homemade dry shampoo; crazy cheap AND free of nasty chemicals!

Dry shampoo is one of my favourite products but after deciding to try to use fewer chemicals and utilise a bit more of nature’s helping hand with my skin, hair and beauty routines (you can read that post here) I thought this would be as good an item to start with!  The brand I use also has a pretty high hazard rating (if you don’t know what I’m on about and want to find out check out the link above) so all the more reason to try something new!  I got this little recipe from Alex Raye’s blog – definitely worth a peek if you’re interested in looking to do beauty naturally as she has great tips, sound advice and is happy to answer questions!

homemade dry shampoo

• 1 part bicarbonate of soda
• 1 part cornflour
• cocoa powder optional depending on hair colour (being blonde I didn’t use any)

Mix together and rub a small amount into hair where wanted.

Just as good as the stuff I was using before – if not better 🙂  Brilliant!

big love

gollygoshgirl xx

 

yummy, filling and crazy-healthy stir fry recipe

To be honest, this is pretty adaptable so just add in whatever tickles your fancy! It can be vegan, fat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut free (you get the picture)….pretty darn good ey?!?

I am very much on a budget so it’s often cheaper to choose certain ingredients over others (for example beans rather than turkey and whatever veg is on offer or in season). Buying frozen vegetables is also cheaper than fresh and they tend to retain more nutrients; win! I buy Fairtrade where possible if I’m not buying local – sometimes a teensy bit pricier but SO worth it to ensure fair working conditions for those who produce it. Add in as much variety as possible of veg – the more colours you use the more nutrients you’re adding (it’s ALL about ‘eating the rainbow’)!

This truly does fill me up and I regularly eat it for lunch. I usually make enough for at least 8 meals and freeze them ready for the week. That way I can alternate them with other meals I’ve pre-prepared and frozen so I don’t feel like I’ve eaten exactly the same thing every day (which, let’s face it; no one wants to do!)

Simply use lemon juice to fry off the onions and garlic then add your ingredients in whatever order you prefer, adding in lots of soy sauce and some coconut milk or passata to taste. I usually use 1 can of coconut milk or passata between 8 servings, but it depends on your preference and portion size really!

Ingredients;

• Soy sauce (gluten free if needed)
• Lemon juice
• Coconut milk OR passata (sieved tomatoes) – make sure you buy 100% tomatoes – no added salt, sugar or other cheeky extras
• Turkey breast (diced) OR a can of mixed beans (red kidney, black eye, borlotti, baby green lima and pea navy are my choice!)
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Green beans
• Curly kale
• Spinach
• Courgette
• Onion
• Garlic
• Red and/or green bell pepper
• Cherry tomatoes
• Peas (I love petit pois)
• Pak choi
• Cashew Nuts (raw and unsalted)
• Desiccated coconut
• Mixed seeds (I use pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax and whatever else comes in the mixed seed pots I buy)

big love

gollygoshgirl

xx

oooh and if you wanna see more tasty healthy recipes just click here 🙂

leg scrub; smooth, silky and waaaaay better than a spa!

I have to say I’m pretty pleased to announce that my first foray into homemade natural beauty products has actually paid off (thankfully) – I’m not quite sure how well I would have coped with discouragement at the first hurdle!  Say HELLO to gorgeous feeling legs!

natural homemade leg scrub

• 1/2 cup oil (I used coconut as it smells amazing and is ridiculously good for your skin; but you can use any!)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons citrus juice (I used lemon)

Mix everything together in a pot or bowl.

Soak in the bath or have a shower and shave your legs as normal.

Use some of the mixture to rub over one leg, massaging the mixture in.  The sugar will help rub off dirt and dead skin.

Rinse the mixture off then shave again.

Rub some mixture onto the same leg and rinse off again.

Repeat the steps for the other leg.

Dry your legs and moisturise as normal (I use coconut oil)

SO GOOD! 🙂

big love

gollygoshgirl xx

beauty; naturally! (a little challenge)

So after deciding that it was time for a little health overhaul I realised that I had started paying pretty close attention to making sure I’m filling my body with goodness.  Obviously a big step forward on the journey, right?

But then I had a little think and came to the conclusion that healthy goodness does not simply involve what I eat (or don’t) and how much I exercise – oh no; it’s not just what I put into my body that counts – I put a lot of stuff onto it too!

If consuming fewer unprocessed foods, chemicals and additives has had a positive impact on my body from the inside; then I’m willing to bet that if I treat the outside in the same way I might well get similar results! With the added bonus that it will not only benefit me (hopefully) but the environment too (definitely)!  PLUS it will work out way cheaper than the products I currently buy! Win!

