Thank you so much for all of the views, comments and follows I have received on this blog in such a short time, you really are the reason I love blogging so much. I had time off but now I’m back (and better than ever?!).
This will be my last post on Dreaming Out Loud as I’ve moved to jayesjournal.com I’m not disappearing from the blogging world, so please follow my new blog, where you’ll be able to see pretty much the same things as before but with a much better name. You can find me on Bloglovin too.
This week I began my health kick – or in other words, my diet.
I love food far too much to skimp on the tasty stuff though and I certainly aren’t about to live solely off salads. So, I’ve started making some scrumptious and saintly meals – all the pleasure and none of the guilt!
Here is a recipe I’ve adapted from the Hairy Bikers. It’s as filling and yummy as a regular pizza (maybe not quite Domino’s) but has less than 300 calories.
Handful of grated cheese or non-dairy equivalent for vegan option
Toppings: I used a handful of cooked chicken that was left over and some pepper. You can choose pretty much anything you like for this, as long as it is doesn’t require cooking (e.g. raw bacon). Olive oil is optional – I did not end up using it.
Method:
Heat the grill up on maximum heat.
Place the tortilla on a baking tray and put under the grill for 20 seconds each side.
Spread with passata, leaving a 2cm (1inch) gap around the edge.
This is the point where you can add your own toppings instead. Tear the cooked chicken into strips and arrange over the tortilla. Top with chopped pepper.
Sprinkle with Oregano and then the grated cheese, I used Cheddar. Season with black pepper.
Place the pizza under the grill again for about one minute or until the edges are beginning to brown and the cheese has melted. Make sure you’re watching so it doesn’t burn!
Slide the pizza on to a plate and serve with a side salad.
I’d love to know if you’ve tried this recipe and what you thought, so please drop me a comment any time.
I’m just treating you all to a quickie today… I’m super busy but I HAD to tell you what I spent my (not very) hard-earned cash on.
Total spend: £83.25
Topshop Scalloped Hem Vest, £12; Topshop Black & White Skirt, £34; Oasis Leather-look Skirt, was £35 now £10; Voulez Vous Pearl Vest, £15.
I went to Outfit for a ‘window shop’. PAH, like that ever happens! Thanks to student discount, sales and various offers, I happily got my fashion fix and for once, I didn’t leave with my purse crying.
Outer rings, £2.50 each, Topshop. Center ring set, £8.50, Wallis.
This week my little lifestyle blog turned one month old and to mark this milestone I teamed up with Peppy Galore for a very exciting giveaway.
In just a short time, my blog has given me so much. It’s offered a perfect escape from the daily grind and has increased my confidence as a writer immeasurably. I’ve met some amazing people already and found out about/got involved in some incredible causes.
I never in a million years thought more than a handful of people would read my blog. I imagined if anyone did, it would be the bullies from school to mock me, or someone who accidentally clicked on my link as they searched the web.
I’m so so happy to say that is not the case though. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read any of my ramblings – it really means a lot.
Who doesn’t want to feel like a bit of a diva? Some of the most fabulous women in showbiz admit to being divas, like Maria Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears.
my nineties idol
I know my long suffering boyfriend Danny would confirm that I am somewhat of a diva, at least a good 50% of the time. So, when I came across the Diva products from Peppy Galore, I knew I just had to give the range a try.
If Peppy Galore has somehow not yet reached your radar, then perk up your ears girl, because the range of products on offer is absolutely amazing. A skincare company from Bristol, Peppy Galore create luxurious, affordable products made from natural ingredients that smell fab. The founder, Jessi, started it all up single-handedly, so she’s pretty awesome too.
They do everything from body mousses to lip balms, but I just had to have the Diva facial care products because they’re especially for sensitive and super-demanding skin like mine.
cleanser, toner, moisturiser & sponge.
The description reads; “Your skin is a little diva that loves to complain. It doesn’t like the weather and it has a whole list of ingredients that it disagrees with. It gets easily itchy and blotchy, and often very red.”
Doesn’t like weather – yep.
Disagrees with lots of ingredients – yep.
