Wimbledon 2014!

Pimms. Strawberries and cream. Green flying balls. Fit men in shorts. Adrenaline. Pimms.

Some people love Christmas. This is my Christmas, my absolute favourite time of the year - the most prestigious Grand Slam of them all, held in my city, in the district of SW19. 

I've watched the live coverage every year since birth without fail, due to my mother being a complete tennis fanatic. So to go onto the grounds, especially on the final 'Finals day' was truly an amazing experience that I'll always remember!

Sitting on Henman Hill/Murray Mound while the sun beats down, indulging in overpriced food/drink and watching the Men's final was so intense! Then getting to go on Court 1 AND Centre Court for free to see the last matches of the day was an added bonus! I was even on the BBC1 live coverage! Hopefully I can go to 2015 tournament too!

Of course I had to look the part:

And yes, the security did liken me to that of the amazing Serena Williams.

I even met Chico, who was with his son, and in my not so quiet demeanour when I recognised him, went 'OMG' and he came over and gave me a hug! #itschicotime

Bring on Wimbledon 2015!

How To: 10 minute banana cake!

Clean, easy, simple cake/muffin in only 10 minutes!

Ingredients:

'Cake mixture'

- Three heaped tablespoons of old fashioned rolled oats

- Three heaped tablespoons of cornmeal (or another two heaped tbsp of oats)

- Three medium bananas

- Eight dates

- Handful of sultanas (optional)

- One small/medium egg

- Cinammon and nutmeg

- 1tsp Vanilla bean paste 

- 100ml Almond/hazelnut/soya milk (or normal milk if you prefer)

- 50ml Water

- 1tsp Baking soda

'Frosting'

- Greek yogurt

- Honey/Maple syrup

Mix the dry ingredients and the sultanas together in a ramekin dish. Blend the bananas, dates, vanilla bean paste, egg and milk together and slowly add it to the dry ingredients. Add a level teaspoon of baking soda and water, then 'whisk' the mixture with a fork. (If you're a sweet tooth add a tablespoon of honey/maple syrup to the mixture)

Pop the mixture in the microwave for 2.5mins on the penultimate highest setting, then for another 2-2.5mins on the highest setting, keeping your eye on the mixture. Whilst its cooking, mix together Greek yogurt and honey to your level sweetness in a separate bowl.

You know it's cooked when the mixture starts to come away at the sides of the ramekin. Place a plate on top of the ramekin and flip it over so the cake is on the plate. 

Spoon the Greek yogurt and honey mixture on the top (plus any other toppings you wish to add too.) and you're done!

Enjoy!

Veggie roast!

I love roast dinners. Especially when it's cold, I always crave hot, crispy veggies to warm my stomach! Whatever the weather, roasted vegetables are easy to prepare, extremely filling and satisfying and can be used in so many ways!

-As a (small portion) starter/side dish to a main meal

-Part of your main meal which should consist of 50% vegetables 

-Leftovers for lunch

-A snack for when you're feeling peckish

Its also an easy way to get your 'five a day' of veg in!

Ingredients:

-Carrots

-Butternut squash

-Celery

-Leeks

-Sweet potato

-Red onion

-Herbs (ready to use) parsley, oregano and thyme

-Gluten free Couscous (or any other side such as quinoa for the carb conscious, rice, bulgar wheat, chickpeas, pasta...the list is endless!)

-Vegetable stock/salt/olive oil (optional)

Preparation: (preheat oven to 250F)

-Wash thoroughly and chop up the veggies as small or as chunky to your preference.

-Mix them together in a suitable oven dish and sprinkle the herbs over them.

(Optional) Drizzle/spray a bit of olive oil and a dash of salt on the top for that extra crisp.

-Cook for 15mins, mix/turn over the vegetables and cook for another 7-10mins.

-Whilst the vegetables are in the oven, cook the couscous with vegetable stock. Should take about 3-4mins. (I personally pour boiling water over couscous in a Pyrex glass dish)

Tip: If you're a bit lazy, supermarkets often sell frozen vegetables or fresh ones that already washed/cut up - less cost effective but an even quicker preparation process!

