Hello Fresh: A New Eating Regime

HelloFresh Welcome Booklet 084

Me and my man have been struggling recently. We are both (now) busy people, him with a successful web agency (no, he didn’t design this site, jerk!) and me with a challenging new role at my current agency. We also live in the centre of a cosmopolitan city with a plethora of restaurants, cafes and, ruh-roh, takeaways. Add both of those together and you get our incredibly unhealthy eating habits which include being on first-name terms with certain pizza delivery drivers.

Bad, eh. Then the other day I saw something about HelloFresh, a service a bit like Graze except you get a box with 5 full-blown meals worth of food and recipes.

What really appealed to us though was the variety of food which was available in the box the week we signed up. Not only do we love food, we love trying new food and cooking fresh, healthy meals without the effort of 1. having to think of them and 2. having to get all the ingredients and 3. having to remember to cook it seemed too good to be true.

So we got our first box. And wow, are we impressed! We just made our first meal, a Tabbouleh salad (which looks to be the weakest choice, mainly because I’m not a Halloumi fan) and you can see the result below!

HelloFresh Tabbouleh Salad With Halloumi 089

So we’re going to try this out – 5 meals for £50, all portion controlled, all fairly healthy, interesting and tasty. All the ingredients are delivered straight to our door from independent outlets which also appeals, I love supporting local business and the quality was way better than even Waitrose has been offering recently.

I got £20 off my first box – if you want £20 off yours too (and you can only have 1 box so no recurring contract) then use discount code AVRQ2B at checkout.

Autumn/Winter Flats Feat. UGG & Clarks

UGG Alloway Cheetah Flats Smoking Slippers 082

UGG Alloways in Cheetah

Long live flat shoes. I’d love to be one of those terribly chic women who dance around in heels all day, going about their business with balance and poise. That, however, is a pipe dream and the actuality of me in heels normally ends in a sprained ankle. So, it’s good news that (nice) flat shoes are still in fashion this Autumn/Winter season, and I’ve already acquired a couple of pairs for when the weather inevitably turns.

Firstly, I used a little discount and helped myself to these UGG smoking slippers. Not many people know that UGG do sell other shoes bar their rather unsavoury, but obviously very comfortable boots. I saw these on a couple of fashion bloggers and thought I’d check them out, and I’m actually very impressed. They come up a little small, so order a size up, but they are lined with sheepskin so are super comfortable; and are a very en vogue leopard print so hit the trends this year.

Clarks Black Patent Hotel Chic Loafers 080

Clarks Hotel Chic

I fell in love with these shoes when I first saw them. I couldn’t believe they are Clarks, except that I have been a convert since they released their slightly edgy brogues in Winter 2011. The pony skin look plus the patent gives the manly loafer style a feminine twist and they will be fantastic with jeans, or dressed up with black tights for a smart work meeting.

What shoes are you coveting for Autumn? I’m sure I will collect at least another 2 pairs so if you’ve seen any you’re after (monk shoes, anyone!) let me know..

La Vie est Belle: New Lancome Perfume

Lancome La Vie Est Belle Perfume 076

La Vie est Belle

Boots and their bloody £5 off perfume vouchers; gets me every time.

The newest addition to my collection is this beautiful musky, sultry number from Lancome. Reading the info after my rash purchase, I found it’s made with Jasmine, which seems to be one of the more pleasing perfume ingredients for my nose. It’s also got a very classy bottle – something as my collection grows that I care more about.

Apparently it also has something to do with Julia Roberts, and I quite like her, so that’s OK with me too.

Lancome Skincare Giftset 078

Then, I got done over by Boots again with their promise of a free gift if I brought another Lancome item. So, I treated myself to the Albar Elbaz Hypnose Mascara which I’ve had my eye on for months. Now I’m the proud owner of all these little tiny bits and pieces!

Jolly Good July Purchases

Topshop Breton Tshirt Zara Pink Bib Necklace 075

TopShop Breton Stripe Tee
Zara Bib Necklace
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Stoner – John Williams

So, I’ve joined the rest of you and brought this Breton stripe tee from Topshop. T-shirts are definitely a new ‘thing’ for me; I think this is the first time in 10 years I’ve owned more than one. But, I do appreciate the ease at which you can throw one on, tuck it into a skirt and leave the house. This one is a classic, and I’ve mostly been wearing it with my Reiss cornflower blue skirt and gladiator sandals.

I find Zara hit and miss for clothes, but their accessories are always bang on (even if a bit expensive for what they are). This dusty pink bib necklace is great for adding a bit of drama to an otherwise quite plain outfit. I’ve now also got my eye on this clear flower one here!

Finally, I’ve been so busy with work I’ve barely got time to even sit down at the moment, but when I do, I’ve been making the most of below, plus a few books I’ve had for a while.

Me and my man sat down one evening to attempt to watch Baz L’s version of the Great Gatsby; unfortunately, we didn’t get very far (just past the credits). I’m not sure how I feel about Jay Z’s sound track, but we both decided that it looked a bit too Moulin Rouge and not enough Romeo & Juliet so we’ve said we’re going to read the book again before we ruin it with bad music and overzealous artistic direction. So that’s why that one is there; the other, I was somewhat attracted to the book name. Who knows why.

John Lewis Mosaic Bed Linen 2 074

Bedding – John Lewis

And…finally. Look at this baby. With the excuse that we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed, we jazzed a load of money on this amazing bed from Warren Evans, complete with a Tempur mattress (apparently astronauts use this shit!). It is A-May-Zing. And so is this duvet cover!

Shorty: The Silly USB Stick

Net a Porter Marc Jacobs Shorty USB Keyring 068 mini

Just a short post this evening, showing something silly I have been after since before Christmas that showed up in the net-a-porter sale here.

It’s really the most ridiculous USB stick ever – 2GB for £25 when you can get non-designer one’s which have 100 x the storage. My dad refused to buy it for me as my Christmas present on grounds of practicality; he’s now immune to my silly ways.

So, a stupid purchase. But that’s kind of the point. I just love that little boston terriers black and white mug, and now it is pride of place on my key ring.

Any one else picked up anything anywhere near as stupid in the sales? Please share and make me feel better, thanks.