Really Easy Delicious Healthy Ice Cream

This ice cream is definitely good for you and counts towards your five a day! But how can Ice Cream be good for me you ask. This Ice Cream is made from bananas.

I have tried so many recipes for  Ice Cream  but not having an ice cream maker it is quite challenging. This is by far the easiest that I have found and the healthiest.

Every time I make it I am amazed that bananas can turn into ice cream. The recipe makes a really lovely soft ice cream and if you leave it in the freezer overnight it turns into a harder ice cream.

& don't worry if you're not a big banana fan, I have tried adding loads of different flavours and it is so much fun. I literally have not managed to make a flavour that doesn't taste right yet. Chocolate Chunk is defiantly my favourite.

How to Make It:

• Cut 2 bananas into coin shaped slices and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours until they are frozen.
• Put the frozen bananas in the food processor until they are smooth.
• Then add in any other ingredients you want to try.
• You can eat it straight away as the frozen bananas mean that it is usuallly still frozen or you can pop it in the freezer to harden a bit more.
• Serve it with fruit or nuts or other nice things on top or make a sauce to go with it or just eat it as it is.

Some of my favourite flavours:

 

Chocolatey Chocolate Chunk

 

• 3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder

• Chunks of your favourite Chocolate

Nutella

• 4 Tablespoons of Nutella

Peanut Butter and Maple Syrup

• 4 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
• 2 teaspoons of Maple Syrup

Peanut Butter Chocolate

• 4 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter

• 4 Tablespoons of Chocolate Spread ( or chunks of chocolate or both!)

Strawberry Shortcake
 

• ½ Cup of Strawberries cut into quarters

• 4 Shortbread Biscuits

It has to be said this one is slightly strange but I have definitely grown to love it. Just don’t expect a flavour like other Strawberry Ice Creams.

Cinnamon Fudge
 

• 4 Tablespoons of Condensed Milk
• 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

Honey and Fig

• 4 Figs
• 2 Tablespoons of Honey

The Start of Summer Haul - H&M, Superdrug & The Body Shop

It was soooo warm and sunny this afternoon that I couldn't resist pottering into York. I finally caved after staring out of the library window all morning. This is the first time I've been shopping since it got sunny so I actually felt like buying summery things as opposed to knitwear. I literally get so excited at the first sight of sun so I've decided that it is definitely summer know. I will wear my sunglasses and my flip flops from now on! Farewell welly boots and thick jumpers.

MUA - Undressed Eye Palette 

This is so gorgeous I absolutely love love love it! Seriously everyone go and get one it is only £4. You get 12 stunning colours, they are so pigmented and are really soft. I have just got home and put them all on my arm so I will probably do a longer post about them when I have used them on my eyes. The colours are lovely neutrals, some are matte and some have a subtle shimmer to them. I also really like the slim black packaging.

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette in Medium 

I've got the Sleek Blush Trio in Lace and it is amazing they are my three favourite blush colours of all time and are so so soft. This face kit contains a contouring powder, highlighter and bronzer and is equally amazing. I put it on as soon as I got home and I look so sunkissed. 

 

Bourjois Ombre a Paupieres Eyeshadow

I popped into Poundland and picked this up. I really like all of the Bourjois products I have tried so I thought I would give this a go. It is in the colour 04 which is black with a few subtle sparkles. It is a really nice black eyeshadow. Too get the best results you have to apply it with a slightly wet brush which I have never done with an eyeshadow before. I wonder if it works the same for any others? 

 

Body Shop Sweet Lemon Lip Butter

I forgot to take my lip balm out with me so I had such dry lips and this sounded amazing. I love the Body Shop body butters; the smells are delicious and they are so moisturising so I thought a body butter but for lips sounded right up my street. It really is ever so moisturising and OMG IT SMELLS LIKE LEMONS !!!! But also maybe even better than lemons, like a lovely lemon pie or something.  I just absolutely adore lemons, the flavour, the smell, the colour. It smells so fresh and fruity and the pot is so pretty and yellow and has a picture of lemons on it. It makes your lips feel so soft and look lovely and shiny. I think this was £4 which is quite alot but I would say that it is worth it becuase it is so hydrating. 

Worryingly for my bank balance there is a whole range of lemon products in the body shop which the sales assistant kindly pointed out to me. I am going to have to exercise all of my will power not to get lemon scented everything!

