Best Healthy Shop Bought Snacks

Personally, I love making my own snacks as I know the ingredients that go into them are pure and healthy. However, making snacks can often be time consuming and sometimes when I am feeling lazy I can't be bothered! So recently I have been searching the shops and thought I would let you guys know my favourite snacks.

Graze Box

I have been ordering a graze box to my house every two weeks for over three years now and I absolutely love them! Especially as I don't even have to leave my house! You simply put in your preferences online and they will send you a box catered to your liking. The main thing that I love about this is that you get a variety of snacks that are all equally tasty and nutritious, and now they sell individual graze box pots in loads of shops too!  Here is a codes that will allow you to get your 1st, 5th and 10th boxes free: VF35XY7YB

Nakd. Bars

I have always seen these around but never really looked into them. But then one day I bought the chocolate orange one from Tescos for lunch and discovered how much I love them! The best thing about them is that they are tasty whilst being gluten, wheat, and dairy free with no added sugar or syrups. On each bar the ingredient list is literally three or four items long. For example on the Cashew Cookie bar the ingredients are 51% Cashews and 49% Dates! The bars I have tried are Cashew Cookie, Peanut Delight, Cocoa Delight, Cocoa Orange and they have all been really nice (especially with a cup of green tea ).

Deliciously Ella Energy Balls

These energy balls are some of the nicest that I have ever had. The two flavours I have tried are cacao and almond which tastes like brownies, and hazelnut and almond which equally tastes like chocolate too! Therefore, these are really a great alternative if you are trying to get away from processed foods as they are all natural. The cacao and almond flavour is made of: almonds, almond butter, dates, coconut oil, cacao powder and a pinch of salt. Although, these are a bit expensive so if you have time I would recommend making them yourself! The places I have seen them being sold are Waitrose, WHSmith and Starbucks!

Eat Natural Bars

The only flavour I have tried of these is almond and apricot with a yogurt coating but it was so nice. The only disappointing thing about them is there small size when compared to the Nakd. bars but they are cheaper. Also the ingredients are not as raw as some of the other snacks as in the apricot bar they are: Yoghurt flavour coating 30% (palm kernel oil, sugar,  whey, dried yoghurt, emulsifier: sunflower lecithin), dried apricots 14%, shredded coconut 14%, glucose syrup, crisped rice (rice, sugar), chicory root (inulin)7%, honey, chia seeds 2%, 2%, rapeseed oil. Native chicory inulin - 7g per 100g (3g per bar). Although this is still a lot healthier then any processed snack.

I hope the helped you on your hunt to healthier snacks!

Please leave any questions below and let me know if there are any healthy snacks that you love!

Thanks,

Hannah x

Skin Care Advice

From a relatively young age I have always had troublesome skin. Over the years I have tried nearly absolutely everything but unfortunately my skin still isn't completely clear, but it is a lot better then it has been in the past. Its combination skin so I struggle finding something that suits it well.  I've tried most brands of face wash such as Origins, Simple, Lush, Neutrogena, Clinique, Liz Earle... I could go on! But over the last few months I've found a face wash I really like. My previous face wash had been the Clinique blemish solutions and it worked at first but after a few months my skin started to get really bad, and when I washed my face I just didn't feel clean.

So one of my friends recommended to me the Body Shops' Tea Tree range, and I absolutely love it. What I love the most about all of the products is the smell. As you probably guessed it smells of tea tree oil but I find it smells so herbal that I feel clean whilst using it. 

I wet my face then I use the Skin clearing facial wash with the pump first. I love the pump as it means that I don't pour too much out which has been a nightmare with some brands in the past! Plus, it is foam which it easier to massage into my skin. Then I gently pat my face with a towel and use the toner. I apply it to a cotton wool pad then gently rub it onto my face. After this I use the Matifying Lotion to moisturise my skin. 

I used to use a face cloth to apply the face wash as when I used Liz Earle's Hot Cloth Cleanser I really liked doing this, but recently I stopped using it and I found that my skin has cleared up a bit. I think it must of been quite unhygienic even though I washed it regularly. However, without using the cloth to exfoliate I have found that my skin has been very dry and flakey. But a combination of exfoliating my skin once a week with the Tea Tree Squeaky Clean Scrub and moisturising every night with a Waitress branded sensitive skin moisturiser has really helped this.

