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Well this weekend as expected has been pretty busy, I have dominated my to do list and it feels really good to be getting through it! After I’d posted on Friday I actually decided to cut the list down to make it more manageable. I’m all about reducing stress whenever I can and a lot of things on the list were not urgent after all.

Outfit from Saturday: cream blazer: H&M, white cotton blouse: vintage, gold necklaces: Warehouse, brown woven belt: Miss Selfridge, ‘Coffee is good for your brain’ bag: Hello Memo, jeans: Topshop, brogues: Topshop

On Friday night I did some multitasking by listening to some of my IIN audio classes while I cleaned the flat. Yesterday morning we had a quick trip to town to get James costume for my party next week, then I spent the afternoon getting some blog stuff done, more IIN work, making raw crackers in the dehydrator and whipping up a new recipe! Today I hit up the gym for Kettle bells, called to see friends and then went to scope out food options with my Mam for the buffet for the party next week. Oh and there has also been some extremely exciting developments this weekend around my health coaching work, phew!

I have had time to feed myself quite nicely though, I do have my priorities! Breakfast yesterday was delicious:

Socca cooked in coconut oil and stuffed with 3 fresh figs, tahini and local honey. I just love fresh figs, expect to see them in another recipe soon!

This morning I had a baked sweet potato with peanut butter for some kettle bell class fuel:

I’d actually baked this in the oven rather than the microwave like I usually do and my word it was gorgeous! So much better done in the oven, I’ll have to start pre baking a few to keep me going during the week. I also had a coffee blended with 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil:

This was lovely, just like the coffee blended with raw cacao butter! As I’ve been saying I will be blogging more to explain the fats blended into coffee thing soon. Speaking of coffee:

It was actually warm enough on Saturday to enjoy an iced coffee! This was a grande soy latte with sugar free vanilla syrup.

For dinner last night I’d made myself some Perfect Tofu in the oven and had it with a big bowl of sautéed kale, broccoli and pak choy in a coconut ginger broth:

The broth was basically full fat tinned coconut milk and minced ginger. Such a simple but tasty way to eat your greens! There was also raw chocolate for dessert:

A couple of pieces of my almond and raisin bark from the fridge.

After the gym this morning I made a really great peach, coconut and vanilla bean smoothie using some new protein powder and a treat purchase from this weekend:

I blended two peaches, a scoop of unsweetened vanilla Life’s Basics protein powder, maca, omega skin oil, full fat tinned coconut milk, water, ice and 1/4 tsp of my new vanilla bean paste:

That smoothie tasted just like a proper vanilla milkshake, I didn’t want it to end! I got the vanilla bean paste as a treat from Waitrose and I’m looking forward to experimenting with it. I’m also very impressed with that new protein powder. I thought I would try something a little different than the sun warrior protein powder for a change. Its a lot cheaper than sun warrior so you can avoid the customs charges if you purchase from iHerb and it has some excellent nutritional stats. It does seem to have that more chalky taste though, so if you are not a sun warrior fan then I doubt you would like this, however I think I’m in love!

Now I think I’m just about ready to finish watching the tennis and get settled for the night. Looking forward to a big stir fry for dinner!

How has your weekend been so far? Are you a ‘to do’ list writer? Are you a fan of vanilla?

Hello everyone and happy Wednesday, half way through the week already can’t be bad! Today of course is another WIAW edition – a day of my eats and a bit of general chit chat. If this is your kind of thing check out the link below for lots of other bloggers posting their daily eats. I know that there is a monthly theme, but to be honest haven’t really considered them before so I’ve decided I’m just going old school from now on ;-)

This is how I spent my day on Monday, which was a wonderful day indeed! I’d booked the day off work just so I could have time to get caught up with a few things and focus on some of my business development stuff. I started the day with the usual warm water and lemon juice followed by a glass of water with raw apple cider vinegar and then hit the gym:

I did workout 1 with a 5 minute cross trainer warm up and followed with 10 minutes of HIIT on the bike. I decided that since I was out I’d might as well swing by the supermarket for a few groceries:

Tofu, frozen berries, crushed ice, milk and seafood as a treat for James

Potatoes, spinach, flat mushrooms, raspberries, strawberries, broccoli, carrots, romaine, bananas, courgettes, organic apples and berry nakd bars as a treat for me!

I’d made a pot of coffee before leaving for the gym so just poured it straight over some ice with vanilla stevia and almond milk to slam while I had a quick shower:

Then it was time for breakfast! I made a fabulous omelette with 2 farm eggs and filled it with peanut butter and naturally sweetened strawberry jam:

I also made a huge smoothie with mixed frozen berries, a scoop of vanilla sun warrior protein powder, some maca, omega oil, water and ice. It made about 3 big cups worth, so delicious!

