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Recipes You Didn’t Know You Could Make In A Slow Cooker

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The title of this blog post may be a little misleading..because it is entirely possible that you already know that you can make all of these things in a slow cooker and perhaps you already do. However I often find that I will tell people I made a cake/loaf of bread or a whole chicken in a slow cooker and they will say ..WHAT? because they thought slow cookers were just for stews and casseroles. So this is for you guys, those of you who, like my mum are fairly rigid in what they cook in the slow cooker because hopefully this post will show you there is so much more you can do with it. I have shared 10 recipes below, from myself and my food blogging buddies which will hopefully expand your slow cooking repertoire. Slow cooking is the easiest form of cooking, you just pop it in, bung the lid on and then get on with your day. Enjoy and please share any of your own slow cooking tips and ideas with me in the comments below.

Slow Cooker Beetroot Chocolate Cake from Veggie Desserts:

Slow Cooked Whole Beetroot from Fab Food 4 All:

Slow Cooker Cornbread from Fuss Free Flavours

Giant Choc Chip Cookie from BakingQueen74

Slow Cooker Burrito Bowls from Amuse Your Bouche

Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie from BakingQueen74

Slow Cooker Banoffee Cake from The Crafty Larder

Slow Cooker Lemon & Herb Soda Bread from me

Slow Cooker Hot Cross Bun & Butter Pudding from me

Slow Cooker Tomato & Chilli Chutney also from me

 

6 Super Simple Hair & Skin Tips For Busy Women

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There are lots of parts of my body that I can pick faults with and that is entirely normal for a woman or indeed anyone at all. I am however aware that I am fairly lucky when it comes to having clear skin and thick hair. For that reason I used to be quite lazy with my hair and beauty routine, in the sense that I didn’t have one. The last year or so I have paid more attention to my skin and hair and started using products that enhance and help, the difference has been quite astonishing, especially over the last two – three months..so perhaps I should have been working a little harder on it before now but hey ho.

My friends and followers often ask what I use in terms of make up and hair products so I thought I would share a few personal recommendations and also tips for people who want a low maintenance beauty routine. I will never be the girl who spends two hours doing her hair each day or 30 minutes each morning applying make up, it’s just not me and who has the time? I mean I could be watching something on Netflix or you know..eating. BUT I am starting to see that a little effort reaps great results. I don’t wear heavy make up every day but I wear a little bit of light make up ( to enhance rather than hide ) apart from at home when I am generally all natural. I can honestly say I am happier with the way I look, aged 33 and a bit after two children than I was in my late 20’s prior to having children and a lot of this is down to exercise, decent products and just caring less about what other people think.

*Any products mentioned are due to me naturally loving them and I have not been paid to promote them.

1. You don’t need all the face masks and a hundred different lotions and potions for your face. You just need to keep it clean and use one or two high quality products. With skincare you do get what you pay for so expect to pay a little more than perhaps you want to, however these products do tend to need very small amounts and last a long time so consider cost per use rather than cost per bottle. First up I have to recommend Alpha H Liquid Gold. I had a small sample sized bottle of this in a beauty advent calendar in December and I loved it so much that as soon as it ran out I bought a full sized bottle. It isn’t cheap, I paid around £30 for a 200ml bottle and the cheapest place I found for it was Amazon, browse around as prices differ widely. It is well worth the pounds, a little goes a long way. You swipe it over your face on a cotton pad in much the same way you would use a cleanser/toner before bed every other evening and you literally wake up glowing. My sister is also obsessed with it. The brand was founded after the creator battled for years with adult acne, whilst this is something I don’t suffer with I can tell you it has made a remarkable difference to my skin in the past 3 months.

2. Brows. I am so glad that as a teenager I never had the urge to pluck my eyebrows away into a super thin line. I have reasonably thick brows which I have always  tried to maintain well. Brows frame your face and if they look well groomed it will make an instant change to how you look. Fill in gaps with a decent powder or pencil and use a comb and perhaps some brow gel if yours are unruly. Consider visiting a threader or waxer to get a decent starting shape. DON’T be tempted to over pluck or over emphasise and remember thick black slugs don’t suit anyone.

