Early mornings and floral duvets

I have always been a morning girl, I'd much prefer to wake up at 7am and get going than sleep in till 10/11am...I just would get nothing done. Now that the weather is getting warm and summer is definitely creeping upon us, I have been very motivated to get up first thing and exercise. That could be going on a walk up the hills in Nottingham or doing my Charlotte Crosby Belly/bum blitz...i have even gone and bought her new Live Fast Loose Weight book. If anyone has been thinking about ordering it, I would say YES DO! It makes you realise all these no carbs, lettuce only diets are pointless, they are not sustainable and will not last long! Everyone knows what food is good for them and what isn't but the book reminds you we need everything in moderation. You could have a cheat meal once a week and it will make no difference to you as long as the rest of the days your good if you want that pizza make it your cheat meal and just be sure to work extra hard at the gym the next day. You can go out with friends and have drinks, just be really good with what you eat in the day, then again work up a sweat exercising the next day!

Here are some of my favorite recipes from her book that I will be trying soon...

Banana and oat shake- Almond milk, 1 banana frozen, greek yogurt, porridge oats and a tablespoon of peanut butter and blend! This is perfect before you exercise with it releasing energy slowly.

Goats cheese, spinach and red pepper frittata- Heat the veg in a pan until soft, cook your eggs in a pan until the bottom is set and then add all the veg and put under the grill until golden and bubbly! You can have this hot and cold, so use more eggs if you want some throughout the week!

Sweet potato brownies- Cook the sweet potatoes and blend them along with some cinnamon, add coco powder and salt and some boiling water to form a paste, wisk 2 eggs and vanilla extract and combine with the purée and bake for 20 minutes....WHO KNEW THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS HEALTHY BROWNIES!!!

These are just a few of the recipes, but the book has so much more along with cocktails that are less calorific!

Live Fast Loose Weight- Charlotte Crosby

Tumblr inspirations

 *image are all from my Tumblr account*

Protein pancakes to start off the first day of March

I'm not sure how we are in the month of March, where has the time gone!! For me it's been about juggling university work, cheerleading practice, going back and forth from home and part time work...but one thing I always have time for is a good breakfast to start the day off!

Here are my protein pancakes for you to try, they are fabulous and get me out of bed in the morning, well make it that little easier anyway!

My recipe is from the 'Lean in 15' cookbook by Joe Wicks...

1 banana, roughly chopped

1 scoop of protein powder, I use cookie and cream!

1 egg

25g rolled oats

2 tablespoons of almond milk (you don't have to do this bit, but I find it makes the pancake a little easier to cook)

MIX ALL OF THE ABOVE TOGETHER

Then add coconut oil to a pan and poor small little portions into the pan, then serve with honey, yogurt or berries...or all of them together!!

Enjoy! 

Creme egg brownies you have to try!

Coming back last night after my first cheerleading performance, I was tired and wanted to treat myself. So what better way than to do some baking with a friend, I wanted brownies and she wanted creme eggs so we combined and wallah, however if you can't handle sugar overload then I would not recommend these!!

We cheated by buying a brownie box, but they still were insane!

So we mixed in the brownie box mix with 1 egg, 5 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. 

Once in the oven, about 15 minutes in we placed half cut creme eggs ontop of the brownie and put them back in the oven for the last 10 minutes!!

Give them a try and comment on how they go down!!

Its a Monday, lets get it together!

With uni work becoming heavy already, when I found this planner in Urban Outfitters today it was not even a question if to buy it. It was more of a question which colour do I go for! It is perfect. Perfect to know what I need to get done, what deadlines I have and just everything to make me feel sane with the hecticness of life at the moment!!

According to www.careergirldaily.com having a journal or notebook can increase productivity, so with their inspiration it is important to focus on 4 things to help you!!

The Small Things

Writing down a simple achievement each day. On those days where you have a million and one things to be doing but would just love to snuggle up on the sofa it can be a great idea to read over all of those little things you have achieved and just remind yourself you can do it!

The Big Things

We all have aspirations, dreams and goals, whether they be in life, relationships or our careers. If there is something you aspire to then tracking your journey to reach that end goal is the best way of ensuring you work hard and don’t slack.

