Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Winners Revealed

Hi Guys x
I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you for entering my giveaway x Using Rafflecopter I picked 3 winners who are

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congratulations ladies - if you can please email with you full names and postal addresses to pootle28@hotmail.com ,and  I'll arrange for your prizes to be sent out asap x x

If you weren't lucky enough to win this time don't worry I will have a new giveaway up next week xx

My Weekend - intu Metrocentre, Heating Woes, And August Favourites x

I hadn't planned on writing this post today, but as per usual life got in the way, so this is a combination of two posts that were supposed to go up at the weekend.

On Thursday I told all of you lovely people about the Beauty Box event at intu Metrocentre, so on Saturday me and Mummy Lou headed to the centre to have a little peek.

It was pretty quiet when we first arrived so there was ample opportunity to have a little look around the little stands located in the square outside House Of Fraser. Although it was early there were already people there who'd been lucky enough to get makeover appointments, having their hair done, courtesy of some of the salons in the centre and GHD.

The rest of the event comprised of stands from individual brands and stores. Whilst I was familiar with all of the brands, the event did probably make me aware of how many top quality brands are available within intu Metrocentre - Decleor, L'Occitane, Clarins, Bliss and Top Shop were just some of the showcased brands. Also displaying were some of the centres beauty and nail salons.

Personally I didn't learn a great deal, but my highlight was definitely seeing all of the Top Shop nail colours swatched - heaven, and my mum's was having a little try of the L'Occitane Divine Cream

On the whole I think the event was a good idea, but there didn't appear to be a lot of leaflets or information available for potential customers, and I have to be honest and say that some of the staff on the stands seemed to be less than approachable, somebody appeared to be giving some form of leaflets out but they seemed to be very selective as to who they gave them too - me and Mummy Lou didn't get them but someone ahead of us did - very odd! My stand outs from the event were L'Occitane and Top Shop - the ladies on both stands were very pleasant and easy to talk to, and the L'Occitane discount voucher / free gift was a nice touch.

I would love to see them do something similar in the future but I do think that the staff need to be more approachable and there perhaps needs to be some more leaflets, and promotional material on display. Maybe some promotional displays or face charts of how to achieve some of the looks, or even some leaflets or take home samples would make this a more valuable and inclusive event.

We only stayed at the Metrocentre for a couple of hours, stopping briefly for a cheeky Costa trip before coming to a freezing house! I'd had the best of intentions on Saturday and I'd planned to film a video and take some blog pics, but when we got home it was so dark and the heating wouldn't work - Nightmare! so from Saturday till lunchtime today we had no heating and no hot water argh. I soldiered on though and had a busy day yesterday taking blog pictures and recording a video. I don't always put my favourites videos on here but I thought why not x



You've  probably seen quite a few of the things in the video but there are a couple of new items and old ones that I've learnt to love. If you can't see the video here you can check out my You Tube channel here x

So that was my weekend - I hope you've had a good one x let me know what you did in the comments x

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 17

Although I wasn't in the right place mentally to weigh in last week, now I'm kind of regretting it. I'm the same weight today as I was two weeks ago when I last weighed. I can't be certain as to why, did I just not gain any weight, or have I just lost the weight that I gained in that missing week - I'll never know now and that irks me a bit. Never mind , after a bit of a wobble the next two weeks are crunch time for me.

I'm determined to lose a little bit more before I go away in 13 days so I'm intending to be super good, watching what I eat and maybe doing a little bit more physical activity or yoga stretches. I'm still listening to my Slim Pod every night and that is something that I will definitely keep doing over the next fortnight x

 I've started sorting my holiday outfits on and deciding what to take and shock of horrors I've decided to take a couple of two piece swimwear sets alongside my swimming costumes, a couple tankinis and a high waisted mix and match bikini combo. My stomach is still way flabbier than I would have liked but I really think that Thinking Slimmer system has not only contributed to my weigh loss but I think it's also helped me to feel a little bit more comfortable in my own skin.

To find out more about the Thinking Slimmer programme please check out their website x Thanks as per usual for all your support and if your going on your own weight loss journey, good luck xx

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Foodie Friday - Gluten Free Spinach And Ricotta Cannelloni With A Twist - Pancakes!

