A World Full of Prettiness

Friday, 23 December 2016

New York Day 1 - Lady Lib, Lashing rain & Lights

I'm back from my 3 week stint in the US!

For the next few weeks I'll be posting daily diaries on what I got up to on my travels, so stay tuned for some good ol' holiday spam!

After a smooth flight from Manchester airport direct to JFK we jumped on our arranged transport and drove into Midtown Manhattan. Unfortunately I was super tired and travel sick so I didn't appreciate or absorb my surroundings as much as I really should have done. We got stuck in lots of traffic so what should have taken us 45 minutes took us almost 2 hours. One thing I did learn whilst being in NY - they really do know how to use their horns! NYC noise consists of sirens and horn honking - at all hours! They sure know how to portray chaos!

We arrived at our hotel (Row NYC, review to come!), freshened up and then took a sleepy walk into Times Square, which was a stones throw away from the hotel. Wow, just wow. It's not often something takes my breath away but it really is like the photos suggest. So bright and alive. After soaking up some of the atmosphere, we dived into a trusty favourite of ours, Olive Garden, right in the heart of Times Square for tea. Jet lag getting the better of me, I deliriously ate my way through a portion of tasty lasagne before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

The next day (and several annoying days after) I woke up at 5am. Damn you body clock. I got myself ready then gave Mike his 8am wake-up call. We made the short walk to Cosmic Diner for breakfast which was up the road from us. This is a fine example to not always trust Tripadvisor, although I'll keep my opinions to myself on this one!

We got our tickets for our hop on hop off bus, and jumped on to experience some topless bus tourist views! We then departed at Battery Park and got on a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side, and my god did it rain. We tried to take selfies next to the queen herself but it was pouring that hard that we could barely look up. Wet and uncomfortable, we jumped on the next ferry back and ended up walking the entire length of Broadway, dodging the rain by occasionally diving into a Starbucks or some shops, and later stopping for tea. I think my tracker informed me that we had walked 13 miles that day. Unfortunately we had planned to visit the 9/11 memorial but due to weather conditions, we had to hold off.

After walking for miles down Broadway, we arrived back at the hotel. Had a quick freshen up moment before heading back out to see the Christmas light turn on at The Rockefeller Center. Luckily the rain had eased off at this point! Unfortunately we were fairly late to the ceremony, instead being faced with a live screen of what was happening just around the corner because we couldn't get close enough because of the crowds. They had some famous singers (names escape me) who sung some beautiful Christmas carols before lighting up the tree. The atmosphere was fantastic and I'm glad I did it.

Stay tuned for day 2!

HelloFresh Subscription Box Review

Some of you may (or may not!) know that I am a subscriber of Pink Parcel (a cute 'time of the month' subscription box filled with all those womanly essentials, plus some treats for us around 'that time'). In last months box, a £20 off gift card for Hellofresh was included, which meant I could purchase 5 days worth of meals (for 2 people) for £30 (instead of £50). Considering each meal consisted of some form of meat or seafood, I thought £30 was pretty damn good! So we enjoyed 10 days worth of yummy and creative recipes.

My thoughts on HelloFresh...

Packaging

I was always impressed with the packaging. As you can see from the photo, there were boxes within boxes to separate the food. The refrigerated foods were stored in an insulated blanket complete with large ice-packs to maintain freshness.

Ingredients

I think the idea behind HelloFresh is to have the exact amount of ingredients so it takes away the hassle of weighing food/spices out. I found that with some food items, I could make them stretch a little further than what the recipe suggested and save for something else! (i.e. we had 2 bags of spinach for 2 recipes - I found this a little too much so I always kept half a bag and used for a shake the following day!). I never had any problems with freshness of any fruit/veg, and they all appeared really good quality.

Recipes

I can't praise these enough. They come attached to each other similar to a little booklet, but each had a perforated line to rip and store away individually. Each recipe was so detailed, it had a photo of each ingredient that was required, the amount, a step-by-step instruction guide, photos, nutritional value.. basically everything you need for a successful recipe from start to finish!

