This could well be paradise

Had such a lovely day today; welcoming spring and it's joys into our lives again. It was just glorious.

Been down at my Dad's in Milton Keynes this weekend, and despite getting my phone upgraded and having some Vans bought for me, I think our walk around Willen Lake was the highlight for me.

It was packed; the sun was beating down, not a cloud in the sky. Full of families, with bikes, toddlers, dogs. There were runners and cyclists, not to mention the more brave folk, wake boarding and jet skiing. We walked from the house and around the first lake, before stopping for lunch and a pint at the pub overlooking the beauty of the lake.

After we finished, we headed back out and walked the opposite way back round the lake, stopping off at the ice cream van on the way. First Flake 99 of the year, and it tasted perfectly of summer and anticipation.

As we set off again, ice cream dribbling down my hand, my Dad couldn't help but mention (again!) how much the setting reminded him of Hyde Park mid-summer. And the truth is, we could've been anywhere in the world; you never would've thought you were only a stone's throw away from the M1.

With the sun smiling down on us, and in perfect company, I thought to myself: this could well be paradise, and I'm looking forward to many more idyllic days like today.

You won't get a beach body scoffing sausage and egg mcmuffins

Or will you?

A lovely, greasy McDonalds sausage, egg and cheese McMuffin (sometimes even a double!) has long been one of my favourite ways to start the day. Don't get me wrong, I don't eat them all the time - hardly ever in fact - but they are still one of my absolute favourite breakfasts. Along with a greasy hash brown and Tropicana, of course.

However, being on a diet in the hope of rediscovering my 'pre-uni body' for my holidays this summer, the dreaded McMuffin has not passed my lips in quite some time. Until now. Well, I say now, what I actually mean is I have attempted to recreate a healthy one, that wouldn't see me put on about half a stone upon eating it.

My very own sausage and cheese mcmuffin!

I'm not going to lie, it turned out to be a sausage and cheese muffin, as the egg went horribly wrong as I turned my back to stick the telly on. Serves me right I guess. Nevertheless, it was amazing!!

What you need: serves 1!
1 or 2 low fat sausages (I used 1 Skinny Lizzie sausage, as they are quite big!)
1 wholemeal muffin
1 slice low fat cheese
Ketchup (if you're not a red sauce lover, then brown sauce - the devil's condiment!!)

What to do:
1. Make a slit down the length of the sausage/s. Peel the skin off and bin
2. Roll the sausage meat up (it's a bit sticky) and shape into a burger shape
3. Cut the muffin in half and put on to toast
4. Get a frying pan nice and hot and spray with FryLite
5. Fry the sausage/burger, turning occasionally until cooked - about 4 or 5 minutes depending on thickness
6. Remover muffin from the toaster
7. Place the sausage/burger on one side of the muffin
8. Place the slice of cheese and a squirt of ketchup on the other side
9. Put the two halves together and DIG IN!!

But how healthy is it really??

• Wholemeal muffin = 141 calories
• Skinny Lizzie sausage = 87 calories
• Kerry Low Low cheese slice = 36 calories
• Ketchup = 20 calories

Just in case your maths isn't quite up to scratch that lot comes to a 284 calories saving you 146 calories, as the McDonald's version comes in at 430 calories. That may not sound like a lot, but trust me, when you're on a diet, EVERY CALORIE COUNTS! And that saving of 146 calories means I can have 6 squares of Galaxy Cookie Crumble whilst I'm watching telly later.

RESULT.

A motto to resonate with generations...

I'd happily put money on the fact that half of the population probably has some sort of 'Keep Calm and Carry On' decorative adorning their home or office. Yep, these posters have seemingly sprang up out of nowhere over the past 12 months. Posters, key-rings, mugs. You name it. You can't seem to avoid it recently.

But where did it come from? And whilst we're on the subject of putting bets on, I'd back the fact that most people wouldn't know the answer to that question either.

Truth is, it was initially produced by the Ministry of Information, at the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, with the aim of strengthening the public's morale in the event of a wartime disaster.


