Chilli

Since being home from University for the summer, my mum has been trying to get the family to try some different and healthier recipes using this nutritional book she found. Well, I opted to try one of those recipes out and I've made it at least six times since!

You will need:
Onions
Celery
Mixed Peppers
Garlic Cloves
Salt
Ground Cumin
Oregano
Basil (doesn't matter if its fresh or not!)
Chilli Pepper
Mince Meat
Kidney Beans
Chopped Tomatoes
Tomato Puree
Rice

Start off by dicing the onions and the celery

Then heat up either a pot or a pan (depending on how much you're making) with some olive oil and put in the celery and onions on low heat.

Then dice up the mixed peppers and garlic. The garlic may be a particularly long and tedious affair because its sticky, but this is why the onions and celery are on low!

Then wack these in with the onion and celery and turn up the heat!

Mmmm look at all those colours!

At this point you need to add in your mince meat and some salt to season the meat. Then add in your chopped tomatoes almost immediately afterwards so that they can help the meat to change colour as it cooks. Then add in the kidney beans and wait for everything to blend together. After this add in the Basil, Cumin, Salt, Oregano and Chilli Pepper to taste.

Can we say YUM?

Start simmering this and boil some rice. If the sauce seems a bit watery from the chopped tomatoes, add in some tomato puree to thicken it.

Make sure everything tastes good and serve hot!

Oh yeah.

I like to serve mine with a little side salad to keep everything in the healthy business.
Be prepared to make this a lot. I made it last night and my Dad had four helpings!

Some music I love...

Foodie

I must admit. I am a Foodie. I frequently post pictures of my food on Foodstagram, I mean Instagram and I have been told about it...a lot; but hey, thats not necessarily a bad thing. It just means I really, really, very much appreciate food and how it tastes. Now I'm not the most adventurous person when it comes to trying different foods, like muscle, snail etc., but I do like trying new recipes with foods I know, like chilli for example, which I've been making a lot recently and which is super tasty.

My mum made this last night for dinner. Egg fried rice with vegetables galore. Let's just say she didn't make enough.

If you take a peek at my Instagram, you'll see the proof that I am indeed a foodie, and proud. 

Here's a song that I am absolutely in love with right now. I wish he'd make an entire album like this.

Exercising is fun...

set from polyvore

I've been  much of health nut but since going to university I've been losing weight by doing a lot of walking, and one of my housemates is a bit of a healthy, exercise crazy person so she's encouraged me to exercise more including doing running, which I actually really enjoy now, although I hated it at first! Its great to try and beat your previous times and just push yourself a little further each time. Since being at home however its been a lot more difficult to keep up with that regime and since its the countryside there are a lot of hills and not a lot of flat terrain for me to run in, unlike at university so keeping up with running has been tricky. For now I've resorted to a few miles brisk walk everyday uphill to help tone my legs and thighs. The uphill route is also good for toning your stomach. This is because while going uphill you need to maintain a good posture to stop your back from doubling over which means you need to put in extra effort to do so, which helps tone your stomach! Here are a few tips I've picked up that have helped me with exercise and particularly running:

• Buy a Sportsbra - If you are very well endowed in the upper region (if you get my drift), then a sports bra is a must. I'd say wear this on top of your loosest bra because sports bras can be very tight, and this way you have the right amount of support and pressure to keep you from having any pain there while you're exercising. 

• Get comfortable AND appropriate clothing - Trust me, while its nice to wear all Nike, if you're not comfortable in it, you won't exercise well in it. You need to get clothes that are comfortable and that are easy to move around in. If you go into a shop to try on some bottoms, try jogging around in them a bit to see how they feel when they heat up and if they fall down when you move around. The latter has happened to me and it was an expensive mistake!

• OMG Shoes - Get the right shoes for running. The most stylish ones might look nice but they might be heavy on your feet, not have enough arch for your feet or not have enough cushion. Your best bet is to go into a store and talk to someone about what kind of feet you have and what will be the best fit for them. If you don't have the right shoes, you can either damage your feet, or you might find running incredibly difficult.

