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Round up of the week’s food 160911

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I’ve still been feeling under the weather this week. I’ve been very tired and had anxiety issues so I am going to see my doctor.

My Husband and I have been discussing how we can make small changes that will help our mental health. I think we are ok at planning our main meals but we definitely snack too much. I also buy the majority of my lunches out at work and I don’t have a regular breakfast routine. So hopefully we can save some money as well improving our health.

I swim most weeks and walk almost everywhere. I did do the Couch 2 5k a few months ago but felt it hard going in the heat of the summer and have let it slide so I hope to pick it up again as we get into autumn. I did feel it helped with my mental health and general wellbeing and I need to keep it up.

On Monday we started with a vegetable stir fry. I like this at the beginning of the week to get a good injection of veg.

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On Tuesday I went to a supper club hosted at Black Cat Cafe by vegan clothing brand Ethics and Antics with my Sister-in-law. I did feel really tired on Tuesday and could have easily gone home to my bed but we had prepaid and I was glad I went. We paid £35 each for a three course surprise menu with a goody bag.

The goody bag was laid out on our place settings when we came in and I was impressed by what we were given, including two full size drinks, two snack bars, crisps, chocolate, superfood powders and some discount vouchers.

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For starter we had a raw pad thai. This was really fresh and the peanut sauce was great.

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For main we had a sweet potato lentil dhal with rice, kale, roasted chickpeas and half an avocado. The curry was quite mild but tasty and filling. I wasn’t quite sure what the avocado added to the dish and thought it could have presented better.

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For dessert we were served a chia pudding. This was nice and light after the curry although I usually see chia pudding as a breakfast rather that an dessert!

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I did enjoy the food but if I had seen the menu before I don’t think it’s something I would have left at. I do like a supper club and I think it’s a great way to try new food.

On Wednesday I had a Linda McCartney quarter pounder with sweet potato fries and salad. I didn’t really have much appetite so hadn’t eaten much in the day but I did enjoy this.

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On Thursday we had a simple pasta dish with aubergine pesto and veg.

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We were cat sitting on Saturday so on Friday we decided to get a takeaway so we take the leftovers and wouldn’t have to cook while we were there. I had vegetable noodles and sea spice beancurd (my favourite!) Unfortunately it took nearly an hour and a half to get to us so I had well and truly stuck in before I thought to take a photo!

I’m looking forward to making soups and stews in the autumn and winter and feeling really nourished by vegetables.

Hope you have a good week.

Plumes x

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Round up of the week’s food 160911

Round up of the week’s food 160904

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Can’t believe it’s September! Autumn is my favourite season, I think due in part to it being when I met and married my Husband. I’m looking forward to lots of stuffed squashes and stews in the coming months!

I haven’t been feeling too well this week but I’ve still had some great food.

On Monday we had a simple stir fry which has become a weekly staple in my house, I think it’s an easy way to get a decent amount of veg!

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On Tuesday I was very ill and had to come home from work, I managed some plain spaghetti for dinner. On Wednesday I stayed at home and had some salad for lunch. My Mum made me dinner and it was stir fry again, this time with some tofu from the Asian supermarket.

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On Thursday I was still after simple food so had gnocchi with a dairy free pesto, this was ready in under 10 mins and was really tasty!

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On Friday I was up for something more adventurous but still tired so we decided to get a takeaway. I had aubergine with potatoes, chickpea masala and lentils with spinach. I love getting a few vegetable dishes and this lasted me for dinner on Saturday as well and tea on Sunday!

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On Saturday I went to Primrose Hill in London for Pup Aid a charity dog show against puppy farming. I also helped on  the SaveABulls stall, a campaign set up by Sister-in-law and her veterinary nurse colleagues against the Breed Specific Legislation aspects of the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991) which I wrote about previously here. We had a great day, I saw loads of lovely dogs, did a bit of celeb spotting (!) and spoke to lots of people about Breed Specific Legislation. We had three exempted dogs who had been deemed pit bull “types” on the stand, giving a great example of how lovable and friendly these dogs can be.

