Sunday 31 January 2016

Boost Your Mood: Workout

So this week to carry on the boost your mood series I wanted to talk about working out. Working out makes me feel so much better mentally and physically. Now I’m not talking about busting your ass off in a gym six hours every day, I myself can’t even go to a gym because I’m too scared haha, I much prefer to work out in the comfort of my own home! I am currently on week 4 of the BBG (Bikini Body Guide) as well as trying to practice yogalates at least twice a week and next week I’m going to my first session of Zumba! I really enjoy BBG and know that if I eat a balanced diet aswell I will see results! I did weeks 1-9 last summer and did see a difference unfortunately I stopped and took the new year to start again but I do have to push myself to do it! (I hate leaving my bed in the morning haha) So I thought I would give some tips based off my own experience to try and help motivate you!

1. GET STARTED

Grab yourself some clothes to work out in! Doesn’t have to be anything expensive, many high street stores are offering affordable sportswear. I’ve got really nice pieces from places like Primark and H&M but the most important thing is to be comfortable so leggings and a baggy top will do if that’s what you want! Plan a workout schedule for the week around the times that you work, go to college etc. This way you can get into a routine and try to stick to it. Maybe even purchase a program or buy a dvd. I would recommend BBG which is around £30 or the Solomon Yogalates dvd which I brought on amazon for £6! Definitely research different ways to work out and join communities on social media sites to help keep you motivated and get you started. If you want to start going to a gym to have access to more advanced machines I would find the closest one or ask a friend to join with you to make it more social and fun!




2. JUST MOVE

Find some sort of exercising that you love! If you love to dance join a Zumba class or just bust out some moves along to the harder dances on just dance if you have a wii or just pop on your favourite classics and jump around (as well as pretending to sing with the hairbrush of course haha). If you want to relax while you work out I would really recommend a form of yoga. I love listening to calming sounds while I know I’m working on my flexibility and core strength. Try lots of different things and just find what you enjoy most! I like to run and I started out with the couch to 5k which helped massively instead of just running and feeling defeated I could actually feel and see myself getting better! Swimming, cycling and

rock climbing are other social fun ways to get moving!

3. PUSH YOURSELF

I know it is so hard. Some mornings it takes me around 2 hours to get up and convince myself to actually put on my sports gear and get my equipment out but once I’ve completed it I feel so much better! I like to work out in the morning since it just works with my schedule better and it puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day! I feel like I’ve accomplished something and if I do push myself to get up early I also have a lot more time to do whatever is on my to-do list! It makes me focus for the rest of the day! You can have all the motivation in the world but it’s really all about the self-discipline. I try to get into a good headspace before I go to bed and put out all the equipment I need and the clothes I’m going to wear so it’s all ready in the morning and I can just get up and go. I also find writing a list the day before of what I need to do the next day and crossing it off really helps because I’ve written it down it makes me want to do it more!

I hope that this has helped you and once you start seeing progress there won’t be any turning back! Have fun!

See you next week


Catrina x

Sunday 24 January 2016

Terre A Terre Brighton Review

On Friday night I visited one of the most talked about restaurants in Brighton for a high standard of vegetarian and vegan dishes. It is on the pricey side so I would only ever go here for a special occasion or treat but it is well worth it! Each dish is named and described equally as wacky and although it may not seem very clear what the dish is, you will probably never be disappointed with the culinary master piece they whip up in the kitchen!

As we walked in the atmosphere is electric and joyful. The room is packed with seemingly happy people enjoying their evenings and their food! We are shown to our seats (you'll definitely have to book for a table here!) and our coats were taken to put away on a rack. Its definitely nice to be treated a bit special sometimes! Our waiter was so lovely and really helped to make the experience so wonderful. We didn't order starters but dived straight into the mains. I ordered the vegan version of the rosti revisited which has tofu instead of an egg on top while my friend ordered the non vegan version of it. Having myself had the non vegan version when I visited this restaurant before I highly recommended it and couldn't wait to try it as vegan! 

Our food came relatively quickly and as soon as I put the first forkful in my mouth I was so glad I ordered this dish again. The rosti is crispy on the outside and the spinach is to die for. The puree goes with the dish perfectly and the tofu while adding no real specific taste was a good texture to have with the meal. 



We then shared a desert which could  be made vegan and when we asked for it the waiter remembered it had to be vegan off the top of his head, he really was so nice! This was the real showstopper we ordered the Churrosimo. I could probably eat about a thousand of these. They are the first vegan churros I've had and I was not disappointed! They sticks had just enough cinnamon dusted on and the caramel and chocolate sauces will create fireworks in your mouth (no really I'm not exaggerating!) The vodka cherries were nice to finish off the meal with (I recommend dipping them in your leftover sauces if you're feeling cheeky) 






Of course this piece wasn't left!
Purely for picture purposes!
All in all the food, plus the atmosphere and attitudes of the people who worked there made it a really good and of course it's always best if you have good company too!