Body Shop Perfume Oil - Madagascan Vanilla and Indian Night Jasmine

I picked up two of these perfume oils because I struggled to narrow down the choices so much. These are from the Body Shop scents of the world range which come in body sprays, lotions and eau de toilettes as well. All of them smell gorgeous but these two are my favourite. The perfume oils come in lovely cute little glass bottles and are the perfect size for carrying around in my bag. They actually seem really long lasting which I wasn't expecting but I sprayed them earlier and I can still smell them both. That's another point they smell really nice together. The Scents of the world collection was made so that scents can be layered together to create unique scents which is exciting. They are also £7 which is so good for such strong scents.

Anyway back to the scents. The Madagascan Vanilla smells sweet and you guessed it... like vanilla. It actually smells like real vanilla though which I think is unique because I have always found other products which are 'vanilla' scented smell like a very artificial vanilla.  I liked the description as well, it says "Inspired by a sunny day on the tropical island of Madagascar, this warm, sensual eau de toilette from our Scents of the World fragrance collection features a blend of floral and oriental accords."

The Indian Night Jasmine is a very warm, floral, jasmine scent. Like the vanilla it is quite sweet but it also has a freshness about it. The body shop says "Inspired by a moonlit night in a Mughal garden, this seductive, feminine eau de toilette from our Scents of the World fragrance collection is a blend of floral and oriental accords." I'm not really sure what a Mughal garden is but it sounds exciting!

I also absolutely love the Japanese Cherry Blossom, it is light and fresh and definitely the summeriest, thinking about it the two that  I got aren't very summery but I love them so I will wear them all year round anyway! I thought three was probably a bit excessive. 

H&M Gold Sunglasses

These are just amazing, I find it so difficult to find sunglasses that I like I think I am the worlds fussiest person when it comes to sunglasses. I do have a good reason though, as my housemates pointed out, when I put glasses on it makes me look like I'm wearing one of those fake noses with glasses attached. Luckily I have good eyesight and don't have to wear glasses but sometimes the sun is so bright that I really do need sunglasses. So anyway I think what I like about these is that they are so OTT big and gold that your eyes are drawn to them and not my nose. It is really strange because I like my nose but for some reason in glasses it looks like a pretend nose. These are in the sale for £2 at H&M at the minute there are loads of them in this style and in aviators which are really nice. I thought about getting them but then I remembered that I hate sunglasses so there is no way that I will be wearing two pairs.
 

H&M Black Bandeau Maxi Dress 

I had seen a maxi dress like this that I wanted on Asos but everytime I look it is out of stock so I was really pleased when I saw this in H&M. It is black and strapless with a bandeau top. I really like it because it's so flattering and it looks gorgeous. Because it's so long it covers everything you could possible want to cover and it's black so it's really slimming. It's so light and flowing so I hope it will be nice and cool. It was £14.99 which I think is good for a maxi dress considering you get so much material.

 

 H&M Black Blazer

I really only got this because it was in the sale for £7 but I thought it would come in useful if I want to look smart for interviews and for teaching next year. I thought it might also be good for going out in the evenings because when the sun goes down it is still a bit nippy. I have got a black blazer but this one is more casual. I like this one because it is more like a boyfriend style and its made out of a lighter material so it still looks smart but not like I'm going to work in an office.  

 

Nakd Bars

These were two for one in Holland and Barret's so I thought I would try them. I got Pecan Pie and Cocoa Orange. I have heard quite a bit about them because they are made from raw fruits and nuts and nice good natural ingredients like that. I've started trying to eat things that are better for me, less processed food, which I am quite enjoying because I absolutely love fruit, I didn't eat much processed food anyway before but I'm trying to make as conscious effort. I do still eat a lot of chocolate though and I can't decide if I want to give it up or not because I just like it so much. I'm hoping these will help. The Pecan Pie bar is made out of dates, pecans and almonds and that is it! It tastes so nice, really sweet and nutty and a bit maple syrupy. It is quite sticky and has chunks of pecan in it. It could definatley replace a lovely pudding. I would definitely recommend trying these, there are so many flavours as well, I think I'm going to be trying a few more. The Cocoa Orange one is made out of dates, cashews, raisins, cocoa and natural orange flavouring. I like this one because it is like a good for you terry's chocolate orange. They are both quite a soft and squidgy texture.

 

Meridian Peanut Butter

This is also from Holland & Barrett's. it is literally just crushed up peanuts so it is more nutritious and nutty than other peanut butters. The main reason that I like it is because it just tastes so good. It is so nutty and savoury and the texture is really different too, it's a lot thicker. Plus it contains no palm oil so it has a picture of a happy orangutan on the front.  You should also try the Meridian Almond butter that's really good too! I love me some peanut butter!

