Friday, 31 July 2020

Best Tomato Recipes*

AD - This post is a collaborative post
Are tomatoes fruit or vegetables? If you love tomatoes, I bet this question has crossed your mind at some point. Their appearance justifies their classification as fruits. However, their nutritional value puts them in the category of vegetables. In other words, tomatoes are both fruits and vegetables. You can eat them when they're ripe, as well as use them to cook food. Of course, so many other fruits get cooked as well, but not as much as tomatoes. So what are the best tomato recipes? This can be hard to decide considering these vegetables are used in almost every dish. As a student, you should cultivate the healthy habit of cooking for yourself. This way, you can dictate what you eat. As you know, you are what you eat. Since tomatoes have so many heath benefits, never shy away from eating as many tomatoes as possible. I need to someone to write my paper is a common phrase students use because they're almost always running short of time. Thankfully, college students can always access online academic writing services. Let's look at the best tomato recipes that are out there. 
Photo of a pile of tomatoes on a plate
Image source

1. Tomato Salad

Have you ever eaten a salad that didn't have tomatoes? There is a flavour that tomatoes add to salads that no other ingredients can achieve. To enjoy your raw salad, make sure you cut big chunks of tomatoes so that you can feel the flavour fill your mouth. Most people make raw salads using tomatoes, onions, lettuce and salt for seasoning. You can even add black pepper if you like your food spicy. Tomato salads are best eaten fresh and chilled. If you have a fridge, you can let the salad sit for 30 minutes then you can eat it. The good thing about salads is that you can eat them at any time of the day. If you're watching your weight, this is definitely something you should add to your menu. Make sure you purchase the oval-shaped tomatoes from the grocery stores. They're usually sweeter compared to the round ones.

2. Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes

The secret to delicious spaghetti is fresh tomatoes. If you're not a fan of dry food, tomatoes are your friend. Spaghetti is a staple food for most college students because it's quite easy to make. All you have to do is boil a considerable amount in salted water. Once your spaghetti is soft, you can make a paste with browned onions and fresh tomatoes. Let the tomatoes cook until they're soft enough to crush into a paste. Add your cooked spaghetti and let them cook in the stew for about three minutes. Aside from salt, you can add as many spices as you'd like. 

3. Beef Tomato Stir Fry

Stir-fried beef is so delicious, especially if you cook it with enough tomatoes. This can be eaten with rice or even pasta. You'll need to boil your meat first until its soft enough to chew. Next, you'll need to stir fry the beef with onions until the onions get browned. Add tomatoes and let the beef absorb the flavour of the fresh tomatoes. Don't forget to add salt and other spices you use to cook.

4. Tomato Toast

If you're craving tomatoes in the morning, you can quickly whip up tomato toast before heading to class. You can include an omelet, onions and lettuce to spice up the toast. If you prefer the tomatoes uncooked, slice them into thin circles and layer them on the other ingredients you're using.

5. Chilled Spicy Tomato Soup Shots

Who said alcohol is the only thing you can drink in shots? You can have shots of tomato soup too. Are you a soup lover? Do you enjoy your food spicy? If so, then this one is for you. All you'll need to do is blend fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper. You can also add raw peppers if you want the soup to be super hot. For garnishing, you can use coriander.

6. Tomato Corn Bread

Have you ever baked cornbread? Everyone is baking banana bread, but what about tomato cornbread? This is a perfect balance of starch and all the nutrients you get from tomatoes. You'll need cheddar cheese to ensure your bread does not crumble. Mix up slices of tomatoes with cornflour and the cheddar cheese. Once everything is ready, you can let your oven do the magic.

If you love the smell of fresh, ripe tomatoes, then you'll love what they do to your taste buds. Make sure you have easy to follow tomato recipes so you can benefit from this fruit's nutritional value. The beauty of tomatoes is that you can eat them at different times of the day. We hope these recipes are valuable additions to your kitchen.

