barbecue

Red's True Barbecue: A Meat Lover's Paradise

January 30, 2017

Yesterday, me and my boyfriend agreed that we were worthy of a treat, in the means of food, after eating so well for the majority of January. We ventured into Eldon Square’s latest addition of Grey’s Quarter, a vibrant and very popular new food court bursting at the seams with its variety of restaurants and food. We now had an enormously tough and significant decision to make. Where to eat. We had previously tried out Giraffe and Chiquito’s which were both outstanding but we wanted to try somewhere we hadn’t yet been.


I pass Red’s True Barbecue almost daily and always pondered what the food would actually be like after reading and hearing wonderful things from this meat lover’s paradise.  

The restaurant seemed pretty quiet because after all, it was a Sunday evening. The smell was incredibly appealing resembling a true barbecue smell which set my taste buds on high alert. We were ushered to a table almost immediately after stepping in and was welcomed with a large spread of a menu.

Red’s offer the type of food I absolutely love – meat and barbecue. We first ordered a large jug of water before devouring in the words on the menu as we would rather have something that just cleanses our palette and doesn’t fill us up too much, leaving more room for food! We always share our food with each other so we can try two different meals. We decided that one of us would order a barbecue tray and the other would order a burger. Upon this conclusion, we had the tantalising choice on what to order. We opted for the Beef Long Rib and Sticky Chicken Barbecue tray with a side of BBQ pit beans and a double patty Classic Bacon Cheeseburger with skin on fries.

Red’s pride themselves on how long their meat is smoked for. Because the meat is smoked for so long, it only took a maximum of 10 minutes for the food to be brought out. Luckily we were starving! The beef long rib fell off the bone and melted in your mouth due to it being smoked for 8 hours. The sticky chicken was also so soft and succulent with it being smoked for 3 hours. The BBQ pit beans were the finest pit beans I have ever eaten, full of pulled pork and smoked for 12 hours. The bacon cheeseburger was also so lip-smacking.

We decided against dessert as we were a satisfied full and didn’t want to overdo it but the desserts sounded out of this world. Perhaps next time if we opt for the sandwiches instead, there will be room for dessert! If you are a huge carnivore like me, this is the perfect place for you to sink your teeth into.

Have you been to Red’s True Barbecue? If so, what did you order? Let me know in the comments below.

food

Cinnamon: Surprising Health Benefits

January 26, 2017

Cinnamon. That sweet and fragrant spice you dust over porridge and use in desserts not only adds a delicious zing to our foods but also a zing to our health. Recently, George Lockhart, a performance nutrition specialist and dietitian to UFC fighter Conor McGregor, says the best way to curb those sugar cravings is with cinnamon and this got me wondering. Could cinnamon be beneficial to our health? 

Homemade cinnamon oat muffins.

Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol and cinnamyl acetate. Cinnamaldehyde has an anticoagulant property which can prevent strokes and an anti-inflammatory property which has been shown to relieve the symptoms of asthma, arthritis, muscle soreness and the severity of some allergic reactions. 

It has been shown to relieve bloating and flatulence.

Cinnamon produces an antibacterial action that can prevent yeast and candida from growing.

It is loaded with polyphenols, a type of powerful antioxidant, meaning the body can be protected from oxidative damage caused by free radicals which is a cause of cancer and heart disease.

It can reduce the level of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure which are all contributing factors to heart disease.

It can improve the sensitivity to insulin which regulates blood sugar levels and also lowers blood sugar levels if they are high.

So the answer is yes. Cinnamon can be of benefit to our health so grab yourself some cinnamon from your local supermarket and add it to your morning breakfast and reap in the benefits. Do you eat cinnamon on a regular basis? If so, how do you incorporate it into your diet? Let me know in the comments below.


Best of wishes.

food

Change of Direction

January 17, 2017

Lately, I have realised how central food is to me and my boyfriend, Matt, on an everyday basis. Specifically healthy food that tastes as good or even better than it's healthy counterpart and how altering just a limited number of ingredients can make a meal so much more healthier and tastier. Because of this, I am thinking of perhaps changing the direction of my blog towards food. Mainly healthy food with the odd treat. I cook and experiment with food everyday so it makes total sense. I absolutely love eating out and I also get compliments on Instagram on the photographs of food and the places I eat at. I don't know why I haven't thought of this previously!

