" I'll be back... "

No this post is not to do with any of the Terminator films (though I did recently watch them for the first time.. yes that's right I'd never seen the Terminator films, terrible I know, but I have now, so shush and let me get on with this). Anyway, so unlike the post title this has nothing to do with Robo style Arnie, instead it is to do with the slight chance of a possible job I may be officially starting on Tuesday (woohoo me). So I had an interview on Tuesday last week and they've finally come back to me with the feedback, which is, that the company really like me and that they have invited me to go in on Tuesday for a 'trial' day, which will be paid, and I will then see how everything works, be given basic training and if all parties are happy at the end of the day, I can start in the role on a temporary basis from Wednesday. So, in case you haven't worked it out already, the follow up to the post title is "to work" (again, yay me !)

In the meantime I have a number of things I need to sort out and get finished before my big return takes place, namely, have a clear out of things in my room, organise my shelves, and after that, fully enjoy and make the most of my last few days (and woo the bank holiday) before it's back to the grind, hopefully for a lengthy foreseeable future.

How to stay sane while looking for work

So you're unemployed and actively looking for work? Here's how you can stop yourself from going completely crazy.

1. Make sure you check job sites every day, and apply for the roles you like the look of.
2. Register with agencies, so they can do some of the work for you.
3. Keep in touch with the agencies you have registered with, to keep them on their toes.
4. Indulge in tasks you don't usually have time for when at work, like the gym, reading or catching up on tv.
5. Find a hobby, like cooking and experiment with new recipes (but not expensive ones).
6. Look at online courses that interest you (via groupon and wowcher) and would benefit your career.
7. Start a blog and tell everyone about how you are doing (because 'secret' diaries are so last decade..)

 If you're still reasonably sane after following the above, then congratulations - you're certainly doing better than I am!

Stuffed Peppers: An Original Recipe

Stuffed Peppers : An Original Recipe

OK, I don't give exact measurements of the ingredients on here for 2 reasons; 1. I never measure out the ingredients, and 2. your taste preferences may differ to mine, so it's better if you add the amount you will like rather than what I say to do. Nevertheless here is the recipe, so good luck and enjoy!

Serves 1-2 people

Ingredients:

• 2-4 large bell peppers (your choice of colours)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• oregano
• ground garlic
• sea salt
• ground black pepper
• chilli flakes
• italian garlic herb mix
• lemon juice
• vine tomatoes
• grated cheddar cheese
• tomato purée
• old el paso garlic and paprika soft taco seasoning mix
 

 

 

Method

Preheat oven to 250°C while you prepare the chicken

Shredded Chicken:

1. Cut chicken into small pieces and put into an oven dish
2.  Season the chicken pieces with the following according to your tastes: ground black pepper, sea salt, oregano, ground garlic, chilli flakes, italian garlic herb mix, lemon juice 
3.  Mix the chicken with the herbs until all the pieces are covered reasonably equally
4. Place the chicken into the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes
5. When the timer goes off, take the chicken out of the oven and cut a piece to check it is cooked through. If in doubt, put in the oven for another 5 minutes
6. Once cooked, grab 2 forks and start to gently pull apart the chicken

Sauce Mix:

1.  Put the shredded chicken in a saucepan and add the grated cheese
2. Slice the plum tomatoes and add to the saucepan
3. In a separate bowl mix tomato purée with boiling water and stir well
4. Add approximately 1/3 of the sachet of Old El Paso Garlic & Paprika Soft Taco Seasoning Mix to the bowl and stir until smooth
5. Add the tomato purée mix to the saucepan with the chicken and grated cheese
6. Heat through until boiling hot
7. Preheat oven to 200°C, again, if you turned it off inbetween

 Final Step

Stuffing the Peppers

1.  Cut the top off the peppers and remove the inside of each, including all seeds. Do not throw the top away as this will be used as the pepper lid
2.  Stuff the pepper with the chicken sauce mix until full
3. Put the pepper top on the stuffed pepper and place on a foil covered oven dish
4. Place in the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes. Fan ovens may require less time.
5. Check the peppers after the given time and if ready serve and enjoy!

If you try this recipe, I'd love to have your feedback on how easy your found it and whether you liked it, so please do leave me a comment below and let me know :)

A day in the life of..

I'm writing this while on a second stage interview "assessment day", which currently involves me sitting in a window seat in KFC in Hounslow 'observing' a team of 4 people attempt to find 3-5 people each to sign up to the charity they are working with.. Obviously, as I'm typing this, you'll be able to tell I'm not particularly bowled over by the job in hand.. However, I am stuck in Hounslow, so I'll be here twiddling my thumbs until around 5pm, unless I get so bored that I either give up and take a risk with public transport or call my auntie in desperation and beg her to come and get me.

See? I'm really not a great advertisement for this role..

G is for..

Goals.

Ever set yourself a goal and actually achieved it? Isn't the feeling fantastic?!

I've set myself so many goals (losing weight is one of them) this year and then circumstances change and I lose focus, so it's not been going too well for me. Forever stubborn though, I've decided not to give up and despite my routine being completely out of whack, I've thought of a way I can keep going and then when everything else falls into place I won't have to start again because I'll already have my rhythm going steady.

I thought of this a few weeks ago and since then have lost over half a stone! My trick? Pretend I'm working each day and therefore prepare myself lunch the night before like I usually would so that when it gets to lunchtime, I already have ready what I'm going to eat. I have a feeling this is going to work even better the next few weeks because my housemate has decided to go on a diet and we are therefore going to encourage each other to be healthy and even cook together in the evenings. So keep your eyes for the next post where I hope to be able to tell you that I'm another stone down (that would mean 2 stone lost since January) .

Wish me luck!