Over the last few weeks I have been in total slob mode. Most weekends have been spent make up free in my leggings or baggy jeans not really giving a toss what I look like, hence why I’ve posted no Outfit of the Day for a while. Although there’s nothing wrong with that I do like to try and make an effort occasionally! Today I thought I’d give myself a kick up the bum and dress a little bit more smartly:

 Scarf: New Look, striped tunic dress: Warehouse, jeggings: Next, tan leather belt: Topshop, tan cross body bag: Mango, tan leather boots: ASOS

I liked the combo of the stripes and floral scarf, I think its quite nice to mix up prints sometimes. I threw my big warm parka coat with fur trimmed hood on top of this to keep warm. Its amazing how making a bit of an effort makes you feel!

I have also been busy baking. It was my Dad and Sisters birthdays last week and my Sister had requested butterfly cakes like we used to make when we were little:

I was so chuffed with how these turned out! I thought they looked really pretty. I used wholemeal flour, natural caster sugar, organic butter and free range eggs for these lovelies then topped them with vanilla butter cream icing and sugar stars. Unfortunately I didn’t get to sample the fruits of my labour as a) they aren’t vegan and b) I used big cases so only got 7 cakes out of the mix and I wanted to make sure everyone else got one. I’ll go and polish my halo now ;-)

While I was baking these cakes I spent a bit of time making a delicious breakfast:

Bejewelled blended quinoa porridge (serves 1, inspired by Choosing Raw)

• 1/2 cup of quinoa rinsed
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of non dairy milk (I used kara coconut)
• 1 tablespoon of agave or other sweetener (I used brown rice syrup)
• Blueberries and pomegranate seeds

In a pan, simmer the quinoa, water and milk for around 15 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Using a hand blender or food processor blend the cooked quinoa until creamy. Pop back on a low heat and stir in your sweetener of choice. Transfer to a bowl and top with the fruit and a little bit more milk or sweetener if desired:

This was lovely, a nice change to the usual porridge and great if you have a little more time to spend on making breakfast.

I had a beautiful but freezing cold walk into town:

I picked up these new ingredients from a little independent health shop:

Nutritional yeast flakes and herbamare seasoning. I was glad to have found the flakes as I love my nutritional yeast but the powder I have isn’t great for sprinkling on pasta or salads. I had thought I would need to order it online so I was chuffed I found it locally. The herbamare seasoning is various herbs and veggie extracts with sea salt and kelp. I also hit my favourite fruit and veg shop in Durham and wasn’t disappointed – I got a huge fresh head of lettuce, a cos lettuce, massive bag of kale, courgette, cucumber, mushrooms, carrots with their tops, russet apples and beautiful figs for £7. This shop has the best range of fruit and veggies – I really had to exercise a lot of restraint not to buy a lot more!

On the way home from town I snacked on one of the russet apples then I had the other one when I got home:

I adore russet apples!

Lunch was a big salad containing lettuce, carrot, red pepper, cucumber, red onion, sprouts, spouted lentils and beans, pumpkin seeds, herbamare seasoning, braggs seasoning and a small drizzle of cool oil:

I also had a nectarine and two clemintines:

After visiting my family and hanging out with my best friend I came home and made myself a big green juice:

This really did taste amazing. It contained two small apples, pear, cucumber, cos lettuce, celery, ginger, lemon, matcha green tea powder.

Dinner was left over Moroccan Butternut and Chickpea Tagine with steamed greens, shoyu and mixed seeds:

So delicious! The steamed greens tasted great too. Dessert was two amazing fresh figs with two booja booja raw chocolate truffles:

I bought these truffles when I went to Wholefoods in London and holy deliciousness these were good. I savoured each one taking little bites they are just absolutely divine! They are sugar, soy and dairy free and have a crunchy bitter dark chocolate coating with a smooth truffle filling that tastes like it has a hint of coconut. Utterly amazing I am well and truly sold on these! The figs were mighty fine too, perfect combo with the chocolate.

Glad I made a bit of an effort with myself today too, I’m sure it helps me be more productive! Does dressing up or down affect how you feel?

Are you all having a good weekend? I’ve had such a busy day I’m looking forward to chilling out for the rest of the evening. Catch you later!

Hi everyone with any luck I should be welcoming you to Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish.com! The blog is still transitioning so you may still be on the blogspot site but over the next few days you should automatically be redirected to the new .com address!

I decided to change the ‘slim’ to ‘healthy’ as I felt that slim wasn’t the right word any longer and that healthy better reflects my ethos and what the blog is all about. I also wanted to make the move to my own domain. I’ve added some new pages to the right hand side of the blog to give links to posts on recipes, healthy eating, fashion, workouts, home style etc as well as links to key posts in my About page – please check them out and let me know what you think!

