June 2014

As if we're half way through 2014, how did that happen! June's been a good month I suppose, brining the start of my summer. Saying that, I've been working a hell of a lot but I can't complain, at least it keeps me busy. I have felt quite stressed recently though, feeling like I have so much to do when really, I don't. 

I think the stand out event in June was receiving my final results for first year, it turns out I did way better than expected and have made it into the university that I missed out on getting into first time around, it's safe to say that that day was a good day! Obviously there was Lee's totally fun birthday day out which you can read about here and my grandma's birthday was also celebrated, with a family meal at Bella Italia. It was my first time there and we were a little apprehensive as we had wanted somewhere quite fancy for her, but I was very impressed! The decor is lovely and I had the tastiest duck pizza, Lee was the only one that managed three courses plus birthday cake, the beast he is. 

Me and Lee finished Breaking Bad at the start of June and it feels weird to not look forward to the next episode marathon. I do think they dragged it on a little too long but the ending was unexpected, which I liked. I'm all in to trashy reality related stuff so I didn't think me and Breaking Bad were going to get along but I thoroughly enjoyed it, the acting on the most part was great and there were lots of super intense moments throughout. What series do we need to start watching now? (He's already half way through OITNB so that's not an option, I need to catch up!). We also, of course, had to go and see The Fault in our Stars. I loved the book and was so looking forward to watching it come alive on screen, I don't want to put any spoilers out there but it didn't disappoint, the book was captured perfectly, take plenty of tissues! 

Unfortunately, June was the month that I failed the 30 day shred. I got a few days in to level three and it was a killer. In all honesty, by the time I got home from work and ate my evening meal my mam had already claimed the TV for the soaps leaving me no where to do the shred and by that point I think Jillians voice and words of encouragement had just got a little too much. I'm a bit gutted but will definitely go back to it as I do believe the workouts are effective if done properly. I still haven't been eating too badly, although we did indulge in our first BBQ of the year and boy was it good! I'm already looking forward to the next one, that's one of the things I love most about summer, time spent outside next to the BBQ with no laptops, just family, friends and lots of chatting. That night ended with a trip to the pub, our only night at the pub in June surprisingly! I haven't been up to much else, had a nice shopping trip with my mam, a lovely walk around a big lake with Lee and our two friends whilst triathlon training was going on, it was crazy to watch them all in sync with one another in the water and noticing that the resident swans had made their way to the other side to stay out of the way. I stole my close friend for a night whilst she was visiting home for a catch up, me and Lee found a new route on a spontaneous drive and finally, I listed lots more stuff on my eBay after a clear out, there's more to come! 

I'm ending the month tomorrow with a final pre holiday shopping trip as our holiday to Tenerife is fast approaching, 5 days!! That's reason number one why July will be great and number two, it's my birthday month. I hope you've had a wonderful June!

Rachael x

The Graze Box

From day one of starting my little journey to eat healthier snacking has always been my vice. I'm not saying snacking is bad, but I continued to constantly crave snacks in the form of sugary goods and I desperately wanted to substitute the chocolate and biscuits for some healthier alternatives. This is where Graze came in, I'd heard about this nifty little box quite a bit via the internet but the money always put me off and I didn't think it was something I'd ever actually venture in to. However, I was a girl in need of some inspiring snacks so I went ahead and ordered from the website. Now, I'm going to be honest here, my initial plan was to do a first impressions type post but I wasn't able to photograph my first box because as soon as I walked in the door and spotted my first Graze box on the floor, I ripped it open and demolished the flapjack within seconds, before I could even think about what I was doing, oops. It was delish though.

If you have a code which often come in leaflets with packages (mine was ASOS) or they come with your box for a friend, you will be able to get your 1st, 5th and 10th box free and will be charged £3.99 for each of the others (including delivery). Graze offers three different boxes, the nibble box, which is the one I get but also the breakfast box full of cool granola, porridge and museli mixes and the goody box, designed for kids. You can choose how often and on what day you'd like your box and what's also great is that, not only is the packaging recyclable, it's letter box sized so you don't need to worry about missing a delivery as you can be guaranteed that your box of treats will be awaiting your return. Don't feel like you're tied down either as it's easy enough to cancel deliveries and if you go on holiday, you can 'book a holiday' so you don't receive any boxes during the time that you're away. You receive four snacks of good sized servings in each box and a little booklet telling you the nutrition values, use by date and nutritional benefits. The whole thing is customisable too, after you've demolished your snacks, you can go on line and rate them which will determine how often that particular snack is sent, if at all and you get the option to tick things that you'd like to be sent in your next few boxes, pretty nifty.

Like I said, I never really thought Graze was something I'd go for and it was a bit of an impulse thing, my intention was to give it a go and cancel after the fifth but honestly, I'm yet to be disappointed. I have surprisingly enjoyed pretty much every thing I have tried (I gave the olives away as I wasn't quite brave enough to try them) and Graze has given me the opportunity and the motivation to try new, healthier snacks, quite often things which I wouldn't have in the house or consider buying. Considering I'm quite fussy and don't generally like healthy things that's pretty good going. The little punnets make great snacks for work and when you're out and about. I also think that some of the dried fruit/seed mixes would be great toppings for porridge in the morning! I love how the whole thing is designed, as well as the website and I think the little logos on each punnet are great for letting you know the nutritional benefit of that snack. 

I'm not sponsored by Graze in any way by the way, I'm just pleasantly surprised by the whole creation! It did seem a bit steep to me at first having to pay £3.99 a week but really, that's £1 a snack and they're so worth it! Even if you just want some healthy eating snack inspiration you can head on over to their website and have a browse as there's a lot of choice! Also, here's my friend code for you to claim your three free boxes: LY24WL3PP. Have you tried Graze?

Rachael x