21.2.14

Goody Good Stuff | Eating my Degustabox


On Monday after our Degustabox dinner, Muj and I decided to have some Degustabox sweeties as well. These are the Goody Good Stuff Sour Mix & Match and Tropical Fruit. We decided to half each bag then half that between us. I've been having too many greedy piggy moments recently so I'm glad I have a flatmate to split things like this with.


I'm not the hugest fan of sour or fizzy things but every now and then I like them. These were quite nice but I felt the sourness took over the flavour a bit too much for me. I probably wouldn't get these ones again.


 Now these ones, I absolutely loved! So tasty and the flavours were so...flavourful? Not overpoweringly strong but definitely there! I can definitely see me getting these ones again in the future.

Ok are we ready for the list of everything the Goody Good Stuff range is free from? Here we go - fat free, meat free, dairy free, alcohol free, gluten free, egg free, nut free, soy free, gelatine free. Considering there is no gelatine in these, I was quite surprised at how chewy and for lack of a better word meaty these were. Pleasantly surprised!

I'll definitely be trying out more from this range, they'd be perfect as Sunday night pub quiz treats!

Have you tried any Goody Good Stuff? Let me know below!


19.2.14

WIW #8 | Another maintain!

This was the most shocking weigh in of late as I was fully expecting a gain. I even dreamt the night before that I jumped on the scales and I'd put on 8lbs. I know that's not even possible ina week but I got such a fright that it woke me up! Eating has been a lot better, just need to get my sleeping sorted out so I'm waking up at a reasonable time and having breakfast. 

Last week: 229.8lbs
This week: 229.8lbs
Loss: 0

I totally forgot to do my measurements last  weigh in but instead of mucking up all the dates and doing it this week, I'll wait until next week and get back to them.

My mood is definitely improving and I've been doing some heavy duty organising of my room. Imagine me wrestling suitcases and plastic boxes, and trying to get them high up onto a cupboard shelf! Probably would have been hilarious to watch but I was bloody knackered after! 




18.2.14

Chicken & Quinoa | Eating my Degustabox


Last night my flatmate Mary-Jane (or Muj) and I decided that we were going to make  a decent dinner and we turned to the Degustabox I received (first impressions post here). We decided to use the Maggi SoTender Italian Herbs papyrus paper and Alice & Oscar's Quinola Mothergrain Express Quinoa with some reduced to clear chicken breast. I will forever fly the flag of reduced to clear shopping!

It was all very easy to use which put my mind at rest as I am no Gordon Ramsay, apart from maybe the swearing! One of my resolutions this year was to cook more which hasn't happened all that much but these are great for easing yourself in!




For the chicken all you do is take your portion, lay it on one half of the papyrus paper, fold the other half over and flatten it as much as you can. I had a massive portion so couldn't get it that flat but I gave it a go! Stick them in a frying pan - sidenote Muj and I don't have a frying pan yet so we used a soup pot - 10 minutes on each side and hey presto, done! I think next time we will maybe give it a couple extra minutes on each side as both Muj and I though they were a tiny bit undercooked in the middle and her portion was much smaller than mine! Apart from that though, this was so freaking delicious. It smelled and tasted amazing and will definitely be going in my shopping basket during one of my trips to Asda!


I've not had much experience with quinoa so didn't know what to expect with this. We stuck it in the microwave for 2 minutes and that was it done. My favourite kind of cooking, no cooking! I thought the quinoa was really nice, it didn't have too much taste but I liked the texture and it was definitely filling! Half way through the meal, both Muj and I noticed how full we were getting and very oddly for me, I actually left food on my plate!

To finish off the meal we chucked in some cauliflower and broccoli. Our healthy and filling meal was cooked in 20 minutes and it was bloody delicious! We still have two of the papyrus papers left (I was quite shocked to see you get 4 in a packet!) so we will be having that again very soon


 You can buy Maggi products at Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys, and you can find Alice & Oscar stockists on their website (link here).

14.2.14

Yay haircut!

I have this really bad habit of only going to the hairdressers like once every three years which always ends up with me getting most of my hair hacked off because it's dead and can't be saved. I decided today that I'd had enough and sauntered off to a wee hairdressers in the precinct. If you follow me on insta/twitter then you'll already have seen but for those of you who haven't...



All my dead ends are gone, it took a fair few inches off but I like it and it will grow! I'm loving having a fringe again as well although I'm sure when I go to exercise I won't like the fact that I can't just throw all my hair up.

What do you think?

12.2.14

WIW #7 | The 'I deserve it' gain

I'm not going to beat around the bush with this weeks weigh in, I ate absolute shite this week. 2 McDonald's, a chippy and a pub dinner. It's disgusting when I look at it like that. I've no excuse whatsoever. I did swim 40 laps one day but tbh, when put next to the shitty food, it doesn't even matter. You can't out exercise a bad diet! I am glad I went swimming, it felt great being out the house and doing something good for myself  and I'm hoping to sort money out so I can go regularly. I live less than 10 minutes walk from the pool so it would be really nice!

