Gratitude

Treasure the people you love in your life!

I feel so blessed to have an incredible family and amazing friends.

Nighty night x

A Really Easy Healthy Snack

Snacks, for me, are really important - I like eating little and often as I get hungry quite quickly, especially on very active days and also healthy snacks keep your metabolism going. So it's really great to be able to whip up a yummy, nutritious and easy to make snack in a matter of minutes... like this one here!

This is one of my favourites: toasted rye bread with half an avocado, a few cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and puy lentils with a sprinkle of black pepper.

Rye bread is a great substitute for wheat bread (bread often makes me feel quite bloated and sick). It's full of fibre and really yummy. 

Have a great Monday!

Oxford Boy Gym

During my little excursion to Oxford last week, I was allowed no rest...

Tom took me along to where all the Oxford rugby boys gym - none of them were in there when we went though (thank God, I would have been quite scared). It was the most 'boyish' gym I'd ever been in (basically it was a bit grubby (in a cool-looking, rustic sort of way...) and had loads of weights in it - minimal girly weights). 

It was a great opportunity to get Tom to check my squat form. He does them all the time being a rugby boy and it's great to have someone to tell you if you're doing something wrong, as good form is so important to avoid injuries and work your body properly.

I'm in love with these Adidas leggings

Then I checked his too...

He also showed me how to do dead lifts which was really helpful - I love learning new things to do in the gym.

I also did some of my own gym favourites, such as swiss ball rollouts, lunges and step ups (as shown below) as well as bunny hops over the bench, sit ups on the bosu ball, russian twists, burpees, wall sits, jumping jacks and pushup planks.

Step ups

Swiss ball rollouts

Lunges with 2 5kg dumbbells 

Here's a little tip that really helps me when I'm doing hard stuff like squats: count down instead of up.. It really helps if you're starting to lose motivation to finish the set!

Have an amazing week!

Organic Deli Café, Oxford

This week I went to Oxford to visit my lovely boyfriend for his birthday and while I was there we found this cute little café down a tiny side street really near his college. I saw it when we were walking back from dinner one night and dragged him back the next day.

Unfortunately when we went they had stopped making all the salads, sandwiches and breakfasts (omelettes, pancakes etc.) but they were still serving amazing gluten-free treats such as brownies (made with raw cacao), granola bars, lemon cake and walnut, chocolate and banana bread - which we just had to have.

Their shelves are packed with all kinds of whole foods to buy. They had vegan chocolate, all different kinds of organic flours, so many amazing teas, organic soya and almond milks, organic spreads (cashew nut butter, almond butter etc). We bought some sour cream and chive quinoa chips - they were so yum we ate them in about 5 minutes. 

For anyone who lives in the Oxford area or visiting, I definitely recommend popping into this hidden little place on Friars Entry.

Tom looking very pleased with his quinoa chips

Hope everyone's had a great week!

Today's Workout

Hi hi!

I've been doing mostly exercise classes this week which have been great but I've missed doing my own workouts at the gym. So, this morning I got up early to go and workout.

What I did:

I started off on the treadmill - I did a 5 minute jog to warm up and then started running at about 10km/h for one minute and then cranking it up to 13km/h for one minute. I repeated this 3 times.

I decided I wanted to work mostly my legs but also my abs a bit so I did these exercises:

• Squats with a weighted training bar - 3 sets 12 reps
• Russian twists with 6kg medicine ball - 3 sets 15 reps
• Dumbbell goblet squats - 3 sets 15 reps (Hold a dumbbell vertically by your chest and squat, keeping it in the same place)
• Dumbbell walking lunges - 3 sets 15 reps
• Dumbbell dead lifts - 3 sets 15 reps
• Plank push-ups (start in a plank on your elbows and push up to your hands then back down again) - 3 x 30 seconds
• One-arm dumbbell swing - 3 x 30 seconds (stand with legs shoulder width apart and start bent in a squat position with a dumbbell in one hand held with a straight arm between your legs. As you stand up to straight position bring the dumbbell up and above your head, keeping your arm straight all the time - you should feel this in your abs so keep them tight).
• Normal lunges with no weight - 3 x 30 seconds 

I then spent 10/15 mins stretching - one of my goals this year is to get more flexible.

