Healthy Girls Nights In

Good afternoon!

As I've previously mentioned I'm trying to get in some extra posts over the next few weeks about my general lifestyle changes, recipes, fitness routines and tips for weight loss and healthier ways of life. I'm planning on doing this on Fridays so will be calling it Fitness Friday....though I doubt it will always be on a Friday!

With Valentine's Day being tomorrow I thought maybe a few suggestions for the single ladies to have a girls night in...the healthy way.
Stuffing chocolate and necking wine probably isn't going to help you in the long run....let's face it you're very likely to end up texting an ex or current love interest if you attack the vino too hard or single handedly scoff your weeks calories in one go making you feel worse about yourself and your relationship status.

As my friend's 'token single friend' I am permanently single and Valentine's is never a big day for me, in fact I've always thought it was a bit rubbish and an excuse for the card and gift companies to cash in.
To be honest I've no idea what my plans are as I don't have many single friends now that they're all getting hitched one by one BUT if i did I would definitely throw a party like this. And I just might...on my own ;)



First things first the food and drink are number one priority.

Are you a salty snack fan? Try Kale Chips. Super easy to make, salty as you like but none of the ridiculous carbs and bad fats you can get when attacking the Kettle Chips family size bag (the plain salt ones are my fave!). The link shows how to make some Asian ones with soy sauce and sesame seeds but you can make any flavour you like!

Sweet Tooth? Try having a huge bowl of different fruits cut up ready to grab and dip in yogurt and honey. Yes honey is probably not good when consumed in huge quantities but its unlikely you'll eat as much of this as you would if you were dipping chocolate, plus its one of the most natural sweeteners. I cannot get enough of the yogurt/honey combo!

You could even pre-dip the fruit in yogurt and freeze them for your guests if you're an organised lady and fancy a few extra cold snacks.

Looking for something more substantial? You can always try the old houmous and veggie sticks, they are always a hit everywhere I've been and with flavoured pots of houmous available now its a no brainer for ease too! You can get caramelised onion, sweet chilli, beetroot and moroccan with peppers.

As for drinks I recommend smoothies and juices. There are the biggest lists on the internet so I won't even bother to attempt a recipe list as it totally depends on what you like and have available.

Juices would be great as you can always sneak a little bit of vodka or rum in if you're that way inclined....and I definitely am. Particularly if its more like 50% alcohol. (Just don't drive home afterwards!).

I recommend getting lots of berries, citrus fruits and some apple and cranberry juices in to help you along your way.


Now that the important things are out of the way, what on earth are you going to do with your time?

I'd recommend raiding anyones DVD collection and selecting yourself whichever types of films are your faves. Chick flicks are the easy options but I am personally a huge fan of action and superhero films so a night with Ironman, Thor, Batman and Channing Tatum in White House Down is just FINE with me.

Get your favourite face masks on the go, sit back and relax with a friends nail varnish collection and create your own little pamper parlour. I always find nights like this the time absolutely flies, you end up nattering about your latest beauty purchases, the latest guy to wander into your life and the current work gossip and I love them! There's nothing better than a catch up with friends.

Obviously....if you really do feel like pigging out just grab the ice cream bucket, family size bags of minstrel and a few pots of pringles and live it up with Bridget Jones. You can always try and be healthy tomorrow right?

What's your girls night in suggestions? Do you go healthy or gluttonous? Will you be taking any tips from this post for your next one?


L xxx

Hip and Healthy Box

Hey lovelies!

I've got an awesome post for you today. I'm sure you love beauty boxes just as much as I do....but Latest in Beauty have recently brought out their Hip and Healthy* box featuring a whole host of products including organic skincare, free from foods and interesting teas and powders.

They were lovely enough to send me a box to review after they loved my post on their Glamour Beauty Edit box before Christmas so I was very excited as I was already considering buying it when I got paid.

I love the presentation of these boxes, the tissue paper is always gorgeous and its always a feelgood thing to open these boxes with the pretty presentation.

