Old El Paso Stand 'N' Stuff Soft Taco Kit

So tonight we went Mexican and tried out Old El Paso's new Stand 'N' Stuff Taco Kits. I really wanted to try the BBQ one, but unfortunately that was out of stock at Tesco, so we brought the 'Garlic and Paprika' kit.

It's really easy to make, you get 8 tacos, the seasoning and salsa. All you have to add is the mince meat, tomato, lettuce and cheese.

Gary decided he wanted to add onion to it to give a bit more flavour and I suppose there's loads more you can add like peppers, mushrooms, etc.

So first of all you cook off the meat (and any veg you're adding in), then drain the water out. Gary recommends you do do that, as we left it in thinking it would add to the flavour but it just ended up being very messy.

So, once drained, add the seasoning and 150ml of water and let it simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Warm up the tacos in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then pile it all in. They do recommend not filling them up too much which I would have to agree on, they will be filling half full and a lot easier to eat. Everything starts falling out as you try and eat otherwise, still tasty though!

And the finished product

Now, I can be quite fussy with food and I don't really like minced beef so I made my own special tacos. I like to have bacon, hashbrown and cheese wraps so I thought I'd try it in a taco.

I cooked bacon rashers, hashbrowns and mushrooms in a frying pan, you can add whatever other veg you like, but as I said, I'm quite fussy and I like my favourites.

I warmed up the tacos again, filled them up with the cooked goods and cheese. Added some sour cream, cheese and sweet BBQ sauce on top and all done.

Unfortunately there wasn't much left of my BBQ sauce (I like waiting for it to be on offer) so there wasn't as much as I'd like but it still tasted good.

The finished product

So all in all a quick, easy and tasty product. Not as good as proper Mexican food but it's good enough.

I've got an idea for some tasty nachos from a Mexican restaurant I visited in Playa del Carmen so keep your eyes peeled for that soon!

Let me know what you think of these tacos if you've tried them and if you've made any variations, would be lovely so see your ideas.

Trip Around the Bay

On mine and Gary's day off, we decided to have a wander around Torbay. We've been meaning to get the ferry over to Brixham all summer, as not only is it cheaper than the bus, it's a lovely little journey across the bay.

I thought it would be nice to go to Totnes though, as we haven't been there for years. So we got the bus from Torquay to Paignton and had a look round the shops until the bus came for Totnes.

We had a lovely lunch in the Dartmouth Inn where they had Morris dancers outside, it sounded like a regular thing and made the pub quite busy.

Most of the shops were closed unfortunately as it was a Sunday, but they had a lovely food market at the top of the hill that had all sorts, such as Thai, paella, falafel, cheese and meat stalls and loads more. I'll take my Mum over one Sunday as she loves things like that.

Gary then suggested we get the bus over to Brixham anyways and get the ferry home. I had joked that morning that it was probably too windy for the ferry to be running as that had stopped it before.

And yes, I was right, it wasn't running. 

In Lanzarote and Majorca the catamarans we went on swayed madly on the huge waves and yet this day the sea looked calm and peaceful.

It was nice to have a walk around the harbour waiting for the next bus though, and to see Sir Francis Drake's boat, the Golden Hind, previously known as the Pelican (something I learned on the Chase).

It's also great to have such nice weather, we wouldn't normally be able to consider a boat trip near the end of September!

Trip to Paignton Zoo

Earlier this week, I went to Paignton Zoo with my sister and my niece.

It's a place that has always been in my life since I can remember. When I was younger I use to be a member of the Gibbon Club. We would meet up one Saturday a month and do loads of activities to do with the animals and learn about the wildlife. I would also go to the Summer School which is now called Wild Weeks. This was an amazing week and was my favourite. I would recommend it to any child that loves animals and loves the zoo. We would go behind the scenes and feed the elephants, giraffes and tortoises, we made paper mache balls full of food for the baboons (they loved those), learnt loads of information about animals all over the world and collected peacock feathers, I use to love taking them home to my Nana. It was an inspiring and enlightening time.