I would definitely recommend Terre A Terre if you're a lover of fancy food and fine dining, the price is definitely worth a special trip down there!

See you next week

Catrina x

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Sunday 17 January 2016

Boost Your Mood: Underwear

Hi there! So I’m thinking of starting a series called “Boost Your Mood”. These posts will be about the little things that I know always help to boost my mood and make me feel better when I am feeling down, hope you enjoy and if you try anything I show in my post that it helps cheer you up!

I’m starting with a post on underwear. I always feel my best when I’m wearing nice matching  underwear that makes me feel and look good. Now I know that no one is going to see it because it will be under clothes and while it’s perfectly acceptable to buy underwear to impress your partner, if you have one, always remember to do it for yourself. Just knowing that under my clothes I look good and have cute underwear sets my day up and makes me feel so much better even if I am in a bad mood, which I usually am when I have to leave my bed, (especially in this weather haha!)

Now, nice underwear can be seen as a very expensive thing and might be one of the reasons you’re only seeing old bras which have stretched out of shape and have gone a bit bobbly in your drawers! But it doesn’t have to be pricey at all! While I do own some more expensive lingerie from Topshop and Accessorize I also own inexpensive sets from stores like H&M and Primark. I’ve taken some pictures of my favourite sets to wear at the minute (from the lowest to highest price) and hopefully they inspire you to go out, buy some lingerie and dance around your room to pop music while looking amazing in your new sets!

1. Black Lacey Non-Wire Set - Primark £4!





2. Red Lacey Non-Wire Set – Primark £4!




These are both so comfortable and so cheap at £4 each! I couldn’t believe it when I saw these on the shelf. They look absolutely lovely on and are made of very soft material. I brought a medium which is size 10-12 and it fits perfectly! (As Primark sizes are usually on the smaller side)

3. Black Eyelash Lace Balconette Bra and Thong- H&M Bra £10.99 Thong £4.99





This set is also very comfortable and the pattern of the eyelash lace looks very intricate and pretty against my skin. If I feel like I want a little more of a push than a non wire bra can give me this is the one I reach for!

4. Red Balconette Bra and Ribbon Lace-up Thong- H&M Bra £12.99 Thong £6.99



I love this set if I want to feel a bit more special on a certain day. The ribbon on the thong stretches out once you put them off and adds a lovely touch of detail as well as the extra lace on the straps of the bra. Not one to wear with a tight top as it shows through as lumps!

5. Blue/Green Non Wire Bra and Briefs- Accessorize Bra £14 Briefs £7




This set is so beautiful and reminds me of a mermaid and so of course I had to buy it! It’s very comfortable as there are no wires. I love the pattern on the edges and the scallop finish adds the mermaid-esque touch that I love.

6. Pink/Cream Non Wire Bra and Thong- Accessorize Bra £14 Thong £5

I’ve never had a bra that does up at the front before so I was very intrigued by the t-bar pattern at the back of the bra as you usually wouldn’t see this. It looks lovely with a backless top or jumper and adds that touch of pink that I need sometimes!



7.  Pink/Mint Non Wire Bra and Briefs- Topshop Bra £20 Briefs £10



I brought this set with a voucher I got for my birthday otherwise I’m not sure I would spend so much money on underwear! I love the sheerness of the material and the placement of the hearts on the bra however I do wish that on the bottoms the heart was on the front rather than the back!

So they are all my favourite sets to wear at the minute. My decision will be made on what clothes I’m wearing that day and just what sort of mood I’m in. I hope I’ve shown underwear doesn’t always have to be expensive to look much more high-brow than they actually are. Always remember self-love comes from within and although it may be hard to like what you see sometimes (due to our crazy society fuelled by a need to look like the girls in the magazines who aren’t even real) you are beautiful and always deserve your own love. Have fun shopping!

See you next week,

Sunday 10 January 2016

What I Eat in a Day #1|Vegan

Hi there! So sticking to my New Year’s resolution to write one blog post a week here is what I would eat in a typical day!

Every morning I usually have a smoothie with 3 bananas and various different fruits and veg! One of my favourite combinations is bananas, kale and pineapple! I normally get my fruit from Sainsburys as that’s where my family do their weekly shop, however the frozen bag of kale is from Iceland! Its only £1.50 for 1kg and it is great to chill the smoothie and add all the nutrients!

All the ingredients
you'll need!
Pop in a straw and enjoy! 

For lunch I will either have leftovers from the night before or make something quick and simple! Today I had the leftover ratatouille made into wraps with hummus, spinach and violife pizza cheese(which actually melts!)









