Feta and Veg Cous Cous Easy Healthy Delicious

09.08 in and, banana, bread, cous, delicious, easy, feta, free, healthy, oil, Paid, veg

Although I love my soups, casseroles and roasts (we cant forget the roasts), the majority of the time I go for quick meals. I love being able to walk into my kitchen when hunger strikes and throw something together there and then rather than waiting around because that always leads to nibbling and getting agitated. But when I say a quick meal, I dont mean a packet of noodles, beans on toast, or a sandwich. Thats why Im sharing this simple dish, which is one of my go-to meals. Including both preparing and cooking it takes in total around 7 minutes - fantastic!

Ingredients 
1 serving

• 1/4 Bell pepper
• 1/3 - 1/2 Courgette
• 4 Cherry or plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Feta cheese
• 1/4 cup Cous cous
• 1/4 cup water, boiled
• 1/3 tsp Mixed herbs
• 1/3 tsp Paprika
• Chilli, to taste 

Directions

1. Preheat your grill to a high temperature and also boil the water.

2. Slice the courgette and pepper, then place under the grill for around 2-3 minutes on each side.

3. In your bowl combine the seasoning and cous cous then pour the water, leaving it to soak up. Once the water is soaked up use a fork a fluff up the cous cous.

4. Cut up your tomatoes, feta cheese, cooked pepper and courgette and combine with the cous cous. Enjoy! 

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DIY Gift In A Bauble

00.12 in a, and, bauble, cous, delicious, diy, easy, feta, gift, healthy, in, Paid, veg

The other day, whilst sorting through the boxes of Christmas decorations, I came across these baubles I picked up last year but forgot about. I couldnt remember what I planned to do with them so decided to use them as gifts. 

Theyd make a great gift for giving to a group of friends, neighbours, grandchildren, partner - anyone. Also, as they are light (depending on what you put in them) they can be easily sent through post to those who you wont be able to see.

I picked up a pack of these 8mm clear splittable baubles from a market stall, but I had a look online and you can order them (here) - in colours as well which saves getting messy. Hobby craft also stock 6mm ones (here). Im not sure about other countries, but they should be easily found.

I wanted to spray paint mine to make them a little more decorative. Go crazy and decorate it with stickers, glitter, ribbon whatever takes your fancy. These are some fantastic ideas you could also try glass paint  and snowy crystal. The person who then receives the gift can the hang it on their try - I think thats why it makes a great gift for grandparents and parents, a lovely keepsake. 

Dont forget to save some ribbon to hang them with!

Theres so many things you could fill them with, Ive listed a few below: 

 ? Little notes of happiness - write quotes, positive messages, things to make the person smile throughout the new year.

? Jewellery 

? Money

? Baked goods - maybe some of this gingerbread fudge

? Small make-up items - an eye-shadow, nail varnish, lipstick...

? Doll house items

? Toy cars

? Key ring

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Simple Kind To Skin Rich Moisturiser

11.04 in bites, butter, date, delicious, healthy, kind, moisturiser, Paid, peanut, rich, simple, skin, snack, to

As we are now transitioning into the colder months and harsher weather, our skin usually changes too. For me I tend to get dry flaky patches, mostly between my eyebrows and on and around my nose. But of course its not just as simple as that, as I also continue to get oily throughout the day - luckily not as much as in summer. 

I have the annoying combination type skin, I have an oily t-zone, which also gets very dry but then to top it off I have normal cheeks. Finding skincare products that work well for me is difficult! I cant really buy products that sway for oily skin, otherwise my skin dries out and begins to flake and on the other hand I cant go for products aimed at dry skin or Im like a grease ball. Products aimed at combination and normal skin are usually my best bet, but they dont always work. So it means that when I find a product that truly works I just dont budge from it! 

Simples rich moisturiser is by far one of the best products Ive come across that caters for my skin perfectly. Although it states its a rich moisturiser and youd expect that to mean that those who suffer with oily skin are going to look greasy pretty fast, Ive never experienced that - which is great! It definitely does what it claims Like a desert needs the rain and a digestive needs to be dunked,this gives drier skin the moisture it craves, with none of the slippery after effects.

I actually discovered this product towards the end of 2012 when I picked up a travel size for going skiing, as the conditions on the mountains would dry most peoples skin up like crazy. Since then Ive never bought or even tried another moisturiser! Seeing as Ive just picked up another bottle I decided its probably a good time to write a review on it. 

I use it both morning and night right after cleansing my face. Its really easy to apply, its smooth and soaks into the skin pretty fast - which is great in the morning when youre wanting to apply make-up straight after. 

Usually, if I have flaky patches arising Ill just apply a little more in that area and that does the trick. This moisturiser does not feel heavy or greasy at all! At only £3.99 a bottle from Superdrug whats not to love.Also, as an added bonus, the bottle lasts me ages!

Id definitely recommend you try this product out if you have similar skin to me, or even if you just want to try something new - its a keeper.

In a nutshell

+ Inexpensive

+ Does what it claims

+ Not greasy

+ Great for both day and night

+ Great all year round

I have no faults with it!

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Peanut Butter Date Bites Healthy Delicious Snack

20.33 in autumn, bites, butter, date, delicious, healthy, Paid, peanut, snack, wishlist

Ive been super busy recently, with not only returning to college (and forgetting the amount of work I constantly have) but attending university open days practically every weekend - Ill hopefully write a blog post on this topic in the near future. 

With all the rushing around and trying to work hard from the beginning of the year, I have found myself hungrier than usual and snacking more frequently. So I needed something I could turn to that would satisfy me in-between meals. This is definitely the thing!

I cannot even begin to express how amazing these taste! Now, I can sometimes find dates a bit sickly sweet, but paired with the peanut butter, it balances out the sweetness perfectly. Surprisingly, just 1 or 2 of these bites is enough to fill you up! The best thing about them, as they are baked, is that you can pop them in a food bag and take them on the go with you. 

However, you can pop them in the fridge and enjoy them as a fudge like snack, so maybe split your batch when you first make them and see what your preference is. 

Soft, chewy cake like goodness with the added extra crunch from the walnuts and seeds, these bites are by far my new favourite snack (and hopefully yours too).

Ingredients

Yields around 19 small bites

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of pitted dates
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/4 cup walnuts (crushed)
• 1/8 cup of pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds etc
• 1-2 tbsp of non-dairy milk (to help loosen the dates if needed)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Place your dates in a bowl and cover with hot water, leave to soften for 20-30 minutes.

3. Drain the water and place the dates into a blender or food processor and blitz until they become a smooth consistency, if needed add a drop of milk to help loosen and soften the dates.

4. Next, transfer the date mixture into a bowl and mix in the peanut butter.

5. Then fold in your walnuts and seed(s) of choice.

6. Gradually pour in your oats and combine thoroughly.

7. With your hands, roll the mixture into balls of your preferred size (I make mine around the size of a tsp) and place them onto the baking tray. If you are deciding to split the batch and refrigerate some, follow the same steps and place the bites onto a separate baking tray, also lined with greaseproof paper and pop them in the fridge. They are best when left for over 4 hours. 

8. Finally, pop the bites for baking in the oven for around 7-10 minutes or until firm to touch (leave them for another few minutes if you make them slightly bigger). Once baked, leave to cool then enjoy!

Printable recipe card

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