March 2017 – Mary's Kitchen

March 30, 2017May 1, 2017

48 Hours in Pollensa- Majorca

Having rented a lovely bijou apartment just off the 365 Calvari steps on Carrer de Jesus in Pollensa – which I have dubbed – The Stairway to Heaven – this is a must do on your first day.

Your calves will be sore but worth the trek for the marvellous views. At the top of the 365 steps is the Ermita del Calvari. A beautiful house of worship. Enjoy the views and take lots of pictures. Breath in the ambience of Majorca and pat yourself on the back for your endurance.

On your way down the steps, be sure to pop in and see Olga in Morrinaswhereyou will find beautiful hand crafted Jewellery. I purchased some beautiful unusual pieces from her and will return on my next visit. www.morricomplementos.com

Ok – now a thirst and possibly an appetite has come on as you slowly make

your decline- why not stop at Cafe del Calvari and enjoy a cappuccino, fruit smoothie or an ice cold glass of white wine. You have deserved it. They have a wonderful snack menu here to – pizza margarita only 7.50 Euro. Simply divine sitting here watching all the cyclists riding into this square.

I enjoy walking, having three Hungarian Vizslas at home so my next feat is the climb to Puig de Maria. This is a small hill that is located on the edge of town that overlooks the whole of Pollensa, Puerto Pollensa and Alcudia. Once you have reached your 330 metre climb it will lead you to an impressive monastery dating back to the 1300’s. Again breath in the beauty of Majorca. It will take you about 1 hour to slowly saunter up this hill, but once at the top, enjoy the outstanding views and an ice cold lemonade. Just what is needed after a climb like this. There are a lot of walking and cycling trails in Pollensa making it a much sought after area for walkers and cyclists.

Lunch time calls- go to Placa Major and enjoy the most delightful lunch at 11 Onze Restaurant. Presentation is so awesome you will nearly eat your plate. You may need a siesta after this- and quite understandable.

There is delightful cocktail bar/ cafe just off the Calveri steps on Carrer de Jesus,

just opposite the Town Hall and fortunately for me – right next door to our apartment. U Gallet is a must find. Owned an operated by Neil Himmins and his partner Zoe Van Den Berg. Neil and Zoe have been operating this bar for the past 4 years. The bar is amazing inside and a quaint terrace outside where you can enjoy beer, wine, cocktails, coffee and snacks while absorbing every minute the sun is shining. Outstanding cocktail list. Unbelievable concoctions and additions. I must also add, Neil is fabulous craic and has the most infectious of laughter which will have you falling off your bar stool. This is a must go. Do not miss a great time with Neil and Zoe. May I also mention – No. 1 on Trip Advisor so the reviews can’t be wrong.

Next go eat in Cantonet. Run by Sardinians, you will be totally

spoiled for choice with homemade raviolis, meat and fish dishes. Awesome – and greeted with a glass of Cava.

Lets now explore the village of Pollensa with its intertwining medievil streets and wonderful unique shops with cobbled floors where you can purchase unusual pieces of jewellery and clothing.

Next stop- Puerto Pollensa. A 10 minute bus journey to the beach. Enjoy a stroll along the boardwalk and have a pit stop at one of the many cafes.

Back to Pollensa on the bus and dinner at Bar Nou. Here moma does the cooking and the Paella is divine. You may need to walk the steps again after your wonderful paella.

Another fantastic eatery you must not miss for lunch is Celler el Moli run by Franck and Margarita. They do a wonderful menu of the day (closed Thursdays) – 3 course including wine and water – 12 euro. Excellent food and great local place.

There is so much to do in Pollensa. The locals are very appreciative of your custom and show it by doing little extras. Why spoil all the surprises you will find in Pollensa. Next time I will need to spend more time – there is just so much to do.

If you are looking to rent an apartment or villa in Pollensa, contact Ben Atkin at www.pollentiarentals.com. Car hire is easy from the airport and for you keen cyclists – bike hire is in abundance.

