That Friday Feeling - Good Smells, a Bellabeat and some Billy on the Street

Friday...Friday...gotta get down on Friday...(yep...that song is going to be stuck in my head forever now)

I'm so ridiculously happy it's Friday this week. I intend to revel in every single lovely minute of the weekend ahead. Before I get started here's a few things I've been using & loving this week...

What I've been..smelling...

I found this range of candles by Urban Apothecary in my local Boots and have been a little bit in love with smelling them ever since. I bought the Carrot Cake and Mint Creme scents but also have Bakewell Tart, Custard Cream and Lemon Meringue on my wishlist...they smell so good I think they're actually helping my diet and keeping cake cravings at bay!

What I've been wearing...

I treated myself to a Bellabeat after hitting a health related milestone...it was a little 'yay me' present for myself. I haven't stopped wearing it and tracking my steps, sleep patterns and meditation habits. I think I'll do a full blog post on this little gadget at some point but I've been so impressed and it's definitely helped me keep my stress levels in check this week.

What I've been watching...


I love every manic inch of Billy Eichner. I think I would panic and run in the other direction if he ever ran up to me in the streets - but I can watch his clips for hours through the safety of youtube!


I have a weekend of viewing houses (we're thinking of moving home...scary and exciting all at once!), crafting for a craft swap and getting some jobs around the house finished (because...ya know...potentially selling our house) so nothing super exciting but I'm really excited to get started. For now it's time for sleep (if someone could teach me the technique to get my cat to stop using me as a trampoline in the middle of the night that would be fantastic).

Whatever you're doing this weekend I hope it's a happy one.

Bye for now

xxx

Getting to know matcha...

So I'm a month late to the Teapigs Matcha challenge but I'm not going to let that stop me! I've used this magical green powder for energy on and off for a few years but am going to use February as a chance to really start to build it into my daily diet.

I decided to treat myself to this set, which includes a tin of matcha and 'The Book of Matcha'. I'm only half way through reading the book, but I've already learnt a lot and it's way more interesting than a book about powdered leaves should be!

If you're new to matcha, here are some fun facts...

• Matcha is powdered green tea - and unlike normal green tea you drink the entire contents - rather than throwing away the good bit (the leaves!)
• It's fab for slow release energy - I sometimes drink a shot of matcha in the morning and it really helps me feel more awake for longer
• It's green tea which means it's packed full of antioxidants
• It can help your skin look healthier
• It makes a gorgeous latte!

The recipe for a lovely latte is in the matcha book (along with so many other recipes...I've never tried matcha for anything but drinks, but am going to have to break that tradition...matcha macarons anyone?)

After buying the set I quickly regretted not buying a traditional matcha whisk. Luckily amazon came to the rescue. To make a lot of recipes using matcha you need to turn it into a paste first, by adding warm water. The whisk has definitely made this really easy to do (I found a lot of my other attempts just left it a little bit lumpy) so I'd recommend one if you're thinking of using matcha more.

I really love the taste of matcha, which is good news, but I think it might be an acquired taste. It's like normal green tea but with an earthier flavour. It goes really well with almond milk and is amazing as a latte with some cinnamon mixed in. 

What healthy foods/ drinks are you trying out for 2017? 

Bye for now!

xxx