I’ve had a busy but fun weekend, Saturday started with a tasty breakfast, chocolate mesquite porridge with pear and hazelnuts:

I used 1/2 cup of scottish oats, 1 tbsp of oat bran, 1 tbsp of chia seeds, 1/2 cup of kara coconut milk, 1 cup water and cooked on the stove adding raw cacao, mesquite, sweet freedom, 2 chopped pears, hazelnut butter and hazelnuts.

We had a short trip to Newcastle to pick up a couple of things. Here’s a quick outfit of the day:

 Trench: Debenhams, denim dress: Mango, tan leather belt: Topshop, floral tights: Accessorize, tan boots: ASOS, tan bag: Dune, diamante anchor necklace: Accessorize

While we were out we enjoyed a cuppa at one of our favourite little cafes. I had a delicious chai soy latte:

I also stocked up on fresh produce from the market including these unusual round courgettes…

…and this massive jar of organic smooth peanut butter (only ingredients peanuts and salt):

Can’t wait to be making oats in a jar in that!

Lunch was a slice of toasted quinoa amaranth bread with marmite accompanied by 2 chopped carrots, a chopped russet apple and cherries:

Mid afternoon I made a fab green juice from Crazy, Sexy Diet: Make juice not war:

This included 1 pear, cabbage, celery, cucumber, romaine lettuce, broccoli and ginger. I felt alive after drinking that!

Dinner was inspired by a recipe in the brilliant Super Natural Cooking, Wheat Berry Salad with Citrus Dressing. I topped some baby spinach with cooked wheat grains mixed with parsley and a citrus dressing made with orange juice, cool oil and apple cider vinegar, then topped with toasted pine nuts and organic feta:

I have to say I loved these wheat grains, so chewy and tasty. The dressing was also really good, I’ll have to use it on other salads too. Dessert was some booja booja truffles:

Heavenly as always. I also snacked on a few unpictured apples.

This morning I fuelled up with a blood orange and two sweet and chewy neglect dates before heading out on my run:

I used my Garmin for the first time, it was excellent! I did 6.18 miles in 1 hour, average pace 9.45. I was happy enough with that pace as it gives me a good baseline to work up from. After the run I hit the gym for 30 minutes of constant rate cardio while catching up with some magazines.

Breakfast was just the most fabulous smoothie in a bowl! It included: cabbage, frozen banana, 2 small nectarines, frozen mixed berries, scoop of peanut chocolate swirl spirutein protein powder, coconut water, kara coconut milk, spirulina, maca, matcha green tea, ground flax, raw cacao and xanthan gum. I topped it with a spoonful of my new peanut butter, grape nuts cereal, gojis and flaked almonds:

I had this bowl plus about another half a bowl full. It was amazing, so full of goodness!

Lunch was a bowl of Spicy Black Eye Bean Soup followed by grapes:

I also made myself another green juice mid afternoon, I’m just addicted to these at the moment, wish I had more time to make them during the week.

Dinner was one of my round courgettes stuffed with some of my Veggie Loaf and baked in the oven. I served it with steamed swede mashed with some sweet white miso and almond milk plus steamed kale with shoyu:

Dessert was one of my sinless chocolate brownies from the freezer topped with coconut flour paste ‘icing’:

This was so good! The chocolate and coconut together was delicious.

Hope you don’t mind this photo packed post! I’ve been having fun this weekend playing with my new camera. I think my photos are looking ok but unfortunately even the best camera can’t make good pics using the flash, can’t wait for the longer summer days so I can photograph in daylight!

What do you think of the new blog name and do you like the photographs?

I’m off to relax for the rest of the evening before the busy week ahead. Hope you’ve all had a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Green smoothie with mixed frozen berries, strawberry hemp, usual add ins topped with cashew butter and muesli
• Booja Booja truffles
• Simple dinner of baked tofu with red and brown rice and sautéed black kale
• Raw Chia Carrot Cake Pudding
• The cute bag I got from my Secret Santa at work
• Gorgeous dinner of caramelised brussel sprouts with roast squash and beetroot mixed with chickpeas topped with parsley and dried cranberries
• New cushions for the living room – I love them!
• Gingerbread porridge with pears topped with a crumbled gingerbread star cookie and maple sugar – NOM!
• The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s CD’s finally arrived!
• My new metallic shift dress from Topshop
• The room all decked out for my works Christmas celebration event for the charities and community groups we work with
• False eyelashes ready for getting glammed up tonight!

I’ve had a great week but have been so busy I haven’t had much time to get the ‘good’ camera out and have been snapping images left right and centre using my phone instead!

I love this week in December as I always seem to have a few parties to go to. Last night for work, we had our annual Celebration and Awards evening for the voluntary and community organisations we support. As Development Manager I do the awards bit and it was so much fun! I danced and sang along to Christmas songs until my voice gave out. It made me so happy to see a packed dance floor mixed with people from all walks of life – from young people in care, the British New Age Kurling Champion, the older ladies from the Lace making group to kids from the local theatre group, it was just fantastic!

