Bust those hunger pangs with these tasty cranberry and oat slices.

Want a snack which is both filling and low in calories? Then this might do the trick! I love making this healthy little treat, firstly because I don't feel guilty nibbling on one during the day, but also because it's so quick and simple to make.

It is so easy when we are hungry to grab a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar and it is these mid day snacks which can catch us out on our healthy eating endeavour. Often these foods satisfy us only temporarily which causes us to snack more and make more unhealthy food choices. For me, these slices always curb my sugar cravings while still providing me with some goodness and filling me up until my next meal time. I have included lots of porridge oats, a mixture of whole meal and plain flour and some flaxseed. These ingredients (particularly flaxseed -because it is so high in fibre) are great at filling us up and so we feel less hungry for longer.

The best thing about it is you can add in whatever healthy additions you like to make your own favourite slices. I love combining dried cranberries and pumpkins seeds, but why not try not raisin and almond or date and poppy seed, it's entirely up to you!

This recipes makes between 20-25 slices, depending on how big you cut your portions.

Ingredients:

100g desiccated coconut (lightly toasted)

125g porridge

50g brown sugar

150g plain and wholemeal flour

150g cranberries

50g pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp flaxseed

1 tbsp of Stevia

150g Butter (I used utterly butterly)

75g Golden syrup

2 eggs

Method:

Ø  Preheat oven to 180⁰C.

Ø  Grease a Swiss roll tin and line it.

Ø  Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Ø  Melt butter and syrup together and add to dry ingredients.

Ø  Lightly beat the eggs in a cup and add to the mixture.

Ø  Turn mixture into prepared tins.

Ø  Bake for 30mins until firm and lightly coloured.

Ø  Leave to cool and cut into squares.

Nutritional Information

Each Cranberry and Oat slices contains:

kcal - 125

Total fat - 6.9g

Saturated fat - 3.2g

Protein  - 2.5g

Sugar  - 6g

Detoxing back to health

I think everyone has been there starting your week after a long weekend of eating and drinking the wrong things. That was me on Monday and I felt vile. I always try my best to eat well firstly because I know the importance of it, but secondly because I feel full of energy and better when I do. In Ireland we recently celebrated St Patrick's day, so we had an extra weekend day to play with and obviously some excessive alcohol was consumed. This resulted in me needing a detox day.

For some people this may not be quite a detox. But I stripped my diet back significantly, I supplemented my diet and tried to reduce my consumption of simple carbohydrates. Which resulted in the foods that followed :)

My first meal of the day was porridge, my absolute favourite breakfast choice! I always make my porridge with semi-skimmed milk and include a tablespoon of flaxseed, (its high in omega 3 and the extra fibre leaves you feeling fuller for longer!), if I'm feeling bold then I have some maple syrup on it. But today I had pumpkin seeds some blueberries and raspberries, super  yummy!!

Lunch was really late today because I was working, but I decided to make egg muffin, high in protein with a few added veggies to pack in the vitamins. They are so easy to make, whisk 2 eggs and a small amount of milk together and pour the mixture into muffins tins. Then you can add your own fillings, my favourite is broccoli, tomato and some pesto for flavour. Fire them into the oven for 15 minutes and they are done! I had them with baked sweet potato, unfortunately I had a mishap with the salt shaker and threw FAAAAR too much salt on my sweet potato :( had to scrap loads of it off!

Dinner was a new recipe I was trying sesame chicken cooked in wholegrain mustard and sweet chilli sauce, served with stir fry vegetables noodles and teriyaki and orange dressing. And oh my goodness was it delicious! I think I have found my new go to stir fry recipe. Yummy!!

Normally I always need to snack throughout the day, but I was so so busy with work I didn't even notice. Plus I had packed my meals with high fibre foods to keep me going cause I knew I was gonna be flat out all day.

Any questions about these meals or my diet don't hesitate to ask :)

Lou   <3

10 easy lifestyles changes to help you lose weight!

