100 Happy Days: Day 29 to 37

Day 29: Doing my best to find my running mojo again

Day 30: Belated birthday treat of Pizza Express takeaway and cava with my mamma

Day 31: Discovering the lunch of joy that is Itsu

Day 32: The best delivery, is a delivery of Quest bars

Day 33: Heading to Edinburgh for my friend Lucy's hen do

Day 34: School girl fancy dress for the hen night out

Day 35: Hotel breakfasts are the best

Day 36: I have found my dream shoes...and they will be mine!

Day 37: Post hen do/'I have nothing in the fridge' dinner

The last 9 days have been a good 'un!

Stay happy

Holly

xx

Sweet Potato Smash

Tell me what is better than carbs and cheese? Not much in my view. Budget friendly, versatile and just damn tasty (and probably the reason why I was a few pounds heavier than I should have been during my university years). 

I happened upon this healthier little alternative by accident when searching through my cupboards for some lunch the other day. I love cooking and quick and simple, throw together type recipes are my absolute favourite. Behold the sweet potato smash...

Ingredients 

One large sweet potato (Waitrose seem to do the biggest ones)

2 small/medium eggs

A sprinkle of hard goats cheese (I'll leave the exact amount to you depending on how healthy you want to be, although remember goats cheese has a full and powerful flavour so you really don't need that much)

Seasoning to taste (I used Schwartz Italian seasoning)

Method

Preheat your own to 200 degrees and pierce your sweet potato in several places

Place your sweet potato on a foil lined baking tray and bake for 40 minutes

Score the top of your potato into a cross shape and gently squeeze the sides so the inside of the potato begins to come out

Gently mash with a fork and create a small well in the centre, keeping the fluffy insides in the skin

Crack two eggs into the centre

Sprinkle on your goats cheese and seasoning

Bake for a further 10 minutes until the eggs are cooked

Voila...a healthy, filling and tasty meal for happy tastebuds and a smiley waist line. This went down very well on my Instagram feed, so please do let me know what you think if you give it a go! 

Happy Friday

Holly

x

100 Happy Days: Day 20 to 28

Day 20: My favourite sandwich from Chilli B (aka the best sandwich shop in Hitchin), if in doubt its always an Italian Job from Chilli Bs

Day 21: Lots of happy memories with my Mum in a little post for Mothers Day

Day 22: My first attempt at Topped With Cinnamon's sweet potato gnocchi and pesto recipe (also click here for a great cooking hack I came up with for this recipe) #nomnomnom

Day 23: Finding that a tidy home made for a tidy mind during a stressful week

Day 24: Then and now, me in 2009 and 2015. Sometimes I need reminding how far I've come.

Day 25: A meal out at my favourite Chinese restaurant

Day 26: Exploring Westminster on my lunch break whilst spending the day at Head Office. I managed to find a lovely little market tucked away down a side street so I'm looking forward to my next visit

Day 27: Saturday snuggles with my boy

28: Sunday fun at Top Golf (and I actually won a game) 

Stay Happy

Holly

x

Meat Free Monday

So I did this post with with National Vegetarian Week in mind as I'd seen lots of articles about it, however as soon as I clicked 'publish' I discovered that its not actually till the 18th-24th May (note to self, must pay more attention). However I thought I would still share with you a variety of veggie meals that I have either made recently or cook regularly to give you some inspiration if you're planning giving the old veggie thing a go for a week in May, theres nothing like a bit of forward planning anyways (thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it *insert wink face here*).

Spaghetti with Butternut Squash and Parmesan Sauce from Skinny Taste

Photo credit: Skinny Taste

This is my absolute go to pasta sauce, I'd say I eat this at least once a week. If you're a lover of all things cream and cheesy but want something a little lighter on the cals, trust me this one is for you.

Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole from Eat Good 4 Life

Photo: Eat Good 4 Life

This one may change your mind about broccoli and quinoa its that yummy. Make sure you use decent mozzarella.

