Wednesday 25 February 2015

Enter Shikari Live

You can't beat live music, and you cannot beat an Enter Shikari gig.  Two of my favourite things in the world: live music + Enter Shikari = Complete awesomeness.  Last night I went to see the band who put on a great, lively show as I expected.

Enter Shikari.  Cambridge Corn Exchange.  24/02/2015.


The band opened with The Appeal & the Mindsweep I, then went into Destabilise, continuing with songs mostly from their new album but with some loved classics like Juggernauts and Mothership.  You can always expect a lively, energetic show from Enter Shikari with lots of jumping about and sweat, and we got just that.  In my opinion Enter Shikari always have a cracking stage presence with a large crowd response.  Enter Shikari never fail to impress me and my hopes weren't let down this time either.


Enter Shikari.  Cambridge Corn Exchange. 24/02/2015


Monday 23 February 2015

Banana + Cinnamon Cakes

What are Sundays for if they aren't for baking? Seeing as one of my latest food obsessions is banana, I fancied making a cake with banana in it, so I got to work researching different recipes, and finally came up with something that I liked.  I liked this recipe the best.  We have the banana cinnamon cupcake.




100 grams wholemeal self raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 bananas
1 heaped tablespoon chocolate chips





With a spoon, combine the flour, cinnamon and chocolate chips.

Mash the bananas until all lumps are gone (this could also be done in a food processor).  Then add the egg, honey, butter and flour mixture.  Whisk until well combined.

Spoon the batter into muffin cases and place into a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Yummy!!



These cupcakes were so easy and quick to make, and I already had the ingredients.  I felt like they were not like normal cake consistency, but somewhere between cake and bread.  I will definitely be making these again!

Sunday 22 February 2015

The Last Week

The last week has gone by in a blur.  I feel like I have had too many late nights, too much time at work and not enough exercise.  Probably the same as every week, right?! Anyway, here is a summary of my week in pictures.


1. Been struggling to get out of bed in the mornings.  2. Sweaty gym selfie.  3. Yummy raspberry smoothie in bed.
4. Pancake day!!!  5. Pancake attempt 1 - Scrambled pancake. 6. Finally they got better!
7. Sunday baking: Banana + cinnamon cupcakes.  8. Love my new mascara.  6. Week of bad cooking - It's an omelette.

1. Another picture of my mascara because it makes my eyelashes feel awesome.
2. Favorite new smoothie - Cherries, banana + cacao powder.
3. Another dodgy pancake.

1. Sundays are for cake and tea.
2. Ready for Friday night drinks - My long hair is becoming harder to style.
3. Will never stop loving this kimono (taking a picture of my outfit at 3AM is always a good idea...what?!)


Sunday 15 February 2015

I Love A Challenge

Nothing is better than starting a week with a challenge, because everyone loves a challenge!  I found this 30 Day Abs Challenge online and thought that I would follow it.  So after thirty days apparently I will have amazing abs.  Either that or I will just be really good at sit ups and planks which is good enough for me.  I will start this tomorrow.  Let's see if this really makes a difference, I will post before and after pictures at the end of it.  Who's with me?

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Thursday 12 February 2015

Thursday Tunes

I spend so much time listening to music and have such a vast taste in music, I am going to share my five favourite sounds, whether that's albums, tunes, gigs etc.  Today I am going to share ...

Five Favourite Albums of the Week

Enter Shikari - The Mindsweep


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Just as well that I love this album.  I am going to see Enter Shikari in a few weeks.  One word: Epic.  So many different sounds created into one album.  It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it is certainly mine!!
Favourites: Anaesthetist, The Last Garrison, Torn Apart & Slipshod.


Royal Blood - Royal Blood


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I feel like it is hard to find good, new music nowadays, and this is good.  I would love to see these live.
Favourites: Out of the Black, You Can Be So Cruel, Ten Tonne Skeleton & Better Strangers.


Metallica - Master of Puppets

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I hadn't listened to this band in such a long time, then I heard that Metallica were on the Reading Festival line up and I thought 'oh yeah! Metallica!', and I got listening to them again.  I have seen them before, and they were quite awesome.  I can't wait to see them again.
Favourite song: Master of Puppets.


Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days


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I just love this girls voice.  Who doesn't?!  I could sometimes fall asleep listening to her, and I don't mean that in a bad way, her voice is so dreamy.  But there are catchy tunes in there too.  She is also awesome live (definitely didn't fall asleep seeing her)!!
Favourite songs: My Blood, Only You, Figure 8, Goodness Gracious & Under Control.


Jamie T - Carry On The Grudge


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I was super excited when one day I was listening to the radio and Zombie came on.  I had never heard it before but straight away I knew it was a new song by Jamie T.  Yay he's back with his super catchy songs!!
Favourite Songs: Zombie, Trouble, Rabbit Hole & Love Is Only A Heartbeat Away.


What are your favourite albums?

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Review of New Years Aims. One Stone Down.

On 14th January I set some goals for the year. Some of them were based around exercise and healthy eating, and that is what I am going to review today.

The whole point of trying to get into better shape is because I want to love the way I look.  I don't hate the way my body looks at the moment, I think it's OK.  But I want to think it looks more than OK, I want to love it. I would also love to increase my fitness levels.

