Easy and Delicious Roast Veg Recipe

I’ve been super busy this week as I’ve just started rehearsals for a new show I’m in, so I haven’t had much time to dedicate to blogging (writing or reading!). I had planned to write a February Favourites post today, but I’ve realised that most of my favourites are the same as last month’s, and if they’re not the same, I’ve probably already mentioned them in a previous post, so I didn’t see the point. Instead, I thought I’d write a quick post on my favourite roast veg recipe at the moment.

I personally find it difficult to make veg really tasty and interesting, so this is great as a side or on toast or even to freeze as individual portions and use when I haven’t the time to cook from scratch. Amounts of each ingredient vary, depending on what you like, but this is generally how I do it.

Ingredients

2 small onions

3 peppers (I get the multipacks which have 1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow/orange)

1 standard box of cherry plum tomatoes

½ standard box of mushrooms

6 cloves garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried oregano

Method:

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Thickly dice all veg (I make each piece around 2cm x 2cm, and only cut the tomatoes in half) and put into a big mixing bowl.

Add all the other ingredients and mix until each piece of veg is coated.

Put into deep oven tray and put onto middle shelf of oven.

Roast for between 1 and 1.5 hours, occasionally taking the tray out to stir: by the end, the mix should be very juicy, the veg having shrunk somewhat and clearly much softer, but with a few crispy (almost burnt) edges.

Enjoy.

I hope you like this recipe – let me know if you try it out! It’s so yummy.

Wendy x

Get Fit Log #5

I had more auditions this week which makes it harder to go for runs etc (not only time-wise, but also because running affects my throat and chest which obviously has an effect on my voice too, so I need to be careful), so again this week hasn’t been wonderful activity or stretching-wise. I start rehearsals for a new role tomorrow, so it’ll will only get harder to keep it up. But I think that as long as I make sure to stretch regularly, I won’t mind so much if I can keep as active, as I’ll be active in rehearsals anyway!

Sunday

Activity: Walked 3.3 miles

Stretched: No

Monday

Activity: Walked/Ran for 5 minutes and 35 seconds

Stretched: A little

Tuesday

Activity: Walked/Ran for 5 minutes and 55 seconds and later walked 2.5 miles

Stretched: Yes

Wednesday

Activity: Walked 3.5 miles

Stretched: No

Thursday

Day off.

Friday

Day off again!

Saturday

Activity: Walked/Ran for 8.5 minutes!! And also walked 1.7 miles

Stretched: Yes

Note for this week: stay motivated and don’t let yourself become any more complacent, Wendy!

x

5 Shades of Grey

As we’re in those few weeks which can’t really decide whether they’re in winter or in spring, I’ve found myself struggling to decide which nail colour I feel really suits this time of year. I’m over the whole red or glittery nail-look of the festive period, but I don’t feel like it is nice enough weather to start forking out the pastels to match the inevitable floral trends coming up in spring. SO, more often than not, I’ve been using my trusty old grey shades which often tend to get neglected throughout the rest of the year, so I thought I’d share my favourites with you.

Nails Inc FOIL Range: Chelsea Bridge Road

I actually do tend to wear this polish a bit less than others as it’s pretty blinding, but I do enjoy it on nights out and days when I’m feeling more adventurous. Nails Inc is definitely my favourite nail polish brand, and this formula is fab. I have found with other similar polishes that it can crack and have an almost aged look, but this one just glides on and looks like it could actually be nail foils as opposed to polish. It does have that warm tone in it so, depending on the way you look at it, it could be classed as gold as opposed to the greyer silver, but from experience I know that it can go with both gold and silver jewellery so everyone’s happy!

Barry M Magnetic Range: Dark Silver

Magnetic pattern nails seem to have been on the way out for a while, which I think is a shame as they can be so pretty! This one is lovely and understated: you can only just see that there’s a pattern there. I usually prefer the Nails Inc polishes but in this case I actually think that the slightly thinner formula of this Barry M one works better for the magnetic pattern.

Nails Inc: The Thames

The Thames is the perfect name for this shade I think! Like the muggy water of the river, this is a lovely opaque, almost gel-like polish which goes on and stays on a dream! This is possibly my fave out of the 5: I definitely wear this one the most. Works for everyday-wear, but I have also put a little glitter on top which jazzes it up and works for a night out too!

Nails Inc: Pelham Street

I think this one looks almost mystical. Maybe it’s the shimmer in it. Anyway, another great formula and shade from Nails Inc. Not much else to say about it really!