I decided that since I really need to be able to focus at home now and in the future I’d set myself up a desk space rather than just sitting on the sofa with the computer on my knee. I pushed our little dining table (which is actually a cheap table and fold away chairs meant for outdoor use) against the window and made myself a mini office:

I really love it! It helps me go in to ‘work mode’ much more easily when I have a dedicated space. It also means I have a nice little spot for my tea pot, I brewed up several pots of ginger green tea throughout the day.

The morning was spent mind mapping like a pro and then I took a break for lunch:

I had a big salad with romaine lettuce, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, black beans and avocado. After that I got back to it until I started feeling a bit hungry again and went and made another mega smoothie:

One of the best things about being home has to be having access to the Vita mix! I blended some spinach, red oak lettuce, frozen cherries, a cooked beetroot, scoop of chocolate sun warrior protein powder, some cococardio, water, ice and a little stevia to make an epic chocolate cherry beet green smoothie. That made a full blenders worth and I enjoyed it all :-)

After that I had the best Skype date with a new friend Nathalie from my IIN course. I hope she doesn’t mind me gushing here, but she is wonderful! We’ve been having a weekly Skype date for a little while now and we never cease to inspire and motivate one another!

Dinner was a mega quick and easy combo of a pre baked sweet potato just warmed back up in the oven with some perfect tofu I’d cooked at the weekend and some steamed broccoli:

For dessert I had some Amaretto Stone Fruit Crumble with coconut cream:

The recipe is coming up tomorrow but all I will say is that this is just incredible! Its vegan, gluten free and free from refined sugar. Best thing I’ve made in a long time, I had to stop myself going back for seconds!

I finished the day with a big mug of Sweet Coconut Thai Chai Tea:

Great end to a fab day!

I went to bed feeling motivated and happy – I guess doing work that you love and enjoy is the key to making ‘work’ not feel like work. I could have happily kept on going all day long :-)

I tend to enjoy work where I can be creative, where I am challenged and that is different from day to day. I love knowing that I’m putting something of myself out there and making a difference in the world and to other people. I guess that’s why I enjoy blogging so much, it never feels like a chore!

What kind of work makes you feel fulfilled?

Happy Friday! How’s your week been? Mine has been jam packed! So much going on at work and at home but I’ve been loving it :-)

Birthday flowers still going strong!

This weeks workouts:

• Saturday – 30 Day Shred level 2
• Sunday – REST
• Monday – 5 min warm up on cross trainer, new strength routine, 10 min HIIT on bike
• Tuesday – 20 minutes cardio on machines in gym, Body Pump class
• Wednesday – Hot yoga class at Yogalilies (with Jessica!)
• Thursday – REST
• Friday – 5 min warm up on cross trainer, new strength routine, 10 min HIIT on bike

As I was busy with the birthday party at the weekend / recovering from it and really busy, my workouts have been a little different this week. I wanted to get my sweat on Saturday so opted for the quick and effective Shred. I’ve also decided to make Thursday a totally optional workout day as I’ve been finding that I am just so busy with all the things I have going on right now. Now that most of the holidays and celebrations are out of the way I have a good stretch of about 6 weeks when my routine should be fairly constant so I thought it would be good to start a fresh strength training routine which I’ll share more on once I’ve really got it figured out! As part of it I’ve decided to cut the HIIT down from 20 mins to 10 mins – both to save time and to reduce the stress on my body. Oh and I can’t forget my Hot yoga date with Jess, it was fantastic and was such fun to go with a friend!

I’ve been trying to use up some things left over from the party at the weekend. I’d bought a load of melons for the fruit kebabs but ended up with two leftover so I’ve been eating half a melon a day for the last week! It’s been lovely for breakfast:

Two egg omelette with peanut butter and Clearspring sugar free strawberry spread plus the melon on the side

Dorset Cereal granola with Total Full Fat Greek yoghurt and more melon

I had more party leftovers for snacks. Some of my raw date, almond and coconut balls (just 2 cups of pitted dates, 2 cups of almonds and about 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut chopped up in food processor, I did in two batches, rolled into balls and rolled in more coconut) were not eaten - I know, who would choose a slice of cake over a raw ball eh? ;-)

Total Full Fat Greek yoghurt with a small chopped apple, sunflower seeds, goji berries and crumbled raw balls

Of course the regular salads have been enjoyed too:

Romaine, spinach, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, perfect tofu, avocado

Last night I was straight out after work visiting my cousin and friend with the new born babies. By the time I got home I needed something super quick to eat:

Semi raw sweet potato, tahini and raisin wraps

Luckily I had a pre baked sweet potato in the fridge so I just spread that on a spring green leaf, added a generous amount of tahini and raisins and inhaled. So good!