3. Primer. I am not a big fan of thick, heavy orange hue foundations. I find they make my skin feel like it’s suffocating and also they don’t look particularly natural on me but I do fully embrace a decent quality primer. I use PUR illuminate and glow primer which is another product I discovered in the M&S advent calendar and have since purchased as a full sized product. I use a dab of it in the morning and it makes me look like I have a natural glow – kind of how you look after an invigorating walk on a sunny beach. You can just rub it in without paying much attention to where it goes as it’s only slightly tinted – perfect for people who are lazy with beauty time. Most people who use primer use it as a base layer for their real make up but I will nearly always use it alone and I find it’s enough for what I want to achieve.

4. Hair – if your hair looks healthy and shiny then you are instantly winning with how you feel and look. I have to pay quite a lot of attention to my hair as it can get a little unruly. I even considered a drastic cut last month but for now at least the long locks are staying. I have started using an Elasticiser product regularly and after one use my hair looked like I had just stepped out of a salon. All of my friends commented on it and I may have spent longer than is necessary sat stroking my hair in wonder at how soft it was. I would recommend giving it a whirl.

5. Moisturise and hydrate. Buy a decent body moisturiser if you have dry skin, I don’t really but find if I think my body needs something it is generally because I am not drinking enough water. Drinking lots of water definitely improves your skin..and it’s free. BONUS. Use something like cocoa butter on your legs and torso and a specialised face cream for your face and neck – it doesn’t have to be expensive although I find L’oreal  creams are in general excellent. I also recommend adding oil to your bath for silky smooth skin ( not for your face of course ), I am a big fan of a long soak in the bath and I always use some kind of salts or oil, therefore my limbs are silky smooth – some perks to being a lazy bath lover.

6. Exercise. Yes it has lots of benefits, weight loss and of course it tones you and gets you in better shape but have you noticed how much it helps your skin? Remove all make up before exercising, I can’t tell you how weird I find it to see people working out in full make up. Leave your skin breath and shower quickly afterwards to avoid sweat lingering and causing any pore blockages and you will soon see benefits from working out including a brighter more radiant complexion and also.. FREE.

Do you have any tips that make your hair and beauty routine that little bit simpler?

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Five Reasons To Buy Tickets To Camp Bestival 2017

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Woah this year is just flying along, how is it almost April? Are you starting to plan out your summer holidays and more importantly your festival season yet? I am and as always I highly recommend adding Camp Bestival to your plans. Here are five reasons why:

1.The Feast Collective – this probably isn’t the first thing you think of when you think of Camp Bestival. Unless you are me. The Feast Collective is my favourite part of the festival year after year. It’s like a mini food festival set inside a music and family festival. I spent A LOT of time there last year. I always find a new food trader to fall in love with, try new foods and I just enjoy the atmosphere in that area. DJ BBQ hosts The Feast Collective so you can guarantee good entertainment and funky music.  

 

2.The Music – Camp Bestival really know how to put a line up together that will have something to please everyone. This year I am looking forward to reliving my teenage years with All Saints.. because I know all the words to Never Ever don’t ya know. Also excited about Madness, Mark Ronson, Lighting Seeds, The Cuban Brothers and YAY I am so excited for Dub Pistols.

3.The Fireworks – the fireworks are the finale to a fun weekend and they are always incredible. It is almost like watching theatre and the girls absolutely love it.

Image from campbestival.net

4.The World’s Biggest Bouncy Castle – because bouncy castles should not be just for kids. I missed this last year as the queue was rather awesome but I’m determined to get on it this year.

