Sunrise run at my Zen place!

I'm back home in the Netherlands at the moment for a long weekend for a family occasion. One thing I always try to do when at my parents place is to go for a walk or run at the beach. My parents live in The Hague, just behind the dunes by the sea so it's only a 5 minute walk from home to one of my favourite places in the world. In general I'm definitely a person that loves being near water but the beach by my parents house is truly my personal 'zen' place! I don't know what it is but going for a walk there along the coast, feeling the wind against my skin, hearing the sound of the waves rolling in..it always puts my mind at ease and I feel in total peace. I always have the best and most honest conversations there with people and it's the one place where my mind can just roam free and I always feel better and happier once I've been there! So after arriving home on Wednesday night the first thing on my agenda for Thursday was a sunrise run on the beach..and I was lucky because it was a stunner of a day! It was a bit chilly but so worth it, just look at this..

I am currently trying to increase my running training because I actually signed up to do my first 1/2 marathon in March, eeek! Recently my knees started playing up a little so I decided to invest in some new running shoes. They say you should get new ones every year but I admit I'd had mine for almost 2,5 years. Whoops!

I got these new Asics sneakers (link) and I have really noticed a difference so bring on those 21km I say ;)

A no make up, just out of bed shot of me during my run. I always need music when I am running to keep me going and energised!

Such a beautiful sunrise! I took this photo with my iPhone; no filter!

This is the sun shining through the trees in the dunes on my way back after my refreshing and super peaceful run. I felt tired, but satisfied and happy! I mean how can an amazing place like this not bring a smile to my face :)

Do you have a location that is your 'zen' or happy place? Xoxo

 

Keeping fit Hollywood style!

Even though I am currently on holiday I still want to try to be a little healthy and work out; especially since I'm taking part in the London triathlon at the end of September! I'm doing the 10km run as part of a relay team so I really need to maintain my fitness levels over the next few weeks.

 

So while I was in LA I decided to keep fit the Hollywood way by going for a run at Runyon Canyon Park in the Hollywood Hills!

This was around 8.00am in the morning (yes up early because of jet lag!) before we started our gruelling run in the park. The run was an absolute killer; the heat and some serious climbing definitely meant I didn't look so fresh afterwards! No wonder all the celebs and LA people look so super fit; doing this run regularly definitely would keep you in amazing shape.

It was very cool to workout whilst admiring these awesome views over the city and even spotting the famous Hollywood sign!

 

To listen to my favourite beats during my run I used my brand new mobile phone accessory.

This is my Griffin Adidas Armband; made especially for the iPhone 4 (link). It's super lightweight, comfortable to wear and even has a little handy slot to put your key in!

After our workout we treated ourselves to a delicious but also nutritious breakfast at the Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills.

I had the yoghurt bowl with their homemade organic granola! It was very good, the only thing I would say is that I thought the portion of granola was a bit too small...it left me craving more but suppose that kept it a healthy morning Hollywood style ;) xoxo

 

Chicken and Orange Tabbouleh Salad

Hello everyone!
I am back from my holiday in Croatia and I had the most amazing time….photo’s will follow :)

After a holiday filled with lots of naughty food, alcohol and late nights this week is definitely all about the DETOX! Healthy eating, plenty of sleep, no drinking and lots of exercise. I recently found this recipe in the free London Stylist magazine and have made it a couple of times since. It’s a delicious, easy and healthy summer meal. This recipe is perfect for using up leftover roast chicken (or be lazy like me and just buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket)

Chicken and Orange Tabbouleh Salad

Ingredients (serves 6) 
300g medium bulgar wheat
500ml vegetable stock

1 bag of rocket salad leaves
120g walnuts
2 tsps cumin seeds
1 orange
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 mild chilli, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsps sea salt
1 leek (or red onion), sliced
700g leftover roast chicken
80g fresh parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsps walnut oil

Bulgar Wheat

Bulgar wheat is a whole wheat grain that has been cracked and partially pre-cooked. It is a naturally high-fiber, low-fat, low-calorie vegetarian and vegan food ingredient. Tough bulgur wheat is most commonly found in tabouli (tabbouleh) salad, you can use it just like rice or couscous, or any other whole grain, such as barley or quinoa.

