Monday’s Meals| Desk time Snacking From Dole Live Right

 

I was contacted by Dole and asked whether I would like to try some of their new Dole Live Right desk snacking range of goodies. As a girl who spends most of her life behind a desk and is always trying to avoid the office box of chocolates that seem to appear form no where I jumped at this opportunity.

Upon receiving the goodies I was pleased to see that they came in handy pouches and bars so I can just throw them in my work bag or desk draw and open them as and when I needed a nibble. I was pleased to see that they are all 100% natural with only fruit nuts and seeds being the ingredients.  I received a wide range of the goodies, which come in 4 different forms but in a wide variety of flavours.  They are sweet in flavour but crunchy and filling, thanks to being crammed full of protein. To begin with I was a little weary of the sugar and carb content, however after speaking to my personal trainer I was pleased to hear that if I ate them at the right time of the day, so as and afternoon snack or ideally after a workout then they are fine as it is natural sugar.

This range is very yummy, very healthy and perfect for work day afternoon snacks. Plus with prices starting from only £1.49 they are very affordable! A new favourite of mine!

Have you tried of heard of the Dole Live Right Desk Snacking Range? What snacks do you grab at 3/4 in the afternoon when your sweet tooth kicks in?

Go check out Christina’s gorgeous blog Kimi and Me for fashion, lifestyle and all things pretty.

Fitness Friday|The Difference Between Good and Bad Carbs

Carbs are a funny little thing aren’t they. So much confusion over one element of our diets. I have been asked a multitude of times “ What carbs should I eat and which one’s should  I not” “Should I not eat carbs at all?” etc. So thought it was about time I did a blog post to help with all the confusion I see. Now I’m not a nutritionist so can’t offer expert advice, but I found the above images helpful and think that they summarize the difference between good and bad carbs in a clear and concise way.

Personally on a typical day I try to avoid simple carbs, my biggest issue is with bread. As much as I love it, it really doesn't agree with me as it makes me bloat so much. You will never find a loaf of bread in my kitchen unless it has been bought for a special occasion. I know many people who don’t eat carbs at all because they find it difficult to digest, so they don’t eat any bread, pasta, rice, or wheat.

The above images also explain why many adopt a carb free diet when they want to drop weight quickly because carbs are more difficult to digest. Carbohydrate foods are also higher in calories because they are our biggest source of energy. So if you stop eating carbs you will automatically reduce the number of calories you eat unless you replace them all with protein, which is lower in calories. Carbohydrate-free diets are very restrictive, so ideally you should instead just chose your carbs wisely. Replace refined white grains with healthier choices such as brown rice and whole wheat bread.

How do you feel about carbs? Are they something you avoid? Do they confuse you?

Go check out Christina’s gorgeous blog Kimi and Me for fashion, lifestyle and all things pretty.

Mondays Meals| Healthier Pizza| Tortilla Pizza

My original low cal pizza is even healthier than this version, however I am yet to perfect it, so you will just have to make do with one of my other healthy pizza recipes for the time being. Now along with cake, pizza is one of my absolute favs! If I had to live off one food for the rest of my life it would be pizza, in fact when I traveled Italy a few summers ago I had pizza everyday for 11 days… that’s a lot of pizza!

Now my love of pizza obviously doesn't fit in well with my new healthy lifestyle… damn you Dominos! So I have been trying to find alternatives to the usual high fat and high calories pizzas you get in your takeaway or supermarket. Many of you will already know of this option, but for those of you who don’t welcome to the Tortilla Pizza!

It’s a very simple, very quick recipe. But if you have a pizza craving and are trying to eat healthy, this recipe will satisfy your craving and still be kind to your waist line. All you need are tortillas, passata/ tomato puree, mozzarella cheese and your choice of toppings.

Simply top your tortilla with your tomato base, then sprinkle mozzarella onto and then add your toppings. Place the tortilla pizza into the oven and bake for around 7-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges are browned.

Now although this isn't the healthiest of meals, it is still a million times more healthy than your local takeaway. Just look at the nutritional content of this pizza compared to the equivalent in Dominos. By making your own Tortilla Pizza which would be ready in half the time it takes for your takeaway pizza to arrive, you could save yourself 667 calories and 34.8g of fat. 

