Fish stu in blu dish

This is one of my favorite everyday fish dinners. It is basically quite healthy unless you do like me and over eat. Furthermore it is quick to make, with only 10 minutes in preparation and 30 minutes of baking time. And on a busy work day it is nice to only work for 10 minutes, have a half hour brake before dinner is ready.

Start with warming water with no salt and turn the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Then peel (not really necessary) and dice 5-6 smallish potatoes (1) and add them to the boiling water. While waiting for the potatoes to become almost finished (which takes 7-8 minutes) dice 2 carrots, cut up some broccoli, half a leek and half a red onion (2 and 4). Cut 500 grams of white fish (3, we use pollock, but any type of fish can be used). 

Add all the ingredients to a casserole (1), preferably blue (2), with a lid ;) I prefer having the potatoes at the bottom, then the fish and the vegetables on top. What really makes this dish yummy is the seasoning. Add 2 tablespoons of margarin, 125 grams of light sour cream and dried tomatoes in oil, (3, my favorite). 

Bake the stu for 20-30 minutes (until the fish is cooked through). This is enough for at least 3 people.


Enjoy!

Kind regards,

Dalana

Shopping free 2013

Some of you might have heard of people choosing to have a shopping free year, for all sorts of reasons (economical, environmental and social awareness seem to be the most common). My main reasons besides these are listed in this post. Furthermore it is something my mother has suggested I should do the last three or four years, so mom, this is for you too!

From the movie "Confessions of a shopaholic"- my wardrobe has a similar feel to it.

For some the "rules of the game "are very strict, others have more lenient rules. 
My rules will be fitted to me and my needs, but are as follows. 

1. No clothes shopping.

2. No shoes shopping (unless some very nice light winter boots with a bit of a heels suddenly appear)

3. Underwear, socks and tights are OK to buy. Though no flamboyant underwear, only if there is something specific which I need.

4. Sports wear is OK, but as with underwear, only when something is truly needed. (So the pink ski pants that I've been thinking a tad bit of will not be bought... unless they are on sale and 70 % off)

5. No accessories.  

6. Totally OK to sow/knit new clothing items (and maybe some accessories) and buy fabric/yarn in order to do this.

7. Totally OK to have clothes/shoes fixed.

Think these rules will suffice. Should some unforeseen issue arise it isn't really a problem as this is just a personal goal and competition. I am after all the only contestant. 

Anyone else planning on having a shopping brake?

Best regards,

Dalana

Oatmeal cookies

A natural post to follow my weight loss goals is of course a cookie recipe! These are not for your everyday diet, but might be nice for special occasions, such as birthday parties or Christmas (which is what I made these for).

This recipe is not mine, but one I've inherited from my mom's aunt Joanne in Canada. They are the best cookies I've tasted by far, and as oatmeal is a large part of the ingredients they are a bit filling as well (so maybe you manage with just one...).

The very first time I made these were when I was hoping to make a good "pre-impression" on my inlaws. I sent a box of cookies with my then boy friend for Christmas (before I had really met any of them) and voila, we got married this fall! Furthermore, my mother in law has asked for a batch of these cookies for Christmas ever since - so do try out these lovelies.

This year I made them in my Kenwood cooking Chef, and it's the first time I made them with help from a machine. Man, it makes a difference! This dough is tough to mix together by hand, but absolutely no stress with a kitchen machine.


Just add
1 cup of butter, diced

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup refined sugar

2 stirred eggs

2 table spoons of water

Vanilla seeds from one stem

1,5 cups of flour

1 tea spoon of baking soda

1 tea spoon of salt

3 cups of oatmeal


to the machine and mix together.

When everything is mixed, add one cup of chocolate chips or walnuts (I use both).

For non-american readers, one cup translates to 2,36 dl...But I just eyeballed it and they turn out yummy nevertheless.

Put the dough on a sheet of plastic, and wrap the plastic around the dough and shape into a sausage. Freeze for a minimum of a half hour, but not until frozen. This will make it easier to form the cookies.

After the dough has become semi-hard cut the sausage into 5-7 mm wide slices and lay on a baking tray. This batch yields ca 36 cookies. Bake for 7-8 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. 

The cookies keep well in a sealed container (such as a cookie jar) and should freeze OK, though I have not tried this. The dough can be kept in the freezer without any problems.

Enjoy (but not too often)!

