The Ultimate Breakfast Smoothie

Morning guys!

So today I wanted to share with you, what I consider to be the Ultimate Breakfast Smoothie. This is my favourite Smoothie ever. Yep I went there! I've tried a lot of Smoothies in my time but this one just wins it for me. It's a combination of 5 simple ingredients and will be sure to keep you satisfied until lunch time.

Now the key to getting this Smoothie just right is making sure you use Frozen Banana & Blueberries. Adding frozen fruit will ensure the Smoothie is super cold and somehow more flavoursome (in my opibion). I have also found that using Frozen Blueberries keeps creates a beautiful vibrant Purple colour and makes the Smoothie look almost too good to eat!

So here's what you'll need:
-2 Tablespoons of Porridge Oats
-1/2 Frozen Banana
-1 Cup Frozen Blueberries
-1 Teaspoon Agave Syrup
- 2 1/2 cups Almond Milk (I find this tastes best however you can substitute with Water, Coconut Water or another Milk Alternative)

Whiz it all in a Blender & enjoy!

5 Healthy-ish Recipes You Seriously Need To Try

Morning guys,

So these past few months or so I have been trying out some new healthy (ish) recipes and here are the ones that I reckon are worth giving a go!

I always find Deliciously Ella's recipes to be simple, tasty and of course nutritious. A while back I whipped up a batch of Sweet Potato Brownies and was seriously impressed. I know what you're thinking - Sweet Potato's and Brownies?! Seriously though, the combo work a dream. If you're looking to cut back on indulgent desserts without compromising on satisfying your sweet tooth - this is the go to snack. Plus you can eat these on the go!

As someone who tries to avoid dairy where possible, the past year or so I have been exploring numerous alternatives. My favourite so far being Almond Milk. However it wasn't until recently I discovered that a lot of the Almond Milks available in the supermarket actually contain very little Almonds, which quite surprised me. As much as I love the likes of Alpro & Rude Health, it did spark my curiosity as to how difficult it would be to make my own Almond Milk. Again Deliciously Ella offers a great recipe that is simple to follow. Although you have to put a little bit more work into it, it is actually more satisfying knowing that you have made the Milk yourself and that you know exactly what has gone into your drink - which was the main thing for me. Since whipping up batches of my Homemade Almond Milk I've never looked back! I pretty much make my own all the time now and feel much better for it. On the odd occasion though, when I'm in a rush I will still always revert back to shop bought alternatives purely for convenience.

I'm always trying to improve my water intake and at times it can get a little monotonous drinking the same old same old, so recently I've been whipping up Detox Water. Detox Water is basically fruit/veggie/herb infused water. There are many varieties and the world is your oyster really. However my go-to combination is Lemon, Mint & Cucumber. I actually discovered this on a recent trip to Whole Foods and London. A lot of people refer to this as 'Spa Water'. It is a fun way to increase your water intake, mix things up and also get in some extra nutrients.

It's no secret that Pizza is my favourite food - I would literally eat it for every meal if I could! However we all know it's not the healthiest of foods. In search of a healthier alternative I came across a recipe from Nutrition Stripped (a fantastic & resourceful blog) for a Cauliflower Pizza Crust. Now, I will be straight up, it's not your traditional Pizza, in that it doesn't have the same texture. However it is just as satisfying and pretty much guilt free!

Last but certainly not least is the Chocolate Peanut Butter Avocado Pudding from Minimalist Baker. If you're a fan of Chocolate & Peanut Butter then you'll love this healthy alternative to your traditional Chocolate Pudding. Don't let the Avocado put you off, it just creates a dreamy texture, you can't even taste it or see it!

What are your favorite healthy recipes?

The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival

Morning guys! So last weekend I headed up North and made my way to Leeds City Hall to attend The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival. My friend Amy and I had planned this little day out for quite some time and I had really been looking forward to it.

We arrived in Leeds just before 10am and navigated our way from the car park to the city hall. There was a huge queue of Vegan food enthusiasts ready to explore the intricate stalls inside. Luckily we didn't have to queue for very long which I was pleased about as the weather was pretty miserable.

Once we got inside we were greeted by several volunteers who stamped us in and gave us some information on where to head next. There were so many wonderful stalls set up that we didn't even know where to start. We got the chance to sample some delicious coffee and try out a variety of baked goods. Although I'm not entirely Vegan my self, I just wished I had brought along some people who were totally against the concept of Veganism just to show them how much variety there is and how tasty Vegan food can be. At the end of the day all it's about is health and kindness and eating what's natural, that's it.

