Well this weekend turned out to be a bit different than I was expecting! When I woke up yesterday morning and saw this…
…my plans of driving around seeing friends and family, as well as a coffee date with some of my fave bloggers was off the cards. The snow seemed to just come from nowhere and it was surprisingly thick!
So instead of trying to get the car out I decided to change plans and make the most of some time at home. I roasted up a chicken, went for a nice walk and made some delicious soup!
Harissa Spiced Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Fried Courgette Croutons (can be vegan, serves 2)
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and roasted
- About 4 cups of stock – I used a mix of home made chicken and beef stock but vegetable would be just as good
- 1/2 tbsp of harissa paste
- 1 medium courgette
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or fat of choice for frying
This soup really couldn’t be easier! Just blend together the roasted squash, stock and harissa in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a pan to warm while you make the croutons. Chop the courgette into cubes while you heat your fat in a hot frying pan. Fry the courgettes until brown and crispy. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the courgettes. Add some Greek yoghurt if desired.
Oh this was well lush! Perfect for a cold snowy day and such a super simple recipe :-)
I also decided to have some pamper time!
I used some honey as a face mask and made a scrub with coffee grounds (a bit messy, but works very well!) and then another with sugar and olive oil. I was going to use some of that body oil (which I was sent to review a while ago) but after using the scrub I didn’t need it. I also deep conditioned my hair with some Madder Root condition from Aveda. I used coconut oil to moisturise my face afterwards. I felt amazing after that and my skin really was glowing. As I’ll talk about next week my skin has generally been pretty good but I’ve noticed some changes recently, although I now think I just needed a good scrubbing!
Last night I made some delicious slow cooked Thai Green Beef Curry:
I added some spiralized courgettes as the mix was quite ‘soupy’. I’d added some broccoli and peppers but I think I added them too soon as they had almost completely broken down by the time I was ready to eat. Still tasted great though!
Dessert was some frozen raspberries mixed with organic pouring yoghurt and a blob of almond butter:
I really enjoyed that yoghurt! I found it in Waitrose and I will definitely be looking for it again! I used the last little bit with this mornings pancakes:
My simple protein pancakes with mixed berries and cashew butter. Great every time!
Yesterday’s breakfast was another treat with farm shop bacon and fried eggs plus a sliced apple:
Love a runny yolk!
Something I have enjoyed a lot of this weekend is hot chocolate:
My favourite way to make this at the moment is by blending some dandy blend with either regular cocoa or raw cacao powder, coconut oil and a little plain stevia. Delish!
What have you been up to this weekend?
Do you use any natural body care? I tend to like a mix of the shop bought stuff and simpler more natural things. I’ve always found sugar or salt with oil is just as good (if not better) than other body scrub options you’d pay a fortune for. I’m still a fan of apple cider vinegar as a toner as well!
Do you like crispy bits in your soup? Loved those courgette croutons!
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
I really fancy trying an avocado mask and have been looking at recipes online. I think it’s lovely using natural products wherever possible.
Jemma recently posted..Celebrating Success!
I love your pamper session, if I get off work at a reasonable time today I will def try and have one myself. Nothing works better as a face mask than mashed avocado for me and olive oil and sea salt does wonders on dry skin that needs a scrub! I haven’t seen the pouring yoghurt before, looks great though :)
Claire @ Flake And Cake recently posted..Five for Friday
Hope you managed to fit one in! I haven’t tried mashed avocado as a face mask, I’d probably eat it first ;-)
We had a little bit of snow yesterday, but nothing like yours! I worked yesterday and then had a restful evening watching a movie at home. I have two days off now, so I am just going to spend the time relaxing, doing some cooking for the week and maybe go for a nice walk. Natural body care is amazing, coconut oil is awesome for so many things! I usually do a hair mask with it every now and again, particularly during the winter when my skin gets quite dry. I like adding pumpkin seeds to soups for a bit of crunch!
Lauren (@PoweredbyPB) recently posted..Best Body Bootcamp Week 7
Coconut oil is incredible isn’t it, I was telling my gran to use some for her dry skin!
We had a bit of snow, but nothing like that!! I love using coconut oil as a natural body care product, makes a great hair mask every now and again I use that! I like putting pumpkin seeds in soup for a bit of crunch.
Lauren (@PoweredbyPB) recently posted..Best Body Bootcamp Week 7
Sorry I thought my first comment had been lost!!
Lauren (@PoweredbyPB) recently posted..Best Body Bootcamp Week 7
I love your “different” weekend! Taking care of yourself feels awesome, isn’t it? And that soup looks like the real treat!
Unfortunately I don’t have time for natural treats (exept food) but i don’t use much cosmetics so I guess I just miss the true attention to myself!
Have a wonderful (or what’s left of it) Sunday!
Greta recently posted..Chris Martin. The Ikea. And My Ten Minutes Late.