2.5m copies of the poster were printed, but unbeknown to many, it was the third in a series of three motivational posters issued by the British government. 800,000 copies of the first poster were printed, featuring the slogan 'Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us To Victory'. The second poster issued saw 400,000 copies circulate, and this one read 'Freedom Is In Peril. Defend With All Your Might'. The first 'Your Courage..' poster was  much more popular than the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' addition during the war, mainly because it was very large and the first to go up.

The posters were put up within 24 hours of the war breaking out, as the Ministry of Information assumed the events of the first few weeks of the war would demoralise the public. The writing was designed to be recognisable and associated with the MOI, and the crown at the head of each poster signified it was a message from the King.

The 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster was rediscovered in the year 2000, in a second-hand bookshop in Northumberland. Although the poster was created by the UK government and was copyrighted under Crown Copyright, this expired after 50 years, and so the image is now in the public domain.

Since it's rediscovery it's popularity has blown up, with many people feeling it relevant to the late-2000's recession. Other unlikely places that these posters have appeared include:

• the prime minister's strategy unit at number 10 Downing Street
• the Lord Chamberlain's office at Buckingham Palace
• the United States embassy in Belgium

It's also been adopted by British nurses as their unofficial motto, appearing in staff rooms and wards up and down the country.


Endless amounts of parodies have been created since the original poster was rediscovered, and iPhone and iPad apps have even been created so you can spend hours designing your own.

So whilst most will have a 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster for purposes of jumping on a rather large, extremely popular bandwagon, but whenever I look at mine I'll be reminded of the stiff-upper-lip spirit of the population, and be truly proud to be British.

A 2000-calorie binge, a horrendous run and an epic camping trip...

So a pretty uneventful weekend on all counts. Mainly due to the fact that I'm pretty skint and my car tax is due at the end of this month. So it's all save, save, save!

Went to Rob's Thursday afternoon after uni, and we went out to eat. Well, I say we went out to eat, actually we got in the car, drove around for the best part of 15 minutes unable to decide where to eat, before opting for a night in instead. Ventured to Morrisons on the way back and filled our basket with pizza, garlic bread, cookies, sweets, milkshake and pop. Always embarrassing when you see people you know in the supermarket, and upon peering into your basket this is what they see. Mind you, suppose it wouldn't be as bad as a bottle of wine and a cucumber..

Stuffed our faces to the point of true gluttony, before totting up all the calories we had devoured on the My Fitness Pal app. God know why we did this but Jesus Christ almighty. Mine came to over 2000. That's more than I'm allowed in a whole day! Went to bed feeling slightly sick, but smug with our full bellies.

Up bright and early the next morning and off for an hour and a half's run. Again, I say run. Mine was more like a crawl, whilst my boyfriend bounded along like some sort of spring chicken on crack. One word; gruelling. After staggering up hills and through muddy puddles - much to the disgust of my new fluorescent pink Nike trainers - I had to be practically carried home to quickly devour a big slice of lasagne. Equilibrium was restored.

Spending the afternoon on the sofa resting my aching muscles seemed the best option after my morning from hell. Made a beaut chilli con carne for tea before going to my Mum's for a bit whilst Rob was at work.

Saturday we slept in before Rob fed me his signature scrambled egg. Another lazy day ensued before heading to the gym around 4pm. Spent a few hours there then went home to get tea on. Garlic chicken and vegetable rice. Nothing worth shouting about but was yum nonetheless.

Woke this morning to being mauled by the cat. Perfect. Spent a few hours with my Mum before heading back to Lincoln around 4pm. Out for a Chinese with Rob, Aimee and Adam; we definitely shouldn't be allowed near all-you-can-eat restaurants, the pigs that we are. Profits were sure to have taken a dip last night. Oops.

Attempted to plan our epic summer camping trip, but only managed to agree on a date, between Aimee and I snorting with laughter (much to the disgust of the other customers).

