Tea for Two

Hello Lovelies,

A couple of days ago I met up with an old school friend to reminisce about school and catch up with what's been going on recently, she has to be the best baker I know and holds the most amazing tea parties, so Starbucks just wasn't going to cut it.  Instead we wandered to this lovely little place called The Yard, it's a lovely kitsch tearoom and gallery just perfect for having a leisurely catch up.   

We decided to sit outside as it was still lovely and sunny, we both sipped on tea I had a pot of decaf and A a pot of Earl Grey, it came in lovely mismatched china covered in various floral designs, we were very good and managed to say no to the yummy cakes on the little counter.  

Tiny teacups hung from a tree which was a rather sweet touch.  Then next to us was a brick shed that had been painted bright pink filled with a table a pew and various mismatched chairs and cushions, a red chandelier hung above the table, lots of different picture adorned the walls and a slightly out of place sledge was propped up in the corner.

In the little courtyard there were three different tables all painted different colours, the black cat very much enjoyed laying on the bench in the sun.  

Do you have a favourite place to go for tea?

My Favourite Healthy Snacks

Hello Lovelies,

Due to all my last food posts being rather sugar orientated, I thought I ought to break the cycle and pop up some of my favourite healthy snacks.  Everyone has those moments when they feel peckish and a lot of us reach for something on the lesser side of healthy (me included) so I thought I would give you a few ideas of some rather scrumptious snacks I munch on when I'm being good! 

Gluten Free Bannana and Peanut Butter Pancakes

This is a firm fave if I have time, it's not really a grab and go snack, but it's so scrummy that I had to included it.  It only includes three ingredients and is also gluten free.

Ingredients

2 bananas 

2 eggs 

2 spoonfuls of peanut butter

To make 1-2 servings you will first need to mash the bananas until they are nice and smooth.

Once you have finished with your bananas, beat your eggs then grab your mixing bowl of bananas and add the eggs and peanut butter then whisk the ingredients together until they form a smooth batter.  The batter will look watery but do not fret !

Next you need to heat a pan, once it is hot enough poor about two tablespoons of batter onto the pan for each pancake, it is easier to keep them small as they are rather delicate.

Cook your pancakes for a few minutes before turning, you will know they are ready to flip when the edges start to firm and bubbles appear in the center, just like a normal pancake.

Serve your pancakes piping hot with your favourite topping, butter, syrup or honey.

This amount of batter usually makes 8-9 pancakes so you can enjoy these babies with friends or families.

Rice Cake, Peanut Butter and Banana 

 This is a really speedy snack to make and eat!  I love rice cakes but am really picky, I really dislike the thick ones that have the texture of polyester, but you can get these really yummy ones made by 'rude health' which are called 'rice thins' they are thin and crunchy and perfect for topping.

For this snack I coat the rice cake in a little peanut butter then slice half a banana over the top.  It gives you a little boost from the natural sugar, the peanut butter is rich in energy and contains nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. 

Goats Milk Yogurt, Strawberries and Honey

This little pot of joy is super scrumptious, cows milk doesn't agree with me, but I am a serious fan of goats milk and yogurt, this one by St Helen's Farm is my favourite.  For a snack I put two tablespoons in a ramekin then add three sliced strawberries and a dash of runny honey.

Frozen Grapes

My last snack for you today is frozen grapes, these are super easy to do easy to munch on the go.  I usually put them in a freezer bag, pop them in the freezer for a while then pull them out as and when I want them. 

 What is your favourite healthy snack?

Scrummy Roasted Red Peppers

Hello Lovelies,

For the last month all the recipes on my blog have been rather naughty, full of cheeky treats that aren't good for the old waistline!  So I am making a concerted effort to make my foodie posts a tad more healthy, to kick start it all I thought I would start with some scrummy roasted red peppers.  

I love roasted veg and peppers are definitely my favourite, so what better than a load of roasted red peppers to munch on. 

 
It is such an easy peasy thing to do, and they taste sooooo much better than the ones you can purchase in a supermarket, so it is definetly worth the little bit of effort and time.
The first thing to do is grab yourself some peppers, I normally buy mine from the market as they tend to be a lot cheaper than supermarkets.  Once you have cut your peppers in half deseed them and place down on a foil covered tray. 

You don't need to add anything to them, just pop them in the oven at 170 C for 25 mins. 

