Pulp from Juicer | Crumble Recipe Idea

I use my Sage  Nutri-Juicer on a daily basis, but the one thing that I feel guilty about is throwing away the pulp left in it. I've tried lots of different things to try find a use to it and the best solution I have come up with is this healthy sugar-free crumble (I suppose you could add sugar if you didn't want to be healthy). 

Fruit

Now I don't profess to be a great cook, so please use your own existing fruit recipe for the crumble, but I peeled pears and apples before boiling them until they were soft then put them in a baking dish. In hindsight I would probably add cinnamon and cardamon to give it a little more flavour. 

Pulp

I used the leftover pulp of a carrot to create the top part of the crumble mixing it with flaxseed, almonds and coconut flakes using my NutriBullet before putting it on top of the fruit. 

I put it in the oven for about 30 minutes when the base was nice and hard.

And voila! My healthy crumble. 

You can get all the products and ingredients here (it's cheaper to get a lot of health foods in amazon as opposed to in the supermarkets FYI).

For milling and blending: Nutribullet

For juicing: The Nutri-juicer plus, Sage by Heston Blumenthal

Flaxseed

Coconut flakes

Almonds

Let me know if you try it! 

Until next time... x

Monday Motivation | The Bath Half Marathon & Running tips

Yesterday I ran the Bath Half Marathon in order the raise money and awareness for breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! alongside a strong team of other Boobettes and Radio 1's Greg James. You can still donate here if you fancy it and can afford it, and if you can't then just check your boobs! 

I completed the run in 1 hour 41 minutes, beating last year's finishing time by 15 minutes. I also broke a few records along the way. I honestly don't know how I managed it as I haven't been able to run much for the last fortnight due to a hip injury and I twisted my knee on the 8th mile (I can't wait today). I can't tell you the feeling of pride and satisfaction I felt when I crossed the finishing line. It makes me want to sign up for more runs and challenges! 

Hopefully this post might help to inspire you to start running or to sign up to a 10k or half marathon (or even a marathon if you're brave!) - regardless of your running ability.

I started running again in January 2014 to train for last year's Bath Half. When I first began I really struggled to run more than 1 mile at a time, fast forward 15 months and I feel like a completely different person. I thought I would share my tips so if you are scared or feel overwhelmed to begin it might help you.

Nike Running app

I honestly would not be able to run without this app. Maybe it appeals to the competitive nature in me, but I get such a big sense of achievement through this app. It tracks your route, tells you how far you've run including your average pace per mile, and shows how many calories you've burnt. You can also add your friends and set each other challenges, or just see how far they've run per week. When I was running the half marathon yesterday the app would tell me when I had ran each mile and tell me my average pace - I kept myself motivated because I wanted to beat last year's time of 1 hour 54 minutes. 

Also a big tip is don't worry about the distance. I run for 15 minutes every single morning - it means those days that I can't be bothered I think to myself that in 15 minutes I'll be home with a sense of satisfaction. Even if you run for 10 minutes that's a mile, and it means you don't have to set your alarm too early either!

Good running music

I cannot run without music, I need the beat to keep me going and to help pace me. If you have Spotify there's loads of good workout playlists on there depending on what your preference it. I downloaded this album on iTunes - all the cheesy hits with a beat! 

Nice sportswear

They say you have to look the part to feel the part. There's so much nice sportswear these days there really is something for everyone - check out my previous Monday motivation posts for outfit ideas. I am currently loving these crop top and leggings from South Beach Swim, and I use my Reebok trainers for both the gym and running.

Good Diet

Since working on my diet over the last nine months with nutritionalist Mel of the Green Goddess Life my whole world has changed. I have much more energy, and find I am much more fit - running is much much easier as a result. I'm going to do a separate blog post all about it very soon but in the meantime check out her website here for more info and free recipes!

I'd also recommend getting a NutriBullet and a Sage by Heston Blumenthal Nutri-Juicer as it helps to improve your fruit and veg intake - I couldn't live without either of mine!

