Lifestyle: Alone Time

This might sound a bit odd, but I really enjoy being alone. I relish every chance I get to have some quality time to myself. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love spending time with my boyfriend, friends and family too - I just also happen to also enjoy spending time alone. 

I spend far too much of my time worrying about pleasing everyone else, that I often forget about myself, what I want and what I need. So I thought I would share with you what I like to get up to during my 'me time'. Hopefully it will inspire you to take some time out for yourself too!

Dress code.

Pyjamas win every time, pick yourself up a pair of Primark gems for ultimate me-time comfort.

Netflix and box sets galore, check out my faves here.

I also love to watch YouTube videos, my favourites are: Lily Pebbles, Vivianna Does Makeup, Tanya Burr, Anna Saccone, Nicola Whitehead, Charlotte from Lil Miss Chickas, Niomi Smart and Gemma Stafford.

Pamper.

I'm talking face masks, freshly painted nails, a long hot shower and whacking on a hair mask for super soft tresses. Bliss.

Sweat, baby sweat.

I love to workout - I usually aim for five days a week, for around 30 - 40 minutes.

I love to switch it up, be it yoga, pilates, cardio, dance, HIIT or even going out on a long walk, I like to get my body moving and that blood pumping.

Treat yoself.

Online shopping *adds everything in ASOS sale to basket*, picking up the latest issue of your favourite magazine, buying a cute notebook or bright lipstick. Whatever it may be, you deserve it! Everyone needs a little pick me up every now and then.

Indulge a little.

A couple of squares of dark chocolate, an ooey, gooey brownie, pretty cupcakes, giant cookies, pick and mix or a cheeky ice cream cone. Life is for living, if you fancy a treat have one, just don't make it an every day occurrence and balance out that brownie with a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's all about eating mindfully and having an 80/20 approach to food.

Check out my weight loss tips, tricks and how to have a healthier approach to food.

Baking.

I love to bake - from cookies, cupcakes and rocky road, to healthier treats like my banana oat muffins. I find it so therapeutic, as you can switch off from everything else and just concentrate on your bake.

Smash that to do list.

Be it that blog post you've been meaning to type up (me in a nutshell) the washing up you've been putting off, writing out your weekly shopping list or even prepping your meals for the next day. Whatever it may be, get it done! You'll feel so much more relaxed after ticking off your to do list, which leaves you time for more important tasks such as scrolling through instagram and watching countless episodes of Friends. It's a win, win really!

I hope you enjoyed this 'Alone time' post, Do you enjoy spending time solo? What are some of your favourite things to do during me-time?

I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below. 

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

Lifestyle: Birthday Snippets

*I just wanted to give you a little update. You may have noticed that things have been a little quiet on the keep calm blog front recently. I'm not taking a break or anything like that, I've just been all kinds of busy juggling work, moving house, my birthday, my boyfriends birthday and not having a computer. Sorry about that, normal posting will be resuming very soon!

Ramble over... let's get into this birthday post, there's cake!

If you follow me on social media (shameless plug right there - I've linked my Instagram and Twitter if you want to give me a cheeky follow) then you'll know that it was my 23rd birthday on Saturday!

I had the most amazing day, so I thought I would share with you some snippets from my birthday.

Birthdays can often feel 'pressured', the notion that you have to go out and do something meaningful, exciting, expensive or get horrendously drunk. But I sacked all that off for a chilled out day. 

I spent the morning with my lovely boyfriend, opening presents in our living room (we recently moved in to our own place, so it's been amazing to be able to chill out in our own home) eating a chocolatey breakfast, playing with my new presents and having my favourite smoked salmon and cream cheese wrap for lunch. 

We then drove in to town and did some shopping. I had a bit of a shopping fail, as I couldn't find anything I really wanted. But I did pick up the cosiest pair of pyjama bottoms from Primark. 

It was a great day, despite not finding anything for myself, I love mooching in shops, especially when they have all their Christmas décor in store.

After a day of shopping we headed home, where my very thoughtful boyfriend surprised me with the prettiest birthday cake. It even had 'Happy birthday Lauren' iced on top. It meant so much to me, as I had mentioned in conversation months before, that I had never had a cake on my birthday, that wasn't a supermarket one. Major boyfriend points!

It was the most delicious cake, my favourite Victoria sponge with strawberry jam and the creamiest, most heavenly butter cream. Seriously, I could have eaten the whole cake to myself.

I may have eaten a giant slab, and then another... ah well, it's only your birthday once a year eh!

I received some amazing gifts from my lovely boyfriend, friends and family, they were all so kind and thoughtful to get me something. 

I don't want to 'brag' about the gifts I received as I know there's a lot of controversy over those 'What I got for my birthday' posts and videos. But I still want to share with you some of the lovely gifts I was lucky enough to be given, I just hope you know I would never brag about anything I received. 

