Graze's 'Good Breakfast Club' (plus FREE code).

I was pleasantly surprised after checking my emails the other day, as I received a code from Graze, inviting me to their 'Good Breakfast Club'! I have been on their waiting list for what feels like ages, and now I'm finally in the club! :) To add to the nice surprise, my first delivery was free!

I tried my first porridge from Graze yesterday. It was the blackcurrant & cranberry porridge with honey and it was absolutely delicious! I've never had honey in porridge before, as I'm not overly keen on honey, but it was really nice and really complimented the flavour of the porridge.  If you have a sweet tooth, this would be perfect for you as the honey makes it VERY sweet. There isn't a lot of porridge once it's all made up, but the tastes definitely makes up for the lack of food! The bigger porridge punnets would probably make a more satisfying amount of porridge, but it doesn't come with honey. I am quite tempted to keep paying to receive these. I'm probably going to have to move around how often I receive both of the different Graze boxes though, otherwise I am going to be so poor!

The porridge is really simple to make. The instructions are in the leaflet you receive with them, but in case you misplace it, all you do is:

1. Pull the lid off the top of the oats (keep the lid sealed over the honey if you can) and pour the oats into a bowl.
2. Fill up the part of the punnet that had the oats in one and a half times with your choice of milk (I used Alrpo unsweetened almond milk), and pour into the bowl with the oats. If you're having the bigger punnet of porridge, without the honey on the side, fill it up twice with your choice of milk and pour it in.
3. Now pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes.
4. Take it out and give it a stir. If you're going to use the honey, just take the lid off of the honey, and pour as much as you want of it into the porridge and give it a good stir.

Simple as that!

You can only join the Good Breakfast Club if you're an existing Graze customer. But don't worry, I have codes for everyone:

If you're already a Graze customer, here's a code to get your first Good Breakfast Club box for FREE:

ZL5YKHL

If you're not already a Graze customer, get yourself your first regular Graze box for FREE by using this code:

N6JMVCHD

You need to live in the UK to be able to receive Graze Boxes. When you sign up they do ask for payment details - don't panic! This is only in case you decide to continue to receive boxes after you get your free one. If you only want the free box and no more or if you receive your first box and decide you really don't like Graze, cancelling with them is very simple and fuss free - it's a very trustworthy site and I know people who have cancelled with them before with no issues whatsoever. If you do continue to receive them, you can decide how often you receive boxes. You can also book holidays so they don't come on a week you know you won't be there for and you can also postpone boxes too. Don't forget to go through all of the punnets/porridges on their website and rate all of them with either 'Try', 'Like', 'Love' or 'Bin' and you can also select 'Send Soon'. 'Bin' insures that you will never receive that punnet - great if your allergic to anything, have specially dietary needs or just know you don't like a certain food, like me with coconut. This can be a little time consuming, but it's worth doing, especially if you're planning to continue to pay for boxes.

TOP TIP: As the amount of calories in each punnet and it's use-by date is written on the separate leaflet in the box and not on the punnets themselves, use a permanent marker to write them onto the lid of the punnets yourself. That way you don't need to carry the leaflet around with you everywhere and you don't need to worry about losing it.

Red onion marmalade.

For our barbecue the other day, my boyfriend, Jago, treated us all to his homemade red onion marmalade. It tasted gorgeous! We all had a dollop of it on our burgers (and I kept sneakily having some on its own, as I just loved it that much) and it went so well! It could also go on crispbreads, crackers, on toast or in sandwiches. Jago has kindly let me feature his recipe on here! It may not be the healthiest of recipes, but as long as you don't indulge in too much of it, it shouldn't be too bad. Its very sweet and really hits the spot if you're craving a little sugar. Sorry I don't have any photos throughout the making of this little delight - I was distracted getting the rest of the food ready. If we make it again, I'll snap some step-by-step pics and edit them into this post. :)

I'm not too sure how many servings this recipe makes. But the whole recipe itself is 459 kcal. So I guess if you just divide it all out evenly amongst everyone, then divide 459 by how ever many you divide the marmalade into, it'll give you an approx. amount of calories for your serving. I wouldn't have too much though as it's quite calorific. Sorry for not being overly helpful!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 4 red onions, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp sugar
- juice of 1 orange
- 1 cup of red wine (or enough that it just covers all the tops of the ingredients in the pan).

