HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE, NOT GROSS, SUPER NUTRITIOUS GREEN SMOOTHIE

Hi lovelies! Today, I wanted to share with you all how to make a Green Smoothie. Obviously, if you know anything at all about smoothies, or just fruit and veg in general, you probably already have a good idea of how to make a Green Smoothie. However, as much as I love smoothies and experimenting with fruits and veggies, for a long time, I just couldn't master the Green Smoothie.

Fruity smoothies are fab, just packing in lots of fruits makes a smoothie super sweet and really tasty, however when I have a smoothie, I do sometimes like to get some veggies in, just so I know I've had a good amount of veggies that day. This is where Green Smoothies come in. They're a good way to get in seeds, greens, veggies etc, however they're not always an easy way, because if your ratios are off, they can be pretty gross! So, I thought I'd share the way I make my favourite Green Smoothie with suggestions and alternatives for fruits and veggies that you can switch up without compromising the taste.

So, to make my Green Smoothie (this makes roughly one pint) I use:
1/4 of a Pineapple (Fresh or Frozen)
1 Frozen Ripe Banana (Frozen Bananas give off less of a Banana-y taste, which is nice if you're not a Banana lover! If not, fresh is fine)
1 Handful Frozen Spinach (I use the frozen spinach portions from tescos and use 2 of these, again, as the spinach is frozen, I feel like it gives off much less of a green taste to the smoothie, meaning the fruits come out stronger)
1 or 2 Kiwis (depending on how big they are)
1 Green Apple
1 Cup or around 200ml Filtered Water

That's the base of my smoothie covered, for additional nutrients, I also blend in 1 or both of the following:
1 Tablespoon Milled Hemp Seeds (A great source of fibre and magnesium)
1 Tablespoon Milled Flax Seeds (Vegan Friendly Omega 3)

You can pretty much grind up any seeds you like for a little added boost of nutrients and healthy fats to make your smoothie even better for you and more satisfying,

Extra Tips:

Using Pineapple is absolutely essential for me as I absolutely love the sweetness it gives, however, I have also used Frozen Mango and this was lovely too. If you're not a big Pineapple fan, Mango or extra Kiwis, Banana or Apples will be fine. I do recommend trying with Pineapple though, as it's so tasty!

If you prefer a slightly sweeter taste, you could add a little Agave Nectar, Maple Syrup or a couple of Dates, but I recommend trying this first as I don't find these ingredients necessary.

If you like your smoothie slightly fresher and not so sweet, you could substitute the Apple or Kiwi for a chunk of Cucumber or a stick of Celery. I don't personally like these in my breakfast smoothies, but they do work well with the combination of fruits. You don't need to substitute if you prefer not to, you can just add to taste.

Kale is a great substitute for Spinach, however I would definitely recommend frozen Kale as I find it much less bitter in taste.

It's good to use a good mix of frozen and fresh fruits and veg as keeping the smoothie super cold makes it taste so much better!

So that's it! Just a fairly quick post for today, but I thought it may be helpful for some of you!
Let me know if you give this smoothie a go! What are your favourite smoothie combinations?

ALVA ORGANIC BAKED FOUNDATION POWDER REVIEW

Hi loves! I've mentioned many times now that I'm on a bit of a mission to switch out all my old makeup and beauty products for more natural and totally cruelty free products. So, today, I wanted to talk about this Alva Coleur Organic Baked Natural Foundation Powder from MyPure.co.uk. Face powder for me is possibly one of the most essential parts of my makeup routine as I work as a beautician and sometimes do very long days rushing around and I want my makeup to last! The look and shape of this reminded me of the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powder that I used to love, however since learning that MAC are definitely not cruelty free, I don't like to buy their products any more. I realised looking through

Because of this, of course, I was on a mission to find a new powder to replace my old favourites and when I came across this on the MyPure site, I was pretty excited, as I love baked powders, however, when this arrived, I was even more impressed as it says on the packaging that 99% of the total ingredients are from natural origin and 10.5% are from organic farming. It is also Natural and Organic Cosmetic Certified by Ecocert Greenlife. This isn't mentioned on the product profile on the website, but it is worth knowing! I was also impressed with the packaging, as it's made of a very sturdy cardboard material with an elastic strap to keep it together in your makeup bag. It also has a good sized mirror inside which is great for on the go. I assume the fact that this is cardboard means that this is recyclable too so that's fab. 