Serve and enjoy a quick, easy meal!

Fay xo

Pancake Day!

To make one large 'clean' pancake, you'll need:

- One large egg white

- One large banana/two small bananas

- One heaped tablespoon of cornmeal/grounded oats*

- Water (two tablespoons, six for two smaller pancakes)

- Add ons: cinnamon&nutmeg/stevia/ground almond/melted (100%) dark chocolate or cocoa powder

*Alternatively, you could use the whole egg, yolk included and skip the cornmeal/oats. 

Mix all the ingredients except the banana together. Add the banana and use a whisk/fork to blend everything together. 

Using a non-stick pan (works best with this unconventional recipe) or a normal pan (coat with half a teaspoon of olive oil), slowly pour the mixture onto the pan on a low heat otherwise it'll burn, covering the whole circumference of the pan. Cook for 4-5mins then try your luck at flipping it in the air, (or be safe and use a spatula haha!) leave on the heat for another 3mins and you're ready to eat!

Serve with lemon juice, pure maple syrup, fresh fruit or even a cheeky bit of ice cream on the side.

Enjoy!

Fay xo

DETOX (Part One): The Master Cleanse

I don't believe in 'fad diets', however, I do believe in cleansing your body, getting rid of any unwanted toxins, and ensuring that your body is able to absorb all the key nutrients it requires which is what this 'cleanse' does when completed. 

After a week of indulging on pizza, chips and alcohol on holiday last summer, I decided (after a lot of research) to take part in this; I only managed it for 4 straight days but alongside light exercise and eating well afterwards I lost around 21lbs in six weeks and I was amazed! Compliments galore! Although I maintained this weight, due to many food allergies, stress and problems inhibiting me from exercise (and a little indulgence around Christmas) I quickly put on 15lbs in three weeks and I was gutted. So I recently decided to do it again, eight days straight and I lost it all! Plus my skin cleared up and I have lots of energy!

What you'll need:

Water

Lemon/lime 

100% maple syrup (Original/grade B or higher)

Cayenne pepper

Patience and resistance 

NB: you will need to research specific measurements of each ingredient (dependent on the individual, some may find it easy to make it in bulk rather than by the cupful. 

It is NOT easy. Challenging would be an understatement but the rewards are worth it. Consumption of anything other than this concoction (water, green tea and other herbal teas are allowed) will make the cleanse ineffective. It is essential that three days prior to this you reduce your food intake slowly to liquids/veg/fruit only, and slowly increase your food intake three days after. This speeds up your metabolism and should motivate you to kick start healthy eating. The usual time period for this is dependent on the individual - it can be 3, 5, 7, 10, 14days - some have even done up to 40! (Absurd!!) 

If your lifestyle is hectic I would suggest doing it for a shorter period or when you're not too busy, because it is a demanding process. If you have any qualms or concerns relating to this do comment below and be sure to check with a medical professional before partaking.

I'll be taking part in this again between 1st March-10th so feel free to ask me any questions below :)

Fay xo

First Post!

Hiya! I'm Fay and I'm currently in my 2nd year of university studying English and Creative Writing. I've been meaning to start a proper blog for a while now, I even made a Blogspot a few years back, and actively (obsessively ;)) used Tumblr, but didn't pursue with the blogging...so I thought I'd make a new blog being the new year and all!

If you follow me on Instagram you'll probably notice that I like to post a lot of '#OOTDs - outfit of the day' as well as various food&drink/meal ideas, random photography and daily lifestyle pictures. I've also realised that people often ask where I've bought something/how to eat 'healthier' etc.

So, instead of boring people with lengthy captions under pictures on Instagram, I thought it'd be a nice idea to fully expand and divulge information on things that I've found to be of use to me, and could be of interest to others!
~Hope you enjoy! xo

(Ps. All positive, constructive criticism is welcome, if you disagree with something/feel there is a way I could improve my blog, by all means, comment in the comments! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @londonsdiva for nonsensical tweets and rants!)