Method:
1. On a high heat, in a medium saucepan, cook the onions and garlic in the oil until it starts to go soft.
2. Add in the sugar and keep stirring it all around. Cook until it starts to bubble.
3. Add in the orange juice and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
4. Now pour in the wine, turn down the heat and allow to simmer until it reduces and thickens. It should have a sticky constancy.
5. When ready, pour into a bowl and let it cool down. Once cool, cover it up and keep it in the fridge. Once cold, it's ready to use when you are!

Enjoy! :)

Homemade lean beef burgers.

The sun has been shining and I decided today was the perfect day to have the first barbecue of 2013! My boyfriend, Jago, and I slaved away to make a healthy feast for my family. This included: homemade beef burgers with all the garnishes; red onion marmalade (this will be posted in the next recipe post I write - keep your eyes peeled); potato salad; tuna pasta salad and carrot sticks with hummus. Obviously as I'm a vegetarian I never got to taste test these burgers (I enjoyed some Quorn chicken style burgers instead), but everyone else had one and they absolutely loved them - they even had seconds! So here it is, my first ever meat recipe for my blog! I hope you all enjoy it. :)

This recipe makes about 5 beef burgers. Each burger, with no garnishes, is approx. 145kcal. Just add the calories for any fillings or roll you eat with your burger to give a total amount, inc. garnishes.

Ingredients:
- 500g extra lean mince beef
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 egg
- dash of Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- low-kcal cooking spray (if pan frying)

Equipment that'd be useful for you to have:
- a burger press
- a garlic crusher

Method:

1. Dice the red onion as small as possible.

2. Place the red onion into a large bowl and crush the garlic cloves into the bowl with it.

3. Add in the mince beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper into the bowl.

4. Using your hands squish all of the ingredients in the bowl together, work it all in, until thoroughly combined.

5. Now, from the burger meat mixture, weigh out 120g of it and, either using a burger press or your hands, make it into a even, circular burger shape. The last burger you make will probably weigh a bit more than 120g, but that's okay.

6. Now you can cook these on a BBQ or pan fry them, using low-kcal cooking spray or a little bit of olive oil. I chose to cook them on the BBQ.

7. Once cooked through, serve up with all of the garnishes. We served ours with small soft bread rolls, lettuce, tomato, a little bit of low-fat cheese and our homemade red onion marmalade (next recipe to be written for my blog, keep your eyes peeled!) and a little of all the side dishes we made (see photo at the top).

Vegetarian chickpea burgers.

Flicking through last month's issue of one of my favourite magazines, Healthy Food Guide (issue April 2012), I came across this recipe and I just had to give it a go (page 40).

Since being a vegetarian, I have found it extremely difficult to find nice tasting veggie burgers. In my opinion, Quorn burgers are horrible and I will never touch them again (although I like almost all other Quorn products). I've tried Tesco's meat-free burgers too and they are equally as disgusting. So I have always kept an eye out for an easy-ish looking veggie burger recipe to try and I have finally found one that has taken my fancy (I have tried making my own experimental bean burgers before - blog post here - but they didn't turn out so good.. Bit of a disaster really..).

These chickpea burgers are really delicious. Mine didn't turn out quite as neat looking as the ones photographed in the magazine, but I don't mind... As long as they taste good, that's all that matters. A couple of them burnt a little (although I couldn't taste any burntness) and others crumbled into pieces, but both my family and I really enjoyed them. They felt like the perfect meal to enjoy on a sunny day like today. They'll also be great for barbecues in the Summertime. The burger looks so appetising when assembled with all the garnishes, and it definitely tastes as good as it looks. The lemon and sweet chilli dressing is incredible. If I were to make these again, I'd definitely make two batches of the dressing as I just want to smother everything in it!

This recipe serves 4 people and is approx. 295 kcal per serving with the garnish, but without a roll. (I've not included the roll because you may use different rolls as I've used.. Just add on how many calories 1 roll of your choice is worth to the calories above, which will give you an approx. amount per serving with garnish and your roll of choice). The chickpea burgers on their own are approx. 210 kcal each.

