Hi Everyone 

So yesterday We changed plans and didn’t go all the way out to Jersey Gardens. We stayed in Manhattan instead. We are only here for three days so needed to pack everything in. So we went to Central Park in the morning. It’s absolutely huge and a beautiful place. It reminds me of loads of movies. We walked around for ages taking it all in.

  

  The fabulous fountain, I think this was in Home Alone 2.  
  
We sat on the benches for a few mins to rest as it was roasting. They all have a little message on them. Must be sponsored by somebody. I thought it was really lovely. A nice way to remember a loved one. Leaving their name in Central Park so they can never be forgotten.

  
  
There was loads of people in the park just wandering around enjoying the sunshine.

   
   
After that We took a walk around the City. We saw the Apple Store. We went to Century 21 where we picked up a few great bargains. There was fantastic value on handbags, wallets, sunglasses, and shoes. A lot of designer brands with up to 70% off. Loads of MIcheal Kors bags for around $199 Calvin Klien, Dkny, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, guess, Louis Vuitton etc etc I love Mulberry but unfortunately there was none. I treated myself to a Kate spade handbag instead. I love Kate Spade I’ve been stalking her bags on Kildare Village online shop for a while and waiting for a sale. 

  
We walked all the way back to our hotel via 5th avenue. The atmosphere is really wow seeing all the designer fashion houses is very surreal. Great experience though.  

We stopped off to see St Patrick’s Cathedral it’s a really beautiful place we lit a candle for our two Mums. It was nice to have a little peace and calm for a few minutes in such a busy city.

   
   
Later on We took a walk through Grand central station, holy hell tha has to be the busiest place on earth. Crazy stuff. Great to experience it though. 

 

    
   
Wandering around the city reminds me of so many TV shows and movies. Especially sex and the city. Such a fabulous place. Today our plan is to visit ground zero. So I will update You guys tomorrow.

Chat soon,

Love Maria 

 

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick little blog post to let You all know We arrived safe and sound in New York. Our American Airlines flight from Dublin was very comfortable. We were well looked after with in flight food and drinks by Lisa and Cherie the stewards and we arrived a little ahead of time in JFK. The U.S. Preclearance is now done in Dublin so no need to que for passport control at JFK this is a great time saver. We had included our airport transfers to our hotel all in our package from Tour America.This was so handy and we only had to wait about five minutes after we got our baggage for the driver. There wasn’t much traffic delays either on the way in. 

 

 
We were blown away by the drive into New York, coming in over that famous bridge from all those movies was exciting. Manhattan is an amazing place I was staring out the window at all the really cool places. I had been to Dubai before so I had seen skyscrapers before but no place on earth looks like New York City. We arrived to our Hotel Fitzpatricks on Lexington avenue, it’s very central and the staff are are so friendly and helpful. They even sent us bubbles and strawberries to our room as we are a honeymoon couple .We are very happy with our room. There’s a little Irish bar downstairs and a gorgeous patio area outside too. 

  

  
We went out for a look around the shops, Bloomingdales, Sephora, Steve Madden, etc. I picked up a few bits in MAC. There is a little saving compared to Ireland on cosmetics over here. The loop in Dublin Airport   Prices are almost the same as over here.

We took a walk from our hotel to Times Square and Broadway. It was pretty overwhelming all the crazy illuminations and the volume of people walking. Wow it’s a different world over here. We called to The Irish Bar on 7th Avenue and 51st, to visit a friend from Castlebar who works there. We had dinner there food was delicious.  We headed back to our hotel then as we were exhausted.

Today the plan is to hit jersey Gardens for some shopping. I will keep you posted on any bargains we get. Now we are off to have breakfast I’m looking forward to pancakes with maple syrup. Yummy! So far we are having a great time, as its Mr Dillons birthday today I will treat him to something nice from jersey Gardens.

Chat to you all tomorrow,

Love Maria 

Hi Everyone 

I haven’t done a recipe in a while, so I thought I’d share one with you today. Sunday evening is a great time for a “fake away” I’m a big fan of home cooking. I love taco fries and they are really simple to make at home. I went for the healthy version but you can easily adapt the recipe to suit your own taste.

You will need,

100g unislim gorge Us chips (per person) or make your own homemade oven chips.

1 pack of extra lean mince (typically less than 5%) I used the Aldi one.

1 red&yellow peppers chopped

1 onion chopped

1 Clove of garlic minced

2 Tbs tomatoe purée

1 stock cube (beef)& 1/2 cup of hot water

4/5 slices of sweet jalapeño peppers.

30g cheese (per person)

Extra light mayo & no added sugar ketchup & 1/2 teaspoon of mustard. Mix together to make the taco sauce.

Method

Preheat the oven and cook your oven chips according to their instructions.

Fry off the onion, garlic & peppers in one cal spray. Add the mince once it’s browned add the jalapeños then add in the 1/2 cup of beef stock and simmer for 10-12 mins until cooked through. Add in the tomatoe purée and simmer for another 5 mins on a low heat. 

Once your oven chips are ready spoon the meat sauce over, & sprinkle with cheese. Add a dollop of your taco sauce on top & voilà delicious Taco fries without the guilt.

