Easy Peasy Pasta Recipe!

Sometimes you just need some good old comfort food, that's easy to make and doesn't matter what your budget is! This is my super easy pasta recipe that I make whenever I feel I need something a bit more 'substantial'. You can pretty much add anything to it, I rarely eat meat but this works well with white fish, prawns and chicken, and also tastes amazing with pretty much any veg added to it. Once you try it you'll be able to adapt the recipe to suit you!

Ingredients:

-  200g Pasta (this recipe makes 2-3 good portions, you need 75-100g of pasta per person)

- Can of condensed mushroom soup (Also works well with chicken, I personally prefer the brand Campbells to others that I've tried, if you increase the amount of people this recipe is for you need more than one can) 

- A good handful of Mushrooms washed and chopped

- 2 Cloves of Garlic

-3 good sized green/spring onions

- 1 can of sweetcorn (you can also use frozen or peas add them to the dish frozen they will thaw with the heat of the pan) 

- 1 oxo cube (I used chicken but you can also use vegetable)

- 2 tsp of dried tarragon

- Milk (this will depend on what consistency you want your sauce)

- Olive Oil

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- Grated Cheddar Cheese (optional) 

Method:

1. Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions, once cooked drain in a colander and set one side, rinse the pan so that you can then use it to cook the sauce in. 

2. Fry the Garlic and onions in some olive oil, you need to watch as garlic can burn easily, then add the sweetcorn and mushrooms and allow to sweat down.

3. Add the can of condensed soup and stir well, you then want to add the milk, the more milk you add the runnier your sauce will become this is down to preference, I normally pour the milk into the condensed soup can, measuring about 1-2 cans of milk.

3. Add the stock cube this helps the sauce taste less 'soupy', then add the tarragon and stir well, allow to simmer for a minute or two then add the pasta from earlier to the pan.

4. Stir well to ensure the sauce is evenly distributed, you can serve the pasta like this, or you can place into single serving dishes or one large casserole dish and grate cheese over the top, place in the oven for around 15-20 mins and allow the cheese to bubble. Another nice alternative is using breadcrumbs, which make a nice crisp topping. 

5. Serve as a main with salad or veg, or as a side dish.

 I'm almost positive you will love this as much as I do!

Thanks for reading!

Hannah -ox

My Favourite Nail polish at the moment!

The quality of most Sally Hansen nail polishes (there are a few that aren't so great) are impeccable, and do rival my favourite brand O.P.I in many ways. 

When it gets to this time of year I love to have dark nails, I feel they look really classy, and they go with pretty much everything. 

Cue my current favourite polish! Pat on the Black by Sally Hansen, it is the perfect shade, it's not quite black, but has a real hint of cherry in it, creating overall a really nice deep purpley/black.

The polish goes on very smoothly, and only needs 1-2 coats, the overall finish has a really nice shine, but with top coat is even more shiny and looks really gorgeous!

The polishes are £6.99 each but are also regularly included in the 3 for 2 offers at Boots. They are much more affordable than O.P.I and this particular shade does rival the formulation.

I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves a dark nail. Sally Hansen also make one of my favourite nude polishes which is called Mauve Along.

Thanks for reading! What are your favourite nail colour to wear in the Autumn.

Hannah -ox 

Imperial Leather Foamburst Body Wash.

I've always loved the Imperial Leather Foamburst body washes, they smell amazing and feel really luxurious.

I would never normally choose a ginger and orange scented product but I was in Morrisons a few weeks ago and there had been an explosion on the isle (a small child had emptied one of the cans all over the shelves and floor), and it smelt so good! I had to buy some.

The fragrance is so strong, and is mostly a spicy ginger smell than orange, it's really nice to use on a morning if you struggle getting up like me. It's really wakes me up and the foamy consistency feels very luxurious and such a treat that is affordable!

Overall this is one of my favourite shower gels/ body washes! I definitely recommend this scent particularly if you like Origins Ginzing moisturiser as it's a similar smell! I also love the Green Tea and Jasmine scent which is much more girly and floral. 

I'm always buying this product and it's regularly on offer so won't break the bank! Like I said it's a real everyday treat!

Thanks for reading! Do you have a favourite Imperial Leather scent?

Hannah -ox

Loreal EverPure care system

I don't generally like being negative about products, but it narks me when certain products get a huge praise by the big blog world, and then I try it and feel completely let down by the hype.

I bought the Loreal EverPure no sulphates care system, in Sainsbury's when they were on buy one get one free, I'm glad because if I'd of payed £13.98 (they are £6.99 each) for something I disliked, I'd of been even more narked!  