Kind regards,
Dalana

Starting point- body wise

The reasons I want to get in shape and hopefully loose some weight are mainly due to vanity and practicality. Vanity because I can easily see in the mirror that my clothes could fit better, and it would be very nice if I could get back in some of the clothes that I currently am too big for. Furthermore, I would like to have more energy in my daily life and for extra activities, such as mountain skiing in the winter time and paddling in the summer time. 

Skiing last year, I had just climbed a steep slope and was very pleased with being alive

For those who have read my previous posts which have focused on food, it is probably no surprise that I have gained a few kilos more than I really need.

At the moment I'm at an all time high when it comes to weight. For the last few months I've been pretty steady 80 kg. My start weight at the moment is 83,3. Yikes! Christmas sure took it toll! 
I am only 167 cm tall, which gives me currently a BMI of 29,3, which makes me very close to being obese. Sigh.

My goal weight is 65, though I'm not sure if I will ever reach such a low number. The last time I weighed 65 I was 13... I have a heavy bone structure, or that is at least my explanation for always having been heavy :).  

At the moment my measurement are 110-72-103 (hips-waist-chest), which doesn't seem bad, I know. I am very lucky in my weight distribution and am very much an hourglass. My goal is 98-62-96, or there about, which would take me out of size 40/42 and into 36/38. 

When I have lost weight previously I've always first lost weight around my waist and last over my tits. Opposite of most girls, I think, and something which I am very thankful for. I am hoping that this will be true this time as well. 

As for my training goals I just wish to improve my condition and my strength so I can enjoy all the activities which I want participate in. However, I have one specific training goal. I would like to be able to run/jog over a longer period (not like a marathon, but a good half hour or more). Running has never been my strong side, I basically stopped running when i turned 13 and my boobs went from a B to a C and it got uncomfortable. Thank some deity for better sport bras! (My favorite is this one.)

Wish me luck!

Kind regards,

Dalana

New year- new possibilities

As is often the case when we reach the beginning of a new year, hopes and aspirations for the new yearstart to form. I have some goals, and a few wishes for the new year. I was planning on focusing on some of my goals here.

Get in shape

This year for Christmas my husband gave me Randonee skies for alpine touring. In order for this to be fun it is vital that you are pretty fit. After all, it is climbing up steep slopes on skies. 

In addition it is also a vanity question. I want to be smaller than I am now and get back in my clothes and look good in them. 

My plan for reaching these two related goals is by training at a place called Barry's boot camp. The training method consist of condition training (i.e. running on a treadmill) and endurance free weight strength training (many repetitions). I find that it is a training style perfect for getting in shape. 

Food wise I am not going to make any big alterations. Before Christmas I managed to kick my bad habit of eating candy at work. Instead I've eaten a small piece of chocolate with my afternoon cup of coffee. I have found that this helps with my sweet tooth without involving too many calories. If I manage to continue with this after the food binge which we call Christmas, I believe it will be sufficient. Otherwise I hope that a ordinary, healthy diet will be enough for both weight loss and getting back in shape. 

No clothes shopping

I have a lot of clothes, more than I have room for really. There are several reason for this. For starters I have several items of clothes that are over 10 years old which I still use. In other words, I don't often throw out clothes, only when they are truly worn out. But I still buy new ones. Thus I have ever increasing problems finding room for the items. 

This is only part of the reason why I have a goal of buying no new clothes in 2013. It is also an economical issue. I would like to save some money as I am planning on getting my drivers license this spring and it's expensive. Furthermore, I would like to spend some of the money I would otherwise use on bought clothes on self made clothes instead. See the next goal for more details. 

Thirdly, it is about being able to show some self restraint. I would like to see if I can manage to do no clothes shopping.

Self-made clothes

I would like to start sowing again. Ever since my sowing machine lost its spot on my desk I have not done much sowing, mending or redesigning. I miss it. Furthermore I would like to expand my skills. I have never used a pattern for instance, and that is something I very much would like to fix in 2013

I have several patterns and plans to choose among. I'll make a seperate post over the different patterns I would like to attempt. We'll see how many will be made in 2013. As always, best to start with one and see how it goes. After all, fabric isn't exactly cheap. So I believe this will be more expensive than buying cheap clothes at H&M and the like. 

These are my main goals for the upcoming year. I have other hopes and aspirations, but many of those I have no control and therefore I will not list them. The other ones are too boring to list, such as getting better at cleaning the apartment, getting to work earlier... 
Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a happy New Year!

