More than just rabbit food: recipe for yummy granola slices.

Given that myself and my boyfriend are avid lovers of baking (and eating), I thought that baking something yummy would be a nice way to spend today’s bank holiday. In an attempt to try and bake something vaguely healthy, we decided to make granola slices 🙂 These are great for satisfying sweet tooth cravings or to grab when in need of a quick and filling snack. All of the ingredients needed are also fairly cheap – making for a great bake that will last ages in the snack cupboard.

You will need: 

• ♥2 cups of plain oats,
• ♥1/2 cup of clear honey,
• ♥2/3 cup of brown sugar,
• ♥225g of mixed dried fruits (we used cranberries and mango),
• ♥3/4 cup of mixed seeds (we used sunflower and pumpkin),
• ♥100g of chocolate chips,
• ♥4 tbsp of butter,
• ♥1/2 tsp of salt,
• ♥3 tsp of vanilla extract.

1. The first step is to preheat your oven on fan to 200º. Then mix your seeds and oats together in a sided baking tray and place in the oven to toast for around 13-15 minutes. Make sure to stir your oat/seed mix every few minutes in order to stop them burning.

2. Secondly, whilst your oats and seeds are toasting in the oven, place your butter, salt, vanilla extract and sugar into a saucepan and stir until lightly simmering.

      

3. Once your sugary mixture has reached a light simmer, take your now toasted oat/seed mixture from the oven (the oven can now be turned off) and mix with your dried fruits and chocolate chips. Once the fruit and chocolate has been completely mixed in with your oats and seeds, stir your sugar mixture into the oat/seed/fruit/chocolate mix. Make sure you thoroughly stir in your liquid sugar mixture into your dry mixture as the sugar mixture will be what holds your granola bar together!

4. Once both mixtures are thoroughly stirred together, line a rectangular baking tray with greaseproof paper and spoon your granola mixture on top. Once all of your mixture is on your baking tray, spread the granola out evenly, making the thickness to your liking.

5. After you have spread your granola evenly across your tray, fold over any remaining baking paper of add a sheet on top, and firmly press all over the granola so that it is compressed. Press really hard on this part so that your slices won’t fall apart when you cut them later on!  Once you are happy with your bake, leave your granola to set for around 3 hours.

6. After 3 hours, place your granola onto a chopping board and carefully peel back your baking paper.

7. Finally, press firmly with a sharp knife and cut your granola into your desired slice size.

I hope you love making these delicious slices as much as we did ❤ *recipe adapted from http://www.joyfulabode.com*

Ciao for now, Laura xx

Eat your way to a healthier life: recipe for Italian baby leaf salad.

Like many others I’m sure, I am constantly in the bid to try and live a healthier lifestyle. Despite regularly going to the gym, it occurred to me that although exercising regularly will somewhat counteract the unhealthy parts of my life; it only counteracts these parts to an extent – to lead an overall healthier life I need to focus on what I eat, just as much as the amount of exercise I undertake. Therefore as you have probably already guessed, I have started to focus more on what I eat as well as what I do; such as eating more fresh food than processed etc. As an avid lover of chips, pizza and all things fast food; I have actually been pleasantly surprised with my latest dinner recipes – my favourite being the Italian baby leaf salad recipe that I have shared with you below:

You Will Need:

• Large vine tomatoes,
• Half of a large avocado,
• One reduced fat mozzarella,
• Italian salad leaves (spinach, rocket, red chard, ruby red chard).
• Olive Oil,
• Salt,
• Pepper,
• Black olives,
• Salmon fillet (optional).

Start by spreading your salad leaves across your plate – nothing fancy, but make sure you use a decent amount and cover your whole plate! Next, chop up your tomatoes into thin slices and place onto your salad (I usually use around 3, but you may want 4 if yours are relatively small). Having chopped your tomatoes, cut your avocado in half – wrapping half in cling film for the fridge, whilst thinly slicing your other half in order to add to your salad leaves and tomatoes. Once your avocado has been added, drain the excess water from your mozzarella and either slice or tear into thin strips; once done, add to your salad. The salad with just mozzarella alone is very filling in my opinion, but for those who think that it won’t be enough; I suggest baking a salmon fillet in the oven with mixed herbs, pepper and salt, and then adding this to your salad once cooked. Finally, add a couple of black olives to your salad, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil… Perfect!