Taste

Now I understand that this will be down to individual preference but each recipe differed on the taste scale for me, some where to-die-for and left me wanting more, others not so much. But, I never had a bad meal. Some ingredients were new to my palette but definitely brought out the adventurous side in me, in terms of cooking anyway! Below were some of my favourite meals...

Convenience

Even though these recipes took a little more time and effort than most recipes I tend to do after a full day at work, because I was reading off a recipe and knew I had each ingredient to hand, it motivated me. There's something I love about reading off a recipe, knowing I'm ticking off the steps in my head. However I will say one thing - I found the preparation time (that was stated by hellofresh) to be a little out. I don't believe I'm awfully slow in the kitchen, but for example it may have stated prep time to be 30mins, when in fact it was taking me 45 minutes. That was my only bugbear.

Service

When writing this blog post, there wasn't a lot I could fault HelloFresh on, however unfortunately I've had to edit this section as things took a nosedive shortly afterwards. I had used up my vouchers, and didn't intend on paying full price for the box afterwards, so I unsubscribed. I went through the process via their website and everything seemed hunky dory, all settled. It wasn't until I was at work a week or so later that I received an email on my phone that stated a delivery was on its way. I was confused but I knew I wasn't expecting anything. I arrived home to another Hello Fresh box. I checked my bank and low and behold, they had taken £50 from our account. I was not happy. For one reason or another, I knew I had definitely done the process properly. I emailed HelloFresh and unfortunately they weren't overly understanding, and refunded me just £10 to show that they 'had made no profit from the box'. This whole thing really got my back up because only a day prior we had been food shopping ourselves, so we had almost 2 weeks worth of food, half of that stuff being fresh vegetables which I later had to dispose of. I do believe I had completed the unsubscribe process properly, but it was my word against theirs, and they weren't budging.

Price

For people on a budget, this box probably isn't for you, coming in at £5 per meal per person. Each meal did consist of either meat or some form of fish, so they were really nutritious tasty meals, however you then have to consider all the other essentials that you would normally get in a weekly shop (i.e. milk, bread), not to mention food for breakfast and lunches, because this box only covers 1 meal per day. I don't think I would ever pay full price for this box, but it made a nice little treat coupled with the vouchers.

Have you ever tried HelloFresh before? What were your thoughts?

October Round Up - Country Walks, Travel Planning & Halloween

October has been so quiet for me, the main reason being because we're now on the last stretch before our holiday (4 weeks to go!), so we've been careful with our money.

I've really got into walking this month with my mum. I started in September and we've gone 3 times a week since. This has been my current method of getting exercise, and I've actually really been liking it. I've enjoyed getting in touch with nature, as sad as that sounds! We end up walking through fields and occasionally venturing into the prettiest (and most expensive!) village ever, with houses to die for. It also enables us to catch up and just chat. It's great if I need to vent too!

Apart from that, I've been working, and enjoying cosy nights in now the days have become darker. I've enjoyed nothing more than lighting a few candles, turning on my fairy lights and sticking a movie on. I'm not a massive movie kinda person, but just lately I've been loving them.

I've also started a bullet journal which is making me super productive! I love it and find that it makes me do things that I'd otherwise try and procrastinate over.

Top L Clockwise - My Halloween weekend - My view on one of our country walks - A naughty take-away night in - Travel Planning, can't wait to add another pin to this map!

With only 4 weeks to go till our big holiday, it's meant lots of last minute planning, booking of insurances, airport hotels, transport etc. The usual dribs and drabs that get left till nearer the date. I'm slowly (very slowly!) starting to gather things together ready for my suitcase. I hate feeling stressed on the run up to a holiday, realising I haven't got something at the last minute, so I figured slowly but surely has got to be the best way, right?!

Whilst booking all of the above, I had to book Take That tickets for their tour next year! So excited for that! Myself & Mike have been to the last 3 tours, so its tradition now!

