We’ve had quite a bit of warm weather here lately which appears to have given me a bit more luck. He is slobbing around a lot and seems very restless. He won’t forgive me for posting some of these pictures, but let’s consider it payback for his annual moulting session that seems to be never ending!

Definitely my favourite picture so far…

Here he is doing what he does best…

Some more cat love HERE

When I first started this blog, I didn’t actually know what I was going to talk about. I wasn’t doing much, but going to work, eating, drinking and then doing more work at home -  I thought that if I started up a lifestyle blog I’d become a little more adventurous… Say ‘yes’ more. It sort of worked. I still eat, drink and work a lot, but in-between I’ve managed to do a lot more with my time and it has opened my eyes and ears to more things that are happening around me.

I haven’t really joined the blogging scene as such, and have actually found it pretty hard to get a constant stream of new subscribers. I see bloggers on twitter saying they constantly support each other, but I’m yet to get a look in there. However, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got and love chatting to my regular readers from all over the world.

Occasionally I have regretted not starting up an anonymous blog. I can be a pretty sarcastic writer and think I missed a trick by naming myself. There’s a lot I cant say right now, that would make sensational reading… Maybe one day.

So, today I shall eat some birthday cake, enjoy a nice gin and tonic, whilst thinking about all you lovely readers that have supported me this year.

If it wasn’t for your comments, I’m not sure if I’d still be here.

Thank You! x

Cue cute Birthday kittens…

DAY THREE: SUNDAY

8am: Alex blending away. Blend, blend, blend. Off he goes.

9.30am: I’m awake. Very disappointed that I can’t have my usual Sunday pain au chocolate from our local french bakery. Think about skipping my morning drink, but after my water decided to push on through.

10am: Decide to hit the treadmill. 30mins and that’s it. Sundays weren’t meant for this. They were meant for this…

10.30am: Time for the Juice Master’s Detox Special. I suck it up knowing that its packed with Vitamins A, B1, B3, B5, B6, C, E and K. It’s also packed with Calcium, Iron, magnesium, potassium, pectin and so on and so on… Are you still there?

1pm: Alex is ringing.. I think about picking it up… Not sure I can handle his hunger pains as well as mine. I answer. He’s just ringing to tell me he’s about to have his lunch juice – Thanks for that.

2pm: Time for a Beyond Detox juice. It’s like day one all over again. I get through it. Hurrah! I’m waiting for a Waitrose shopping order to land on my doorstep… It’s due before 4pm, and I’m hoping that I don’t falter whilst unpacking it. I ordered tons of fruit, but there are a few treats in there too.

3pm: I’ve decided to stick to water and not the recommended H20. Drink, drink, drink. I actually have a bit of a headache, which I’m surprise about with this amount of liquid.

4.15pm: The shopping has arrived. There seems to be more fruit than I remember ordering, which means I can’t go off the rails next week. Oh joy!

5pm: I have hunger pains and am not very happy about them.

5.45pm: The oven is on. Noooooo… I HAVE FAILED! Just one drink short of a detox A+. Last night when Alex was struggling I promised he could have dinner this evening. I’ve had enough jealousy for one weekend, so I’m going to join him. I have failed to make it to the finishing line. I could have got past it, but I just didn’t want to. I know I will regret this tomorrow, but…

Just look at what we ate…

CONCLUSION:

The 3 day juice detox should be easy enough to do if you are mentally prepared and if you choose to do it at a time that works best for you. Some people do it to lose weight, but I was doing it to kick-start my healthy eating lifestyle again. After a few days, I feel a lot less bloated, and my skin is quite clear. However, that could be down to the fact that I haven’t touched any wheat (which I’m allergic to). Generally people have said they can lose up to 5lbs over the 3 days.

I’ve found it easier to do than any of the other diet plans that I’ve tried because there isn’t much to think about when juicing. You just whack it all in and go. When I’m cooking on a diet plan, I find I’m constantly thinking about what I have to prepare next. I also tend to think about food all of the time, which I didn’t seem to do as much when juicing.

This is going to be a pretty tough detox to do if you have an extremely healthy appetite, but I presume it wouldn’t do too much harm to include  a  snack of a banana in-between juices if you simply can’t cope. The hardest part for both Alex and myself was not actually chewing food. I know it’s not a necessity in life, but it’s a tradition we like.