 

I had this for my dinner on Friday evening. It was so tasty and filling and I didn’t have to feel guilty about it. If you are on the Unislim plan the only thing You would need to count is the 30g of cheese which is 1.5 Yums. Not bad at all for a “fake away”

Well I hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday Evening. We are off to New York in the morning on our honeymoon. I doubt very much if there will be any healthy eating done, but hey that’s what holidays are all about. Il get back on the bandwagon once we return. I will keep you all posted of our antics in NYC. 

Enjoy the taco fries,

Love Maria xx

  

Hi Everyone 

So my salon PLATINUM Hairdressing has been nominated for an award. We made the final three, hurray. Also up for the same award is Our neighbours across the square Allure, and LS hair parlour in Westport. We are very excited to be shortlisted as one of the top three salons in Mayo. Especially for a little salon like mine I’m so delighted and proud it’s a great honour to have made it this far at all. Being nominated for this award has really cheered me up after all the sadness lately it has really given me a lift mentally. Positivity is a gift really isn’t it?

The first ever Connaught Telegraph Style awards takes place in Breaffy house on September 18th just a day after we return from our honeymoon. (I’m here planning my outfit already) So as you can imagine I’m really looking forward to the night it will round off our holiday nicely. 

  
So folks here where You come in. I need your vote. By texting Haircut 3 to 57199 you can give us your vote.

  
So if You would be so kind I’d be delighted if you vote for me. Thanks in advance.

Love Maria 

Hi Everyone 

So I’m back at work and it’s down to business. While I was off our olaplex order arrived. So what’s olaplex anyway?? Olaplex is the new miracle product in hairdressing circles. It’s basically an in salon treatment that we can use as part of the colouring process. Olaplex can be added to any lightening product or colour and can work while the colouring process is taking place. Olaplex works on the inner bonds of the hair which can become damaged during the colouring process. Imagine no damage even with pre lightened??? Yes you read that right.

  
We can also use Olaplex as an in salon treatment I used it yesterday on my own hair and I loved the results. My hair is fine in texture and can be delicate. I love my blonde  and I’m naturally dark so Olaplex is a must have for me personally. My hair has always been weak. I have plenty hair but the individual stands are fine. My hair has suffered between weight loss and stress it has taken its toll. I’m keeping it short at the moment in a sharp Bob and I love it.  I am really impressed with how my hair looks and feels after Olaplex. I can’t wait to try it with my next set of highlights.

  
Olaplex is available from PLATINUM hairdressing Castlebar, and costs €20 per treatment. This is an add this onto the price of any service. For example a full head of highlights is normally €99 with Olaplex its €119. A cut & Blowdry is normally €35 with Olaplex its €55.

I have heard great feedback from other salons using Olaplex. If you are like me with hair that’s prone to breakage You need Olaplex in Your life. So give us a call on 0949035835 and book an Olaplex service today. As always I’d love to hear if any of you have tried Olaplex so leave me a comment. Thanks for reading. Chat to you soon.

Love, Maria xx

So have any of You eaten at The G Counter?? In Wellpark Galway?? The G Counter is situated just behind The G Hotel. We have been before and it’s one of Our favourite places to eat in the city. The last time We ate there was back in February I think just a few weeks before We got married. We went for breakfast and I was well impressed with the place.

 

So two weeks ago while getting a break from the hospital canteen We decided to stop by The G Counter again for a bite of lunch. There’s always a relaxed fun atmosphere in the place, but they are serious about food. I actually spotted Pat Divilly while We were there …starstruck!!  

We got a table straight away, it was busy but not too packed either. We had a look on the menu. They have a great range to choose from. There’s everything from salads to burgers to rotisserie chicken to all day breakfast, a good few veggie options too.

 

So I decided on the duck noodle salad, I was being good to myself so I had chips on the side. The chips come with “chip sauce” this is a mix of brown sauce & vinegar so the friendly waiter told me. Mr Dillon chose the belly pork burger. This looked amazing, when it came. It was basically shreds of slow cooked belly pork shaped into a burger and served in a brioche bun with chips on the side. I had to have a small taste and it was delicious.

 

My duck and noodle salad came with fresh orange segments. The combination of flavours were to die for. The duck juicy and full of flavour while the salad was fresh and zingy from the bursts of orange.  There was a bed of noodles too so this would have been quite filling on its own.

We also had tea & coffee and I had a sparkling water. The desserts looked amazing but I had to decline on this occasion as I had indulged in the chips.  I think the bill came to €32 or something near that. We thought it was very good value for such a gorgeous meal, a lunchtime delight.

We love The G Counter and hope to return again next time We are in Galway. It’s an easy place to get to and there’s free parking which always helps. The G Counter also serves wine & beers although We weren’t drinking on this occasion. It’s a great spot and definitely worth a visit. They also have a delicious range of bakery goodies that looked amazing. Oh and the coffee is great too.

 

So check out The G Counter and let me know how You get on. If You would like me to review Your business You can contact me on maria@mrsdillonsdiary.ie

Bye for Now,

Love Maria xx