Top Tips for Clearer Skin:

• Drinks LOTS of water! Aim for 8 glasses a day. This will really help to detoxify your body and your skin.
• Always make sure your hands are clean and try not to touch your face. This passes germs to your skin which can lead to spots.
• If you suffer from oily skin try to use blotting pads or tissues to remove any excess oil. This will also make you feel cleaner.
• Try to have a healthy diet. The more unhealthy sugary food you eat the more likely it is that you will get spots. So if you eat clean it may help your skin. (This doesn't always affect everyone) Plus some people have allergies that they don't realise which cause spots, such as lactose. So try and cut something out of your diet for a month and see if it helps.
• ALWAYS moisturise even if you have greasy skin, as if your skin is too dry your body will produce more oils which will make your skin greasier.
• Try not to wear heavy makeup on your skin. Concealers and foundation blocks your pours making more spots. Even though it can be hard try to wear no makeup and you will see the benefits.
• BE CONFIDENT! Even if your having a 'bad' skin day be proud of how you look and don't be embarrassed. Most of the time you may get paranoid that people are looking at your skin, but they probably don't even notice all of the things you do. And if you radiate confidence that it what people will see. You are not defined by how many spots you have on your face. You are defined by the choices you make and the joy you bring to other people's lives.

Overall, I really like the range and hope to try out more of the products in the future. I hope this helped if you struggle with finding a face routine that works. If you have any tips or love a specific product please let me know!

Thanks,

Hannah x

Why You Should Go To Shoreditch

Until recently I had never really heard much about Shoreditch, all that I knew was that it was typically known as a 'hipster' area, which intrigued me. So I decided to go there yesterday with some friends, and it was amazing! It was fairly easy to travel there as from London Bridge Station you simply had to get the Jubilee line to Canada Water and then the overground to Shoreditch High Street.

First of all, coming out of the station there was street art everywhere! And it didn't stop there, throughout our walk we saw graffiti at every turn. It wasn't horrible pointless scribbles either, it was elaborate, beautiful designs that really made you stop and appreciate your surroundings. I went to Berlin last year and it was exactly the same. I love this because I think that the art adds more culture and atmosphere to an area. Even though I am an Art student so you may think that I would have more appreciation then most people, even my friends who don't do Art loved it! There are also lots of free galleries there that I didn't get to go to but definitely will in the future.
We wondered up and down brick lane into all the charity shops and markets, which was really nice, since a lot of the stuff was being sold quite cheaply compared to an average highstreet store. Plus, there were some really unique clothes that you wouldn't be able to get elsewhere. Its nice sometimes to just wonder round shops with friends and browse through the strange clothing and assorted objects that they are selling.

One of the best things was the food. There were loads of cute cafe's selling drinks and cakes. Plus a doughnut shop called Crosstown were I bought a peanut butter and jam donut that was lush, and there were tonnes of different flavours there from cinnamon bun to matcha green tea. My friend also got some frozen yogurt from a shop opposite called The Sloane Bros, where you got quite a large tub of either original, chocolate or peanut butter frozen yogurt and then could put any desired topping on top. Also there were several bakeries one of which sold rainbow bagels for just 50p! Unfortunately, they were out of them until the next day so I couldn't get one! But at least that gives me an excuse to go back. There was also a box park by the station there. If you don't know what that is its basically lots of pop up restaurants in cargo craters with all types of food! I ended up having sushi (which was actually quite cheap as it was £7 and I got a massive box!) and a warm milk coconut bubble tea with tapioca pearl and popping passion fruit pearls, and my friend had a pulled pork burger with chips! This really shows you the contrast in cuisines that are sold there. Moreover, underneath the Box Park were lots of cute independent shops.

Overall, going to Shoreditch was lots of fun and made quite a relaxing and chilled out day, so I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted a day out in London.

I hope you enjoyed this post, please leave any comments below.

Thanks,

Hannah x

Is Lilac the New Blush?

In Autumn I fell in love with the colour blush. I've always liked pink but never enough to buy pink clothing, so I felt that blush was the perfect colour to allow me to be just the right amount of girly. Now, when I like a colour I tend to become a bit obsessed. By Christmas I had a blush jumper, two crop tops and a velvet blush long sleeved top too. (I also became a bit obsessed with velvet... but thats another story!)

In the new year, I realised that I was bored of blush, as I had worn it so much. Thats when I discovered lilac. Since it's coming up to spring, I saw pastel colours coming into the shops and realised my love for them. After so much dark coloured clothing in the winter I think my mind was just looking for something to brighten up my life, as bright colours make me feel happy. Especially with all of the rain and dark evenings in Winter. I find the colour lilac really relaxing as for me its associated with lavender which I LOVE the smell of. 

So I thought I would give you guys a look at the lilac clothing I got for my birthday a few weeks ago, since I hunted everywhere for the perfect items and eventually found these!

I found that Topshop was amazing for lilac and had some really nice jumpers:

This first one looks pink but its actually a bright pink-purple colour which is really eye catching and lovely. Plus the inside of the sweatshirt is fluffy which makes it so comfortable and warm!

