Degustabox- the healthy January Box

With January a month of fresh starts and healthy eating it made sense that the first Degustabox of 2015 was packed through guilt-free treats to test out. When it comes to eating healthily I tend to go through phases and lately I’ve been on one big, long spree of relying on cheap junk food to meet my calorie needs.

One of my promises to myself this year is to get back on track with all things food and fitness and whilst I’m not on a diet or trying to lose weight I do want to add in healthier foods and ingredients to make my body look and feel better from the inside out. I’m all about trying new food products and get quite excited when I find something new on the supermarket shelves so this box was right up my street! As Degustbox often do, the January box came in two options, one with an alcoholic beverage and one with a soft drink instead. For review purpose blogger boxes were sent out with both.

I always start my day with a bowl of porridge as nothing else sets me up for the day quite like it. When I’m at Ben’s at the weekend I often take a pot of instant porridge with me so I don’t miss out, and these new varieties from Mornflake (£1.19 each) with Nutella and golden syrup portions to stir in are in my eyes, genius. Sadly I couldn’t eat the Nutella one as I’m allergic to it but Ben gladly tried that one out- he doesn’t need much persuasion to get involved in food type posts! These are so quick and easy make up, you just add boiling water, stir in your topping (or have it plain) and leave it to stand for a few minutes. Perfect for people on the go, and so easy for a breakfast at your desk.
I don’t exclude anything from my diet these days after years of skipping entire food groups for months on end. I was intrigued though to see a low-carb breadmix included in this month’s box as it sounds perfect for those with allergies. Sukrin Bread Mix might not be cheap at £5 per box but as it has only 1g of carbs per slice and free from gluten, wheat, egg, sugar, yeast and soya it’s a worthy investment for when you really fancy producing a home cooked loaf. I haven’t made this up yet, I’m saving it for when I make some home made soup (which won’t be too long ahead I hope) so I’ll report back on how it tastes.

My phobia of oil is a standing joke among those who know me so I’m not 100% sure how much use I’ll get from the Alfa One Rice Oil (£2.00) will get. It is however one of the healthiest oils out there, apparently and super versatile so maybe I will get round to giving it a go- the boost of anti oxidants, vitamin E and cholesterol blocking properties do make it sound like a winner.

Finn Crisp original crispbread are a firm favourite and a product I’ve bought time and time again (£1.20 a box). These are baked with sourdough which gives them a really unique taste against other crackers and crisp breads on the market and they are the perfect host for all manner of tasty lunches- from dipping in soups to topping with continental meats and cheeses. I’ll be adding some of the Haywards piccalilli to these, I think the flavours will be amazing together.

Kabuto Noodles (£2.00) are a product I’ve seen on the shelves but never got round to buying. I’ve got these stashed away in my work lunch pile and as with the bread mix I’ll report back on how they taste.

On the drinks side of things there were a few interesting additions in this month’s box. The dairy free milk by Koko is a product I’ve had before and is a lovely , refreshing coconut milk (£1.39). I love it most in porridge or plain cereals to jazz them up a bit- it also goes very well on muesli and granola and contains less calories than skimmed milk. The Simplee Aloe Aloe Vera drink (£1.79) isn’t a product I’m desperate to try, I just can’t get my head around the idea of it and as I’m not a fan of juices and smoothies in general I think I might have to pass this on. This was in the alcohol free box so on this occasion I’d go for the alcoholic version.

The alcohol box addition was a bottle of Magners Light cider. Despite being from the west country I’m not a huge fan of cider but this does look very appealing so it might become my tipple on Friday after work, all in the name of research- I’ll report back!

Last, but my no means least there were products from Little Miracles (£1.49 each) which is a brand I have enjoyed since being introduced to it via Degustabox. Each bottle is less than 90 calories and this make for the perfect little pick me up during a long day at work. There was also a special bonus gift of some green tea from Clipper which since we had a full sized box in a previous Degustabox I’ve been drinking and enjoying regularly so I was pleased to see a top up!
Have you signed up for Degustabox yet? If you fancy signing up you can grab a generous £3 off your first box with the code 0LCHE. Happy eating!

