CUTE RIVER ISLAND HANDBAGS

(Sorry for the poor quality image. I lost my image with Polyvore and this is the best i could get. I'm doing my best to post back all those lost blog post images.)

Hi, guys! Check this cute River Island floral handbags out. The second one reminds me of Dolce&Gabbana. I'm in love! Should i get any of these? My husband says i have too many handbags. There's no such thing as too many bags...

White and black floral cross body tote bag - £40 here

Pink floral print mini satchel bag - £22 here

Grammys 2017: Best dressed on the red carpet

Demi Lovato (Julien Macdonald)

See Demi Lovato's red carpet arrival video here

Chrissy Teigen 

Jennifer Lopez (Ralph & Russo)

See Jennifer Lopez's red carpet arrival video here

Adele (Givenchy)

See Adele's red carpet arrival video here

HEALTHY BREAKFAST OPTIONS

Hi, guys! As i mentioned in my previous post, i am trying to eat healthier without starving myself or spend a lot of money. I also am a really busy person, so i need to find quick and easy meals.

My "go-to" breakfasts are pretty simple. I simply chose one of those options:

Cereals:

I always choose the inexpensive ones that contain 3g of fiber per 100g of product or above. That's how i choose all my carbs. I always take my cereals with a non-dairy milk alternative that is on sale. Right now is the coconut milk at Sainsbury's, or the almond milk at Iceland.

Eggs: 

I really like to have eggs for breakfast. Last time i used the stir-fry leftovers from the day before to make an omelette. I usually use leeks or whatever that is on my fridge to make my omelettes. Sometimes, i check which vegetable is on sale at Lidl to make an omelette. I don't know how to flip an omelette, at least i don't have the skills to do it, so i use a non-sticky fry-pan with a lid and let it cook without making a mess.

Another delicious way to eat eggs are "egg muffins".

I will share with you some "egg muffins" recipes someday.

Oats: 

I love overnight oats, specially when i have my breakfast at work. (Yes, at work... Sometimes i leave the house without breakfast. I'm aware that it isn't the healthier choice but, let's be honest, nobody has time to eat at 4am. And i'm usually to sleepy to even think about putting something on my stomach. Not so often i manage to do that, but we'll get there in a minute).

This meal is pretty simple to prepare. I do the dairy-free version. Just grab a cup porridge oats (You can find 1kg at Lidl for £0,39), pair with some non-dairy milk (usually the unsweetened soy milk that is found at Lidl for £0,59. It's important to be unsweetened because the recipe won't turn out too  sweet), add some honey, put some fruits (i use frozen berries), any type of nuts ( i don't use nuts, because it isn't allowed at the factory i work), chia seeds (they are expensive, but they worth it. They are a nutritional boost and they create a ticker texture. I usually buy them at Holland & Barrett when they are on sale) and let everything sit overnight.

Smoothies:

I usually drink a smoothie before going to the gym. Sometimes it happens to be my breakfast.

I found the Iceland smoothie portions (4 smoothie bags for £2) really easy for my busy life, but sometimes i like to prepare my own smoothie portions in advance. 

I put the following ingredients in a freezer bag: some frozen fruits (berries, bananas, mango, pineapple...), some greens (kale, spinach, wild rocket), some other ingredients (cucumber, celery, carrots, basil or mint leaves). I keep the bags in the freezer. When i need a smoothie i blend the bag content with pure fruit juice (mango is my favorite), but you can use yogurt (i personally don't use), water, coconut water, non-dairy milk. My favorite is juice, but you must be aware of the the sugar levels. Even if there is no added sugar, it doesn't mean that fruits don't have sugar as well.

Whole wheat bread or whole wheat tortillas:

First of all, please keep in mind the way i choose my carbs (at least 3g of fiber per 100g). That's how, in doubt, you will know if something is whole wheat or not.

Bread and tortillas aren't my breakfast staples, because i prefer to have them at lunch time, but i still love a slice or two of toasted bread with omelette or scrambled eggs, or a banana tortilla in the morning.

I usually leave my toasted bread simple, i mean without butter. But you can spread with a mashed avocado, or almond butter, or peanut butter. But i personally eat my bread without any of those. I prefer a slice or two with eggs and i add some greens leaves (wild rocket or spinach. At this point you already notice i'm not a big fan of lettuce).

