It’s Friday and you are probably all trying to decide what you want to eat tonight. Instead of flicking through your takeaway menus trying to decide on your Domino’s or Chinese order, why don’t you join in on the challenge that VeeTee has set me. I’ve grabbed a couple of ingredients on my way home from work and I have chosen to make a delicious, healthy and cost effective stir fry.
Firstly, choose the veg. I went for mini sweetcorn, mange tout, tenderstem broccoli, pepper, spring onion and pak choi. I usually cut it up however I want it. You will also need ginger and garlic for the sauce. The good thing about this recipe and any other kind of stir fry is that there’s no right or wrong way to go about creating it.
Fry your veg minus the pak choi on a high heat using Fry Light oil, it’s better and healthier than using normal oil. Whilst that’s cooking nicely mix together: 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice, 2 crushed garlic cloves and some grated ginger in a little bowl. Throw the sauce into the veg and stir fry for two minutes.
Add your tofu, pak choi, 1 tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce and 3 tablespoons oof dark soy sauce and stir fry until everything is cooked. Meanwhile, heat up your chosen VeeTee rice pot in the microwave for 1 minute per pot. Once it’s done add the rice into a bowl and put your veg with the sauce on top. I’ve served mine with prawn crackers and viola! An easy, quick, healthy and delicious meal done in less than ten minutes.
What’s your favourite fakeaway to make to save money? Have you tried the VeeTee rice pots before?
♥
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Don’t cast a clout until May is out! I’ve heard that saying a lot recently especially with the weather being so up and down but we are now in June which for me means Summer is fast approaching. Can you believe that we are already half way through the year? No, I can’t either!
I’ve not really got any Summer plans this year apart from a week off for my birthday with nothing planned and working, hopefully many hours so I can have some dollar in the back pocket. For someone with a passion for fashion, I am excited to see all the new clothes that are coming into season and I might have some time in my diary to have a couple of days with family and friends.
Anyway with the Summer months upon on, I thought now would be a great time to share my tips on hosting a perfect Summer BBQ! I’ll just be talking you through some of the important things for a BBQ to go down well, in my opinion.
First and foremost, drinks! Pago Fruit Juices* are produced from natural ingredients sourced from the best producers in the world. They have brought out some intense but delicious fruit flavours including: Cloudy Cherry, Pear, Strawberry, Tomato, Multivitamin Tropical, and Rhubarb & Pear to name a few. They are available in a number of bars, cafés, restaurants and delis throughout the UK and are a great alternative if you prefer non-alcoholic option. Their drinks taste so good as a refreshing treat however I also used them in cocktails at a recent BBQ by topping them up with lemonade or soda water. You can find plenty of recipes on the Pago Fruit Juices website.
There’s no BBQ with no food and snacks so make sure you’re all stocked up especially on the good stuff. I always like a good old corn on the cob that’s been done on the BBQ. Do you know those ones that you can get on holiday from the sweetcorn stand and they are so fresh that they still have the leaves on them? They are my personal faves! I usually opt for anything from Linda McCartney however my favourites are: the Pulled BBQ Burgers and Red Onion and Rosemary Sausages. I like to pair them with some fried onions or cheese and a side salad or some fresh coleslaw, then your good to go. Don’t forget to throw the crisps and dips on the table for snacking in between cooking on the BBQ too!
I honestly believe that the best thing about Summer is getting to spend time with loved ones, even if the sun can be rather temperamental sometimes. If you’re extremely organised, you could arrange for some activities or games but nothing is better than good food and drink with amazing company to share it with.
How will you be spending your Summer? Have you got any exciting plans? I would love to hear your ideas on how to host a BBQ with family and friends.
♥
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The Botanist is one of my favourite restaurants in Newcastle. It is the kind of place where you can sip cocktails whilst looking over the panoramic views of Newcastle city centre or fall in love with someone whilst listening to the occasional musician that plays live music in the bar area. So, as you can imagine, I squealed with excitement when Alice asked me to be her plus one to review their vegan menu for Spring 2018.