48 hours in Pollensa- enjoy❤

March 20, 2017February 20, 2019

LET’S MAKE DOG BISCUITS

LET’S MAKE DOG BISCUITS – HEALTHY EATING FOR OUR BEST FRIENDS

Have you ever taken the time to read the ingredients in some dog treats and food? Shock horror will follow. The ingredients that you should try and avoid
are:

Meat and grain meals and by products

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) – chemical compound – effective alternative is Vitamin E

BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) – another chemical compound

Ethoxyquin – a PESTICIDE that controls scald on pears after harvest. Used in dog foods as a preservative to prevent the rancidification of fats. Yikes!

Food dyes (dogs do not see colour the way we do – so why do manufacturers put food colourants in their food) – avoid all food colorants (blue 2, red 40, yellow 5 and 6, 4-MIE

Corn and wheat gluten

PG (propylene Glycol) – antifreeze – again Yikes!

Rendered fat

Some of these ingredients you can’t even pronounce and they are not necessary in dog food. Make sure you read the composition before you buy. There are a lot of really good dog foods out there, so if you want a healthy dog with good strong bones and teeth and a shiny coat, pay attention to what you feed your pet.

I have three Hungarian Vizslas who are hugely energetic so I like to have homemade clean healthy eating treats on hand for them.

Here is a great recipe that takes minutes to put together and your dogs will love you for putting in the effort.

SARDINE OAT BISCUITS

300 grams or 1- 1/3 cup of oatmeal

60 grams or 1/3 cup of wholemeal flour

2 tins of sardines in sunflower oil

Put the sardines with the oil into a bowl and mash up. Add the oats and wholemeal flour and mix through the sardines. Gradually add small amounts of water until the mixture forms a ball. Cover your work surface in a small amount of wholemeal flour and roll out your mixture to 1/2 inch thick (1-1/4cms).

I use a small heart or dog bone cookie cutter and this makes about 5 dozen.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 190C/375F for 20-25 mins. Store in a container – not necessarily airtight.

Stay tuned for more clean healthy eating recipes for your furbbies.

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Thank you for stopping by.

March 16, 2017

LET’S MAKE PESTO

LET’S MAKE HOMEMADE PESTO

There is nothing easier to make than pesto providing you get all your ingredients together before you start. I have made a short video on You Tube (Mary PremierCru) for you so you can see just how easy it is to prepare. There are a number of variations to my recipe which I will also share with you.

Pesto did not become popular in the North Americas until the 1980’s. It was traditionally made with a Pestal & Mortar – the Italian verb Pestare means to pound or crush. But nowadays, we have it easy in that we have all sorts of different styles of blenders to do the hard work for us. I prefer a hand blender to make my Pesto but you can use a large food processor as well.

LET’S GET STARTED

2 cups of of fresh Basil Leaves (you can use 1/2 basil and 1/2 spinach as well)

1/3 cup of Pine Nuts (or you can use walnuts)

1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano (or you can use Pecorino or Romano) basically any hard Italian Cheese

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup olive oil or more to get consistency correct

1 lemon (optional) Italians love using lemons and if you enjoy the taste of lemon – go on and give your pesto a squeeze.

METHOD

Tear the basil into pieces including stems and place in blender along with pine nuts. Give it a whirl to break up the basil and pine nuts. Scrape down the sides of blender then add garlic, parmesan and olive oil. If necessary add more olive oil until you get the right consistency to mix through your cooked pasta.

VARIATIONS

Use walnuts instead of pine nuts and also you can run some whole pine nuts or crushed walnuts through your pasta to give some extra nuttiness.

Use Parmesan Reggiano, Pecorino or Romano cheese

Instead of using all Basil – do 1/2 spinach and 1/2 basil.

There you have it. Your pesto will keep for one week in a sealed container in the fridge. Or you can freeze it in ice cube trays and once frozen put it into freezer bags and this will keep for six months.

TIPSTER

What a great hostess gift this would make. Put it in a lovely jar, decorate the lid with some fabric and ribbon and give the gift of love.

