My go-to green smoothie

I love starting my mornings with a huge glass of green goodness which consists of a blast of spinach, orange juice, apples and banana. I decided to start including a glass of greens into my diet since my body was low on iron, and this was the best way to boost up the levels without having to take any medication. Spinach (and most other greens such as kale, lettuce, collard greens) contain tons of benefits and are excellent sources of vitamin A and K, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium and vitamin C.

Just about a week after drinking green smoothies daily, I noticed a huge improvement in my physical and mental wellbeing. My skin was glowing, I felt full of energy and my tiredness that I had felt before, due to lack of iron disappeared.

My family at first were disgusted at the thought of me drinking raw greens, but eventually they gave in, tried it and now they're hooked! There are so many variations to this smoothie, but after trial and error, I've finally found a concussion that tastes best in my opinion!

I really hope you guys give this a try, I assure you it tastes way better than it looks!!

To make one cup:

• a handful of spinach (or any greens of your choice)
• 3/4 cup orange juice 
• 1 apple
• 1/2 a frozen banana (freeze the banana with the skin PEELED!!) 
• 3/4 cup water

And just blitz up all the ingredients!

The easiest fish tacos you'll ever make!

If I could eat these everyday, I would! I finally decided to make these at home and after plenty of servings from different restaurants, I've come up with an easy to follow recipe. If you're not a fan of fish, substitute the fish for chicken strips and add red kidney beans and sweetcorn to the slaw for a twist.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet soft tacos (I bought from M&S)
• 3 pieces of tilapia fillet
• Juice of 1/2 a lime

For the dry rub you’ll need:

• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• Salt and pepper

For the slaw:

• A small chunk of red cabbage 
• 1/4 red onion
• Small handful of fresh coriander
• Juice of half a lime

For the guacamole:

• 2 ripe avocados
• Small handful of fresh coriander
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Wash the fish fillets in cold water and place in a glass dish. Top with all the dry rub ingredients and juice of 1/2 a lime. Rub the marinade all over the fish, cover with cling film and place the dish in the fridge while you prepare the rest.
2. Finely chop up the cabbage, coriander and red onion and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lime on top and mix throughly. 
3. In a blender, blitz up the guacamole ingredients and place aside.
4. To cook the fish, heat up 1 tsp olive oil in a flat frying pan over a medium low heat and add the fish. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side and flip over. Cook for another 3 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Place in a bowl and using a fork gently break up the fish. 
5. To assemble the tacos, heat the tacos on a flat pan, add a spoon of fish, guacamole and top with the slaw. Best eaten warm.

Habeebah xxx

Random life hacks and tips.

These life hacks and tips I seriously live by and thought I should share, even though some of them you've probably come across before anyway.

1. My most important advice I've given to myself this year is to drink more water!! And I know it's easier said than done, so what I've been doing recently is filling up a water bottle at night and keeping it at my bedside so that first thing when I wake up in the morning I gulp that water down. There's so many benefits of having water when you wake up, but most importantly, it helps to boost metabolism!

2. If you have trouble sleeping, or getting to sleep at night I advise you keep some lavender oil at your bedside and put a few drops onto your pillow and duvet. Lavender oil helps to induce deep slumber in which the heartbeat slows down and the muscles relax. Other tips to help you sleep better is to avoid electronics at least 30 minutes before you plan to sleep as the artificial light emitted from electronics prevent you from feeling sleepy. Drinking a warm glass of milk, taking a shower/bath or reading a book before bed also help you sleep better.

3. The worst possible thing that can happen is waking up in the morning, looking in the mirror and arghhhhh you've developed a GIGANTIC spot overnight. A trick that works for me every time is drying the spot out with baby powder and then applying Sudocrem on the spot before you sleep.

4. I Recently discovered this life hack and it is genius!! If you want to create your own nose pore strips, take some PVA glue and spread an even layer over your nose and leave on until its completely dry (usually takes between 20-30 minutes). Then comes the best bit, peel off the glue and just run your fingers down your nose. Feel how soft it is!! Also who remembers spreading glue on the back of their hand in primary school, waiting for it to dry and then satisfyingly peeling it off? or was that just me?

5. Having a money saving jar in your room or car is the smartest idea ever! Buy a money tin that is completely sealed (the one's you can only open with a tin opener), and so you will be less tempted to open it before its full.

6. When washing your hands, always wet your hands first before applying soap or hand wash as this will stop them from drying them out. If you apply soap to dry hands, the soap embeds into the pores of the skin and leaves residue that cracks the skin, so always apply soap to wet hands!

Hope these tips were helpful!

Habeebah xxx