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From Venus with Love

Nothing pleases me more than discovering a new jewellery label to fawn over. It’s been a while since I came across anything really new and exciting so I was extra delighted when the lovely Jenna from Venus with Love made contact to introduce their brand. The brain child of two exceedingly creative ladies, Venus with Love is all about personalised jewellery with connotations of love, beauty and prosperity. At the moment the range is divided in two- with V. Lockets and V. Bandz being the stars of the show. I believe the line is set to expand further though and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Dress: Matalan | Shoes: Primark | Necklace c/o Venus with Love

I love giving jewellery as a gift almost as much as I love collecting new pieces for myself so the idea of being able to select a truly personal piece for a friend or family member really appeals. Everything about the V. Locket is customisable and the prices are clear so you can keep track as you go along. I was kindly allowed to create my own necklace to show off on the blog and I had a great time doing it! I went for a classic locket in crystal silver and selected the “love” back plate as it just seemed like a good, fitting choice for how I feel about the brand. I went for a bit of a cheese-ball approach and popped in a little daisy charm and “dream” token to represent the blog and finished it off with a silver feather. The finished product exceeded my expectations when it arrived- beautifully packaged I had worried it might look a little gimmicky but I needn’t have worried. Every time I’ve worn this so far I’ve had compliments and I have a few people in mind who I’d like to buy one for.

The girls at Venus with Love are offering a generous 20% discount for my blog readers, so now is the perfect time if you want to create your own V. Locket or V. Bandz. All you need to do is pop in the code “DAISY20” at the checkout and away you go! Let me know if you do create one as I’d love to see the end result.

Apologies for the otherwise un-inspiring outfit post, these photos were grabbed straight from work one day when I was feeling less than well dressed, but with the arrival of this beautiful piece I couldn’t wait to get it snapped so I could write my post.

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Competition Alert- Share the Love with Bassbuds!

Have you heard of Bassbuds yet? They make the coolest earphones on the planet (I should know, I own a rose gold and pink pair) which sound every bit as good as they look!
At the moment they’re running an awesome campaign called #24CARATCOUPLES where they have partnered with have partnered with Uber and Harvey Nichols to give the a couple a chance to win a his & hers pair of our 24ct gold earphones, BassBoomz speakers, Uber pick up taxi and luxury shopping experience with Harvey Nichols.
This month Bassbuds are launching their new, luxury 24 carat gold swarvoski earphones and to celebrate there is an epic prize up for grabs.

The winning couple will win a set of 24CT Gold Bassbuds & all they will have to do is enter the competition on the link below and upload a image of themselves with their partner to be in with a chance to win.The competition will run from today the 10th to 28th Feb, 12pm.​

The link to enter is here – good luck!

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Ship-Shape

No matter how much love I have for all things floral and feminine I still have a lot of space in my heart (and wardrobe) for a nautical look from time to time. Back in my youth I was rarely seen in anything that wasn’t navy and/or striped- complete with glass of rum in hand as often as humanely possible. Thankfully I’ve moved on from that phase now but I still have a soft spot for things that remind me of my teenage years and when Babycham launched their new Spring/Summer collection and I spied this pair I knew exactly how I wanted to wear them.

Jumper c/o ASOS Tall (similar) | Skirt: Zara | Shoes c/o Babycham

Come Spring and some warmer weather these shoes will not be off my feet. The perfect height heel for every day wearing and the ideal partner for denim I’m just smitten. Babycham are up there as one of my favourite brands for cool and quirky footwear and their latest collection does not disappoint.
TGIF eh? Even if it is Friday the 13th, I’m not superstitious usually but can’t help but expect something to go wrong when this date rolls around. Touch wood we all make it through in one piece though, I am SO ready for the weekend.

Got any plans for Valentine’s Day? Ben and I will do something low key I expect, we’re not great planners and prefer to just see what happens.

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Win a Purrfectbox or Pawsomebox for your pet!

After Mae’s enthusiastic response to her gifted Purrfect Boxes it is with great pleasure that I am now able to offer up the chance for ten of my wonderful readers to win a Purrfect box (or Pawsome box) for their fluffy friends.

Entering couldn’t be easier, simply follow the simple widget instructions below! Mae’s looking up at me with her big green eyes wondering why I haven’t submitted multiple entries on her behalf already…

Good Luck!

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