Easiest pancake recipe ever!

In my opinion and in yours when you try these for yourself you will probably agree that they are the easiest and quickest home made pancake recipe ever..

 To make these pancakes you probably already have the items in your kitchen. You need 2 main ingredients;

.1 egg 
.1 medium- large banana

you will also need some oil to cook them in, i use fry light because it's free on slimming world.

Now to top the pancake i have used another banana sliced up and 1 tsp of icing sugar sprinkled over the plate, covering the pancakes and banana. It was delicious, made the banana pieces really sweet. lovely.

So what you need to do and this is so simple and easy- peel your banana, place it on a small plate, get a fork and mash it up. 

(If you have an over ripened banana, i would use that as its much sweeter and much easier to mash up.) 

Once that is all mushed up, crack an egg onto the banana and mix it together with the fork (it is probably much easier to transfer the banana to a bowl for this step) and Once it is all mixed nicely then it's time to cook.

Heat your pan over a low-medium heat and put the oil of your choice into your pan to warm up. You only need a drop and if it's the fry light, a spray or two.

using a big spoon, place 3 spoonfuls of the pancake batter into the pan and move the pan around to evenly spread the batter. These pancakes are only small so they are much easier to flip and you can stack them on your plate and it looks like you have lots more :). Cook for a couple of minutes on each side- You will know when they are done. Then pop them on your plate and keep going till all the batter is gone and then serve them with your choice of toppings. Honey is lovely on these pancakes with blueberries!! I was just using what i had to hand but maple syrup, even golden syrup or just like i did icing sugar, they are all lovely on these pancakes and these pancakes are sweet enough anyway so lots of berries on them alone will be enough.

This recipe is for 1 person and depending on how many spoonfuls of mixture i do i can get between 4-6 pancakes.

Now for slimming world viewers, I had no idea they syn the banana here because it's mashed up, im sure i read somewhere that 100g of mashed and cooked banana is something silly like 8 syns because of the sugars, I must admit i do not syn my pancakes and i have spoken to a few other members on facebook who do not either and they have still lost weight each week, some members have lost over 3st and they still eat these most days without syning them. So if you want to make them, just make smart decisions, think about what you can put on them that is free and if not make sure you syn accordingly, but most importantly.. ENJOY!!!!

Slimming world update #2

Hello everyone, So i weighed myself on wednesday and i have lost another 2 Ibs. I am very happy, its becoming something i am looking forward to doing weekly and the more you lose the more you want to stay on track and be good, i don't know how you could come off track with slimming world, unless you live a lavish lifestyle and eat out all the time. 

So far i have lost 4 Ibs in 2 weeks and im hoping that will stay like that, i wouldn't mind losing maybe a little over 2 Ibs a week but i don't know if that's realistic. I do wish i could afford to do the classes and be a proper member of slimmming world because there is so much online information you can see when your a member but oh well. Just goes to show that if like me you have a tight income and want to lose weight that it is possible with google and facebook. You just have to do the research.

I can not remember if i mentioned in my last slimming world update post that i have started taking metformin. I am not diabetic but as i have a deadline in which to lose over 2 stone in 4 months, the doctor has put me on metformin to help me lose some weight. I did read up on some peoples experience about their weightloss with metformin and to be honest it was split down the middle with some people saying it helped and others saying it did nothing so i have no idea whether i am losing weight because of the medication or not, either way it's coming off and that's the main thing. Just because i am on medication for weightloss does not mean, if i wasn't that i wouldn't lose any because i would and so will you if you give it a try. Slimming world was recommended to me by the hospital because they know that you will get results. If you have been reading this wondering whether to give it a go or not then do! You will love the freedom of the slimming world lifestyle, its brilliant! And keep following me on my journey too, we can do it together :).

I will be back next week with another update on my weightloss. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and chat soon xxxxx

A busy few weeks

So i have not been posting often as i used to but with good reason. 
My friend just last week had her second little girl and i was staying in her house minding her eldest child who was two on saturday just gone, they are both beautiful girls and i really enjoyed minding her, the second excuse is im back at work finally, wahooo! Feels good to be back at work but i still have to go to fortnightly meetings at the job centre which is a nightmare because i still have to search for a job even though i have one already, boooo!!!