So by now, we know that the ingredients are fab and the packaging is great, but what about the actual product? First thing's first, this only comes in two shades, light and medium. I bought medium and it does work for me when I have a bit of a tan (usually faked!) in the summer but I would need the light in the winter. This of course, isn't a huge range of shades, I would say that this is adaptable as I've had varying levels of tan and it's been fine all the time, but I would say if you have very dark skin, I probably wouldn't go for this product, so that's a shame. If you're anything from a very light to medium skin tone though, I'd definitely give this a go.

As for application, this is just lovely. It mattifies slightly with a light dusting and completely sets your makeup, but if you want a more matte look and extra coverage, you can build this up. I've worn this both alone over primer and over foundation and both work really well. I prefer to use this lightly over a liquid foundation as this sets my makeup and makes it last all day, but allows the foundation to stay slightly dewy and it doesn't leave that horrible powdery look at all. This lasts me all day at work for roughly 10 hours per day.

So of course, overall, I'd thoroughly recommend this powder, as I say, more so for light to medium skin tones, but hopefully, as we buy more vegan beauty products and create more demand, they'll be more and more on the market! This retails for £17.00 for 9g and I've been using it for around three weeks now and it has hardly gone down at all, so I'd imagine it's going to last me around three months or so, that's pretty good!

What's your favourite natural product product or brand? Let me know!

RANT: THE DIET AND WEIGHT LOSS INDUSTRY

Hi loves! I'm coming at you with a bit of a rant today, no one particular event or person has sparked this blog post, it's just something that niggles at me on a near daily basis when I see posts on social media, or hear people talking about this issue. The issue I'm talking about is the diet and weight loss industry and more specifically, how much it exploits people with lies and manipulation. I'm not going to start naming any specific diet plans or brands as, for one thing, I don't think I need to, as you'll all know the sort of thing I'm talking about, I also don't disagree with absolutely everything about every diet plan or weight loss brand and of course, I don't want to offend anybody, or have anyone feel as though this post is personal to them, as it is very general. That being said, I am going to be very open and honest in my opinions as I do genuinely think this is a topic that needs to be discussed more than it already is.  Let me explain.

To clarify, I'm by no means an expert on these things, however, I've done some very basic nutritional training and have taken a lot of time to educate myself on nutrition and health, so while I may not know everything there is to know, I do feel that I have enough knowledge to comment on this. I have enough education to know that calorie restriction and under-eating is bad for you. It can be hard to believe or hard to take for some people as words and phrases like 'under 100 calories', 'low calorie', 'reduced fat/ sugar' or 'zero calories' are plastered on products like they're something worth shouting about and something that should and does entice people to buy it.

So many products, brands and plans promote low calorie, restrictive diets and offer tips on feeling 'less hungry' or 'more full on less food' and I think this is insane. While I do understand that sometimes, in some extreme cases, drastic calorie cutting may be necessary for rapid, life saving weight loss, this is not the situation that the majority of people following these plans are in and this is not the issue that I'm talking about. I'm talking about the vast majority, who are just regular people who are overweight (or in some cases, not overweight at all!) that want to shed a few pounds and decide to join a group or follow a plan to do so. A plan that promises you'll lose a stone in two months or four pounds per week provided you eat less than 1500 calories a day and do exercise on top (that, by the way, your body probably doesn't even have the physical energy or correct nutrition to even handle).

