♥ life is only as good as the memories we make ♥

Goodbye January, Hello February

Dannii — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:15:42 +0000

Let’s hope my cold has been left behind in January! With 6 1/2 months until the wedding it’s time for me to really get into shape!

The agenda for this week is:
- Monday: Exercise Bike
- Wednesday: POP Pilates Total Body Workout
- Friday: Praise Aerobics

I’m also planning on making some deliciously healthy, vegan meals this week (in suitable portion sizes):
- Spinach & sweet potato curry
- Creamy avocado pasta
- Vegan tortilla pizza
- Chili on a bed of steamed carrots
- Vegan enchiladas

And I’m trying to have healthy drinks:
- Lots of water
- Fruit teas
- Jasmine green tea
- Black tea with vegan milk

And snacks:
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Low-fat hoummus & vegetable crudites
- A *couple* of squares of dark chocolate

Super Healthy Immunity Boosting Rainbow Stir Fry

Dannii — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:04:48 +0000

I have been ill for about a week and I was mostly better except for a cough, so I thought it’d be ok to start exercising again. Oh was I wrong! My cold has now come back with a vengeance!!

I was feeling awful at work this morning and suddenly got hit with a recipe idea for a Super Healthy Immunity Boosting Rainbow Stir Fry! So I went to the supermarket in my lunch break and got as many healthy ingredients as I could think of! I was very happy walking back to work with my massive bag of vegetables!!

To boast my veggie intake even more I had a massive salad for lunch with chilli sauce, which not only helped clear my airways but also provided a much appreciated rush of endorphins! I also drank a lot of (various) tea and water to keep myself hydrated.

So back to the sti fry (unfortunately in my excitement to eat it I forgot to take a photo!)
Ingredients:
Pak choi, spinach, broccoli, yellow bell pepper, courgette, carrot, spring onion, garlic, fresh ginger, green chili pepper, corriander (fresh would’ve been bettter), wholewheat noodles, light soy sauce, red palm & canola oil

It was sooo good! The strong flavour of the ginger was good considering I can’t taste much at the moment and the gentle warmth of the chili pepper gave it just the right amount of kick!

Verdict: NOM! and I really do feel like my food choices have given me a boost!

Good Eats

Dannii — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:54:51 +0000

Fresh thyme stuffed peppers with creme fresh mashed potatoes and butter beans. So good!

Clean Eats

Dannii — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:56:50 +0000

Chick pea and sweetcorn lime & coconut curry on a bed of steamed broccoli and peas. I had this with a lemon, mango and ginger tea with agave nectar – completely satisfied my sweet tooth.

Delicious and it make me feel so good, happy, energised and clean afterwards! This made me feel satisfied and full for the rest of the night. I had absolutely *no* cravings after this meal :)

This is Love

Dannii — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:50:58 +0000

I had a complete meltdown whilst exercising tonight. I felt like I was never going to be able to lose weight and look my best for our wedding. But the Dan picked me up and held me. He got me to lie down on my exercise mat and do slow situps whilst he held down my feet. He gave me two of the bottles of cava we just bought for our wedding to use as weights. He said they were good visual images to use. He told me how he used to do situps like this with a medicine ball three times a week. He made a plan for me, we would do this together three times a week and two times a week I would go on our exercise bike whilst watching tv/films (we just subscribed to Love Film).

Dan showed me such love and support tonight, exactly what I needed. I can’t wait to become his wife :)

This is Love

Dannii — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:51:00 +0000

Dan met me at the bus stop last night with a beautiful bunch of flowers and my favourite festive chocolates (Snow Bites) just because he hadn’t been able to pick me up from work two nights in a row!

Pilates Love

Dannii — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:08:38 +0000

Thanks to Cassey @ Blogilates.com I have recently got into Pilates. I can’t believe how fun it is and how quickly you see results! Usually my motivation wans quickly with new workouts but this is different, Cassie engages the viewer with chit-chat and constant encouragement. Exactly what I need to distract me! It’s so fun I’ve found myself constantly wanting to do more, my poor body can’t keep up!

I’ve also tried a few of Cassie’s cardio & HIIT workouts which are equally as good. Just what I’ve needed to pull me out of my exercise rut since I got bored with running! Thanks Cassey!

My Wedding Dress

Dannii — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:05:22 +0000

I just bought my wedding dress! So Exciting! I can’t post a picture of it on here in case Dan sees it, but it’s beautiful! Ashley and I got up really early this morning (I could hardly sleep I was so excited!). We drove to the charity shop that was having the bridal day event and got there really early. We were second in the queue and had to wait about 25 minutes! My friend Lyndsey was there too looking for things for her wedding.

Whilst I was waiting, I was looking in the window trying to peer at the dresses. I saw one and thought ‘that’s it, that’s my dress!’ Ashley had seen the exact same one too! We excitedly waited for another ten minutes or so in the beautiful sunshine and then they let us in! We walked straight up to the dress I’d seen and it was my size! I grabbed it and another one that looked quite nice as well. I had a quick glance at all the others just in case anything else caught my eye and then when upstairs to try them on!

As soon as I’d put on the dress I just knew it was the right one. It was a perfect fit! It is so beautiful, with delicate detail and the price was amazing – £180! The ladies helping were almost in tears! It was just perfect! They had a giant mirror and got me to stand on a stool. I wish we’d taken pictures there because the lighting was amazing! Before I knew it I had the dress off again and said I’d take it. I didn’t even need to try the other one on. I walked up the high street to get the cash out, hardly being able to believe what had just happened. The first dress I saw and tried on was my dress! I was so excited, I wish now I’d taken a little longer to enjoy the moment, but other people needed to use the changing room.

Whilst I was paying, the woman on the till was so happy for me, she gave me a hug! She asked me to send them a picture of me wearing the dress on my wedding day for their website, they like to show the whole story! We went across the road to the bridal shop that donated the gowns to buy a dress bag. The lady in the shop said my dress was one of her favourite ones and was £750 full price! It’s an amazing answer to prayer. There was no way I could afford to buy a full price dress! I’m so happy with my one, it’s perfect. I can’t wait to show Dan, but I’ll have to wait ten more months! I don’t know if I should’ve been driving home after all that excitement, I was so hyper on the way home!

This Is Love

Dannii — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:31:31 +0000

A match made in Heaven – and Last.fm apparently!

My Favourite Health & Fitness Sites

Dannii — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:53:14 +0000

Oh She Glows – Vegan Recipes

Blogilates – Pilates, Cardio & HIIT Workouts