Give A Special Gift Food Bank Donating

08.48 in a, bank, chocolate, donating, easy, food, gift, give, homemade, Paid, special, treats

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With less than a week till Christmas, the majority of people are rushing around for those last minute gifts, ordering the turkey, icing the cake and so on. But, not everyone will be doing this, Im not talking about those who are super organised and prepared, Im talking about those who wont be having a Christmas. Those who cant afford to buying those special gifts or enjoy a Christmas dinner.

Im not going to lie, this is the first year I have actually thought about those people and Ive shocked myself by this fact. Of course in the past I have donated to school food and toy collections, but Ive only ever given one item and never given a thought about the causes they are for. There are a lot of people who, like me, have turned almost a blind eye to the matter - Im not saying everyone of you is like this. 

But this year, I actually took in the message. We where told at sixth form that there where children within the school who wouldnt be having a Christmas dinner this year, and most likely no Christmas at all and there would be a food collection to give these families the gift of a hot meal on Christmas day. This struck me. The fact that I was passing people everyday who where in that kind of situation - where their parents probably dont eat so their children can and even then the child may not be having a warming substantial meal. 

(This may seem like Im going off topic slightly) The other day I was at my younger brothers primary school Christmas fair and there was a stall of tins and dried packaged goods. It was coming to the end of the fair and I noticed there was still a lot left on the stall, I was thinking of going over and asking if  they would possibly donate it to the food collection, I didnt. But I really wish I had done as they decided to auction the whole load off and I wish in a way pretty mad at myself for not simply asking. 

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However, this sparked me to do something myself and I did briefly mention the idea in my list of things to do in the run up to Christmas (here). Sadly, I had missed the chance to donate to the food collection at sixth form, but instead I decided to drop some things off at the local food bank. I was in town the other day and had some money left in my pocket, so I popped into ASDA and picked up as much as I could with the £4 I had. It doesnt sound like a lot but I was surprised at how much I managed to get although I wish I could have gotten more. 

I wanted to write this blog post to just share the message that Christmas is a time for giving, Im not demanding you go out and give ££££ worth of food away, you could help in other ways. 

Yes you could spend a few quid and drop it off at your local food bank, they will be closing within the next few days for Christmas so if you miss it possibly do it in the new year. This is the stuff that food banks take as it has a long shelf life.

To give you a rough idea off what I managed to get for just under £4 - jam, 5 tins of soup, 2 tins of veg, porridge oats, spaghetti and a pack of biscuits. 

You could donate toys for less fortunate children, visit an old peoples home and spend time playing games with some of the elderly who may not have a family to go and spend Christmas with, or simply purchasing items from a charity shop. Every little bit helps and the more people that do give a small contribution in some way will create a lot of help for the charities, causes and people. 

I dont plan on just keeping this message for around Christmas time as it is important all year round. 

Luke Cameron is a guy a heard about on Good Morning Britain and I think what he has done this past year is brilliant. Each day in 2014 he has done a good deed! Ill leave the link to his blog so you can read about it if youd like - The Good Deed Diary.

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Relax Evening Essentials

01.29 in essentials, evening, granola, homemade, Paid, relax

Every once in a while, I enjoy simply putting everything to the side and having a nice relaxing evening. Although I am guilty of always putting things off and saying Ill do it later quite frequently, on little occasions I wont worry about it and forgive myself.

During winter, these little pampering sessions are a perfect way to spend my nights. Dont get me wrong, I love the odd few in summer. But when its all wet and cold outside, slipping into a warm bath and reading a good book or snuggling up to watch netflix with your favourite blanket and a cup of tea is amazing and comforting.

So today, seeing as I enjoyed one last night, I thought Id share with you what I do and what products I use on these evenings.

First of all, I usually run a bath. This may be a little strange but personally, Im not really a fan of a lot of bath products. I occasionally put a sprinkle of bath salts or some bubbles but apart from that my baths dont usually look very interesting. 

Whilst the bath is running, Ill wash my face and put on a face mask. These two are my favourites - the Botanics Ionic Clay Mask and Avons Clearskin Pore Penetrating Mineral Mask

Ill then use a home made body scrub which consists of brown sugar and coconut oil. Simply melt 1tbsp of oil in the microwave and then mix in 2-3 tbsp of sugar.

Once I get out of the bath, Ill go a head and finish my skincare routine and then apply Soap & Glorys Heel Genuis and Soap & Glorys Butter Yourself.