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My Brother and I went to the top of the hill and had a lovely look down at the event and across the London skyline.

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We took a break and walked down the canal to Camden for lunch. I stopped at Club Mexicana at Kerb food market. I’ve tried their jackfruit burrito before so I went for their to-fish tacos which were lush. I thought they might be a bit messy to eat but I managed it quite well!

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Hopefully I’ll continue to recover this week and get a bit more energy!

Have a good week!

Plumes x

Round up of the week’s food 160904

Vegan Kind Beauty Box 8

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Last week I received my quarterly beauty box from The Vegan Kind. For £18.50 including postage and packaging you receive 6-7 skincare/makeup products that are completely free from animal ingredients and are not tested on animals either!

Starting with the top left we have The Konjac Sponge Company Ltd French Pink Clay Facial Puff Sponge  (RRP  £8.99). This looks like a really interesting facial sponge, I’ve eaten konjac before but never used it to wash my face! The Sponge is mineral rich and cleanses, exfoliates and detoxifies skin.

Next there is Vitala Spa Chakra Balancing Compassion Bath and Body Oil 100ml (RRP  £8.50) this smells amazing and is really relaxing in a long, hot soak!

Figs & Rouge evAcalm Perfect Calm Moisture+ AM PM Cream 50ml (RRP  £24) is up next. This goes on the skin lovely and can be used pre makeup in the morning or before you go to bed.

Finishing off the top row is Weleda Almond Sensitive Skin Travel Size Body Wash 20ml (RRP  £1.95) and Hand Cream 10ml (RRP  £2.25) the hand cream is a good size for your handbag and the body wash will go in my overnight bag. I tend not to take my own toiletries when staying with friends or family but then I don’t like using non cruelty-free products so this is great rather than taking full size products.

On the bottom left we have Sheila’s Natural Products Face Cream Deluxe Sample (RRP full size £27.50) this is another nice face cream, so I’ll be in stock for a while.

Lastly we have Spectrum Collections Tapered Finishing Brush (£7.99). This has a feel to it and is really soft!

This box retails in at over £50 (!) So for £18.50 you can’t go wrong. As always 20p from every box goes towards Dr Hadwen Trust which funds research into alternatives to animal testing.

My box this time seems a little cream heavy with no makeup items. It may just be a case of what is available at the time but I feel a bit of planning to get a good cross section of products would be more appealing.

I was also surprised that only the konjac sponge had any markings noting vegan or cruelty free and these were only on the leaflet inside the packet and not on the outside. Nevertheless it is great being introduced to new products and cruelty free companies.

Have you used any of these products? What did you think?

Plumes X

Vegan Kind Beauty Box 8

Round up of the week’s food 160821

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After watching the Olympics over the last two weeks I was sad to see it come to an end. But we do have the paralympics in September and hopefully Rio will put on a good games despite the cut backs.

On Monday I met my Sister-in-law at The Gallery Cafe for dinner and a catch up. If you have read my previous review I haven’t had great times there but thought I’d give it another chance. I wasn’t disappointed with my matcha latte this time and I enjoyed this giant burger with some gorgeous relish.

My work are trialling daily vegetarian options for lunch and are monitoring take up to see whether they’ll keep with it. On Tuesday I got this spicy bean burger and wedges for just £3, can’t really go wrong!

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On Tuesday evening I made spaghetti with aubergine pesto and vegetables. Such a quick easy dinner.

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On Wednesday I had lunch with a colleague at Bavarian Beerhouse. I’ve been a couple of times for drinks after work but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw they have started serving vegan options a couple of months ago. I went for the currywurst which was about £5 on the lunchtime menu. I don’t really drink beer but thought the soft drinks were quite expensive at £3.60! I enjoyed the meal and will definitely head back to try the other options.

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I went swimming with my Mum in the evening and had sausages again with beans, onion and sweet potato fries.

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On Thursday I made a pizza using a ready made pizza base, Bute Island’s Greek Style Sheese, olives and capers. The Greek Style Sheese is really flavourful and very close to feta in my opinion.