So, would I do it again? – Maybe. Am I going to keep on Juicing? – Definitely.

I’m going to aim to have a juice for at least two of my meals a day on a weekday and one a day on the weekends. I’ll see if that has any effect on my energy levels, skin and weight and then decided where go from there.

I love delicious food far too much too much just to drop it out of my life. If I aim for at least a 60% increase in juice, I think I might be onto a winner.

If you want to get juicing yourself then I highly recommend buying  Keeping it Simple! – Jason Vale. I’m genuinely looking forward to trying out more recipes that aren’t part of the detox!

Also find free shopping lists to help you with the detox and various juice diet plans here: http://www.juicemaster.com

Jason Vale’s 3 Day Detox – Day 1

Jason Vale’s 3 Day Detox – Day 2

DAY TWO: SATURDAY

4.30am: Ah, finally bed time. I take another few bites of my sandwich. Feel guilty. I usually wake up too early if my stomach is grumbling at me and I really want a decent nights sleep. It was only two mouthfuls… Nobody needs to know!

8.30am: It appears Alex has rejoined me on the detox. I think he’s determined to get through it today and am rudely awoken by his  breakfast, H20 and lunch blending. He hits the studio. I go back to sleep.

11.30am: Time to get up. I head straight for the kitchen and drink warm water, minus the lemon. Blend my Super Detox Smoothie. It’s not bad at all. Takes me a while to drink… I’m just not digging this eating as soon as you wake up. I read that the blueberries contain anti-oxidants and anti-ageing phytonutrients, which help destroy the free radicals that age the skin. I actually knew that already, but… SOLD!

Super Detox Smoothie Ingredients:

1/2 small pineapple
1 handful of blackberries
1 handful blueberries
200g low fat yoghurt.
Ice cubes

2.30pm:  Call from Alex. He’s struggling – I’m not a support center you know… I need to get through this myself! He’s a snacker and is surely just missing his biscuits. He keeps telling me that he doesn’t need to lose and weight, which is true, but I keep telling him this is a detox, and I’m doing it for the cleanse. If I lose weight I’ll be happy, but I don’t have any scales so I shall never know.

3pm: Make H20 (as seen on day one). I’d much rather drink water than this stuff, but rules are rules.

4pm: Make Dreamy Detox for lunch. I’m running on funny eating hours today, due to the late night. Less time awake equals less time thinking about eating solids, I guess. The Dreamy Detox is not one of my favourites. I leave out the celery and take to using a straw to drink with. I think the ginger is a bit much for me. Note to self – Add less ginger.

4.25pm: I’ve changed my mind about that drink. It grew on me.  I’ll give it a B+

Dreamy Detox
 Ingredients:

2 apples
1 slice lemon
1 inch slice cucumber
1 stick celery
1 inch piece fresh ginger
ice

5pm: Struggling to get through this H20 drink. I don’t normally drink enough water, so battle on through. Bravo!

7pm: Alex returns in what can only be classed as a foul mood. He’s hungry. I tell him to eat a banana. I want one, but I want to look better than him! #Jealous

7.30pm: Dinner time. Get excited for a second before remembering it’s just a juice. Time to have another Beyond Detox. Christ this is hard! I just really fancy chewing on something. Alex feels slightly better after his juice and perks up a bit. I have to say this juice is the most filling. It needs to be blended well  or you end up having to use your teeth to sieve out the small chunks of avocado. Yuk!

Beyond Detox Ingredients:
3 apples
1 large handful of spinach
1 inch raw beetroot
1 inch slice cucumber
Parsley
1/2 ripe avocado
ice

An oh so, happy Alex!

8.10pm: Still trying to get though this drink. Watching a movie and would normally snack… Must. Not. Eat.

9pm: Alex is hungry again. I cook him up a Salmon fillet. I really don’t think this detox is easy for men, or people with larger appetites. I take a mouthful, but can’t actually stomach it. Huh?!

11.40pm: Go to bed. Stomach grumbling at me.

TODAY WAS HARD!

Jason Vale’s Detox – Day 3 & Conclusion

For the next three days, I’ll be posting a diary of my eating plan – Let’s see if we can do this thing!

