Wellbeing – Page 3

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

DIY HEN DO GOODIE BAGS

Published on April 29, 2017April 28, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

I am currently away in Coldigham, Scotland, for my best friend Emily’s Hen Do! I shall tell you all about it once back, but for now I wanted to share with you the Hen Do goodie bags I made for the weekend. Emily wanted a bit of a spa vibe for the weekend as we have a hot tub at the house we’re staying in, so I have created the goodie bags with the wellness and pampering in mind.

Bath Salts: I spotted some test tubes filled with bath salts on Etsy and thought they’d be cheaper to make myself rather than buy. So I bought a massive pack of test tubes from Ebay as well as two different bath salts, Epsom and Himalayan and then some dried rose petals for the extra prettiness factor. I thought this was the cutest idea and I love love love the results!

Incense: Who doesn’t love incense, it’s the perfect way to add some atmosphere and relax, whether it be in the bath, whilst doing yoga or just chilling with a book or some music!

Throws: May seem like a random choice and it was a spontaneous buy aha, but I just fell in love with these little throws from non other than Poundland! Our cottage is just a short walk from Coldingham Bay beach so these throws can have multiple functions from beach towels, yoga mats or throws to snuggle under when we watch movies sitting in front of the log burner!

Vegan Truffles: Emily is vegan and so we are making the whole weekend vegan. So of course I had to ask Anna the friend I’m living with at the moment, to make me some vegan truffles for the hen do. She is a chocolatier and her chocolates are amazing!! And you can’t have a goodie bag without a little treat now can you?!

Tea Tubes: Again another idea I saw on Esty and loved. I also decided I could make these myself too. I got the loose tea from my dads cafe, a delicious Blue Lady and a Green tea.

Badges: Emily is turning into a bit of an eco warrior and so I thought although I know they won’t look as good as bought ones, I’d recycle some bottle caps and turn them into badges! Not amazing aha but ok I think!

Well guys I hope you enjoyed this post and are having as fabulous a weekend as I am!

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

SMOOTHIE CLEANSE!

Published on April 20, 2017March 1, 2026 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

After another week of not loosing anything – oops – I have decided to do a 4 day smoothie cleanse this week. Four days of only drinking smoothies – woo aha! Lots of vitamins, not many carbs and hardly and sugars! I need to get into the swing of not allowing myself treats again aha!

I always wonder why I allow myself treats occasionally when I know they are not good for me in the first place, for three reasons. One, the obvious being weight wise. Two, they create a risk of me falling off the wagon. Three, I think I might be lactose intolerant (I will write a post on this sometime) so chocolate and the likes give me a bad stomach!

I am starting today and I will be drinking three smoothies today. I am excited to see how it will make me feel, if I will feel satiated enough and also how my stomach will react.

I will write down all the smoothies I make and will share my favourites with you at the end of the four days!

So let’s begin!

Love Carina xo

MISSING THE IDYLLIC PEACE AND QUIET OF WENSLEYDALE!

Published on March 13, 2017March 1, 2026 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Last year my family and I spent an idyllic weekend in the Yorkshire Dales. It was a time of having no phone signal and no internet and let me tell you it was sooo relaxing.

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For once I wasn’t reaching for my phone every two minutes to check Facebook, post a picture on Instagram and keep checking how many likes I was getting. It made me realise how addicted I was to modern technology and the need of likes from others – I hated it! Instead of wasting time and energy online which often leaves me full of negative energy as I am a fiend for comparing myself to others, I was able to spend quality time with my family, whether puzzling together, going on walks and appreciating the pastoral beauty around us, playing games, cooking together or just all relaxing with a book in front the wood burning stove. It was a completely different atmosphere and I felt so happy and relaxed throughout our long weekend.

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The countryside is so beautiful! We went walking, saw waterfalls and castles, tasted some delicious Wensleydale cheese and just enjoyed the most breathtaking views. I really need more weekends away like this, time to unwind, connect with nature and spend quality time with family!

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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