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On Friday I had a simple supper of jacket potato with houmous, olives and a bit more of that Sheese.

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On Saturday I made a lovely Indian meal. I made some tandoori tempeh using provamel coconut soya yogurt which I bought in Holland and Barrett. This is a yogurt with absolutely no sugar unlike alpro’s plain soya yogurt so is perfect for savoury dishes. I also made curried aubergine and green rice and bought a vegetable bhaji from Sainsburys.

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Yesterday I had leftovers while I binge watched Stranger Things. Let me know if you’ve seen it and what you think?

Hope you’ve had a good week!

Plumes x

Round up of the week’s food 160821

Round up of the week’s food 160814

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I’ve had a great week watching some amazing Olympic performances and enjoyed some lovely food.

On Monday I was planning on trying Fry’s falafel burger as I had bought some the week before. However I soon discovered my Husband had scoffed the whole packet so I had to settle for a traditional burger instead!

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On Tuesday I went swimming with Mum and she had made a lovely lentil shepherdess pie served with asparagus.

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On Wednesday my brother came over and we had sausage and mash. My brother said he really enjoyed these Dragonfly Foods Soysages and he’s not great love of soy/tofu based stuff so this was a high accolade indeed!
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On Wednesday we had a lazy dinner of bits and pieces as we were feeling really hot.

On Friday we had arancini made with a red pepper risotto. I usually have panko breadcrumbs in the cupboard and they give such a good crunch.

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On Saturday I met my cousin Katy in Kent with my Mum to visit the FRIEND Animal Sanctuary which you can read all about here. We stopped in at Lakeside shopping centre on the way home to get some lunch. We had pie and mash from Sainsy Pie and Mash they do a root vegetable pie and a soya mince pie. We all went for the soya mince one. Katy and I both love bubble tea so we were pleased to see an outlet at Lakeside. I got a pina colada which was lush!

For dinner I made a teriyaki and ginger vegetable stirfry, I also got a pear and lychee cider from Aldi by Swedish brand Alska which are clearly labelled vegan.

Today Katy and I headed down to Brighton to have afternoon tea to celebrate her birthday tomorrow. I will write up a full review later but here’s a taster!

I am now very tired and have felt very emotional watching Max Whitlock win two individual gymnastics titles (Floor and Pommel Horse)!

Hope you have a good week!

Plumes x

Round up of the week’s food 160814

Round up of the week’s food 160731

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I’ve lost a bit of my blogging mojo over the last few weeks. This hasn’t been helped by the issues I’ve had with WordPress losing my posts or only publishing them in part. Hopefully I’ll find some inspiration and start posting a bit more! I’ve been having some fabulous food that’s definitely not the issue!

Bolognese or chilli is an easy dinner for us if there’s not much left in the fridge. There’s usually a ropey pepper and a few mushrooms and I always have chopped tomatoes and beans in the cupboard and usually veggie mince in the freezer. I used the leftovers for lunch on Tuesday in jacket potato from the canteen at work.

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On Tuesday I had my monthly catch up with my friend Jo. We took a short bus ride to the Ethiopian Andu Cafe in Dalston. I’d read good things online about this little vegan cafe and we weren’t disappointed. We shared a platter of dishes made of lentils and vegetables served with injera. It was all delicious and filling and a steal at £12 for the whole lot! Afterwards we stopped by a ice cream parlour and I had a gorgeous blueberry and mango sorbet cone.

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On Wednesday I went to do some market research in Holborn, as I had a bit of time beforehand I stopped by Poetry Cafe for some food. I had some summer vegetable soup and a slice of banana and walnut cake. Simple things, done well.

With the incentive I earned doing the market research we had a takeaway on Thursday. I went for a couple of starters with satay tofu skewers and deep fried aubergine balls with sweet and sour sauce. I love these dishes and our local Chinese takeaway never disappoint.

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On Friday and Saturday I just had little bits and pieces, although I did visit the Asian supermarket so I’ve got a few bits for future meals.

