It was great to get out there at the crack of dawn, not only to avoid the burning rays but it was actually really peaceful as there was no traffic on the roads. I am loving my running at the moment even though I am.

I refueled with this awesome smoothie made from fresh pineapple, strawberries, a banana, romaine lettuce, ice, mango and peach coconut water.  It was topped with salted almonds (current addiction!), coconut and raisins!  Oh, this was good and super sweet!

I am still a little bit smoothie mad this weekend too as I have been all week!

Since I was working late on Friday and didn’t get home til 8.30pm I was still feeling a little bit peckish so I made a simple Chocolate and Almond Smoothie.  It included a banana, vegan chocolate protein powder, almond extract, ice, water, xanthan gum.  This was really thick and creamy and really hit the spot.  I topped it with some Sharpham Park Spelt Bran Flakes that I have been sent to review and some fresh blueberries…yum!

*Of course adding more toppings half way through was obligatory*

For breakfast on Saturday morning I was craving oats so I woke up especially early to get some overnight oats in the fridge made from oats and chia seeds soaked in water and hazelnut milk until they swell. Then I added some honey, blueberries and raspberries and had some iced green tea with lemon too.

Lunch yesterday I made a big ass salad with a yummy tahini dressing.  The salad included mixed salad leaves, cucumber, red peppers, tomatoes, my roasted strawberry balsamic vinegar chick peas.  I adore tahini in a dressing and this one didn’t disappoint with a mix of light tahini, apple cider vinegar, garlic and mixed herbs and a pinch of chilli.

I find it hard sometimes to watch other people outside through the office window enjoying the sunshine when I am stuck at work.  So yesterday I decided to bring the sunshine indoors with a snack of pineapple and blueberries.

Pineapple always makes me feel super summery!

When I got home I had some of the leftovers from the speedy vegetarian chilli that I made the other day with a huge socca wrap, which was bigger than my head and some roasted asparagus.

Whilst the asparagus was roasting in the oven I also threw in a butternut squash to roast too.  I used a huge chunk of the squash once it had cooled down to make some Sweet and Salty Butternut Squash Soft Serve.  This was so delicious that I had to share the recipe:

• 1/2 a cup of roasted butternut squash

• 2 tbsps of honey

• a pinch of salt

• ice

• 1.5 tsps of xanthan gum

This was the perfect desert on such a warm evening!

This  week my workouts have been pretty much the same as normal:

Monday:  Strength workout A with 20 minutes of HIITS on the bike and the cross trainer

Tuesday: 45 minutes of interval training on the treadmill, bike and cross trainer (20 minutes treadmill 10 minutes each on bike and cross trainer) plus an ab and core workout

Wednesday: REST

Thursday:  20 minutes on the cross trainer and bike plus 1 hour of Body Pump

Friday: Strength workout B with 20 minutes of HIITS on the bike and the cross trainer

Saturday: REST

Sunday:  5.1 mile run

It was so great to get back to my Body Pump class after 2 weeks away just due to the fact that I have had other things going on when the class is on and couldn’t make it.  I kept to my previous weight level and boy did I feel it!  It was such as sweat fest of a class too because of the heat.  I have always wanted to try Bikram yoga or Hot yoga but I think Hot Body Pump classes may catch on this summer, what do you think?

A few of you have been asking what app I use to load my pictures onto my Twitter page.  I am addicted to Instagram at the moment and have been using that to upload my pics. If you are on the Instagram bandwagon you can follow my feed under celerycupcakes.

What have you been up to this weekend?

What has been you’re your favourite eats from the weekend?

How have you been enjoying the sun?

My poor neglected laptop obviously need a bit of a clean…ooops!

With the soaring temperatures I have been having ice cold smoothies everyday, sometimes twice in one day!

This Blueberry and Pear Smoothie was really great for breakfast the other morning.  It contained a chopped pear, fresh blueberries, a banana, ice and Kara coconut milk.  I also added a bit of xanthan gum to up the creaminess and it worked a treat.  I topped the smoothie with one of my Cinnamon and Raisin and Chocolate Chip Cookies that I took straight from the freezer so it was really fudgy..yum!

