Hiya Chia ;)

I don't do diets. I don't do fads. 

But I do do healthy eating.

I've always eaten well, I gave up drinking fizzy drinks around 16-17 years old.

I don't binge eat or overly enjoy bad foods, but I also don't limit myself to rabbit food either.

I believe that being healthy comes from a balance of an awareness of calorific intake, and 

the ability to burn it off.

In other words, the more I feel like I've done in the day, the more I can justify a few extra calories ;) I'm lucky in that I don't have to watch what I eat, because I enjoy eating healthy. Health is a state of mind, and once you're on that journey, life is so much easier!

I (fairly) recently came across something that I have quickly become obsessed with.

Chia Seeds.

I know, right?! Seeds. How exciting can they really be?

Science bit: Chia seeds are so healthy, it's mad. They contain 80% of your daily calcium intake, 30% recommended daily intake of manganese for healthy bones, 1/3 of the daily reccomendation of omega-3 fatty acids, and are high in fibre, protein and have amazing health benefits.

As seeds, you can sprinkle them onto salads, fruit, cereal, yogurt, you name it!

But my favourite thing is Chia Pudding. Seriously, if you're a chia pud virgin, let me try and convince you to pop that chia cherry ;)

Chia seeds swell up in liquid, to 10 times their actual size. TEN TIMES!
 Water, coconut water, juice, all make good basis'

for a chia drink. 

Check out this blog post for some awesome mocktail recipes!

By soaking them in milk, in my case - almond milk, they become a sort of gelatinous

pudding type consistency. Personally I like a dash of honey to sweeten them but this is personal preference - they're pretty sweet anyway!

So after a few people messaging me for recipes, I'm going to write very basic instructions here. But honestly, once you start making it and see how easy it is, you'll be mixing it up with your own additions and showing me how it's done ;)

Chia in almond milk with pureed frozen yogurt and bananas, topped
with strawberries.

Chia seeds in almond milk
with natural green yogurt and granola, topped with
chopped banana, dribbled with honey and
a sprinkling of un-soaked chia seeds.

Chia seeds soaked in almond milk, mixed with
raw cocoa powder and a dribble of honey, mixed with chopped banana.

How to...

Chia Pudding

The great thing about chia pudding is that it requires only TWO ingredients.

You will need:

• Chia Seeds
• Almond Milk (or soya, cows, whatever you use)

Figuring out the seeds/milk ratio will take a day or so. The packet told me to add 1/3 cup of seeds to 2 cups water/milk. Well I did, and it was wayyy too watery.
I find that for one breakfast, which is about a third of a mason jars worth of pudding, I use three tablespoons of seeds and fill up with milk to the 1/3 mark. My tip is to add less milk, stir and leave to set for 10 mins (in the fridge if possible - it's quicker and tastes better!). Then stir it again, and if you want it a little less thick, add some more milk, stir and leave again. Personally I like it thicker rather than thin, so you'll have to play around with the measurements until you get it how you like it.

That's it for the chia pudding. Easy, right?!

The amazing thing is that you can add anything to make it to your liking. Cinnamon chia pudding? Mix it up with some cinnamon and honey. Vanilla? Why not add a vanilla pod, or a few drops of vanilla syrup? Chocolate? No problem! Add a teaspoon of raw cocoa and a small spoon of honey. (Nesquik works too, if you've got it lying around!)

Chia pudding parfait

If you're like me and want a bit extra going on (and come on, who doesn't love 
food worthy of Instagram ;) ) you have got to try it with fruit. The sweetness of the fruit brings out the flavour of the pudding without overpowering it. 

You will need:

• Frozen fruit - I use a box of frozen chopped pineapple and a box of frozen mixed berries. 
• Bananas
• Almond milk
• Granola (the store kind is fine)
• Honey
• Any other fruit you want

I recently discovered, through the mixture of the hot weather and sheer luck, how well sorbet goes with chia pudding <3 trust me, it's delish.

Sorbet is easy peasy, and you can make an easy but tasty recipe in minutes.
 Now I'm no chef, and I don't remember measurements, but like I said before, play around and figure out what works for you.

Banana frozen overnight and then blended tastes exactly like ice cream. It really does. 

Sometimes I'll just freeze some and blend with a dash of almond milk, but for a sorbet,

you'll want to use citrus or berries.

