I wonder, if I walk into Evans demanding a dress in a size 10 for £10 I can then get my story in the Daily Mail for them being size-ist and erm money-ist? I have just read yet another article with someone ranting and raving because a wedding dress shop didn't stock size 16 samples or any dresses within her budget. Wouldn't you just go to a different shop that had your size and that you could afford? Why do some people think everything should be catered to them and shops aren't allowed to have a niche?

Would you rather?

 

And would you eat

if it meant doing

? And the 30 day shred is a pretty brutal workout. Knowing you have to do all the killer exercises twice makes it that bit harder mentally than something like Tae-bo where I can never remember the sequence and it keeps changing.

I went shopping for work clothes today. I've tried to do this many times but I either don't find anything and give up or I buy something, change my mind and take it back a week later. I had a faux-wake up call when I tried on a size 10 fitted shirt and it was a bit tight. Then I tried on a 12 and it was tight. 14? Tight. Then I held them all up together and realised they were all exactly the same size but with different size labels. Weird, huh? I should still fit comfortably into a size 10 though, I'm short, young and of reasonably small build so it's safe to say that I need to focus on my body again and lose a few pounds! The other thing I realised is that I don't have trouble shopping because I don't like the clothes, it's because I don't like the way I look/feel in the clothes. I love clothes!

I did it!

I now have a first class degree in mathematics! 
I did the rounds calling/texting the usual people and did get a bit teary eyed when I remembered I couldn't call Nan. She got ill in April and passed away at the beginning of May. She was already chuffed that I'd gone to uni in the first place as I was the first in the whole extended family, but she would be ringing up half of Birmingham right now. I can't quite believe I did so well this semester with all that went on. I attended my Nan's funeral, handed in and presented my dissertation and sat all my exams in the space of a week.
Right, now it's time to get on with my new job and my OU degree.


I just got this message from my sister: Why didn't you dumb yourself down a bit, now dad will expect me to get a first and that's impossible
Ahhhhh!

D'oh!

Since moving to a flat with nowhere to grow (not even a window ledge) and an allotment waiting list longer than a murder sentence, I've start foraging more. I've been scouting out the best local foraging spots and I've noticed that there's so much unused land here and noone seems to enjoy the countryside and woods that surround the town. I started wondering, if next time I take a bag of nettles home would anyone even realise if I planted cuttings of another weed or even kale seedlings in their place? There are also small patches of recently coppiced woodland where light now reaches the ground and nettles are starting to grow. I could easily scatter those patches with seeds and cuttings and they may well grow.
OH actually works in a lab and is going to analyse a few samples on his break and bring home some old soil suitable fot potting. I have no idea why I never thought to ask him to bring home potting soil before, like when i had a garden.

"Yes, that's a tampon in my mouth"

I just read the most amazing thing ever. This isn't just any tampon, it's an M&S ta... no! It's a Tactical Adventure Medical Preparedness Outdoors Necessity.
T.A.M.P.O.N

I have to try some of those!

Loaded Questions

OH just asked me "Do you think middle class people are intrinsically better than lower class people? Because they have more money" almost completely out of the blue. Most definitely a loaded question, and you know when you can tell someone's expecting, if not willing, you to give a certain answer? Well according to OH almost a year ago I thought middle class people were better than lower class people. I would never say that. It's one of those things that I would never, ever say. It's completely the opposite of everything I believe and the way I've been brought up- the opposite of me in general!
My OH often says that I interpret things in the wrong way and I forget what I've said or remember situations wrongly. Generally it's things that happened months ago in passing conversation and I don't remember every little thing so I just accept that he's right, but I'm seriously starting to doubt that. Maybe it's him getting things wrong? It always seemed a bit suspect that I'm the baddy in the "right" story.

Soufflé Omelette

This post on Frugal Queen's blog and my recent obsession with whisking things inspired
me to make one of my favourite low cost, low carb dishes for lunch today.

Soufflé Omelette!

I originally thought this was just another of
my experiments that noone else would touch
with a barge pole, but apparently it's perfectly
normal!


Whisk two egg whites- like hell I'm going to
get an electric whisk out for this, just rub a
hand one between your palms! Fold them
into a handful of chopped spinach and two
egg yolks (or one or zero even!) and fry for
a minute. Top with a few slivers of cheese
then grill for another minute or two.


It's lovely and fluffy, until you fold it and squash
half the air out like I do. It makes a measely
two egg omelette feel much more substantial.

