Mixed bean chilli stuffed pepper, lemon and tyme couscous and guacamole

For the chilli
2 cans of mixed beans
1 can of chopped tomatoes
Red onion
Mushroom
Bell peppers
Cumin
Chilli powder
Smoked paprika
Oregano
Garlic
Chillies

For the couscous
Half a lemon
Tyme
Dried couscous

For the guacamole
1 large avocado
Half a lemon
Cherry tomatoes
Red onion

Start by taking out the seeds of 4 bell peppers and placing on to a baking tray and into a hot oven. Dice the onion, pepper, mushrooms, chillies and garlic and add into a hot pan with a little oil, then add the two cans of mixed beans and chopped tomatoes. I used around 2 tsp of each spice and created a fruity medium heat, and also seasoned to taste. My tip is to keep tasting once its been simmering for about 20 minutes and add spices and seasoning if needed.

Mix dry tyme with about a cup of couscous, add in half the lemon cut into chunks and add 2 cups of boiling water, cover and leave until fluffy and all water has been absorbed and squeeze over the lemons.

Dice 1 large avocado, half a red onion and a handful of cherry tomatoes, season and squeeze over half a lemon and mix until a creamy texture, taste for extra seasoning or lemon.

Once peppers are cooked with a little colour place onto a plate, fill with the bean chilli, and serve with the couscous and guacamole. Great cheap yet filling dish!

Vegan scrambled egg tortilla

Tofu
Red onion
Tomatoes
Pepper
Paprika
Baby spinach
Wholemeal tortilla

This is by far the best recipe I have tried for egg alternatives. Start by dicing the vegetables and adding to a hot pan with a small amount of olive oil, season, then crumble over the tofu. Add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika for a little added heat, this dish is very versatile so add any herb or spices you prefer. Place the baby spinach on a warm tortilla and spoon over the 'scrambled egg' mix and enjoy! Perfect for breakfast or quick snack.

'low fat' hummus

This is a cheats hummus, the chickpeas are out of a can, I did not peel them and everything was kinda chucked together and tasted along the way. Its low fat as I dont use tahini, it tastes great without it so why add more fat.

1 can of chickpeas 

1/2 lemon juice

1 tbl spoon of olive oil

1 clove of garlic minced

Salt 

I started with draining the chickpeas but keeping the drained water, I used about 3 tablespoons of the water in the hummus, I added everything to a bowl and blended with a hand blender until smooth, seasoning to taste. Add more liquid or olive oil if you want a smoother more runny version, I like mine with a little bit of texture. This is just a basic easy hummus with garlic and lemon to flavour but tastes amazing, look out for my other flavoured hummus being added to the blog shortly. 

Vegan 'fudge' icecream

3 bananas (frozen)
Handful of dried dates (chopped)

Blend the frozen bananas, I used a hand blender, until smooth then add the chopped dates and stir. Me and my non vegan sister were so shocked at how simple this was yet taste so much like icecream, almost felt food guilt while eating it! In the image was about half of the amount I made with 3 bananas.

Vegan guacamole and baked wedges

I stole this recipe off a friend who made this for me, made it myself and it tasted exactly the same.....delicious!

2 avocados
Cherry tomatoes
Red onion
Lemon
2 baking potatoes

I started by cutting the baking potatoes into wedges and placing them on a baking tray and into a hot oven, no oil just a touch of sea salt, they usually take around 30 minutes depending on size, but just until golden.
I scooped out the two avocados and chopped into small chunks, I then quartered the cherry tomatoes and finely diced the red onion, combine together with the juice of half a lemon and lightly season.
I absolutely love this recipe as it's so versatile, if there is left over guacamole i have it on toast for my breakfast the next morning, also great for these summer bbq's as so refreshing and light.

Fruit salsa

Me and my 18th month old niece love this for breakfast or a mid afternoon snack, simple and quick to prepare, and keeps well in the fridge.
Watermelon
Blueberries
Raspberries
Apple
Lemon
Pomegranate (usually add this but didn't have any in today)
Cut watermelon and apple into small cubes add to blueberries and raspberries and then a squeeze of lemon juice, great for hot summer days!

Mixed bean salad with mint

This is a great side to many dishes or to add in wraps and salads, its super cheap and really filling. I combined a can of mixed beans, drained, small amount of olive oil, mint and finely chopped red onion, then season to taste.

For vegan recipes and updates follow me on instagram and twitter @graceyhart4

Vegan breakfast

This is one of my favourite snacks or breakfast, grilled cherry tomatoes and avocado on pumkin seed toast.
A handful of cherry tomatoes grilled in a very small amount of olive oil, season to taste, with half an avocado sliced.
Quick, easy, light yet filling.......Enjoy!