Now there’s a website I stumbled across by a pretty cool organisation called the Environmental Working Group (you can find it right here).  They rate products based on their toxity and give them a rating out of ten as to how hazardous they are.  It’s really easy to use and simple to understand (phew)!  I may have got a little bit carried away and put almost every product I’ve ever used in there….be warned that some results are a bit of a reality check – lets just say it has encouraged me that trying natural beauty is the way to go!

And by natural beauty I in no way mean that I am planning on turning into a tree-hugging hippy with dreadlocks and a wardrobe full of tie-dye and rainbow coloured woven jackets.  Not yet anyway!

I’m simply going to seek out some ways of tweaking and adapting my skin, hair and beauty regimes so that I only use natural ingredients and products.  I’ll be posting the results so you can see how it all goes down – it’s gotta be worth a try for the sake of my pocket, my health and the planet!

Wish me luck………!

gollygoshgirl xx

A little footnote (added 20.05.2013) ;  if you fancy seeing how I’m getting on take a peek at these – I’ll update below as I go along! 🙂

natural, organic skincare,  the no ‘poo method, homemade dry shampoo,  natural leg scrub, no-heat curls and plenty more to come!

Walk Off The Earth

Live music  rejuvenates my soul.  People gathering together to celebrate someone else’s talent; how awesome is that!?!

Earlier this month my brother and went to a gig in north west London. Walk Off The Earth are a Canadian band that we discovered through YouTube one Sunday lunchtime and it turns out they are a pretty darn talented bunch!  If you haven’t heard of them I fully recommend checking them out – their own stuff is great but if you want to hear some great covers take a peek at ‘Somebody that I used to know’, ‘Grenade’ and ‘I knew you were trouble’.

Why I don’t like quiche

I really don’t like quiche. It just doesn’t do it for me. Now don’t get me wrong; I have no desire to advocate a mass boycott – that would be pretty extreme – but I do feel the need to climb up on my proverbial soapbox and explain my reaction to this rather unassuming dish.

The way I see it is this; quiche tries to appeal to everyone by being a bit of everything. Think temperature (lukewarm), texture (is it meant to be solid or liquid in the middle? the jury is still out) and taste (not exactly short-listed as anyone’s favourite food yet not offensive enough to be disliked either ).

And this represents to me a much bigger problem. This problem concerns you (possibly), me (definitely) and anyone else who in certain situations ends up trying to please everyone. The problem being that quite often the result is precisely the opposite – especially in relation to what we really want from life. Not everyone is going to see the world from your point of view – in fact; you’re the only one who can! And – just like quiche – we are in danger of becoming a bit ‘lukewarm’ and undefinable if we attempt to conform to what we perceive society want us be rather than exploring and creating our own path through life.

We shouldn’t put our passions and heart’s desires on the back burner because of what other people may think – it stops us reaching for the stars and realising what we are truly capable of. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be sensible (we all need to be able to eat and have access to somewhere to sleep, as well as honour those people we may have committed our lives to such as our children or partners) but I am saying that if we want to truly experience something, quite often the only way to do that is to go all out.

Obviously that often requires confidence, risk taking and perseverance. We can be hindered in all kinds of ways – finance, setbacks, opinions of others, lack of time, logistics, past failures to name but a few. However, to borrow a rather good quote from an unknown original source (so please don’t sue me if it was you) “If it matters you’ll find a way; if not, you’ll find an excuse”. Two examples that inspire me are the film Pursuit of Happyness (well; the true story behind it) and the lives of team Hoyt (check the video below for a little bit of love to make your heart smile).  Not everything can happen the minute you decide you want it, but you can try to do something everyday that will help you in achieving that goal; and each little step (however tiny) could well build not only towards your goal but your sense of purpose and self belief. Slow progress is better than no progress at all and to coin yet another phrase; you only fail when you stop trying.

Sometimes I need to simply remind myself of this; to really get the most out of life it’s quite often better to jump right in rather than dip a metaphorical toe in the water. So many people only experience half of their potential because they spend too much time holding back or half-heartedly giving it a go. Worse than that, if you’re only giving a bit then the likelihood is that you’ll only achieve a small proportion of the result you wanted or attain a smaller percentage of the goal you were aiming for.