I never celebrated Halloween this year. In fact I'm writing this on actual Halloween and I've deliberately turned off most of the lights and hermitted in the kitchen till most of the trick or treaters disappear! Call me scrooge but Mike's on a night shift, and I don't fancy opening the door - you just never know! Plus I never bought any sweets! Too much temptation! I did however drive home from work through a village today and saw the best house decorations! It reminded me of America, how much they go to town on Halloween. It then got me reminiscing about my childhood, and how we'd get home from school, have our tea then go out in our black bin-bags and plastic witches mask that used to give off so much condensation after a few breaths! I remember coming home and emptying my basket/bag out on the living room floor to see what I had. Then eating as much as I could before my mum used to take the sweets off me and tell me I've had too many! This time of year felt so much colder as a child compared to what it does now too! Ahhh, how times have changed.

What did you get up to in October?

Travel: Top 10 Tips on Packing Lightly

As my holiday draws closer, I'm thinking more and more about how to save weight in my suitcase. Not only am I going away for the longest holiday yet (3 weeks), but I'm also venturing into 2 different climates. Both of these things combined could create quite a hefty weight to my luggage if I'm not careful.

Some of these tips will be more than obvious to the experienced traveller, but for those that are not regular globetrotters...

1. Pack mini's where possible. Or if you don't have mini's - decant larger sized products into smaller containers.

This Nuxe oil doubles up as both a body and hair oil, as well as a highlighter.

2. Check out what your hotel offers before you leave. Nowadays, most hotel rooms contain a hairdryer and towels as standard, so there's 2 items you no longer have to pack. Also, if you're not fussy with hair products, most hotels include shampoo's and conditioners along with shower creams. Some decent weight to save on there!

3. If you're going away for more than a week and know that mini's wont suffice, why not purchase products when you're there? You would have only purchased them in the UK to take away...

4. Take versatile items. Coconut oil is great for doubling up as numerous products; moisturiser, hair serum, lip balm etc. I've got a great little palette that doubles up as both an eye-shadow and eyebrow gel/pencil that is a firm travel favourite. This goes for clothes too - with me, venturing into 2 climates could be quite tricky when packing clothing. I'm throwing in a few dresses that can be worn in the summer, but where I can also throw a cardigan/jumper over the top with black tights and boots for the colder weather.

5. Wear heavy clothes to the airport. This one won't be hard for us because we'll be leaving the UK in the winter, so I'll already have my winter coat and boots on.

6. Make use of your hand luggage! This is something I've only just started doing. My hand luggage usually only consisted of things I needed for the plane journey, and this wasn't a lot and I was always under my weight allowance. This time, instead of a holdall type bag, I now have a small cabin case which definitely offers me more room to put more items in and ensure I make full use out of my allowance.

7. This only applies to those travelling with others. Spread the weight! Usually, men don't take as many items as women on holiday, so if your case is overweight, throw a few things in someone else's case!

8. This one is really obvious but so many people still continue to do it. Only take what you are REALLY going to use. This is learnt more from experience, and the more I travel, the more I become familiar with my habits. 2 years ago, I took 4 different shades of lipglosses, and I only used 1. I also took 2 books, and I was so busy on holiday, that I didn't even manage to read 1. Really think about what you plan on doing on holiday and if you really need it.

9. This one ties in with No 1, but if its a product that is difficult to decant (i.e. spray) but you know you definitely don't need to take a full bottle/can away with you, start using it on the run up to your holiday, then by the time your due to go, you will be going away with less product, but still enough!

My de-canting pots

10. Returning from a holiday is where the worry usually kicks in, especially with all those souvenirs! This is where you have to be lethal. If you've got a quarter bottle of shampoo left, throw it! If those flip-flops are battered from all those trips to the beach, throw them! That bottle of sun-cream? Bin it because it'll probably be out of date by the next time you use it! I hate throwing things away that still have life in them, but if it meant keeping those V a possible £50+ charge at the airport, I know which one I'd rather do!