Since then, the zoo has added new exhibits and attractions and is still one of my favourite places to go. I had a great time with my sister and niece, we managed to get round most of the zoo (it's quite big!) and had a little play in the parks which was fun.

The newest exhibit is the 'Investigating Invertebrates' house. It's really interesting, there are spiders, stick insects, scorpions, and cockroaches (which creep me out!). They also have an ant nest which is connected to their food source (leaves) by tubes that run over the room so you can see them work.
There are so many different animals and they all have spacious exhibits, definitely a full day out if you want to visit everything. At the moment there are quite a few baby animals, like baby meerkats, baby orang-utans and baby giraffes. All very cute!
Can't wait to go back again.
Hope you enjoy the photos =)

First day of Diet and Recipe for Butternut Squash and Sweet Pepper Soup

So I have managed to stick to my diet today =)

For breakfast I had a mushroom and pea omelette, it was yummy but I do miss cheese!









For lunch I had noodles with mushrooms and peas, and for dinner I had the butternut squash and sweet pepper soup that I made from my friend's recipe.


I have a soupmaker so it was really easy to make.

You will need:
1 butternut squash
Two sweet peppers
One onion
500ml vegetable stock
Garlic
Salt 
Pepper
150ml creme fraiche

Seed and dice the vegetables
Add to the soupmaker along with vegetable stock and seasoning
Set to blend
When done, add creme fraiche and check the seasoning and blend in
Enjoy =)




For my snack I tried a few different flavours of Philadelphia on crispbreads with a slice of ham on top. Sweet chilli was my favourite, not a fan of the chives one, and I think the garlic and herbs flavour would be best in a pasta dish.





I'm still craving things; kebabs, chocolate, sweets, chips, crisps. But I'm keeping myself busy to distract myself from wanting to eat, they say it takes three weeks to get rid of cravings, let's see if that's true.
This truly is a mental battle, I want to eat what I want, and what I think tastes good, but I want to be healthier, I want to look better and I want to feel more confident in myself. I just have to keep reminding myself why I'm doing this, it's so easy to get distracts but I'm fed up of looking awful in my holiday photos and not feeling good about me.
I can win this.

The Beginning of my Mental Battle with Losing Weight

So I have had my last day of eating what I want and today (as it is now past midnight) I am starting my new diet.

I have a personal trainer at my gym who has been helping me since April but unfortunately I have been very stubborn and unmotivated to lose weight. That changes tomorrow! My last diet was very strict and wasn't very excited, I can get bored of the same food quite easily and that was what happened. I ended up completing "falling off the bandwagon", as my family put it, and have been unable to shift any more weight off. I find losing weight and changing your lifestyle a mental challenge rather than a physical one, I have no problem working out, going running, swimming, etc, it's the get up and go vibe that I struggle with.

My new diet is a little bit more exciting, and involves foods I enjoy and like to make. 

So, for breakfast I am going to be having three eggs made however I like, so an omelette, poached eggs, boiled, scrambled (but not fried, not very healthy), or some natural greek yoghurt.

For lunch I get to have noodles, I'm a bit of a fussy eater so I don't like too many vegetables but I'm hoping to gradually introduce them in my noodle meals. Chicken is the main protein I eat, and I love mushrooms so have those in most of my meals.

My next meal, the 'snack' meal, as I have gone off protein shakes, I'll be having two ryvitas or crispbreads, with any kind of philadelphia with a slice of meat on top. Can't wait to try out the different flavours of philadelphia!

Then for dinner I get to have soup. I've recently brought a soupmaker which I love, best thing ever, so I've got a bit obsessed with making soup. I would have just lived off soup if I could but my trainer disapproved. I'll be putting up some of my favourite recipes as I go along for you to have a try.

