Hi!

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of trying out the Evening Favourites menu at Jamies Italian. The restaurant is located in Liverpool One and both the exterior and interior are designed to perfection. The atmosphere was very calm and relaxed, and the waiter who served me (+ my boyfriend) could not have been more pleasant.

Upon arrival, we were taken to our table as soon as it was ready and seated near the window. I love to people watch so this was a perfect spot for me! We browsed the menus and decided that the Evening Favourites took our fancy, at 3 courses for just £18.95.

I had the Tomato and Ricotta Bruschetta to start, a veggie burger with seasoned fries for my main, and my favourite part of the meal, molten chocolate praline pudding for dessert. All of the food was absolutely delish, and after such brilliant service, I will definitely be visiting again sometime soon.

I recommend that you try it out for yourself and let me know your thoughts if you do!

Emma :) 

These are a little healthy snack that I like to make! 

You will need: 

- 32g vanilla protein powder (I prefer to use soy)

- 42g agave nectar (honey also works) 

- 32g peanut butter 

You can always change the peanut butter to another nut butter of your choice.

Simply mix your protein powder and agave nectar into a bowl. At first it may seem like it's not mixing so you may need to push it off the spoon. 

Next, you add your peanut butter and mix. Depending on how thick the proton oowder is that you are using, you may need to add more agave nectar at this point if they are too powdery. It should be thick enough for you to make it into balls. 

You can make these as big or as small as you like! I love these and to boost my protein, I have protein peanut butter. I did make a video on how to make these so if you would rather watch that then head over to my YouTube channel. 

Emma :)

Recently I visited Paris and I'll be honest, I can't stop thinking about these guys! I'm a strong believer of keeping a balanced diet and I couldn't not get myself some when I was in Paris now, could I?!

The shop itself is absolutely adorable and I love the pastel colour theme. There was so many pastries and cakes in all different shapes and sizes. Of course, the macarons are the main event so there was a large variety of flavours to choose from. In the end I managed to narrow it down to eight and in case you are wondering, the nutella (brown colour) and the salted caramel one (golden colour) were my favourites!

If you are ever visiting Paris then I'd recommend that you get yourself some of these and tuck right in!

I also vlogged my shopping experience so if you'd like to check that out then click here.

Emma :) 

Hello!

So as some of you may or may not know, over the past year/ year and a half, I've gotten into health and fitness.

I like to have a weekly treat but generally, I'm fairly healthy. After a workout on Saturday, me and my boyfriend decided to visit an asian restaurant in town- Miyagi. I'd heard about it before but never actually been, the food was made with coconut milk and had cleansing juices so I thought it was before for what we were after!

I didn't have a starter or anything since this was just for lunch, I did have a gorgeous juice though (I can't remember the name but it was the one with the strawberry and pineapple in!) and for my main, I got the luska. It was basically noodles, tofu, egg and veggies in a coconut milk sauce, and it was soo nice! I was skeptical at first but I really enjoyed it.

I posted these photos on Instagram too so you can always keep up to date with me by following me on there.

Emma :)

I was feeling festive so I had to bake something! And of course, gingerbread is always around this time of yea- though I admit, they are normally little houses or something that requires a bit more skill. Mine on the other hand are little men and stars. 

If you'd like to make them yourself then just follow the recipe! I used BBC goodfood, and I enjoyed them so thought I'd share it with you.

To make them, you will need:

- 350g plain flour

- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 

- 2 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

- 125g butter

- 175g soft brown sugar 

- 1 free range egg

- 4 tablespoons golden syrup

Click here if you would like read the instructions. 

If you do make them then please let me know how you got on, and if you liked them!

Merry Christmas!

Emma :) 

It has been a while since I last blogged!

The transition to the colder months of the year are always so busy though! With starting my final year at Uni- eep, to working, to Halloween, Bonfire night and now, of course.. the preparation for Christmas. However, that is no excuse. So I'm back with a bit of motivation to spread (at least, I hope.)