Here's how it's made:

Please note: You will need a food processor for this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the burger/dressing:
- 400g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried crushed chilli flakes
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp flatleaf parsley, chopped
- Low-kcal cooking oil spray

For the garnish:
- 4 x rolls, halved and toasted, if you wish (You can choose whatever rolls you'd prefer. E.g. sourdough, pita bread, wholemeal, soft white, etc. I chose "Warburton's Sandwich Thins" for our burgers, which are 100kcal per Thin).
- 100g spinach
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 small avocado, sliced
- 50g reduced-fat feta/salad cheese, crumbled

Method:

1. Cook the sweet potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for about 8 minutes, or until very tender. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sweet chilli sauce and lemon juice to create the dressing and set aside.

2. Drain the potatoes, then whiz in a food processor with the chickpeas until roughly crushed. Add the spring onions, cumin, chilli flakes and zest and whiz to combine. Gently stir in the eggs and parsley, then divide the mixture into 4 x 10cm patties.

3. Heat a little low-kcal cooking oil spray in a frying pan, then cook the patties over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and cooked. (Don't worry too much if they fall apart like mine did - they'll be a bit messy but they'll taste just as good).

4. To serve, top the bottom half of each roll with spinach leaves, a chickpea burger, tomato and avocado slices, then the feta/salad cheese. Drizzle over the lemon and sweet chilli dressing, then add the roll tops.

Enjoy! :D

Apologies!

Hello! I'm sorry for the lack of posts.. I have been quite poorly lately, with a chesty cough and a really bad cold. I have had no energy or motivation to get out of bed most days, other than for work, but even that was a struggle. I have never seen a pile of tissues so high - I have gone through boxes and boxes of them this week! I'm starting to feel a bit better now though, but I'm still sniffing and coughing a little. I've naughtily avoided the gym whilst feeling ill too, which I probably shouldn't have, but hey-ho.. So I really need to get back to it and get back into a routine again! I will also get on and get a recipe sorted and posted soon! Whether it be a smoothie or a meal, I'm not sure yet..

If you have any requests for any recipes or posts in particular, please don't be afraid to ask. Either comment on any of my blog posts or email me on:

skinny-wish@hotmail.co.uk

I'm feeling pretty tempted to make a meat dish for all you meat-eaters out there, as I've never posted any healthy meat recipes on my blog before. I won't personally be trying the dish though, as I'm a pescetarian, but I'll get my family to taste-test it for me before posting. I have no idea what I'm going to make though.. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to meat, how to cook it or what each meat goes well with.. I'll have to do some research first, I think.

Sorry again, and I hope you all have a lovely day. :)

Happy 1st birthday & 100th post!

This post is a double whammy - yesterday was this blog's 1st birthday and this is also this blog's 100th post.

I have had so much fun writing for my blog for the past year. Making up and trying recipes to post about is probably my favourite bit of it all. I also love getting feedback and receiving comments on my posts - I don't get them very often but I appreciate them all and love seeing what my readers have to say. I look forward to continuing to write for this blog, and I hope the quality of my posts will continue to improve as time goes on. Thank you everyone for the support and views!

In this past year I haven't changed much regarding my weight, but my fitness levels have improved and I have gained a bit of lean muscle here and there. I have joined a gym this past year, even though last year I said I'd never join one because I can't stay committed enough to get my money's worth.. But I seem to have proved myself wrong. I'm finding it hard to go regularly each week now because of the new rules about parking at work (I've already received one hefty parking fine.. I don't want another), but I am still managing to go around 2-3 times a week. I've had quite a lot of hiccups lately, food-wise and weight-wise, but I refuse to give up. I'm still battling with my love for chocolate and the occasional pizza night with my family or boyfriend...  I need to try and fully regain my willpower again, as the low mood I've had lately has totally knocked it off course.

Happy Easter, by the way! I have a love-hate relationship with this day of the year.. I love chocolate, but I hate the amount of chocolate I tend to receive. I hate how Easter is all about chocolate.. I just wish Easter was about apples or bananas or something else. Then I wouldn't have to battle with my love for the dark stuff, which then puts me in another battle with my weight. Every year I try and eat all the chocolate I receive at Easter in the shortest time possible, so I just have to deal with one really bad gain, instead of a steady gain over a longer period of time. That way, once it's all gone, I can work on getting the weight off again without any chocolatey distractions (this, I know, is probably not a great technique or good advice to give (and I don't really advise you to do this), but it's what works best for me. If I have no chocolate around, I can't eat it).