Food For Free

A few people on the MSE forums reccommend Food For Free by Richard Mabey and I really liked the sound of it. Plants, trees and fungi, the perfect book to carry on my walks for impromptu foraging. I went to have a flick through the newest edition today before ordering it online and I was so disappointed. It was more like a coffee table book with a beautiful, but not very helpful, photograph of each plant with a vague description and suggestion of some recipe.
To put it bluntly, I'm a dumbass. I need something which helps me identify a plant not only up close, but also from a distance and with lots of detail, maybe even point out the differences between it and some not so good relative. The book was really thick and heavy too. It's a hardback so duh but I was really hoping for something I could take out with me.
I have an amazing fungi book, I must see if they do one of edible plants too.

My first attempt at elderflower champagne is in plastic milk and water bottles in the bath. Does the job but doesn't look great. I've already tasted it and it's lovely so I'm going to make some more tomorrow. I'd like to use some of it for presents but what can I put it in that looks half decent? I'm not going anywhere near glass bottles!

A very expensive day

I started off today walking an hour in the rain to the Dentist to save the £1.90 bus fare.
I usually keep my phones in my hand/pockets but didn't want to risk them getting rained on. Oh how ironic that is because half way I go to get my phone out to check the time and route (I haven't been in two years... oops!) and my water bottle has cracked and flooded my bag. My old phone is flashing and vibrating madly and my new phone has been taken over by a poltergeist photographer. I poured the water out of my bag, dismantled my phones and trudged on. I was soaking wet, freezing cold and also sweaty by the time I got to the dentist. My dentist has changed and this one is much better, he finally told me why my teeth are so mottled. Fluorosis! I have suspected this for years but my old dentist didn't care, the new one reckons I ate toothpaste as a child (I know I didn't, I reckon it's more to do with drinking 10 litres of fluoridated water a day before moving). I'm going back in two weeks for fissure sealing and as that comes under the £48 price bracket he's also going to cover all the dark dots with white filling. Brilliant! Ish. Fortunately I have a box of crest white strips already to use after that to lighten the rest of my teeth. I'm not all that vain when it comes to teeth but it really bugs me that I look after them really well yet they look naff because of the mottled discolouration.
-£48
But I did walk home without going to the charity shops.
So now I have my old phone in pieces in rice and my new phone has been dismantled and is in our very cool airing cupboard. The old phone is doomed, guess it couldn't handle another bag flood or dip in the toilet/puddle/bath/glass of rum. My new phone is semi-working but it looks like I'll have to claim on the insurance which has a £25 excess.
-£25

Today has been expensive and frustrating.
-£73
Oh and I was just about to buy some shirts and £10 dresses for work in the River island sale when the site went to holding page! Apparently the site will be up again after 2am so I'm trying to stay awake despite wanting to go to sleep desperately. I really didn't want to spend much on clothes for work but I couldn't find any cheap shirts that fitted in the usual places, no small sizes in local charity shops and my smart clothes from when I worked at a jewellers are far too small. I'd have to lose a stone or two to fit in them and I don't think I'll ever be that thin again. I honestly think my bones grew when I put on weight, they seemed to catch up and my hips, knees and ribs actually grew!

Cupcake Factory

There's a production line going on in the house right now. House, not kitchen, because the kitchen is so tiny me, Mum and my sister can't all really fit in it at the same time. Anyway, we're making blueberry & lime, rose water & white chocolate and lavender & honey. Personally I hate honey and rose water and white chocolate and I would never waste something as expensive and delicious as blueberries in cakes, but my Mum and sister don't live by the same budget constraints as I do and they really love baking.
They look nice but they're hardly works of art. Who has time to make 50 little sculptures? And why is everyone making little cakes in the very upright cases lately? Ho hum.

Mushroom soup?

I inherited the mixing bowl and soup bowls from my Nan. I love the mixing bowl, it's really solid but I must admit I don't recognise it. However I do remember the soup bowls being used all the time, but we never made the recipes which are oddly in cups and the other in ounces! Most people talk about their Nan's amazing resourceful cooking but mine made very simple food from cheap ingredients and rarely ever baked. I've also got boxes of patterns, wool and fabric to go through and I will make something.

