Simply Cook

Back in August I received an email from Simply Cook tempting me back to them with a half price box.  I had ordered myself a cook box back in April, however by the time it had arrived I had already received my results from my food intolerance test.  Each and every single recipe that was sent to me contained either garlic, chilli, ginger or meat stock – none of which I was able to use!  I gifted the box to a friend, and had accepted the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be.  Now that I’ve started introducing garlic and chilli back into my diet (I tried yeast, and it’s definitely a no go) I am now able to try out all of the lovely recipes that I had been sent out previously. 

Simply cook send you out a variety of different recipes, flavourings and spices every week, fortnight or monthly depending on your preference.  Each box costs just £8.95, which makes each meal pack just £2.23 (excluding anything you might need to pick up at the shop like veggies, chicken or pasta).  They normally do special offers on their boxes from time to time, however they offer a friend scheme for customers who are already signed up.  You can get your first box for £1 by using my name – lauren mcghee – in the promo code box, or clicking the link here https://simplycook.mention-me.com/m/ol/avm-lauren-mcghee-2

In my box I was sent a spicy vegetable stew, a Thai green curry, a spicy rice dish and a chorizo pasta dish.  Seeing as I’m vegetarian, I gifted the chorizo pasta dish to my dad, who cooked up a storm with it and told me it was amazing!  So good in fact, that mum decided to follow the same recipe guide – however adapted it completely to make it vegan.  She even made her own home made pepperoni for it!

So far I’ve made the spicy vegetable stew and the Thai green curry – both of which have been amazing!  The recipe cards come with a short and sweet shopping list for the extra bits that you’ll need to buy for each dish, you simply tear it off and take it with you to the supermarket, it’s really easy.  I made the Thai green curry dish for me and my boyfriend, and so had to prepare and cook them separately as he eats meat.  Despite this, the prep and cooking time was not hindered in the slightest, all it meant was two pans and splitting the flavourings.  Even though both dishes had half the spices it should have done, they were so strong and powerful that everything tasted simply delicious – it was really, really good!  The  whole meal only took about 30 minutes to prepare and cook, which was really surprising to me seeing as I don’t normally cook from scratch and following recipes normally means that I have to add an extra 20 minutes if not longer. 

I’m so super impressed the simplicity, easiness and taste of the simply cook dishes that I will definitely be ordering again!  The one thing I will tell you to look out for is the ingredients list, unfortunately you can only filter out the fish dishes and not all the meat ones, so if there is a dish you really like the look of double check that it is one you can actually eat.

What's your favourite dish to cook from scratch?

 Until the next one, 

Summer Berries at Tesco

This month The Orchard at Tesco invited me to be a part of their Summer Berries programme, which I was super pleased about because its strawberry season!  They kindly sent me a £3 voucher to pick myself up a punnet of berries of my choosing, and in return would like to know my honest thoughts about the product I chose.  I grabbed myself the largest and nicest looking punnet of strawberries from my local Tesco, with a dessert in mind that I found from my nutritionists website here.  I’ve been dying to try out coconut cream for a while now, so thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a go!

The strawberries are the most gorgeous shade of red ever – they look really healthy and fresh in the punnet, as if I have just picked them off a farm myself there and then!  As I washed them under the tap, the sweet aroma of the strawberries filled the kitchen, which is one of my all-time favourite smells ever.  There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh strawberries.  I picked myself a decent sized portion from the punnet, and cut them into halves to enjoy with my coconut cream.  The smell grew stronger as I did this, and the juices spilled onto the chopping board – proving that I had a really delicious and fresh bunch too! 

To make your coconut cream, you simply need to purchase yourself a tin of full fat coconut milk.  Pop in the fridge overnight, and the next day your milk will have turned into a really thick cream – which is absolutely delightful with strawberries, might I add!   I added a tiny amount of agave nectar to my bowl for a little extra sweetness, however this really was not necessary because the strawberries tasted as good as they smelt!  Sometimes when I buy strawberries, I find them to look really appealing but taste rather bland or simply like water as I make my way through the punnet.  Tesco did not disappoint with these ones though, every strawberry tastes as good as the last one – and unfortunately for me, my family seem to think so too!  I went to bed with a near half full punnet last night, only to discover this morning that I’ll be needing to make another purchase sooner rather than later! 

I’m really, really pleased with these strawberries from Tesco, and super chuffed that I got to try them for free, thanks to The Orchard programme!