Sometimes its wise to take some luggage weighing scales with you (the hand-held type), especially if you plan on buying a lot of gifts. It'll help you keep track as the holiday goes on how much weight you have left to play with, so you know whether you can keep on buying or not! The worst thing to happen would be to end your holiday with extra costs at the airport for being over-weight!

I hope these tips have helped you know how to pack light for any future holidays!

Review: September's Degustabox

September's Degustabox was a mixed bag for me. Some things I enjoyed, others not so much.

Lets take a closer look...

Hartleys No Added Sugar Jelly Pots (50p each)

I think everyone has tried jelly at some point in their lives. These are nothing knew, but was nice to have a sweet treat in the fridge to enjoy every now and then. They're relatively healthy, easy on the pocket and great for kids too!

Cape Drinks (£1.59 each)

These carbonated drinks were hit and miss with me. I liked the pineapple and passionfruit flavour, however the peach & lychee, I unfortunately had to pour down the sink (I hate wasting food too!).

Emily's Crisps Crunchy Banana (£1.75)

Lovely packaging, however the taste of these will be a bit like Marmite, you'll either love them or hate them. I still can't make my mind up, however I shared these with a few people at work and none of them were keen. They are exactly how they sound - dried banana. There's only a limited amount of dried fruit that I like, and I can't decide if banana is one of them. Till then, I'll just admire the packaging design....

Say YES to No Bread Chips (£1.49)

These were a combination of break and crisps.. a little like croutons, but bigger and not as crunchy. They were pretty addictive and the flavour was yummy. I can imagine these to be perfect for dipping!

Teisseire Framboise & Cranberry Juice (£2.99)

I love this! I brought it to work with me and feel really posh with my almost flask-like juice bottle! Add water to this and away you go. The flavour is gorgeous and with the zero sugar, everyone's a winner!

Cirio Borlotti Beans (£1.89- pack of 3)

I'll be honest - these are still sat in my cupboard, I have no idea what to do with them. I've never heard of them before and don't know what recipe they'd go best with. I need to do some researching!

Get Fruity Bars (Tangy Pineapple, Coconut & Lime - £1)

These gluten free oat bars are the perfect friend for any health people out there! They're great to sling in your handbag on the go and have as a healthy mid-morning snack. A little expensive though for just 1 bar

Mrs Crimble's Fusilli (£1.99)

I cooked this last weekend for lunch and I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan. It tasted like proper diet food (which I'm guessing is the lack of gluten) but I definitely wasn't a fan.

Metcalfe's Popcorn Thins (£1.99)

I've really got into corn/rice cakes, even more so if they are topped with chocolate. Its a perfect guilt-free treat. These are really mourish and I'm not gonna lie - I sat and ate the whole pack.. in one. So light but yummy!

Chia Bia Whole & Milled Chia Seed Sachets (2 x £1)

Another item that's sat in my cupboard. No matter how many times I try these health things, they just wont agree with my palette, and chia seeds are one of them. I originally tried chia seeds in a recipe a few months ago for the first time and I hated them, so I wasn't too enthralled when I saw these in my box this month.

If you like the sound of Degustabox, I have a whopping £7 discount to offer you, just enter BLDEG15 at the checkout and you're away! Maybe you know a foodie who would like a box for Christmas (or even a small subscription?). What a perfect present!

Travel: Top 5 Things to do in York

I've visited York several times now, and the more I visit, the more I fall in love with it. I love how much character and quirkiness it holds, and how its steeped in history. It makes such a change sometimes to go somewhere less 'cosmopolitan', instead surrounding yourself with culture.

After visiting a few days ago, it's made me want to go back, but next time spending a night there instead of being stuck to a time limit, knowing that we can't venture too far because we have to catch our train back home.

Its one of those cities that the more time you spend there, the most you discover, and the more you'll fall in love with it.

Here are my top 5 things to do in York.

1. Wander round The Shambles. This area reminds me a little of Lincoln's steep hill, but with more character and more shops. Each shop is independently owned and with it's narrow cobbled streets and high open wooden window shutters, I often feel like I'm in a different country (especially in the summer..).

