The One-Pot Wonder

This spicy veggie sauce is one of the most versatile things you can make in batch form.  I usually make a big batch of this on a Sunday evening and mix it into pasta to take to work for lunches throughout the week, but there are so many other pairing possibilities! We have used this sauce as a fresh salsa dip and can even be used to cook fish in (or chicken if you prefer). It can be used as a base sauce for lasagne or even on its own as a Ratatouille. It can also be added to wraps or fajitas. The sauce freezes well and will last up to five days in the fridge.

Recipe for 6-8 portions (as a pasta sauce)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 3 tomatoes quartered
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 pepper
• 3 courgettes
• 2-3 chillies (optional and to taste)
• basil
• salt and pepper
• dash of red wine
• 1 tbsp on fruit sugar

Sauté all of the veggies with the garlic and olive oil until they have softened. Add the chopped tomatoes, red wine and basil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Leave to cool before freezing.

The great thing about this sauce is that you can customise it to your liking – why not add extra veggies such as mushrooms or aubergine or crank up the heat if you like it really hot.  It’s a great way to use up vegetables which may have otherwise been wasted and with only one pot to clean it really is a winner 😉

 

 

Sourced Box Subscription

I had been humming and harring about whether to subscribe to the Sourced Box service for a couple of months as I wasn’t sure it would be worth the money but I did really like the idea of having some tasty treats delivered to work each month. I’m really pleased I gave Sourced Box a go! The snacks included are seriously delicious, not to mention all natural and refined sugar free.

Sourced Box contains ten to eleven snacks, from dark chocolate to vegetable crisps. The contents of the box changes each month so you never know what you are going get- a nice surprise! As you can see from the picture above, there is a good variety and I liked everything included in my first months box, in particular the Rude Health Beetroot bar.

There are three options available to you when you visit the Sourced Box website.

• a one-off box £21.95
• a monthly subscription £18.95
• a yearly subscription £189.95

I chose the monthly subscription but it is worth bearing in mind that if you chose the yearly subscription option you are getting two boxes for free. Sourced Box allows you to cancel your subscription at any time. I have been really impressed with the service I have received so far; I had quick responses to a couple of emails I had sent and the box arrived ahead of schedule.

It can be hard to find healthy snacks on the go which are free from unnecessary chemicals and sugar, so for me this service is a real game changer. I did sign up to this with the intention of making the box last me a good few weeks but in reality it lasted me 5 working days (oops!).

 

Dark Chocolate Treats (refined sugar-free!)

These dark chocolate treats are so delicious and perfect to serve with coffee after a dinner party with friends or simply to satisfy chocolate cravings! If you don’t like intense dark chocolate then this recipe isn’t for you, but if you like the bitter taste of dark chocolate and are comforted by the fact that just ONE of these bad boys will be enough then this will be your jam.

The best thing about these chocolates is that they are refined sugar-free and contain coconut oil which is known to help burn fat. Yes, that’s right. Burn fat while you are eating chocolate – does it get any better?

To make 6 ice cube sized chocolates, you will need.

• 1/2 cup of Coconut Oil
• 1/2 cup of Cocao Powder
• 1 tsp of pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup of sweetener of your choice i.e. Maple Syrup or raw Honey.
• pinch of Salt

NB: toppings are optional, I put one almond on each chocolate but the possibilities are endless. I think dried cherries would be amazing paired with the dark chocolate. Instead of using toppings you could always add these into the mixture before chilling.

To make the chocolates simply melt the coconut oil for a few seconds in the microwave and then mix in the rest of the ingredients. The consistency will be like a thin chocolate sauce. Carefully pour the mixture into ice cube trays and place in the fridge for an hour. After an hour the mixture will have set and turned into chocolate! Push out the chocolates as you would ice cubes. If using toppings stick these on using a tiny bit of honey or maple syrup.

These chocolates will keep in an air tight container for quite a few weeks, although I don’t think you will need to worry about that!

Lancôme Juicy Shaker – Vanilla Pop

The Juicy Shaker is the latest lip offering from Lancôme, a pigment infused bi-phase lip oil which retails at £18. Now, when I first heard about these I thought they seemed like a bit of a gimmick but when I tested these out in store I was drawn in by how moisturised my lips felt. The product is part oil and part pigment based so when left to sit the pigment drops to the bottom and oil sits on the top, that’s where the ‘shaker’ part comes in. The packaging has been designed in the form of a cocktail shaker, you simply shake the product up (rather vigorously) to mix the oil and pigment together before use. Lancôme took inspiration from their world famous cocktail shaker lipstick from 1945 and their Juicy Tube lipgloss from the 90’s, mixed them together and out popped the Juicy Shaker.

The Juicy Shaker comes in 20 shades, each with their own unique scent. Vanilla Pop has a sweet vanilla scent, but is not sickly when applied and gives a very sheer wash of colour, in this case a lovely berry red. The oil gives a plump and glossy look to the lips and they felt nourished and hydrated after just one use. I would class this product as more of a lip treatment, with a hint of colour and sheen as an added bonus. This product doesn’t last a long time on the lips but because of the unique applicator, re-applying these are half of the fun anyway!