5.Kids Entertainment –  some family festivals have small kids areas but in reality the festival is still geared to adults. Camp Bestival is different. There are so many areas with different activities as well as shows and games going on all day long. Mr Tumble is always a highlight and last year we LOVED Big Fish Little Fish so we are happy to hear that is back this year. We also really enjoy Art Town so I imagine plenty of time will be spent there.

I’ll be telling  you more about Camp Bestival over the next few months but I thought I would give you a little taster.

Go buy your tickets now! Link here.

Find out about some of the other top UK family friendly festivals from Mini Travellershere and Yorkshire Tots here.

Slow Cooker Lemon & Herb Soda Bread

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I go through phases of slow cooking. I will use it every day for a week then I’ll pack it away and almost forget it’s there for a month or two. Typically I use my slow cooker for joints of meat or to make casseroles or pulled pork but I have made a few puddings in there such as my popular hot cross bun & butter pudding and this week I decided to try making slow cooker soda bread. Now if you are a regular reader you will know that I make soda bread fairly regularly, at least twice a month and I always have the staple ingredients in my cupboards. It is good to know I can make a loaf from scratch with minimal prep and have it on the table within the hour if I use my traditional oven method. I was curious as to how it would work in the slow cooker and if the taste and texture would compare so I had a bit of a bread day yesterday and made 3 loaves to test my recipe.

And it worked surprisingly well. The concerns I had were mainly that the texture wouldn’t be the same and that it wouldn’t get a crust, I’m happy to say I was wrong. The external appearance is slightly different to my oven baked loaves as it isn’t quite as golden brown but the actual crust and texture were pretty spot on. The great thing about soda bread is how much you can adapt it, you can add any types of herbs or seasonings, you could even try adding chocolate chips or raisins for a sweet take on it. For this loaf I chose to add lemon zest and dried thyme for a subtle but delicious flavour. I tried two different methods when making my loaves, for one loaf I used baking parchment to line my slow cooker dish and for the others I sprinkled the dish with flour and placed the dough straight in. The finished product was much the same with a slightly crispier base on the ones I baked without parchment but the loaf was far easier to remove when using the parchment.

Slow Cooker Lemon & Herb Soda Bread

You will need:

400g self raising flour

275ml buttermilk ( I make my own using normal semi skimmed milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice, leave to sit for 5 minutes before using)

1.5 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

1tbsp dried thyme

Zest of 1 lemon

Mix your flour , bicarb, lemon zest and herbs in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Make a well in the centre of your mixture and add your buttermilk, don’t add it all at once go slowly and mix until you form a slightly sticky dough – you may not need the whole 275ml of liquid. Tip dough onto a floured surface and knead very lightly until you get a rounded dough. Place carefully into slow cooker dish onto your parchment or a floured dish and score a cross into the dough, go quite deep when scoring but don’t cut all the way through.

Sprinkle with flour and place lid on slow cooker, cook on high for 2.5 hours, remove lid and cook for a further 10 minutes ( I found this avoided any slight sogginess on top ). Remove from slow cooker, leave to cool and enjoy slathered with butter. Soda bread does not stay fresh for long, it is best eaten the day its made although the next day it makes great croutons or toast.

And here is a quick close up peek of the actual texture and inside of the loaf, as you can see it is exactly as a normal loaf of soda bread would look.

What do you like to cook in your slow cooker? I often share slow cooker recipes on my Facebook page, you can check my page out here.

Movies, Meals & Muddling Through Life – March 2017

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Last month seemed to pass by in a bit of a blur. You know those months when you do a lot but it feels like you haven’t and you wonder just where the weeks went? It was that kind of month for me, I had a lot on my mind and so much to do and I managed it all…just. Lots of you seemed to enjoy my ramblings last month about what I watched, read, listened to and ate so here is this months update on all of those things and also a general update on what is going on in my life. If you have any recommendations on good shows, books or films you think I may enjoy please leave them in the comments below. Let’s kick off with:

What have I been watching?