My lovely boyfriend completely spoilt me with a laptop! I have never owned my own computer, as I used my dad's desktop PC when I lived with him. It's amazing to have a computer that is all mine. (I'm typing this post on it right now, with a ridiculous grin on my face!)

I received a gift experience for a makeover and photo shoot, which I'm very excited about, as I've never had my make up done for me before, or had any professional pictures taken. 

A few amazing pieces from Lush, lots of chocolate, a bright pink DAB radio from my dad, an amazing nautical notebook, a beautiful bangle, a few other lovely little presents and the prettiest cards. All in all I was spoilt rotten by my lovely friends, family and Ian!

I feel so grateful to have such amazing people in my life who care about me. 

So that was my birthday, in a nutshell! I hope you enjoyed reading this birthday snippets post.

I'm off to cut myself another slab of cake... mmm.

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

Lifestyle: Little Things That Make Me Happy

Everyone feels down at some point. Be it from work stress, relationship worries or just general life pressure. I find the best way to cheer myself up, and get myself feeling back to my happy self is to write down my thoughts. I often jot down little things that make me smile, (I've actually written some similar posts here) so I thought I would share with you some of those little things that make me feel happy!

1. Receiving post or parcels.

2. Online window shopping.
 *adds to basket*

3. Feel good songs.

Here are some of my favourites:

John Denver - Country roads, Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss me, Bon Jovi - You give love a bad name, Shakira - Hips don't lie, Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet home Alabama, Ram Jam - Black Betty.

4. Funny box sets.

I love a good How I met your mother, Big bang theory or Friends marathon.

5. Baking.

Especially cupcakes, rocky road, and warm ooey, gooey cookies.

6. Fresh fruit.

Give me all the melon, mango, bananas, apples, grapes, berries - actually just give me all the fruit, cheers then.

7. A big mug of tea in the morning.

8. A hearty, healthy breakfast to start your day off right.

9. Banana pancakes. Or any pancakes really. 

10. Slogan t-shirts.

11. New pyjamas.

12. Fresh bed sheets.

13. Writing on the first page of a new notebook.

14. Receiving birthday post.

Cards, presents and fizz, what's not to love!

15. Tea and cake.

16. Lazy Sundays.

17. Afternoon disco naps.

18. Funny and motivational quotes.

I screen shot the ones that make me feel happy/motivated/laugh out loud.

19. Working out.

It always clears my mind, and helps me to switch off. It's just me, a YouTube video and that's it.

20. Blankets, Netflix and popcorn.

Sweet n salt is the one.

21. Country walks.

22. Spending time with the boyfriend.

Bit soppy but who cares, I love him and he makes me so happy.

23. Date night.

24. Pick and mix.

 Give me all the teeth, fizzy everything, giant strawberries, chocolate covered raisins and milk chocolate jazzies.

25. Anything covered in sprinkles.

26. Saying that... anything covered in dark chocolate.

27. Fancy Champagne truffles. 

28. Giant tubs of Quality street and Roses at Christmas time.

29. Roast dinners.

 Gimme all the Yorkshire puddings and gravy, thank you kindly.

30. Frozen grapes.

31. Kitchen dancing.

I do this more often than I care to admit...

32. Shower singing.

...I also do this more often than I care to admit.

33. Not having to set an alarm for the morning.
 Hello starfish!

34. Catching your cup of tea at perfect drinking temperature.
Winning at life.

35. Penguins.
They are the cutest, sweetest little things, ever!

I hope you enjoyed this 'Little Things That Make Me Happy' post. What do you think of my list? What little things make you happy?

I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

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Love Laurenx

Baking: Banana Oat Muffins

I have spent the past couple of weeks trying to create some healthy, yet delicious treats. 

I am partial to a cupcake or three every now and again, but as cupcakes are clearly not the healthiest choice, I thought I would try my hand at baking some healthy muffins.

They turned out pretty great, and taste rather lovely too - so I thought I would share my recipe with you lovelies.

Makes 8 muffins

You will need: 

125g Greek or natural yoghurt

1 medium-sized banana (sliced in to coins)

1 medium egg

90g of rolled oats

2 tablespoons of Sweet Freedom, or honey

1 teaspoon of baking powder

35g of dark chocolate (chopped into small pieces)
Frylight or 1 calorie spray oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (temperatures may vary depending on your oven) and line a muffin tin with paper cases. 

Add all of the ingredients (except the dark chocolate) in to a blender, and process on a medium to high speed until the oats have broken down, there are no banana lumps and your batter is a smooth and creamy consistency. 