 

When your peppers are done pop them in a bowl and cover them with foil until they are cold, then take them out, peel of the skin (it should come off pretty easily), once you have pealed the skin off place them in a pyrex bowl with a lid, if you are going to use them straight away you can just pop them in by themselves but if you want them to keep then and a little oil and pop in the fridge, after doing this they should last about two weeks, so you can add them to any of your meals.

How scrummy do these babies look!

Ciabatta with Goats Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach and Tomato

Hello Lovelies,

I was starving this morning as I had had a seriously unsatisfactory breakfast of just an apple so my body was craving something rather more substantial for lunch, because of this I decided to whip up a seriously good sandwich.

This is one of my favourite sandwiches, goat's cheese, roasted red pepper, spinach and tomato, a handful of yuminess.  I would love to say I had baked the ciabatta but in reality M&S made this roll, letting the side down I know.
  

To make this roll/sandwich I heat the ciabatta in the oven, then after 8 mins I layer the goats cheese, pepper spinach then tomato.  After putting together my favourite sandwich I pop it on a plate and devour it while it is still warm.    

What is your favourite sandwich?

The Tangle Teezer || Review

Hello Lovelies,

I have said before that I have the most ridiculously thick of mane hair, and although lovely it is the bane of my life, massive tangles that just seem to appear from nothing and the only way to deal with these massive knots is to furiously brush, the good old 100 strokes of a hair brush (very Railway Children!)  The Tangle Teezer (£10.99) has been my lifesaver and is one of those things that is always on my dressing table. 

The Tangle Teezer is small (fits in the palm of your hand) but don't let its small size fool you, it works its magic with bristles in varying lengths which softly removes tangles and smooths your hair.  It has to be the most painless brush I own, you don't have to do that awkward thing where you hold the top of your hair to sort out the tangle at the bottom, just so you don't rip your hair out off your head.
Due to the short bristles and my thick hair I found I did need to section it, to get all of it brushed, but that is my only minor complaint. 

Verdict:

I love this product, it removes the tangles from my hair without any pain and has dramatically cut down the amount of time it takes, this definitely gets five stars from me, it both tames and tangles, its perfect.

September Loving

Hello Lovelies,

September is well and truly here (the wellies are on)the plums, apples and raspberries are plentiful and jam and chutney making has begun.  So while I was home in the countryside, I donned my wellies, grabbed the dog and ventured up to the little orchard, to stumble over the apples that were strewn all over the ground and pick some yummy plums for crumble making and the odd apple to munch on.      

One thing we are not short of is cooking apples, we used to give them to a friends pig, but alas the pig is no more, so the majority end up rotting on the ground as there is only so many crumbles, stewed apples and cider that you can make.

The eating apples are scrummy especially when they are all pink, there is nothing better than picking an apple straight from the tree.  And plums well that's a whole different ballgame, lets just say I am slightly addicted. 

Zoella Detour Sunglasses || Review

Hello Lovelies,

These are my new sunnies, and aren't they just swell!  I really needed a pair of sunglasses that I wasn't going to be overly precious of, I have a lovely large Bulgari pair, but sometimes they are just not right, especially during a vigorous highly competitive game of tennis, badminton, cricket or golf with the family.

So while I was reading Zoella's blog I happened upon her post about her new Detour Limited Edition sunglasses, I had never heard of Detour before but after reading her blog and falling a little in love with the glasses I headed over to Detour's website to grab myself a pair.         

The glasses come in a nice simple cardboard box with a black Detour pouch to protect your shades from getting scratched.
  

They have polarized UV400 protective lenses (a step up from normal sunglasses) to protect your eyes from nasty UV rays and impact resistance lenses to protect them from flying objects.

I love the mint green arms and polarized lenses, and the sturdy and comfortable spring hinges.  The fact that one arm says "Just say yes!" and the other "Zoella" is also pretty snazzy. 

I love these glasses and popped them on as soon as I got them from the postman, so a definite thumbs up for both Zoella and Detour Sunglasses.

Chewy Raisin Cookies

Hello Lovelies, 

My Cheeky Chewy Choc Chip Cookies were a big hit, so I thought I would show you our favourite raisin cookies.  They are super easy to make and use exactly the same basic recipe as the cheeky chocolate ones, just substitute the naughty chocolate chips for the slightly healthier raisins!  If you want to make these check out the basic recipe here.  Then once you have added your raisins put a heaped desert spoon on your tray and bake at 170 C for 10-15 mins until the edges look slightly golden, then you guys know the rest!      

They are yummy yummy in my tummy, how about you?