Linkin' With My Ladies Week Three: Thursday Blog Hop

Welcome to week #14 of the "Linkin with my ladies" Thursday Hop!
This is the place where blogs go to grow!
Link up your girly blogs AND your Bloglovin page!

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Meet This Weeks Featured Blogger:

Ginny from "A Modern Commonplace Book"!

Visit Ginny's blog to find a few of her favorite things, including my favorite, custom printed tea towels! So cute!

____________________________________________________________________ 

We encourage you to link up your Bloglovin URL in the Linky tool below our regular linky today. PLEASE LINK UP YOUR BLOGLOVIN URL! Use your blog's URL to link up in our regular linky. 
You can participate in both!

On to the hop!

Here are the rules:

1. Follow your Host and Co-hosts
2. If you would grab our hop button from the sidebar and display it on your blog we would truly appreciate it!
3. Tweet this hop!
4. If you're new, leave a comment so we can follow you back!
5. Follow those who are kind enough to follow you.

____________________________________________________________________

Meet our Lovely May Co-host team!

DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION (HOST)

Big City Dreamer (Me!)

Some of the Best Things in Life are Mistakes

Sew Creative Blog

Second Chance to Dream

The Non Martha Momma

____________________________________________________________________

Exciting News: We will be featuring a blogger from the previous weeks link up every week! Would you like your blog to be Featured at our hop? Follow the rules and tune in every week to see if your blog has been featured!

If you love our hops, you can always add our linky to your blog!

Click here to get the inlinkz code: get the InLinkz code

4 Ingredient Healthy Pea Soup Recipe

Hope you are all having a good weekend! I am! Friday was my birthday so I got a lot of nice things. Here's a quick summary in photos of my week (all taken on either my parents iPad or my dad's iPhone...they are more technologically advanced than me)!

Homemade Frappe | Out for a meal in Nicosia Wagamamas | Before going to the cinema on Thursday

Last Sunday for Cypriot Easter, my parents and I went to our Cypriot friends house in the mountains; the house and view were amazing and the Cypriot food was delicious! 

On Friday for my birthday, we went out for lunch in Limassol; I got my favourite Mexican Chicken Salad! We know the owner of the restaurant quite well so while I was eating lunch he went out and got me a little birthday yoghurt parfait! We then sat in Starbucks for a couple of hours while I replied to all my birthday messages before returning home to watch a film.

Rather than a birthday cake, my parents and sister decided to get me a fruit platter; they know me so well!

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Anyway, back to the actual point of this post! A year or so ago, my parents got me Sophie Dahl's recipe book; the first recipe I tried from it was her Pea Soup and I have been hooked on it ever since. It is so easy to make but healthy at the same time. It's gluten free, low fat, low sugar, vegan... perfect lunch?! I think so!

As you can see, I used my new ramen spoon to eat it with ... I have the strangest eating habits, I know.

You will need:

- 3 small onions/ spring onions chopped

- 450g frozen peas

- 1 litre vegetable stock (11/2 cubes)

- 1tsp olive oil

- handful of fresh mint chopped

- sprinkle of dry mint

- salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a saucepan and add the onions. Let sweat on a low heat for 3 minutes.

2. Add the peas, coating in the oil before mixing in the stock and mint.  Boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes, seasoning with the mint and a dash of salt and pepper. 

3. Leave to cool for a few minutes before blitzing unitl smooth.

For a creamier, smoother soup, pour through a sieve. The pea puree can be reserved for bread/toast.

For a PDF of this recipe, click here (from my upcoming Cookbook - Around the World section) :)

Linkin' With My Ladies Week Two

On to my second week of Linkin' With My Ladies! and also my birthday week ;)

252 AND GROWING!

Welcome to week #14 of the "Linkin with my ladies" Thursday Hop!
This is the place where blogs go to grow!
Link up your girly blogs AND your Bloglovin page!

____________________________________________________________________ 

 

Meet This Weeks Featured Blogger:

Joanne from "Creative Mess"!