I will still document the odd lifestyle post particularly when it comes to travel but I think food is the way forward for me. By no means am I a nutritionist, dietitian or chef but I love the power, goodness and taste of healthy ingredients. I hope you enjoy the new direction that I take my blog in. I can't wait to share all my food experimenting with you all!

2017

My Bucketlist 2017

January 14, 2017

2017 is the year I want to try oodles of new things with my key goals listed below!


1. Visit a country I have never been to before. The Maldives would be my perfect place.
2. Visit a city in England that I have never travelled to before. Definitely somewhere in Southern England as I have explored most of the major cities in Northern England. 
3. Travel to a new continent. I have never been out of Europe!
4. Learn to drive. I am 22 years old and have never had a driving lesson!
5. Delve into a new subject matter that I don't know much about. Maybe some sort of historic event?
6. Do something for charity. I am currently considering doing the Great North Run this year to raise and donate lots of money.
7. Get a dog. I have wanted a dog for such a long time and this year will be the perfect time to welcome a doggy companion into our home. 

What's on your bucketlist for this year? Let me know in the comments below!

Best of wishes.

Amazon

BookBub

January 12, 2017

I love reading. Blogs, articles, books. You name it. Of late, I was perusing Pinterest when I came across a pin about books. I clicked on the link provided where I was lead to the website BookBub. I had never heard of it but I am so glad I discovered it. My inner bookworm was screaming with anticipation.

Amazon, Amaxon Kindle, iBook, Kobo, BookBub, read, reading, book, books

What I found was simply amazing to a bibliophile and bargain hunter like me. BookBub is a website and also a service that you can sign up to using your email address. The website will email you daily about the top picks of reduced-price or even free eBooks accessible on that particular day according to your interests. Visiting the website will allow you to cruise copious more books. The website collects deals from Amazon Kindle, iBooks and Kobo on a vast assortment of genres from action to biography to crime, politics and the supernatural. There honestly is a fantastic read for everybody and I guarantee you will discover something intriguing!

I have found books that I had never heard of, had a chance of finding or even considered reading and a swift daily check allows you to download an array of books and read them at your own pace and to your heart’s content. Enjoy!

Do you use any service which delivers daily deals on books to your inbox? Let me know in the comments below.

Best of wishes.

2016

Hello 2017

January 01, 2017

What a year 2016 has been. I went skiing in Austria, sunbathing in Greece, visited London just before Christmas, got a full time job, I graduated and me and my boyfriend officially moved into our own house. 2016 has been a fab year but I think 2017 is going to be even better and to make next year even better than the last one, I have a number of New Year resolutions.

2017, new year, diet, exercise, goals, resolutions

Exercise. Me and my boyfriend have our own gym in the house so there is no excuse for me to not exercise. We have dumbbells, kettlebells, a squat rack, Olympic bar, EZ bar and dip station - all I could ever want. Up until May, I worked out religiously for a good year but final year exams came for my degree and I stopped going to the gym. Ever since, I just haven't been able to get back into it even though I have tried on numerous occasions. January is where this will change and I cannot wait to feel fit and healthy again whilst toning up which is my aim!

Diet. My diet has been seriously bad over these last few months. Takeaways, chocolate, cake, you name it, I've eaten it and probably lots of it. I am really sick of lacking in energy so some energy rich, clean food packed full of vitamins and minerals rather than sugar and fat is needed. Roll on January!

Travel. We didn't do too bad in regards to travel to say me and my boyfriend now both work full time and I was a university student up until May but this year I want to travel even more. Even if it just means visiting places in England I have never travelled to. I have never left Europe and this is a major goal for this year!

Life. I love sleep like seriously love it but you don't accomplish anything by sleeping apart from overcoming tiredness. I need to start getting up earlier, getting out of the house and seeing the world and adventuring rather than just sleeping in bed.

Water. I do not drink enough water. 8 glasses a day in reality is not much and with my love for tea and coffee, it should be really easy for me to drink at least 8 glasses.

Family. I visited home a mere 3 times this year which is shocking. I am going to aim to travel home more often next year so I can see my family and spend as much quality time as possible with them. After all, it does only take 2 hours on a train. 

What are your goals for 2017? Let me know in the comments below.

Best wishes.