Review - O.P.I Nail Envy

Years of biting my nails, have made them very weak and they don't really grow. Then I brought a caravan......

As you can see doing up Daisy had a big impact on how my nails looked. I have over the years applied acrylic nails, this has not helped to strengthen or thicken them. When my nails are done and painted I feel so much more feminine, it's the one thing that I have spent money on upkeep. (I haven't had my hair cut for years but have kept up with my nails.)

Over the years I have tried pretty much everly product going. From varnish to stop you biting them, to oils, creams and varnish to strengthen them. Nothing has really made a lasting change or really worked in making my nails grow any better!

I thought I would try something new. As my nails where ruined by stain, paint, nails and sawing, while renovating a 1969 Bluebird caravan.  

I picked up some O.P.I nail strengther. 

Wow....

Not only are they growing and quickly, they look a million times better!

The varnish is easy to apply, quick drying and easy to use around my busy life. I leave it in my handbag so when I get a few moments waiting at school pick up or while am making a cup of coffee I can throw some on. You don't have to be too neat when applying, it has a lovely finish and at last am really proud of how lovely my nails look!

I've been trying to remember to oil my cuticles aswel, coconut oil has been working. They are growing so quickly since using this product, I have had to file them for the first time in years! It's like they have added in some miracle grow! 

I haven't been paid to do this review, it's a product that I have found and brought. 

Since changing our life style to more of a vegan way of life, I have been replacing my makeup with animal and cruelty free. 

Here is some information from O.P.I http://www.opi.net.au/OPI_cares.shtml 

Some of their products are not vegan, but the nail strengthener is. 

Am really looking forward to getting some colour on them or some nail vinyls! 

For me, it really has worked! 

Help support my blog with the above affiliated link!

Awesome Base for Curry or Soup

I made this while making a curry for dinner. I often try and make more than one meal at once, then freeze one or pop in the fridge for the next day. It saves loads of time doing this. 

So I can't really remember if I added any herbs and spices. Am thinking I would have thrown in some black pepper, Rosemary and maybe chili powder. (I will try and recreate it soon to double check.)

This made a really yummy filling soup on its own or add a little heat to make a base for a yummy thick curry. 

For curry: Just add something like cooked sweet potato or butternut, or both! Large chunky veg popped in would be yummy. Or even coat the veg in batter and add just before serving. 

This is the sort of thing you can use to use up any left over veg. 

Ingredients: 

1x tin of tomatoes 

1x veg stock cube

Half a bag of frozen mushroom slices

Half a yellow pepper

1x courgette

1x mug of frozen sweet corn

2x carrots

Two mugs of frozen broccoli

Half a pepper 

A little black pepper. 

Fry it all up!

 

Blits, and yes it really doesn't look all that tasty right now...

Freze. 

I didn't have my camera to hand when I reheated this but wow! It was so yummy!!

I added a little chilli to it when I reheated it. Perfect for a base for a curry or on its own with some bread. I will make it again and take some better photos. It was so cheap to make and so yummy! 

Toad in the hole

This is such an easy family dish, so cheap to make and really filling! Perfect for a tight budget or a minimum fuss midweek meal.

Ingredients:

12x vegan sausages (You don't have to cook this many sausages, this fed us 5 (adults with 3 each and 3 children with 2 each. You can half the amount and keep the batter the same if you like lots of batter or up the amount and double the batter.)

1x cup of plain flour

Up to a pint of soya milk, in this case I used soya +1. When am cooking for the kids i use this one.

3x spring onions 

Black pepper, thyme (dried,) fresh rosemary, mint and thyme. (Don't worry if you can't get fresh, you can add your faverate.) Chia seeds. 

 

Fry your vegan sausages and the spring onions. (These sausages are the tescos meat free ones, but they have changed the recipe and added in egg :( so disappointed. I only noticed that when I was packing them away.) Add black pepper and dried thyme. (To your taste, I like a lot of black pepper!)

Mix the soya milk and flour. Am not 100% sure how much milk I used! It was under a pint but over half a pint. You want to make a very thin batter. Much thinner than pancake batter. Add the fresh herbs to this, I also added chia seeds. 

  

Once the sausages have started to brown add to a deep oven dish. 

Pour over the batter. Make sure you don't over pack your dish, leaving no space between the sausages. (It was a bit lumpy looking but tasted so yummy.) 

Cook for about half an hour on 200 or till the batter has started to brown. I served it with homemade chips. It was so yummy and really filling! A great, cheap filling meal! 

Yum. 

 

Cous Cous and Bulgur Wheat

This is simple and yummy. Perfect side dish for curries or with salad. 

Ingredients: 

Cous Cous 

Bulgur Wheat

1x Lemon

Handful of to dried apricots

Seeds- sesame, pumpkin, sunflower and  chia seeds

Herbs- thyme, rosemary, mint

Nuts- almonds and walnuts (would have used peanuts and cashews if I'd had them in.)

Sea salt and black pepper.

Slice up the apricots, mix the herbs, salt and pepper.

Roughly crushed up the nuts.

Juice the lemon.

Do not mix till ready to serve. 

I soak the Cous Cous and bulgur wheat in boiling water and cover till needed. 

Mix the lemon, seed/nut mix, Cous Cous and wheat together. Yum!

Coconut Curry

Coconut and Butternut Squash curry.

