Live, work & eat better #5

So I forgot to actually upload and publish this last week! Don’t ask me how but somehow I seemed to sleepwalk through the back end of the week. Anyway here are a few links to kick off your hopefully relaxing weekend…

LIVE

This is a really interesting piece in the New York Times about Alan Cummings. I can’t wait to read his book.

I’m obsessed with avocados so I shared my recipe for this homemade face Mask on Maison Du Vann

This is a fascinating look at the motive behind Helene Pastor’s murder.

Here’s what to do when you’re feeling small. Reframe your power. By Danielle LaPorte

We all have our own way of dealing with trolls but this woman has it sorted…

So Mercury is now in full retrograde. Why not check out this post from Gala Darling.

WORK

Wouldn’t it be great if being a brilliant artist was all it took to earn a living?

EAT

This weekend I’m making Red Wine (velvet) cake so for balance, here’s how to bake the perfect flourless cake.

Think you can’t eat pasta and still lose weight? Wrong. Try this simple trick.

If you’re a fan of fast food then you may find THIS interesting. The Food Babe has looked at the difference between UK and US fast food outlets. Amazing finds. In the US french fries are basically a chemical shit storm, where are in the UK it’s essentially potato and oil. Take a look.

Italian Apple Cake from A Cup of Jo

live, work & eat better on a Friday #4

What are you planning on doing this weekend? My kitchen should be finished by Sunday so I’m planning on a full day of baking cakes – not so good for the diet. Anyway, here are just a few links from across the web that I think you’ll enjoy x

Live

Is Mercury in Retrograde? Check here.

Anthony Bourdain has some good tips on Travel

Found a new blog that I absolutely LOVE this week. Becca from Bionic Buddha has a plethora of posts on living well. Including some sage advice on how to not lose your shit!

These black eyed children sightings are a bit weird aren’t they?

I love these musings by Slim Paley

Work

Want to make money from your personal blog? Then have a read of this > Why Personal Blogs Can Never Really Survive Monetization

Do bloggers make more money than editors?

This new book has a great quote on procrastination…

Also, I feel like the word “procrastination” is too strong. Just because you’re on Twitter saying stuff, it doesn’t really mean you’re procrastinating. The status update has become such a fluid part of culture.

Eat

I believe that you can eat extremely well on a budget, it’s just all down planning and savvy shopping. In MY opinion the problem lies with people not having the skills to cook and budget for healthy foods. I’d love to know what you think of this story.

Madeline Shaw has some great tips on eating healthy this Autumn

And in vast contrast, I cannot wait to try out this recipe for red wine cake!

Have a good one x

Oh! ps: I’m taking part in Gala Darling’s #LOVETOBER challenge so why not follow me on Instagram?

live, work & eat better – on a Friday #3

Live, work & eat better on a Friday is going to be a short one this week. After trying desperately hard to catch up on my week away, I’ve not had chance to do as much perusing of the internet as normal. But as always, if you’ve any links you wish to share, please do so in the comments below and I’ll be sure to check them out 😀

So on with what’s caught my eye this week…

WELL after 3 months of sleeping downstairs in our new home we FINALLY have a bedroom. I spotted these cool little bedside lamps for £10 in TK Maxx – what do you think?

LOVE this from Brit&Co – 16 Shockingly Healthy Recipe Hacks

Sarah Wilson blogs about her latest health obsession

THIS made me laugh

My new favourite grab ‘n’ go snack. The granola and strawberry are gorgeous!!

Nutella with no guilt? Yes please.

Seriously, it’s time to DITCH THE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!

Feel confident in TWO minutes…

And of course, I couldn’t possibly end this post without a little nod to Jason Orange. Seriously, we all know how much of a fan I am of TT so I am gutted that Mr Orange is leaving the band. Whose going to be busting those funky moves when they go on tour now? For those who think Jason was nothing but a backing dancer just take a listen to this…

live, work and eat better – at the weekend #2

Good morning! I’m off to Majorca for some serious unplug and relax time. I’m going to swim, drink cava and read to my hearts content. I can’t wait to dive in to some trashy fiction and finally get around to reading that Julian Assange (unauthorised) biography – if you’ve got any good books on your list then let me know!