Add the bulgar wheat to a pan with the stock, cover and put on a low heat for 5 minutes. Remove and fluff with a fork. In the meantime toast the walnuts and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan.

The original recipe didn't include rocket, but I love this peppery salad leaf so I decided to make my salad a bit lighter by less bulgar wheat and adding some rocket!

Grate the orange zest into a pestle and mortar. Add the olive oil, chilli, garlic, dill and salt. Crush together to form a paste, then add to the cooked bulgar wheat.
Peel the orange and cut into cubes and chop up the leeks and parsley! What a gorgeous range of colours don't you think?

Shred your leftover chicken or use ready grilled or rottiserie chicken if you don't have any leftovers.

Now mix together the bulgar wheat with the chopped orange, leek, walnuts, cumin seeds, chicken and parsley. Squeeze over the lemon juice and dizzle over some walnut oil and combine!

And there you have it, a yummy healthy lunch or dinner!
The combination of the nutty bulgar wheat with walnuts, chicken and fruity orange is just delicious.

Recipe from cookbook ‘Supper With Rosie’ by Rosie Lovell

See the online link to the original recipe here (link).

Are there any healthy summer recipes you are loving at the moment? x

Your top five beauty investments by Veronika

Hi! I’m Veronika and I write the style, beauty and home décor blog, Veronika’s Blushing.  I’m delighted that Roz has asked me to guest blog for her while she’s on holiday and I’m here today to share what I think are your best “beauty investments.”

When you’re a style and beauty blogger, it’s tempting to try a lot of different looks and products. Over the years, I’ve had different hair colors and makeup routines, but I’ve noticed that as I get older, I’m more focused on creating a signature look and enhancing my appearance in the areas where I’ll get the most return on my efforts, both in the short and long term.

Sometimes, it’s tough to evaluate what you should spend your time (and money) on when it comes to beauty products and regimens. Here’s what I think are your best beauty investments:

Full, polished hair- Maybe you can’t afford to get a blowout like the lovely Duchess of Cambridge three times a week, but what you can do is learn how to give yourself a fantastic blowout. There are plenty of great tutorials on YouTube or, if you feel comfortable, ask your stylist to show you how to blow out your hair or go to a blow dry bar and observe the techniques that they use. The best part? A well-done blowout gives you incredible return on your investment---those 20 to 25 minutes you spend styling your hair make it bouncy for days---meaning you can skip daily washes and touch up your hair with some dry shampoo.

Kerastase Cristaliste Lumiere Liquide, one of my favorite blowout products!

Smile- The days of overly-bleached, Hollywood-perfect teeth are over---but a great smile has never gone out of style. Maintain your oral health by flossing nightly, using a whitening or stain-removing toothpaste (I like Crest Vivid White or Colgate Whitening) and if you can, invest in an electric toothbrush. I love my Sonicare toothbrush so much that I even travel with it! I also whiten my teeth once a year to maintain brightness and remove stains. I use professional trays I had made at my dentist’s office, however Crest Whitestrips Professional are also a wonderful an effective option.

Skin- Everyone wants clear, glowing, even-toned skin. For some of us, it comes naturally and for others (like me) who struggle with acne or other skin issues, keeping your skin clear can be quite the challenge. Investing in great skincare products is important---but so is prevention. In your early to mid 20’s is when you should start thinking about using eye creams and moisturizers that will help prevent premature aging, including sunscreen, which you should wear every time you’ll spend any significant amount of time in the sun. Establishing a preventative skincare routine now will be an investment that you’re still patting yourself on the back about 10 and 20 years from now. I used tanning beds a lot when I was in college and once I became aware of not only the increased risk of melanoma but also how much it prematurely ages you, my skin never touched a tanning bed again. Ten years later, I’m still reaping the benefits---at 29, I’m pretty happy with my skin and don’t have a lot of wrinkles.