 

 

 



Heavenly Homemade Lemon Curd

Homemade lemon curd is an absolute must for any fans of lemon curd or lemony flavours in general! It is definitely better than shop bought lemon curd by miles. It is so much more lemony and so creamy, the texture is amazing. This one is my favourite recipe- it is from Nigel Slater. When I was making this yesterday the whole kitchen was filled with the delicious smell of sharp freshly grated lemons. The other thing I should mention is that it is really really easy to to make and it does keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

It is best to use really ripe lemons so if you have any that have been lying around for a while they will be great as they are juicier. If you make sure they are at room temperature you'll get more juice out of them too.

Most lemon curd recipes tell you to stir the mixture with a wooden spoon but Nigel Slater uses a whisk which makes the lemon curd smoother and lighter and gives it that heavenly texture that you don't get from the shop.

I don't have a lemon juicer so I squeezed them with my hands which meant that I got some lumps of flesh in the mixture. I actually think this is really nice as it gave the lemon curd some texture but if you wanted it really smooth either use a lemon juicer or just squeeze them more carefully/ less vigorously.

I ended up eating so much of this whilst I was making it because I wanted to test the texture and see what it is like warm.

Ingredients:

Zest and Juice of 4 unwaxed lemons
200g sugar
100g butter, cut into cubes
3eggs and 1 egg yolk

Method:

• Wash your lemons - If they are waxed give them a rub with some kitchen roll.
• Grate the lemon zest, you only want the outermost yellow zest not any of the white stuff, and juice the lemons.
• Put the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the basin does not touch the water.) Stir it with a whisk form time to time until the butter has melted.
• Mix the eggs and the egg yolk lightly with a fork and then stir it into the lemon mixture.
• Let the lemon curd cook, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes, until it is thick and custard-like. It should fell heavy on the whisk.
• Remove it from the heat and stir it occasionally as it cools. Pour into clean jars and seal. It will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

Enjoy, Lemon Curd is amazing on its own and for brightening up  yogurt, pancakes, toast, biscuits and also everything!

The Hummingbird Bakery Peanut Butter Cookies

I really felt like baking something sweet after a long day in the library so I had a look through my pile of recipes that I want to try. My mum gave me this recipe from her hummingbird bakery recipe book. She literally cannot stop raving about how good they are and I love anything peanut buttery so I thought I would give them a go.

I made them with white chocolate chunks because I love white chocolate and peanut butter together but I will definitely try making them with milk and dark and maybe even all three.

I had to half the recipe from the book as it makes around 24 - I got 16 huge cookies from halving it though. I just do not know what I would do with 24 cookies even living with 8 people that's still way too many, but feel free to double it again.

Ingredients (for 12) :

• 115g salted butter at room temperature ( or you can use unsalted and add a pinch of salt)
• 100g caster sugar 
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120g crunchy peanut butter
• 170g plain flour 
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 75g of chocolate 

Method:

• Mix all of the ingredients together one by one and then shape the dough into balls.
• Pop the dough balls onto baking trays, they expand quite a bit so make sure they are not too close together. 
• Cook at 170 for about 10 mins until golden around the edges, they cook quite quickly so check every 5 mins, also they will harden as they cool so don't worry if they seem a but soft.

 

 

Enjoy them warm from the oven when they are soft and gooey or leave them to cool. They will keep for a couple of days in a container. 

Melton's Too Restaurant York

Melton's Too is my favourite restaurant in York so I want to share it with everyone. I literally take everyone there and tell everyone I know about it. The food is just so delicious. It is also great for just a few drinks in the evening because it has lovely local ales, beers and even soft drinks.The ground floor is a bar and snug which is a great place for meeting your friends and enjoying a drink at your leisure. It is also good for a well made morning/ afternoon coffee and cake and has some great deals at lunchtime too. I have also been in for an after dinner desert and coffee. I only discovered it by accident when my dad came to visit, it was on our way into the centre of York and because it was so cold we just thought, this looks nice lets go in. 

Melton's Too is a large Cafe Bar Bistro specialising in  homemade food using regionally sourced produce and the menu is dictated by what produce is in season. When I go out for dinner I will never choose to go to a British Food restaurant, I think it is because much of the 'British food' I have tried has been really bad pub food. Melton's Too is just completely different, everything is delicious. I even liked the pate and I have never tried a pate that I like. It does some lovely traditional British food but it also cooks other cuisine using regional produce. You can get Melton's Too's versions of Thai currys, tapas, cassoulets, Moroccan dishes, Russian dishes, and a variety of other cuisines. Their passion for local, seasonal produce is demonstrated in their regular mini food festivals, which they run for a few weeks throughout the year. My favourites have been the Pie  Festival and the Yorkshire Deserts Week. Others include Goodbye to Game, Scallops and even Asparagus. I enjoy the festivals because it gives new things to try on the menu.  

