Detox Day Five. And beyond.

Today was meant to be the last day of the detox, in the past few days I realised the importance of meal prepping, listening to your body, and keeping well hydrated but I didn't really feel that there was a physical change to my body. Only a new found appreciation for clean eating and it's principles. I'll be honest, the lack of "body transformation" was slightly disheartening and put me in a slightly defeatist attitude for the rest of the day. I still had my lemon juice but skipped breakie went straight for almonds and berries as a snack while on a walk with a friend. I didn't even prep meals for work! TUT TUT. It got worse when I got to work. A downward slippery custard slope of doom. I don't mean to drag you all down I just want to be honest about my struggles on the final day. Anyway I had taken a photo the day before I started this detox, and took one when I woke up this morning. But miraculously when I got home after my very indulgent shift at work and put them next to eachother I realised there was a change! I looked leaner, more streamlined. Yes it was a subtle difference, but one that's spurred me on to actually continue the detox. 

I know I've got a long way to go but I'm excited about it!
Also stuffing my face with custard, cakes and other silly things really made me realise how much my body doesn't appreciate it. I'd gone back to feeling bloated, overly full and slow within a matter of minutes. 10 minutes later I felt a slight sugar high which was then followed by an almighty LOW. To such an extent I felt the need to shovel more food in my mouth just to keep my eyes open. Altogether a horrible experience, but a great reminder of why I was doing this! 

So to sum up I really would suggest this detox, just make sure you make it as easy as possible for yourself by prepping your meals and following the guidelines. 

This morning I'm back feeling great! Sat on the tube writing this up as we speak with a smile on my face, water in hand, lunch boxes in bag. 

YOU CAN DO THIS! 

You're only regret will be that you didn't do it sooner. ;)

Expect lots of clean eating recipes from here on out. And for those of you that find the whole clean eating idea intimidating, start slow, make your own treats and enjoy :) 

Detox Day Four.

Evening team! How are you all getting on in this oddly muggy weather? I know, I know, us Brits are just never content with the weather... Atleast there's a little breeze today! 

Anyway it's already day four of the five day detox and I've actually decided to extend it a little. I've had a lot of digestion problems in the past and so I think it's taking my digestive system a little longer to sit up and take notice. So I'm thinking I may make it seven or possibly ten days. I'm quite lucky with the hours I work in regards to food prepping, I tend to start work at 3pm so that means I can mooch about packing little lunch boxes for the rest of the day. However when I mean (in about a week, I'm so effing excited) I'm gonna try to prep weekly. So ill let you know how that turns out. A messy kitchen I can imagine! 

Here's the food lowdown!

You guessed it, whole lemon juiced, mixed into a pint of water. Just has got soooo much easier to drink, I actually looked forward to it this morning! Never thought I'd see that day! 

Breakie was:

1 egg scrambled (I like mine still a tad runny)

Large handful of mushrooms, stir fried

2 heaped tbsp of pre-cooked Quinoa 

Quarter of an avocado. Super scrummo!

  
Once I'd eaten that I started prepping my lunch and dinner boxes for work. I say lunch but it was 2.30pm and I'd only just had my snack box before my lunch. This is why it's important to listen to your body, I knew I won't be having my "lunch" until about 5 and dinner at around 9. This may sound late in the day but its all about fuelling your body, everyone is different. Ill be at work 'till 11 so it's perfect for me :) 

For my snack box I made some spinach hummus. 

1 can of chickpeas (made sure to drain and rinse these bad boys, otherwise it messes up the consistency)

60g spinach

1 clove of garlic, grated. 

1tbsp tahini

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

Put it all in the blender and blend until mixed, feel free to add water until you get your preferred consistency. This should make about 4 servings to give you an idea of portion sizes. 

Lunch and dinner is gonna be a selection of raw veggies and pre-cooked quinoa with a dressing that ill whip up while at work. I'll be snacking on berries and almonds. And ofcourse glugging on water or green tea. 

I was very proud of myself for not falling off the bandwagon yesterday so lets keep that up huh? 

Off I go.....