Work through the challenges

Writing down the problems you run into can be the best way of working out how to overcome them, it allows you time to think, process and create a solution. 

Put a date on it

Giving yourself a specific time frame for set goals can really help you to prioritise, be realistic and you can really find that you push yourself to achieve what you set out to do.


<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14722361/?claim=7qn9j6zbfpy">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

The famous city & the worlds best macarons

I went to London this week to see a friend of mine that I have known for 14 years. It had been 6 months since I last saw her, we both went to different uni's so it's not as easy to get a good catch up meeting in with our busy schedules. However, this week we agreed to meet in Covent garden and head to the famous french macaron house which is Ladurée.

We sat on the outside balcony area with the mini heaters and ordered tea and 6 of the best macarons I have ever eaten...very posh!! So if you are in London go and take a trip to Laduée in Covent garden square, even if you do not have time to sit down, downstairs they have a mini store where you can buy boxes of your favourite flavours...mine are pistachio (words can't explain how incredible this is), vanilla and rose petal!!

Sweet sundayzzz

With the weather not looking anything like summer, our ideal Sunday is about staying in and watching as many possible 90210 episodes as possible.

Keeping cosy and warm in big fluffy blankets, a room filled with scented candles and twinkling fairy lights from top to toe, so here are some bedroom inspo to help with your perfect Sunday, your welcome!

Fairy light heaven, keep the bedding simple and just go crazy with fairy lights all around you

Cable knit galore, cosy and warm guaranteed

 

White and angelic, just ensure you grab every fluffy furry blanket in the house

 

Be the princess you are with the high sized bed and perfectly puffed cushions

 

Galaxy stars are amazing and cheap to buy, cover the ceilings and enjoy a day full of gazing

Why am I not still in New York?

I am home, to be honest I would rather be back in the big city than sat in my cold uni room trying to keep warm with my little candles and mini radiator ( which I'm certain I've blown by trying to get it to work faster). Yes New York was cold, -4 to be precise but atleast I was wrapped up and surrounded by the bubbly atmosphere of happy Americans and fabulous shops.

I did all the touristy things of New York, Rockefeller was my absolute favourite. The Views were incredible and reached out as far as the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. I also visited the Empire State and walked round the outside at the 86th floor, freezinggggg I could hardly take photos by the end of it but it was 100% worth it. The Flatiron Building was around the corner from our hotel and we had to take a trip to Grand Central station due to being a fan of Gossip Girl! Soho was very cool, it was the image of New York I had prior to my trip. Streets of boutiques and high end shops on one end and then the spaced out vintage area on the other. Times Square was full of selfie sticks and bright lights.

We went to the FIT Museum that had an exhibition on Denim and Fairy Tale fashion. I will be doing a separate blog for this as it was amazing and I have lots of photos to show on this!! Think Snow White, Alice In Wonderland and Little Red Riding Hood interpreted through dresses, gowns and shoes.

I didn't go too extreme on the shopping, but then again its fair to say I shopped. Victoria's Secret was huge and had a fabulous sale on so that lead to

a little bit of

money spending. Sephora became our new obsession, I  blame the beautiful interior and monochrome colour palette, if we saw a store we would go in and even when we promised each other we would not buy anymore...of course we came out with something. Urban outfitters, a favourite of mine caused a little temptation and i did splurge a little on my new cropped grey hooded Calvin Klein jumper.

I learnt a lot about the American Fashion industry and their methods of promotion and style. I loved the customer service in every shop, people were generally happy to help and chat to you about your day...something i feel England could take note on.  You had staff come up to you and compliment your outfit or make up and ask where we were from and what were studying etc, generally happy people! Inspiration was everywhere, the long never-ending streets were packed with creativity and energy for you to grab ideas from. Generally experiencing such a huge city and hearing so much about NY before i came beat my expectations and I learnt a lot purely due to the comparison of London and NY.

Here are some of my favourite moments of New York, i will be blogging about the Fashion Institute of Technology exhibition, Sephora purchases and my favourite store interior that I came across in ' & other stories'.

Have a look at my Instagram for more New York reminiscing// niamhryan.x

Memories and new beginnings

Two days into 2016, leap year, new resolutions, page 1 of 366, time to take every new adventure and opportunity with both hands!

