Nims Edible Teas

The lovely people over at Nims Fruit Crisps sent me over a selection of their products as a gift in exchange for a review of their brand new edible fruit teas.

Many of you may have already heard of Nims fruit crisps, they are a 1 ingredient fruit and vegetable crisp and leaders on the market in this category, experimenting with more crisps than just the root vegetable ones you’ll regularly see on the shelves at the supermarket- although they do those too and they’re great! Their fruit crisps are particularly delicious and the crisping process has really enhanced the flavours of the fruit and they’re low calorie as well.

Recently Nims have released a range of 3 flavours of edible fruit tea with a great concept… you infuse your loose fruit and then once the tea is brewed you then take the rehydrated fruit out and eat it. So today I tried the parsnip, beetroot and pineapple tea (the other two flavours are pineapple and kiwi and parsnip and beetroot), my first thoughts were how much easier this whole brewing process would be if I had one of those fancy glass infuser teapots to capture my fruit pieces, I kind of had to awkwardly decant the brewed tea and strain it with a sieve and then transfer over to another cup. It created quite a lot of washing up so to enjoy these I think that the teapot is a must, this does make the product a little restrictive for the masses and could be a good idea for Nims to launch their own teapot or perhaps collaborate with a 3rd party that sells them to link up. If you are keen to try these teas or just like the sound of a super fancy clear teapot I’ve linked the best value one that I could find on eBay and actually coming in at under a fiver its not exactly a huge investment. Check it our here !!

Flavour wise the pineapple and kiwi was my favorite to drink, all of them were quite pleasant to eat, I used them as a porridge topping which worked so well and suited me with the the timing of breakfast and having a cuppa too. I’m not 100% on the flavour of drinking the parsnip and beetroot tea and think that if they launched more flavours in just fruit that it would appeal to more people as a drink.

 

All in all I love the idea, I hate wasting food and throwing away anything unnecessarily so I like how resourceful it is to waste nothing, the flavours could use some extras in the range or development to the current ones to suit different tastes and they either need to link a teapot on their site or develop a solution to maybe encase the fruit in a biodegradable bag that could be opened after infusing so they can be used in a traditional ‘kettle, bag, mug, brew’ method which is really easy for all!

 

Thanks so much for reading my review, if this sounds your cup of tea (no pun intended) head over to the Nims site here and check out what they have to offer!

H x

Top Tips For A Good Nights Sleep

I wanted to write a post on one of my things and something I’ve sadly not been doing enough of lately.

Sleep.

Sleep is so important for all aspects of life, for mental and physical development and repair amongst thousands of other functions of the brain and the body and sometimes when life sends it’s trials it’s not as easy to get the sleep quality you want. I’m someone who’s sleep gets very affected when I have stuff playing on my mind and I struggle to switch off. Do you ever lie there and start to feel so anxious because you aren’t asleep? Then you start to count down how many hours until you have to get up and then how many hours sleep that will be, THEN comes the justification thoughts to try and mentally reassure you to not freak out of “it’ll be fine, I’ve gone to work on much less sleep after going out and I won’t be hungover”, then the birds start singing and the irritation REALLY sets in. I’ve been there. Countless times. So in the last few months I’ve done and tried everything possible to promote a good nights sleep, mainly so I keep my sanity and thought I would share with you in case anyone else is finding themselves in a similar situation! In no particular order of preference of effectiveness……

  • My first thing I try is a chamomile tea before bed. To promote relaxation and calm, there’s plenty of lovely premium tea brands around but I went for the Aldi option for a tiny 39p to give it a go as I had never tried it before. The taste takes a little getting used to but it certainly helps take the edge off the pre sleep jitters. It’s no myth, this stuff definitely does work!
  • Using your scent is a timeless known way to relax so you could try opting for a pillow spray, there are a few out there and my favourite is the award winning Deep Sleep Pillow spray by This Works, it’s got a really good depth of scent and helps get the senses to start to switch off.

