warm corn and quorn salad

A weekend of eating cold sandwiches, raw carrots, and oat breakfast biscuits will leave you feeling distinctly hungry for good food. In my case that was anything warm, anything fresh and definitely something that involved a little bit of time in the kitchen.

I settled on a grilled corn and quorn salad with honey and mustard dressing, as that filled the fresh category. The corn and quorn “chicken” pieces keep it warm. I spent an hour dancing around the kitchen with the sister whipping this one up, a great chance to have a catch up while getting some delicious food.

You won’t need an hour to make this though – we were just being slow and enjoy the kitchen time.

First things first go grab your ingredients.

For the salad:

Baby leaves – spinach, lambs’ lettuce, red lettuce, red chard, and rocket

Small sweet peppers

Baby corn

Sugar snap peas

Quorn chicken pieces (obviously you can use regular chicken)

Chilli kidney beans

For the dressing:

Wholegrain mustard

Honey

Olive oil

Cider vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Sugar

First, start by making the dressing. Fill a small jar about a quarter full with the olive oil and vinegar. Add a spoonful of wholegrain mustard and the same of honey. Season with salt, pepper and add a pinch of sugar to help everything combine. Stick the lid on the jar and give it a good shake to mix.

For the salad, begin with the quorn. Heat some oil in a frying pan and add the quorn chicken pieces fry them lightly for around ten minutes. Next add half the jar of chilli kidney beans to the frying pan and leave to warm through.

Place the baby quorn and sugar snap peas under the grill on a low heat so as to just warm them through.

Next, chop the peppers into small pieces and we are ready to plate up.

Into a bowl add the baby leaves, followed by the quorn pieces with chilli beans. Next top with the peppers, grilled corn and sugar snap peas. Drizzle your dressing over the top and you are ready to go.

It’s simple and easy, but filling and just warming enough for a light lunch or summer meal. We couldn’t stop exclaiming about how healthy we were feeling the whole time we were eating – although that could be down to our normal diet of pizza and fajitas. I can see this easily becoming a go to meal when I’m in a rush for something nice and quick to eat this summer.

Have you got a go to summer meal? 

32 Things That Make Me Happy

This weeks been a little bit of an odd one and I've been feeling a little off. Not sad as such, but not crazy happy either. In reality I know my weeks been pretty good I've had loads of nice work and subsequent funtime adventures with my work chums,  but there has also been loads of not blogging and an awful lot of missing my Canadian bestie. A mixed bag you could say. So when I saw that Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel and Sarah at Venus Trapped in Mars were hosting a 32 things that make me happy link up I just had to hop on board. As I've said before It's really important to take the time to stop and smell the roses.

At first, feeling the way I am today I thought 32 was an annoyingly large number of happy things, but thinking like that what was the point of even taking part. So I got down to it and by number 10 I was feeling a 1000 times better about everything. Taking the time to remember the little happy things really does change everything. 

1) Spring finally showing up to the party - we might still have April showers to get through but it's only gonna get sunnier from here.

2) I finally have a dinner date arranged with all my work girls.

3) I fly to Czech Republic in 19 days..

4) That by volunteering/doing the things I love I get trips to Prague and to see my Newcastle's of The World family again.

 

5) Nachos and fajitas.
 
6) Its Easter so all my besties are returning from the far flung university lands.

7) Pizza slices bigger than my face.

 

The photo doesn't do it justice. The face does.
There was just SO much pizza for a girl who'd been eating 1 meal a day for 10 days!

8) Skype conversations with the Canadian cutie.

9) The smell of new books, and being able to curl up and read until your eyes can't read anymore.

10) Breakfast in bed.

11) Heading out into the countryside and hiking for the day - instant smiles.

12) Hanging out with any and all of my puppy friends.

13) Stumbling upon free tickets for gigs and shows that turn out to be amazing.

14) Playing dress up with all the ridiculous clothes In my wardrobe, just because.

She might kill me for this...

15) Waking up every morning to my playlist and dancing around my bedroom.

16) In 11 weeks I will be living in America just starting work at my school for the summer.