Blue Cheese Pesto Pasta Bake from Essbeevee

Photo credit: Essbeevee

Real comfort right here and only 9 Weight Watchers Pro Points for those who are watching. Also perfect for batch cooking.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Wild Garlic and Sage Pesto from Top With Cinnamon

Photo credit: Top With Cinnamon

This is a nice one to do if you're cooking for someone and have a little more time but also great to freeze and keep as well. If like me you can't get the dough to roll out, all is not lost because I have a little hack. Put the dough into ice cube trays and freeze...hey pesto (sorry) gnocchi made easy 

From ice tray...

To pan...easy peasy!

Potato Mushroom and Aubergine Curry from J for Jen

Photo credit: J for Jen

A nice simple curry recipe if asian cooking isn't your forte (like me)!

Whether you're a long standing veggie like me or just planning on giving it a go for a week in May (life without beef burgers is not that terrible, I promise), I hope this may have answered the 'so what do you eat' questions. Do let me know if you give any of them a go.

Happy Cooking

Holly

x

100 Happy Days: Day 11 to 19

Day 11: My first ever Krispy Kreme, stuffed and topped with Lotus biscuit. I shouldn't but I did and I don't regret a thing

Day 12: A slight contrast, my new addiction to smoothies from my Blend Active blender

Day 13: Enjoying a coffee from The Ground Works in the sun with my bestie

Day 14: Bread and cheese for lunch, need I say more?

Day 15: Working for 10 days straight equals 7 hours in the kitchen to make sure I have lots of healthy  but yummy meals to hand

Day 16: Hanging out with Ambrose at my friend Tom's new house

Day 17: Finding other uses for my Blend Active bottles. Slices of lemon + a few sprigs of mint = healthy flavoured water

Day 18: Saying goodbye to my friend Mel who's moving to Turkey with tea and churros

Day 19: A post work glass of fizz with my Mum to celebrate Mother's Day

So its looks like I didn't do too badly on trying to branch out from food posts wouldn't you say? Even on a week thats been work work work, its great to look back and see the snippets of happiness and fun in amongst it.

Stay happy

Holly

x

Get To Know Me Tag

I've been reading blogs for about 4 years now and I feel like I know some bloggers very well just by reading their posts. As much as a blog gives away someones interests and personality, its always the little things you learn that help you really get to know a person. I've decided to do the 'Get To Know Me' tag to share a few little extra pieces of me.

1. Are you named after anyone? Nope, my Dad wouldn't agree to Paloma or Scarlett so Holly it was!

2. When was the last time you cried? I'm not really sure, you'd think that this is because it was a long time a go but it probably wasn't. I'm not one for crying after a few too many gins (though I can't lie, it has happened) or in public. However I am an emotional person so I do in a sense get upset easily. Things that normally upset me are the injustices in the world and seeing people suffer. In my line of work I'm more likely to see these things and that can be upsetting, I feel its made me stronger over the last 18 months however. I have also been known to cry over a particularly emotional episode of Eastenders. A long answer for a short question, the short answer...my brain is telling me the last time I cried was over a song that provoked a memory.  

3. Do you have kids? No, not quite ready for that yet!

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? I think so, I am a chameleon friend in the sense that depending on who I'm with and my environment can bring out different colours of my personality so I think I could be friends with me.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? More so when I'm work but not as a general rule.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump? I know its really boring, but theres not much that I'd want to do less than throw myself off something!

7. What’s your favorite cereal? I eat most cereals except Frosties or Weetabix, but lets all be honest cereal is not the most riveting of breakfasts, but about 4 years a go I tried M&S cereal with the Belgian milk and white chocolate curls. It was so good that I never ate it again as I could probably eat chocolate for breakfast every day but I don't want to tempt myself as I like to be healthy and save the naughtiness for real treats. Alas, a love that will never be. 

8. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Their clothes I think, I know it sounds a bit superficial but I really think you can tell a lot about a person by what they're wearing.