More blueberry action was at dessert on Wednesday night.  This one was made using fresh blueberries, spinach, hazelnut milk, lots of ice, a few drops of vanilla stevia and topped with more blueberries and dark chocolate covered sunflower seeds and edamame beans.

Yesterday I made something new for me which was a Sweet Potato and PB Smoothie. I love sweet potatoes but have never actually put them in a smoothie before.  So in went a cooked small sweet potato with skin, lots of peanut butter, vanilla extract and ice with some hazelnut milk. 

I was thinking about adding some protein powder, but so glad that I never as this so super filling as I managed to fill my jar another 2 and a half times.  So much yumminess!

With so much smoothie action this week I had to pop to the green grocers to stock on some smoothie ingredients.  I have some great plans for these over the weekend and have already been enjoying these goodies with an amazing yoghurt bowl.

Summer in a bowl

This was full to the brim of delicious fresh fruit including chopped apples, strawberries, apricots, blueberries and raspberries topped with soya yoghurt, honey and salted almonds for that sweet and salty vibe.

This week I have been adoring my hand woven bracelet which was a gift from my Mum.  I love this bracelet as it always reminds me of those special mother-daughter moments, and we have had so many of those!

etting packages in the post is always great especially when they include my favourite cleanser and toner by Liz Earle.  Thank you Mrs Postwoman!  Yeah my postman is a lady, which I think is really cool!!

The sunshine has been working wonders on my strawberry plant as they are looking so healthy and growing really fast.  I cannot wait to see actual strawberries on them.

The sunshine must have also given me a bit of a confidence boost as I also recorded my first vlog too, coming soon!

It has been so good to dig out my favourite pair of gladiator sandals this week and let my legs see the sun…

…and paint my toe nails in my favourite bright pink nail varnish too!

This weather has made what was quite an ordinary week for me really fantastic. I think the sunshine seems to bring out the best in people as even the usually grumiest of people have been in a happy mood and super similey this week.  Just breaking out my summer clothes, going bare legged, wearing sandals and painting my toes a pretty summery colour has made me feel great!

I hope the sunshine is here to stay!

How have you been enjoying the sunshine this week?

What have been the highlights of your week so far?

Do you have anything nice planned for the weekend?

The sun always makes me happy and I have definitely been making the most of it by taking my work outside with me.  By 11.45 am I had already developed tan lines so on went the factor 3o.

Since it’s mid-week again it can only mean that it is time for one thing…

For this weeks WIAW I am going to share with you the eats of Monday just because I managed to take pics of everything that day.

I woke up super early on Monday morning to get to the gym when the doors opened.  I did my usual Monday workout of 20 minutes of cardio on the bike and cross trainer and my upper body strength routine when I added some hip abductor exercises.  I have progressively been increasing the weights week by week and I am really seeing some definition now.

After showering and ready I made a huge mug of Earl Grey tea with  a bowl of fresh blueberries, a pear and an apple warmed in the microwave and topped with soy yoghurt, maple syrup, cinnamon and crunchy peanut butter.  This tasted awesome!

We then headed into town to pick up some bits and went to the market where I eyeballed some honey roasted almonds and cashew nuts…yum!

After getting some data analysis done and reading my emails I fixed some lunch.  I had defrosted a wholemeal wrap in the morning which I filled with spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes and green pesto.  On the side I had some raw carrots with some caramelised onion hummus.   Such a lovely and easy lunch.  The mozzarella, spinach and tomatoes is such a classic and the pesto just made it that extra tasty!

I also snacked on some pears later too.

For afternoon snackage I had some grapes with some honey roasted almonds and cashews which we had picked up off a stall at the market, which tasted incredible.  I was in and out of the bag snacking on them all day!

For dinner I made a quick Thai green curry using a shop bought paste and some full fat coconut milk.  I also added aubergine, broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, green beans and sweet corn.  I had this with some brown rice.  Thai green curry is always a winner in my books.

Dessert was also delicious as it involved pretzels, Drogba chai dark chocolate with some Lindt milk chocolate and fresh blueberries.  Definitely a fab flavour combination. 

Later in the evening I snacked on 2 apples with a huge mug of chai tea and read my book which I started at the weekend…bliss!

