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Saturday 28 February 2015

What I Eat - Weekend Edition


Another What I Eat post - I did say there would be a few of these appearing on the blog! This is a typical non-work day for me. I have more time to prepare food so I tend to eat slightly different things at the weekend than during the week when I'm rushing around.

Breakfast 

I made my go-to healthy pancakes for breakfast. The recipe is in my pancake day post but essentially it is banana, egg and cinnamon mixed and fried. I topped them with some almond butter and blueberries, yum!

Lunch

I made a green juice on this day for lunch as the pancakes had done a good job at filling me up. I guess it was actually a green smoothie. I don't have a juicer so I have to rely on my blender to make smoothies. The upside of this is that all the fibre remains in the smoothie and isn't filtered out which in theory makes you feel fuller for longer. The downside is that unless you blend really well you can end up with a really strange texture.

This juice had some apple, kiwi, spinach and banana. I know it looks really disgusting in the picture and I have to be honest and say it didn't taste quite right. It was still enjoyable but I think I may have gone a little overboard on the spinach. Once I work out the perfect "green smoothie" recipe I'll share it!


Dinner

One of my favourite alternatives to eating pasta or potatoes at dinner time is quinoa. I know it seems to be popping up everywhere at the moment and you're probable sick of hearing about it but once I tried it, I was converted. I cook it in a similar way to how I would cook couscous and usually pair it with mixed vegetables or meat. Quinoa also has some pretty great health benefits as it is a complete protein, containing all eight essential amino acids while still being gluten free. I do think quinoa needs a lot of flavour added, it's not something I enjoy eating by itself but paired with vegetables and spices it is a super yummy and filling dish.

For this meal I cooked quinoa until light and fluffy (it usually takes about half an hour) and then added beetroot. I fried some chicken, onion, pepper and mushroom with spices and garlic to add on top of the quinoa and then had some rocket, cucumber and pickled onion on the side. This was really tasty and I definitely went back for seconds!


Dessert was more dark chocolate, I might have a slight addiction! I tried I different one of the Tesco dark chocolates this time, the Sao Tome one. Not as good as the Peruvian version but it's still chocolate so I'm definitely not complaining too much!


Finally, I was a little hungry later on in the evening so finished the day with some greek yoghurt and dried cranberries, yum!



Friday 27 February 2015

Would I Rather Beauty Tag


I thought it would be interesting to do a tag post as I love reading them on other blogs. There are thousands of these on any topic from food to the Twilight novels!! but I thought I would start by answering some beauty questions.

1) Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up or nice hair and no make up?

I would definitely rather have messy hair and nice make-up. I am a lot more self-conscious about going out and about with my dark eye circles and spots showing than my frizzy undone hair. Also I feel like messy "undone" hair is almost in right now? Maybe not but I often try to make it work on a morning when I have done my make up but don't quite have enough time left to style my hair!

2) Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?

This is a horrible question! I think I would rather have my eyelashes fall out. In my opinion false eyelashes would look a little more realistic than drawn on eyebrows, especially as my eyebrows are naturally quite thick and bushy. I'm not sure I could recreate that if they were shaved off!

3) Would you rather be forced to shop at only MAC or Sephora for the rest of your life?


Sephora definitely. Even though we don't have it here in Glasgow I have been to a few Sephora's across Europe and I love them. I do like MAC products but I think Sephora has a diversity that you just don't get from MAC.

4) Would you rather wear lipgloss/lipliner look or 80's perm?


Thanks (or no thanks) to Kylie Jenner, I think the lipgloss and liner combination is making a comeback. I actually don't mind that look as long as it isn't too over the top but to answer the original question I have to say 80's perm because I have literally always wanted a perm! I have really straight, fine hair which doesn't really curl unless forced by tongs on the highest heat setting so I did actually consider getting a loose perm at one point in time.  The only thing that put me off was apparently it can be quite damaging for your hair and isn't great on hair which has been coloured a lot so that rules me out!

5) Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or overdone blush?

Overdone blush all the way. I love blusher and have occasionally been guilty of purposely piling it on. An obvious foundation line is never good though. I always try and match my foundation to my skintone to avoid this issue.

6) Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants or biker shorts in public?

I actually had to Google both of these because I wasn't sure exactly what they looked like haha! I think I would choose biker shorts and just pretend I had been working out? I don't think there is anyway to make the baggy crotch look work for me......

7) Would you rather have a bad orange-y spray tan or really weird tan lines that can't be covered?