Me with a little champagne on New Years Eve
(Photo M.L.S)

-Dalana

Tapas and a show

A few weeks ago I and some colleagues had a get-together with some food and a cabaret  show with students from the school we are alumni from, the Norwegian school of economics (NHH). As my flat is only a two minute walk to the venue (yep, lived here when I studied at NHH) the little pre-party was here. And with me being me, I went for the spanish favorite, tapas.

In this entry I would like to show how i make some of the items on the meny. 

The full menu: 

• Baguette with warm chevré
• Bacon dates
• Chorizo
• Spicy meat balls in tomato saus
• Cream-steamed muzzles
• Spring rolls (yes I know, not technically even closely spanish)
• Spanish potato omelett
• Ratatouille

Considering we are only 4 persons (pluss my boy friend who is really looking forward to the left overs) I do believe we will be stuffed at the end!

The dish I will focus on this time are the spring rolls and the spicy meat balls, since these dishes are the more difficult ones, although easily manageable for anyone really, with a bit of practice. 

Spring roll away

First step is to make the stuffing which in my rolls consists of ground beef, carrots, leek, onion, cabbage, all finely chopped. 

Then you fry the vegetables up with the ground beef until the meat is cooked through. Add salt, pepper,  cumin, and a dash of chilly powder. If you want spicy spring rolls you can add chilly paste as well, this goes well with ground chicken meat. In my recipe the vegetables account for roughly 2/3 and the meat 1/3. I used 800 grams of meat this time, and that yielded 46 spring rolls. The pastry used for the spring rolls can be found in most grocery stores which are specialized towards the asian cuisine. I use the type where the sheets are 20*20 cm, and one package contains 40 sheets. The left overs from package no 2 are now in my freezer waiting for the next time I make spring rolls.

Next you find a comfy spot, because now you will be rolling rolls for a while. I prefer setting up a little work station, with the stack of spring roll flakes, the stuffing and some egg white close at hand. The egg white is to seal the different parts of the pastry to each other.

 Add a good spoon full to the bottom corner.

 Fold the bottom corner in and dab egg white on the three other corners and fold the two corners in.

Roll the package up and voila, a spring roll. After you have used up all the stuffing you heat up ca 1 liter of oil in a suitable pan. The oil is the right temperature when the oil bubbles around your prongs and you can start adding the spring rolls. Be sure that the oil is neither too hot nor too cold throughout the stir frying. Flip the rolls over after a few minutes, when the rolls have as much color as you wish. 

When the rolls go cold the get soggy, but don't worry, it's just to heat them in the oven and they will go crispy again. So, just store them in your freezer until you fancy a roll or five again. Enjoy!

Spicy meat balls

Here is an other ground meat based recipe. The ingredients in addition to 400 grams of meat are crushed rusk (crisp whole wheat biscuit, kavring in Norwegian),  one egg, salt, pepper, chilly powder, cumin, paprika powder, chilly paste, and of course a couple of cloves of garlic. Mix it all together.
Next you prepare a dish with flour with salt, pepper, cumin, chilli powder and paprika powder mixed in. Use a spoon and make a ball in out of the beef, cover them in completely in flour and set aside. Warm a pan with some butter and fry the meat balls so the are nice and brown, but not fully cooked through. The will finish cooking in a tomato sauce. 


In the tomato sauce which I use with these meat balls I have onion, green sweet pepper and garlic which a fry in a pan with some oil until they are glossy. I then add canned tomatoes and white wine and let this simmer with the meat balls for a half hour or so, adding wine when needed. Flavor the sauce with salt and pepper and serve. Bon appetite!

First entry

This is my very first attempt at blogging. Despite the title I will not use this blog as a personal journal, I just liked the ring of it, double d and all. The purpose of the blog is to collect my hobbies as an inspiration and motivation for myself. 

My hobbies which I wish to front here is food and cooking, sowing and clothes, hair and make up, home decor, and purely for motivational reasons health and exercise. The last theme will contain my attempt to loose weight, and here I might be quite personal. I am also getting married this year and I might write some about the planning of this event, just for the fun of it.

Some basic information about me for those who might stumble over this blog and do not know me. My name is Dalana and I live in Bergen, Norway. I am 27, educated within economics and live with my boy friend in a flat which is slowly being renovated. 

There are two reasons why I have chosen to write in English. First of all I have quite a few relatives in Canada, and they might find this blog interesting. The second reasons is the off chance that someone it the big, wide world might find this blog to their liking. 

I apologize the lack of pictures in this first entry, I promise that the fallowing entries will be better on this account. I am no photographer, that is my boy friend's field of interest, but I will try to get some descriptive shots of what I am writing about. 

Kind regards,

Dalana