I’m not saying its easy or that you wont suffer setbacks but my challenge to you is this; surely you’d rather know what could happen if you really tried than spend the rest of your life wondering?

i love cake

Recently I’ve re-discovered my love of all things creative; kick-started by the fact that due to our lovely landlady giving us a new kitchen we now have an oven.  For the first time in 9 years I can bake at home and the best thing about it is that its such a great excuse to bless others – either for birthdays and celebrations or just as little something to make someone smile.  Below are a few of my attempts…

https://www.instagram.com/p/Lx0mKEvnfp/ https://www.instagram.com/p/NgD6S4PnVB/ https://www.instagram.com/p/S_Hx-6PnU4/ https://www.instagram.com/p/S_Pw-8vneA/

  https://www.instagram.com/p/TOSJg9PnbQ/ https://www.instagram.com/p/TotCC5PnaA/ https://www.instagram.com/p/TqTXH1vnW4/  https://www.instagram.com/p/T6ReA5vnWc/

https://www.instagram.com/p/UFO4hqvnVy/ https://www.instagram.com/p/UjCzFkPnX-/  https://www.instagram.com/p/UwACLSPnSJ/  https://www.instagram.com/p/U3vOyTPncn/

https://www.instagram.com/p/VAOFE8PnSE/  https://www.instagram.com/p/VAF7x1PnVc/  https://www.instagram.com/p/VJ2vXOvnXy/ https://www.instagram.com/p/VkGs7zPnXT/

https://www.instagram.com/p/WCxp7xPnST/  https://www.instagram.com/p/WMnfcAvnQw/ https://www.instagram.com/p/WPwc0-vnbk/  https://www.instagram.com/p/WUjYdWPnfI/

https://www.instagram.com/p/WSVM-jvnQ8/ https://www.instagram.com/p/WYJtOtvnRA/  https://www.instagram.com/p/WYNf_OPnWf/  https://www.instagram.com/p/WVT4fJPnZY/

https://www.instagram.com/p/We296KvnVp/  https://www.instagram.com/p/WpLjsuPnSZ/  https://www.instagram.com/p/WpHEh7PnbQ/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Wp7ajLPncr/

https://www.instagram.com/p/W79hVqvneE/  https://www.instagram.com/p/W_5yoLPnT2/ https://www.instagram.com/p/XDnLUSPnTX/  https://www.instagram.com/p/X2dJAMPneN/

Feel free to check out my instagram or other homebaking posts for more 🙂

big love,

gollygoshgirl xx

one week down…and i’m still on the wagon!

Well, after just one week I am pleased to announce that I have noticeably slimmed down.  My wrists and the bridge of my nose have definitely reduced in size.  Resulting, rather attractively, in my watch (already a children’s one) needing to be one notch tighter and my glasses falling down my nose.  Brilliant.

On a serious note, I have actually lost a few centimetres here and there and a kilo or two.  Which is pretty encouraging.  What is even better, though, is that I haven’t lived in a permanent state of hunger (or any state of hunger at all)  and yet have only eaten healthy stuff all week.  And I haven’t even craved chocolate or ice cream… you could say I’m feeling the love for all this yummy healthy goodness!

Before we get down to business and I attempt to give a slightly more balanced review of the past seven days than what is written above I think a few photos are in order;

      

As you can see I haven’t exactly suffered (and thank the Lord for that or I wouldn’t still be sticking around for week 2)!

Now as I said in my last post on this subject; I’m not interested in fad diets or quick results that will be easily reversed the minute I catch a whiff of anything that I might actually enjoy eating – I want to give myself a little health overhaul and create a lifestyle that is better for my physical health as well as my figure.  I reckon life is too short to be miserable, and seeing as I love food: I refuse (OK, more like am completely unable) to feel starving for the rest of my time on earth.  Also, seeing as I spend a vast amount of time driving to and from work halfway around the M25 each day, I need to be able to eat breakfast in the car if morning traffic is rubbish and have snacks readily available for the way home.  Add to that the fact that I have very little time to prepare evening meals due to dance and other commitments and you can see how tricky I am to accommodate!

Luckily, I am blessed with some lovely friends, one of whom knows a highly regarded personal trainer who has already helped her parents become distinctively healthier.  I decided to follow the food plan that he gives because not only is it sensible and based on healthy nourishment for the body but I have also seen the results first hand.  It starts with a basic list of foods (that you can eat as much as you like of) and every 7 days for 6 weeks more are added.  Cheat meals and cheat days are also incorporated which allow for indulgence (which is obviously a BIG win in my book – Ben, Jerry and I still have a chance).

Although I know a healthy body is created in the kitchen, I am also very aware that exercise is also important.  I take dance classes and also use the Davina Fitness app to help me work out at home.  I use the Run 10k app when I go for runs (I’ve never actually done 10k but its a great app because it builds you up from literally nothing to being able to run for ages – and if it works for me it can work for anyone!).

