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 

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. 

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)

Sunday: Roast 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.

Pars, Disneyland & Where to Visit

Disneyland & the most expensive meal of our lives on the Champs Elysees 

Paris is just beautiful to me. Full of culture, amazing patisserie's with strong coffee and sophisticated people milling around this busy city of extremes. Yes Paris can be a cliché for some but I love it. Living in London it's never been easier to travel to Paris via Eurostar in a matter of hours, all in a comfortable seat and plenty of snacks!

Adam surprised me with a trip for my birthday (yes this post has been a long time coming...my birthday was at the end of Feb!), and I couldn't have been more excited. I LOVE romance, the idea of it, the cheesy chick flicks, imagining romantic strolls down the Champs Elysées. And yes, I may have dropped hints for the past 3 years that we've been together that I really wanted to have a romantic break away in gay Paris, and it was just as special as I expected!
This is also a thank you to Adam. For putting up with my need to have a clean and tidy flat - all.the.time, my eBay addiction, my love of smelly candles and all things girly, my lack of love for his favourite horror movies, and my moaning that he never buys me flowers. Well don't I just sound like a treat! So for all my flaws...thanks for putting up with me.

Laduree Macarons, bites of heaven

Laduree Cake

Not content with a romantic Paris trip, Adam also booked tickets to Disneyland. "WHAT THE ACTUAL EFF" I think was my response. I've never been to Disneyland, heck, I didn't go abroad until I was 16 with my friend and her family so Disneyland never featured in my childhood (1st world problems, right?). However, my love of Disney has never faltered and even though I'm at an age where it's probably not acceptable to have a Disney Princess lunch box for work, I was set to burst at the though of a whole host of Disney magic thrust into my birthday face. 

I won't bore you with a step by step of our weekend away, but I will say it was incredible. We ate so much food, drank gorgeous champagne and laughed a lot.

 Instead, I've put together a must do list for the first timer's or not-been-there-for-a-whilers amongst you. It's touristy so for any seasoned Paris travellers I'd love to know where to visit next time I go! One tip though - if you don't speak French at least learn a few basic phrases, everyone will appreciate that you tried and if like me, they'll know you're not fluent and speak back to you in English (yep, my French was obviously that good...cheers A in French GCSE you helped me no end!)

Where to visit on a quick break

1. Laduree  or Pierre Herme for delicious macarons - I love macarons and I've tried a lot, but these two (situated in the heart of Paris), are such a gorgeous treat. Ladauree do more than just deserts here, you can also have a breakfast, lunch or dinner and a cheeky drink or two if you're feeling flush. One warning? Be prepared to queue! 

2. Disneyland Paris -Why should kids have all the fun?! A 40 min metro ride from the centre of Paris means you're not too far for a day visit! Get there early and plan your visit, we made the mistake of just milling around and the queues build up really quickly so pick your fave rides and go to them first. I'd also say take snacks or lunch if you're not a huge fan of fast food...there's little else to chose from!

3. Walking Tour or Bus Tour - We had a day of touristy fun walking from the Eiffel tower, down to the Louvre, all the way down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. It took hours but we saw so much of the city that we'd have passed by going on public transport. City buses are also brilliant for this as you can hop on and off all around the city throughout the day.

4. Gallerie Lafayette - A huge department store. But not just any department store. It's stunning and worth going for the awe factor and a quick bite to eat if you're not interested in shopping.
5. Try our new foods! I found a great blog post over on SFP which rounds up some gems if you love your food.

Au revoir from me and my pal Mickey for now! 

June Hero- Coconut Oil

OK, you're probably thinking this is a bit of an odd product of the month but seriously, coconut oil is my new thing. I know coconut oil isn't really new and I've been reading recipes for ages that use coconut oil as a healthy cooking oil, BUT I didn't know it had multiple uses. I've picked it as my product of the month because it's a wonder product for your teeth! Why? Oil Pulling. Yep sounds odd but wait...

What do you do?

Buy any 100% raw & organic coconut oil 

Grab a teaspoon

Spoon a portion into your moth and swill around for 15-20mins

Spit out

Why?

I've read a few blog posts on Oil Pulling and the best one I've found is Fashion Lush (because her posts are just plain funny)  

I've only been oil pulling for the odd day here and there however I'm wanting to get into more of a routine so I can really see results however before I get into the main reasons why you should oil pull I'll tell you my findings. 