9. What is your eye colour? I was once told 'sludge', I prefer a mix of green and hazel

10. Scary movie or happy endings? Happy endings every time and I'm not ashamed to say it.

11. Favorite smells? Clean Cotton Yankee candle, Christmas trees and 'Miami Glow' by J Lo as it reminds me of holidays...a mix of suncream, sea, warm air.

12. Summer or winter? This is a toughy, I love the feeling that summer brings. Everyone is in a good mood and its much easier to dress in the summer. I also love winter though, snuggling up on the sofa, eating comfort food and Christmas of course. I think I'm going to perch on the fence here.

13. Computer or television? Computer, I'm not a huge TV watcher and I can watch telly on the computer anyway

14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? Either India, Thailand/Vietnam or America

15. Do you have any special talents? Most people don't believe me when I tell them I can tap dance to quite an advanced level. I'm not too shabby at running I suppose, I'm no Paula Radcliffe but I did manage to run the London Marathon last year in under 5 hours which I'm very proud of.

16. Where were you born? Stevenage, England

17. What are your hobbies? Running, Pilates, yoga, reading, fashion, cooking, travel and eating out

18. Do you have any pets? No, but I grew up having dogs and love snuggling up to my Mum's little Jack Russell. I'd also love to have guinea piggles!

19. Favourite movie? I'm not a huge film watcher but I'm a sucker for chick flicks, other than that Chocolat always warms my heart.

20. Do you have any siblings? Nope, I'm an only child. People ask me if it was sad or lonely not having any brothers and sisters. To that I say no, it rocked and still does.

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm already pretty grown up but I feel very privileged to say that I love my job and my life and I'd like that to always be the case.

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know a little more about me, if you've done this tag recently please link your post below. I'd love to get to know you too.

Holly

x

100 Happy Days: Days 1 to 10

My first 10 days of the 100 Happy Days challenge on my Instagram.

Day 1: Grabbing a morning coffee to enjoy at work

Day 2: Free lunch at a work meeting

Day 3: New Sharpies (I love a good Sharpie)

Day 4: Having a glass of fizz with my Mum and Aunty

Day 5: Even if I'm only travelling home by EasyJet, theres always something I find exciting about air travel

Day 6: Grilled cheese sandwich from The Groundworks, one of my favourite coffee and food places in Hitchin (this place is likely to feature again in the next 90 days)

Day 7: One of my favourite ways to spend a Sunday morning, gentle flow Yoga at Yogaflower. Absolute bliss.

Day 8: The first run I've genuinely enjoyed in ages

Day 9: The best falafels I have ever had, if you're local get yourself to Hitchin Market on a Tuesday and Friday

Day 10: Finding some old photos on my Macbook, me messing around with Photo Booth circa 2008

I know, its mostly food and drink. I'd like to say that my life doesn't revolve around these things, but it does. I shall challenge myself to post about things that aren't the aforementioned for the next 10 days (no promises however).

Stay Happy

Holly

x

Project Life 2015: January Pages

I've finally got round to uploading my January pages vlog for Project Life...

I hope you enjoy a little insight into my January and how I've 'Project Lifed' it, please let me know if you like the video.

Don't forget to watch my Project Life getting started vlogs here and here.

Holly

x

What Sarah did

I've been feeling a bit nail bitey about this post, heres hoping it goes down well...

I've never done an outfit post before and I'm not really sure if its going to be something I do regularly. I do love a good selfie, however it felt a bit strange to move all my furniture around (my flat lacks a good backdrop) stand front of my camera and tripod to take photos of myself for my blog. However the aim of this post is not to be a posey pants, but to showcase my wares from a gorgeous little shop in my town.

What Sarah did is a lovely little independant clothes shop in my town of Hitchin. The owner Sarah ,opened the doors to her shop on Bancroft just over 4 years a go and has gone from strength to strength since. Sarah uses social media to showcase the beautiful brands she stocks and to reach out to her customers. As a social media and style fan I've been following her and her store for a long time, however it's only in the last year or so I've been shopping there. 