Nutritional Value for the whole pizza- 491 Calories, 27g Carbs, 28g Fat, 33g Protein, 

Dominos Small, Regular Crust, Pepperoni Passion - 1158 Calories, 104.4g Carbs, 67.8g Fat, 56.4g Protein,

Do you have any other homemade takeaway recipe equivalents that you make when you have a craving? Any other healthy pizza options that you would recommend? 

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Fitness Friday| Not all calories are created equal

Today's post is kind of following on from Wednesday as I’m going to talk more about calories. Now I don’t normally talk about calories on here as I didn’t like to restrict myself to calorie counting as I find it to be quite boring. However if you are new to losing weight or trying to learn about nutrition then I would recommend it, as it is a great way to figure out exactly what is healthy and nutritious and what isn’t.

I have recently started calorie counting again for the next couple of weeks just to make sure that I am in fact eating right and not eating things that I didn’t know were high in calories, because it’s quite surprising at what is high in calories of sugar. Food and beverage companies know that health and diet related products sell, so they try to badge up as many of their good as possible knowing people will buy them thinking it will help them lose weight, but if you actually inspected the nutritional value on “healthy” cereal and bars you would be surprised! However I will save this for another post.

Todays post is my attempt to help those who are attempting to calorie count and don’t have a clue where to start. One of the biggest things I have to say is please never ever eat less than 1200 calories at day! Any lower than this means your body has to use your muscle as fuel. 

Onwards from the lecturing, many people calorie count and it does work for them, however one of the biggest complaints with calorie counting is “oh my god I’ve eaten all my calories and its only half way through the day!” “Oh my god 1200-1500 calories is not a lot!” This is a lie! As the title suggest, not all calories are created equal, the picture above demonstrates perfectly that if you eat nutritious and healthy food 12000-1500 calories is a lot more than you would think.

The biggest thing that calorie counting has taught me is how to fuel your body correctly, yes if I ate 2 slices of toast with butter and jam for breakfast, a sandwich and bag of crisps for lunch, a chocolate bar as a snack, I could already be nearing 1200 calories before I even sat down for my dinner (estimate that breakfast- 250cal + lunch 500 cal = snack 250 cal = 1000) However if you make simple changes and chose healthier lower calorie options, then you will have enough calories to eat throughout the day and still feel full. I’ve found that filling up of fruit and veggies as we should all be doing is a great way to feel full and not exceed your calorie count. Experts say that every meal we have should be half filled with vegetables. Perhaps this isn’t realistic for breakfast, but for your other meals it’s very easy to do.

Do you calorie count? How do you find it? Any other tips on how to keep your calorie count down?

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Chocolate inspired Cupcakes

Oh cupcakes! I think I would already have abs if it wasn’t for cupcakes. But what would life be without cake! Let’s be realistic I’m never going to give up cake and chocolate. I really need to get going with finding the perfect healthy cupcake recipe… however I doubt it will ever come close to a fluffy, soft, spongy cupcake.

As everyone knows my love of baking and cupcakes, my birthday presents this year obviously reflected this. I received a gorgeous big heavy mixing bowl, the beautiful cake stand above, multiple molds and tools as well as a cupcake book full of exciting recipes. I think one of the things I love most above cupcakes is how versatile they can be; any flavour, any combination; any toppings!

For my birthday last month the theme was cupcakes and champagne… perfection! So I spent most of the Saturday morning baking about 40 cupcakes. I hadn’t yet received my cupcake book so came up with some flavours of my own; Malteser, Oreo and Rolo. You can see them all above. They were all super simple to make but very tasty. To make them I used my simple vanilla cupcake recipe and then did the following;

Malteser Cupcake

Bash up a load of Mastesers into medium sized chunks. Mix this Malteser dust into the cake mixture. Bake the cakes as normal, then ice them with vanilla icing once cool. To finish top the cupcake with a Malteser.

Oreo Cupcake

Bake the cake  as normal, the magic happens with the icing in this cake. Bash up mini Oreos into a thin dust… make sure there are no large chunks otherwise the icing doesn’t come out of the icing tube. Once you have your Oreo dust mix into buttercream icing and pipe it onto the top of your cakes. To finish top the cakes with a mini Oreo. These cupcakes were the biggest hit with my guests.

