Yu Healthy Snacks Review And Competition - Ends 31/01/15

Yu! are a range of healthy snacks that are perfect for this time of year and they now have some new tasty additions to the range. 

Perfect for everyone big or small, the revamped range of guilt-free treats include mini, star and heart-shaped 100% Just Fruit Chews.  These tasty snacks of dried fruit make up one of your five a day and are high in fibre with no added sugar. To me, they even taste just like little sweets - and all without the guilt.

 Another item in the range is the Fruit Pieces With a Light Yogurt Coating. The apple pieces are particularly tasty, with a subtly sweet and moorish creamy taste, and these little snacks are high in fibre too.

 The Yu Bars are another revelation, packed full of yummy juicy fruits and cereal in a gorgeous yoghurt-coating, these bars will stave off the hunger pangs until dinner time.

Nutritious and delicious, Yu!’s mini, heart and star-shaped Just Fruit Chews are now available in mango, raspberry and strawberry flavours, while Yu!’s Fruit Pieces with a Light Yogurt Coating are available in taste bud-tingling apple, mango, strawberry and raisin. The Yu Bars are available in strawberry, cherry and wild berry.

You can find these snacks in the home baking section of  Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and in the healthy snacking aisle in Waitrose. So if you are looking for a better snack than chocolate for yourself, or for a nutritious addition, to your kid's lunch box, consider these Yu! snacks.

Today I am giving my readers a chance to win a great selection of snacks. To enter my competition go through the Gleam application below. If you like this competition bookmark this page to enter daily.

 Good Luck!

Win a Selection Of Yu Snacks

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Win A £50 Voucher With Bras Galore - Ends 31/01/15

Bras Galore is a lingerie company that stock super quality underwear and swimwear from leading brands such as Freya, Fantasie, Elomi and Fauve amongst others.

The online shop is a fashion lovers delight. From pretty balconette bras to silky chemises, padded plunge bras to super soft thongs, you can guarantee there is something for everyone.


Elomi Rita Multi-way bra £40 and brief £20

One of my favourite underwear brands is Freya. This brand is always fashion led, stylish and fun. Freya use the best quality fabrics too, sourcing most from Europe and every part of each bra is thought about in detail, straps are tested, different underwires are used for each bra depending on style, and fit is never compromised. Real women test each design for fit, and each design is adjusted painstakingly until it is perfect. Freya also make a fun and flattering range of swimwear too, which is definitely worth checking out.


Freya Fifi half cup bra £31 and short £14

Elomi is another brand that caught my eye. Elomi makes underwear for ladies specifically with the fuller figure. Always supportive, and always pretty, the devil is in the detail, as they say, with embroidery, and lace popular finishing touches. How flattering is this Elomi Imogen waspie below? It holds you in, supports you, gives you a great waist and is sexy too.


Elomi Imogen Waspie £30

Are you stepping up your fitness in 2015? Well Bras Galore have a range of sportswear and activewear as well. From crop tops with wide straps for extra support, active racer style sports bras that keep sweat away from the body, full shorts, sports things and even capri pants - it is all here. 

Swimwear is covered with bikinis, swimsuits and cover alls. I love the swimskirts that they sell as they are so flattering and skim over any problem areas.

Freya Cobalt Underwired Bikini top £35 and beach skirt £29

If you are pregnant, they also have some gorgeous nursing and maternity underwear, practical as well as pretty.

So as you can see there is something for everyone on Bras Galore, and with free delivery too, and a 28 days refund or exchange service it's definitely a store that is worth checking out.

Today, on my blog, for my lovely readers, I have a competition where you could win a £50 voucher for Bras Galore. Just follow the instructions below and if you love the competition, you can always bookmark the page to come back for a daily tweet/bonus entry.

 Good Luck!

Win a £50 voucher for Bras Galore


Competition ends 11:59PM 31st January 2015 

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com - See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/%C2%A350-voucher-bras-galore#sthash.vGszbcrE.dpuf
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Flanders Fields Poppy Necklace By The Royal British Legion

Jewellery doesn’t come much more unique than this elegant and stylish poppy necklace from the Royal British Legion.