At the cinema:

A few weeks ago I went to a local independent cinema called Cinema & Co to see Dirty Dancing with my sisters, it was such a different experience to going to see a film in a large chain cinema and incredibly relaxing. Super comfy cushions, shoes off, feet tucked up and pizza and a fruity cider to accompany the film.

The next day I had a very different cinema experience when we went to see Monster Trucks ( for a special kids screening ) and it was surprisingly not a bad film, the girls really enjoyed and were transfixed throughout and ahem you do weirdly get attached to the monsters. More recently I have been to see Beauty and the Beast, if you follow me on social media you will know that I have been *slightly* excited about this particular film release and ahh it doesn’t disappoint. In fact I feel the need to give it a mini review because it is so perfectly cast and stays true to the original whilst giving some new insights into the characters and their family background. The soundtrack is beautiful and I actually couldn’t fault it. I watched it first with my younger sister and when I was satisfied that it wasn’t too scary for the girls it meant I had an easy excuse for a second viewing. I have always been movie obsessed, ever since my childhood. The cinema has been a source of comfort and excitement for me for most of my life and it’s rare that a month passes without 1-2 visits. It is the ultimate in escapism and I can see both of the girls becoming the same. It is pretty magical to watch your child’s face while they fall in love with a character or a story.  I’ve also watched The Founder, which is the true story of how McDonald’s began – I found this interesting although it is not a particularly exciting or dramatic film.

After watching the trailers I am also slightly embarrassed to admit I want to see the Power Rangers film coming up this spring as well as the Wonder Woman film in the Marvel series.

At home:

I’ve made time for some TV time at home again this month. I’ve watched more Mad Men episodes and I am still gripped. On Netflix I’ve watched the new series of LOVE after really enjoying the first series, I didn’t love it quite as much as series one but it’s still a good watch with one or two very funny episodes. I can also recommend The Minimalists which is a pretty good documentary about two men who started a movement in Minimalism and I am well into the third series of Chef’s Table which is incredible as always with even more detail into the lives of these often eccentric chefs. I am planning on starting to watch Taboo this week, I am not entirely sure if it’s my kind of show but it has Tom Hardy in it so I am willing to give it a go.

What have I been reading?

Not enough this month, my concentration levels have been rather low over the last few weeks and I have just read a few magazines and also re read a book I’ve had for some time called Things I Want My Daughters To Know by Elizabeth Noble, it is a slightly sad but mostly uplifting book about family, life, death and love. I have a few books on my to read list for next month but I would love recommendations from you. Oh and I just remembered I did read a pretty funny chick lit book called The List on my kindle whilst travelling to some work meetings, it isn’t an especially good read but it’s amusing. I received a new book in the post this week, Magnificent Mess – Topher Kearby which I’m sure I will be telling you about next month as I am rapidly falling in love with it.

I am definitely planning on some more time with physical books over the coming weeks, it is so different holding an actual paperback book and delving into it than it is reading via the kindle. I am also noticing that lately I am spending a lot more time with pens and notebooks than typing and I’m enjoying that. I am the typical blogger who sits in a coffee shop for hours planning out posts and writing to do lists – and yes I know there is an app for that but I am fairly traditional when it comes to some things and the feeling of being able to tick something off a real to do list is just different.

What have I been listening to?

I’m still on a John Legend love in right now but I’m also listening to Blind Pilot, X Ambassadors, Joshua Radin and …the Beauty & The Beast soundtrack. I enjoy silence but a day doesn’t pass without me actively choosing to listen to music at some point. Oh and of course I along with the rest of the world have become obsessed with the new Ed Sheeran album, current favourite songs from the album include Happier and Galway Girl although I like every track.

What have I been eating and drinking?

Blood Oranges!! I made the most of blood orange season by eating them most days. I had a week of smoothies whilst testing out my Breville Blend Active, you can read about that here. I felt pretty good after a week packed with extra fruit and veggies. I’ve had some meals out with family and friends and I’ve enjoyed a few glasses of Merlyn’s Welsh Cream liquor and welsh cakes .. well I had to honour St.David’s Day.