2. Experience Afternoon Tea. For me, this is always a must when I venture into a new city. I had the pleasure of having afternoon tea at The Grand Cedar Hotel back in 2014, and since then I've experienced so many more, however nothing quite compares to the one I had that day... There are so many little quaint places to go for afternoon tea in York, or if you prefer something a little more grand, opt for a hotel like I did. So many places you'll be spoilt!

Grand Cedar Court Afternoon Tea

3. York Dungeons. I will admit, I've never experienced York Dungeons, however I have done the ones in London (by the same company). Reviews suggest that York is more impressive than London, so I would only expect good things. It's a good laugh, you learn a little and it adds something different to your day.

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4. Boat Rides. There are several boats you can jump on throughout the day, and prices are pretty reasonable considering. This allows you to experience York from a different perspective, and learn things along the way too! It's definitely a great way to kill an hour. Like many cities, different boats offer different things (i.e. sunset cruise, mermaid cruise, afternoon tea cruise etc...). I would recommend booking before to avoid disappointment though.

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5. Jorvik Viking Centre. The name gives this attraction away. Steeped in history revolving around The Vikings, this attraction is apparently one of the most popular attractions in the UK! The attraction offers a variety of audio and video, as well
as a ride that enables you to learn as you go along.

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Have you ever visited York? What were your favourite attractions?

NOTTINGHAM: PARK PLAZA HOTEL REVIEW

A couple of weekends ago we revisited Nottingham after 8 years. Booking the hotel was last minute - literally less than 24hrs before we were leaving! However after trawling through a few hotel sites, I came across Park Plaza. It ticked all the boxes, and knowing I was getting a good deal sealed it for me.

Unfortunately, because we were only there for 24hrs, we didn't get to use most of the hotels amenities, so this review will focus purely on the bedroom and the service in which we received.

Parking

Let's get the boring bit out the way with first! I always search for a nearby car park before I visit any hotel so I know what postcode I am entering into my Sat Nav. I noticed NCP was a popular car park within Nottingham (as with most cities..), however I found a really good deal that I must share with you!
We parked in the NCP on Maid Marian Way, which is very central in Nottingham, and this was also the road of our hotel. This car park charged a mere £4.20 for a full 24hrs. There are other NCP car parks nearby that was charging a whopping £17+ for 24hrs. Go figure. I don't know what decides the parking charge (admittedly our car park was looking a little weary and old, but it was undercover and had CCTV so jobs a good un!). Just a little tip for any of you visiting Nottingham soon!

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Service

I had interaction with 2 different members of staff whilst there, and they couldn't have been more helpful. Checking in was smooth, as was checking out. On the evening of our stay, I realised I hadn't printed something off that I should have done (in relation to our Tesco club card vouchers). After stressing that this would interfere with our plans, I popped to reception and asked them where I could find printing facilities. They stated that although they do not offer such service, I could forward them the email in question that I needed printing off and they would do it for me. I'm not sure if this is just standard practise for them, but I thought it was kind nonetheless, and instantly made our problems disappear. On the day of check-out, we asked the hotel to store our bags whilst we did a bit of shopping before heading back to the car park. This again, was no problem. I am aware that some hotels charge for this service, but its appearing more "normal" for it to be free of charge. Service wise I couldn't fault them.

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Hotel Room

When walking down the coridoor of the hotel, I couldn't help but notice the carpet that was laden with life quotes. I don't think I've ever seen a 'quote carpet' before, so this was unique for me. The carpet also looked new, so I'm assuming this has been replaced fairly recently. Said carpet also continued in parts of our hotel room. I loved the contrast of both carpet and wooden flooring within the bedroom. The bed sat on shiny wooden flooring, whilst the remaining of the bedroom sat on carpet. This gave it the feel of almost 2 separate areas.
Another tick box for this hotel - they had plugs on each bedside table! Round of applause Plaza! It's not often I find a hotel room that does this - they're usually across the other side of the room, which means in a morning when your phone alarm is going off, you're having to fumble in the dark, half asleep trying to switch it off! (It also denies you of any late-night internet browsing before nodding off!) - Maybe that's why they do it, who knows?! Either way, this was a blessing.

