Winter is here. It’s raining, it’s cold and it’s miserable. So if you’re looking for a quick way to get rid of the winter blues (without packing your bags and jetting off somewhere sunny) then all you need to do is this…
Take a quick sniff of citrus!
Yep, it’s that simple. Smelling a lemon, lime or orange fragrance will boost your feelings of well-being and alleviate stress because it ups the levels of norepinephrine which is a hormone that affects our mood.
And if you don’t want to waste the fruit by just sniffing it, why not try this Avocado lime cheesecake.
I absolutely LOVE hotels.I’m genuinely fascinated by them, always have been. I love the smell, the bustle, the feeling of one room living. I’m also deeply interested in what goes on behind the scenes in hotels (have you been watching that Richard E Grant series on Sky Atlantic about hotel secrets? If not, Series 2 is on NowTV – well worth a watch). So many weird things happen and strange behaviour played out – it’s enthralling. But all that is another story… I was chatting with someone on Twitter last night about my stay in New York, they have booked the same hotel and I couldn’t praise it highly enough – which then reminded me that I hadn’t actually blogged about it.
So if you’re on your way to New York then check out Hotel Mela a fabulous hotel that’s right in the heart of Manhattan…
Hotel Mela located 120 West on 44th Street. Right in the heart of Times Square this hotel has defiantly got the home from home vibe down. Large, memory foam beds with plenty of pillows and thick black out curtains to hide the noise and bustle of Times Square – I can honestly say i’ve not had a better night sleep in years (and bear in mind I was in a car accident the day before!!).
The Hotel Mela really is the perfect place to base yourself, especially if you’ve never been to New York before! It’s tucked up a side street so you have a moment to catch your breath being entering the fray. The hotel is less than two blocks from all the shopping on Fifth Avenue, within five blocks of the New York Public Library and the Rockefeller Centre, and Central Park and the Museum of Modern Art are within 15 blocks.
We managed to walk EVERYWHERE from the hotel so it really is ideally situated. OH and free wi-fi so you can update all your friends back home of the wonderful time you’re having… images of hotel mela via crshotels on flickr
Well, I still have no kitchen! It’s not so bad actually, we have an electric wok, a microwave, a toaster and a george foreman grill so whilst coming up with healthy recipes is a challenge but totally do-able. In fact, after 4 weeks we’ve yet to resort to a micro ready meal {#impressed}.
Since it was a bank holiday on Monday, I fancied a bit of a simple, yet comforting breakfast that was QUICK (bank holiday’s are for tea, toast and magazines in bed if you ask me!) – only one thing could match that description – poached egg on toast!
But since we don’t have a hob, I had to turn to my humble microwave to sort it out – I know there are a lot of people who think the microwave is the devil (and before moving, I barely used one) but I’ve been doing my own research and found some interesting results – but that’s for another post.
Anyway, this is a very simple, 1 minute poached egg recipe – perfect if you’re in a rush or if you don’t fancy the fuss that poached egg usually brings (or if you’re like me and can never seem to make it work!).
What you need:
1 egg
Vinegar
Salt
A microwavable mug (< seriously, you don’t want one that will crack!)
A slotted spoon
The you simply fill a mug half way up, add salt and vinegar, crack your egg, gently pierce the yolk and pop in the microwave for a minute! Remove the egg with a slotted spoon, making sure the water is drained off and serve on warm, buttery toast.
Thanks to Slim Paley for alerting me that it is indeed National Watermelon Day today!
Which is good news for me as watermelon has been on of my staples this week. Since I don’t have a kitchen yet (luckily, I have a toaster, microwave and grill so I’m not having to live on takeways) salads have been top of the menu for dinner almost every night.
So, in the spirt of National Watermelon Day I thought I’d share one of my favourite salads…
Watermelon & Feta Salad
All you need is:
• 180g feta, crumbled
• A bunch of mint, leaves only, any larger leaves torn
• 500g watermelon flesh, cut into chunks
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• Extra-virgin olive oil
Just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve with some freshly ground black pepper!
I’ve not done a Wise Words Monday for a while but I saw this quote on Pinterest this morning and had to share. It’s so important that you listen to yourself. It’s not always easy, but gut instinct rarely let’s us down…
Kombucha: is a raw, fermented, probiotic, and naturally carbonated tea.
Yesterday I had the best day at the BBC Good Food show. It was so good to see an increase in stalls promoting healthy, natural living. However my day got even better when I stumbled across @lovekombucha.
If you’ve not tried or heard of Kombucha yet then you need to give it a go. It’s a naturally fizzy, fermented tea based drink. It’s uses a SCOBY (AKA symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) to eat away at the sugar which results in a healthy, gut healing drink.
So why drink Kombucha? Well, as I mentioned above, it’s a great probiotic, increases energy, treats candida and improves pancreas function. It’s also stuffed with antioxidants and is a home remedy for acne, fatigue, hypertension, headaches, and constipation. Continue reading “Love Kombucha”
I saw this via BrainPickings.org and had to share. Achieving perfection is something that we all strive for but as Dali says we’ll not reach it. Not because we’re not good enough but because what we see as perfection constantly changes.
Pearl Barley is cheap, filling and healthy. So I don’t understand why more people don’t use it.
This pearl barley risotto is one of my staple go to dishes. Sometimes I use chicken, sometimes I don’t. Depends on my mood.
Don’t worry about measuring out the ingredients perfectly and add/remove things to your own taste!
What you need:
175g pearl barley
1 tsp olive oil
White wine (optional)
500ml vegetable stock
Parsley
Milk (optional)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
Parmesan
How to…
Heat the oil and fry the onions with the garlic. Next add the pearl barley and fry for around 2 minutes.
I’m lazy so I put all the stock in at once. Bring to the boil whilst stirring. After about a minute or two turn down the heat and simmer. At this point I also add some chopped parsley, a little parmesan and a glug of wine (this is optional but trust me, it’s nicer with).
Leave to simmer for around 15 minutes and keep stirring. At this point at a little milk (again optional) and a tad more wine {feel free to have a little sipfor yourself too- everyone knows wine when cooking is essential}.
Keep stirring.
Once the liquid has been soaked up and the barley is slightly chewy yet still firm its ready to serve.
Who said that thank you notes have to take a lot of time?
Just take this note from Marilyn Monroe…
Now, if a 1950’s icon can find it in her schedule to write a thank you note (which, let’s face it, takes a tad longer than firing off an email) then I’m sure that we can all find time to show a bit of gratitude right?
I’ve been obsessed with the idea of quitting sugar for quite a while now (after reading the amazing journey that Sarah Wilson has gone on) but I’ve not actually done it.
This weekend, I had a bit of a blow out, seriously we’re talking frozen yogurt, chocolate and pizza. I can honestly say that on Monday, I felt so unwell, my skin looks dull, my throat is uber sore and I had a sugar/junk food hangover.
So I’m going to do my best to avoid the sweet poison (I think we all know half of the battle is what’s hidden).
I’ll let you know what I think of the book and keep you updated with my quitting sugar progress!!