Devon Delights #3: Exeter HubBox Burger Heaven

Last year I started a little series here on my blog called 'Devon Delights' I haven't written a Devon restaurant post in quite a while as I have actually been frequenting my favourite restaurant The Beggars Roost so often (it's amazing, our fave date night spot!) that I haven't had any new places to review. But as me and my boyfriend headed to Exeter last week, I thought it was about time I shared another fab foodie find.
Catch up with my previous Devon delights posts here.
*Warning, this a very burger orientated photo heavy post. 

Just look at that burger, seriously.... *heart eyed emoji right there*

Myself and my boyfriend made the hour and a half drive to Exeter last week, for a day of shopping and all the food. After catching the park and ride into Exeter city centre, we went for a wonder around and I picked up some Hotel Chocolat goodies as we don't have a store near to us (seriously that billionaire's shortbread is the stuff of dreams) and spent far too much money in Primark, they have such amazing pieces in at the moment, if you would like to see a haul post, let me know in the comments below. After a couple of hours of shopping both our tummies were rumbling, so we headed to HubBox for a spot of lunch. I had already done my research on TripAdvisor beforehand as we both wanted a big, juicy burger and HubBox sounded like the perfect place.

We weren't wrong, upon entering the restaurant we were memorised by the amazing décor, the walls were covered in graffiti art - it looked so cool, whoever decorated the interior is very talented. The kitchen is actually built into an old shipping container, giving the restaurant a classic American feel.

We were then greeted by the sweetest waitress who gave us the warmest welcome, and promptly sat us in a lovely little booth to peruse the menu.

We both went for the burger, me the classic and the boyfriend opted for the classic with cheddar cheese, I ordered a side salad and the boyfriend the hand cut fries. They had a daily special of homemade lemonade, I usually stick to water but I couldn't resist proper homemade lemonade, it was delicious, very tart but fresh and light on the palate. 

We had a lovely chat with the waitress who offered such wonderful service, and after waiting for only around fifteen minutes our meals arrived, I could spot the juicy burgers glistening a mile away. I had mentioned to the waitress previously when ordering my side salad that I would steal some of Ian's fries, and the lovely chef had already split the portions for us, our plates piled high with fresh, crispy fries. Such a nice touch, and amazing value at £2.00 a portion.

The burgers were so decadent and full of flavour, you could taste that the meat was of the highest standard, and I love that the meat was sourced locally in the West Country. 

We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals, and left feeling full but very satisfied. The prices are extremely reasonable too, with our meals and drinks only coming to £22.00.

We will definitely be returning to HubBox next time we are in the area, as it was a lovely meal and the staff were so friendly and welcoming. 

We had such a wonderful day in Exeter, burgers, chocolate and shopping - you can't go wrong!

I hope you enjoyed this 'Devon Delights' post, Have you ever visited HubBox? Are you a burger lover like me?
I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

Lifestyle: Five Ways To Spend Your Saturday

There's nothing better than having the weekend off, you can meet up with friends, go out for cocktails, brunch or attend a fun event in your local area. Working in the hospitality industry I am never able to have every weekend off as we have guests coming to stay all week long. So when my 'every other weekend off' free weekend rolls around I always make sure to relish every moment, and have some fun with my lovely boyfriend, friends and some solo time too. So with that in mind I thought I would share with you my top five ways to spend a Saturday.

It's a date

Me and the boyfriend always plan a date night every month, we usually go out for a lovely meal and spend some much needed quality time together, just us. I always look forward to our dates as we both put our phones away, enjoy a delicious meal and chat about anything and everything, it's lovely.

We also love going bowling or to the cinema to watch the latest film. It's nice to get out of the house for the evening, and spend some time with your loved one - be it meeting a friend for coffee, cake and a natter, popping down the pub for a few drinks and a game of pool, or ordering in a pizza and playing board games. 

It's nice to spend some time offline, every now and then.

Day trip

I love a good day out, be it exploring a new town/city/area, visiting the zoo (and seeing the adorable penguins, my fave!), spending all day at a theme park, wondering around a museum or seeing the pretty fish at the aquarium.

