Review of Bootea's teatox package

Sorry about the massive picture spam, but I wanted to make sure to show you guys all the different aspects of the bootea package. My sister kindly bought both of us the bootea 14 day teatox package. I was staggered by the price - £19.99 for 21 teabags? You must be having a laugh. Anyway, I'd heard mixed reviews about this product - some people claimed it helped them lose half a stone, whilst others stated that it was simply a waste of money. As you can imagine I was slightly skeptical when I embarked on this detox. 

I'd wanted to detox before I go back to uni to give my body a bit of a chance to reboot before I went back to drinking and depriving myself of sleep (the joys of student life). The basic premise of the package is that you make sure you only drink the tea itself, water and green tea. That means no fizzy drinks or coffee. Personally I only ever drink either green tea or water anyway, so this posed no challenge. Inside the bootea box are two packages: 14 day teabags and 7 night ones which you drink on alternate days. 

On day one I found the taste of the morning tea a bit startling. I'm  neither a fan of lemon or ginger, and I'd never heard of a couple of the ingredients. However, as the days went on I became accustomed to the taste and ended up sort of enjoying it. The night time tea tastes a little pepperminty. I actually preferred this one and ended up getting into a healthy night time regime by having it before bed.

Now for the results. I didn't really see any. I'm unsure as to whether the teatox only helps you lose weight because you cut out the bad drinks you normally drink, and my body was used to not having them anyway, or whether the tea just didn't have a huge effect. Having said that, I did feel a lot less bloated after meals, even big ones. All in all, I liked the internal effects of it, but a weight loss tea which didn't actually help me lose weight isn't worth £19.99 in my opinion. Since the teatox I've bought some lemon and ginger and peppermint tea because of the effects that I mentioned before. Although these teas aren't as effective at reducing bloating as the bootea was, they're a lot more budget friendly.

Have you tried it? What did you think?

Steph

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! 

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.

Easy healthy tuna pasta bake

So, basically tuna pasta bake is one of my favourite comfort foods to make at uni. It's cheap, involves hardly any prep and is so gloriously carb-filled that it's perfect for days when I just want to slob out and chill. If you have a couple of tupperware boxes to hand, this is a brilliant recipe for creating leftovers. Personally I hate having to get up and prep my lunch before going to uni - this way, it's already ready from dinner the night (or a few!) before. 

Chicken and Pepper Barbeque Skewers

So, summer's here and let's face it: we're in England, there's gonna be a barbecue. Whether you're hosting one yourself or have been asked to bring something round to a friend's, these skewers are brilliant if you're clean eating. I personally try to avoid any beef or pig meat because of the fat content, so stick to turkey and chicken. That's why at a barbecue I opt to make these rather than chomping down on grisly burgers (ew).

Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Every so often I like to spice up my stack of recipes with something I wouldn't otherwise make. So, I go a-hunting for something to freshen up my routine. This is one of those things. I am forever grateful that I started this blog, as it's encouraged me to try my hand at so many new dishes I would never have even come across, and this is one that (I think) you should get excited about.

Originally I found the recipe in a cookbook which I recently purchased at a car boot sale (recipes hardly get worse with time, so why pay more for new books?!), but have since adapted the recipe to make it suitable for my diet. At only 81 calories per serving, this is by far the least calorific evening meal I've found. Although the portion sizes aren't incredibly large, you can pair this with other foods such as a baked sweet potato to create a larger meal. 

Healthy Chicken Nuggets Alternative (gluten free)

Yes, you read that right, healthy chicken nuggets. Anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of a love/obsession for some good ol' nuggets. But, sometimes you need to find a bit of balance, and heading to Maccies for a weekly nugget session probably isn't the best idea. So, I've made this cheap, simple alternative that is actually tasty, and it means that I don't need to leave the house to get my chicken fix. Best of all, it only takes five minutes to prepare, so it's yummy, simple and quick.

Vegan mixed vegetable pasta

This is one of my favourite staple dishes when I want something which both fills me up and is packed with vitamins. The best thing about it is it's versatility - you can add or remove most of the ingredients to vary the taste without any detrimental effects on the overall taste of the dish. It's also suitable for vegans. 

End-of-the-week noodles

I'm still in (sort of) sunny Devon, so after a hella long cliff walk yesterday I really needed something deliciously carb-filled, yet still nutritious for dinner. This recipe was the end result. This is a great meal for using up leftovers, as nearly any vegetables can be thrown in to add flavour or alter the nutritional benefits of the dish. 

Chunky Tomato, Onion and Carrot Soup

I'm all about my comfort foods. Whether it's a steaming plate of nachos (heaven), or some cheeky magic stars, when I'm feeling low I always turn to food. However, I've been trying to make some serious changes recently. Rather than going completely cold turkey on the food I love, I'm working my way towards finding healthy alternatives.