  • Similarly to the above I love the Tisserand pulse point oils to aid in slowing the breathing and moving into the relaxed state to nod off

 

  • Sometimes nothing is doing the job so I grab out my gifted Bedtime Bliss eye mask which came with ear plugs to drown out the background sounds and lights. The earplugs really make a difference if you can’t switch off from what’s going on around you and the darkness is great if you don’t have black out blinds in the summer months when the sun comes up earlier. Not everyones cup of tea for at home but a travel essential! Buy your for under a tenner on Amazon here

  • Making sure you’re comfortable in bed, so pyjamas in the right cut, thickness, fabric, etc. So you are comfy, a good temperature, not going to get static or itchy or whatever else. Comfortable bed clothes whatever floats your boat is a must. I love nice cotton pj’s personally! Currently living for my piped edge pj’s from Primark. I have them in grey and black 🙂
  • Also a decent pair of bed socks is a must in the winter because feet like blocks of ice can stop you sleeping AND wake you up especially now we had hit the winter sub zero temperatures! My mum bought me a lovely pair of cashmere blend socks for when I’m feeling super fancy but any fluffy numbers will warm the tootsies! Or reach for a hot water bottle.

 

  • Breathing exercises to slow and calm the breathing, there are tonnes of different types but for sleep I like the 4-7-8 technique- step by step below!
  • Reading a book. This is such a sure way of using up some mental energy and making you start to drift off. Ditch the smart phone and swap it for a book. It’ll be one of the best choices you make!

 

  • A little added luxury, I treated myself and my mum at Xmas to a silk pillow case, it doesn’t necessarily help you sleep but it certainly gives you a premium bed experience! Bought from Lilysilk. Buy one get one half price and an introductory 10% off! Huge variety of colours! Check out the site here

 

  • Lastly, failing all those or in addition to, in periods of prolonged anxiety I go for Kalms night. The valerian formula is all natural and plant based so no nasty chemicals and no morning after grogginess but a lifesaver for periods of increased anxiety. I grab mine from Holland and Barrett just make sure you read the directions, don’t rely on these and remember it is a short term solution, 

I hope these tips help you! Bedtime is such a ritual that these things singularly and collectively are little live savers! Sleep is essential to function healthily so maybe just one or two of these may improve you current sleep quality like it did for me! I hope it helps! 

Thanks for reading!

H x

Homemade Granola

Hey there folks, welcome to 2019 and although it’s only the 6th I feel very much into the thick of the beast that is January. January is a month for me which always guarantees 2 things- feeling extra squidgy from all the festive overindulgence and feeling extra skint from all the festive overindulgence. Basically Christmas destroyed me. So it’s time for me- with the rest of the nation- to hit the reset button and get back to the healthy life. Homemade granola is great because there really is no set rules on what you put in it, its cheap, its easy and its delicious.

Prep time– 5 mins Cook time– 15-25 mins Serves– Variable

  • Oats- as little or as much as desired- if you are watching calories and portions then I suggest using scales to weigh it out before cooking so you know how many portions you have made
  • Extras- seeds, nuts, dried fruit, other grains
  • honey or maple syrup if vegan
  • I choose Fry Light as a low calorie option but you can use oil
  • Seasoning (optional) such as cinnamon, vanilla extract, cocao powder

You’ll need a flat baking tray and some parchment paper, lay it out on the tray and pre-heat your oven (I cook on about 170 degrees and I am a fan oven user) then just start to build your granola by laying all of your chosen ingredients out on the baking tray, season and then add your chosen honey or maple syrup to bind. On this occasion in the granola photographed I have used oats, quinoa, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, crushed walnuts and cashews, sliced almonds, dried cranberries and raisins. I used honey as my sugar added a tiny sprinkle of salt. I then get a teaspoon and mix it all around the the stickiness of the honey grabs at bits to create those delicious little granola clusters and when you’re happy, spritz with the Fry Light and pop it in the oven. I find with my oven that it can take between 15-25 minutes but keep checking and watch out for the smell as you don’t wan’t to burn it and then after removing from the oven leave to cool before eating so it goes nice and crunchy and the voila, done, serve, eat!!

The options are quite literally endless on what you can do to your granola and how you choose to serve it! I hope you like the recipe and tag my IG handle @misshollyp in you photo comments so I can see yours!

Thanks for reading, Holly x

Bills Norwich Bloggers Christmas

The lovely team at Bill’s Norwich invited a small group of the Norwich Bloggers the newly refurbished branch and sample their Christmas menu a couple of weeks ago. The second I walked in through the orange curtains I could see this was no longer the same Bill’s that stood before. With low lighting, marble bar tops, intimate booths, chandeliers, gorgeous botanical greenery and detailed accents of character the restaurant is truly unrecognizable for the better.