Sometimes I can be so senseless where the sun is concerned when I am at home and forget to put sunscreen on. When I am on holiday abroad I am far more vigilant.  I am trying to be far more aware of the sun rays in the UK now even on cloudy days as those UV rays can still do some harm.

Are you more vigilant with sun protection when you are abroad than at home?  Is sun protection already a part of your daily routine?

On a  completely different note.  Do you remember that I discussed wanting to record a vlog in my New Makeup Buys post?  Well I only went and recorded one yesterday.  I think I sound like a complete dizzy idiot but I will be posting it on the blog soon so watch this space!

First up was the Eden Foods, Organic Pasta Company, Kamut Spirals, $3.47

I am not a big pasta eater to say the least, but every so often I do have the odd cravings for a big bowl of pasta with pesto or a rustic tomato sauce.  I always by wholemeal pasta and never white pasta as I find that it bloats me out too much.  When I saw these organic Kamut Spirals on iHerb I thought they would be interesting to try out.

The kamut used in this particular pasta is organically farmed and milled and makes a great alternative to those who suffer from wheat allergies due to its high water soluble gluten.  It is also one of those special grains that is high in fibre and is also a great source of protein.

I thought this was really delicious and made for quick simple meals with lots of vegetables and a simple sauce.  It has a distinctively nutty taste like most wholegrain pastas and is very satisfyingly filling.  Pasta really is one of those store cupboard basics and I would happily buy this again as it is so budget friendly as an organic food goes and is really tasty product.

After seeing stevia on other blogs and reading how good it was I knew I had to get a bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia, $8.62.

Stevia is a 100% natural alternative to refined sugar and is derived from the leaves of a stevia plant.  Since it is a plant based sweetener it is made from natural extracts and does not contain any nasty chemicals or reagents an is alcohol free.  It has so many great uses and I have been loving it in my smoothie creations recently.    However,  you only need a few drops as it can be very sweet at times so be warned!

I am a massive fan of Kashi cereal and have tried a few of the different cereals out but was yet to try the Kashi GoLean Toasted Berry Crumble, $4.01.

What I think is great about this cereal range is there high protein content.  There is 9g per serving in this particular box to be exact.  It is just another great way to pack in more protein into your diet and also includes 8g of fibre per serving too.

Their ethos is to stay fuller for longer which is definitely achievable with this cereal as it contains 18g of wholegrains per serving!  A bowl of this crunchy toasted cereal with cranberries and blueberries with fresh fruit, nut butter and almond milk is definitely a great start to my day.

Another breakfast product that I was dying to try was Bob’s Red Mill, 10 Hot Grain Cereal, $2.58.

If you are trying to get more wholegrains into your diet then this cereal is seriously one for you as it contains wheat, rye, triticale, oats and oat bran, corn, barley, soybean, brown rice, millet and flaxseed…phew! It literally does what it says on the packet! 

You basically just treat this as you would traditional porridge oats and it can be made on the stove top or in the microwave.  I love mine made with water in the microwave with almond milk stirred in afterwards after it has cooked to make it super creamy and then going a little crazy on the toppings is a must.

Now this one was mainly for Alfie as he adores PB & Co peanut butters and their Cinnamon Raisin Swirl $5.07 was no different.  I have tried all of their flavoured peanut butters in the past and love them.  For me though they are a little bit too sugary and sweet so they are definitely just a treat for me.  But they are great on toast, as toppings for oats and cereals, for dipping fruit in for snacks or just straight up out of the jar.

So thank you iHerb for allowing me to try a selection of amazing products from your site.

Have you tried any of these products before?  What did you think?

Have you ever ordered anything from iHerb before?

Friday’s breakfast was the best of both worlds with a mango and strawberry smoothie and a bowl of muesli with coconut milk.  I do love muesli as a treat, it is very addictive!

Dinner on Friday was also pretty special as it was cooked by Alfie.  He made a lamb stew with lots of veggies with large cous cous and plantain, obviously I had mine sans lamb but with butter beans instead.  I’m not entirely sure what he put in to as he banned me from the kitchen, but I know it was from scratch.  I’ve christened this dish Alfie’s One Pot Wonderful because it really was wonderful.  And the best thing is that there are plenty of left overs to keep us going for a while too.  Got to love left overs!

Pink oats!!!