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as I do!

Ciao for now, Laura xx

WIN a FREE graze box!

Having only had my blog for just over two months, I have been blown away by the amount of views/likes/follows I have received in such a short space of time. Therefore as a little thank you, two randomly selected people will receive a unique code entitling them to a free goodie box from ‘graze’ – all you have to do is make sure that you follow my blog via wordpress, bloglovin’ or email, and ‘like’ this post!

p.s. remember to leave your email in the comment section so that I can contact you if you win! (no one can see this but me).

Graze boxes are deliciously yummy, containing four randomly selected treats for you to ‘graze’ on throughout the day! These boxes will be delivered to you by post, and are usually worth £3.99!

Get following and liking … good luck! Competition ends on 2nd May at 5pm.

https://www.graze.com/uk

Ciao for now, Laura xx

My experience of #PlymouthBlogMeet.

Drawing by @BeccaHeppolette.

So today was my first ever experience attending a ‘meet up’ with fellow bloggers. The meeting was held in Rumpus Cosy which is a quirky little restaurant/cafe near the Theatre Royal in Plymouth. Upon arrival, our designated tables were dressed beautifully with pretty china cups and saucers, along with wine glasses for water (which had cucumber in – an immediate sign that this was somewhere I was going to enjoy and would be revisiting).

Prior to our meeting, we had each paid £6 to Ellie who was our event organiser, which meant that upon arrival we could order anything from the menu up to the value of £6. Since I am currently trying to be healthy, I opted for a ‘super fruit’ tea which claimed to be full of beneficial antioxidants. My tea was served in a cute little Japanese style teapot – perfect for keeping my tea warm whilst having a good old chat! However despite trying to eat healthily, I have to confess that when Rumpus Cosy’s staff brought out free slices of carrot cake, it was hard to say no – I mean, just look at the photos! Nearing our departure we were also surprised with lovely paper gift bags filled with lovely samples from a few kind brands – my favourite being Sweet Cecily’s rose body butter which came in a beautifully packed box.

Admittedly I was slightly nervous at the prospect of meeting a whole bunch of new people, but I can honestly say that I needn’t have worried. The best thing was that I wasn’t the only one taking 15 different photos of my cake before eating it! I think the best way to describe #PlymouthBlogMeet was kind of like when you’re drunk in a club or bar and somehow become best friends with other girls queuing for the loo; you don’t know them at all, but you just natter away like you’ve known each-other for years – meeting the other girls today was sort of like that, except sober, obviously.

I really enjoyed my first blog meet up experience, and would definitely attend another in future! I hope anyone reading this has had an equally great day 🙂

Ciao for now, Laura xx

First vlog: alternate ways to eat your Easter eggs.

Hi guys, I’m really excited/nervous to introduce… my first vlog for Just Your Average Girl! As it’s Easter, I thought this to be the perfect time to do an Easter post – and what better way than to incorporate it into my first vlog?! I am usually lucky enough to often be left with too many eggs to eat at Easter, and so in this video I show you alternate ways to eat your Easter eggs – perfect for those who have any left over, or want something that little bit eggstra (excuse the rubbish pun) special this Easter… I hope you like my first vlog, please feel free to comment or like ❤ Enjoy!

ps. If you like the humour behind my apron, you can find it on amazon – just click the link in pink. Also for future reference, my ‘Just Your Average Girl’ YouTube Channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxuGmc2kmcPLW_UD2134vDg 🙂

I hope you have a great Easter, ciao for now, Laura xx

StripTeas teatox review.

In my constant bid to become more healthy, I decided to buy the 14 day ‘StripTeas’ teatox, which claims to help burn fat, decrease bloating, and increase energy. I have tried other teatox products in the past such as ‘Bootea’, but didn’t particularly like the flavour (despite liking green tea), or laxative after-effect. Therefore one of the main things that drew me towards trying StripTeas’ teatox, was their promise that the teas were anti-laxative and that you could choose the flavour of daytime tea from a choice of either vanilla or berry burst.

The teatox arrived very efficiently within 1-3 working days, and came in three different packets: morning, daytime, and night. Whilst StripTeas do sell each stage individually, it is recommended that for best results, you use all three in conjunction with one another.