I hope you enjoy this true Italian flavour. If you would like to receive more clean and healthy eating recipes, please fill out your email address just to the right – subscribe to my blog.

Thank you and come back soon.

March 10, 2017January 7, 2018

I LOST 20LBS IN 30 DAYS WITH DANETTE MAY’S 30 DAY CHALLENGE.

MY VERY FIRST BLOG!
If I could tell you how I lost 20 lbs. in 30 days, you would be interested wouldn’t you?

At 61 years young, things start to go AWOL so you need to watch your health and fitness. I had been drinking what I would deem to be far too much for the past couple of years and at the start of 2017 I made a conscious decision to get back on track and get fit. My blood pressure was through the roof – BP 169/102 and my liver count was 111. The doctor said you need to make some lifestyle changes – you have warning signs going on here.

I was accustomed to going to the gym but to be honest it was making no difference to the 24 pounds I had gained over the last two years. So a different approach was needed. While scrolling through Facebook at the beginning of the year I came across a woman called Danette May and her 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge. I thought, oh yeah, here we go, more money paid out for nil result. However, as I read on I felt compelled to join this 30 Day Challenge and this is just where I get started.

This was not only the most successful way to lose excess weight and learn to eat properly but included daily meditations and exercise. Skeptical as I was I started the challenge on January 9, 2017. This involved 3 laborious days of detoxing. Cleaning your engines out, getting them ready to become a fat burning machine. Can I just tell you, 3 days detox might sound easy, it is very difficult – you get headaches, disoriented and wonder very quickly is it all worth while. During these 3 days, I drank the hot lemon water, Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and a dash of Cayenne Pepper along with the other smoothies that were laid out in the challenge menu sheets. I did cheat once, I ate a banana which at the time was heavenly. I continued to follow the challenge, obviously refraining from NO alcohol during this period. I learned to Clean Eat excluding all trans fats and sticking to Coconut, Olive and Grapeseed oil to cook with. At the end of the day, you are what you eat and I soon realised this was the rut I was in. You think you are eating healthy, which of course I thought I was, but I soon found out that I was over indulging with incorrect food groups. During this challenge I did not eat any Bread (you can eat the occasional piece of Ezekiel Bread which is a gluten free) but I could not find this so did not eat it.

When I got into some of the recipes it started to become fun. I was learning about foods and super seeds I had never even heard. I was drinking smoothies made of kale, cucumber and kiwis topped off with Chia Seeds. Chia, Flax and Hemp seeds became my new best friends. I had them with everything and still do. I made my own Almond Butter and Tahini paste and began making videos to show others on the challenge who were not kitchen goddesses how easy it was to prepare these thing and put these on my first You Tube channel – Mary PremierCru. The first week my weight altered by a few pounds which encouraged me to carry on. The support group was amazing and I jumped in with both feet, videoing my transformation, the new food I was eating and just in general loving the support from a magnificent group of woman.

As the weeks went on and I still never even sniffed a drop of alcohol, I could really see the change in my body. At the end of the 30 days I had lost exactly 20lbs, which for those of you are reading this and understand menopause, weight loss becomes nigh impossible.

I am happy to say I have continued down this road of clean eating, oh yes, I have enjoyed the odd glass of wine which tasted like pure nectar on the first sip after 30 days. I can also report to an almost perfect blood pressure reading 122/80 and a liver count of 54. The liver count is still a little high but it’s all going in the right direction. I am pleased and my doctor was mightly impressed .

Having completed this challenge with what I believe to be an enormous success, I have joined another support group called Forever Fit which is the continuation of the 30 day challengers.

This opened my eyes to whole new and exciting way of eating. My skin became radiant, I fit into a long lost wardrobe of clothes that I had long since forgotten existed and I had a renewed confidence.

This new found confidence encouraged me along with the amazing support of the woman in the group to not only start YouTubing but to create my very own blog www.marypremiercru.com. Being technically challenged at the tender age of 61, this was some achievement and a true triumph.

It is a struggle to keep healthy at 50 plus, but I can tell you hand on heart, it is possible by making a few changes in your lifestyle.