Easy Valentines Day Recipes!

Hello!

Being it February Valentines Day is one of the big events (if not the biggest) - whether you have plans or not, it doesn't mean you can't make valentines inspired food!

Well, I'm not that great of a baker, yet I do like to bake! So, for V. Day I wanted to make something simple and easy, which doesn't take very long so it can practically be eaten straight away - being impatient and all! So here are some VERY simple recipes you (and your friends) can make in a matter of minutes!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

A typical Valentines Day Snack that is super easy and extremely tasty! The first picture looks so lovely and pink - perfect for Valentines Day, but still quite hard, so a simple chocolate covered strawberry will do too! All you do is melt some chocolate (milk, white or dark -up to you) and dip strawberries in. You can either have a fondue style or simply leave the chocolate to cool and have later. I prefer it like a fondue! Yum! 

Cocoa Cornflakes/Rice Krispies Treats

Do you remember doing this as a kid? I remember in Primary School one Friday afternoon we got to make these - that was because a teaching assistant was leaving so she decided to treat us! 

Anyway, there are multiple ways of making this - you can either simply melt chocolate and mix in cornflakes/rice krispies or with cocoa. Melting Chocolate is probably the easiest option. To break it down, just get some chocolate, melt on a double boiler or microwave (be careful not to burn it, trust me it's not nice in terms of smell, or taste of course!) and mix in cornflakes/rice krispies.

I'm not sure if that was completely necessary to explain yet there we go! :)

Pink Popcorn

This was a new one for me! I thought it was very nice! Basically you add food colouring to popcorn! I haven't done this before yet loved the idea! Perfect if you're watching a movie for V. Day! 

Pretty Pink Trail Mix

This is so super easy too, it's just throwing together things you have such as cereals (cheerios, raisin wheats, shredded wheat… etc.) chocolate chips, M&M's, popcorn, raisins, dried cranberries, nuts… whatever you have! I love how you don't need anything specific for this and you can make this completely to your taste! Again, perfect for a movie or night in or something you may have planned for valentines day!

So, that's a couple of snacks you can make which are super, super easy to make and so simple!
Also, for Valentines Outfit Inspiration click here! I hope you have an amazing, fun day on Friday with your valentines, or even watch a movie by yourself with yummy snacks (it seems like a fun night too)!

What's your favourite simple recipe to make?

 Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Healthy, Yummy, Quick Snacks

Hello! 

New year. New, healthier, you!
So, with the Christmas and winter, we tend to have slightly overindulged with the oh-so-yum Chocolate and pies that are available! So, we need to get set on a healthier route again, right?

I, too, may have received one too many chocolate gifts for Christmas which I will need to hide away from now on!

Here are some easy snacks which are yummy as well as healthy. A lot of the time we think healthy tasting disgusting - and yes, honestly, sometimes it does! But these ideas taste so yummy, you won't think they're healthy!

1. Cereal in a Bowl - without the milk

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I LOVE Raisin wheats by themselves. They provide a serving of dry fruit, as there are raisins inside the mini wheats. Also, they are a great serving of wholewheat and fibre. Many of us don't have enough fibre in our diets due to the fear of Carbs, yet we need the 'good' carbs in our life and fibre to help with digestion! So, Raisin wheats are sweet and crunchy. A perfect easy-to-grab snack.


2. Carrots with Hummus 

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Carrots are veggies. Veggies are good for you! I am not likely to eat just a plain carrot on it's own. Hummus is a dip made from Chick Peas. Chick peas are full of protein, low in fat and taste nice. Therefore, hummus tastes nice! Pairing these two items is a match made in heaven. I wasn't a big hummus fan myself until a few days ago, and I've been having this for the last two days straight!
Just get baby carrots or cut slices from big carrots and dip in the hummus (about 2 tablespoons) - enjoy!
You can also eat with cucumber slices, pepper slices and even grapes - yes, I tried it with grapes and it's nice!


