Hi Everyone 

I’m back with another delicious recipe. Chicken dry hot and spicy is a favourite from the Chinese but the fat content is horrific. I attempted this healthy version as our Sunday night fake away. It worked a treat. There was a lot of clean plates in our house after this one. By making a few simple swaps I reinvented this Chinese favourite to make it more slimmer friendly. Give it a try You will be surprised how easy it is and it’s so delicious. My snapchat crew loved it. 

If Your following Unislim there is 5 Yums in this recipe. I made this dinner for 4 people so I Yummed it at 1.5 Yums per portion.

Enjoy 

Love Maria xx

 

Ingredients for the Chicken

100 mls Buttermilk 

1 clove crushed garlic 

Salt & pepper 

1-2 packs of chicken mini fillets 

Spices, turmeric, chilli powder, cayenne pepper, paprika.

1 egg

60g White flour

2 slices whole meal bread blended into breadcrumbs.

Fry light chilli oil.

Method 

Marinade the chicken mini fillets in the buttermilk, garlic, salt & pepper for 1-2 hours before cooking. 

Mix the flour and spices together. Beat the egg. 

When ready to cook, spray a roasting tray with Frylight.

Take the chicken pieces one by one. Dip in a bowl with the beaten egg, next dip in the flour, next dip in the breadcrumbs. Lay on the roasting tray.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 mins or until golden. 

  

Ingredients for the spicy onions
3 large onions, 

Frylight,

Turmeric 

Sweet jalapeño peppers 

Sauté the onions in the Frylight and add in 1 teaspoon of turmeric and as many jalapeño peppers as you wish. 

Once the chicken is cooked toss the spicy onions over the top for a few minutes before serving.
Ingredients for the Curry sauce

3 cardamom pods, turmeric, garam masalla hot curry powder, 2 tablespoons of instant chicken or veg gravy. 1 pint of boiling water. 

Method.

Add the spices to the hot water and cook for 5 mins on a low heat.

Add the chicken gravy to thicken and remove the cardamon before serving. 

For the Egg fried rice. 

Basmati Rice 

2 eggs

Dash of soy sauce. 

Add the rice to a saucepan with a pinch of salt. Cover with water that’s just off the boil. 

Bring to the boil again and when it’s boiling turn it off and put the lid on. Leave it for 15 mins to soak up all the water. Take and rinse with cold water in a collander. Set aside until ready to fry. 

When ready to fry add the rice to a heated pan with Frylight. Add two eggs and stir into the rice. Add a dash of soy sauce. It’s ready to serve. 

  
I also made a cooling dip to go with this FF natural yoghurt with a teaspoon of mint sauce stirred through. 

Hi Everyone 

I’m back today with a hair blog. Some beautiful photos of my lovely client Colette. I styled Colette and her bridal party last month. We spent about 12 -18 months getting Colettes mane ready for her big day. Her hair is all her own and in fabulous condition. No extensions or hairpieces used. I have been looking after Colettes colour by using Olaplex treatments every time I highlight her hair. Giving regular trims as well as home care tips. I’m actually very proud of the condition of Colettes long thick silky mane. She is a perfect example of how the right colour, the right cut and the right shampoo and conditioner can ensure an enviable glossy bridal look.

 

We done a hair trial at the end of November about two weeks before the big day. This is plenty of time as it’s hard to know what exactly You want until near the wedding. 

 

  
We done Colettes highlights with a toner and Olaplex on the Tuesday before her Wedding. This left her colour fresh and luminous for her December wedding. 

I prepped the hair by pin curling it on the Friday evening. This gives excellent hold and creates a vintage style wave to the hair. 

 

  
Ashling from Glo beauty clinic in Castlebar done a fabulous job on Colettes bridal make up as always. 

 

For the bridesmaids I went with a rustic theme to compliment the beautiful blush pink dresses.

   
  
  
 

 
If You are getting married and are thinking of booking a hairdresser call me for a chat on 0949035835. I also travel within Mayo for weddings. Although I have been known to go further on occasions. 

 

It’s always a pleasure to be a part of any brides big day. It’s such a fabulous morning and We always have fun even though we are working. Thank You to Colette and her lovely family for having me . I really enjoyed all the bridal prep and the fun on the big day.

  
Best wishes to Colette and Joe in their married life. 

As always thanks for reading and please share.

Love Maria xxx

 

Hi Everyone

Yesterday I tried out a recipe for Pulled Pork. I recorded it over on snapchat. It was a great success and I’ve had loads of requests for the recipe. I bought a small packet of pork pieces in Aldi to try this recipe.You can easily adapt it for a larger piece of Pork but the cooking time will be longer. I served this with baked potato and salad but it would be lovely with rice or chips or in a whole meal roll either. I used a gas oven but you could easily use a slow cooker either. Anyway here’s what You need. 