The observant readers among you, have probably noticed that there was no foodie Friday post last week, but I'm going to make it up for you this week, with a triple whammy. Last Saturday was my mums birthday so I made her a pretty epic 3 course vegetarian meal. The main course was a spinach and ricotta cannelloni, with a difference. As you know I eat a predominantly gluten and wheat free diet, and finding something  like cannelloni shells is nigh on impossible. In the past I've used cooked and rolled lasagna sheets, but this time I decided to use the humble pancake instead of the pasta rolls. This is my basic recipe and method to make fool proof gluten free pancakes, every time

Gluten Free Pancakes

1 Egg

1/2 Pint Milk

4oz Gluten Free Flour

Butter For Frying

This is probably the easiest recipe ever just whisk the egg, milk and flour together, till it's smooth and combined, it might look liquidy but don't panic.

You can leave your mix to stand for a while but it isn't essential.

Now time to cook them, first of all you need a good non stick pan, in my experience if you don't have one don't bother, no matter how much butter or oil you use your pancakes will stick. Add a tiny bit of butter to the pan and heat you don't need a lot as it's a non stick pan but it you do want it to be hot! Then add some batter, you don't need a lot so add it, and swirl it around the pan, till you get a thin layer of batter that covers the base. If you get some gaps just fill them up a little bit of better.

You need to keep an eye on your pancake, gradually you'll see bubbles start to form on the surface, and the edges will start to cook. 

You can have a little peek at it, if you like, and if it's started to brown you can turn it over, I use a palette knife or a non stick spatula. Then leave it for a minute or so to brown on the reverse said, then you can turn it again, or toss it :). You just want it to be firm and and to be starting to brown. You don't want to overcook them as you still want them to be quite flexible so keep watching them. 

Voila, done :)  Just repeat the process using the rest of the batter. You might even find that you don't need to add any more butter to the pan. Your first and last ones are usually the worst to look at but they will all taste yummy. Remember to that they will cook quicker as your go on as the pan will be hotter so don;t burn them x Depending on the size of the pan this recipe will make around 4 - 6 pancakes - I actually doubled the recipe and managed 8 large pancakes.

Obviously you don't want to be rolling and stuffing freshly cooked pancakes, you'd burn your fingers :) so simply lay them flat on a plate in between sheets of grease proof and leave them to cool. You can even freeze them so long as you keep them separated and flat. If you want more exciting pancakes you can add all sorts of herbs, spices , and flavourings in to the batter, sage would be nice with a roast dinner, cocoa powder would make nice chocolate pancakes, and for this dish maybe you could maybe add some grated cheese or so mixed herbs - but I left mine plain. The basic pancakes made with this recipe could also be served  with lemon and sugar, syrup, Nutella or whatever else you fancy, but for this recipe I filled mine with a spinach and ricotta filling

Spinach and Ricotta Filling

350g Raw Spinach Leaves

350g Ricotta Cheese

2-4 Cloves Garlic - Crushed Or Finely Chopped

1oz Grated Cheddar (Optional)

Salt And Pepper

Grated Nutmeg (Optional)

1. Pop the full bag of spinach into a colander and give it a good rinse

2. You can cook the spinach however you like but the quickest way and the way I do it, is to pour two kettles full of boiling water over the top of it - instant wilted and cooked spinach - pop it to one side and leave it cool and drain

3. Pop the ricotta cheese into a large mixing bowl. I used about 1 and a half tubs, as I'd already used a bit in my cheese cake, and then add the crushed or finely chopped garlic. You can add as much or as little as you like I love garlic so I usually add 3 or 4 cloves depending on the size. Give it a good mix till it's smooth.

Then if you like you can add 1oz of grated cheese, it's not essential but I think it gives a nice texture when it melts

4. By this time your spinach should be a bit cooler, if it's not pour over a little bit of cold water - you want to be able to handle it safely. Then attack it with the kitchen scissors, and shred it into smaller pieces. Obviously you could cut it before you wilt it, but it reduces in size so much you could end up with super small bits, and you want a bit of texture. When you've chopped it, pick out handfuls and squeeze it, you want to get rid of as much of the water as possible.

5. Then add it to your cheese mixture

and stir well, give it at little taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper, and if you have it a bit of freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Then leave it for about a hour if possible to allow the flavours to develop

Simples, this could be used as a pasta sauce or you could use it to stuff pasta, or pancakes. You could also maybe use cottage cheese instead of the ricotta, and I think it would also be nice to add a little bit of feta cheese to give it a more Greek feel.

The next task in my epic birthday main course is to make a good tomato sauce to top my stuffed pancakes with. This is stupidly simple and so versatile.