Probably my most “glowing” day---at our 2009 wedding

Bright-eyed- They say that the eyes are the windows into the soul and I think they’re also one of your most important features to highlight. Bright, defined eyes can make your entire face look balanced and awake. I always use concealer on my lids as a base to even out my eye area and then I use Maybelline’s Eraser Dark Circles in the light pink “brightener” color under my eyes to perk up and lighten the entire under-eye area. I also use Benefit’s Eye Bright on my lower lash line and in the inner corner of my eye. I have a tutorial of my entire eye makeup routine here. By far the most impactful part of brightening up your eyes is curling your lashes. I feel like it instantly makes you look youthful and rested. I heat my eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a few seconds and it locks the curl in all day (and, if you want it to last extra-long, always use waterproof mascara because the formulas are drier and help lock in the curl).

Using light pink under your eyes really brightens your entire face!

Trim and Toned- By far one of the best beauty investments of all is keeping your body strong and toned. From a physiological perspective you’ll have more energy, sleep better, be stronger, more flexible and have more endurance---and from a mental perspective you’ll feel balanced, happier and more satisfied with your overall appearance. My favorite toning workings include The Bar Method, Ballet Beautiful and Pilates. I find that these types of workouts really target such a wide array of muscle groups and they work muscles you didn’t even know you had! There are also fantastic workouts available on YouTube (for free!) by the girls from Tone It Up and BodyRockTV.

On my way to the gym! All gear by Lululemon

What are your best beauty investments?

Leave a comment below or come visit me over at Veronika’s Blushing.
Thank you for having me!

(No Thank YOU Veronika - what a great post. It's easy to see why I love her blog right? xoxo Roz)

Healthy easy dinner: Sweet corn Fritters

In summer time I love making quick, fresh and healthy dinners! Corn fritters are something I love at brunch or dinner time and recently I found a great recipe that I thought I'd share :)

These savoury morsels are quite the treat - but guilt free!

Ingredients:
(Serves 1-2 people)

Fresh sweet corn kernels
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 heaped tbsp. self-raising flour
Salt & pepper
Olive oil for frying

Optional add-ins: capsicum (peppers), spring onions, chilli or anything else that takes your fancy!

I was inspired to make this recipe because I'd purchased some lovely fresh corn from the Portobello markets but you can also use canned (not creamed!) or frozen corn but personally I think you can't beat FRESH corn off the cob :)

Start by removing the kernels from 2 large heads of sweet corn with a sharp knife....

Put them into a mixing bowl with a whole egg, a little salt & pepper and 1 heaped tbsp of self-raising flour....

plus I opted to add some more colour to my corn fritters in the form of red capsicum...

Beat the separate egg white until stiff....

Mix the corn, egg, flour, capsicum together and gently fold in the whipped egg white into the mixture.

(Be careful not to over-mix the batter because this will result in heavy cakes)

Drizzle a little olive oil into a nonstick frying pan. When the oil is warm, place large tablespoons of the batter in the pan and leave for a couple of minutes to brown lightly...

Flip them over with a palette knife and cook the other side. Lift out, drain on kitchen paper, then eat immediately. I served mine with a small rocket salad on the side and a big dollop of avocado mash on top!

(Avocado mash: roughly mashed avocado, chopped coriander and parsley & some lemon/lime juice)

Let me tell you, these were truly delicious, filling and super easy to make! For an even more yummier meal you could add some cooked rashers of bacon or slices of grilled haloumi and roast vine tomatoes. Have you tried corn fritters before? If not, I think you should give it a go.....it looks tasty doesn't it?!

Bon appetit ;) xoxo

Run Roxy Run: my favourite running iPhone apps!