There's a huge and varied selection of items in this box and you can see how tightly packed in they are!

There's a photo below of the full size products so you can see and even an example of a recipe:

Starting with the sachets below we have Teapigs Matcha Green Tea at the bottom, Aduna Baobab, Organic Super Blends Omega 3 powder and Together Health Multi Vitamins.

Teapigs Matcha Green Tea is green tea leaves ground to a fine powder. Just 1/2 a teaspoon has the same benefits as 15 cups of normal green tea.....FIFTEEN!!! That's unbelievable! This means it gives you a natural energy boost for up to 6 hours, has 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice and can boost your metabolism. The also claim that 60% had improved skin, hair and nail condition in just 2 weeks.I cannot wait to try this!

Aduna Baobab is created from the African Baobab and contains 14 essential vitamins and minerals. It is 50% fibre and has one of the highest antioxidant capacities in the world. Nickname the 'Feel Good Fruit' it can hlep with energy, immune system and a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Not only all this plus it helping your skin look great on the outside it also helps sustain 6-8 million households in rural Africa. You can mix this into shakes, smoothies, yogurt and porridge for a boost your day.

Organic Super Blends have been created to suit different purposes and all are soy, dairy, gluten, wheat and sugar free (woo!). The main ingredient was Chia and then each of the blends; Omega 3, Skin Food, Alkaline Greens or Energise, have their own individual ingredients. These powders can be added in to smoothies, porridge etc for a nutritious boost.

I've just added both of these powders to a smoothie (recipe coming soon!) and can tell you they're both very tasty.

Together Health Multi Vitamins are made from the highest quality natural foods and contains no hidden nasties, not even preservatives, sugars, synthetics, wheat, gluten or lactose. They really are super pills! My sample only contained 4 capsules so I'm afraid I won't be able to comment on the effects of these too much.

As part of the beauty product offering the Neom Organic Hand Cream is packed with antioxidant extracts including Acai and argan oil to aid collagen production and tighten the skin. It's very absorbent and feel thick and luxurious.

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm is an oil based balm with a combination of oatmeal and Arctic cloudberry (never heard of this!) to cleanse and smooth your skin just like a facial would.

Nourish Golden Glow Face Shimmer is a really nice product, a tiny bit goes a long way as its so moisturising. It's totally organic and whilst it's moisturising and helps reduce the appearance of uneven skin tone and age spots it also contains golden mineral powders for a healthy and vibrant glow. The shimmer particles in this are so fine that you can barely see them which I find is best in a highlighter, I don't want a glittery look!

Rude Health Ultimate Granola is a blend of oats, spelt, barley and puffed amaranth bked with honey and date syrup  and roasted nuts to create a breakfast cereal to keep you full until lunch time. My plan is to try this in the morning with Greek yogurt and some blueberries so I'm really looking forward to it! There's no added salt or sugar so you can rest assured that what you're eating is completely guilt free.

Jax Coco is 100% coconut water and is only 50 calories for the whole 250ml. It is allegedly one of the best ways to rehydrate after a workout and give you a natural boost. I mixed this in with the smoothie that I made with the above powders and it was really tasty. I'd definitely mix this into more things in the future!

I have previously posted about Bounce balls before and I'm already a huge fan. I have tried all flavours apart from the Walnut one and would recommend them all. The peanut and almond balls are great for filling you up with protein, the coconut ball is perfect for a sweet snack and the spirulina and ginseng ball is a great pick me up for your immune system.

This box was a great way to try new products as beauty boxes always are, but this box was even better with the new food products and so many different ways to try them out.

I've already made a smoothie with all of the powders and coconut water and will be posting a recipe soon.
Are you a smoothie fan? Do you like clean snack such as granola and bounce balls?

This box can be bought from the Latest in Beauty website for just £9.95 (plus £3.95 P&P) but is worth over £50. You also get a free days pass into a Virgin Active health club which would be a great way to try a new gym.

Do you like beauty boxes? Would you like to try the Hip and Healthy box?

L xxx