I haven’t had much appetite lately. Or better to say that I do get hungry but find I can’t eat that much, so I’ve been doing more snacking than making proper meals. Yesterday I decided that if I am going to be eating less (which is a good thing – would love to lose some weight) then as much as possible I’d like my snacks to be “small & perfect”.
This is what I came up with last night. A garlicky spinach & pinenut rollup with cheese. I’m quite into flour tortillas these days because they add a bit of substance without being too heavy. Honestly, after every meal, no matter how light it is, I end up having to go lie down for awhile. As if even eating tires me out.
If you have any good ideas for smallish & light (and really delicious) snacky meals, please send them along …
casa azahar 
If you have any left after the Snibble Brothers have had their way …
Fresh asparagus laid in a shallow ovenproof dish – add some strips of parma ham, or similar, and some shavings of parmesan. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar.
Shove in the oven for ten minutes or so.
Eat with whatever bread you fancy, using it to mop up the juices.
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A nice recipe from sunset –
Spicy Mango Shrimp
Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion in a tbl of oil,
add a minced garlic clove,
a tbl of soy sauce,
2 tsp of lime juice,
1/2 tsp of red chile flakes,
1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves if you like basil.
Add 6-8 oz of peeled & deveined shrimp and cook until the shrimp turns the proper color. Add a cup of cubed mango and cook until it’s warm. Sprinkle with toasted shredded unsweetened coconut if it suits you.
Serve with jasmine rice or in a tortilla.
This is about two servings, for under 300 calories each. (before the rice or tortilla)
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That does sound nice, Teuchter. And I like the timing. The spinach rollup only took about ten minutes to put together.
The other weird thing about my digestion these days is that if I don’t eat something within about 10-15 minutes of getting hunger pangs then I start feeling nauseous. Even a cracker or a couple of picos (remember those?) will suffice.
These days if I am making a meal for both me & Nog (though he’s been doing a lot of his own cooking of late – and getting quite good at it!) I can easily just have a snack sized portion of whatever I’ve made. But I’ve been getting a bit bored with the snacks I’ve been making for myself – usually some sort of sandwich (grilled cheese, toasted ham) with a bit of steamed veg on the side, or else a salady tortilla wrap. And I got to thinking how small & perfect certain tapas are, how they not only satisfy one’s hunger but also satisfy the senses.
So the idea is to have a selection of quick snack ideas, that preferably use ingredients I tend to have at home, so I can whip up something fabulous within my 10-15 minute window.
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Simulpost, Beth!
That does sound lovely, though I’m not likely to have a mango at hand. Maybe I could just throw in a bit of mango chutney if I’m making a smaller version for me?
And (waaaaah!) I can no longer eat red chili flakes! Well, I can still eat them but man do I pay for it the next morning. . .
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Mango chutney would be great in it, and easier, too. Can you do a tiny bit of cayenne?
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Other question: What sort of ingredients do you tend to have at home?
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The spinach and pinenut rollups were awesome (az made an extra one for me). Usually if I want something that quickly it’s going to be a cheese sandwich.
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Ingredients at home? Hmmm, it varies, but basic stuff usually includes (divided into food types here and not including frozen meats or chicken as defrosting stuff would take too long)…
· a couple kinds of cheese, ham, bacon, tinned tuna or mackerel, eggs, yoghurt
· salad, broccoli, courgettes, carrots, mushrooms, onions, garlic, potatoes, frozen spinach (fresh if I plan ahead)
· apples, bananas
· bread, rice, pasta, tortillas
· tomato sauce, sweetcorn, roasted red peppers, various spices and condiments
If I do plan ahead a bit I could always take a chicken breast or bit of pork loin out of the freezer in the morning, but again, best if these could be prepared quickly and still qualify as a snack.
I also want to start buying more fresh fish – that swordfish I made last week was fabulous (for perspective’s sake, the yellow plate in the swordfish pic is almost twice the size as the one in the spinach rollup one).
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Some tuna spread? I’m not sure I quite remember the whole recipe, but it goes something along the lines of:
1 can of tuna, 1 pot (?) of Ricotta, a few drops of lemon, capers, a touch of hot stuff (tabasco, chilli powder, …), salt and pepper to taste.
