Spring has sprung

Happy Easter Bank Holiday everyone!! Hope everyone is feeling equally gynormous as I am following lots of yummy food & chocolate with friends & family. 

I failed with my weekly update for you last Sunday & am only just getting round to doing this week's! FODMAP is going swimmingly, it seems to be really working. Hurray! I had a slip up last week where I had an episode, but after looking into what I had eaten the night before, I had eaten Fajita seasoning which contained Soy. 

Given.. The episode wasn't as bad as they have been in the past, but my tummy didn't like it. 

This week I have been really good bar Chocolate this weekend (it is Easter after all). My tummy hasn't particularly enjoyed it, but it hasn't had a massive effect, so I'm starting to think Lactose isn't a trigger. 

So far I am thinking Soy to be the culprit! Whether it's Soy Protein, Soy Beans or Soya... And thinking about it before I started FODMAP, I would have Soya Protein at every meal in Quorn.

Im also thoroughly enjoying the meals & im just feeling healthier in myself! Eating more heavily this weekend for Easter has just made me feel gross. I fully endorse this healthier way of living & it's giving me more energy too. At the start it was making me more sluggish but I'm all good, & living pretty much IBS free/reduced is a huge relief. 

Here's some examples of meals I've been having:

One of my faves & go-to as its super quick! Tofu & Zuchini fried in Sesame Oil & Sesame seeds, super tasty! 

Gluten-free pasta in fresh Pesto sauce with Courgetti, made using my spiraliser- again super yummy & simple. 

This was a Soy sauce stir fry with spiralised carrots & Zuchini as the noodles! 

A simple roast dinner with tofu on the side. 

If you suffer with IBS, I would definitely recommend you giving this a go. 

Saffron xoxo 

Weight: 6lbs lighter (this is post Easter eggs too!) added bonus!! 

A little lighter

One week into my FODMAP diet, I am feeling much better & as a bonus, I am also a few pounds lighter!

Anyone who doesn't know what FODMAP is... Take a look at my previous post. Otherwise, carry on reading. 

This time last week I was feeling a tad stressed about everything I needed to eliminate & was apprehensive as to whether it would actually make a change. 

I can safely say that this week I have had no IBS episodes, none what so ever which is a massive change from my 3-4 episodes a week. I'm not expecting things to carry on 100% the whole way through, but it's looking pretty promising so far. 

So what have I actually eaten? 

Example lunch: Quinoa with whole grain rice, salad, cherry tomatoes & feta cheese. I would follow this with 2 Gluten-free rice cakes with peanut butter. 

Example tea: marinated tofu, zucchini, mashed potato & carrots. 

Example tea 2: mashed carrots, steamed Birds Eye veg pack & tofu seasoned with Salt & Pepper 

Example snack/pudding: Gluten-free rice cakes made with Almond Butter & vegan cocoa butter- made ever so kindly by my sister! 

I am also able to eat out! This is a Wagamamas lunch with Katsu sweet potato curry, then I changed the rice for rice noodles as I'm allowed those! 

Gluten free tortillas at Las Iguanas!! Followed by 

Honey roasted vegetable & haloumi skewers & gluten free rice. 

Las iguanas is awesome for Veggies/Vegans/Gluten-free diets (which I am now mostly all 3!) fab date aren't I... 

But with a bit of planning & some alterations ahead for this week to make my tofu more interesting, I'm all set to see what week 2 will bring. 

Week 1: No episodes 

Weightloss: -4 lbs

Countdown: 1 down, 5 weeks to go!

I would just like to point out that weightloss isn't a goal of this diet plan, it seems to be an added bonus! My only goal is to eradicate my IBS or lessen it at least! 

... Although, looking less beached whale will be a bonus for Mexico in 7 weeks time!

Have a good one, 

Saffron xoxo

Gut feeling

Tomorrow I start my 6 week FODMAP diet. A week ago I had no clue what this was.. It's not a weightloss diet, it's a diet to hopefully make my gut more happy... A diet that will hopefully sort out my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

I have had IBS for a couple of years, but it has gradually got worse. Initially it was something I found embarrassing & didn't really talk about it until recently. Since then, I have found out it's pretty common & there's lots of things you can try to get rid of it/help manage it at least! It's taken me a while to buck up the courage to write about it, but hopefully this will help someone else out there. 

I've tried over the counter tablets like Buscopan, but I wanted something to prevent it! So I've tried Yakult drinks, probiotic tablets, various scans to see if it was something more sinister, peppermint tablets- everything. 

The doctor has now put me on the "FODMAP" diet for 6 weeks. Which is eliminating Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides & Polyols. What?! In English, it's eliminating Fructose (fruits, honey etc), Lactose (Dairy), Fructans (Wheat, Rye, Gluten, Garlic etc), Galactans (beans, lentils, soybeans etc) and finally Polyols (sweeteners, avocado, nectarines, peaches etc). 

