Happy Friday, friends! How are you? The past few days have been pretty busy and SO windy and rainy! I have cycled a grand total of one day this week!
On Saturday I did some baking! I made nutella chocolate chunk cookies and homemade peanut butter cups! Since I know you were all super excited about the peanut butter cups on Instagram (and my friends RAVED about them!), I’m going to share the recipe on Monday – look out for it!
I’m still eating really healthy (smoothie for breakfast, more veggies, more protein, less cake!) and so i was really proud of myself when making the cookies and peanut butter cups that I didn’t eat the cookie dough! As you know, I love cookie dough! And next time I make cookies I may well eat some but my aim was not to eat loads. I sipped on a healthy smoothie at the same time which filled me up and helped me not to be tempted!
I did eat one nutella cookie and one peanut butter cup, but I feel like I’m finding more balance in the amount of sweet treats that I’m eating (important because eating A LOT of sugar makes me feel super crappy), which is good.
On Sunday I went to Newark with some friends to visit Mamma White’s Pancake Parlour. I was completely unaware until recently that Newark (a castle town about an hour north of Nottingham) has not one but TWO pancake cafes! The other one is called Waffle Cottage and its next on my hitlist.
Mamma White’s was amazing – friendly staff, delicious, great value food, kid-friendly and even options to have protein pancakes and healthy smoothies as well as just pancakes! I enjoyed an order of blueberry pancakes (with real maple syrup – take note Bill’s!) that was really delicious. The all day breakfast looked great too and brilliant value at just £7.50 for a huge breakfast and pancakes too! I’ll definitely be back.
On both Monday and Tuesday I went to the gym that I’m now a member of to try out a class. They were both pretty hardcore – Monday was a weights class with reps using a barbell, and a bit of cardio. Tuesday was a circuits class, with kettle bell squats, planks, crunches, mountain climbers…. and the dreaded burpees. God I hate them. After a while I just did squats instead. Lame I know, but they’re the one exercise I just hate! I’m hoping to go to the circuits class every week and hopefully start getting a bit stronger.
On Wednesday it was our first City WI meeting of 2015! Only a few members braved it through the wind and cold to be shown how to do vintage hairstyles by the amazing Lucille’s Locks. After being shown by her roughly half a dozen times, I have finally mastered backcombing my hair – look!
On Thursday we went out after work again for food and drinks and to see Foxcatcher at Broadway with some friends. I, uh, was not a fan. At all. Have you seen it? At least I got to eat at Pilot, a new restaurant in Hockley which specialises in sourdough pizzas, roast chicken and prosecco. I tried a magherita pizza with buffalo mozzarella (not something that ANY pizza restaurants do, presumably because of the price of buffalo mozzarella!) and it was delicious! I am so happy to have another great pizza restaurant to go to in the city (along with Oscar and Rosie’s at Das Kino – and there’s also Suede which I do not rate at all).
I’m looking forward to enjoying more homecooked meals at the weekend – I’ve been going a bit crazy with my food processor – I made these protein balls this week which were delicious!
I also made homemade tortilla wraps! Okay, so mine weren’t exactly completely circular, but they were really delicious and the ingredients in shop-bought ones give me the willies – have you seen what’s in them? This is definitely something I think I’ll do on a regular basis so I always have a stash in the freezer.
I’m currently reading 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff – have you read it? It’s a beautiful compilation of letters between an American author and a bookshop in London who corresponded over two decades. I’m reading it very slowly to prolong the loveliness of it – I’d really recommend reading it if you haven’t already!
x Kerry
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Oh my! That pizza looks AMAZING! I need to go for pizza soon. We have some new places around us that have recently opened up and I’ve been dying to try some of them. 🙂 Also, I need to start using my food processor again. I used to make hummus all the time – so much cheaper than buying at the store!
It really was! Oooh I hope they turn out good, there’s nothing worse than being disappointed b y a new restaurant that you have high hopes for 🙂
Let me know if you have any tips for making homemade hummus – I’m working up to it! x
Those pancakes look epic! What a yummy week. Can’t wait to read about the peanut butter cups. My FAVE. Hope you’ve had a good weekend. x
Sarah (@tamingtwins) recently posted…Splashing Around at Warren Lodges, Essex
Those pancakes look amazing!! So sorry to have missed it xx
Just another reason for us to go back again!
Goodness me, that pizza looks amazing! Can’t tell you enough how delicious those homemade peanut butter cups were. Yum.
Thanks lady! I may have to have exactly the same thing when we go again!