My "aunt and uncle", friends of my grandparents who are pretty much family, are visiting and have some really good stories that my Nan never told me. Like my Nan going to court for fighting with a prostitute on her street who had noisy American customers! My grandparents were real characters, if a bit rough. My Nan's family were Romanian Gypsies who settled in Birmingham when my Nan was young and my Grandad's were cheeky salt of the earth types. My Grandad on the other side is a settled Irish Traveller (most of the family are settled) and my Nan that side has Irish Traveller roots too. I think it's hard to be Irish without a little Traveller in you. That side of the family is even more scandalous- they moved away and lied about my Dad's date of birth (he found out when in hospital at 18) to hide that my Nan was pregnant before she got married. Enough waffling, every family has interesting history in a way. Ours isn't particularly grand or exciting but it is funny and we sure know how to have a good time.


Ooohh and my £9.99 H&M shirt just sold for £23.67 on ebay! And my sister's perfume she paid ~£25 sold for £42!

I had a chat with my new boss yesterday about my job and I'm kind of disappointed. There were a lot of the same positions available around the country/London which were apparently all very similar, except mine it seems. Instead of it being entirely statistics based and just getting on with stuff, I also have to deal with the press, freedom of information etc for the entire department. I can understand why they put me there as my last job was a combination of stats and PR and the other new starters are somewhat lacking in communication skills, but i'm still a little gutted. Maybe it will make my days more interesting? Going in expected the worst isn't going to do me any favours so I best start on some "positive thinking"!

OH and I didn't go to the auction for the land near us. I spoke to the agent and the guide price was £10k per acre but it was expected to go for much more to the local residents. I can't help checking out what's around but know I won't be buying anything purely mine (not with OH) for a while.

PAYE...

I've just had my Dad on the phone reading my post to me through the envelope using a torch! I have another check for overpaid tax, this one's from 2011/2012. I had 2009/2010 last week but still not 2010/2011 which is worth the most by far and the one I've been trying to get hold of for six months! I always lose track of how much tax I pay, it's bad I know. I used to be awful with knowing how much I had in my account to, I just knew I could spend up to X and have Y left and that was it, as long as I spent under X I didn't care!

OH and I were discussing savings last night, then the annoyingly long allotment list and the people on the committee who have two or three or more and huge gardens, then about wanting our next move to be to a house. Eventually we got to the topic of "investing" in land. OH's savings (which are far greater than mine) are earning very little right now and he wants to look into using some of it to buy a small plot of land locally. By small I mean 2 or 3 acres maximum but most likely even less than that. The "return" would be vegetables grown, edible weeds, occasional rabbits and maybe renting a bit out as allotments. He wants to look at some small plots being sold off by our local council which have various conditions making them undesirable for "developers" and "investors" so he's hopeful they will be reasonably priced.

It will be a long time before I have enough money to even consider something like that so I guess I'm just leaving him to it. It would be amazing, but it's one of several things he's considering.

I'm on a money making drive. Ebaying is going okay, I've made £40 so far but have 27 items listed right now and more to go up when I get home. My sister's joining in too and has listed some of her old/unused clothes. I'm sure I used to be the daughter with the bulging wardrobe who blew every penny on clothes.
Other than selling all my possessions I'm struggling to think of other ways to make some cash. My only viable idea so far is revamping charity shop clothes to sell on ebay. Turning a size 20 brown sack into a size 8 "vintage" tea dress is something I'm actually good at. If I can find a few dresses or large shirts for under £3 I'll see what I can do.

Inner Peace

I read an article at work today where a certain niché cosmetics brand claimed it could cure emotional pain through appropriately scented products, facials, massage and holding imaginary emotional camp fires inviting the people who've hurt you. So uh, first thoughts were "what the..." and I assumed it to be complete garbage, but as I read on I started to come around to these seemingly daft ideas. Aromatherapy and meditation are exactly the sort of things you'd expect me to be into, but I've never given them much thought before. Too much sitting around doing nothing for my liking, and thus unproductive. But if I'm releasing stress and focusing my mind, won't I be more efficient in what I do? Doesn't that make me more productive? And I am the most stressed out and irritable person I know, I really do need to just chill the fuck out!
So 10 minutes of meditation and mindfulness has been added to today to-do list. At 9pm I'll light my Neom Happiness candle and just shut up and keep still for a bit. Breathe and relax. Maybe I could incoporate a little into my morning yoga? Hmmm.

My to-do list is pretty full this evening. Even after six hours at work and a lecture, I have a lot more that I want to do! I've done all the printing and boring admin stuff, bread is half made, I've done my hair and tested out a new foundation (Dior Forever something- bit matte for my liking). I still need to hunt out some more data for my dissertation, spend 20 minutes making notes on today's lecture and fill out some more of the job applications.

