What A Difference A Day Makes...

Hey lovely people!

So after such a positive start to the week yesterday I have woken up today feeling pretty ill. I've been battling with a chest infection for the last few weeks and I've had some good days (like yesterday) and some not so good days... like today! 

Not only that but the effects of yesterdays mammoth swim have taken their toll on my unfit body and I am currently walking a bit like a robot... Lol!

However... the good thing about feeling rubbish (certainly in my case) is that I am repulsed by greasy, unhealthy foods and more inclined to fill my body with "good-for-me" foods and drinks like soups, vegetables and water. I also started my day with a lovely steaming bowl of porridge with a handful of raspberries which actually managed to make me feel better by just looking at it.

Anyway, I'm going to keep this brief and just say that despite feeling really rubbish I'm still 100% dedicated to keeping on my plan. This is the biggest difference in the way I feel this time around. There was never really an end goal... But I know now that I have something I want to work towards and that fact just makes this entire journey that little bit easier!

I hope everybody on this same journey are feeling positive and have their end goal in sight!

Take care lovelies. 

xxx

Healthy Recipes

Hey lovely people, 

So in keeping with my new healthy approach to eating... and well... life... I have decided to share a couple of my favourite healthy recipes along with the cost of the ingredients. I feel that we are all encouraged to live healthier lives and eat more fruit and vegetables. However, I find that it is often overlooked that eating better often costs us double the price of a standard weekly shop, so sometimes it's not that people don't want to, it's just that they can't afford to eat better.

On that note, these recipes will not only be healthy, but cost effective. 

Warm Quinoa Salad with Grilled Halloumi

(serves 3)

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, sliced

1 large roasted pepper from a jar, thickly sliced, or a handful of ready-roasted sliced peppers

200g quinoa

500ml vegetable stock

small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

zest and juice 1 lemon

large pinch sugar

250g pack halloumi cheese, cut into 6 sliced

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a medium saucepan. Cook the onion and pepper for a few mins, then add the quinoa and cook for a further 3 mins. Add the stock, cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 mins or until soft, then stir through half the parsley. Heat the grill.

2. Meanwhile, mix the lemon zest and juice with the remaining parsley and oil, and a large pinch of sugar and salt. Grill the halloumi until both sides are golden and crisp. Serve the salad with the grilled halloumi and the dressing poured over everything.

Asda

Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil - £1.50 (250ml)

Sliced Red Onions - £0.50 - 225g

Roasted Red Peppers - £1.40 - 480g

Great Scot Scot Quinoa - £2.18 - 300g

Vegetable Stock Cubes - £0.40 - 120g

Parsley - £0.70 - 31g

Lemons - £0.30 - each

La Doria Fine Sea Salt - £0.50 - 500g

Halloumi - £2.00 - 250g

Total Cost - £9.48

Cost per person - £3.16

I think you'll agree that £3.16 for a delicious, healthy meal isn't asking too much. I've used Asda for purchasing the ingredients, but by all means check your own local supermarket. 

So you've wolfed down that delicious meal, now you want to wash it down with a delicious and super healthy smoothie.

Mango & Banana Smoothie

(makes 1 litre)

Ingredients

1 medium mango

1 banana

500ml orange juice

4 ice cubes

1. Cut the mango down either side of the flat stone, then peel and cut the flesh into chunks.

2. Peel and chop the banana.

3. Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender, then process until smooth and thick. Keep in the fridge and use the day you make it.

Asda

Large Mango - £0.75

Banana - £0.68

Orange Juice Smooth - £1.00

The Ice Co Ice Crush - £1.00

Total Cost - £3.43

Cost Per 250ml serving - £0.85

So there you are my lovely readers. Two delicious and cost effective recipes to help you become a healthier and happier person. I hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

Take care lovelies. x

TGIF!

Hey there lovely people,

It's that beautiful time of the week where my hubby comes home to me for 2 whole days and we get to relax and unwind, go shopping, play with our dogs and all that general loveliness. 

This week has been a quiet one with not a lot on, so I've had some time to relax and catch up on some of my fave things, some of which are included in this weeks list, so without further hesitation here we go:

1. An old TV fave!

So I started watching this show when it first aired on tv and I got hooked... and for one reason or another I ended up watching it half way through season 1 and then forgot all about it. Until this week! I watched it from start to finish due to the wonder and delight of Sky On Demand and I remembered why I loved it. Even my hubby loved it. He has always had a thing for country music (passed on to him from his grandparents) and he and I both agreed that if we were American, we would be country music enthusiasts. Lol! So if you haven't watched this already, get your behinds in gear and get it done. It is quite literally fabulous!!!

2. Good Food!

So I actually have a post coming up that explains why this healthy food is part of my diet now, but in short, this week I have been enjoying eating super healthily. I've cut out wheat & gluten and all sorts of other things from my diet and I've been eating loads of fruit and vegetables and it's been delicious. Don't get me wrong, I am a big bread girl, and that has seriously been difficult to cut out, but needs must... and it's better for me in the long run (still trying to convince myself of this fact).

