SUPER EASY ROLY POLY CHURROS

I know most of us are on a diet with the distant calls of summer willing us into getting that gorgeous beach body, but we’re all allowed a little treat now and then and this is DEFINITELY my go to, quick, easy and very scrumptious recipe for the perfect diet- breaker!

I’m not a big dessert maker… I love a good chocolate fudge cake after some pub grub but I can never be bothered making my own yummy treats at home because it’s just too much of a faff and to be honest. I just can’t be bothered most of the time BUT try these little beauties and you will never make a soggy sponge ever again you’ll be the master of all things yummy (well not all things- just this!)

What makes it even better is they’re made with things you can always find around the house like: oil, egg, bread, Nutella/ jam or anything else spreadable and sweet and sugar- and that’s it! Sounds good right?!

Sooo….Here goes

STEP 1: Heat some oil in a frying pan (You don’t need a lot just enough to cover the pan.


STEP 2: Get 1 slice of bread (white works best!)  and cut the crusts off making a nice little square.

STEP 3: Roll the bread out with a rolling pin so that its nice and flat and all the fluffiness is out of it.

STEP 4: Spread the bread with Nutella/ jam etc. 

STEP 5: Roll it up so you have a little roly-poly.  

STEP 6: Dip it in some whisked egg covering all sides. (make sure you let most of the excess drip off before the next step)

STEP 7: Place it in the hot oil and keep turning until all sides are golden brown

STEP 8: Take out of the pan and roll it straight in some caster sugar making sure it’s all covered. 

STEP 9: JUST GO AHEAD AND EAT IT ALREADY!

 These are great for a dinner party or any party for that matter when you don’t want to be slaving away in the kitchen but want to give your guests a little treat. They’re gorgeous and sweet but they’re not too big! 

Try experimenting with fruit or custard- see what else you can put in that will be yummy. Maybe a peanut butter and jam one?! Mmm…

Enjoy!- and remember not too many…that bikini body still needs working on ;)

THE EXERCISE-A-PHOBE'S GUIDE TO BEING ACTIVE

I wish I could jump up at 6am and go for a run or drag myself to the gym 7 times a week, but I just don’t like exercise and I can’t make myself do it! Not all of us can be exercise lovers- and I’m certainly NOT! Although, however much I’d like to stay on my sofa and watch Netflix endlessly or sit scrolling through Pinterest dreaming of having my perfect body and fooling myself that I’ll start eating all these low fat/ gluten free/ super healthy super foods I know that I have to compromise otherwise I’ll easily end up 20st and VERY unhappy! So if you’re like me and you’re not very keen on exercise here is my guide to being more active from an exercise-a-phobe! 

I’ve never really liked getting up and being physical and I believe that it stems from a number of factors (other than me just being a bit too lazy!) and the first is that I had an evil P.E teacher (and I mean really evil). Throughout my whole high school I used to dread P.E and tried every excuse in the book to avoid it as I was regularly ridiculed because I could never do the different sports we studied. As well as this, I had bad asthma and whenever I have an inkling of motivation and I set out on a jog or tried an at home work out, 9 time out of 10 I ended up having an asthma attack -some minor some more serious, and YES it scared me! (and still does). That’s my biggest hurdle with exercise. Yes, I know that the more exercise you do the better your asthma becomes as it strengthens your lungs but what people don’t understand when reminding me of this little fact is that you have to go through a lot of attacks (which if you have asthma will know are not nice at all!) to even see the smallest of results. So whether you’re lazy, don’t like exercise, have asthma or a combination  of the 3, or something else completely read these tips and tricks that I try and do to not become a complete couch potato.

This might sound silly but people underestimate how tiring it is scrubbing the house top to bottom. Although this isn’t the conventional kind of exercise it will help towards making you more active, and less lazy.  So on a regular basis get up and set to work on some of those household tasks that you put off like wiping down and sorting the kitchen cupboards, or bleaching the bathroom tiles. They’ll keep you busy, you’ll be up and down the stairs or back and forth getting cleaning products and you’re body will benefit from a bit of an arm work out. 