Oh yeah, bread baking is back on my weekly schedule! It seems wheat isn't the problem, as I still had the shortness of breath after a few wheat-free meals. And a huge crazy reaction to a woman at work who has cats. Urg. Doctors wednesday, we'll see how it goes. I really hope I don't have the miserable bloke who starts writing a prescription for antibiotics before I've even sat down. I do not need anymore antibiotics!

Mmm Flakey

OH is staying at his new place for the night, partly due to the snow still being quite heavy up there and partly to unpack some more. This means I'm free to do any of the pesky little jobs off my to-do list in peace, but my latest little illness means the only one I feel up to is "keeping warm and getting some sleep". I've just had a hot bath and smothered myself in a combination of The Body Shop Passionfruit Body Butter and Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter. The first smells delicious (my idea of comfort and luxury is something that smells good) and the latter is purely functional. Last night I caked OH in the Baby Bottom Butter as his skin is so dry from 1) the cold 2) working in a dusty lab with hot ovens and he wouldn't stop moaning about being sore and dry. Um... moisturise!!

The cold is making me pretty dry too, my face is screaming out for even more oil and butters. I suppose that's partly due to me tackling a mini breakout with salicylic acid. My skin wants to peel but I keep slathering it in oil, resulting in a very drawn out peeling where I've been just slightly dry for almost a week. DELICIOUS.

Never mind fashion hauls, check out my fruit haul!

...or not. As the phone I've been using to take photos lately won't upload them to the computer! GRRRR!!
It seems as if South America has a bumper blueberry crop right now as they're incredibly cheap. I oh so foolishly went to Waitrose first to get one of their big £3 packs (admittedly, they are firm and sweet and just lovely). I went to market second, with the intention of getting some organic veg from the er... organic veg bloke. I'm trying to be good and eat more organic y'see. So I got my beets, broccoli and greens for a very reasonable price then at the next stall along I spied blueberries for £1. Not just one pack for £1, but four! I weighed them when I got in and they're just over a kilo in weight! Admittedly they're a bit soft, but perfect for blending or mixing into yogurt, porridge or muffins.

When I eventually own my own house, I'd like to have enough space to plant blueberry bushes. And sweet chesnut trees, apple treas, pears, cherry, almond, the list goes on really. I basically want an entirely edible garden! And some chickens, ducks or rabbits would be nice. I grew up in a big city in teeny council houses, but weirdly we always had fruit trees, veg plots and chickens. I didn't appreciate them much at the time but now I can't wait to have my own.


Right, it's absolutely freezing and I'm peckish, so I think I'll go make some blueberry porridge :)

Oh God, OH's car is buggered. Again. He's only had the thing two months and has already had to replace the battery and get the AA out because the key stopped working. He's just taken it to a garage because the breaks seemed a bit funny this week... turns out the cables have split, break fluid has leaked on his tyres (? i know nothing about cars), his breaks are duff and sorting all this out plus a service is costing him a grand. It's a scratched up X reg estate but it was free from a relative and only had 50,000 miles on the clock, so he thinks spending £1500 on it is a better deal than just buying a second hand car for a few hundred more.
What can you do, eh? Having it out of action this weekend is causing so much trouble. He was supposed to be picking up a brand new leather sofa for £300 today for his new flat, but now is stuck at his old place with virtually nothing and he can't go to mine because I'm not there!

The new flat is in a lovely village in Hertfordshire, full of £1 million+ houses which apparently need redecorating on a yearly basis so there's lots of brilliant quality second hand stuff on ebay and gumtree. Think imported and bespoke furniture at less than DFS prices. Since he can't have the £300 sofa anymore, we're watching some lovely looking stuff on ebay.
It's a bit complicated,I should be moving in, but because of my job I can't until May/June when I graduate and can change jobs. I say that as if getting a job is so easy HA!

I'm currently staying with my parents in Birmingham for the weekend, and it is a wee bit boring as everyone's busy! I've just made a big batch of soup from a Waitrose recipe card. I had a bowl for lunch and it was delicious, the rest is going in my Nan's freezer as she's a bit of a soup addict.