 

 

A handful of fruit - mixed summer berries, or chopped pineapple, both amazing - it doesn't matter what you choose, as long as it's well frozen! In the photo above I've shown how much pineapple (plus one banana) was used in the blender for one meals worth of sorbet. The berries were used on top. Whatever you use, you want about as much as you see above.

Add a tiny dash of almond milk (and I mean about 3-4 teaspoons worth), just to help it blend,

and blend it using lots of short bursts. You don't want to end up with slush! Keep checking, it should look like this very quickly...

 

 You ideally want fairly thick pudding because otherwise whatever you put on top will sink into it.

If you're an avid instagrammer like me, this is to be avoided at all costs!

I added granola to the top, some slices of room temp banana, and the frozen berries. Perfect :)

Now you see how easy it is, let me know what you come up with!!!

xo

Sunday Social 25/05

I totally missed last weeks SS :'( I was super poorly and it didn't even cross

my mind. I'll try and add it onto the end soon!

 

1. What is your favorite handbag you own?

I don't own handbags.

I own one tote bag that I just adore.

2. 3 things you would buy right now if money was no object?

  Our house.

A new car.

An interior designer to do all our decorating.

3. Name a place you would go right now if given a plane ticket to anywhere?

Bora Bora. <3 

 

 

4. What is the most valuable life lesson you've learned from blogging?

It doesn't matter if people read what you write, or not.

The most amazing gift is having this place to come back weeks, months and

years later and re-live all the wonderful posts. And realise how much you've grown!

5. What is the most valuable life lesson you've learned from a friend?

My best friend taught me the value of the saying 'bro's before hoe's'!!

We've been best friends for 12 years, but we didn't stay in contact for about 2 of those when my ex just didn't like my friend, and my friend moved away at the same time.

Thank God I realised who was more important in the end! 

 

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up!

Next week's questions

These are all about YOUR blog!

1. Introduce yourself and your blog to us

2. What is your favorite form of Social Media and why?

3. What made you start a blog?

4. What do you feel the most meaningful/special post you've written is?

Next week we are celebrating TWO YEARS of Sunday Social! Can you believe it? We love celebrating milestones by giving things away, so if you link up next week, you'll be entered to win something fabulous!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Not-so-Psychic Sally...

Oh dear.
I recently went to see 'Psychic to the stars' Sally Morgan.
My Mum had wanted to go as she enjoys the cheesy paranormal shows on TV, and I thought it'd be a nice experience. Nice wasn't quite the word I would use now.
Before I start, I must say that personally, I don't believe in Psychics. I'm a Psychologist, a Scientist, and I am an avid following of Derren Brown. 
As Mr. Brown himself once said... ''Psychics who spend their careers being 'psychic', well they're living a lie' and he isn't half wrong.
Having seen his 2013 show 'Infamous' in Plymouth, I witnessed his ability to seemingly read minds, speak to the spirit world and mention to audience members things that appeared to show him communicating with the dead. But he wasn't, and he made that abundantly clear before he started. He did it to show how phoney psychics really are. He did it to show that the ability to speak to spirits is nothing more than just being really good at reading body language and well-timed suggestion.
Poor Sally didn't stand a chance after witnessing the King of Psychology. Derren had both impressed (and, had I not known it was fake, all but convinced me) in the five minute example he gave, compared to the two hours I spent eagle-eyed in Sally's audience.

However, I attended the night with an open mind. I appreciate Psychological talent, illusion, slight of hand and showmanship and I hoped to walk away saying 'well, she was very good at pretending'. And in some aspects, I was pleasantly surprised. But as a Psychologist, for the most part, I saw right through her.

Lets start with the good points.
Her silver glitter stilettos were gorgeous.  

Now, onto the not so good.
Let's start before Sally even took to the stage. A sign popped up on the big screen, flashing a statement along the lines of 'Due to EU legislation it is necessary to state the following; Sally Morgan is investigational and the show is for the purpose of entertainment.' Followed by 'the science behind Sally's ability is not proven...but as Sally would say, it hasn’t been unproven either!"
And there lay my first problem. The show starts, and we see a short 1-2 minute clip of Sally's 'best moments'. We relived (for those that bothered to watch it when it first aired, unlike me) clips from her TV show, tours, etc. But what struck me was the content. It felt like I was trying to be convinced that what she did was real. As if all these people responding positively to her 'ability' should make me want to believe, too. Majority influence. Then the celebs come on for a spot of authoritative influence. Well, by celebs, we're talking Mark Wright of TOWIE semi-fame. But the ending got me. Suddenly, the clips became extremely emotive. We saw Sally 'communicating' with family members, and audience members were shown in tears. Again, I felt like I was being convinced to enter an emotionally open-minded and vulnerable state. All of this clip just made me uncomfortable. Don't people who have faith in their ability, be in singing, acting, or a psychic, usually come on stage and just get on with it?!

