November reading wrap-up (finally!)

December has really run away with itself, hasn't it?! I've not written a word for my blog (until now), I've wrapped zero presents and I only managed to get my cards posted towards the end of last week. It has felt like a whirlwind of a chaotic month so far, but I'm finally sort of feeling like I have a little breathing room (or at least, I will be feeling like that until I start wrapping and remember how much I hate getting it done!).

I've fallen for Instagram all over again

It's official: Instagram and I no longer have a relationship marked as 'it's complicated', but are fully back together again. Instagram's been ruining my life for the past year and a half-ish, with algorithm change after algorithm change stunting my growth and messing with my feed. I mean, all I want is to see the accounts I like and for my numbers to go up not down, ya know?

iPhone vs Canon DSLR: which is best for Instagram?

I'm Instagram obsessed, I won't lie. But things have gotten harder on the platform over the past year or two. Gone are the days when grainy photos, meaningless captions and drunken selfies were acceptable. Everyone's taken their game up a notch and it can be hard to compete. I touched on the subject in my post on whether you need to be rich to be a successful blogger.

Do I need to be rich to be a successful blogger?

This is a question that really has been bothering me for quite some time now. It's also something that I've attempted to answer over and over again, with virtual scrawls over half of each draft. Sometimes it comes out more angry, sometimes it's more hopeful, but I've finally decided to sit down and put my pen to paper (sort of) and share my thoughts.

My Instagram feed is regularly full of Jo Malone perfumes, throwbacks to last summer's Santorini trip, Diptyque candles, and enough 'only worn once' clothes to fill a boat. But what if you simply can't afford to engage in any of that? Does it make you fall behind in the blogging world because you don't have the money to compete? I think the brutal answer - and the one that I've tried to avoid realising - is yes.

Ombre Strawberries

So, um are these Pinterest worthy or what? I pin a buttload of baking-y recipes every week, and a few ideas for these babies have been sat there staring at me for a while now, willing me to give making them a go. At the moment I don't have a proper kitchen, and not being able to make cute little things like this, let alone full-on bake things has really been getting me down. So, when I went to visit my little sister recently, I went armed with a chock-a-block Pinterest baking board. Naturally.
I've seen ombre strawberries a few times on the interwebs now, and they looked like they'd make a totally dreamy Instagram picture. They were fairly easy to make - not quite as easy as I had imagined though! But, in the end, I did get my Insta-worthy snaps, so it was all worth it!
Here's how we made them:
Ingredients: Strawberries Milkybar white chocolate Pink gel food colouring
Method:  1.) Wash your strawbs (gotta be done) 2.) Split the white chocolate into 4 equal parts and melt. Place into 4 bowls. 3.) Keep one bowl food colouring free. Add 3 drops of food colouring to the second bowl, 6 to the third and nine to the final. 4.) Swirl your strawberries in the mixtures, and place in whatever order you fancy!
There we have it guys! Have you ever tried anything similar?
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Dealing with Weight Gain Part Three: On a Budget

