Back in February of this year I was lucky enough to win a competition through Intu shopping centres to win this wonderful book by Elizabeth Peyton-Jones. As it says on the cover the author has cleverly created recipes that allow us to harness the power of food so that we may live healthier lives. There are lots of aspects of food that can provide the health benefits our bodies need. Making the most of things such as antioxidants and vitamins that foods such as tomatoes naturally provide.
The author of ‘Cook Yourself Young’ is a food and health expert as well as a naturopath. Elizabeth Peyton-Jones is helping people to make the necessary changes to their lifestyle and diet in order to increase their wellbeing and health. The title of the book stems from her belief in slowing the process of ageing by restoring balance within the human body. She promotes simple ways of eating good food that can allow for higher energy levels, encouragement of sleep and reducing body fat, to name but a few. Through the recipes and advice in her book Peyton-Jones hopes that people will feel the benefits of her expertise, allowing them to feel good about their bodies and look and feel more youthful.
The book not only has wonderful easy-to-cook recipes but also advice about what foods are natural medicines for your body. I found these facts fascinating to read about, my favourites include foods for tackling problems such as fatigue, digestive problems and also ingredients for boosting the immune system.
So having read through the book there was a recipe in particular that I kept coming back to, so that is the one I decided to try. Peyton-Jones’ ‘Cheesy’ Stuffed Tomatoes recipe didn’t just sound delicious it looks great on the authors photograph too. So I managed to get the ingredients that I needed and waited for a free afternoon where I could take my time and cook this recipe right.
This recipe was easy to follow and the instructions were very clear. I have always loved to cook so it was nice to try something different. The only thing I did change however was one ingredient, which was relating to nuts. My husband is very allergic so it’s not something that we even have in the house. ‘Cook Yourself Young’ contains many recipes which have nuts in, and although I won’t be able to include nuts in the ones I do try out, I either substitute them or leave the ingredient out completely.
So I readied the items for the meal and prepared them appropriately to E Peyton-Jones’ instructions. While my oven preheated I took some photographs, and once they were cooked I took some more. The smells of the sweet tomato mixing with the garlic, shallots and basil filled my kitchen and I couldn’t wait to try them.
The final result was a truly delicious tomato dish that I would most definitely make again. Great on their own or they go wonderfully as a side dish with a variety of different meals. We actually ate them on this occasion as a side dish with a chicken breast. The delicious sweetness of the tomato accompanied with strong garlic and basil was wonderful. The tomatoes keep their shape even after the stuffing and the cooking, they are soft and easy to eat, and this makes them all the more inviting. The sweetness and the strong taste of garlic and basil together are divine, and I enjoyed the smells that filled my kitchen all throughout the preparation and the cooking. The final look of the recipe was also very inviting. I always believe that you first get hungry from what you see with your eyes and if something looks delicious it usually is. The colours that are present in this tasty dish make it rather appetising.
So overall this is a wonderful and unique book filled with recipes and facts that will keep you entertained for months as you create these interesting and healthy dishes. Even if you have to substitute ingredients like I have done, the recipes are still fantastic and it’s well worth it for all the facts about your body and the way it reacts to food.
Through ‘Cook Yourself Young’ I have learned about the foods that can give me more strength, and the foods that can make my healthier, one dish at a time. If you suffer from an ailment sometimes foods can benefit you in other ways, and it was fascinating to read about the ways in which even some spices can make a difference in your life.
I can recommend this book if you enjoy cooking and learning about how what you can eat, can benefit you in lots of varied ways.
I was lucky enough to receive this incredible palette from Makeup Revolution London in my mystery bag in March. If you saw my mystery bag reveal here on my blog then you’ll remember it. I wanted to swatch this one and really test out the vibrancy of the colours. At first glance you can see how pigmented the shades are, especially some of the shimmer colours with glitter for extra sparkle.
Here are the 12 shimmer shades of eye shadow. I particularly like the darker shades, because that is how I would usually do my makeup style. As you can see from my swatches there are differences between the shades even those of similar colour like the blues. Luckily I think there are palettes that suit everyone, and there are palettes that people may use only a few of the colours included. I wouldn’t reach for the majority of these shades on a daily basis, but they are great for themed makeup and fancy dress nights out, or just matching with a bold outfit. The great thing about a set like this one is that those shadows are there when you need them, and you can use your regular palettes for the regular days of the week. Unless you love bright and bold as an everyday look in which case this palette is certainly for you!
As you can see in my photographs the majority of the ingredients are scattered on top of the dairy milk chocolate. There is a lovely texture as you bite through because of the contrast between the caramelised hazelnuts and the freeze-fried raspberries. The dark chocolate and nuts must be added while the milk chocolate is still drying during production because many are integrated in the pieces, but the raspberry is all on the top.
So where can you buy this chocolate bar? I looked in a few supermarkets and eventually found it in Sainsbury’s, but It’s also in larger Tesco stores and I’m sure within a few weeks it will be available in most places.
I know a lot of bloggers do swatches of the colours in the palettes, but these aren’t brand new items so there will be plenty of people out there who have already reviewed them. I just wanted to give my honest opinion of them to you.
Swatch 1 – Iconic Smokey – ‘Silvery’
Here are my recent brush replacement purchases. I chose mostly eye specific brushes because I generally wear makeup on my eyes if nowhere else. The final and largest brush in this image is the new foundation one I ordered. Mine was old and looking worse for wear so I decided to replace it.
With help from my husband (for the strokes at the back of my head) I decided to use this hair product. Being L’Oréal Paris Préférence I was expecting great things. The brush that is used to apply the mixed product to your hair is really great. It allows you to safely and precisely work with your hair, as you would when brushing it, putting the highlights in where you want them. I thought it was a genius piece of kit and I have kept it (thoroughly washed) for future hair dyeing escapades.
So that is my new look for spring and the end of my review. The pros are that as far as applying the product goes, the brush makes it easy, and providing you’ve got lots of mirrors or someone to help you with the strands at the back, it’s easy to achieve. The con is that it really did stink, you need a much ventilated room, and I’m not sure how much lighter it has gone on other people but it didn’t do much on my hair.
I have to say receiving this treatbox in the post has brightened my day. I’m even going to share the tasty sweets with my husband. The next of my Treat Boxes will come through my letterbox in May, and I look forward to it! Keep your eyes peeled for my next review!
If there is one saga of games that I truly enjoy playing it’s the Assassin’s Creed franchise. I started playing them on Playstation 3 and have since moved to a Playstation 4. The most recent game that I have played is Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.
Having made a specific journey into my local store to get the samples I had inquired about, I was a little disappointed that the shade I needed had all been given away. Luckily the dispenser had a slightly pinker sample than my tone, or a sample that was one shade darker than my natural complexion.
As you can see in this image the tone is slightly too dark for my skin tone, but I made it work. And this test was more to see how my usually sensitive skin reacted to a new foundation, rather than to match the shade completely. I have to be careful when I introduce new products to my body.