Rolo Cupcakes

Part bake your cake mixture then after 10 minute bring the cakes out of the oven and gently push a mini rolo into the centre of each of them. Place the cakes back into the oven to finishing baking. Once cool, ice with buttercream icing. To finish top with a mini Rolo and if you have  it drizzle with caramel sauce.

What is your favourite cupcake flavour? Tell me some interesting recipes and I’ll give them a go!

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Monday’s Meal| Carrot Fries| Healthy Fries

 

This weeks Monday meal is dinner related. Now we all have to eat our veg, if you are aiming for correct portion control, half of your plate should be filled with vegetables. So surely there are fun ways to get your fill of veg instead of them being steamed or boiled... Fear not I have an option.... Carrot fries! 

Now like many if you I often replace potatoes for sweet potatoes or even parsnip so that they are not so carb heavy. However last week I found a recipe for carrot fries and thoughts would give it a go. They were surprisingly very tasty, very fries like and incredibly easy to make.

You will;  500g carrots, 1 tbsp cornflour, 1 tbsp oil, black pepper. (Serves 2)

Simply slice your carrots into skinny fries shape and mix them in a bowl with the cornflour and black pepper so that they are all evenly covered. Then spread the carrots onto a baking tray and bake in a hot oven for 40-45 minutes, turning and shaking them around halfway through. There you go… super healthy and tasty fries that you can serve with a variety of dishes.

Nutritional info: 164cal, 2g protein, 25g carbs, 6g fat, 8g fibre

Be sure to check out Chrissy Lilly’s amazing fitness and health blog. Need inspiration? Her blog will keep you right on track. Plus she’s a lovely girl!

Monday Meals| Two Ingredient Pancakes

Welcome to my latest feature on my blog, and for those of you who enjoy my blog because of its health and fitness side you are in luck because as the title suggest Monday Meals are going to focus around diet, nutrition, planning meals, and recipes. 

I decided to start this feature as I have a number of recipes stored up and they don't quite fit with the title Fitness Friday so decided my diet needed its own special posts. I am hoping that this feature will also encourage me to eat better and learn to cook. I admit I have my fitness pretty much spot on now, it's my diet that lets me down as I am a massive food lover; if I want a Dominos will just order one, if I want a cake I'll make one... It isn't until I've eaten every last morsel that I think... I shouldn't of eaten that. I'm not saying that I won't be eating cake or Dominos anymore, I'm just trying to make sure that these things become treats and aren't part of my everyday diet.

So onto my first recipe; Two Ingredient Pancakes. I admit this recipe is not mine, it is one that I have seen flying around on the Internet, however it is one that I have wanted to try. I used to hate breakfast and never used to eat it, however after changing my lifestyle breakfast is a firm favourite of mine... Especially since discovering healthy pancakes that I can eat without feeling guilty every morning. 

So two ingredient pancakes consist of eggs and banana...yes it sounds weird but I assure you, you cannot taste the egg. They just taste like banana pancakes. These pancakes are the poor mans option when it comes to healthy breakfast pancakes... You don't have to fork out money for protein powder or quinoa. 

One banana and one egg will make two pancakes which equals one breakfast. Simply, mush up the banana stir in the egg until kind of smooth and thick. Heat up your frying pan and cook until ready, flipping when needed. I top mine with either Nutella and fruit or Greek yoghurt and fruit. The magic with pancakes is that topping combinations are endless. 

 

I made a batch of 6 so that I had 3 breakfasts, however I am yet to find an ideal way to store and reheat them without them going a little soggy. I had been wrapping them in tinfoil, storing them in the fridge then microwaving them, but think they may be better toasted. If anyone has any suggestions on how to reheat them please leave a comment. 

 

Nutritional contents for two pancakes- 168 calories, 27g carbs, 5g fat, 7g protein

 

Have you ever tried two ingredient pancakes? What's your favourite healthy breakfast? Or favourite pancake recipe?

 

Be sure to check out Chrissy Lilly’s amazing fitness and health blog. Need inspiration? Her blog will keep you right on track. Plus she’s a lovely girl!