What’s your favourite summer berry?

Until the next one,

Inecto Products

We all know that I’m cheap, there is no denying that by all means.  I like to pick myself up a bargain – be it beauty products, hair care or even grub.  I always like it cheaper.  Saying that though, I almost always tend to stick to well known brands – more so for my skincare and hair care.  I’ve never been one to go and pick up just any old bottle of shampoo or moisturiser in the shops, simply because if I don’t know the brand, how can I know if it’s going to be any good?  Since going cruelty free with my cosmetics, there have been a lot of brands that I have come to read about that have been of a lot of interest to me.  Apart from Lush, a lot of my regular go to brands are no longer suitable – so they’ve had to be replaced by new finds.  I never thought that I would find a cruelty free brand so beautifully tailored to my likes, needs and wants in both skin and hair care!

Inecto was brought to my attention about two months ago when my mum spied their products in our local Homebargains store.  My mum is vegan, so she was totally delighted to find that they are a 100% vegan company who source the purest ingredients to make their products at least 90% natural – starting from for just a mere 99p!  I won’t lie, I was more than sceptical when she brought it to me to try – I’m really fussy about cosmetics.  If it’s cheap, it makes me worry that it’s going to irritate my skin – however I gave it a go anyway when my mum wouldn’t stop banging on about it and I had read online about the brand (and discovered that coconuts play a large part in their products… and we know I love a coconut!)

I picked up a large tub of the moisturiser for just 99p the other week, after borrowing my mums on numerous occasions.  It’s a really thick and creamy consistency, however it is totally absorbent and light weight when fully rubbed into the skin.  I’ve been using it day and night on my face every single day since purchasing – and have found it to really effective!  I dries in so quickly when applied, and doesn’t leave my face sticky either – which is great for the mornings as I don’t really have to wait to apply my make-up.  I’ve also been using on my arms, thighs and hands at night before bed, and it really does leave my skin feeling well treated and moisturised.  Even better, I can still apply my coconut oil after using it, without it making me feel like a giant grease ball.  I’ve really fallen in love with this particular product and can safely say that it will be one that will become a regular purchase of mine!

Another one from Inecto that I have recently discovered and again since become obsessed with is their Coconut Shampoo, which you can pick up for just a mere £1.48 at Homebargains right now!  Again, a really thick and creamy mixture, but it lathers up beautifully in my long, curly hair!  It smells totally gorgeous, like a really sweet coconut, and as it is rinsed out it doesn’t leave my hair feeling tuggy or matted before  I apply the conditioner.  Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to treat myself to the conditioner to match yet as my local supplier is all out *cries* however the shampoo works a treat with my Lush Jungle Conditioner for now!  Hopefully I will be able to pick up a bottle of Inecto conditioner soon, alongside the other couple of hair care products that I have since spied on their site.

I’m totally blown away by the quality, price and just the overall standard of products by Inecto!  They smelly fantastic, work brilliantly and allow me to keep my spending to a minimum – which I can honestly say is something that I struggle to do with cosmetic shopping.  I can’t wait to try out all of the other products that Inecto have to offer, as they really have made me so happy with the variety and quality of their goods!

Have you tired out any Inecto goodies yet?

Until the next one,

Original Source Shower Gels

Have you ever picked up a bottle of body wash and thought “holy crap this smells good enough to eat”?  Or have you ever been lathering yourself with your body wash and drifted off into a fruity sensation?  If you’ve not, then you’re definitely missing out!

On my quest to becoming a better vegetarian, I decided to go cruelty free with all of my beauty and personal products and cosmetics.  Although I’ve always been aware that some companies do still test on animals, I was actually very much disturbed to find that a lot of the brands that I’ve been using all of my life are all culprits to this awful act.  I mean if we can be charged for being caught physically mistreating an animal in our homes or out on the street, then why should it be any different for these poor souls who have to endure various different tests on a daily basis?!  It’s really upsetting when you think about it, hence why I’ve made the decision to change my ways!

I was totally delighted to come across a brand that had not only so many fragrances to choose from, but also a fantastic range of goodies to pick from too!  Original Source are a 100% vegan brand meaning that they don’t use any animal produce in any of their products.  They pride themselves in using only the most natural ingredients in their products, hence why they smell so absolutely fantastic.  They’ve been on the go for a number of years now, and have continued to develop their range over the years too.