On the Love List this week…

Funky vitamins to sample! – See more below…

Plus so many things on the list this week…

new born baby cuddles! // exciting developments for future work // organic free range eggs // this post from Gena about being obsessive versus dedicated around food and healthy living – lots I could relate to // ordering a brand new yoga mat and bag // raw chocolate // Project Eve – check it out if you are a woman in business // iced coffee blended with full fat coconut milk // kind and thoughtful birthday gift from Jessica!

In case you missed it:

• My 30th Birthday and Birthday Party – complete with fancy dress!
• Tips on being organised with your finances

I’m really looking forward to this weekend as I’m planning a bit of birthday money shopping in the morning, my cousins wedding party tomorrow night then our 4th wedding anniversary (!) and my Mam’s 50th birthday celebrations on Sunday :-) Bring it on! Now for the GIVEAWAY!!!

______________________________________________________________________________

Win a 3 month supply of True Women – Skin, Hair and Nails and Myprotein discount code

First up, blog sponsor Myprotein are offering 10% off for new customers using code NEWMP (code valid until Sunday 19th August). Time to stock up on the awesome Almond Butter!

I’ve also teamed up with their sister brand, the new Myvitamins to bring you the chance to win a 3 month supply of True Woman - Hair, Skin & Nails.

‘This unique formula combines vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients in a scientific blend to nourish your body from the inside to help create healthy and glowing hair, skin and nails on the outside, whilst also providing nutrients required for general health and wellbeing’

To enter (each of these counts as a single entry – please leave a separate comment for each one, I hate for you to miss out on additional entries!):

• Leave a comment to this post telling me something positive about your week! 
• ‘Like’ my Facebook page and leave a comment below stating that you have done so.
• Follow me via Google Friend Connect or Blog Lovin or Twitter and leave a comment below stating that you have done so.
• Tweet about this giveaway - ‘check out @keephealthstyle great GIVEAWAY’
• Sign up to receive blog updates via email using the link to the left and leave a comment below stating that you have done so. 
• Post about this giveaway with a link back to this post on your blog and leave a comment below stating that you have done so.

Giveaway open to UK residents only (sorry international friends!) and closes at 12am GMT Wednesday 22nd July, good luck and have a great weekend!

Hello guys, hope you are having a great day :-) I’ve had a really lovely weekend so far, its been quite blissful indeed, we haven’t been far or done much but sometimes that is just what you need!

Coffee love

On Friday evening I went to see my sister, nephews and parents then came home and cleaned the flat – love getting the cleaning all done! Yesterday morning we popped out to Tesco for some groceries and sleeping bags ready for Kendal Calling in two weeks, and today I was out at the gym for my Kettle bell class.

Other than that I have been spending time with the man in my life, and by man of course I am referring to the Vitamix, oh and and I may have also talked to my husband occasionally ;-) Some of the things I’ve whipped up include this bowl of protein ice cream with frozen raspberries, chocolate chip spiru-tein and topped with crumbled Popchips:

Oh and I’m not the only crazy person putting crisps with sweet desserts ;-)

This morning post kettle bells I made a massive green smoothie with spinach, fresh pineapple, vanilla sun warrior protein powder and a small handful of fresh coriander:

The coriander added a really interesting flavour. This shows you just how big I make my smoothies, they always fill the blender and give me at least two full glasses!

For lunch I decided to experiment and make a Raw Thai Carrot Soup:

In to the Vita went 6 carrots, 1 red pepper, a couple of spring onions, slice of fresh ginger, 1 tbsp shoyu, 2 tbsp coconut butter, coriander and water (made 2 servings worth). I served it with Raw Health flax crackers. Seriously this is absolutely amazing, it will be getting made again for sure!

For breakfast yesterday I had been thinking about making a big smoothie but I tasted the fruit as I was chopping it and it was too good to be blended up! I ended up making a fruit snacking plate with almond butter for dipping and just having a green smoothie on the side:

The smoothie was simply a head of romaine, vanilla sun warrior, water, ice and a few drops of vanilla stevia whipped up. This morning I didn’t want a large breakfast before kettle bells so I made some oats in a jar:

I’ve just ordered more of that brand of almond butter from iHerb. It has agave and flaxseed blended into it and it really is super creamy. I just cooked the oats on the stove in water with a pinch of pink salt and vanilla stevia, my fave way to make oats right now.

