Category: Reviews

5 Years and Counting

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This weekend has been action packed celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary.  How time flies!  Following tradition, and with it  being 5 years I sourced a beautiful handmade beer bottle holder, complete with opener on Etsy by a company called knot just boxes.  Stocked with his favourite local brewed Brewdog he was absolutely delighted!

The hubby bought my stunning new earrings and treated me to a gorgeous meal out to Native by Nick Nairn in Aberdeen.  Booking a table was not an experience I would like to repeat, but after 15 minutes and the gentleman phoning me back we finally got there!

To be honest its quite difficult in Aberdeen to find somewhere serving local Scottish produce, but Native ticks all the boxes.  The menu has a lovely selection of locally sourced ingrediants.  I finally settled on traditional Haggis, Neeps and tatties topped with crispy parsley.  This arrived beautifully presented but the whisky sauce container was so hot I couldn’t lift it.  The hubby had slow braised roast pork belly, hand dived Orkney scallop with crispy black pudding and apple sauce-pork crackling.  I was jealous when I saw how tasty it looked!

Then for the main course I definitely had the best choice 🙂  Peppered, dry aged Inverurie beef strips with hand cut chips, fine beans and shallots accompanied with whisky and wild mushroom gravy.  Brian opted for his favourite ‘Fish and chips’.  The haddock fresh from Peterhead with generous proportion of hand cut chips, home made tartare sauce and lemon.

We didn’t have space for pudding (hoping I will next time!)  I did however manage a cheeky French Martini from the bar.  Needless to say the diet was out of the window this weekend but today we had a nice long walk so hopefully that worked off some of the food consumed 🙂

Native by Nick Nairn
Haggis!
Pork Belly & Scallops
Beef strips
Fish and Chips
My Fav! French Martini
Hubby’s pressie – knot just boxes

Gilly x

Juicing Fav’s

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Finding the right combination for juicing is all part of the fun.  Initially I found it quite difficult to increase my green’s and tended to stick to the fruity ingredients.  Then I found The Skinny NutriBullet Recipe Book by CookNation.

Here’s a couple of recipes that helped me introduce more goodness to my juices.

Ginger Apple Juice

Ingredients

2 Apples | 4m/2 inch piece of fresh Ginger | 1/2 Lemon | Water

Method
  1. Rinse the ingredients
  2. Core the apples (leaving the skin on).  Peel the lemon and no need to worry about the pipes.
  3. Add all the fruit & ginger to your blender holder (tall cup for NutriBullet) ensuring the ingredients don’t go past the max line on your machine.
  4. Add water & blend until smooth.

Gentle Detox

Ingredients

2 handfuls of Spinach | 1 handful of Kale | 2 Apples | 1/2 Lemon | Water | Sesame seeds optional

Method
  1. Core the apples, leaving on the skin.  Peel the lemon.
  2. Add the ingredients to your blender (tall cup for NutriBullet) making sure you don’t pass the max line.
  3. Add water and blend until smooth.

Enjoy, Gilly x

 

Gilly Is Juicing!

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To get the MOST out of life.. you need to get the MOST out of your food!

Over the last couple of months I have spent a lot of time reading about nutrition, including reading the amazing Eat. Nourish. Glow by Amelia Freer which has introduced the powers of juicing to me.

811XBaEo4EL._SL1500_Any excuse to buy a kitchen gadget I treated myself to the Nutribullet Pro.  Even bigger and better, the Nutribullet 900 Series Superfood nutrition extractor came equipped with a powerful high-torque power base and 900 watt motor for a smoother consistency. It also included a high torque power base, 2x extractor blades, an oversized cup, 2x tall cups, a short cup, handled and regular lip rings, flip top lid, 2x resealable lids, user manual, recipe books and a nutritionist book.  So easy to use and even easier to clean (well apart from when the hubby use’s it and doesn’t put the lid on properly 😦 )  I have now been using the Nutribullet for over a month and love the varied juices that you can make.  I even make soups!

To make the most from the juicing there are four easy steps to follow:

  1. Fill the cup with 50% leafy greens + 50% fruit (Boosts Optional)
  2. Fill only up to the MAX line with water and/or ice (coconut water really good too!)
  3. Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup nuts/seeds if desired.
  4. Twist on the Nutribullet blade and blend until smooth.

Leafy Greens – 50%

  • Collard greens
  • Kale
  • Romaine
  • Spinach
  • Spring Greens
  • Swiss Chard

Fruits – 50%

  • Apple
  • Avocado
  • Banana
  • Blackberry
  • Blueberry
  • Canteloupe
  • Cranberry
  • Fig
  • Grapes – red or green
  • Kiwi
  • Mango
  • Nectarine
  • Orange
  • Papaya
  • Peach
  • Pear
  • Pineapple – my fav!
  • Plum
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberry

Boosts (additional fibre and nutrition)

  • Nuts – almonds, Cashews, Walnuts
  • Super Chargers – Goji Berries, Acai Berries
  • Seeds – Chia, Flax, Hemp, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower

I have started to collate all my favourite combinations and will share these recipes!

