SUMMER HEALTH KICK

For months on end our heads are bombarded with messages from the media about how we should eat more healthily, try the newest fad diet and become 'beach body ready'- this usually starts just after Christmas, however shouldn't we be thinking more long term? Rather than starving yourself for months and stuffing yourself with dull salads on the weeks leading up to your summer holiday (I believe it is more a form of punishment) why not change your diet and the way you feel about food in the long term?

 

So I had my summer holiday back in May- I did no preparation for it whatsoever- however I was blessed with a bug the weekend before so I ended up shedding 8lbs... in no way am I saying this is a good idea! What I'm trying to say is why bother? It's now the end of August and I bet you're wondering why I'm suddenly doing a health kick post- the reason is that I am planning a slower change in what I eat, and I most certainly wont be cutting sweets, chocolate and takeaways out of my diet!

 

Here are some ideas of how you can make tiny changes to your meals that will lower the calorie count, increase the vitamins and minerals you intake, give you more energy, and lead to a healthier lifestyle. You will notice I have included eating out in this post- I tend to find it so hard to keep on your diet if you're eating out but it doesn't have to be!

  Chickpea, spinach and tomato curry with halloumi cheese

Why not replace meat in your curry with chick pea's- it may sound gross (my boyfriend thinks so) but these will also be filling and are a healthier alternative. Similarly spinach isn't just good for your muscles... ;) it is crammed full of vitamins, similarly the halloumi cheese adds a little extra to the curry. Team this with Boiled wholegrain rice and add some spices.

  BILL'S- Crunchy kale leaf salad

Am I the only one who finds it hard to eat healthy when I am out for a meal....? too much temptation! I will admit, I was sceptical when I chose a kale salad... salads are always so dull and boring! However the flavours in this one are amazing- Kale is very popular at the moment for being good for dieting and for jam packing your meal with extra goodness. The salad also contains avocado, almond nuts, vinaigrette dressing, onions, pepper and roasted aubergine and courgette.

 

Vegetable cous cous, Roasted vegetable and mushroom

I have been off cous cous for a very long time- like since I was 7 ever since I was ill after eating cous cous one time. However now I have discovered a variety of flavours, I used vegetable, teamed with roasted courgette, carrots, onions,  big mushrooms and fennel.

  Definitely give something like this a try- even if it means just swapping one meal a week. Diets aren't all fast days, no carbs and no treats!   Any food recommendations? Let me know! :)

JULY/AUGUST CATCHUP

I haven't done one of these posts in a while so I thought seen as I have had over a month off from blogging I should probably explain why!   JULY So July was basically my birthday month...   London Zoo- Seen as I was spending the weekend in Guildford with my boyfriend, we decided to make the most of London, visiting London zoo and Oxford Street. I just love the zoo, situated in Regents Park, the Zoo is home to many exotic animals and has many shows every day to watch, it is also a stones throw from Oxford Street...   Portsmouth- The day after we decided to go to Portsmouth as it was only an hour away, unfortunately the weather was horrendous so instead of walking around Southsea, we ended up in a designer outlet, the cinema and Zizzi!   My birthday- So the 15th July was my 20th birthday *cries*, I spent it going for lunch with my dad and crazy golf, then bowling and a family meal in the evening. I was treated to so many lovely gifts including a Michael Kors bag, Follie Folli necklace, Prada candy perfume, Pandora ring, Michael Kors purse and Real Techniques makeup brushes.   Holiday 1- I spent a week in the Lake District with my mam, brother and sister. We have visited the lakes almost every year since I was born, it is such a lovely place to explore!   York- I absolutely love York and so I spent a couple of days there after my birthday with my boyfriend, thankfully again the weather was lovely and we spent the day shopping, walking through the parks and along the river. I also discovered the most amazing homemade lemonade stand...   AUGUST   New job- I just started working at Barbour! I am currently the new UK Marketing intern for my year placement.   Paris- As in my previous post I mentioned my visit to Paris, it is such a beautiful city with so much culture and style, definitely one to tick off the bucket list!   Disneyland- I spent a week at Disney this year and loved it! Definitely one of my favourite places, I highly recommend you visit... its the perfect place to forget your worries and act like a complete child!   What have you all been up too? :)  

DISNEY LAND PARIS

This post definitely has something to do with the holiday blues...  last week I was looking forward to a day wandering around Paris in the hot summer sun, now- I am sat in my office in the North East of England, and guess what? It's 13 degrees and raining, sad times.

