A Bank Holiday weekend in Manchester

On the Bank Holiday between Christmas and New Year, something amazing happened: Ste and I both had the day to ourselves. Nowhere to go, nothing to do and no kids.  We decided to head into Manchester to look at wedding rings, have coffee and a general mooch. It's like our little tradition when we both have a day off together. We never have a purpose other than to roam the Northern Quarter (read about it here), drink coffee and have lunch in some sort of quirky, quaint teashop.

A little vintage, 1950s San Francisco engagement ring!

Today though, we had a couple of important missions.  First up: find my wedding ring. Ste has already ordered his from a place in California which specialises in durable metals rather than precious ones. Rather like my wedding dress, I found my ring within the space of half an hour. It's a simple dome ring, 3mm in white gold and is a perfect addition to wear with my engagement ring, which really is something special. Knowing that I'm obsessed with the 1950s and that San Francisco, Ste managed to track down a 1950s vintage white gold ring in San Francisco and I just adore it!  It was also in my exact size too (I take a tiny 'K' ring size, so they are hard to come by) so it almost feels as though this ring was destined for me.  I'd really love to know who owned it before I did but I'm sure whoever it was, they'll be pleased that the ring ended up with the perfect owner.


After nailing the ring, we headed off to The Northern Quarter (Manchester's hip and quirky part, packed with bars, cafes and vintage shops) to hunt for a suitcase. I've seen loads of ideas on Pinterest where you can use a vintage suitcase for your wedding cards to go in rather than the bog-standard post box.  We headed to Afflecks Palace,  a real Manchester gem where you can get lost on every floor amongst stalls selling everything from crystals to vintage clothing, soaps to henna tattoos. They even have a cereal cafe when you need a quick break between floors!  Tracking down the perfect vintage suitcase in Afflecks took about 15 minutes and then we were off again, strolling and roaming the streets with a swish little retro suitcase!

The dreamiest vintage suitcase

Roaming with my suitcase

Sugar Junction in the Northern Quarter is our usual haunt but we decided to try Propertea, a tea shop opposite the Manchester Cathedral.  The lady behind it, we later learned, is none other that Most Haunted's Yvette Fielding who opened the shop a couple of years back. Propertea is just dreamy.  Bright, with warm modern meets shabby chic décor, a yummy food menu and more choices of tea than China, it was the perfect spot to put our feet up for half an hour.  I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to tea, so opted for a good old English breakfast tea with the avocado and chicken salad.  I also discovered a new and THE MOST AMAZING SALAD DRESSING ever!  Honey and balsamic dressing (I've since made some myself- recipe is below). This really was the perfect little tea shop to relax in and watch the world go by. I'm disappointed though that I was full after lunch and didn't get to try some of the BEAUTIFUL looking cakes on sale- next time Propertea, next time!

Honey and Balsamic dressing:
I did try to make this with balsamic vinegar, but the the thick and sticky consistency, you really do need to use a balsamic glaze. Simply mix together 1 part honey with 1 part balsamic glaze (I use the ones pictured from Aldi) and put on your salad. In fact, this is the lamest recipe ever, isn't it?  Think of it more as the most delicious combinations of flavours to try on your salad instead.  Thanks for the inspiration Propertea!

What I’ll be eating in the New Year.

Turkey mince chill with cauliflower rice and frozen berries for dessert

Courgetti

Pad Thai, form Gizzi Erskine's 'Gizzi's Healthy Appetite'

Weekend lunches!  More faux carbs.

Weekends were made for baking

Every busy woman needs a slow cooker.

Homemade soup: #lunchtimeessential

This has been my first week back at work after the Christmas holidays. I felt depressed until about 2pm on Wednesday when I got my mojo back and suddenly released my head form up my own arse.  I’ve also been back on the healthy eating this week as well because I’ll be having my wedding dress fitted in February and want to lose the Christmas bloat.  When I tried the dress on back in October (it was the first one I picked up and just knew it was the one for me) it fit perfectly pretty much. It did feel a little snug around my hips but the lady in the shop said it was perfect and will only let it out by an inch or so for me. 

It’s not just a wedding dress that motivates me to eat well. If I over eat sugary or processed foods, I just feel rubbish.  For me, healthy eating is a lifestyle choice and though I allow myself treats, I try to eat as clean as possible.  When I put fresh, natural food in my body and exercise, I end up the size that I am which, in my mind, is my body at its healthiest.

The first week back at work meant a load of batch cooking the weekend before.  This is what I cooked, ate and enjoyed this week:

1.        Breakfasts for me is ALWAYS carb based, otherwise I’d pass out by 9am.  I either have porridge with honey and blueberries or porridge with maple syrup and sea salt (a more natural, free from refined sugar version of salted caramel).  I’ll always have a small handful of nuts at around 9am too as porridge doesn’t quite sustain me until it’s time for my mid-morning snack! Before I have my first coffee of the day and my breakfast, I always have a mug of hot water with lemon too to kick-start my insides! If I fancy toast, I have 3 thick slices of wholemeal bread with dairy free spread and sugar free, organic peanut butter (this one).

