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Superskin With Liz Earle

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*I am a member of Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research panel, a group of bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity*

All of you regular readers will know I am far from a beauty blogger but when I was offered to try out the Liz Earle Superskin Serum I jumped at the chance. As I get older I find like everyone my skin needs more attention and after a really difficult two years existing on little to no sleep I felt like my skin was dull and tired.

What they claim:

1. Even skin tone – with Persian silk tree extract to help fight the visible signs of fatigue, such as a dull complexion.

2. Lift and firm – with pomegranate flower extract to help boost collagen.

3. Plump and smooth – with rhubarb extract to help intensely hydrate skin”.

*Contains naturally active ingredients

Liz Earle Superskin Serum

Just 7 days ago I began using this Superskin Face Serum and I am here to tell you that it is REMARKABLE. Yes just 7 days of using it has made an improvement. Even on day 1 I noticed a visible tightening and glow to my face. By day 3 I felt like my skin was getting softer and now on day 7 it feels smooth and definitely brighter. In fact several people have commented on it.

I’m not a selfie fan by any stretch but I took a quick pic this morning, make up less, no filter and I can see the change in my skin.

image

Please ignore the terrible quality of THE image and ahem ..my face but I felt reasonably fresh faced at 7am this morning..even if I didn’t feel it.

I must admit that at first I gawped a little at the price tag ( £48rrp ) BUT I do think it’s worth every penny. It’s not often I feel good about the way I look and this definitely helps which makes it pretty priceless in my opinion.

For once a beauty product which can back every claim it makes.

Overloaded Nachos

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Oh I do love Nachos. It’s the combination of crispy and gooey I think..and you know ALL the cheese.

If we have a movie night at home this is what we always have to munch on. Luckily we don’t have movie nights that often as this is rather calorific. Over time we have adapted our nachos combo until ah I finally feel it’s perfect.

These aren’t set amounts as it generally depends on how many of you are eating so adapt that as you wish.

You will need:

1 packet of tortilla chips ( we use either plain or cheesy )
8 meatballs in tomato sauce ( cooked )
1 green chilli, finely diced
3 tbsp of spicy BBQ sauce ( I used peri peri BBQ sauce )
250g of cheese ( we use a mix of cheddar and Red Leicester or similar – typically the scraps we have left in the fridge )

Tip your chips into an overprotective dish and evenly top with the meatballs and BBQ sauce followed by the green chilli and finally your cheese.

Nachos with meatballs

Bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes until the chips around the outside have browned and the cheese is molten goodness.

Cheesy nachos with meatballs

Chicken Traybake With Basil, Tomatoes & Mozzarella

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I love cooking but quite often I just don’t have the time to fuss around for hours yet I still want fresh, flavourful food.

A traybake is ideal for when you have had a busy day and you don’t want loads of washing up or standing at the stove. This recipe is a really simple one using fresh, summery ( yes it’s still Summer..kind of ) ingredients.

You will need:

Chicken thighs ( depending on how many of you are eating)
A handful of fresh basil leaves
A mixture of tomatoes, whole or sliced in half
A ball of mozzarella, thickly sliced
Garlic oil or olive oil with some crushed garlic
Sea salt and crushed black pepper

Place your thighs in a roasting or baking tray, not too big so you can keep the ingredients snugly together. Add your tomatoes and basil, season and then drizzle over your oil – about a tbsp should do it.

Chicken and basil Traybake
Bake for approximately 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked and then add your mozzarella slices on top of the thighs and bake for a further few minutes until melted and gooey.

Mozzarella chicken

Serve immediately with the sides of your choice, we chose sweetcorn, baked sweet potatoes and roasted shallots. Delicious. Simple. Quick.

What are your go to easy meals for busy days?

The Way We Eat

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Everywhere you look you will see articles about clean eating, raw foods and mindful eating. Is this the new way of eating for our generation?

I can’t imagine our family ever going without the odd burger ( homemade of course ) Chips and a good serving of chocolate cake BUT everything in moderation right?

In my eyes that’s what mindful eating is, being aware of what you are eating. Knowing that if you eat something indulgent for lunch perhaps you should eat something lighter for your next meal. Perhaps you shouldn’t have pudding after every meal and pancakes for breakfast could become your Sunday special.. After all eat them too often and they are no longer a treat.

I don’t like to view foods as bad, or call myself naughty for eating them. I’m an adult and I choose what I eat.