Spied in most of the major supermarkets and beauty stores, I’ve been picking up bottles of their shower gels for a few months now.  My absolute favourite one has got to be Lime – its smells just like the chocolate lime sweeties that I used to love when I was little, and it honestly leaves me feeling so super fresh and clean with every wash.  I have however had the pleasure of enjoying the lemon, mint, strawberry and cherry & nettle fragrances too – and each and every single one has never disappointed in terms of fragrance and cleanness.  Recently I’ve seen most of their goodies on special offer for just £1 – which is pretty fantastic considering a lot of vegan brands tend to cost a wee bitty more due to the nature of them sourcing non animal products. 

Original Source have helped me realise that it’s super easy to adjust your cosmetics to cruelty free brands.  I’ve yet to come across a scent that I have not yet enjoyed – and I’m super excited to find on their website that they actually have a range of body lotions and butters now too!  The lime and coconut oil range particularly take my fancy – so here is hoping that I can find a branch close to home that sell these beauties!

Have you tried out any of the original source range yet?  What’s your favourite?

Until the next one,

Beanies Coffee

As you’ll probably remember from my June Lust List, I decided that it was about time that I treated myself to another purchase from Beanies Coffee - and got myself a jar of their latest flavour – Cookie Dough. 

I was getting super excited when Beanies started to create a buzz about their new flavour, as I always do.  However I got a little too bit excited when I thought that it was going to be a Cherry Bakewell flavour, alas it wasn’t meant to be this time.  But if you’re reading this Head Bean – I would LOVE Cherry Bakewell for your next flavour! *wink wink* *nudge nudge*  I have to say though, when I spied that Cookie Dough was the new flavour, the excitement arose inside me once again - and without disappointment too!
Beanies always feel generous over the bank holiday weekends and usually have a competition on or even better, a great deal.  Last week was no exception, when they were offering three jars of coffee of your choosing and either a travel mug or an actual mug for just £10 including delivery!  
£10 INCLUDING DELIVERY!  
Even better yet, they promised to include an extra wee gift in with your parcel, which really sold it to me.  Purchased on Friday the 27^th and delivered by Thursday the 2^nd – I have been enjoying all three of the lovely flavours that Head Bean has been creating with his minions over the years - and my super cute tea towel!

Wow – like holy mother of wow!  The second you open up your jar of Cookie Dough, you are met with the most delicious scent of creamy goodness.  I know I say this about all of the Beanies coffees, but I really just can’t help it.  They know how to make a fantastic smelling and tasty brew!  Although it doesn’t smell the same as a freshly baked batch of cookies – it really does give you the urge to fetch a cookie from the cupboard!  Since I’m currently still ditching the dairy, I’ve been making my coffees with almond and coconut milk, which you might think may take the cookie dough taste away – but I think it actually enhances it, as these milks are not particularly strong in taste!  To be enjoyed in the morning, afternoon or evening – Cookie Dough is perfect for giving me that instant caffeine hit, whilst subtly soothing my need for a sugar hit too!  Like nearly every single time Beanies realease a new flavour, I think it’s safe to say that this is one that will become a staple in my Beanies orders – I’ve raved about it so much that both my mum and dad have tried and fallen in love with it too, which is great for Beanies but sad for me as my stash is now becoming low again!  You know what they say though – sharing is caring!  I also picked out another two of my personal favourites; Chocolate Orange and Coconut Delight!  

Beanies flavoured coffees contain less than 2 calories per cup, they’re sugar free and each flavour tastes absolutely delicious.  For people who are trying to be good and avoiding sugary snacks, I find that these coffees give just enough flavour to try and control my constant sweet tooth.  Although I will be honest, there is nothing than I enjoy more than a choccy biccy with my cuppa coffee some days!  Every single flavour is also suitable for both vegetarians and vegans – which is amazing because you’d be surprised by what kind of random animal products manufactures throw into their products these days.  What I love the most about Beanies is that they are not even unreasonably priced.  Each jar costs just £2.50, and they recommend that you only need 1 teaspoon worth of coffee per brew, meaning that each jar will last you a decent length of time!  Beanies online almost always have some sort or promotion on be it free delivery or a free mug when you purchase 6 jars – making it even better value for money.  However if you’re desperate to try out these amazing coffees sooner rather than later, some Sainsburys stock Chocolate Orange, Irish Cream, Cinder Toffee and Almond Amaretto – so you’ve plenty to choose from if you really cannot wait.