Pour your batter in to a mixing bowl, and stir in the dark chocolate. Spray each muffin case with one-calorie spray, to stop your muffins sticking to the paper.
Then spoon the batter in to each muffin case, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow the muffins to cool for about 10 minutes, and then enjoy with a cuppa!

Store the muffins in an airtight container, and they should keep for about a week.

Based on my recipe, there are only 110 calories per muffin!

I hope you enjoyed this 'Banana Oat Muffins' recipe post. What do you think of my recipe? Will you be recreating them at home?

I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

Want to connect?

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Love Laurenx

Lifestyle: Five Ways To Spend A Lazy Sunday

I work full time in a hotel, so it's not always possible for me to have the weekends off, as it's not your typical 9 to 5 Monday to Friday work week. We have guests staying seven days a week, so I work weekends, evenings, bank holidays and even on Christmas day. (which really sucks!)

So when I have a weekend off, I really relish it. I always plan lots of fun things to do with my boyfriend on the Saturday so it's usually a busy day. But Sundays are my favourite! As it's a day for relaxing, pampering, chilling out and preparing yourself for the busy week ahead. 

So I thought I would share with you some of my favourite ways to spend a lazy Sunday. 

Baking 

I love to bake, it's so much fun. I loving creating a mix of healthy and indulgent recipes, from a lemon drizzle loaf and chocolatey rocky road, to oaty banana cookies and healthy muffins.

Here is an easy, peasy two ingredient recipe for these delicious oaty banana cookies.

You will need: 1 medium banana, 50g of rolled oats

Slice and mash the banana, add the oats, mix together, and there you have it!

I like to add in a squeeze of Choc Shot, to give it a little hint of chocolate flavour, but you could  throw in some raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit - anything you fancy really!

Then simply shape in to six cookies, and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, so your cookies don't stick. Pop them in the oven for 15 minutes, at 180°c.

Best served warm straight from the oven, enjoy!

(Based on my recipe, they work out at only 50 calories per cookie.)

 Netflix marathon

Hands up if you love a good ol' Netflix binge? Yup, guilty!

There's nothing better than grabbing some cosy blankets, a bag of popcorn, a mug of tea and settling down to watch your favourite show. Some of my Netflix favourites are: Orange is the new black, Orphan black, Warehouse 13, Lie to me, and Dexter.

(If you don't have Netflix, I have linked each show to where you can buy the box sets, cos' I'm thoughtful like that)

Pancake Sundays 

There's nothing like getting your Nigella on, on a Sunday morning and whipping up a batch of pancakes. Banana pancakes are my absolute favourites, especially topped with fresh fruit or warm berries and a drizzle of Sweet Freedom, perfection!

Here is the link to my recipe, if you'd like to get flipping!

Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail

I am irritatingly organised. Everything has it's place, and everything is always in it's place. 

I love to write lists, I have hundreds (slight exaggeration) of scraps of paper and notebooks, with little notes/to do lists/must buys/shopping lists scrawled on them. 

I always write myself a to do list every Sunday morning, and tick each task off as I complete it.

My Sunday jobs include: Washing my make up brushes, Stripping, washing and drying my bedding, Making my bed, Making sure my work uniform is clean, dry and not crumpled in a heap on the floor, Washing my hair and preparing my breakfast for the following morning.
I find preparing everything the evening before, makes Monday mornings far less stressful.

Sunday stroll

Sundays are a great day to go out for a lovely, long walk. Be it with your other half/family/friends, or even solo. I find going for a leisurely walk so relaxing, you can get outside for some much needed fresh air, and it helps to put yourself into a positive mindset for the busy week ahead. Grab your headphones, whack on your comfiest trainers, and don't forget your camera to take some pretty snaps.

I hope you enjoyed this 'Lazy Sunday' post. Are Sundays your favourite day of the week? How do you like to spend a lazy Sunday?

I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

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Love Laurenx

Fashion: Get The Label Converse Trainers*

I was recently offered the chance to review some Converse, from the lovely people at Get The Label. Of course I jumped at the chance! I love wearing cute trainers and pumps, as comfort is always key with me. I'm not one for four inch stilettos, give me a pair of ankle boots or trainers any day. 

After browsing their website, I chose this classic blue pair*

I love the lace up style and vibrant blue colour of these trainers, especially the classic 'all star' branding.

I think these trainers will look fab paired with jeans, casual dresses or skater skirts.
 They are a great staple shoe for all seasons, as they will add a pop of colour to any outfit, and can be dressed up or down. 

I have paired my converse with my favourite grey jeggings and a cosy oversized grey knit. I think it's the perfect outfit for Autumn, comfortable, yet stylish. 

They are extremely comfortable shoes, and don't rub my feet. The grip is great. I have been wearing these trainers non-stop, and they have been brilliant. They are a very durable shoe, as they have a thick rubber sole. 