For more vegan meals, snacks and ideas follow me on Twitter and instagram @graceyhart4

Arbonne Bronzer review

I have a slight addiction to bronzer so with this I have tried many brands but have finally found what I've been looking for! Bronzer can often be too orange, glittery, hard to blend or just doesnt last very long, Arbonne bronzer has delivered all my needs in one. Its such a light powder it doesn't create a massive dust cloud when applying and blends into my makeup perfectly, I'm a fan of makeup contouring and this bronzer leaves no lines when doing this. A little goes a long way, with other brands I'd have to keep brushing on and keep applying to see the colour, with doing this they would last me no longer than a month, my Arbonne bronzer has lasted 3 months before replacing which I think is amazing as it only costs £21. The colour is not orange, it really is just a sunkissed colour with a healthy glow, not glittery (my pet hate in bronzer) so can see this working on many skin tones. I love the look of the case, and also comes in a little velvet pouch, my favourite thing about this bronzer is it didn't crack or break into bits, it stayed in place until all used up, which is great as it lives in my handbag!

Arbonne nutrition shake

I replace one meal a day with an Arbonne Essentials chocolate protein shake. It comes as a powder in a plastic pouch, I like the pouch as it takes up less room in my cupboard than a tub. All you do is add two scoops to 300ml of water, I sometimes do one scoop and a banana, but always in a blender. It is surprisingly thick yet light and tastes amazing, just like a chocolate shake, not your typical protein shake. Also I sometimes like to add one scoop of Arbonne fibre boost, also comes in a handy pouch with measuring scoop, just to up my fibre intake which leaves me feeling less bloated.
So which meal do you replace? I replace whichever meal comes after my work out, usually breakfast or lunch. This is by far the nicest tasting protein/meal replacement shake I have ever had and is packed full of vitamins too. How did they make chocolate taste so good yet still be healthy!?

Vegan spicy meatballs and pasta

I'm not really a 'recipe' kind of girl, I like to just chuck everything together, no measuring, no messing. So this recipe is one of my quick and easy one pot wonders. Ingredients are basically whatever veg you like or have in, the sauce i make with tinned chopped tomatoes, usually two cans, or a jar of good passata, season everything well with salt, pepper, chilli powder and whatever herbs you like, I just use a standard dry herb mix. To start i fry the sausages off in a very small amount of oil and salt and pepper, while they cook chop everything into roughly the same size. Get the kettle on the go for the pasta, my favourite is wholegrain, or mix the bits left in odd bags. Once the sausages are cooked slice them up into chunks, add back into the pan with onions, garlic and chilli and fry. The amount of garlic and chilli depends on how much you want them flavours coming through, I like heat in this dish so add heaped tea spoon of chillis and teaspoon of chilli powder. Add the passata and rest of the veg and leave to simmer for atleast 20 minutes, make sure you keep tasting as it may need more seasoning or heat. Add to the cooked pasta and enjoy! This is a great cheap dish and goes a long way, feeds atleast 4 hungry mouths.

Arbonne SPF Tan review

When the sun is out everything feels better, everyone is happy, the first thing you do is dig out the summer wardrobe, I did this but felt way too pale so thats where this product comes in. Arbonne made in the shade self-tanner SPF 15 gives me medium protection while out and about in the sun while also developing a tan within 2-3 hours, this was perfect for me.  I exfoliated then applied the tan all over and I couldnt believe how fast the tan developed and how natural it looked. For the first few hours there was no fake tan smell and my skin felt lovely and soft, not sticky. Pros of this self-tan, looked natural, skin felt amazing, developed fast with no smell, long lasting, SPF 15. Cons of the self-tanner, smelt like fake tan after a few hours but i guess that is when you wash it off, my palms tanned even though i washed them but that could be transferred from touching my skin after i washed them. All in all this is a great product, highly recommend for first few days of summer or holidays.

Healthy roasted chickpea popcorn

I find myself being a really big snacker, especially when bored or when its hot and I dont fancy a meal so I'm sharing a few of my healthy snack options. Chickpea popcorn is one of my favourites as its so cheap, easy and versatile. Just drain a can of chickpeas place them on a baking tray with a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil, sprinkle on some sea salt and place in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, giving them a shake every so often. The more crunch you like the longer you keep them in, I prefer the bigger chickpeas to snack on but find the small chickpeas add lovely crunch and texture to a salad. Enjoy!

People tree

I recently bought these bracelets off the fashion site Asos as friendship bracelets for me and a friend. They are handmade by a brand called People Tree, I absolutely love anything handmade and the fact this brand is all about sustainable and fair trade clothing and jewellery made me love them more! I have gone on to buy other bracelets from People Tree and also have my eye on the cute little sweaters they also sell, the prices they charge are really reasonable and knowing its supporting fair trade makes me feel less guilty about spending and happy and proud when I wear them.

Arbonne breakfast

My breakfast this morning after my T25 work out. Arbonne essentials herbal infusion tea is a nice refreshing alternative to the usual coffee, its caffeine free and tastes lovely with peppermint, parsley and liquorice flavours coming through. I paired this with Arbonne essentials fruit flavour nutrition bar, its not like your usual protein bar as it doesnt have that heavy powdery taste, its again light yet filling, its packed full of goodies such as pumpkin seeds, pea protein and quinoa, its my favourite post work out snack!