While I do genuinely admire those who know they are of an unhealthy weight and want to do something about it, what I absolutely cannot stand is the lies they're being fed on their journey to get to where they want to be. You see, so many of these plans promote calorie restriction and counting of points or whatever and this is just so unsustainable. Living every single day recording what you eat and counting calories would be considered disordered eating if someone of a normal or lower weight was doing it and yet we're supposed to do that if we're trying to lose weight? One thing that really got me was seeing that a particular plan allowed unlimited amounts of diet fizzy drinks, as they're zero calorie. This is despite the hideous and dangerous chemicals in these drinks, this alone proves just how little actual nutrition is taken into consideration when these plans are put together. They do not care if you're healthy. Just that your calories are low enough for you to lose weight fast. You're applauded for losing weight quickly and I've seen girls so guilty after gaining a pound. One. Pound. Sometimes I literally weigh two pounds more than usual before I pee in the morning - it's so focused on weight loss and not on actual improved health and that is so damaging.

They suggest chocolate bars that are made of caramel because they're lower calorie and take longer to eat, 'tricking' your brain into thinking you're full, but guess what? You're not full on a 100kcal bar of chocolate as a crappy snack, But then of course, after weeks or months of calorie restriction, you binge, you have one slice of pizza then keep going and going because your body is begging for an actually satisfying meal and you beat yourself up because you have 'no self control' and you need to have 'more discipline' when this is actually not the case. Your body cannot run on a low calorie diet and intense exercise for an extended period of time, it just does not work. These companies rely on people 'going back to old habits', because then you sign up again, or keep buying their branded meals and products in order to shed the weight you put back on. This is, in turn, destroying people's self confidence and convincing them that there's something wrong with them because they can't be like all the people in the so called 'success stories', who lost the weight and kept it off. If this sounds like you then please hear me: IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT.

If you disagree with me then that's fine, but what I'm saying is proven fact, it is not sustainable to eat a low calorie diet forever and live on diet coke and low calorie crisps just because they keep your daily intake under a certain number. You are not a failure because you can't stick to your plan, you're a normal human being whose body is practically forcing you to give it what it desperately needs. Calorie restriction causes metabolic damage, eating low calorie for a long time can and will damage your metabolism, therefore when you do start eating more again, even if that's a perfectly healthy amount, your body may well store the additional food as fat, because it's bloody terrified of going back into starvation mode and wants to retain all it can just in case! Your body is smart, it knows what it needs and when we try to go against that, it will fight back. It's not your 'lack of self control' it's your body's survival instinct.

Chloe's Way is definitely not a place for preaching the vegan lifestyle, but I would of course suggest it to those looking to lose weight in a healthy way. Eating plant based provides you with all the nutrients you need (though keep an eye on Vitamin B12 and D if you don't get much sun!) all the while completely eradicating cholesterol and animal fats from your diet, which are proven causes not only of diseases such as heart disease and some cancers, but also of weight gain. At least cutting down on meat, dairy and eggs (all high in fat, cholesterol and hormones) can do wonders for you. Plant based foods (unless you're loading up on oreos and crisps!!) are naturally lower in calories, meaning you can eat a large, satisfying meal and not have to worry about over eating. I strongly suggest watching the documentary Forks Over Knives to hear more about the health benefits of a plant based diet and what effects animal products can have on our health. There's no animal slaughter or violence shown in this film for those sensitive to it, but it may be an interesting watch for those wanting to learn more about the health aspect.

A very simple way to look at it is this. You go into the supermarket in search of a snack, you see a Banana for 110 calories, a small back of plain almonds for 170 calories, a 100% natural green smoothie at 200 calories or a weight loss brand chocolate bar bragging that it's 'Less than 80 calories!' - which one do you buy? If it's the chocolate bar, consider exactly what you're about to put into your body. Consider that you have possibly just been exploited by an industry that wants you to put low calorie over actual nutrition. If these plans worked they wouldn't exist any more. If they had a huge fool proof, sustainable weight loss secret, people would have shared it by now, we'd all be doing it and they'd be out of business. But there is no secret, the truth is right there, buy the damn banana, not all calories are created equal. Your body knows what to do with natural, whole foods, but the chemical shit storm from your diet drinks and low calorie treats will provide no nutrition and likely no satisfaction either.