Once again, thank you to all my readers, both regular and first timers. Your support continues to keep me inspired to keep this blog going! <3

Here's some stats about the blog, for anyone who's interested:

Pageviews last month: 980
Pageviews all time history: 11,594

Top 3 most visited posts of all time:
#1 = Lets get naked in the snow, for charity! with 570 pageviews
#2 = Graze guilt-free high tea! with 535 pageviews
#3 = Shakeaway tip! with 505 pageviews

Top 5 pageviews from countries from all time:
#1 = United Kingdom with 7858 pageviews
#2 = United States with 1581 pageviews
#3 = France with 493 pageviews
#4 = Russia with 216 pageviews
#5 = Canada with 178 pageviews

Race For Life 2013. I've signed up, have you?

Today I signed myself up for this years local 5km Race For Life (Sunday July 14th 2013)! I normally leave it pretty last minute to sign up, but I decided to do it well in advance this year so I can try and get the most sponsors I possibly can. I've only set myself a small target of raising £30.00 to begin with. I know it's quite low, but I know from previous years that not many people seem to sponsor me. I've decided this year to sign up earlier and try starting off with a lower target. I'll aim for that target and then gradually increase it. Hopefully, if this new tactic works, I will smash the first £30.00 target by the time the event actually arrives.

Please sponsor me on my JustGiving page: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/JessicaRobertson.

Sponsoring me through JustGiving means the money gets donated straight to Cancer Research UK. If you're a UK taxpayer, don't forget to tick the "Gift Aid" box, which will increase your donation by 25% at no extra cost to you!

I participated in the Race For Life last year too (click here for the blog post) and I did better than any other years I've done it! I jogged the whole thing non-stop last year - even the really horrible hill near the very end (hopefully they'll purposely miss that bit out this year, as it was an absolute killer). I am not a runner nor a jogger, so it was a pretty big confidence boost for myself completing it non-stop. I finished it in 32 minutes and 29 seconds, so I will hopefully beat that this year!

I am a lot more active than I was last year, but I mainly lift weights at the gym nowadays. I don't do much cardio at all.. I guess I'll have to try and incorporate more cardio into my gym routine to prep myself for this! I will be gutted if I finish at a really bad time compared to last year. But even if I do, it's the raising money that counts. So please sponsor me! Every sponsor, no matter how big or small, will help this amazing cause and will be greatly appreciated!

If you are interested in joining in, go onto the Race For Life website to see if there are any events near you. There's a small fee to sign up, but it is all for Cancer Research - so a fantastic cause! Please don't be put off or embarrassed if you think you can't run/jog it. Just because it's called a "race", doesn't mean you're actually racing. You can walk the whole 5km if you want to! It's just a fun day out for all the family! Only women can participate though (which is a little unfair in my opinion, as men can get breast cancer too, but hey ho..), but feel free to bring your male family members, partner and friends to come cheer you on in the sidelines!

Spread the word about Race For Life 2013 and get all of your friends and family involved.

LETS SHOW CANCER WHO'S BOSS!

5-a-day fruit smoothie.

This tasty fruit combination was pot-luck really, as I made up on the spot. I'd picked up some "reduced-price" fruit from the supermarket yesterday that needed using, so I just chose other fruits we already had that I thought would compliment them in taste. I think I chose pretty well, as this smoothie is absolutely delicious! Such a wonderful, refreshing taste and looks very attractive too - a nice colour and it isn't too thick or too smooth. Perfect for a quick, healthy breakfast. I will definitely be making this again. I'm a sucker for a good tasting smoothie!

This smoothie serves 1 and is approx. 369 kcal. (You could make it into 2 smaller servings, at approx. 185 kcal per serving, but this would be more appropriate as a small side to another small breakfast dish, rather than a whole breakfast by itself, like one big serving would be - if that makes sense.. Haha).

Ingredients:
- 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
- 1 clementine, peeled and any seeds removed
- 1 mango, peeled and cubed
- juice from 1/2 a lime
- 1 banana, peeled and sliced
- handful of ice cubes

Method:
1. Place all fruit it the blender and blend until smooth.
2. Once blended, place the ice cubes in and blend again until smooth.
3. Pour into a pint glass and enjoy!

