Honestly Healthy

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to have a healthier lifestyle? You can start by cooking and even eating healthier. We at The Amazing Blog came across a cookbook that would be perfect for you. Honestly Healthy: Eat With Your Body In Mind, The Alkaline Way by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson gives a clear explanation of alkalizing foods and their healing and preventative properties by a gourmet chef and nutritional therapist. It is the best of both worlds, combining the advice of both a chef and nutritionist. The book features 100 delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes that help you rebalance and rejuvenate from breakfast to dinner. The book not only has great recipes, but also fantastic photographs of some of the finished meals to go along with them.

This book is filled with interesting facts and advice such as how to enjoy a glass of hot water and lemon in place of coffee in the morning. The book is divided into two sections. The first section deals with the basics, such as the principles of healthy eating and information on the different food groups. The second section features mouth-watering recipes from smoothies in the morning through to delicious pizzas and desserts. There is a variety of foods to choose from that will satisfy anyone’s daily cravings. Each recipe in this section takes you step-by-step through how to prepare one of these delicious meals that will leave you feeling ‘honestly healthy.’

Honestly Healthy is a refreshing cookbook and lifestyle guide promoting balanced and healthy living. The book retails for £20 and can be bought on their website here. This book will literally change your life, not just your eating habits, but your mindset about living a healthy lifestyle. Honestly Healthy also has a detox program called Cleanse. These ‘fridge fills’ are delicious energy-boosting alkaline vegetarian foods that are delivered to your home weekly. Cleanse will help you naturally get rid of toxins leaving you in a balanced state to lose weight in a healthy way. There are two levels of intensity: Cleanse and Cleanse Lifestyle. Both levels include tasty dishes, snacks, and drinks that will leave you feeling good all day! For more information about this phenomenal detox program visit their website here. These Honestly Healthy products are by far some of The Amazing Blog’s favourite finds!

LEON Family and Friends

Whenever I go back to my parents' house to visit them, one of the things I enjoy most doing is cooking for them. When I was a little girl I always used to spend time with my mum in the kitchen while she cooked - I saw her mixing these colourful ingredients and felt intrigued; I just couldn't understand how some raw ingredients could turn into delicious dishes. Since then, cooking has always been a passion that I've shared with my mum. We both love cooking for the ones we love, so once again, while doing a bit of research on cookbooks to feature on The Amazing Blog I came across with the loveliest and and most perfect cookbook: LEON Family and Friends. LEON Family and Friends is a celebration of the hours we've all spent around the table chatting to our family and friends while having fun. The book is divided in three sections: Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday. Today features dishes that are easy to prepare and are delicious too. Perfect for everyday. Tomorrow includes recipes that have more thought to them; special occasions with a small group of friends or for a family feast. Yesterday features the writers', Kay and John, culinary memories. A celebration of the family and the food that made LEON the people that are today,

LEON Family and Friends is one of the loveliest cookbooks The Amazing Blog has ever come across with. Its writing style, the recipes and the design make this book a must-have for those of you who love cooking for the ones you love the most.

Stencil It!

Having recently moved into a new abode in London, and being the ripe old age of twenty-five, I decided over the weekend that it was high time to try my hands at a touch of DIY. Previously, I've shied away from banging nails into walls, screwing things together, or changing lightbulbs and appointed the nearest man I could get my hands on - Dad, boyfriend, housemate etc. all of whom are very aware of my short comings when it comes to matters of do-it-yourself.

So, over the weekend, armed with rollers, masking tape and paint, I set about decorating my entire room, hoping to prove that I can put the fun back into painting. How wrong I was. Seven hours later, with a bad back, hands like claws and covered in paint I was losing the will to live, and had only done one coat. Thankfully I had my lovely Italian housemate on call to finish it for me - hurrah!

There is, however, an alternative for gals like me - who want to indulge in a bit of decorating, without (whisper it) too much effort. Helen Morris, founder of The Stencil Library, has recently written a fabulous book called Stencil It, published by Jacqui Small, which comes complete with 101 ideas on how to decorate your home. Fit for a coffee table, this beautiful publication demonstrates quick, satisfying and inexpensive ways to bring pattern and colour into your home, whatever your style and budget. With a huge range of ideas - from stencilling cards and cushions to entire rooms, whether you're a beginner or an expert, Stencil It will give you a huge spectrum of inspiring ideas for your home.

Full of tips, techniques and beautiful illustrations, Stencil It is a celebration of the virtually limitless decorative potential of a fabulously creative craft form. So, whether you want to give your bedroom a subtle enahncement, or your sitting room a completely new look, Stencil It had both the ideas and the know-how to turn it into a reality - minus the bad back and claw hands! Happy stencilling!