I decided to update this post a little after work. I still stuck to the detox however I feel like there was a constant stream of berries going into my mouth. The last hour and a half of work were incredibly busy and I didn't stop running around. I felt a little unenergised and dehydrated, but no time to drink water. Once I'm home I'm going to have atleast a pint of water before bed. I need to be able to mix it up tomorrow a bit or extended this for a few days is going to be harder than I thought. 

Detox Day Three.

Today it was time to really test the willpower. If there's food in front of me, I'm gonna eat it. Simple as that. It's the reason I got the nickname of Dustbin from my dad. So needless to say now that I'm a chef I don't really ever stop snacking. And by snacking I mean, one for you, one for me ;) One pastry, one spoonful of vanilla mascarpone, one cheeky cookie.... I dread to think of the calories I must inhale during those 8 hours. I try to tell myself it's fiiiiine, I'm on my feet in a hot environment, but still, I should be fuelling my body with the good stuff, not crap. And today, fuel it I did! It's surprising how often you think you're hungry and when you actually take a second you realise, I'm just dehydrated or bored. I can't stress enough how important it is to listen to your body. 

I don't wanna bore you with the same food routine for five days straight so I'll keep it short. 

Alarm clock. 

Ignore. 

Alarm clock. 

Stretch. 

Kitchen. 

Lemon. 

Eggs. 

Prep. 

Tea. 

Lunch. 

Work. 

Snack. 

Tea. 

Snack. 

Dinner. 

Snack. 

Snack. 

Water. 

Tube. 

Bed. 

Quick update on the squat challenge. I've been a naughty girl and crawled into my bed like a tired little bear and neglected them. But not tonight, no sir! 

Detox Day Two.

Today started off with a cheeky game of ignore the alarm clock. It turns out dancing all night long in heels after being stood statue still for 6 hours really does take it out of you. But I wasn't going to let a few yawns and blisters (stupid shoes) stop me. I dragged my butt out of my pit and made me lemon juice and water drink, there's no feeling sleeping after this bad boy. 

I felt like my hair was standing up on end....

Breakfast this morning was the Detox Smoothie, which I whizzed up and had on the tube on my way to meet my parents. I also had quarter of an avocado (it's important to get your good fats) 

Snacks, just a few veggie sticks and my trusty green tea (I'm going to make a homemade hummus tonight for snack time over the next few days. 

Lunch was 2 heaped tbsp of cooked quinoa, a few pieces of broccoli, spinach, carrot sticks, cucumber and quarter of an avocado, all drizzled with a homemade dressing of 1tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1tbsp of balsamic vinegar, juice of half a lime and black pepper.

For dinner I just whipped up a yummy vegetable stir fry. I included asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, adzuki beans and tofu with a generous sprinkle of basil.

I'll be honest with you, I was NOT a fan of tofu. It had a spongey texture, but smelt like egg...odd. I'm going to experiment and get back to you guys with tastier ways to eat it. I will not be beaten ;)

Now just sat here, sipping my green tea watching House, blissful.

How's your day been?

Detox Day One.

Hunger really isn't a problem with this detox, so just listen to your body, eat when you're hungry, not bored. And make sure you drink plenty of water. I used to be crap at keeping hydrated, so I'm now carrying a 2ltr bottle of water with me everyday and challenging myself to finish it before the day is over. Also stick a few green tea tea bags in there half way through the day for a refreshing change, yum! 


As I mentioned yesterday, I wasn't too excited about the juice of a lemon part of the routine, but I grew a pair and got on with it.....
I do apologise for this photo, I just thought it was good for other people to se how much I was suffering when drinking it. (morning face)

Such an elegant little face.

As I said yesterday meal prepping really is vital with clean eating. It makes it a lot easier, and then you can just throw all your veggies etc into a tub and heading out to enjoy the sun (wherever it's disappeared to) 

I'd suggest cooking a weeks worth of Quinoa, Lentils, or Beans, black or kidney, not Baked ;) it only takes 15-20 minutes, you can glugg your morning lemon juice while you wait. 

Today's food

For breakfast (after my juice of a whole lemon in a pint of water) I had porridge, with a few hidden lovelies. 

Grapes, 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon, 2tbsp milled chia seeds and a side of two handfuls of almonds, that's about 12. 

 

 On the go... who said you can't have porridge on the train.