Of course it wouldnt be a relaxing evening without putting on some cosy socks and lighting some candles. 

Next, I usually paint my nails with one of my favourite colours : Maybellines Colorshow in 107 watery waste or 77 nebline (which I dont think they do any more), Rimmel Londons Lycra Pro in 397 beige babe, Barry M in 304 mint green or Barry Ms Chameleon in 331 chameleon blue.

Then Ill spend the rest of the night either reading my current book or watching netflix. 

What are your favourite ways to spend a relaxing evening? 

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Homemade Granola

00.15 in a, batch, birthday, cupcakes, granola, homemade, of, Paid

Breakfast is my far my most favourite meal of the day! I could have breakfasty foods for every meal. To be honest there are some days where I have. Having a sweet tooth means that I enjoy the sweeter options, but dont get me wrong I still love a good egg. Although I said I like sweeter options I almost always go for healthier options rather than the sugar loaded cereals or pancakes. So, I have a topping of least 2 pieces of fruit whether it be on porridge, weetabix, pancakes or my of all time favourite - granola and Greek yoghurt. 

But, and Im sure you have heard it before, most store bought granolas have more sugar than needed. As a result of this I did exchange granola for muesli for a short time, which is still a delicious breakfast but granola just tops it because its crunch. But a few weeks ago, I dont know why the thought had never occurred to me before, I thought Id give a go at making my own.

Id like to say I nicely gathered together a few things I either look for in store bought granola or things I add on top, but it was more like I basically raided the cupboards and threw a bunch of stuff in a bowl. After making it a good few times and tweaking little things, I thought I share my recipe with you. Of course, the ingredients dont have to be strictly followed as you can change things to suit your preferences, for example if you dont like walnuts go for almonds or cashews, if you dont like raisins go for dried cranberries or goji berries.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup walnuts, crushed
• 1/3 seeds, I had a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin and flax
• 1 cup of raisins
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

Yields around 6-10 servings

1. Preheat your oven to 160°c. Combine all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Melt your coconut oil in a pan or in the microwave. If you are using a microwave, melt it in bursts of 30 seconds. Once it has almost melted add in your honey and return the pan or microwave for another 10-20 seconds.

3. Pour the coconut oil and honey onto your dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Pour the mixture into a baking tray or dish and place in the oven for 10-20 minutes, mix the granola at around 7 minutes. Check after 10 minutes and return to the oven if you want it to be crisper. I prefer mine when it is in between muesli and granola, you get the best of both worlds (and the Hannah Montana song just popped into my head).

5. Once it has baked, allow to cool before transferring the mixture to sealed container. It should last for up to 2 weeks.

Print your own recipe card

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Easy Homemade Chocolate Treats

05.30 in candy, cane, chocolate, easy, hearts, homemade, Paid, treats

Chocolates are a popular gift for Christmas. Usually, we are stocked up till April! But that doesnt matter because its chocolate and it is delicious. I have seen a lot of home made fudge DIY gifts, but for those who dont like fudge, I thought a chocolate option may be a great alternative. So instead of buying a box, why not have a go at making your own? They dont just have to be given as a gift, you can make them for a holiday party/gathering or simply eat them all yourself (I had to make another batch as half of the first disappeared shhhh).  

This is a super easy DIY, that can be made as a last minute gift or a few hours before a party. You only need a few ingredients and a chocolate mould, mine was £2.99 from The Range

As I was making mine for gifts I chose things the person would like, crushed candy cane on top with a marshmallow filling and a mix of white and milk chocolate. But you can mix and match the fillings, toppings and chocolate. I think dark chocolate with a crushed walnut on top and a bit of a dried apricot would be delicious (I may have to make that as a gift for myself). 

Ingredients

• Chocolate of choice
• Topping - Candy cane, Nut, Sprinkles etc
• Filling - Marshmallows, Dried fruit etc 

Directions

1. Place crushed candy cane (or topping choice) in each mould. 

2. Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water doesnt touch the bowl. I found it easier to work in batches so the chocolate stayed runny and didnt start stiffening again.

3. With a small spoon, carefully spoon the chocolate into each mould. Only fill them half way.

4. Next place a marshmallow (or filling choice) in each mould and push down slightly.

5. Then, melt more chocolate if needed, and spoon chocolate over filling and until the mould is filled.

6. Place in the fridge for a few hours. Then pop out of the moulds and enjoy, wrap or rush out the door. 

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