Anyhoo, things that have caught my eye this week…

First up…if you’re in or around South Wales next weekend then you HAVE to go check out the Abergavenny Food Festival.
{image via Will Delves)
I’m gutted to be missing it especially as there are some brilliant masterclasses and shows on offer such as The Chiappa Sisters – ‘COOK ITALIAN’, Julian Baggini & Seb Emina – ‘The Importance of Breakfast’ and Pete Brown with ‘Ale & Sound – Drinking with your Ears’.The full schedule is HERE and it is on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st of September.

Do you check Facebook too often? Here are 10 things that will happen when you STOP checking in all the time.

It’s a bit of an old one but this Vanity Fair article on the history of “Fuck” is fascinating.

Tanya has shared her recipe for Fig and Chocolate smoothie – seriously – amazing.

Amy has shared 10 tips on loving your body.

Easy School Lunches from Cup Of Jo

I’ve been thinking of setting up a podcast around the whole live, work and eat better theme. Emma from Freelance Life (check out HER AMAZING PODCAST HERE) listed some of the best podcasters for freelancers!
No posts from me next week but I’ve LOTS of great food posts coming up when I get back!!

live, work & eat better this weekend #1

OK so I’ve dipped in and out sharing things I stumble upon during the week. You know how it is? A week on the internet and out and about and your absorb so much great stuff you want to share that it’s hard to do know where to start.

So each Friday I’m going to post a run down of things I’ve read or thought about that will hopefully help you live, work and eat better as you approach the weekend.

Well for a start, have you got clipboard on your iPad? If so, are you following my magazine: live, work and eat better?

THIS blog post I thought was fascinating. As a wine drinker myself, I’m all too aware of how my glasses can sometimes be a little on the large side. Caitlin from HealthyTippingPoint shares just how much the recommended 5oz of wine is – WAY smaller than you’d think!

How to be polite.

Werner Herzog on Creativity, Self-Reliance, Making a Living of What You Love, and How to Turn Your Ideas Into Reality

Brainpickings.org is such a treasure chest of interesting articles. I love this piece detailing extracts from Barbra Walters book out-of-print 1970 gem How to Talk to Practically Anyone About Practically Anything. Here’s what she has to say on gossip:

Sometimes people gossip just because they feel they must in order to be interesting.

Since it’s September it’s a great excuse to go buy some new stationery. I’ve shared some of my favourite pieces over at MaisonDuVann.com

(Image above: I’m heading BACK to Porto Colom this month so looking forward to sitting on a beach and totally disconnecting with the world!)

The Supermarket With No Packaging…

One of the things that really gets my goat when it comes to food shopping is unnecessary packaging. I HATE seeing fresh veggies so shrink wrapped in plastic that you have no idea of the freshness of the product. Not to mention all the waste! That plastic is getting dumped and therefore polluting our water, our soil, our oceans and harming wildlife. There is just no need for it!

So it was great to see this video (below) about a supermarket in Germany that’s done away with disposable packaging.

Now, let’s be honest, this isn’t a unique idea. Our grandparents didn’t have to contend with masses of plastics when buying their food. They bought it direct from the source, at farmers markets or local shops. I remember there being a fabulous shop in Newport when I was a kid (not that long ago – honest) that served loose flours, cereals, nuts and dried fruits, so you only had to have (and pay for) what you needed.

So back to Original Unverpackt, a supermarket whose ethos is to enforce a zero waste policy by not selling anything in disposable bags, jars or boxes. Take a look at these before and after shots – definitely food for thought…

BEFORE

AFTER

Like I’ve said, it’s not a new concept but it is one that needs to be revived and made mainstream. What do you think?

Sunday Stumble: May

So I thought I’d resurrect my Sunday Stumble, although this time as a monthly rather than a weekly feature. I read so many great blogs and articles per month it would be a shame not to share!

So as I embark on a HUGE week (and I mean HUGE) here are some links for you to delve in to and enjoy (preferably with a large glass of white wine)- enjoy the rest of the bank holiday weekend folks!