Having bleached limp hair I chose to buy the Colour Care & Volume range, I knew the main one that had been blogged about would be too heavy for my hair and would make it greasy.

I was so eager to use this and washed my hair with it the same day around 1pm. After washing my hair it was really fluffy (I put this down to the fact I hadn't straightened my hair), but all in all it felt very soft. By 10pm (9 hours post wash) my hair had started to look oily, and limp, I had no volume in my hair and my ends were now frizzy.

Determined not to be disappointed I tried it again a few days later, this time I was going out with my boyfriend, so I had straightened my hair, and it was looking half decent. However after a few hours my partner commented on the fact my hair looked really fluffy at the ends, when I looked in the mirror, again my hair was lifeless, fluffy and really oily at the root, and this was just in a few hours. I was seriously disappointed. 

Obviously I can't comment whether my hair has improved in strength or quality, due to the fact I haven't been able to use it on a regular basis. 

In general I do like the shampoo, and when used with a different conditioner it works really well, I think in fact it is the conditioner that had made my hair oily, and fluffy. 

Overall I'm really not a fan and wouldn't recommend, it has also put me off trying other products from the range, and I honestly would only purchase them if they were on offer to try avoid wasting my money. 

Sorry for the negative post guys!

Thanks for reading!

Hannah -ox

My number one product for stronger nails!

O.P.I has always been one of my favourite nail brands for a long time! Nail Envy, first came to my knowledge through one of my mum's friend's who had long worn acrylic nails, after deciding to have them removed swore that nail envy had really helped to repair the damage done to her natural nails.

My mum then began to start using it and too swore by it.

I've never in the past had really weak or brittle nails, but since I started working in care and wearing gloves a lot I have noticed a huge change in my nails, and they have become more prone to peeling and breaking.

I decided try out my Mum's, and after a month of applying it once a month noticed a huge difference in my nails.

They were much stronger and had ceased to stop peeling!

Although this is quite a pricey product at £18.65 for a bottle but it's definitely worth it and better than other cheaper nail strengtheners I've tried such as Rimmel and Collections. 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has weak nails, you will notice a difference.

Even my step sister commented what good condition my nails wear in when she applied my Gelish for my holiday!

Here's to better healthier nails! :-) 

Thanks for Reading!

Hannah -ox

Maple Syrup Cupcakes Recipe.

So this week Anna Saccone posted both a video and post on her blog with a recipe for Maple Syrup cupcakes you can see that here.

I love Maple Syrup and really wanted to try the recipe, however she made hers with Cornmeal, something that I was worried would effect my stomach. So I adapted the recipe to something I knew I'd be able to eat.

This was the result! 

So I thought I'd share my adapted recipe with you all. I also changed the recipe from cups to grams because I find that easier.

I used a typical sponge recipe which my Granny Pam taught me. 

Ingredients for the cake:

100g self raising flour (Anna does use plain but I was always taught you only use Plain flour for puddings, and self raising for cakes)

100g stork (Marg or butter work just aswell)

100g caster sugar

2-3 large eggs (will depend on the mixture)

tbsp of milk (I used almond milk as I don't drink cows)

2 tbsp of maple syrup

Ingredients for the Icing (this is virtually the same as Anna's):

50g of unsalted butter
2 tbsp of maple syrup
4 cups of icing sugar
1 tbsp of milk (again I used almond milk)

For the cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius, and put bun cases into a bun/pudding tin (this recipe made me 12 cakes).
2. Cream the stork and caster sugar until light and smooth, you then want to add an egg at a time along with a tbsp of flour (this will prevent the mixture from splitting) each time you add and fold in an egg. Once the eggs are added fold in the rest of the flour.
3. Finally you want to add the syrup and milk and fold into the mixture.
4. Spoon the mixture about 2/3 into the cases, you must leave enough room for the mixture to rise!
5. Place in the oven for around 15-20 mins, keep checking the cakes, but try not to open the oven door as the cold air can effect the rise and make the cakes sink.
6. When cooked you should be able to insert a metal skewer into the center of a cakes and it come out completely clean. Remove the cakes from the oven but leave in the tin for around 10-15 mins then transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For the icing/frosting:

1. Firstly I blended the wet ingredients together first, so butter, milk, and maple syrup.

2. I then added the icing sugar 1/2 a cup at a time, and mixed using a hand mixer, this does get quite stiff, but it wants to be in order to stay on your cake!