I’ve been visiting some of the best coffee shops in my area and Swansea is seriously upping it’s coffee game. Recommendations so far for Copper, Squarepeg, Bluebell Coffee and Rag & Bones, all are independently owned, serve delicious coffee and sell a great variety of fresh food.

I tried these new iced coffees from Baileys which I spotted on offer in my local supermarket, they are pretty good:

And due to a few cinema visits and some afternoons working whilst being too tired I seem to have eaten too many sweets. I have a slight liquorice addiction lately, it isn’t something that I used to enjoy so I blame Lakrids by Johan Bulow for kickstarting that habit. They make THE best liquorice by the way. The red liquorice below isn’t quite as good but I managed to eat them all anyway. Not especially impressed by the Dairy Milk also pictured below, I do really like Cadbury Dairy Milk but this particular one isn’t for me.

 

What else has been happening?

I spent a deliciously indulgent day at a local spa, it was my first spa time in about 8/9 months so I thoroughly relaxed and made the most of the day. Had a rather good back massage too. I’m still attending my circuit training class generally twice a week as well as workouts at home and I’m feeling stronger, I am not aiming for muscles just a little bit more strength and flexibility would be nice. I’ve written a feature for The Daily Meal which you can check out here and I have another one coming up for Easter. I enjoyed a fun hen weekend with some of my childhood buddies in Cardiff, we stayed in a gorgeous hotel, spent hours at the spa and danced and drank a LOT of cocktails. I discovered that I can still dance and party like in my 20’s but I don’t necessarily want to, at least not every Saturday night. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fun and I will do it again soon I’m sure but every weekend would get a little old. Especially as hangovers seem to last much longer these days, or perhaps its the lack of time to just languish in bed afterwards! It has actually been a month focused on my family and friends and that can only be a good thing. The next month sees a lot of blog work, collaborations both on and off the blog and hoping that one or two projects I have been working on come to fruition. I’m also planning out what music and food festivals I can make this year, I have been invited to quite a few ( which is nice ) both in the UK and around Europe so I just need to see what is possible with work and family life before committing. And yay for the fact that it’s pretty much springtime, I am glad to be done with that winter. Show me the sun.

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Irish Cream Recipes For A Perfect St Patrick’s Day Celebration

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I am a long time fan of Irish Cream. It used to be just a festive drink for me but as my tastes matured I realised that it’s pretty perfect all year around. I especially like it added to recipes for that extra something. As St Patrick’s Day is fast approaching I thought now is the perfect time to share some of my favourite Irish Cream recipes with you all. Here are a few from my blog archives and also some from my fellow food bloggers, enjoy!

First up is my Baileys Salted Caramel Cream Pie, this recipe from two years ago is so popular with both readers and my family/friends:

Baileys gives a subtle yet interesting flavour to baked products like cakes and muffins, I can imagine these Buckwheat Baileys Mocha Muffins from Rough Measures taste amazing:

Another salted caramel dessert from Patisseries Makes Perfect, Baileys Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce:

I love fudge and this Baileys, Cranberry and Pistachio fudge from Foodie Quine looks delectable:

Marbled Baileys Chocolate Ice Cream up next from Tin & Thyme:

Moving onto my Double Chocolate & Irish Cream Malted Milkshake now:

And finishing ( appropriately ) with a warming hot chocolate? Irish Cream Gingerbread Hot Chocolate from Little Sunny Kitchen:

The Instagram & Instagrammers I love – March 2017

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It’s that time again. Time for me to ramble on at you about my favourite social media, chat about what you have loved on my Instagram channels this month and give you some more recommendations on who you need to be following.