17) I'll be meeting all my Camp America group for the first time on Saturday!!

18)    Self explanatory really..

 

19) Trying out a new recipe, good or bad it's always fun.

20) Getting the chance to work at some fantastic festivals before I leave this summer!

21) Lazy days with my brother and sister.

22) Moto GP is back... And I couldn't be happier, so much excitement.  

23) Rossi.

A little too obsessed. Source.

24) Binge watching crappy tv in my pjamas. Teen mom 2 may have been marathoned on Sunday

25) Looking at my American Visa.

26) Rearranging my room and filling it with pastel cushions and big fluffy quilts.

27) Going to bed before 10pm... Grandma. sorry not sorry.

28) Having my computer back and working.

29) Putting on a new dress and it fitting just right.

30) My backpack.

31) Having a haircut that requires zero effort. Too lazy but Its true.

32) Knowing that I could keep on listing happy things for a long long time.

There you have it 32 things that make me as happy as a llama wearing a bowtie. Oh theres another one.

33) Llamas wearing bowties... named george.

Oops things are getting a little wierd around here now so i'm gonna leave you with this no matter how bad you might be feeling theres always something that willmake you smile, whether it's llamas in bowties, planning a trip, watching tv or chatting to your friends. Look for a positive and theres often one to be found.

Oh and you should head on over and link up with Angela at Cuddles & Cartoons for her this made me happy link up, i'm a little late as usal but, it's always refreshing to dose up on positivity just before a new week starts.
 

Liebster Award!!

So this week has been a super happy one, despite work being crazy and winter returning full force a lot of positive and lovely things have happened, I've been offered a new role at work (scary and exciting), I saw Ballet Rambert with my mum and her best friend and I've confirmed details of my trip to the Czech Republic in a couple of weeks time. 

I'm sure you would all agree that that all makes for a pretty good week, but one thing has added some fluffy blog related icing to my happy cake. Two lovely ladies have nominated me for the Liebster Award. Two, in one week definitely a lovely surprise. Thank you both so much!

Lovely lady number one was Angela from Cuddles & Cartoons who blogs about her gorgeous family, go check her out and while you're there check her Saturday blog link up This Made Me Happy, it's the happiest place in blogland!

Lovely lady number two was the adorable Steph from Norbly who blogs alongside her two sisters about everything from college, to running, to getting to grips with blogging. Again, go check her out!

Now on with this award stuff, rules for the Liebster Award are:

• Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you and display the award
• Answer 11 questions the blogger gives you
• Give 11 random facts about yourself
• Nominate 5 - 11 blogs you think deserve the award (try to make sure they have 200 followers or less)
• Let the bloggers know you have nominated them
• Give them 11 questions to answer

11 random facts about me:

1. Show me any large empty space and I will dance around it for hours
2. I learnt Russian for 3 years but can only say vodka and spiderman
3. I suffer from anxiety yet people say I am the smiliest person they know
4. Ice cream is my weakness and is the ultimate bribe despite me being lactose intolerant
5. Until I was 12 I though kidney beans were actually tiny kidneys - I still feel uncomfortable eating them
6. My family compete over who has traveled to the most countries - I'm on 16 so far
7. The thought of traveling with a suitcase is terrifying to me, my backpack is like my travel safety blanket
8. My best friends have all spent at least 3 months abroad, this summer it's my turn
9. I have broken every phone I've ever bought within 3 days of buying them 
10. I can't function without a full 8 hours sleep
11. I wish I could do magic, juggle anything that would let me become a street perfomer

11 Questions from Steph (Angela didn't add new questions)

Who do you look up to most in life?

There are a lot of people I look up to but I probably look up to my granddad most, and love to hear new stories about his life. He traveled all over the world, America, England, India and Africa teaching. He was a Quaker and stayed true to his roots all through his life. He was honorable, truthful, brave and wonderful to his children and grandchildren. Whenever I find myself ensure of what path to take I try to think what he would have done.

What is your favourite book or movie?

I am torn between two very different books, first the Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell and the film adaptation as well both inspire me to make a change in the world and remind we why I want to go into education or youth work. On a lighter note, my favourite book to read to children at work is definitely We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, there is nothing nicer than getting to see the excited looks on their faces as we act it out.