• Mood Music -  I have tried and tested various playlists to get me going for a run and recently I used Spotify to created one that was more suited to my running tastes. When I'm running or walking, I like to have a heavy beat that I can sometimes match my pace to, so I created what I like to call an aggressive hip-hop playlist of songs to really get me going. I find it a lot better to run with music because otherwise I get distracted by sounds around me. Make sure that if you are listening to music while you run, you can still hear sounds around you so there aren't any accidents! See my playlist below!

Favourite Bloggers

I've started and deleted my fair share of blogs but throughout I've always had others bloggers as my inspiration and have been following some for quite a few years. Here are some of my favourites:

Karla Deras www.karlascloset.com

I've been following Karla's blog since about 2009 and I've loved watching the way her style has evolved. She has a really clean, elegant style and knows how to dress her body really well and seems to have a really lovely personality.


Nicole Warner garypeppergirl.com

First of all, I wonder how many miles she's racked up travelling all over the world! It seems like every time I see her instagram pictures, she's in a different country! Despite my slight jealousy at the amazing places she gets to visit she's such an inspiration as someone who took something she loved (blogging) and made it her full time job. Not only that but she's elegant, beautiful, and humble. Be sure to check out her blog.



Shirley B. Einiang www.meek-n-mild.com

Can I just say that I love her! She's down to earth, smart, sensible, absolutely beautiful, has a great sense of style and is 100% genuine and humble! I've only been following Shirely for the past two years but she just makes me love her even more all the time! Absolutely love her blog and she is the picture of elegance. Be sure to check out her YouTube here.


Bree Hester bakedbree.com

I think the title of my blog and the title of her blog says it all! Since being at uni I have discovered that I love cooking almost as much as I love baking and so its only a plus that Bree's blog, that I discovered about 3 years ago, has all kinds of recipes on it. Displayed in stylish and delicious form I might add. The other great thing about Bree is that she's a mother so she's creating recipes for families, which means that if you're like me, a university student, you can have friends round and make something delicious courtesy of Mrs Hester! Her blog is a definite one to salivate, I mean, have a look at ;)

Some awesome music to make you feel like a world class chef or blogger throughout your day:

This week its...

Ever since I discovered them I've been absolutely in love with The Civil Wars. Their melodies, the simple but beautiful ecstasy that their music brings to someone's ears is incredible. I am also grateful to Spotify for helping me to discover this little gem as a bonus track today. One of the best, if not the best Billie Jean cover I've ever heard. Listen for yourself below:

If you've never heard of them before, Youtube them or grab their latest album. It is definitely worth the money!

What A Wonderful Way To Spend An Evening

Last year, I lost my true concert virginity (technically the first artist I saw live was Westlife at Kenwood house a few years ago, but it wasn't entirely voluntary, and I was young....) when I went to see my favourite band of all time, Coldplay, at the Emirates in early June. It was an incredible time. The atmosphere was amazing, and the music sounded even better live than the incredible studio version. Truly, truly, that was one of the best experiences of my life, and one I will never forget! Then, earlier this year, I had the immense privilege of going to see, the woman, the myth, the legend, Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter at the O2 Arena. She. Was. Mesmerizing. Her talent is undeniable, her body wholly enviable, and her entire performance unforgettable. If you ever get the the chance to see either of those two artists, DO IT! Some of the best spent money of my life!

However last night, the experience was completely different and even more incredible. I am a proud fan of different types of music, including classical music, and I am a very big fan of the indisputably talented Ludovico Einaudi. His music is the kind where you can close your eyes, and just let one of your senses take over. His stunning pieces are both beautiful and chilling and the incredible rendition of Nightbook (one of my favourites by the way) gave me goosebumps! As you can probably tell, I thoroughly enjoyed myself  and would love to see him again if the opportunity presented itself. Check out my instagram for some videos of the truly amazing music, and check out some pictures below.

and particularly just for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of when I went to see Coldplay and Beyonce :)

...aaaaaaaand here's some Ludovico to add some musical delight to your day