3. Apple and Peanut Butter

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Many people will look at this and think 'Ergh.. Peanut butter is NOT healthy' - let me tell you: it is! Actually, I once told somebody about this and they said 'How can peanuts mixed with Butter be healthy, have you lost your mind?!' - well, actually peanut butter is not peanuts and butter - contrary to the name! It is actually roasted peanuts blended to a spread-like consistency. Therefore, no saturated fat is in natural peanut butter! It is all the good unsaturated fats! These improve cholesterol levels and lower risk of heart disease. Though, peanut butter is calorie dense, so 1tbsp with an apple is perfect! Peanut butter tastes incredible! Apples are also a natural teeth whitener, so eat up for those pearly whites!

Those are my 3 favourite go-to snacks! I hope you have a healthy, tasty and happy New Year!

What are your favourite snacks? 

Current Everyday Makeup - Less than 5 minutes!

Hello!

Compliments are great, aren't they? Well, when I wear this look, I get a few of them and I thought I'd share a QUICK makeup look that takes me a maximum of 5 minutes to do every morning before I leave the house - because, let's face it, who's fully awake enough to do an entire face of makeup when you have to leave the house in 15 minutes?!

Something that adds a little extra but doesn't make you LOOK extra is the perfect mix for me. This way, I'm wearing makeup, yet tend not to look overdone - because at a college where most people are in jogging bottoms, this isn't cute!

 First of all is the eye makeup. I love eyeshadow pencils. I use the Barry M Eye and Lip Crayon on my lid, then use 'Erotica' from the Too Faced Natural Eye Palette in my crease.
This defines my eye shape and adds a little depth.

I also curl my lashes and then apply mascara - at the moment I've been using Maybelline The Falsies… not sure it beats my favourite mascara of all time, though!

My eye looks red here - I think it's because I'm tired… that's why mascara is important - to make you look more awake - I obviously need it! haha! 

Next is Blush and I have been using 'Golden Hour'. I found this in my mums vanity so I don't know where it's from. I LOVE it, though and have hit MAJOR pan on it - well, basically it's finished! :(
It was a rose gold shade and was gorgeous! I need to find a dupe… ASAP!
I just sweep this on my cheek bones using a MAC 168 brush.

Finally, I use a lip colour! Recently I have been reaching for my Revlon Liquid Lipstick in Perfect Peony. I apply a bit on my lips and then use my fingers to rub it in. It looks so nice and even if it wears off a little bit throughout the day, it doesn't make your lips look bad.

I also use translucent powder if need be but try and avoid foundation.

This has been my current everyday makeup taking me less than 5 minutes!

What's your must-have makeup for everyday?

Dry Skin from Cold Weather?!

Hello!

Now winter is full blown and yes, we're reaching temperatures below 0 degrees Celcius in England right now, it means to say you may be finding your skin getting drier? Even worse: Flaking!

You may think that its the cold weather that is actually drying out your skin - but this is a MYTH.
In reality it's the central heating in your home that is drawing out moisture from your skin. Notice how flowers kept near a radiator are likely to quench up and dry out? It's the same for your skin.

STOP your skin drying out by adding a humidifier to your home, or just your bedroom. Yet, these can be expensive and somewhat unrealistic to get. So, these are some easy ways you can add moisture to your home:

Dry some clothing on your radiator: this means the moisture from the wet clothing/material will evaporate and add moisture to the room

Houseplants: like I mentioned earlier, plants can get dry if near the radiator. Make sure to water the plant well so it a)Lives and b)Adds moisture to your room

 Or, you can simply use a dish of water: place a shallow dish of water near a radiator so again the water can evaporate and prevent the central heating leaving your skin cracked!

Oh, and if you currently have dry skin - apply some vaseline before you go to bed, and rub it in.

So, keep your room nice and warm, yet moist this winter and save your skin!

What's your skin saviour for dry skin? 

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Who to be for HALLOWEEN - Costume Ideas!

Hello!

Halloween is the highlight of October, even though it's right at the end!
It's great fun dressing up and watching scary movies or going to costume parties but there's one problem... what to dress up as?!

