Review: The Gate vegetarian restaurant, Islington

Although I'm not a vegetarian, I eat a lot of veggie food and I'm actually quite fussy with it. I think veggie options can be quite lazy - a lot of places think that just removing the meat is the only way to go, but of course it isn't. A good vegetarian meal has been planned without any meat in mind, making a hero out of the vegetables used (I'd also accept the cheese), and as a dedicated carnivore, I don't want to be eating it and thinking 'If you just added some bacon, it'd be perfect.' So I'm all for the inclusion of a really good vegetarian option on a menu. I fight for your rights, veggies.

So here I am, reviewing The Gate restaurant in Islington with all that in mind. I don't frequent veggie restaurants often, so I was excited to see what they did with that option - was it going to be run of the mill, or innovative? Well, I'm happy to say it was the latter - this is a place that loves vegetables, and wants to show people what they can do. Not only did I not miss meat during my three course dinner, I really noticed the difference in how I felt afterwards - much less bloated, much less heavy - enough to make me consider ordering the (V) option even more frequently, and not always succumbing to the allure of a steak.

Recipe: Simple, Healthy Granola with Alpro #makeoveryourmorning

Being a food blogger means often being challenged to try new things. I actually really enjoy it - it's all too easy to get stuck in a rut, and I know that I learn a lot from it. Sometimes I find it's a nice variation from the norm, but other times it really does change the way I cook, or totally alters my routine for the better.

This food challenge was definitely the latter. Alpro asked me to take part in their #MakeOverYourMorning campaign, to create delicious smoothie bowls and other concoctions with their tasty yogurts, which are incidentally all dairy free. They sent me a pack of their big yogurt pots - Coconut, Almond and Natural - and I got to thinking about what I could come up with.

Food for thought: Eating right.

Chilli, lime and ginger chicken rice

I have a lot of thoughts about food, and sometimes, when I see the eyes of my poor boyfriend glaze over as I rant for the 307th time about why I don't want to give up sugar, I think 'Maybe I should spare the poor soul and put this on my blog?' At least you guys can opt out if I get boring.

I'm thinking a lot about eating well at the moment. I am a Dieter, and I say that with a little bit of embarrassment, because it's not something I like about myself. I hate how quickly I can turn the conversation to diets. I hate how obsessed I am with my weight. I wish I could accept myself as a larger woman. I was raised with a binge/starve mentality – not an eating disorder, but not a healthy approach to food, either. My mentality is usually 'Be really good until this point and then GO CRAZY.' And that, my friends, is how I gained a stone in December. I know, you're all thinking 'You went to NYC! We saw the food pics!' True, true. But I gained about 2lbs in NYC. The real damage was when I came back. Christmas food was in abundance and I denied myself nothing.

Making pizza with I Just Love It

I have this little fantasy about one day having a big, lovely house with a huge garden (that I somehow never have to tend, because who the heck wants to do gardening?) and, obviously, an outdoor pizza oven. On weekend nights, we'd throw together some dough and have family pizza night - woodfired, of course.

I mean, I assume woodburning outdoor pizza stoves are on the pricey side and it might not be the safest idea in the world for Essbeevee Jr to pop in her own pizza, but what part does practicality have to play in a fantasy? Nothing, that's what.

My point? I'm GETTING there, honest. A couple of weeks ago I went to La Cucina Caldesi to learn how to make my own pizza, along with the team from gifts website I Just Love It and lots of lovely bloggers.

Life update and general chatter

So, March already. This year is flying by – but don't they all? 2016 is going to be a big year of change for me, yet at the moment I feel like I’m rather stuck in a rut... probably because I’m in a very similar position to the one I was in 2 years ago.