Last week: 228.8lbs
This week: 229.8lbs
Loss: +1lbs 

No excuses. This is my own fault. The one positive I can take away from this is that it's only 1 pound. It could have been a lot worse!

I recently won a wee giveaway, which I'll write a separate post about but what I will say here is it's just the motivation I think I need to get exercising again. Diet, that's all on me, I can't have anything 'help' me eat better apart from my own mind.

I hope I can return next WIW with some positive news. I feel like the last month or so has just been me talking crap and don't actually doing much.


10.2.14

Jules Destrooper Butter Crisps | Eating my Degustabox


Is anyone surprised that the first thing I tried from my Degustabox was something sweet? I'm certainly not. (You can read my first impressions post here) I am however very surprised that there are still 3 left in the packet and I didn't scarf them all down in one sitting! I'd never heard of Jules Destrooper before getting this wee box of loveliness, but after a quick google and nosey on the website (link here) I've discovered they've been going for a whopping 128 years! I think without receiving the Degustabox though I would have gone on oblivious. You can buy the products off their website, although I think £12.50 for delivery is a bit steep. After a quick search on mysupermarket.co.uk I've found you can also buy these butter crisps from Asda, Waitrose and Ocado. I'll need to have a look on Sunday when I'm getting the food shop done!


 From first bite I fell in love with these delicious butter crisps, eurgh so delicious! Plus considering there are only 6 ingredients, they can't too bad for you. I like the rule of the less ingredients in something, the better it is for you. However they are about 118cals per butter crisp which for me is a bit high for such a light snack. If you compare it to say some vegetables of the same calorie count you'll obviously get more veg to fill you up but these are just so delicious that I can forgive them that. Buttery and sweet, if you're looking for something to take the edge of a sugar craving then these are perfect without breaking the calorie bank balance too much. I'll definitely be buying these in the future but I'll be restraining myself like this time and not eating them all in one go (I say this hopefully)


Have you tried any Jules Destrooper products before? Let me know below!

8.2.14

The films of January

I've decided that each month I'm going to do a quick round up of the films I've seen, hope you don't mind! I had planned to get this post up at the end of January but other posts took over so here it is now! Louis and I go as many Wednesdays as we can, he has his unlimited card then we get an Orange Wednesday code. Yay for free cinema! I'll say right off the bat, I am no expert film critic all I know is what I like and what I don't. 

So three films this month out of the 5 Wednesdays there were in January. 47 Ronin, Last Vegas and The Wolf of Wall Street. I enjoyed all three films but I'd have to say The Wolf Of Wall Street was definitely my favourite. I'll talk about them in order though so that'll be last.


I liked 47 Ronin, I haven't seen the previous two versions but now that I've seen this one I might give them a watch. As we all know, Keanu Reeves left his Ted 'Theodore' Logan days behind and has starred in fairly serious films, although Bill & Ted 3 is in the works (I'm hoping it turns out as fabulous as I want it to). Apart from Keanu, Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine), Tadanobu Asano (Ichi The Killer and Thor), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat!) and Rick Genest (beautiful male model, this is his first full length film appearance) the rest of the cast was pretty much unknown to me. I only know the above actors for a couple big films that I've included in brackets but that's what I like about the film. It's not filled to the rafters with big name cast members that are immediately recognisable, leaving you more time to just watch the film and not constantly ask "Where do I know this person from?" or "Oh my god, it's him, he's awesome in blah blah blah." It's an ok if predictable plot although because I hadn't seen the originals or knew about the history of the story, I wasn't expecting the ending. Looking back on it, it does make sense but at the time I was caught a bit of guard! Overall I'd say it's a not bad film, maybe not spectacular but not downright awful either.


Last Vegas received a lot of "Is it just The Hangover for auld folk?" which I can safely say it's not! Sure they are set in the same city but how many other films are set in Vegas. Just put aside any notion of it being the same film and enjoy it. The cast is amazing - Michael Douglas, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and appearances from Mary Steenburgen and Joanna Gleason who I have confused for each other in the past! The plot is fun, four lads on a stag do in Vegas, oh and they're in their 60s. I thought the film was quite hilarious with Morgan Freeman being my favourite of the four. Kevin Kline is almost unrecognisable from his Wild Wild West stint, I've never been a huge Michael Douglas fan but he was ok in this. DeNiro as usual was on fine form. I cannot fault him ever. Despite laughing my way through most of the film, there were some serious (and quite heartbreaking) moments which I quite enjoyed being there if I'm honest. Those moments kept the plot alive for me and reminded me that this wasn't just a comedy.