Banana tortillas are the way i eat tortillas for breakfast. You can't find whole wheat tortillas everywhere. It depends on where you live, but here they're hard to get. I usually buy those at Lidl (and i'm not being sponsored by Lidl, it's just near home and affordable).

When you find your whole wheat tortilla, spread that with peanut butter without "getting too excited" (you know what i mean), place the banana on top and roll it all up. You can easily replace the peanut butter spread with almond butter, which is much healthier and more expensive, or a mixture of light cream cheese and honey. You can add whatever you like (granola, raisins, cinnamon...), but i keep it simple. You can eat it just like it is, or you can grill it on a non-sticky pan or toaster until is golden on both sides.

Healthy Pancakes:

I am still testing out a lot of healthy pancake recipes. Most of those have 3 ingredients and one is often banana. I didn't find the perfect measurements yet, but i will.

As you see, there's a lot of healthy breakfast options. These are just my favorite ones and i will bring some recipes in the future. I will share some lunch ideas and snacks as well. As an african-portuguese girl you can expect me to really enjoy food.

If you don't believe that you can only eat fruit and salads all day to be healthy, stick around. I include a lot of fruit and salads on my everyday diet, but i also eat other delicious things. I'm not perfect, as i indulge myself to guilty pleasures sometimes, but i try to find healthier alternatives to my cravings.

WHAT I ATE TODAY

Hi, guys! Recently i went back to the gym. I just made a decision and i enrolled in my local "PureGym". It was a friend who recommended that gym and i'm loving it so far. And that's why i'm recommending it to you (use the code "163P21002").

My favorite machines are the "stair stepper", the "treadmill" and the "rowing machine". I'll try some of the available classes someday and i'll let you know my thoughts. 

I'm also trying to eat healthier without starving myself or giving up the flavour. I also won't count calories anytime soon (who actually has the time for that?). I'm a busy person on a budget, who loves delicious food that doesn't take ages to prepare. 

Breakfast

Today was my day-off. I woke up late. I was so hungry! It had to figure out something that wouldn't take ages to prepare. The easiest meal that occured to me was the boring (but still good) bowl of cereals. 

I chose the "crownfield special flakes" with red berries as cereals that you can easily find at your local Lidl. Why? It was pretty inexpensive (£1.09). Also, any carb that contains 3g of fiber per 100g of product or above is good enough in my opinion.

I could eat with the Soy non dairy milk that is also sold at Lidl (£0,59), but it isn't my favorite non dairy milk to have with cereals.

I chose the "alpro coconut milk alternative" to have with the cereals i just mentioned. Why? I believe that non dairy milks are healthier than the "regular" dairy ones, and those make me feel less bloated as well. I chose this specific milk alternative because it happens to be on sale at Sainsbury's right now (£1.60 £1). You can also find (right now) the "alpro almond milk alternative" on sale at Iceland (£1.69 £1).

Lunch

My lunch today was asian style stir-fry vegetables with chicken breast and prawns, white quinoa and spinach salad.

To prepare the stir-fry i used a non sticky pan: about 1tsp of sesame oil (i bought it from Lidl and it was limited edition from the asian food week); 1tsp of minced garlic (i bought it frozen at Iceland because i hate the smell on my hands); 1tsp of gratted ginger (Lidl); 1 minced chilli pepper (because i love the heat. The smaller and rounder the better. I bought it at Lidl as well); 2 pre-cooked chicken breast (because i was cooking for 3 people. I bought those at Iceland, chilled); some frozen prawns (i bought those chilled at Lidl, because it was on sale on that day, and i froze them); 1 bag of Oaklands Vegetable Stir Fry from Lidl (those that have mushrooms); Low sodium soy sauce; half a chicken flavour cube (i used the Knorr).

I bought the white quinoa at Lidl, because it was pretty affordable there, but unfortunately it was limited edition. It's really easy to prepare. You just have to rinse several times under cold water in order to remove the bitterness, place the measured quinoa in a pan, add boiling water and cook for 15-18 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender. For each cup of quinoa, you use 2 cups of water. I didn't use any oil on that, but i putted some pink himalayan rock salt ( you can get it at Poundland and B&M stores for a fair price).

I bought the a bag of washed spinach at Lidl as a simple salad.

Later on the day

I had a smoothie.

I blend a smoothie portion (Iceland) with vanilla almond milk (Sainsbury's).