An Afternoon in Amsterdam

On our way back from our two week trip around India, my boyfriend and I were lucky enough to have a seven hour stop over in Amsterdam! I've been wanting to go for a while now so it was a nice surprise to realise we had time to go and explore the beautiful city, despite one of the airport staff saying we wouldn't have time.. (not like we had seven hours to kill or anything..).

We had breakfast at this beautiful little café called Pluk! 

I had a HUGE açai bowl, it was seriously the best smoothie bowl I've everrr had and it filled me right up!

We looooved Amsterdam and can't wait to go back for a longer visit... (hint hint Tom!)

Spa day at Coworth Park, Ascot

For our grandma's birthday our mum booked us all in for a spa day at the beautiful Coworth Park Hotel in Ascot. Driving in through the amazing wild flower meadows had an instant calming effect and we knew it was going to be an amazingly relaxing day.

dorchestercollection.com

dorchestercollection.com

When we arrived at the spa we were shown to the 'Spatisserie' for a welcome drink which was a choice of teas, coffees, or smoothies. I had a yummy berry smoothie and Lucy had a coffee. While mum and older sister, Milly, had their treatments (Swedish massages) Lucy and I hit the gym. I always feel so much more calm and relaxed after a good workout so it was a great way to start the spa day.

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dorchestercollection.com

All around the spa were big jugs of either lemon and lime or mint and cucumber infused water which tasted so good and were so refreshing, keeping us hydrated all day.

Until lunch time we lazed around on the sun loungers outside, soaking up some rays, as well as dipping into the beautiful indoor pool - which we discovered has under water music.. can't get much cooler than that!! We then headed back to the Spatisserie for a light and refreshing lunch of wraps served with vegetable crisps and salads topped with pretty edible flowers!

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Pretty fruit salad dessert - yum!

Lucy and her adorable raspberry macaron. We are firm believers in balance when it comes to food - for our happiness and wellbeing it is important to be able to treat yourself on special occasions and enjoy your food. As long as your diet consists predominantly of whole and natural foods, a little treat here and there is not going to have a noticeably adverse effect on your health - unless you have particular allergies or intolerances.

After lunch we went in the steam room. Steams are amazing for opening up your pores and releasing any toxins from your skin through sweat - it sounds disgusting but it actually feels very cleansing. Afterwards we jumped in a cold shower to close our pores up again and had another sunbed snooze before our treatments.

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I had a Swedish massage which was heaven on Earth.. I wanted to stay there forever. I felt so calm, happy and positive afterwards it was the best feeling! Lucy and our grandma, Babs, had facials which they also loved. Apparently we should have facials every 4-6 weeks to keep our skin in tip-top condition! I'm not sure I really have the time (or money) for that though.. As much as I'd love to.

So basically, we had the best day ever at Coworth Park spa, coming away feeling totally relaxed and refreshed. We want to go everyday!

Bob's Bake Shop Paris

After my quick trip to Bob's Juice Bar in the 10th arrondissement I really wanted to go and try out the food at the Bake Shop. It's in a bit of a weird area, in the north of the 18th, but when I finally made my way there I was pleasantly surprised by the big outdoor eating area and cute deck chairs. There is also seating inside but it was so sunny when we went so we took a seat at the picnic-style tables under the parasols. Lurrrrvly!

I got a cold pressed green juice filled with spinach, cucumber, fennel, spirulina, lemon and celery to give me a much needed energy boost.

Then we got these delicious poppy seed bagels. Mine, on the left, was vegan with roasted carrots, organic hummus, red onion and rocket. Tom opted for the salmon and avocado bagel, which he said tasted great - I'll have to take his word for it as a non-fish-eater.

As many people know, I have an incurable sweet tooth.. So I insisted we get a little dessert. We shared the vegan berry crumble and it didn't disappoint!

Bob's is great because it obviously serves lots of amazingly fresh and healthy food, but also provides some not so healthy treats such as cheesecakes, lemonades etc. It's all about balance after all! It also means its still a great place to take friends who would normally moan about going to a typically 'healthy' or vegan restaurant (we all have them), because there's something for everyone.

Thanks Bob!

Super Datey Flapjacks

Lucy and I have always had a major love for flapjacks. They’re just so simple but so sweet and yummy too (I have a serious sweet tooth..). They’re also so so easy to make and great for popping in your packed lunch or as an afternoon treat with your cup of tea.

These beauties that I whipped up last weekend are free from refined sugar and taste amazing. They’re packed with oats to give you a natural energy burst and the dates make them so sweet and sticky. Although dates are a completely natural and unprocessed sugar source, they are high in fructose so I wouldn’t recommend eating these everyday. That being said, a treat now and again won’t kill you and if you’re going to have sugar, it’s best to keep it as natural as possible, so in my opinion these datey flapjacks are the perfect treat!

Ingredients:

150g medjool dates (remember to remove the stones!)

