Weight Loss

SNOW FLURRIES

Published on February 28, 2018March 1, 2024 by simplycarinaxo21 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

How has your day been?! Have you been enjoying the snow as much as me?!

I was lucky enough to have a day off today, or should I say unlucky because both cafés I work at shut today anyway because of the wintery weather snowing everyone in. Yesterday I said I just wanted the spring and sunshine already, but when it snows properly like this I can’t help but change my mind because I do kinda love a winter wonderland!

I spent the morning doing some summer holiday research and then finally being crafty and starting to work on a Lino print which made me really happy! In the afternoon Jessica and I wrapped up warm, put on our wellies and walked into Durham to get some shopping done!

Laden with heavy shopping bags full of groceries to make vegan spaghetti bolognese for dinner and ingredients for yummy cocktails we hopped on the bus back home.

Once home we cleaned the house ready for Anna who is coming over for dinner any minute now for dinner and then we’ll probably sit down and watch the Theory of Everything. Has you seen this movie?! It’s amazing and I definitely recommend it!!

Anyway I better start cooking!

I hope you’ve had wonderful day too, maybe even been off work?!

COOK BOOK HAUL

Published on February 23, 2018March 3, 2025 by simplycarinaxo10 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

I recently purchased a few new cook books from The Works and thought I’d show you. If you’re not in the habit of frequenting The Works, I really urge you to check it out on a regular basis because they always have some amazing deals and sales on.

I always find it too easy to fall into the same cooking patterns recycling the same recipes over and over again, so I’m really looking forward to trying out some new recipes from these books. There’s so many yummy recipes out there I just need to make more of an effort to try them all. Which makes me think… Has anyone ever watched Julie & Julia?! It’s about a woman named Julie who decides to cook every single recipe from Julia Child’s cookbook in a year and blogs about it. I’ve always wanted to do that haha a day although it’s never going to happen, the idea of actually cooking every single recipe in a cookbook is kinda cool. I’d love to achieve that, I mean who knows what delicacies we’re missing out on by not trying more recipes!

Anyway here’s the cook books I just added to my collection and I can’t wait to read through them and try some new recipes out!

I’ve already got one of Aine’s cook books but for a fiver I couldn’t complain and the more new recipes for inspiration the better. Then I also liked the idea of discovering some raw food ideas, as I’ve heard lots of positive things about a raw vegan diet. Oh and the last book I guess isn’t a cook book, but a book about vitamins and minerals which I thought would be a very interesting and hopefully informative read. Being vegan now has opened my eyes more to making sure I’m receiving all the nutrients my body needs; and this is not due to the ever present stigma that vegans struggle to get all the nutrients their body needs (a rant for another time), but rather because the whole vegan lifestyle for me is about starting to take better care of my body. So I’m looking forward to educating myself some more!

Now I’d love to know if any of you already own these cookbooks and if so what are your favourite recipes?!

3 DAY JUICE CLEANSE – 8lbs DOWN

Published on February 16, 2018March 3, 2025 by simplycarinaxo2 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

A couple of weeks ago I watched a documentary on Netflix called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, which taught me a lot about juicing and it’s benefits. I’d also heard lots about juicing from various Youtuber’s I follow so it’s been on my radar for a while, although I never really considered doing it because juicing machines can be rather expensive. However, Jessica and I had popped into our local British Heart Foundation store to look for a secondhand food processor a while ago, and although they didn’t have any food processors they did have a juicer for £10, so I instantly decided to buy it. I could tell it wasn’t the best straight away, but for a £10 who could complain?!

Having been really ill last week I thought it would be a good idea to cleanse my body and give it a few days to detox, so I decided to give my immune system a boost and went on a three day juice cleanse. It wasn’t an easy three days but it was definitely helpful not having to do it alone as my housemate Jessica joined me.

I’d previously tried a smoothie diet (just drinking smoothies – I can’t remember for how long I set out to do this but I didn’t last long). The thing I found hardest was just drinking meals, I almost instantly missed the action being able to chew and actually eat something. Although I’ve not done a juice cleanse before I knew I was going to face the same problem as when I tried the smoothie diet. It was going to be hard, but unlike last time I was determined to complete a full three day detox.

We started on Tuesday, my day off. Every morning began with a cup of green tea, then a glass of lukewarm water with a tablespoon of chia seeds. The slime of chia seeds when wet is supposed to help clear out/scrape toxins from the body and they have great nutritional profile so are very good for you. After this we drank ca. 800ml of juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 1 was all juice. By day 2 we were craving food really bad and so we compromised dinner by having a homemade well blended soup. On day three we did the same juicing for breakfast and lunch and having a soup for dinner. Being able to have something savory and warm in the evening definitely helped.