The bed was super comfy, with lovely bouncy duvets and pillows.

The mini bar was fully stocked with an arrangement of chocolate, nuts, sweets, alcohol and soft drinks. All very tempting but at not-so tempting prices, but this was to be expected. There was also a safe which we didn't use, but it would be convenient for more long-term guests.

The bathroom had all standard amenities, plus a selection of complimentary Elemis products to choose from. It's not often you come across such a well-established brand in hotel rooms! This was much appreciated and I definitely had my hands all over them in the shower that night!

Price wise, their standard price per night is approximately £75-£80, however with a little bit of digging you may be able to pick this up cheaper. I settled on a price of £54 for a Friday night, which I was more than happy with. Knowing you'd pay close to that for a Premier Inn helped me seal the deal with Park Plaza!

All in all, a great stay, and although it's not the grandest hotel I've ever stayed in, it definitely ticked all the necessary boxes and I wouldn't hesitate in staying here again.

Have you ever stayed at Park Plaza?

September Round-Up - Theme Parks, Nottingham & Travel Planning

Wow, another month gone in the blink of an eye. Autumn is now upon us! It's not till this season actually arrives that I remember how much I love it - that crisp chill in the air, the autumn leaves, the darker nights and candles... then the run up to Halloween! It's making me want to go to Scarefest again at Alton Towers, just so I can soak up some Autumn atmosphere. Next month maybe?

So September has seen a trip to Drayton Manor for the day (We used our Tesco clubcard vouchers so entry was free!). We then drove to Nottingham and spent the night there, indulged in more free food and grabbed a movie at Cineworld (all courtesy of that wonderous Clubcard).

I also spent a lot of September planning the remaining bits of our upcoming holiday, more in particular New York. That place has got so much to do that I'm finding it overwhelming trying to fit everything in!

I also (finally!) finished decorating my dressing room, and I love it. It's still not complete with the correct accessories, so photos will come soon. With the holiday fast approaching, funding wise, my priorities lie with that as opposed to prettying up my room unfortunately! However I'm loving how bright everything appears. I ripped up the old cream carpet and painted the wooden floorboards white. This is more for practical reasons. I still need a rug to bring the room together and add a bit of texture and warmth to it, but I can't wait till I finalise everything. However until then, here's a sneak peek..

For those of you that haven't noticed, I've also given my blog a make-over! I accidentally deleted my old template, header etc so I was forced into buying a new template, however I was on the hunt for one anyway (just not this soon!). I'm happy with the outcome and it's given me a new lease of motivation for it... every cloud...

We've also been experimenting a lot with food this month, thanks to Hello Fresh. I received a discount voucher in my Pink Parcel subscription box for £20 off our first 2 boxes. This meant getting 5 meals (for 2 people) for £29.99, which I thought was pretty good (each one contained meat too). It's helped add variety to our meals and given us ideas for future recipes. Review coming soon!

I finished the month off with a good ol' catch up with a friend over some American food in a new restaurant that has opening in town.

I'm looking forward to Autumn well and truly kicking in by October. I might even try my hand at some glazed toffee apples.. I've found some on Pinterest and they look gooood! Watch this space!

August's Degustabox Review

I swear DB is psychic. Every time I happen to be on a diet, my box arrives and it's not filled with the tempting treats I always dread (but love!).

Condiments/Sauces

Tabasco Sauce - RRP £1.99
This sweet and sticky BBQ sauce/marinade is great for either BBQ's, or to use on your chicken to spice things up a little. We have a heap of BBQ sauces in our cupboards now and really struggle to use them up so I'll be making a conscious effort from now on!