A day trip is always fun, you can bring along your favourite people, grab some snacks for the road trip or even pack a picnic and stop for a bite in a pretty park.

I would love to visit Cadbury world for the day, as it's a chocoholics dream!

Farmer's market

Confession time: I am bit obsessed with visiting farmer's markets. I love the atmosphere, the wide variety of stalls and booths, not to mention the delicious food and free samples. (who doesn't love free!) From cheeses, freshly baked bread and sweet treats (gimme all the doughnuts, churros and cake, cheers) to locally brewed beer/cider/ale, juices and ice cream. You name it, they have it! I love supporting local brands and businesses as they can be overlooked sometimes. I find that every time you visit the markets you always find something brand new to try!

Shop til' you drop

Trying on clothes, putting together new looks, treating yourself after a hard week's work and hoarding the Boots make up counters sounds like the best way to spend a Saturday, if I say so myself... 

Country air

I love being outdoors. I find the countryside so peaceful and serene - it's such a beautiful, unspoilt place. I love grabbing my camera and sometimes my lovely boyfriend, and heading off into the woods or up in the hills for a long walk. It's a great chance to get some headspace and escape the hustle and bustle of life - plus you can snap some pretty pictures too. 

I hope you enjoyed this 'Five Ways To Spend A Saturday' post, Are you lucky enough to have the weekends off? What are your favourite ways to spend a Saturday?

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

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

Health: Morning Workout Motivation

I recently ran a poll on twitter asking you lovely lot what posts you would like to see more of on Keep Calm It's Only A Blog, well the results are in and the majority wanted more health and fitness posts. So today I thought I would share with you some of my tips to get motivated for your morning workout, how to stay organised and smash your goals.

Grab and go!

I always make time in the evenings to prepare everything I need for the next day, I find it makes my mornings run much smoother, and prevents the dreaded morning panic running around looking for your sports bra.

Here are a few tips I personally do every day, for a stress free morning:

Leave your workout clothes, shoes and socks by the bed so they are ready to go for your morning workout

Fill up a water bottle and pop it in the fridge

Prepare your breakfast

 For example: If I am planning on making banana pancakes for breakfast, I will make sure that I have a banana, coconut oil, frying pan, spatula, blender, plate and cutlery out on the kitchen counter ready and waiting.

Set your alarms

Try to get up as soon as your alarm goes off so you aren't tempted to roll over and hit the snooze button. I usually set one or two alarms as sometimes the first one doesn't stir me from my deep sleep.

Plan your workout

I always plan what workout I am going to be doing the following day, that way you can lay out/pack whatever equipment you may need, such as a yoga mat or weights and you know exactly what you want to do and how long for.

It's a good idea to plan your workouts for the whole week, so you know which days you want to work out, how many times per week, what workouts you want to do and which days will be your 'chill out days'.

I usually workout around five times per week, it varies depending on what else I have planned that week. Here is an example of my general fitness routine, if you would like a more in-depth post about what workouts I do and how often, leave me a comment in the box below.

Monday: Morning workout

Tuesday: Morning workout

Wednesday: Morning Workout 

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Evening Workout

Saturday: Morning Workout

Sunday: Rest

Drink up

The first thing I do every morning is drink one litre of water, I find that it wakes me up, hydrates me and fires up my metabolism. So grab your preprepared water bottle and drink up.

Sweat it out

I never used to be a morning workout kinda gal, I found that I would always hit the snooze button and tell myself I would workout in the evening instead, which often did happen but sometimes I was just too tired/lazy/busy at the end of the day to squeeze it in. So I have come to embrace the morning workout - don't get me wrong sometimes it's still a struggle dragging myself out of my warm, cosy bed to sweat it out but it's always worth it afterwards! I've found that getting active first thing in the morning really sets my mood for the day, I feel brighter, energised and ready to conquer whatever the day has to throw at me.

Treat yourself

A great way to motivate yourself to workout is to bribe yourself, be that with a tasty post-workout breakfast.(French toast and Banana pancakes are my favourites!) watching a few episodes of your go to TV show, picking up the latest issue of your favourite magazine, buying a brand new fitness top, or even a takeaway coffee from your favourite cafe (be mindful of the sugar laden options, you don't want to undo all your hard work with one cappuccino)

Having a 'treat' to look forward to afterwards is a great incentive to get up and smash your morning workout.