Anyway! You want to hear about the show. And I'll explain as much as I remember.
After an explanation of what the show was all about, Sally addressed the skeptics in the room. 'For those of you who are skeptical about psychics, I would advise going to more than one show, not just mine of course....but more than one psychic show to really get a feel for the ability'. Maybe I was in a bad mood but I wanted to make the decision to see her again based on my own opinion of the show.

And then she started. 
The first half of the show involved Sally seeing spirits on the stage with her, and relaying their speech and actions to the audience in the hope that someone will respond with 'that message is for me!'. The first 10-15 minutes were laborious. No one in the audience was responding, and you could see Sally getting frustrated. It was uncomfortable and not so entertaining as I'd expected.
Soon, however, the audience started chipping in and stories were coming together.
What struck me was the intense desire these audience members had to talk to their deceased relatives and friends, and how much faith they had in Sally to accomplish this. Sally gave general, extremely open-ended cues, and people were all to quick to form a link. 'Roger? Does the name Roger mean anything?' she says. An audience member jumps up 'Yes! Yes! That message is definitely for me!' Sally replies 'And how is Roger known to you?' to which the audience member says 'It's my Dad! Well he's called Roy, not Roger, but it's definitely him'. She proceeds. 'Ted? Teddy? Anyone know a Terry? Terence?' with 2000 people in the room, she was bound to get replies. But the moment at which she really lost our enthusiasm as an audience was when she spent a good few minutes describing a man who died in a porta-cabin style office, 'or it could be in a cabin by the Port'. She described how he died from a heart attack and was doubled over in pain. Minutes passed without evoking a valid response. A few people related to the name, one person said 'my Uncle died in a caravan?'. I watched as poor, naive people clung desperately to her words in the hope that their brains would form a relationship which would mean their loved ones were there. Nothing was working. Then suddenly two girls from Liverpool call out. 'Our Uncle died in an office by the Port, of a heart attack, and was found doubled over on the floor. This is the point whereby sighs could be heard throughout the audience. Why had they not responded before? Were they plants, required to respond when things are taking a downward spiral? Sally continues with the girls, 'your Uncle, was he buried with a faux fur pillow? I'm seeing fur' and the girls think before saying 'I planted a fur tree on top of his grave because we could never find it!' to which Sally replies 'it's grown down so far it's his pillow, it's grown right through his head!' - gasps from the audience erupted before Sally quickly backtracked and pretended she'd said 'grown under him'. 
But it was the woman who was looking to speak with her 19 month old Grandson that upset me, and apparently a lot of others who all left the building during the interval. I noticed how she would always say 'darling, I've got your son here, I've got Liam here' making it very specific. She put on a baby's voice and started relaying things that made no sense to the woman stood up, in tears. Her face on the big screen said it all - half of her was crying because she wanted to believe so much that it was true, and the other half knew realistically that she was doing nothing of the sort, except making money out of other people's pain.



Cue a few more people, the first half was suddenly over as the lights went down. And we were gone. 
Why don't the spirits give their full names? Why can she hear descriptions of deaths, repeat word for word a saying from a spirit, but 'Roger might be Roy' and "Kenny might be Teddy'? I was left with more questions than answers,

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. With Derren Brown, I was in awe. He told the audience it wasn't real psychic communication, he admitted it was psychology, yet I still sat there with my jaw dropped, and clapped like it was going out of fashion. With everything he does, it doesn't matter that it's misdirection, psychology and showmanship. In fact, that's the reason that his shows are so incredible - you know he's doing it because he's intelligent, talented, and has worked so hard to perfect his craft.
Sally, on the other hand, passes it off as being real, but denies opportunities to be 'tested'. She stated in her show when describing a certain spirit 'this is my hypothesis' but I bet she's never tested a scientific hypothesis in her life. 


But I would go back. I would. I wouldn't pay, but I'd go back. From watching her, I learnt a lot about the techniques she attempts to use, and from a psychological point of view, her seeming acquired belief in herself is fascinating. If not a little disturbing.

Link up: role models

Ever since I started school at the age of 4, in fact even before that when I attended pre-school, I've only ever spent one year out of education, and that was 2007-8 when I was working full time to pay for a degree. I went from primary school to high school to college, university partner college, to university and can honestly say for every year of my life, I've got something to show for it.