I don’t know how much hood this cleanse has done me as I don’t think I did it long enough to see the difference, as in day 3 is supposed to be the worst regarding how you feel (eg. more tired and headachey) and then you’re supposed to feel an increase in energy and the likes. It’s hard for me to say how tired the cleanse made me because I was working ridiculous long busy days at work with no real break. But I did loose ca.7lbs in three days so I’m happy with that!

I decided to slowly work food back into my body by having a smoothie for breakfast and lunch today, and now for dinner finally having my first meal in four days.

I’m glad I stuck out with the cleanse and loosing some weight has only motivated me to continue eating more healthily! And I will definitely be adding a juice day into my life now and then!

Has any one else ever done a juice cleanse?! I’d love to know!

BUTTERBEAN DIP

Published on January 26, 2018March 3, 2025 by simplycarinaxo9 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

I have recently been obsessed with this Butterbean dip for the Peace & Parsnips recipe book. It is soo good I just had to share it with you! I use my mini food processor to blend this delight together and recommend you buy yourself one (you can find a link on my Shop page) it’s cheap and super useful. The Cookbook is another I would recommend – even if you aren’t vegan I believe it’s great to try different healthy meals you wouldn’t usually eat and have some fun exploring new recipes. Anyway here goes the easy quick Butterbean dip:

Ingredients:

Garlic (I would use at least 4 large cloves – use this as your starting point and you can always add more or less depending on your taste)
Butter Beans
Parsley or Coriander (I like to use quite a lot of fresh herbs, more than in the recipe, but again start with a little and keep adding to suit your taste)
Pepper & Salt
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice

Method:

Depending on the size of your blender you might be able to make this in one go or like me have to split the ingredients in half and blend two lots.

Chop up you garlic and parsley/coriander and put into blender
Add the Butter Beans, the olive oil and the lemon juice
Grind some salt and pepper into the mix
Now blend together

Suggestion – I admit I never measure the lemon juice and olive oil, I just keep adding them into the mix bit by bit until I get a smooth slightly thicker than hummus consistency

Ways to use the Butter Bean dip:

This recipe comes in the cookbook as an accompaniment to the beetroot burger (which recipe I will most definitely be sharing at some point too as it’s amazing!) but I have since used it in many different ways and here are some of my favourite – have a go and see what you like and if you can think of any other ways to use the Butter Bean dip, do tell me because I would love to know!

Use it like a dip (make it less thick by adding more oil, lemon juice or a splash of water) then chop up some carrot and cucumber sticks or use bread sticks, dip in and enjoy!
My favourite is probably these pitta breads – pop a pitta in the toaster and spread the Butter Bean dip on then top with tomatoes or cucumbers or whatever topping you like!
I tried this one for the first time last week and though it was yummy – the Butter Bean dip works well in a wrap and filled with delicious fresh veg like carrots, cucumber and salad – you could also add some falafel which would be scrumptious.

MY VEGAN MONTH REVIEW

Published on July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

Firstly, I am so sorry that I have been MIA recently! I have now finally got the internet back and will be trying to get back to blogging regularly again!

As you know I spent the last month being vegan. I really enjoyed the challenge and only caved once to have a nibble, literally a teeny bite of an egg and of a teeny bite of a slice of salami. However although I managed pretty well I did miss certain things, or rather a month without was fine, but a forever without stresses me a little aha. Thus I have decided for now to allow myself the occasional exception, eg. 1 croissant a month and a dippy egg or something.

You may think well that’s not being vegan and no, it isn’t being 100% vegan, but you know what, I am still proud of myself for the changes I have made so far. Leading a mostly vegan diet is still making a bigger impact on my health, the environment and animal welfare than if I hadn’t made any changes at all! I used to eat a lot of meat and dairy and I do hope that I will eventually become 100% vegan, just not right now.

So here just a couple of my Vegan meals from the last month:

Hope you have all been keeping well!

Love Carina xo

VEGAN WRAP PIZZA

Published on June 22, 2017June 24, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Good morning guys,

Yesterday I decided I would try making a pizza with wraps. I have seen so many people doing this and thought it was about time I tried it. I was plesantly surprised! It was yummy!

I started by putting a very thin layer of tomato pasta sauce on a wrap and then putting a second wrap on top. I thought a slightly thicker base would be nicer and the little tomato sauce stuck the two wraps together. Then I topped the second wrap with more tomato sauce, shallots, cherry tomatoes, vegan feta, salt, pepper, dried basil, parsley and oregano and cooked in the oven for about 10 mins till cheese had melted and the wrap looked crispy. Finally I topped it with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic. It really was rather tasty and I shall definitely be making this again! Its so quick and easy!! And filling!!

Have you ever tried wrap pizzas?? What are your favourite toppings, I’d love to know!

Love Carina xo

COOKING A 3 COURSE VEGAN MEAL

Published on June 17, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hello friends,

Yesterday my sister came down from Edinburgh for the day and so I had the whole family over for dinner at my new place, which was really nice!

I love cooking for people and so I had great fun making a three course vegan meal for my family.