When I was younger I had this Witch hat that was black with a purple velvet trim and a fake spider stuck onto it which I wore for like 3 years straight because I wouldn't want anything else. One year, I found these fake fangs which when you kind of press your teeth together it lights up, so going trick or treating at about 6pm with a group of friends and our mums when it's really dark, my teeth would guide the way! I wander what happened to them...

Anyway these are my top ideas and how to get the look!

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Headband - Claires

Dress - ModCloth

Shoes - Karen Millen

Belt - Asos

The good thing about this is you can wear the dress, shoes and belt throughout the year too, so you know you'll get a lot of use out of it! Plus it's super cute! 

source: 1, 2 

Angels and Goddess's look quite similar yet you can go with the boho style for the goddess and buy a halo for the angel look! 

Dress: Oasis

Headdress: Asos

Shoes: Asos

So that's another outfit that you can wear again and not only on Halloween! 

I personally love the idea for something cute and girly this year for halloween and these are three ideas that you can go with! 

And if you're not really doing anything for halloween or planning to dress up, get with a movie, a chai tea latte and some cookies and wait until the first of November comes around - which sounds like just as fun! 

BerryBakes: Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free Cookies?!

Hello!
 If you're anything like me, then you love sweet stuff: cakes, cookies and candy floss - you name it! So, you want to eat it all but it seems kinda unhealthy... Solution? Sugar Free, HEALTHIER Cookies!
That seems a little like an oxymoron, but I put it to the test... and I like it!

My mum and I were actually making regular biscuits/cookies for my grandma (She's recovering from an operation and loves the biscuits we make and currently can't bake herself, so we made her some and she was full of smiles!), and I went ahead and took the opportunity of an already on and heated oven to make a small trial batch of sugar-free cookies (and it didn't take very long, so that was a plus)!

This is what they turned out like:

They were slightly crunchy on the outside and nice and chewy towards the middle, it tasted a little like coconut but the flavour wasn't overwhelming. It also had a nutty flavour due to the flour used and to be quite honest - I liked it! If I were to do it again, I'd add more sweetener, just because I like my sweet stuff, but the reason I think mine turned out slightly less sweet is because I used a slightly different type of Stevia than the one in the original recipe, yet the texture and overall flavour was lovely!

The original recipe stated that loads more would be made yet I only got to make 7-8 (maybe because I ate some cookie dough while rolling it out - whoops!)... yet they were nice!

Recipe (adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie):

• 1 cup almond flour (ground almonds in a food processor - I needed about 3 handfuls of almonds)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoon Stevia
• 1 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon milk (I used Almond Milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  - heat oven to 325 degrees F. (about 163 degrees C.) 

  - mix all dry ingredients together in one bowl and liquid ingredients in another

  - mix together the liquid and dry ingredients by adding about half liquid first, then stir, then add the other half (this will become a slightly chunky dough)

  - roll this into a ball and then pat out on a smooth surface until desired thickness is reached (the thicker it is, the chewier the cookies will be yet the smaller number of cookies able to make - or bake for a shorter time for chewier cookies)

  - cut cookies 

  - place them on a non-stick baking tray (or greased, if not non-stick)

  - place in oven for 10-15 minutes based on how chewy you want them (I left them in for about 12)

In the original recipe it states that you need to freeze the dough before placing in the oven, but my mixture was stiff enough already and I didn't feel the need to freeze it - feel free if you find you need to.

Also you could put in chocolate chips or glaze with icing if you would like to! 

This cookie recipe is sugar free, gluten free and easily lactose free (depending on type of milk used) - also it is vegan! Great! :D

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and let me know if you would like more tried and tested recipes!

I'll leave you with a picture of my half-eaten cookie:

xoxo,

your fellow foodie (BerryBloomXO)

PS. have you noticed the recent craze for Coconut Oil recently? I LOVE anything coconut - coconut scented candles, coconut water and even the food itself! Oh, and coconut oil is a great beauty product - I use it on my locks (let me know if you want a post)!