A few things that feel noteworthy ( I in no way claim to be any expert or professional in this arena!):

• Social media can be a great way to find motivation, tips, recipes and encouragement – think Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and blogs to name but a few.  Just a small warning; it can also be a hub of unhealthy advice so choose your sources wisely!  A few that I really rate are http://instagram.com/fitmencook , http://instagram.com/mealprepmondays  and                                                      https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thehealthkitchen/107155876143322
• Fitness doesn’t have to cost anything.  As I said, I downloaded apps onto my phone to help with workouts and running as I can’t afford the gym.  There are also YouTube tutorials which are pretty good!  Other low cost and sociable ways to keep active could include workout DVDs, sport in the park with friends (not exactly an inspiring concept given the weather at present but we can live in hope), walking, sightseeing, finding an open air swimming pool, trying a dance class, wakeboarding or waterskiing, skateboarding, cycling, ice skating, indo boarding, fruit picking to name a few.
• Recognise your achievements – even if they’re only little at the beginning – and don’t reward yourself with anything food related! Seeing as I lasted a whole week without succumbing to the lure of the biscuit tin I got myself a gorgeous new nail varnish and spent a couple of hours doing my nails while watching one of my favourite films.  At the end of week 2 I’m going to get myself some hair products.  If I’m still on track at the end of 6 weeks I have my eye on some gorgeous pink Adidas joggers designed by Jeremy Scott.  Another idea I’ve heard is putting £1 in a jar every time you work out and after 100 workouts using the money to really treat yourself.   I have to admit that I have seriously thought about buying a 1kg bag of sugar each time I lose a kilo so I can visually see the amount I’m losing!
• Fail to plan, plan to fail.  Meal preparation is essential.  As is researching menus in advance of any restaurants you visit.  Planning how to handle social situations relating to food or alcohol and how/when you tell friends and family about your changed lifestyle really helps too!

big love,

gollygoshgirl xx

Living with boys

My housemates are awesome.

Over the past few years I have had the (sometimes debatable) pleasure of being the only girl in a houseful of guys. Below are a couple of observations on life with these wonderful human beings.

Firstly, though, a small disclaimer.  Don’t expect to find any insightful revelations into the male mind  (I’m afraid I don’t have any).  Embarrassing stories won’t feature either – that’s a whole other blog post and the boys have way too much ammunition on me!  Should you ever want to hear some of the out-takes, though,  I’m pretty easy to bribe.

Right; now that’s out of the way….

Life at number 5 – a few features

• The great heating debate.  When the temperature of the house reaches a warmth enabling me to retain circulation in my fingers: cue complaints of mouths drier than the desert and a lot of walking around in shorts. The result being that I’m doing my bit for the economy by keeping hot water bottle manufacturers very much in business.

• Film choices. Don’t bother trying to make a convincing argument unless you can use as many of the following terms as possible; respect, honour, glory, justice, epic battle, redemption. (Luckily, most of these descriptions can sum up dance films.  Unluckily, the boys are now wise to this.)

• Deep and meaningfuls.  These conversations creep up on you when you least expect it.  Generally in the middle of a remark about something else.   “Tea?”   “Sure.  Oh yea, and (insert very short statement of life crisis here) just happened. Milk and 2 sugars please”.

• ‘If in doubt; burn it’.  The mantra adopted by every male inhabitant of our household.  Be warned.

•  Punctuality for important events.  When travelling by plane it is an unwritten rule that passports must not be located until all other packing is completed; a process which may only be started after the journey to the airport should have begun.  Also never rely on your housemates to arrive at a wedding on time (or to resist from playing ‘last man standing’ whenever the congregation is required to be seated.)

• The ‘Feelings’ Face. The look adopted by men everywhere when they’ve heard enough about emotions.  This occurs after varying lengths of time depending on state of hunger, mood and interest level.

• Creative use of everyday items.  Apparently, the washing up brush can be used to clean car oil off of the front step.  The challenge is to intercept whoever is wielding it before it reaches the sink and is returned to its previous use.

•  Houseparties.  Great people, fancy dress, bonfires, dancing, Heineken heat and a nice cozy bed just upstairs. Brilliant.

big love,

gollygoshgirl xx

 

When someone yells stop

When someone yells stop, I don’t know if it’s in the name of love, if it’s hammer time or if I should collaborate and listen.

People were created to be LOVED. Things were created to be USED.   The reason the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.