Now I am having a yummy salad for lunch - it's rocket salad with red pepper, warm butternut squash, steamed broccoli and edamame, and feta with a lemon juice and chilli powder dressing.

Lunch time

Hope you're having a good weekend!

Homemade Cinnamon and Cacao Granola

Yesterday I made my own granola for the first time ever! Granola is one of my favourite things but often the ones in supermarkets are packed full of sugar so I thought I'd make my own and try and make it as healthy as possible.

It is really easy to make and as far as ingredients are concerned, there is so much choice as to what to put in it. In mine I used almonds and pecans which are my favourite nuts, dried cranberries and chia and flax seeds for an extra superfood kick.

This recipe makes about 10 servings of the yummiest granola I've ever tasted!

The Ingredients:

200g rolled oats

80g chia and flax seeds (I bought a mixed packet from Holland & Barrett)

125g pecans (roughly chopped)

100g almonds

 (use whatever nuts you prefer and however many you want but these proportions worked well for me)

Whatever dried fruit you like - about 125g

 (or none if you don't like it)

3 tablespoons melted coconut oil 

3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or organic honey

3 tsp cinnamon

2 tablespoons raw cacao 

Pecans (you can get big bags from Holland & Barrett)

The Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 125°C / 255°F

2. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and make sure they are mixed well so that no oats are left at the bottom

Pre-baked mixture

3. Line a tray with baking paper and place the mixture in the tray, spreading evenly

4. Bake for 30 minutes, at about 15, however, take it out and use a spoon to move it around, turning it over so that it doesn't just bake into a granola bar. 

5. Take it out the oven and leave it for a while so that it sets and becomes lovely and crunchy.

The Goodness:

Although this granola contains syrup (which can actually be replaced with coconut sugar if you want it to be even more healthy) it is far less sugary than most granolas you will find on the shop shelves, and also you've made it yourself, which always makes me enjoy it more!

Chia and flax seeds are packed full of protein - 1 ounce of chia seeds contains 4.4 grams of protein and the same amount of flax seeds contains 5.1 grams. This is almost as much as meat and more than eggs! They are both rich in the fatty acid Omega-3 ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which gets converted to Omega-3 EPA and DHA which are really important for brain health, cardiovascular health and eyesight! They are also antioxidants and a great source of fibre - what more could you want??

Pecans and almonds also contain protein and fats that are great for your hair and skin. Almonds also contain calcium so they are great for vegans and people who avoid dairy. 

Cacao is also an amazing superfood and it makes the granola taste so delicious and chocolatey (chocolate is my BIGGEST weakness). Raw cacao is an antioxidant and is great for cardiovascular health, circulation and blood pressure. Additionally, it boosts physical and mental wellbeing as it contains many components, such as beta-carotene and theobromine, that work together in different ways to make you feel happy, by promoting serotonin production, stimulating the nervous system and relaxing smooth muscles. 

After I made my granola I added it to some organic greek yogurt and it was SO good!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Banana Peanut Butter Sandwiches

I made this cute little snack yesterday and it was so yum! I love bananas and I ADORE peanut butter so I though why not put them together...

Peanut butter is a good source of protein - I use Whole Earth organic peanut butter which doesn't contain as much sugar as some other brands so it's that little bit healthier.
Along with many other health benefits, bananas can actually make you feel happier which is definitely what I need in these cold, grey months! They contain loads of tryptophan which is converted to serotonin (the neurotransmitter that triggers happiness!)

Misleading as the name may be, there isn't actually any bread involved. It's so quick and easy to make and they look really sweet so they're perfect if you have friends over and want to give them an aesthetically pleasing, but healthy treat! (or if you want to just eat them all yourself like I did).

All you need to do is chop up a banana into fairly thin disks (not too thin or they'll fall apart but not too thick or you won't be able to pop them in your mouth easily), then put a little blob of peanut butter on half the disks and then place another disk on top of each one and voilà!

Happy snacking!

Healthy Sunday

Hellooo!

I've just got back from a lovely Pilates class and thought I'd share what I did and ate yesterday as I'm pretty proud of myself!

