3 Course Meal For 1 For Under £5

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With Valentines day approaching and the stores stocking up on cards, flowers and chocolates, having no one to share the 14th of Feb with can be a little saddening. Typically, us singletons would be stocking up on chick flicks, tissues and ice cream. But, instead why not treat yourself? Do something special from you, for you? 

Cook yourself a 3 course meal in under an hour for under £5! Sounds good right. Then go a head and have a relaxing bath and pamper yourself. Who needs to be in a relationship?!

Everything I picked up was from Asda. Who cares if some things are smartprice?!

This is so simple to do, its delicious and will only cost £4.23! Plus, its healthy - better than over indulging on a full bar of chocolate to yourself.

First of all is bruschetta (I completely forgot to include the olive oil, so feel free to use that, but it tasted delicious without it). For the main course, is kidney beans and sweetcorn in a tomato sauce stuffed into a pepper. Then for dessert is roasted pear with greek yoghurt and a sprinkling of cinnamon. 

When I made this, I did have to put the dessert in the fridge for later as I was quite full up. Let me tell you though, it tastes amazing both with the pear hot and cold.

Bruschetta

Ingredients :

• Granary Baton 
• 1-2 tbsp Chopped tomatoes 
• 1/4 Garlic clove, crushed
• Pinch of Basil

Directions :

1. Slice the baton and preheat the grill to a high setting.

2. Mix together the tomatoes, garlic and basil.

3. Place the slices of the baton under the grill and allow to toast on one side.

4. Turn the slices over and top with tomato mixture, then return under the grill for another minute or 2.

Stuffed Pepper

Ingredients :

• 1 Pepper
• Kidney Beans, 1/4 of the tin
• Sweetcorn, 1/3 of the tin
• Garlic, crushed (left over from bruschetta)
• 1/2 tsp Basil

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c.

2. Slice the top of the pepper of and de-seed. Then place on a baking tray, bottom side up. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. 

3. Mix together the tomatoes, kidney beans, sweetcorn, garlic and basil. Then heat in a pan until hot.

4. Remove the pepper from the oven and spoon in the bean mixture (you may need to prop the pepper up with tin foil or against the side of the tray). *Optional* add some grated cheese on top. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Roasted Pear

Ingredients :

• 1 Pear
• Greek Yoghurt
• Cinnamon
• Water

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c.

2. Peel the pear and chop off both ends.

3. Wrap the pear in foil, place on a baking tray and place it in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender.

4. Remove from the oven and serve with some greek yoghurt and sprinkle over some cinnamon.

Printable Recipe Cards

Id love to know what you think and how youre spending Valentines day.

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Gratitude The Science Of Happiness

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Picture from here

The other day, my mum emailed me this video to watch, because thats how we communicate (Im joking, but were constantly sending links to videos, recipes and clothes I would like haha). I found it really interesting and thought Id share it with you, if you havent seen it already. 

It has been found that one of the greatest influencing factors for our happiness, is how much gratitude we show. But do we really show how grateful we are as much as we think we do? Of course saying thank you in situations shows gratitude. But do we do that without thinking - simply because we have been brought up with the idea of manners. I, personally, do this. The words will just slip out of my mouth without giving it a second thought. Im in no way saying that this is wrong - because having manners is important. But what I am saying, along the terms of this video, is if we begin to take it a step further, past just showing gratitude through manners, we could feel happier. 

I did a little reading on gratitude and what it actually is. I came across Robert Emmons who I think is quite a big guy in the scientific world of gratitude. He basically says that gratitude is being thankful for the good things that come our way and realizing that these big or small gifts of goodness come from those around us. Not only does it make us appreciate things but inspires us to return them. If you want to read more about this Ill link the website here, there are some interesting videos to watch within the article too.

I probably wouldnt have written a post around this topic a few weeks ago, even if it does interest me a lot, as I hadnt tested it out. However, at the beginning of this year, before Id read up on any of this, I decided I was going to write in a little notebook at the end of each day. Not in the style of Dear Diary, but simply writing at least one sentence mentioning something during the day that made me smile, laugh or something Im thankful for. So basically, its like a diary of gratitude. Trust me when I say that I have seen quite a change in my outlook! Yes, I still have my moments or even days where I feel down and things get to me, thats just part of life. But I now find myself searching throughout each day for positive things, rather than dwelling on the negative aspects. Yes, there are days where it is a bit more difficult, but there is always something. Maybe at the end of the year, when I read through the book, Ill test out this experiment and tell any people I mention within the diary.

It would be great if you reading this right now, could grab a pen and paper and write down something that youre grateful for today - it could be absolutely anything small or big. I would love to read some of them in the comments as well, if you would like to share it. And finally, Id just like to say Im grateful for you reading this. I dont care I dont have hundreds of readers because its lovely to just be able to write and have someone read, kind of like a nice friendly chat. Thank you! 

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