• Having a rescue dog that was in a BAD state – I love (the ending of) this. We have your dog.

• Gala Darling’s take on why you should love yourself now!

• Sarah Wilson on why she never shops when she travels (I don’t either with the exception of supermarkets)

• The EveryGirl and 4 Questions everyone should ask.

• The perfect cure for colds, flu and depression – golden milk.

• Mind-bending Installation at TED Helps You Find Your Social Soulmate

• Great points made by Michael Kinsley on how great journalism isn’t over.

• Nikolett whose also on my health coach training course has been writing about kids lunches!

• Life Is Streaming Past You – REALLY good piece on bingeing on media.

• With the whole Max Clifford business, this is rather apt from the School of Life > why we need better celebrities.

• THIS TedTalk by Sandra Aamodt is spot on. I’ve a post about how I’ve quit dieting sitting ready to be published…

In the US, 80% of girls have been on a diet by the time they’re 10 years old. In this honest, raw talk, neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt uses her personal story to frame an important lesson about how our brains manage our bodies, as she explores the science behind why dieting not only doesn’t work, but is likely to do more harm than good. She suggests ideas for how to live a less diet-obsessed life, intuitively.

• There’s a link between Gluten and Migraines.

• Finally, some interesting facts about fluoride from Polly Noble.

Have a great week all!

Great print

Snacks of Great Scribbers

I know I’m not alone in my nosiness when it comes to other people’s routines. Especially with what people eat.

So I had to share these great illustrations by Wendy Macnaughton who did a piece for The New York Times on what fuel writers have relied on whilst working.

Walt Whitman began the day with oysters and meat, while Gustave Flaubert started off with what passed for a light breakfast in his day: eggs, vegetables, cheese or fruit, and a cup of cold chocolate. The novelist Vendela Vida told me she swears by pistachios, and Mark Kurlansky, the author of “Salt” and “Cod,” likes to write under the influence of espresso, “as black as possible.” For some writers, less is more. Lord Byron, a pioneer in fad diets as well as poetry, sipped vinegar to keep his weight down. Julia Scheeres, the author of the memoir “Jesus Land,” aims for more temporary deprivation. “When in the thick of writing I minimize food intake as much as possible,” she told me. “I find I work better when I’m a little starved.”

I don’t really snack whilst I work, if I do it’s probably roasted and salted almonds and I do drink a LOT of tea – how about you, do you need something to nibble on or drink whilst you work?

Eat Anything You Want…

So I stumbled across this brilliant video narrated by food journalist Michael Pollan. In his book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual he offers 64 simple rules that can set us up for better health.

One of those rules is “Eat anything you want, just cook it yourself.”

I really love the way that this video is illustrated. We’re told countless times to stop eating processed food etc but the way this is illustrated just *makes sense*. Food cooked by a human being = good, food cooked in a factory = bad.

Your thoughts?

The week the internet turns 25…

This cartoon from The New Yorker appeared a few weeks back on A Cup Of Jo and since the Internet turned 25 this week I thought that it would be apt to share it. Plus, I love it, it’s most definitely autobiographical, I’m always looking on IMDB to find out what actors have been in before – it’s a compulsion.

But seriously, I can’t believe that the internet is just 25 years old, it’s impossible to remember a time without it (although, I obviously DID live for quite sometime without it). Funnily enough, it was only last week that I was having a discussion about when we first got broadband installed and we were shocked at how it actually wasn’t that long ago. Gah, can you remember dial up and how slow the connection used to be? (but how amazed we were at the same time?), that awful noise that the modem used to make and how if you were on the net you couldn’t make phone calls? OH and lets not forget the countless AOL CD’s that were posted through the door.

I really wonder what I’d be doing now if it weren’t for the internet, especially as a lot of my work takes place online. And blogs – I couldn’t imagine not having access to the wonderful foodie, business, fashion and lifestyle blogs out there. Lets not get started on social media!

But despite the bad parts of the net (trolling etc) it’s still a wonderful place!

So tell me, what are your favourite memories of the internet?

ps: I couldn’t leave this post without sharing this website: Cat Bounce < you’re welcome!