Wednesday 29 October 2014

Santa Maria and Cacao & Ancho Chilli Review




Recently it was National chocolate week and as part of that I got to try another yummy sauce by Santa Maria, called Cacao and Ancho Chilli..  A rich savoury tomato sauce with ancho chillies and cacao .  Chilli and chocolate is a something everyone says is really lovely, but not one I have tried. I found a great recipe on the jar and I thought it sounded really yummy. Here it is for you to try

Cacao & Ancho Chicken

500g chicken breast thinly sliced

1 jar of Santa Maria cacao & ancho chilli seasoning & sauce
oil for frying plain

Heat the oil and fry the chicken till it is brown and well cooked. Lower the heat and add the seasoning and stir well.
Add the contents of the jar into the pan with the chicken.
You can add extra water to the mix if required. Stir and cook for a further 3-5 mins
Serve with Santa Maria plain flour tortillas or rice

It was really nice and spicy but not too hot which is what I enjoy. So I hope you will go our and try this great sauce. There are lots of great recipes over

http://www.santamariaworld.co.uk/

Monday 27 October 2014

My Empty Chair in the Corner







Well its the early hours of Monday again and I was thinking about my first post of the week. If you read my blog ( and thank you if you do) you will know what I enjoy to do on a Monday. I love to Link up with Jamie over at The oliversmadhouse for magic moments which I really have fun doing.
I am sorry for being a down in the dumps so early in the week but I wanted to share with you.
A few years ago my niece Emma over at the syders introduced me to a group of ladies who wanted to lose weight. We were all over the place but all knew losing weight was the main constant.
Amongst those people  was a lady Called Lisa or leese as I came to know her. Over the years I got to know leese very well, through all her ups and downs and seeing her family. All this was done via facebook. We slowly built up a great silly and full of fun friendship. Helped I believe by our love of cakes and being silly in general.
I always knew Leese was very very sick with a heart problem and boy oh boy was she fighting .It came close to being the end for her a number of times, but she always seem to recover and fight on.
Then I got a message on Saturday that poor brave, funny Leese had passed away. I was in shock and still can't believe I will never chat with her again.
So no this is not a sad post this is a post to remember my funny, brave and wonderful Friend. To think of all the funny messages we shared. She was truly magic in everything she did or said.
So if you do only one this for me this week. Stand up and raise a glass , cup or whatever and toast.
The amazing Lisa and her family. I will think of those many magic moments with pride. I may have an empty chair in the corner but I have a ton of magic moments in my heart.


Monday 20 October 2014

Shake the Crave Review

I get asked to try lots of great products and I am always grateful to get the chance to work with new brands. I recently was contacted by one such company and something which I struggle with daily.
That thing is weight loss! My weight has been up and down for years. I honestly do not eat huge meals but I have health issues which stop me from all the fitness work I used to do, which kept me slim.So when Shake the Crave contacted me I was excited to try. So lets start with the facts

Shake the crave is a guilt-free shake the fills you up, boosts your energy and helps you feel full longer. It's great to drink at breakfast or lunchtime , as a healthy snack or quick meal on the go.
Shake the crave is made from 100% pure ingredients. We have powder, and vanilla or cocoa giving you a total of 20 grams of sugar for the best possible results. This type of natural sugar converts to glucose quickly, which fuels ATP production in your body. ATP is what gives your body the energy to think, move, perform - it is the currency of your body and without it you can't sustain life. The formulation will give you a smooth energy boost and help keep you full longer, plus it tastes good.

So I decided as I only had two packets to replace my breakfast and lunch with Shake the crave. I had the chocolate one first. It was easy to mix but you have to give it a good strong mix to make sure you have a smooth shake. I was not hopeful as my brain was telling me I need food. I liked the taste and enjoyed drinking it. I was surprised that I once I got over the first 'no food ahhhh' I was fine and didn't feel hungry at all. At lunch time I tried the vanilla. I didn't enjoy this as much as I found it rather sweet. I am not a fan of vanilla and I really did prefer the chocolate but then that's personal choice.
I found it easy to stick it out for the day and in the evening I enjoyed a nice well planned meal without any guilt.

I think if you are looking for a simple diet then you may want to try Shake the crave. I only was able to try it for one day so I can't say a long term result but I should had I did lose 2 pounds in that one day.



 for details about the program, including cooking and eating tips, recipes and more 


Please note I was not paid for this review, only receiving a sample of the product

Oh I Like To Be Beside The seaside!