So thank you Beanies, you’ve blown me away with another fantastic flavour and convinced me once again that I'm going to have to make another purchase again sooner rather than later.  Happy Lauren, not so happy bank balance.

Have you tried out any of the Beanies range yet?   What’s your favourite?

Until the next one,

All About 'em Coconuts

I’ve been a fan of coconut oil for a long time, probably ever since it became a big deal a few years back.  I think it started when people started cooking with it, and then it progressed into the beauty and hair care items that we know it for today.  These last few months I’ve really gotten back into the habit of trying to use it as often as possible, and I’m happy to report nothing but love and obsessiveness for the stuff once again.

As I’ve had to change my diet dramatically the last couple of weeks, omelettes have become my go to food for my lunch and sometimes even tea too.  I’ve been using coconut oil instead of my regular sunflower oil, and I’ve found it to cook them perfectly and it even adds a little flavour too!  Another thing that I like to cook with it is the fake chicken pieces that my mum found in Sainsburys.  Coconut oil, a little honey and some soy sauce and it gives them a great coating and a beautiful taste.

I first tried out coconut oil for my skin when my eczema had a major breakout in 2012.  Although I find that it doesn’t really do much for my skin when I’m having a breakout, when my skin is nice and healthy it is the ultimate moisturiser for the whole body!  Not only does it leave my skin feeling silky smooth from top to bottom, but it also leaves me smelling like a tropical goddess. 

My latest use for the coconuts is rubbing a small amount through my hair to give it a little bit of extra moisture, as well as a healthy shine.  Coconut oil is perfect for tackling all of those pesky fly away bits, and it has honestly made tackling my mane that little bit easier in the morning.  But best of all, it gives my hair a little bit of fragrance so that I’m smelling sweet from head to toe.  My hair is super curly and also very frizzy, and I’ve really seen an improvement to it since switching to the coconuts!

I've switched to organic coconut oil now, and it really does make all the difference!

I’ve never really been one to use moisturiser on my feet before, and if I do use something I don’t normally persevere with it for long.  However seeing as I’ve been applying it everywhere else, I thought what the hell, and I’ve been give my feet a good coat before I put on my socks each night.  In the morning my feet feel lovely and soft all over – which may not last all day, but hey – it can’t be a miracle worker for everything.

My favourite use for coconut oil is using it to remove my makeup every day.  I’ve read a lot of other blogs who say that they only use it to remove their eye makeup, but I’ve been using it to remove everything from my mascara to the foundation.  It does it ALL, and it actually does it really well.  I’ve ditched the makeup wipes for now for a dollop of coconut oil and a couple of cotton pads.  Even better, it leaves my skin feeling great and well-nourished every day.

Finally, my pugger Hulk absolutely loves coconut oil, much to my friends and families concern.  Not only is it good for us humans, but coconut oil is actually really great for doggies too for their skin and coats.  Most people actually pop a small amount in their dogs foods, however I usually just pop a small amount on one of his toys and let him lick it straight.  I’ve also been using it to clean his skin around his eyes once a day – and I really have seen a great improvement to this area of his skin.

So there we have it!  I bought a 500g jar from Homebargains for just £3.99 – I’ve used about 2/3 of it now and I’ve had it since March.  It’s a great product to have kicking around the house, and when you think about the money that I’ve probably saved by using this one product for so many uses – it would be kinda silly to not jump on this bandwagon and get involved.

What’s your favourite use for coconut oil?

Until the next one,

Nudi Coconut and Bentonite Clay Facemask

On Monday I received a gorgeously wrapped parcel in the post, courtesy of the lovely folks at NudiLife.com.  I have been anxiously anticipating their launch for many months now, after they very kindly informed me on Instagram that they would be sending out free coconut facemasks when they launched a few months down the line.  Coconut oil is a big favourite of mine for my problematic skin.  Not only does it smell absolutely gorgeous, but it works a treat of my really dry skin.  So the idea of having a facemask that had incorporated all the goodness of coconut oil was something that I couldn’t resist waiting around for!