For starters I made an avocado dip which we ate with a yummy toasted organic white loaf, topped with tomatoes.

Mains was a kinda curry using all my leftover veg such as carrots and bean sprouts. The curry wasn’t spicy as my mum can’t eat spice, however my sister, dad and myself sprinkled it with some chilli flakes which gave it a nice bite of heat.

And for dessert we had a scoop of Alpro hazelnut and chocolate ice cream with warm berries – mmm!

I love having my own place and I’ve really settled in now. It was so nice having the family over! Catching up together and playing a game with dessert. Codenames by the way is an absolutely brilliant game and I urge you all to get your hands on it!

Oh and I know it’s random but I spotted my first ladybird today! It put a smile on my face so I thought I’d share hence the seemingly irrelevant cover photo!

Well I hope you have a great day guys!

Love Carina xo

2 TASTY SMOOTHIE RECIPES

Published on April 25, 2017March 3, 2025 by simplycarinaxo3 Comments

Good morning guys,

As you already know I failed the smoothie cleanse challenge I set myself. The thing which really caused me irritation was not being able to eat anything, like physically being able to chew something. So in the end I resulted to having a breakfast smoothie, a lunch smoothie and a meal in the evening.

Sadly also apart from yoga I can’t remember going to the gym last week so I only lost 1lbs this week but onward and upwards! It’s a new week now! And I started it with a healthy day and 1 1/2hs at the gym yesterday! Today I had a yummy smoothie bowl for breakfast too – so the health game is back on!

Anyway I did say I’d share my favourite smoothie recipes with you, so here’s two for you – I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think if you try them!

Peanut Butter Blaster:

1 banana – 1 heaped tbsp of cocoa powder – 1 heaped tbsp of smooth peanut butter – small squeeze of honey – almond milk (however much you like depending on how runny or thick you like your smoothie)

Green Machine:

40g of fresh ginger – a good handful of mint – 1 squeezed lime – 3 squeezed oranges – 1 large handful of kale – 1 pear – 1tsp of greenboost powder – 1tsp of matcha powder – 1/2 mango (depending on how juicy your oranges are you can also add some cold green tea)

Enjoy guys

Love Carina xo

BEST FRESH JUICE EVER!

Published on March 5, 2017March 2, 2018 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey my beautiful friends,

Just a short post to share my absolute favourite fresh juice at the moment. Sadly juicing is just a bit expensive so I don’t always treat myself to this, however we do have a good market fruit and veg shop in Durham and sometimes they have some amazing deals on, so when I had a look the other day I stocked up! They had Jaffa Oranges (usually £1.85 in Tesco) on sale for only 60p!! Bargain!!!!!

Anyhow, to the drink – it’s nothing special, just freshly squeezed oranges and grapefruits, but the combination is kinda amazing!

I would usually squeeze 3 oranges to 1 grapefruit (although here I used 4 and a sprig of mint and squeeze of lime too). Just remember to pop in the fridge to chill or add and ice cube or two – it is the most tasty and refreshing when cool! Let me know if you try this and enjoy it too!

Love Carina xo

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY!

Published on March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by simplycarinaxo2 Comments

Hey there my beautiful friends,

So I thought I’d start a What I Eat In A Day post every Wednesday, hope you enjoy!

Breakfast: Smoothie Bowl (frozen mixed berries, 1 banana 1/3 of a mango – topped with oats, cacao nibs, chia seeds, coconut, blueberries and pomegranate) 900ml of mint and lime water

Snack/Lunch: Decaf filter coffee, 1 pear and some more water

Post Gym Snack: Fresh orange and grapefruit juice (4 oranges, 1 grapefruit, half a lime and a sprig of mint)

Dinner: Tuna Mayo Salad (mixed leaf salad, 1/2 tin of tuna mixed with red onion and mayonnaise, cucumber, green olives and 2 slices of organic white bloomer bread with sunflower spread)

I got up at about 9.30 am and made my breakfast – yummy and very filling! At about 12.20 I made my coffee and cut up a pear, but I actually struggled to eat the pear, having had nearly a whole 1l of water throughout the morning which filled my stomach and left me rather full. I had the gym at 2pm though so felt I should at least eat the pear to give me a bit more energy. So at 1.30pm I left for the gym for the second part of my programming session, adding some leg and ab work to my gym routine. After my session was over a stayed a little longer and did some more arm work. When I got home at about 4.30pm I made myself some freshly pressed juice and ran a bath, again haha, I do love my baths! At 6pm I popped to the shop to get some salad and cucumber and then came home to make this yummy salad. I am nicely full now and the only thing else I might have tonight is a cup of tea and maybe if I’m feeling peckish when I settle down to watch the Vikings (which btw if you haven’t seen yet you really should!) I might have a small portion of low sugar Tyrrells sea salt & cider vinegar crisps.

Well there you go, my what I eat in a day.

I hope you have all had a wonderful day,

Love Carina xo