Easily itchy, blotchy and red – yep.
So you see my skin is difficult to please. The slightest bit of something it doesn’t like and I instantly resemble Mr Blobby.
me on a bad skin day
First up is the cleanser, which gets to work instantly, reducing the itchiness and making my skin feeling tip top.
Next it’s the toner, which is made of real rose water and nothing else. Used for centuries, rose water calms the skin and reduces redness. I’ve always been conscious of how red my nose is, so for me this was a huge deal.
Last but not least is possibly my favourite bit – the face cream. This little tube of loveliness gets to work immediately, moisturising the dry patches and combatting the excess oil. It’s all down to the ingredients: macadamia oils are not greasy so no nasty breakouts and primrose oils help to heal the dry patches. Calendula extract is a bit of a miracle worker because it makes scars and imperfections much better.
It has a lovely scent of vanilla too, yum.
my lovely Diva gift box ❤
I ordered the Diva gift box from Peppy Galore for £37.95 but if you subscribe to their mailing list you’ll receive a 10% off code.
I teamed up with Peppy Galore for a very fabulous giveaway here.
OK, so I know it’s getting a bit warmer and you’re probably looking for lighter, more Summery meals. Don’t kid yourself that the colder snap has gone for good though. You’ll want something quick and relatively easy to make that warms you up on those rainy days in May.
This simple(ish) recipe is great for doing just that and at less than £2 per serving; it’s a delicious and relatively cheap meal option. Plus, you could always freeze the extra portions if you’re a savvy student like me.
I make mine with beef mince, but I’ve given you the choice of a vegetarian option.
Takes: 1hr including cooking time. Makes: Serves 4. Difficulty: Not too hard, not too easy.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. sunflower/vegetable oil
2 medium onions or 1 large
2 red peppers
12(ish) mushrooms – optional of course for all you mushroom haters!
4 garlic cloves
500g lean beef mince or Quorn mince for vegetarian option*
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp. tomato purée
300ml boiling water
1 beef stock pot (I used Knorr rich Beef) or vegetable stock for vegetarian option.
150ml of red wine
1 teaspoon of caster sugar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
*Please note that Quorn is not suitable for Vegans as egg whites are an ingredient.
Method:
Finely chop the onions and garlic cloves. Cut the peppers in to small chunks.
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and garlic, cooking for 10 minutes or until the onions are golden.
Add the mince, mushrooms and peppers. Cook for a further five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whilst the mince is cooking, put the wine, stock pot, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar in a jug. Add the boiling water and stir.
Pour the contents of the jug into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Don’t forget to stir it every now and again!
Serve with something tasty – I ate mine with mash and carrots.
I love to hear from you, so please do get in touch or leave a comment!
Today I discovered a lovely little tea room whilst on a walk in the sunshine and I just had to blog about it. I also had a duh?! moment which I begrudgingly share with you all later on…
Have you ever walked in to somewhere for the first time and just immediately thought “this is where I need to be”? Well strange as it may sound, I had felt exactly that as I peered through the window of Jubilee’s Vintage Tea Room, Hessle.
Hessle’s little slice of heaven.
For those of you who don’t know, I live with my grandparents and although they’re very modern (my grandma texts on her Samsung Galaxy S3 *Gasp*), I do have some pensioner tendencies. Like the fact that I love anything pre 1970 or that my ITunes collection has a distinct amount of 1930s/40s swing music.
Take into consideration all that, along with how the whole world is mad on vintage, and the tea room was on to a winner.
Just two of the amazing cakes on offer!
As we stepped inside we were greeted by the owner, Sophia, who surprisingly was not fazed by my wild eyes and salivation at the sight of the cakes, before we proceeded to find a table.
The lovely decor.
The dining area was adorned from floor to ceiling with every piece of Jubilee memorabilia imaginable. The charming décor encapsulates the very best of ‘Royal English’ along with everything lovely about the 1940s.
Spoilt for choice – the Menu 🙂
Their ethos? “Everyone deserves to be treated like Royalty” and I certainly can’t argue with that. The service was excellent and when I poured salt in my tea instead of sugar (how embarrassing?!) there was an offer to replace it instantly.