Lunch and dinner was prepped the night before, which was raw veggie salad. Today I included, spinach, broccoli, red pepper, carrot and mushroom. With a little apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and black pepper dressing. 

Snacks wise I had the occasional strawberry now and then and ofcourse my hefty bottle of green tea. I defo prefer mine cold and straight from the tap, no boiling and leaving needed. If today is anything to go by I'm feeling pretty positive about the next few days :) 

Could I look more like a foodie with this lot on the train this morning?

I don't think so, lets get prepping for tomorrow!

Meal Prepping.

I'm embarking on my first ever detox tomorrow and I've possibly picked the most hilarious day to start. About 6 months ago I said goodbye to the modelling and hello to chef whites, recipes, and constant nibbling. So it's just my luck that a good friend of mine has gone and got me a Bodypaint gig isn't it ;) 

Talk about jumping in at the deep end after a fair amount of time out of the game. Anyway I won't babble on anymore about that. 

Changing up your diet or just eating more healthily and resisting temptation is a lot easier if you've prepped in advance, so tonight I'm preparing myself a few little sandwich bags with healthy snacks, my lunch and dinner. I've also discovered that I much prefer my green tea cold, which works out well when you're on the move. So I'll be shoving a few tea bags into my 2ltr bottle and I'll be ready to run out of the door. Just as soon as I've had my "juice of a whole lemon in warm water wake up call" which may I add I'm not looking forward to...I'm a little bit scared tbh. Last time I attempted this morning ritual I managed half a lemon and pulled some seriously ugly facial expressions the whole time. So fingers crossed. 

I've also taken on the 30 day squat challenge, for those of you that aren't familiar with this, it basically means you start by doing 50 squats, an it increases every day (every third day you get a rest day) until you've reached 260 by the end of the month. I'm currently on 100, now I'll be honest, I'm not an exercise fan. I'm much more of a "I've ran up the escalator  today, GO ME" "I spend 8 hours on my feet in a hot environment, I'm burning calories right?!" Kinda girl :P but it really is true that just putting aside as little as 10 minutes a day really does make a difference. I've been doing the challenge about a week and can already feel a change in my stamina. I really would suggest getting involved!! 

Duck duck MOUSSE....

It's been a while since I treated you peeps to a naughty but nice post, so here you are kids....

Does it get better than guilt free chocolate mousse? 

NO. 

What about guilt free chocolate mousse that you can whip up in less than 10 minutes? 

Amazeballs!

So here's how you get your mitts on the good stuff...grab these things:

2 bananas

1 very ripe avocado

2tbsp of nut butter (not essential) 

3-4 tbsp of cocoa powder

Shove it all in a blender and whizz until smooth. This is why it's good for your avocado to be ripe. Last time I made this mine were a little too tough and have my blender had a bit of a workout. 

I'm a bit of a freezer freak, mines filled with non dairy alternatives and a tonne of frozen fruit. I decided to top today's treat with raspberries. Mmmmm dark chocolate, raspberries and a tv catch up...perfection! 

I'm off to lick the blender bowl. 

Enjoy!! 

Step away from the Cinnamon Graham's.

This morning I woke up and all I could think was these bad boys. 

I bought them a week or so ago during a naughty day that went to far. So to squash my cravings for them I whipped up a yummy little (one pint) smoothie instead. Mmmmmm

Today's mix was:

2 bananas

2 squeezes of runny honey

Lots of cinnamon (measure to taste)

4 gluggs of almond milk

Handful of frozen blueberries

1 fat frozen strawberry

And two handfuls of gluten free oats. 

And here it is in all its glory!
 

This was delicious! It'll definitely be a regular breakfast recipe! 

Summertime, is that you?

Yesterday I finally had my first taste of an English summer! I spent far too long in bed, but when I did whip back the bed sheets I was greeted by a beautiful day. I threw on a summer dress (the first time I've been able to do that all year) and headed off to find sunshine and friends. I found both at Gordon's Wine Bar. Little fact, it's the oldest drinking establishment in Europe. Go Gordon's! We all caught up on eachothers lives for the past week or so while polishing off bottle after bottle of wine. I was sticking to the water, oh yum ;) A few hours later and I was STARVING. We managed to gather the troops and head to L'ulivo, an Italian restaurant just round the corner. If anyone has ever said to you don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry, because you'll make awful choices, you couldn't be further from the truth with this place. I was so hungry when I ordered and I don't regret the Calamari, King Prawns or the Garlic Bread.