Review: Eclectic Fizz Champagne Bar, Aberdeen

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Last night we decided to visit the recently opened ChampaWP_20150117_21_22_53_Progne Bar – Eclectic Fizz.  Wow is my first impression!  Aberdeen has severely lacked this style of venue.

Upon entering we were greeted at the bar with the Champagne menu.  Offering over 30 champagnes from non-vintage to the more extravagant bottles.  We settled on a bottle of the Lanson White Label, priced at a reasonable £55.  The bottle was served beautifully chilled including a selection of fruit.

The drinks menu also includes premium wines and extensive cocktail menu – all very appealing!

WP_20150117_21_18_57_ProThe setting of Eclectic Fizz is very modern over two floors with plentiful seating areas giving the bar a very open and relaxed setting allowing you to enjoy your bubbles and company.

Eclectic Fizz also offer a food menu, which I will most definitely be back to try.

SWP_20150117_21_18_22_Prouch a welcome addition to Aberdeen I wish the owners every success and I look forward to making Eclectic Fizz a regular visit when out in Aberdeen.

Eclectic Fizz is located at 150 Union Street, Aberdeen. AB10 1QX.

Visit their website here

 

Review: Runtastic Road Bike Pro App

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I have spent a couple of weeks researching cycling computers for my bike.  So many on the market to choose from and I couldn’t decide!  Then it hit me – I own an iPhone!!  Surely there is an app that can track my cycles for me.  Yes… Many…

So I tried some free apps, to get an idea of which one works for me.  I initially installed the free Road Bike app from Runtastic, loved it almost instantly and upgraded without a second thought to the Pro edition (£2.99).

Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 21.28.43The app allows you to track your cycles and is packed with features analysing your ride, progress and route.

From the main session window the app tracks the important measures of your rides including duration, distance, elevation, route and calories burned.  The route map is a fantastic way of keeping a record of your routes, and ultimately analysing your progress on repeat workouts on the same path.  You can also personalise the app to display the features that you want to see.

One of my favourite features is the voice alerts (coach) to distance and times allowing me to concentrate on the road, keeping upright and pushing my legs 🙂 !

From Runtastic’s Website:

In addition to data analyzing and tracking, this app offers a lot of extra features. Download and save maps to your smartphone ahead of time so you don’t need an internet connection while biking. Now trips abroad or to areas where you don’t have mobile access are no longer a problem. To gauge your performance during your rides, the Runtastic Road Bike PRO app lets you measure your exact cadence, speed, and heart rate. Thanks to these accurate measurements, you can track your performance and aim to improve it.  Find out more at www.runtastic.com/en/apps/roadbike

As well as these features another nice touch is the session conclusion giving you a breakdown of stats, and a share to Facebook, Twitter and email option to show off your hard work and workout.

Overall I absolutely love this app from Runtastic.  The features are ideal for me to keep a log of my rides, and help me set goals in improving my fitness.

Road Bike Pro is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

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Review: Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative

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So part of my loose weight and get fit plan I decided to pull out my bike from the shed and get pedalling.  OK so its been in there for about 10 years and to say it was a a bit worse for wear is an understatement!!!

The hubby suggested going for a look at some new mountain bikes.  We have a few options in Aberdeen but we took a trip to Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative on George Street, Aberdeen.  Upon entering I was faced with a huge selection of bikes.

So where to start??  Thankfully their helpful staff could see I was in a dilemma on what to look at!  Who knew there were so many different types of bikes!!

After a bit of questioning it was decided that a mountain bike would suit my needs – don’t plan on doing much road cycling, prefer tracks, forest runs and so on.  The choice was getting easier – I was down to two bikes.  Being a girl I was going on looks and colour 🙂

So we found my new bike: an Revolution Ascent XC Disc ’13 – yeah I know how technical I sound!

How Pretty!! The Revolution Ascent XC Disc '13

How Pretty!! The Revolution Ascent XC Disc ’13

Revolution is Edinburgh Bicycle Coop’s own brand and ticks every box for my biking needs.  Best of all the shop currently has 15% off everything – meaning the bike is budget realistic and affordable.

Bad news I now have to wait until Friday to get my hands on my beautiful new bike.

As well as over 100 bikes, the shop also provides a good selection of cycle clothing and accessories.  They also have an in-store workshop for repairs and servicing.

I can’t recommend the shop and helpful staff enough, and look forward to going out for my first ride on my new bike.

Check out the store or visit http://www.edinburghbicycle.com