3. Flowers (surprise, surprise)

These were 2 very quick snaps I took of my freshly bloomed tulips and carnations yesterday. How beautiful are they??? I know I post images of my flowers a lot, but I seriously think they are some of the most beautiful sights in the world. I always feel better about my home when I have fresh flowers dotted all over the place. They give me a sense of calm and well being and they truly make me a happier person. 

4. Photography

Cindy Crawford - Vogue Jan 1990

Claudia Schiffer - Vogue May 1991

Emma Stone - Vogue Aug 2012

Kate Moss - Vogue June 2013

Kate Moss - Vogue Sept 2010

Scarlett Johansson - Vogue Oct 2006

This week, and more than I usually do, I've been admiring the work of some of my favourite photographers. I've been thinking about how I would like to decorate my home studio as right now it is very plain and boring, and I've been thinking about having some of my favourite photographers images blown up and put on my walls as inspiration. These are some of my favourite images by the ever so talented Patrick Demarchelier, the renowned French fashion photographer. These have been taken directly from his Vogue archive, and you should all know by now how much I adore Vogue magazine!!!

5. Blog Of The Week

http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/blog/

I am absolutely loving this blog this week my lovelies. I've recently started a health kick and I discovered these fab ladies on Instagram. This blog is filled to the brim with brilliant recipe ideas and the most beautiful images of deliciously healthy food. I seriously recommend you go take a look. You will be hooked instantly! Get following them on Instagram too, because let me tell you, there is nothing more pleasant than gorgeous photographs of delicious and healthy food popping up on your news-feed when you're hungry... it will encourage you to stay on track and not reach for the chocolate cake!

So that's my faves this week. It's a good mix of things for a change, as the previous weeks have been a little beauty heavy, and that is certainly not the type of blog I aimed to create when I started, so I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! 

Take care lovelies. x

Hump Day Deliciousness... And getting older!

Hey lovely people!

So it's Wednesday again, and the 2nd of April, can you believe it??? This has quite literally been the quickest start to the year ever! My mum always used to say to me that when I got older, the time would start to fly by quicker than I could imagine, and I always thought she was talking nonsense... but it really does feel that way. I'm 29 in June and 30 next year... I still feel 18!!!

Anyway, less of the nostalgia. Today's choice of recipes include some of Martha Stewart's greatest dessert creations... all in the honour of feeling young... and I'll perhaps throw in another little cocktail at the end, just to make the "getting older" part feel a bit better.

Martha Stewart's Coconut Balls

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup icing sugar & extra for dusting
2 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups dessicated coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Cream the butter with icing sugar until fluffy
3. Mix in flour & salt until combined
4. Stir in coconut
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls
6. Place balls 2 inches apart on tray
7. Bake until just starting to brown (15-20 mins)
8. Roll warm cookies onto icing sugar until coated
9. Leave to cool completely

Martha Stewart's Moist Devil's Food Cake

Ingredients
Cake

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup good quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Mrs. Milman's Chocolate Frosting

24 oz semi-sweet chocolate
4 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Directions

Cake - 1st process

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Butter 3x 8"x2" cake pans
Sift cocoa into a bowl, add boiling water and whisk
Leave until cool
Cream butter until fluffy
Beat in the vanilla
Drizzle in eggs a little at a time and beat between each additional egg
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
Whisk milk into the cocoa mixture
Alternatively add dry & wet ingredients (start & end with dry)
Divide batter evenly between the 3 cake pans

Mrs. Milman's Chocolate Frosting
Place chocolate & cream into a heavy pan
Cook over low heat stirring constantly until combined & thick
Remove pan from heat
Stir in the corn syrup
Transfer to a large metal bowl
Leave until cool enough to spread

Cake 2nd Process

Bake cakes until tester comes out clear (35-45 mins)
Transfer layers to cooling rack
Reserve the prettiest layer for the top
Place one cake layer on serving platter
Spread 1 1/2 cups of chocolate frosting on top of this layer
Add the 2nd cake layer
Spread another 1 1/2 cups of chocolate frosting on top of this layer
Top with the 3rd & final cake layer
Cover outside of the cake with the remaining chocolate frosting
Serve

Kinky Pink Cocktail

Ingredients

1/4 Raspberry vodka
1/3 Cranberry Juice
2 measurements of Peach Schnapps
Raspberry infused sugar to rim glass

Directions
Add cranberry juice & peach schnapps to cocktail shaker with ice
Shake vigorously and drain into sugar rimmed glass
Add vodka

ENJOY!!!

So there you go lovely people. Give those desserts a try and top them off with a few glasses of a Kinky Pink. Don't even think about the calories in these treats, as they are off the scale. They are intended to be enjoyed as a rare treat every now and again... so go on... treat yourself!

Take care lovelies. x

Happy Hump Day!

Hey there lovely people!

How are you all doing on this fine day???

So after having read this months Vogue cover to cover, I thought I would share a bit more about my love and fascination with the amazing Nigella Lawson, who was this months cover feature.