You may have noticed a little bit of a change from me on IG, I’ve slowed down a little. I’ve gone from posting three – four images a day to typically just posting one or two at most. Some days, if I want to focus on my home life I don’t post at all. I find that not stressing over getting content out all day long leaves me far more time to actually enjoy IG as a channel. I love browsing through my timeline or the explore feed to discover new accounts and new ideas. I use IG stories a lot more these days and I share more of my everyday life on there ( if you are interested in what really goes on in the life of a food blogger – I can’t promise anything too exciting ). The stories are a quick way to share simple snaps that I take or just put up a photo which I don’t love enough to keep on my forever timeline. You know what I’ve discovered in the process? More of a growth in following. Because I have more time to engage with people. I’ve just about edged over 4.5k followers now, it’s a slow but steady growth and I’m happy with it – I would LOVE to get to 5k by my blog birthday in April but I’m not overly concerned with it.

What was popular on my channel this last month? Well the first two were simple shots of food I enjoyed at a local cafe. The carrot cake just edging forward to take the lead but closely followed by the French Toast.

Coming up in third place is a post I shared just yesterday. It took a rather massive amount of courage to post it and I have almost deleted it a few times but it will stay there because it’s important. It is a shot of me in a bikini, something I would have laughed at if you had told me even a month ago that I would share it for thousands to see. In fact it was 2 shots of me, one stood tall and posed and the other sat comfortably with a squishy belly and for once I looked at the images and refused to pick faults with either. I wrote a long caption to accompany it which you can check out if you click the image below but in summary I have accepted that this is my body, it is the only one I’m getting and it is healthy and works just fine and I’m learning ( slowly ) to respect that and love it a little more. The best thing which has come in the 24 hours or so since I posted it is the flood of messages and comments which tell me it has helped them or inspired them – yes the ones saying I looked good really made me smile of course ( I am human ) but the ones from people I don’t know who said it helped them made my day.

And finally this black and white shot taken on a walk with the girls recently:

That’s enough about my channel for now. Who do you need to follow this month..and why?

Let’s start off with:

Jemima from Celery_Cupcakes. Ah she has a gorgeous feed. Full of food, life and inspirational and motivating posts. Her posts make me smile and quite often I will be nodding along to something she has said. Another firm believer in the power of self care and self love, she also creates some beautiful recipes and has a fab blog to boot. Go check her out:

Next is Lisa from Lovely Appetite. Her feed is very much food centred with the occasional cute cat or dog pic too. She has far superior food photography skills than I and I especially love this photo below of what looks like a truly delectable s’mores pancake cake. Oh and she is a fellow Swansea blogger too!

Veering off in a totally different direction now with my next recommendation. Gary Vaynerchuck or Garyvee on IG is someone I think everyone should follow. He has the type of feed that you will follow and then spend an hour scrolling through saying yes, yes and YES. He has really motivated me on days when I have had no motivation and he is such a supporter of people – do you know what I mean by that? He sees that you can support everyone, lift everyone up and celebrate their triumphs and it won’t hamper your own but instead it will enhance your life. His positivity and general outlook on life will inspire you I promise.

A post shared by Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk (@garyvee) on

Back to a foodie theme now with Gill Meller ( gill.meller) I was lucky enough to attend a class at River Cottage last year and see Gill first hand lovingly making and teaching us to create soda bread and herby butter – it was such an experience. He is a chef and author and his feed is beautiful. Worth a follow although I warn you it will make you hungry!

A post shared by Gill Meller (@gill.meller) on

And that is it for this month..there are many..many more people I want to recommend but hey I need to save some for next month. I don’t want to spoil you too much.