 

Don't holidays seem to just fly by? We started off our family holiday by visiting family in Kent, before getting the Eurostar on Monday morning. We then made our journey to Disney Land Paris (We stayed at the Davy Crockett Ranch hotel), Disney is literally one of my favourite places to visit, you can act like an utter child, get carried away buying every piece of Disney merchandise you can lay your hands on, walk around wearing the silliest of Minnie mouse ears... oh and queuing hours for rides even though the target age is probably 10. As well as that, we spent one day in Paris, visiting the Louvre, Notre Dame, love lock bridge, the Eiffel tower, the carousel in the Tuilleries and finally dined at the cutest Parisian café.

 

So what were my highlights?

 

1. The Disney Dreams firework display- every night a 20 minute musical display sees the sleeping beauty castle lit up with lights, projected images, fireballs and fireworks, a must see!

 

2. Minnie mouse ears... yep I wore them the entire week.

 

3. Love lock bridge- Although some may see it as a little cringey, and whilst I didn't add a lock myself, I think it is the most lovely of ideas that you attach the lock to the bridge and throw the key into the river.

 

4. Casey Jr rollercoaster- (the Dumbo train ride)- the average age was probably 5, so whilst this rollercoaster was hardly thrilling, it did break down, meaning we had to be 'evacuated'- definitely one thing I wont forget!

 

5. The weather- After weeks of sitting in the office admiring the glorious August sunshine, we were blessed to find that Paris was basking in 28-34 degree sunshine the entire week- tans all round!

 

6. Pastries- A given really. If you visit Paris, you must visit a cake shop or patisserie.

 

7. Davy Crockett Ranch- For those of you who haven't visited or heard of this Disney accommodation, it is at the lower end of the price scale and is cowboy themed, leaving you to stay in little log cabins situated in the woods, if you're a fan of 'the wild west' this hotel is definitely for you.

 

8. The parade- Every afternoon just as the firework display happens each day, so does the parade, allowing you to see all the Disney characters on huge floats, amazing!

 

9. The Rainforest Café- situated in Disney village the café is perfect if you want a meal with a difference.

 

10. Main Street USA- This is probably the most iconic part of the park leading you to the sleeping beauty castle. With a 1940's theme, the street boasts old fashioned stores stocking all kinds of Disney products, meet and greet areas for Disney characters and some of the best cafes and restaurants in the park. Not one to be missed!

 

So now that I have got back from holiday, just like everyone else I want to go away again... any suggestions and recommendations? Hehe. Where have you all been this summer? Leave me a comment below!

 

PINKADILLY CIRCUS

 RIMMEL LONDON 5 PAN EYESHADOW (PINKADILLY CIRCUS)- £6.99- SUPERDRUG

 

I very, very rarely actually find an eye shadow that genuinely suits me, of course I have read every magazine article, makeup tutorial video and instruction leaflet going about what colours suit what eye shape, skin tone and colour, but I am still not convinced. By rights I should be able to carry off greens and gold...even the smoky eye look, but trust me- I don't.

 

I finally found comfort wearing a Benefit 'leggy' eye shadow which I picked up in an old Benefit makeup palette I received as a Christmas present... a nude pink shimmer eye shadow which completed my every day natural look. However when the time came to replace it, of course Benefit had discontinued it! So I found an almost replica eye shadow which I found in the 'pinkadilly circus' Rimmel London palette- swatch time.

 

By day I tend to combine numbers 2 and 3 - a nude pink and taupe shade to combine and blend into the perfect shade. Using the lighter tone towards my outer and inner lids and the darker shade across my lash line for definition.

 

By night you can added in number 4, a brown/bronze shade to create the smoky eye look without the panda eyes (this always seems to be the end result for me!), number 1 as a highlighter for the inner eye, and you can use number 5 for a pop of colour... I am still yet to attempt this as I fear I may end up with the just punched in the eye look.

 

Have you used this palette before? Have you discovered any good techniques? Also if you could recommend eye shadow colours that may suit me then please leave me a comment below! :)