I have to say that the hardest time of year to be healthy for me, is definitely now. I mean there are Costa Christmas cups, food markets, Christmas catch-ups, crepe stands.. anything and everything is so tempting. But, they said that Summer bodies are built in the Winter, so I'm trying my hardest.

I thought I'd share some of my top tips to stay healthy this Winter. I'm in no way an expert but just find these work for me.

1. Indulge. I figured that starting on a high note would be the way to go. Yes, I mean it. Indulge. Sometimes it's so difficult to stay healthy and can even be upsetting when you're constantly being hard on yourself. The best thing to do is eat well during the week, and have a treat on the weekend. Whether it's at that food market or even at the cinemas, then just allow yourself a treat. It motivates you during the week to be good when you know you're going to have that chocolate brownie and Byron Burger on Saturday night.

2. Work out at the start of the week. I can promise you, it is a million times easier to go the gym at the start of the week. I've been trying to go four times a week, and I much prefer going Monday-Thursday than on the weekend. I feel a lot more energetic and really feel I'm getting somewhere. Besides, no one really has plans on a Monday night compared to a Friday night.

3. Mix it up a little. For a few weeks, I'll do the same work out routine and honestly, it just gets boring. So if you can change it every now and then, then I would recommend it. I find it more enjoyable and challenging when it's fairly new to me.

4. Protein, protein, protein. I'm not saying, have chicken for breakfast, dinner and tea- I'm a veggie anyway so would never really say that. Instead I mean have protein where you can and if you're feeling peckish then have protein snacks, it's much better for you and will help you build muscle. Have protein bars, balls, cakes, pancakes, whatever it is that you fancy.

5. Don't be hard on yourself. You have to be strict a lot of the time but if you're really not feeling up to it then you can give yourself a day off to relax. After all, we're only human.

So yesterday I visited this little cafe that I'd read about on the internet- as you do. It's fairly new and completely different to your average cafes.You don't pay for the food and drink that you want but instead, you pay for the time that you spend there. It's a strange concept really, you make your own drink (coffee, tea, juice, water, whatever you want really) and then take as much as the food as you like from the selection on the table.

I admit that this is fairly dangerous, I mean unlimited access to cakes and biscuits.. it's never going to end well. It wasn't anything particularly fancy though, just a selection of store bought treats. However, I loved the atmosphere, it was really chilled with couches and games- we played Jenga and Chess, and it seemed like you could just treat it as your own home.

It is 6 pence per minute and we were there for just over an hour, charging around £4 each. I enjoyed the experience as it was different, but I think I'd rather just get a Starbucks and not have to do my own dishes afterwards, plus I tend to like to sit there for quite a while and the price could have gotten a little ridiculous if you were there too long.

Nevertheless, it was definitely something I wanted to try and I'm glad that I did. There are two of these from what I know of, one in Manchester and one that I visited on the Albert Dock in Liverpool. So you could try it out for yourself if one is near you!

Emma :)

Today I visited the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian Hotel and Restaurant to have Afternoon Tea. It was a little on the pricey side but oh my, it was delicious! They met our dietary requirements too and nothing seemed a  hassle. With a lot of choice and alterations to the food served to meet our needs, we couldn't have been happier.

I've never experienced afternoon tea before now and I really enjoyed it. The bottom plate consisted of finger food, such as sandwiches and a tart. This was then removed and replaced with scones, cream and jam (yum!) I don't really want to remind myself of all the cakes and treats on the top and middle plate so I'll just let you observe that yourself!

Edinburgh is a really nice city and I have loved it so far.

Emma :) 

I've said it before but I'll say it again, I have a really bad sweet tooth. Although I try to live a healthy lifestyle, a treat is simply necessary in order to function! But if you're after a 'healthier' treat, then you should check out chocolatecoveredkatie. It is a blog that shares loads of recipes!