The Wolf Of Wall Street. Where do I even begin? I haven't met or spoken to a person who doesn't like this film. It is fan-fucking-tastic, another masterpiece from Martin Scorsese. I'd say that Leonardo DiCaprio (*cough* Oscar *cough*), Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie are the three main players of this film but you also get some Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Berthnal, Jon Favreau, Joanna Lumley and the handsome wee Frenchy Jean Dujardin (I absolutely love saying his name). This is the fifth time Scorsese and DiCaprio have made a film together;Gangs Of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and of course this film. Apart from The Aviator, I have seem them all and they are all bloody fantastic, the pair of them are probably one of the best duos I know for making cinematic masterpieces and The Wolf Of Wall Street is no different. It is a hefty 3 hours long but it never slows at any point. I wasn't left bored or wondering when it was going to end, I was just glued to the screen wondering what the hell could possibly top what I just saw. The fact that it was based on a true story left me kind of stunned, like holy hell man what a life! Some parts of the film I was laughing so much I actually thought I was going to piss myself which I thought worked really well with the seriousness of the crimes he was committing for a nice balace. I also only found out after seeing the film that the real life Jordan Belfort had a cameo in the movie at the end, introducing Leo as, well himself I suppose. Ok I think I've rambled on enough, all I can say to sum this up, is go see this film. It's fucking amazing!

I'll try and not make these posts this long in the future, I really enjoyed writing it but maybe not everyone will enjoy reading massive paragraphs on films.

7.2.14

Reclaiming my skin



My skin has been feeling really shite recently. The drastic dip in my mood has meant that skincare hasn't been top of my list of things to do. To be honest, most thing haven't been at the top of my list, everything has just been slowly pushed down further and further.

On Monday night I decided to take charge again and get my skin back into good condition. The Ocean Salt is from my Up and Away giftbox I treated myself to for a year of not smoking (post here) and I picked up the facemask from Superdrug. I saw it hanging up at the end of one of the aisles and it was 2 for £1, I couldn't say no!

When I first tried Ocean Salt, it was horrible. I didn't mix it all up before using it and so my first use was a hefty amount of salt. My skin wasn't happy in the slightest! After that though, I mixed it all up and I've found it's much nicer to my wee delicate face and fantastic and rejuvenating it. I try not to use it too often for two reasons; 1. I don't know when I'll be able to afford more and 2. I don't like using gritty products on my face too often as it gets irritated very easily.

I've never had a problem with Montagne Jeunesse products before. I absolutely love them, can't fault them in the slightest! My only tiny bugbear is that the picture on the packet never matches what comes out the packet. I was a tad disappointed the very first time I used one, all those years back. I love their masks, they always do exactly what they say they will and this anti-stress one was no different. After applying it, I sat back and just breathed for a while, taking in the scent and finding myself more and more relaxed.


After using both these products my face feels bloody amazing again and I feel more inclined to keep up a good skincare routine. Even if I'm having a really bad 'mood' day, I figure if I keep looking after my skin it's one less thing to worry about once the clouds lift.

6.2.14

Happy Birthday Alanagetshealthy!


That's right, I have reached one whole year of blogging today! I started out this blog as a way to blog my healthy meals and exercising then slowly branched out into beauty and lifestyle as well. I like the way my blog is heading, a nice wee mix of everything to keep everyone (including myself) from getting bored.

I've built up a nice wee following of readers and I've made some friends too. I used to be very anxious about publishing blog posts, even back when I had no followers but now I find it really relaxing getting the pictures taken and writing up posts. I love publishing them now and having people commenting on them, engaging with me, agreeing with me, or disagreeing sometimes! I'm finding more and more that blogging is very good for my mental state and so for that reason alone, I will be doing it as long as I can!

I decided to hold a wee giveaway to celebrate this bloggy birthday. It's not a massive giveaway but I've been putting away things for this. I'm hoping by the time I get to my 2nd birthday that I won't be unemployed and I'll be able to afford more snazzy prizes.


The only 'used' thing here is the earrings, as you can see there are two pairs missing. I had originally bought these for myself but my stupid ears reacted to them so I can't wear them. Instead of putting them in the bin, I thought they might be put to better use by someone else! Everything else is is unused, the UBU brush and CC Cream are unopened. The BB cream and Super Dust have been opened but not used.

I'll run this giveaway for four weeks, I never know what the appropriate amount of time to run a giveaway is, suppose it's up to each person! Once I've contacted the winner, I'll get it sent out to them and happy days!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck to everyone that enters and thanks for joining me in my wee blogging journey. Here's to the next year!