Sometimes that’s fruit..sometimes that’s fudge.

Fresh figs

There is an interesting article on mindful eating here on the Legal & General site.

We have recently tried out one of the popular food meal boxes: Hello Fresh. All the produce was fresh, the meat was lean and healthy. Herbs, chillies, chopped tomatoes and coconut water were finishing touches to the meals. Whilst it’s not the type of thing I would do every month it was nice to try it out and I could certainly see us using something like this when we knew we had a busy week coming up.

It felt good to have a week of eating really well.

We have also started making loads of smoothies in our Bella Extract Pro and fresh veggie soups in the kCook.

What do you think of the Mindful Eating movement?

*We received a meal box in exchange for this post.

Top Toys Autumn 2015

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Living in a house with a nearly 4year old and a 2yr old there is always a hefty pile of toys strewn about. Every few months we have a bit of a re shuffle which ends up with some bags of book and toys being donated to charity, others being passed onto family members and favourites being stored in the attic for when our girls have their own children.

Out with the old, in with the new. My children are pretty lucky in that we receive toys regularly for to us to review at home which means they quite often get toys before they hit the shops. One toy which we received a little while ago is My Friend Freddy:

Freddy is a clever toy. You can answer 50 questions about your child on the app and Freddy will astonish them with the things they know. We have had a LOT of fun with this toy.

My friend freddy

We have also been having a play with some Twirlywoos, based on the popular CBeebies show. Our girls love this show and for me it’s one of the less annoying ones to have on in the house. These toys are squishy and bright and they have even been taken to bed sometimes.

Twirlywoos

image

And finally some Pip Ahoy toys, also based on a TV show shown on the Milkshake channel ( part of channel 5 ). There are a great range of Pip Ahoy toys including a boat with figurines and some gorgeous cuddly soft ones.

Pip ahoy toys

What toys are your little ones loving?

* We were sent these toys to review.

Food Blog Of The Fortnight: Natural Kitchen Adventures

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Hello and welcome to a new blog feature: Food Blog Of The Fortnight! As well as writing a food blog I follow quite a few and I’ve built up a good list of favourites now. Over the next few months I’ll be sharing some of these blogs, both old and new.

Today I’d like to introduce you to:

Ceri of Natural Kitchen Adventures

Ceri jones natural kitchen adventures

I love this blog because it has healthy recipes which also sound ( and look ) appetising, quite often Ceri uses ingredients I wouldn’t think to use and so it’s also quite inspiring to not just food bloggers but home cooks.

A bit about Ceri:

I started my blog in May 2011, and it was initially called Cucina Ceri (Ceri’s kitchen in Italian). This was just a month after I ran the London Marathon, and I wanted a new healthy project to work on! I had blogged through my marathon training and in the process had rediscovered a love of writing – which had been somewhat quashed by not really enjoying or being skilled at English at GSCE level many moons ago! Some 4.5 years and a name change later I still love the writing aspect of blogging, and it comes far more naturally to me than the photography aspect. It goes without saying I love the cooking and recipe development aspect of blogging. Understanding a direct link between food & health and knowing that the blog gives me the opportunity to spread the word about healthy eating by sharing recipes that are easily accessible and downright tasty is my motivation to keep going!
2 years into my blogging journey I decided to leave my career, re-train as a health food chef and make my mission for healthy food part of my career. The blog has been with me through all of this transition process and whilst my blog is now a mixture of fun, sponsored posts and recipe development, as well as a marketing tool for my cooking classes and supper clubs I still love blogging and get excited each time I press publish on a new recipe. Blogging is a part of me now, I honestly don’t think I could give it up!

Your most popular recipe:

My most popular recipe isn’t that photogenic but it is what it is! http://naturalkitchenadventures.com/recipe/slow-cooked-spiced-pulled-lamb-shoulder/

Slow cooked pulled lamb

Your personal favourite recipe:

http://naturalkitchenadventures.com/recipe/decadent-dairy-free-chocolate-mousse/ If you love chocolate this is the only dessert recipe you will ever need!

Dairy free chocolate mousse

Where can we find you?:

www.instagram.com/cerikitchen
www.twitter.com/cerikitchen
www.facebook.com/naturalkitchenadventures
www.pinterest.com/cerikitchen

Come back in two weeks to see who is next!

Now You Are 4!

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Izzy, you are 4 today. We have been parents for 4 whole years. I find that fact alone really strange. Quite often I don’t feel responsible enough to be a mum. I do love it though, it’s my favourite role.