I decided to share one with you as I tried it out and really enjoyed it, so why not! I made the Frosted Peanut Butter Snack Cake. It is dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, low fat and just generally.. not that bad. It's an advantage that it tastes so good too.

It's pretty simple to make, all you need is:

2 cups spelt, white, or Bob’s gf flour (265g)
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar of choice OR xylitol (200g)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp yogurt (such as So Delicious coconutmilk yogurt) (90g)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp water (270g)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp peanut butter or almond butter, OR allergy-friendly alternative (90g)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (15g)

I'll leave the link here, if you want to follow the instructions and make it for yourself. I'd suggest that you do, because it's so soft and is just amazing. It's nice to not feel too guilty too.

I'm hoping to start my own recipes soon so I'll be sure to share them- if they work out well that is..

Emma :)

I really want to try and value the good times, I guess that sounds very general. Like most of you, I love watching vlogs and youtubers and I think this is a great way to keep memories. For some time I've wanted to start up youtube, and I feel like there is no better time to start than now. So shortly I shall hopefully post vlogs of some exciting times and maybe even do some sit down videos. Let me know if you'd watch and what you would want to see! I could do tutorials, hauls, lookbooks, recipes and much more. 

These two photos are from two days recently, that I really enjoyed myself and I wish I would have vlogged so I could look back and relive them. 

I think it would be fun and a way to keep me busy and interacting with others. Plus I feel like the challenge could really push my weaknesses- from my anxious feelings of public vlogging or posting things in general (when I actually really want to do it) to gaining better editing skills and learning more about media behind the scenes. 

Little things like this can help you stay productive, interact more with people and set yourself goals to keep you task orientated. All of which are great traits to have.

I hope you've found this a form of exciting news, and if you do want to subscribe then click here to go to my Youtube channel. Also, feel free to comment any thoughts on the matter, what you would like to see and if you would watch my videos!

Emma :)

Recently, Nanny Violet Jam very kindly sent me a lovely blue box (after asking for my favourite colour) filled with various flavoured jam!

I've always been a lover of jam since I was a child and after trying it with peanut butter- it got a whole lot better. I love it when there are no bits and even the 'no bits' ones in the supermarket have a little bit of a thick texture. These ones don't at all, and after opening the strawberry flavoured one, it was soon devoured! 

I just want to say how cute the packaging is, you can see how much care has went into it and I was glad to see that it arrived safely. Inside, the blue theme continues with tissue paper and little blue material covering the tops of the lids.

I love the little label saying what flavour it is too, it's very unique and has a vintage feel to it. The flavours that were included are:
- Strawberry
- Raspberry
- Cherry
- Blueberry
- Pink grapefruit marmalade
- Orange and whisky
- Blackberry and apple
- Blackcurrant

 So plenty of flavours to suit everyone!

I'd definitely recommend them, I think this was the nicest jam I've ever had! You can check them out on either facebook or Twitter!  @ NannyVioletsJam 

https://www.facebook.com/nannyvioletsjams

Emma :) 

If you're anything like me- a sweet tooth but still tries to be fairly healthy, you'll love these cookies!

This weekend for valentines, my boyfriend and I baked a lot of food, and these were probably my favourite. 
We used a cookie cookie to shape them into hearts when they first came out the oven and were still soft. This is not my own recipe but I just wanted to share it with you.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 275g dark brown soft sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 200g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 250g porridge oats
• 150g raisins

Method:
Prep:20min  ›  Cook:12min  ›  Ready in:32min

• Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and dark brown soft sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and honey. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon, gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the oats and raisins.
• Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto unprepared baking trays. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies start to brown. Remove from baking trays to cool on wire racks.

If you want to check it out online for yourself then click here

Surprisingly easy to make and very tasty, I'd recommend anyone to give them a go! I'm positive I'll make them again sometime soon.

I hope you all had a lovely valentines, I know I did! 

Emma :)