Blending vs. Juicing

So, my latest little health kick is smoothies for breakfast and lunch. I am not sure how long this will last, as anybody who knows me will tell you - I am the kind of person where nothing seems to last for long! I get an idea in my head, it is the best thing since sliced bread for a short period of time, and then it is all over just as quick! For many years this made me feel like I was a failure as I never seemed to see things through to the end, but as I have got older I have come to the conclusion that that is just me. I am an indecisive and impulsive person.

Back to the topic of conversation! (As you will also have seen from my posts, I also tend to go off on little random rants - just another of my many personality traits!).

After hearing colleagues at work talk religiously about juicing, it got my wondering what is the difference between juicing and blending and what are the health benefits of both. It got me doing a little research and these are my findings that I thought I would share with you.

Juicing:

When juicing a machine extracts the juice - the nutrients contained in the product and water. leaving behind the pulp. 

Blending:

When blending there is no left over pulp, the blender pulverizes the whole product to make a smoothie.

It got me wanting to know which is better for you, to have just the juice or to have the whole product including the pulp. Both allow a higher intake of fresh produce in our diet, a lot more than we would ever normally consume on a daily basis. 

Juicing discards the indigestible fibre in the produce meaning that the digestive system does not have to work as hard to absorb nutrients and break down the food. The nutrients in the produce are more readily available to the body and in larger quantities than if you were to eat whole foods. Fibre in produce slows the digestive process and gives a steady release of nutrients in the body.

Whilst getting a high intake of nutrients, removing the fibre from the produce may mean that you become hungrier quicker. 

Blending/smoothies consist of the whole product - skin and all. The blending process breaks down the fibre in the produce making it much easier to digest than in normal daily consumption. It also gives a slow release of nutrients leaving you feeling much fuller than if you were having a juice only diet. The disadvantage of a smoothie compared to juicing is that you cannot pack as many servings f fruit and veg in as the volume increases significantly. 

For me, blending is the best option. The main reason being that I do not have a juicing machine and I already own a blender. Also because I think that it is the quickest method. However, my recent blending has not proved quite as successful as I would have liked it to be as I have discovered that juice or smoothies should be consumed within fifteen minutes as the air and light damages the nutrients in the produce. I have been making smoothies in the morning and having one for breakfast and taking one in an airtight container to work with me for my lunch. 

The one thing that I am struggling with is a green smoothie. There are so many recipes online containing many weird and wonderful produce (some I might add that I have never even heard of!) that I do not know what to opt for, partly in fear of not knowing what I will and won't like and not wanting to spend a fortune on fresh produce that will end up in the bin. 

Have any of you lovely lot got any healthy smoothies recipes that you would recommend? I would be most grateful if you would be kind enough to share any tips/advice that you may have. I would like to make this a permanent lifestyle change as opposed to another "fad" diet and would really appreciate any pointers.

Liebster Award

After just over a month of blogging, I have been kindly nominated for the Liebster Award by newbie blogger Jo over at Say Cheesy Cake. I would like to thank her for the nomination! 

For those of you who are unaware, the Liebster Award is a blogging award that has been going around the blogging world for some time now basically designed to get to know newbie bloggers a little better. Being the nosey person I am, I am always keen to learn more about others and share some info about myself at the same time. Please feel free to take a look at some of my answers below.

The rules are simple:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 10 questions given to you by the nominator.

3. Nominate other bloggers for the award that have fewer than 200 followers.

4. Create 10 questions (or less) for your nominees to answer.

5. Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

So here go my answers:

1. What made you start your blog?

My best friend Jo has been blogging for some time now. I have watched as she started her blog with little knowledge of the blogging world slowly build it in to the rather successful blog that it is today. I was keen to start my own blog for some time but I never quite got around to it. If the truth be known, I did not have a clue what I was doing just never did anything about it. After a few helpful hints and tips from Jo, I started my blog and it is currently a "work in progress".

2. What is your favourite makeup brand and why?

I am a fully qualified VTCT Level 3 Make Up Artist and have a HUGE range of make up in my kit. I think that over the years I have pretty much tried most brands in various products. It is my honest opinion that I do not have a favourite brand as such. I like certain items by certain brands but I would never just stick to one brand. For example, I have clients who tell me that they only want MAC make up, but I rarely end up only using MAC products. In terms of my item I could not live without, it would have to be Maybelline Volum Express mascara. I have tried so many different mascara's over the year but I always end up going back to that one. It does not clump or run and makes your lashes look great.

3. What is your favourite cosmetic shop and why?

Again, as above, I do not have a favourite. Some of the cheaper brands sell brilliant products, as do some of the more expensive brands. I am always willing to give anything a go. I have pencils in my kit that cost £1 from Superdrug and they are brilliant - the are so easy to apply and the colour is great. They are also suitable for both eyes and lips. The most expensive does not always equal the best.

4. What is your favourite sandwich?

My absolute favourite sandwich is tuna melt. The sandwich shop local to my place of work sells these and it is tuna with Cajun spice, red onion, three cheese and mayo. Okay, not so great for the waistline but most definitely tasty!