Nails Inc ‘Colour & Care’ Range: Brook St Mews

I really like this one. It is grey, but I love how it is almost black, but not quite as harsh as proper black can look (I think anyway). I think it has the same formula as The Thames shade, as it’s really pigmented (you only really need one coat) and stays on for ages. Really fab.

What kind of shades are you wearing at the moment?

Wendy x

3 Incredible Movies

I am a massive film fan so am super excited for the Oscars which are just around the corner. I can't wait to watch it online (so annoying it's not aired on TV here): this year's is hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, who I think is wonderful! Of course there are 8 incredible movies up for the Best Picture Award. Personally, 5 of the films appeal to me: Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything and Whiplash. So far I have been able to see 3 of them, and as I enjoyed each one so much, I thought I would share my thoughts with you!

Birdman

I saw this a few weeks ago for a friend’s birthday (possibly the only reason I’ll go to the cinema on a day other than a Wednesday! Why must you finish next week, Orange Wednesday?!). It is wonderful. It’s about an actor who was famous for his role as Birdman in a series of movies, who is now trying to put on a play on Broadway and all the trials and difficulties that come with that, professionally and personally. I do feel that you need to see something in order to get the best idea of what it’s like, so I won’t go into too much detail about the actual film, but I can say the script is fantastic, the cinematography (basically, how it’s been shot) is extremely clever and the cast is outstanding: in particular Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone (who really are the main 3 anyway). The film is hilarious and touching and thrilling and catches you off guard and is just a great experience to just be watching it.

Boyhood

Now this film is completely different. It’s pioneering and has broken the mould of how films are made. Basically, it has been shot over the course of 12 years, following the story of a family as the kids are growing up and going through puberty up until leaving home, mainly centring around the son. It’s so exciting to know that the actors used for the earliest shots are the same ones used throughout the rest of the film: that’s never been done before. The cast is incredible: the parents, played by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, are just so grounded and so touching and a really strong core for the story, whilst the children (Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater) are so honest and believable from the very first scene. Although the storyline isn’t particularly action-packed, it is so easy to get sucked into these people’s lives and not only does it feel like these are real people who you know on a personal basis, but it feels like you’ve actually have known for years and years. A simple storyline paired with a ground-breaking idea which has changed the history of cinema has resulted in one of the most moving and poignant films I’ve ever seen.

Whiplash

I went to see this last night so still have the post-viewing adrenaline running through my veins. And believe me, if you go to see this, you will understand exactly how I feel right now! A thriller like I’ve never seen before. I don’t even know where to begin with this one... Wow, I’m really struggling to find the words…

Again, it’s a complete contrast to the other two films. I went into the cinema anticipating a good film, as I’d read reviews and heard the adverts on Classic FM throughout the previous weeks, and I knew it would be about music so of course it automatically appealed to me. However, I did not expect the rollercoaster ride I went on last night! It’s about a drummer at Music College who wants to be ‘one of the greats’ (Miles Teller) and his relationship with his new conductor/teacher (JK Simmons) who pushes him to be the best. That’s all I can say about it without giving the plot away. But I can say that it is by far one of the best films I’ve ever seen. The script is insanely good, the music is just amazing and Miles Teller and JK Simmons are INCREDIBLE. Whilst watching the film I felt moved, annoyed, shocked… Usually, I get a bit irritated when someone says they were on the edge of their seat the whole way through something, but literally from the very first to the very last scene, I was on the edge of my seat, curled up inside my seat, holding onto my seat for dear life… This is an absolute masterpiece.

And that’s about it! I want to see all of these films again. Literally, Whiplash was that good, the second the end-credits started rolling, my friend and I turned to each other and said “I want to see that again right now”. And of course, I’d really like to see the other 2 films on my ‘Best Picture’ list, although it’ll be harder after next Wednesday (on which I’m going to see Into the Woods) which is the last Orange Wednesday. However, apparently Vue cinemas are continuing the 2for1 Wednesdays throughout March at least, so if you (like me) can only afford to go on the offer-days, then definitely check that out!

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think? Can you recommend any others?

Wendy x

What I’m Giving Up for Lent

So today is Shrove Tuesday, a.k.a. Pancake Day! As I was super naughty last week and had quite a lot of bad food during my meant-to-be-junk-food-free­ days because my mum visited (it’s all her fault), I am not allowing myself to have any pancakes today. Of course tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and for the first time in forever (cue the Frozen soundtrack) I have decided to give something up for Lent. I don’t remember having ever done this before, even though I’ve been brought up a Christian (I was even born on Easter Sunday!) and have attended church most of my life. But most people I know who give something up for Lent aren’t even religious.

