Lovin' Life 25/7/2019: After A Good, Good Night's Sleep....

What a difference a day makes!

I'm reporting to you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today after a solid night's sleep.  Nothing, not even an empty school morning tea shelf in my pantry on the first morning of term 3 could rain on my parade this morning.  Say hello to these gingerbread men who went home with me and my coffee order to take pride of place in a lunchbox or two over the next few days.

This was Monday in a photo.  A bit broken.  A favourite NARS blush whose lid just snapped off for no good reason, forgotten phones and lunches, various mini fires at work outside of the work online program whatsit passing out at lunchtime....  It was memorable to say the least.

But that is all a distant memory today.  It's been nothing but sunshine and downtime as far as the eye can see.

My mum and aunty are over so of course we've been to Aldi.  I'm loving all things almond at the moment so I'm looking forward to trying this almond spread.  I also needed to stock up on my favourite chocolate to stash at work.

Speaking of Aldi, remember The Great Non-Stick Saucepan Special Buy of the weekend before last?  No?  Here's a visual to trigger your memory.

I'm here to report that the hype is to be believed.  The cookware is solid, well finished, relatively lightweight and washes like a dream!  I used the small casserole pot to make Budget Byte's Curried Chickpeas with Spinach.

I'm a big fan of the Woolworth's Macro range of tinned beans and legumes so the chickpeas of the range were a key ingredient for me.

via google images

The dish is super fast to make and is perfect for meal prep.  I'm trying to add a few more meat-free dishes to my rotation of meals and I also like how this is a curry in contrast to the other things I make.

I found Ayam's Malaysian Curry Powder at a local Asian grocer.  

And I used fresh rather than frozen spinach.  I like the texture and colour of wilted fresh spinach in things like curries.

via google images

The original recipe is light and healthy but I had to stay true to my South-East Asian roots and sneak in a tin of coconut milk.  I regret nothing.  It makes for a richer curry and I didn't feel the need to serve it with rice.  A slice or two of toast though.... You're welcome.

How good is that first day of life after a really, really good night's sleep?

Are you guilty of beefing up light and healthy recipes for the sake of your tastebuds?