Tonight we have our staff Christmas party which I’m really looking forward to! Its going to be nice to get glammed up for a change, hence the false eyelashes – I haven’t worn any in ages!

I’m going to go and take my milk thistle tablets now to help avoid any nasty hangover tomorrow as I have a packed weekend of present wrapping, food shopping, cooking and baking and perhaps even some allotment time weather permitting!

What do you have planned this weekend? Any Christmas festivities? Hope you have a great one whatever your up to!

Happy Friday everyone! I’ve had a great day as I decided to take today off work for a ‘me day’. Last year I visited the November Farmers Market in Newcastle and really enjoyed it. I thought it would be great to go again and I wasn’t disappointed! I bagged (all organic) several kabocha squash, black kale, curly kale, rainbow chard and broccoli.

Photo from last years haul of beautiful veg

I also met up with the lovely Nicky for a coffee – we put the world to rights and talked all things squash over a Starbucks ;-) I have been spoilt this last week with two blogger meet ups (I met the wonderful Jess last week) and it has just reminded me how grateful I am for the friendships and support I have via blogging.

This weeks workouts have continued to be excellent. I’m finishing week 5 of my 6 week plan and I’ve increased my weights in my strength workouts again this week – I love the progress I’m making :-)

• Monday – AM gym workout, 5 minute warm up, 30 minutes strength – from Base Phase of Female Body Breakthrough, 15 minutes HIITs on treadmill
• Tuesday – AM Detox Challenge Flow Yoga Download 15 minutes, PM gym workout 20 minutes HIITs on cardio machines, Body Pump
• Wednesday – AM gym workout, 5k speed intervals treadmill, 30 minutes HIITs cardio machines, 2.30 minute plank
• Thursday – Anything goes workout! AM – 30 Day Shred levels 1&3 back to back followed by a bit of random yoga for 10 minutes
• Friday - AM gym workout, 5 minute warm up, 30 minutes strength – from Base Phase of Female Body Breakthrough, 15 minutes HIITs on bike

I’ve had some majorly tasty eats this week, and yes, I enjoy thinking up fun names for my smoothies ;-):

Banana Chocolate Beetroot Cake Smoothie, containing spinach, beet greens, raw beetroot, 1/2 frozen banana, chocolate hemp protein powder, water, ice, gums and muesli on top

Squash courgette banana bread smoothie containing kale, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup of roasted kabocha squash, 1 courgette, vanilla sun warrior, maca powder, spirulina, vanilla stevia, cinnamon, ginger, black strap molasses, ice, water, gums topped with almond butter, goji's and buckwheaties

My current favourite smoothie, eaten on Halloween and many times since – Creamy Pumpkin Squash Pie Smoothie. This bowl of utter awesomeness contained frozen pumpkin puree, roast kabocha squash, soy milk, ice, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla stevia, gums topped with maple syrup, buckwheaties, cinnamon, salty shoyu roasted squash seeds.

Yummy breakfast – Kashi Go Lean, frozen mixed berries, soy milk

 Chopped salad with tofu feta – courgette, carrot, red onion, beetroot, cooked pearl barley, tofu feta, parsley

Buddha bowl – steamed greens with shoyu, roast kabocha squash, edamame, wholegrain couscous, black sesame seeds

Delicious dessert – fresh organic pineapple, coconut flour sauce, freeze dried berries

Booja Booja Rum Sozzled Sultana Chocolate Truffles – heavenly!

The Creamy Pumpkin Squash Pie Smoothie, Tofu Feta and Booja Booja truffles in particular were gorgeous. I enjoyed the tofu feta, however it actually reminded me a bit more of cottage cheese so I’m now on a mission to create a tofu cottage cheese – I really fancy some with cherry jam and almond butter mixed in!

Booja Booja Mini Review

The Booja Booja truffles I’d been sent to review, and I was actually quite surprised at how much I liked them. I’m never sure when it comes to ‘alcoholic’ choccies – but these had the perfect balance of rum flavour and the most smooth truffle centre with chewy sultanas surrounded by a crisp shell. Booja Booja chocolates are all vegan, and they also do some raw chocolates as well. They are in my opinion the very best vegan chocolates I’ve ever came across – if your wanting to get a special Christmas gift for a vegan or someone with intolerances or allergies you seriously can not go wrong with these. The packaging is beautiful, and veganism aside, I would choose these over a box of Thorntons any day!

Have you tried any Booja Booja products? Their ice cream is on my must try list! Any plans for the weekend? If your in the UK do you have any Bonfire Night plans? I’m hoping to have a few people round for eats before heading to our local bonfire and fireworks display, I can’t wait!

Right, I am off to go roast some squash, have a great one!