  

  

Lean pork, I used the Aldi pack it’s 320g next time I’d buy 2/3 packs and make a bigger batch.

1/2 carton of passata

1 golden delicious apple

3 tablespoons of smoked paprika

3 tablespoons of woster sauce

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons of soy sauce 

1 onion 

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 red pepper

1 onion 

A few mushrooms 

Salt & pepper

Method. 

Take a roasting tin (you need a lid) and just cover the base with a splash of boiling water. This will prevent the mix from sticking. Add in the pork and season well with salt pepper, paprika, woster sauce, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. 

In your nutri billet or blender, blend the peeled Apple, onion, 2 cloves of garlic and passatta.

Add to the meat. 

Add in the chopped pepper and mushrooms. 

Place is the oven at a low heat I used gas mark 3

Check after 2 hours and stir, to make sure it’s not burning or sticking. 

Place back in the oven for another hour. 
Check again in an hour. Stir the mix again. The meat should be starting to fall apart at this stage. This gives a lovely texture, hence the name “pulled pork” As I said the portion of meat I used was only 320g if You are using more meat it will take longer. 

Enjoy,

Love Maria xx

Sharing is caring xx

  
  

Hi Everyone,
I hope You are all well. A few of You have been in contact to ask how I am getting on with my Invisalign treatment. I thought Id write it all in a blog post for You to read. So I’ve been wearing my aligners now since the 30th of November. The first few days I found it hard to get used to wearing them. Its like anything new, it felt alien to me. My mouth was a little dry so I had to keep sipping water, Never a bad thing eh?? There was a small bit of discomfort but nothing too serious at all. I used a swish of Diflam mouthwash just before I put them in to desensitise the gum area which was slightly tender. There were one or two rough edges on the aligners which I was able to use a nail file to buff off any sharp edges. I also got some orthodontic gum from David Mc Convilles which was very handy to smooth over any edges. After day three my mouth and mind had adjusted to the new way of life and it got much easier.  
  
David Mc Conville Orthodontics Sligo

By week two I was far more comfortable and fell into my new routine. My aligners need to be worn 22 hours a day or so. I wear them sleeping, and I wear them at work so that makes up a huge chunk of the day. The other hours in between just fly by I hardly notice I’m wearing them especially while driving, exercising, shopping etc etc . I can take them out to eat and drink which is a godsend really. I usually take them out and soak them in clear mouthwash, or Retainerbrite, while I am eating. I like to keep them as fresh and clean as possible. I brush my teeth after meals and pop the aligners back in. So far I haven’t had any difficulties with them at all. Its also helped me to reduce my coffee consumption which cant be a bad thing.
  

As part of my treatment I needed to have two teeth extracted. My mouth was overcrowded and in order to make room to correct my teeth two needed to be removed. I was a nervous wreck over this. It turned out to be absolutely fine. I went to my own dentist here in Castlebar for the extractions. It was all over in a few minutes I had driven myself insane with worry but there was no need at all. My next appointment in David Mc Convilles is on January 25th where I will see how my treatment is progressing. I really can not believe how fast the weeks are flying by. I will be almost two months into my fourteen month treatment at that stage. I will keep you guys posted along the way.
As always thanks for reading and remember sharing is Caring.
Love Maria xx 
   

Hi Everyone

I hope You are all well. This week I tried out the Cailyn o! Wow brush along with the Cailyn BB compact foundation. I have to say I was very impressed with both. I have dehydrated skin and it has taken me ages to find a foundation I love for everyday wear. The Cailyn BB compact in shade no 2 sandstone (for me) gives lovely coverage but it’s not too heavy. It’s creamy and hydrating. I can be dry and flaky around my nose area. After a few hours my foundation can look very cakey. This was NOT the case with the Cailyn BB compact. Even after 7/8 hours on it was still perfect. I didn’t have that tight itchy feeling. I didn’t need to use any powder to set it as it dries to a lovely velvet finish while still remaining dewy. 

 

I had heard of Cailyn from a few other bloggers on snapchat. I was very interested in trying out the o! Wow foundation brush. So I had a look on the Cailyn Ireland website  and purchased the brush and the foundation. With postage It was just under €60 for the two. I love this brush, it’s just fabulous. So easy to blend and it’s the perfect size with a pointed top for hard to reach areas. It’s ideal for applying foundation and to blend in consealers, contour and highlight. You can also use it with powders but I think it really excels with liquid or cream products. It blends foundation and consealers effortlessly leaving a flawless finish.

 

I don’t really tend to write many product reviews but when I find something that’s really good I will share it with You.  I know a few of my snapchat followers have already ordered the brush after watching me use it on Friday. Don’t forget to snap me and let me know how You get on if You order it. 

   

I actually wore the foundation again on Saturday and even wore it out on Saturday night. It’s perfect for my skin and lasts very well. 

