Daily Pickles

06/07/2025

06/07/2025

My Secret to Stress-Free, Healthy Weeks! ✨
This isn't magic, it's meal prep! 🤩 On the left: my kitchen in mid-cook chaos. On the right: a week's worth of healthy, delicious meals, perfectly portioned and ready to grab.
If you're tired of weekday lunch dilemmas or impulse takeaways, you NEED to try this. It's a game-changer for saving time, money, and staying on track with your health goals.
Ready to transform your eating habits? Ask me your biggest meal prep question below! 👇

06/07/2025

Tired of overpacking and those annoying baggage fees? 😩 I used to be the worst! My suitcase would be bursting at the seams, and I'd still feel like I had nothing to wear.
But after countless trips and a lot of trial and error, I've finally cracked the code to packing light and smart – even for a whole week! This "before & after" is proof! ✨
Here’s how I did it (and how you can too!):
* Roll, Don't Fold: Seriously, it saves so much space.
* Multi-Purpose Outfits: Think items you can mix and match for different looks.
* Travel-Size Everything: Ditch the bulky bottles!
* The Power of Packing Cubes: These are a game-changer for organization and compression. I can't recommend them enough!
Want to know the exact packing cubes I swear by? They've been on every single one of my adventures and make this transformation possible!

23/06/2025

Ingredients (served 8):

2.5lb pork shoulder

6 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp black pepper

Several cloves of garlic

1 leek (or 1 onion)

A thumb of ginger

6 tbsp light soy sauce

6 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 bay leaf

3 tbsp sugar

8 eggs

Instructions

Cut and wash aromatics. Cut pork shoulder into 2 inch chunks.

Brown pork shoulder on all sides, then reserve in a pot.

In the same pan, stir fry aromatics until fragrant, and put in the pot with the pork.

Add the rest of the ingredients besides the eggs and vegetables into the pot.

Bring pot to a simmer. Simmer until pork is tender: 3-4 hours in the vacuum pot, or around 2 hours on the stovetop.

In the meantime, boil the eggs for 6 and a half minutes, then shock in cold water.

Once the pork is tender, allow the stew to cook down. Peel the eggs, submerge in the sauce, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, make rice. Reserve and bisect the eggs. Bring the stew back to a brief simmer.

Assemble and serve hot.

Cheers!

23/06/2025

Roasted Vegetable Bolognese Lasagna
A rich, savory lasagna made with a deeply flavorful roasted vegetable Bolognese, creamy cheese filling, and golden-browned cheesy topping.

Ingredients
For the Roasted Vegetable Bolognese Sauce
2 lb ground beef

1 lb Italian sausage (substitutes 1 lb of beef from original recipe)

1 cup dry red wine

2 cups chicken or beef stock

Vegetables for roasting:

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

1 zucchini, chopped

1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 small eggplant, cubed (optional)

6 portobello mushrooms, stems removed, caps chopped

1 ramekin (about 10 cloves) of garlic, peeled

2–3 tbsp olive oil (for tossing veggies before roasting)

1 tsp fish sauce (for umami)

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Cheese Filling
1 quart ricotta cheese

1 package shredded mozzarella (for filling)

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp finely grated feta cheese

2 cups chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Shredded cheddar cheese (for color)

For the Assembly
9 lasagna noodles

1 additional package shredded mozzarella (for topping)

Extra grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

1 cup reserved pasta water

Nonstick cooking spray or oil (for pan)

Instructions
1. Roast the Vegetables
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).

Toss carrots, celery, onion, zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant (if using), mushrooms, and garlic in olive oil.

Fill ramekin with garlic and then top with olive oil to prevent burning. Cover ramekin with aluminum foil.

Spread on baking sheets and roast for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized and tender.

Blend roasted veggies into a smooth purée.

2. Make the Bolognese
Brown the puree carefully, on medium-low heat, about 20-30 minutes .

Mix in the ground beef and sausage in a large pot. Break it up and brown it well, another 20-30 minutes.

Stir in the vegetable purée, wine, stock, and fish sauce.

Season with salt and pepper.

Simmer uncovered for 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. Cook the Lasagna Noodles
Boil a large pot of heavily salted water.

Cook lasagna noodles for 6 minutes (al dente).

Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain and set noodles aside.

4. Prepare the Cheese Filling
In a large bowl, mix:

Ricotta

1 package mozzarella

Parmesan

Feta

Parsley

Salt and pepper

Optional cheddar (for color)

5. Assemble the Lasagna
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Spray a baking dish with oil.

Layer in this order:

Thin layer of Bolognese sauce

Lasagna noodles

More sauce

Cheese filling

Repeat for 3 total layers.

Carefully pour reserved pasta water around edges to help steam during baking.

6. Final Cheese Layer & Baking
Top with remaining shredded mozzarella and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake for 45–60 minutes, until hot and bubbling.

Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes, until browned on top.

7. Rest and Serve
Let lasagna rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

23/06/2025

Dak Gomtang - Korean Chicken Comfort Soup
Ingredients:

1 pack of chicken drumsticks, whole chicken is fine!

3 tablespoons cooking wine (like mirin or cheongju)

3 liters water

1 onion, peeled and halved

3 whole green onions (plus more for garnish)

A generous handful of garlic cloves (about 10–12 cloves)

Salt, to taste

Black pepper (optional, for a mild heat)

How to make:
1. Blanch the chicken – Add chicken legs and 3 tbsp cooking wine to a pot with enough water. Boil for 2 minutes, then discard water and rinse the chicken.

2. Simmer the broth – In a clean pot, add chicken, 3L water, 1 onion, 3 green onions, garlic cloves (optional: pepper). Bring to a boil, then simmer partially covered for 1 hour.

3. Strain the broth – Remove all solids. Discard veggies, keep the chicken. You’ll have a clear, golden broth.

4. Shred the chicken – Let the chicken cool slightly, remove bones and skin, and shred into bite-sized pieces.

5. Season and simmer – Return shredded chicken to the pot, season with salt to taste, and simmer for 5–10 minutes more.

6. Serve – Ladle into bowls, top with chopped green onions. Serve with rice and kimchi.

19/06/2025

Bulgogi - Korean Beef Dish

🥩 Ingredients:

500g thinly sliced beef (sirloin or ribeye)

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

Pinch of black pepper

Optional veggies: onion, green onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini

🍳 How to Make It:

Tenderize – Sprinkle sugar over beef and let sit 10–20 mins. Helps soften the meat.

Slice Veggies – Thinly slice any vegetables you’re using.

Make Marinade – Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper in a bowl. Add the beef + veggies and mix well.

Stir-fry – In a hot pan with a little oil, stir-fry everything for 5–7 mins until the beef is cooked and the sauce is slightly reduced.