Visit Joanne's blog for a dose of DIY inspiration!

http://jmacreativemess.blogspot.com/

____________________________________________________________________ 

Our Bloglovin addition has found a permanent home

We encourage you to link up your Bloglovin URL in the Linky tool below our regular linky today. PLEASE LINK UP YOUR BLOGLOVIN URL! Use your blog's URL to link up in our regular linky. You can participate in both!

On to the hop!

Here are the rules:

1. Follow your Host and Co-hosts
2. If you would grab our hop button from the sidebar and display it on your blog we would truly appreciate it!
3. Tweet this hop!
4. If you're new, leave a comment so we can follow you back!
5. Follow those who are kind enough to follow you.

____________________________________________________________________

Meet our Lovely May Co-host team!

DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION (HOST)

Big City Dreamer (Me!)

Some of the Best Things in Life are Mistakes

Sew Creative Blog

Second Chance to Dream

The Non Martha Momma

____________________________________________________________________

Exciting News: We will be featuring a blogger from the previous weeks link up every week! Would you like your blog to be Featured at our hop? Follow the rules and tune in every week to see if your blog has been featured!

If you love our hops, you can always add our linky to your blog!

Click here to get the inlinkz code: get the InLinkz code

Chicken Ramen: It makes you feel good

Have you ever seen the film Ramen Girl? If I'm being honest, it's a terrible film but it really does sum up the philosophy of ramen: it makes you feel good.

A few weeks ago, I bought a whole roast chicken from the supermarket and decided to boil up the carcass to make a stock; I used this as a base for my chicken ramen. To save time, you could just use a low sodium chicken stock cube or a vegetable one for a vegetarian version.

You will need: 
350ml chicken stock
35g ramen noodles
100g cooked, sliced chicken breast
1 small carrot, sliced then quartered
1/2 courgette, sliced then quartered
1 small onion, cut into small chunks
small handful mange tout, sliced
seasoning

1. Add veg to the chicken stock and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the ramen noodles for 5 minutes (as instructed). Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Add the chicken to the stock and veg along with some salt and pepper, cooking on a medium heat for 3 minutes before adding the noodles. 
4. Cook for a further minute or so. 

Serve in a large bowl with a ramen spoon and chopsticks!

Now, this is just my take on ramen using ingredients I already had but you can have so many variations. My favourite ramen is the Wagamama Chicken Ramen: 'noodles in a chicken soup topped with grilled chicken breast and seasonal greens, garnished with menma and spring onions'; it is delicious. And look at the size of that bowl:

I always manage to finish it all though (without lifting the bowl to my face... even though I'm always tempted)! When I went to Wagamamas yesterday in Nicosia, I realised you could buy these bowls and spoons! I already have large bowls in my house so I decided just to get two of the spoons (they were only €2.50 each); knowing me, i'll probably use them to drink my hot chocolate...no joke!

Have you tried Chicken Ramen? Do you not agree that it somehow manages to make you feel good? Have you been to Wagamama's? What's your favourite dish?

Linkin' With My Ladies: Thursday Blog Hop

Last month, I stumbled upon something called 'Linkin' With My Ladies'; a blog hop dedicated to specifically promoting female blogs! I decided to become a host throughout the whole of May (my birthday month!) in hope of finding new blogs to follow as well as new followers.

So, if you are one of my regular readers, it would be great if you could link up below or if you are a new viewer from the bloghop, welcome to BigCityDreamer! Leave a comment down below if you have followed me and I will be sure to follow back :)

238 AND GROWING!

Welcome to week #13 of the "Linkin with my ladies" Thursday Hop!

This is the place where blogs go to grow!

Link up your girly blogs AND your Bloglovin page!

This week only! Click HERE

Use promo code: LWL13 at checkout!

____________________________________________________________________ 

Meet This Weeks Featured Blogger!

Megin from "VMG206"!

