Dairy-free healthy pancake recipe

Pancakes are the ultimate breakfast food in my opinion. You can made them savoury, sweet, lather them in syrup or add a gentle dollop of greek yogurt. They're dreamy. 

When I was growing up we only ever ate pancakes on pancake day, so they were a massive treat and as such they've still got a soft spot in my heart. However, since moving to uni I've made them pretty much a part of my staple diet. They add a little extra bit of happiness to my day. They're also ridiculously easy to make once you get the recipe right, so I thought I'd share this with you.

Ingredients (makes 1 serving):

1/2 banana

100ml rice/soya/oat/almond milk (soya makes them a little creamier, but I always tend to go for rice milk)

2oz wholewheat flour

1 egg

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh lemon juice and demerara sugar to top

Method:

1.) Chop up the banana and place in a blender. Add the egg, flour and soya milk.

2.) Blend for two to three minutes. This ensures that you don't end up with lumps of banana in your pancakes. 

3.) Put a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Allow it to heat and then pour a reasonably small amount of the mixture in. I much prefer thin pancakes because they cook better with this recipe. 

4.) Fry for a couple of minutes on both sides. 

5.) Squeeze some lemon juice and sprinkle a little bit of sugar on the top. 

Enjoy!

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Chunky salmon and tomato soup recipe

Salmon and tomato aren't the most traditional pairing I know, but I really love the taste of this recipe. It took me ages to devise a name for it because it's quite a versatile dish - it can be used as a chunky soup, a pasta sauce, as a pizza topping, anything really. They all taste delicious IMO, but I make it most often as a soup. 

Salmon has so many beneficial properties, but honestly? I find the taste of cooked salmon a little too strong for my liking. Mixing it in with the ingredients of this soup mutes the flavour a little, so it still comes through but without being overpowering. 

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 red onion

1 clove garlic

70g salmon 

Lemon juice

Salt

Ground black pepper

Parsley

Basil

Dried, chopped chili

Method:

1.) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius (180 for a fan oven).

2.) Place the salmon skin side down on a sheet of foil. Pour a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over it and rub in with the back of the spoon. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice and sprinkle a little bit of sea salt, ground black pepper and parsley over the top.

3.) Loosely wrap the foil around the salmon so that it comes together at the top. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.

4.) Whilst that cooks, finely chop the onion and garlic.

5.) Heat the second teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. 

6.) Add the chopped tomatoes and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

7.) Take the salmon out from the oven, unwrap and finely chop.

8.) Add the salmon, basil and chili to the tomato mixture and stir. 

Enjoy! 

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Superdrug Tea Tree Skin Range

My sister is the best sister, hands down. A couple of weeks ago I came home to an awesome care package from her to cheer me up which included these tea tree goodies from Superdrug. I'm a sucker for trying any new skin care products, so I was excited to get going with these.

I'll start with the  tea tree spot stick. Usually I don't get very many spots, but two weeks of being away without my face wash (boo) meant I had a bit of a break out period. I really like the style of the stick: it looks and feels quite like a lip gloss stick. making it really easy to apply precise amounts onto my spots. However, the results were a bit touch and go. It made larger spots feel less painful, but didn't help to clear them any quicker, which I was quite disappointed about. But, I found that it made smaller whiteheads dry up much more quickly.

The deep pore cleansing strips had a much quicker, more noticeable effect. I have really large pores, and my nose is the worst zone for it; they always seem to have dirt in as well. These strips are so easy to put on, use and take off. All you need is a quick splash of water on your nose and 12 minutes to let it work its magic. You can really see the results when you peel it off. My pores look clean, and you can totally see what the strip has sucked out from your pores on the strip itself. Grim, but fascinating. I find that it's best to leave your skin to air for the rest of the day after using this, as it does open up your pores a little, and (ironically) can allow more oil and dirt to get in if you start piling on the products.

Have you used any tea tree products? What would you recommend?

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Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

Heinz's Tomato Soup is my absolute number one go-to comfort food. So, when I cut dairy from my diet because it really was making me poorly I was gutted. I'm not a fan of thin cup-a-soup style soups that have no dairy in and I felt stuck. After having a look at a few different dairy-free recipes, I mixed them up a bit and came up with this. It's sweet and comforting, without all the nasty additions that are in pre-made soups. My only warning is that the taste of coconut comes through a fair bit, so if you don't like it, then you probably won't like this! This recipe takes less than ten minutes to prep and cook, so is pretty brill for a quick fix lunch! 

My first ever LUSH haul!

I've always had a soft spot for LUSH (and not only because it smells so good every time you walk past!) and the ethos they exhibit through all of their products and services. Unfortunately, there isn't one in the town I live in whilst at university, so I took the plunge whilst I was at home this summer and grabbed a few bits and bobs that I really wanted needed in my life.

Soaking up the last of the Summer sun

With Autumn approaching (where did the sunshine go?!), I've been taking every opportunity to soak up the last of the summer rays. It's been glorious. I was lucky enough to head to both Devon and the Costa Del Sol in the past few months and this outfit totally had my back. I can't believe the season of cute tops and bare legs is draining away, but I'm so excited to get all my cosies out of the back of my wardrobe. 

Dairy Free Tropical Smoothie Recipe

I don't know about anyone else, but the thought of getting up in the morning and exercising always sometimes makes me want to stay permanently wrapped up in bed. So, I decided to start making smoothies to perk me up a bit and get me ready for the day. This is pretty much what this one is designed for - getting you ready for the day on a slow morning. 

Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Spaghetti bolognese is one of my number one go-to comfort food dishes when I fancy making something filling and easy to cook. It takes so little time, and it's something that I feel like I can adapt every single time I make it. This version is a little less fatty due to the turkey mince, and absolutely crammed full of veggies. I find this such a great meal for slyly popping in extra veg without people noticing how much is in it, so it's great for fussy little ones.