So, that's my little rant about the diet industry, as you can tell, I definitely have some strong opinions and I'd love to hear yours in the comments below. As always I'm open to opinions from either side of the argument, but keep it respectful!

MOSSA NATURAL YOUTH DEFENCE MICELLAR WATER REVIEW

Hi loves! Another cruelty free product review for you all today! I've been absolutely obsessed with trying different cruelty free, vegan makeup products at the moment, my collection is slowly but surely getting completely replaced by more natural products that are free from animal products and animal testing and my skin is definitely thanking me for it! I was shocked by how much of what I used wasn't cruelty free and now I would never knowingly buy a product from a brand that tests on animals as its just so unnecessary. I also think using products that use natural and organic ingredients where possible does wonders for your skin and as I say, my skin is definitely better for it.

So, on that note, I wanted to share with you all my new skincare favourite, this 'Mossa Certified Natural Youth Defence Micellar Water' from MyPure.co.uk. I'd previously been using a well known brand for my Micellar water that I recently found out is not cruelty free, so when I found this on the MyPure site, I was really excited to have found an alternative. The Mossa Youth Defence line is intended for women aged 25+, I'm 22 and have had no issues at all and honestly, I don't think it's ever too early to consider anti-ageing products! This Micellar Water contains Raspberry Vitamins and Hyaluronic Acid, both well known anti-ageing agents and gentle on younger skin. This product contains 99% natural ingredients and 5% organic ingredients, so you can be sure it's doing your skin a lot of good while it's getting to work!

What I particularly love about this product is that it's a 3-in-1 product, removing making, toning and moisturising the skin all in one! While I do believe you should still double cleanse and moisturise after use to be extra sure your makeup is all totally gone and your skin nourished, I have used this alone on a few lazy evenings as I've been feeling a little under the weather the past few days and it's been great to just have a one step product to fall back on. I use this with two large cotton pads and that is more than enough to completely remove all my face and eye makeup and have a pad come away clean afterwards. You don't need to rub too hard with this at all and I do actually find I need to use less than I did with my previous Micellar water to thoroughly remove all my makeup. 

This retails for £10 for 200ml and I would say this is probably going to last me around one and a half to two months the way it's going so that'd be just £5 per month, which is pretty average for a makeup remover and even better when you consider that it's a 3-in-1 product too! I've noticed that even using this product alone, my skin doesn't feel tight at all and my pores are much less clogged, which makes me wonder how well my previous products were getting my makeup off before!!

Overall, if you're looking for a way to seriously simplify your skincare routine, I'd definitely recommend this. I would honestly say that unless you have particularly tough to remove makeup, or any skincare concerns, you could probably use this alone 4-5 days out of the week and do a deep cleanse, scrub and moisturise on the other 2-3 days. Definitely great for those with busy jobs, or teens that are just getting into makeup and skincare. 

What do you think? Do you have a favourite cruelty free skincare product? I'd love to know! 

ALL ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP*

One thing that I’ve noticed when looking at lifestyle blogs is how they all seem to focus on how diet and exercise can be important in helping us achieve healthy lives. And whilst this is undeniably true, they all seem to miss out the fact that our sleeping habits can also play a massively important part in shaping the way that we look and feel.

This is undoubtedly good news for the likes of me, as there’s nothing I like better than getting an early night on a firm mattress. But what I didn’t realise is how many different ways that sleep can help our bodies and minds!

Sleep your way to beauty

I’m sure that I’m not the only one who’s suffered the occasional bad night’s sleep. And as well as feeling groggy, I always hate the way that we get circles under our eyes and our skin looks rough after a restless night.

A recent article in Cosmopolitan shows that this happens because getting a good night’s sleep is key to ensuring that your body gets time to remove dead blood cells and produce the moisture it needs to keep your skin looking youthful. So whilst we can all spend a small fortune on investing in the latest beauty products, it’s nothing compared to the completely free power of natural sleep!

Sleeping to shift the pounds

But it’s not just our faces that can benefit from a good night’s sleep, as it seems that there have been various studies that have speculated as to a link between our sleeping habits and our body weight.