This next jumper is also really cosy and is perfect for the cold weather in England at this time of year.  Plus it looks really cute with light coloured denim jackets or jeans.

    

I love this piece because even though in this picture it looks quite casual, it could easily be worn with a pencil skirt or black trousers, and so is perfect for a smart casual style at college or work. Also, the ribbed effect makes the top really unique and the price is quite good for Toyshop.

Another item of clothing that I have wanted for a while is a cropped hoodie. I love cropped clothing because I feel that it looks so flattering with high waisted jeans, and its just something thats a bit different to usual. So I searched on the internet and eventually found my favourite one on Asos.

The band around the bottom of the jumper makes it not too baggy which looks really flattering. Plus its perfect for working out as its made of quite thin material. 

I hope that you enjoyed my post, and that its inspired you for the new season. Please leave any questions or suggestions for my next post below and let me know if you own anything lilac!

Thanks,

Hannah x

Best Healthy Porridge Recipes

I don't know about you, but i am absolutely OBSESSED with porridge! I love how its easy to make, healthy and yet still super tasty. So I thought I would share two of my own porridge recipes that I have created from trying so many of other people's porridge recipes over the last few months.

Banana and Peanut Butter Porridge

Ingredients:

40g of rolled oats

250ml of unsweetened almond milk

1 banana (cut into bitesize chunks)

1 Tbsp of nut butter (I mostly use peanut butter because I love it!)

1 Tbsp of honey

1 Tsp of chia seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the oats, almond milk, half of the banana, nut butter and chia seeds into a small-medium sized sauce pan. Set the heat on high.

2. Bring the mixture to boil, making sure you are stirring regularly.

3. Turn the heat down to low and let the porridge simmer.

4. Mix constantly for another 2/3 minutes. Until the liquid starts to reduce, and when you mix it you can see the base of the pan (as shown in the image) take it off the heat.

5. Pour the porridge into a bowl.

6. Drizzle the honey and scatter the remaining banana on top.

Cinnamon and Pear/Apple Porridge

Ingredients:

40g of rolled oats

250ml of unsweetened almond milk

1 apple or pear (stalk removed and cut into bite size pieces) 

1/2 Tsp of cinnamon
1 Tsp of chia seeds (optional)
A handful of raisin
1 Tbsp of greek yogurt
1 Tbsp of honey

Directions:
1. Place the oats, almond milk, apple/pear, cinnamon and chia seeds into a small-medium sized sauce pan.  Set the heat on high.

2. Bring the mixture to boil, making sure you are stirring regularly.

3. Turn the heat down to low and let the porridge simmer.

4. When the liquid starts to reduce, and when you mix it you can see the base of the pan (as shown in the image) take it off the heat.

5. Pour the porridge into a bowl.

6. Scatter the raisins on top and drizzle the honey. Then dollop the greek yogurt into the bowl.

I can guarantee you that both of these porridges taste amazing! And if you do not like any of the ingredients they can easily be removed or changed with a different alternative. Also I tend to drink a green tea whilst I eat my porridge and they go quite well together! Plus green tea has some great health benefits!

Please tell me if you tried the recipes out, or need any advice.

Thanks,

Hannah x

Motivation For February and Snack Help

Shockingly February is already upon us! Have you kept the resolutions that you made in the New year?

If so well done! Now you need to try and make your changes permanent and worthwhile !

If not then don't worry! Maybe try to adjust your goals so that they are more achievable, and then start again this month. It doesn't have to be New Year for you to change something in your life! You can make a change or start something new whenever you want! Simply write your goals somewhere that you will look everyday and try to stick to them! Just make sure that they are positive and achievable in your life. And if you have had a bad January there is still loads of time to turn this year around and make it your best year of your life so far!

For myself, I achieved my goal of not eating an dairy, crisps, sweets or chocolate in January! I did this to see whether it would clear my skin since I suffer from spots, and dairy is commonly a effects people with spots. From doing this my skin have cleared up a bit but I think that its from eating healthily rather than eating dairy, which is all of the encouragement that I need to continue being healthy. When it comes to crisps, sweets and chocolate I feel like my tastebuds have changed slightly and I no longer have cravings for them! Although, this might also be because of all of the healthier alternatives I have put into my diet. Every sunday I normally bake some kind of sweet treat like blueberry and coconut flapjacks or pancakes etc. But all of the recipes are vegan, and contain no where near the amount of sugar that processed foods do which means that all of my snacking is guilt free! 

Recently, I have started to love cooking again because I find it very relaxing and rewarding. Plus, it allows me to have a break when my week have been a bit chaotic, as I can just zone out completely.