I need to set my priorities straight..

As some of you may know, I like a good night out (don't judge, please - I know this is a weightloss blog, but I do like to enjoy myself and let my hair down sometimes too). But last night may have changed my opinion a little.. It was... eventful? I went drinking in town with a few friends and predrank beforehand.. But I predrank WAY more than usual.. Why? I have no idea. Maybe I'm just an idiot. After spending the majority of the night with my head in a toilet, crying and eating a mountain of cheesy chips, I've come to the realisation, I cannot handle my alcohol. I like to think I can, but after last night I know I can't. This morning I found what was left in my bottle of Malibu, and I was disgusted in myself when I actually saw how much I got through - I'm lucky I didn't have to go to hospital. I am so ashamed and very embarrassed. I know we all make mistakes and "you only live once", but the events of last night are playing with my mind. I have spent nearly all day in town, killing time with the worst hangover to date, as I didn't feel sober enough to drive home this morning. I'm finally home and it's gone 4pm.. Almost a whole day wasted.

I have realised that I clearly have my priorities all wrong. Yes, socialising and having a dance with a few drinks down you is great fun, but for me it just happens way too often now. Each night I go out I seem to get through more and more alcohol, thinking I can handle it when I clearly can't. I need to start setting dates for my nights out way in advance, instead of deciding the day before that I'm going to go out, as that way I won't be going out once every week or two, and they'll be more spread out. I'll probably appreciate the nights out and time with my friends more, and I'm sure mine and my boyfriend's pockets will appreciate that too. I also need to stop predrinking, or buy seriously less alcohol for myself to drink if I do. Buying drinks in town is more expensive, which sucks, but it means I'll drink less as I won't be able to afford many drinks (I am extremely stingy with my money on nights out, no matter how intoxicated I am). So I'm now going to have to find something else to do on my Saturday nights.. No idea what though.

I want to spend more of my time doing more important things, like working a bit more and saving up some money, seeing family and friends (whilst sober), looking into going back to college in September, focusing on writing for my blog and the e-magazine, Pie, that I now write a little bit for each month and tackling my insomnia, anxiety and weight issues. Also I need to get my butt back down the gym and get back into a proper routine instead of going 1-2 times a week, whenever I can be bothered, and I need to start eating more healthily again, as I keep yo-yoing from eating really good one day to really naughty the next. I need to look after my body and stop treating it like a dustbin.

Hopefully, with support from my family (and hopefully friends too), and of course will power, I'll be able to stick to all of this. *Fingers crossed*, I can do this!

Treat yourself to a FREE Graze Box!

I've been receiving Graze Box's through the post, fortnightly, since January 2012 and I am still really enjoying them. I enjoy them as snacks and occasionally as a quick get-up-and-go breakfast. I have tried many of Graze's punnets now and I still get sent new ones I've yet to try, and they never disappoint. A few of my latest punnets I've tried and loved are 'walnut and vanilla truffle', 'summer berry compote' and 'salt and vinegar nut selection' - yum yum! One I am dying to receive is their new "better-for-you brownie" - it looks and sounds delicious (I'm a sucker for a gooey, chocolatey brownie).

I received my first Graze Box by receiving a code from a friend, and I've never regretted it. I never cancelled and now pay a small price for a each box, but I think it's worth it. So here's a code for you to receive your first Graze Box for FREE:

N6JMVCHD

If you don't enjoy your first box or only wanted the free one, you can easily cancel all future Graze Box's at no extra cost. This is a very trustworthy company and I have never had any issues with them. My friend has cancelled her boxes with them before and had no issues either, so no need to worry. You can also postpone boxes and move dates around to choose when and how often you receive them. Don't forget to rate the punnets they offer so you're more likely to receive ones you actually like. You can "bin" them too so you will never receive ones you know you won't like. This is great if you hate certain flavours (like me with coconut flakes. I "binned" those within the first hour of redeeming my code), are allergic to anything (lots of the punnets contain nuts/dairy, but they have a column on the side to point them all out) or if you're vegan (they also have all non-vegan boxes listed in the column).

I hope you take advantage of this free code and enjoy your Graze Box(es) as much as I enjoy mine! :)