I’ve decided that I’m really going to challenge myself: I have already given up sweet junk foods (i.e. sweets, cake, chocolate, pastries, ice cream) through the week, so – with the exception of my birthday, which is near the end of Lent this year anyway – I am going to extend this and completely give up sweet junk foods for the whole of Lent. I am still allowed alcohol and chips and cheese and crisps and takeaway etc on the odd occasion I fancy them (which isn’t often) but I’m going to cut out the naughty sweet stuff altogether.

Even whilst writing this right now I can see myself failing fairly quickly, which isn’t a good start, but at the moment I just feel that my body needs a bit of a detox and I seriously need to do something about my sweet tooth. It is going to be such a big challenge, but (at the moment anyway) I really want to succeed. My flatmates are all quite big sweet-stuff fans, which will make it all the harder, but I suppose it’s good to really test yourself once in a while!

What are you giving up for Lent, if anything? I really hope that in 40 days’ time, we’ll be able to say “WE DID IT”!!

Wendy x

(Picture taken from Google images.)

Get Fit Log #4

So the busier I get (i.e. as busy as out the door at 7.30am and home at 11.30pm) the harder it is to keep the fitness and stretching up! At least when I’m busy, I’m walking as much as I can but I hardly find time to do stretching most days at the moment. I think I need to work on my willpower and make myself wake up slightly earlier to go for my short run then do a quick stretch while I’m in the shower or something but I’ll have to figure that out.

Sunday

Activity: Walked/Ran for 4 minutes and 50 seconds

Stretched: No

Monday

Activity: Walked/Ran for 5 and a half minutes! (Big achievement for me!)

Stretched: No

Tuesday

Activity: Walked 3.4 miles

Stretched: Yes (finally!)

Wednesday

Activity: Walked over 6.5 miles

Stretched: Yes. (It was a really good one too.)

Thursday

Activity: Walked 3 miles

Stretched: No

Friday

Activity: Walked 2 miles

Stretched: No

Saturday

Activity: Walked 4.5 miles

Stretched: No

Diet-wise, it’s been harder to stay healthy when I’m out all the time, especially as my mum visited on Tuesday and Wednesday and wanted to treat me to cake while she was here. I’m back on the health-kick this week though. :)

Wendy x

Valentine’s White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

I got a pair of fab heart-shaped spring-form cake tins for Christmas and as Valentine’s Day is round the corner, I thought it was about time I put them to use! Raspberry and White Chocolate are a killer combination, so I thought I’d make up a cheesecake recipe which anyone can manage! I haven't put in measurements as it all depends on tin-sizes and personal taste (e.g. some people will like more icing sugar than others).

Ingredients

For the base:

Digestive biscuits, bashed up

Unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

Ricotta soft cheese

Mascarpone soft cheese

Double cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Raspberries (frozen or fresh)

White chocolate, chopped

Icing sugar

White chocolate, melted (optional)

Method:

Mix the crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter until all biscuits are clearly coated.

Spoon the mixture into the tins then press down with fingers or spatula.

Mix the whipped double cream, icing sugar, ricotta, mascarpone, chopped chocolate and raspberries.

Spoon into the tins and level off the top.

Cover the top with melted white chocolate.

Put into the freezer for a few hours.

Allow the cheesecake to thaw for 30 minutes-1 hour before serving.

And it's as easy as that! Tried and tested on my flatmates who all love it, so if you're at a loss for something sweet tomorrow, give it a go!

Wendy x

Girly Understated Valentine’s Day Make-Up

So I was rather bored yesterday and decided to play around with some make-up. I thought it might be nice to experiment with a pretty Valentine’s Day look, but nothing too classic-or-should-I-say-same-old-red-lip styley, especially as I’ll be spending another year without a Valentine date but going to support a couple of my friends in a musical/dramatic performance instead.

My phone isn’t great at showing good detail in photos, so you can’t see the eye make-up too well, but here are a couple of pics anyway! (Hurray for the furry-looking chin!)

I used a mixture of new make-up, firm staples, old favourites and old stuff which I probably shouldn’t be using anymore, so there’s no point in me listing exactly which products I used. But I will say that the mascara and blush are both mentioned in my January Favourites post!

What’s your favourite Valentine’s Day look? Let me know if you have a Valentine’s make-up post: I love seeing them!

Wendy x

Get Fit Log #3

It's becoming harder to push myself to keep up regular activity and stretching, but I'm not surprised at all. Now that the excitement of my new fitness goal has subsided a bit, like with anything, the real test is to keep it up!