My lovely (if not a little salty) cup of tea
Red faced, I decided that I would rather risk the high blood pressure than admit plainly that I had doused my cuppa with more than a pinch. Luckily, it didn’t actually taste different – if anything the taste was enhanced (not that I’d recommend the seasoning).
Now here was THE BEST BIT. For those who don’t know me well, I am a complete cake fiend. Baked goods are quite definitely my biggest weakness, so I’ve sampled my fair share of perfect pastries and brilliant buns. After licking our lips at all the delicious desserts behind the counter, Danny and I both opted for the lemon drizzle cake which looked too good to pass up.
Now tell me how you could resist?…
Now lovelies, there aren’t many food stuffs in life that I’d rate as highly as Danny’s Aunty’s lemon drizzle cake, but I have to admit – Duke’s Lemon Drizzle Cake at Jubilee’s Vintage Tea Room was just that damn tasty. I’m not even ashamed to admit I wanted another slice before I’d even finished the first. It was only because I had to watch the pennies and the lbs that I managed to resist – although God knows how I did.
yummy!
Without a doubt the cake was incredible and if you fail to try some when you’re in town, you are absolutely mad.
The music – Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy was playing at one point – the food, the fab brew and the cute and quirky décor made for a really great experience. My only regret was that I didn’t try the afternoon tea this time…
Afternoon tea is definitely on the cards next time.
Three of the photos featured on this post were taken from Jubilee’s Vintage Tea Room’s Facebook page with the owner’s permission. I have not received anything in return for this review and the opinions expressed in this blog are completely my own.
You can find Jubilee’s Vintage Tea Room in Hessle, Near Hull, UK. On Facebook here and on their website here.
First it was 5-a-day, now it could be 7? The world’s gone fruity.
So you need fruit-filled food stuffs. If you’re looking for a healthy and hassle-free breakfast idea, look no further than these delicious smoothie recipes.
Takes: 5 mins Makes: 2 servings Difficulty: SO EASY YOU WILL NEED A BLENDER FOR THESE RECIPES.
Ingredients:
2 handfuls of berries* (I use frozen because they make the drink lovely and cold)
3 glasses of semi-skimmed milk OR swap for almond milk if required.
1 rather ripe banana
*In terms of berries, I like strawberries, blueberries, red currants, raspberries and blackberries.
Method:
If you bought fresh berries, wash them now.
Slice the banana
Pop the berries, milk and sliced banana in the blender.
Blend on full power until there are no visible lumps left in the mixture. This takes about 30seconds if your blender is super-duper like my bargain one from eBay.
If your smoothie is too thick, just add more milk and blend.
Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Ingredients:
2 handfuls of tropical fruits* (again I buy frozen)
3 glasses of orange juice
*I use mango, pineapple and kiwi because they taste dammmn goooood.
Method:
If you bought fresh fruits, slice them now.
Pop the fruit and orange juice in the blender.
Blend on full power until there are no visible lumps left in the mixture.
If your smoothie is too thick, just add more orange and blend.
Pour into a glass (umbrellas on sticks are an optional extra, but undoubtedly recommended).
Have you made any other delicious smoothies? Let me know your secrets!
I wrote this review about 2 weeks ago but being that I am a scatterbrain, I completely forgot to post it. Better late than never…
When it comes to superheroes, no one quite makes them like Marvel.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the newest instalment in their multi-billion pound Avengers saga. On March 26th, hunky Chris Evans aka humble hero, Captain America, hit the big screen.
If you haven’t previously seen movies featuring Thor, Iron Man or any of the other Avengers, do not fear. The beauty of the franchise is that every film can stand alone. Admittedly, I have seen each one of these fantastic flicks countless times and they never cease to amaze me.
Although I’m a huge film fanatic, I’ve never actually been to a midnight viewing. Come to think of it, that’s probably got something to do with my love of getting in my PJs once the clock strikes six.