3. I iced each cake using a palette knife and smoothed the icing on. You can also use the back of a metal spoon. You must ensure the cakes are completely cool before icing or they'll begin to melt your icing.

The next part is completely optional! But I made some candied pecans, they are super easy to make, and so yummy!

You will need:

 a packet of pecans

1 egg white

2-3 tbsp of water

1 cup of caster sugar

2 tsp of cinnamon

1. whisk the egg white and water so that they are white in colour, and have a little bit of air in.

2. Add the sugar and cinnamon and keep whisking, it will resemble slightly that of making meringues however you don't want stiff peaks.

3. Stir in the pecans, add on to a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet. You will need to bake in the oven at 150-180 for around half an hour, stirring every 10 mins.

4. Allow to cool and then break them apart, you can then add them to your cakes, you will have loads left over which make a really tasty snack/treat.

And here's the end result!
Super tasty, and pretty simple to make!

Thanks for reading!
Hannah -ox

Food Diary 11.11.13

Hello everyone! I'm back with another food diary post, I have stayed the same weight this week meaning my weightloss is still -2lb I was a little dissapointed but I've been having tummy troubles this past week so I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself.

This morning I had breakfast around 10:30 am I really fancied eggs, so I had a fried egg in a wholemeal roll with a banana, this really filled me up! I know fried eggs aren't the healthiest but I can't poach an egg to save my life. I also had my Seven Seas cod liver oil and multivitamins capsule with a pint of sugar free squash.

I actually didn't eat any lunch until 3:30 pm I got engrossed in wrapping Christmas presents, I had Pumpkin Soup which I made, I previously posted the recipe, and a added a piece of oven baked haddock which I'd put some spices on. It was so tasty, I really enjoyed this!

I didn't eat tea until 8:30 pm which is a lot later than usual I had a jacket potato with prawns in a 'seafood sauce' (ketchup with low fat mayo), I couldn't eat this all. 

My friend Louise also came round and we had a 'Merryteaser' Reindeer... It's really important in my opinion not to restrict yourself from things all the time, and to have a treat now and then. 

Overall I had 1218/1640, I didn't do any exercise today so it makes me feel better that I didn't consume my full calorie count (is that stupid?). 

Anyway Thank you so much for reading!

Hannah -ox

Revlon Colourburst Gloss in 'Sunbaked'

Lip products are one of my favourite things I have a growing collection and I'm always changing up what I wear (it's normal for me to have around 5 lipsticks/lipglosses in my handbag at a time), for me to say that I really really like something it's kind of a big deal. 

I bought this Revlon colourburst lipgloss in September, I'd previously had Revlon lipsticks but never a gloss, I love nude lips, but wanted something a little more darker for Autumn so I chose 'Sunbaked'. 

It is such a pretty shade, but still has that nude element which I love! It is also is really good colour pay off. I like to layer this over my MAC Stripdown pencil, it's literally all I've worn for the past month or more. 

I particularly like wearing a gloss at this time of year because my lips get extremely cracked and dry from the cold, and lipsticks can end up looking really gross and flakey! Yuk!

I definitely recommend to any nude lip lovers out there! The Revlon Colourburst range is available in Boots for £7.99 for a gloss, I'm looking forward to trying out more.

Thanks for reading! 

Hannah -ox

No7 Make Up Brush Cleanser

I used to be a big fan of the MAC brush cleanser, and used it to spot clean my brushes over anything else, I was in Boots a while back with one of those £5 off No7 vouchers and loving a bargain I was desperate to use it however nothing was really jumping out at me, I was looking at the brush section when I noticed they had a brush cleanser which was £8 so with the voucher was £3... Bargain!

To be really honest I wasn't expecting much from this so was pleasantly surprised when I found it actually cleaned my brushed better than MAC's version! This cleans my brushes so well, double wear is extremely difficult to remove from foundation brushes it's quite water resistant, because this is alcohol based it helps to breakdown the makeup, and brushes that I once thought were stained forever are now like new. 

I use this to spot clean my brushes, and I still deep clean my brushes with baby shampoo every 2 weeks. 

This is a great product and if you get the £5 off vouchers you get it at such a bargain. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good and affordable brush cleanser.

Thanks for reading guys! 

Hannah -ox

Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe!

If you follow me on instagram you may have seen me post this picture of some vegetables I had bought from a road side seller local to where my Dad lives, all the produce was locally grown and organic. I bought all the veg for £10 and was pleased as punch, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it and that was make soup! As you know I'm trying to lose a bit more weight and soup is a great alternative to salads during the cold months. 