As always thank you for reading and please share this post.

Love Maria xx

Hi Everyone,

I think half the country is doing the same thing today. Healthy eating, exercising, ditching the alcohol and chocolate, drinking water. Yes We are all in the same boat, but lets not pretend its easy. Truth be told its hard work weaning ourselves off the treats and its even harder again to stick to it. Its always worth it though, like the saying goes ” summer bodies are made in the winter” Lets face it, we all know the weeks will simply fly by. Next thing it will be Valentines day and We will all want to be skinny so We can purchase something sexy from the new Spring collection to wear. Before we know it Paddy’s day and Easter will be upon us and it will be time to ditch the black tights and bare our legs. I am keeping those thoughts in my mind to help keep me focused for the next two months. January and February are great months in which We can achieve some of our weight-loss goals. I’ve put together a list of a few tips  that I found helped me to lose and maintain three stone for our wedding last March. 2016 is a fresh start and a great excuse to banish old habits and create some new ones. Have a read and let me know what You think.

*Disclaimer I am no expert in health or nutrition. These are just a few things that helped me.

Please share this post with anyone You think may find it helpful.

Thank You for reading,

Enjoy

Love Maria xx

Continue reading

  Hi Everyone

Happy 2016 to you all, today I’m talking about SnapChat on the Blog. Who is a fan?? I’m a little bit obsessed. Those who are already following me will know this. The thing I love about Snapchat is it’s so fast. You can talk to your friends in little 10second video clips. Having been a social media fanatic for the past few years Snapchat really helps me to let my followers know who I am. It’s very personal, as I’m talking to the screen, it’s so real. I actually love video, it’s so much easier to get Your message across quickly.  It’s almost as good as chatting to friends in person. 

On my snapchat story You will find 

1. Hair salon snaps, from work. 
2. Some make up snaps. 
3. Skincare snaps, mainly Image as I love the stuff. 
4. Blog post snaps to let My followers know when I’ve written a new post. 
5. Recipes live from my kitchen, I love to cook.
6. Food snaps, as I share what I’m eating.
7. Mirror selfies, I love a good mirror selfie it’s like my trademark.
8. Outdoor snaps from when I’m out for my walks. 
9. Invisalign snaps as I keep Everyone updated of how my treatment is going. 
10. Shopping snaps, if I’m browsing then my snapchat followers are browsing too. 
11. Restaurant snaps, I love to write restaurant reviews about where we have eaten. (This drives Mr Dillon insane) when I snap our meal. But hey, if the food is that good people should know ??

  
I love to follow other Bloggers on Snapchat. I love to watch what everyone is up too. From make up tutorials to cooking up healthy meals, there’s loads of interesting watching on Snapchat. I love watching others on snapchat and learning from them. 

I’ve put together a list of a few of my favourites just to introduce You all to some of the SnapChatters I’m watching and I enjoy daily. If You are wondering what all the fuss is about Start following a few of these guys to see what it’s all about. 

Fellow Blogger Kim Doyle of SoSoDempo is one of my Blogger buddies that I met through snapchat. Kim does Make up tutorials and treats us to little fashion shows live from her bedroom. Find her at @kimdempo

  
James Butler is another favourite of mine, He is absolutely hilarious. He torments his poor Mother on Snapchat. It’s pure Irish comedy at its best. Well worth joining Snapchat for, as You will literally pee in Your pants watching him. 

  
Waxperts Ellen is another star snapper I look forward to seeing what herself Conrad, and little Cooper are getting up to each day. Ellen always has great style a good selection from Penneys to Prada I always love her looks. Ellen is also a big fan of Image Skincare which I also love. 

  
Darryn is a fellow Unislimmer I enjoy his food and recipe snaps along with the motivational snaps of him out in all weathers getting his workouts in. 

  
TheCircleOfBeauty is fellow Mayo Blogger Becky Timlin, Becky works for Inglot in Galway and keeps us all entertained daily with great make up tutorials. 

  
I’ve Just recently added Katrina K2 Hair and I just love her snaps. Katrina owns a hair and make up salon in Cabra Dublin. Of course this is very close to my own heart as I have had my own Salon in Castlebar since 2007. Katrina does great hair and make up snaps as well as chatting openly about her daily life. 

  
I’ve only recently added RoseMary Mac Cabe but I’ve really enjoyed watching her over the last few days. I find her honesty refreshing. 

 

A few other snappers I love are Pippa o Conner, Marissa Carter, Kate Kelly, Bff Lisa, facesbygrace23, sosueme.ie, the make up fairy. Roz Purcell, AJ Fitzsimons,Beauty nook, TheNakedBlondie, Dramaticmac to name but a few.
I hope You have enjoyed this post and if You are on Snapchat come say Hi to me. Please give this post a share on Your social media accounts. 

Thanks for reading 

Love Maria 

Xx