 And I certainly don't regret this bad boy.

Yep that's all mine. Here we have, a 12oz Sirloin Steak, red wine and rosemary sauce (swoon) and 2 sides of veggies, much to my waiters dismay I polished off the whole lot with a little help from a slightly tipsy partner in crime. 

We had every intention of going to meet more friends to continue the evening, but after that much food and that much sunshine we were all pretty sleepy. So we said our goodbyes, went our separate ways. 

And promptly fell asleep on the tube home. 

Lunchbox lovelies.

As promised here are some super quick and tasty foods that you can throw in your handbag and enjoy on the go if you find yourself staring at a talking sandwich in your local supermarket. Depending on your job I can appreciate that forward planning your meals can be a strategic nightmare. Take it from me, I spend atleast 8 hours of my day in a busy restaurant kitchen. If I could I'd be having about five mini meals a day, but lets be honest it just ain't gonna happen. So the best I can do is try to stay clear of all the tempting puddings, and make the most of being fairly active for those hours. When it comes to snacking on my days off here are my top ten:

Apple segments with almond nut butter spread on them. 

Oat or rice cakes with mashed avocado and marmite. 

Soft boiled eggs. 

Any of my smoothie recipes that you can find here. Although a lot of them are more like a meal in themselves. 

Cashew nuts (try to limit yourself to a small handful) 

Bananas. 

Raw veggies and hummus (homemade or organic preferred so you know what's in it down to the letter) 

Water, not in a "I wanna be skinny so I won't eat way" half of the time you're not hungry you're just dehydrated. So always keep hydrated. Even if you're still hungry that glass of water will aid your digestion. 

A piece of meat the size of your palm. Works out as about 100g. It's enough to quiet a rumbling stomach and kick your metabolism in the butt. 

Blueberries. Take a little Tupperware of these with you to the office to keep naughty temptations at bay. Blueberries are really good for you. As a rule any fruit or vegetable that's naturally deep purple in colour is very high in antioxidants, so should be a staple in your diet.  

I hope this helps you, and stops you from wanting to inhale the contents of the fridge at work or make your way through the cookies in your next meeting. 

If you have any snack suggestions please do let me know, the more the merrier! 

Whites off, black on.

The other day I was asked if I minded helping out on the other side of the kitchen door at work. They needed a hostess and as I do have previous experience asked if I would be up for it. 

So I had to say goodbye to comfy whites and pour myself into this number instead. 

Yes, I love a good selfie, deal with it ;)

It was pretty standard hostessy type stuff but instead of making the canapés I was serving them. And who better to serve them to than the head chefs of the company. It was a great opportunity to socialise with people that have been in the industry for years and still love it. It was very inspiring indeed, chatting to them made me realise its up to me if I want to push myself, and push myself I shall! :) Luckily I'm pretty content sat in bed thinking up recipes and doing ingredient research. So watch this space kids. 

Getting my green on.

As I promised you all last night this morning I got rid of all my naughty foods in my cupboard and replaced it with veggies and healthy alternatives! My first green smoothie in a week or so and I think we can safely say I've made up for lost time. Yep that's a pint glass ;)

In today's breakfast in a glass was: 

2 bananas

60g of spinach leaves

1 heaped tsp of almond butter

1 dash of cinnamon

1 squeeze of honey

3 or 4 generous handfuls of gluten free oats

4 gluggs of almond milk (delicious on its own by the way if you're scared to buy it)

And WHIZZ! A big fat glass of yum!

Speaking as a girl that's used to feeling like a pufferfish after any meal or drink its astonishing that after drinking a pint of very thick smoothie, (I'd rather have it thick than watered down, means I know I'm getting a boat load of goodness) I don't feel like a fat slug at all. Infact I just ran to the tube and then had a fight or flight moment legging it across a busy platform to catch a different train.That may not sound like much at all, but this is coming from the girl who's been feeling like she's stuck on slow motion the last week.