What's one hobby you wish you spent more time on?

Dance. Definitely dance. I always loved it but haven't taken time to do even one class in at least a year.

Name your favourite memory.

My favourite memory is the first time I really traveled on my own, waving good by to my best friend in Dresden as I rushed onto a train to Prague, an entirely last minute decision. I had no idea what to expect, no idea what currency I needed and no idea where I was going to stay. It was terrifying and exciting all at once, at that moment I realized I was addicted to that feeling 

If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be?

I would create better provisions for children, young people and adults with additional needs and disabilities. Working with the group I do I am acutely aware that there is a great swathe of people who are not provided for because their need is not so severe that they are already provided for but too severe to be suited to inclusive activities. 

What's your favourite thing about yourself?

My favourite thing about myself is my ability to stay positive and happy to support others no matter what life throws at me.

Name one place you want to live.

America. More specifically New York. Cliche I know, but if I could live there for even 6 months I would be very happy.

How many places have you traveled to, and which was your favourite?

As I mentioned before I have traveled to 16 countries. It s definitely really hard to choose a favourite, New York is definitely up there but I think Germany may be my absolute favourite. I just love the culture and lifestyle as well as the cities and landscape.

Where is home for you?

Home is Newcastle, in North East England. I split my time between three houses as my parents are separated and i'm currently saving for my own place. I wouldn't say that any house is home in its own right but when I'm on the train and I cross the bridge into Newcastle I always feel instantly at home.

The best food on the planet is...

Mexican. Fajitas, Nachos, Enchiladas. As long as its spicy, veggie and I can get a side of salad I am one happy chicken.

Biggest pet peeve.

Spoilers. If you tell me how a book or movie ends I am so far from happy its funny, well not funny to me!

Blogs I nominate

Winnie Ann @ Monochrome Cool

Megalin @ My Random Lovelies

Nicola @ Nic November

Desiree @ Love Desiree

Emma @ Frills & Doodads

Questions for the blogs I've nominated

1. What is your happiest memory?
2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
3. Tea or coffee?
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
5. Biggest pet peeve.
6. If you compared yourself to an animal, what would it be?
7. What made you decide to start blogging?
8. The best food on the planet is...
9. Describe yourself in 5 words.
10. If you had one extra day a week what would you do with it?
11. Where is home to you?

Monday Letters

Sunshine + Bubbles = Spring, yeah?

Dear Spring, Thank you so much for turning up early this year, but can we at least try and stick around. I don’t want any of that April showers nonsense. The sun has been shining all weekend and I don’t think my little heart could take a cold spell any time soon. Dear Neighbours, I know it sunny and you want to start barbequing but kindly think of us poor souls, who are working. The smell is making me oh so jealous! 

Dear Work, Why do you have to be at your busiest on the weekend, and why do you only have indoor events when I want to be outside. Dear Kind Lady Yesterday, I can’t believe you gave me an Easter egg just for doing my job. It was so kind and lovely of you. Thank you. 

Dear Hudson, I’m already getting excited for our comedy adventures on Friday. The weekend seems so far away, hurry up and come home! 

Dear Rambert, I am so excited to see Rooster at the Theatre Royal on Tuesday. It has been far too long since I’ve watched dance just for the enjoyment. Dear Martine, Thankyou so much for keeping our trip to see Rambert a secret from Mum. I can’t wait to see her face when she realises where we’re going! 

Dear June, Hurry up and get here I can’t contain my excitement for America. 

Dear Molly, Stop writing these letters. You have 2 hours before work and you want to get out into the sunshine first!

Dear Weather, It was pretty cool to see you hailing from  what seemed to be a cloudless sky but please don’t try that kinda crazy on me today… I need the sun!

Dear Anyone Reading This, Sorry for the cop out of a post. It’s sunny and my brain is over worked. I promise I’ll show up properly tomorrow with actually thoughts and actually stories. 

Dear Monday, Let’s do this!