Jason Vale’s 3 day detox taken from: Keeping it Simple – The Juice Master.

First up the shopping list… For one.

DAY ONE: FRIDAY

8.45am – Wake up… Grumpy as ever about waking up. However, I have a bit more of a spring in my step because I know I’ve got a new juicer to get juicing with. I’m fun like that.

8.50am: I make Alex his juice, as he’s decided to join me for the three day detox… I give him one day! Juice of the morning is the Juice Master Detox Special. It smells massively of celery – One of the worst foods ever! I test Alex’s drink and don’t like it. He manages to get it down and head to a meeting. My hero!

9am: I drink a cup of warm water with lemon. It reminds me a bit too much of Lemsip, which I also dislike, so I take it out and just drink the water.

9.10am: Make juice and place it in fridge… It’s a bit early for me. I left out the celery. Wimp!

Juice Master Detox Special Ingredients:

2 apples
1 carrot
1 slice of lemon (rind on)
1/4 yellow bell pepper
1 inch slice of cucumber
1/4 piece of celery
1 inch broccoli stem
1 inch slice raw beetroot
Ice

9.15am: Wash up. The juicer is not hard to clean at all, which is good because I’m not a huge fan of washing up. A few mins and I’m sitting down to check my work emails.

9.35am: Time to man up and drink my juice. The juice man advises me to drink it slowly and either brush my teeth or swill mouth with water when finished. It’s quite tasty, but I still have the stench of celery up my nose. It’s also quite filling, but am finding it hard to drink, as I normally skip breakfast.

11.30am: I was meant to have an H20 break, but Alex has not yet returned armed with a litre bottle of water and I’m working tonight, so have not yet hit the shower and fear I will look a mess walking down the street to the shops. Just had a few glasses of water and not the extras. I guess I could have added the fruit and veg, but I’m not actually that hungry anyway. This recipe is meant to be more filling than water, but lighter than juice. It also contains lots of vitamins, calcium and iron amongst other goodness.

H20 Ingredients:

1 inch beetroot
1/2 an apple
1 inch slice pineapple
1 inch slice lemon
Add to 3/4 litre of mineral water and shake.

1.20pm: Time for the same juice as this morning. This had better fill me up because I’m starving! I think this is the only drink repeat in such a short space of time, but I don’t really mind as I’m starting to like it even more.

1.22pm: Fat cat thinks he’ll try some, but meows insanely for food after one sniff. I feed him disgusting cat food and feel a slight pang of jealousy.

2.17pm: No sign of Alex. He’s clearly seeking some solids in somewhere because he didn’t pack a juice.

3pm: Craving something to chew on. Call from Alex – He had ‘no other option’ but to eat solids for lunch. #Jealous

4pm: Time for a disco nap before work this evening. This is a great help to take my mind off food.

7pm: Dinner time. I consider foregoing the juice for a proper meal because I feel that work will be difficult if I’m feeling hunger pangs. Talk myself out of it and make the Beyond Detox juice. Drink whilst I’m getting ready and it truly fills me up. This one also tastes good, so no problems getting it down.

Beyond Detox Ingredients:
3 apples
1 large handful of spinach
1 inch raw beetroot
1 inch slice cucumber
Parsley
1/2 ripe avocado
ice

10pm – 4am: I’m at work. I packed a ham sandwich (just in case), which is just sitting there waiting to be eaten. I resit temptation until about 2am… I just take a bite or two before feeling great pangs of guilt. Pack it away and get on with it. I’d normally have a Redbull or V to get me through the night, but also resist this. Can’t wait to get to bed.

END OF DAY ONE. PHEW!

Jason Vale’s 3 Day Detox – Day 2

Jason Vale’s Detox – Day 3 & Conclusion

If I am heading for a petites department, I find I’m constantly drawn back to Miss Selfridge. They are particularly suitable for maxi dresses and are not too expensive compared to other high street stores. They also tend to stock extremely colourful items, which I’m always drawn to.

Below are a few of my top picks that are currently in stock. I’m resisting the urge to buy  at the moment, but who knows what the weekend might bring…

Petites Smudge Floral Maxi - Price: £33.00 – Also available in standard sizes.
This is in the same style as another maxi that I purchased from Miss Selfridge last year.
I have a feeling that it will look even better in store… If only we had some sun!