Here's the recipe. It's almost a store cupboard recipe, aside from the stick of celery (not essential) and the orzo. Orzo is just pasta shaped like rice and it doesn't really add much to the soup, I'm sure smashed up spaghetti would have the same effect. I took out half, blended it, then mixed it back in and it made it a much thicker, heartier soup. So hearty that it doesn't even require bread!

Nip+Fab

I forgot to photograph my lunch again, argggg!!! Why why whyyy do I find that so difficult to remember to do? It has a really tasty one too. Lentils, tomatoes, loads of veggies and a little wholewheat pasta.
Must remember tomorrow! Also, note to self: buy more protein powder. I got totally carried away trying to work out a super charged protein powder blend full of anti-oxidants and fiber, but now I've realised that I really should invest in some plain protein powder to add to my juices/smoothies.

Anyway, today I got three new products. Absolute bargain and they're apparently hot stuff so it's okay... Is it? Kind of. Maybe not. Eh? Never mind!
Nip+Fab Bust Fix, Dry Leg Fix and Tummy Fix. I'll be using each of them religiously every night and will report back with progress on a weekly basis. Then writing humongous reviews for Boots, Ciao, makeupalley etc either rating or slating 'em.



Back away from the shift key Aimee, that's enough exclamation marks for tonight.

Exercise

Somedays you just don't have time for a big workout but you can still fit something in. I like to do a few mini circuits of compound exercises while I'm doing something like cooking dinner or making a cup of tea. Boiling the kettle is just long enough to drop and do 20 press ups, and you can fit a whole workout into making dinner. My favourite exercises for this are jump lunges, press ups and knee hug crunches. They're all high intensity compound exercises that work major muscle groups and get the job done fast.
If you're a beginner, do 10 jump lunges (that's five each side), 10 press ups from knees and 5 knee hug crunches in a row, then take a minute break and do it again. Do the whole thing at least three times, if you think you can do it again, go for it! The fitter you are, the more reps you can do. If you think you can do it all again, then go for it. If it burns, it's working! I learnt in yoga that your body really starts to change when you learn to push through the pain and discomfort. It's a mental thing really. So that lunge is starting to make your thighs burn? Lunge deeper for five deep breaths then stretch it out and do it again! You feel so much more accomplished and mentally stronger when you can overcome your whining body.

No matter how short the workout is, you should still warm up just a little bit. Even just a few jumping jacks, shoulder rolls and hip circles are good enough for a workout like this. And give your muscles a quick stretch at the end.








Now I really want to exercise!

Green Pea Pesto Ravioli

Green Pea Pesto Ravioli

What I ate today... no, um... a few days ago

I've been meaning all week to make a post about what I eat in the average day. I generally have a pretty good diet but of course, the only day I remember to photograph everything is a pretty carb heavy one where my treat of the day is a mince pie and chocolate! Though it's not that bad I guess...

So what did I eat?
6.30 carrot, orange and red cabbage juice. It tastes a lot better than it sounds! I then did a circuit workout followed by...
7.30 two fried eggs with a slice of "savoury pulp loaf"(pulp muffins in a loaf tin)
11.30 banana, obviously
1.30 salad! that's a small tin of sardines and ~40g dry weight of macaroni, under that there's a few cherry toms, a celery stick, 2" diced cucumber, a big handful spinach and loads of lettuce
5.00 got in from work and had my first mince pie since 2010! and a lindt choccy :)
7ish "minestrone stew" which is just pasta, carrot, red cabbage, butter beans, olives, celery, tomatoes, peppers, onions and chorizo bunged together. I just make this to use up odd bits of veg and season with whatever seems appropriate.

This was around 1400-1500 calories, I don't know exactly because I'm not obssessive. I just know that I got in plenty of vegetables, protein after exercise, good fats from oily fish and a nice treat after a rubbish day at work.
I'll try my best to document at least another day this week, hopefully one where I eat a little better.


I've been so busy with exams this week that I haven't been able to write much and there are so many things I want to talk about!! Vitamin C serum, oil cleansing, herbal remedies talk with my Mum... And more!

Lettuce, kale, spinach and kiwi blended with cucumber, apple, carrot and broccoli juice. Yum! I basically just grab anything and everything and shove them together, so far I've loved them all. I just love that green taste!
I keep meaning to use my actual camera, not my phone, as the photos don't show just how vibrantly coloured all these juices and muffins actually are.
You can also see some chipped nail varnish, proof that I'm fabbing just a little bit.