It was my Grandad’s 87th birthday in the week so we had a get together at my Aunt’s house on Sunday. My vegan Sister-in-law and I were well catered for. We had Indian spiced chickpea burgers from Linda McCartney with harissa roasted vegetables, couscous, rice and salad. It was all really lovely and I didn’t need much in the evening to keep me going!

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I’m off work this week and going to visit a friend for a couple of days before we have guests ourselves so it’s going to be a busy one!

Have a good week!

Plumes x

Round up of the week’s food 160731

Round up of the week’s food 160717

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I’ve had a really busy weekend so didn’t get a chance to post yesterday.

I had a virus at the beginning of the week so on Monday I just had some falafel and houmous for dinner. On Tuesday I made a simple dinner (for my stomach) of cauliflower steak quinoa and carrots. This is the first time I’ve done cauliflower like this and I really enjoyed it.

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On Wednesday made me burger and chips using a Quorn spicy burger. A nice mid-week treat after feeling so rotten.

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On Thursday I went to Mum’s for dinner. No swimming this week as I was still recovering. We had sweet potato with houmous and salad with artichokes. Lovely, fresh and simple.

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On Friday I had eaten quite a lot through the day so just wanted something small for tea. I got broad bean, asparagus and mint houmous from Tesco and some rosemary focaccia that had been marked down in Sainsburys.

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I also spotted some vanilla dairy free ice cream in Sainsburys so I got that and used some of my choc orange choc shot on it. I think this is my fave of the sainsburys range.

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Saturday was a busy day. I started off having breakfast at Black Cat Cafe in Hackney with my Sister-in-law and her friend. We all went for the fry up. I really enjoyed it, especially the spicy beans although I would have preferred it on a plate or the beans in a separate bowl so everything else wasn’t swimming in them!

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After that we went to a demonstration against Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991) which I’m going to write about separately.

On the way home we stopped by Canvas Cafe off Brick Lane to try one of their freakshakes. They’re serving them until 9pm for the next week and until 7pm for the rest of the summer. We went for the forest fruits one to share.

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We also popped by As Nature Intended an organic supermarket on Commercial Road and I picked up some artichoke dip and some sprouts to go with some bread and other bits I already had for tea.

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After a quick shower and a rest we headed out again to take part in a 10k Star Walk for my local St Francis Hospice where my Dad passed away in December. 600 women took part and we received lots of support from cars and passers-by as well as the fire men handing out water to us along the way!

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Yesterday I was completely worn out! I ached and had blisters on my feet, but I still managed to get quite a lot of housework done. I made some pasta with roasted red peppers and garlic with a sprinkling of violife parmesan.

This week I’m out quite a lot so looking forward to the food I’m going to eat!

Plumes x

 

Round up of the week’s food 160717

Round up of the week’s food 160710

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I’ve felt really exhausted this week. I thought I had the start of a cold but it hasn’t really amounted to anything. Hopefully I’ll start to have a bit more energy next week!

On Monday I had pasta using up the left over ingredients I had from the pizza I made last Saturday. I think the violife pizza cheese worked really well in this and I think next time I make a pizza I’ll put the cheese on the bottom, Chicago style.

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On Tuesday I was too tired to cook so I had teriyaki udon noodles and vegetable dumplings from the Japanese takeaway.

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On Wednesday my Husband made some roast potatoes while I was out running and I cooked a Fry’s traditional burger and some vegetables when I got in.

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On Thursday I went swimming with Mum and we had black bean stew which I forgot to take a photo of.

On Friday I made some quick and easy tarts using ready made puff pastry and veg. My Husband’s were topped with onions and red peppers and I had leeks mixed with some cheese from Nutcrafter Creamery that I bought in Planet Organic.

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Yesterday I went to Just V Show which you can read all about in my post here.

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Yesterday my liqueur arrived from Besos de Oro which is a mix of brandy and the Spanish drink horchata. I have really been enjoying and will post a separate review later in the week.

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Today I planned to run to church but I’m still feeling very tired so ended up watching lots of tele, crying through the film Beaches and eating my way through my purchases yesterday.

Now I’m going to make my tea of spaghetti hoops on toast!

See you later!

Plumes x

Round up of the week’s food 160710