It is the little sister of Melton's restaurant a 'fine dining establishment', both restaurants are focused on regional produce. It is set in a 17th century building but has been modernly refurbished inside. There are two dining floors and a loft space for parties or events and a more relaxed bar/ cafe downstairs. It has a really nice atmosphere at all times, I have been the only person in there and I have been there when every table is full. The Service has always been friendly and attentive. I have only ever needed to book on a friday or saturday night at peak eating times. They also hold regular  food and drink tasting events which sound great. All of the food is prepared to a high standard and the presentation of the food is always really nice. 

Another of the highlights is the cheese selection, they are so tasty and are all local, which is exciting. The puddings are probably my favourite, as I said earlier I have nipped in for a pudding after a dinner at another restaurant where the puddings just aren't appetising. The sticky toffee pudding is the best I have tried even better than homemade. A special mention has also got to be given to the savoury pies!

The prices are amazing for the food quality, and are really affordable even on a student budget. They always have some sort of deal on which you can find on their website;they have a great set menu and good early bird offers. If you sign up to their newsletter you get amazing offers and for my birthday I got a free three course meal voucher!

With great food and drink for a wide range of occasions, Melton's Too is an excellent restaurant and has become a favourite with everyone I have shared it with. 

Walmgate, York
www.meltonstoo.co.uk

Rustic Irish Potato Bread

I actually wasn't sure what to call this post because I can't work out if this is Irish Potato Bread, Cakes or Farls. I have heard these called all three and I really can't work out if they are the same thing. I definitely randomly vary between all three words.  Anyway, I got this recipe posted through my door on a leaflet for Abe and Cole who deliver boxes of vegetables to people. It is such a useful recipe because it is so quick and easy and requires so few ingredients.

 

These are really  nice for breakfast on there own or with a fry up. They are also great for lunch with soup. I have even had them for dinner with a stew. So basically they are great at all times!


You will need:

• 500g of potatoes, skinned and cubed ( about 3 medium sized potatoes) 
• 4 tbsp of butter
• 1-2 mugs of plain white flour
• a pinch of sea salt 

Method :

• Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 15 mins until they are soft enough to mash.
• Drain the potatoes and then mash them with a good chunk of butter and a pinch of salt. 
• Sift the flour, a little bit at a time, into the potatoes until it forms a soft dough, the amount of flour you need varies each time so just keep adding flour until the dough is soft and no longer sticky.
• Roll it out onto a floured surface until it is between 1/2 and 1 cm thick. Make sure you keep dusting it with flour so it doesn't stick to the side or the rolling pin. ( On a side note if you don't have a rolling pin, I don't, then you can just use an empty glass bottle and it works exactly the same) 
• Tidy up the edges if you want, and then cut it into squares. 
• Place a large frying pan over a high heat to warm the pan up. After a few mins turn the heat down and place the squares in the pan, you don't need any butter or oil to cook them in. Cook them on both sides until they are golden.

You should definitely serve them warm and  with plenty of butter. 

Quick & Healthy Fruity Flapjacks

I found this recipe when I was looking at healthy recipes. Instead of being full of butter these flapjacks are made with banana. They are really, really tasty even if it is a strange idea. Recently I've found loads of recipes that use banana instead of other ingredients, it is amazing how much they can be used for especially beucase I always have overipe bananas in my fruit bowl that I need to use up/ get out of eating. They're so quick to, they take about 20 minutes overall.

I'm not really a fan of bananas but I do love them used in other things. If you really don't like bananas this probably isn't the recipe for you but you can only taste the banana ever so slightly.

You can really change this basic recipe aswell so add any fruit/ nuts/ seeds that you want. I did make them with cranberry and white chocolate chips once which was delicious but probably not 'healthy'. Sometimes I use a tablespoon of honey instead of the sugar which also gives it a lovely flavour.

 

You will need: 

• 1 banana
• 50g of dried fruit - my favourite to use is apricot and sultanas
• 25g of sugar - muscavado sugar is nicest in this recipe
• 100g of porridge oats
• 3tbsp of oil - the recipe said rapeseed oil but I have tried sunflower and vegetable and they both work too. 

Method: 

• Preheat the oven to 160c
• Mash up a banana with a fork or spoon, then add the dried fruit.
• Stir in the sugar and oil, then add in the porridge oats and mix it all together thoroughly. 
• I love it with a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of cinnamon added but it is also nice without.
• Place the mixture in a 17cm square tin and cook for around 15 mins until it is golden. 
• Leave it to cool if you want it to harden, you can eat whilst its warm and its lovely and squidgy but less flapjacky.