But I would never have made it to this point without the support and guidance from a few specific individuals. It's high time they realised what an impact they have had on my life.

My Mum.

I don't need to write anything really - everyone's mum should be their top role model. But mine is the most selfless, amazing human being I've met. Im so lucky she's not only my mum but one of my best friends and always will be. Her commitment to giving us the best life we could ask for is what makes me strive to do the same for my family. She's the greatest and sorry but my mum's better than yours ;P 

My sister.

As much as we argued through school and clashed with our personalities at times, when I need time out from work or uni and just want to relax, she's my person. Spending time with her is so comfortable, unlike with friends she knows me completely and I her, so there's no trying to show off, nothing. It's just hanging out with someone who is very much like me. She's become a great mum to my nephew and I hope I'm as good as she is when I have babies.

Mrs Crocker.

Mrs Crocker was one of my class teachers in primary school, but she taught me every year for various classes. I don't know, being 11 when I left school, that I ever thanked her for being such a great teacher. I suppose at the time I had nothing to compare it to. But she was. I looked up to her, I thought she was a wonderful person, always smiling and laughing, so when she was strict you knew she meant business and you appreciated that. She will always be my favourite memory of Hyde Park primary school. 

Miss Cheney

Probably the biggest role model during my adolescent years and my whole time at Plymouth High School, Miss Cheney was everything I wanted to be. I remember first seeing her in the classroom when she started working at our school and I thought she was a 6th former - she looked so young! Maybe that's why I looked up to her, but more so, she was a confident and intelligent person. To a shy 14/15 year old, I wanted to emulate that. I used I lag behind after school and chat to her about her car, school work, anything really. I actually looked forward to her lessons - who looks forward to maths, really?! 

I was really sad when she left our school and moved away, but I had learnt so much from her that I was just proud to have known her. 

Katie and Sara

Katie P and Sara R were the two role models for me that really stand out.
During high school, you have an idea of who you are, and look up more to teachers, celebrities and family. But during primary school, there were two girls I was very much influenced by.
Katie P was one of my best friends. She was also the most intelligent, always getting the best grades and praise from the teachers. Whatever she had, I needed. A coat, a bookbag.
Sara R was, in my 4-10 year old opinion, the most popular and prettiest girl in school. And for a while, she was also one of my best friends (you know what primary school is like, you'd all do anything for each other but you switch through cliques daily). She was so so confident, and I always wanted to impress her so that we could be friends.
I noticed in later years how much I'd looked up to these two girls. Katie had made me want to try harder in school, and Sara had made me want to take pride in myself and be a better person. Being the same age, I'm sure they had no intention of being role models, but like the quote says above, you never know who you're inspiring!

Joanna

 

The most influential person to come into my adult life has been this beautiful lady and her incredible family. It seems silly to think that someone who I've never met, who lives across the other side of the world from me, could have such an impact.
Through a random photo on Instagram of her gorgeous daughter's nursery, I followed her as she blogged through her wedding, buying her first home, and watched her sweet daughter grow up, soon to be a big sister. Her idyllic lifestyle drew me in and I just wanted it all in my own life. Joanna and her family have brought so much light and positivity into my life through their cute messages, adorable photos and I'm forever grateful for stumbling across that one photo because I just know we're going to be friends for life. 
  

There are more people who deserve to be mentioned here and in the future probably will be. But whether they realised, meant to, or not...these people helped mould me into the person I am today. Always remember that you might be inspiring someone without even trying. 

Never take people for granted - you're constantly learning from them and they will always leave a mark on your life. 

Sunday Social!

Morning, guys! 
These are all about TV shows from the past!

This could quite possibly be my most favourite SS ever!!!!

1. What was your favorite TGIF show?

Sabrina and Sister Sister were amazing, but Sabrina by far kicked butt!
I watched every single episode at least 3 or 4 times. 
I am guilty of youtube'ing it recently, too!  

2. What was your favorite Saturday morning TV show?

As a young kid it was Power Rangers and Rugrats.
As I got a bit older it was Sabrina, Lizzie McGuire, That's so Raven,
It Takes Two.... :) 

I loved Live & Kicking!

 
 

3. Mickey Mouse Club or Kids Incorporated.?

We didn't get either here in the UK but I've
heard of MMC so that's my answer. 