It was a cold wet morning yesterday so I had some major cravings for warm oats.  I made one of my favourite combinations of blueberries and pear with oats made in the microwave with water and topped it with some drippy crunchy peanut butter.  Amazing!

I was feeling quite hungry come lunch time and had made a salad to take with me to work.  It included mixed leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, leftover roasted veggies, sundried tomatoes, a green pepper and carmelised onion hummus.  On the side I also ate some Thai sweet chilli flavoured rice cakes and a banana.  This salad was so simple but tasted great!

For breakfast this morning I made a Hot Blueberry and Coconut Smoothie.  I picked up a tonne of blueberries up at the supermarket really cheap the other day and have been going crazy over them since.

I have made an alternative to this recipe a long time ago but thought I would just  jot down this newer recipe to share with you.

• a handful of blueberries
• 1/4 cup of oats
• a banana
• water
• 2 tsps of coconut oil
• Kara coconut milk

Put the oats, blueberries, and water in a bowl and heat through in the microwave.  Place the oats in a blender and add the coconut oil and banana and blitz together.  Add enough Kara coconut milk until a creamy consistency forms.

This really is a great compromise between a smoothie and warm oats and since I was craving both I thought why not have both.

I received my iHerb order yesterday and just had to break into my kelp noodles for a tasty lunch.  I also added a peanut and sesame seed sauce.  I love these noodles!

So this week I have really enjoyed my workouts have been pretty much the norm:

Monday:  Strength workout A with 20 minures of HIITS on the bike and the cross trainer
Tuesday: REST
Wednesday: 3.5 mile run, ab work and plank
Thursday: 45 minutes of interval training on the treadmill, bike and cross trainer (20 minutes treadmill 10 minutes each on bike and cross trainer) plus an ab and core workout
Friday: Strength workout B with 20 minures of HIITS on the bike and the cross trainer
Saturday: REST
Sunday:  Yoga

I was supposed to go for a run today but with the extra cardio session in the week I decided against in and did some yoga instead.  I think I made the right decisicion though as my muscles were screaming at me with all of the yoga stretches that I put them through.  Also, I haven’t been to B0dy Pump in nearly two weeks as the class is always fully booked, but I am really going to try and gonext week as it is such a great class.

It has been a really nice break from my thesis this week.  I think it is exactly what I needed for the last final push to the finish line as I wil lbe hitting it hard again tomorrow.   Alfie cooking for me was also a fantastic treat as part of a great week.  He doesn’t do it all of the time as he is always so busy so I am the cook in the house, so it makes it extra special when he does cook dinner.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Who is the cook in your household?

Does your partner cook for you every now and then?  What is the best thing that they have cooked for you?

This week Alfie has been off work so I put my thesis to bed this week on my days off from work.  It has been great as it has meant lots of quality time together and we have got lots of wedding planning done.

We had a date with our vicar on Monday to discuss the ins and outs of preparing for a marriage, which despite my original qualms went very well.  And today we sorted out the groomsmen’s suits and designed and ordered our wedding cake.  It looks beautiful!

We also went wedding shopping in Birmingham where we picked up our wedding rings (dying to wear mine now!), my shoes and perfume for the day.  Choo’s and Jo Malone is very indulgent I know, but I only intend to get married once and I love them both. 

And yes, I will be doing my hoovering in my Choo’s to break them in, cos’ that’s how I roll.

I’m still loving my neutrals this week. 

OOTD: white shirt, H&M, blazer, Zara, skinnies, H&M, belt, Zara, shoes, Mimco.

I have been enjoying lots fresh fruit this week to remind me that summer must be on its way soon.

Lots of veggie packed meals have also been consumed.  So simple and so so good!

Loving bright floral prints this week!  I got this top from New Look in the sale before Easter for £9.

I also bought my first wedding magazine.  They are quite expensive as this one cost me £4.99, but I thought I just had to buy one for traditions sake.  Thank goodness for wedding blogs as they are saving me a fortune!

I also picked up these great books to kick start my reading again.

My Cover Girl Lash Blast arrived today. I cannot wait to try it out.  I think I may review it on the blog, vlog stylee!

This week I have been adoring my Russian doll earrings from Forever 21…

…and my new Russian Doll mug off course!