I think perhaps my favourite part of the day was of course choosing out some lovely cookies and tiffins to take home. My favourite stall had to be the bakery called 'That Old Chestnut'. The array of cakes and flavours was amazing. From there I purchased Lavender & Chocolate Cake, Peanut Butter Tiffins and Chocolate Orange Tiffins and a good old fashioned slice of Lemon Cake. I also picked up some Spiced Orange Marmalade which I was very chuffed with. I can only describe the taste of it be like that of Christmas' it was full of notes of Cinnamon and Citrus.

I would totally urge anyone - Vegan or not to have a look around one of these events. It makes for such a fun day out and is something different, it's great!

The Summer Berry Smoothie Bowl & Green Juice Recipe

Morning my lovelies.

So just lately I've been  craving something super refreshing to kick-start my day. I think it's something to do with spring and summer being in the air. I feel like it's been a super long winter and we're finally getting a glimpse of sun shine, so I want to taste something refreshing that keeps me satisfied but feeling invigorated.

I also like to team this Smoothie Bowl with a refreshing simple green juice which is very simple but delicious all the same!

For the Smoothie Bowl you'll need
1 cup frozen raspberries
4 strawberries
1 1/2 cups Almond Milk
1 TBSP Agave Syrup
1/4 cup Oats
2 TBSP Chia Seeds

Feel free to top it with superfoods or nutritional powders. In the picture above I decided to top the Smoothie bowl with Oats, Ground Almonds, Chia Seeds & Medjool Dates. Toppings are optional but just add a little more depth and give a nutritional boost to your breakfast.

The great thing about this recipe is that it is so versatile. You can either have it in a bowl like I have here, you can have it as a normal smoothie to sip through a straw or you can freeze it over night and have a delicious Sorbet for Breakfast.

For the Green Juice you'll need
A Juicer
1 Cup of Spinach
2 Cups of Water
1 Peeled Lemon
1 tsp fresh mint

Simply combine the ingredients and pour into a glass!

Let me know if you try these recipes :)

Health & Fitness: Ways To Stay Motivated

Morning guys! So it's still January and hopefully a lot of you have still got that motivation to get fit and create a healthier lifestyle in 2015.

It can be very difficult to stay motivated and at moments of weakness it can be hard to resist temptations. I sometimes cave in and grab a bar of chocolate or a bowl of sugary cereal because I have the worst sweet tooth but the majority of the time I have been trying really hard to stay on track and along the way discover some healthier alternatives to my sweet treats. Just like showering and getting clean doesn't last - neither does motivation and it's recommended that you do it daily!

Ways in which I try to get my self fired up for the week is by checking out Food blogs and Pinterest to give me an idea of the sort of Food I want to be cooking up in the kitchen for that week. I then create a little list of what I'll need and off to do the supermarket dash I go! Blogs that I love reading to give me some food inspo are Oh She Glows & Minimalist Baker - these have tonnes of ideas to get your mouth watering and they're all pretty much healthy vegan or vegetarian! I also like to have a good old peep at the Honestly Healthy & Fashercise websites as well for tips and some tasty recipes.

I'm a very visual person so I need to feed my self with visual images and videos to keep me motivated. I would totally recommend Fully Raw Kristina on Youtube for tips and recipes on leading an active lifestyle - Kristina leads a fully raw Vegan lifestyle but even if you don't you can still use her Videos for some inspiration. I would also recommend the Instagram page ChloesFitness - a fairly recent discovery but Chloe is Vegan and post's some great Food ideas and just has an all round fantastic Instagram page!

I also love to keep up with Vivianna Does Make Up - Anna has started posting a lot more Food & Fitness post's as of late and it is great to get tips from like-minded people. I also love to see other people's progress. Last year Anna took up running and has been entering herself into all sorts of races including a half marathon. This makes me feel very bitter that all the while I have been watching Anna's progress I could have been getting on with getting fitter my self! It just shows how much progress you can make in a short period of time if you put your mind to it and I think it's great to update people with your progress.

Another thing  I would suggest doing if your 1000% dedicated to a lifestyle change is setting up an Instagram page specifically to track your progress - almost like a food diary and fitness progress page. I recently did this and feel it's great because you've got so many other people to hold your accountable for your actions and well if your photographing everything that you scoff then you're less likely to eat junk! It's also a great way to get motivation by scrolling through other people's posts and daily quotes.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated?

My Top 5 Favourite Instagram Accounts

Morning guys and welcome to Blogmas Day 9! So today lets talk about Instagram.

