A Cooking and Networking Challenge

In April 2022, I took part in a special networking challenge run by the amazing Sue France.  Sue runs a facebook group that encourages people to connect and support each other in business.  I had never taken part in anything like this before and I have to say I was slightly nervous.  The introvert in me was screaming but the business head in me was saying "Sandra get out of your own head and help women".

I embraced the challenge and met 3 lovely ladies.

This is an account from one of the ladies on her experience cooking The SMASH Way.

I will let Lindsey take over now...

"Tantalisingly, tasty tuna fishcakes

I don’t cook!

At least, not since my dinner party recipe of Chicken Zhivago got banned by my husband for over-use. Let’s just say, I had an exceptionally limited repertoire. So he took over the cooking in our house.

Don’t get me wrong - I’d like to cook but it all just seems too much time and effort for mediocre or inedible results. So when Sue set the challenge and matched me up with Sandra, Zoe and Emma, I was intrigued.
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Well, to be honest my heart sank at first, “Oh no, cooking!” But you don’t say, “No” to Sue so I decided to give it a go.

Why SMASH?

Sandra Miskimmin is the Founder of SMASH. My first question, of course, was how the name came about as I was guessing it had nothing to do with those 80s ads, “For Mash get Smash.”

Sandra explained it stands for “Sandra Miskimmin’s Alternative Solutions for Health” and is indeed the opposite of those highly processed potato products. Instead, it’s all about eating highly nutritious, non-processed foods that don’t compromise on flavour and are good for you.

Our recipe

Sandra shared her 10 Taster Recipes with us. Spoilt for choice, we finally selected tuna fishcakes. I chose Wednesday as ‘my night’, sourced the ingredients and the scene was set.

The recipe was really easy to follow (fortunately), with helpful suggestions if you couldn’t get certain items like using porridge oats in place of quinoa flakes. On another practical note, the fishcakes can be frozen so are great for batch cooking -.perfect for the busy person.

You also get all the nutritional information and the glycemic load per serving (i.e.how dramatically it raises your blood sugar - yes, I did have to look that up!).

One slight error meant I found myself looking at lots of chunks of sweet potato at one point wondering how on earth they were going to fit into a fish cake. I then re-read the recipe and saw the vital work “Mash!”. I told you I was an amateur.

Anyway, I carried on and soon five, beautiful fishcakes (I’d opted for half quantities) were sizzling in the pan.

The end result

Here’s my M&S bit!

Tantalising tasty, tuna fishcakes with a hint of chilli and paprika, nestling on a bed of fresh green salad. Crisp on the outside, packed full of healthy goodness on the inside. These were not just any fishcakes, these were SMASH fishcakes. A true taste sensation.

Seriously, I have to say they were simply delicious - a great consistency and bursting with flavour. I felt like I’d eaten really healthily but had enjoyed every mouthful. It was also a therapeutic and fun cooking experience.

So what’s next on the menu? Chilli Chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken Curry with Quinoa and Peppers… My repertoire of great recipes has just started expanding. Plus, I can be confident that with Sandra’s recipes, it won’t be my waistline as well."

Thank you to Lindsey for such a wonderful recount of her experience.

I love when women fall in love with cooking The SMASH Way.  All of the recipes are easy to make, with simple instructions on how to create them.

If you haven't tried cooking The SMASH Way yet, why not download the FREE Recipes and give it a go too!