#FoodieseekerFriday - What To Pack!

Now that we are getting closer and closer to our holiday my mind is constantly thinking about what we need to take with us. What I will need, what the hubby will need and what all three kids will need. What they will need to occupy them on the plane and what they will need on the ship.

I will admit to getting stressed before we go on holiday. I am fine once we have left home but the build up to leaving can leave me quite stressed and anxious. So to help alleviate the stress I make lists for everything. Now we are really getting closer I have actually got items on my "things to buy" list ticked off at last. Clothes wise we are all sorted we just need to added extras.

Today I thought that I would share with you my top must haves when going on holiday...

Swiss Style Muesli Cake and Degustabox July Contents

It is Degustabox time again! With some of the contents from this months surprise box I have made a
delicious cake. But before I tell you about my cake let me tell you what came in July's Degustabox.

• Seabrook Crisps Limited - Seabrook have released some limited edition flavours. I received a bag of their Lattice Food Heroes with chorizo flavours created in collaboration with Three Little Pigs.
• Jordan's - Swiss Style Muesli is so much more than just a breakfast. I have used this muesli in today's recipe.
• Bahlsen - Choco Leibniz milk chocolate snack packs are lovely little treats that are perfect to pop in your bag when going out!
• Brookside - These Acai and Blueberry flavoured dark chocolate treat were a new product for me and one that I love! The dark chocolate balls contain a lovely fruity centre. They are good for you as well as a treat!
• Itsu - Edible seaweed is an Asian delicacy and one that I am keen to try. These crispy seaweed thins can be eaten as they are or added to a dish for extra flavour and texture.
• Sarsons - Sarsons, the vinegar experts, have recently released their very own Balsamic vinegar. This vinegar is lovely paired with extra virgin olive oil for dipping sour dough.
• Orkla Foods Sweden - These sweet pickled Swedish gherkins are so good! I love pickles and gherkins and was not disappointed with these. You can see them being used in my recent Team GB post.
• Cracker Drinks Co - Cracker Drinks' Pineapple, Coconut and Lime drink is made with natural fruit juices and contains no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. This juice goes perfectly with gin to create a quick and easy summer cocktail style drink!
• Nestle Rowntree - Rowntree have given the classic fruit pastilles a make over with their new Infusions. They have three new delicious infusions of orange and grapefruit, raspberry and pomegranate and apple and elderflower. This bag of sweets has been hidden away from the kids, they are mine!
• Alo - I recently tried an Aloe Vera drink while I was in London and really enjoyed it so I was pleased to see this drink. Aloe Vera has so many health benefits, the list goes on and on. You can read more about this drink here.
• Qcumber - The hubby recently tried Qcumber drink when we were eating out and we both loved the cool refreshing taste of this drink.
• Rejuvenation - In the past I have received other flavours of the amino acid enriched spring water, Rejuvenation. So I was pleased to see a new flavour arrive this month. The Spanish Orange flavour is so refreshing and perfect for a hot summers day.
• Berrywhite Ltd - Each can of Berrywhite organic drink counts as one of your five a day. All ingredients are natural and they add no artificial preservatives, no added sugar or fruit extracts.

Now onto the cake! This is what I did...

Supporting Team GB at Rio with Aldi

In a matter of days the 2016 Rio Olympics will begin and we will all be cheering for our national teams. Whether you are Team GB, Team USA or Team France, people all over the globe will be cheering on the pride athletes of their countries!

This year Aldi are proud to be the official Team GB supermarket sponsors and have asked me to share with you three deliciously nutritious recipes that have been working on in collaboration with the English Institute of Sport. The recipes are not just tasty but also have many benefits for athletes. Over the next three weeks I will be recreating the recipes myself and telling you all about how I got on and most importantly what we thought of the dish!

This week I am starting with Chilli Shredded Turkey Burger with healthy slaw and sweet potato wedges.

This is how I got on and what I did...

My Top Tips for Eating Healthy!

Regular readers know that I love healthy eating but believe in a balanced diet. Finding that healthy balance can be hard so today I thought I would share some top tips for healthy eating!

Healthy eating is an integral part of an overall healthy lifestyle that allows us to look and feel great. To help eat well and remain healthy at all times, here are some simple guidelines that you could follow.

Photograph courtesy of Real Foods

1. Don't Skip Meals

One of the most common mistakes and certainly one that I will admit to making is skipping meals, particularly breakfast. This usually leads to cravings that can be totally out of control. By the end of the day, skipping meals to consume less calories actually urges you to overeat. The secret is to eat regularly and a variety of foods. Curb hunger by snacking between meals, always paying attention to the size of your portions, though. To stay healthy, you need over 40 different nutrients. So, eat a wide variety of foods, in moderate portions. If you manage to keep your portions reasonably sized, you will be able to enjoy everything you like without having to eliminate something. A medium piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or seeds, or 50ml of ice-cream are reasonable serving sizes.

#CookBlogShare Week 30 Round Up and Week 31 Linky

Welcome to another week of the CookBlogShare round up and linky.

This weeks round up has absolutely no theme, they are just recipes that stood out for me this week. As always selecting just four and narrowing it down was hard. It is a pleasure to read your recipe posts each week so thank you for sharing them and joining in each week.

Before I go on with this weeks post. I want to say a huge thank you to Hayley from Snap Happy Bakes for co hosting CookBlogShare with Mandy and I since we took over the linky. You may have read in Hayley's post last week that she is now taking a bit of time away from blogging as she is due to have a baby soon. I just want to take a moment to wish Hayley all the best and that we look forward to her rejoining us once she is back blogging again! Now that Hayley is having a break Eb from Easy Peasy Foodie will be joining us and hosting the linky. Eb has been a loyal CookBlogShare blogger and I know that she will do a fantastic job hosting!

Now back to this weeks round up. As I said before there is no theme except from all four being such deliciously tempting recipes. Here are my four favourite recipes from week 30 of CookBlogShare...

Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 1st August 2016

Yay we are now in August and our holiday is getting even closer!

Last weeks meal plan went a bit pear shaped. I was asked to go down to London last minute to attend a focus group with Fruit Shoot so I did have to change some meals. Instead of toad in the hole I made enough sausage casserole so that there would be some left over for the kids to have while I was in London. As I was only there for the day I picked up some treats from Marks and Spencer's on my way home for the hubby and I! After my day out I did not manage to do my shopping until the weekend so we had to make do with what was in!

This week we are starting the week with the hubby at home so were hoping that the weather stayed dry for a barbecue but it is now raining! Apart from that, we should be having a quiet week!

This is what we will be enjoying this week...

Week Commencing 1st August 2016

Monday - Turkey Burgers

These were going to be cooked on the barbecue but the rain has arrived so we will be having them cooked inside!