Firstly, I woke up early (set my alarm as the Baywatch theme tune which literally made me jump out of bed feeling great), drank a big glass of water and got my boring jobs done.

After a breakfast of organic greek yogurt, berries and muesli, I went for a power walk in this really pretty park down the road from my uni house. It was so sunny so this really lifted my mood and made me feel really positive about the day.

Way home from the park. Blue skies!

After doing some yoga stretches at home using a video on YouTube (there are loads if you type in something like 10 minute yoga stretches - I really like doing these after workouts), I made a refreshing and healthy salad with avocado, puy lentils, sweet red peppers and feta and also a carrot, apple, spinach and lemon juice!

In the afternoon, after writing my French cover letter (I'm applying for placements in Paris for next year - if anyone has any contacts let me know!! haha), and having some rye bread with peanut butter and a banana, I walked to the gym which is about a 20 minute walk away. In the gym I did 15 minutes on the treadmill to warm up - I like to mix it up a bit by changing the speed and resistance regularly within this 15 mins because I get bored quite easily. Then I did some ab crunches, side crunches, V sit ups, planks and side planks, followed by squats, lunges, glutbridges and squat jumps. I finished off with ten minutes on the treadmill and a nice walk home.

For dinner, I made a coconut, lentil and sweet potato curry. I got the idea from Deliciously Ella (I love it!) but I added some broccoli because it's just great. It was so easy. Here's the recipe for one person.


1/2 tin coconut milk
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1 (or half) sweet potato
80g green lentils
A few leaves of fresh coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
As much broccoli as you want
Brown basmati rice if you want it

1. Preheat the oven to 180
2. Add the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes and the spices to a saucepan and heat until it boils
3. Whilst waiting for it to boil chop the sweet potato into bite size chunks
4. Once the sauce is boiled add all the other ingredients apart from the lemon (obviously) and the rice
5. Put a lid on the saucepan and allow it to cook for an hour
6. Cook the rice while you wait
7. Take the curry out the oven, squeeze some lemon juice over it and enjoy!

The finished product!

I loved this it was so warming on a cold Sunday evening.

After dinner I went to bed nice and early so I could get enough sleep to have a wonderfully productive Monday.

I'm also trying to drink loads of water at the moment to combat my winter skin so I kept filling and refilling my water bottle and drinking green tea throughout the day.

Hope you had a greeeatttt weekend!

Adidas 100m Makeover Challenge

On Wednesday and Thursday this week, Adidas organised free workout classes at our university sports centre - for girls ONLY!

My lovely friends Claire and Miranda

I went to the one on Thursday as I was playing lacrosse in Sheffield all day on Wednesday (we won 15-5 by the way! happy days).

As we queued up to go into the studio we were given a free bottle of vitamin water - I love a freebie so that put me in a great mood before I had even started. The studio looked really cool, they had transformed it by placing blue and purple lights all around and mannequins dressed in Adidas clothing which made me want to go straight to the new shop that has recently opened in Newcastle city centre.

Me and my new pal

Freebies!

The workout was really tough! We did 15 minutes of aerobics to warm up (lots of high knees, squat jumps, spotty dogs and more), 15 minutes of bums (more squats etc) and 15 minutes of ab work, followed by a 15 minute warm down and stretch (my favourite part). I was sooo sweaty and tired when I finished but it felt great knowing that I'd really pushed myself because Sherri, the trainer who puts on classes at my gym every week, is amazingly motivational and energetic, making you feel like you physically cannot stop!

Later that day the store was open from 6pm til 9pm JUST for the people who had done the workout classes. Upstairs in the store we could get our makeup, nails and hair done if we wanted and (the best part) there was 30% off everything in the shop just for us! Also Jodie Williams, the incredible 20 year old sprinter, was there looking super cool in stripy Adidas leggings.

The manicure station

I didn't have a makeover as I have really sensitive skin but I did buy myself some little treats to reward myself for working hard and to motivate myself to keep working on my fitness.

New swag!
Flourescent bra is obviously Nike but it's new as well so thought I'd pop it in there 

Thanks Adidas!