Sunday

Activity: 5-minute walk/run

Stretched: No

Monday

Activity: Walked 3 miles

Stretched: No

Tuesday

Activity: Ran/walked for 4 and a half minutes and (separately) walked 3.5 miles

Stretched: Yes

Wednesday

Activity: Nothing – ill. :(

Stretched: Nope.

Thursday

Activity: Walked over 6 miles!

Stretched: No

Friday

Activity: Walked 4.3 miles and taught performance arts to a group of 4 – 7 year-olds, including a super energetic warm-up: I was exhausted by the end!

Stretched: No: I’m really struggling to keep this up this week! I have been very busy with auditions prep though.

Saturday

Activity: Walked/Ran for 4 minutes and 40 seconds

Stretched: No! Aaaargh.

So as you can see, this week has definitely been more of a struggle. It’s mostly down to being busier, which in itself will be making me more active anyway so I don’t feel too awful about that, but I do feel a bit disappointed in myself that I’ve been so slack with keeping up my stretches. I’m going to make more of an effort this week with it though, especially as I’m going to be quite busy again, so it’ll be a test of my willpower!

Wendy x

Breville Blend Active Smoothie Maker

Earlier this week when I was making my daily smoothie with my old hand-held liquidiser, which is stained from liquidising various soups and which has a big crack up around the setting numbers, I decided it was time to invest in a smoothie maker. I’m the kind of person who will wait until something is literally unusable before replacing it, so the fact I invested while I still had something which sufficiently would do the job is new to me!

I did some online research and shopped around for the best deals, and decided to get the Breville VBL062 Blend Active Double Bottle Smoothie Maker. (As I make smoothies so often, I thought the double [2x600ml] bottle would come in handy, though it is available with just the single bottle too.) Generally, this came up at somewhere between £20 and £30, often with a P&P charge on top, so I eventually went with the one for £24.99 and free delivery from www.coopelectricalshop.co.uk. When it came to the delivery details section of the order, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you could pick the day you wanted your item delivered, including the very next day, for absolutely free! I of course chose this option and was very happy to receive the box early the next morning.

As for the smoothie maker… Well, I love it. It is so practical and handy to use (especially when in a rush!). You just chuck all your ingredients into the bottle, screw on the bladed base, twist it into the machine, hold down the blend button for 10-20 seconds and *voila* your smoothie is ready to drink. The bottle can be used for travel as well, as each comes with its own cap, saving on washing up! The bladed cap, bottles and lids are all dishwasher-safe, though from my experience it’s wise to rinse all items before putting in the dishwasher to avoid build up or dried-on food in hard-to-reach places. Very happy with my purchase, and if you’re thinking of investing in one of these, I highly recommend it!

This post is not sponsored by Breville or the Co-Op; it’s just my opinion of an item which I purchased with my own money! :)

Wendy x

January Favourites 2015

Well I know it sounds bleak, but I am glad that January’s over. It’s been a really tough couple of months, and I hope that February is going to give me a whole new burst of energy and motivation to get on and make stuff happen. Although January was generally a bit rough, there were the odd few things that managed to make me happy, so I’m writing about them!

Meridian Almond Butter

I’m loving nut butters in general right now (I’ll probably write a post about it!) but in particular the Meridian Almond Butter. It’s literally 99.5% almonds and 0.5% sea salt and that’s it. And it tastes amazing. I like to have it on unsalted rice cakes and it is such a tasty, healthy snack, particularly for when I’m craving something sweet. If you like peanut butter, chances are you’ll love this too!

Pistachio Nuts

Sticking with the subject of nuts (well that sounds weird), I just have to go on about how amazing pistachios are. Lidl is just wonderful and has these box things filled with various nuts, and you can just serve yourself however much you want, so I go to town on the roasted-salted pistachios. I eat them as a snack, especially if I’m feeling actually hungry when it’s too early/late for a meal, and just a small handful will fill me up for a good while.

Rimmel Accelerator Endless Mascara

I bought this a couple of months ago (in fact, I think I got it free when I spent however much on other Rimmel products), and have only started to use it regularly in the last few weeks. I’d read some mixed reviews about it so wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really like it! I’d been using mainly waterproof mascaras as I would find that, with my oily skin, after a few hours regular mascaras would have left some lovely black smudges under my eyebrows, above my eyelids! Not a great look. But even though this mascara isn’t waterproof, the formula is such that it lasts much longer before this happens, yet is still really easy to remove at night. It goes onto my lashes really easily (you know how some mascaras just don’t seem to want to apply?!), and it thickens and lengthens really well. My lashes always seems to agree with this type of silicon(?) brush, but I know a lot of people prefer the more bristly brushes (great terminology there), so might find it less agreeable, hence the mixed reviews perhaps. Other than the slight difference in the shape of brush, I reckon I’d go as far as to say this could be a dupe for They’re Real mascara by Benefit. The Rimmel brush is narrower and doesn’t have the fab spikey end that the Benefit mascara has, but in terms of formula and applyability (is that a word?!) I reckon they’re pretty close.