Don't beat yourself up!

If you skip a planned workout don't worry, we are all human and don't always reach our intended goals every day. Have a think about the reason why you skipped your workout - did you hit the snooze button because you had a restless nights sleep? Perhaps you had one too many indulgences the evening before? Listen to your body, maybe it's telling you to have a rest day and recover - tomorrow is a brand new day and a fresh start to smash it!

I hope you enjoyed this 'Morning workout motivation' post, Are you a morning workout kinda gal? What are some of your favourite workouts? Do you have any tips on staying motivated?

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

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

Health: New Year, New You?

New year, new you.... sound familiar? This motto does the internet rounds at the start of every new year. After the over indulgence of Christmas and all those festive parties most people come January, will be making declarations that they will be going on some new-found health kick/detox/diet plan to get in to shape for 2016. Not to say that trying to be healthier is a bad thing, but you don't need to go on a 'diet' to feel healthier and fitter - diets often don't work as they usually involve restricting your calories, cutting out food groups or eating very minimal amounts to shed pounds fast, which can be difficult to stick to, and as soon as you resume eating 'normally' you may end up gaining back the weight that you lost. The best way (in my opinion of course) to lose weight is to eat a healthy, balanced diet full of foods that are going to nourish and fuel your body, and get active by incorporating some exercise into your routine.
With all that in mind, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite delicious, healthy snacks that will satisfy your cravings, and stop you reaching for the dairy milk.

Popcorn
I love me some popcorn. It's the perfect snack to satisfy any cravings, salty or sweet.
My favourites have to be the crispy bacon and maple syrup flavour (HEAVEN) and the classic sweet n salty, the perfect mix of sweet and savoury flavours.
Check out Metcalfes Skinny, Portlebay Popcorn and Propercorn, for the tastiest treats.

The Snack Organisation Rice Crackers*
A new snack discovery for me, I was kindly sent a few packets of The Snack Organisation's rice crackers to try out (Read: scoff) and share my thoughts.
I love the crunch and bold flavours of the rice crackers, the teriyaki has to be my favourite - it has a delicious smoky flavour and packs a nice spicy punch.
The perfect snack to munch on while binging on Netflix boxsets.
There are only around 100 calories per 25g serving, they are baked not fried, and you can find them in your local Tesco for £1.00.

Snack bars
I have tried dozens of different snack bars but I always find myself going back to Nakd.
I love that they have such a wide variety of different flavours and combinations to suit everyone.
Give cocoa crunch, cocoa orange, apple pie and banana crunch a whirl - you can thank me later!
The Primal Pantry is another goodun, I love their Brazil nut and cherry bar - it's super sweet but has a lovely nutty crunch.

Dark chocolate
My one true vice. I could munch my way through copious amounts of the stuff, the darker the better!
If you're not a huge fan of dark chocolate, try easing yourself in with the flavoured variety.
Lindt are my go to brand - their 85% dark and orange intense flavours are so delicious.
The great thing about dark chocolate is that because it is so rich and has a bitter taste, you only need a small amount to stave off those chocolate cravings.

I hope you enjoyed this 'New Year, New You' post. What are your healthy resolutions for 2016? What is your favourite healthy snack? Will you be picking up a pack of rice crackers?

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

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

*The Snack Organisation kindly sent me some rice crackers to try out, and share my thoughts. As always all opinions and thoughts are my own. 

Lifestyle: Festive Party Essentials

I hope you all have had a very Merry Christmas! I sure did - spending the day with loved ones, eating all the turkey, drinking a few cheeky glasses of Prosecco and receiving such wonderful gifts. It was definitely a Christmas to remember. Check out my festive life through my camera roll post, to see what I got up to.

With Christmas all done and dusted, it's almost time to ring in a brand new year - hello 2016! 

I love the festive party season as it's a great chance to get all dressed up, have a few tipples, dance the night away and see in the new year with your favourite people!

With that in mind I thought I would share with you some of my festive party essentials, from outfits to comfy insoles.