I always have really awkward tan lines. I have really pale skin which burns ridiculously easily and also in a really patchy fashion, no matter how careful I am about sun cream application. I spend the second half of every summer holiday in strange positions attempting to even out tan lines. That being said I think an orange spray tan would also look so ridiculous on me because I'm so pale!

8) Would you rather have a bad haircut or bad hair color?

Emm I think I would rather have a bad hair colour. Colour is much easier to change than the cut which unless you chop more off you can't do much about. My hair has been brown, blonde and lots of colours in between so I'm pretty relaxed about dying my hair.

9) Would you rather have youtube or twitter taken away forever?

This is an easy one for me because I don't actually have a twitter account. I've just never really got into it. On the other hand I love watching Youtube videos. I think its such a great way to learn new skills or get an insight into other peoples lifestyles even if they are across the world. I'm not sure what I would do without Youtube!

10) Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or mascara?

I would definitely need to give up make-up brushes, I love mascara too much. If I could keep only one item in my makeup bag it would be a difficult choice between concealer and mascara. I often use my fingers to do my makeup rather than brushes if I'm in a rush or out and about so I think I could cope without them.



There we go. Completely random questions but I had lots of fun answering them!


Tuesday 24 February 2015

What I Eat in a Day - Normal Week Day Edition


Another "What I eat in a Day" post for you today. I am running low on fresh foods because I was away for the weekend and I really need to do a food shop but I thought you would like to see what I ate anyway.

Breakfast


Breakfast was my usual cup of green tea with greek yoghurt, blueberries and half a banana. Again I added cinnamon to the greek yoghurt to give it a little more flavour.

Greek Yoghurt Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

I followed this with a black coffee an hour or so later in work.

Mid-Morning Snack

My usual 11am snack is a piece of fruit with another cup of green tea. I had an apple and orange with me but only ended up eating the orange in the morning.

Apple Orange Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

Lunch

I was strangely hungry at lunchtime so I made myself a fried egg, with half an avocado on toast. This toast is the BFree Brown Seeded Loaf which is wheat and dairy free with sunflower seeds and golden linseeds. Definitely one of my favourites and makes me feel a little healthier than eating white bread.

Egg Toast Avocado Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide


Afternoon Snack

I usually have some mixed nuts with me as they as such a great snack. I had a few of these for my afternoon snack along with the apple from earlier.

Nuts Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide


Dinner


Dinner was stir fry chicken and vegetables (onions, peppers, mushroom and spring onions) with lettuce wraps. I added lots of spices, garlic, ginger and soy sauce to this to give it flavour. Using lettuce wraps adds crunch and is a little healthier than having tortilla wraps. For dessert, I treated myself to a bar of Bournville with a cup of tea.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

The best end to a day :-).


Monday 23 February 2015

A Weekend in North Berwick

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

North Berwick is just over an hour drive from Glasgow but it feels like a completely different world. I love living in the city but every now and again I feel the need to escape to the country for some relaxation. North Berwick is definitely my happy place. It is a beautiful little seaside town and as soon as I arrive and take a walk along the beach, I feel all the stresses of work and everyday life slip away. The last few weeks have been particularly busy so I was ridiculously happy that I was able to spend this weekend completely relaxing.

It is such a beautiful place so of course I took way too many photos of my weekend. Apologies if this post is a little picture heavy!

I started off Saturday morning with an early morning run along the beach at sunrise. Bonus points if you can spot me and my labrador Lucy frolicking along next to me.

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

After a shower and a big cooked breakfast we headed out for a walk down the high street. We ended up at the Scottish Seabird Centre for a coffee and of course we had to have some cake too. The Seabird Centre is such a nice place to sit inside and keep warm, while being able to look out over the sea and harbour.

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

(This was a "Millionaire's Cake". Essentially a chocolate cake inside a toffee sponge with caramel frosting.... it was amazing!)

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

 The rest of the day was completely chilled with lots of dog walking and relaxing.

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide


Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

In the evening I enjoyed a glass or two (three) of wine before heading for dinner in one of the local Italian restaurants. For dessert I had a gigantic slice of Nutella and Baileys cheesecake, one of the tastiest cheesecakes I think I have ever had. I'm definitely going to try and recreate this soon at home. 

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

The next day we had a leisurely breakfast at our accommodation before heading out for another stroll around the harbour and beach. The weather was a little cold and rainy on the second day but we were wrapped up warm and determined to make the most of the time we had left. 

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide


Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide


Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide





Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide

 I had such a lovely weekend. It is always sad to leave but I came home feeling completely refreshed and ready to start the week. That being said I cannot wait for my next trip. 

