Two New Healthy Cookbooks

Payday week brings a whole host of treat yo'self moments.

In my case, these moments have included raiding Holland and Barrett, stocking up on goodies from MyProtein (come at me, kilo of almond butter) and buying some new healthy living cookbooks to add to my already crammed kitchen shelf (I don't know what it is about September, but I just want to curl up with good cookbook and plan how I'm going to eat my way through Autumn and Winter. #girlgains indeed).

My Hemsley Hemsley, Madeleine Shaw, Deliciously Ella and Amelia Freer books are looking well-thumbed and heavily bookmarked from being referred to for pretty much every meal over the last year or so, and although I love them to bits, sometimes you've got to switch things up.
So, the other day, I ordered a couple of new tomes which I'm sure will become firm food favourites.

Wednesday Wishlist #2 | Portable Wellbeing

These days I find myself out the house for nearly 12 hours a day, so making sure I can keep my general wellbeing shipshape, can get a bit challenging. 

With this in mind, I’ve entered a whole new world of portable wellbeing products - stuff that’s easy and lightweight to carry around that will keep me on track with my healthy lifestyle when I’m out and about.

Here's what's on the wishlist, and what will be filling my online shopping basket this payday.

A healthy balance

Eating the right things 100% of the time is hard work. I don't think anyone, even the most seemingly healthy wellbeing guru, can say their diet is spot on all of the time - life just doesn't work like that and a little bit of what you fancy does you good after all.

We're at a point where there is such a wealth of information on the right things to eat, all fronted by an awesome squad of healthy living babes advocating avocados and telling us to just buy the god damn spiralizer - courgetti can be better than spaghetti (not quite the same but does a low-carb job).

There are some awesome recipes and top tips out there but like with anything when it becomes over-saturated, there is always going to be a flip-side to the movement.

In this case, two Instagram accounts are providing some serious LOLs in reaction to us all going gluten, dairy, grain and everything-free. And their overarching message couldn't be anymore bang on - it's all about balance and not taking ourselves too seriously when it comes to wellbeing.

@girlswithgluten

With a tag line of Have your cake and eat hers too, the first time I clicked onto this stream, I knew I was onto a winner. Packed with utter babes tucking in to pizza, doughnuts, pastries in all forms, shapes and sizes, this feed proclaims gluten isn't in the enemy (unless you have a food intolerance - not trying to pressurise coeliacs into eating something they can't) and even has celebs like Diane Kruger chowing down on a bowl of pasta.

Go on, treat yo'self.


@deliciouslystella

Ho, ho, ho. This girl makes me chuckle.  Fronted by comedian Bella Younger, @deliciouslystella is frickin' hilarious. She's basically Deliciously Ella's gluten-gorging, blue WKD-swilling evil twin. The captions are gold; written in a way you'd expect from a wellbeing Insta-celeb, but with an unhealthy living slant.

There's too many good'uns to mention, so get yourself over to her feed to check them out.

The Post-Race Recovery Wonder

So I did it! On Sunday, I ran the truly mazing Great North Run and somehow managed to get a new GNR personal best of 1 hour 59 minutes 46 seconds. To be honest, I’m not quite sure how I managed it. I felt really low on energy the whole way through; I stopped five times which is very unlike me during a race. And that heat though. That was a scorcher. I have the sunburn to prove it. Ouch. 

I really wasn’t expecting to get under the 2-hour mark, so a celebratory and well-deserved pizza was on the cards for tea last night to help restore those energy levels (if you can’t be a serious #girlswithgluten contender after a half marathon, when can you?)

To help my legs recover last night, I used a product I’ve been loving recently to help with the aches and pains after intense workouts. Right before I crawled into bed last night, I lathered my legs in magnesium oil spray and y’know what? No stiff legs for me this morning. It's seriously a miracle worker. I highly recommend the Better You range, especially the Goodnight Spray which has essential oils in the mix to help you drift off.

Did you run the Great North Run? Have you ever tried magnesium oil spray to help with muscle recovery?

What's In My Bag | Great North Run Edition

I know I’m not alone in my love for What’s in my bag? blog posts and videos, so thought I’d do my spin on it this weekend.

Today, I’m running the Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon so thought I’d share all the kit I’ll be taking with me to help me conquer 13.1 miles.