Yours sincerely, Molls xxx

Happy Happiness Day Happy People

That's right girls and boys today is officially the United Nations International Day of  Happiness. A day dedicated to pure unadulterated happiness, encouraging us all to go out and notice those things that make us happy. Now, as I've said before, I am a massive believer in stopping to smell the roses in our day to day life. Sometimes life can feel too hectic, or like there is not enough time to find happiness in our day, and while I like to think that we can all make time for noticing the special moments everyday I fully support a day dedicated to reminding us of its importance.

87% of people said that they would rather live in a world with the greatest happiness and well-being than a society with the greatest wealth. I for one couldn't agree more, we've all heard the saying "money doesn't buy happiness." But in a society so dominated by consumerism  and demand it becomes increasingly easy to forget that and start to think that we cannot be happy without the latest iphone, shoes or tickets to the hottest gig. It saddens me slightly that 42% of people said that they would choose their "money and financial situation" as one of the three things that are most important to their happiness.

Heck, even on blogs and in lists designed to encourage us to step away from societies expectations and find happiness in the little things we are told that enjoying a muffin at a local coffee shop will rejuvenate our sense of satisfaction, a day at the zoo will fill us with excitement and that taking a trip somewhere will fill us with cheer.  And yes, while I agree that all of those things are filled with joy and that at times are happiness can be affected by money there are a thousand more things that will bring us happiness without spending a penny.

Research showed that most people, 80% would rate their relationships with their family or partner as the most important to their happiness followed closely with health at 71%. For me these figures begin to restore my faith in our society and remind me that certain values for many people still remain key. In my life I try very hard not to let my happiness rely on expectations of others and to seek peace and contentment from within. However, family and friendships remain central to my optimism, and nothing brings me greater peace of mind than the knowledge that my family or friends are safe, loved and happy in themselves.

Cancer awareness makeupless selfie, with
the not so baby baby bro

Today I have tried to make extra time to share the delight of happiness with anyone and everyone I met, I smiled at strangers on the bus, helped people who looked lost and spent an extended lunch break giggling with colleagues at work. There were two things that also happened today that definitely added to my sense of pride and pleasure today. As well as being International Day of Happiness, the 20th of March also marks my youngest brothers birthday and today he turned 16 - I'm not sure I want to believe it, but I am so proud of the mature, thoughtful yet exuberant man he is becoming. Spending the evening eating gorgeous Italian food and joking with my brother and sister have left me feeling wonderfully contented with life.

The second thing that has brought the biggest smile to my face began with something I just could not understand. Yesterday, my facebook news-feed exploded with hundreds of 'naked' selfies all in the name of cancer awareness. At first I thought this was another facebook fad, with very little practicality in terms of combating cancer or raising awareness. I was wrong and I couldn't be happier. As the pictures continued to appear allover my laptop, and status' started popping up left, right and center either for or against the campaign I began to understand. For every selfie uploaded people were donating £3 to Cancer Research UK but more than that everywhere I turned people were discussing cancer, reminding people to check for lumps and offering their support to people effected. Reading the news today I was amazed and awed to see that in just 24 hours more than one million pounds had been donated to Cancer Research UK and the number is still rising.
  

Now that is news that should bring a smile to even the most pessimistic of heads. Its a reminder that every little move we make has a consequence, an often unseen reaction that can truly impact on peoples lives. I say that we each carry that thought in our hearts, and that having embraced today we take it as a lesson to happiness a priority in everything we do. What do you really know about that stranger on the street. Maybe that smile brought them fleeting happiness for the first time today.

If you are happy, you can share the happy. Your smile can be the most powerful thing you own. Think about today, remember today, and next time you get a chance share that smile. 