Visit Megin's blog for a dose of DIY inspiration!

http://www.vmg206.com/

____________________________________________________________________

Our Bloglovin addition has found a permanent home

We encourage you to link up your Bloglovin URL in the Linky tool below our regular linky today. PLEASE LINK UP YOUR BLOGLOVIN URL! Use your blog's URL to link up in our regular linky. You can participate in both!

On to the hop!

Here are the rules:

1. Follow your Host and Co-hosts
2. If you would grab our hop button from the sidebar and display it on your blog we would truly appreciate it!
3. Tweet this hop!
4. If you're new, leave a comment so we can follow you back!
5. Follow those who are kind enough to follow you.

____________________________________________________________________

Meet our Lovely April Co-host team!

DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION (HOST)

Big City Dreamer (Me!)

Some of the best things in life are mistakes

Sew Creative Blog

Second Chance to Dream

The Non Martha Momma

____________________________________________________________________

Exciting News: We will be featuring a blogger from the previous weeks link up every week! Would you like your blog to be Featured at our hop? Follow the rules and tune in every week to see if your blog has been featured!

If you love our hops, you can always add our linky to your blog!

get the InLinkz code

Click HERE to get the InLinkz code for your blog!

Homemade Healthy Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino

Hello everyone!

I don't know about all of you but I am definitely starting to feel the heat of the beckoning summer. This means one thing: frappuccinos...

I created a tutorial last year about how to make a healthier version of Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino Light in my I Love Starbucks post! I thought I might as well put together a new post with better photos as I have plenty of opportunities; I've been having at least 2 of these drinks everyday recently!

Just to emphasise, this drink costs around 10p to make; compare this to the £3.20 (in the UK) for a tall caramel frappuccino light and that's a massive saving! Nutrition-wise, the Starbucks (light) version contains 96 calories, 0.1g fat and 20.8g sugar where as my homemade version contains only 40 calories, 0.1g fat (depending of course on the milk you use) and 9g sugar.

Now, don't think I'm trying to put you all off Starbucks! I absolutely love going to get my drink and sitting in for a few hours working on my blog or uni work or people watching; I'm just giving you a healthier, cheaper version.

Place 2/3 cup of ice in a blender.

Add 1 heaped tsp coffee (I use decaff) and 2/5 cup water.

Add milk to taste along with 2tsp caramel syrup*.

Pulse in the blender for 30 seconds.

Top with caramel sauce if desired!

*For a healthier version, sub the caramel syrup for 1/2 a frozen banana; the consistency maintains it's smoothness and you'll be on your way to 5-a-day! With the banana, the calories and fat content stay the same but the sugar content drops to 4g.

Simple as that!

Of course, you can use different flavoured syrups for different frappuccinos! What is your favourite Starbucks drink? Do you have a Starbucks nearby?

Homemade Raw Vegan Clean Eating Fruit, Nut + Oat Bites (Nakd/ Larabars)

You should all know by now how much I love Nakd bars. They are the perfect snack: healthy and filling. The problem is, you can't buy them here in Cyprus! 

So, as with my previous post, I decided to try making them myself.

It is clear on the packaging that these bars contain very few ingredients; just dried fruit (usually dates and raisins), nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts), ground oats and flavours (spices, fruit juices and zest). 

To make the basic flavour, combine 50g dates, 50g cashews, 50g oats and 30g raisins in a food processor to form a mixture which looks like this: 

To create different flavours, combine basic natural ingredients:

Carrot Cake: 2 heaped tsps of basic mixture with 1/2 tsp grated carrot, 1/8 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp ground cloves.  

Lemon Drizzle Loaf: 2 heaped tsps of basic mixture with zest and juice of 1 lemon segment. This one got a big thumbs up from my father!

Apple Pie: 2 heaped tsps of basic mixture with 1/2 tsp grated apple and 1/8 tsp cinnamon.

Banana Bread:  2 heaped tsps of basic mixture with 1/2 tsp mashed banana. A warning: this one didn't set as well as the others!

The ideal thing to set these bites/ nibbles in is a silicone ice cube tray as they are easily released after setting. You can, however, use any kind of mould and just line it with cling-film or make bars rather than bites! I decided to create a small variety to experiment with flavour combinations and see which variations are my favourite to make again.