Fitness Friday| Low Cal Cake| Chocolate & Beetroot Cake Recipe

Living a healthy lifestyle means everything in moderation and not depriving yourself of anything! If you want a cake, eat a cake, just don’t them all! I am a massive cake fiend! I love baking them, I love decorating them and I obviously love eating them! So as I would quite happily eat cake most days I thought why not try and make my cake recipes a bit healthier, so if I do indulge I’m not going completely overboard. So I was over the moon when this month Women’s Health magazine featured 5 wonderful health boosting, low cal, cake recipes. I decided that as it was my trainer’s birthday yesterday, I would bake him some healthy Birthday Cake, so everyone at my Kendal Bootcamp Class could try some and be my little guinea pigs!

I made two batches as it was my first attempt at a “healthy cake”, the first batch wasn’t so great. I don’t think I used enough chocolate and didn’t bake it for long enough as it was a little too moist, a little bitter and tasted a lot like beetroot. The second batch was much more successful, it was baked for a few minutes longer so the consistency was cake like but still moist, and there was a little more chocolate in this one, so it tasted like a chocolate cake! The pictures are of the first cake which I dusted with icing sugar, the second cake I topped with a thin layer of buttercream icing… a little bit naughty I know, but it was a Birthday cake! The cake went down very well with everyone at Bootcamp and was a great treat for our hard work. So as it was a success I thought I would share the recipe with you!

You will need;

300g cooked, unseasoned beetroot, peeled and purred, 4 large eggs, 4 tbsp honey, 1tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 125g ground almonds, 135g good quality dark chocolate (It HAS to be good quality!), 8 tbsp olive oil.

Start by pureeing your beetroot in a food processor. Once smooth tip into a bowl and mix in the eggs, honey, vanilla, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Next gently fold in the ground almonds.

Now melt your good quality dark chocolate. Once melted, pour in the olive oil and mix thoroughly; you should be left with a liquid that isn’t separated and is smooth and shiny. Now gently pour the chocolate mixture into the rest of your cake mixture in the bowl and fold gently.

Once everything is combined, pour the cake mixture into a greased cake tin, and bake in your preheated oven at 180c for 35-40 minutes. Try the trusty skewer test to ensure your cake is cooked through!

Finish by either dusting with icing sugar or cocoa powder, or if you are feeling naughty give it a thin layer of buttercream icing! Cut into 8 pieces and at only 260 calories per slice you can really enjoy it!

Have you ever tried chocolate and beetroot cake? Do you have any other favourite healthy cake recipes that I should try next? Do you think you will give this one a go?

Be sure to check out my blogger of the week and fellow Cumbria Blogger Anna from On The Dressing Table. She has the most amazing beauty blog, full of insightful and honest reviews, plus she is the sweetest girl!

Fitness Friday| Overnight Oats Recipe| Easy, Healthy Breakfast

Since moving into my new place I have been on a mission to overhaul my diet and eat fresher, greener and leaner. I eat regularly with 3 meals and 2 snacks each day, but my breakfast and lunch were not the healthiest. They were more grab and go, think cereal bars and cup-a-soups.

However for the past few weeks I have been frantically researching recipes and have discovered two new breakfasts, one of which I’m going to share with you. This week I’m sharing a recipe that is super healthy, easy to make, and the perfect way to start the day… Overnight Oats!

Overnight oats are essentially oats soaked overnight  in any liquid you fancy! The most common mixture is 1/2 of oats, milk and yoghurt. There is absolutely no cooking required so it takes literally minutes to prepare and they are easy to grab as you run out of the door in the morning.

I was dubious at first as I imaged it would just be cold porridge… and who wants to eat that. But the magic with overnight oats is that they can be totally adapted to suit your taste. You can add ingredients the night before and allow them to soak in or just stick with topping your oats with the extra ingredients. Below I am sharing with you my current favourite flavour, but feel free to get creative!

My oats are peanut butter and banana flavoured. The below recipe makes quite a substantial portion but I do a lot of exercise so need it, but if you a more dormant or can’t stomach a big breakfast, try using 1/3 cup of oat,milk and yoghurt. Here’s the recipe;

• 1/2 cup of rolled oats
• 1/2 cup of skimmed milk
• 1/2 cup of low fat natural/greek yoghurt
• 1/2 mushed banana
• 1/2 tbs organic peanut butter

All you do is mix all you ingredients together in a bowl. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge over night. In the morning take them out of the fridge, give it a stir and add whichever toppings you fancy. I add the other half of my banana chopped banana and a small handful of walnuts.