Rosemary & Honey Actifry Carrots

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I have never been a big fan of carrots. As a child my mother would get really frustrated by it and the only ones I would ever eat willingly were tinned baby carrots – they were preserved in salt water so much of the carrot flavour had disappeared. As an adult I have always eaten them if they are on my plate but out of choice I would only eat them raw dipped in hummus. When I was pregnant on Chloe I had some weird food cravings, but the main ones were apples ( but only super crunchy ones ) and carrots. Carrots served in any way at all. I ate them with so many of my meals that I’m surprised I didn’t turn a little orange. After she was born those cravings went away but I still tend to cook them more often but I only really enjoy them if I make them a little special so I like them roasted in spices or raw with a nice dip still. This recipe came about because I was having a week or two of heavily using my Actifry due to my oven breaking down and I realised I had a bag of carrots about to go to to waste.

This is ( typically of me ) a very simple recipe and prep is minimal.

Rosemary & Honey Carrots

You will need:

2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into batons
2 tbsp of runny honey
1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh rosemary
Generous pinch sea salt and black pepper

Melt your honey for 30 seconds in the microwave to get an easy consistency for mixing. Place your carrots and herbs in a bowl,pour over the honey and using your hands mix it all together – yes you will get sticky but it’s the best way to get an even coverage. Sprinkle over your salt and pepper. Place in the Actifry and cook for approximately 15 – 20 minutes depending on how you want them cooked.

These were so popular in my house that they were all gone in about 5 minutes!

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie – Breville Blend Active Diary

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I always feel better when I am pumping myself full of fresh fruit and vegetables. New guidelines recommend we eat 10 portions a day ( it was 5 when I was growing up ). I know I don’t always reach that but I do find it easier when I make smoothies or juices at home in the mornings. And if I can make it a peanut butter smoothie even better..

This past week or so I have been trialling the Blend Active Pro Personal Blender from Breville. The blender is ideal for those busy days when you just want to grab something and head out the door. You blend straight into the removable container which then doubles up as your drinks bottle. It is the perfect size for individual servings and means you can experiment more with different flavours knowing you aren’t going to end up with lots of smoothie waste if you don’t love it.  It is super easy to use with just one button and also easy to remove and clean.

A few days this week I opted for simple smoothies of bananas ( frozen for texture and to keep my smoothie chilled ), apples, spinach, some kind of juice or yoghurt and I would throw in some spices ( turmeric is a great one as is cinnamon) or any extra bits of fruit and veg I wanted to use up. I did however create these  two indecently good smoothies which I thought I would share with you below, both very different – one being creamy and almost like a milkshake whilst the other is fresh and juicy. Both healthy, full of flavour and enjoyable to drink.

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

You will need:

2 bananas, diced and frozen

100g natural yoghurt (  I used low fat )

3 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp natural cocoa powder

Add all ingredients to your blender and blitz until smooth. This makes a small but thick and indulgent serving, perfect for one person.

peanut butter smoothie

Blood Orange, Berry, Spinach & Carrot Smoothie

You will need:

1 blood orange, peeled and quartered

1 carrot, roughly cut into large chunks

handful of baby leaf spinach

handful of frozen berries

100ml orange juice

1 good squirt of honey

Add all ingredients to your blend active and blitz until smooth.

I feel pretty good after a week of making sure I am getting all this extra goodness so I plan to continue with it. I can highly recommend the Breville Blend Active Pro  if you are looking for a budget friendly personal blender.

  • I was sent a personal blender and compensated for my time in testing and creating these recipes.

Being Randomly Kind – March 2017

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RAOK – Random Acts Of Kindness. It’s a bit of a thing these days and I like that. Being randomly kind. I try to be kind. It was drummed into me as a child, share with others, love others, be kind.

It isn’t alway easy to do this, because the world we live in can be very unkind. Which despite making it harder makes it all the more important to do it. And yes random acts of kindness are a really good start. A few months back I was in a car with three of my sisters and we headed through McDonald’s drive through on the way to a girlie trip to Bath, we ordered just one coffee ( for me ). The person in front of us didn’t know we had made such a small order, there were four women in the car after all, yet when we got to the payment window we were told that the man in front at the service window was paying for our order. He then simply drove off, he didn’t hang about for praise or even wave, he just did that small, kind thing and drove away. You know it was just a £1.50 cup of coffee but I felt like he had bought me a slap up meal. He made us all smile and I swear that warm feeling lasted all day, even now typing it up it is making me smile. Such a small act, such a big impact.