So today I thought I'd share my spicy pumpkin soup recipe with you! I love soups and they're so easy to make, Pumpkin will soon be out of season so I wanted to get this post in before it's too late!

I made this recipe up as I went along, I make soups a lot so I was quite confident it would turn out ok! 

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 medium-large pumpkin (you want to remove all the seeds and the loose flesh and put to one side you want to use the hard flesh with the skin removed chop into small chunks this is probably the mos time consuming part)

1 large white onion (chopped up) 

1 large leek (chopped up) 

2 cloves of garlic ( roughly chopped) 

1-1.5 litres of vegetable or chicken stock (this will depend on how thick you want your soup to be)

1 Chilli (deseeded and chopped up) 

1 small dried chilli (crushed -this is optional you could also add some dried chilli flakes instead adjust the amount to your preferred spice level)

2 tsp of ground coriander

2 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of garlic salt

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Once you've prepared all your veg (I always do this whenever I cook and put them in separate bowls this way nothing gets ruined because your still prepping mid cook), take a large pan probably one of the largest you own this recipe makes a lot of soup. Add a good glug of olive oil to the pan and put over a medium heat, add the onion, leek, garlic and both chilli's to a pan and soften everything, you want to keep your eye on this and keep stirring or you'll end up with burnt garlic or onions. 

2. Once the onions and leeks start to turn translucent you want to add the coriander, cumin and garlic salt, and stir well coating everything in the spice. Then add the pumpkin chunks, try to get everything mixed together (this can be difficult depending on the size of your pan) allow to sweat for a couple of minutes.

3. Boil the kettle and add a couple of stock pots to a jug (these are available in most supermarkets and are a concentrated jelly of stock that you melt in hot water) add the water between 1-1.5 litres and allow the stock pots to melt. You can use chicken or veg stock I generally use veg stock for soups just because I prefer the taste.

4. Pour the stock into the pan carefully you want to ensure that all the pumpkin and other ingredients are covered if you don't have enough stock just add some plain water. I then add salt and pepper and give it a good stir to ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan, bring the pan to the boil and then turn down to simmering, cover the pan with a lid and allow a little gap for steam, you want to simmer this for around 20-40 minutes you are aiming for the pumpkin to be really quite soft, you should be able to get a skewer through it. 

5. Once the pumpkin is cooked you want to blend the mixture either in a blender, or with a hand blender, until nice and smooth.

6. Too serve I used the pumpkin seeds which I saved earlier, all I did was wash them and lay them on a baking tray, add a bit of garlic salt and cayenne pepper bake in the oven for 10-20 mins and you have a healthy alternative to croutons!

If you allow this to cool you can either store it in the fridge or freeze it and reheat when needed. It should keep for a good 5 days in the fridge though.

As you may have noticed I didn't do a food diary post for this week but I have lost 2lbs! :-) 

Thanks for reading guys!

Hannah -ox

Mini Bath & Body works haul!

So my Mum went to Dallas Texas last week, however was limited with both suitcase space, and time for shopping, so unfortunately for me I had to limit what I could ask for >:-).

I knew bath and body works was the main place I wanted her to visit, so I asked for a couple of candles and some pocket bacs! 

She couldn't find the sweater weather candle, so bought me a White Barn candle, in the scent leaves, this smells absolutely amazing! It's really appley, but spicey a amazing fall scent.

She also got me five pocket bacs, in the scents; Lemon Meringue Cheer, Sugared Vanilla Wish, Winter Candy Apple, Winter Cranberry, and Fresh Sparling Snow. I love all the scents but Winter Cranberry is definitely my favourite. 

My mum also got me a Texas jumper, and some Dallas Cowboy knickers.

I absolutely loooovveee America and I'm really hoping that I can plan a trip to New York in the new year. 

Thanks for Reading guys!

Are any of you from America? What would you recommend to a Brit? 

Hannah -ox

My Favourite SPF!

I'm just going to put this out there...I do not wear SPF everyday, I tend to rely on my makeup for SPF protection. I realise people have different opinions on SPF, some sunlight is good for your skin, and in my personal opinion I do not feel that SPF is necessary everyday if I'm not spending a huge amount of time outside. 

I used to use the SPF 50 for face from La Roche Posay, and I really liked it for a long time, however my skin has changed, and not only do I feel that Factor 50 is maybe a little too high protection now, but I also found that I started getting little bumps under my skin after I'd been wearing it, and even when I would double cleanse. 