It has been such a great week with lots of wedding stuff thrown in.  I can honestly say that I am having the best time planning our big day.  I think I am going to be so sad when it is over.

What have been the highlights from your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

My week has been super amazing so far the reasons why will all will be revealed in another post later this week.  Alfie has also had the week off work so it has been really lovely spending more time with him.

This week I would like rewind to yesterday which was pretty crazy weather wise.  I know I was harping on in Sunday’s post about how beautiful the weather, but it has suddenly gone all grey with random spurts of heavy rain and then rays of sunshine early evening.  I wish it would make up it’s mind as working out what to wear becomes very difficult as I found out yesterday.

OOTD: Cable knit jumper, Mango, white shirt, H&M, skirt, Zara, tights, House of Fraser, boots, Dune.

After almost roasting in this outfit I later changed into something less wintery and more appropriate for the sunnier temperatures.

Grey tank top, grey, navy skinnies, H&M, blue flip fops, Asda

It felt so great to get out of those heavier clothes, only for it to turn grey again so out came a hoodie.  Don’t you just love the British weather.

Now on to this weeks WIAW food porn…

After my workout at the gym I got my day started with a huge mug of earl grey in my brand new Russian doll mug.  I love how cute it is!

I then had to try the whole pretzels in the oats thing for breakfast and boy was I not disappointed.  I made a bowl of simple oats using water and almond milk and topped it with blueberries, salted pretzels and some mighty maple PB.  This was incredible, still love the sweet salty combo!

Later for lunch I made a mega salad which included mixed leaves, spinach, leftover roasted sweet potato and butternut squash, a left over bean salad, 2 boiled eggs, tomatoes and some mango, chilli and apple chutney. Yum!

In the afternoon I snacked on 2 apples to help get me through a mountain of data analysis.

For dinner I fancied a gigantic stir fry.  I added mushrooms, green beans, mange tout, onion, sweet corn, and 5 spice tofu with mirin, soy sauce, ume plum vinegar and sesame seed oil.  On the side I had some brown rice cooked in coconut milk which made it go almost like rice pudding.  This was so good!

The sun was still shining quite late into the evening so for dessert I thought I would get all summery with a bowl of pineapple and strawberries, which really hit the spot.

Then later into the night it got a little chilly so I in need of something warm and comforting like a hot chocolate to help keep the cold at bay.

As you can see it was quite a mixed bag of eats from wintery comfort foods and summery lighter foods.  Even my outfits complemented the change it weather conditions throughout the day.

I know I have probably asked this before, but what do you prefer to eat when the weather is hot or cold?

How you dress when the weather is unpredictable throughout the day?

I cannot reiterate enough how grateful I am for your amazing support on my journey.  Your comments, emails and tweets have really helped more than you know at times when I was seriously down or struggling. 

At this point in time I am in a very happy place with work, my relationship, life in general and my health and diet.  I have never felt happier and stronger for simply enjoying delicious food, being more relaxed about what I eat and not worrying so much about the consequences as I know I eat really well 90% of the time anyways.

There is only so many posts that I can write about how well I am doing at the moment.  I am loving my food and it will always be a passion of mine to create recipes and share my kitchen creations on the blog.  However, I would also like to explore my other passions such as fashion and beauty and take the blog in a slightly different direction with more posts about these other interests in my life.

I know I have have touched on fashion and beauty posts in the past but I haven’t really gone into as much detail as I would like simply because I wasn’t sure how it would come across. 

There will still be much emphasis on food and recipes as always, just with a pinch of fashion and a splash of beauty too.

On that note I would like to introduce an amazing clothing website called Love Clothing. 

They stock a great range of men’s and women’s clothing from high street brands such as Vero Moda, Motel Rocks and Vila at affordable high street prices.  And they also write a fashion blog too.

Some of my favourite summery looks from Love Clothing!

I am really excited about this new direction and for my blog and as another way to express my creativity with you as well as food.

Sorry for this lengthy post, but I just wanted to make you aware of my current blogging thoughts and ideas that I have for Celery and Cupcakes.  I hope you continue to enjoy reading!

Have you ever ordered from Love Clothing before?  What did you think?

What are your current fashion loves?