We have all learnt from the year that has just flown by, we have our goals set for the year, storms will come and pass, a year will come and ago so its time to ensure you achieve as much as you can in that space, leave the negative people behind and move forward with those filled with positivity and who want the best for YOU...lets see what 2016 will really be like...

Here are some of my top memories from 2015,

Travelling to Doha to visit family!

Birthday celebrations!

Capturing the years memories on polaroids, love these!

 

Night out to a huge foam party, one of my favourite events this year!

 

GIRLS HOLIDAY, company I will keep forever

Bill's Breakfast opening near me, my obsession!

Starting NTU!

Coming home and being reunited with my family and friends

Christmas time! Nothing beats being home from uni and seeing friends and family in the Christmas season

 

Christmas party!

NEW YEARS EVE!!

Important life lessons we learn from our favourite film characters

A blog idea inspired from careergirldaily.com that i loved and thought about myself. Either films we watched growing up from films we see as teenagers, characters teach us a lot of life lessons from their experiences, strengths or flaws.

Elle Woods- Legally Blonde 

Favourite film since my auntie introduced it to me when i was younger, both as a film and in theatre legally blonde is the best of the best. Elle Woods only goes to Law school to get the guy, but on her way surprised herself with passing her SATs, winning a court case and marry the 'other' guy. lesson learnt= No need to change for anyone!

Maleficent

A fairytale that doesn't sugarcoat reality. Teaching us that you continue to fight when your strengths become weaknesses. Remain determined and always be unstoppable. There is evil in this world but it has no power over us, unless we allow it to.

Jenna Rink- 13 going on 30

Another favourite film. From being at school and worrying about popularity and wishing you had everything you don't, learning that life is about embracing what you were gifted with and never wish your life away. Everything will fall into place in the end.

'Andy' Sachs- The Devil Wears Prada

A very relatable character for us all, whether its starting a new job, dealing with certain individuals or struggling to get to grips with a new situation. Andy shows us that perseverance and taking charge of your life is what to focus on in a tough situation and you'll eventually come to the other side.

Sunday inspirations

As the normal Sunday morning is spent in bed with breakfast and a nice cup of tea, we all spend longer than normal scrolling away at tumblr, instagram, twitter etc... and i came across a few quotes that i thought are good to read as a new week approaches.

Hopefully they will help give you that little boost of inspiration and motivation to try something new in the week, from something as little as trying something you have always been too scared to do, all the way to booking a flight to Australia and ditching everything and going travelling (obviously this is the extreme far end of the line, but still!).

Christmas season has arrived, maybe a little too early...

This weekend, to say the least was very unproductive in the uni work area, however very productive in the shops, city centre and food areas...we can call it research! With the christmas lights and decorations being put up everywhere you look, that always seem to get earlier and earlier. I was pleased to go and get a Starbucks and be handed over a christmas cup... gets me a little excited for christmas season although i refuse to show my festivity till December 1st. I won't listen to a christmas song until then, bad luck and all that!!

My favourite things about the christmas season are...

1. Warm drinks- preferably the new chocolate fudge hot chocolate from costa


2. Yankee candles, of course


3. Over sized hoodies and fluffy socks


4. Movie nights in with every duvet and blanket in the house


5. Baking cookies, brownies, cakes and every other option and using the excuse that its christmas and you need to store body fat for the cold weather approaching


6. Peaking out the curtains in the morning to check for snow and hope you don't have to go to uni, even though its only a 10 minute walk and no hills involved


7. Being in the hustle of London with the christmas lights above you and obsessing over Selfridges window displays


8. Pointing and hinted to everything you want for christmas "oo i love this, no i don't need it now mum!" "no honestly its fine, i can't afford it!"


9. Lastly, the feeling that your nose and fingers are so cold you think never again will they be usable, bitter sweet feeling

Motivational Monday- The world needs a little more individuality

Now this may be a blog that a lot of you think ‘oh i know this’ but the truth is we may know it but we don’t always have the courage or self-confidence to show it. With there being over 7 billion of us in the world, not one person is you.