Super Quick Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp Olive Oil

2 Onions

2-4 Cloves Garlic 

I Can Chopped Tomatoes

4 x Fresh Tomatoes

Sugar To Taste

Salt and Pepper To Taste

Fresh Basil or Dried Mediterranean Herbs

1. Chop your onions, and fresh tomatoes in large, rough chunks, and add them to a food processor or blender, alongside the garlic, and the olive oil.

Zap it till it's roughly chopped and then add the tinned tomatoes and either some roughly torn fresh basil, or a pinch of dried Mediterranean herbs ( for example basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram) and give it a quick blast. have a little taste and then add either some more herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper, or some sugar depending on your personal taste and then pulse again.

2. Pop your sauce into a large pan and heat at a simmer for about 20 minutes or so, till it's darkened and thickened slightly. Then turn off the ring and allow to cool slightly

Don't buy it make it, a homemade tomato sauce just tastes so much fresher than anything you get out of a carton or a jar. This is a super quick pasta sauce, that you can use as a basis for bolognese, pasta dishes and as a pizza topping, and of course as a topping for my spinach and ricotta cannelloni with a twist :)

Gluten Free Spinach And Ricotta Cannelloni With A Twist 

2 Portions Of Gluten Free Pancakes

1 Portion Spinach And Ricotta Filling

1 Portion Super Quick Tomato Sauce

1 Ball Mozzarella 

1oz Grated Cheddar

1. Assembly time :) Preheat your oven to about 180 C. You will need a large baking dish, or a lasagna tray.

2. On a chopping board place your pancake, and at the top place one stripe of  the spinach and ricotta filling usually about 2 tablespoons - but you should be able to judge it by eye

Then roll it up, you want to roll it up pretty tightly if you can.

Then pop them join side down into your baking dish, and repeat till you've used up all of your pancakes and your dish is full. If you have some mixture left over either just ease it into the ends of your pancake rolls, or just pop it down the edges of your baking dish.

3. Then pour your cooked tomato sauce over the top of the pancakes.

4. Top with the sliced mozzarella and the grated cheddar or whatever cheese you like

and bake for around 30-40 minutes till the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted :)

5. You can serve this with a salad but to be honest you don't really need to, this is a meal in itself, carbs, veg and fat all in one. As me and Mummy Lou were having this as part of a 3 course meal and appetisers we had it hot from the oven, on it's own. We got four portions from the dish served on it's own. We ate one each straight away, and we ate the rest the day after warmed up in the microwave.

This dish was a total success and went down super well . Despite the number of stages this is actually a really easy recipe to make, as every part of it can be done at least an hour or so in advance, and as I said the pancakes can even be frozen or if your not gluten free bought ;), so as long as you have some in
the cupboard or the freezer you can make this dish anytime. I also love the fact that every part of this dish can also be used to make other things so once you've mastered something you can make it again and use it in another dish - voila more recipes to your repertoire.

I am definitely going to experiment and use pancakes in a few more dishes now that  I have my technique down to a fine art and that I officially make better pancakes than Mummy Lou :) I'm thinking of using them instead of lasagna sheets and of course to make more cannelloni inspired dishes. Do you experiment with dishes and ingredients as much as me ? leave me a comment and let me know and don't forget to check back at the end of the month to see everything that I made my mummy for her birthday dinner x

North East Follower Alert - Beauty Box Treats intu Metrocentre Shoppers To A Glamorous Makeover

Probably one of my favourite places in the world has to be my closest shopping centre, the intu Metrocentre. I know I'm sad but I'm a shopaholic and pursuing the aisles of this huge shopping centre, made famous by BBC 3's Shoplife when I have the energy makes me happy! I'm not huge on window shopping but this weekend I think I'm going to make an exception.

Intu Metrocentre have teamed up with Cosmopolitan magazine to launch their "Beauty Box" campaign, which is designed to help shoppers recreate their favourite beauty looks and effects, and to help them learn more about the autumn / winter hair and beauty trends.

The Beauty Box aims to treat shoppers to a unique FREE beauty experience with professional stylists on hand to offer bespoke treatments, as well as providing industry expert tips on achieving key make-up looks and fashion forward hair. Shoppers can enjoy the VIP treatments with their very own 15 minute master class from ND Make Up along with hair styling advice from BBC3 Shoplife’s very own Emma from Guys and Dolls hair salon based in the centre

Beauty pods will be located in Town Square this Saturday and Sunday, and shoppers will be able to turn up on the day for one-to-one consultations with the Beauty Box style team and centre retailers including House of Fraser, Boots and Marks and Spencer. Shoppers and visitors will also have the opportunity to win products from the participating retailers, as well as an overnight stay at the deluxe De Vere Slaley Hall Hotel in Northumberland.