1. It seems a bit weird at first putting this oil into your moth but trust me after 10 seconds you can relax...it tastes ok and once it's dissolved into the oil it's easily swishable around your mouth.

2. The first time you do it you might thing 20 mins is a lot and you may get jaw ache etc but you'll quickly get used to it so persevere.

3. Do something to keep you busy in the 20 mins. Watch TV, read, clean the kitchen (you get the drift).

4. Don't overfill your mouth! You don't want to accidental swallow any of the nasties that the oil is picking up in your mouth so I use a loaded teaspoon.

5. Once you've finished whatever you do DON'T spit it out down your sink. This is oil that will harden and stick to your pipes and could cause all sorts of issues so I spit out into a cheap food bag and bin it but you could also spit out into a cup and then pop into the bin. 

6. Once I've finished I usually swish well with water or salt water if you're being really pro just to make sure all of the nasties are out of there. 

So like I said, I've not been oil pulling for long enough to notice the amazing things I've read about however I have noticed: my teeth look a little brighter, a dry patch I had on my scalp for months has started to clear up - coincidence - I don't think so! From this week I'm going to do this daily or at least every other day in the morning or last thing at night and I'll come back to you with my findings! 

From the magic of other brilliant blogs and Google, the benefits of Oil Pulling:

* Healthier gums/ teeth/ mouth.

 * Helps to clear up sinus issues.

 * If you've got a a bad throat, oil pulling will help clear the bacteria quickly.

 * Helps with skin issues

* Can help cure a hangover (say what?!)

* Overall detoxification.

Have you tried Oil Pulling or will you be giving this a go? Let me know how you've got on! 

Weekly Meal Ideas & Recipe #1

Pre-planning your meals takes so much of the stress out of deciding what to have for dinner each evening. It also saves so much waste and money because since I started pre-planning meals, I find I don't nip into the local shops to pick things up (and buy loads of things I don't need...hello chocolate éclairs!).

Honestly, give it a go and see how you find it. Of course you're not restricted and things crop up so you may have to adjust, but knowing you have all of the ingredients in is so easy.

You'll see my meals for the week below along with a really simply tasty Goats Cheese & Mushroom Frittata which is perfect for a quick summer dinner with minimal effort and maximum taste!

Breakfasts:

Graze breakfasts: A mix of porridge, granola, and light cereals all with unsweetened almond milk (Use my code SALLYE9FE to get your first box of tasty and inspired snacks for free!)

Avocado on toast: Brown toast or Soda Bread, 1 avocado with tomatoes and a small topping of chilli sauce

Chia seed pudding: Deliciously Ella's Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding with blueberries

Dinners:

Monday: Goats cheese, asparagus & red onion frittata with spinach salad

Tuesday: Jacket potato with tuna sweetcorn & spinach salad  

Wednesday: Out for dinner with a friend (Pizza Express Pollo Verdure salad & dough sticks)

Thursday: Cod in mustard & white wine sauce with mashed potato & asparagus

Friday:  Butternut squash & sage risotto (Adam is having sausage & mash)

Saturday: Tandoori chicken with chapati, boiled rice & salad (plus a tonne of poppadoms!) 

Sunday: M&S dine in for two 

For some reason I never make frittata. Egg based meals never fill me with food joy however when I actually eat them...they're delicious and filling!  So, I thought I'd give this goats cheese, spinach and mushroom frittata a go in my new skillet pan!

1tbsp olive oil
6-7 mushrooms (whichever you fancy)
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
150g spinach
6 beaten eggs
salt & pepper
50g goats cheese
handful cheddar cheese

What to do:

Preheat the grill to a medium heat

Heat oil in a pan and add the mushrooms and fry them, adding garlic when they're almost brown

Add the spinach and stir until wilted

Beat the eggs, mix in the cheddar cheese then pour over the beaten eggs. Season with salt & pepper and sprinkle over the crumbled goats cheese

Leave on a low heat to cook through for roughly 5 mins.

Place the pan under the grill until it starts to turn golden.

Cut into wedges and serve with a fresh salad (I dressed mine in lemon juice)

Hope you enjoy!