Mix everything, refrigerate (or use cold ingredients if you are in a hurry); serve on freshly oven-grilled baguette slices.
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This is what I make for breakfast on a regular basis. Per person:
1 egg
1/2 C yogurt
1 C fruit of any kind (blueberries are great, bananas, strawberries, mango, blackberries are good but grainy)
1/2 T flaxseed oil or 1 T ground flax seed (you can leave this out)
honey (or sugar) to taste
Put all in blender, blend until smooth. This is fast, delicious, and balanced properly between fats, carbs and protein.
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The tuna/ricotta spread is a good idea, Toy Box. Reminds me a bit of my goat cheese spread (goat cheese, garlic, olive oil, freshly ground black pepper). Then I scoop out a baguette and in the cavity spread a layer of black olive paste, then the goat cheese spread, then layer on some roasted red peppers and a few leaves of fresh basil before putting the baguette “lid” on. It’s actually better wrapped tight in plastic and refridgerated for a day, but also good freshly made.
Sounds very healthy, hmh. If only I had a blender.
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Oh, you can just mix it briskly with a fork until the eggs and honey are all beaten into the yogurt. Then add the flax, whisk it again, and stir in the fruit, mashed or not. That wouldn’t take long and it would still taste great.
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Some yummy ideas here – which I’ll be pinching.
Thought of something else while I was making my lunch just now …
Ripe avocado mashed with curd or cream cheese – add some lemon/lime juice, S&P, maybe some spices – serve as a dip with strips of toasted flat bread and some sticks of raw veg like celery or carrot.
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I used to make a tuna salad using bean curd instead of mayo. Added a little lemon juice, chopped and then and whisked the bean curd and added it to the mashed tuna.
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Dear Azahar,
Having had an interesting year of my own, I felt like I’d been hit with a small tonne of bricks (out of Lego when compared to your own shock no doubt) when I saw your blog referenced by Beatrice in her post on her Race For Life today. Somehow I’d managed to completely miss this turn of events for you and I’m really sorry that I did.
Being in hospital is never fun, being in hospital in a foreign country is worse.
I hope you keep blogging and we’ll keep reading.
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Hmmm, my idea of a snack is a pack of peanut M&Ms but I can’t see that helping you much here!
Oh, I do like a small portion of scrambled egg with smoked salmon pieces and a little wilted spinach, though. That’s a nice weekend snack 🙂
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When I was sick I lived on cocoa with ground hazelnuts in it. It formed a sort of crust on top, but was full of protein and nutrients. That and fruit salad were about it for me.
But if you make Greek Salad and seal it up well, it’ll keep for nearly a week. And I added a splash of vinegar at serving, tho that depends how you’re handling the chemo.
Gazpacho is also wonderful, and you can make it bland or spicy. Hard-boiled eggs are good, as is cheese (depending on how you’re reacting to the chemo, again; if you’re getting logy, no cheese or dairy for you!).
And just buy a blender at a second-hand shop; they’re dirt cheap. Like, five bucks cheap.
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Today’s lunch was also small and perfect. A joint effort – Nog had made garlicky stewed pork the day before and I steamed some asparagus and made twice-fried chips to go with it. Perfect!
I know what you mean about only being able to eat certain things when you’re feeling sick, Rain. During week one of my chemo cycle it’s just really basic stuff like cheese on toast, or toast, or a toasted ham sandwich … toast always seems to go down okay. And strangely enough, so does a pizza slice.
But when I’m feeling better – like, this past week – what tasted perfect yesterday is totally off-putting today. It’s like my body is asking for some pretty specific stuff and I have yet to work out the code. Today it was all about chips. No idea why. I make very nice chips, though not very often – twice fried in olive oil. A bit of salt & freshly ground black pepper and then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
*waves to Ismarah* Nice to see you here. 🙂
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Made a version of Beth’s mango prawns this evening (second time I made chips this week!)…
Garlic & ginger langostines in mango chutney
Added ginger because I’ve heard it helps with nausea. So any other gingery recipes would be much appreciated.
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