So as I mentioned, my other struggle is doing exercise. I love it when I'm doing it, but I find it really hard to get dressed and go. I really want to find my motivation and passion for exercise again and I'm determined to do it this time.

If you have any tips or words of encouragement, I'd love to hear them in the comments.

So I shall let you know how my first day goes, I've already made plans to go to the gym, and I have my meals all ready to be made, all it's waiting for is me. It's going to be a brand new day when I wake up and I'm going to make the most of it!

CLOSED: Trendz Butterfly 7" Tablet Case Giveaway!

Win a Trendz Butterfly 7" Tablet Case!

Compatible with iPad Mini, Samsung Tab 2 7", 

Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7

This pretty, stylish, wrap-around tablet case with elasticated strap will provide excellent protection for your device.

It's not just a protective case, with three viewing angles you can comfortably watch or browse the internet with the built in stand.

Made with high-quality printing and a soft suede-effect inner lining to keep your tablet dust and scratch free.

RRP £14.99

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to all UK residents only. A winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter and announced on this Competition page, Via Twitter and Facebook. The winner will be contacted by e-mail, If they do not respond within 28 days another winner may be chosen. Any non delivery is unfortunately not my responsibility, However I will try to help with any non delivery issues.  Entries will be checked before the Winner is announced.

Competition ends 27/09/2014.

Pooch and Mutt Dog Treats

Frodo and Jax were extremely lucky this week to be sent a tube of treats each by Pooch and Mutt! 









Pooch and Mutt are an amazing company that make treats, food and supplements for dogs. They are all made using only natural ingredients and are the UK's first company to be an ethically approved dog supplement specialist. They are also PETA (The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) approved, never testing on laboratory animals.

Jax had the Charity Chicken Treats as chicken is his favourite. I think he knew straight away the parcel was for him, so he helped me open it up.



After a quick, approving sniff, he sat down patiently for his first one (he is such a polite boy!).

 And he loved them!

He just kept sitting there waiting for more.

I'm really impressed with the Charity Chicken Treats as not only are they made with healthy ingredients, 10p of every pack will go to dog charities, both big and small!

Frodo was a bit more impatient when he saw his treats, he could barely sit still. We chose Fresh Breath Treats for Frodo as his kisses would be a lot nicer if his breath smelt better! He got so excited he was jumping up at me and running round in circles. Safe to say he loved his treats too, and a definite improvement with his breath!

The Fresh Breath Treats are part of a new range of grain free, natural and premium dog food. This exciting new range will help your dog to digest their food better, which could relieve digestive discomfort or itchy skin and generally improve their health.

I'll definitely have to try the Digestion & Wind Complete Grain-Free Dog Food for Frodo next time as he has very bad, smelly wind!

The boys absolutely loved their treats.
It's fantastic to see a company work so hard to create healthy and natural products that are created especially to benefit dogs and keep them fit and happy.
And it's great to see dogs enjoy them as much as the effort that's gone into making them.



www.poochandmutt.com


Disclaimer: We were sent the Pooch and Mutt dog treats for free, but have received no other form of compensation to provide this review. All opinions are my own.

The Foundation of Helping Someone feel Positive

I sometimes envy people that can get over their feelings and problems quickly, they don't need to talk about it and can just deal with it all by themselves.

I am one of those girls who wears their heart on their sleeve, who can be very sensitive and empathetic. I like to talk about what makes me stressed or upset or angry, it helps me release the negativity. Sometimes you just need someone to make you feel positive again.

I can understand that some people like to deal with things on their own, but what's to stop them from helping another deal with their problems an alternative way?

It's very hard to feel positive once you feel down, it takes a lot of will power and that's difficult when you feel everything around you and in yourself is negative. It helps to have someone believe in you, to reaffirm those positive thoughts that are struggling to get your attention in an ocean of pessimism.