Petites Ombre Shirt – Price: £32.00
I probably wouldn’t wear this myself due to the lack of sleeves, but I think it deserves a mention for looking so fab.

Petites Zip Front Playsuit – Price: £39.00 – Also available in standard sizes.
Great detail on the front, which turns this plain coloured playsuit into something a bit more desirable and flirty.

Petites Zig Zag Printed Dress - Price: £37.00
I purchased this dress to take with me on my trip to San Fran and I love it!
It fits perfectly and looks fab with a denim jacket and footless tights.

Have you got a favourite high street store that you constantly go back to for the correct sizing?

We’ve spent a lot of time in both Devon and Cornwall in the past and generally try to milk more than a few days there if possible. However this time we paid just a fleeting visit, due to our work commitments and the not so great Spring weather that we have been experiencing.

We tend to book a cheap as chips travelodge for our first night away as we usually drive down relatively late at night, to avoid the traffic. We then spend a little bit more on a nicer hotel the night after. On Thursday, we chose to stay at the Abode in Exeter. We’d stayed here before and had a lovely time, but this time around was a different story…

We booked a £99 special, which to me seemed like a great deal. It included a one night stay for two, dinner from the abode cafe set menu and breakfast the following morning. Check-in was seamless, the service was excellent at the front desk and our room was a perfect size… All OK so far! I had a bit of work to do so sat down to concentrate, whilst a busker played extraordinarily loudly from the cathedral square. Ah, that’s what the triple glazing was for! As I was working it seemed to get hotter and hotter in the room. The air con didn’t seem to be working, but like a fool, I thought we could live with it.  It is only spring after all.

After about half and hour, Alex suggest we ask to move rooms – Heat and the busker were driving me stir crazy, but I said it would all be OK and that we should just stick with it. This was totally the wrong move… Even though the busker finally took off, we still had to tolerate a whole lot more noise throughout the night.

The menu that we were able to select from for dinner was pretty limited, but didn’t taste too bad, if you removed the honey roasted cashews from the Thai chicken curry that is. The mojitos we ordered were far too sour, so we sent them back. The waitress told us that she made them suited to her taste. Hmmm. When our drinks were returned to us by yet another waiter (we had three as the cafe was empty), he told us that there was sugar on the table if they still weren’t sweet enough. Are you kidding me – I paid £7 for this drink?!! Needless to say we decided not to try out the hotel bar after dinner…

At around midnight, the pub right outside our window was filling bins and banging loudly for a good half an hour or more. Ah, another reason for the triple glazing. This was obviously a room with no view and extra sound effects. I always feel it’s a bit late to call down to reception at that time, so we just tried to sleep through it. When the worst was over, we managed to doze off, only to be woken up at 7.15am by the same pub unloading barrels and shouting for a whole forty five minutes. That was me awake and in an exceptionally foul mood!

I’m extremely disappointed that our stay was below average this time round. I do appreciate that the hotel can’t control the noise levels on the street, but the Abode are clearly aware this room suffers from external noise pollution. As the hotel wasn’t full, perhaps a different room could have been allocated to us in the first place. I do not expect to be downgraded just because I’m on a package price.

The manager offered another stay at the same price (even though this is a regular deal they offer) with a room upgrade on top. Very presumptuous of them to think we’d like to return and as if I’d book the same deal knowing you get the dodgy rooms in the hotel. We were not prepared to pay for our room that night and the manager said that the general manager would have to call us – So many managers!

We are still waiting for the call and are yet to pay. I’m not sure we will be back.

*BlOG POST UPDATE -  (10.50pm)
I have just seen that Abode have taken money from my account, without calling to discuss this matter as they said they would. Will most certainly not be going back.

*BlOG POST UPDATE – (16th May)
My faith in the Abode has been slightly restored… We finally managed to speak to someone and it appears that our messages got lost due to a member of staff leaving. We have been offered a full refund and an upgrade on a package deal should we chose to return. May go back one day and give it another shot

Have you had any bad hotel experiences? Would you have moved rooms earlier?
Do you think I’m being a bit harsh?

The Bedroom. Lovely huge bed.

