Nigel Slater book reveiw

I've become a tad obsessed with my library, I think I've hired over 10 books in the last week! And one book in particular has stolen my heart and that's Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Dairies II. This book is full of simple wholesome beautiful cooking and there's a recipe for every day of the year!

Nigel Slater is an amazing cook everything he makes is in season, fresh and isn't fussy (my kind of food!). His book is beautifully written,  it's like a dairy full of nothing but truth and yummy food. He doesn't sugar cover anything, when his lazy and not in the mood to cook he says and comes up with a brilliant recipe to reflect his mood.

This book shows perfectly how simple cooking and flavours can really be. People these days complain and carry on about how foods prices are going up, healthy foods so expensive blah blah blah... Something as simple as grilled mushrooms with garlic butter on toasted sourdough is something so simple and perfect and hardly cost a dime! Venture out go to your local green grocers, international supermarkets, try new things, experiment with new flavours, it could open you to a whole new world of flavours and save your hard earned cash for something far more important (like shoes!).

Ow did I mention nothing goes to waste, so with that in mind how about invent something new and wonderful today? Check what you got lying around and makes something awesome!

As you can see Nigel Slater has really inspired me this week so I highly recommend his book and any of his books for that matter ( heading to pick up his next book tomorrow!).

And here's what I whipped up tonight thanks to this amazing book.

 

Welcome to my little London flat

So I'm finally all settled and am starting to enjoy the perks of the London scene! I just signed up for my local gym with the help of my awesome parents and signed up for every single class I could get my hands on! The first being an hour long yoga class on Thursday which left me in agony at work Friday (Good pain though). Next week I also have a Pilates class plus an Abs and Back class, I'm also intrigued by the LA Spin class they have but bit scared about not having the ability to walk the following day! Any one ever done a spin class before? Would love to hear your views!

So yes sorry got a tad off topic there so onto my flat.

This is what I look at when I'm goggling, reading or writing one of my many post. On the left is  a stack of newly hired library books ( aim reading them as I write!) and what every computer sesh requires a hot cup of tea.

 

So everyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with reading, I'm actually juggling between two novels this week. One being Delirium which was recommended by a Youtuber I watch and the other one is Spell Bound which is part of a series I HIGLY recommend!

My random array of photos frames lol. When I obtain some extra cash I really would love to have frames which match and a few extras seems I have a few more photos waiting to be showcased.

Not many Londoner my age can say their flat comes with their own garden, but I'm happy to say I DO! Got a table and chairs plus a area for my herbs!

Though my kitchen is small the storage is awesome!

When it comes to things I want to change our bed is at the top of my list. I'd just love a new cover, some pillows, maybe a throw ow you get the idea!

Think Dan needs a beanbag seems we don't own a couch or really have room for one lol

So that's our flat its a working progress but so is everything in life! With my big 22 around the corner ( ok not so big..) I'm aiming to check most of my home décor things off my list!

I love to make list and here's my most recent!

Anywho hope you enjoyed the little tour around my home and on a completely random note excited about my next post, I'll give you a hint they contain chocolate and their healthy!

Whole wheat breaky muffins

As a part time baker I work 3 days a week, even though this seems quite easy I tend to work 11 hour days with no breaks... With this in mind I've been finding it hard to fit in meal times, I eat breakfast at around 6am and by 11ish my poor tummy is growling for more. So this week I decided to make yummy whole grain muffin full of dried fruit nuts and wheat bran!

Recipe Whole wheat breaky muffins-

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp of honey

2 tablespoons wheat bran

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup raisins

1 cup greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten $

1/2 cup boiling water

10 hazelnuts

Pour flour into a measuring cup. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in oats and raisins. Make a well in centre of mixture. Combine yogurt, vanilla and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in boiling water. Let batter stand 15 minutes. While batter is sitting chop up your hazelnuts, these will be sprinkled on top of your muffins before baking. Preheat oven to 375° and bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched.

At around 150 calories a pop these are bursting with clean natural energy that will keep you ticking over till the clock hits home time.

P.s these toasted with some honey are too die for!

Healthy and cheap chicken noodle soup

This week I've had a massive craving to make my own soup and with chicken on the menu  I couldn't think of a better excuse then to make chicken noodle soup! Now as a girl on a budget this recipe is perfect and so simple to make.

 

Chicken noodle soup recipe-

• Chicken thighs (I used 6 thighs)
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• Egg noodles
• Water

Start by browning off your chicken, when this is done pour in water till everything is covered and leave to simmer on a moderate heat until chicken is cooked.

Next drain chicken, remove the skin and shred, also be sure to save the water you cooked the chicken in this will be used as the base of your soup.

Chop onions into small cubes and cook till translucent, when this is done add the carrot which should be cut to the same shape.

Now it's time for the yummy chicken stock we made at the start ( be sure to drain any fat which comes to the surface before incorporating it into the soup) pour this into the carrots and onions and slowly simmer. While the soup is cooking cook your egg noodles as written on the packet.

The last step is too combined your pre shredded chicken and noodles into the soup and hay presto you've cooked yourself chicken noodle soup or as I call it food for the soul!

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Am now a Londoner!

Yes you read right I've finally made it to London! We arrived Tuesday afternoon at our new pretty apartment signed the contracts and got our keys. Now as much as I would love to say I cooked a lush healthy first meal that night in reality we had some ready meals and two Starbucks...

But fear not I cooked our first real meal the next night after an 11hr shift! As well as that I cooked some yummy homemade chicken noodle soup tonight, recipe to follow soon. Regards to our pretty little flat I've finally unpacked everything and it's slowly starting to feel like home, could do with a few candles, a rug, beanbag, flowers...Ok maybe a few twicks to go but it's ours and that's what counts! hehe

Now as promised some fun snaps from our hectic week!