Here are the three things I believe are the foundation of making someone feel better:

1 - REASSURANCE - We want to feel like you understand what we're saying, that it's okay to feel what we feel, that it will all be okay. Some where deep down in us we know this, but it's hard to listen to when we think the negative thoughts make more sense, when we get trapped in a circle of bad thoughts.

2 - COMFORT - Give us a hug, put an arm around us or even simply place your hand on ours. A simple touch can make all the difference, it can be a focus point, it shows us that you care, that you're attention is on us which gives us something positive to distract us from the negative.

3 - SAFETY - Let us know that you're always someone we can turn to, that you'll never betray our trust and you'll never laugh at us. Let us know that you always have our back, a small problem to you may be insignificant but to us it could be very stressful and worrying, knowing that you won't belittle us for it means a lot.

Of course there are ways of overcoming negative thoughts on your own, but it helps to have someone there with you to guide you out.
The worst part can be feeling alone, but you never are, there is always someone out there that is feeling the same, just as there is someone out there who cares.

Just think positive, focus on the happy things, and believe it will get better.
And remember, we're never alone.

Meet the Dogs in my Life

I have two dogs in my life, the one on the left is Jax, who is ours, and the one on the right is Frodo, my Uncle's dog.

They get on really well, Jax loves jumping up and biting Frodo's whiskers.

Jax is a miniature Jack Russell, he was five years old in August. 

A lot of Jack Russells have a reputation of being aggressive and snappy. Jax is the complete opposite, he is friendly and excitable and loves sitting on your lap, he does yap a bit though. 

His one fault is his lack of sharing. Once he has his ball, it's his, he loves it being thrown for him, but you have to snatch it off him quick when he finally puts it down. I think that's his favourite game really.

He does love his walks though, he always stays by our side and gets impatient when we're not throwing his ball even though it's him that's not letting us have it! 

He also loves sleeping in our bed, though usually he sleeps horizontally which doesn't leave a lot of room for us!

Frodo is much more casual and dopey, but loveable and very sociable. He wants to see everyone and be in the centre of everything, which is when we have to keep an eye out for his tail which has knocked over more than one glass when he gets excited.

The bed in the photo is actually Jax's, I did mention he was dopey, right?

Frodo is now ten, I had been begging my family for years to get a dog when my Auntie surprised my Uncle with Frodo. I love him so much and pretty much act like he's my own dog. We share the same birthday so I call him my soul-dog.

He always bounds up to see me and gives me a hug when I see him. Unfortunately, I do get allergic to Frodo, he can set my sneezing off and I get a little bit of a rash but it doesn't stop me from seeing him or loving him, an antihistamine always does the trick.

Frodo loves going for walks too, except he'll happily go off and explore, especially if there's water! 

He will also drop the ball and let you throw it. He's a lot faster than Jax so it's always easier when Frodo gets to it first.

 

 It may sound like I give a lot of attention to Frodo, but don't worry, Jax loves my partner a lot more than me so he gets lots of attention from him.

Jax will follow Gary everywhere and even looks for him and ignores me if I come home without him!

This is the walk we went to yesterday at Goodrington Sands beach. 

It's a great place to walk the dogs. 

Even though we can only use half the beach due to it being summer, there's more than enough space. 

They both love the beach, there's loads of space to throw the ball (when we get it!) and for them to run around and explore. 

 

Jax is getting more confident about going in the water but he still doesn't like big waves, he runs away from those. It's all in the video below, bless him. And sorry about the noise, it was very windy!

First Night of College

So last night I started my first evening of college.

I am doing AS Human Biology. Even though I already have my A-Levels and have been to university, I couldn't find anything to do with my degree though luckily I got a job in a pharmacy which I now love. I have completed the counter, stockcheck and dispensing training in pharmacy and the next course to do would be the technician course. One of my colleagues is already doing this at work and it's gone up a step in terms of effort and knowledge. I really want to complete it though, so I am putting myself through college again, one night a week, to learn a subject I think will significantly aid me in a career in pharmacy. I was going to do chemistry as well but I didn't want to take on too much, and after looking at my colleague's workbooks, which is very biology orientated, I thought this the better option.