    See you soon North Berwick!


Weekend Away North Berwick Glasgow Girls Guide



Face of the Day - Weekend Away

Face of the Day Weekend Away Glasgow Girls Guide

When I'm heading away for the weekend I try and pack fairly light when it comes to make-up. I pick products from my make-up collection that I know can be dual purpose if necessary and that way I don't have to heave around a ridiculously heavy make-up bag when travelling. It also saves more space in my bag for other important necessities..... like clothes and wine ;-). 

This is the make-up I chose to wear while away for the weekend in North Berwick. I was spending a lot of time out and about so while I wanted to look nice, I didn't want to be too over the top for a stroll on the beach!

Starting off with foundation I took my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation and concealer. This foundation is a really nice colour match for my face in winter, when I tend to be a little paler than usual and it lasts the majority of the day without wearing off which is always a must for me. I always set my foundation with a powder, I just happen to be using the Rimmel Stay Matte powder at the moment, I'm not sponsored by Rimmel honest! I also took the Nars Laguna bronzer with me which is one of my all time favourite bronzers. This is probably my fourth or fifth time re-purchasing and while I use other bronzers on and off, this is always the one I come back to. It is really good for fair skin and gives a nice light brown glow without being too orange or packed full of glitter which I hate! I used a Estee Lauder Soft Smudge brown eye pencil to fill in my eye brows. This is technically an eye liner but its a nice match for my eyebrow colour and despite being "soft smudge" lasts for just as long as any of my other brow pencils. 

Face of the Day Weekend Away Glasgow Girls Guide

 For blush I used Nars Roman Holiday which is a cool-toned pink blush with a matte finish.This was part of a holiday set I was given for Christmas and it came with the matching Roman Holiday lipstick which I also took with me. For eyes I used a Mac 'Reelers and Rockers' eye shadow palette. This is a really old palette from one of Mac's collections but I like to take it with me whenever I'm away from home as it has both gold and silver toned light and dark shadows so gives lots of different options for day and night looks. I used a little Gaelic Gold (middle of the bottom row) for my eyelid with Crown and Sceptre (bottom right) for the corner and crease and finally a little White Rabbit (top left) for the inner corner of my eye. I finished this with some Lancome Crayon Kohl black eyeliner and the Benefit They're Real mascara. 


Face of the Day Weekend Away Glasgow Girls GuideFace of the Day Weekend Away Glasgow Girls Guide

And that's it. A quick, easy and really low maintenance look.

Face of the Day Weekend Away Glasgow Girls Guide


Face of the Day Weekend Away Glasgow Girls Guide



Friday 20 February 2015

What I Eat in a Day - Busy Work Day Edition



How to Greek Yoghurt Fruit Bowl What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide


I absolutely love reading "What I Eat in a Day" posts. I think it's easy to get stuck in a routine of making the same meals over and over so I think it is great that these posts have become more popular because you can get lots of good ideas and inspiration from other people. Pinterest is also amazing for recipe ideas. I can spend literal hours drooling over the brownie recipes on there!

I've been trying to eat a little healthier since the start of the year. Not every day is perfect, this is an example of a really busy work day where I wasn't home until 9pm so I had to grab food for dinner on the go but I try to make healthier choices where I can.

Breakfast
How to Greek Yoghurt Fruit Bowl What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I love breakfast foods so I never skip breakfast if I can help it! I always start my day with a herbal tea of some kind. Usually a fruit flavoured green tea. On this day I didn't fancy anything hot for breakfast so I had some greek yoghurt and fruit. This is around 150g of 0% fat Fage greek yoghurt, topped with half a banana, a kiwi and some dried cranberries. I also added some cinnamon, chia seeds and a little sweetener to the greek yoghurt for some extra flavour. It's amazing!


 I will have this before leaving the house and then I'll have a black coffee when I get to work.

Mid Morning Snack

How to Greek Yoghurt Fruit Bowl What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

I always have a green tea and snack of some kind around 11am when I start to get a little hungry. Today was simply an apple. Again a little cinnamon or almond butter added to apple slices is amazing!

Lunch

I'm usually not that hungry at lunchtime due to my mid morning snack and I never have very long to prepare food so I grab something quick and easy. On this day I had two rice cakes, topped with ham, cucumber and rocket. This is usually accompanied with a big glass of cold water.

Rice Cakes Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

Afternoon Snack

I usually have another snack around 4pm. It was half a banana today. The other half I use for breakfast the next day.