This is the third part in my little mini series called 'Dealing With Weight Gain'. The first part was all about how to deal with it in general, the second was all about blogger confidence and this part is going to be all about not breaking the bank in order to handle your weight gain. I posted the former two way way earlier on in the year (in fact I think one might have just caught the tail end of 2015!) so this post is something that I've been thinking about for just about forever. 
I've been into the whole idea of 'clean eating' for quite some time now, and in fact my blog was originally based all around it, BUT after some time away from this life style, I came back to find that all of a sudden it was a lot more class based than ever before. I used to feel content eating my brown pasta with turkey mince spag bol - a meal that was both simple and, most importantly for me as a student, cost effective. However, in the last six months or so, all of my research into going back to 'clean eating'  showed me that the game had changed. Brown pasta wasn't a think to be used anymore, and turkey mince? Well, you may as well just use plain old beef mince. Instead, simple changes seem to have been replaced with smashed avo on toast (grim) and a need to buy endless amounts of cauliflower so that you can use it as a base for pretty much anything. It really seems to have become a game exclusively for the middle and upper classes.
I know, I know, it seems like I'm being really cynical here, but for a while I totally bought into it, in all senses of the word. Soon I was a proud owner of gluten free organic soy sauce, and a tub of organic brown miso paste. Because, you know, I NEEDED these to make the recipes I was coming across. At the time I was doing online shopping because of the shifts I was working, and I started to find that neither Morrisons nor Asda could satisfy my needs anymore - it had to be Ocado, because no where else was 'good' enough to offer a massive range of organic food, or all of the niche ingredients I was coming across. The problem was that I'm neither middle or upper class, so I was totally grinding my finances into the ground with this belief.
Soon I found myself almost doubling my food bill because I had become so wrapped up in the idea that I 'needed' to lose weight and this was the only way to do so. If you've read my overcoming food fears post, then you'll know how much I hate trying new foods, so doing this all of the time was making me miserable. And guess what I turn to when I'm feeling rubbish? Junk food of course! So I ended up half eating super healthy food, and half scoffing away on takeaway and chocolate. This in turn then bumped up my expenditure even more.
As well as this, I came to the 'realisation' that I needed a gym membership - because obviously if I signed up to a gym contract which took another hefty fee out of my account each month I would have to exercise, right?! If any of you have done something similar then you'll probably know how it went down: I rarely motivated myself to go to the gym, but because I had the membership I didn't want to exercise at home, so I ended up doing precisely nada.
After a few months of this I came to the realisation that I'd pretty much been duped by the media into spending a ridiculous amount on trying to lose some weight, but in reality, all my waistband was doing was expanding. Clearly something had to change if I really did want to go back to a healthy weight for my size. So, I took my mind back to when I first decided I wanted to eat healthy, and considered what I did that was different, and realised that everything was so much less toxic back then. I could make myself simple, cheap, nutritious meals without feeling like I was missing out because it didn't contain a so called 'superfood' ingredient. Now I've had the time to look at what I was doing however, I feel like I've come to an understanding with myself that I don't need to feel pressured into buying silly foods I'll never eat just because all the health bloggers on Instagram love them. And neither do I need to buy an expensive gym pass. So, here are my top 5 things I'd keep in mind in dealing with weight gain on a budget:
1.) Stay realistic with meals. I'm a big fan of meal planning, but if I plan a day in which I'm hoping to eat smoked salmon on rye toast with a quinoa and pomegranate salad in the evening, I'm probably going to be grumpy at the end of the day and end up ordering out. Think about what your body wants and needs and find a simple way to keep things a little healthy.
2.) Shop around. Did you know that Aldi actually have a massive selection of fresh fruit and veg that's incredibly affordable (and even has a fairly decent selection of affordable organic ingredients!). We did our main shop here for a few weeks and legitimately halved our food bills.
3.) Keep things simple. If you don't want to spend three hours cooking a meal that you might not even like, then don't. Find something easy and filling that will keep you going without slaving over the oven. Don't feel as though you have to over-complicate things just because you see other people doing it on Instagram - you can't see what they're eating off-screen, and besides, who gives a fuck what strangers do?!
4.) Remember that exercise doesn't have to be expensive. Heard of Pokemon Go at all? Seriously though, me and my boyfriend downloaded it as soon as it came out in the UK and we've done more walking in the last few weeks than we probably have done altogether in the last year. I'm not even exaggerating here. If you're not a fan, then remember that there are tonnes of way to get your dose of exercise in, and you can even create a mini gym at home with a set of dumbbells and some Youtube videos!
5.) You don't have to keep up with all the fashion trends. Starting to have fewer and fewer items of clothing that fit you really sucks, and there's no way about that. But, if you've been gaining bits of weight here and there, then buying a whole new wardrobe every month or two is really not going to be realistic. Instead, keep your comfy baggy tees for time inside the house, and treat you to a new piece of clothing or two every month, rather than ALL the clothes. Plus, you can find some rare treats in charity shops for a fraction of what you would expect to pay for new clothes!
I really hope you enjoyed this post - let me know if it's been helpful!
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Vegan Pear and Raspberry Oatmeal Recipe