I love pizza so that’s a typical dinner for me, either from a vegan takeaway or homemade! I made this one with the base I got from Vegfest and a sauce from Tesco’s free from range. It was delicious! My favourite toppings are tomato, mushroom, sweetcorn, pepper spinach and pineapple! I was staying at a friend’s (who only had a Tesco within walking distance!) here whereas if I was home I would of also added cauldron tofu from Sainsburys. I also added Violife cream cheese for extra flavour! 




This is a typical day for me and I will post another one soon! Hope your 2016 have started off well!

See you next week.

Sunday 3 January 2016

Tips for New Vegans/Transitioning

Hi anyone who's still around since I haven’t posted for a long time now! One of my New Years resolutions is to post on this blog once a week! It seemed fitting at the start of Veganuary and being still quite a new vegan myself, I made some tips for other new vegans or if you’re thinking of going vegan. Please read and enjoy and feel free to add anything in the comments section!

1. Veganise Simple Omnivore Meals

Of course I would suggest expanding your knowledge and buying lots of vegan cookbooks however, sometimes recipes (especially vegan) can be very complicated with ingredients that you may not have in your cupboards. So instead of feeling down about not being able to create these recipes just yet you can just veganise your favourite meals that you used to love. How? It’s very simple, all you have to is use substitutes!

MEAT: Either exclude the meat and use vegetables instead or use a meat substitute if you want the familiar taste.

Pancakes with Maple Syrup
 and Strawberries
MILK: Then for milk there are lots of substitutes such as soy, almond, oat and many more! My favourites are soy and almond, I love having either of them on my granola in the morning!

CHEESE: As for cheese you can just leave it off or if you were a cheese lover there are lots of alternatives. Personally I like the violife cheese and coconut cheese to top my pizza or pasta!

BUTTER: There are also lots of alternatives to butter and margarine. Personally I love the Pure range and use the sunflower version if I am baking and the olive version on savoury snacks such as toast or crumpets.

Scrambled Tofu 
EGGS: Depending on what you’re making there are different things you can use. You can use an actual egg replacer made for that such as the Orgran No-Egg or Ener-G Egg Replacer, flax-seed, unsweetened apple sauce (or cooked apple cooled), or a banana. Your best bet for egg replacers is just to google which is best for whatever you’re making and it will come up with lots of results!

HONEY: I have never liked honey so I never used it but now if I need a sweetener I will use agave nectar, which is available in Sainsburys!

This way you should be able to create simple but satisfying meals that taste familiar and keep you happy. 

2. Make sure you realise how much is actually vegan!

Lots of food that you wouldn’t think is actually vegan! Sainsburys is the best at clearly labelling their own products as vegan. This includes, their bagels, part-bakes, some pasta sauces, dry pasta, wraps, ciabatta rolls, pittas and many more plus an extensive free-from area. Though bear in mind “free-from” doesn’t always mean vegan you won’t struggle to find treats and snacks for yourself here.

3. Make a plan for the week (I only do this for dinner) and always make extra!

Mushroom and Walnuts on bagels
This does take a little time once a week to sit down and decide what you want for dinner but trust me it makes it so much easier in the long run. This way you can then plan your shop around the ingredients you know you will need, saving you money and wasting food that you don’t use up.
When you’re making dinner always make a little bit extra to either store in the freezer for another day or in the fridge for the lunch the next day! This will just make it easier in those times when you have less time on your hands! Such as if you woke up late (which I usually do) or come home late from work (which is also usually happens haha)

4. Try new things!
Potato Salad
One reason my mum was first against me becoming vegan was that she thought because I was fussy and didn’t eat many vegetables that I wouldn’t be eating properly. When I turned vegetarian I tried a lot more Mediterranean vegetables rather than your usual roast dinner veg. I enjoyed this a lot more and so started experimenting with these sorts of vegetables and incorporating them into my dinner and became a lover of this type of veg! Since becoming Vegan I have tried even more things such as dates (how I managed without eating these before I do not know haha), kale, tofu and lots more.
5. Join groups and communities!

Garlic Mushrooms
Watch vegans on Youtube, follow them on Instagram join groups for your area on Facebook! They are all very welcoming and share recipes, suggest restaurants to try and all round will help you onto or through your journey of veganism. If you live in Brighton and want to know places in which you can eat out at, I've already posted a couple of reviews and will be posting more soon!
Remember to always keep an open mind and have fun and explore all the possibilities of a healthy balanced (sometimes naughty) vegan diet and make friends along the way, all while causing no harm to any living animal and less harm to the planet. Why wouldn’t you want to live like that? And don’t worry if you mess up, it happens to all of us, just accept it and move on. Live your values and love your life.
See you next week

Catrina x

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