Las Iguanas • Eating Out Vegan

I recently visited Las Iguanas as I had never been before, though lots of people recommended it to me.

I was nervous because I had never stepped foot in there restaurant before and knowing it was Mexican, I was scared my only option would be chips.

Funnily mentioning chips... I found out they aren't actually vegan here!!

But worry not!

THEY HAVE A VEGAN MENU!

I didn't know what to choose, it was strange being spoilt for choice!

In the end I opted for the Mushroom Fajitas and boy it was yummy!!!

Accidentally Vegan UK • Biscuits

A lot of people believe that vegans only eat salad, little did they know a lot of 'normal' food is actually accidentally vegan!! Below is a list of biscuits:

Fox's Party Rings

Bourbon's

Oreo's

Lotus Original Caramelised Biscuits

The above Nairns

The above McVitie's

Crawford's Pink Wafers

Vegan Easter Eggs

Everyone thinks that we, as Vegans cant enjoy Easter! But Vegan Easter Eggs are progressively getting more and more popular! On this page I will post Easter Eggs which I have tried and tested.

The first ever Vegan Easter Egg I have ever tried is the Choices caramel egg. 

With this egg you also get 3 Caramel flavoured choices. 

Firstly this egg is presented really well and looks really enticing. 

As soon as I got this, I opened it and it just looked and felt like a completely normal Easter Egg. 

Though it is a little on the small side but that doesn't overly matter.

The little Caramel bites are delightful! You could not tell that it was Vegan because it tasted so normal! I would eat them again and again! Its disappointing you only get three!

Then the actual egg its self wasn't as satisfying. It was nice but way to sweet. I believe this only because it was a caramel flavoured chocolate rather than a normal milk chocolate or dark chocolate flavour.

Though if you love sweet things you will also love the egg as everyone has different preferences!

I would probably rate this egg 3/5 because the caramel choices where to die for! But then the egg itself didn't appeal to me.

Simple guide to the difference between Vegan and Cruelty Free Cosmetics

As soon as I turned Vegan I immediately wanted to know what cosmetics I could use. I remember seeing charts of cosmetics that were either Vegan or Cruelty Free such as the one seen below.

I first got confused on why there was a Cruelty Free and Vegan column, so I did plenty of research.

I found out they are different.

Vegan means they are neither tested on or contain anything taken from an animal.

Where as Cruelty Free means that they aren't tested on animals though some of there products may contain things from animals. Though the majority may be almost all Vegan with just a few items that contain items derived from animals.

What I Eat In A Day • March 14th

I really like the idea of having a Raw Till 4 lifestyle so I have been trying it out recently. I have to admit I feel amazing!! It feels so good eating how we were made to eat, aka RAW! I made a short video showing you what a newbie eats Raw Till 4...

Outfits Ideas • Job Interview

Its always quite difficult to decide what to wear for Job Interviews. As I love fashion I wanted to give you some outfit ideas!

At job interviews you want to stand out but also look smart. I wouldn't opt for bright colours.
In this look I have...

A baggy maroon blouse from Next,

Tucked into a mini skirt from H&M,

Paired with a blazer jacket from New Look.

For shoes I just added a pair of Vegan boots.

I also chose no accessories as I didn't want to look over the top, and keep it simple and classy.

For my hair I french plaited the top of my hair in two braids.

I GOT THE JOB SO IT MUST HAVE WORKED ;)




Another outfit idea, which I also got the job for! is this simply skirt and vest top combo.

I think keeping it classy and simply is a definite for a job interview!

You want to impress them and make them believe you are very smart and sophisticated!

Do you think they are more likely to hire you dressed smartly or in your lounge outfits like jogging bottoms?

Paramore's Hayley Williams Is Launching Vegan Hair Dye!

I'm not sure about you but I've been wanting Vegan hair dye for a long time!! The moment I heard Hayley Williams is creating her own Vegan hair dye brand made me so excited!

If you haven't heard of Hayley Williams before she is the lead singer in the rock band Paramore. She is also known for her bright crazy hair colour, which gives me hope that this product will be good and actually work well! Below are some of the many hair colours she's had in the past...

She announced her hair dye range on Paramore's online blog, she wrote,

"In other, less musical news, I’ve had enough free time since Monumentour to work on a couple of other projects. One being an entire business that I’m starting from the ground up. My own hair dye line. I really wanted it to already be a thing by now… but DAMN did I underestimate the workload."

Though she then continued to say how its still not completely ready even after working on it for years! she stated that she will further announce more details when she is confident that its a good product!

Its so frustrating waiting, but eventually the day will come when we can have bright ethical hair form the Godess of hair dye ;)

Keep posted for an update!!

Why Raw Till 4 Made Me Gain Weight!!

Having a raw till 4 lifestyle is known to make you skinny and loose lots of weight! As seen below from FreeLee the Banana Girl, who's Youtube I suggest you visit!