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Wednesday, 29 July 2020

Taking Care Of Your Skin This Summer*

AD - Product gifted by Palmolive but all views are my own
There's no denying that the different weather conditions we have in the UK can really play havoc with our skin. Whether it's Winter causing dry and frizzy hair and dry skin or Summer making our skin feel oily, it's important to look after ourselves as best as we can the whole year round. Today I'm sharing a few tips on how to really take care of your skin this Summer & the beauty products that I think are a must for feeling your best throughout the warmer months of the year.
Palmolive Coconut Shower Cream surrounded by various other beauty products, books and candle

Drink Lots of Water

Before I get started on skincare products I recommend, my number one tip for taking care of yourself and your skin regardless of the season would be to drink lots of water! It doesn't have to be boring, you can always drink flavoured water instead, add squash or even add things like Waterdrops. The daily recommend intake is 6-8 glasses which sounds like a lot but when it's warm outside, it's probably not enough. Not only will water hydrate you and cool you down, it also has massive benefits for your skin. I've mentioned before how much water impacts the amount of breakouts I have. I notice a massive difference in weeks where I've eaten healthy and drank loads of water compared to weeks where I've had hardly any and eaten allll the wrong things. Drink drink drink.

Palmolive Naturals Coconut Shower Cream*

Now, we all like a nice shower gel I'm sure. I'm forever buying more and it's far too easy to pop one in the trolley whenever I'm doing the food shop! The latest addition to my shower routine is the Palmolive Naturals Coconut Shower Gel. Palmolive is such an affordable brand so you can grab this for just 90p in Asda, though it's currently on offer for 80p along with other scents too. Shower milks and creams tend to be a little more hydrating for our skin so are ideal for the Summer months when our skin can dry out a little and be in need of some serious moisture. This lathers up really well with a little water and gently soothes and cleanses your skin. The coconut scent just smells like being on holiday which is an added bonus!
Palmolive Coconut Shower Cream surrounded by candle, book and other beauty products

The Body Shop Body Yoghurts

The next product I could rave about all day, everyday is the Body Yoghurts from The Body Shop. I've always leaned more towards body butters but this is a game changer. The body yoghurts are a really lightweight formula so don't feel greasy at all and they soak into your skin beautifully. This is an after shower product so I apply when my skin is still a little damp and it's just super moisturising. There's a huge range of scents to choose from but my current go-to is the Pear which I picked up at Christmas. They last absolutely ages!
The Body Shop Pear Body Yoghurt on flower trinket dish

Sanctuary Spa De-Stress Warming Body Gel

The final product I highly recommend you try is the De-Stress Warming Body Gel by Sanctuary Spa. This brand are known for luxurious skincare and bath products so the body gel is no exception to this. Now you might think a warming body product isn't a typical choice for Summer but the difference it makes to aching and sore muscles is incredible. If you've taken up exercise during lockdown or have been heading out for long walks, both of which might have caused tired and achy muscles, then this is ideal! It's a soothing gel which utilises the benefits of ginger and rosemary which are known for their tension-easing abilities and as it's self-heating, you can feel it working straight away! I know I'll be using this for many months to come but this has been a bit of a life saver recently.
Sanctuary Spa De-Stress Warming Gel held up in front of prints on desk
That wraps up my Summer staple skincare products! I hope these tips for taking care of your skin in Summer have been useful and please let me know if you have any others you want to share or any products you recommend! 

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Wednesday, 22 July 2020

A Little Update On Bear At Almost 18 Months Old & A Review Of Personalised Gifts Market Dog Tag*

AD - This post contains gifted items but all opinions are my own
It's been quite a while since I last shared an update on our puppy Bear (though he's probably not officially a puppy anymore, I think I'll always call him that!) so as he's almost 18 months old now and he's been in our lives for over a year, I thought it was about time I shared how he's getting on. It seems crazy that there was ever a life before him, it feels like he's been with us forever!
Bear on the beach at Bridlington

Almost 18 Months Old

As I've just said, Bear's almost a year and a half years old already! Whilst I can't imagine life without him now, it does seem insane how long ago it was when George and I first met him. I remember it like it was yesterday. He was the tiniest little thing and could fit in our hands and now he seems so grown up. He's still a pretty small dog and we think he's probably as big as he's going to get now. Though he's small, he's fast, very, very fast and has endless amounts of energy. For some reason after he's had a haircut he's always 10x springier too! I mean, he loves his sleep too and is a big fan of a lie in but he's always up for scrap, he often has these mad runs around the flat where he just doesn't stop and he's forever pulling every single toy out of his toy basket. Some days it's like he never stops. He's so much fun though and the most affectionate little pup.
Bear on the settee
Bear asleep on settee