Just spoon the mixture into the mould and press down then leave to set in the fridge for an hour or so before removing.

These seriously taste just like Nakd bars and you can experiment with so many flavour combinations!

Have you tried re-creating one of your favourite packaged snacks? What is your favourite dessert flavour? What combinations do you think you will try? :)

Lemon Drizzle Loaf

As I'm back home now and my dad doesn't really like my healthy baking recipes (even though he has never actually tried them...), I have a rather unhealthy but delicious cake recipe for you all: lemon drizzle loaf. 

Don't despair though! I am planning on recreating this recipe using only healthy ingredients; Greek yogurt, apple sauce, oats... I will post later on in the week along with my father's judgemental and truthful opinion! 

For those of you who don't mind an indulgent treat every now and then though, here is the original lemon drizzle loaf recipe. It will be hard to beat but I will try; it is my mission as a health-conscious food lover!

You will need:

8oz self raising flour

8oz caster sugar

4oz margarine

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 lemon

Method:

• Cream together the butter and caster sugar.

• Beat in the eggs.

• Zest the lemon + add to mixture along with the flour and milk. Mix for around 1 minute until combined.

• Pour into a greased baking tray + bake in a pre-heated oven for 1 hour until risen and golden.

• Meanwhile juice the lemon + mix this with the granulated sugar.

• When the cake is cooked, take out of the oven + leave to cool for 5 minutes before taking out of the tin to cool. After a further 5 minutes, pour over the drizzle.

Lovely eaten hot or left to cool!

Do you think you will try this recipe? Or will you wait for the healthier version? Have you tried adapting any of your favourite but unhealthy cake recipes?

Homemade Innocent Veg Pots

I don't know about all of you but one food product that I absolutely love is Innocent veg pots. For those of you outside the UK, these are little ready meal pots made with fresh veg, wholegrains and herbs and spices; they all contain at least 3 of your 5-a-day and are low in fat whilst being high in fibre and protein. They are suitable for vegetarians and contain no artificial colours or flavours; all these factors, added to the fact that they only take around 4 minutes to heat up make them ideal for a speedy, healthy lunch or dinner.

As much as I love these veg pots though, there are two problems: you can only buy them in certain shops in the UK (so I can't get them here in Cyprus!) and they are quite expensive at around £3.90 each; not ideal for my student budget! 

To fix this, I came up with a solution: make my own!

The Innocent company list all of their ingredients on the packaging of each pot so I took inspiration from these along with my own little twists to create something that tastes almost the same as the original.

This is an adaptation of one of my favourite flavours: 

Mexican Sweet Potato Chilli

You will need:

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok/ pan. Add the cubed carrot, sliced onion, red pepper chunks and sweet potato chunks. Stir-fry over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until browned. 

2. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, pinto + kidney beans, sweet corn, grated carrots, tomato puree, garlic, lemon juice, corriander, paprika, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to boil then simmer for 5 minutes.

3. If you want an authentic 'veg pot', put the cooked rice in the bottom of a microwavable pot. Pour over the tomato + veg mixture and top with the spinach leaves.

4. At this point, the veg pot can be left to cool and placed in the fridge for up to three days. To eat straight away, put in the microwave for 2 minutes, take out and stir then place back in the microwave for a further two minutes.

Step 4 can of course be skipped and the final ingredients can just be added to the wok but where's the fun in that?!

Your Veg Pot should look something like this:

Mixed together like this:

+ Plated up like this!

Nutritional Info: approx. 300kcal, 10g protein, 6g sugar, 5g fat (0.5g sat fat) + 25g fibre.

This is only one of the 8 veg pot varietys so let me know if you would like the recipe for any more and I'll give it a go. The recipe above is to make one veg pot single serving but the quantities can be easily adapted to suit more portions! And for a more substantial meal, why not have this as a side to baked fish, grilled chicken or cooked prawns?

Have you tried Innocent Veg Pots before? What's your favourite flavour?