The bathroom. Looks lovely, but has a tricky flush and a shower that floods the room because the screen door is too short.

Alex was clearly bemused by his dessert. He ordered a meringue pudding, but struggled to find the meringue!

When I went to boarding school, I had to put my own tactics in place. I found myself buddying up with the cooks to gain larger pudding portions and had some notable success!

These days I’ll eat pretty much anything, but try extremely hard not to eat dessert unless I’m out for a special dinner, or I’m having an indulgent weekend. A few years ago, when I knew nothing much about blogging, I baked and blogged my way to a podgy tummy and then decided it was time to cut back. The blog died and sadly for Alex, so did the baking.

If I were partial to a bit of exercise, It would all be OK. I could eat many more puddings and then work off the pounds… However, you all know that I’m as allergic to exercise as I am to wheat!

The other day I decided it was about time I hit the kitchen again to make Alex one of his favourite types of desserts. He loves any sort of crumble and strudel. When he buys one I usually sit it out, as the shop bought crumbles are usually made with wheat flour and generally contain cinnamon, which I don’t really like.

This remarkably easy crumble can be made with wheat flour or rice flour. There is honestly nothing to it and as it’s packed with berries -  So, we can add it to the not too unhealthy list… We’ll ignore the sugar content, which I advise playing around with to suit your taste.

Enjoy!

Easy Berry Crumble

Filling:

•  150g berries
• 150g  sugar
• 70g  flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon – Optional
• Dash of salt

In a large bowl, gently toss berries with above ingredients and put into an ovenproof dish.

Topping:

• 130g  flour
• 85g  oats
• 90g brown sugar
• 115g butter (melted)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon – Optional

In a medium bowl mix until crumbly and spread evenly over berries. Sprinkle over a little brown sugar.
Bake at 180c, 25-35 minutes or until berries are bubbly and crumble is browned.

EAT!

If you do so care.

Since then, Jamie has been an exceptionally busy boy and his Italian style restaurants are popping up left right and center. I decided it was time to give him another chance, so on Friday, we popped into Stratford Westfield for the big taste test.

We arrived about 2pm and the place was packed. The host told us that we could be seated within ten minutes, so we just nipped into John Lewis for a quick shop to fill in the time. No Drama. No fuss.

As a big gin drinker, the cocktail menu seemed a bit vodka heavy to me. I asked if they could make me up an elderflower gin cocktail and the waiter suggested we try one of their gin, apple and blackcurrant specialties. So that, we did – It was delicious and the whole experience just got better from there.

There was not a hint of shoddy service in sight. The waiter was lovely (to look at) and as soon as we had finished our water or emptied our plates, we were seen to right away. The food was delicious and superb value. The only small thing that may have let it down a bit was the restaurants choice of music. Now, I’m a fan of drum and bass in the right setting, but it’s not what I wanted to hear during a relaxing lunch out! Luckily, there were only a few banging tracks during our meal and then we had to suffer some dubious pop music. Each to their own.

Gin, apple and blackcurrant cocktails – £6.95 each

CRISPY SQUID  – £5.75
Fried squid with garlicky mayo, lemon & chilli
This was my favourite part of the meal. It was absolutely delicious!

WORLD’S BEST OLIVES ON ICE – £3.75
Large green olives, black

I’m not a fan of Olives, but Alex said these were pretty close to being the world’s best olives.
He loved that they didn’t just come in a bowl alone and that they came with tapenade.

SEASIDE RISOTTO
£8.95/£15.95
Clams, mussels, prawns, cockles, gurnard, chilli & white wine

I opted for the small size, which was more than plenty with my starter.

WILD RABBIT TAGLIOLINI £6.75/£10.95
Slow-cooked ragù with garlic & herbs, mascarpone & Amalfi lemon

Alex had this and the portion was massive. The thing I like about Jamie’s Italian is that you
can order smaller portions and opt to eat a few different things. This is something Alex did not do!

We also had a side salad and a coffee. There was no pressure to order bottle water, which was great, as some places can be rather snotty when you ask for tap water.

I’d certainly return to Jamie’s Italian. The total price of our meal for two was £48. If you forget about the cocktails, then you can make it an even cheaper lunch out… However, I would always suggest a cocktail over lunch darling!