Now for my other reasons,  

Darren won us tickets to the theatre AGAIN! How lucky is that, we are quite an unlucky couple really but not when it comes to the theatre apparently haha. So we went to see Shed, I am rubbish with technology so i don't know how to add links to websites. However, i will give you a quick summary of what it was about but for further information please visit www.royalcourtliverpool.co.uk

'An Englishman’s Shed is his castle – as Liverpool artist Joel Bird proved when he won TV’s Shed of the Year competition.
Now the humble allotment shed is proving a fertile background for a new bittersweet comedy co-written and performed by Liverpool actors Mickey Starke and Paul Broughton at the Royal Court.
Spring is in the air and the spuds are in the ground.
When two blokes want to sit down and have a laugh without being bothered by anyone else there’s no place better than an allotment shed.
And when those two mates have been best buds for the more than 50 years, there’s a lot of water that has flowed under the bridge. Most of it funny but some of it troubled.
It’s just another day in the shed and the banter flies thick and fast as they talk about the old days, girlfriends and the best way to boil a sprout. But things are never quite how they seem.
Shed was written by Paul, Mickey and director Bob Eaton, who promise it is packed with laughs – and a few home truths too.'

 That was an extract from the liverpool echo's website where they talk about the production and more- have a look at the website www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

If anyone knows how i can add in the links to my posts please comment and tell me thank you!!

Now for some photos of our night :)

We went to costa because i really wanted a drink of some sorts and i am so glad i did because i decided to choose something different this time... A Chai latte -- blooming gorgeous!!

Yay at the theatre wahoooo

Our seats

oh we had a fantastic night and laughed lots i would reccomend it if it's still showing. The theatre is gorgeous and it is always a good night out for a couple or the family.

So apart from the theatre i have also been to my first big farmers market! It was amazing, it is called Inglenook farm in St Helens. Here is some photos xx

 It was so good, lots to see, i did not take photos of everything, although i wish i had to show you all how amazing it was. There where so many stalls and everyone was so friendly, the farm was beautiful and the cafe was sooo popular as it was full up so we sat outside in the wind and cold and had a cup of tea and mum ate some lemon drizzle cake, whilst we looked across at the donkey and sheep in the opposite field whilst we gabbed about the purchases mum had made. It was a lovely day.

It is only on one saturday a month but there are little shops that are open all the time that you can go to. I can't wait to go again, currently saving up for next time but it's kind of hard to buy tasty things when your doing slimming world.. booooo wish i was naturally skinny haha.

So yes sorry i have not been posting much but i have been busy. I have some more photos from another event in Liverpool coming to you soon when i find the time to squeeze it in haha.

I hope you are all very well and you are enjoying my blog :) thank you for visiting me and speak to you all soon.

Take care xxxxxx

Slimming world biscuit recipe

This recipe is delicious! Honestly i can eat most things as i am not a fussy eater but i have tried some of the slimming world cakes, muffins and deserts and i was like what the...??!! 

Then i came across this recipe. I altered it a smidgen but oh my they are like my favourite snacks, they do contain syns but you feel you are getting a real treat. Darren likes them too and he can be fussy with certain foods so thats a bonus. I really like the texture too and they are so quick to make. Takes around 1-2 mins to get everything in a bowl and mix together and spoon onto your baking tray! 

So lets get started!! This is for one person (following the slimming world guide lines)

you will need;

+ 1 egg
+ 35g plain oats
+ 2 tbsp of sweetner
+ 3 tsp of low calorie hot chocolate powder such as highlights or options
+ 1 tbsp of vanilla extract/ orange essence

This is the sweetner i used 

And this is the hot chocolate options powder i used

All you do is mix all the ingredients together and spoon onto a oven tray lined with greaseproof paper (they peel off so easily this way) and pop into a pre-heated oven of 190 degrees celcius which is around gas mark 5 i think for around 10-12 mins and thats it!!

so quick and simple and honestly gorgeous. In the list of ingredients above i said you could either use vanilla extract or an orange flavouring perhaps, i say that because when tasting the biscuit with the chocolate flavour i know it would taste amazing but not only that, vanilla extract is very expensive, a small bottle cost me nearly 5 pound in asda and that would only make 4 batches of biscuits, so the orange essence may be something to consider.

I made a double batch here because darren wanted some too. What i do is use a table spoon to spoon out the mixture and i round and flatten the mixture with the spoon to make them bigger and that way you get more biscuits which just seems like you are having more of a treat.

There is my portion in my little box ready to take out. They are lovely honestly but we all like different tastes, you never know unless you try :) a lovely healthier version of an oaty biscuit thanks to slimming world!!!