For the last month I have been very careful with my diet and have been going to the gym a few times a week (or at least trying to) and...

I have lost a stone!! ONE WHOLE STONE!!

Cue celebratory dance.

I don't feel like I have been trying particularly hard either. By cleaning up my diet and ensuring I go to the gym I have managed to lose weight.  I feel like these are all lifestyle changes, and it has motivated me to go on.  I know I will have to try and bit harder now if I want to see further progress, but I want that awesome looking summer body!!

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What changes have I made so far?

Breakfast
The first thing I did was look at what I eat in the morning,  In the past I had some sort of breakfast cereal, with a mug of tea, and usually a mug of coffee too.  Sometimes I swapped it around for Nutella or peanut butter on toast.  Maybe I would have some orange juice too.
I have started to look at food packaging more and breakfast cereal tends to contain lots of sugar. Even the cereal that you think will be more healthy for you, really isn't.  Breakfast cereal doesn't tend to keep my hungry stomach satisfied for long either, and by 10 or 11 AM my stomach is grumbling away.

I have swapped the cereal for smoothies.  They are much yummier and fill me up until lunch time.  My smoothies tend to consist of a banana, some sort of berry (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry etc), spinach, some sort of milk  (dairy milk, almond, coconut etc), and nuts or seeds.
Occasionally I will have peanut butter on toast, and make my own fruit juice.  Or now and then I will have an oatmeal breakfast.  I have given up the coffee saving this for weekends, but haven't been able to give up the tea.

Lunch
I have always eaten fairly healthily at lunch time, however packing your own lunch for work is time consuming and sometimes I can't be bothered, meaning a trip to the shop during my lunch break.  I would pick up a salad, but then a packet or crisps or chocolate bar as well.

So now I always make the time to make my own lunch.  I usually make a salad with plenty of spinach and other veg such as carrot, pepper, cucumber, celery.  Then I add cous cous, chicken or tuna.
On days when I am fed up of salad, some warm soup does the trick.

If I am still hungry then I usually have some sort of fruit in my bag whether it's a banana, orange, blueberries or apple.

Dinner
I'm not always hungry at dinner time as I try to make lunch my main meal of the day, so I would often reach for a bowl of cereals or toast but I am trying to get out of that habit.  My dinner will often consist of a smoothie, small portion of soup or some veggies. However if I am making a proper dinner it will usually involve vegetables with some sort of meat or meat substitute.  I am constantly trying out different recipes and will be sharing them with you here!

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Exercise
In the past I would go to the gym once a week, twice if my body was lucky.  But I have been determined to go more.  So now in a usual week I will do exercise four times a week, this usually include a circuit class and a pole fitness class, as well as other fitness classes depending on what my shift pattern is like at work.

Alcohol
One of my aims was to stop drinking as much alcohol, and I have done just that! I don't drink every week and when I do drink I am careful what I drink.  I haven't given up on trips to the pub or nights out but I certainly have stopped drinking as much.  This will have contributed to the weight loss too.


Further Aims
Now I have my diet pretty much sorted I would like to clean up my gym attitude.  Whenever I go into the gym I tend to use the tread mill and the exercise bike, perhaps one or two weight machines if I am feeling brave and that is about it.  I feel like I would look silly trying to use anything else, as other people would be lifting much heavier weights than me, or I may do it wrong and look like an amateur.  But everyone has to start from somewhere and I am sure no one would be paying me any attention anyway.  So my next step is to get over this silly fear.  I need to branch out in the gym and make the most of it!!


Have you stuck with your New Year Resolutions?

Sunday 8 February 2015

Recycling The Christmas Dress

It's been a while.  January became a boring but busy month for me with working loads, going to the gym a lot (sticking to my New Years aims) and doing lots of things but somehow don't have any interesting stories to disclose.  Since this blog is supposed to be about my exciting adventures, I took some time out, which I know is not the best thing for such a new blogger but there we go.

I went to a wedding yesterday.  When I found out about this wedding my first thoughts were:  A wedding, in February, what am I going to wear?!?  Thus I got searching for a nice dress to wear that I wasn't going to completely freeze in.

Being unsuccessful in the dress shopping I started to panic a little and the day before the wedding (yes, I am normally this disorganised) I happened upon the dress I wore to my work Christmas party.  Perfect! I will probably never wear this dress again so it gives me a chance to get some wear out of it and no one will know it is my recycled Christmas party dress!  Apart from anyone who may read this.


I teamed this Warehouse dress with blue shoes from New Look and a bag to match from Dorothy Perkins which was reduced to £7 in the sale.


Of course as it's February and was absolutely freezing I dug a grey coat out of my wardrobe which I purchased from Topshop many years ago.  This went perfectly with the whole outfit.


I am not used to wearing heels and the thought of wearing heels all day filled me with dread (almost).  So I bought am emergency pair of flat shoes from New Look, for later on in the night, in case my feet became too painful.


There we have it.  A winter wedding outfit.



Whilst I was shopping I had a browse in House of Fraser and fell in love with a pair of shoes which were reduced to £39.  I bought them as a possible wedding shoe until I found the blue shoes in New Look.  I am not sure whether I will keep these House of Fraser shoes.  They are so pretty and nice, but I'm not sure when I will wear them and they look like an absolute killer on the feet!!



What do you think?