After being unhappy with my weight and appearance for a long time, about 2 years a go I decided to do something about it and lost nearly 3 stone (that's another blog post). After thinking that this would open a door to a whole new world of clothing that I'd never felt able to wear before, I was disappointed to find that the door was mentally firmly shut with me on the wrong side of it. 

I've always had my own sense of style and known what that was, whatever size I was, however loosing the pounds also meant loosing my style funk and it's taken a while for me to find it again. 

So where does What Sarah did come into this?

I've spent most of my teens and twenties as more of a 'quantity over quality' type of gal and assumed that independent stores would be out of my price range. I decided that rather than handing over my cash to Primark all the time I would try and spend more time thinking about what I was going to buy and if its something I would actually wear time and time again rather than just one occasion. I had so much stuff in my wardrobe that I'd only worn a couple of times before it was destined for the charity shop or I'd bought something and realised that I was buying for the old me and it lay unworn. Essentially my wardrobe no longer reflected who I was and I wanted to make a change, not only in my wardrobe but also in my buying habits. 

Every time I ventured into What Sarah did I just felt different, I always saw things for the new me (even when I didn't realise what the 'new me' liked) and everything I've bought I've worn over and over again and always make me feel good. I've discovered some new brands that I really love that have really transformed my wardrobe and given me back my style. What Sarah did has definitely taught me that spending a little bit more can go a long way. My new purchases also gave me the push to clear out my wardrobe and start afresh.

Here are some of my recent purchases.

I was very excited by this Mink Pink jumper, I've been searching for the perfect cosy knit for years. They never seem to suit me but this one is perfect. £35

I literally ran to What Sarah did when this Reverse tunic popped up on her Instagram account. The quirkiness appeals to my inner teenager but is still grown up enough for my twenty something self. I got this a little while a go but I saw yesterday that she has a few left at the bargain price of £9. 

                          

                                                     

This is the item that made me want to do an outfit post, I've been wanting a stylish rain coat for ages but the ones I found were either a little naff or more than I wanted to spend. I was sat on a plane waiting for my flight to Edinburgh to take off, flicking through my Facebook news feed and I saw that What Sarah did was having a flash sale on Rains raincoats. I sent a pleaing message asking to reserve one, I got a reply straight back saying one was on hold for me. All I had to do was phone up and pay later.

Rains are a dutch brand who specialise in Scandinavian style rain wear, I started lusting after a Rains jacket after seeing this video by Zoella but as these jackets normally retail around £75 it was a bit out of my price range. I couldn't resist snapping one up for £37 at What Sarah did's flash sale. When I popped in to pick mine up yesterday, there were some more in the sale for around £54 if you want to pick one up before the typical British weather sets in again.

Aside from the beautiful clothes, the customer service at What Sarah did is fantastic. If you follow Sarah on Instagram (the best platform to follow her on, especially if you like a funny post to brighten your morning), Twitter or Facebook you can't help but get caught up in the love Sarah has for both style and her shop. She really goes out of her way for her customers too, even when they're sitting on the runway of Luton Airport, ready for take off.

What Sarah did really is one of the little gems of Hitchin that make it such a great place, if you haven't already and you're local please check it out.

I hope you've enjoyed this slightly different post, if you did and want to see more outfit posts please let me know in the comments.

Happy Tuesday

Holly

x  

  

@HitchinUK Official Tweeter

I'm happy to announce that have been given the honour of being asked to tweet for a Twitter account for my lovely little town of Hitchin. 

I was approached by the team that run @HitchinUK who asked me to run the account for the week and tweet all things Hitchin. So if you're local and want to read some of my thoughts on our little town and see what I get up to then come on over and give the account a follow.  The account has 2,286 followers which is a scary thought compared to my personal account of 365 followers so fingers crossed I'm up to the challenge.

Whether you're a new business that wants to get yourselves out there, a well loved business with a great offer or a local with something to share about Hitchin please get in touch over the week. I'll be tweeting from now till 6pm on Sunday so I'd love to chat to you all.

Tweet tweet...

Holly

x

P.S My personal twitter account is @ohhollygosh #shamelessselfpromotion