Learning to trust your gut

Pressure. A concept that can push you under the water and making it feel like you're frantically paddling trying to keep your head above the water. A concept that can force you into making decisions not always in your best interest. A concept that can make you full of regrets.

Over the last few week I've been faced with some tough decisions to make about the possibility of my future. At the moment my future feels so uncertain. So up in the air. I've not know if I'm coming or going. Freelance is tough. Tougher than I ever thought it would be. But I don't want to take opportunities for the sake of it. I want to take them because they feel right.

I've not known if I'm shooting myself in the foot in turning opportunities down in the hope that something would come off or if it I'm doing the right thing and will soon be rewarded. But when I thought about it deep down I realised that although I'll be faced with the total unknown, my gut was telling me that it was the right thing to do. Instinct is a powerful thing. It can help you make the correct decision. Not for anyone else. But for you. The most important person.

No one knows you better than yourself. After all, you've lived with yourself since day dot and have grown as a person over the years. You know what you want from life. What you truly want to do. No one else is living your life. So trust that little voice in your head. It knows what it's talking about.

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Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Chicken Tikka Masala

I'm trying very hard to get my eating habits back into a good place recently. I'm following a simple, healthy eating plan during the week which helps me to indulge over the weekend. I find 80:20 is the key  - I've lost 6lbs in just under a month. As a result I'm cooking Slimming World dinners during the week. A little while ago I was invited along to see the new launches of Slimming World products in Iceland. I'm already a huge fan of the range so was pretty excited to see they've introduced two new sauces to help make things a little easier in the evening. A chunky tomato and tikka masala - both which can be adapted to make so many different dishes. This recipe taken from a booklet available in the Iceland stores was a surefire hit and one I'm going to make time and time again. I've slightly adapted it to pop in my favourite veggies.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 pots of Slimming World Spicy Tikka Masala Sauce, cooked according to packet instructions*
1 courgette, cut into chunks
1 onion, sliced thinly*
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips*
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips*
1 bag of ready cut butternut squash and sweet potato
1 can of butter beans
1 pack of cherry tomatoes*
200g of baby spinach*
Frylight
Brown rice to serve

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees/ Fan 200 degrees/Gas mark 7.

2. Start cooking the brown rice.

3. Spray a large roasting tin with frylight and scatter the prepared vegetables. Season to taste, toss well and pop in the oven. Roast for about 20 minutes, remembering to turn halfway through.

4. Meanwhile, tip the cook tikka masala sauce into a large saucepan, add the butter beans and heat through over a medium heat.

5. Add the cooked roasted vegetables and spinach to the mixture in the pan, simmer until the spinach is wilted. Add some water if you want a thinner sauce.

6. Serve with brown rice and tuck in!

As always I would love to know if you decide to rustle it up. Drop me a tweet to let me know!

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Review: Mangal 1.1, Shoreditch

A few weeks ago I was invited along to try the newly launched Mangal 1.1 Turkish restaurant in Shoreditch. Located inside the Bedroom Bar, the cosy restaurant is the newest eatery in the company. Mangal already has a fierce reputation in the city and is well known for it's delicious, mouth-watering dishes. So I knew I was in for a very tasty night night indeed.

I met Lily outside after work and we settled down for a Turkish feast and to put the world to rights. What a feast we were treated too! First a selection of delicious mezze with endless chunky warm bread. Dishes of creamy hummus, cucumber and yogurt cacik and a spicy tomato ezme salata were eagerly moped up with the bread.

It wasn't long before a fresh salad was placed on the table and a generous portion of juicy seasoned meat appeared. Lamb koftas, chicken cheese, lamb chops, spicy chilis and slabs of tender beef were all piled high on a plate with floury wraps for us to make our very own kebab. The meat was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth. The lamb chops were a personal favourite.

The meal was finished off with sweet baklava. Layers upon layers of crispy, sweet filo pastry filed with syrupy pistachio nuts. Just the ticket to satisfy our sweet tooth.

Mangal is expertly priced especially for Shoreditch. It's a great place to go with friends, we never felt rushed and as a result managed to have a long-awaited catch up. I really do dislike this 2 hour limit on tables in London. They also offer a takeaway service so you can enjoy it in the comfort of your own home.

Thanks for such a lovely evening Mangal 1.1. I'll be back!

 68 Rivington St London, Greater London EC2A 3AY

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