As much as exercising has always been a part of my life, I have never been much of a runner. Growing up I was into team sports with field hockey being my sport of choice. Only a couple of years ago (when I needed to lose a few kilos) I started working out at the gym but I would mainly go to classes, do weight & core exercises or work out on the cross trainer. Running was just something I wasn't good at and couldn't motivate myself to get into.

However, since moving to London I found so many of my friends were into running and it is such a great, healthy and outdoorsy way to work out I decided to get over my running 'fear' and set myself a challenge! One of my new years resolutions for for 2012 was to take part in a 10km run and once winter was over I found myself entering the London BUPA 10km run to motivate me to reach my goal. So this meant getting out there and train, train, train! However as much as I thought I was pretty fit and healthy I was really struggling to run for more than 10 minutes without being completely puffed and exhausted. So I decided to look for help....and I found it in a couple of nifty little iPhone apps!

Neon Coral iPhone4 Cover by H&M

These apps have really helped me train and I recommend you trying them if you want to get off the couch and get running :)

♥ Get Running App (Couch to 5K) - £1.99 (link)
This is the first app I got to get myself ready from huffing and puffing after 10 minutes to be able to run for 30 minutes in one go!  It claims that "With three enjoyable workouts a week, in nine weeks you will be running continuously for half an hour, even if getting off the couch is a struggle today! Get Running breaks through the “beginning barrier” with its popular Couch to 5k running plan. In week one’s workouts you'll alternate one minute of running with 90 seconds of walking. With each new week, Get Running’s human voice coach gradually builds up your pace, until you’re running for a whole half-hour!"

I absolutely loved this app because it coached me like a personal trainer would with lots of recorded progress and encouragement prompts like 'well done, you have run for 20 minutes now - only 10 more minutes to go!'

♥ Map my Run - FREE (link)
Run, record and track your workouts. It works with the GPS on your iPhone and tracks your route on a live map, records your distance and pace and time. You can set it to give you voice prompts every five minutes so let you know how long you've run and how many km's you have done which for me is a great motivator when I set myself a time/distance goal for that day!


♥ Bridge to 10K App -  £1.99 (link)
"Specifically designed for 5K app graduates. Pick up where the 5K app leaves off and get to running a 10K (6.2 mile) race in just 6 weeks."


With all of the above iPhone apps you can keep your iTunes music playing at the same time. I find playing upbeat music really helps me keep energised and pumped to complete my runs :) You know how people say running becomes like a drug, well I always thought people were a little nuts when they said that....but maybe I am starting to believe it. The feeling when you've completed a good run is amazing...exhausting but so satisfying! I am happy to say that I can now run around 8-9km and this weekend brings my big challenge for the London 10km BUPA run

I decided to run this race for charity and I just want to say THANK YOU to all my generous friends and colleagues that have donated so far. I am running for the 'Beating Bowl Cancer' charity because several members of my family have unfortunately been personally affected by this horrible illness and I think the work this charity does to raise awareness is fantastic.

My Just Giving Charity Page (link) if you want to support this worthy cause!

Happy Hump day everyone and wish me luck for Sunday!! ;) xoxo

Dump the Lumps with Feel Good Drinks!

For most people (girls anyway) the start of the new year is a time where we reflect on our eating habits & tell ourselves we will really try (lol) to watch our intake of alcohol, chocolates, fat and sugary stuff! Overall I'd say I am a pretty healthy eater already but oh dear I definitely pigged out over the holidays! (..well it's allowed at that time of the year right?) So the last few weeks I have been taking it easy & making sure I eat healthy again, just to balance things out!

So perfect timing when I got the opportunity to try some healthy NO sugar fruit drinks, courtesy of 'Feel Good Drinks'. I had never heard of this brand before so was keen to give them a go! Apparently a lot of drinks out there that claim to contain no sugar can sometimes have as much as 3 teaspoon fulls! (shock horror)

Feel Good Drinks drinks are packed full of good stuff and absolutely no added sugar or artificial nasties, so they’re overflowing with feelgoodness! Plus they taste delicious :)

I got sent a selection of their range to sample; I tried some drinks myself and shared the rest with friends & collegues. See our comments below:
♥ Orange & Mango Fruit Water

"It was sweet enough to satisfy my cravings (and no longer require my Coca-Cola fix). Texture is smooth so you're unaware that you're even drinking a fruit blend. Very enjoyable tastle, and a good size bottle to quench my thirst" Roz: This was my favourite because I love Mango juice!