5. What is your dream vacation destination?

Having not been on holiday abroad for a few years now, I would quite happily go anywhere that offers a bit of sun right now! I would love to go to Egypt and visit the pyramids, I would also love to go to India and see the Taj Mahal. My ideal holiday would be relaxing on a Caribbean island doing nothing but watching the world go by.

6. Do you bake and if yes, what do you bake?

I do not bake very often but after my Mum buying me a Grandma's Best Recipes book one Christmas I did bake a coffee cake and a carrot cake and they were delicious. The book was great as it had all tradition recipes in it. I always intend to spend more time in the kitchen baking and trying out new things but I never seem to get round to it with one thing or another.

7. Who is your role model?

Most people say celebrities, but I say my Mum. She really is an inspiration to me and I will always be thankful to her for the sacrifices she made in her life to give my brother and I a brilliant childhood and upbringing.

8. What's in your makeup bag?

I recently wrote a post-titled Handbag Essentials, I think that answers this question pretty well.

9. What apps are on your phone?

The current apps on my phone are Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Whatsapp, Timehop, Blogger, Bloglovin, EBay, Amazon, YouTube, InstaCollage, PicassaUp, PS Express, MoreBeaute2, Candy Crush, Farm Heros Saga, Emoji Free, BBC News, Liverpool Echo, Natwest, Scottish Power Your Energy, My EE, Arriva Ticket, Allpay, Avon, Detox Guru, Driving Test Theory, and the Highway Code.

10. What's your secret volumizing hair product?

I love the VO5 plumping powder, but I also could not live without my back comb brush. I am forever backcombing my roots!

11. What's your favourite snack?

I think that I may well be addicted to crisps! I cannot help but eat them. Give me crisps over chocolate any day!

Now that I have answered my questions from Jo, I now nominate the following bloggers to answer my questions as below:

• Yetti Coker 
• Katy 
• Caroline Farmer 
• Christina Hughes 
• Prashin Unadkat 
• Laura Chambers 
• Give It A Go Mum 
• Taylor Russell 
• FitnessWithU 
• Sarah Howe 

My questions to you are:

1. If I were going to buy you a present for £10, what would be the greatest thing I could get you?

2. If you could buy anyone lunch, who would it be and why?

3. Which film do you wish you were the main character in?

4. If you had to run a business, what would it do?

5. When you are eighty, what do you want to be able to say that you have achieved?

6. Where do you feel most at home?

7. What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

8. If you could hug anyone right now, who would it be?

9. What is the best thing about you?

10. What possession means the most to you?

I look forward to reading your answers fellow newbies x

Made With Love Valentines Day Card Review

Made With Love is a beautiful boutique for designer furniture, personalised greetings cards, weddings & events stationery.

I was asked to review the Made With Love Valentines Day card range. I was sent the below Lunar Moon card for review.

Cards are 140x140mm and come with recycled kraft envelope, so they are environmentally friendly or a white card presentation box upon request with three lines of text.

Valentines Cards can be personalised on the front & inside too. I opted to not have my card personalised and for it to be left blank. 

The card retails at just £3.50 with the kraft envelope option and £6.00 with a box bow tie and can be purchased on the stores website. You can follow Made With Love Designs on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and also on Instagram.

Tan Eraser Mitt

I was delighted to be sent the Tan Eraser Mitt to review – removing false tan after that big night out has been the bane of my life now for many years. You plan your big night out, spend the few evenings prior to the big event applying your tan in stages – and then spend the few after trying to get it off without looking like a streaky, Tango’d mess for days!

The Tan Eraser Mitt is an exfoliating mitt designed to remove existing fake tan and in the process prepare your skin for your next application of fake tan by removing dead skin cells and leaving your skin lovely and soft. The pink side of the mitt is for softer exfoliation and the black side is to be used for areas such as knees and elbows that can be stubborn. For me, one of my problem areas is my shin, just above my ankles. No matter how much I exfoliate and moisturise, it seems to be a problem area in both applying and removing tan. With the Tan Eraser Mitt, the tan came off almost instantly which was a pleasant surprise for me.

The instructions that came with the mitt were as follows:

1. Shower/bathe and cleanse your body as normal ensuring you rinse soap away thoroughly.

2. Wet the Tan Eraser mitt under the shower and squeeze out any excess water.

3. Standing away from the shower, or outside of the bath water, use the pink side to rub the skin to gently exfoliate and remove the old spray tan. Apply extra pressure or use the black side for stronger exfoliation.

4. Rinse your body and the Tan Eraser making sure all remaining tan has been removed.

So straightforward and simple to use and can be used in conjunction with your regular showering products. 

The Tan Eraser Mitt can be used for self tanning products and for professional spray tans, so it really is suitable for all and at a bargain retail price of just £6.00 this is an item every tan obsessed girl should have in their bathroom cupboard! Even if you are not an avid fake tan fan, I would still recommend this product as a brilliant all-round exfoliating mitt. The mitt can be purchased as single unit or if you are a beauty professional offering tanning services you can purchase the product on a wholesale basis. Additional details can be found at www.taneraser.com.