Review - Breville Blend-Active

I was thrilled to be selected by BritMums to review a Breville Blend-Active Family Pack. The kids and I were super excited to give it a whizz! ;-)

{Glasgow Mummy on Instagram}

If you haven't heard of it before, the Blend-Active is a personal blender allowing you to create one-person portion blending for the whole family. The Family Pack comes with 2 x 600mL bottles and 2 x 300mL bottles.

The concept of this really appeals to me, and if only I could get up a little earlier I would be making healthy smoothies to drink en-route to work or on the school run (I'm yet to do this! With the dark mornings I'm really struggling to get up!!).

Despite it being winter, we decided to make some yummy milkshakes! Fruit ones for me and the littlest and a chocolate one for my son. He's all about the chocolate!

Basically we threw in some ice cream, milk and frozen berries into the bottle (added a dessert spoon of cocoa to my son's one to make it chocolate flavour), attached the blade cap, whizzed it until smooth and then replaced the blade cap with the drinking cap and we were ready to go.

The shakes tasted good (I demolished mine in minutes!), but I've found that using frozen fruit doesn't work all too well. Despite the instructions saying the machine can crush ice, chop tough fruits and nuts I found that with the frozen fruit I was having to blend it for a prolonged period and was worried that the motor was going to burn out.

We had much better success when we used fresh fruit.

{Glasgow Mummy on Instagram}

{Glasgow Mummy on Instagram}

{Glasgow Mummy on Instagram}

{Glasgow Mummy on Instagram}

The other evening R & I decided to film a quick vlog of me making a healthier smoothie... this time with avocado, chocolate and peanut butter. Watch below to see how we got on...



The Breville Blend-Active Family Pack has an RRP of £40 but it's currently on offer on the Breville website at £29.99. I think for what you get this is good value, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are wanting to prepare bags of fruit in your freezer for blending which is what I had envisaged I would be doing. It was definitely better with fresh fruit.

The machine itself is really easy to use and it's quick to clean it too - big thumbs up. I've been sticking the bottles into my dishwasher. Aesthetically I think it looks good too if you're going to have it sitting out on your kitchen counter. I love the lime green colour and it just happens to tie in with my kitchen colour-scheme!

I received a Breville Blend-Active for the purposes of this review. As always, opinions are honest and are my own.

{BritMumsLive 2014}

I'm late in the day with my BritMumsLive 2014 round up as I've been swamped at work with my day job and then I've also been away for a few days at the weekend.

Better late than never though!

We left at silly o'clock on Friday morning to catch our train to London and the train seemed to take forever!!! (It was 6 hours!). 

On the train - clearly very excited!!

Bacon roll for breakfast with a hot chocolate from Gordon St Coffee at Central Station Glasgow. Not the best bacon roll I've ever had (Cafe Citron in Blackhall, Edinburgh gets that award!) but it was still absolutely amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A proper cup of boiling hot tea - thank you Yorkshire Tea - 'let's have a proper brew'!

R & I were staying at the Apex London Wall Hotel and we managed to check in and drop off our bags prior to heading along to The Brewery for registration for BritMumsLive 2014. Eek!! I was super nervous!

R gave me a wee push into the courtyard and said he'd see me later that evening. Taking the first step into the crowds was nerve wracking and I'm glad that he took me along to the venue as otherwise I'd have been properly stressing. I didn't see anyone that I recognised and thankfully the doors quickly opened so we could go and register. What wasn't great was that it took me forever to find my badge, but I got it eventually.

Once through the security, I clocked Kate Sutton from Wit Wit Woo who is easily recognisable from her gorgeous red hair and she showed me the ropes pointing me in the direction of the brands. Thank you Kate :-)

I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the brands that had stands. I had expected it to be bigger and better. Please don't hit me, but I wanted to be honest! It's rare that I get to travel to London for blogger events and I had thought that this would be an opportunity for me to start to forge relationships with some of the brands that I may not get the chance to meet in person whilst in Glasgow. There were a lot of competitions which I hadn't anticipated, mainly from holiday companies (I've been to huge expositions with my day job which were very different) and I also didn't recognise many of the brands.

