Wining and dining

Valentines Day. Codswallop or romantic? Personally my boyfriend and I prefer to spend the evening indoors gazing into each others eyes - pass the sick bucket - rather than venturing out into an overpriced restaurant squeezed in like cattle. We celebrate Valentines Day the following day and get to pick off the normal menu rather than a fixed one. Who said romance was dead after 7 years?!

In a bid to try to be romantic, we've decided to hold an indoor picnic this year in front of the telly watching our favourite films. I'm voting for Leonardo DiCaprio. I much prefer a buffet style dinner anyway - roasted pepper hummus for the win!  One of goodies we shall be stuffing our faces with is the chocolate fondue below. Melted chocolate complete with heart-shaped marshmallows, strawberries, mini shortbreads and bananas is what dreams are made off. Complete with a glass of this tasty Gallo Family Vineyard Moscato, it really is a match made in heaven. The fruity flavours of peach, orange blossom , citrus and pineapple make it the perfect accompaniment for a cheeky dessert and with a RRP £6.99 it's not going to break the bank. Thanks for letting me sample the wine Gallo!

How are you going to be spending Valentines Day?

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This week i'm loving: Clay Masks

Argiletz Laboratoire Yellow Clay Face Mask

Commuting really does take it's toll on your skin. Early risers and light nights do not go very well together, I brought this clay mask following a recommendation from Elodie whilst we were in Paris last year. I've been using it around twice a week for the last month or so to try and keep my skin into check. After using a hot cloth cleanser I put on a good thick layer of the mask and leave it on my face for around 10 minutes. Once the time is up I remove it using a lukewarm muslin cloth and slap on my night cream.

I've noticed a clear reduction in the unsightly blackheads around my nose and my skin has lost it's tightness. It feels a lot more smooth and less like sandpaper. I feel it's going to become a stable in my winter skincare routine and will be purchasing another as soon as it runs out.

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Recipe - Feta, Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Serves 4
It works out around 9 Weightwatcher Propoints

This makes a great mid-week meal as it's simple to make and takes around 25 minutes. You don't want to be slaving around in the kitchen when you come home from work after all. The men in my life complained this wasn't enough so i'd suggest you pop some garlic bread in for them if they're not following Weightwatchers!

Ingredients:
160g Wholewheat pasta
120g of low fat feta cheese
Fry lite
200g baby spinach
250g of baby plum tomatoes
4 chicken breasts
2 crushed garlic cloves or two tsp of easy garlic

001. Pop the pasta in a large saucepan filled with boiling water and cook according to the instructions on the packet. Remember to keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the pan.

002. Chop the chicken into bite size chunks and fry in a wok sprayed with fry lite. Cook for around 20-25 minutes.

003. At around the 10 minute mark, chop the tomatoes in half and chuck in the wok and carry on stirring. Eventually the tomatoes will disintegrate and form a sauce. Pop in the garlic and give it a good stir.

004. About 3 minutes before the chicken is cooked, put in the spinach and stir until it's wilted. Once it's wilted pop in 3/4 of the feta cheese.

005. Drain the pasta and mix the rest of the ingredients and serve equally into four bowls. Sprinkle the remaining feta evenly over the pasta.

Once again do tweet me and let me know if you've made it. I loved seeing Elinor's version of this Spanish-style chicken dish!

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