I have attempted Raw Till 4 for 2 weeks and gained weight! and the reason was I WAS COMPLETING IT COMPLETELY WRONG! 

I wasn't eating barely enough calories which lead me to binge eat every night!

I was scared because on this lifestyle you are suggested to eat well over 2000 calories! When society tells you to eat as less as possible!

Since eating more raw calories I have noticed the weight I gained to be going! Also my body feels and looks so much better already!

I'm so excited for whats to come on this lifestyle!

I LOVE IT SO MUCH and recommend you join in too! Not only are you saving the animals by not eating them you are eating in the way your body has been built! Only eating from mother natures goodness!!

Also after 4 don't go binging on rubbish like I did. It made me feel horrible, I suggest sticking to HIGH CARB LOW FAT foods!!

Check out these youtube pages they are huge inspiration to me!

• Freelee The Banana Girl

•  Nina and Randa

• Dateswithlove

Giraffe • Eating Out Vegan

Tofu and Squash Laksa

I have now been here twice and both times I have been thoroughly impressed! The food made and presented at Giraffe is both beautiful and delicious! I also visited two different locations, so it makes the odds of you going even better!

This first time I went I had the lovely Tofu and Squash Laksa. I was a bit cautious about it at first as I didn't fancy it, but as I knew it was 100% vegan I went for it! When it arrived I was hugely impressed with the presentation, which was a big head start! I ate every last bit of this dish! It was that good that I wanted to go back asap!

Sweet Potato Salad

So when I had the option of choosing where to eat a couple months later I decided i wanted to have the Tofu and Squash Laksa! Little did I know the Giraffe I decided to visit was a on the go version! Which meant instead of a sit down restaurant it was more of a fast food joint! This scared me as I hadn't done any research about what was vegan! But then I saw a sweet potato salad! I though this must be vegan! So I asked and it was 100% vegan! The only down point is that they gave me this straight away even though we had to wait for others food to be cooked! So I had to sit with my food in front of me and wait for everyone else's. It was really nice but not as good as the Laksa!!

I hugely recommend that you visit Giraffe!! There food is so delicious and you can tell they really put effort into each and every dish!

Easy Pancake Recipe • Only 3 Ingredients!

I found a recipe a while ago where someone made pancakes out of just oats, banana and water! When I made my pancakes I couldn't remember the recipe so I trusted my brains. This could have gone one of two ways. Thankfully it went well! They tasted amazing, way better than any pancake I had ever made before I became Vegan! These Pancakes are also healthy!

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1/2 Cup Oats, I used Jumbo Oats
• 1 Banana, half for topping
• 1/2 Cup of Water

Recipe:

1. Put your oats into a blender/ food processor
2. Blend until they become a flour consistency 
3. Add 1/2 a banana, and blend
4. Add water and proceed to blend until a pancake batter is formed
5. Place on a non stick saucepan on a medium heat
6. Keep flipping over so the pancake is evenly cooked and does not stick
7. When finished add what ever topping you want! I used the rest of the banana and chia seeds!

Stop wasting food!

It really makes me sad that a lot of people can't tell if a banana is ripe!! I used to be one of these people! I used to eat bananas when they were green because I read somewhere that that was good for you!!

BUT NO

Don't eat bananas when they are GREEN its not good for you!

When the banana is perfect is SPOTTY!

Yellow with BLACK SPOTS

People think this means they are gone off but they're not and it makes me so sad!

Because one thats wasted food and two the taste so good when perfectly ripe!

Trust me you will be thankful you read this because not only will it help your food wastage but also your health and taste buds!

Below I have included images of ripe bananas that taste so good!!

 

BEN AND JERRYS VEGAN ICE CREAM

I have been with this topic since the day they released they were creating a Vegan Ice Cream. Finally they have released the flavours of there new vegan ice cream and WOW. I need them now! I think its amazing that companies are creating vegan alternatives, this shows we are growing in numbers and demands to hopefully one day have a fully vegan world!

So what flavours are Ben and Jerry's going to have in there vegan variety?

TO FIND OUT MORE CLICK HERE

What I Eat In A Day • January 22nd

I decided to give an insight into what a normal, vegan student eats in a day. I love watching what I eat in a day videos just to give me inspiration and ideas! Also to make me aware of the right amount of food to eat and make sure Im eating enough, i.e. not to much and not to little. I don't count my calories as I feel its healthier to listen to my body, to an extent.

Breakfast:
So my normal everyday breakfast is 1/2 cup of Porridge with Almond Milk with a Banana and 1tbsp of Chia Seeds. I decided not to put a picture of porridge on my blog as its not the prettiest.

Lunch:

My lunch varies day to day depending on what I fancy. Today I opted for Couscous, which to be honest is a go to for me at lunch time. It so easy to make and tastes so nice! Today I decided to add Pineapple, Peas and Mild Chilli Powder.