What was amazing was to meet some of the bloggers that I interact with on Twitter and Instagram. Highlights include Kate on Thin Ice (it was lovely to meet Kate in person and say Hello albeit brief) and Morgana from But Why Mummy Why.

I also made some new friends too: Nat from Style Me Sunday, Sharon from Honesty and Humour, Jenny from Let's Talk Mommy, Sarah from Toby Goes Bananas and Life with Munchers.

Anyway, on the Friday night I managed to navigate the London underground to meet R and his friend for some food and drinks. We even did a bit of dancing!!

Bite to eat at Jamie's Diner on the way home!

Day 2 and I'm sporting my Glasgow Mummy t-shirt

It was difficult to figure out from the short description which sessions to attend and I think I ended up making some wrong choices. I went to the Hands On Video Session, but felt it was too basic for me (I already know quite a bit about lighting from the photography night classes I've attended) and I'm not sure if I learnt as much as I thought I would from the Writing a Pitch session. The Google+ talk was brilliant as this is totally new to me, and the Bloggers' Keynote had me in tears. It was a tough day for me as it was the anniversary of my mum's death so I had that on my mind, plus my kids were on their first holiday abroad with their dad which also had me a tiny but anxious. Their first time on a plane too. This will have made me even more emotional that usual, hence all my blubbing! (May also have been due to the wine consumed at the wine tasting, see below!)

The Lindeman's wine tasting was excellent - my favourite was the Pinot Grigio

Cheers!

My T-shirt :-)

After a very hectic day, I touched up my make-up, threw on my dress and heels and headed out with R for dinner and cocktails.

Hoxley and Porter was decked out like a train carriage - very cool! 

On Sunday we headed to Camden Town for a browse and some lunch before catching the train back to Glasgow. Here are some more of the pics:

Brilliant!!

We struggled to choose with all the food options available at Camden Market, but ended up going with some noodles and chicken from a Chinese food stand.

Love this paper cup 'Hey there hot stuff' ;-)

London was brilliant but tiring. I've got loads to consider for my little pink pages here and perhaps there will be some changes coming up. Lot's to do, just wish I had more time to do it in!!

Thanks again to Glasgow Fort for sponsoring me.

{BritMumsLive - here I come!!!!!!}

Eeeek!!

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As this post goes live I will be on a train from Glasgow to London for BritMumsLive.

I'm excited but also a bit nervous!!

I bet I'll have forgotten something... but hey ho, as long as I make the train that's the main thing!

My son said today (yesterday when you're reading this!)... 

"When I'm a grown up, I'm going to be EPIC"

I reckon that this weekend is going to be epic. I just hope that I'm ready for it!!!

Looking forward to meeting everyone. Please come and say Hello. I'll probably be too nervous to make the first move! ;-)

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Thanks go again to Glasgow Fort who have sponsored me for BritMumsLive!  

{Abracadabra - Mum's Magic Tricks}

I am the Queen of multi-tasking.

As a single working parent I can be found juggling a number of balls, and yes sometimes they get dropped (I'm obviously speaking metaphorically... the children - they've never been dropped thankfully!), but I have a few tricks up my sleeves that help me along the way! (Unfortunately I don't have a trick to magic away the last few pounds I'm trying to shift!).

I always have a pack of finely chopped veg in my freezer and I can throw this into meals such as spaghetti bolognese or chilli to make sure we are getting our 5 a day.

In my kitchen I have these plastic pots hanging up for the kids cutlery. It's resolved some storage issues but also when it's time for dinner I can just take this cutlery pot down for them and pop it on the table so they can set the table themselves. Likewise, when we're baking the other pot comes down.

The kids have their own hooks in the hallway for hanging jackets so when it's time to get ready for the nursery run we know where our jackets and bags are and they can grab everything they need themselves.

Another trick of mine is a bright lipstick. On days when we're rushed and things aren't going to plan, 2 minutes to apply some lippy and it transforms my face and gives me a confidence boost. That is magic!!

We were sent a special pack from RBS with some other inspiring tricks for us busy mums...

We love a reward sticker!

Genius - using a cupcake case to stop drips from an ice lolly!

Using an egg carton to keep the paint colours separate - we normally stick our paint onto a plate which can end up very messy!!

