Making a Right Meal of Things!

As someone who would openly admit to not being too confident in the kitchen, I'm always dubious and very self-doubtful when someone suggests I try a new recipe. I'm not one for collecting cookbooks and getting all creative when it comes to cooking for fear of making a right royal mess over anything remotely edible. That being said I do enjoy tasty, nutritious meals but tend to rotate a small selection of dishes that I know I can make and that taste good. The same dinners every week can get a bit on the boring side though, so when a friend recommended and sent me a free trial of Hello Fresh I couldn't resist, in hope that I'd find something healthy to cook to add to my culinary repertoire.

  I ordered my Classic Box on the Wednesday to be delivered the following Monday and eagerly awaited it's arrival. The well-packed, presented box came by courier brimming with tasty ingredients for 3 meals for 2 persons, with recipe cards for each dish inside a wallet for safe keeping. 

I choose to make Roasted Pork Loin with Sweet Potato Mash and broccoli on the first evening. The step-by-step recipe card was easy to follow and had photos to accompany most of the instructions. I actually enjoyed following each step to the letter and although the actual meal itself was a pretty straightforward meat, carb and veg recipe, making the sweet potato mash with crème fraiche was something I would have never have considered before. Being a Weight Watcher, I'm keen on finding healthier options to things like cream and butter when cooking so this was perfect and a tip I'll be taking on. 

The second night I attempted what I thought would be the easiest or at least, blip-free recipe of all three. Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers on Ciabatta bread with Salad.  Again I couldn't fault the recipe card for the clear instructions given and although I conquered  each preparation step with great success and dare I say it, finesse, it was in the cooking of the the burgers that I came across a problemo......in that they wouldn't (cook, that is!) due to the amount of cheese that I had been instructed to stuff in to each burger. 

  You're given the exact amounts of each ingredient (except the herbs of which there was more than what was needed) and so I hadn't considered that here may be too much mozzarella in each.  What ensued was me dissecting and inspecting each burger, cheese oozing out of every possible gap and a good while later (well over the recommended cooking time) ciabatta baps with chunks of the burger carefully packed inside....no burger shape in sight after all the dissecting. Hubby ate it all the same (as did I, disgruntledly) and remarked on it's delicious taste and not the poor presentation.  

Note to self....next time put the cheese on the top and not inside!

Hubby's birthday marked and third and final evening of our first ever Hello Fresh experience and this dish was the one I was most unsure about- not because the recipe looked complex but the Birthday Boy aint always the biggest fan of fish. 

Fearless Pan-fired Tilapia with Choritzo Roasted Potatoes- a really simple recipe to follow and THE favourite of the week with both of us. Our first time trying tilapia which we loved and the choritzo potatoes were awesome! So tasty and definitely something I'll be making again! 

 So all in all, a great experience. Simple recipes with not too much faff or prep and cooking time (around 30-40 mins all in for each meal!) that produce tasty, filling meals. The fresh ingredients and hearty portion sizes were faultless and the recipe cards perfect for storing away in the cupboard to pull out and use when I'm looking for other dinnertime options. 

  In this instance I didn't pay for my box (Linzi kindly sent me a free trial) but at £39 for 3 meals for two persons (£49 for 5 meals) some may argue that this is an expensive subscription. I guess it depends on what you would normally spend on your evening meals and what you're looking for from joining Hello Fresh. If you want to opt in and out of ordering you can, so it means you're not paying or receiving unwanted food every single week.  Your online account allows you to mark the weeks you'd like to receive a box and so it's entirely up to you how often you splurge. Remember you're not just paying for ingredients but are receiving new recipes that you can recreate time and time again (arguably with cheaper ingredients if you shop around). If you don't fancy something on a particular week's menu then you can swap one of the meals for something that appeals more to you palette. There's vegetarian and family box options and they seem to be adding a whole most of recipes each week so you're unlikely to have to order the same meal twice. If you don't like the look of one week's menu, don't order it! Simples!

Will I pay for and use Hello Fresh again..... yes, definitely! No more boring repetitive weekly eating for us! 

Weesse x

If You Could Do One Thing......