I predict that this is going to be a super busy event, all the makeover slots appear to have gone already :( but there will still be lots to see so I'd get there early if your planning to go. I'm definitely going to try and pop down on Saturday to have a nosey for myself, I just need to padlock my purse first. Will I be seeing any of my North East followers there? let me know in the comments and I'll try and do a post for you if  I manage to go x To find out more about the event check out the intu Metrocentre website.

(This Post Was Written On Behalf Of intu Metro Centre, I Have Received No Financial Or Product Incentive To Write It, I'm Featuring This Because I Really Want To Go And Because I Think It's A Great Idea :)

Sore Muscles Be Gone! - A Chance To Win Courtesy Of Deep Heat x

I don't know about where you are, but over the last few days my little part of County Durham has a distinctly autumnal feel. The wind has howled, it's thundered, it's rained and it's cold. The cold means one thing to me - pain! for some reason my poorly muscles seize up in the cold, and I'm not the only one, Mummy Lou's aches and pains have returned too. Thankfully we have some heat on the way, in less than 3 weeks, we will be lucky enough to be warming our achy bits in sunny Cyprus.

I know not everyone is lucky enough to be jetting for some sun, so I have my fingers crossed that the Indian summer that everyone keeps promising us arrives sooner rather than later! Until then I guess I'll be digging out my TENS machine, and my range of Deep Heat products to keep the aches and pains at bay. Alas I can't pack you guys in my suitcase, but if your in the same position as me I might be able to help.

The lovely people at Deep Heat have given me three sets of their Muscle Rescue products to give away - each set will contains a bottle of the Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Bath Soak and a tube of the Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Neck And Shoulder Cream. I reviewed both of these products a little while ago now and I really loved them for soothing sore muscles particularly in my shoulders and back. You can read my full review here x

All you need to do is full in the form below before the 18th September for a chance to win x  This giveaway is open internationally x

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good Luck and if you have any questions please leave me a comment xx

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 16

 I've had one of those weeks when simply everything seems to happen and everything seems to go wrong. A visit to my doctor lead to a change in medication culminating in a 2 am panic attack! I've been feeling totally on edge all week for a number of reasons but I had to pull myself round in time for my mums birthday on Saturday. We had a fabulous day, filled with relatives and yummy food, but ever since I've felt utterly down and exhausted, I did far too much and believe me I'm paying for it, such is the life of a spoonie x

It's for those reasons that I've decided not to weigh today. For the last couple of days I've eaten to excess I've eaten lots of yummy things which I don't normally eat on none celebration days and I know for a fact that I will have gained. The team from Thinking Slimmer aren't big believers in weighing, and whilst I don't normally agree with that, today I'm making an exception. I don't really see the point in making myself miserable when the numbers on the scales rise instead of fall. I enjoyed my weekend and everything that I ate and I refuse to feel guilty for that. From today though I'm going to get back on track, eating sensibly, limiting treats and listening to my Slim Pod on a daily basis, I have just under 3 weeks to go to my holidays and I'm still confident that I can lose a little bit more, and be happy with my beach body. From next week, weigh in's will resume and I'll hopefully start seeing the numbers continuing to fall

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me at the moment, as well as my sporadic posting, I've been a total moaning Minnie on twitter and I really appreciate all the nice comments and tweets that I've received x If you want to find out more about the Thinking Slimmer programme and downloads please check out their website x

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Super Bright Nails Courtesy Of Etude House

This polish has caused me no end of problems? why well it's just too bright to photograph accurately.]

The catchily name Color Pop CBL601 by Korean brand Etude House, is a recent ebay purchase and it's a beautiful green based turquoise. My camera just would not show the colour as it should be, so these pictures are taken using my phone, and even they don't show how vibrant it is. This is just one coat, and applied like a dream not that you can probably tell from my shoddy, rushed manicure though.

I love the polish it's so bright and eye catching, and a real summer colour. Do you like this colour? let me know in the comments xx

Thinking Slimmer - Slim Pod - Week 15

Yeah I managed to lose a pound this week :) Yes that's a smiley face but in reality I'm a little bit
disappointed. I've tried so hard this week so to just lose a pound when people around you seem to be losing 4 and 5 is a bit disheartening - I guess that's one of the reasons why it doesn't always help to weigh yourself. No matter everybody seems to say that if you loose weight more slowly your more likely to keep it off so I'm hoping that this turns out to be the case, after all the really point of the Thinking Slimmer programme, is to make a permanent change.

