After a break of about 6 months or more, I decided to go back to cleaning a bit what I eat and incorporating some more protein in my diet. I LOVE chocolate, but I feel that it's too addictive for me, I always want to have more. So a nice way to satisfy my sweet tooth and eat more protein are protein bars.

After trying a range of them, I decided to make a list with my favourites. I know what many protein bars can be quite chewy and weird tasting, but for me, these ones are the best!


1. USN Protein Delite (Toffee Almond) 

Now that the christmas season is approaching, I thought a post on 'Top Christmas Presents' was needed (I already started looking for presents). Here I share with you my top 5 choices for christmas presents (this is based on what I personally think would be useful). I've actually created a her and him section because I feel like cosmetics would be a good option for ladies :)

For him, I chose a mix of work-related and sports-related presents as I find that the males around me are very into sports, and work full-time.

1. Reebok Crossfit Lifter (£110). I've actually found these for women first (as you'll see they're in that list as well) and read amazing reviews about them. A little bit of background, these shoes have been designed mainly for lifting purposes (as the name implies), as they provide stability and flexibility when performing moves with heavy weights such as squats. I think these are a great option for a men's gift if they hit the gym often for weight training sessions.

2. Jabra Sport Coach Wireless Earbuds (£120). These are another great buy for a sports lover. Not only are they wireless and don't move out of your ears when you jump around, but they come with an app that allows you to personalize your training. They have an integrated sensor that captures your activity and performance data and feeds it back to the app; this way you can measure your performance and set goals for future workouts! Another thing I found useful is that, if you do use the app, there is a built in voice telling you what exercise you have to do next, and when to stop. Sounds great huh?

3. Leather / or not, phone case. I think this is a very practical gift, especially if he tends to change the cases, or if the present doesn't look like new anymore. One of my favourites is this Ted Baker leather sleeve as well as this classic case.

4. A good laptop bag! There are so many I found which I like that I will not be posting an example. It all depends on personal preference; I like the leather ones, but they are a bit pricier and need more care. I find that a goo laptop bag is very important and needs to be really resistent as you never know what things you end up stuffing there and where you end up placing it (train, office and so on).


Now to the ladies. What I chose here is a mix of sports things and cosmetics. I love sports and this can be seen from this blog post. If whoever you buy the gifts for loves sports and trains regularly, the some of these options could be a good bet. For cosmetics, I recently read a lot about how to build up a good skin care routine, so for a fresh new year you could encourage your loved one(s) to adopt some of these (will soon post on this topic).

1. As above, Reebok Crossfit Lifter (£110). These need no more explanation. However, the Reeboks Crossfit Nano 4.0 could be an alternative. As opposed to the Lifter version, these offer more flexibility, so would be more suitable for those engaging in crossfit movements or HIIT training (e.g., box jumps, ropes, kettlebell swings and so on).

2. A bag. Yep, a handbag, but I would suggest a versatile when which can be used for work as well. That means it needs to be quite spacious (I would need to fit my laptop in for example). There are loads of options, and again depends on personal style. I've included some of my favourites with a range of prices: JackyCeline Shopping Bag, Guess Alessandra Bag, Michael Kors Cynthia Bag, Furla Artesia Bag

3. A good skincare set. I think skincare items are always welcome as they will get used, just make sure you know the person's type of skin (i.e., oily, allergic, dry etc.). This cleanser from Eve Lom is one of the cleansers I really want to try at some point as I heard many good things about it. A good cleanser is very important. To add to this and make a nice set, I would get a good antioxidant cream (which could be used day and night). The REN vita mineral cream is a safe one to go with.

Another week starts & it almost feels like there was no weekend!

I like to be prepared for the week to come so I plan it from a Sunday or so, in terms of weekly goals (professional & personal), preparing my work schedule, and most importantly for me, planning MY MEALS. I get so caught up with work during the day and I'm so lazy by the time I finish work that I cannot even think about going to buy groceries or think about what to cook. So to avoid ending up eating pizza, or McDonald's everyday (that would be awesome no?), I try to plan some healthy & delicious meals and stock up on ingredients during the weekend.



I try to include fibre, good fats, protein, and other good stuff in my diet. It feels so much better to eat natural wholesome foods prepared by yourself rather than a white-bread sandwich that keeps you full for 2 hours (at least in my case)!

So what do I do?

Check out some super-duper recipes & make a list of what I would like to eat during the week:
My Whole Food Life is really great! Check it out for healthy recipes (including sweets Hurray!)
This website is great as well, delicious stuff. A really good range of vegan options & foods for different types of allergies

Those would be the websites I most frequently check out, but I use Pinterest to keep my favourite recipes from various websites (see here other recipes)

Why the fuss?

This routine helps me include healthy fats, good carbs, and many superfoods (that contain loads of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals) in my meals, which keep me full and with plenty of energy for the day (now I know why I always used to be so tired). If you want to experiment on your own, here is a list of superfoods you can try to incorporate in your meals (as well as the one above)