The morning packet was called ‘Morning Wake Up’ and had the motto: ‘to make your dreams come true, first you must wake up’, written on the back – which I thought added a really nice, personal touch. The colour scheme of the packet was a mix of warm orange and purple shades, which I think complimented the time of day and the tea’s flavour perfectly. The ‘Morning Wake Up’ tea included ingredients such as: yerba maté, chinese white tea, ginseng and eucalyptus; which are all really great in stimulating morning alertness and energy levels, and when combined, tasted pretty similar to a normal green tea. Stripteas recommend that you drink this tea straight after waking – infusing the biodegradable pyramid teabag in near-boiling water for 3 minutes, or 5 if you like a stronger taste. I personally found the ‘Morning Wake Up’ tea really pleasant to drink, and found that it did give me a little bit of an energy boost in the morning – which was much needed for 9am lectures!

The daytime packet was simply called ‘Daytime Teatox’ and had the motto: ‘it’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be’, written on the back. The colour scheme of the packet was a mix of citrus and zesty greens, yellows and blues – which once again, I think was perfect for complimenting the time of day. StripTeas recommend that you try and drink this tea around the same time each day, so I usually tried to drink mine at around 12-1pm, but this did sometimes vary, depending on when I had lectures. I chose to opt for the vanilla flavour tea, as it appeared to be the most popular on other reviews. The tea contained ingredients such as fennel seeds, cinnamon, sunflower petals, orange blossom, and black peppercorns; it was really lovely to drink and I looked forward to having it each day. The vanilla flavouring was noticeable yet not overpowering, and made for a really nice mid-day drink. This tea was designed to boost your metabolism and stop snack cravings, and I personally think that whilst I can’t be sure on my metabolism due to not owning a pair of bathroom scales, I would agree that this tea did help to banish any snack cravings and helped me to stay full until dinner.

The nighttime packet was called ‘Sleep Tight’, and had the motto: ‘dream big so that tomorrow you can make it happen’, written on the back. The packet’s colour scheme was a combination of calming purple, pink, and orange tones – which once again, I felt was a really nice choice considering the time of day. This was personally my favourite tea, rich in antioxidants and containing ingredients such as: rooibos, ginger, chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, and vanilla flavour. The flavour of this tea is hard to describe as I have never tasted anything like it, but what I can say, is that I found it to be very relaxing and calming to drink – perfect before bed. This tea was designed to relieve stress and support healthier digestion whilst you sleep, and I would definitely agree with this claim. The only negative I would say about the nighttime teatox, was that I did tend to miss the occasional night where I was out, and therefore despite finishing my morning and daytime teatox after 14 days, I still had a couple of nighttime teabags left to drink. However this was entirely my own fault, and I am not suggesting in any way that other customers will have this problem.

One of my favourite things about StripTeas’ product is that all their ingredients are entirely natural, meaning you can be 100% sure that what you’re drinking is good for your body. Another great thing was the ‘biodegradable pyramid bags’ (also natural), which allowed for the loose leaf tea inside to move – making for better infusion, and a greater taste.

StripTeas’ tagline is ‘the happy and healthy detox’, and I would definitely agree with this. For any avid tea drinkers who are looking to detox and cleanse their body, this is the product for you 🙂 http://stripteas.com

Ciao for now, Laura xx

How to deal with hangover hell.

Lying in bed feeling sorry for myself following a night out in Oxford, it occurred to me that despite being easy to prevent, hangovers occur far too often – usually resulting in vowing to never drink again (until the next time, obviously).

In the hope of never having to feel the affects of a hangover again, I have stalked google for the best hangover cures – my favourites being the ones listed below: 

1. Avoid dark coloured drinks. Darker coloured drinks such as red wine or whiskey contain more congeners which are produced when the drink is fermented. As a rule, the more congeners in the drink, the worse the hangover. 

2. Avoid fizzy mixers. Drinking fizzy drinks can speed up the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into your system – something like squash is a far better choice when trying to avoid a hangover the following morning. 

3. Have a fry up. If you can manage to drag yourself out of bed the next morning, cook yourself a fry up. Fry ups are great for replacing the fatty acids in your body and breaking down any remaining alcohol in your liver. 

