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Live your best life

Live your best life

Category: Meet the blogger

Get to know me.

Get to know me.

Today has all been about planning, planning, planning. I’ve been writing several lists on posts I want to do and basically organising my blog (will hopefully share these once I get organised). It’s been a lot of note-taking and I’ve been glued to either my phone or my […]

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April 29, 2016
Hey, I'm Jess. Thanks so much for visiting my cosy space! I hope you find what you're looking for, whether that's the latest book reviews; fashion and homeware inspiration or features on topics important to me, such as sustainability and mental health. I like to chat, so leave a friendly comment and share the love.

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  • TRUFFLES | There are plenty of reasons why you should visit @gloucesterservices if not for these amazing chocolate truffles!! I mean, where else can you pick up chocolates for your journey like this? You won’t see anything more than a kit kat and a packet of quavers at Michaelwoods! Out of these lot, I’d say sea salt would be by fave but you can’t beat the classic choc truffle filled with ganache. Truffles are super easy to make too. There’s often this misconception that they’re difficult but honestly, they’re the easier chocolate to make. @bakinggymnast and I would know (especially Lucy.. having worked for one of the lords of choc himself, @paul_a_young 🙌🏼) All you need is some good quality choc, double cream and cocoa powder for a simple truffle. What’s your fave? Or are we all over chocolate now Christmas has been and gone? 😂
  • BELARUS | I’m back to focusing on my world cooking a-z challenge this year but with a slight change- one country a month as apposed to one a week! With my food blog becoming more of a hobby (I’ll see where it takes me but for now that’s what it is) that’s what will work for me for now (especially with baby coming). Anywho, let’s talk about these delicious potato pancakes! They remind me of hash browns and would make a yummy alternative to the English fry-up! They’re traditionally served with sour cream which I would highly recommend - it sorta off-loads the heaviness of the potato (that’s not to say that potato isn’t delicious in its own right!) Why not check out my post (link in bio) and give these a go? Super quick and easy to make too! Great for using up those leftover potatoes hiding in the back of your cupboard, and that pot of double cream you opened but don’t know what to do with (this was me 🙋‍♀️). #thriftyfoodchallenge #belarus
  • ECO SHOP | One of my goals this years is to be more eco-friendly; buy less but better quality and just generally be thriftier! I was very happy on the weekend when I happened upon the Eco Shop in Stroud! Tucked away down a side street, it’s a hidden gem! I’ll pop do an Eco highlight on my profile later with the stories I took from inside the shop in case you’re interested. ☺️ They stock everything from bamboo toothbrushes to @turtle.bags (string bags for your veggies), as well local homemade bits & bobs (calendars, cards etc). Worth a look in if you’re ever in Stroud! #stroud #ecoshop #stroudvalleysproject
  • 35 WEEKS | I thought I’d do a little pregnancy update on here as things have started to ‘get real’ this weekend. Saturday night, baby was moving A LOT and it was painful, to the point that I thought it might be labour. It wasn’t. Although yesterday was similar: strong movements, lightening crotch (still find that funny 😂) and tightenings. This kicked me into gear and sorta frightened me into packing my hospital bag (which I should do around now anyways!) The bags are mid-packed, just need to wash and dry the baby’s outfits & get mine sorted! The thing with hospital bags is that all the advice you hear is conflicting. Don’t get my wrong, thank you to all of you who have messaged, helping me with what to pack etc, but sometimes I feel like taking everything plus the kitchen sink 😂 and others I feel like becoming a minimalist! I think I’ll let instinct play its part and just take what I think I’ll use, as everyone is different. I’m very excited to meet this little boy though and sorta want time to speed up a little! P.S here’s me on the weekend at @woodruffsorganiccafe fake-sipping my chai latte as it was too hot 😂 #35weekspregnant
  • FARMER’S MARKETS | Lately I’m really enjoying browsing farmer’s/greengrocers etc. I like the unpredictability of them. If you plan to do your ‘weekly’ shop there like me, you become limited, which I find a a good thing rather than anything negative! The seasonability of the fruit & veg and the locality of the produce all come into play and I love it. So far for my #thriftyfoodchallenge this weekend I’ve only spent £24 on my shopping, which includes this super strong ‘extra tasty’ cheddar cheese from Batch Farm Cheesemakers. Of course we did the taste test and bought a wedge - who can refuse when it’s so nice? Also I find cheese to be a fridge staple as it can knock up so many meals (mac n cheese, cheese on toast, omelettes) and add a little something extra to those that need it! I’m enjoying quality over quantity too. That’s my fave part of this challenge. I may be being thrifty but I’m not comprising on taste - AND I’m still spending less. Have you visited Stroud Farmers market before? Which is your fave stall? Mine is the raclette stall but it wasn’t there yesterday! 😭 #stroudfarmersmarket
