Hi Everyone, hope your having a great weekend! I’ve had a busy day so far, I was at Tescos to do a giant shop at 7.30 this morning and I haven’t stopped since!

Yesterday I got my hair cut for the first time in almost a year. Here’s a before and after:

Before:

After:

Much better I think! I’m really happy that I’ve gone for a dramatic change. I always had shorter hair growing up and it wasn’t until the last couple of years that I decided to grow it. This style feels much more ‘me’.

Last night me and my sister in law Katy went out for dinner. We decided to head to a Chinese buffet restaurant. I didn’t get any pics but I was quite proud of myself, especially for avoiding meat. I had a couple of plates of crispy fried greens, spring rolls, noodles, stir fried veg and garlic potatoes then followed it with an apple, melon and a chocolate mousse. So tasty! The staff kept on offering me lamb kebabs and crispy duck, I didn’t explain until the end of the meal that I was veggie – they said I should have mentioned and they would have made me a dish! Bless them, I shall definitely be returning there.

My organic veg box also arrived:

It contained:

I swapped the celery for red peppers and the box came with cherry tomatoes in place of the broccoli. I also got a free bag of apples and pears as a new customer.

This morning I did a mega shop to re stock my cupboards. I got lots of tins of organic beans including kidney, chickpeas, cannellini, adzuki, black eyed peas and haricot – I plan on doing lots of experimenting! I also stocked up on non dairy milks including vanilla rice milk, hazelnut and almond rice milk, almond milk (to try out although I’ll probably try making my own) and kara coconut milk. I got some red and brown lentils, pine nuts, sesame seeds, barley malt sweetener, organic feta cheese and pure spread. I also headed to my new favourite green grocer in Durham and got more veg for the week. I love having full cupboards! This also meant spending 3 hours this morning sorting and re organising all my kitchen storage.

Jars on display for easy use:

My space giving kitchen storage unit:

Tea and coffee basket and bits and bobs basket: Goodie drawers:

Protein powders box and nuts, nut butters, dried fruit and granola box:

Storage box 1 non dairy milks etc:

Storage box 2 grains, pastas, noodles:

Cupboards – Everything else!:

Very full fridge and freezer:

Now that I’ve really stocked up I shouldn’t need to buy much each week apart from fruit, vegetables and eggs plus regular milk for the hubby. I can’t wait to get really creative with this stuff!

Today’s eats so far have been very tasty. I just snacked on a couple of chopped organic apples with cinnamon before going shopping:

When I got back I made myself an amazing bowl of Orange, cranberry and macadamia nut creamy porridge. I used 1/2 cup of scottish oats, 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, 1/2 cup of rice milk then cooked it on the stove adding 2 tablespoons of 2% greek yoghurt and some chopped dried cranberries and macadamia nuts. I topped my bowl with more cranberry and macadamias plus a little granola.

If you haven’t tried cooking your oats with a little fruit juice give it a try!

For lunch I made some soup by roasting the cherry tomatoes, red peppers and some shallots from the veg box along with a few cloves of garlic then blending with some hot veg stock to make some Roast Tomato and Red Pepper Soup. I added a little fresh basil:

Really tasty, perfect for a cold autumn day! I also had 2 chopped plums and a satsuma:

I’m planning on making a tasty lentil and swede mash ‘cottage’ pie for dinner (and a traditional version for the hubby).

So excited about Halloween! I wish we got more into it here in the UK like they do in the states. I think I may have to open a can of libby’s pumpkin in celebration! Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend :-)

I’m loving having this week off work – the week between Christmas and New Year is always the best! I had a relaxed Boxing Day starting with some yoga. I woke up feeling a bit stiff and thought a quick bit of yoga would do me good. I did a 20 minute Yoga for Runners flow that worked up a little sweat and helped wake me up! Breakfast was another indulgent bowl of porridge. This one included scottish oats, oat bran, orange juice, vanilla soy milk, egg whites, left over cranberry sauce, a tablespoon of marmalade, chopped macadamias, a drizzle of soy cream and a crumbled white chocolate and cranberry cookie:

I also had a Christmas coffee with amaretto liqueur. I’m going to miss these sugary and alcoholic breakfasts come January!

Lunch was Christmas day leftovers – some Veggie loaf topped with chilli jam and local organic chilli cheese baked in the oven until melty plus a huge pile of roast sprouts and parsnips and a little ketchup:

The Veggie Loaf with cheese was amazing, it tasted wonderful, almost like a cheese burger! My eyes were too big for my belly as I didn’t finish all those roast veggies even though I really wanted to.