This pretty necklace which has been commissioned to help commemorate the Centenary of the First World War (1914-1918).

The design of the unique and exclusive Centenary Flanders Fields Poppy Necklace is based on a 100 year old dried and flattened real poppy from Private Len Smith’s diary. Private Smith, a veteran who lived until 1974, plucked the poppy from No Man’s Land in 1915 and preserved it in his illustrated diary. Artist Stephen Allen then created a sculpture of the poppy for TMB Art Metal of London to use as the model for the necklace. 




The necklaces have been created from the solid brass artillery shell fuses found on First World War battlefields. The shells have been melted down and cast, using the traditional ‘lost wax’ method in which each and every poppy requires a wax version, into the hand sculpted poppy designs. 

Each necklace features a contrasting sterling silver backing plate on which the brass poppy is mounted upon an 18” diamond cut Belcher style silver chain. Each is engraved on their reverse with ‘1914-1918 Flanders Fields’ and is accompanied by a certificate of provenance and presented in a high quality case. 

All profits raised from the sale of the necklaces goes directly to The Royal British Legion. The Royal British Legion do incredibly valuable work in supporting the members of the British Armed Forces and their families. 


The necklace is available exclusively from The Poppy Shop and is priced at £79.99. 

As you can see the design is very pretty and I think this is a lovely way to support a charity, and perhaps wear in memory of a relative. They also do this design as a set of cufflinks which is also priced at £79.99.

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What To Do In A Weekend In Berlin

Recently I was lucky enough to be swept off to Berlin for a long weekend. Berlin, the capital of Germany is a very cosmopolitan city. With a population of only 3.5 million and an area of approximately two-thirds of the size of London, the capital of German has lots to see and do and great shopping.

I am no expert on Berlin but this is my guide as a first-timer on what to do in a weekend in this fascinating capital city.

When to go


A Christmas Market In Berlin

Summer is a popular time to see the city's parks and attractions and another popular time is December to see the Christmas markets.

We went in December and can highly recommend visiting at this time of year. In the Christmas markets, stalls abound with Christmas decorations, trinkets, mulled wine and decorated gingerbread. It does get very cold at this time of year so wrap up warm. When we were there in December, temperatures went as low as -6 degrees C and it snowed one day.

The Language

English is spoken in most places in Berlin so if you only know a few words of German it should be no problem, although it's only courteous to learn a few phrases to get you by on a short trip.

Transport

As the attractions in Berlin are spread out I would recommend using the local public transport to get around. The transport system is easy to use - one ticket can be used on the U-Bahn (underground) the S-Bahn (train) and the bus and tram system. A day ticket cost 6.9 euros. If you are not a fan of the underground you will be pleased to know it is much less crowded than in London. Tickets on the underground are bought from ticket machines in English and German and you can buy a ticket for one journey or a ticket to last you all day. The machines do not take MasterCard and Visa although Maestro is taken so make sure you have Euros with you to pay as a backup.

Official Taxis are metered and prices are comparable or slightly cheaper than in London.

History

Berlin has a troubled and violent history. During World War 2 it was virtually destroyed by bombing and artillery. At this time in history, it was the centre of the Gestapo - the German secret police and Hitler spent much of his time in Berlin and had one of his many residences there. Even after the Second World War, the city was divided into East and West by the Berlin Wall. I'm not an expert in history so I have added relevant links throughout this post if you are interested in reading up more.

What To See 

Topography of Terror

This indoor and outdoor museum on the site of buildings which during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945, was the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS. The boundary between the American and Soviet zones of occupation in Berlin ran along the street, so the street soon became a fortified boundary, and the Berlin Wall ran along the south side of the street, A sombre but worthwhile museum about Berlin from 1933 to 1945.

The Berlin Wall


A Section Of The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989, constructed by the German Democratic Republic, that cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until it was opened in November 1989. Many people tried to cross the Berlin Wall and not everyone survived. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls which circumscribed a wide area - the "death strip" that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defences. 

The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.