Overall a pretty good weekend, considering I didn't spend a penny!

Thin, rich AND clever?! Surely not.

I wish they sold willpower in bottles.

Think of all it's uses; it could make you rich, thin AND clever. It'd mean you could easily resist putting that gorgeous pair of Topshop heels on your card, maybe not making you rich, but making you SAVE. That craving for chocolate muffins and toast buttered on both sides would be a thing of the past, not even crossing your mind when your magical bottle of willpower is in tow. Revision and assignments would become a joy, when you'd usually be swapping them for the sticky carpet at Superbull.

Yes, willpower such an elusive trait as it is, seems to be in short supply at the minute. But is it really a trait? Something you're born with. Or is it more is a skill? Something which needs to be practiced and honed, much like your overarm serve or liquid eyeliner technique.

Nevertheless, whatever it is, I'm pretty sure bottling it and selling it on could make someone a small fortune. In fact, I could probably single-handedly keep that market afloat, as I'd be their number 1 customer, buying it in wheelbarrow loads.

So if anyone comes across any just lying around, please do get in touch. In the mean time, I shall overspend, overindulge and procrastinate to my hearts content.

Just another Hallmark holiday?

With Mother's Day fast approaching (Sunday 18th March for all those unaware!) it got me thinking about the so-called 'Hallmark holidays', and in particular Valentine's Day.

Now I know it's been and gone this year already, but I must say it annoys me more and more every year. Year after year you see angry tweets and Facebook statuses about it being "commercial," "a load of crap" and "a waste of money," to name a few. I have to say, the majority of these come from the bitter, single people out there, and can't help but think if they did actually have someone to spend it with, would they whine so much? The answer is no. 

What girl (or guy) could honestly say they wouldn't welcome a bouquet of red roses with open arms? Don't get me wrong, like many others I don't think it takes one day a year to tell your loved one how much they mean to you; you should do every day. But equally, I don't think there's anything wrong with a day to remind us that a little cuddle can mean more than you think.

I'm not saying me and my fella buy into it whole-heartedly, but we always get each other a card and organise some quality time together. Anything else is a bonus. I can't help but feel that all the negativity surrounding it is just down to jealousy. I know there are some terrible excuses for holidays out there - St Patrick's day for example, I mean, who wants to receive a 'Happy St Patrick's day card? A pint, maybe. A card, no.

Take Mother's Day. You could argue that this 'holiday' is as equally commercial, depressing and unnecessary as Valentine's Day, but who really wants to explain that's the reason why they haven't got their Mum a card? Exactly. 

Maybe we should be thankful to the likes of Clinton cards, for reminding us that sometimes expressing our gratitude and love to those closest to us isn't done often enough.

Pear Shaped

Browsing the book aisle at Tesco's on Tuesday, and one immediately caught my eye. Probably because it had the word 'dessert' on the front to be fair.

Photo: Amazon.co.uk

"Sophie Klein walks into a bar one Friday night and her life changes. She meets James Stephens: charismatic, elusive, and with a hosiery model ex who casts a long, thin shadow over their burgeoning relationship. He’s clever, funny and shares her greatest pleasure in life – to eat and drink slightly too much and then have a little lie down. Sophie’s instinct tells her James is too good to be true – and he is."

I was instantly drawn to this one, amongst the many other books competing for my attention. It's had some great reviews but one that particularly caught my eye was Heat magazine's:

 "If you are a girl with a passion for food, this modern city heartbreak is the book for you" 

That's me right there, in a nutshell.

Started this last night and was four chapters in before I even realised. Probably because I could draw so many similarities between myself and the main character. Literally felt like I was reading about myself. She loves to plan, hates leaving things to the last minute, but most of all, has the biggest passion for food, puddings in particular. In fact, she has what I could only describe as THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD, she is a pudding developer for a supermarket chain. That's right. She gets paid to EAT DESSERTS. Not jealous at all, I swear.

Anyway, pretty into it so far.. can see myself finishing it before the weekend is out to be fair.