A varied exercise regime

Lots of people want to get fit, and so start a full on fitness routine that is probably unsustainable or monotonous increasing the chances of you falling off the band wagon. I must admit I use to fall into this pattern a lot - I'd go through months of running every day then I would fall out of the routine and wouldn't do it for age. 

I've been working closely with Josie Gibson, who has a best-selling fitness DVD and weight-loss website Slimmables. Josie has taught me lots of different exercises and routines to keep me fit and in shape (they are on her site and DVD) - I no longer just go to the gym and run on a treadmill! 

I also signed up to the Nuffield gym, which has loads amazing classes on such as Spinning and Body Pump, so there's always something different to improve your fitness. I love the swimming pool there too, not to mention the steam room and sauna! 

I hope this blog post has been helpful and has encouraged you to dust off your running shoes. 

Until next time... x

Homeware | Kitchen & Living Room

You may remember a blog post a few months ago in which I showed you my purchases for my bedroom and bathroom, if not you can view it here. 

Living Room:

Lightbulb Vase: Not on the High Street

Enamel Jug: Not on the High Street

Disney minimalist print: Rowan Stocks Moore at Etsy

Home wooden blocks

Noisetier Candle: Diptique

Shoe Cabinet: Ikea

Alphabetic Heart: Less Than Three

Cable knit throw: John Lewis

Turquoise throw: Joules

Blue knit Throw: Joules

Blue Knit Cushions: Joules

French Bulldog Cushion: Pets Rock

Sheepskin Rug: Ikea

Bird House key holder & keyring: Amazon

Heart door stop: I can't remember where I got this but I find these that are similar

Kitchen: 

Neon Bottles: Oliver Bonas

Wall Clock: Ikea

Cactus: Ikea

Food storage jars: Ikea

Kitchen Timer: Joie Doodle Doo - John Lewis

Artificial Rose: John Lewis

Black heart Chalk Board: Lesser Than Three

Striped teapot and mugs: Joules

Shelf & containers: Ikea

Home & Love posters: Ikea  

Nutribullet

Fruit bowl: Ikea

If you haven't seen my Nutrilbullet quinoa recipe then check it out here. 

Let me know what you think of my house and if you find inspiration from it :)

Until next time... X

June | Monthly Favourites

Can you believe we're in July already? What a month June has been - I moved house, got a presenting job, and did lots of modelling. WAHEY! There have been so many products I've loved this month, I've had to split them into two videos. 

Here are my favourites ...

Outfit, Book, & Home:

• Nutribullet - You can get the standard nutribullet for £99, or pay £119.99 for the Deluxe package which includes the recipe book (which tells you what different foods are good for), and superfoods maca, spirulina, and wheatgrass powder. I can't tell you how obsessed I am with this product - I make juices, soups, sauces, cereal - EVERYTHING. I might even do a separate Nutribullet post for you to see some of the things I've created!
• Relaxing Yuan Zhi Ambiente - room spray by Molton Brown. This is the nicest smelling spray for a house ever. FACT.
• Light Bulb Vase I love this vase just because it's so unique. Simple yet stand-out!

• Book - Before I go to Sleep, SJ Watson. I've just written a blog post on it, and can't recommend it enough. If you fancy buying it then you can get it here! 

I can also recommend fake roses from John Lewis - I got one for another vase and it means I don't have to pay for a single rose every week (and the florist doesn't pity me for buying my own roses!). 

Outfit:

Flamingo & Pineapple Crop Tee & Shorts, by Oh My Love!  Oh my Love have amazing two sets, but this is my particular favourite as it's just so fun and summery

Whistle & Bango pink SW15 bangle, and white SW19 bangle. My own babies, I set this company up with two friends, so am naturally so proud of it. Even Judy Murray (Andy Murray's mum) tweeted a photo of her wearing the Wimbledon bangle this month! :) 

Beauty - Hair, Face, Body & Cosmetics

This month I have really suffered from dry skin, perhaps it's the change in the weather? These are the products I recommend based on my experience:

Revlon Equave Leave-In Conditioner - My hair would be much harder to tangle teaze without this spray. I totally recommend it for dry or damaged hair.