2.       Mid-morning snacks are sometimes a sweet treat like these lemon and poppy seed muffins from the Hemsley and Hemsley cookbook- they’re free from gluten, refined sugar and lactose if you use non-dairy butter. If I’m not on a muffin, I’ll usually have an orange which, for the love of god, peel the night before so it’s ready to eat- I have often spent my entire morning break just peeling the sodding things!  I am also a massive fan of a couple of sticks of celery with a little peanut butter on- you’ve got to try it to believe it but it’s so yummy!

3.       Lunches for me might be a mackerel or tuna salad, pastry free quiche (recipes here) or home-made soup. I’m obsessed with making my own soup and make mass quantities of it in my soup maker, which I got for Christmas last year. Yes. That’s right. I asked for a soup maker and mad loads of wonderful concoctions with it (click here for recipes)

4.       Afternoon snack- always, always a Pink Lady apple.  Cost a fricking fortune unless you get them from Aldi, but worth it.

5.       Dinner- has to be quick. If I’m cooking, then an omelette, but I usually tend to batch cook dinners on the weekend. Can be anything and everything from curry to stews and casseroles made in the slow cooker. Have a look at the blog I wrote last year for healthy dinner options.

Tonight’s dinner triumph was a chicken casserole: put 400g of diced chicken, an onion and 500g of diced swede into your slow cooker.  In a measuring jug, dissolve 1 chicken stock cube in 400ml of water and then stir in 2 teaspoons of oregano and 4 tablespoons of tomato puree.  In a separate dish, mix one tablespoon of corn flour with one tablespoon of water and then add this to the measuring jug. Pour the mix into the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve alone or with some brown rice.

Healthy comfort food!  Perfect to come home to on a Friday night along with a glass of prosecco because let’s face it- if you’re healthy in the week, who wants to do Dry January anyway?

16 things to do in 2016

What better way to kick off the new year than with some life goals? Here are my 16 things I'll be doing in 2016.

1.    Get married

That’s right...after getting engaged in September, I’m getting married in July!  The venue is booked, the dress has been bought and our family and friends are as excited as we are.  Obviously, not turning into Bridezilla is pretty important here as well.

January sale bargain!

2.   Be a good step-mum

Ste has been living with me for almost 18 months now and when he moved in, his two little ‘uns obviously came as part of the package. My spare room, which was once my office, has now transformed into a room for the step-kids and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Personally, I don’t see myself as maternal but being a good step-mum is easy and it’s all about the little things: giving the kids some of my time; putting hair into plaits; sitting around the dinner table for a hearty, healthy meal on their nights here; asking them how their day was and plenty of other, simple things.  They all cost nothing but make the kids feel welcome when they’re here and that’s what matters the most to me.

3.   Enjoy January (even the going back to work bit)

I’ve had two glorious weeks off work.  I did the paperwork at the start of me break and then rammed it out of sight under the stairs until today, when it was time to dust it off and load it all into the boot of my car.  Tomorrow is the dreaded back to work day and I’m already feeling blue about the prospect of it! Tomorrow means I go back to real worries and responsibilities- instead of thinking about what to wear or what colour blusher would be best for my wedding, I instead have to think about targets, numbers and real accountability.  However, the anticipation is usually worse that the reality and by 10am tomorrow morning, all of the nerves and feeling blue about the end of the holidays will be long gone.  Plus, until I win the lottery (when I will go back into retail and get a job on a Bobbi Brown make-up counter...ah the dreams!!) I won’t be changing my career any time soon and don’t feel the urge to either. 90% of the time, I love my job and just need to remember that today.

The fact it’s January always makes us a little blue anyway. No parties, no mulled wine and cosy nights in looking at the Christmas tree and definitely no presents.  But who says the fun has to stop?  We should make a real effort to make January more pleasant and that’s what I’m doing!  I’m looking forward to the nights in where I get to binge on my entire box set of Sex and the City and enjoy some of that wine and chocolate I got for Christmas.  I’m looking forward to my January weekends, date nights and gym work outs which all feel much more normal now that Christmas is over. Likewise, I’m also looking forward to a couple of nights out too with friends who I didn’t catch up with over the Christmas holidays. Before we know it, February will be here and that newness feeling of the new year will be over. Enjoy it whilst you can!

4.   Read more

I love reading and in the holidays, I read at least one book. When I’m at work though, a book seems to take me forever to finish.  If I want to read more, then I need to do something about it and make sure that some time is set aside each day to read a few pages before bed.  We’d find the extra time to finish that work commitment or meet that crucial deadline, so why can’t we also make the time to do something we enjoy?  Current read by the way is ‘Gone Girl’...I’m a little behind with the times when it comes to ‘must read’ books and only discovered The Hunger Games trilogy last year!  Better late than never.