Using a lidded plastic cup for spill-free painting and a shower curtain on the floor to stop the floor being ruined!

It always amazes me the power that my mobile phone has. There seriously is an app for (nearly!) everything and digital banking is no different.

I've been using the RBS app for a long time now and love it's functionality. It saves so much time being able to check balances and transfer funds on my phone rather than having to use 'the big computer'.

Easy payments and transfers
I can pay the nursery bill on my phone in just a few simple steps (the first time you want to pay someone you need to set them up as a payee in Digital Banking using your card reader, but once that's done it's straightforward).

Check account balances on-the-go
I have a spreadsheet on my Mac which helps me keep track of my outgoings (you do know I love a good spreadsheet!) and I can keep track of my balance daily on my phone. It literally takes a minute.

Get cash out without your card
I tried this yesterday for the first time. I actually can't quite believe that you can access cash from a hole in the wall without using your card. You get a Cash Code sent to your phone which has to be entered into the cashpoint. It's totally secure... to log into the app itself you need a special code that you choose yourself and plus you'd have to crack my code to get into my phone first! And then at the cashpoint you also have to enter other security details as well as the Cash Code. Might sound a bit complicated but I can assure you that it is simple.

So tell me, where do I collect my crown? ;-)

This project is in conjunction with BritMums for their #MumsMagicTricks challenge with RBS.

{What I'm Wearing to BritMums}

Well, I'm not going to reach my target weight by next weekend so I'm not allowing myself to buy anything new for BritMums Live. Boo! (I'm skint anyway!)

I am however getting my hair done, and reckon it will end up platinum again.

From all the posts I've read about BritMums Live, I gather it's best to go for something comfortable.

I have a branded t-shirt to wear on the Saturday, which I will team with a pair of jeans (my new ones from Sainsbury's if I can fit into them again!) and my sparkly trainers.

For the Friday, I have no idea what to wear!

Options are my denim skater dress from M&S which I can easily dress up for the Friday night, or perhaps my black plether jeans which again are rather versatile, or maybe grey jeans and a sparkly jumper.

Decisions, decisions!! Help me!!

Option 1 - denim skater dress

Option 2 - black plether jeans

Option 3 - grey jeans and sparkly jumper

I have been sponsored by Glasgow Fort to attend BritMums Live :-)

{Wobbles Wednesday}

My weight loss plans are not going well... :-(

I'm sat at my computer with a bowl of ice cream and some fruit. At least part of it is healthy!

My Sainsburys Online Grocery Delivery Pass has worked in that I managed to avoid all the treats in the supermarket aisles whilst I did my weekly food shop. So that's a step in the right direction at least.

I've also been doing weekly meal planning. Another positive change.

However I was at a friends house at the weekend and majorly fell off the wagon... I consumed an obscene amount of crisps, dips and cakes. I also ate a burger, toast, a bagel and a sandwich. So out with the no bread rule!!

I've also not managed a single run in a fortnight now.

I can do better than this, I just need to try harder.

What's not helping is that work is really stressful as we get closer to a really important external audit (that's the week after BritMums!). All I want to do is eat chocolate and sweets to get through it!! I'm absolutely shattered and I know that the chocolate will just be a quick fix, but it tastes sooooo good!

Despite this, I have managed to stick to the healthy breakfasts and salads at lunch time but by the afternoon I'm craving sweet things!

Today I had a Total Greek yoghurt with fresh berries for breakfast, a Tunnocks caramel wafer at 10am (I was on a training course and couldn't resist!), a prawn & cous cous salad for lunch, a handful of dried cranberries in the afternoon, leftover chicken stir fry for dinner, two of the kids chocolate bars (eaten in secret in the kitchen so they couldn't see me!!), a packet of Hula Hoops and my bowl of ice cream and fruit.

It's definitely the evenings that throw me off. My willpower is seriously lacking.

It's now just 3 weeks to BritMums and I'm not convinced that I can reach my target.

Time to get motivated...

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{#MorrisonsMum - our Bank Holiday BBQ}

I was absolutely delighted to be selected as a BritMums #MorrisonsMum for the Bank Holiday Weekend.