Fast Food. Slow body.

I'm sorry I've disappeared the last few weeks, I've been running round like a headless chicken with my new job, amongst other things! I promise to pay you lots more attention ok? :) 

I've been a naughty little madam and fallen off the healthy bandwagon in a big way, and my god is it showing. I'm feeling sluggish and rather sleepy all the time which is just plain crappy. If like me you need to remind yourself of all the reasons to maintain a clean lifestyle you really most check out James Duigans book "Clean and Lean Diet" it's friendly, easy to understand and incredibly motivating. I intend to read it cover to cover again tomorrow. 

I'm not going to allow myself near the Food To Go Section of Tescos again and from now on the only drink ill be glugging will be water, fruit, green and peppermint teas. 

If any of you love a good Burger King binge or need inspiration to kick the KFC bucket here are a few reasons that'll get you running from that fast food faster than they can say "would you like that supersized?"

Peanut Butter Lover? No more...
The FDA allows for there to be upto 30 insects and bugs in your favourite spread, oh and they're ok with rodent hairs too?! From now on spread Natural Almond Butter on your morning toast or apple segments. It tastes better, lasts longer, and the ingredients are JUST what it says on the tin.

Hairy facts...
In any given year one customer in one fast food chain will digest 12 pubic hairs..How many have you eaten so far? YUCK!

Those naughty little Trans Fats.
Yes they were made illegal to be served and sold to people a few years back but somehow those slimy fast food chains have slipped them into our foods and can get away with it so long as they're under a gram. Those grams add up though...

Burger marinated in Ammonia? Oh yes please... :/
The cheapo meat used by these companies is the trimmings and waste from thousands of pieces of meat and to rid it of all the germs and bacteria from where it's been sat about in a sweaty slaughterhouse is....ammonia...oh great!

French Fries...There's a reason some of you like them dipped in milkshake..
You know how sometimes you like to dip your chips in your strawberry milkshake? We've all done it! Well it turns out they've already been dunked into sugar to make them crispy. Oh jesus, hi there mr sugary, oily, fatty, starchy potato man!

Summer Salads? Anti-Freeze
A lot of the fast food chains like to soak their salads in anti-freeze to keep them "fresher" for long. Why not just cut out the middle man and drink your windscreen water? :P   

I hope this has helped to keep on the straight and narrow? Ill be going back to yummy smoothies in the morning! I'm hungry for some antioxidants! 
Night Night Girls and Boys! 

My First Week at the New Job.

Could I be happier in my new job? I'm gonna say no.  For those of you that are new to my blog, I was very lucky in that about a month ago I had a eureka moment when I transferred from a waitressing position, to working in the kitchen. I was there for about one month, and have recently started my new job. And goly gosh (yes I just said that) am I glad I did! If I could smile all day long like a cheshire cat I would, pretty sure they'd all think I was a fruit loop if I did though right?
So yeah, I'm pretty excited about it all ;)

So after almost a week of inductions and health and safety hoops to jump through I was finally allowed into the kitchen! As I arrived for my first "proper" shift I was actually slightly nervous, but I was greeted by so many welcoming hello's and and how are you's, that that feeling quickly vanished. I started the day off prepping for the breakfast service, making little layered muesli pots, which gave me so many ideas for future breakies. Later on in the day I got to try my hand at writing in chocolate, not bad for a first timer?

Not long after this I was set the task of making pizza bases from scratch, a skill I shall happily be testing and adapting with the help of some friends soon no doubt! And the next thing I knew my shift was over and it was time for me to go home, thats right, I was finishing work at 4pm on a Friday, oh how I could get used to this ;) 

Since then I've been shown how to prep all the dishes for my section and today was my first shift being left alone with the cold section. So if they wanted salads, starters, or puds I was their girl. It all went really well! 

I think I am one of those lucky little bunnies that can genuinely say she loves her job! :) 

Chai seeds, Coconut Milk and Raspberry Compote.

Sorry I've been a little quiet the past few days! I've been rather busy with the new job, which I am LOVING btw! I'll do a little post all about it in the morning!
 