Obviously having sensitive skin has meant that some SPF's have broke me out like nobodies business, and I'm always cautious when buying them because the majority also don't seem to sit well with oily skin and give you a ridiculous shine.

By chance I picked the Solait SPF 30 up in Superdrug before I went to Portugal this summer, the thing that drew me in was the fact it claimed it had a 'light texture' and also that it was mattifying. I was so pleasantly surprised by this! I used it throughout my holiday and found no irritation, no shine and it protected my face from the sun perfectly, not a single burn!

I've continued to use this on days when I have wanted SPF protection in the UK and I still love it, it is hands down one of the best facial SPF's I've used for my oily skin, and it's also not got a hefty price tag!

I would definitely recommend! 

Thanks for reading!

Hannah -ox

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance.

Aussie has always been a range I've never really tried much from, it's available in the supermarkets but is a bit more pricey than other supermarket brands. 

However I was looking for a leave-in conditioner that would help to detangle my hair, I came across this. I remembered I'd used a friends shampoo before and that it smelt SO good! So I decided to get The Miracle Hair insurance, as I felt it would give the most protection to my weak hair.

The smell was still incredible, and it lingers on your hair all day, I spray this a few times on towel dried hair before I brush it, normally giving it a few minutes to help detangle my hair and prevent further breakages. 

This is a really nice and affordable product, and since I have purchased the shampoo, and conditioner and enjoyed using them too. I did buy the 3 minute miracle but it weighed my hair down too much so ended up giving it to a friend. I'm really pleasantly surprised by the Aussie range it all smells so good, and I have noticed  difference in my hair since using it. My hair is slowly but surely getting a little bit more healthier. 

Miracle Hair Insurance doesn't weigh down my hair nor does it make it greasy at the root. I already have repurchased this product in particular twice, and I'm still keen to try more from the range. It is around £4.99 for 250ml  from most drugstores, and supermarkets so won't break the bank either! 

The only thing I recommend is not spraying it near any wooden or laminated floors as it makes it soooo slippy! haha! Another Bambi on ice moment for me!

Thanks for reading!

Hannah -ox

Food Diary, Monday 28th Oct.

Hi everyone! I apologise for no posts this past week, life's been a little bit jumbled for me and unfortunately I've just not had time to organise/schedule posts. 

For a while I've been wanting to do some posts about what I have been eating, as you may have read in my 'Weight Journey' post I have been trying to lose weight, unfortunately my weight does stick to me like glue, so without plenty of exercise and trying to balance out my diet I really struggle to even maintain my weight, adding in the fact I have a few intestinal problems I'm sometimes reluctant to eat healthier things.

Hypnotherapy only goes so far; with my diet and everything I have to put that work in myself, and I have to take every opportunity to excercise I can!

So this was my day of eating last Monday (28th October)...

First off I went for a run about 10am, I say run but it soon turned into a walk, it was absolutely chucking it down, I was absolutely frozen, and really pushed to my limits, ordinarily I would have gone on my tredmil but we're currently clearing out and it had alot of heavy boxes piled on top!

I only went 3.55km (I use the endomondo app) which is 2.2 miles, and it took just under 30 minutes. The last 10 of which I was walking anyway. I burned approx 285 calories, which for first thing in the morning I was pleased as punch with. 

I then had breakfast around 11am, this i admit was pretty random, I had a whole tin of tuna, with a desert spoon of low fat mayo, salt and pepper then two small pieces of toast with low fat marg on. I actually really enjoyed this, especially after I was so ravenous after running.

For lunch which was around 2:30pm I really wanted to pack in as many veggies as possible, I had vegetable fried rice, I fried some rice in a small amount of sesame oil and soy sauce with, peas, sweetcorn, mushrooms, peppers, and spring onions and a 2 egg omelette, this seriously hit the spot and is one of my favourite meals!

Finally we didn't eat tea until around 8:00pm I had a piece of  sirloin steak (I did cut the fat off before I ate it) and  the left over veggie rice, I normally get a sweet craving after tea but I was so full I couldn't eat anymore not even any of my mum's homemade crumble! 

I used my fitness pal calorie tracker throughout the day, which estimates I should eat around 1600 calories, I came in at eating around 1,490 calories, which wasn't too bad. 

I initially said I wanted to lose a stone for Christmas, but as it draws rapidly near I realise that might be a tad ambitious, the numbers on the scale aren't really what I'm focused on anyway I just want to feel fit and healthy and be able to tolerate how I look in the mirror!

Anyway Thank you for reading guys!

I hope you liked a different post from me!

Hannah -ox