Even though I have gone through the learning process, I was still incredibly nervous. What hadn't helped was going through the text book the night before and panicking that I didn't understand anything. (Though to be honest, the book isn't very user-friendly, it just assumes you know what it's talking about, which I obviously don't after seven years of no science, and just moves on to the next section. I turned to Google to help me understand, always helps.) 

So I sat through the first hour, enrolled and got back to the class to find everyone looking through microscopes. Again, haven't touched one of these in seven years. The classmates sat at the back with me were really helpful though, they showed me where everything was and how to work the microscope (they've been updated since I was last at school so I had no idea).

Still, I felt nervous and out of my depth. The class went on, slideshow went up and we began to learn about blood and what's in it. 

I am now really glad I went through my book the night before. 

The little bit of knowledge I learnt in just a few pages helped me understand what the tutor was talking about and I could actually work out  the answer to the questions she was asking. Next step is actually getting the confidence to speak up, I am very shy in class even when I know the answer.

I now feel confident about this class and am excited to learn more. It was fascinating, especially when I finally found the blood cells in the microscope and was able to identify them. I can't wait to learn more. 

So my top tips for evening classes:

1 - RESEARCH - Get the textbook early and go through it! Be prepared, especially if you haven't done the subject recently. I'd rather have questions on a subject when we're learning it in class, than the next week when we've moved on. I only have three hours a week in college, I don't want to waste them.

2 - BE CONFIDENT - Anything is within your potential if you feel positive about it, you can do this! Just remember why you are doing it and what you want out of it and believe in yourself.

3 - BE ORGANISED - Get the textbook, get a pencil case and fill it up: pens, pencils, eraser, sharpener, ruler, highlighter, colour pencils, calculator, whatever else you need. It doesn't look good if you keep having to ask for basic equipment. Also, get there early, make time for traffic and adjust what time you leave. As I said before, limited learning hours, you don't want to miss a second, especially if you're paying for it yourself!

4 - MAKE FRIENDS - It's always easier when you have someone to help. Get to know your classmates, help each other out with tasks or if they get confused, you could even car share if they live near you.

5 - SPEAK UP - If you know an answer or have a question then just say it. I definitely need to improve on this. If you don't ask, you won't understand, and as they say, there's always someone else who is thinking the same thing. If you know the answer then say it, it will give you a boost to be correct, and if it's wrong, you then learn from it. I watched Meet the Robinsons last night where they celebrated failure. They said there's always something you can learn from failing but not much from succeeding, which is actually very true.

So good luck if you're starting a class too! Hope this has helped =)

A Tour of Living Coasts

Gary and I went to Living Coasts today, we have a years pass to there, Paignton Zoo and Newquay Zoo.
It's a lovely little zoo and aquarium, lots of different species of animals and plants with many interactive areas for both adults and children.
My favourite part has to be the seals, especially now they have a new pup who is splashing around quite happily with her penguin toy (see pictures below). 
Gary really likes the penguins and they have chicks out too (see pictures below). Some of the Macaroni penguins are moulting which makes them look like they have big fur coats on (see pictures below), I think it makes them look like divas!

It's also great to see such a variety of animals, they have rays, seahorses, an octopus and they have a competition on at the moment for the public to choose what goes in a new exhibit. I voted for them to get a nautilus, I think they are fascinating creatures. Known as 'living fossils', their shells have a beautiful pattern and they simply look like they're from another world. It truly is fascinating what is on our Earth.

There is always something new when we visit, and with our pass we do go quite often. As we walked around they had a lot of displays on recycling and how our rubbish can damage the wildlife. This is something I am really concious of, I always make sure my rubbish goes in the bin and have been quite annoyed with my friends when they carelessly throw their litter on the ground. I once got incredibly wound up when one friend physically stopped me from picking his rubbish up and said it was his right to contribute to the work of a waste collector. I sometimes cannot believe the nonsense some people say.