2 tbsps coconut oil,

3 tbsps date or pure maple syrup,

1 tbsp almond butter, 150 g rolled oats. Feel free to add any extra dried fruit/seeds you want, I just kept mine simple.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Line a baking tin with baking paper or spread on some coconut oil.

Put the dates in a food processor and blend until they stick together to form a sort of paste.

Heat the coconut oil, almond butter, syrup and blended dates together in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the coconut oil and almond butter have melted and the blended dates have mixed in well with the syrup.

Add the oats and any dried fruit/seeds you're using to the pan and stir them in so that everything is mixed in well with the liquid.

Spoon the mixture into the baking tin and spread evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and slice into squares.

Then leave them to cool for half an hour or so, so that they Harden into crunchy but sticky bites of datey heaven. If they're still a bit soft when they've cooled down, put them in the fridge for another half an hour to harden up.

Happy baking!!!

Breakfast Beauty Bowl

Breakfast bowl of green goodness

Having a green smoothie is a great way to nourish your body with loads of goodness all at once, but often I feel like a green juice in the morning just doesn't feel like breakfast. It may sound silly but actually sitting down and properly enjoying your green smoothie rather than downing it in one will make you feel so much more satisfied for longer - promise!

This particular smoothie bowl I have named the Breakfast Beauty Bowl because 1) The ingredients are packed with vitamins and minerals that are great for your skin, eyes and general glow and 2) It looks quite pretty which makes it all the more fun to eat. 

Recipe 

1 Apple

contains antioxidants called 'flavanoids' that can help lower your chance of diabetes and asthma

1 Pear

Good source of fibre (Great for regulating bowel movements) and of vitamin B, C, E (Pear juice is great for building up the immune system!)

Handful of Spinach

Spinach is packed with amazing nutrients such as vitamin K, A and C as well as Folic acid, magnesium and iron - all these are excellent for maintaining healthy skin, hair and bones

Handful of Kale

This 'Super Green' is full of nutrition. Its amazing for hair, skin and bones (packed with Vitamin A and C)  It also aids good digestion and lowering blood pressure

1 Carrot 

Carrots are packed with Vitamin A which is amazing for your eyes. Its also great for anti-aging and promotes healthier skin! Carrots are great for cleansing your body as Vitamin A assists the liver in flushing out toxins!

1/2 Teaspoon of Whole Earth Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup Almond Milk

Ice 

There you have it ! How amazing is it that you can get all that in one meal. Whats more is its delicious and so so easy and quick to make. Just pop all the ingredients into a blend and pour into a bowl. 

I top mine with some nutty granola and bee pollen just to add that extra crunch! Be creative and top yours with whatever you want. 

Happy Breakfast-ing! 

YUM!

Bob's Juice Bar

I didn't come across a huge number of great juice bars in Paris - I don't think the juice trend has quite caught on there just yet - but Bob's Juice Bar is one of them.

It's a really tiny place on rue Lucien Sampaix in the 10th arrondissement (just down the road from HolyBelly).

I loved the cute and cosy atmosphere and the staff are really friendly. They serve salads, soups and bagels for a light lunch, as well as delicious cold pressed juices.

And some slightly less healthy snacks because why not!

I had a massive carrot, apple and ginger juice. It tasted sooo good and was so refreshing on a hot day in Paris. 

Nama Raw Food Restaurant

A while ago I (Katie) went to Nama, a raw vegan restaurant in Notting Hill, with three of my lovely friends Lucy, Frankie and Georgie. This was my first trip to a fully raw vegan restaurant - very exciting!

Having been a vegetarian pretty much my entire life, it was a new (and really amazing) experience for me to be able to pick absolutely anything from the menu - usually I just give it a quick scan for the little v sign.. Anyway, so Nama had me at the menu. There is a huge choice of a range of different foods, from wraps and salads to pizzas, curries and spaghetti dishes - and ALL the food is unprocessed, free from dairy, wheat and refined sugar.

I had the 'Italian Pizza'. The base was made from courgette and walnuts and it had the most delicious tomato sauce topped with a nut and seed 'cheese', caramelised onions, mushrooms, olives and sun dried tomatoes. It was amazing.

The Italian Pizza

Frankie had chilli which was made from walnuts, carrot, mushroom and pepper, with guacamole, vegan sour cream and corn chips - so yummy!

Frankie's chilli

Lucy and Georgie went for zucchini pasta with tomato sauce, caramelised onions, sun dried tomatoes, olives and mushrooms which was also really yummy (I tried them all..)

Beautiful Lucy with her zucchini pasta

After my unprocessed, raw, vegan pizza I felt like something sweet so I had a lovely little bottle of chocolate nut milk. Frankie ordered the chocolate ganache tart which we all had a little taste of - it genuinely tasted better than any other sugar-filled, processed chocolatey tart I've had in the past; the coconutty base made it incredible.

Chocolate ganache tart

Georgie with her chai tea, almond milk and coconut sugar (she was obsessed with that teapot)

I definitely recommend Nama to anyone who is interested in trying out some amazing raw vegan food!