Jan 14, 2015

How To Make Vegetable Juices

Posted in Food.

At the end of last year, Rob bought a juicer. After watching a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, he decided to overhaul his diet and make some healthy changes in the form of vegetable juicing. Sounds… delicious. Ahem.

I’m well-known among my friends and family for being a bit picky with my veg. There are some types I love, some I don’t mind and many I just cannot deal with. At all. So vegetable juicing sounded pretty nasty to me, but when Rob made me one I thought I’d give it a try.

And actually, it tasted good!

So I sat down and watched the documentary, did some reading up and was soon a fully signed-up member of the Vegetable Juicing Club. Which isn’t actually a thing, but should be.

Rob drinks four juices a day and then has a normal meal on a night but as I’m out at my studio most days, I decided to try just one at breakfast followed by two healthy meals each day. Obviously weekends don’t count, because I still need the promise of pizza to make it through a busy week.

I’ll be honest here and say Rob is in charge of the actual juicing process – I just drink the stuff. We go to our local greengrocers (shout out to the always-excellent Fruit Stall in Chapel Allerton) twice a week to stock up on all the ingredients, which comes to about £10-13 a time. It seems like a lot to spend on juice, but when you think that all those veggies will replace breakfast AND lunch for a week, it’s actually quite reasonable. Especially if you spend £5 a day in Pret…

Rob chops and peels enough ingredients for five juices each day – one for me and four for him. We use a mix of veg and some fruit – lemons and apples are good for adding a bit of sweetness. I prefer green juice which is celery, cucumber, kale, spinach, broccoli, apple and lemon or lime, whereas Rob likes red juice which is the same but with beetroots and carrots.

After rough chopping, the fruit and veg goes into the juicer. Unlike a blender, the juicer extracts the juice from each piece and discards the pulp, so you’re left with a perfectly smooth liquid. No lumps here!

When all the ingredients are juiced, we pour the liquid into Kilner jars – not just because they’re totally hipster cool, but because they have lids, which means you can shake up the juice before you drink it. Vegetable juice will separate if left standing, so this is perfect for Rob – he keeps jars in the fridge and drinks them throughout the day, shaking and adding ice before knocking ’em back.

Although vegetable juices aren’t the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted, they are quite enjoyable. Starting the morning with a cold, fresh juice is great, and I don’t need anything else to eat until late lunchtime.

I’m very skeptical of anything used as a ‘detox’ – that’s what we have a liver and kidneys for – so for me, this is not about ‘flushing out toxins’ or even about losing weight. If you read my last post, one of my goals for 2015 is to look after my health and wellbeing, and there are loads of proven benefits to drinking vegetable juice. Something about micronutrients.

There are loads of veggie juice recipes online, but it’s also quite easy to make up your own. I particularly like this guy’s method! I’d recommend watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, too – it’s on Netflix and is a real eye-opener.

Would you try vegetable juicing?

Goals for a New Year

Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Food, Home, Writing.

We’re in to January’s double digits now, which means two things – I can stop wishing people a Happy New Year, and I’ve had time to think about the months ahead and work out what I want to do with them.

I’ve never been one for ‘resolutions’ – made hastily when waking up bleary eyed on New Year’s Day, they almost always involve a knee-jerk reaction, like “I’m not drinking AT ALL in January” or “I will never eat pizza again!”. Who can live up to such ridiculous claims? Not me, anyway (pass the gin).

So I don’t make resolutions. But this year, the last year of my twenties, I want to set myself some general goals. 2014 was a tough old year for me, and much of the toughness came from disorganisation, stress and acting irresponsibly. I’m determined not to let those things have a negative impact on 2015, and that’s why I need some goals.

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Take my business admin more seriously

This was my biggest worry in 2014. Although I’m always super professional in my approach to work and clients, I really let my admin and organisation slide last year. And it got me into trouble. I’m a terrible note-keeper, I hate paperwork and accounts and numbers and tend to throw out anything I deem ‘faff’, like bank statements, tax bills, essential documents… ahem.

I keep all the important stuff inside my own head, which isn’t always the best way when you run a business. So in 2015, I’ll be stocking up on box files, investing in proper accounting software and generally being more sensible about the day-t0-day running of my Limited Company.

Take care of my health and wellbeing

I don’t know if it’s the looming milestone birthday or because I felt so unwell over Christmas and New Year, but I’m really serious about looking after myself in 2015. I’ve been reading up on the effects a bad diet can have on your body – not just in terms of weight gain, which I’m not so fussed about, but on skin, teeth, hair and how good/bad you feel – and it’s pretty terrifying.

I want to look and feel good this year, and my first step is cutting out fizzy drinks. I’m also trying to be much more mindful of what I eat, so it’s home cooking rather than takeaways, nothing that’s ‘artificially white’ (like white bread, pasta and rice) and more vegetables. I’m also taking supplements to boost my system along the way.

Invest in skincare

I’ve always been very serious about my skin – I think anyone who suffered from terrible skin as a teen is more predisposed to look after it when they’re older – but I don’t think I’ve ever really understood it. I’ll buy the latest fad product without really understanding if it’ll work for my skin type, and I never read ingredients lists despite having known allergies (oh hey beeswax, y u in everything?).

On Monday I woke up with the worst skin I’ve had in my life. I’ll write a proper post about it soon (lucky you guys) but it prompted me into action. I read carolinehirons.com from start to finish, purchased some key products and worked out my routine.

