Things to do at Christmas

It’s Nearly Christmas!

Well, almost. Every year I always tell myself I will do lots of festive things and never really get round to it. So this year I am starting early and have come up with a long list of Festive activities.

1. Decorate the house with candles and fairy lights
2. Visit a Christmas market, be it in the UK or abroad. I'm thinking of going to Salzburg this year.
3. Make mulled wine or cider
4. Buy a Christmas Jumper
5. Make a wreath for your door
6. Go festive shopping and look at all the Christmas window displays
7. Kiss under the mistletoe
8. Go to a carol service
9. Make a Christmas playlist
10. Make an advent calendar
11. Do some home Christmas baking and give these away as presents.
12. Build a snowman
13. Watch as many Christmas Movies as you can
14. Make a Christmas cake
15. Sit around a winter fire
16. Go to Winter Wonderland
17. Go Ice skating at Somerset House
18. Roast Chestnuts on an open fire
19. Try eggnog
20. Organise secret santa
21. Start a new Christmas tradition
22. Make a gingerbread house
23. Knit a woolly hat
24. Make mini gingerbread house for your mugs - Try this recipe 
25. Go for a winter walk in your wellies
26. Go and see a pantomine or a show at Christmas
27. Make mine pies from scratch
28. Take the children in your family to Santa's Grotto
29. Tell someone you Love them.
30. Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' on Christmas Eve

What's on your Christmas 'To Do' List this year?

Nakd Bars

Have you heard of Nakd Bars? If you haven't where have you been?

Nakd Bars are healthy snacks which contain 100% natural ingredients. They are wheat, daily and gluten free and are even suitable for Vegan's which made some of my friends very happy when a little parcel from Natural Balance Foods turned up at my door. 
They are the perfect snack, whether it's a pre or post work pick me up or something to keep you going at work during the day.

Here's what I thought of all the flavours and my favourites too. 

Berry Delight

This bar is made of Dates 49%, Cashews 31%, Raisins 17% and Raspberries 3% and also a bit of natural flavouring. 
This is probably one of my favourites. It has a a slighty sweeter taste than some of the other bars which suits me as in the afternoon's I do tend to crave something sweet. 

Coco Delight

Again, this is definitely a bar I would reach for. Quite a chocolatlely taste and again, great if you need a little pick me up after a work out. 
It's amazing how chocolaty it tastes. A reason why I love these bars so much is because you know exactly what goes into them and apart from a hint of flavouring, it's completely healthy.

Cashew Cookie

Unfortunately this is probably one of my least favourites. I didn't particularly like the taste (even though I don't mind cashews) but I wasn't that keen on the texture of the bar either. However there are plenty more in the range to keep you busy. 

Rhubarb and Custard

This one would get a 10/10 in my opinion. This is my go to bar after my gym works outs when I need a little something to keep me going until my next meal. It's sweet and tasty and has a very smooth texture. (It also tastes great with a cup of tea).

Pecan Pie

A take on the classic American recipe, this bar definitely packs a lot of flavour in. If you like pecan's you'll love this bar. It definitely had a nuttier texture than some of the others bars. A firm favourite of mine.

Caffe Mocha

I am a huge fan of Mocha's anyway so this bar sounds perfect already. It's a very smooth bar which a hint of that Mocha taste I like.
It's guilt free chocolate.


Cocoa Delight

It is made up of Dates 48%, Cashews 29%, Rasins 17% and Cocoa 6%.
This bar tasted really choclately, more so than some of the others. The best thing for me about this bar, is that if you are graving something naughty, it will stop you reaching for a normal chocolate bar. Which for me is great as I do tend to have those gravings in the afternoon.

Ginger bread 

I am not the biggest fan of ginger but this bar surprised me. It's perfect for this time of year and definitely makes you feel quite christmassy. It smells very strongly of ginger but lucky for me the taste was not too overwhelming.


Natural Balance Foods have a range of flavours. They also stock the 'TREK' bars which are always something I try to keep in my gym bag. They are a little bit more filling than the Nakd bars and so are a great re-fulling snack to have after a workout.

Are you wanting to get healthier for the new year? Why don't you check out this post on Gym Motivation. Along with this post and the Nakd bars, you'll be all set and ready to stick to that new years resolution you were planning on making next year.

A huge Thank you to Natural Balance Foods.

What's your favourite flavour?

My week on Instagram

Welcome back to another 'My Week on Instagram'. It's been a while since I did one of these posts so this is more like....'whats been happening over the last couple of months'. Anyway I hope you enjoy the post.

Watching the Iron Man in Nice this summer. This photo was taken at 5am at the start of the swimming event. 

Camping in the worlds smallest tent. 

Emma and I, maid of Honour's for my friend Lucy's Wedding. 

Lucy and I just a few days later at Emma's Wedding. 

Watching Calvin Harris at V Festival this summer. 

This year I went on an amazing trip to Thailand. This is our first night in Bangkok. 

The crazy fruit we got to try in Thailand. 

Our hotel for the night in Chang Mai.

I'll do a full post on Thailand and the places we got to explore so watch this space. 

What have you been up to this week?

Winter To Do List

With Winter creeping in around the corner, Here is a list of fun things that I am looking forward to doing this Winter.