If any of you follow slimming world and would like to know the syn value then read on :)

If you are not using the 35g of oats as your healthy extra B then it's 6 syns for the oats, the options powder is 2syns as is the highlights, any other powder you will need to check online, so the rest of the ingredients are free.

So if you are using only your syns it would be 8 syns which is quite high considering you can have your favourite biscuits for maybe around the same syn value but at least try them once :) and if you are having the oats as your healthy extra then its only 2 syns!! now that is impressive and worthit don't you think.. think of all the naughty syns you could have! curly wurly's, even ice cream! FYI these biscuits are delicious with ice cream, be creative with the recipe, you could put orange rind in the mix to give it a zing or lemon!! just remember if you are adding dried fruit to syn it accordingly.

Thanks for reading, if you do try this recipe please comment and let me know what you think. 

Bye xxxxxxx

Slimming World update #1

Hello everyone. So today is day 13 of my slimming world journey. I did the first weigh in on day 4 due to a hospital appointment and as i had my weight printed out i thought i may aswell go from there.

So I did my second weigh in on tues just gone and i have lost ... 2 Ibs in my first week. I have not been as careful or strict as i could be, not that you need to be as you can eat lots but if you want a bigger weight loss there are ways you can make that happen. 

The thing with me is that when i do diets, i give 100% effort and im so strict and although you get results, it is not fun because you have cravings for food that is not allowed on the diet and then you eventually give in because lets face it, us woman have times of the month where we do get cravings and increased appetite, so the one thing i love about slimming world is that you can have chocolate and crisps, they just have a syn value.

Fruit and veg is free (fresh) and all herbs and spices, dried pasta, noodles and rice are all free. Fish and most meat and meat substitues are free, and the idea is you eat as much free food as you like as they are lower in calories generally and fill you up and then the syned food is a treat and you are encouraged to cook healthily and freshly. 

The recipes and treats you can make from the slimming world website or online groups such as facebook and even the magazines are so tasty!! and you get lots in a portion! 

the magazine is only cheap and is so inspirational. If you are not following the diet that doesn't matter, just ignore all the syns and lingo and do the recipe. Slimming world isn't a diet as it's just normal food that you have in your cupboards, it's just careful food planning and being sensible with food choices which we should all be anyway.

I will post a recipe in a seperate post which looks and feel strange (do not let that put you off) but tastes amazing!! I think so anyway so yeah :) 

I will do another weightloss update again next week. So excited.

xxxxxxxxxxx

I'm doing slimming world :)

So i have been told i have to lose weight by september. Two stone, well she actually said over two stone. WOW. I will explain why at a later date when its suitable but yeah.. so i decided that i should join slimming world. 

Due to finance at the moment i'm not officially a member as such, I bought the 2015 plan off ebay. Then researched the hell out of it and joined facebook groups and asked members questions and advice, so yeah im excited and i will keep you all up to date.

I'm not a big girl, well not really. I would say i am a size 12-14 and weigh around 83kg. So i have been told i need to be 72kg. 

Today is day 7 of my slimming world journey and honestly it's been a lot of fun. You are allowed cakes, chocolates and sweets. They just have a syn value. So for instance a curly wurly chocolate bar has a syn value of 6. You are allowed 5-15 syns a day. You really are allowed to eat lots of food. 

So i start my new job on tues and whilst i am in town i will do my first weigh in to see how much i have lost in a week. I am excited but nervous also.

There are lots of recipes you can all enjoy whether you are on the slimming world plan or not so i will upload them soon. 

Sorry i have not had as many new posts as i usually do, i have not been feeling very well. I have had a headache none stop for 5 days because of my saw jaw which is due to a car accident i had 5 years ago, so i have not been able to stare at a screen for a few days. 

So anyway i will be back soon with a new post and i will keep you updated with my slimming world journey and recipes too :) thank you for visiting and see you soon. Hope you are all well. xxxxxxx

Want longer stronger hair?

Hello everyone, sorry i have not posted in a while. Not been feeling very well and had a headache for 3 days on a run and im suffering :( but anyway..

So we all know what it's like, we want long hair and then we want short hair and as soon as it's cut we want our long hair back and it takes weeks and months to grow back. Well i have been doing myself some googling and i have found a few useful tips to help speed up the hair growing process.
We don't all have the money to buy certain products but these 12 useful tips will enable you to atleast do one as some of them include every day house hold items. 

1) Eat right-  Eating a well balanced diet including lots of protein such as eggs, fish and meat can aid in hair growth and fruit and veg are important for strong healthy hair. So it is vital to eat a well balanced diet, not only for your skin and body but also for you hair.