Bogs welliesConfuzzled

You are as funny and clever as ever. We met your teachers again recently and the comments they made about you and your polite and gentle ways made us so proud.

You are independent and are prone to the occasional sulk. You eat all day long and you need to for the amount of energy you must use from running around and chattering ALL day long.

You had your birthday party with your school friends today and it was fun to see you as the centre of attention. You have a firm circle of friends now and it’s great seeing you ruining about together.

Everyone comments on your golden curls and ocean blue eyes.

You love your grandparents on both sides and want to see them all the time. I love to see you cuddled up to my parents and taking the constant teasing from my Dad.

At the moment your favourite topic is Planets. You often tell me that so and so is from a different planet to us ( normally England ) I sometimes agree!

You are imaginative and make up your own songs and at bedtime I often stand by your door listening to your sweet voice.

Happy Birthday to our biggest girl, we love you so very much. To the moon and back as you say to us.

Getting Zen In Your Bedroom

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I love sleep, I miss sleep. I used to be able to sleep anywhere, anytime. In fact I remember sleeping on an airport sofa just 30 minutes before a flight to Milan and I was properly sleeping. I was also a bit partial to a Sunday snooze in front of the telly after a great roast dinner.

But now I really struggle with my sleep and I do everything I can to help myself relax and unwind before bed. From milky drinks to a tidy bedroom and everything inbetween. One bedroom product I really love is my Lumie Clock which really helps set your body into a natural rhythm with its gradual daylight alarm. You can read some more of mine and a selection of other bloggers tips in the infographic below which was collated by Hillarys Blinds.

Zen Bedrooms- Creating the perfect bedroom environment - Hillarys
Bedroom Environments – Hillarys Bedroom Environments

What helps ( or hinders ) your sleep?

* I was given a Lumie Clock for my involvement in this campaign.

Family Fun At Hammet House

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You may remember earlier this year I stayed at Hammet House in Pembrokeshire. It was an incredible stay with some of the best food I have ever tasted.

Hammet house dinner

When we were invited back this time it was to review the family suite so we piled into the car with our two girls and headed down.

On arrival we were greeted warmly by the friendly staff and we headed straight out onto the lawn to play croquet. The girls loved the open space and all the greenery.

Hammet house pembroke

Hammet house for kids

image

We then went in to check out our rooms. Our room was as modern and sumptuous as I had expected with a large bathroom separating our room from the girls. The children’s bedroom is cute and bright without being too overwhelming with some stylish yet fun fixtures and fittings. As before we had gorgeous REN toiletries as well as a fabulous welcome tray of teas/coffee and homemade flapjacks.

Hammet house family suite

Hammet house toiletries

A large cot was provided for my youngest as well as twin beds which my eldest enjoyed jumping on and swapping between the two throughout the evening.

Unfortunately within an hour of being there Chloe seemed to be having a reaction to something she had eaten earlier that day and we had one very unhappy little girl on our hands. Andrew put Cbeebies on and cuddled up to Chloe for an hour while I took a frustrated Izzy out for a wander around the hotel. We cosied up in the gorgeous lounge/bar area in the giant swivel chairs. Izzy watching a film on the kindle and I sat with a book. We both had one of their amazing hot chocolates which you may remember me raving about in my last post.

Hammet house lounge

Hot choc

Due to Chloe being unwell and very grizzly we decided to order some room service rather than risking spoiling the dining environment for the other guests. The chef catered completely to Chloe’s dietary needs which meant she was able to have pretty much the same meal as the rest of us. We all ordered the homemade burgers which sounded incredible and didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately due to the utter chaos of eating with the girls and trying to avoid food all over pristine white sheets I somehow didn’t get any pics.. I assure you that it was good and well presented too.

Breakfast is a treat at Hammet House, it would have been ever more so if Chloe didn’t whine in a tired, poorly voice all the way through but that’s life with children right? You can choose from various options such as Whisky glazed porridge:

Whisky glazed porridge

Or a full cooked breakfasts, as well as cereals, fruits and homemade yoghurt pots:

image

Overall I can highly recommend Hammet House as a luxury hotel which you can also enjoy with your children. There is a separate lounge area with comfy chairs and a giant TV downstairs too – perfect for older kids to entertain themselves. Go check it out for yourselves. Some great offers over on their website.

* Our overnight stay and breakfast was complimentary for the purpose of a review.