I have not really had a holiday this year. Either we have been too busy or not well enough to do anything. So last week week we went off on a short break to the seaside. We visited a place called Littlehampton . Its a really sweet place with loads to see and do. It was very nice to spend time with my husband as I  know he was going to be going away on holiday, It was a shame as the weather which had been good, when down hill and we had a ton of rain. It did't matter at all and we still had a great time





Hope you are all having a fab Monday

Thursday 16 October 2014

The Personal Dreams of Jollyjilly


I was looking as I do around the inter net and came across someone talking about personal dreams. I know as children we all have dreams of what we will become or what life has to hold for us. As a child I guess my practical dream was always to be a nurse. I always played dolls but they had to be sick so I could bandage them up, or give them special medicine I made from my mums Roses lol.
If anyone asked me what I wanted to be it was a nurse and I never changed my mind.
However, deep down I had another dream, a wonderful distant dream that I never told anyone about.
Well I think I am safe to tell you now lol. My dream was to be a vocalist and better still a country and western singer lol. I wanted to be on stage in Nashville singing in a white fringe dress covered in bling !
I wanted to sing so much it hurt. Every birthday and Christmas I would leave my mum and note on her pillow. The note would read "Dear Mummy please can I have singing lessons"! You know my mum never ever asked me about the notes or mentioned them at all. I guess I can understand that as we were just normal working class, people like us didn't have singing lessons.
I had to be content with the school choir as that was the only chance I got to sing. I loved being in the front and singing my little heart out.
The funny thing is I would never have made it because my voice was not good enough and I am honest about that now. How fate has a hand because many many years later I had a little girl, and that little girl had the most amazing voice. My little girl grew into a wonderful young woman who had the voice I had once dreamed about.
So maybe I didn't get to sing but every time I hear her voice its even better than if it was me.
I have no regrets ....... well maybe never getting that white fringe dress!


Wednesday 15 October 2014

Jolly Lonely World


Today I am feeling a bit reflective and wondering what I should do with my life to improve things. I am normal a happy person but I am feeling a bit down in the dumps. I feel like life is passing me by and I am getting left behind, while others move forward. I have never been very exciting or like to go far from home. I have a bad lack of self confidence which weight and health issues have only made worse.
I have two wonderful children and partners and a grandson and granddaughter on the way, but its still a lonely life at times.  I have a few health issues which is turn have added to the weight, its a never ending circle that goes round and round. I am overweight so find it hard to do any fitness work, but then being overweight makes the health worse.
I think people see me as a bore, who will not try anything and that makes me sad. If I was slim and healthy I would be doing all the fun stuff that I can't do now.
I stay home most of the time and if I do go anywhere it is such a trial to work around I feel exhausted. So its hard not to be depressed and to at least give an false "I'm fine" all the time. I am 57 and most days I feel 87. People's patience often is tested as I guess it looks like I am just not trying , but really I am.
I want to go on holiday and see wonderful new places but I am scared I will not be able to get around or I will be sick all  the time.
Loneliness is a painful condition and one which must affect so many people. I am lucky to have family but many people do not have that.
Sorry If I have not been my normal "jolly" but even a great actress like me has her off days.
Be nice to a lonely person today you never know when it could be you!


Tuesday 14 October 2014

Sad and scared

I'm sad and I'm scared! Now that's a statement not many people can say. I am about to face a 28 day trial and i have to be honest I am sad and nervous.  I am angry that I am facing this and almost hysterical at the thought. Saying that i will suck it up and get on with it as i cant do anything else. Think this is going to change a few things and i hope the month passes very fast!

Sunday 12 October 2014

Jordans Simply Granola Review


I really love cereal I have to say lol. So when I got to try this new one by Jordan's I was delighted.
I was impressed as it was in nice chunky bits which I love and also that it was not too sweet. I am not a fun of all those sugar cereals so it was nice to try this. I enjoyed it with milk but I think it would be lovely with yogurt as well , really healthy and fresh. I thought I would try and use it for cooking with as well. I had some over ripe pears which rather than waste I used to make a pear crumble. I peeled and cut the pear up, I didn't bother adding sugar as they seemed sweet enough to me. I then made a traditional crumble mix, but as an added extra I put in a nice helping of simply Granola. It was really nice and added a firmer texture to the crumble. I was surprised how soft it stayed and was totally yummy to eat. I would have added a picture but sadly it did not last long enough for me to take it lol.






So give this cereal a try but don't limit yourself to breakfast , use it to cook or snack on all sorts of times of the day. Lots more information over at


Please note I was not paid for this review , only receiving a sample of the product.

Silent Sunday:12/10/14


Monday 6 October 2014

Magic seaside moments:13/10/14

So here we are and its early on another Monday morning. Its been both a lovely day , an exhausting day and a frustrating day. I'm lucky to be on a short holiday in a lovely place called Littlehampton which is right by the sea. Today the weather was warm and the predicted rain never arrived. I still think of those long summer days when the kids were little! I should say how wonderful it is to get a break on such a great place. Its run by The Firefighters charity and provides a place for firefighters or their depends to come a relax, mainly if they have health issues. So my magic moment this week is to watch the sea and relax and remember how lucky I am.

Pop over to www.theoliversmadhouse.co.uk