How to keep your feet soft!

Have you ever noticed how men's feet tend to not have so much hard skin as women's?  Not fair is it!  This is usually due to the fact that men tend to wear socks with their shoes and don't often wear heels!

Keeping your feet callus free and looking smooth and beautiful is actually really simple, all you need to do is spend a few extra minutes in the shower and a few extra minutes moisturising!

Dry filing or using too much pressure can actually make the issue worse and the callus thicker, so be gentle with your feet!  When you are in the shower or bath take a foot file and swipe the skin using a medium pressure, remembering not to see saw the skin, use the same motion as you would to file your nails!

There are many different files and pumices out there and I personally prefer the kind that look like a giant nail file, these usually come with a courser side and a smoother side. 

Body Shop - £4.50

Lloyds Pharmacy £5.49

Amazon £3.24  Everready Footfile

Finally you need to moisturise your feet well and the best way is the old trick of moisturising before bedtime then popping on a pair of cotton socks over night.  I must admit though that I just cannot do socks in bed so I slather something on whilst I am moisturising the rest of my body after my morning shower and then wear socks around the house until I need to go out!

My preference is good old Vaseline, but again there are so many foot creams out there that I am sure you will find something you love!

 

Start adding these two quick and simple steps into your routine and you will see a difference almost immediately! Keep it up and you will never be embarrassed of your feet again!

Happy heel wearing everyone! x

Steak and Salad recipe - Delish!

Wowee, would you just look at what I had for dinner last night!  Now I don't like to blow my own trumpet but this was good!  

I have recently come across and added Eat-Yourself-Skinny and added her blog to my following list!  This blog is a great resource for low fat, healthy recipes which include snacks, main meals and puds! 

Kelly, who writes the blog, put up a recipe for Southwest Flank Steak with Peach Salsa, which just sounded so good!

Simon didn't fancy the salsa and I had intended to make that for me and do him something different but alas I was feeling lazy so I made the following, and just swapped the spinach on my plate for new potatoes on his! Ding dong it was good!

So in this picture we have :

 Raw spinach, which I eat at almost every meal as a little garnish or side salad, even if it is just a few leaves I can't seem to get enough and always have it! 

Mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, red pepper and onions.  I cooked these in one teaspoon of  GIA Garlic Puree, which is garlic in vegetable oil.  I pick this up in the tinned vegetable aisle of Tesco and we use it in most meals.  It is convenient, saves any raw garlic from going off and I use it instead of oil.  I do sometimes have to add a smidge more oil but for this recipe I didn't bother, mushrooms will happily dry fry, as will tomatoes and the peppers and onions are nice when they go a little bit smushy and charred.  Yum!

Then to the steak! We don't often have red meat as it is more expensive and not so healthy, but every once in a while in is great to have a treat! You can have a look at the link above for Kelly's original recipe which I did follow almost to the letter but had a teeny tiny few changes, mainly as I used what was in my cupboard!

So I simply mixed together 1 tsp chilli powder, 1tsp ground cumin, 1tsp balsamic vinegar, 1tsp garlic puree, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce and 1tsp cayenne pepper.  I used far smaller quantities than Kelly but it was more then enough!  Then you just spoon the sauce over the steak and pop under the grill.  4 minutes on each side was good for us but the timings really depend on your own preference, and I am no gourmet chef to advise you I'm afraid!  Don't forget to add more sauce when you flip the steak! 

I can't tell you how yummy the whole meal was and I am already looking forward to having this again! 

I didn't count the calories but I believe the whole thing to be about 400 and definitely under 500 calories, which is fab for a main meal!  Add more if you are having the new potatoes!

I hope you like this recipe and urge you all to check out Eat Yourself Skinny for some more great ideas! 

Have you made anything especially yummy recently that you want to share? xx

FreeBra Update!

If you didn't see my post on my recent eBay purchase of a FreeBra then here it is for you: freebra

I just wanted to do a little update for you incase anyone was thinking of buying on from this seller!

I did send the seller a message to say what had happened, that they had sent me the wrong size and it initially took going backwards and forwards a few times for them to understand what was wrong, they kept saying 'But you ordered a D'! When they eventually got the picture they then would not believe me and said that the items get checked 3 times before being sent out, so I offered to send a photo of the packaging where it clearly states Size C but they have never replied with their email address so I am unable to do that!

For the price I paid its not the end of the world and my friend is able to make use of the bra, but I just think that the seller should have acknowledged the mistake!  I would not have sent it back aS it would have cost too much all the way to China and I would probably have ordered another but as they have been so unhelpful I am not going to bother!

Ho hum! Can't win them all!  x

Wish List!

Just when I think that I have all the clothes etc that I need and should steer clear of town for a while I find a reason to pop in and see more things that I need (read want)  This time it was meeting my sister off of the train for the weekend.  Now I could have simply driven to the train station picked her up and gone straight home, but alas, Simon had taken the baby car seat to work so we had to get the bus, the Naomi was an hour late..so what was I supposed to do...

Here are a few things I spotted and am now desperately trying to resist buying!