Over A Year At Home

He's been home with us for over a year now and it's been a real rollercoaster of emotions at times. Not everyday has been easy and I think it's important to be honest as if you're thinking of getting a puppy, it really is hard work. I found the beginning quite overwhelming but we soon settled into a routine and now generally he's quite well behaved and has just slotted into our lives perfectly. He has his moments where he's super testing, he seems to be in constant bork mode at the minute which can be draining but generally he does listen, he's great at training and he loves to snuggle up and just cuddle. For any low moments where it all feels really intense, there are a million more moments where I just feel full of love and happiness. He's the best thing to ever happen to us even if he has got us wrapped around his little paw and is definitely a little spoilt!
Bear playing on settee

Doggy Day Care

One of Bear's favourite things is doggy day care. I did mention it in the last update I shared but I wanted to talk about it again as it has does wonders for him. He's always been great with other dogs anyway, I was always so proud of him at puppy class when he first got to interact with other pups but I think daycare has only increased his confidence. He interacts with such a variety of different dogs, I genuinely think he thinks of himself as a bulldog, and he leaves every week with the biggest smile on his face. He goes one afternoon a week and it's perfect for all of us as it means I get a little break too and he gets to go off and have fun with loads of other dogs and we know he's in safe hands. I could rave about it all day long, it's just been brilliant for him.
Bear with a husky at Dogs Inc
Bear on a swing at Dogs Inc

Personalised Gifts Market Wooden Pet Tag*

One thing I wanted to talk about in this update is the cutest wooden pet tag for Bear's collar from Personalised Gifts Market. We just got Bear a standard tag before he came home which he's had attached to his collar ever since but I have been wanting to get him one that looks a bit nicer than that for a while. Personalised Gifts Market have a wide range of wooden pet tags to choose from in a variety of shapes and designs. I struggled to choose at first as they were all so cute but I settled on the one below which has his name and two little paw prints etched in. I love the rustic look of it and it feels really great quality which is so important as Bear loves to try and grab his tag and chew it. We wanted something that was small enough to be out of reach on his collar and not easy to damage so this is perfect. This particular tag was £9.99, as are the other tags available and you can personalise them however you wish! This could be a great little gift for anyone you know who has a dog themselves or has just got a new puppy. Personalised Gifts Market has so many other things to choose from too though including travel gifts to clothing, crafts to homeware and lots more.
Holding personalised wooden tag above flatlay
Collage - Bear with his tag on, closeup of tag
So I think that's about it for this update. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about Bear so I'm sure they'll be another one of these up later in the year! He might drive me crazy some days but he's the best thing in my life and I would be totally lost without him.

Have you got a dog too?

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Monday, 20 July 2020

Creamy Chicken Stroganoff Recipe

It's been a little while since my last recipe which was a creamy chorizo pasta but today I'm sharing how to make this delicious creamy chicken stroganoff! I've been in a real slump with meal planning & cooking over the last few weeks meaning one too many McDonald's and many recipes being repeated which is fine but I get bored easily so I like to try and keep creating new meals where I can. This is really different to lots of other meals I make but I can easily see it becoming a regular addition to our meal plan from now on. 
bed of rice on white plate with creamy chicken stroganoff on top. Silver cutlery to the right hand side
Ingredients: for 2 people
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 onion, finely diced
2 crushed garlic cloves
200ml chicken stock
2 tbsp creme fraiche
1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp paprika
Salt & pepper
Sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley

Method:
1. Start by cutting your chicken breasts into chunks and frying in fry light or a little bit of oil
2. When the chicken is almost cooked through, add in your diced onion and crushed garlic and fry until the onion has softened
3. Next pour in your chicken stock then add 2 tbsp of creme fraiche. Give everything a good mix and leave on a medium heat
4. Add your mustard, paprika and salt & pepper then stir well and leave to simmer for around 15 minutes
5. If serving with rice, start this boiling now whilst the sauce is simmering and thickening up
6. Chop up a small bunch of parsley and add to the sauce before plating everything up!

This was way quicker than I expected it to be, I think in all it took me around 25 minutes which is great for a midweek meal. I always find it gets to about Wednesday and I've had enough of cooking already so that's when I'm after the meals I can make in under 30 minutes but without compromising on anything. 
closeup of chicken stroganoff on a bed of rice
This is a really creamy dish but the mustard and paprika add so much to it so it's full of flavour. We served ours with rice but I think it would go so well with mashed potato or some roasted herby new potatoes. You could also switch out the chicken for steak or use Quorn instead or even just pack it full of veggies. If we'd had some in, I would have served with green beans too as I think they'd go really well with this sauce!

If you're after some other recipes to try, I recommend this sticky soy chicken with egg fried rice which is a fab fakeaway or this parma ham mac & cheese is a great one for a Saturday night!

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