With the lovely weather we have been having over the past few days I have been getting so so excited at the prospect of summer 2014. I am definitely a summer girl, I love absolutely everything about it. So with summer 2014 rapidly on its way I decided to do a quick blog on the top 10 easiest ways you can change your lifestyle to help you lose weight. These are some of the rules I try and follow in my everyday life so we will all be well on our way to looking like my fitspiration - Victoria Secrets angel Candice Swanepoel. Beach Bod 2014 WHOOOO!!!

1. Eat regularly- Ok this doesn't mean running every 5 minutes to the vending machine to get another packet of crisps. This means have you 3 main meals a day and small healthy snacks throughout. A small feeling of hunger is healthy for us, however skipping a meal can often mean that when it comes to dinner or lunch we make poor food choices and binge on unhealthy foods.

2. Portion Precision- I am the worst in the world for this, if a plate of food is set down in front of me, I'll do my best to scoff it all. If you are used to big portions try cutting your portion size down, we are programmed to not want to waste the food on our plate.  So even buying a smaller plate to trick yourself into thinking you are getting the same amount.

3. Liquid Calories- a simple way to cut out major calories is to stop drinking them. Fizzy drinks and sugary lattes can often be a hindrance when it comes to weight loss. That's not forgetting the alcoholic beverages we consume, a light beer contains about 100 calories, but it won't satisfy you the way food would.

4. Get more sleep!- Research has shown that those who do not get enough sleep tend to be more overweight. We have all been there, having to go to work after a late night always results in poor food choices-for me it's always something of the sugary variety! The lack of sleep will lead to a greater consumption of food and a poorer energy level for work outs. So aim for your 7-8hrs a night!

5. Keep active and stay active- Having regular exercise is necessary for a healthy lifestyle and for effective weight loss. However many of us now work in office based jobs, so a majority of our day is spent sitting on our bums. 30 minutes of cardio a day will help with weight loss - anything that gets your heart rate up will burn calories. And when it comes to our stationary office lives we need to take the stairs more often, make the trip to the printer or get off the bus one stop earlier.

6. Drink more water- apart from being great for your skin, water can also stop you from feeling hungry. Drinking a glass of water before a meal will leave you feeling fuller instantly and stop you from overeating. As well our bodies often confuse the feeling of thirst with hunger, which means we snack more (often on the unhealthy things).

7. High fibre is the way forward-Whenever the hunger pains hit, it is important to make sure we do make the right food choices. So avoid all those foods which provide you with empty calories (biscuits and crisps) and choose high fibre foods which will fill you up for longer. Fewer calories and you'll still be left feeling satisfied.

8. Make simple food swaps- Pick a lower calorie alternative when making food, choosing low fat mayonnaise on a sandwich or vinegerette instead of a dressing on a salad can save you loads of calories!

9.Wean yourself off sugar- Possibly one of the hardest things to do, but you can slowly reduce the sugar content of your diet.  You can replace those sugary empty calories with a natural sugar alternative and while fruit may not be able to compete with the sugary taste of sweet, It is important that you retrain your body to learn what is good for you.

10. By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail- be organised in your weight loss endeavor.  You can't eat healthily if you don't have good food to eat. So plan your meals and have the right food ready for you so you can't turn back.

Hopefully these weight loss tips work for you, let me know how you are getting on if you are on a lifestyle overhaul :) 

Lou <3

Boots haul

I have been super bold this week....hitting up Boots to make the most of 3 for 2 on their beauty range, not once, but TWICE!!! Anyone would think I was made of money....unfortunately not. I however am so syked about all my new purchases and I cannot wait to try them out.

Is it really bad that I have a list on my iPhone which is constantly updated with all the new products I see or read about? Well I don't care if it is. Whenever someone recommends a product I don't have, I immediately want it. Good for my beauty supply,  bad for my bank balance.  Ah well. Usually Lydia is my bad influence, but not in this case, I have no one to blame but myself.... whoopsies :)

So on this particular trip I invested in several products which I cannot wait to use. The first being the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo +. Before Christmas I had the worst break out of spots I had ever had in my whole life, I was totally run down for a few weeks, my diet was up the left and my skin just erupted. So I had a skincare overhaul, which resulted in my purchasing of the Effalcar Duo. It really helped my skin out so I am excited to see what the Duo + can do for me.