I had a fridge full of courgettes to use up so made some into noodles and topped with the last of my green goddess dressing mixed with a lot more tahini and sweet white miso:

I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of big bowls of creamy raw courgette noodles! Snacks wise, along with the usual green juice, I’ve been having berries and rice cakes with nut butter:

Those blackberries were delicious! Last night for dinner I had some perfect tofu with broccoli and a sunflower seed butter stuffed sweet potato:

Love this meal! Tonight I’m planning on using the tofu in my Tofu and Sweet Potato Hash, its been too long!

The weekend would also not be complete without chocolate of course:

Almonds, sea salt and dark chocolate = heaven!

This morning I decided to try working out in my Converse All Stars for a change:

I’ve been working out in my very old running shoes which have a lot of cushioning for over pronation. What I’ve been finding when doing strength training it that I have trouble really feeling like my feet are being grounded, especially for squats and deadlifts. I wore these for kettle bells this morning and they were brilliant, I can imagine they’d be good for Body Pump too. I could do with some new trainers but until then I think I’ll be sticking with my All Stars!

What kind of shoes do you work out in? Do you have different foot ware for different forms of exercise? How’s your weekend been?

Hello guys, glad you enjoyed my birthday and birthday party posts! I’m still riding the buzz from the weekend, it was so much fun! I do feel a little different now I’m the other side of 30, but in a really good way. I think the change has given me the momentum to kick off a lot of exciting personal projects and its been go go go so far this week.

These are my eats and goings on from yesterday. I had warm water with a squeeze of lemon, a glass of water with a dash of apple cider vinegar and then made breakfast. I’ve been obsessed with this combo for breakfast the last few days:

Two whole organic eggs scrambled in coconut oil and topped with half an avocado and sea salt plus half a melon chopped on the side. I just can’t get enough of this at the moment it just seems to hit the spot. I also had some organic dark roast coffee blended up with a little full fat coconut milk, vanilla bean paste and stevia:

I love how creamy it gets!

I decided to wear one of my birthday presents for work:

You know I love my statement necklaces, this was a gift from my colleagues at work :-)

Mid morning at work I snacked on a little pot of smoked almonds:

For lunch I had a salad with romaine, cucumber, carrot, pepper, red onion, chickpeas and some green goddess dressing:

I had a meeting close to home in the afternoon so finished a bit earlier than usual. As a mid afternoon snack I had a crunchy jazz apple straight from the fridge:

Followed by an iced coffee with unsweetened almond milk:

It was so hot yesterday afternoon that iced coffee was much needed! After that I got ready and headed to the gym. I did some cardio on the machines and then went into my Body Pump class which was like a sauna!

After the class I came home to make dinner. I had been planning on making a stir fry but with it being so warm I just wasn’t feeling it. I decided to make some raw noodles with a massive courgette and some carrots and tossed them in a sauce made with 1/4 cup of peanut flour, sweet white miso, toasted sesame oil and a pinch of ground ginger. Then I pan fried the tofu I’d pressed and marinated in the morning (using the same technique as perfect tofu but just cutting into cubes) wacked it on top and added a bit more of the sauce:

This was a fantastic satisfying semi raw meal!

A bit later for ‘dessert’ I made a smoothie using up some stuff from the fridge – spinach that was on its way out and a couple of juicy plums, plus a scoop of chocolate sun warrior protein powder, raw cacao powder, stevia, ice and water:

I topped it with some bee pollen, goji berries and raw cacao nibs. It was very nice and refreshing. For the first time in a while I even skipped my usual evening cup of hot herbal tea before bed!

Whether you call it a rut or a groove I’m definitely having a moment with the eggs and avocado combo as well as the salads and evening smoothies. Ever since I’ve re introduced eggs I’ve actually surprised myself with how much I’m enjoying them. Scrambling them like that is so quick and easy too. I’ve also found myself making repeats of that salad most days for lunch and just changing up the beans. Of course smoothies are a constant in my diet and I can’t imagine ending the day without one, although I think as the weather starts to get cooler I’ll be looking for different options.

Looking back I think that I didn’t allow myself to get into a food groove for want of trying new things. Even though I generally like variety in my diet, sometimes I develop favourites and as long as I continue to enjoy them I don’t worry about getting stuck in a rut!

What’s your view on food ruts and grooves? What current food groove are you in right now?