5.   Develop my photography skills

I’m a little bit of a photographer on the sly.  I’ve done a couple of courses and taken some seriously amazing snaps on my backpacking trips. I know my shutter speed from my aperture and ditch the auto mode when using my camera. Again though, photography for me is like reading- I do a lot of it and love every second, but then it gets shelved when work, chores and other things take over.  No more excuses though!  I bought myself a new Nikon D3200 before Christmas and then a 50mm lens to go with it, so it needs to be used.  I do have a creative side that needs nurturing at times and for me, writing and photography are two things that scratch that itch.  What I love about photography is that you do get instant gratification from it- you set up your camera, capture the moment and then get to see immediately what you have made on your playback screen.  If you don’t like what you’ve produced, you adjust whatever is needed and take another picture...which will look even better when it’s been edited and tweaked!  I’m very visual, which is probably why I love photography and Instagram so much.

One of my favourite pics taken on a 50mm fixed lens.

6.   Buy less, wear more

I love clothes and even more than clothes, make-up. I’d say as well that at long last, I’m pretty good at putting an outfit together and doing my make-up. I know what I like, what looks good together and what suits my style.  I might go for dressed-down and casual or for something with a vintage/ retro/ 1950s or 1960s twist.  I’m not afraid to wear jeans with my hair in a beehive or my boring work wear with a red lip and flicked eyeliner. In the past, I’ve strictly kept my wardrobe in 3 sections: work clothes, going out clothes, casual clothes. It’s the same with make-up: going out/weekend make-up and everyday make-up. Now I don’t care as much.  If I want to rock my black biker jacket with a fabulous scarf to work, I will.  If I’m going out to the shops and want to wear a casual dress, I will.  If I want to wear my expensive Illamasqua lippy in ‘Soaked’ on a Monday- I will. 

So in 2016, I want to buy less make-up and clothes and rock the things that I have got more often, whatever the occasion!

7.   Exercise

I’m pretty good at this one.  I like to run and do 3-4 5K runs a week. I like how I feel after it, how for that thirty minutes of running, you forget about everything else and feel like a new woman (mentally and physically at the end of it). I’m a gym bunny too and will always do some weights and other exercises when my run is done. My belief is that if I eat well and exercise (without over doing it either) that my body will be the size and shape that it should be with a healthy heart and everything doing what it should.

8.   Continue to eat well

In 2014, I started with the whole eat clean trend, but within reason.  I cut out all white carbs and replaced then with whole wheat alternatives and also cut out white refined sugar, opting for natural sugars instead.  I eat carbs for breakfast and then plenty of protein and veggies for lunch and dinner, along with fruit and nuts for snacks.  I even own a spiralizer!  The result? I’m at my happy weight and feel fabulous.  I’m lactose intolerant too and really need to keep an eye on this in 2016 that I don’t accidentally gobble too much of the stuff. Plenty of recipes HERE on my old blog if you’re aiming to eat clean and go refined-sugar free in 2016.

9.   Realise it’s ok to pack up early

My Tuesdays are crazy.  I have a late finish at work and Tuesday is also gym day after I’ve battled through the traffic to get there.  By the time we’ve eaten dinner, I’m completely knackered and can’t face finishing off paperwork. It therefore stays in my work bag until the next day and though I do have some guilty niggles about it sitting there rather than being tackled, I know that it’s OK TO HAVE A REST AND SWITCH OFF!  2016 will be the year where I choose to work over some weekends, and choose to fully recharge my batteries on others. It’s okay to pack up early sometimes and I need to remember that a little more often.

10. Set time limits (for dull jobs and social media)

Paperwork, reports, number crunching, cleaning the bathroom...  Dull jobs which I know are essential and sometimes worthwhile, but seem to eat into a lot of my time and make me despair.  When it comes to completing dull jobs, I’ll be setting myself a time limit to complete it in. Instead of spending hours on a document for work, I’ll allocate an hour to make sure it’s done and giving myself a time frame will also make me more focused and productive too.  When it comes to checking Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I’ll do the same just to make sure that social media isn’t eating into too much of my day along with the dull chores!

11. Keep my Q&A journal

This journal was a Christmas gift all the way from NYC and it delights and terrifies me in equal measures.  What might happen over the course of 5 years? How will my opinions change on things?  This journal asks a question each day and there’s space for you to answer the question for the next 5 years.  Should be interesting!

12. Wake up early

I do this every day in the week and I’m not going to deny myself the extra sleep when needed.  For me, waking up early means I am much more productive- even if that means staying in bed until 9am reading or something! I would much rather be awake and relaxing rather than just snoozing my weekend away.

13. Mind my money

Same goal every year and I am a good saver.  With the wedding coming up, I might have to bypass the Bobbi Brown counter a little more often though! Saying that, whilst it is important to save, it’s also important to enjoy the money you’ve worked hard for.

14. Keep learning

I’m currently doing another photography course and plan on sticking with it as well as putting my skills into practice. Good stimulation for the brain and when you get courses at a brilliant price from Wowcher, why not try them?

15. Remember my ‘F**k it’ mantra

This book changed my life and I need to keep up the ‘F**k It’ way more often.  I want to say it plenty of times in 2016!

16. Always be kind

Whether it’s people on the street, colleagues, friends or family, being sympathetic and kind costs nothing and I always strive to treat people well. It’s easy to forget this though and I can sometimes be as impatient or as snappy as the next person after a bad day.  I think being kind is always important, even when you’re having a bad day yourself.