4. Drink a chocolate milkshake. Apparently chocolate milkshakes are great for hangovers due to the milk being settling for nausea and the sugar/salt content being the perfect balance for a carb/salt fix. 

5. Eat a banana. Bananas are great at neutralising stomach acid and also contain a high magnesium content which will help relax your blood vessels (the things that are causing your pounding headache). 

6. Drink lots and lots of water. Throughout the night, it is recommended that you alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of water so as to avoid dehydration. Another great tip is to drink a glass of water before you go to bed. 

I hope these cures make your hangover that little bit more bareable! 

Ciao for now, Laura xx

Sweet Potato Fries: a healthier alternative to chips.

Like millions of other people in the world, I am a huge sucker for chips/fries. If there is ever a side dish option of salad or chips, without a doubt I will opt for chips every.single.time. However like many others I’m sure; I realise that constantly eating chips isn’t the greatest thing for your body and can actually be pretty detrimental for your health. Therefore as a healthy alternative, I have recently discovered the beauty of eating ‘sweet potato fries’ instead. These make a great snack when feeling peckish, and are incredibly cheap and easy to make. Here’s how I do it…

You will need:

• 1 medium sized sweet potato,
• Olive oil,
• Sea salt,
• Cracked black pepper,
• Rosemary.

Wash your sweet potato and then simply cut it up into chunky ‘chip’ sized shapes, making sure that they’re big enough to avoid burning. Once you have finished cutting your sweet potato, place your fries onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Next, place your chips into the oven at about 180-200° and leave to bake for approximately 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, take your baking tray out of the oven, and turn each chip over so that the other side can bake. Once you have turned each chip over, place your tray back into the oven for another 12 minutes or so. After 12 minutes, simply serve your fries in a nice bowl, season with sea salt and black pepper, and garnish with rosemary.

I hope you like my recipe and find these fries just as yummy as I do! Have fun cooking!

Ciao for now, Laura xx

Ready, Set, Bake for Red Nose Day 2015!

This year, Red Nose Day falls on the 13th March 2015. For those who don’t know, Red Nose Day is a national day held each year by Comic Relief, in order to help raise money and awareness for those in need, helping to transform the lives of millions at home in the UK, as well as many across Africa. Since last year’s Red Nose Day, Comic Relief has spent £99 million, helping over 12 million people. Supporting Red Nose Day and Comic Relief really makes a difference to those in need, helping them to overcome their problems – to do your bit and help, all you need to do is get involved!

In the run up to Red Nose Day, hundreds of products are on offer for you to buy from all major supermarkets – with the majority of money that you spend going towards Comic Relief. This year, I bought the ‘Great Comic Relief Bake Off‘ cookbook, costing only £2.50, with £2 going straight to Comic Relief – what’s to lose?! The Red Nose Day cookbook is packed with 14 simple recipes taken from Mary Berry and other ‘Great British Bake Off’ cookbooks, ranging from yummy apricot cookies to an orange and olive loaf bake. It also includes lots of useful tips on how to set up a bake sale and raise money for Comic Relief by selling your newly baked favourite treats!

Like many others I’m sure, I am a huge fan of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ yet often find myself staring in admiration/jealousy at the creations made on the show. Therefore for those like me who can’t bake yet wish they could; this simple recipe cookbook was perfect, and so much fun to use!

However, for those who aren’t a fan of baking but want to donate towards Comic Relief, there are hundreds of other products on offer (mugs, t-shirts, red noses etc) which will help in the fundraising for Red Nose Day. Alternatively, donate or sponsor online at http://www.rednoseday.com, even the smallest donation can make a huge difference.

Ciao for now, Laura xx

Blitz Your Unhealthy Sugar Cravings With New Smoothie – ‘Berry Blitz’.

I am currently a big fan of creating smoothies and shakes as a healthy treat that is also sweet! Here is my latest…

Recipe for ‘Berry Blitz’:

You will need:

• 150 ml of semi-skimmed milk,
• 3 tbsp of low fat natural yoghurt,
• 1 tbsp of honey,
• a handful of raspberries (approx 70g),
• a handful of blueberries (approx 100g).

As with my previous post, you just simply blend all of the above ingredients together (I use Blend-Active), until you have the consistency of your liking!

This is a super easy and quick way to be healthy, and tastes super yummy too! Enjoy! 

Ciao for now, Laura xx