Later that afternoon when my appetite returned I made up a big bowl of fruit including fresh figs, satsumas, pomegranate seeds and passion fruit topped with a large serving of Rachel’s Organic Greek yoghurt with honey plus flaked almonds:

For dinner I made an awesome snack plate including 4 sesame ryvita crackers, 2 topped with cream cheese and chilli jam and 2 topped with bousin garlic cheese, 4 dates stuffed with goats cheese and pistachios and maple roasted nuts. I also had more fresh figs, another satsuma, an apple (plus another unpictured one later) and a big slab of Green and Blacks Milk Chocolate with hazelnuts and raisins. Instead of more alcohol I made up a drink of POM juice with soda water:

I thoroughly enjoying eating all of this! Unfortunately after I’d polished all that off I went back to the kitchen and ended up having a little binge episode – I had more maple nuts, dates, a full size tub of low fat mango, pineapple and passion fruit yoghurt, dark chocolate and a slice of cheese. I got that awful out of control feeling when I knew I was physically very full but couldn’t stop myself eating. I did beat myself up about it but at the end of the day these things happen and I haven’t had a binge episode in a while. It did give me terrible indigestion and this morning I woke up feeling almost hung over!

I did make the extra effort to ensure I did my Davina DVD for a 45 minute resistance based workout when I got up. Even after last night I still fancied a bit of an indulgent breakfast – chocolate peanut butter smoothie with white chocolate stars:

This contained one large frozen banana, scoop of chocolate whey, 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, 3 big tablespoons of peanut butter and soy milk. I also had a Christmas tea with soy cream.

James had the day off so we headed over to Newcastle for a little sales shopping and to see Tron Legacy at the Tyneside Cinema as we both like our sci fi. I had a very successful shopping trip - I’ll have to post some pics of what I found but I got pretty much everything I was after and some fantastic bargains! We both really enjoyed the movie too. I took an apple and 2 satsumas along with me to snack on.

When we got home I made us an early dinner of sausage and mash – pork sausages and mashed potatoes for James and veggie sausages and mashed swede for me!

I also had some steamed broccoli and carrots plus some red onion gravy.

For dessert I mixed together a large tub of Rachel’s Organic low fat rhubarb yoghurt with a tin of Libby’s pumpkin puree and a teaspoon of ground ginger. I poured this mixture into 2 glass bowls and allowed to chill for an hour then topped with some chopped crystallised ginger and a gingerbread cookie:

This was fab! A great tasty dessert and not too sinful. I also ate 2 pink lady apples and some POM juice with soda water while we watched Scott Pilgrim.

How’s your festive eating going? I felt really crappy after stuffing my face last night but in the long run I think I’ll actually end up eating fewer calories over the next few days because I sickened myself so much! I’m glad the gyms open tomorrow to as I could do with some cardio burn. Unfortunately I think I may be coming down with a bit of a cold so I have my fingers crossed that it won’t get any worse!

Have you been sales shopping yet? Do you like shopping in the sales? I’m looking forward to sharing with you the bargains I picked up!

Hi everyone, hope your enjoying your Sunday evening and have had a lovely weekend! I feel like I’ve barely stopped but I have had a great time :-) Today I’ve been Christmas shopping with my Mam, we’ve had a wonderful day!

OOTD: knitted headband: Primark, black hooded leather jacket: Topshop, jumper: Primark, panther pendant necklace: Primark, black bag: H&M, skinny jeans: H&M, black suede effect boots: H&M

I got plenty of presents bought and picked out a couple of things for myself from my parents, I am an exceptionally lucky girl! I got to try the Starbucks Praline Mocha (with soy of course) and it was delicious. We also had lunch at the Chinese Buffet:

Spicy cucumber pickle, sesame carrot salad and some other kind of pickle! 

My favourite Mapo Tofu (check out those massive chunks of tofu!) crispy fried greens and wantons which unfortunately after biting into them I discovered contained cheese. I had this plate x 2 :-)

Fruit plate for dessert

I do like the Chinese buffet but I have a pretty laid back approach to my veganism, I think if you worry about cross contamination of your foods it would definitely not be for you. I had thought the wantons were vegan but I didn’t freak out when I tasted the cheese, I just know not to have them again! That tofu and those pickles are worth going back for though!

Yesterday I started the day at the gym. I had been hoping to run outside but it was wet and windy and quite frankly I couldn’t be arsed so I went to the gym to run on the treadmill. In typical fashion, as soon as I arrived at the gym the sun came out! I was actually happy that I managed to stay on the treadmill as long as I did. I did 10k in 52.20 doing 0.25 mile speed changes and sprints between 6.7 and 8.2 mph. I finished off with 10 minutes on the bike to cool down.

Last night we went to see a guitarist called Aynsley Lister play at The Cluny. We went early so we could have some dinner. I had the vegan chilli with a few chunky chips some salad I pinched off James plate:

It contained chickpeas, mushrooms, peppers and spinach and it was hot hot hot! Perfect for a blustery night! On the way out of the gig we bumped into Simon King from the Hairy Bikers at the bar! He is so tall, I really like the Hairy Bikers cookery shows, I wish I could have stopped and talked to him properly!

Other tasty eats from this weekend include:

Creamy orange, cranberry and macadamia porridge (made without the greek yoghurt or rice milk) – so gorgeous!