When I opened up the parcel, I was delighted to find that they had sent me a very generous sized sample of their coconut and bentonite clay mask – which retails for £12.95 for a 100ml tub.  The mask is a light grey kind of colour, and smells just like iced coconut slices (which are totally delicious, if you didn’t already know!)  On applying the mask, I found it to be ever so slightly difficult to evenly distribute across the skin.  Every time you swipe over an area you’ve already tried to cover, I found it to kind of clump together, making you have to use a little force to spread it out again.  This being said, I do think that this is simply due to the nature of coconuts themselves, as whenever I’m applying coconut oil to my skin, it does tend to do the same kind of thing, so not a big deal!  I really love that the mask goes on as the grey kind of colour, but as it dries it turns almost translucent in some patches, and others white - as if this is a sign that all of the goodness from the mask is seeping into your skin!  I think this was because I didn’t use enough of it during my first use, and I get the impression from the images I’ve seen on Instagram that the whole mask would turn white when ready to wash off. 

Nuts about these coconuts!

Having researched the product before trying it out, I was interested as to what the facemask would offer to my skin – as usually I try to go for ones that tackle spots and or blackheads.  I got the impression that with coconut oil being a key ingredient, it would definitely be a moisturising one – which appears I was not wrong about!  Nudilife.com states that the coconut oil will moisturise without clogging your pores (yay!) and the bentonite clay will work away at those blemishes.  I will admit that this is not a product that I think I would have purchased having seen it on the shelves, only because I normally go for masks that I know have ingredients that specifically tackle spots and blackheads – and I never would have imagined these two key ingredients to do the job.  Knowing what I do now though, I won’t be so quick to judge by ingredients anymore.  Once washed away, my skin was left feeling really, really soft which was lovely to discover!  Although I didn’t notice any drastic changes in the way of my few blemishes, there may be a chance that tomorrow morning they could be near gone – so we will just have to wait and see.

As I’ve stated already, the sample I received was very generous and so I’ve worked out that I will probably get around three uses of this sample before it runs out.  The mask is a really nice product that I think if used for a long period of time – would do wonders for your skin.  This would be something that I would purchase if I fancied a splurge or simply wanted to treat myself, alongside their coconut and sugar body scrub (which also looks amazing!)

Have you tried any of the Nudi products yet?  You can check out the range here www.nudilife.com

Until the next one,

Lauren x

Aveeno Skincare

Seeing as my skin has been acting up a lot over the last couple of weeks, and that I’ve only just managed to get it somewhat under control, I thought it would be fitting to share my number one favourite body moisturiser with you, Aveeno.

This gorgeous body moisturiser changed my life in regards to my skin care regime.  During my major breakout in 2014, (you can read about it here) a colleague recommended this brand to me.  She told me that she used it on her two year old son who also suffered terribly from eczema, and that it worked wonders for him.  She said that it was an oat based product, and that it was mostly made from natural ingredients and so it wouldn’t irritate my skin any more than what it already was.  I was instantly intrigued by the concept of oats being the key ingredient, as I had been doing a lot of research online about how to soothe my sore skin.  I saw that a lot of people enjoyed a soak in an oat bath (that’s right.  Bathing in a bath with actual porridge oats), and so I figured that the Aveeno moisturiser was a purchase I would have to make and experiment with.  

This moisturiser has a very thick consistency, which I absolutely adore because it makes a little go a long way.  The shea butter makes my skin feel super cool and smooth after applied, and the oats are super soothing to my particularly problematic areas.  Depending on how bad my skin is upon purchasing, I can usually get at least a month worth out of one 200ml bottle. 

I prefer to keep my Aveeno for my eczema ridden areas of skin, and use coconut oil for the rest of my body.  Because Aveeno retails around £5-£6 per bottle, I never buy it when it’s not on sale.  Nearly every single month since I have been using Aveeno, I have come across one retailer or another that has the entire Aveeno rage on offer, usually with about 1/3 off – which is when I like to make my purchases.  I normally pay around £3.50 for a bottle, and like to stock up with two or sometimes three at a time so that I do not run out. 

As for now, I have only ever used the Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion with the blue label.  This one is specifically for “extra dry, irritable and sensitive skin” which is what made me go for it in the first place.  This product will definitely always be my favourite skin moisturiser for when I’m having my bad skin days.  The mixture is so soothing, calming and smells absolutely amazing – it’s hard to imagine what kind of state my skin would be in today if I hadn’t been introduced to this beauty.

I definitely think that this product is a strong 9/10 – I would love to give it full marks… but the idea of paying the full retail price of £6 for the 200ml bottle actually hurts my soul just thinking about it.

Have you tried any of the Aveeno range? 

Until the next one,

Lauren x