Monday's Magic Moments

As I’ve said before, the next few months are pretty hectic with work, planning and visa applications demanding a lot of my time and causing a fair bit of stress and anxiety. These aren’t emotions that are alien to me, I’ve in fact spent and I’m still spending a lot of time working on ways to manage the ways I deal with such issues. Recently I’ve been focussing on limiting the stress inducing factors in my life. The luxury of my job is that, unless and actual event is happening, I can work pretty much wherever I want, whenever I want; with the exception of regular meetings and sessions.  I’ve been using that to start a little later on a Monday (an actual cup of tea in the morning is lovely), work a little later some nights if I want to meet friends during the day and sometimes just work from home hanging out with my part time pups. While sometimes the stressful things are the most important ones and I find myself just needing to suck it up and get on with it I have also discovered that if stress can’t be cut it can surely be balanced out. For every stressful moment I am striving to achieve at least one joyful moment.

So that’s where I am now. Monday morning, looking back over the week gone by and counting up those magic moments. Did Monday feel more blessed or stressed? How was my Friday, was the weekend one to be remembered. Sadly, the past week was definitely more on the stressed side, with time spent in dreary passport offices and battling with terminally slow embassy websites. It has given me one thing to be thankful for, this post, in fact this idea, Mondays post will now be a collection of my ‘magic moments’ from the week before and any goals I have for the following week. If I can list just 7 mini goals for the week ahead (that’s just one a day) that could add happiness to the day, whether it be a small moment or a bigger completion of a once stressful goal, I may just begin to see a happier less stressful perspective on my week. Although last week I didn’t list 7 goals I do still have a few moments that I would say I was thankful for and that reminded me to smile.

The magic moments gone by.

Isn't she just the cutest.

Last week I spent time with my little brother and my sister’s new puppy. Being an ‘aunt’ to that little pup is just so much fun and she never fails to bring a smile to my face, whether she’s racing around chewing on anything in site, begging you to take her on a walk or just sleeping on the sofa, she adds a brilliant element of life to the room and gets everyone talking and laughing.

This Giant cup of hot chocolate, it was honestly bigger than my face! While waiting for my passport last week I found that I had 4 hours to kill in Durham, and while I could have used it to explore the beautiful old town the weather was definitely against that idea. Instead I bought a new book (Canada by Richard Ford, I’m about a third of the way through and thoroughly enjoying it by the way.), found a comfy seat in a coffee shop, and curled up with that gigantic hot chocolate and a cake for 4 hours. It was a perfect afternoon of chilling, and while in the past I might have stressed out about all the things I could have been doing with that time, instead I just embraced every second of it. It was lovely!

He wore that hat for a good 20 minutes!

So it would seem this week has been a little bit dog themed. On Friday night my adopted pup Bobby came to stay for the weekend. He is primarily my friend’s dog, but because of her hectic lifestyle over the past couple of years we have developed an arrangement in which we dog share so that both Bobby and her get time to chill. I love it when he comes to stay as I get nonstop cuddles and have an excuse for walks in the park, not that I should need them. So there we have it my happy moments from this week. Now for the challenge a look at what could make the next week even more magic!

Magic moments mini goals.

• Cook something new, whether it is baking, cooking or just throwing together a fancy salad. Cook something from scratch and then sit down and enjoy.
  
  
• Meet up with someone I’ve not seen in a while. Lots of my friends are at universities in cites up and down the country, living abroad or working fulltime so we rarely get a chance to meet up, but with people home this week I want to make it my mission to see someone, and actually spend time with them, whom I don’t see that often.
  
  
• Visit somewhere new. A new restaurant, café, bar, park, shop, you name it, it counts.
  
  
• Do something on my own. Anything, just enjoy the time spent with nobody but my own thoughts.
  
  
• Have dinner with my mum. Sit down, home cooked dinner.
  
  
• Keep my room clean and tidy for the week. Maybe not the most joyful but if I succeed it would definitely make me feel happier to see a tidy space day in day out!
  
  
• Paint my nails. It has been weeks months since I last actually sat down and painted my nails. Not only does that mean they look a mess but the thought of sitting down and painting them pretty colours is now just about the most exciting thing I think of!
  

There we have it. Seven goals for seven days filled with magic moments. Would you believe that I found this bit really tricky, to think of things that would make me feel less stressed, or happier, was almost the most stressful bit of this post. I know that I want them to be things that make me feel something, excitement, or calm, or happiness, but it is so hard to think of things that will have that effect without having tried them before. So this list is more of a list of things I hope will have the desired effects. Who knows, maybe this will always prove a challenge or maybe as weeks go by, finding 7 things to sprinkle joy into my life will become easier.