Bold lip

I love to rock a bold lip over the festive season, a bright red is my go to as I think it's such a pretty shade for the festive season, and really brightens up your look.

My favourite red lipstick is Elizabeth Arden in 'Red door red', it's such a gorgeous shade and very long lasting. Perfect for all those midnight mistletoe kisses. 

Golden eyes

The festive season calls for a va va voom make up look - I love pairing my bright red lip with a pretty, statement golden eye look. My go to palette has to be the classic Naked 2, I love the shade 'half baked' it's a gorgeous shimmery golden bronze which looks perfect smoked out, finished with a few coats of thick black mascara.

Cute cross body bag

My favourite bag of all time. I've had this bag for so long and I am still obsessed with the quirky style. It's gold, it's glittery and I love that it's a cross body style as it leaves your hands free for throwing some shapes on the dance floor. 

A glitzy outfit

A definite essential! Tis' the season to sparkle of course. 

I picked up this glitzy number in my local Primark, I love the sparkle and style of the dress, I will be pairing it with a pair of cosy black tights for the festive season.

Killer heels, Nine to Five insoles*

I'm not much a high heel wearer, simply because my feet just can't handle hours of dancing (or walking for that matter) in four inch heels. This year I am opting for my favourite heeled boots, as they are super comfortable, especially paired with these amazing insoles from Nine to Five*. You simply slip them in to your heels, and you're good to go. Hello comfy feet! They really do make killer shoes, heavenly to wear and you can also reuse them in different pairs of shoes. I have linked their website above if you would like some more information, or to purchase a pair for your poor feet!
I have included a Nine to Five image below to show you how the insoles work to support your feet for maximum comfort. 

Bubbles

Nothing says 'happy new year' like a bottle of fizz, I love a good ol' glass of Prosecco it's the perfect way to ring in the new year.

Cosy Pyjamas

Pyjamas are an essential for me all year round, but there's nothing like getting home from a night out on the tiles, wiping your face clean of your heavy party make up and slipping in to a cosy pair of pyjamas. Bliss.

I hope you enjoyed this 'Festive Party Essentials' post. What are your festive night out essentials? Will you be getting all dressed up for New year or curling up in your pyjamas?

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

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

*Nine to Five heels kindly sent me some insoles to test out, and share my thoughts. As always all opinions and thoughts are my own. 

Lifestyle: Life Through My Camera Roll #4 Festive Edition

The sales are on, your skinny jeans are feeling rather snug and there's only a few quality street left lurking at the bottom of the tub - which can only mean that Christmas is all over for another year. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, full of laughs, family time, all the food and that you received everything you wished for. I had such a lovely day, so I thought I would share some snippets of my Christmas with you lovely lot.

*Obligatory blogger disclaimer: I would never want to be perceived as 'bragging' about the presents I received, I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family in my life who were kind enough to buy me a lovely present. I am so grateful for everything I received! I personally love reading these sorts of posts, as it's great to have a little nosy at how everyone else spends their Christmas.*

I actually have to work all day on Christmas day until about 3.00pm as I work in a hotel, and we have guests staying over the festive period on a Christmas break. Me and my boyfriend opened our Santa sacks together in the morning in our festive pyjamas, and then I went off to work and he went to his mum's house for dinner. We always have a bit of a laugh despite having to work - I may have had a cheeky glass of Buck's Fizz to celebrate the season! I love this picture of me and my dad looking all festive in our Santa hats, we always take a snap every year!

How adorable are these biscuits? My lovely friend at work surprised me on Christmas morning with a batch of her homemade treats, I enjoyed a couple with my usual morning cup of tea - they were delicious!

After finishing work I changed out of my uniform and headed to my boyfriend's mum's house to wish her a Merry Christmas, and open some presents. She bought me the most beautiful bangle, along with a lovely picture frame filled with some photographs of me and Ian. Such wonderful, thoughtful presents.

We then headed to my dad's for a Christmas dinner, pigs in blankets are just heaven aren't they! We drank a few glasses of Prosecco and opened more presents.