♥ Sparkling Cranberry & Lime

"It’s very nice, refreshing. Doesn’t taste artificial, not too gassy & you can taste the lime. It would actually be a great alternative to an alcoholic beverage if you were out!"

♥ Apple & Blueberry Fruit Water

"When I first opened the drink, it smelled really really sweet, which I was a bit worried about because I really don't like those sugared up juices, but the taste is really subtle. Nice apple and blueberry flavour and it counts as one of my five a day, yay! I like the packaging and that it's a glass bottle too, more easily recyclable than plastic."
♥ Cloudy Lemon (Sparkling or Fruit Water version)

I like lemon flavoured drinks so I really enjoyed the sparkling lemon drink! My friend however felt the lemon & carbonation combo made it a little sharp and acidic. I suppose we all have different taste buds ;)
♥ Cranberry & Orange Fruit Water

A really nice flavour, not too sweet and not too watery! Really refreshing plus a winner for people who are not big fans of cranberry juice normally because it's a great combination with the orange.

You can buy these drinks now at your local supermarket, bars, pubs, cafes, high street shops, garage forecourts and convenience stores across the UK. To check out their full range of drinks plus any more information on Feel Good Drinks, please visit their website http://www.feelgooddrinks.co.uk/

Have you got any specific health new year resolutions and will you be watching your sugar intake this year?

*the small print: this post was sponsored by Feel Good Drinks.

Healthy Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars!

Want a delicious filling snack without any guilt? 

Then look no further than my amazing Healthy Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars!!! 

Ingredients: 

1 + 1/2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup dried fruit (I used 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots, 1/4 cup golden raisins, 1/4 cup normal raisins)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 + 1/4 cups skim milk

1 egg 

1 tsp vanilla

Let's start making these yummy and healthy snack bars!

♥ Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F)

♥ Start by adding all dry ingredients in a bowl. Start by adding oats (1), walnuts (2), dried fruit (3 & 4), cinnamon (5) and salt (6)

♥ Mix them all together (7)

♥ In a separate bowl add the milk (8), egg (9) and vanilla (10)

♥ Pour the wet into the dry ingredients (11)

♥ and stir to combine (12)

Super easy right?! 

Now pour the mix into a 23x23cm (9x9inch) baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with baking paper. Pop this baby in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes. Cut into squares & let it cool! While delicious, the only sweetness in these comes from the dried fruit so you can add in 1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar (or honey) if you like, but personally I don't feel it needs it. 

The variations for these bars are endless: cranberries, coconut, all kinds of dried fruit (e.g: dates, apples, cherries, banana) and nuts, seeds etc! (you could even add some chocolate chips...hehe) 

I usually wrap each bar in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer. This means I can easily grab & go for a healthy (but delicious) snack or microwave for instant enjoyment. Note: these are not crunchy like a granola bar, but they are chewy like thick muffin. I can pretty much guarantee that you will love them & whoohoo you actually won't have to feel guilty when you can't stop eating them ;) 

ENJOY xoxo

Original recipe from Kath Eats

A little obsessed...

Omigosh I am a little obsessed with frozen grapes at the moment. If you have never tried these you are seriously missing out!

I have them most nights as a healthy sweet treat before bed. I already loved fresh grapes but I always found that when I bought a bunch or huge bag I devoured them (all) in minutes.
So I decided to freeze them in smaller portion sizes. Once frozen  the grapes become like mini-popsicles that you can eat by the handful. They're crunchy, a little sweet, and incredibly addictive. Yum yum!