Friday Fitday - Recipe: Broccoli and Kale Soup

I've got a super healthy and super easy recipe, it's a gorgeous green soup that is packed full of vitamins and nutrients. I decided to make broccoli soup after I had it for lunch one day from the cafe near work, it was nice enough but a bit bland and thin - I knew I could do better!

I've heard that kale is really good for you, I'd never tried it before but I thought it would go well with the broccoli. I wanted to keep this soup as healthy and low in calories as possible, so I added in a potato to thicken it rather than adding cream which would have bumped the calories up quite a bit. If your not trying to lose a few pounds then feel free to add in a bit of cream, but honestly you don't need to!

This makes enough for 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 large broccoli
• 1 bag of kale - I used about 2/3 of a 200 gram bag
• 1 red onion
• 1 large potato
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• Seasoning - I used an all purpose seasoning plus cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick

Instructions

• I like to start by washing and cutting up my veggies so that they are ready to add to the pot when needed
• Add a small amount of olive or vegetable oil to a big pan, once it has heated up add the red onion and cook for a few minutes to soften
• Add in the kale and cook for a few minutes
• Make up your stock cube according to the instructions I used 2 cubes for 900ml of water, add to the pan
• Add the potato and cook for about 5 minutes before adding the broccoli
• Leave to simmer away until the potatoes soften and can be easily cut in half, this takes about 10 minutes
• You could leave the soup chunky and eat it as it is, but I personally didn't think it looked that appetising so I blended mine. I blended it in two batches, I speak from experience when I say don't try to blend it all at once!
• Blending seems to cool  the soup down a bit so I always heat it again for a few minutes before serving

This is honestly one of the tastiest soups I've ever tried, it has a lovely fresh taste and I think it is perfect for summer. If you like broccoli you can't go wrong with this soup :)

Do you make your own soups? I love making them, they are a easy and tasty way to get lots of different veggies in your diet. They are also a good option if you are on a budget, but still want a healthy and filling lunch.

Bye xxx

International Beauty Swap - Malaysia

Back in April I received another international beauty swap, this time it was with Swee who blogs over at The Sweet Spot which started out as a foodie blog with some of the most delicious looking cakes I've seen, but Swee has recently started to feature beauty posts. Beauty and sweet treats, sounds like the perfect combination to me :)

Swee sent me some lovely bits and pieces, including sheet masks, skincare products, false eyelashes and nail wraps.

As soon as Swee told me she lived in Malaysia the first thought that popped into my head was - sheet masks! I was so happy when she told me they were available in Malaysia!

As you can see she sent me a really good selection of sheet masks, I was only expecting 1 or 2 so it was a nice surprise to see so many. I've tried out the aloe vera (my fave so far, my skin looked and felt plumper for 2 day's afterwards), the Caviar mask which was probably my least favourite so far, the Ginseng Stem Cell mask made my skin look nice and bright, and last night I used the snail mucus mask which thankfully didn't have a funky smell! I'm not an expert when it comes to sheet masks, but from my experience with them so far I can say that they all offer amazing hydration and my skin looks visibly more hydrated and plumper after use.

I've not tried the H20 cleanser or toner yet. I have been using the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion and OMG I love it! It is a toner (the Japanese call toner lotion btw) that you pat onto your skin rather than using cotton pads to apply, it has made such a big difference to how soft and hydrated my skin feels. I had heard of Hada Labo before and knew that it was a very popular skincare brand in Japan, 1 bottle of this is sold every 4 seconds, so I'm really pleased I got to try this out. I will definitely be buying a replacement bottle!

I don't actually have long enough nails just now to try these nail wraps out, but I will give them a try once I manage to grow my nails a bit.

Asian false eyelashes are meant to be really good, so I can't wait to try these out. I'm not a big fan of really obviously fake eyelashes, so I'm pleased that Swee sent me styles that look like they will enhance my eyes while still looking quite natural.

An Elianto blush, cute cup cake lip balm and SPF and BB cream samples. I've used the blush a few times and it gives a nice touch of colour to the cheeks. I really liked the SPF sample too, there was no greasy texture it just sank straight in.

 

And finally some hair chalk and a really cute makeup bag. I have pretty dark hair so it will be interesting to see how they look.