I would say they are quite true to size. I am a 7 and they fit like a glove.

Overall, I am a big fan of these Get The Label Converse Trainers, they are stylish, comfortable, come in a variety of different styles and colours, and are very reasonably priced at £34.99.

The Converse range is available from Get The Label, check out the entire collection here.

I hope you enjoyed this 'Converse Trainers' review post. What do you think of Converse? Will you be treating yourself to a pair? 

I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

Want to connect?

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Love Laurenx

*Get The Label kindly gifted me a pair of Converse for the purposes of a review. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Lifestyle: Fridge Raider

I am a big fan of Closer magazine; it's one of my favourites to get stuck in to, along with Cosmopolitan and Women's Health. 

I love the real life articles, celebrity gossip, fashion pieces and beauty news. But above all I love the healthy living/eating/wellbeing tips section, the 'Fridge Raider' page in particular. 

I love having a cheeky nosy into celebrities fridges, to see what dishes they are eating, cooking, loving and recommending. 

So I thought I would take a leaf out of Closer's book, and give you lovely lot a nosy into my fridge.

Let's get started...

1. Where do you shop?

I shop at Tesco. There is only a Sainsbury's and Tesco in my nearest town.
I love Tesco, as they always have great offers and deals on.

2. What is your typical daily diet?
I always start my day with a litre of water, and a big mug of green tea. Then breakfast is usually either Total Greek yoghurt, granola and fresh fruit, or wholemeal toast with eggs, and a piece of fruit. Lunch is a wholemeal sandwich or pitta bread, with chicken, turkey, ham or egg, salad and a piece of fruit. Dinner varies depending on what I'm in the mood for. It might be a chicken salad, or oven-baked chicken, sweet potato fries, cooked in Lucy Bee coconut oil, or baked fish and vegetables. I snack on fresh melon, carrots, frozen grapes, a square or two of 85% dark chocolate, Propercorn or Metcalfe's skinny popcorn and Nakd products. (I love the bars, nibbles and raisins)

Is there anything you refuse to eat?
I'm not really a fussy eater, I like most foods and I'm always up for trying new things.
But I'm not a fan of cottage cheese, baked beans, avocado (I know, I know...) and custard.

4. What is the strangest thing you eat or have eaten?
I don't think I eat anything particularly strange. I love apple, cheese and pickle together.
I always prefer eating my chocolate freezing cold from the fridge, the harder the better.
I also bite in to my ice cream, which I have been told is quite odd.

5. What would you cook to impress your partner?
My boyfriend is a bit of a fussy eater (Sorry Ian...) so I would cook him something I know he loves!
Fillet steak, cooked medium-rare with homemade skinny chips, and lots of tomato ketchup. With either lemon meringue pie or lemon drizzle loaf with Hocking's ice cream (A local Devon brand) or my much-requested vanilla buttercream cupcakes for dessert.

6. What is your guiltiest food pleasure?
If I am going to indulge in something it would have to be either, an ooey gooey chocolate dessert, doughnuts, fruit crumble, ice cream, pick and mix, freshly baked cookies or my rocky road. As you can tell I have a major sweet tooth! As for savoury, I love a good juicy burger or a curry with papadums and mango chutney.

7. What is your hangover cure?
I rarely drink, so I am lucky enough to hardly ever get hangovers.
But my go-to cure has to be a litre of water, ibuprofen, a big mug of green tea, a bowl of fresh fruit, usually melon, mango and berries, and a breakfast of boiled eggs and wholemeal soldiers.
I always crave fruit as my body is feeling dehydrated from the alcohol.

8. What is your takeaway order?
Living in a small town, we have less than a handful of takeaways. A chip shop and a pizza place.
I love treating myself to a takeaway pizza once in a while, maybe once every two months; I always get a chicken, mushroom, sweetcorn and pepper pizza, but I'm also partial to a good old ham and pineapple!

9. What are the top 5 items in your fridge that you couldn't live without?
Fruit
I love fruit. I have grapes, melon, mango, pears, peaches and apples in my fridge at the moment.
Salad vegetables
I have tomatoes, salad leaves, cucumber, carrots and peppers.
Condiments/Jars
I have Branston pickle, mustard, gherkins and green olives.
Lean meats
Chicken and turkey are perfect for sandwiches, salads and pitta bread pizzas.
Eggs
As they are so versatile, you can scramble, poach, fry or boil them. Slice them on top of toast, or on a salad, use them in banana pancakes or French toast. A fridge staple!

I hope you enjoyed this Closer-inspired 'Fridge Raider' post, I would love to know your answers too! If you do this 'Fridge Raider' post, I would love it if you left the link to your post below, or tweet it to me so I can have a nosy! @clumsybaby

Want to connect?

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Love Laurenx