Nevertheless, it was a few weeks ago when Lisa asked me if I would like to get tickets for the midnight viewing and in a moment of feeling unusually sociable, I said yes. Seeing the Marvel men looking buff was definitely a draw too!
The atmosphere throughout the viewing was great and some people even turned up in full Avengers regalia. Shamefully, I didn’t make any sort of effort with my outfit, as I’d been at Uni all day and didn’t fancy walking around in fancy dress or with my face painted.
I did manage to borrow Lisa’s hair clip though 🙂
At first, it seemed that kicking the night off with The Avengers would wipe out the ‘wow factor’ when the time came for Captain America. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.
For those of you who have seen The Avengers, you’ll agree that it would take a hella lot to match the action, thrill and dynamite impact that comes from all the superheroes ‘assembling’. As the first film of the night, it served the purpose of tantalising the audience; getting everyone excited for what was to come.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo bring to the fore the idea of political freedom being an unreachable goal by heavily relying on the 1970s style of paranoia and conspiracy theories. The all-too-relatable plot hits home hard as we begin to question whether freedom is just a political sales-pitch that isn’t worth defending. Within minutes the Russo brothers had managed to suck me into their somewhat familiar dystopia.
To be completely honest, Chris Evans aka Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, has never been my favourite superhero. After seeing his latest on-screen appearance though, I realised this was because the other films lacked character development. They missed the vital point of establishing what Captain America is all about – what he embodies as a defender of America’s freedom.
That was not the case with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The directors took us on a journey into Steve Roger’s mind and emotional depth. With every hot-headed decision I fell in love with him a little bit more. It wasn’t just his ‘old-school gentleman’ personality that I adored; I finally became aware of his incredible derrière too! I am a bit of a Thor fangirl, but it’s impossible not to find Chris Hemsworth stunning.
oooo dreamy… 😉
Danny says that a film can’t be bad if Samuel L Jackson is in it and he has a point. Captain America 2 has, like the other Marvel films, an all-star cast, including our favourite cigar chomper, Director Nicolas Fury, portrayed by Samuel L Jackson. The actor who has a career spanning more than four decades and 30 awards under his belt, only appears to put his name to great films.
Scarlett Johansson, who plays deadly Russian assassin Natasha Romanova, kicks ass big time as she appears beside Captain America, looking incredibly cool as always. There’s no question that she’s as tough as any super soldier, and shows that she can take on and beat even an army of men. I love that she stands for ultimate girl power.
Who runs the world? Girls!
I must at this point add that a new Marvel hero steps up to the plate, in the shape of Anthony Mackie as Falcon. The film scarcely touches on how he came to be, but watch this space – do I spy a spin off in the pipeline?
For fear of ruining the plot I won’t say much about this, but a character emerges as the villain with some surprising plot twists. Ooh, secretive.
I could go on all day about the unbelievably realistic CGI, amazingly talented cast and thrilling plot, but I’ve already babbled on for long enough. All I can say is, GO AND SEE IT OR ELSE YOU ARE MAD.
Being a student, when it comes to meal times, I often find it’s about making a lot with a little. I discovered these absolute gems when I had some mince lurking at the back of my fridge, but not a whole lot of anything else.
They’re quick, easy and tasty; plus they have the added bonus of keeping my boyfriend very happy. If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, this meal is the yellow brick road to loving.
Takes: 20mins including cooking time Makes: 6 medium sized burgers Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
500g Minced Beef
1 medium onion
Half a tsp of garlic granules
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt
Tsp of chopped chillies
1 large egg
Method:
Turn the grill on.
Chop the onion into small, fine chunks.
Put the mince, onion and egg into a bowl.
Add the pepper, salt, chillies and garlic granules to the mix.
Using your hands, squish the ingredients together in the bowl until you have a sausage-meat consistency.
Use your palms to make 6 similar sized balls with the mixture.
Place the balls on a grill pan and press them down to make the burger shape.
Put the burgers under the grill for 12-15 minutes, flipping them over half way through.
Once the burgers are browned, cut one in half. If the burger is cooked throughout, the middle will not be pink.
I gobble these up in a bread bun or with curly fries (my favourite).
Dreaming Out Loud 