A few weeks back, Rob and I were in Edinburgh and as walked down Princes Street he randomly stopped and started speaking with a homeless man. Rob asked if he was okay,  if he had somewhere safe to sleep, what was his dog's name etc. He then went on to give him about £10 for food. The man gracefully accepted and seemed genuinely appreciative of this random act of kindness. 

But Rob hadn't just given him the money...he'd taken the time to stop and chat with the man.  As we walked away I burst in to tears. I was sad for the homeless man and his unfortunate, desperate situation but I was so moved that I'd witnessed someone showing kindness towards another and I hoped that for just even a moment, that man had felt that someone cared and that he mattered. 

 It seems fitting that on the same week as Valentine's Day, it was International Random Acts of Kindness Week (check it out!). Yes some will argue that you don't or at least shouldn't require a specially dedicated event to be kind (and yes they'd be right!) but I don't think it does us any harm to remind ourselves of the joy that being kind brings....not only to the recipient but to the giver!  Kind is to be considerate, benevolent, helpful to others and in this cray cray world we're all battling through, being kind to others can unfortunately go way down on the TO-DO list. For all it may be on the list, sometimes it just doesn't get ticked off it. But if you could do one thing to make someone else smile, or make them feel appreciated, or help someone out just because you can...what would you do??

It seems there's a hashtag and a greetings card for everything these days and as much as I love celebrating life and the fabulous peeps I share mine with, I don't feel compelled to send a card every day of the week to a family member or friend to tell them I still love them. I tell them on a regular enough basis that I don't think a card is necessary to labour the point. It starts to feel a bit gimmicky and suspiciously like a clever selling point from the card companies who try to guilt us in to sending a different card every week.  And we all know the price of stamps these days! Day light robbery!

 Saying that, I do think it's so very important to randomly (whenever wherever the feeling takes you) to be kind and if kind means sending a card on 'Grandparents Day' then who am I to judge?! It's just that I think there's so many ways to show kindness to another human being (even to ones you don't know) that you should never be done finding ways to spread the love...surprising others with a little ray of sunshine to brighten their day. 

We'd all like to think of ourselves as kind. In fact, if someone were to describe me and my character I'd hope to be thought of as kind above other amorous qualities. I get pleasure in making being happy or taking the load off someone or doing something that I know someone will at least appreciate even if it doesn't make them ecstatically overjoyed. From opening a door for a stranger, to telling a friend they look good, being kind doesn't have to cost the Earth (not even the price of a stamp) and it's often the recipient's obvious appreciation that inspires you to continue on your quest to be as kind as you can be.  I also like to see others being kind too hence why I was so moved by Rob's #RAK that day. 

 So jumping on that hashtag bandwagon, I've recently been noting some of my #RAK contributions as well as those of others. Random being the key word. No pre-meditated niceness....it's all about the in-the-moment-let's-be-kind kinda kindness. 

Here's a few examples of what you could do to spread the love.... 

* Hoovering out my car when the neighbour's car won't start. I offered to jump start it or take him to wherever he was going. We tried but sadly were unsuccessful as his battery was capoot.  He seemed happy enough that I offered to help and made an effort to start his car. 

* I felt the urge to compliment a cast member of a production I'm involved in. She's hard working, dedicated and super talented and I just wanted her to know I think she'll be spectacular on stage. She was well chuffed.



* My colleague Eilidh woke a man asleep next to her on the bus to alert him that his stop may be coming up.



 * Rob visited a neighbour who has just had an op. He came back and immediately looked out a bottle of whiskey and the Soprano's box set and took it over to the man to enjoy as he recovers. Some guy! 


* My friend Linzi sent Rob and I an email for a  FREE trial of Hello Fresh meals(healthy ingredients sent to your door with recipe cards for you to make each meal). How lovely! 



* A woman randomly stopped Mimi to tell her she loved her haircut and that she really suited it as she has such a lovely face. Mimi really appreciated the compliment.



* Something that I do 5 days a week.... I take my colleague Eilidh tea every morning. She gets the train to my home town and then I drive us to work. 
She always appreciates a cuppa at 7.35am. 

* I came home the other night and as I sat down on the sofa after a looooong day at work Rob gestured towards to cushion next me. I lifted it to find a packet of crisps and Tanya Burr's new book that I'd wanted to buy! He's a star! 