The week ahead isn't going to be an easy one, it's my mums birthday on Saturday so we may be having a meal out and I'm going to be making her some yummies on her birthday, but everything in moderation and I'm just going to be extra good leading up to the celebrations.

To find out more about Thinking Slimmer please check out their website here, and please check out my weight loss page, and don't forget to search Thinking Slimmer, in my sidebar so you can find out more about my weight loss journey. xx

(The Thinking Slimmer Slim Pod "Create That Summer Beach Body" Was Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Trimming My Stash - August Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

It's a start of a new month and we're heading rapidly in to a new season. I don't mind autumn I love the colours and the fresh air but at the same I'm praying that summer stretches itself out for a bit longer. I know I'm going away at the end of the month but I want some more sunshine lol, we tried to put the heating on yesterday and it didn't work lol I need warmth :)

Anyways in August as in every other month so far this year, I've been trying to use up some of my beauty product mountain, and this is how I did x

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection 3 In 1 Purifying Micellar Solution - 200ml

Acorelle Firming Oil - 100ml

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover.- 75ml

Living Nature Nature's Hydrating Mist - 100ml

Soap & Glory Calm One, Calm All Bubble Bath - 500ml

All For Eve Body Scrub - 200ml

Boots Botanics Eye Make Up Remover -150ml

GOSH All In One BB Cream - 30ml - 02 Beige

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara - 10.7ml - Glam Black

Marc Jacobs Daisy Bubbly Shower Gel - 150ml

Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Bath And Shower Cream - 200ml

Total - 11 Items

So yet again I'm a creature of habit and I finished 11 items. It's really odd how consistent I've been this year, every month year I've finished 10 or 11 items. Again I'm pleased with how well I've done, I've finished a good variety of products including skincare, bath products, and a little bit of make up.

1. L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection 3 In 1 Micellar Solution - 200ml

Yes, I finished another bottle, I reviewed it here, but I really like it and I will definitely repurchase.

2. Acorelle Firming Oil - 100ml

This was something that I received from My Pure and that I reviewed here. It's a nice product but it was pretty expensive, and I don't notice that much difference.

3. Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover.- 75ml

Another product that I've reviewed on the blog, I had mixed feeling about this at first but I actually grew to really like it. I'm not 100% sure that I will repurchase though as I still like the versatility of the bottled stuff. Just a tip don't use it to remove a caviar manicure I did and I think that hastened the end of its life.

4. Living Nature Nature's Hydrating Mist - 100ml

Yet another My Pure product that I reviewed here - it was refreshing and felt nice on the skin but I hated the smell.

5. Soap & Glory Calm One, Calm All Bubble Bath - 500ml

Does anyone not like this product? At first I found the Soap & Glory signature scent a bit overpowering but I got used to it and now I love it. I will definitely repurchase this product.

6.All For Eve Body Scrub - 200ml

This was from a range of products that were designed to support The Eve Appeal - for gynaecological cancer research. Unfortunately I can't seem to find the products anywhere now, All the body and bath products had a super fresh smell, perfect for summer. This wasn't the grittiest scrub by any means but it did the job.

7.Boots Botanics Eye Make Up Remover -150ml

Sad times :( I only have one bottle left, thankfully the L'Oreal seems to be doing the trick

8. GOSH All In One BB Cream - 30ml - 02 Beige

This is another product that I was sent to review, you can read my full review here. I did really like this and it's definitely a potential repurchase.

9. Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara - 10.7ml - Glam Black

Definitely one of my favourite mascaras and something that I will always consider repurchasing, if my mascara whore days ever come to an end..It just does the job, it makes my lashes look blacker and fuller - result.

10. Marc Jacobs Daisy Bubbly Shower Gel - 150ml

Marc Jacobs is probably my favourite fragrance brands, and Daisy is probably my favourite. This shower gel came in a gift set and whilst I love it, it's about £19 to repurchase :(

11. Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Bath And Shower Cream - 200ml

I love Elemis and I love their Frangipani range, it smells gorgeous and it's so moisturising. Again this is spendy but I always get Elemis sets for Christmas and birthdays so I have another tube to use.

So they are the products that I used up in August. I will of course be doing this again throughout September, but like my monthly spends I will only be counting products until the 29th Septmber when I go on holiday. Are you doing something similar? leave me a comment and let me know xx

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