Wednesday 29 July 2015

Online Yoga - Yoogaia

This week we're talking Yoga! 

I've suffered with sciatica for a while now and I've been meaning to get back into yoga as it really helps ease any issues I might be having from time to time. What put me off? Yoga classes are expensive & you're also trapped to a certain schedule and for me, I prefer to workout in the morning before work so the thought of getting up even earlier than 6am to get to a class in London does not fill me with joy. Obviously. 

So when I heard about Yoogaia, an online Yoga studio that offers live and recorded classes I couldn't wait to try it!

It's super simple to sign up and they were offering a 7 day trial, the rest of the month for £3.49 and then if you like it, the normal price is £14.99 a month. I couldn't even get two Yoga classes in London for that price and this is unlimited. Win. 

They have lots of different classes from beginner to advanced and I was really happy to see they do a mix of Yoga, Pilates and even Barre work.

I did my first class today and chose a 30min Yang class to ease me in. I LOVED it. This was a recording of another session as there wasn't a live class for me at 6am. It was easy to select the recording & you can favourite any classes you see for next time.  I need to invest in a yoga block for some of the poses but apart from that I'm definitely going to try out as many classes as I can to integrate it into my normal workout routine.

Sorry for the odd colour - it was 6am and grey - even editing couldn't help!


If you fancy giving it a go simply follow my link below and you'll get a free 14 day trial (compared to the 7 day available). Pop a note in your diary and then your can decide if you want to continue or you're free to cancel at any time! 

p.s I get nothing from the referral it's just a better deal than the 7 day trial I found so wanted to pass it on!
https://yoogaia.com/?referral=Q3J9VJXDMFZ5

Namaste 

Thursday 23 July 2015

Filling My Instagram Recently...


I love taking photos, I'm not great but I get by and I'm desperate to learn how to use my DSLR to it's full potential. I'm hoping to take a course in the next few months so hopefully you should see the benefits of some new skills in my photography soon! 

So I thought I'd start a photo diary on here of some of my favourite photos of the last few weeks as a summary away from Instagram. 

I love Instagram. I work in social media and manage to keep my work Instagram up to date but I'm not so punctual with my own. So, I've decided to try and treat my blog like a 2nd job because I love writing it, I just need to be a more disciplined with it. 

I suppose it's a good thing, I'm too busy enjoying my time to snap away but to be honest this month I've just been plain old tired! I've just finished teaching and so have 10 glorious weekends off and I can't wait! I think I needed some time to recover and just relax (something I find very hard to do!). But now....it's time to get back on the blogging horse (that's a weird image right?)! 

FILLING MY INSTAGRAM RECENTLY

1. Yum Bun - I went back to the Model Market in Lewisham and had this amazing Chinese steamed bun with mushroom. I drooled over my friends buns last time so had to go back. If you're in London or even visiting I'd recommend trying one of the outdoor markets are a food lovers paradise. 
2. Be Happy Print - I bought this super cute print from Etsy and I love it! You buy it online and download and print yourself. The seller also sells the frame but I just purchased mine separately from Amazon (as it was waaaaay cheaper). 
3. Essence The Gel Nail Polish - I've mentioned this in a previous blog post but these nail polishes are brilliant. They have an amazing shine and thick consistency so you don't need to spend ages layering on. They're fairly small but at £1.60 you can afford to try out new colours.
4. Kate Spade 'Cats Meow' embellished bag - HOW CUTE IS THIS BAG?! Ok, I know it's not practical but I love it. 
5. Peonies - I found these beauties on Sunday in Aldi and were only three freaking pounds. Amazing right? Two buds are still to open, even by today but they're looking gorgeous. 
6. Glossybox - I just loved getting a Glossybox subscription for my birthday as it's like a little treat every month. This months box was French themed with some gorgeous items in including Vichy (a new fave of mine). If you fancy giving Glossybox a go you can buy a one off box or sign up and subscribe for anything from 3 months to a year. 


Sunday 5 July 2015

WEEKLY MEAL IDEAS & RECIPE #2

Dinners:

Monday: Leftover roast dinner
Tuesday: Hot chicken & mediterranean vegetable salad with mustard dressing & onion focaccia bread
Wednesday: Spaghetti Bolognaise
Thursday: Homemade Calzone with spinach salad
Friday: Chicken shish kebabs with pitta, salad & chippy chips
Saturday: Breaded Mozzarella with Giant gous cous & aubergine (Gousto Meal)
SundayRoast Dinner

Another week gone by in this crazy hot summer we're having (I'm currently sat in my baking hot flat sweating glistening), and another meal plan! I've not always planned my meals out like this but I'm really getting into the swing of it over the last few months and hope it's inspired you to maybe give it a go.

Planning out my meals like this stemmed from testing both Hello Fresh and Gousto boxes where you get 4-5 meals planned for you per week with all of the fresh ingredients delivered to your door. Although I've not kept up subscriptions, it's inspired me to test our new ideas and to plan meals (I don't miss the dreaded look into the fridge trying to conjure up a tasty meal with a pack of bacon, withered salad and half a jar of mustard).

I've been trying some fresher ideas this week, with the heat you just don't to want to dig into a steaming bowl of chilli and rice so I've been geared more towards salad and chicken based meals.

I decided to make homemade calzone and it was a triumph! I cheated a little with the bread mix but I've also popped a link to a perfect base recipe below. 

THE PERFECT CALZONE RECIPE



Serves 2
Pizza base mix (or make your own from scratch here)
Passata
Mozzarella balls
Fresh Basil
Mixed Herbs
Salt & Pepper
Ham
Red Onion
Mushrooms
Grated Cheddar (optional)
(I had no ham and added some red pepper and sweetcorn as I love loads of veg)

What to do:

If you're using the bread mix, empty the contents into a mixing bowl and add 100ml of water (fyi if you want to make for 4 just buy 2 bread mix packets and combine with 200ml of water).
Stir with a spoon or fork until it starts to form a dough. Once it's formed, flour your worktop and rolling pin and pop the dough on the worktop.
Knead the bread for approx 5 mins working the dough clockwise after each knead. Add more flour if it' starts to get sticky (mine did as my flat was SO HOT).
After 5 mins, separate the dough into balls and roll out into pizza bas sized circles. Pop onto baking trays and put somewhere warm with a cloth over to rise. 
After 15 mins the dough should have risen and it's time to fill!
Empty your passata into a bowl, add a salt & pepper to taste, rip up a handful of basil and drop in, and sprinkle 1tsp of mixed herbs. Stir and spoon onto your base.
Make sure you only add the passata and toppings to half of your base and leave a few cm free from sauce around the edges as you're going to fold in half soon
Sprinkle in your ham and veg making sure you don't overfill. Finally rip the mozzarella balls into chunks.
Finally fold the empty half over the toppings, press down around the edges and then fold the edges over slightly.
If your dough it's sticking at the edges you can always brush the edges with some milk or whisked egg yolk to secure. 
Finally you can sprinkle the tops of the calzone with cheddar but I did that only because I LOVE cheese. 


Pop them into the oven for around 15 mins or until golden brown. Voila.