The Body Shop Shimmer Waves Blush

My best friend Lucia gave me this as part of my Christmas present and I love it. When used all together, these shades produce a lovely, subtle, pinky shade that – with the high shimmer factor throughout – really brings out the apples of my cheeks. As well as this, each shade can be used separately as an eyeshadow or highlighter which I think is great: 3 uses in 1! Overall, it’s great for these wintry months, as well as when it starts to get warmer when Spring shows up!

The Body Shop Lipstick shade 13

Making up another part of my Christmas gift from the lovely Lucia, this lipstick is just beautiful. I would probably best describe it as the perfect daytime red lipstick. It’s like a browny red colour and once applied it appears actually quite sheer and shiny, but the hint of shimmer throughout gives it that little something extra. Perfect if you want to brighten up a simple daytime look, but also good for a laid back going-out look. (It only says shade 13 on the bottom, and I can’t seem to find it on the website so maybe it’s been discontinued.)

Herbal Essences Naked Shine Shampoo

Now I’m pretty fussy with shampoo, and have to say that the last Herbal Essences shampoo I tried (the limited edition Herbally Ever After shampoo) left my hair heavy, dull and getting greasy very quickly. However, the Naked Shine couldn’t be more different. It leaves my hair exceptionally clean-feeling, really light, shiny and – most importantly for me, as I only wash my hair every 2-3 days – it doesn’t get greasy quickly after use. It has a light minty fragrance, which I personally think could be a little stronger to compete with the other incredible Herbal Essences scents, but perhaps it’s all part of the feeling ‘naked’ idea. I do have the conditioner as well, and it’s fine, but nothing for me to rave about. If you have very fine hair, I reckon it would be really good for you as it’s so light, but with my long, thick, often frizzy hair, I think I’m going to keep shopping around for a conditioner that my hair really loves.

And those are my January favourites! What are yours? Let me know if you have a post on your favourites too: I love reading them.

Wendy x

Get Fit Log #2

View from the bridge on my walk route. I always love seeing the cute wee duckies and herons when I pass (and there are usually swans as well).

This week wasn’t as successful as last week, but still keeping it up regularly, so I’m not going to beat myself up over it.

Sunday

Day off.

Monday

Activity: Walked 3.5 miles

Stretched: Yes

Tuesday

Activity: Energetic warm-up in teacher training and walked 2.5 miles

Stretched: Yes

Wednesday

Activity: Nothing – I spent most of the say on the sofa

Stretched: No

Today wasn’t a good day. I had dreamt about my granny the night before (see my Update post for details) and when I woke up and realised the dream wasn’t real, I became pretty down. I spent most of the day lazing about watching telly and films, trying to do bits and bobs here and there, but not really succeeding until the evening. I guess we all have days like that. I actually coincidentally read a post that day from another blogger who was feeling exactly the same as I was and it did actually make me feel a bit better knowing I wasn’t the only one. Plus she gave some great tips on how to cheer oneself up when feeling like that (post here).

Thursday

Activity: Walked 2.1 miles and (a separate) 5-minute run/walk – As I struggled so much with my last run, I was given the tip from another blogger (thanks Alice!) to try a minute running then a minute walking, then running, then walking, etc, and this made it much more manageable. I still only managed 5 minutes in total, but I could have stopped after 2 sets of the minute-running/walking, but I didn’t: I pushed myself to do another minute of running to finish off, which I’m really proud of. I still have the same reaction afterwards – retching, headache, feeling sick and dizzy – but the more I do it and get used to it, I’m sure this will get less and less and eventually subside.

Stretched: Yes

Friday

Activity: Run/walk for 4 minutes and 20 seconds – Not as long as yesterday, but my housemates advised that feeling that way after a run isn’t normal, so I cut it down a little. So 2 1-minute walk/run sets, with a boost run of 20 seconds to finish. And this time, although I got a brief headache and had to spit a lot once I’d finished (ew), there was no retching or feeling sick and dizzy! Getting better!! I’m more likely to keep doing a short run most days if I don’t feel as awful afterwards!

Stretched: Yes

Saturday

Day off.

This coming week I’m going to try and do my short run most days, so hopefully it’ll start to get easier. I’m still feeling positive about it. I also want to start including things like plank, squats, press-ups, etc either this coming week or next week. I’ll see how the running regularly thing goes!

Wendy x