My "housemates" are driving me insane right now. The two crazy ones are being extra crazy and unreasonable since going home for Christmas. I don't generally get annoyed with people but they are all my pet peeves amplified and rolled into one- being controlling, selfish and not practising what you preach. I could go on and on about what they do and why I'm so annoyed this time, but there isn't much point. I'm trying to remove stress from my life by ignoring them and the sarcastic rants they leave on the fridge, white boards and tiles when they're not satisfied with something. And the 26 year old one that has tantrums(the worst being when she found out a guy she stalks was moving in with his girlfriend and she trashed her room then screamed at us and cried for hours) can stomp and howl as much as she likes, I'll just pop some music on. Calmly talking to them about problems has never worked, so I'm going to ignore them instead.
Seeing as stress is so bad for your health maybe this will do me some good, or at least make room for the stress of all these exams! I'm definitely gonna have to squeeze a bubble bath in tonight!

Juicy!

My juicer arrived today! It's a Philips 1861 from Amazon and came with a surprise free Jason Vale recipe book. I whipped it out as soon as it arrived and made myself a yummy glass of carrot, apple, cucumber and celery juice and it was SO good! I then raided the fridge for more veggies and made 1L of juice for me and OH to drink tomorrow morning using 2 apples, 3 carrots, 1 cucumber, celery stalks, broccoli stalk and several handfuls of kale and spinach (note, pack leaves tighter next time for more juice!). But with juice, comes pulp and like hell am I gonna throw it in the bin! It was time to get cooking...


There are surprisingly few juice pulp recipes knocking around the internet. The ones I could find often used very little pulp and were mostly sweet with lots of added sugar and nasties. I wanted a healthy pulp recipe to go with my healthy juice recipe, so I did what I do best and made something up!





Savoury Pulp Muffins

1 cup wholewheat flour
1 packed cup juicer pulp
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb
2 eggs
heaping tbs sour cream or yogurt
1 tbs olive oil
pinch salt
tsp dried herbs
50g grated cheddar + a few chunks to top

Mix all the ingredients together and dollop into muffin cases topping each one with a little chunk of cheddar.
Bake for 20 minutes at 180C or until a tooth-pick comes out clean.

I wasn't expecting much from these, especially as I'd used such a high ratio of pulp to flour but they're delicious and full of flavour. My housemate reckons they'd be good with a sauce or as dumplings but I like them just as they are. They're quite eggy so those who aren't keen on eggs might want to use just the one and add extra oil and cream.


The muffins only used up 1/3 of my pulp so I tried dumping a cup of pulp in with a tin of tomatoes and some fried onion and courgette to make a pasta sauce. Um... not such a success, way too much pulp. It's perfectly tasty spread on ryvita and would probably make amazing wraps, but was a bit too fibrous for pasta.
Tomorrow I'm going to try adding mince to the remaining "pasta sauce" to make spag bol- I genuinely think it'll be quite nice.


It's pretty clear that I won't be able to keep up with eating all the pulp. As long as I'm not having to compost more than 1/2 of it I'll be happy.

Future juicy plans:

• use cheap fruit & veg being sold off at market at closing time
• research the properties of juiced herbs
  
• try blending in bananas, avocados and other soft fruits
  
• keep fruit pulp separate for savoury recipes
• keep carrot pulp for carrot cake
• conjure up some other recipes for the other vegetable pulp

Ummm... how fab am I otherwise? Well, I still haven't painted my nails and am dressed á la bag lady but at least I'm fabbing from the inside out ;)

Comfort Food

I rarely eat potatoes, but I just love a baked spud every now and then. It's so warm and comforting and not that unhealthy at all. Especially when it's topped with cottage cheese and kidney beans, and eaten with a big green salad, avocado and a tiny blob of mayo.

Gooey Banana Bran Muffins

These high fiber muffins are just over 100 calories a pop and each one contains 4g of fibre. The banana and oil makes them especially sweet and gooey, yet they have less than 5g of sugar each and the fats are mostly omega oils and medium-chain fatty acids such as lauric acid which has prized antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.

In the past I've always made this recipe up on the spot and never bothered to write it down. I'm particularly proud of this batch as they're really moist and here's the recipe:


In true testiment to my hap-hazard cooking technique, this photo doesn't actually include all the ingredients, but here's what you'll actually need:

60g all bran style cereal
60g wholemeal flour
100ml milk
generous tbs greek yogurt
1 tbs virgin coconut oil
1 tbs ground flaxseed
1 egg
1 banana
1.5 tsp baking powder
6 chopped dates
1 tbs chopped nuts


Warm up the milk and melt in the coconut oil, then add the cereal and yogurt and mix it all up and let it soak for a few minutes. Stir in the flour, baking powder, nuts and dates. You can use whatever dried fruit you fancy and could even sub the nuts for chocolate chips.