Revlon Colourstay had to be purchased after Kathleen Lights (Check her out on YouTube, she's super good at makeup shizz) recommended both it and the whipped version (I don't think it's out in the UK yet, or at least the Boots I was in didn't stock it ). I am always looking for a good, inexpensive foundation, so perhaps this could be it!

Marvelips by soap and glory- this is the first make up Item that I have bought from soap and glory. I love their bath and shower items, so hopefully I will love this just as much.

Two more items recommended by Kathleen Lights. The Maybelline Fit Me pressed powder and instant anti-age eraser eye concealer. I always have bags under my eyes, so anything that might potentially hide them is a must try for me!

I love the real techniques brushes, so the new silicon liner brush was a necessary purchase. Ok so maybe it wasn't necessary, I just really wanted it. I suppose I didn't really need the Maybelline colour tattoo in Gold either haha!

My hair has been going mental recently, it feels really dry and big and not normal. So I got from the Aussie range the 3 Minute Miracle Deep Mousse Treatment, John Freida Polishing Serum and the Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends leave in conditioner to tame my unruly mane.

I am pretty sure this blog post was an attempt to try and convince myself that I needed all these products....hmmm. It's too late now anyways I have opened them all. The sooner this 3 for 2 malarkey is over the better!

Has anyone else tried any of these products before? I would love to know that you think. I might review a few if they are particularly good :)

Lou <3

Pancake Tuesday

So it's that time of the year again. PANCAKE TUESDAY!! As a child it probably the only day of the year that we were allowed to eat sweet stuff for dinner and who doesn't love that?! This year I was super excited as always and perhaps slightly over enthusiastic when it came to my pancake making...

Not to sound big headed or anything but I think that after several years of pancake making, I have pretty much mastered the whole normal pancake/crepe thing to the point where I no longer have to measure the ingredients, I just wing everything in and make it up to the right consistency. So this year I decided to broaden my approach and make a few different pancake varieties including the momma of all pancakes.....the super food pancake. Yes I know, why is it necessary to tamper with something which already tastes so good? I wanted to be able to make a pancake which was tasty but yet was a healthier alternative to the ones I normally make, especially as I have been trying to make healthier versions of all my recipes. Of course I had to make a chocolate one, it wouldn't be pancake day without a chocolate pancake :) But my super pancake recipe turned out really well, and something I'll definitely be making again!

The Super Pancake  

Named after the inclusion of the super food Flaxseed. This recipe is basically an adaption of my usual pancake recipe except I haven't used sugar, instead  I substituted some plain flour for wholemeal flour and added flaxseed.

But why is flaxseed so good? It contains high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids required for maintaining a healthy heart as well as providing us with some protective effects in against cancer. It is also very high in fibre, proteins and other micronutrients, thus being categorised as a super food! So if you aren't keen on oily fish, flaxseed could be a good alternative to ensure you are getting your essential fatty acids.

Ingredients:

100g plain flour

100g Wholemeal Flour

1 egg

1 dessert spoon of  Stevia (Optional)

2 heaped dessert spoons of Flaxseed. (add more if you wish)

Milk (I don't have a notion how much I added, I prefer my pancakes thin so I kept adding milk until it made the right consistency)

Method:

Super duper easy....Throw all the ingredients in together and whisk/mix until combined.

Ladle some of the batter onto a pan and cook, using a little olive oil to prevent it sticking to the pan.

For more crepe-like pancakes add more milk and put less batter into the pan. Then spread the mixture thinly out over the base of the pan.

Toppings:

My favourite one was with some Low-Fat Greek yogurt, blueberries, raspberries and a small drizzling of maple syrup over the top.

I made some delicious naughty pancakes as well. Apple, sugar and cinnamon cinnamon and also white chocolate and blueberries pancakes. So so yummy, both combinations are tasty toppings for you pancakes if you are looking to try something new.

Let me know what you think of my recipe or your favourite pancake toppings. I'm always looking for new ideas :)

Lou <3