My dad always gets me the loveliest gifts, he was one of my biggest supporters when I was losing weight last year and he was clearly listening when I have been banging on about the healthy snacks I love. He got me lots of tasty, healthy treats along with some cheeky mini green and blacks chocolate, my favourite!

After dinner with my dad we headed back to our little flat to open up the presents we had bought for each other. My boyfriend Ian is such a sweetheart, he always gets it just right and this year was no exception! He bought me the Lucy Bee cookbook, which I have been wanting for so long, along with a cute Happy Jackson lunch box and this adorable notebook!

My main present this year was something I have been wanting for over a year now and I was thrilled to unwrap the Misfit Shine activity tracker. It looks so stylish and I am hoping it will help me to be more active on daily basis, as I mentioned I work in a hotel on the reception desk so I am sitting down for long periods of the day, hopefully having my lovely little Misfit on my wrist will encourage me to get up and move more!

He also bought me the matching necklace, which you can wear instead of the watch - it's so pretty!

My beautiful best friend Katie spoilt me rotten with a new perfume, the Sprinkle of Glitter 2016 diary, along with lots of other lovely treats.

So that's it, my Christmas in a nutshell! I had an amazing Christmas, full of good food, lots of chocolate, wonderful friends and family and the most thoughtful presents.

I am feeling a little sad that Christmas is all over for another year, but I am also so excited for whatever 2016 has to bring!

I hope you enjoyed this 'Festive life through my camera roll' post. How did you spend your Christmas? What lovely presents did you receive? What is your favourite thing about the festive season? 

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

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx

Lifestyle: Life Through My Camera Roll #3

Well hello there...

The festive season is in full swing - the trees are up and shining brightly, the Christmas tunes are blaring out, the post office queue is ridiculously long and everyone is stocking up on tins of Roses and Quality street. It is of course the most wonderful time of the year!

I have been snapping away on my iPhone as per usual, and I thought it was a great time of year to update you on what I've been up to, and share my favourites from my camera roll with you lovely lot!

 1. How adorable are my new pyjamas! I spotted them in my local Primark and had to have them.

 I think that they are so pretty, and they look and feel far more expensive than the £8.00 price tag. So cosy!

2. The Christmas tree is officially up and twinkling away. It's my first Christmas in my own flat with my boyfriend, we had so much fun picking out a little tree and I got in to the festive spirit decorating it while blasting out the Christmas tunes. Santa baby is my jam...

3. I treated myself to copy of Millie Mackintosh's début book 'Made' in the Black Friday sales, I've only read a couple of chapters so far as I've been quite busy. but I love that it's a mix of fashion, beauty, fitness and food. A must have for any Millie fan, or if you are like me and love anything health and fitness related.

4. I've been spending most of my evenings lately wrapping up Christmas presents, I love pretty wrapping paper and making my gifts look super festive. Sending Christmas cards to my loved ones is one of my favourite parts of Christmas time. 

1. I have been upping my fitness game over the past couple of months, by switching up my workout routine and challenging myself. I have been loving strength training using my own bodyweight and fat burning exercises. I have noticed a difference in my figure, my arms, legs and stomach are all looking more toned, and I am feeling confident in myself more and more.

2. The cutest little deli has recently opened up in my little town - they sell everything from healthy teas, dark chocolate, healthy treats and freshly baked bread. It's safe to say I have been popping in on a very regular basis (forever food obsessed) and picking up a fresh loaf. Rye sourdough is fast becoming my favourite.

3. As I mentioned above my local deli sells some lovely sweet treats. I am obsessed with the carob and walnut brownie, it is absolutely delicious - I have been enjoying these squidgy brownies with a good old cup of tea. The perfect pairing.

4. Speaking of healthy treats, I found this beauty in a lovely little cafe called Cafecino in Barnstaple (my nearest town). It's an oat bar packed full of healthy, nourishing ingredients (chia, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, cranberries, blueberries, nuts, agave syrup and coconut oil) they are tasty and so good for you. I will definitely be picking up another next time I am in town.

I hope you enjoyed this 'Life through my camera roll' post. What have you been loving lately? What is your favourite thing about the festive season? 

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

Let's be friends!

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Love Laurenx