ripe by the time i'm ready to use them)
• Palm oil -N800 for a Small bottle (it used to be N600 for a big EVA bottle)
• Sweet potatoes -N500 per Regular Basket
• Crayfish- N1000 for half Mudu (it used to be N600)
• Smoked Fish- N400 per Medium Size (Depending on your bargaining skills)
• Plain Flour- N300 per Mudu
• White Sugar- N700 per Mudu (it used to be N300)

3. Draw up your budget and go shopping

4. Sort out your food items, do the necessary preparations and store them in your fridge or freezer

• Blend and Boil your peppers

• Marinate and Boil your Meats, Gizzards, etc.
• Clean and dice/slice your veggies (You can get hubby to help out)

• Dice your boiled Gizzard (sure most hubbies would volunteer to do this.lol)

• Make your spring rolls & samosas 

5. Make your Christmas meals according to your menu and designated dates. Check out my post on Tips for Easier/Faster Cooking.

• I boil the rice for my fried rice on Christmas Eve (i prefer using day old rice for my fried rice)

• I made my Pan Sweet Potato Meatpie on Christmas Eve

• Wake up early enough to prepare the meals you have designated for Christmas Day, defrost the necessary ingredients before you are ready to cook to avoid unnecessary wait
• I make my Fried Rice on Christmas Day (Morning) with my already cut veggies  (I'm not a fan of store bought frozen veggies)

• I make my Peppered Chicken/Turkey on Christmas Day (Morning) with my already blended  & boiled peppers and well marinated boiled chicken/turkey (and i get tasty stew after taking them out)

• I fry my plantain on Christmas Day (Morning)

• I make my special salad dressing & add it to my pre-made & chilled salad (You can also make your salad on Christmas morning for freshness)

• I defrost my pre-made Gizdodo, add more sauce and heat it up

• I fry my already prepped Spring Rolls & Samosas on Christmas Day (Afternoon)

• I make my puff-puff on Christmas Day (Evening)

I'm usually done with the major Christmas Day Cooking in 1-2 hours (that's around 9-10am). The thing with cooking Nigerian meals is that it's usually the prepping of the ingredients (blending, dicing, slicing, marinating, etc.) that take the longest time.

I make more than enough so i can have lots of leftovers for us to heat up as needed and enjoy.

6. Share the love and Food with your neighbours, security guard, gardener-everybody! I prepare a tray with a warmer of the different meals and some drinks and give them. 

For my Neighbours

7. Relax, eat and enjoy your dishes with your partner or family and friends.

If i can pull it off, trust me you can as well. 

Remember Jesus Christ is the Reason for the Season. 
Spread the Love through Sharing whatever you have.

Toodles!XooX

Garden Egg Stew

This post was inspired by my good friend Ejura. I went to her house and had her version of this stew with fried yam, i had to ask her how she made it. If you don't know by now i'm a food (self-proclaimed) and i quite enjoy cooking every once in a while and moreso loooveee eating what i cook. You are gonna see more cooking related posts on here and i hope it inspires you to whip up some easy tasty meals. 

If you are Nigerian you most likely heard/experienced the tomato scarcity due to many factors but mainly the tuta absoluta virus. 1 basket of Tomatoes i used to buy in Utako Market for #600 suddenly skyrocketed to #8,000 KILODE!! Honestly i can't wait to own my own house 'cos i must have a mini fruits and vegetable farm in it and i still wanna have a proper big farm at some point in my life, dunno what i'll plant yet sha. I digress.

Sooo as tomato turn to gold, my frugal sef turned my back on red stew and jollof rice for the time being o, best believe! I embraced native rice(a.k.a palm oil rice) and palm oil stew (btw red palm oil is a very healthy oil)with open arms! Tatashe (Romano pepper) and Rodo (scotch bonnet) became my best boos and i know some other Nigerians took this route too and also started experimenting with different types of red stew (Carrot stew, Tomatoless Stew, etc.)and ingredients to replace tomato, btw tomato cannot be fully replaced sha.

Next thing i know Tatashe sef turn Diamond o! we no see am for market and if u see am the price no go make sense o na the bad looking one u go see. Warrisallldis! When the family haff embrace palm oil stew with joy. 