This was my first purely vegan pud I've ordered in a restaurant and I wasn't dissapointed. It tasted a little like rice pudding, with a slightly different texture. I must admit it took me a while to figure out whether or not to chew it. The answer was not. Such a pretty little dessert....

I'll definitely be ordering this one again. While we're on the subject of alternative milks, if like me you're trying to avoid dairy where possible then this might interest you. Non dairy milks have recently become a lot more popular, you've probably noticed a rise in Soya milk, but I have noticed that some people are unsure of the benefits of soy... Some nutrition experts love the stuff, saying it will help maintain a healthy body, others say it can cause huge issues with hormone balances. Due to the confusion surrounding this I am going to try out all the other alternatives first. I noticed in my local supermarket the other day they are now selling Oat, Rice and other non dairy flavoured drinks! This is great news, no falling off the band wagon cos we want a homemade milk shake and Holland and Barrett is closed!!
I'm hopefully gonna get my hands on an icecream maker in the next couple of weeks so I'll be whipping up lots of non dairy treats in time for summer. Yummyyyyy....

Food and Wine Tasting Evening

Last night I attended a Food and Wine Tasting event at one of my local pubs. I wasn't really partaking in the wine side of things to my friends delight. More food for me, more wine for her, everyone's a winner. It was a great little social event amongst friends. We were given a variety of little dishes, but the main emphasis was on the booze, I'll warn you now if you are wanting to learn a little about the different types of grapes, and what compliments what, you're on the wrong blog. Sure, they gave us some pointers along the way, but if there is a plate of spicy chicken wings in front of me you can bet any money I'm probably not listening to you. And here comes the food!

This was obviously when I perked up, but as previously stated, I couldn't tell you a thing about the wine, but damn those chicken wings were hitting the spot.

Next up, crusty bread, dipping oils, and saucisson. The bread was lovely and warm and I was more than happy tearing, dunking and chomping away on the bread alone. No pork for me, one of my food allergies sadly.

This was followed by a tasty little Gruyere and Pancetta Tartlet, you're probably thinking, well how would you know, you try not to eat dairy and pancetta is BACON which is PORK. All true, but I have had the pleasure of eating it before my digestive system got all pathetic about a year ago. God I miss Bacon!

One of my favourite salads, the tuna niciose. This was a mini version, and a idea greatly executed, cherry tomatoes and a quails egg replaced the original ingredients you'd expect to find. The tuna was seared and deliciously rare....I'd eat everything rare given the chance.

After this, a selection board of goodies, many of which I can no longer eat, but have tasted in the past. scotch eggs, spicy king prawns, smoked duck and fig Rolls. The Scotch Eggs are the cats pajamas, the spicy king prawns did exactly what they said on the tin. Spiiiiiiicyyyyyyy. The duck rolls were nice, however as a huge duck fan I'm personally all about the crispy duck, confit de canard or duck spring rolls.

And last but not least, the pud. Now I do apologise, this one was so yummy looking I'd already devoured it before I could take a photo. Food Blogger Fail Number One. But to paint you a mental image it was, homemade shortbread, fresh cream and strawberries. NOM.

After a few hours of laughter and well needed catch ups I said my goodbyes and rolled on home.

Eccles Cakes.

It was one of my last days at my old job and as it was relatively quiet so I was asked to make some Eccles Cakes, for those of you that haven't come across these before, they're a bit like mince pies, but lighter and less boozy. Don't let that put you off, they're still scrummy and super easy to make if you decide you want some little bite size treats.

First sold in 1793 by James Birch in the town of Eccles, these tasty little things have been popular ever since. No one is sure who actually invented the recipe but who cares, lets get baking! ;)

With this recipe you can either use ready rolled puff pastry or make your own, as I was at work I used ready rolled. I then cut them into little discs, about the size of your palm, not including your fingers.

Right time to make the mix, all you need is:

25g melted butter

200g raisins or currants

100g brown sugar

50g orange zest

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp nutmeg 

Stick it all in a bowl and combine with a fork.  You're not expecting a smooth texture, just all mixed up like this...

 These measurements make a fair amount of the filling but because the discs are small just put a tsp of it in the centre of each disc, anymore and the folding technique will be a nightmare.