Gingerbread Ultra Soft Jeggings These babies come in so many different colours and I really can't decide which I like the best, I think the Gingerbread, Wine and Forest Green ones are my favourite 3 but I do also like the Green, Ginger, Mid Wash & Indigo ones and black is always useful to have! Blimy!  At £23 they are a good price (probably not so great if I get 3 pairs...) and I think these will be perfect for the Autumn and Winter tucked into high boots which cosy jumpers over the top!

Ombre Twist Jumper  How cute is this?? And it would look great over the aforementioned jeggings!

Abama Western Ankle Boot These would be great for a Mummy like me who gets sick of always wearing flats but has to push around a buggy! The heel is nice and chunky so they are casual enough for the day and sturdy enough for me not to go flying when I have Thomas!

Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain So I know everyone already has these and I do have the shade Rendezvous already, but I have seen a lot of swatches of the Honey shade and I think it looks lovely so I would like to pick up that one next!

DKNY Pure I have almost run out of perfume - horrors - and this one is my favourite so I need to pick up a bottle sharpish!

Sadly our microwave, hairdryer and washing machine all decided to give up in the same week, so I have a few more pressing things to buy before I can think about getting my hands on this lot!

What have you got your eye on at the moment? x

Not relevant but here is a Charlie pic! Judging by the Popeye arm I need to lay off the spinach...

Autumn Inspirations

Whilst I love the Summertime and the fashions that go with it (not to mention evenings sat outside and days playing in the park with Thomas) it is hard to get overly excited with the weather not being able to make up its mind!  I have barely made use of the Summer skirts and shorts I bought, ho hum!

So seeing all the Autumn fashion inspiration pictures popping up on Pinterest has made me very happy indeed!  I love all the seasons as they change and I like to really make the most of them, if possible!  In the Summertime we can only hope to be able to wear our playsuits, maxi dresses and shorts on a handful of occasions but in the Autumn it is pretty much a definite that we will be able to bundle up in some cosy outfits!

Here are a few of my faves from Pinterest recently.  They seem to all have a similar look!  I just love the simple look of tall boots, cosy socks and a big knit! Simple, cute and cosy, winner!



      

You can find me on Pinterest here  I must admit though that my boards are all a bit muddly and I need to go through and repin things in their rightful homes! Opps!

What are you excited about wearing this Autumn? x

Health and Fitness Tip #2 How I Avoid a Bloated Tummy

For as long as I remember my Mum has complained of bloating and being uncomfortable after eating certain food.  As children and young teenager's my sisters and I didn't really get what she meant, but now we definitely all do!  I know a handful of women who don't seem to have this problem but I think unfortunately most of us do!  Not only is it annoying to suddenly blow up and have a round stomach sticking out but it is very very uncomfortable!

Over the years I have learnt which foods to steer clear of and a few tricks which seem to help so thought I would share a few tips on things I have found that help to avoid the dreaded bloated tummy!

1) Its really obvious and well knowN but drinking enough water is key!  Water is essential to us and has so many benefits!  It helps to fill me up so I am not tempted to snack on naughty foods.  Water is also vital for proper digestion, if your body is not properly hydrated you will literally not be able to digest your food and this is what causes heartburn!  The food then sits in your stomach, eww..when it does eventually pass through it will sit for too long in your intestines, not only does this leave you constipated but your body also cannot absorb all the nutrients from the food without enough water!  As an added bonus drinking enough water will help to reduce the look of wrinkles!  There are so many more benefits to drinking water but I can't list them all!

2) I have also cut out all white, processed foods and stick to the brown versions.  I am talking foods such as pasta, rice, cous cous, and bread.  The reason that this helps to reduce or avoid a bloated tummy is that there is simply more fibre in the brown versions which again help digestion and keeping things regular!  Other benefits are that the brown versions retain more of their nutrients, which always good!  This next bit is not science, this is just me, but I have found that brown rice and pasta has more of a bite to it than their white counterparts and therefore feel more filling to me, so since making the swap I have managed to reduce my portion size by about 20%

3) I included bread in the previous tip however I tend to avoid eating any kind of bread whenever possible.  Bread is one of my worst enemies when it comes to my stomach so I only eat wholemeal or oatmeal bread as a very special treat.  Whilst I love the taste the discomfort afterwards is just not worth the 5 minutes of pleasure!

4) Reducing carbohydrates.  Again a really widely known fact but it is so true! If you cut down on carbs then you will soon see the results of a flatter looking tummy!  Potatoes are particularly bad for making me look rounder!  I believe there are different kinds of carbs so do you research and find out which ones affect you the most

5) Reduce your fizzy drink intake.  Obviously fizzy drinks are going to make you bloated, so have these as a rare special treat if you must! Personally I never drink fizzy drinks because they hold no real nutritional value and I don't enjoy the taste but I do know that a lot of people can't live without them!

6) If we are having a meal that would compliment a salad then I always cut down my portion size and have a side salad instead.  This reduces the calories, boosts my veg intake for the day and helps to keep my tummy flat!

I am sure there are lots more but for today those are my top tips! What do you do to help beat a bloated tummy? x

Date Night - OOTN

Simon and I had a date night yesterday and went to Pizza Express, which is always a favourite of ours! This is what I wore:

Dress River Island £22
Shoes New Look £7 in the sale
Belt Primark I can't rememebr the price as I have had this belt for years!

Raspberry sorbet...so yummy and matched my dress!

Here is my handsome husband!