I love Instagram. I love the whole concept of it - anything visual, aesthetically pleasing and pretty, I'm there. I am a sucker for scrolling through Instagram, more times a day than I like to admit. I have recently found my self discovering the 'explore' button and in turn finding new accounts to follow. I thought it would be cool to share with you guys some of my favourite Instagrammers, so get the app ready to go a mini following spree once this post is over. The rule of thumb I  generally go for when following someone is do they include -  luxury travel, lifestyle, food, fashion or beauty and if the answer is no to any of the above then I will probably not follow, ooops! So here we go...

1. BeautifulDestinations - If you've caught the travel bug or you lead a 'yacht life' then this account will be heaven on a page for you. This account posts tonnes of beautiful pictures of locations around the world. Every time I look at the pictures on this page I just want to hop on a plane and travel.
2. The Kardashians/Jenners - Okay I'm a cliche but I don't care, the Kardashian and Jenner girls are the queens of Instagram. If you're looking for the perfect selfie these are my go-to girls, they never fail to disappoint as they always look amazing! Not fair.
3. GunnarFitness - Leading on from my previous recommendation, Gunnar Peterson (GunnarFitness) is a personal trainer to loads of celebrities, the Kardashians included. Gunnar posts some seriously inspirational stuff. If you're lacking motivation in the fitness department Gunnar is sure to inspire you.
4. PlantStrongVegan - Okay so technically I'm a Vegetarian not a Vegan. Although a lot of my food choices are Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free etc. If you're a Veggie/Vegan I would definitely urge you to follow this account - it is full of food ideas if you're struggling for inspiration and I just love it. As a result of following this Instagram account I have also discovered many other Vegan style pages that really inspire me, however this account remains a firm favourite!
5. ForeverSoakedInLux - I love luxury brands so for me, this is one of my ultimate favourite Instagram accounts to follow. It features luxury fashion/beauty items etc so think Chanel, Louboutins and Range Rovers. This account is everything luxury condensed into one Instagram account and it shares some really cool aspirational posts. If this is your kinda thing I would definitely click the follow button right now!

I have quite a few more Instagram accounts that I love but this is the exclusives who have made it to the top of my list. If you want to check out my little space on Instagram you can follow me here on - xlaraduncanx

Who is your favourite Instagrammer?

Lentil & Roasted Vegetable Soup Recipe

Hey lovelies! So I promised you all that I would start to do more recipe features on the blog and this is my first savory attempt, if you like.

Last week I took to Pinterest  for some inspiration on Soups that are not only healthy but also a suitable option for a Vegetarian and a Vegan. Now for me, this recipe proves that you don't need meat for something to taste good - there are plenty of other options and ways to make something taste yummy. After browsing for a while I took the common ingredients in soups I saw on Pinterest and mushed together my own little recipe and here it is:

Ingredients 
2 Cup of Red Split Lentils
Coconut Oil
3-4 Sweet Potatoes
5 Cherry Plum Vine Tomatoes
3 Carrots ( Preferably the diddy ones that still have the green leaves intact)
Thyme (Fresh or Dried)
1 Onion
Paprika
2 Cups of Vegetable Stock
1 tsp of Himalayan Salt
2 Asparagus's
A Drizzle of honey for your roast veg (not suitable for Vegans however and only optional!)

Method
1. First of all you need to get a cup of the Red Split Lentils and measure out a cup full. Once you've done these sieve them under cold water to wash them and then add to your pan. Fill the pan up with water and pop the heat on for about 20/25 minutes.

2. Get a big baking tray and dollop 3/4 half tea spoons of Coconut Oil in a random fashion onto the tray.

3. Wash your Carrots & Sweet Potatoes and Peel if you wish. Cut off the green ends of the carrots, chop the vegetables into small chunks and chuck onto the tray. Make sure the tray is big enough to make sure the veg can all be cooked evenly. Cut in half your Vine Tomatoes and add these to the baking tray also. Cooking time for this is around  35 minutes.

4. After clearing up a bit and ensuring your work station is clear and all peelings are in the bin - you can now begin to chop up your Onion. Chop the Onion into tiny pieces and add to a pan with a small dollop of Coconut Oil, fry off until browned.

5. Next you will need to do your Vegetable stock. I used the 2 stock pots and added it to the 4 cups of water and then let the stock simmer for 5/10 mins. Once bubbling I added the stock to the Lentils. (At this point your Lentils should be almost running out of water but not burning - just simmering away nicely).

6. Once your Roasted Vegetables are well - Roasted! You can now add all the ingredients in a blender to whip up into a nice thick soup. This soup works best with a slice of fresh crusty seeded bread.

7. Enjoy!

*This recipe serves 4/5 people and is also very yummy the day after as well!*

If any of you guys try out this recipe I would love to hear your thoughts or if you have any other lovely Vegetarian/Vegan recipes, it would be amazing if you could share them with me :)