It feels like FOREVER since I've shared a recipe with you guys. The last one I posted was my homemade orange juice recipe waaaay back in December! I've been obsessed with Pinterest recently (follow me here) and it's inspired me to get back in touch with the roots of Nourish ME. If you've followed me since Nourish ME was a wee un-SEO'd, disorganised, poor picture quality baby, then you'll know that originally this was solely a recipe website for me to share all of my creations with you guys. Since then it's expanded into a more lifestyle orientated blog with a bit of beauty, fashion and foodie content thrown in. 
 So, I've decided to share my favourite breakfast of all time with you. I fell in love with Deliciously Ella's blueberry and apple oatmeal recipe - it was totally my go-to Winter breakfast - and I created this one as a yummy alternative to add a bit of variety to my mornings. Although Spring has sprung it seems to have pretty much disappeared here in the UK - it snowed (snew???) today and was so cold I'm pretty sure my baby finger has frostbite from cycling to work this morning. 
If you want to add normal milk instead of a vegan alternative then this recipe will definitely work with that too. Also, the majority of the ingredients for this easy four-ingredient recipe can be bought organic, so doing that will increase the nutritional quality of the dish, but will obviously make it more expensive.
I'm a pretty big fan of all things Instagram, so I'm always looking for ways to optimize my food photography. With the pictures in this post I've added my Beyonce wall art from Coconut Lane (you can get 20% off with the code 'nourishme20') and my That Lame Company list pad. I love adding a touch of stationary to my food pictures because I am a serious stationary obsessive and they add a depth to the photo. This recipe is pretty great for sharing on Instagram or other social media because it's super easy to create and makes you look like a top-notch foodie. 
In terms of topping the oatmeal to make it Instagram-worthy, I usually thinly slice a banana and arrange that on top, then add a few flax seeds, chia seeds and sometimes even a teaspoon of wheatgrass powder for that extra boost.
Pear and raspberry oatmeal (Serves 1)

Ingredients
1 pear 100g raspberries 40g porridge oats 200ml rice milk (or any other milk alternative)
Method
- Place the raspberries in a pan with just enough water to coat them. Allow to simmer for ten minutes.
- Whilst this is cooking, grate the pear into a bowl and add the rice milk and oats. Leave to soak for a couple of minutes.
- Cook the porridge mixture in a pan for 2-3 minutes until thoroughly heated. 
- Add the raspberry mixture (should look like a compote with a few whole raspberries or parts of raspberries remaining) to the porridge. Mix and serve. 
What is your go-to breakfast at the moment?

100 Instagram Post Ideas

Foodie posts:
1.) A fruit-topped smoothie bowl
2.) A fruit platter
3.) A homemade curry
4.) A pancake stack
5.) A mezze board
6.) Homemade nachos
7.) Your latest baking experiment
8.) Homemade juice
9.) Your favourite family recipe
10.) Fruit parfait in a jar
11.) Nicecream (vegan banana ice cream)
12.) Detox water
13.) Oatmeal recipe
13.) Fruit salad
14.) Fruit kebabs
15.) Homemade soup
16.) Milkshake
17.) Cocktails
18.) Meal out at a restaurant
19.) Homemade sushi
20.) Hot chocolate
21.) Homemade pizza
22.) Recipe from a new cook book
23.) Deliciously Ella recipe 
24.) Breakfast on the go
25.) Macarons
26.) Cupcakes
27.) Avocado on toast
28.) Poached eggs on toast
29.) Brunch with the girls
30.) Doughnuts


Beauty posts
1.) FOTD
2.) Beauty haul
3.) Favourite makeup item of the week
4.) MAC lipstick collection
5.) Lipstick swatches
6.) Brush collection
7.) Morning skincare routine
8.) Evening skincare routine
9.) Face mask time!
10.) New haircut
11.) Manicure
12.) Product of the week
13.) Everyday makeup
14.) Dutch/French braids
15.) Disney character inspired makeup
16.) Contour palette
17.) LUSH bath
18.) Favourite hair products
19.) Makeup bag
20.) New beauty release
21.) Favourite perfume
22.) Debenhams/House of Fraser/Selfridges beauty counter
23.) Moisturiser collection
24.) Andddd pout!
25.) High end makeup collection
26.) Drugstore makeup collection



Lifestyle posts
1.) Flowers
2.) Your favourite plant
3.) Tea in your favourite mug
4.) Current setup
5.) Stationary haul
6.) QOTD
7.) Your pet
8.) Blogger of the week
9.) Pretty landscape
10.) Inspirational graffiti
11.) Colourful houses
12.) Pretty notebooks
13.) Favourite candle
14.) Holiday snaps
15.) Yoga poses
16.) Gym selfie
17.) Polaroids
18.) Pretty bedspread
19.) Starbucks cup
20.) Magazine pile
21.) Your desk space
22.) Old buildings
23.) Afternoon tea
24.) Currently reading
25.) Sunset
26.) WCW
27.) Bullet journal
28.) Cactus



Fashion posts
1.) OOTD
2.) What I wore
3.) Layout of outfit plan
4.) New shoes
5.) Festival-inspired outfit
6.) Disney-inspired outfit
7.) Bikini time!
8.) Fashion wishlist
9.) '90s choker and sunnies combo
10.) Gym gear
11.) New bag
12.) Favourite accessories
13.) Floppy hat selfie
14.) Watch closeup
15.) Slogan tee
16.) Novelty socks


What would you add?