If you were to pick just one thing to add a magic moment to your week what would that be? 

New York, a little better than Berwick.

As I mentioned here in a little under 4 months I am going to be heading off to the U S of A to work at a summer school for the summer and I could not be more excited. America is one of my ultimate destinations, and somewhere I seem to be endlessly fascinated by. What you might not know is how I became so in love with this country, and how at the time It had a hard time beating my first travel love – Berwick.

Summer 1996, this little bundle of ginger was just 3 years old, proud big sister of 1 month old little sis. Together we were going on our first holiday, with mum and dad and all the new baby stuff people take of course. Now, I don’t know about you but I think they were pretty smart to pick somewhere close to home. A little caravan park in Berwick, close enough to get back if anything went wrong but still far enough for it to feel like a faraway land to little 3 year old molls. I mean this place had it all long white sand beach to build sandcastles and boats, my very own park with amazing swings, climbing frame, the works. Inside there was an exciting pool complex with water slides and plenty of space for me to bob about with my arm bands. I could ride my bike around the park all day long if I wanted and even when I road head first into a lamppost (a traumatic experience for a 3 year old, though perhaps a sign of things to come) It was quickly forgot once I’d got my hands on all the ice cream. Safe to say that those few days in a small resort, 1 hour from my home, blew my young mind and defined holidays for me for years to come.

January 2006, little miss molls had grown out of her baby face and into her stroppy teen faze. Just turning 13 and with a slightly more eclectic holiday history behind me (UK, France and Spain… I did say slightly) one holiday still reigned supreme. If you asked me where I wanted to go – ‘Berwick’, would I not like to go to Spain again - ‘Berwick.’ Yup that’s right, ten years on Berwick was still the pinnacle in my young eyes, nothing would beat the opportunity to go back to that town, walk familiar streets and relive all those perfect memories. Traveling was this scary weird concept, I knew dad had cool stories because of it but why didn’t people just like to stay put in one place, why see the world when we could see our family and friends right here on our street?!

Now of course my ideas are somewhat different. For me there is nothing better than finding yourself somewhere you’ve never been before. Whether it’s taking the side streets on your walk to work and discovering a cute little café you didn’t know existed, to throwing it all in hopping on a plane and loosing yourself in a city you’ve only ever dreamt of. But these ideas had to start somewhere..

September 2006, dad was off on yet another business trip but this time it was different, this time I was going with him. To New York, none the less. I was terrified; I was going to New York City, that was scary – exciting – but definitely scary. Waiting to board my first long haul flight I was filled with nerves, until then I’d only flown on a small plane to the Shetland! But I kept on picturing all the sights I’d seen in movies and read about in my guide books. Once we’d landed my nerves vanished, and for a first real journey abroad it couldn’t have gotten much better. Seeing as it was a business trip we were staying in fancy hotels in the finance district, there was even a chocolate statue of liberty in the room! While dad was in all those boring meetings I became addicted to gossip girl, developed a love for bagels and watched people milling about on Battery Park from the 31^st floor! In his down time we got to see all the sights (top of the rock was definitely my favourite), ate a bit too much, shopped until my little self couldn’t shop anymore and just generally loved every second of being in NYC.

In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh
There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York
New York, New York

Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind

It really did do just that. Even now 8 years on, when people ask me where my favourite place is I’ll say New York. When people want to know why I love to travel? Why I chose my degree? My answer is New York. Who knows where I’d be if I hadn’t had that opportunity when I was thirteen. I’m sure one way or another I’d have still developed my passion for travelling, but I still see that trip as a defining point in my life. Almost certainly without it I wouldn’t be heading off to work in America this summer. Oh, and guess what – I’m only 45 minutes away from NYC!

Have you had a defining trip in your life? Is there one place you just can’t get enough of or that you just can’t stop dreaming of exploring?

P.S. linking up with Whitney over at I Wore Yoga Pants To Work to #backthatazzup Friday ... this song  was the only choice really!