5.2.14

WIW #6 | The unrelenting maintain

Getting back into the swing of exercise is just not happening. I have all the plans to and then I just don't. I really should stop it. I need to put my big girl pants on and get bloody sweating! Words are simple though, it's easy to sit here and tell you I'm going to do it, it's another thing entirely to actually do it. Thing is, I know it's not difficult to do the exercise, okay maybe initally it is but once you get into the habit of it, it becomes second nature!

I took to going through my instagram account a couple days ago, right back to last summer when I was super motivated, exercising most days, eating amazingly. I felt great, I looked great, people were commenting on how happy I was looking and how much healthier I looked. I had to ask myself what the fuck happened? I genuinely don't know, I somehow lost my oomph? Well this is step one of me reclaiming that oomph. I want to go back to spamming my instagram and therefore every other social networking site with my meals and my sweaty face, my exercise equipment and my achievements, health wise, body wise, scale wise, everything! So that's it, I'm going back to being that annoying arsehole.

Last week: 228.8lbs
This week: 228.8lbs
Loss: 0

I'm so bored of maintaining this same weight but them I'm also thankful I've not put more on. However I will return to you next week with a loss, I bloody will! 

4.2.14

Roald Dahl Treasury | #2014BloggerChallenge #3

Week 3 of the 2014BloggerChallenge and this week the subject is Once Upon A Time, we were quite simply asked to pick a book and write about it. As soon as I read the email, I knew exactly what book I would be writing about. My Roald Dahl Treasury, a book I've had for 17 years. Despite all my house moving, homelessness and episodes of throwing out lots of things I own, this book has stuck by me. As a child I absolutely loved Roald Dahl, his stories completely captivated me and sucked me in to his freaky little world where witches ruled, giants could be friendly and the nicest people were the prettiest. To this day I'm still in awe of his writing and whenever I pick up something of his, especially this book I still feel the same joy I did as a child/teen.


I don't even know where to begin with this book, there is so much in it and if I were to sit here and tell you about it all, well I'd be here for bloody days! Instead, I'll just show you some pictures and let you see it for yourself!







Despite the number of years I have owned this book, I've never tried the couple of recipes that are in it. I'll need to change that soon!




To finish off this post, I'll leave you with the last page of the book. Believe me Mr Dahl, you have made me laugh on many an occasion and for that I thank you.


1.2.14

Degustabox First Impressions + Giveaway!


When a wee email landed in my inbox asking if I'd like to review a Degustabox (website here) I actually squealed with delight! I've been following their twitter account (link here) maybe a couple weeks after it was created and it was one of the companies I knew I was going to try when I had the money. Basically, you pay £12.99 a month (£9.99 and £3 postage) and you are sent the mammoth box you see above, it will contain 10-15 food products, some well known, others new to the market. Your only steps really are receive box and enjoy! I thought the idea was great, a food box subscription service. Just like Glossybox or Birchbox but with noms instead.

It's a tad picture heavy from now on but keep going and you'll get to a discount code and a giveaway!
















So I'm really looking forward to trying almost everything in this box. I'll be giving the chunky tomato soup to Muj as I can't stand anything with tomatoes in (but I love tomato flavoured things, can someone explain that?!). The Dorset Cereals berry granola will be great for getting me back into the swing of breakfast and I can't wait to try the delicious looking Jules Destrooper butter crisps. Muj and I have already started planning what we're going to do with the Quinola Mothergrain Express quinoa (definitely eating it hot). I'm hesitant but looking forward to trying the Go! Kombucha fermented raw tea and despite my last encounter with coconut water, I'll give the Zico a go, hopefully the fact that it's chocolate flavour will make it a better experience than the last! Absolutely cannot wait to try all the Maggi products and who doesn't love sweeties?!

A couple of recipes were included in the box along with a list of all the items, what they are worth and a little bit about them. The £10 off voucher is for a beer subscription that I think I will be putting to good use ie. saving up the cash and getting one for myself! Depending on how Muj gets on with the chunky tomato soup, I'll probably give her my Amy's Kitchen voucher. Otherwise I'll find something for myself with it.

I absolutely love this box, I've been lusting after monthly beauty boxes but I think these are a much better idea. Sure I'd love getting makeup and skincare every month but I'm pretty sure I'd appreciate food more. I can't always afford what I want during food shops so having a wee supply of things in my cupboards already would make life a lot easier. Look out for reviews and recipes using the items from this box, I'm excited to get in the kitchen and try them out!

So onto the good stuff for you readers, first off I have a discount code that will get you £3 off a Degustabox (ie free shipping, you would just pay the cost of the box £9.99) and that code is 3UJD1 just enter that on the payment page and there you are! Secondly, I actually have a whole Degustabox to give away! By entering the competition, you will have a chance to win the February Degustabox. The contest will run until Feb 18th and the winner will be notified shortly after by email (and twitter if you provide your twitter handle). I really need you to get back in touch quickly and give me your details as the boxes will be going out on the 20th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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