*I have not been paid by Love Clothing for this post and all opinions are my own as always!*

Sping chic OOTD:  Floral sleeveless shirt, H&M, beige skinnies, H&M, wedges, Sole, bag, Mulberry, too much blusher,  applied by models very own hands.

I was working yesterday but had today off work.  It was great as my mum popped over for some tea and came bearing gifts from my green fingered Nan of strawberry plants, sweet chilli plants and tomato plants, plus some marigolds which are supposed to help keep the black fly off the tomato plants.  I love the idea of nature helping nature.

We also headed into town for a bit of window shopping. I was actually quite proud that I only walked away with loo roll and engine oil- glamorous I know. 

We did pick up a lovely lunch from Marks and Spencer’s consisting of a bean salad, smoked salmon and a watercress potato salad…yum!

Other favourite eats from the weekend include this great breakfast smoothie made using vegan chocolate protein powder, almond butter, almond extract, almond milk, spinach and a banana. 

This mornings breakfast was a yummy bowl of muesli with soya yoghurt, a banana and blueberries.

For work yesterday I packed an awesome salad made using mixed salad leaves, spicy cous cous with raisins, roasted vegetables and sundried tomatoes.  I also made a simple bean dip with home cooked cannellini beans and green pesto.  Loving the Mediterranean vibe to this salad!

Dinner last night was just so simple and lovely with baked chilli and garlic salmon, roasted butternut squash and sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus with a balsamic dressing.

For dessert last night I was feeling snacky so had some of the most sweetest strawberries I have ever had with some Drogba Chai chocolate and a few squares of Lindt chocolate with a peanut flour sauce for dipping.  I also sneaked in some pretzels too for good measure, so addictive!

Also noteworthy was Friday’s breakfast of overnight oats which include almond milk and cottage cheese with maple syrup, walnuts, blueberries and a mashed banana…delicious!

So this week I have really enjoyed my workouts have been pretty much the norm:

Monday:  REST

Tuesday: Strength work out A with 20 minutes of HIITS on the bike and the cross trainer

Wednesday: slow 3.5 mile run, ab work, plank

Thursday: Strength work out B with 20 minutes of HIITS on the bike and the cross trainer

Friday: 45 minutes of interval training on the treadmill, bike and cross trainer (20 minutes treadmill 10 minutes each on bike and cross trainer) plus an ab and core workout

Saturday: REST

Sunday:  1 hour of yoga postcasts from Yoga download.com

I loved my run on Wednesday and really looking forward to increasing my mileage in the next few weeks as the weather gets nicer.

This weekends eats have really reflected how I love to eat in the warmer weather with lots of smoothies, amazing salads and veggies. You have just got to love spring/summer eats.

How have you been enjoying the sunshine this weekend?

Have your eats changed all of a sudden because the sun has been shining?

Woah! I’m so glad that the weekend is here, especially because I have Sunday as a day off this week.  I think I am going to make it  a relaxing one since I have been rushed all week with a mountain of work and I was working on Bank Holiday Monday. 

It has been a great week though despite being all about work:

Everyday neutrals OOTD: Snake skin sleeved top, Topshop, white tank top, H&M, beige skinnies, H&M, jeweled ballet flats, Mimco.

One amazing smoothie with frozen berries, a banana, peach and mango coconut water, fruitein powder and hemp milk topped with goji berries and coconut.

Finally some spring sunshine!

A deconstructed apple crumble for an incredible breakfast.  It included 2 baked apples topped with plain soy yoghurt, cinnamon and muesli.  Just too good!

A great Wednesday night movie, love this!

Still loving that sweet and salty combo!

Bargain veggies!

Bringing sexy back with a banana topped with dark chocolate dreams.  This snack never gets old!

My flowers have started to grow.  I thought the rain would have flooded the seeds, but they are obviously stronger than I thought.

Curry night!  Thai Green Curry is by far my favourite especially with baked tempeh and soba noodles.

Adoring my Lola Rose bracelets this week.

Trying out some new beauty products.  I may do a little review on these after I have had more experience of them.

I’m really looking forward to the weekend as my family is coming to visit which is always great.  Also, Alfie has the whole of next week off which means lots quality time together and lots of wedding planning can get done, definitely one of my favourite things to do right now.

What have been the highlights from your week?

What do you have planned for the weekend?

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!