 On the boat from the Isle of Wight up to London!

 

Contracts all signed and it's finally ours, been a long few weeks very happy to have a place to call our own.

Icing some pretty lemon cakes for work.

Home cooked meal of proper pork sausages and veg, simple but hits the spot!




So that's been my week so far. The combination of longs hours at work and getting settled has made life a little more tricky this week but with good old Friday tomorrow a nice sleep in on Saturday will definitely recharge me for the following week!

Where I am and where I'm going...

Hey guys!

Thought I'd write a little update on what's been happening with me and my ever hectic life! Right after I got back from my holiday Dan and I went into massive work/apartment finding mode. Now sadly I have yet to hear from any of the drama schools whom put me on their reserve list but I've come to terms with it and like always have found the silver lining. And this is why jobs and apartments became a very important goal because in order to start my goal of singing and performing I've gotta be where the action is and that is London! It goes without saying that a part time job is essential in order to fund my line of work so I knew that the job I found had to be something that I held nearly just as much love for. And I'm here to say I did! But lets show a few pictures before I give anymore away hehe.

 So this is my poor little room before and after. I moved out at the beginning of the month, I never knew how much I had until I started packing so with that in mind I decided to have a car boot sale. It was a fun day selling would of loved to sell more stuff but I came home with a nice little profit.

 While looking for jobs and a little flat to call our own we've been staying at Dans parents house on the Isle of Wight. Dan also managed to get a part time job on a little cove café while we looked for something more permanent. This is me walking along the lovely sea side road to say hi during one of his shifts!

Skipping ahead a week or so, after mass amounts of job applications and dead end interviews I was asked to come and do a job trial for a baking job at a cool London café. And after a crazy 7am start which lasted 3hrs I received a call that I had got the job!

So with that amazing news I was given a dead line of two weeks to find a place to live which was much harder then I could of ever anticipated...
We viewed everything and anything our budget would allow from the down right small and scary to the perfectly formed but highly over priced! On our third trip up to London to view flats both me and Dan were at an all time low with our enthusiasm. But I'm happy to say third time was the charm because on our first viewing that day we were shown a perfectly formed studio flat 2minutes from the tube, minutes from our much loved Starbucks, right next door to a food market and our very own patio garden! Goes without saying that we snapped it up there and then.

After our success flat hunting we awarded ourselves with a much needed alcoholic drink and some yummy mexican food.

With a top of 32 in London I thought a yummy frozen yogurt was in order. I got natural yogurt with super food nuts and some raspberries yummmmmmmmm.

 Even though our aim was to move into our pretty new flat before I started work with the mass amounts of paper work which needed to be processed sadly it just didn't happen. So I had to stay in a short stay flat for my first week of work.

My first day of work was very scary and stressful, the mere mass of information I had to process was intense! I worked for 8hrs that first day with nothing more then a pot of yogurt at 6am to keep me going.  After that stressful day I was awarded with some yummy food I picked up from Camden Town which is just a 20 minute walk from my work!

 The last day of work had me missing my usual breakfast greatly, though convenient these pots of porridge just don't float my boat..

 On my day off I hoped on a tube to Soho to check out a awesome food stall I've been dying to check out known as the Pizza Pilgrims. This awesome food stall dishes out authentic wood fire Italian pizza cooked right in the back of their awesome little van. And the hype didn't disappoint the crust was so soft I felt like I was biting into a donut! Though not the healthiest of meals the fact it was good quality ingredients with no yucky additives has made this a meal I will definitely be eating again soon.

I am now currently on the Isle of Wight for the weekend while everything is finalised and hopefully next time I write it'll be from my new little apartment! Everyone keeps your fingers crossed!

How I lost weight on holiday!

Yes you heard right LOST weight! A few posts ago I told you that at the start of my holiday I weighed 73kg and was very worried about all the yummy temptations I would have to deal with on my trip abroad. Well when I got home though the scales seemed a very daunting task I knew I had to face them eventually, so boy was I shocked when the scale read 70kg verging on 69kg!

Now your probably thinking ow she probably just lived off carrot sticks and water and didn't enjoy the many splendours of Italy and Greece. Well I'm happy to say I did, pasta and all. So what's my secret? Here's some helpful tips I used to help me on my trip and hopefully they can help you too!

 

 

 

1) Portion sizes- When faced with an abundance of yummy pastas and naughty deserts I knew the only way to have my cake and eat it to was to eat smaller amounts. So when faced with a temping menu ask for an entrée size of your dish, and if you want to bulk it out order a side salad. You'll save on your pocket and your waist line!

2) More lemons please!- Yes you've heard me say it before and I'll say it again, in the morning pop some lemon in your water. It kick starts you metabolism ready for the day ahead.

3) Pick a meal- I'll give an example of how this tip worked for me. On the last night of our cruise we were told after dinner there was going to be a chocolate buffet, yes I said it a CHOCOLATE BUFFET! With this knowledge I knew self control was not going to be my strong suit so I made sure that my daily intake before was clean and healthy. If you opt for some self control you wont feel as guilty about that little late night indulgence.

4) Self control- yes sorry to say its not all fun and games while on holiday try not to go crazy and as hard as it may seem try to keep some control in play. If you have a really really naughty day ( guilty of this!) just make sure that the following day is a bit more healthy and clean.

5) Last but by no means least- For me this is what really helped my final weight lost. When I arrived home I jumped straight back onto the wagon. I went back to my usual calorie intake and opted for clean no-nonsense healthy food. Like a cheat day this shocked my body into weight loss and seems I am still continuing my healthy eating the weight has stayed off.

How amazing is that! Hope my tips helped and if like me your feeling very nervous about an upcoming holiday feel free to get in touch I'd be more then happy to help!