The littlest and I headed to the supermarket on Friday afternoon whilst the eldest was at nursery to pick up our supplies for the BBQ we were hosting that evening.

I even managed to get in front of the camera for our YouTube video!



Seeing as we had a new BBQ to try out from our TK Maxx adventure in Falkirk, we kept our fingers crossed for a dry evening - and it was!! Result!

R's family were joining us, and I was keen to impress, so we went all out getting a massive spread - I totally went OTT as you'll see below!

Loads of bargains to be found in every aisle. Morrisons really have cut their prices on thousands of products... We were loving the Kettle Chips!

I enjoyed a chelsea bun (£1 for 2) before attempting the unpacking!

Making the bean salad

The menu

To nibble on whilst cooking...

Kettle Chips, 99p

Beetroot Houmous, £1

Sour cream & chive dip, 99p

Followed by:

Tomato & mozzerella salad, see below

Bean salad, see below

Green side salad, 99p salad bag with orange pepper (79p) and cucumber, tomatoes & red onion

3 for £10

Morrisons signature burgers - Scotch beef quarter pounders

Morrisons signature burgers - hot & spicy jalapeno beef quarter pounders

Chicken breasts

Morrisons signature thick prime beef sausages, 2 packs for £5

Finger rolls, 72p 

Burger buns, 72p

Flava-it barbeque marinade sachet (for the chicken), 69p

Corn on the cob, £4

Baked sweet potatoes, £2.27

Morrisons signature coleslaw, £1

Morrisons deli style potato salad, £1

Gherkins, £1

Burger relish, £1.09

Tomato ketchup, £1.75

Cheese slices, £1.55

Washed down with:

Diet coke with lime

Coke zero cherry

(£2.64 for 8 cans - great price!)

Robinsons Fruit & Barley, £1.79

For the next again morning:

Blueberry muffins, £1

Pecan plaits, £1.09

Bagels, 90p

Cream cheese, £1.85

Coffee, £3

Milk, £1.39

Fresh juice, 3 cartons for £4

For the washing up:

Fairy liquid, £1.30

Finish Quantum, £6

Scourers, 69p

The salads & condiments

Tomato & mozzarella salad:

Red onions, 69p

Vine tomatoes, £1.29

Buffalo mozzarella, £2

Fresh basil, £1.39

Belazu balsamic vinegar (from my cupboard)

This salad always reminds me of my mum, who made something along these lines frequently when I was growing up. Basically chop everything and throw it in a bowl with the beans and pour over some dressing. Easy!

Bean salad:

Cucumber, 49p

Cherry tomatoes, 99p

Red pepper, 79p

Yellow pepper, 79p

Kidney beans, 79p

Chick peas, 59p

Sweetcorn, 65p

Cannellini beans, 59p

Spring onion, 49p

Balsamic dressing, £1.50

Our new BBQ

Lumpwood charcoal, £5

Lighting gel, £3

Matches, 55p

Lighting cubes, £2

Bacofoil tin foil refil, £2.99

BBQ fork, 88p

BBQ turner, 98p

BBQ tongs, 98p

(you'll see the tools in the photo above - absolute bargain!)

GRAND TOTAL = £94.26 (of which £69.89 is food)

I realise this is rather expensive, but as you can see from above it included all the BBQ charcoal etc plus dishwasher tabs (which in themselves are extortionate!) and the food we prepared fed 4 adults and 2 children, plus there were tonnes of leftovers so I had lunch and dinner the next again day, and the day after that (it basically fed me for the whole bank holiday weekend). Plus there's still plenty salad for my lunch at work this week! I've worked out that the food was enough for 9 adult meals (if not more), making it cost approx £7.77 per person. 

The end result :-)

The burgers were lovely, and I especially enjoyed the BBQ chicken breast. I'll be making that again for sure. The flava-it barbecue marinade sachet that I used was great as it only needed 10 mins to work it's magic.

All the produce was lovely and fresh - lots of nice looking salad vegetables to choose from - as you'll be able to see from our YouTube 'advert'.

Muffins, pastries, bagels and cream cheese for breakfast

Thank you Morrisons - we had an awesome BBQ (eldest's words, not mine!).

We received £80 of Morrisons vouchers as part of this campaign. Opinions, as always, are my own.

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