* I always stop to give a neighbour a lift home when I see her. She's usually carrying a lot of shopping bags!


So there you have it....random acts of kindness that bring a little sunshine in to the lives of others. It really is the little things that count. No grand gestures required...just a smile, or a helping hand can work wonders and make the world a happier place. 

And those nice folks who take the time to show another human being some kindness...

Well they probably get more out of it than the recipients. 

Be kind folks. It ROCKS!

Over and out, Weesse x

January Favourites

So, erm where did my January go? C'mon who stole it? Own up!

Honestly last month disappeared & we're a week in to February, in what feels like the blink of an eye. 

Anywho I thought I'd put the spotlight on a few new products I decided to try out last month & give my feedback on them. It's always helpful I find to get someone's opinion on a potential purchase you're still undecided on, especially when it comes to beauty products as you don't want to waste your money on things that'll end up at the bottom of your make-up bag if you instantly don't like them on application.  

Photo from www.loreal-paris.co.uk

First up was L'Oreal's True Match Foundation. I've read so many fabulous reviews lately on this foundation and had been super keen to find an inexpensive, medium-full coverage dupe to my Estee Lauder Double Wear  (which is awesome  but rather high-end in the price department!).  Doublewear for me has an unnecessary staying power and coverage for my mid-week use so wanted to find another foundation that gave similar results minus the hefty price tag. My only reservation about buying a drug-store foundation was being able to find the right colour without the help of a sales assistant/make-up artist on site. It did put me off a little if I'm honest but luckily I found the patience to trawl through their entire collection one Saturday afternoon in Edinburgh until I found the colour which I thought best suited my skin tone. I also took my Doublewear along with me to compare which did help greatly. At under £10 this foundation has been a star find for me and I've also been wearing it at the weekend's too. Think I'll be rationing my Doublewear and making it last longer by only wearing it when I'm performing or going on a big night-out.  Result!

Photo from www.debenhams.com

Last year I purchased Urban Decay's Naked 2 Eye shadow palette and although I immediately fell in love every shade, I had concern that I wouldn't get the longevity from the collection that I'd expected from a high-end company. I felt like every time I used it I was packing on the product to get the desired look-something you'd expect maybe from a cheaper brand of make-up but certainly not a palette at £40.  So when I received a few samples of their Eyeshadow Primer Potion I decided to have a go.....(but truthfully) thinking it wouldn't make much difference to the application or staying power of the shadows. WOW, was I wrong or what?! It really does work! I'm finding the application is easier, the colours pop more on the skin, the fall-down of the shadows is significantly reduced and I'm using way less product each time! I think this now has to become a staple of my make-up collection for use with any eye-shadow. For someone who always applies foundation on to eyelids I'd reckoned this product wouldn't have made much of an impact to merit buying a specialist formula for under your eye make-up but it really has and I think it would be a worthwhile investment in making my eye shadows last longer. 
  There are 3 versions to choose from (Original, Eden (nude matte) and Sin (simmering)) and to be honest I have only tried the Original and Sin thus far but would probably go for the Original when purchasing the full-sized product. 

Photo from www.muastore.co.uk

Santa left a lovely new lippy in my stocking at Christmas by a brand I wasn't familiar with. I instantly LOVED the colour 'Fawn Fancy' and being a matte lipstick (which I don't normally go for) I was keen to see what else they have to offer. On searching for MUA (Make Up Academy) I've discovered they're a extremely in-expensive brand exclusive to Superdrug. £1 this lipstick cost! £1!!!!!

Here I am wearing it!

 Honestly I ADORE the colour and I'm now going be rushing to stock up on more....at that price you can afford to experiment with colours you wouldn't normally go for! Yippee! 

Lastly, I think I've found my 'forever fragrance' in Tom Ford's 'Black Orchid'.  I can only describe this scent as 'sensual' as it has a real musky, spicy heart to it. It's like nothing else I've worn before and I can't see past it now. Lotus wood, patchouli, vanilla, balsam, vetiver infused, this is likely to become a constant in my life....trust me to pick an expensive fave! 




And that my friends are my January faves which I'm happily taking with me through to February! Let me know if you try any of the above and what you think.

Over and out!

Weesse x