The August Degustabox- back to school and on the go*

Box gifted by Degustabox
This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.

How is it even the end of August and almost back to school time? This year has flown by more than usual, I suppose because everything is just so bloody strange. My head is stuck in March, and yet here we are on the last bank holiday before Christmas.

This month’s Degustabox looked promising from the second I opened it. The products had a back to school/on the go theme and you can see what I made of them by reading on…

First up are these Great British Puds chew bars from Swizzels. I’d actually already tried these, having made my Mum track them down for me a couple of months ago. As the name suggests, these are based on some top traditional puddings- rhubarb crumble and sticky toffee pudding were my favourites. Well worth the £1 per bag and available from selected Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, One Stop, B&M, Home Bargains, McColl’s, Premier and Spar stores.
One good thing to come out of lockdown, and a habit we’ve continued is that Bob and I both take packed lunches to work with us every day. We are always looking for new ideas to try, and this Capsicana Mexican chilli and honey cooking paste was a great addition to some chicken for salads and wraps. £1.50 per sachet from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado. This did us four lunches so was well worth the money.
Pick Up! biscuits are Bob’s favourite packed lunch treat. The Choco Hazelnut and Choco & Milk were both big winners, so now I need to try and get hold of these as well as the standard Milk Chocolate ones to keep him happy! £1.69 for a pack of 5 from most major supermarkets (I often get them on offer for £1).

I wasn’t sure what to make of these Pea Powered Curls from Simpleas at first as they are unlike anything I’ve had before. It didn’t take long before I was hooked- super crunchy and full of flavour as well as being gluten free and high in protein and fibre. Amazing for 88 calories per bag, I wish they were more widely available! £1.09 per bag from WH Smiths, Skinny Food Company, Independent Farm Shops and on simpleas-snacks.co.uk.
Bob tried these Boundless nuts and seeds in Cayenne and Rosemary from Boundless as the flavour wasn’t for me. A great healthier option for on the go, and he said the flavour was great. £1.50 from Sainsbury’s (£1 there), Holland & Barrett, John Lewis as well as As Nature Intended, Revital and Independent stores.

I saw these RXBARs everywhere when we were in America and regretted not trying them. Made with the shortest ingredients list I think I’ve ever seen, these are pricey at £2.50 but the peanut butter and chocolate flavour was a hit in my eyes (this flavour combo makes anything a winner!). I’d get these again if on offer as there are a few flavours I’d like to try. Available from Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Amazon and rxbar.com.
I didn’t try the Swisse Me start me Chia smoothie as this kind of thing just isn’t my cup of tea. I’m sure it’s great though, for those who are too busy to breakfast at home and want something healthy. £1.80 from swisseme.com.
I loved the blueberry and banana sachet from The Great British Porridge Co. I’m stocking up on these for our next camping trip as you just need boiling water to make a delicious and hot breakfast. £1.50 each and I’ve seen the brand stocked in Waitrose.
Chai lovers will already be aware of Drink me Chai. I personally tend to use their powders to make a chai tea loaf- the perfect Autumnal bake.

I love the Twinings cold infuse range as a whole, although this wasn’t a flavour for me. These are perfect for livening up plain water without adding loads of sugar to get some flavour. £3/79 per pot and available in all major supermarkets in a wide range of flavours.
Bob is the cold coffee connoisseur in our house and rated this Iced Coffee from Master Cafe very highly indeed. Bonus points for the gorgeous packaging. £1.50 per can and also available in Iced Coffee Latte Mocha from Amazon, snaxemporium.com and selected convenience stores across the UK.
Another new favourite for the camping snacks stash are these salted caramel protein flapjacks from Trek. I was late to the salted caramel love, but now I’m obsessed. These are a great addition to the brand’s range, and ideal for refuelling after a long walk – be it on the beach or trying to find your way back to your tent on a dark campsite! £2.50 for three from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado and Amazon.