1. Decorate the house with cosy blankets, candles and cushions
2. Wrap up warm and go for a Winter stroll
3. Snuggle up by the fire and read a good book
4. Donate food and toys for Christmas to people who need it more than we do
5. Toast marshmallows by the fire
6. Have a long bubble bath with a glass of wine
7. Go and see your local Christmas lights turn on
8. Make hot chocolate
9. Decide on the one New Year's resolution that important to you
10. Plan a Winter escape to somewhere warm. (Even if it's a fantasy trip)
11. Host an impromptu Champagne only party
12. Have a Wintery manicure
13. Learn how to knit and make a scarf
14. Get a blowdry or makeover (or both) before the Office Christmas Party
15. Make Winter Cider, check out 'The Londoner's' recipe
16. Go sledding (if it snows)
17. Learn to bake something new. Try these or these
18. Start thinking of Christmas gifts for people. I love this idea
19. Go and see 'The Nutcracker''
20. Light some sparklers on Bonfire Night

Check out my Winter page on Pinterest for more Wintery ideas. 

What's on your To Do List this Winter?

Halloween Salad Recipe

It's almost that time of year again when the shops are filled with goodies, sweets and treats but no I don't mean Christmas.

It's almost Halloween!!

I thought it would be nice in the run up to Halloween to do a few more recipe posts and share with you some of the things I will be making in the next few weeks.

To start us off I'm going to show you a healthy recipe I have been loving at the moment.

Today's recipe is all about salad's but......Winter style.

I've teamed up with Florette Salad who have some great Halloween inspired recipes that you can try out for lunches, to take to work or to serve at that Halloween party you're throwing this year.

Florette has been around since 1983 so you know that their salad is one you can trust. It's fresh, crispy and the perfect base for what I'm going to show you today. 

The recipe I'm making is taken from the Halloween Salad Recipe.

You will need:

1 Bag of Florette Crispy

1 Pack of Prosciutto

100g Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms

1/2 Butternut Squash

30g Parmesan Cheese

Balsamic Dressing

First you will need to slice the butternut squash (skin on) drizzle with some olive oil and then roast for about 40 minutes.

Cut the mushrooms and saute them in a little bit of butter.

Scatter the salad leaves onto a plate, add the squash, mushrooms and prosciutto. Simply grate over the Parmesan and drizzle with some balsamic dressing.

And there you have it.

If you're interested in seeing some other recipes that Florette do, you can check out their website here

And if like me this winter you are trying to be healthier then you can have a look at their Healthy Eating Plan on their website. It's a full 5 day plan with some really healthy and nutritious meals, which you can find here

Who said salads are just for summer?

My Week on Instagram

Hello, Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. Here is a little Instagram post to let you know what I've been up to over the last few weeks.

I just love this saying

Umbrella's by Vinoteca in London

Having a Pimms at the Udderbelly Festival

Mini raspberry and passion fruit Pavlova's (with lemon curd too)

Soaking up the sunshine in Jersey

Handstands on the beach

With my girls for Natalie's Hen Do in Jersey

Amazing cocktails at the Blind Pig - secret speakeasy in Jersey 

My best friend and I about to run Race for Life Muddy in May.

Getting muddy at Race for Life

What have you been up to recently?

Dalston Street Food Market

North of the river in Dalston, you will find 'Street Feast' a bustling market filled to the brim with street venders selling all kinds of incredible food.
In an old abandoned warehouse you will find around 40 stalls, selling a huge variety of different cuisines from all over the world.

Juicy Burgers from the famous Blecker street to flavour packed Korean burritos from Kimchinay, there really is something here for everyone.

There's almost too many things to try that you can't possibly experience everything in one night but maybe that's a good thing, as I know I will definitely be heading back here again.

After taking a few recommendations from friends, we begun our night at 'Sticky Bun's, opting for the Shrimp and Pork sticky buns and boy were they good.

The buns were light and fluffy while the meat was succulent and tasty.

Next we decided to be a little bit naughty and made our way over to Smoke Shack for ribs!

It was possibly the longest queue in the whole place so we joined it eager to see what all the fuss was about.

I don't think I've ever tired ribs that were as tasty as these ones. Still slightly pink in the middle and covered in delicious barbeque sauce, it had just the right amount of kick to it. It wasn't long before these were devoured and we were ready to try something new.

A few beers later we spotted Bleeker St Burger. I have been going on for months about how much I wanted to try these burgers, so for me, there was no question about whether I could manage one or not.

We ordered a cheese burgers but later spotted 'The double beeker' - 2 burgers with black pudding sandwiched in the middle. Not really my kind of thing but Ian thought this sounded incredible. 

The burgers were good, extremely succulent and juicy. The meat was a lot thinner than I had expected which was good for me as I was beginning to feel rather full.

I would highly recommend trying one of their burgers but next time I think I'll head over to Mother Clucker and give them a go.

Feeling full and happy we stood by open fires to keep warm and people watch.

Most of the market is set in an old run down warehouse with little nooks and crannies, and small alley ways leading into hidden bars.

Girls with cocktails in pineapples and coconuts wander past whist others sip on gin cocktails from the bars over looking the crowd below.

Fairy lights and open wood fires are dotted around the place, helping cosy couples keep warm.

There is a real mix of people here which adds to buzz and incredible atmosphere that the market has.

This place would be perfect for a date night or even a catch up with friends after work.

So if you're looking for something a bit different and a huge choice of food, head on over. The website is here.

Arrive before 7pm and it's free other wise you will have to £3 upon entry.

For those who like to eat on their feet, this night market is most definitely the new hot spot in town.

My Week on Instagram

This Week on Instagram 

Birthday Presents!

The most amazing Lemon Curd Pavlova

Baking home made croissants

And the results 

Afternoon Tea at the Pelham Hotel 

Lunch at Vinoteca - Soho, London

Being treated to some of the best Sashimi 

What have you been up to this week?