This breakfast is guaranteed to see you right through till lunch!

Nutritional info for the oats without any topping- Calories- 365, Carbs- 55g, Fat 10g, Protein 17g.

What’s your favourite healthy breakfast? Have you ever tried overnight oats? If so what toppings a flavours do you prefer… give me some ideas!

Don’t forget to check out my blogger of the week Natalia from Natalia’s Beauty Blog. If you enjoyed this post Natalia often posts about fitness too, so be sure to give her blog a read. She also has the most gorgeous OOTD posts.

Baba Ganoush Canteen Kendal| The Perfect Brunch

 

Bottom Image from www. Baba-Ganoush.co.uk

Now that my boyfriend Matt is finally moving to live in the same town of me, we finally have the opportunity to discover some new eateries, and our first stop was Baba Ganoush. If you are from the Lake District in Cumbria you will of probably heard of this spot. If not, when you visit Kendal you have to put this on your list of places to go.

Baba Ganoush is a canteen and food shop hidden down a little side street in the market town of Kendal, Cumbria. Matt and I visited the canteen on Saturday morning at around 11 and the place was already filling up quickly. We were greeted by a smiley, friendly member of staff (always great) and told to take which ever table we fancied. Menu’s were already on the table so you could start making your choices right away. The place has various specials boards scattered around which are filled with soups, main dinners, platters and cakes.

As it was brunch time, Matt went for the Fish Finger sandwich on granary bread (all the bread used in the spot is fresh from the famous Staff of Life bakery next door) and I was rather greedy and went for a soup and hot sandwich. The food arrived very promptly and was delicious. You get plenty of filling for your money, and you can tell that the ingredients are of the highest quality and the fresh bread just makes the food even more homely.

The canteen is a rather small place with around 12-15 tables, and it was full of a variety of ages, from old dears having their tea and cake, to groups of friends having hangover breakfast and families on days out stopping for lunch. Matt and I have already planned our second visit for a hangover breakfast of pancakes with syrup, butter and bacon for me, and scrambled egg with chorizo on toast for Matt.

If you have visited the Lake District of Kendal, where are your favourite places to eat? Or in your own home town, let me know where to eat in case I make a visit!

Easter Egg Brownies| So Naughty but So Nice

 

I have been meaning to try this recipe for a little while after my best friend Sarah shared it with me, and after seeing Becky form Milk Bubble Tea bake her Creme Egg Cupcakes I had major cake envy and spent last night baking these naughty treats above.

The original recipe is for Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies and it has circulated various food blogs over the run up to Easter, but as members of my family do not like Creme Eggs my boyfriend suggested we made Cadbury Caramel Egg Brownies as well. The mixture of gooey brownies with the Caramel or creme egg filling is just divine!

You will need;

185g unsalted butter, 185g chocolate, 85g plain flour, 40g cocoa powder, 3 large eggs, 275g golden caster sugar, 3 Cadbury Creme eggs cut in half, 3 Cadbury Caramel Eggs cut in half. 

Preheat your oven to 160C and grease a 20cm square baking tin. Melt the butter and chocolate together. Break your eggs into a large bowl and tip in the golden caster sugar. Beat them together for a good 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture looks thick, creamy, pale and double its original volume.  Pour the cooler chocolate mixture onto the eggy mouse, and gently fold together.Sieve the cocoa power and flour onto the top of the mixture, then gently fold it in. Pour the mixture into your baking tray and cook for 15 minutes.

Take your tin out of the oven after 15 minutes and gently press the Cadbury Creme and Caramel Egg halves into the mix. Space them evenly apart and don’t push them too far in otherwise they will sink. Put the tin back into the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until when poking a skewer into the mixture it comes out clean. Leave to cool before removing from the tin and cutting into squares.

A little Easter treat for yourself and a fun way to make your chocolate brownies a bit more interesting! Do you think you will give them ago? What is your favourite Easter treat?