Start saving

It’s something I promise myself every January – this will be the year I stop needlessly spending my hard-earned money and do something useful with it. Obviously that never happens, and I have a wardrobe of Whistles to prove it. But when things went a bit wrong with my accounts last year, I changed my attitude completely.

For three months I was very good, so as old habits snuck back in I began to evaluate my purchases in a way I’ve never done before. Do I need this? Do I even want it? What’s it made from, is it worth it? As I righted my finances I allowed myself to spend more but crucially, I held on to those questions. And I haven’t bought anything from Whistles in 6 months.

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So – these are the areas I’ve highlighted as important for my 2015 and beyond. These are the things I want to focus on, for a happier, healthier future. I’ll still eat the pizza and buy that dress, but hopefully I won’t be crying about it come April.

What are your goals for the next 12 months?

The Year in Travel – 2014

Posted in Travel.

Yes, I’m a little late with my ‘2014 round-up’ post. But I figure we can keep saying ‘Happy New Year’ until January’s in double digits, so it’s not too late for a quick look back at 2014… travel-style.

In 2013’s Year in Travel, I kept it quite local and visited lots of amazing UK locations. 2014’s jaunts were a little more far-flung and included a few countries that were brand new to me. Let’s start with…

Hamburg, March

This was my first trip to Hamburg, and my first trip to Germany! I absolutely loved Hamburg – the architecture, the graffiti, the food! This was a trip with the Hamburg Tourist Board so our tour guides were amazing and along with the rest of the group, I learnt lots about this fascinating city. And The Beatles!

Read my Hamburg posts here and here.

Edinburgh, March

Oh Edinburgh, how I love you! As soon as I touched down from my Hamburg trip, Rob and I headed up north for a weekend in Edinburgh. I will never tire of this amazing city – despite our numerous trips we still found new things to do, like climbing to the top of Arthur’s Seat. As always, I was sad to leave and searched Rightmove for ‘properties to rent in Edinburgh’ on the train ride home.

Read my post on Things to do in Edinburgh here.

New York City, April

I’m going for at least one trip to New York each year – it’s a 3-year tradition that’s still going strong! In 2014 I went with my friends Lauren and Nic and we had the best time. Cycling in Central Park, brunch in Chelsea, cocktails in secret bars at 3am, loads of sightseeing and a base in Brooklyn. Take me back!

See more from our girls’ trip to NYC here and here.

Spain and Portugal, June

I love city breaks, but sometimes a week in the sun with little/nothing to do is perfect. In June, Rob and I went away with my family to a gorgeous villa on the Spain/Portugal border. It was quiet, hot and my mum did all the cooking – absolute dream. Apart from the night I dropped my phone in the lake, but never mind. RIP, Orla Kiely phone case.

I did a whole week of posts about this holiday – here they are:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Berlin, July

My second trip to Germany saw me heading to Berlin Fashion Week as a guest of Tamaris. It was super short but very sweet – like Hamburg, Berlin’s architecture and street art had me hooked and I just wish I’d had more time to explore. All the most reason to go back, I guess… particularly as I’m in serious need of another schnitzel.

Read more on Berlin here, and about my Berlin Fashion Week experience here.

Keswick, August

August was the month of my friend Laura’s wedding, but first was the hen do. We headed up to Keswick in the Lake District for a weekend of drinking, dancing, debauchery and… erm, climbing! I loved this quaint country location almost as much as I loved the classic 90s RnB they played in the town’s nightclub.

Here’s the post about my Keswick adventure.

Paris, September

And then, it was Paris. Another girls’ trip, this time to see the final night of Jay Z and Beyoncé’s On The Run tour. Like Edinburgh and New York, Paris is a city I’ll just never be bored of – there’s so much beauty, so much excitement, so much wine. And Bey and Jay (plus special guest Nicki Minaj) killed it – one of my fave weekends of the year.

Take a look at An English Girl in Paris Part Une and Deux.

Scottish Highlands, September

Late September saw Rob and I jump in the car with our pals Matt and Lil for a quick 12-hour drive up to the Scottish Highlands. The journey was more than worth it (especially with the stop at Ox and Finch in Glasgow) for the epic views, amazing walks and endless cheese boards.

The full post on our second Scottish trip of the year is here.

Nunnington, October

Another trip with the girls, this time much closer to home – Jollydays is only an hour away but our stay under canvas felt like another world! We ate, we drank, we toasted marshmallows and enjoyed the novelty of a roll-top bath… in a tent. Amazing.

Goodbye 2014

Posted in Daily Outfits.

2014 has been a challenging, difficult and testing year, with plenty of ups and maybe a few more downs than I’d like. After an enjoyable but not-so-restful Christmas, I’m more than ready to start a new year and make it a good one. Just time for one last outfit post to see me on my way!

Here’s to 2015 and a bolder, brighter, better 12 months. Cheers!

Parka, Whistles (similar) | Tunic, Zara | Leggings, Zara | Boots, Clarks c/o Sarenza

Easy Festive Dressing #3

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion.

Hello, festive friends! Just a quick little post today – Boxing Day is for lazing on the sofa eating snack foods and watching telly, not slaving away over a MacBook. But I have just enough energy to type up a post on my Christmas Day outfit.

Kimono, Zara | Roll neck jumper, Zara | Trousers, Zara | Flats, Boden

This Zara kimono is perfect for dressing up a simple outfit. I wore it over a basic black polo neck and my trusty tailored trousers for a no-nonsense approach to Christmas Day dressing – none of this bodycon faff. Although the tassels are looped and I kept getting caught on door handles, which was actually a bit of a faff.