 

Dab a little water all the way around the edge of the pastry, now pinch the pastry into three points like this....

 

The next part can be rather fiddly as the pastry tends to be very fragile. Pinch the points to where you can start to feel the filling and then fold to one side. Do this is in the same direction for each one...

Now gently place it on the counter and SMASH your palm down on it. More slow mo smash than hulk smash. It should now look a little something like this...

 

Time to make it shine, brush with milk and sprinkle with caster sugar.

 

Mmmmmm sparkly! Now just place them all on a baking tray with baking paper in it. Don't worry too much about leaving space between them. They don't tend to expand out, just up. Now just pop them in a pre heated oven at 180C for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

I'm not too sure how many of these will actually make it to the customers, the chefs keep sneaking them away, naughty naughty! I can't blame them really, once you have one you want the whole lot! 

What's that in your mouth Emma? 

Oh.... I'm just doing "Quality Control" ;)

 

Meat Liquor with the boys.

I don't know about you but I have a list as long as my arm filled with all the restaurants, clubs, pubs and cocktail bars that I MUST go to. Meat liquor was certainly at the top. Last night after a very chilled day in the park soaking up the sunshine, we decided it was about time we checked it out. Normally you have to queue for a good half an hour at least to get a table. But not today. We arrived slightly before 9, I won't lie to you we had already had a pit stop at the Three Tuns for a quick drink and sharing platter. By the time we got there it was still packed and our names were added to a list and pointed in the direction of the bar. The place is very dark as you'll see by my photos in a second, it has an American grunge feel about it, which I loved. We ordered our first drink, I was very aware that the bartender looked a little like Channing Tatum. 

"Even if the foods bad I may have to bring my girlfriends back just to look at you I thought" 

We were shown to our table and given menus, now at this point I was slightly confused/disappointed I'd come to a place called MEAT liquor and there's wasn't a single straight up steak dish...is this some sort of joke?! My love for steak can sometimes cloud my vision when it comes to perusing a food menu. 

Anyway I went for the next best thing. And my god I felt like a fool for my mini tantrum.

It looks yucky with the flash but...

This is the Phili Cheesesteak. Shavings of rump steak, green peppers and cheese all wrapped up in a big bun. I'm not a fan of the flash at all, I'm all about natural light, which we really were lacking. But you know what they say? If you lower one sense, you heighten another! Trust me your taste buds will thank you for the darkness. The boys being boys all plumped for burgers ofcourse and a side of chilli fries. 

By this point I was winning the fight against my food, I'd decided to tackle the problem with both hands. 

Now this is where it all got a bit silly. And by that I mean, I got a little silly. Due to my deliriously happy state I really wasn't thinking before speaking, to the boys delight! If you're out with the lads I wouldn't suggest ever saying "oh my god! I'm getting more meat between my legs than in my mouth" 

My Phili monster was awesome but then I had a bite of one of the burgers and it was a game changer! Word on the street is the wings are pretty neat too. 

Thanks for having us Meat Liquor, we'll be back soon. 

Green Smoothie: The Hulk

This smoothie was a monster. It was such a beast I had to chuck all the ingredients into the food processor before the blender would even look at it. It's also super green and packed with slow releasing energy, so you can take over the world all day long! I was in a rush to catch some rays today, I've got my priorities sorted ;) so I didn't take any step by step photos as such but I did get to use my portable smoothie flask for the first time.

So in todays smoothie we have:
Half a Cucumber
1 Pear
1 Green Apple
3 handfuls of Spinach
2tbsp of Honey
2 dashes of Cinnamon
2 dashes of Nutmeg
3 handfuls of Rolled Oats
5 ice cubes

This one took a while to get down to a consistency that didn't make me want to chew it. But my word it was refreshing on a day like today! The cucumber made it chilling and perfect to slurp on the sticky tube so stop me losing my marbles. The crazy colour may put off some people from trying it but that just means more for us...wahoooo!

Granted, it is super green but it tasted a little like an iced chai latte minus the coffee YUM! Even my buddies that work in Cocktail bars were impressed. And that's saying something for a bunch'a'boys who love their liquor. 

Green Smoothie: Berry Berry Good!