Banana Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide


Dinner
Sushi Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

I was working late on this night so wasn't able to make anything for dinner. I managed to find some vegetarian sushi which I ate. It was different combinations of mushroom, carrots, green beans, mange tout and courgette. Very yummy!

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Healthy What I Eat in a Day Glasgow Girls Guide

I have such a sweet tooth so I never feel satisfied unless I have something sweet after my meal. This day, once I was finally home I made myself a cup of tea (made with almond milk) and two squares of this dark chocolate. It is my first time trying this particular Tesco Peruvian dark chocolate and I'm quite impressed. I'm not sure anything can compare to Green and Blacks though!

I'll usually have another few glasses of water and a final herbal tea before bed too.

And that's it :-). I love doing these posts so I'm sure there will be more coming soon!

Tuesday 17 February 2015

Pancake Day!


how to make pancake day glasgow girls guide personalised nutella


I love celebrations of any kind. Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, Birthdays. Whatever the occasion I love any excuse to celebrate and eat yummy food. Which is why Pancake Day (or Shrove Tuesday) is always celebrated in my house. And this year I didn't just have one serving of pancakes but two.

I am a little embarrassed to admit that but the first version were my go to "healthy pancakes" which meant that by the time it came to the evening serving of pancakes I could really enjoy myself and not worry about indulging.

Also, I needed an excuse to make use of the amazing personalised jar of Nutella I got for Christmas. You just can't get a better present than that!

Anyway back to pancakes, the recipe for both versions are below, enjoy!

'Healthy' Pancakes


how to make healthy pancakes day glasgow girls guide


This recipe will make 4 small pancakes which I would call one serving :-)

Ingredients

1 ripe banana
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
pure maple syrup
0% Fat greek yoghurt
blueberries (or any other fruit)

Method

1) Mash your banana in a bowl. Make sure your banana is ripe otherwise the pancakes won't work as well. You want to get rid of any lumps of banana completely.
2) Add your egg to the mashed banana and mix together. Then add the baking powder, salt and vanilla.
3) Grease a frying pan (I use 1-cal spray) and then spoon your mixture into four little circles. Your pan should only be on a medium heat as these will take a few minutes to be firm enough to flip.
4) Once you see bubble appearing in the top of your pancakes and they are firm enough, flip over and cook for another few minutes on the other side.
5) Once cooked, put onto a plate and then sprinkle with cinnamon and maple syrup. Add a dollop of greek yoghurt and fruit of your choice and then enjoy!

Note: These are also amazing topped with almond butter and a few extra banana slices. 

So now that you have enjoyed those we can move onto the naughtier version. I much prefer fluffy American style pancakes to the thinner crepes that we usually call pancakes here in the UK so whenever I am making pancakes it tends to be American style all the way. I think that maple syrup and crispy bacon is the best topping for these but I know that Nutella and banana are also popular toppings in my house.

how to make healthy pancakes day glasgow girls guide


You can find loads of different recipes for these pancakes online but the recipe I use is below. I can guarantee that these always turn out really well for me.

American Style Pancakes (Makes around 8 large or 16 small)


how to make healthy pancakes day glasgow girls guide

Ingredients

200g Plain Flour
1tbsp Caster Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
250ml milk (roughly)
30g melted butter (optional but does give a nicer flavour)
Topping of your choice

Method

1) Mix all ingredients together, it really is that simple! 
2) Fry on one side until you see little bubbles in the batter, then flip. Fancy flipping without using a spatula is entirely optional but always lots of fun.
3) I like to keep the pancakes warm in the oven until I have cooked them all.
4) Then top with whatever combination of wonderful things takes your fancy and enjoy!

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The Perfect Jacket

Finding the perfect everyday jacket to wear around Glasgow is practically impossible. This may sound like a bit of an over exaggeration but when you consider the fact that we often have all four seasons in one day then you might be a little more sympathetic to my struggle.

In February the weather can literally change from being dry with sun in the morning, to wet and windy conditions at lunch and freezing by nighttime. So to find a jacket you can wear in the morning to work which will deal with all of these situations is a tricky business. Layers of clothing, bobble hats, scarves and umbrellas are all regularly found in my handbag to deal with this but I'm also in need of a light but cosy jacket to wear until the weather gets a little warmer.

I'm been having an internet window shop to see what I can find and below are some of my recent favourites from Asos. The blue peacoat might be making its way to its new home in my wardrobe as we speak ;-).

the perfect jacket glasgow girls guide

Links to each here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

 

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