Dealing With Weight Gain Part Two : Blogger Confidence

About a month ago I wrote this post about how I'd been dealing with my weight gain, and you guys seemed to really enjoy it, so I thought I'd talk all about how it's impacted my blogger confidence and tips on how to not let it stop you blogging if you're going through the same thing.
So, I realised that things were getting a bit bad in the weight gain department when my nine-year-old cousin informed me (kindly) that I looked like Jeff. Some context: Jeff is my chunky dwarf hamster pictured above who fills his cheeks with mountains of food and is almost an exact sphere. Brilliant, right? 
Here are some tips on how I personally have been dealing with weight gain and maintaining my confidence in blogging:
Weight gain doesn't change your skills and abilities I have to admit, I've been a bit guilty of thinking along the lines of 'good lord, why would any one even want to hear beauty/fashion/lifestyle advice from this fat girl who clearly isn't control of things?!', but this mentality gets you nowhere. In the end, my writing skills, photography skills and blog inspiration are still there, so my weight can go suck a dick, it impacts nothing and remembering that is one of the most important things you can do.
Your selfie game is still strong Have you seen the whole 'violently contouring my Christmas double chin' meme? That's been me recently, but on a more serious note, having a little bit of the ol' hamster cheek syndrome isn't going to mean you suddenly forget how to do your makeup. Don't be ashamed of posting your current favourite selfie to Instagram - your followers will still love it because of your makeup skills.
Do more of what makes you feel good Don't let weight gain get you down. Why not take a day trip to the city and take gorgeous photos to write a post on? Or buy a little present from you to you and get a piece of high end makeup to write about and make you feel super sassy when you leave the house (or just let your followers know how happy you are with it with a selfie). Even if you're not happy with your weight gain this doesn't mean all other aspects of your life have to be miserable.
Don't stop yourself from taking outfit photos Let's face it, I'm not and probably never will be a fashion blogger, but I have been thinking about taking to outfit posts recently despite my weight gain. Your followers are not going to lose interest in your blog or your fashion advice just because you've gone up one or two dress sizes. In the end, if your style is on point it's going to be so no matter what size you are. 
Be honest with yourself and your followers If you're feeling shit don't think you have to force yourself to pretend that everything's sunny. Yes, excessive negativity is tiring, but maybe make a post about 'struggles with weight gain', start a discussion about it and get it off your chest. Keeping secrets and feeling as though you always have to be false with your following will only make you feel distanced and unhappy.
I hope you found these useful! What would you add?

Coconut Cups | The Perfectly Instagram-able Snack

I'm not going to lie, I've become a pretty hardcore Instagram addict recently. Nowadays you'll find me scouring the home ware sections of stores, hunting down the perfect Instagram photo prop or spending so long making the prettiest food picture that it will likely go cold before I manage to eat it. BUT I love it - it's my favourite app and I love putting effort into making it look awesome and letting my creative side out. Making these coconut snack cups has been on my Insta bucket list for what seems like forever - all the awesome food bloggers seem to have done it and I wanted to too! It is the simplest (and cheapest!) way to make the awesomest of Instagram posts. All you do is get a coconut and your favourite fruit, or hummus, other dips, ice cream, smoothie, etc. You crack the coconut in half, fill it with your favourite goodies, find a pretty background and take a snap *insert camera emoji here*. What's your favourite awesome Instagram post cheat? 

Hello New Year | 2016 Blogging Goals

I figured I'd round off the year with a selection of my favourite pictures from this years' posts. I've loved my year of blogging, and it's brought me so many opportunities, which is why I'm looking forward to it simply getting bigger and better in 2016. I'm sure all us bloggers around about now are thinking about what we hope will happen for us and our blogs in the coming year, so I thought I'd start a discussion with you all about our dreams. What do I want? Well, my main goal for this year is to effectively monetize my blog (in boring terms), aka I'd love to be able to go part time, with my blog making up the rest of my monthly paycheck. This would mean I could put more time into blog, pay more attention to my fitness, and spend more time with the little fluffs - Ted the bunny and Hammy & Jeff the dwarf hamsters. Plus, I could take even prettier photos to share with you all in my posts (hello extra daylight hours!) I would love to work with more brands in the coming year, especially beauty ones. Nourish ME is all about caring for yourself and I really love letting people know about new products that will help you nourish yourself, whether it be mentally or physically.  Finally, at the moment instagram is my most successful social media platform. I'd love to get to 5k followers in the next year (as I'm just over 1k at the moment). My twitter would ideally hit 1000 and my bloglovin and Facebook page at least 500.  What are your blogging goals in the coming year?