Sunny Fruit Mix-Ups from Whitworths might be aimed at kids but I love these as a work snack too. The strawberries are lovely with the sultanas and they squish a sugar craving really well. £2 from all major supermarket chains.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments, it’s always great to get other people’s thoughts.

If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money.
On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.

If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim £3.00 off of your first box (making it just £9.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.


Revamp Your Home for Autumn*

Photo by Kaylee Garrett on Unsplash

When it comes to cleaning and organising your home you often think about spring being the ideal season to get to work. Of course, spring cleaning is always going to be a thing, but we believe that autumn could be the time for revamping.

In this post, to help inspire you to redesign your home and make it look better than ever we have put together some of our top tips on how to revamp your home for autumn.

Add some autumn colours

Want to bring a touch of autumn to your home? If you do then you can always add in some autumn colours. Cushions, rugs and throws- not only are these all great ways to add colour but they can also add warmth, texture and style too. Something that you will be more than grateful for when you are spending the longer evenings cuddled up at home.

Use it as a chance to declutter

Making over and decorating a room is the ideal time to actually declutter and organise the space too. After all, if you are in a room trying to paint it or moving furniture around, then chances are that you are going to change up the entire space too which means that it might be the ideal time to think about some of the mess.

Also, don’t forget, if you’re likely to make a mess whilst you are decorating, to book a junk collection from a reputable company like www.samedayrubbishremoval.com.au/. They’ll help you to clean up and dispose of your unwanted stuff in a reputable way.

You’ll also need to consider other boring but essential jobs such as prepping the exterior of your house for the colder months and inclement weather. This includes making sure your gutters are clear ahead of winter storms. Again, a reputable company such as Gutter Cleaning Kansas City will ensure the job gets done swiftly and safely.

Create a cosy and intimate feel

Following on from the above, if you are looking at adding warmth to a spot in your home then why not take this one step further and make it a cosy, intimate and inviting place to be? This works really well with a small armchair or reading chair, which will allow you to create a spot that you will want to curl up with a good book and let the world outside pass you by.

Work with lighting

The nights get darker the further into autumn we get, which means that we need to think about our lighting choices at home. Table lamps are great additions during autumn as they bring extra light when you need it most and, best of all, they can also be used to add colour to the room too. You could, if you really like to change things up, invest in a new lamp shade when the autumn comes around, replacing brighter summer colours with more neutral, deeper, autumn shades.

It can be hard work redesigning and making over your home, but we can promise you that it is worth it. There is no better feeling than being able to relax and unwind in your beautifully decorated home. Especially as the weather starts to change and the autumn months really take a hold. Before we know it, we will find ourselves deep in winter and we will need to be able to hide away in our beautifully decorated and made over homes.


How To Keep Your Sanity When Stuck Indoors*

Thankfully, many lockdown rules are being relaxed; This means that gyms are back open, pools can be used, and you can meet up with other people. However, these rules could easily change and there are parts of the country still in full-lockdown due to a spike in cases. You might also be in a situation where you don’t want to go out because you’re either at risk or live with people who have a higher risk of catching Covid-19 and suffering serious consequences.

Consequently, many of you are still stuck inside trying to find things to do. It’s been this way since March, and it’s hard to cling to your sanity for that long. Here are some suggestions that can help you remain positive and keep your mind in one piece when stuck indoors:

Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

Make your own alcoholic drink from scratch

You have to get creative if you want to survive the year 2020! Pubs are starting to re-open, but you might hate the idea of being in a confined space with loads of others. So, why don’t you bring some of the same fun to your home by brewing your own alcohol? So many beer-brewing kits and gin-making kits exist nowadays for your pleasure. You can stay at home and come up with your own alcoholic creation. It’s a double-whammy in that you have fun making the drink, then have even more fun drinking it! These things take time so it should also keep you occupied for a few days at least. Think about your favourite alcoholic drinks, then go online and see if you can find a brewing kit for them. 