 

I met the rest of the girls downstairs and we introduced ourselves. I met some lovely people who I’d not met before with can be a bit nerve wracking sometimes on whether you’ll fit in or not but it was such a lovely group who all made me feel so welcome. Charlie the manager took us upstairs and showed us to an area away from the other diners and to our lovely own private dining room!! It was such a nice space and can be booked for private parties and group bookings, it truly felt so special and exclusive.

We had pre-ordered our food and I although a I’m not a vegetarian I went for the vegetarian option as I always think its good to see what can be created for those opting for the meat free options.

 

To start I had a beetroot and feta salad, followed by a pumpkin, fig and chestnut roast and finished with a Christmas eton mess. They also brought out bread olives and hummus for the table too. I was driving so I washed it all down with a lovely wintery mocktail.

The food was really tasty and there was quite a variation of choice on the menu too for a range of tastes but I think the thing which made the evening so great was the tangible buzzy atmosphere in Bill’s which is vital to any good night.

If you’re in the area I urge you to visit because the place really does look stunning and it still has its loved menu stretching across all meals of the day.

Thanks so much to Charlie and the team at Bills Norwich for your kind and generous hospitality. xxx

Let’s Talk About Health

Health. What does that really even mean? It seems to be very trendy at the moment to be ‘healthy’ which don’t get me wrong I’m so down with! It hopefully will make the world full on clean living young adults who binge on the gym as opposed to my generation’s teen years when it was cool to give your liver a bashing in the local park. However there’s so much more to health that just going to the gym, eating kale and drinking matcha. I saw a post on Instagram from @sophieshealthykitchen saying “Health isn’t just about what you’re eating or doing. It’s also about what you’re thinking, feeling or saying to yourself” and it got me thinking on a topic I feel extremely passionate about.

Health certainly does not have one definition and most definitely is not linear. Right on time with the season’s change I’ve had this lingering cold for weeks, I’m feeling the effects of leaving home in darkness and coming home in darkness- I miss daylight and the sun and I work in retail- as you can imagine I’m entering my most stressful time of year, so, although I gym 3-5 times a week and eat an extremely healthy diet I’m feeling majorly sub par. My skin is playing up in a big way, my recent enthusiasm for running has resulted in a casualty of my big toenail (soz if TMI but seriously this is stressing me out!), I’m too tired all the time to get into the gym as often as I would like so I’m visually feeling sub par too and mentally feeling guilty about that too, its just all a little ‘meh’. So internally and externally I’m feeling around a 5/10. I know its completely each to their own on your personal preference of how you would like to look or take care of yourself but personally having a really good skincare routine to keep my skin looking and feeling healthy counts as part of my health for me. Grooming myself and keeping my roots touched up and nails looking nice etc for me is my self care, it promotes self confidence for me and makes me feel good. On one of my bed ridden sick days I read a big chunk of Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes and her prologue really sums it up well that beauty and make up can really work wonders to how you are feeling and if that’s your health and that’s what makes you feeling good physically and mentally then I don’t think anyone should judge that. My blogger life is all about eating clean, no waste, exercise and all that jazz but my 9-5 life is as a beauty retail manager is multi billion pound industry that despite the negatives that can spawn from things revolving around looks is predominately about feeling good while looking good too. I’ve been doing ALOT of listening to my body recently- its been saying ‘EAT’, ‘SLEEP’, ‘REST’ and although I’m gone majorly off piste with my normal routines it has worked to get me back to where I need to be, as a final push I got my nails and brows done and have upped the ante on my skin care which I didn’t think was possible and as I write this- fresh from a Monday morning spin- for the first day in I can’t remember I feel like myself again- physically and mentally I feel like I’ve got my mojo back.

My point is- health is made up of so many different factors which will differ person to person.

Don’t follow the hype and have negative thoughts and feelings of guilt on yourself for doing/not doing certain things, we are all so different and should not judge one another if someone is doing something that didn’t work for you. If you want to drink spirulina and you like it and it works for you great but don’t feel pressured in to doing things because the internet says you should. If a good pamper is your therapy then go for it! If you’re exhausted and your body says rest don’t gym then listen to it. Trust your own mind and body. Health being such a popular topic is great, it’s so openly talked about and there’s so much information to help people on their journey, however, when it has the attitude of making you feel stupid or like you’re wrong and shaming certain choices is when things can get a bit nasty and be detrimental to your mental health even if it is for example the correct way to do something for your physical health.

Thanks for reading, lets all look out for each other and uplift one another and have a cracking week. Happy Monday folks xxx