Na so i come try this garden egg stew oo, i'v made garden egg sauce in the past but it was a totally different technique and the garden egg would be boiled and mashed not pureed, it was made with vegetable oil plus and u'll still get a tiny bit of a bitter taste from the sauce so it wasn't popular with the fam.
When you make this garden egg stew ehn! choi! especially if you use the combo of fish,jisox! Dem go just dey ask you wetin be this stew. Only someone with a very sharp sense of smell & taste will be able to decode its garden egg stew. It does not smell or look like the one they are used to.

Oya see the recipe below oo, forgive me as i'm an 'eye measurer' when cooking. I just taste as i go so i cannot give accurate measurements for the ingredients. Try to use similar measurements to when you are making your regular stew or taste as u go and add what you need to as per the recipe. Enjoy.

Recipe for Garden Egg Stew

Ingredients

• Garden Egg (Eggplant.Variety-White with green stripes)
• Sardine or Smoked Catfish or Dried catfish/Sawa (roasted herring fish)or a combo of all
• Onions (i love onions so i used a good no.) 
• Tatashe a.k.a Romano Pepper (optional)
• Green Bell Pepper (optional)
• Rodo (red or yellow scotch bonnet) Qty depends on how spicy u like ur food
• Palm oil OR Vegetable oil (2-3 cooking spoons) depending on the qyt of stew u r cooking or how oily u like ur food
• Crayfish (Grounded) Qty depends on you
• Iru (fermented locust beans) Qty depends on you, also optional
• Pombo (cow skin)
• Preferred protein-Boiled/Fried or Grilled (optional)
• Meat stock
• Knorr cube (to ur taste)
• Adobo spice (optional)
• Yaji (optional)
• Other preferred seasoning (optional)

Method
Slice your onions or Blend with your tatashe, green pepper and rodo with lil water to a somewhat rough or smooth texture depending on ur preference and set aside

 

Rinse your garden eggs thoroughly with water and a lil salt, cut off the stem and dice the garden eggs into your blender.

Add just enough water for it to be able to blend and Puree your garden eggs in the blender, it should be thick.

Heat up palm oil, add sliced onions, lightly rinsed iru grounded crayfish and meat stock to the hot oil and allow to fry for about 3 mins - (This is my fave kitchen aroma btw)

Iru (fermented locust beans)

Add your sardine or smoked catfish or dried catfish or a combo of all and allow to fry for about 2 mins

Sawa & Smoked Catfish

Add ur blended tatashe and rodo mix to the pot, stir it in and allow to fry until its a thick paste

Add your knorr cube, adobo, yaji (depends on how peppery you want the sauce) and other spices to the pot
Add your pureed garden egg

Stir it all well, cover the pot and allow it cook on medium heat
You can add in your cleaned pombo and boiled/fried/Grilled protein (beef, chicken, turkey, goat meat,etc.) at this point

Check and stir the stew once in a while, till you have a thick mix
Taste the stew and add more spices if needed

Stir again, remove the pot cover/lid and allow the stew fry till its a bit burnt (it gives it a nice Char flavour). Cooking time depends on the quantity of your garden egg stew and how much water you used in blending.

Voila!
Your Garden egg stew is ready to be eaten whatever you like-rice, beans, yam, bread, etc.

The fam don't even miss regular tomato stew, they wiped out this garden egg stew in 2 days and started requesting i make another batch asap. I obliged them 'cos me sef dey enjoy the thing wella and i made a huge batch this time.
This is our current staple stew.
The next experiment is Carrot Stew, Onion Stew and some other varieties of stew from DooneysKitchen (as a true Triber) i know will be really tasty.

Necessity is the mother of invention/improvisation/innovations &Curiousity is the mother of experiments

Stay Curious & Experiment.

Toodles!XooX

New Small Chop Alert!! Deep Fried Gizdodo Dumplings

Hallo ma lovelies!! Hope everyone is having a great July so far. My life as been pretty hectic due to a new project at work but thankfully my schedule is slowly stabilizing.

My lil sis' birthday was on June 28th, she's staying with us while doing her corps service (NYSC) so hubby and I spoiled her a bit. She's like our adopted daughter afterall. 

She's made me get more into making small chops, pastries and experimenting while she's been with us because she learnt how to make them after university and of course i love eating *wide grin* and we all know small chops (puff puff, samosa, spring roll) are za best!