2) Egg whites- Egg whites are known for their healing properties ( and for making tasty cakes ). And this helps to nourish, restore and replenish the hairs softness and shine.

3) Brush your hair- Most importantly though, do not over- brush your hair. By brushing your hair in the morning and night you can actually aid hair growth by stimulating the scalp circulation. However - NEVER BRUSH WET HAIR!!! -- yikes! who knew? not me! 
Apparentley brushing wet hair can severley damage your hair causing breakage. To make it look presentable use a wide tooth comb instead and be careful with tangles, comb them through gently.

4) Drink water- We all know how important it is to drink lots of water, it helps to flush toxins from the body and hydrate our bodies, that includes our hair. Drinking 8 glasses a day helps to make hair stronger because when we are dehydrated our hair gets dry and when its dry it is more prone to breakage. 

5) Try not to blow dry your hair often- When your blow dry your hair you actually dry out your hair and causing heat damage. Cut down on the amount of blow drying you do to your hair and you will see a big change in the way your hair feels and in time this will help to encourage new growth to your hair.

6) Potato water- Weird right? thats what i thought when i read it, i actually read it back to check as i have never heard of this before. A lot of us lack vitamins in our diet due to too many bad foods being so cheap and irresistable. Vitamins such as A and B and even sometimes C. Without these vitamins in our diets our hair can get very brittle and dry. So if you feel like being brave.. Next time you boil some potatoes, keep the water to one side and after dinner rinse your hair with this water to help add some vitamins to it. failing that, stick to a healthy diet.

7) Homemade hair growth mask- Just like the tip above this is another potato based idea to help you grow you hair and in my research it has worked for people so if you have a juicer to hand this is a good one for you. Juice 3 potatoes and to them add one egg yolk and some honey and apply all over your hair and leave it to do its magic for as long as you can. Over an hour would be a good time. The potatoes help to grow your hair whilst the honey and egg yolk help to deeply moisterise your scalp.

8) Essential oils- This tip is not a cheap one unless you have all of these oils to hand, which a lot of us will not. 
Essential oils are used mainly on our bodies especially in massages, but this combination of oils has been said to help grow your lovely locks. Mix together 3 drops of lavender oil and rosemary oil, then 2 drops of thyme oil, cedarwood oil and jojoba oil and apply to your hair. When i was reading this handy tip the website did not state how long this mixture should be left on the head for. So be sensible and listen to your body. If it starts to hurt, itch or irritate then wash off but if it's not doing any harm then leave on for as long as you can as the oils will do wonders for your hair. Maybe do this a couple of times a week. Like i stated i do not know the exact instructions so be careful and safe if trying this.

9) Onion water- Boil some onions in a pan of water and when done, drain off the water into a container and when cool enough rinse the mixture through your hair and rinse off after. This water helps to grow your hair and leave lovely and shiny.

10) Aloe vera and brandy- Do you have an aloe vera plant? if you do then perfect! If not you can either purchase one at your local garden centre. They are only cheap. I would highly reccomend anyone to buy one anyway just because of how amazing they are but i will cover that in another post soon!
If you do not want a plant or can not get hold of one then you can buy the gel in most health food shops. But fresh is best. Mix together some of the aloe vera gel, one egg and some brandy and apply it to your scalp. Leave it in for an hour or more before rinsing. The longer the better. 

11) Apple cider vinegar- Want long hair? Apple cider vinegar is what you want. After each hair wash rinse through with a mix of apple cider vinegar and water and if you are worried about the smell you can add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. This mix helps to stimulate the hair follicles, making your hair grow. 

12) Avoid the sun- Exposing your scalp to the sun is not only dangerous for your skin but very damaging for your hair. To help your hair, wear a hat. It will take longer for your hair to grow if its damaged.

I have not tried these yet but i am excited. Im currently trying to grow some aloe vera from a cutting so hopefully i can make the hair mask soon. Not all of these will be suitable for each one of us but i have listed a variety so we have options. I love options. There is nothing worse than having a solution to a problem which we can not afford or your allergic too haha.

The website i got these ideas off was allwomanstalk.com. They had lots of other ideas too but i like the natural ways, i like to use what i have in my home so i know there is no chemicals in it as this will see that my hair is completley healthy and i know i have done my very best.

There will be lots more posts like this coming soon, i just need to do more research.

I hope you are all very well and had a lovely monday and i will be back soon with something else to talk about :) byeeeee xxxxxx