Geeta's Curry Pastes - RRP £1 each

I received Rogan Josh and Tikka paste, and they are exactly how you would imagine - rich in flavour with a great consistency. They're really convenient if you prefer straight-from-the-pack paste.

Snacks

Oloves - RRP £1

I like the name of this, however unfortunately I don't like the content. Nothing against the brand, I just don't like olives in general, so these never got opened, but went to a more appreciating home instead!

Rakusen's Snackers - RRP from £1.29

These guilt-free snackers (I'm liking it!) are 'less than 1% fat and only 7 calories in every cracker'. They are pretty tasteless by themselves, but that's to be expected. I'd have them with cream cheese (as suggested) or keep it simple with butter. I'm on a bit of a health kick at the minute so I'm trying to watch what I eat!

Willy Chase's Fit Corn - RRp £2.19

I received the apple cider vinegar flavour and it was delicious, a real 'lick-your-fingers-after-every-touch' kinda session. The kick of vinegar was strong, but it just worked, and didn't leave you choking! I did find that these had quite a few corn kernels in them, which I find mightily annoying when eating popcorn. They do some interesting flavours though!

Moroccan Couscous Nutripot - RRP £2.49

I received an 'Aromatic Thai Noodles' and the 'Moroccan CousCous' pot, and I'm going to be honest, I've yet to try these, simply because of said diet. They look convenient in size though (i.e great to take to work).

Dorset Cereals Bircher Muesli - RRP £3.49

Firstly, I'm loving that this came with a real sturdy plastic scoop. Ok - so muesli isn't my most favourite breakfast cereal, in fact I bought some a few months ago and had one mouthful and realised how foul it was. So although its great for your health in comparison to other breakfast options, taste wise it doesn't really tick the boxes for me. Sorry!

Drinks

Mahou Cinco Estrellas - RRP £1.20

This Spanish beer is mild in tasting and has flavours that 'lingers in the mouth'. I'm no beer drinker, however my boyfriend is, and his thoughts on it? '

Get More MultiVitamins - RRP £1.45

This sparkling lemon & lime drink was great for a sugar kick. It also contains ingredients to top up your daily vitamins, being made with spring water and natural flavours, with no added sugar. I'm not sure I'd want to spend £1.45 on a bottle though...

Clipper Tea (Lime & Ginger green tea) - RRP £1.59

Me and green tea have a love and hate relationship. I see tasty-sounding flavours on the supermarket shelves. I buy said tasty-sounding tea then get home and decide its not so tasty after all. Fast forward a few months and the process starts again, but with a different flavour. I like the sound of them, and I like wasting my money on them, but I don't like the taste, so my appreciative colleague gets gifted with almost fully-boxed green teas several times a year. Back on point(!) I'm still yet to try this lime & ginger tea. I know ginger is used a lot in herbal remedies in relation to health etc, so I'm kind of saving it for those sniffle type days I get in the winter, hoping it will work wonders. That's if I can get it down my throat in the first place.

Are you a foodie like me? Get yourself on the DB wagon and go purchase your very first box! There's a great saving with this code (and I mean great!). Use BLDEG15 at checkout and you're away!
If you do decide to use it, let me know what you think!

Nostalgia in Nottingham

At the weekend we did a spontaneous (very) last minute trip to Drayton Manor, followed by a night in Nottingham. We had a stack of Tesco Club card vouchers to use up, so thought we'd try make a weekend out of it.

Friday we took to the road and headed towards Tamworth, near Birmingham. I had never been to that neck of the woods and desperately wanted to stay in Birmingham (and maybe take a sneaky trip to Cadbury World) but I also wanted the journey home the next day to be a little shorter, so I took the wise option and settled on a hotel at midpoint (well, kinda).

Beaut of a duck

After spending a few hours at Drayton Manor being kids, we took an hour drive to Nottingham, checked into our hotel and went for our first freebie meal in ASK Italian.