Bravura Glycolic Acid Body Scrub - This product was recommended to me by a dermatologist because I had lots of tiny bumps (almost like ingrown hairs) on my arms and legs. 

Early-Harvest Raspberry body butter, The Body Shop. Smells like heaven without being too sickly sweet. It's a really good moisturiser too if, like me, you suffer from very dry skin. I use this day and night.

Vitamin C Microdermabrasion face scrub, the Body Shop. I would absolutely recommend this product. It's quite a coarse scrub, so only use it a couple of times a week, but it transforms your skin.

Vitamin E face mist, The Body Shop - great for stretch marks and scarring and also really refreshing

Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, Clinique - I have been using this product every night after cleansing and toning my face and it's given my face more of a glow. I would seriously recommend this product if you are suffering from a patch of dry skin.

Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, Nars - I love this product as it gives a nice light coverage and has SPF 30. I got mine in a medium shade, although to be honest I probably should have gone a shade lighter. 

Coconut & Pear hydrating lip balm, Burt's Bees. This tastes amazing, and I use it underneath my lip sticks so my lips stay hydrated. 

Boi-ing, concealer by Benefit - This concealer really is industrial strength. I went for 01, which is the lightest

I hope you find my monthly favourites useful, or hope it has least helped you to waste some time at work :) 

Let me know if you end up purchasing any of the items I mentioned, and of course let me know how you get on with them.

Until next time... x

JUICEToU | 3 Day Juice Detox

I recently moved into an unfurnished house. Between unpacking, building flat-pack furniture, and too many late nights (unfortunately spent unpacking, not partying), I began to feel really unhealthy and run down. I decided to do a three day juice detox in order to give my body some much needed nutrients, and to kick start my healthy eating before an important photoshoot.

The company I went with was JUICEToU who I have used before. The detox consists of drinking four juices per day for three days, as much water (with lemon), and fruit and herbal tea as you like. 

What you need to understand about me is that food is my absolute favourite thing in the world. I find it incredibly difficult to give it up. I'm also hooked on chocolate - galaxy caramel, daim bars, Cadbury's; I am obsessed. I expected to be hungry for three days and resisting the constant temptation to eat; however, the juices are surprisingly filling and because you drink them every three hours, hunger wasn't an issue.

Find out how I got on here:

Why did I do the detox?

I didn't do the detox to loose weight, so I can't tell you whether I gained or lost any. I don't even own a pair of scales - I'm a big believer in feeling good and being happy than obsessing over a number. Plus, muscle weighs more than fat anyway! I did the detox because I felt run down, my skin and hair looked dull, and I wanted to kick start my healthy eating plan.

How did I feel during the detox?

On the second day I felt quite lethargic; this is apparently because all of the toxins were leaving my body. If, like me, you drink a lot of caffeine, it's normal to feel slightly nauseous, but by day three I felt healthy and full of life. 

How did I feel after the detox?

• My hair was shinier and felt healthier.
• My tummy was flatter.
• My skin was clearer and more radiant.

• I felt motivated to eat healthier, and have started a meal plan with the Green Goddess Life

Why would I recommend JuiceToU?

I have to be honest, I haven't tried another juice detox, so I can't really compare it to any other company; however, I love JuiceToU because of the variation of flavours. I love green juices, so I like that you get two a day, but it's nice to mix it up with two different fruity flavours, especially at the end of the day. The juices are filling and you can drink them every three hours, which kept my hunger at bay. Plus, as I said, they deliver straight to your door! 

My tips:

(I'm not a professional or nutritionist, I'm just speaking from my experience)

• Fit your detox around your diary. I had a photoshoot on the second day and found it really hard to keep my energy up so I snacked on fruit and nuts. Ok, so I cheated, but I'm only human and I made sure it was healthy food.
• Remember that you can't drink alcohol, so don't do the detox when you know you have a party or event on that will make you tempted to cheat.
• Remember that you can't exercise during the detox, so again plan to do it at a good time.
• Make sure you can keep the juices refrigerated, my final juice had slightly fermented on day 2 because I was away at work I kept it out of the fridge all day.
• Order a Nutribullet so you can keep some green juices in your diet post detox, that way you can try maintain that healthy glow after your detox.