Mash the banana with the egg and add this to the mix. I then added flaxseed, but if you don't have flax just add another tbs of flour or oat bran. Spoon everything into muffin cases, preferably a little neater and spread them out a bit more than I did! Cook at 180C for ~25 minutes and use the tooth-pick test. This made nine muffins but there's only eight in the last photo because um... I ate one ;)


Virgin coconut oil is one of those wonder foods that top models claim to glug litres of every week. Whilst I wouldn't be so misguided as to believe knocking this stuff back will turn me into Miranda Kerr overnight, it does have some real benefits, a few of which are talked about here. It's definitely expensive compared to most other edible oils but I personally think it's worth it. It's the best dietary source of lauric acid and it also tastes amazing, even just spread on toast! I usually grab a few jars when it's on offer at Holland & Barrat but right now it's cheaper online from OneClickPharmacy.

Elevensies

During a recent discussion on the MSE forums I really wanted to share some of my favourite healthy snacks but then I realised... I barely record any of my recipes! And I really struggled to think of more than a few different ideas off the top of my head. I've decided to make a concerted effort to record more of the healthy recipes I make up or improvise, and log more of my meals. Then I can actually make things more than once and give clearer advice!

Right then! So this was actually today's late breakfast but usually I'd have it as a snack: apple topped with cheddar and almond butter.
I know it's not the most appealing looking photo but I wanted to share a quick snap. The cheese provides a little protein and calcium and is just plain tasty. The almonds are high in B vitamins, manganese(bone health), magnesium(too many benefits to list so read this!), vitamin e, tryptophan(regulates mood, sleep and appetite), phosphorus(bone & blood health, calcium absorption) and fiber. And of course, "good" unsaturated fats which reduce bad cholesterol and are the kind of fats you want to eat!

Almond Butter: Roast almonds in a warm oven for ~15 minutes until the skins start to darken, then blend in a food processor with a little bit of coconut oil or olive oil.
When the bowl of the food processor gets smeared with oils from the nuts, your nut butter is ready. Keep blending for a smoother butter that flavours well.
I like making it even more rich and tasty: add cocoa powder and vanilla extract; cinnamon, rum flavouring and raisins; mulled wine spices and minced meat. It's best to mix the minced meat or raisins in by hand or blend very briefly, unless you'd like streaks of gooey fruit in your nut butter.
Store it in the fridge and eat within a month.



Money Saving Mocha:
I make this when I'm craving a treat or something sweet after dinner. It's much cheaper than bought mixes and is healthier too as it contains only unsweetened cocoa, milk and coffee. Use whatever milk you like and if it's not sweet enough for you add a natural sweetener such as raw honey(apparently eating local raw honey can lessen hay fever symptoms), maple syrup, molasses or stevia.

Put 1tsp cocoa in a cup and mix in 1/4 cup of milk. Fill up with boiling water, add 1tsp coffee and stir until it's all dissolved and delicious!

Sunday is my cooking day where I make my lunches, snacks and a batch of something-or-other to eat during the week so I'll be back with more later :)

Acceptance

I admit it, I'm a beauty addict! Make up, skincare, perfume, aromatherapy, facials, waxing, dying, cutting, styling- everything! I'm pretty much obsessed with anything that smells or looks good. I've recently started to shy away from the slap and become more interested in natural skincare, making my own products, beauty from the inside out and treatments with a more permanent effect. Some things are more common, like making facial oil blends but others are very unusual like derma rolling.
A few things I'll be experimenting with this year and will be documenting here are:

• Green smoothies, juices and supplements. I'm literally just about to buy a juicer so I can really super charge my smoothies with vegetable juices!
• Massage and body brushing. I've been half heartedly body brushing for a while now, but have just started following Carole Maggio's No Lipo Lipo and incorporating some other massage techniques.
• Homemade vitamin C serum, sunscreen and whatever else takes my fancy.
• Derma rolling for stretch marks and large pores.

I like to read detailed reviews and accounts, so that's exactly what you'll find in my posts!

Oh, and I also love cooking and crafts and am slightly erm... adventurous?