Be a sunflower, stand tall and make others smile by sharing your sunshine.

 

Some say kindness or acts of kindness are selfish in a way. I don’t entirely disagree. I feel great after doing something for someone else. It makes me feel better to know that on a day when a friend was having a bad time and I couldn’t be there to hug them or make it better, they opened a parcel from me which made them smile and maybe the smile only lasted 30 seconds but I made that smile. Is that selfish? Maybe, maybe not. The reason I do anything like that is mainly for the person who is on the receiving end but yes I have to admit it makes my day better too. I never expect anything in return, that isn’t why I do it.

Kindness doesn’t have to cost anything, I’ve recently read an excellent book from Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker called The Art Of Being Brilliant and it has a list of ways in which you can be kind, the author has kindly allowed me to share it:

Some quotes about kindness from people who are far better with words than I:

“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love” William Wordsworth

“I think the associations people have with kindness are often things like meekness and sweetness and maybe sickly sweetness; whereas I do think of kindness as a force, as a power” Sharon Salzberg

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you” Princess Diana

It was interesting reading the quote from Princess Diana, a person who was well known for her extraordinary kindness – we think of the random acts of kindness movement as a new thing but it’s not.

I agree with Sharon Salzburg, kindness is often looked upon as perhaps a person is too soft, too nice, meek..weak. Kindness is power. It is one of the most powerful things you can be, kindness can change the day, the week, the month for someone. That one kind act you carry out which took you moments or cost you a few pounds could make a vast difference to that persons life. Believe in the little things and the power they hold. In my head I am now He Man shouting I have the Powerrrrrr.

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end” Scott Adams

Last month on International RAOK Day I asked followers on my Facebook page to nominate someone who deserved a random treat by post and it was fun. A person was chosen at random from the comments left and this week she should have received her treat. I don’t know her and it’s unlikely I will meet her but I have had an impact on her day, I feel a little proud of that, I hope it made her smile. It led me to thinking that as a blogger who has a growing and loyal following I don’t really use my blog for the benefit of others in any way, but I should. This year I am planning a few charity collaborations and I am always on the lookout for things I can help with, big or small. I think as digital influencers we as a community have the power to support, fundraise and gain exposure for issues and charities close to our heart and we should use it.

This is just a very small start but every month I want you to tell me the people in your life who deserve a random act of kindness, maybe they are having a difficult time, maybe they are just awesome. I don’t mind what the reason is, you don’t have to go into too much detail if you don’t want to but let’s all start being kinder and let’s  spread some happiness – YES it is almost too cheesy but you know what..who cares? Each month one person will be sent a treat, something to bring a smile. This will be my way of being kind but how about you? Well I would love if some of you would join in on this, be randomly kind, not just to strangers but to those already in your life. When was the last time you sent a gift to a friend or bought them a box of chocolate without a reason for it? We all do it for birthdays and Christmas but how about just because it’s a Tuesday and you want to cheer them up. Do it. Just do it. Let’s all do it a little, I promise that although it won’t change your life, it will better it. Do it without the expectancy of anything in return as that is really not what it’s about.

A few ideas from me on what your RAOK could be:

Give a friend a coffee shop gift voucher and insist they take time for themselves to enjoy a break

Send a letter or a card to a friend you don’t see often enough. Snail mail can raise the biggest smiles.

Help someones business without spending anything, share their posts on social media, write a 5 star review or similar.

I’ll have more ideas for next month, do share yours with me also.

To nominate someone for a RAOK leave a comment below with your name, the name of the person who deserves a treat ( just first name is fine ) and why, and leave your email address in the relevant section ( it won’t be shown publicly ). Initially this will be just for UK based followers as I’ll be funding the treats and parcel costs myself.

 

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