Hi! I just wanted to share this little recipe for a Salsa that I love! It really spices up a plain meal and I cannot stop eating it til it's all gone! Here goes..

Serves 2 :
1 red chili
1 avocado
1/2 juice of a lemon
400g cherry tomatoes
4 spring onions
salt
pepper
parsley

Method:
Chop the avocado into chunks & the cherry tomatoes into halves.
Add about half the red chili, although if you like the heat add the whole thing (or even extra).
Dice the spring onions, add to the bowl and mix well.
Add the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Finely chop your parsley and sprinkle over the top.

I love serving salsa with fish cakes as it adds more interest and goes so well!

Pumpkin Muffins

I had a little pumpkin remaining from the autumn harvest, so after pureeing it I found a lovely little recipe for Pumpkin Muffins, and changed it round a bit to suit me.

Gluten Free Diet - Day 1

When learning about Gluten Intolerance in school from Home Economics class I always thought it would be a pretty easy dietary requirement to have to deal with. I was under the impression that it only involved cutting out wheat (Pasta and Bread) and all that related food group: Barley. I thought that would be pretty simple. What I didn't realise is EVERYTHING has gluten in it. Cornflakes and even sausages contain gluten. Bread, pasta, cakes. Basically all the things people use to fill plates and bellies, contain gluten.

I am taking on a gluten free diet for the next two weeks for a few reasons.
Firstly I want to educate myself more on what foods are available for the Gluten Intolerant .. and already this has posed itself as a task. I want to search grocery shops, and see if I can still have decent meals without gluten. The first problem I have already come across is the price, with gluten free alternatives being more pricey than the gluten rich counterparts.
In cutting out gluten I am hoping to become more conscious of my diet and the foods I eat.
Secondly I am hoping that removing this protein from my diet will help with my skin at the moment (which is kind of spot central for some reason) as I have heard that gluten can cause skin reactions. I am willing to try anything at this stage.

DAY ONE

Breakfast:

July Favourites!!

So July is over and I thought I would be a typical, unoriginal blogger and do a little post on my favourites for the month, except a little different because I am doing my favourite FOODS (or I suppose ingredients) for July. 

Fake Truffles

These 'truffles' are really balls of energy and fibre, disguised as chocolaty goodies. They are definitely the best thing that has come out of my kitchen in a long time - in regards to taste, a healthy treat and the ease of making! They are truly DELICIOUS.

Not Your Regular Salads - Quick, Simple & Quirky

2 medium courgettes
1 small garlic clove (crushed)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon chia/poppy seeds

Grate the courgettes and place in a bowl.
To this add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, honey and chia/poppy seeds.
Mix to combine and serve immediately.(If left to sit, the salad will become watery, due to the high water content of the courgettes and the other moist ingredients)

2 large oranges

4 handfuls of Rocket

Wash the rocket, dry and place in a bowl.

Peel the oranges and cut into segments.

Add all orange segments and juice to the bowl of rocket!

Simple and yummy.

Homemade Coffee & Coconut Oil Body Scrub

I'm sure lots of you have heard of Frank's Coffee Scrub, a miracle worker which boasts treating certain beauty 'flaws' such as stretch marks and acne. As a somewhat broke student I find it difficult to fork out €20 euro or more (at least not until I get a job) ...for a product that might not work.

Whether you want to treat acne, stretchmarks and cellulite.. or not, we all love a little pamper session. In my opinion a coffee scrub is a perfect way to do so because I find it quite relaxing and because of the many skin benefiting ingredients it contains! So what could be better than a homemade scrub, made using recycled coffee grinds, coconut oil and salt.

Super Healthy Banana Bread

No added sugar, milk, eggs or oil.

Elderflower Cordial

It's summer and because I live in the countryside I'm lucky to be surrounded by lots of white blooming Elder flower trees (or Elder trees?). I've always been one to try and make the most of what's around me... especially when it comes to 

food, and I could not resist to try a simple little recipe for Elder Flower Cordial.(Especially when they look so pretty and dainty).