I was feeling rather fruity this morning, the sun was shining, I was smiling. So there was only one thing for it! A berry explosion for breakfast of course! I ran to the fridge and pulled out the basics. Hi there Mr Spinach, this morning you shall be getting up close and personal with:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
a few scoops of my homemade Watermelon Sorbet

 Bung it all in the blender and BUZZINGA!

Check out all those flecks of colour! This smoothie was delicious although I wouldn't suggest it if you are trying your first green smoothie. This one would be a great one to get you started!

English Tea Shop: Calming Blend.

A very food friend of mine invited me over to her new place the other. And me oh my it's stunning. Such a calming atmosphere about the whole place, the sound of the Thames and a steamy mug of tea in our hands we caught up on atleast a years worth of gossip and life stories. J is the type of friend that you hold very dear to you, hardly ever see but when you do it's like no time has passed at all. I told her all about my new healthy living plan and she was super excited for me. As a nutritionist she had lots of advice and inspiration to share with me.  We have lots of foodie adventures planned :D and I can't wait.  Even during the short time I was there she helped me with my food allergies, suggested alternatives and generally go me excited about foods I didn't even know existed. She's great. Ill be posting about her lots (sorry J) Next stop, growing my own EVERYTHING. And hunting down this tea....

.

 
As a liquorice hater I was totally shocked when J introduced me to this, the liquorice adds a cooling effect when drank that is so incredibly calming. Hence the name ;) If I had to drank one thing for the rest of my days, it would be this. Although I would never get anything done and it makes me all melty and chilled. Ohhhh I've found it! You can buy it from here or you can check out the official website with all the amazing flavours here.  As if that wasn't enough we then decided to head off for a jacuzzi, pool and sauna session. SUPER BLISSED. Today has been delightful. We've just rustled up a yummy healthy dinner too. 

It's a veggie bananza with a touch of chili, some tuna and under that mountain of goodness some whole wheat brown pasta too. Scrummy. We're about to embark on some baaaad tv and films. BEST, DAY, EVER.

Breakfast for Kings.

Breakfast really does set you up for a good day. I could have a crappy breakfast and roll around all day like a depressed slug. Today just wasn't going to be one of those days.
Get a load of this.

Banana Pancakes (you can check out my recipe here) with maple syrup, half a pint of OJ and a pear with Greek yoghurt and honey. There'll be no slugging today. I think breakfast/brunch is my favourite meal I'm gonna whip up lots of pancake recipes soon. 

It's a beautiful sunny day today! I'm off to venture East...in sandals and a sun dress. Finally London has caught up at last, lets hope it sticks around. 

Chocolate Truffles

These chocolate truffles are THE BOMB! And I really don't think they could be easier to make. They are so allergy friendly I think I'd marry them if I could.
Dun dun, dundun...

Here's the good part:
Raw
Gluten Free
Vegan
Dairy Free

....CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES!
I am rather excited about these, they're delicious, I've had two just while writing this up and I won't apologise! (to you, myself or my digestive system)
The girls have tried them, it resulted in smiles and arm flapping, I find this response to be universally good through all ages. Not to be confused with confusion faces and arm flapping, that's a whole different story. :P
You'll notice I haven't even told you anything about the actual truffles yet, that's because they're o quick and easy you'll be done before I can say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
For a recipe with NO SUGAR in it I am bouncing with energy. OK, OK, I'll share the secrets.

INGREDIENTS:
4 tbsp shredded coconut (I had chunks in my cupboard and grated them)
15 medjool dates
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp cacao powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (add more to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 mint leaves finely chopped (this can be swapped out for any flavouring you prefer)


METHOD:
Put it all in the blender

Blend for a couple of minutes until its one big ball.

Scoop it out into a fridgeable container and leave for 10 minutes in the fridge. At this point I had to try some, and that's when the excitement began.

After the 10 minutes bring it out and make into little balls, you decide the size. 

Now just roll them in cacao powder. I love cinnamon so rolled mine in both, you could mix it up a little and try ground almonds, more coconut, mint, chilli powder if you're a crazy cat, even rock salt would work.

Stick in the fridge for another 20 minutes, and they're ready to eat. I would happily eat them in any state ;)

Feel free to thank me later.