This is definitely good news as I’ve already stated how annoyed I’ve become by the faddy weight loss industry, so that with the power of a good firm mattress from the likes Bedstar that’s also better for your back, we can all hopefully snooze our way to a slimmer figure for the summer months!

Destressing through sleep

A big part of why sleeping can help weight loss is thought to be because it has important destressing powers. This is thought to be because our REM stages of sleep help us to process memories in a harmless way that makes everyday living much more easier to deal with when we’re awake. This means that we feel better about doing some more exercise rather than just binge-eating on the sofa!

So a good night’s sleep on a firm mattress will not only be able to give us better skin and a firmer body, but it can also help us live our lives in a much more enjoyable and productive way too!

HEALTHY VEGAN BREAKFAST: THREE WAYS

Hi loves! I don't know about you guys, but for me, my day always feels like it's off to a great start when I have a super yummy, healthy and filling breakfast! So today I thought I'd share three breakfast ideas that I personally love and have most days during the week! These are all 100% vegan, completely healthy and very satisfying. They're also very adaptable so you can switch them up to suit your own personal tastes.

Option One: Banana 'Nice Cream'
This is literally like having dessert for breakfast, but with zero guilt as it's completely healthy and nutritious! To make a basic nice-cream, all you need is frozen bananas, optional plant based milk (if you're not using milk, it's best to let the bananas thaw a little first, unless you have a super powerful blender!) and a blender or food processor. Then of course any other fruits and flavourings you wish to add.

 My first nice cream example is this seriously yummy blueberry nice cream! This consisted of two frozen bananas, a handful of frozen blueberries and around half a cup of almond milk. The amount of milk you need will depend on how powerful your blender is and how thick you want your nice cream to be - careful though as too much milk will turn it into a smoothie - though that's still yummy! I then topped this with frozen blueberries and raspberries, coconut flakes, milled linseeds and choc shot chocolate sauce. This is by the brand Sweet Freedom and is an all natural alternative to hot chocolate powders or sauces (not sponsored, just love the product! Though I'd have no issues being sponsored by them!!)

This one was two and a half frozen bananas with half a cup of almond milk and a big old squeeze of the sweet freedom choc shot again, I swear to you, this tastes exactly like chocolate ice cream and it kind of makes my life. I tend to save this one as a weekend 'treat' - even though it's completely healthy! I topped this with blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, pumpkin seeds, dates and goji berries. I love nice cream bowls as they're a fab way to pack in loads of nutrients with lots of different toppings, you could use any nuts, seeds or fruits you wanted! The toppings make this a seriously satisfying breakfast that will definitely get you through a long day at work or school!

Option 2: Overnight Oats
This is an amazing option for those with little time on their hands in the morning. As it's technically cold porridge, it is a bit of an acquired taste, but get the flavours right and this again, is like dessert for breakfast and I am all about that. To make this, I put rolled oats and frozen fruit into a bowl or jar and cover in almond milk, soy milk or oat milk. The oats will slightly take on the taste of whatever milk you use so I suggest you find one you really like! Oat milk is pretty neutral so that's a good idea to start with. Then you just pop a lid on (or a small plate over the bowl) and put it in the fridge overnight. If you want a sweeter taste, you can add a sweetener of your choice, to keep it healthy, I love to use date nectar, but you could try maple syrup, agave nectar etc.

 For this bowl, I soaked my oats with raspberries and blueberries as I always do, as for me, this is enough to sweeten the oats without any additional sweetener. I then topped with dates, goji berries, pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes. This is seriously filling and contains so much nutrition just in your first meal of the day! These will keep you full all the way up to lunch time and provide slow release energy, so they'd be perfect for those with exams at school, or a hard day at work ahead.

Keeping it slightly more simple, for this bowl of oats, I soaked them in the same way, but added a squirt of choc shot in the morning and mixed it in, turning the oats into chocolate oats - once again, a guilt free but seriously decadent start to the day!

