Last of my haul posts today with a little lifestyle/healthy eating haul!
For the past 7 weeks now I have been on a serious health kick which I'm viewing as more of a lifestyle change. This is the first time I've really done this and purchased quite a few products to help me along the way, which I thought I'd share with you.
So far I've lost over a stone in weight which I'm really pleased with and hope to continue with my weight loss over the next few months. I may do a post in the near future on what changes I've made to my diet as I feel it's been fairly easily and enjoyable so far. I've been using the products below for a few weeks now so I can give them mini reviews as well!
Before purchasing this book my current diet book count was at zero. I've browsed through lots of diet books but they all seem repetitive or work on a diet plan instead of a standard balanced lifestyle. However when I came across the fairly new Body Book from Cameron Diaz I was refreshingly surprised to find an educational book on living a healthy lifestyle and fully understanding your body. This is far from a book about Cameron Diaz but one in which she shares her knowledge and with the help of nutritionists explains the key points to being healthy in great depth.
I have yet to fully read this book as I've been enjoying fiction books too much. But this 280 paged book is packed full of information and maybe only 3 images of Cameron herself. Once I give time to reading this I can really see myself learning a lot about nutrition and balance!
This is without a doubt my favourite buy of the haul, in fact I mentioned it in my non-beauty favourites here! The Blend Active Blender/Smoothie Maker by Breville is an ideal appliance for fast smoothie making for anyone of the go or just wanting to save time and washing up! Unlike normal blenders this is a much smaller appliance were the container actually double up as the drinks bottle! I find this incredibly clever and time saving. This has also helped me introduce a lot more fruit and greens into my diet and aided my weight loss in the process.
As you can see above I make up 'smoothie packs' in advance and freeze them. Each bag contains half a banana, spinach, mixed berries, grapes and kale, which I take out 30 minutes before making a smoothie (or when I wake up) to de-frost, then I simply empty the contents into the blender and add water and ice. This is a simple but delicious smoothie to make, though the blender does come with so many different recipes to create. You can even make milkshakes with this and healthy ice-cream!
A slightly optimistic purchase here as a non-tea drinker! Since I can remember I've disliked hot drinks, but in the past year or so I have come to enjoy Cappuccinos which I find quite filling and a substitute as a snack. However I'm aware coffee isn't the healthiest thing so was hoping flavoured Green Tea would be the way to go.
After spotting so many people online mentioning the new Twinings Green Tea range I decided to place an order especially as the website was offering 3 for 2 on the teas plus a free gift bag (not sure who would need a gift bag for tea) and free delivery. I will admit so far I haven't loved them and gave two of the boxes away... however I'm still trying to get use to the Caramelised Apple Green Tea. For anyone that enjoys normal tea I'm sure these would be great but I feel I may just have to admit I will never be a tea lover.
Coconut Oil is something I have been using for the past 6 months so this was a re-purchase. I first used Organic Coconut Oil as a cleanser and intensive body oil (which is so beneficial to the skin) but then discovered how it was a healthier oil to cook with. I use this in place of olive oil to cook stir-fries, healthy curries and anything that involves raw chicken pieces or vegetables that requires sauteing. As for the taste of coconut this really cannot be detected in the food. A super multi-purpose product that I couldn't be without now.
Not such an interesting item here but one I thought I'd include all the same. I came across this mini frying pan in Asda and decided to get it for making low-fat banana pancakes in. This is the ideal size for small pancakes especially if you are like me and can't cook them very well! You can find a super easy recipe for banana pancakes here which only requires 3 ingredients!
Another Asda purchase here with some handy measuring cups that are ideal for U.S measurements. I keep discovering so many low-fat recipes online that are in U.S cups but converting them into U.K metric measurements isn't as easy as I'd thought! Just super handy and fun looking with the different coloured cups.
Hope you have enjoyed this different kind of haul from me!