Dinner:

My go to dinners normally vary between Rice and Sweet Potatoes because why change something you love that is also healthy!? So tonight I had a Tilda Microwaveable Rice (Mexican Mixed Bean) and Vegetables! Normally I just cook fresh Vegetables and throw them together but I found a ready made pack in Sainsburys. This pack had; Babycorn, Edamame, Pak Choi, Tenderstem Broccoli and a Chilli. It tasted so good!

Snacks:

• Gala Apple
• Persimmon
• Orange
• Grapes

Chiquito • Eating Out Vegan

I had an invite to a birthday meal at Chiquito, I have only heard of this place a little. this made me really anxious to wether or not they had a Vegan option at all! I did a bit of research before I went because i had to choose what I wanted a week before. I found the Veganuary website really helpful as they explain all the vegan options which you can find HERE.
I opted for the Roasted Vegetable Fajitas, to be honest I wasn't expecting a lot. I was expecting to get one maybe to fajitas on my plate, but of wow I was happily surprised when they brought out my food! The brought out vegetable screwers on top of a pile of vegetables, on a sizzling tray! Which looked amazing and then also I then had another tray given to me. On this tray was 2 portions or guacamole and 2 portions of salsa, as I opted for no sour cream and cheese, as obviously not Vegan. Also on this side tray was 3 fajita wraps, so I could make my own wraps! I filled them up so much and still had vegetables left over! It tasted so yummy! I want to go back! I highly recommend this place! All the staff were nice and helpful too!!
Sorry my pictures aren't the best, the lighting was terrible and I was so hungry!

My Exercise Routine • January 25th

I try to exercise everyday, to be good to my body and keep healthy. Even though i exercise everyday I don't constantly do hardcore working out! Some days I might just go for a walk rather than the gym. Both are good as long as you get your body moving! I am to do at least 30 minutes a day or a variety of exercise. Today, January 19th, I did a longer workout because I had a couple of rest days with barely any intense exercise so heres what I did:

• 4K on the Treadmill
• 3 Strength Machines: 10 reps x2
• 20 Crunches
• 20 Heel Touches
• 20 Hip Raises
• 30 Russian twists
• 15 Donkey kick (per leg)
• 20 Deadlift with 5kg

I thought I should add progress shots of me at the bottom of this post, and maybe start making it a weekly occurrence. This is to not just motive you but to also motivate me! i don't look the best but this is the beginning! I'm hoping over coming months to see progress if I stay on track. I am not doing any quick fix diet so not expecting change over a month, but over a couple months.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen • A Vegan and Vegetarian NO GO!

Gourmet Burger Kitchen's most recent ad campaign is vile and disgusting! It should be removed straight away! I first saw it and had to do a double take because it was so wrong! As Vegans I think we all know that we are the minority of society and we all know people that are close to us that are not Vegan. We have to have dinner with them or even eat out with them and we have to keep quiet. But GBKs new ad campaign is horrible and belittling and targeting vegetarians and Vegans.

An answer to there question ... YES I BECAME VEGAN! I can't believe they are promoting animal abuse, we all know that there are few places that are 100% Vegan, so they agree with the mistreatment and murder of poor animals, but to have this plastered on posters on public transport just shocked me! I am the only Vegan in my family and always have to have family dinners and meals out with non-Vegans and not once have I step by step gone through the stages of a slaughter house or brought up my Veganism unless I was asked or it felt necessary. But for a company to go out of there way and target us Vegans and Vegetarians is disgraceful. Which makes Gourmet Burger Kitchen a 100% NO GO FOR VEGANS AND VEGETARIANS. Even though they may have options for us, they obviously don't care as seen from there ads.

 

Vegan Buffet Ideas

Are you planning on hosting a buffet that is fully vegan but satisfies non vegans as well? Well look know further, I recently created a buffet for six people (enough food for double) and everyone enjoyed it! I was nervous as not only was this my first time cooking for more than my family, I also wanted everyone to be impressed with my vegan food!! So heres what I did...

 Couscous Salad (Find Recipe Here)

Spinach, Mushroom and Tofu Quiche (Find Recipe Here)

Leek and Mushroom Parcels (Find Recipe Here)

Vegan Pigs in Blanket (Find Recipe Here)

and then I just added sides of veg and stuffing which don't need recipes and then sweet potato fries which you can find the recipe for here.

No Pigs Harmed In A 'Blanket' • Compassionate Twist On A Favourite

I think I came across this idea online and instantly fell in love with it!! Its Perfect for a side or as part of a buffet! Why do we need to have a poor insane pig murdered to 'settle' out taste buds? I don't know either. This twist on a classic is healthier and in my view a lot tastier! Simply all you need is a packet of vegan sausages, i used Vbites, and a jar of sundried tomatoes! Simply cook the sausages as instructed, cut them up, put them on a cocktail stick and add a sundried tomato! Trust me it tastes so good! ... I may be bias as I love sundried tomatoes!