Photo by Bruna Soares on Unsplash

Play around with your car

If you have a car then you’ve got your very own boredom-freeing machine. You can do so many things to a car when you’re stuck at home if you’re brave enough! On a base level, give it a proper clean from inside to out; it may have been years since you cleaned your car like this and it’s a great little passion project to undertake. Then you can start to think about making some other adjustments – like an alloy refurb on the wheels, a new paint job, some different lights etc. Basically you can turn your life into an episode of Pimp My Ride every single day. You’ll be amazed at how many things you can do to a car, and at how fun this can be with a little help from YouTube!

Photo by Roselyn Tirado on Unsplash

Renovate your home

On the topic of pimping things up, why don’t you renovate your home with a bit of DIY? Most people think home renovations are costly and involve lots of construction work. Truthfully, they don’t have to be like this if you don’t want them to. There are so many DIY renovations you can do on your own with a handful of tools. DIY is always a winner when you’re stuck at home, and you get the benefit of improving your living space at the same time.

You see, keeping your sanity is not as difficult as it seems. Essentially you have to keep yourself occupied and find things to do that last for a long time. Even when life gets back to normal, these are great little projects to undertake when you’re bored on a rainy day inside!





3 Tips For Living Healthy Lifestyle *

To most people a healthy lifestyle encompasses being physically and mentally balanced. While it’s easy enough to talk about healthy lifestyles, living by the principles can be difficult, but if you want to enjoy the things in life longer following healthy habits should be in your mind no matter your lifestyle, so here are the top ways to achieve that.

  1. Follow a Healthy Diet
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

For proper growth and development your body needs to feed on a balanced diet. From adults to infants, humans have different nutritional requirements, for instance an infant needs to be fed every four hours each day until they reach an age that permits them to eat solid food. As time goes on they will adapt to the normal three-square meal plan. Teenagers and young adults on the other hand often take their snacks in between their meals to fuel activity and growth. If you want to stay healthy, stick to the following diet guidelines: Eat three times a day- that’s to say take your lunch, breakfast, and supper (dinner). Your dinner doesn’t have to be too heavy. In the evening eating a lot of food will stress your digestive system since you are about to go to bed. A huge chunk of your meals should contain healthy foods such as beans, fruits, veggies, grains, and milk products with low saturated fat, eggs, and fish. You may also want to avoid sugary drinks because they contain excessive amounts of calories. Three square meals won’t suit everyone so you could try six half sized meals/snacks to keep things more regulated throughout the day

2. Stay physically active (exercise)

Healthy living is deeply connected with physical activity. In evolutionary biology the theory of use and disuse of body parts suggests that if you exercise part of your body, it develops better, but if you don’t effectively use a body part, it atrophies (wastes). Physical exercises build your muscle mass, improve your balance and coordination, make you more flexible, and also enhance your endurance. Health wise, exercise also helps decrease your risk of cardiac diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Fitness freaks who love to hit the gym to do weightlifting routines build their bone density, this means they also decrease their risks of osteoporosis. Even for older people in their 60s and 70s, there is no excuse to be left out of workout activities. Regular exercises also boost your self-confidence, lowers your stress, and gives you a good mood. If you are someone who has weight issues, that can be a threat to healthy living. Consider doing physical activities such as walking, running, weightlifting, yoga, and swimming, to keep fit and maintain a healthy weight.

Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash

3. Say no to negative lifestyles

Excess alcohol, drug abuse and tobacco-smoking are examples of negative lifestyles that can decrease your lifespan. In 2010, tobacco-smoking led to the death of over 443,000 Americans the National Cancer Institute reported. About 90% of male lung cancer-related deaths are caused by smoking, and female deaths account for 80% for the same condition.

Healthy living also means you have to take care of yourself physically and mentally, even in your workplace. For example, if you are a taxi driver you may want to drive carefully and also put measures in place that will not put you in a stressful situation. You can, for example, get a taxi insurance quote for your vehicle for those unforeseen moments. 

Healthy living is a broad subject comprising diet, exercise, and other safe practices. The tips above can be of great help if you try them.