Breville Blend Active time!

Hey guys! 

So everyone seems to be falling back in love with smoothies and juices, and I decided I would get back on that bandwagon! 

My blender from Uni didn't survive the trip from Manchester to Gatwick, plus someone had used it and obviously not cleaned it right and it was looking a little blue shall we say..

So after reading a lot of reviews and Becca basically telling me I need to buy it, I went with the Breville Blend Active Blender.. It was £20 on Amazon! Absolute bargain! Plus with my 5% student discount it made it £19! I also have Amazon Prime so free next day delivery.. Amaaaazing! 

It comes with the base (which is the blending bit), the blade and two BPA free bottles! The handiest thing about this blender is that you actually blend INTO the bottle rather than having to transfer it afterwards! The blade and lid of the bottle are interchangeable! So handy and less cleaning which is obviously a good thing!

I went for quite an array of fruit in my smoothie (basically trying to use up all my food in the fridge!!) so I had orange juice, 2 yeotube yoghurts, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, watermelon, orange and banana. Wow. I think it was basically my whole 5 a day in a cup!

Using the blender couldn't be easier, there's only one button! You hold it for a few seconds and that's it, hey presto ready to go! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

And there we have it, the finished product sat infront of the telly chilling out on a lovely Saturday morning!  

Definitely glad I bought this blender, think it's definitely worth getting up a few minutes earlier to make a smoothie! It's so worth it and such an easy way of sneaking fruit and veg into your day!

Have you got any favourite recipes? Particularly any with vegetables in?? Let me know in the comments!!

Thanks for reading!

Foodie Faves!

Heyyyylooooo!

This is a slightly different post from me than you're probably accustomed to! But Manchester has such a great range of restaurants, and these places deserve to get a shout out! I always prefer individually owned or restaurants that aren't part of a chain! Nandos etc are good when you want something easy that you don't have to think about, but when you want something exciting and interesting I think it's always best to spend your money in somewhere that isn't owned by the 'big man'! I'm gonna run through a few of my favourites!

Almost Famous

If gluttony, bacon, burgers, unbelievable flavours, and seasonings are your thing. Almost Famous is the place for you. The burgers and cocktails are to die for!! They're so over the top, everything about them is HUGE, the size, the flavours, the random mix of ingredients (i.e. frazzles, salt and vinegar chipsticks etc. Read: effing delicious) and the overall atmosphere of the place! You will have to wait for a table, there's no bookings, and at busy times it can be a 2 hour wait. But trust me, it's worth it! This place is where dreams are made and obesity happens! My recommendations are: The Baddaboom burger (double cheeseburger, garlic butter brioche, bacon, chorizo, onions, marinara, famous sauce, frenchs, parmeasan and chilli) and bacon bacon fries (a mix of house seasoning fries and sweet potato fries covered in bacon bits and baconnaise) all washed down with either a Bitch Juice or a Dirty Grape Soda cocktail. Unbelievable. Based at the Great Northern!

River Phoenix Burger & Bacon Bacon Fries

Southern Eleven

BBQ, BBQ ON EVERYTHING, BBQ OVER AND ON EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. Basically think American classics, think Pulled Pork, think Brisket, think sliders, think lots of deep fried things! Ahhhhhmaaaaazing. Based in Spinningfields in one of the nicest areas of Manchester, but the price tag isn't reflected at the restaurant! Everythings SO reasonable. Plus there's 20% off for students all the time, amazing! I chose the Sliders, which is one hamburger, one pulled pork and one brisket burger. All which were delicious! I also had deep fried pickles. HOLY MOLY. I thought I loved pickles before, I love them more when they're deep fried! Southern 11 have a huge cocktail list as well, some of which you can even shake yourself, I would definitely recommend trying it! So much fun! 

BBQ Sliders with Fries

Teacup

The cutest little tea shop in Manchester, it's adorable. And they have the WIDEST range of tea you can possibly think of, plus you get to pour your own and everything! So much fun! It's based in the Northern Quarter and not have they only got tea, they also have cake (lots of cake) and delicious food! I went and I had the Sourdough Toast covered with Smokey Bacon Beans. Posh beans on toast with bacon and pancetta bits. Wowowowow. And to finish it off I had a slice of their delicious Rainbow Marizpan cake! Well worth a visit, even if it is only for the cute little teapots! 

Teacup's NQ Brew

Rainbow Marzipan Cake

Home Sweet Home

Another absolutely adorable place based in the Northern Quarter. It sells food, coffee and cake and its adorable with all of it's mismatched furniture! It's a little bit pricier than your normal coffee shop but trust me it's worth it. The pulled pork is off the chaaaain, and according to my friend Lizzie, so are their El Bennie Macho eggs benedict! They have a range of milkshakes, cocktails, craft beers and ales and wines. It's just such a generally nice place to eat in! The cake is off the chain and honestly it's the most crazy collection of cakes you've ever seen! There are no normal cakes, there are huge multicoloured cakes adorned with pictures of Doge, icecream cones filled with peanut butter buttercream, sweets from our childhood and the craziest flavour concoctions! It's worth a visit for the cake alone, never mind the food but I suggest you try them all together for an unreal experience! 

Pulled Pork Pile Up

Bubblegum Party Cake

Saying cheers to exams with a BucksFizz!

 Dogs 'n' Dough

It does what it says in the name, they sell hotdogs and they sell pizzas. And what they sell, they sell it well! This is alongside the pitchers of Budweiser, other beers and a list of cocktails longer than your arm! It's just off Albert Square in the city up a sneaky little side street and what's hiding down the street is worth hunting for! They have specials every week that they advertise on Twitter and the flavour combos are delishhhh! 

The ADB Dog & The Hunting Dog.

That's just a quick collection of my favourite places to eat in Manchester at the minute!

Have you tried any of these places?

Did you like this post for a little bit of a change?
Let me know!

Rachel xx