  • THE SWALLOW BAKERY | Yay to Friday (finally!!) What a treat these spinach & feta rolls from @theswallowbakery would be, all tucked away in your lunch box. I had one yesterday when a friend travelled to mine from Northampton to drop off lots of baby clothes her 14/15 (I lose track!) week old baby doesn’t fit into anymore! We popped into the bakery after walking her very active German Shepherd puppy in Montepellier gardens (the baby was most well behaved - slept the whole time!) A quick lunch was called for and so I ordered a mint hot choc (divine), one of these rolls (hit the spot - brought back memories of Corfu!) & a raisin and oat cookie (chewy, buttery perfection). We then took off to Minchinhampton common for another walk! Honestly, I got all the exercise yesterday! I just love it up there though. If I didn’t live in Cheltenham, I’d live around there somewhere - so pretty. Anyways, hope you all have a lovely Friday - mine to-list is moderate today, so let’s see how I do! P.S #thriftyfoodchallenge card to complete will be on my stories later today ☺️ #Cheltenham
  • VINNIE’S | Happy Thursday! ⭐️ Hope you’re all doing well! I’m currently sat at home, sipping my cafe latte.. did you know that it’s the only coffee I have in the day now? I’ve decided to cut down on my caffeine, not because of health reasons or anything - I LOVE coffee!! It’s more due to the affects I noticed it would have one me. It certainly heightened any anxiety I may have been feeling; I’ve noticed so much of a difference in how calm and content I am now that I’ve reduced it to one cup a day. So cut a long story short (I always ramble don’t I!) - I love that my GP is situated in the beautiful Royal Crescent in Cheltenham - it’s such a lovely place to walk, but also because it’s surrounded by wonderful places to grab a drink; @vinnieseatery being one of them! So I popped in yesterday after my midwife appointment - thankfully I was able to go in as @pershorepatty were doing some filming there! I snook in and one of the guys kindly stopped what he was doing and served me this delicious chai latte. I was expecting the usual option of “do I want cows milk, oat.. soy?” (Being a veggie/vegan place, I knew there’d by those)... but no... he also added “we’ve got sesame or walnut.” I wasn’t sure if he meant the milk, or...? He did. Any they make it themselves there. Nothing is brought in at Vinnie’s, only the cows milk of course. So my coffee was made with a squirt of date syrup for sweetness, a homemade chai mix and I went for the sesame milk. And now I think I’m hooked. Of course I took it away in my @stojoco 🌱 Have you tried any unusual milks before? #cheltenham #vinnieseatery
  • THRIFTY DINNERS & LARDER ESSENTIALS | As promised, my post full of 20 thrifty dinner ideas is now live ☺️ I’ve also included a list of larder essentials to help you a long with your thrifty journey. Link is in the bio! I appreciate any support & always reciprocate 💖 Other than that, I’ve got my 34 week midwife appointment this afternoon which I’m looking forward to. Last night wasn’t too good though - woke up with a stomach ache & baby was moving A LOT. I ended up coming on here for a bit at 2am-ish as I just couldn’t sleep! Fingers crossed tonight will be better. 🤞🏼 #thriftyfoodchallenge #cupboardessentials #foodblogger
  • LEFTOVER YOGHURT | It’s back to normal in the Cantoni household this morning. Fabio has gone back to work and so it’s just me and the cat at present (shrimpy, just wait a week - I don’t mind if you arrive anytime after then!) Slowly counting down the weeks until baby’s arrival but for now I’m focusing on serious nesting & of course, being thrifty with food. I always have a second breakfast after my morning coffee with Fabio at about 7am, and today I remembered we had some leftover natural yoghurt. I used to love banana smoothies and so it seemed only right to make one as we have a bunch of bananas in the fruit bowl! I simply blended up one banana, 1/4 large tub of @yeovalley natural Greek style yoghurt & I like to add a tsp of honey for some sweetness, and of course it’s natural health benefits. A super simple brekkie to give me a healthy start to the morning! Although it probably won’t keep me full for long 😂 Why not join in with my #thriftyfoodchallenge and share what you’re having for breakfast! I’ll re-share any I’m tagged in ☺️ #bananasmoothie
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