I feel over the last year or so I’ve learnt who i am and become happy expressing who that is. I no longer am concerned on how people view me, as long as I’m happy within myself and the people i love around me are happy thats what matters most, Im not afraid to say what i believe in, i show how i feel and i have learnt to trust my feelings and go with what i feel is right. I was always told growing up to believe in myself and be confident which i struggled with outside of my life as a gymnast. Gymnastics was my life for over 10 years, i trained 30 hours a week and knew very little other than school, train, eat, sleep x 100000, my method of expressing who i was in an environment that i was 100% comfortable. Yet outside of that i used to be the quite shy one who worried what others thought. Being a gymnast has made me who i am today as an individual, I’ve learnt hard work, motivation and sacrifice. Ive come out of the sport with a group of friends who are my family, i trained with them 6 days a week and we become the building blocks for each other, the courage to be who we are and what we wanted to succeed in.

When we wake up every morning, we are a blank canvas. We have a choice on how we wish to look, what sort of person we want to be, how we speak and the way we think. We are a blank page with a hidden history but we are the artist who can paint an image of what we want others to see. Our past makes us who we are. We all have a story that makes us strong and gives us lessons to learn from. These are the things that make us unique. Our inspirations, our mind, our soul and our desires…this exact combination is only held by us. Just us out of the other 7 billion people on the earth. You can’t get more unique than this, and thats what we need to keep hold of and embrace.

We need to ensure we do not get wrapped up on what society thinks and whats cool and whats not. Negative people with negative thoughts need to be kept out. We need to get out of the box that society, media and people try their best to keep us in. The world needs uniqueness and individuality, without it new ideas, inventions, designs and art would never occur. The world needs YOU, not who you try to be.

Nottingham appreciation post..

Since being here in Nottingham i have slowly began to discover what all the fuss is about over the city sites. From a quick glance it seems like the normal old town city you'd expect but when you actually take the time to explore, you find the coolest little cafes, hidden hideaways, vintage stores and restaurants.

This weekend though my friends and I found ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the Nottingham Market Square where there were loads of little stands, majority food (I'm a food addict just so you are all aware for the many future food blogs to follow), from cheese stands, pastry spreads, Chinese foods in a box, crepes and the amazing chocolate and sweet tooth stands (camera's and screws made out of chocolate was a first for me to see!)  So as we went round pretending to be very interested in buying all of these to eat, when really you just want to get as many free tasters as possible, we discovered why there was such a buzz for the area. You saw people buying favourite foods and sitting on the steps of the Market Square looking at the incredible architecture and buildings surrounding you.

I learnt some  facts about the Market Square that day...

• It is the largest surviving square in the UK


• The area is used for events, exhibitions and concerts along with their amazing food markets, of course!!


• Market sqaure was the original home to the famous Goose fair of Nottingham, streets used to be closed down for a huge fair to take place. I went to the Goose fair this year and wow, the rides and food were incredible!! Theres such an essence of community feel and buzz in the air. Of course we had to embrace the  experience by getting ourselves candy floss, doughnuts, the usual fair foods and then feel sick hanging upside down on a  ride, all part of the fun if you ask me.

I would say Nottingham is starting to feel like my new home...

                                      

anyone there?

Well hello to anyone out there reading my blog, anyone there? nope, ok.

Im excited to start this blog and hope to share most things from unexpected adventures, restaurants, fashion trends/favourites, beauty, wish lists if i was ever to become a millionaire and then of course the odd moan about things i believe need improving in the world or are just generally a pet peeve of mine.

Blogging slightly scares me if i am honest, as much as i love writing and being creative its still a little intimidating. However, I'm going to let my imagination go a little for my posts and see where it takes me. Our ideas would stay locked up in our head forever if we didn't let our inspirations and creativity go for a run every so often...and what a boring life that would be right?

Im keeping this post short and simple so here are a few things about me for you all to know...

• I am a fashion communication and promotion student


• I love the bags of cookies that Tesco sell...£1 for 5 of the best tasting cookies in the world, i struggle to think of anyone who has the willpower to resist such a thing!


• I used to be in the England team for gymnastics


• I hope to work in events and journalism when i am older

First post down, phew!

I will return soon with hopefully a slightly more interesting post, i promise.

xx