From the moment we walked into The Botanist, we felt a lovely welcome from all the staff members. It was as though I had walked into a fairytale with magical, photography worthy features everywhere you looked. We were shown to the table with a lovely view looking over Grey’s Monument and it had perfect lighting for all those snaps. Our main waiter, Jack was such a lovely person and catered on us hand and foot. He was a young, enthusiastic and knowledgable waiter who was patient with us when we were taking a while to decide. After much deliberation, we went for the Tempura-Fried Cauliflower, Tenderstem Broccoli and Kale Manchurian and Curried Houmous. Both of us agreed that the tempura-fried vegetables was our favourite; it was served with a delicious sweet and sour sesame dipping sauce and in all honesty, I would happily have a bowl of this starter as a main. The Curried Houmous was delicious as well and I would recommend if you like a little bit of spice or Indian food. It was served with flatbread and crudités.
I went for the Falafel Burger for my main course which came with tahini dressing, harissa jam, spiced onions and rocket. For the side, I chose to have sweet potato fries because who turns down that option? My main course tasted amazing! The harissa jam was something I was a little worried about as I am not too keen on spice but the tahini dressing cooled the spice down a little. I would definitely have it again. Alice went for the Malaysian Vegetable Curry which was served with coconut rice. It was similar to a Thai Green Curry but was extremely spicy and something that I definitely wouldn’t be able to handle although it looked amazing.
We weren’t too adventurous with drinks however I would love to return for a cocktail or two in the evening. I had the Homemade Lemonade which was the best thing I have tasted in such a long time whilst Alice had the Raspberry, Grape & Elderflower Cooler which tasted so fruity and sweet compared to mine. Definitely something that I would pick in the future.
You can imagine by this moment that we were both in a food induced coma and was ready for a nap but we still had dessert left. We both went for the Homemade Banana Doughnuts which came with salted caramel sauce and peanut milkshake. I don’t even have any words for this dessert apart from – it was delicious! It’s a no brainer that you must try this dessert before the season is out.
Overall, I couldn’t fault my visit to The Botanist. The whole experience was so beautiful. The restaurant and bar is dreamy and magical, the customer service from the waiters was exceptional and go above and beyond to cater for you and the food quality is just on another level. If you happen to be around Newcastle, I highly recommend you experience it. I can’t wait to go back in the near future!
Have you been to The Botanist yet? You can find your nearest restaurant by checking the website.
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As some of you may know I am trying my best to be healthy and possibly lose some weight before my sister’s wedding in October. When I was approached by the lovely guys at Upbeat to review their new fruit dairy protein drinks, I jumped at the chance. Not going to lie to you here but when I heard High Protein I was a bit scared and wanted to run a mile (especially with my anxiety of trying new things!) but I thought I would give them a chance and see what I thought of them.
I have been so used to making up smoothies and milkshakes for the past couple of weeks that it was nice to have something which I could just go and buy from Holland & Barrett or Tesco. I have been paying close attention to all the other similar products on the market and they all have really high sugar content which I never really noticed until now. The good thing about Upbeat is that they only have 2g of sugar in them, straight in the basket from my eyes.
Here’s what they say: “Upbeat is a delicious dairy protein drink that helps set you up for the day – perfect for busy people on the go.”
As far as I am aware there are three flavours to choose from: Strawberry, Mango with Passion Fruit and Blueberry with Raspberry. They are all delicious but I definitely think the Blueberry and Raspberry one is my favourite. I currently have a week’s worth in the fridge. Think of the Activia pouring yogurts, well they are better tasting and more healthier than that. They are perfect for snacking or for an on-the-go healthy breakfast option. The consistency isn’t too thick or thin which is brilliant for fussy eaters.
Upbeat is available from Tescos, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett and Ocado. Their extremely cute and attractive website will help you find a stockist near you as well. I managed to get a few 50p off coupons so if you’re interested in trying one then let me know in the comments below. I will be picking the first five people who comment first. (You must be following my blog, not just for the competition!)
Have you tried Upbeat before? What’s your opinion?
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