I have hit my Winter Funk!! How did I get out of it?

You can see by my quick snap photos, that energy is low even though we've passed the shortest day, it takes a while to feel the difference down here in the Southern State!

I hit the shops without thinking about a roast or a slow cooker because that’s what we’ve been smashing lately and everyone is tired of it (sigh). So I’m thinking about adding texture and what I cook in Summer to freshen things up. Here's how it went:

Monday - Moroccan Lamb Shanks

Easy peasy set and forget! Slow cooker meal basics using Secret Spice Co blends

Meat + Spice + Salt + liquid = Done!

Rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of spice to 500g meat (excl bones) and 1 tspn salt!

I've used filtered water here (not quite covering the meat) and let it nearly completely evaporate with the lid off for the last 30-45 minutes. You could use tomatoes or just add tomato paste to the juices afterwards. I’ve thickened the sauce with a twitch of tapioca flour mixed in cold water.

Served with spiced roast vegetables but steamed would be nice to balance the richness.

Tuesday - Beef Curry & Cabbage Pancakes

So I found Chuck steak on special - ugh, that needs slow cooking! So what to serve it with to freshen it up? My cabbage pancake recipe or okonomiyaki.

It’s a great replacement for rice when you fancy something different plus you’re getting a serve of vegetables in. Of course I put spice in them to match the rest of the meal. The chuck was simply chucked in a pot with some Delhi, Aroma Spice and Garlic Pepper Salt with a can of coconut cream - 90 minutes or so then pulled apart in chunks - no chopping required unless you’re wanting a quicker cook. Super lush!

Wednesday - Smokin’ Meatballs & Lemon Potatoes

Meatballs are underrated! A combo of Kangaroo mince and beef mince squished together with a couple of eggs and 2 tablespoons of Smokin’ and 2 teaspoons of Salt.

Check my regular meatball recipe and look out for the video link.

Plop in a sauce of Passata, tinned tomatoes, Herbalicious and Smokin’. A tub of olives for good measure! Served with dutch cream potatoes tossed through with a decent blob of butter and Lemon Pepper Salt. Side of salad. Leftovers with pasta!

Thursday - Lamb Chops & Garlic Greens

My Hump Day!

There’s some leftovers floating around the fridge including cabbage pancakes and some lamb chops from the freezer all done together on our teppanyaki plate including garlic greens ta-boot! My ost favourite appliance - well next to my combi-oven!

Little bit random, but waste not, want not!

Friday - Chicken Liver Pate Nibble Board

Not many mouths to feed so snacky picky food will be in order.

I pulled out my chicken pate recipe recently so there’s a pot waiting for us to dive into with some hot toasted sourdough, maybe some vegetable sticks and cheese on a nice little nibble board for two!

Feet up and maybe a movie to fall asleep in front of 😆