4. Zack Morris or AC Slater?

Morris! He was hot, funny and a bit of a geek.
I always wanted to be Kelly Kapowski!  
Did Jessie bug anyone else? Just me?

5. Which show would you love to see remade? (For example, Boy Meets World is back as Girl Meets World)

Sister Sister with the Olsen Twins.
Sabrina the teenage witch with her as the adult and maybe
hers and Harvey's kids as the new witches!!! Yesss do it :)


I can't wait to read your answers!!!
:)
 

So long and thanks for all the papercuts

It dawned on me earlier that the MPsych course I started yesterday is about to end.

Oh, did I say yesterday....I meant September!

Seriously, where did that time go?! It literally feels like a matter of weeks ago that

I was working in a job I didn't like, wondering what I was going to do, and suddenly being offered this fantastic opportunity to join a brand new course and study for another year.

We weren't convinced at first, but I couldn't turn it down. I hated that I was offered a place because I knew I had to accept it, but I didn't want to. But boy, am I glad I did!

I didn't realise until my final year as an undergraduate that when you start studying Psychology, you've signed your soul to the devil. The psychology devil. Becoming a Psychologist isn't easy. A BSc, a masters perhaps, and then the ever competitive Doctorate - 6-7 years of training before you're let loose. And baring in mind I was 22 when I started, having already done 4 years of Forensic Science, it seemed like I would be a career student forever.

I hated this year. I really did. I went from lecture halls holding 260 students to classrooms of <10 people. Every class was a seminar. Every lecturer knew my name. Every student knew my face. Everytime I was absent, it was known. It was hard adjusting at first, especially because 3 weeks into the first semester my fiancée was hospitalised and was seriously ill.

 I didn't think I'd make it through. Assessment after assessment, email after email, I hoped for the best and expected the worst. But every time, somehow, I pulled through with a 2:2 or a 2:1. 

I wasn't reaching my potential, but I wasn't failing either.

It wasn't until over halfway into semester 2 that I finally learnt to love the course.

We studied a CBT module, and another in reflective practice. I started a placement at a school for children with special needs, and I suddenly realised why I was putting myself through such stress. I loved it. I 100%, truly, madly, deeply loved learning how to help people, through therapies, educating, or simply by listening. 

I started my dissertation for this year very very late. It's qualitative, not quantitative, so instead of having to collect loads of data (such as last year), I wanted data from only one participant. I wasn't sure how this project would go at first. We had such leeway with what we could do and I picked a supervisor who stood for everything I cared about. And boy, have I loved it. I'm not finished, and it's due next week, so I have plenty to keep me busy with, but I am overwhelmed by the project and I am already so proud that I've bought enough ink and paper to print my own copy to keep forever. As I was writing my acknowledgements it dawned on me just how much this research has changed me.

So here I am, at the starting line of the home stretch, bursting with excitement

at finishing and graduating. At this point I don't care what grade I get. A 2:1 like last year? A 2:2.

Whatever I get, it means nothing. Achievement is my boyfriend kicking GBS' butt and being so strong and determined in his recovery. Achievement is never missing a deadline and always trying as hard as I can to get my work done. Achievement is getting engaged, buying a house, and planning a future. 

And now comes the task of finding work. It's been a challenge, financially, being a student. It's hard to get work because they ask for experience but t get the experience you need to work. Or volunteer. And you can't volunteer when you have bills to pay.
So please cross those fingers and toes, eyes and whatever else you can manage.
The hunt begins :)

  Butfirst I am super excited to walk

down the stage in my cap and gown (again!).

Congrats to all of you who are graduating this year! 

So long, uni, and thanks for all the papercuts.

xo

Sunday Social 04/05

 

Howdy hey campers! 

How cool is this - the 100th Sunday Social!

I can't wait to read your answers :)

1. Who do you call when you need to vent?

I usually moan to my fiancee. He is amazing, even when it's something

silly he listens and takes it all in and then knows just the right thing to say :) 

2. Where do you go when you need alone time?

I go to bed, sit on the laptop and chill out.

I think it's important to take an hour every now and again

to just sit with your own thoughts. 

3. What is your favorite alone time activity?

Pinterest!!!!! Of course..... it's a slight obsession. 
 

4. What is something we should all stop and read right now?

Read, and listen :)

5. Who do you wish would read your blog that doesn't already? Family? Celeb?


I wish Amanda Seyfried read my blog or followed my Instagram account.
I think she would appreciate my obsession with my dog. 


Your turn!

xo