I hope this was helpful. You can read up more about JUICEToU on their website. Let me know if you end up doing the detox, or feel free to ask me any questions! :) 

Until next time... x

The Bath Half Marathon

I’ve talked about it for months, and I have finally done it. That’s right, I ran the Bath Half Marathon! At the beginning of January I could barely run for a month, and I managed to complete the run and keep up with my friend, Kye Sones. 

If you have a run coming up, then I would recommend you read my previous post where personal trainer Laura Sherriff offered me some tips and tricks for the day before and day of the run. I thought I’d tell you about the day and also offer some of the tips I’ve picked up from my experience and from training. 

I drove down the night before with my friend and singer Kye Sones, and we arrived at the Tracy Country Club and Golf Spa in the evening. It’s a beautiful place and it’s a shame we didn’t have longer there to enjoy the grounds. 

We woke up relatively early (mainly due to nerves) on Sunday morning, and had a nice breakfast before doing some press photos and interviews before the race. 

It was my first time in Bath and it made the run so much more enjoyable as it’s such a beautiful city, it kept me distracted from the run itself. There were also some amazing bands and music spread out along the course which was a very welcome distraction. 

The run was relatively easy until the last two miles, which was honestly the hardest 17 minutes of my life. I thought I was going to pass out or be sick when I was running towards the finish line. Thank god I wasn’t - although running through it made me feel even more proud of myself! Not only did I do it, but I did it in under 2 hours, and managed to keep up with my friend, Kye Sones, the whole way.

Tips and Tricks

Laura gave me her advice in my previous post, and I didn’t listen: Don’t change anything the day before you run. I put on some brand new running leggings, and they were too big. That meant I spent the entire time having to pull them up. It was super annoying.

Cut your toe nails! This probably sounds gross and a little obvious, but I didn’t and my toes cut each other.

Motivation

The Nike Running App. This app has been a saving grace for me. I am extremely competitive and being able to see how far my friends have run makes me want to get out there (and run more than them). You can also see how fast you have ran each mile, how many calories you’ve burnt - so whatever your motivation is you can track it with the app. I particularly like that you can sync music playlists to it as well. 

Joining the gym. I joined the Nuffield gym in Surbiton. Not only is it the most beautiful gym I’ve ever seen it’s got so many great classes that on the days I couldn’t be bothered to go for a run, I could try out different classes or go for a chilled swim. It’s silly but being in a fitness environment encouraged me to want to keep exercising, and I could treat myself to a sauna afterwards. 

Diet

I cannot recommend a Nutribullet enough. It has encouraged me to eat healthier as drinks and soups are so easy to make. I got some wheatgrass, maca, and spirulina powder which means it’s really easy to add super foods into your food too. Having a better diet meant I had more energy, but also better hair and skin too. 

The Outfit

I had never paid much attention to sports gear until I started my Bath Half Marathon training and there’s actually some really nice stuff out there.

I’ve always had relatively big boobs, so exercise has been a bit of an ordeal. I used to wear a normal bra, a sports bra, and a top with a built in bra to run, and I’d still be so paranoid the movement would stretch or damage anything and cause sageness later in life. I came across Freya’s sports bra and it is genuinely the best thing ever. I ran the entire half marathon in only that and felt no movement or had any redness around my chest - I even managed to avoid any awful nipple chaffage!

I popped down the the Covent Garden Reebok store and got some amazing things there, including my running trainers that I’ve actually been wearing out and about in the day time as they are so comfortable. Their store is called a Fitness Hub and they have different free classes there throughout the week so I’d recommend checking them out - it would save you money on going to the gym! 

CoppaFeel! 

As you may or may not know, I ran the Bath Half for CoppaFeel! which is a breast cancer awareness charity. It’s a really ambitious charity that is very close to my heart, which you can read about on my justgiving page. Thank you for everyone who sponsored me. 

Let me know if you read this and found it interesting or have any other advice or brands you think I should check out. I also have the running bug, and don’t want to lose my motivation, so if you know of any other great runs in the UK then let me know as I’m going to sign myself up. 

Until next time… x