If you want to see what I sent to Swee click here! A big thank you to Swee for getting in touch and for a lovely swap :)

Bye xxx

Dr Organic Virgin Olive Oil Cuticle & Nail Solution Review

My cuticles and nails have never been in the best condition, so I'm always trying to make them look a bit neater and nicer looking. I bought the Dr Organic Virgin Olive Oil Cuticle & Nail Solution from Holland & Barrett when they were doing a buy one get one half price offer, to see if it was any good. I personally can't stand olives, wish I did though cos they're so good for you! Olives aren't just a great healthy food, they are also great for your skin.

The packaging isn't the most pleasing on the eye, but the squeezy tube and nozzle applicator are really practical and make application super easy.

It comes out looking like a light weight gel, but once you start to massage it into the nail and cuticle it becomes an oil. I only needed to apply a small amount to each nail, a little goes a long way. I'm really impressed with this cuticle oil, I have definitely noticed an improvement in the overall appearance and condition of my cuticles.

Have you tried this cuticle oil before? What cuticle oil do you use?

Bye xxx

NOTD: Ciate Paint Pots Pocket Money - Marie Claire Freebie!

I thought I'd just do a little NOTD to show you all one of the Ciate Paint Pots that you can get with this months Marie Claire. There are two shades available; Sand Dune which is a gold glitter and Pocket Money, which I picked up, is a gorgeous pinky brown neutral that will be great for everyday wear.

 

I think Ciate have the nicest nail polish bottles, the little bow is so cute!

I love how it looks, it makes my hands look much nicer and sophisticated. There is definitely more of a pinky tone to it in real life, my camera just isn't that great at picking up colours sometimes.

Application wise this wasn't the best to apply, the first coat was really streaky so a second coat is definitely needed to give an even finish.

Will you be getting any of the Marie Claire Ciate freebies? They are £9 to buy full price and Marie Claire is £3.80 so you can get both for less than it would cost to buy one! Bargain!

Bye xxx

Essence Oz The Great and Powerful Cream Blush in Beware The Wicked Witch Swatches and Review

Essence Oz The Great and Powerful Cream Blush in 01 Beware The Wicked Witch is part of the trend edition that Essence released to tie in with Disney's Oz The Great and Powerful.

The packing is nice and simple, it's very easy to control how much product I want to come out, I also like the fact that it is transparent so I can see how much I have left.

 It is a peachy orange colour with a fine gold shimmer running through it, I don't notice the shimmer once it's applied to my skin though. I've used cream blushes before, but they a solid texture not a liquid like this which looks like it would be thick, but is actually really easy to blend into the skin.

I used one drop (the amount shown in the pic above would be enough to do a week's worth of uses!) which was enough for both cheeks, I just use my fingers to blend it into my skin. I think the colour looks really flattering on me, it is quite sheer although you can build it up, so I think that helps as it doesn't look too bright or garish on me. I think this is one of those shades that will suit both pale and more tanned skin tones. I'm very impressed with the staying power, it stays on all day! It doesn't muck up my foundation either, sometimes with other liquid blushes they sort of 'move' my foundation around if that makes any sense, well this doesn't which is good!

I know this is a limited edition product so I'm not even sure if it's still available, but if you live in a country that sells Essence and can get it then I would definitely recommend it.

Bye xxx

Essence Marble Mania Lipgloss in Peach and Mix Swatches

Essence Marble Mania Lipgloss in Peach and Mix (love the name!) is a sheer peachy orange lipgloss that has just the right amount of shimmer to make your lips look nice and plump.

The formula is non-sticky which is great, I am not a fan of sticky lipgloss at all, getting your hair stuck in your gloss is rubbish!

It does apply quite sheer, but the colour can be built up a bit. I've found that it lasts about 2 hours before needing to be reapplied.

Bye xxx

NOTD: Revlon Girly

I thought Revlon Girly would be a lovely nail polish to wear over Easter, it kinda reminds me of chocolate mini eggs. Girly is a very sheer milky pink packed full with pink and purple glitter, it definitely lives up to it's name.

As it is so sheer I would recommend layering it over either a pink or lilac nail polish, I went for both alternating on each nail.

One coat.

Two coats.

Three coats, looking a bit smudged oops! I personally think that 2 coats gives the best effect, as 1 coat looks too subtle but I think 3 coats makes it look kinda tacky!

What do you think of Revlon Girly, cute and girly or tacky and trashy!? Not that there is anything wrong with a bit of tackiness every now and then :) Hope you're having a nice Easter and scoffing lots of Easter eggs! I'm off to eat some chocolate crispy cakes!

Bye xxx