An Afternoon in Sunny Torquay

After dancing away the hours last night and spending all morning recovering, Gary and I finally went out to enjoy the sunshine.

I've been so lucky with the weather for my first week off work, hopefully next week is going to be just as nice.

This afternoon we went for a few drinks at Below Decks on Torquay Harbour, a lovely little bar/cafe that sits among the docked boats. It's situated away from the road making it a quiet little spot to enjoy watching the sunset.

I couldn't resist getting a few photos, hope you like them.

Gary got a little tired though sitting in the sun and decided to have a lie down on the way home.

Revitalised and Refreshed

Today I went to Renaissance Salon for a few treatments with some friends. It is my best friends' birthday next weekend, and as she will be busy with her family then, we're having a girly day and night a week early.

It is quite a climb to the salon if you enter through the entrance opposite Argos in Torquay town centre, but I am used to walking up four flights of stairs at my partners' so it didn't really bother me. Though we did find it funny that there was an entrance on Castle Street we could have used instead.

There were five of us that booked treatments, ranging from manicures to massages. We were in there for a good couple of hours while we waited for each other to have our treatments, but we were offered refreshments and there were magazines laid out.

I treated myself to a facial with mask and an eyelash tint.
The facial was really relaxing and I was really impressed with the beautician who immediately picked up on my sensitive skin and applied the appropriate products for me to fully benefit from the treatment. The face mask was gentle on my skin and made from natural products that wouldn't irritate. The beautician talked me through what she was doing, the right way to apply the products and the ways people can use them incorrectly. I found all of this information extremely helpful, especially knowing that to get maximum benefits from face masks, they only need to be put on for a couple of minutes. She even gave me tips on strengthening my nails by rubbing in a cuticle cream on the skin below the nail as that is where the nail starts to grow from. Afterwards my face felt light, refreshed and soft, and I felt as relaxed as if I'd had a massage. It's actually amazing how much my face has cleared up, my forehead is clear of blocked pores and looks smoother, I just look and feel better. Very impressed!

The eyelash tint was quick and easy, again she explained the process and why I shouldn't open my eyes throughout the application (to keep the tint from going into the eye which will sting...a lot!). My eyelashes now have a darker tint to them, and as I don't wear much make-up, I think this is great as it will emphasise my eyes more just like mascara does. 



The best part of the salon had to be the price though, 50% off! Absolute bargain, £15.50 in total. My friends had manicures, massages and spray tans and were all really happy with the results and definitely the price. We were all given a loyalty card as well for future treatments, when you get enough stamps you get a selected free treatment. I was going to have a massage as well but by the time it took to be my time we were all pretty hungry so we decided to go for lunch. I'm going back next week with my sister to get a massage, don't want to miss out just because I was hungry.

I would recommend this place without a doubt, I felt really comfortable in the salon, the beautician was chatty and friendly and knew what she was doing. With the half price offer on this month (September '14), I can't wait to go back!

CLOSED: Katie Eary iPad Case Giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of my new blog I am giving away a Katie Eary iPad Case!

Win this fabulously pink iPad Case for 2nd, 3rd and 4th Generation created by London based designer Katie Eary.

Keep your iPad protected with this stylish plastic case with an easy slip on design.

This wild, leopard print pattern will boost your chic appearance, your iPad will never look tame again!

RRP at £29.99.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to all UK residents only. A winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter and announced on this Competition page, Via Twitter and Facebook. The winner will be contacted by e-mail, If they do not respond within 28 days another winner may be chosen. Any non delivery is unfortunately not my responsibility, However I will try to help with any non delivery issues.  Entries will be checked before the Winner is announced.

Competition ends 12/09/2014.