A cook book that I have been loving recently is Eat Smart by Niomi Smart. All of the breakfasts and snacks are so tasty (even my mum who normally hates health foods likes them!). Also, apart from some optional health powders the ingredients are relatively easy source in your local supermarket!

All of the recipes are  quick and easy which is a bonus as I never have much free time.

If you are looking to snack more healthily I would really recommend buying the book! However, if you don't want to buy the book and need some snack inspiration here is one healthy and tasty snack that isn't from the book that I make quite often:

Peanut Butter and Apple

Now, do not judge this before you try it! I had heard about it for a while, but thought it sounded a bit strange so hadn't tried it. But I can tell you, if you like peanut butter you would love this! Plus it's really quick to make!

Directions:

1. cut up an apple.

2. On each slice spread the peanut butter.

3. Eat!

I hope that you enjoyed this post! Please leave any comments below about the post or recommendations for future posts!

Thanks,

Hannah x

5 Musicals That Will Make You Fall in Love with Theatre

Musicals are often misconceived to be only for a certain type of audience who love cheesey singing and easy plot lines. However, I completely disagree with this! Personally, I love musicals because I find them completely absorbing as you have to listen to the words of each song in order to follow the plot line. Also, the songs are normally really catchy and when you listen to them you can immediately imagine the scene in your mind. So I thought that I would tell you my top 5 favourite musicals that you should definitely watch!

5. Grease

This musical is one the first that I ever saw, other then disney movies! If you want to watch something that is catchy, easy to follow and uplifting then this is the perfect one for you! The musical is based around a rebellious teenaged boy called Danny and a new innocent girl called Sandy who fall in love. It's well known songs like 'Grease Lightning' and 'Summer Nights' will have you singing along in no time. Also, it is a movie as well as a theatre show so if you can't make it to the theatre it is still easily accessible.

4. Wicked

I first saw this musical a couple of years ago, and since then I have wanted to go back and see it all over again! Its based around the story of 'the Wizard of Oz' except it focuses on the Wicked Witch's perspective. It really interesting to see a different angle of the story, and really allows you to understand the Wicked Witch's backstory and misfortune. This makes it perfect for all ages since it is a twist on a well known classic. Plus the set is amazing and really transports you to Oz!

3. Miss Saigon

I don't even know where to start with this musical... I saw it last year just before it moved from the Westend back to Broadway, and it was amazing! It is set in the Vietnam war and is an epic love story following a Vietnamese girl who meets an American soldier in a brothel. However, their opposing nations get in the way of their love... I don't want to spoil it so all I'm going to say is that its a real tear jerker and is spectacular to witness. It is one of those shows that you watch and then come out feeling like you have had a real experience. If you want to watch a musical that is emotional, thought provoking, and spectacular then I would recommend this!

2. La La Land

Last weekend I finally saw this musical in the cinema and I can tell you that I can completely see why it has been nominated for fourteen Oscars and has won seven Golden Globes! It is about the romance between two people called Mia and Sebastian who are aspiring performers that are struggling to achieve their dreams. The colours were vibrant, the set was dynamic, the songs were catchy, and the almost eerie melody of 'Sebastian and Mia's Theme' that plays throughout really tied the whole plot together. I can guarantee that when you finish this movie you will come out singing the songs for days! Also, the ending is not stereotypical of a musical, so is really shocking and heart wrenching to watch. This is truly a musical for people who don't like musicals.

1. Les Miserables

Anyone who knows me well, could probably guess that this would be at the top of my list. I've seen it in the theatre three times now and have watched the film so many times that I can't even count. The reason why I love this musical is because the story line is complex and the period of history (French civil war) that it is set in is really interesting. Moreover, each song is dynamic and tells a story. Unlike the other musicals in my list Les Miserables has completely no speaking and every word is sung. When I first saw it I didn't think I would like this, but actually it meant that I was completely drawn into the story line and you really have to pay attention to know what happening. I love the tragedy that underlines the whole plot and the funnier aspects of the musical like the joking Thénardier's. If you want to see a pure musical then watch this!

Tip: From January to February Westend productions sell their tickets for a lot cheaper then usual, as it is the slow season. If you go onto seetickets.com you can find tickets for some of the best musicals that have been reduced to £20, which is a bargain! Also in the summer London theatres often do a deal where for every adult ticket you buy you can get a free childs ticket! These tips definitely make theatre a lot cheaper as it can be very expensive. Or if you don't want to see a musical in the theatre you can always watch it online!

I hope that this has inspired you to watch a musical! Please leave any comments on this post or recommendations for a next post below.

Thanks,

Hannah x