My love affair with cooking started when I first moved out of my family home and into a flat with my other half when we were 18. It was an exciting and nerve-wracking time for me as I really hadn't had much experience in the kitchen up until that point. I had however, always loved watching cooking programmes on TV and in those early days this is where my inspiration in cooking came from.

I quickly became a fan of amazing chefs like Jamie Oliver, James Martin, and Rachel Allen to name but a few. But the best of them all... or certainly the most voluptuously sexy, charismatic and eloquent of them all. :D

How seriously beautiful is she??? I'm not quite sure if its her cooking skills that I am so bowed over by or just how much she oozes utter perfection when she cooks.

Either way, I thought I would share my favourite dessert recipe that I have tried and tested over the years... just to help you get through hump day!

Now this first one is by no means healthy or low in calories in any way... but it is my absolute favourite dessert and is super easy to make and anyway let's be honest, a healthy dessert is over-rated!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Ingredients

for the base

·         200 grams digestive biscuits

·         50 grams salted peanuts

·         100 grams dark chocolate chips

·         50 grams soft unsalted butter

for the filling

·         500 grams cream cheese

·         3 large eggs

·         3 large egg yolks

·         200 grams caster sugar

·         125 ml sour cream

·         250 grams smooth peanut butter

for the topping

·         250 ml sour cream

·         100 grams milk chocolate chips

·         30 grams soft light brown sugar

Method

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3/325°F.
• Then process the biscuits, peanuts, dark chocolate chips and butter for the base in a food processor.
• Once it comes together in a clump, turn it out into a 23cm / 9inch springform tin and press into the bottom and up the sides to make the crunchy crust.
• Put in the fridge while you make the filling.
• Process the filling in the cleaned or wiped-out processor bowl, putting in the cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks, sugar, sour cream and peanut butter and whizzing to a smooth mixture.
• Pour and scrape the filling into the base in the chilled springform tin and cook for 1 hour, though check after 50 minutes. The top – only – should feel set and dry.
• Take the cheesecake out of the oven while you make the topping.
• Warm the sour cream and chocolate with the brown sugar gently in a small saucepan over a low heat, whisking to blend in the chocolate as it melts, and then take off the heat.
• Spoon and spread the topping very gently over the top of the cheesecake, being as careful as you can in case you break the surface of the cheesecake. (not that anything bad will happen; you’ll just have chocolate marbling the cake a bit.
• Put it back in the oven for a final 10 minutes.
• Once out of the oven, let the cheesecake cool in its tin and then cover and put into the fridge overnight.
• When you are ready to eat the cheesecake, take it out of the fridge, just to take the chill off: this will make it easier to spring from the tin. don’t let it get too warm, though, as it will become a bit gooey and be hard to slice.

 So there you go... hope you enjoy.

      Take care lovelies. x

  Check out Nigella.Com for loads more fab recipes!!!

Happy Shrove Tuesday!!!

Hey my lovelies!

It's Pancake day... and I am soooooo excited to make pancakes today. The one is just your basic, everyday, easy peasy recipe:

Ingredients
100g plain flour
2 large eggs (free range if possible)
250ml whole milk
1 tbsp butter
Small pinch of salt

Instructions
1. Mix all of the ingredients together until mixture is combined and there are no lumps (feel free to add a little extra milk to the mix if it is too dry).
2. Add 1 tsp of oil & 1 tsp of butter to a frying pan on medium heat.
3. Spoon the mixture onto the frying pan and wait for little air pockets to appear on the surface of the pancake before flipping.
4. Stack & serve with Maple Syrup.

They are delightful little bite-size pancakes that can be made from start to finish in 10 minutes!!! What isn't there to love???

Take care my lovelies. x

Mondays Dinner Plans

Hey my lovelies!

I know that I have already posted today, but I thought I would try and get into the habit of sharing my cooking with you. This is intended to be more of a "lifestyle" type blog, showcasing my life through photographs as opposed to a more specific field of interest.

So on that note, I thought it would be a fun addition to include a few of my recipes over the week, starting with tonight's dinner choice:

Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

Lean Diced Beef Steak

1x Red Bell Pepper

1x Yellow Bell Pepper

1x Large Onion

2x Spring Onions

1x tsp Sea Salt

1x tsp Pepper

2x tsp Paprika

2x tbsp Soy Sauce

Instructions:

1. Marinade your meat with Sea Salt, Pepper, Paprika & Soy Sauce. Add chopped spring onions.

2. Leave the marinade for 2 hours (longer if possible).

3. Fry chopped onion in a tsp of oil, until onions are translucent and beginning to caramelise slightly.

4. Add the marinaded meat to the frying pan and fry for 10 minutes on a medium heat.

5. Add chopped bell peppers to the frying pan and leave to fry for a further 5 minutes. 

6. Serve with a baked potato and green salad.

I may be bias my lovelies... but this is a truly delicious little dinner, as well as being a fairly healthy meal option for those of us who could really do with losing some lbs!!! 

Take care my lovelies. x