Millet bread with home made mixed roasted and salted nut butter (one with Clearspring Cherry jam and one with honey) carrots and pears

Teriyaki marinaded and baked tempeh with stir fried shredded brussel sprouts and broccoli in a sesame oil and chilli dressing, roast kabocha squash and roast beets

The leftover baked tempeh crumbled in a salad with cos lettuce, carrot and red cabbage with a dressing made from sesame oil, braggs, lazy chilli and agave

Yum yum! Well I am sitting here writing this listening to Christmas songs, I’m definitely well and truly into the Christmas spirit! I see that people are starting to receive their Secret Santa gifts – it is absolutely wonderful that I’ve been able to spread a little happiness! I have had a few emails from people who have had issues getting them out, so please don’t panic if you haven’t received yours yet! I’ll be trying to chase up all my emails this evening and will hopefully get caught up with responding to comments and my Google reader tonight and tomorrow. Busy weekends like this always leave me playing catch up!

Have you had a good weekend? Buffet restaurants, yey or nay? I was really pleased with myself as its the first time ever I’ve been to a buffet restaurant and a) haven’t hugely over eaten and b) haven’t felt guilty for what I did eat. Even though I had 4 plates of food I didn’t leave with a food baby, result!

Right, I’m off to try and get myself organised for the week ahead! Hope you have a great one!

I’m writing this post a very happy girl as my working week is finished! I have tomorrow off and I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ve had a good couple of days including tasty breakfasts:

Warm left over 5 grain mix with hazelnut and almond rice milk, chopped pear, raisins and cinnamon

Creamy orange, cranberry and macadamia porridge with added egg whites.

Yummy lunches:

Left over 5 grain mix with leek, carrot, mushroom, butternut squash and seeds with romaine and radcchio salad

Lentil and root vegetable stew with steamed savoy cabbage

Lots of yoghurty snacks:

2% greek with dried pineapple

2% greek with satsuma and Tropical Crunch Bear granola

For dinner with my cousin last night I made a veggie packed stir fry containing romanesco cauliflower, savoy cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, diakon, soya beans and cashew nuts topped with soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce.

For Catherine I made the same but added some turkey and noodles. We were both stuffed! I have to say I love a big plate of veggies – so good for you! For desert I fished out a couple of brownies from the freezer that I had made a few weeks ago. I didn’t share the recipe at the time as they were experimental but my word these tasted divine! I think freezing them and then thawing them improved their texture and made them more brownie like:

Sinless Chocolate Brownies (makes 9)

• 50ml sunflower oil
• 150g of Xylitol or caster sugar
• 3 egg whites beaten
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 50g cocoa powder
• 80g of spelt flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Begin by pre heating the oven to 175 deg. Mix together the oil, sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Then add the cocoa powder, spelt flour and baking powder and combine well. Pour the mixture into a greased baking tray approx 9x9 inches and bake for 15 minutes until mixture has become firm. Allow to cool a little and cut into squares. Enjoy immediately or can be successfully frozen if wrapped in foil.

Apologies for the rubbish pic, I had already taken a bite when I remembered to take a photo, plus I didn’t have time to make it look that pretty, but believe me when I say these taste good! When these are fresh they have a more cakey, spongy texture but after freezing they become firmer and more brownie like. You could easily play around with this recipe and add walnuts, chocolate chips, replace oil with apple sauce etc.

I’ve just came home from Yoga which was quite challenging tonight. We did a few seated twists that pushed my flexibility to the max! I’ve just enjoyed this huge bowl of Dorset cereal Fruit and Fibre with three small chopped organic apples and hazelnut and almond rice milk.

Sometimes I love having cereal on an evening – especially when its too late for a proper meal, delicious! I’m also currently inhaling a russet apple, so hungry tonight!

Yesterday I did my usual 5k treadmill run at the gym. I was suffering from some serious DOMS after the Davina Bottom Fit DVD and for the first time in a while I really had to drag my self to the gym. I made a deal with myself – go and do my run but instead of doing speed intervals (which really take it out of me) do hill / incline intervals instead. I ran for 30 minutes at a 6.5 mph pace with 0.5 mile 2% incline intervals. It ended up being a great workout. I also did my usual abs and core exercises. This morning I got on with Davina Fit, Top fit DVD which I enjoyed as it gave my legs and butt a rest!

Do you ever ‘do a deal’ with yourself when it comes to exercising? I quite like using this approach to keep me motivated – I hate missing workouts so coming up with a compromise that still gets me working out rather than throwing in the towel all together is great.

Tomorrow I have a fun day planned starting with a gym workout then heading to the monthly farmers market in Newcastle and checking out some shops to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I’m also looking forward to watching some fireworks (Its Guy Falkes night here in the UK for any international readers) Usually we would attend the big fireworks display in Gateshead but we are very fortunate that the big display in Durham can be viewed from our living room window – I plan on watching it all cosy and warm with a cup of tea! Do you have any plans for Bonfire Night?