Ingredients:

1x tinned tomatoes 

1x coconut milk

1x butternut squash

2x mid-large red onions

1x yellow pepper

1x green pepper

1x leek

2-3 sticks of celery

Large handful of frozen cauliflower (not needed but I love cauliflower) 

Black pepper, Rosemary, chili powder, curry powder (mid) 

How to make:

Chop up the butternut squash, and pop in cold water. Bring it to the boil till they have started to soften.

Chop up the onions and peppers, into large chunks.

Fry in a little veg oil, till starting to brown.

Add the leeks, also cut quite large.

Add herbs, spices, black pepper and sesame seeds.

I transferred it to a large cooking pot at this point. 

Add tomatoes and coconut milk. Refill one of the tins with water and add, three times. (You may only need two depending on the size of your pot, just make sure the veg is covered.) 

Mix.

You don't want to over cook the butternut, so only boil till starting to soften.

Add butternut to the main mix, stir in carefully. 

  

Once it's started to boil, turn the heat right down and leave. 

I throw in some frozen cauliflower at this point. 

Cook for about an hour and a half. 

It was perfect with this Cous Cous and bulgur wheat.

Yum!

Experimenting with lasagna

I've always liked my lasagna to have lots of layers, topped with homemade cheese source and cooked till its golden. Since changing our diet, dairy is not something I want to cook with or eat. So am working on my own replacement for the top layer. This was my first go at creating something perfect. I thought I would try topping it, a bit like how I topped my cottage pie. Soon as I spooned it on, I came up with a better idea! (Always the way!) So there will be a lasagna strike two, coming soon! (Click here for vegan dairy-free 'cheese' sauce)

This makes lots, so you can split this into two containers, lots left over too freeze.

Ingredients; 

1x pack of lasagna sheets (non egg ones)

1x tin of chopped tomato (2-3 tin fulls of water.)

Some soya cream 

1x bag of soya mince 

3x carrots

4x sticks of celery

1x large red onion

3x parsnips

2x white potatoes

Half a courgette

1x yellow pepper 

1x glass of red wine

1x mug of porridge

1x teaspoon of marmite

Breadcrumbs, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, chili powder, chia seeds and sesame seeds. 1x clove of garlic.

How to make:

Fry up the onions, courgette, carrots and celery. (Cut into small cubes, all about the same size.) Once starting to brown, add wine, garlic and about a tablespoon of rosemary. When the wine starts to reduce, add the tomatoes. Then refill the tin with water, twice. (If slow cooking it for over 2hrs, add 3.) Add a sprinkle of black pepper, chili powder and thyme. To make it a yummy and filling, add the porridge and a teaspoon of marmite.  

Cook the mince as per it's own instructions and then add it to the tomatoes. 

Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and cover. I slow cooked it for about an hour. For the best results, slow cook for as long as you can, 2hrs should be perfect. Check after about an hour and half. To make sure there is still some liquid in there and give it a stir. 

While that's cooking, chop up and boil the parsnips and potatoes. 

Mash up the parsnips and potatoes, add cream. Once the main mixture is ready. 

I added a little oil to help it mix. 

Now layer your oven dish. 

First the tomatoes and mince mix, I do it as thin as I can to get the most layers. Then the lasagna sheets.

Till the last layer, take the parsnip mix and spread over the sheets of lasagna.

I added (click here for perfect home made ones:) breadcrumbs to the top, with a few seeds and some black pepper. 

You can freeze at this point or pop in the oven for about 30-40mins at about 180-200. 

It's in my oven now, so I will let you know if the potato works.....

Well it was so yummy, hubby had second helpings and the baby loved it too! 

I had 3 portions left over, which I froze. So makes up a lot of food for quite a cheap meal! Perfect for a tight budget. 

Yummy! 

Onion Nut Roast

I haven't made a nutroast for a while and really wanted to make some stuffing this weekend. I thought I will combine the two and make a nutroast more how I would make stuffing! It was yummy, hubby went back for 3rds! 

Ingredients:

1x Leek

2x Red Onion

3x Celery Sticks

1/2 a large courgette

Hand full of dryed apricots

Hand full of white mushrooms

One roll of ready to roll puff pasty

1/2 a hand full of almonds

Hand full of walnuts

1x vegetable stock cube

Breadcrumbs (homemade are the most yummiest.) Depends on how hard you like your mix I would say 1-2 cups. 

Chia, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds. Rosemary and thyme. Black pepper. Sprinkle of chilli powder. 

How to make:

Crush up the nuts, add the seeds and herbs. Cut into very small chunks the apricots. Mix. 

Cut off the ends and peel the onions (leave whole.) Then boil until soft. 

Blitz them in a blender, and stir into your seed and nut mix. 

Fry the leek, courgette, celery and mushrooms till they are starting to brown. Pour water till it covers them and add one vegetable stock cube. 

Cover and leave till soften. (Let most of the water evaporate but take off the heat with a little left.)

Add to your mix and stir. Add in herbs aswell.

Add to a cooking tin. I like using a loaf tin. 

I put a layer of breadcrumbs on top and then cooked it till these where golden brown. (This makes the mixture very wet and sticky still. Which was yummy. If you would like it firmer, cook for longer with tin foil over it.)

You can serve it like this or do like I do, for extra yummnes and roll over with puff pastry!

I washed it with oil to make sure it came out golden brown.

I ended up with a huge log which would feed about 8 or 4 very, very hungry (aka hubby having 3 helpings) people! 

Yum.