It certainly does! I’m trying to lose less cosmetics as well, roll on the summer for more natural skin!
Awh typical that is had to snow on the day we were supposed to meet eh?!! At least you were productive and had nice little pamper session instead :) I am a little wary of trying new things on my face, even if they are natural, because my skin is so sensitive to everything and breaks out so easily too. I really hate my skin and wish it would clear up already, especially after trying alsorts of the things recommended. If someone could give me a natural remedy I would be one happy girl!
Nicky @kabochafashionista recently posted..Full Fat
Hi Nicky. You could try an oil based balm cleanser like Neal’s Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm or Spiezia Facial Cleanser with a muslin cloth. They make your skin really clean. Also a lavender toner is good for calming skin. They’ve helped my skin a lot. Available at lovelula.com or Neal’s Yard in Newcastle. Hope that helps.
Great advice from Anna below, hope that has helped! I guess all you can do is experiment with different products doing patch tests?
Oh and before I forget, the Skintervention guide is a good read (google it) its not cheap and it is ‘paleo’ based so it might not be your bag, but I was reading it as research for my health coaching work and found it useful xxx
Oh wow thankyou both! I’ll definitely look into the guide Laura..I’m pretty much willing to look into anything right now hence the change in diet too! xxx
Nicky @kabochafashionista recently posted..Full Fat
Gosh that is a lot of snow!
We had some, but it was really in the air, and not settling at all.
I much prefer sugar to salt scrubs, as I find the salt too scratchy, and I agree using natural products is much better.
Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted..Relaxing half term
I’m with you on sugar over salt, unless I find a finer salt then its far too harsh for my skin!
I would really try to use more natural items for skincare, and I do opt for more natural things if and when I can, but mostly I don’t have a clue! W had a bit of snow yesterday too- I was not expecting it at all!
Ffion @ Chocolate and Raspberries recently posted..Square Peg
Its a bit of a mine field once you start reading into natural beauty stuff – but I think it could benefit a lot of people – would you be interested in a post on more of it?
Yes I would find a post really useful, although at the same time its just another thing for me to spend more money on!
Ffion @ Chocolate and Raspberries recently posted..Embracing It
I always try and exfoliate once a week and I find that works really well at just keeping my skin a bit brighter. I don’t really have a preference on what kind though, just whatever isn’t hugely expensive usually! I like the sound of making your own though, might try that!
A while ago i saw a skin cleansing thing on pinterest that used honey with a hot compress and then a scrub of powdered oats, bicarb and honey. It was supposed to be good for spots and it did make my skin feel amazing but during the house move i’ve reverted back to my usual Lush Angels on Bare Skin. I moisturise with coconut oil but recently my skin’s been quite dry so used mousturiser too. Would love to use all natural stuff on my face all the time, altho it would be a bit of a faff with all the shoppinh/prep.
Got to go back to the honey/oats thing again tho, it was just as good as Angels and cheaper!
Love toasted pumpkin seeds & dry fried chorizo on soups. Toppers/croutons mandatory!
I used Lush Ultra bland cleanser and I have to say that is pretty good but I have also tried cleansing with coconut oil as well as moisturising with it and that was awesome too! Planning on experimenting more with bicarb!
that blummin snow!! was really looking forward to our meetup – at least we have spring just around the corner :-) I like to use honey and oats as a facemask….oh and avocados are great too. Just slap em on! :-)
emma recently posted..My Favourite Things from the Last Few Weeks
I know, not happy about it at all! At least when we do meet next the weather should be a bit nicer :-)
Snow seems even less fair at this time of year, it should be nearly spring! Luckily, it was really dry here so it didn’t settle much, hope yours has gone now. I didn’t do much this weekend, just because it was so bitterly cold, I just hibernated!
That soup looks fab; I love the idea of the courgette croutons :-)
Eleanor@eatinglikeahorse recently posted..Horsegate
I know! I can at least enjoy it a bit in December but now it is beyond annoying! Hibernating sounds good to me!
Hi my first comment to your blog, although I have been lurking for some time! We have had snow on and off over the last couple of days here in Kent. I have never tried frozen fruit with yogurt so I am going to put the blueberries I just bought into the freezer right now! I will try them later with some organic coconut yogurt I have. Mmmm hurry up freezer!
Hi Paige, thanks for commenting! I’m popping to check out your blog now :-) Hope you enjoy those frozen berries!
I was mostly cursing the snow over the weekend. Thank goodness one of us can do something productive ;) Would be great to see you at some other time though – hopefully the coffee date can be rescheduled :)
I never liked ‘real’ croutons (for some reason they always hurt my gums! I’m such an old lady…) but I’m tempted to make a version of that soup – sounds delish!
xxx
I love the sound of this soup! Especially the courgette croutons! The snow is a bit of a party-pooper sometimes, haha.
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