 There is an interesting free museum that explains the history of the Berlin Wall and charts the timeline, those that escaped and those that died trying to escape as well as the fall of the wall.

 Checkpoint Charlie



Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. Today you can have your photo taken with the 'army guards' that are employed for tourism.

Berlin Zoo

The Berlin Zoo is the oldest and best-known zoo in Germany. It is considered to be the most visited zoo in Europe and one of the most popular worldwide. With over 20,000 animals, there is a lot to see and do. It's a perfect family attraction and great for some light sightseeing.

The Brandenburg Gate



 The Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is an 18th-century archway in Berlin, and one of the best-known landmarks of Germany. It is built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel. During the post-war Partition of Germany, the gate was isolated and inaccessible immediately next to the Berlin Wall, and the area around the gate was featured most prominently in the media coverage of the opening of the wall in 1989.

Throughout its existence, the Brandenburg Gate was often a site for major historical events and is today considered a symbol of the tumultuous history of Europe and Germany, but also of European unity and peace.

Where To Eat

There are lots of cosmopolitan places to eat in Berlin with cuisine from all nationalities, and you can find many excellent places, both independent restaurants, chains, and cafes. We had gluhwein (mulled wine) and the local lager at a traditional German pub and ate from the menu of German specialities including a German version of Wiener Schnitzel.

German specialities are hearty and many are based on meat and potatoes with ingredients such as cabbage popular. For snacks, Bratwurst which is a German sausage is eaten at many stalls at the side of the street. Currywurst, which is a sausage with ketchup and curry powder wasn't as bad as I imagined! 


Currywurst

Le Faubourg Restaurant

This French restaurant, part of the Sofitel Berlin Kurfuerstendamm, ranks highly on TripAdvisor and is worthy of one Michelin star in my opinion. Choose from traditional or nouveau style food, and with dishes like saddle of venison with pancetta, sweet potato, brussel sprouts and mushrooms and sautéed sea bass on champagne lentils with straw potatoes, you will be in for a treat. A special occasion place, expect to pay 100-150 euros for a meal for two with wine.

Hard Rock Cafe, Berlin

Always dependable where ever you find them around the world, the Hard Rock Cafe at Kurfuerstendamm is no exception. I think you can't beat the burgers here and my son rates the rack of ribs highly. Use priority seating via the website to have first seating when you arrive and to avoid a long wait. Expect to pay 40-50 Euros for a meal for two, more if you are having alcohol.

Where To Stay

We stayed at the Sofitel Berlin Kurfuerstendamm. A lovely hotel in the west of the city with large modern rooms and a surprisingly affordable cost for a city centre hotel. Expect to pay £100 - £150 a night for a room for 2 people. I couldn't fault the hotel but as many of the sights are in the East of the city perhaps I would stay in a more central hotel next time if we visited Germany again. If you're wondering where to stay in Berlin, Katie from Wandertooth has a great guide here.

For more information, check out this guide on what to do with 72 hours in Berlin.  

 So this is a guide on what to do and see in a weekend in Berlin, as I said I am not an expert.  Tell me, have you been to Berlin? Do you have any recommendations on what to do and see?
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Silent Sunday 4th Jan 2015


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Slow Cooker Recipe - Duck In A Red Wine Sauce


Ingredients

1 leeks
3 carrots, sliced
1 sticks celery
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices bacon
2 tbsp plain flour
4 whole duck or chicken legs
few sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
400ml/½pt red wine
100ml/3½fl oz chicken stock
150g/5½oz button mushrooms, cut in half

Method

Put the leek, carrots and celery into a slow cooker, and season with salt and pepper.
Fry the bacon until crispy add to slow cooker.
Coat the chicken in flour and add salt and pepper.
Fry the chicken in some oil until browned.
Put the chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker and add thyme.
Add a little more oil to the frying pan if needed, then add the garlic.
Cook for a minute, then add the wine and ketchup and bring to the boil.
Add the stock, return to the boil, season with salt and pepper, then pour over the meat and vegetables.
Cover with the lid then cook on low for six hours, until the duck is tender.



Serve with roast potatoes, green beans and broccoli. Enjoy!
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