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 :)

I recently order the Bootea 14 day Teatox, and since I've not long finished it, I decided to share my thoughts with you.

First, I'll talk about the packaging. It comes neatly in a small box, and inside there are two wallets, filled with day time and night time tea. The main colours are pink and green, and I thought they looked quite nice. The little wallets (if that is even what they are called) had little locks on the top so they could be closed, keeping the tea fresh. I like this idea as it meant no messing around with little plastic wrapping that you just have to throw away once it's open.

So now let's talk about the tea. There are 14 day time teas and 7 night time ones, this is because you are advised to have a night time one every couple of days, because they are prone to cause laxative affects. I had mine every two days and thought this was enough.

The day time tea didn't particularly taste of anything, which was good. I just had it with my breakfast and didn't find that it was a problem.. I thought I'd forget one day but thankfully, I never.

The night time tea, referred to as bedtime, was a lot stronger in taste. It seemed a bit like Mint but I'm not entirely sure. It wasn't a horrible taste so I could deal with it.

Overall, I feel like it did reduce my bloating, particularly around my stomach. However, I wouldn't repurchase, just because I think you can buy lemon tea and mint tea for much cheaper and it will do the same job. I enjoyed trying it out and I'm glad it's gotten me into a routine of having green tea everyday!

Emma :)

P.S I asked you guys on Twitter (@emmaawilson) if you wanted me to review this on my blog or on a video and you said blog. I would absolutely love it if you could check out my YouTube channel for future videos, and if you have any suggestions then I would be more than willing to do them. My most recent video is shown below. Thank you!

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 :)

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.

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 love a good smoothie every now and then, so I thought I'd try and make my own. This is simple to make and so tasty! Of course there are no added sugars or sweetners, so is a nice healthy drink you can enjoy guilt free! I made mine dairy free but you can use alternatives.

In order to make two servings, you will need the following ingredients:

- one ripe banana 
- 50g alpro original yoghurt (or Greek yoghurt)
- 100ml aria lactofree semi-skinned milk
- 50g frozen raspberries 
- 50g frozen blueberries
- a cap full of lime juice

You can use normal raspberries and blueberries too but frozen ones make it that little bit colder. I like to add two ice cubes too! It's quite thick so if you like your smoothies more like a juice then feel free to add more milk.

I literally threw all the ingredients together in a blender and served straight away. It's nice and cold so will go down a treat in summer! 

I've posted a 'Healthy Food Haul' video on YouTube, so if you're a bit more interested in the types of foods I'll be using over the next couple of weeks then check it out! You can view my channel if you click here. Please subscribe if you'd like to see more!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Emma :) 

Can a fitness app really help you lose weight? Over the past couple of weeks I've been trying to push myself to be that little bit healthier. I'd found my weight loss coming to a standstill, and needed something to push me further. As it's been a big part of my life recently, I thought I'd share it with you.

I'd used my fitness pal before now, but not properly. I've set my goal weight, been planning and scanning food and have even seen some results. The calorie limit helps you realise how big portions are sometimes, and let's you understand your calorie intake. Once you're happy, you can maintain at your current weight with another calorie limit too.

There are a lot of other factors to consider too, staying active is always important. I've also benefited from drinking more water and trying to get as much sleep as possible.

I'm not saying this because I've been told to, but because I've found it has helped me recently. I'm not going to lie and say it's been easy, and I still have a bit to go.. But the honest truth is, I've never felt as confident in my own skin as I do now! So the struggle is worth it in the end. (Although I do crave some chocolate!) 

If you feel like something a bit more sugary, you could try a recipe that I've shared before. I made 52 oat and raisin cookies today out of the mixture and worked out the calories and nutritional values on the app. So you can add your own recipes! I've shared some photographs with you and I hope to post more recipes soon. If you want to try these, then you can find my blog post if you click here. 

Have you ever tried to use it yourself? If not, I recommend it if you're trying to lose weight. But of course, be happy with yourself and don't feel like you have to change. 

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 :)