I’m bad for this! I don’t walk places enough.  This can be a nice stroll with your partner on a Sunday, or setting out for a more vigorous walk up a hill or even just choosing to walk the 20/ 30 minutes to the shops over getting a lift or getting the bus. It’s easy- If you make a more conscious effort to walk places, no matter the size you’ll feel tonnes better; and the good thing about walking is you can take it as slow as you like so you’re not breathless. 

When I previously boosted my healthy eating and became more active I used to regularly scroll through YouTube on the hunt for beginner workouts. These aren’t always hard some of the yoga/ pilates ones are easy and don’t get you too worked up. Take the time to try some videos out and see what works for you then maybe do it a few times a week. 

Have boogie or go and play a fun game of badminton or even for a splash with your friends, or your partner. We’re all big kids really and going for a swim or for a dance is perfect! Its fun, it doesn’t feel like exercise and it doesn’t leave us hating the world haha. 

These are only little pointers, and of course there is far more possibilities out there but these are just my pointers for the people who really hate to exercise. Once you’ve tried these who knows, it could give you a taste for being physical and you might like to take it a step further.

Remember, 'something' is better than 'nothing'!

If you have any tips or pointers about how to stay active, comment below- I’d love to know what you guys do, and get some new ideas!

MARCH READING WRAP UP

This month was a gooden for books. My passion for reading same back in full swing, I treated myself to some new books and I loved every single one of them! There’s nothing better than snuggling down with a giant hoody on, a blanket, a cup of tea and a good book- and that’s exactly what I did for the majority of this month.  I convinced myself that “exercise for the brain” is more important than the physical stuff.

1.     The first book I read this month was Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.  I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. One reason is that it was short (224 Pages) and it allowed me to dash through it with ease and move onto the next.  The language that Lively uses is both extremely realistic and in some ways blunt but we see hints of beautiful lyrical descriptions; those combined allow for a varied and interesting read.

2.       The next book I read was for my English Literature course but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it any less.  This is even smaller than my first read and is more of a novella than anything and its Bonjour Tristesse- Francoise Sagan. This story is unique due to its simplicity. It’s set in one summer, largely in one location and it’s got a fairly simple storyline of love, jealousy, summer and death. Sagan is a beautiful writer and her approach to writing the short story is very refreshing with it focusing on people rather than an overly complex narrative. 

3.       Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel was the third book this month and it did not fail!. This new contemporary read was exactly as described. The mystery that follows the entire storyline had me gripped and I literally couldn’t put it down, I read it so quick. This paired with Mandel’s beautiful description of a post-apocalyptic world and an interesting compilation of chapters jumping from different characters in different points of their lives made for a fantastic read. 

4.       Perhaps my favourite of the month was Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist. Although I was a little bit behind when jumping on this bandwagon, I’m so glad I didn’t just let it pass me by. The storylines follows a young girl’s journey into marriage. Set in Amsterdam I felt I was transported to somewhere I didn’t know and enjoyed being surrounded by the beauties of the past. This story held so many twists and turns and Burton turns what could have been a bit boring and classical, completely on its head and it made me cry! 

5.       The gorgeous Penguin 80^th Anniversary classics were released recently and I couldn’t help but grab a few for myself. The first that I chose and read was The Fall of Icarus by Ovid. I enjoyed the story but the amount of names and places, and Gods confused me a bit. (okay a lot!) and I got a bit lost with what was going on. Never the less it was a cute edition, a nice little story and the books look gorgeous on my bookshelf. If you haven’t already got some of these- GO AND BUY THEM NOW!

Currently Reading: The Secret History- Donne Tarr- You’ll get to find out next month what I thought of this one! Hint: It’s BRILLIANT so far, so I’m expecting it’ll be a good one. 

I hope you read some amazing books this month… I know I certainly did and I can’t wait for what story’s I get to indulge in, next month. 

You can get all these books from amazon… They always have deals on paperbacks. (At the moment it's 3 for £10!!)

Here are the links to buy them!

1. Moon Tiger- Penelope Lively

2. Bonjour Tristesse- Francoise Sagan

3.Station Eleven- Emily St John Mandel

4. The Miniaturist- Jessie Burton

5.The Fall of Icarus- Ovid

6.The Secret History- Donne Tarr