Park Plaza

ASK Italian

After leaving ASK, we spotted a statue figure in the street, and like magic, memories came flooding back to both of us at the same time, and we quickly recognised that we had been in this spot 8 years prior (we hadn't visited Nottingham since). We then had a chat about how 'times have changed' - 8 years ago we were spending Valentines day here, dancing the night away in Flares nightclub. Now we're spending our evening trying to hunt down Cineworld to watch a movie before resorting back to the hotel room for an early night. Old age, old age, it gets to the best of us...

After a remincising conversation and the need to stop someone to ask for directions, we settled down in the plush seats of the cinema (why can't our local cinema be that comfy?!) to watch 'Don't Breathe'. Great little film..

The next day was spoilt by the rain - Me, being the 'organised and well-prepared' woman I am, never bought a coat, jumper or even umbrella with me so I got wet pretty quickly. It didn't help that I stood in a 2 inch deep puddle in my ballerina pumps which left my feet squelching for the remainder of the day.

Nonetheless, we proceeded to our 4th and final freebie of the weekend; lunch in Zizzi's. How 2 restaurants can be so similar in menu choice I'll never know. Either way, I chose wisely, opting for a 'skinny' pizza in my attempt to stay on plan as much as possible.

We made the obligatory trip to Primark (what city break is complete without a trip to Primark?!). I bought the cutest Minnie mouse candy striped night shirt (which is definitely going in my 'holiday bag' ready for Disney!). Because the rain was playing games, we decided to call it quits and head back home.

Although we were gone for just over 24hrs, it really made me feel like I'd had a break and change of scenery. We spent very little money thanks to Tesco's and I'm definitely going to be planning another similar trip in the New Year! I think that a change of scenery is good for the mind and can really motivate you! (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...)

August Round Up - Birthdays, The Body Coach and York

Wow, summer is almost over. Which means we're only a season away from our holiday!

August has been the month of food for me, but not the junk food I usually eat. It's been a month of eating lean meals. A friend of mine sent me her diet plan, and I've been using that to plan my meals. It's been bloody hard work, more so the preparation of foods and working it alongside my daily routine. Some days have been tough going and I've felt like throwing in the towel on more than one occasion, not because I've craved sweet things, but just because the prepping, and the thinking ahead has been too much for me. But I did it, I got through cycle one! Either way, this food plan has taken over pretty much the whole of August, and at times I have felt like it has ruled my life. However its definitely made me think more about food and healthier ways of cooking. When I complete the 3 cycles, I'll definitely be investing in the Lean in 15 books to maintain this lifestyle.

August has also been a busy month for family birthdays. I treat my dad to a nice meal out of town, at a restaurant I'd never been to before. For Mike's birthday we had a fairly quiet one. With our holiday payment looming, we kept it low-key. I bought him a fancy coffee machine (something that he's been wanting for a long time now), so we had a play with that and went to the cinema to watch a film that he wanted to see (David Brent: Life on The Road). He also wanted me to bake him his favourite Ferrero Rocher cheesecake, which was no fun when I couldn't eat any! (Didn't want to spoil the diet now, did I?!).

We also took our niece and nephew out for their annual day trip that we do every summer with them.

We took a fairly last-minute trip to Meadowhall in the hope of stocking up on some summer clothes which were in the sales, however the sales didn't appear to have kicked in properly! Still, it was a nice change of scenery and a day out.

At the end of the month I took a trip to York with my mum and her partner. Her partner was there for a work medical, so they thought they'd make a day of it, and invited me along to be navigator, basically.

In between all of this and work, I've been decorating my dressing room. We've been in our house 5 years now and I haven't painted the room since we moved in. It was originally a pastel lilac colour, and although it went with my shabby chic pastel theme at the time, the last few months I was wanting to give it a fresh, more mature feel. I've gone with white walls and it already makes it look so much brighter. Although its taking a lot longer than anticipated... 3 coats of paint later and the lilac is still showing through in places!

I can't believe we're almost into Autumn! What did you get up to in August?

Until next month...

Want to keep up to date with what I get up to? Come follow me on Instagram - @kateld85