After the 6 weeks, you start reintroducing sections of the above and try to work out what it is setting the tummy off. This can be severe bloating or other symptoms that I won't go into but, 

WowZers....

Especially as a Vegetarian, this could be a challenge! So I spent most of Saturday morning planning my meals & creating a new a grocery shop & I'm all set! 

I will keep you posted on how I'm getting on & here goes for a Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free diet! Fingers crossed this helps & makes me tummy smile & hopefully less beached whale for my Mexican holibobs! 

Saffron xoxo

A perfectly British Saturday

What to do with a perfectly free weekend... Friday night we stuffed our faces with Curry & Wine. 

Saturday morning we woke from a blissful lie in to get ready for a Saturday spent at the Garden Centre & Antiques Fair. (we are both under 30 I hasten to add)...

Well it was pretty darn perfect, we spotted some things to go in our soon to be renovated garden, we picked out some great finds for my Mum's birthday and we had lunch in a typical English Coffee shop. Soup, Cheshire Cheese, Scones & all! 

Wayyy too many croutons & bread dunks later, I had no space for my scone.. So in a serviette it went & into my bag for later. It was well worth the wait.

Perfect end to a perfect day with my family, sometimes the unplanned, simple days turn out to be he best days.

Goodnight xoxo

10 years

On Sunday, my Hubby & I celebrate our 10 year anniversary! 10 years! I must say, the time has flown. 

It's been a full 10 years since I was walked down the road by my Mum to meet him. Who would have thought, that evening when I walked down in the rain with my "My Little Pony" umbrella (only one I could find, I hasten to add) that I would be meeting my future Hubby, face to face for the first time. 

I remember the scent of his aftershave & when I returned from our first date, my mum saying "you have that sparkle in your eye", I certainly did. I was falling in love.

Ever since then, we have been inseparable & it has been pretty perfect! Obviously life brings its ups & downs, but these are things we have faced as a partnership, together, always supporting each other through difficult/challenging times. 

I have received a number of raised eyebrows in the past about being married at 23 & still very much happily married & 10 years in to our relationship at 25. There's no secret, we just work! It sounds like a cliche, but we are best friends as well as lovers. 

We stick together, support each other & most of all communicate & prioritise us. We have a laugh together & have fun together & we totally just get each other. We give each other advice, a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear... We are partners in crime!  

We make sure we have regular date nights to give us that time to make an effort for each other & get out of our pjs! Literally all week, we get home from work, shower, in our pjs & chill! He treats me like a Princess & I treat him like a Prince - be kind to each other, be honest & keep that spark alive! 

I'm a very lucky lady- he is my rock- and a handsome one at that! xoxox

Goodies

For Christmas I got lots of goodies of the pampering kind- my favourite kind of goodies 

I got a full Lush set which came wrapped up in a scarf which added to the feel of the product. I love Lush as its Vegan & totally animal friendly & natural! 

I got the Mask of Magnaminty which is a mask for the body & face which is soooo good! It cleanses the pores & rids any blemishes. I also got an exfoliator, Christingle which is a tingly body toner, tea tree water for post cleanse of the face- amazing! & also some shower jelly which comes like Playdoh. I would recommend them all. 

I also got the above Soap & Glory set which again is animal friendly so always a winner! This set came with everything from plumping lipgloss to foot cream. 

Think these are now on offer in Boots at half price- so grab them. The foot cream is amazing but it has quite a funky smell to it... The other products smell divine. I also think the bag they come in is really cool & can be used for bath stuff/makeup once empty. I've not yet tried the mascara as I am sticking to my trusty Rimmell at the moment, but will let you know what I think!

Happy pampering xoxo

Fashion inspiration

I've been feeling inspired by lots of different fashion looks lately. I've not really been that into fashion, more of a jeans & tshirt kind of girl. But recently I'm trying out different looks & wearing what I want to, without worrying what other might think. 

I watched House of DVF on E! & I think this kick-started my interest in fashion- it made me head out to the shops to get a new work wardrobe where I tried out different dress & skirt styles that I would never have tried before. It made me look at the online stores such as Missguided & go for the more edgy pieces such as low v-neck dresses, chunky jumpsuits & Audrey Hepburn style dresses I would usually go for. 

A style influence I discovered also through watching House of DVF is Hanna Beth, she has an edgy, grungy, boho look which I absolutely love! 

But does it in such a classy way! 

The Boho look has been an influence in my dress sense for a while now, designs by Rat & Boa, For Love & Lemons... And also more rustic influences from markets & small business websites. I just love Brittney Valverde & her style. 

I've also found some really cute children's clothing designers such as FeatherDrum & Children of the Tribe who design the cutest boho clothes for kids! 

I just love them! & happy to be happy experimenting with different looks. 

Happy January! Xoxo