Option 3: Smoothies
Groundbreaking, I know. However, I do have a couple of smoothie tips for those who struggle to actually eat a full breakfast in the morning. Sometimes, (very rarely for me, as breakfast is one of the loves of my life) we just don't feel like eating food in the morning. Maybe you're just not a 'breakfast person'. Smoothies are a great options for those who feel this way, as it's easy to pack it lots of nutrients without actually feeling like you're consuming a full meal in the small hours of the day! Try blending a handful of oats or seeds in with your morning smoothie for a more nutrient dense, satisfying start to the day.

This smoothie was made up of half a pineapple and a handful of frozen strawberries and a handful of frozen blueberries with around a cup of water and a tablespoon of hemp seeds. Top tip, I use a milling blade in my blender to first finely mill the seeds, then add the fruits and liquid to make the seeds virtually undetectable. If you fancy even more nutrition, you could add a handful of spinach or some other greens too, if you're quite new to smoothie breakfasts though, I'd easy yourself in easily with the greens as they can be quite overpowering if you get the balance off!

This smoothie was once again half a pineapple with one green apple and two kiwis. some oats and a cup of water. Again, milling the oats first definitely helps to keep the smoothie much more 'smooth'! This one would work well with spinach, as the fruits are all quite strong tastes, but again, go slow!
Other favourites of mine include banana, blueberry, oat and plant based milk smoothies and green apple, mango and raspberry smoothies, but definitely experiment with your favourite fruits! I love to buy fruit frozen where I can as it often works out cheaper and it makes the smoothie nice and cold, which I love.

So, that's it! My three favourite types of breakfasts, all pretty easy, all very healthy and nutritious and super satisfying. Hope you enjoyed!

What's your favourite thing to have for breakfast?

VEGAN BEAUTY WISHLIST

Alva Deodorant £7.50

Eco-Tools Brushes £19.99

Dr Organic Conditioner £6.29

Organic Surge Deep Conditioner £8.95

Pacifica Perfume £20.00

Inika Brow Pencil £13.50

Lavera Self Tan £13.50

Inika Face Kit £49.95

Hi lovelies! Today, I thought I'd share a few bits and bobs I've had my eye on lately! As you'll likely know if you've read my blog before (if not, welcome!), a few months ago, I went vegan and have since been switching all my hair, skincare and beauty products to cruelty free, vegan products. Of course, this has meant a lot of browsing and online window shopping, So, today, I thought I'd share with you all a few of the things that are at the top of my 'to buy' list!

I really want to try out a natural deodorant, I tend to use roll ons or stick deodorants anyway, so I'm currently still using up the ones I already had, but this Alva one looks great and I love the sounds of the coconut lime scent! The Eco-Tools brushes are a brand I've tried and absolutely love, genuinely so much more than other, more expensive brands. This set looks absolutely perfect and so pretty too! I've included two hair products, both of which are conditioners, as I'm obsessed with finding conditioners that help my hair to stay strong and healthy! The first is the Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner - I've heard such great things about this and I definitely want to pick this up along with the matching Shampoo! Holland & Barrett often have great deals on things like this too, which is a huge bonus! The other is an Organic Surge Deep Conditioner which is supposed to act in just 2 minutes! This is great for when you're in a hurry, but you want to give your hair a bit of a treat.

This Pacifica Perfume sounds lovely as once again, it's a coconut scent, which I love for the summer time. The ingredients list for this perfume is seriously short too, which is amazing! Inika is a lovely looking 100% vegan and cruelty free make up brand that I have yet to try, I really want to give the brow pencil a go as I love trying new brow products and pencils are a nice quick, easy way to fill your brows in the morning! The Face in a Box kit also looks fab as it contains a primer, liquid foundation, mineral foundation, concealer, setting powder, bronzer, blusher, kabuki brush and make up pouch! Perfect for trying out lots of products in smaller sizes before buying the full size! Finally, something I definitely want to try is a 100% vegan and cruelty free fake tan and this Lavera one looks great! I've tried a couple of make up products from Lavera which I absolutely love, so I'm sure this should be equally fab!

What are your favourite cruelty free and vegan make up brands?
Let me know!