She wanted me to make gizdodo (Gizzard + Dodo in fried sauce) as part of the birthday menu and although i had a super busy week, I indulged her and made it. 

Okay enough of my story and back to how this 'chop' was inspired by Afrolems & the recipe..

You all know by now that i am a plantain lover and while surfing the web for new plantain recipes i stumbled on Afrolems dodo gizzard dumplings recipe (Check out their other plantain recipes). I was very interested in trying it out and having made a fresh batch of gizdodo this was the perfect opportunity. 

I discussed it with my sis and we were gingered to experiment, she was to make the dough for the dumplings as the expert but we did not read the recipe properly nor follow the instructions to make the dough and we somehow also missed the point that the dumplings were to be steamed!! (Mistakes and Omissions don't always result in a disaster afterall. yayy!!)

My sis made the dough and showed me how to roll it and put the fillings, na so we do the 1st batch of dumplings, they were on the big side but we just went with the flow. I had the water already boiling on the cooker and once i felt it was hot enough, i put the dumplings in a sieve and dunked it in the boiling water. After about 10 mins it did not look transparent and glossy like Afrolems recipe pics, we assumed it was because we made the flour mix in a different way or we 'cos did not roll the flour thin enough. 

Boiled Gizdodo Dumpling

We tasted it and though it tasted ok, it had a floury chewy taste/texture. We discussed on how to salvage the dumplings and decided to drain and deep fry the boiled dumplings and voila!! Crunchy yummy new small chop is born!! 

Batch 1

We made another batch of smaller gizdodo dumplings (4 pieces), the dough was rolled thinner this time as we hoped for a better result, similar to Afrolems. We boiled 2 pieces and deep fried the other 2 pieces. The fried option was still the winner, our boiled version tasted better with the dough rolled thinner but not as good as the fried one. 

We will still give it one more attempt, following Afrolems instruction to the letter, fingers crossed it'll come out looking like hers and taste real good.

After all my long tori, below is the recipe for the yummy deep fried version, i'll also be back to let you know how the fried version of the Afrolems recipe turns out. Enjoy!

Recipe for Deep Fried Gizdodo Dumplings 

Ingredients

• Ready Made Gizdodo (I use DooneysKitchen Recipe)
• Flour (1 cups)
• Oil (1 tablespoons)
• Sugar ( 1/4 cup)
• Water

Method

Prep your ready-made gizdodo, it should be at room temperature

In a bowl mix the flour and sugar together thoroughly then add the oil and mix together until the flour looks like bread crumbs. Add a little water and mix into the dough, keep adding the water until you get a soft dough. 

Knead the dough thoroughly then put in a bowl, cover with a napkin and leave it to rest for about 15 mins in the fridge. 

Take a little portion of the dough, knead on a floured surface (i used oil on the surface as i had run out of flour) and roll out thinly and cut with a round object,

Cut rolled dough with a circular object

Put a little portion of the gizdodo in the centre of the cut dough and bring the edges together pinching them with the ball of ur fingers to close it. 

Add filling to center  (we overdid d filling)

Pinch to close

Option 1-Put your prepped raw dumplings in an iron sieve with handles 

Raw Dumplings

Boiled Dumplings

and place the seive with the raw dumplings in hot water boil in, drain the boiled dumplings and then Deep Fry till golden brown

Option 2- Deep fry your prepped raw dumplings till golden brown

Both fried options came out crunchy and yummyyyy!

Batch 2 (unsliced) Boiled & Fried

Batch 2 (sliced) Boiled & Fried

You can Google or check YouTube for different cool/stylish ways to wrap your dumplings. You can also choose to bake, steam, boil,etc. your dumplings.

Big Shourrout to my sis for doing most of the work on this recipe dough-wise and hubby for being our willing taster. I lurrr u both.

Our next experiments are the Pinwheel samosa/springroll with regular Nigerian samosa filling and Steamed samosa/springroll, we'll let you know how it turns out. 

Barka da Sallah in advance to all my muslim readers. I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming hols and get to chill, rest, eat, etc. as i plan to and  also hope you will try out this recipe and enjoy it. IMO its a great new addition, that will become a fast fave, to the small chops range and hope to see it being sold or at served at weddings real soon. Stay Curious & Experiment.

Toodles!XooX