5 tips to help you sleep better

1. Make your bed cosy. Make it into a little haven that you can call your own. So invest in some gorgeous bed covers, pop some pretty fairy lights around the headboard and pop some cushions on your bed. It makes getting into bed even more inviting than usual.

2. Invest in a lavender pillow spray. I always scoffed at the thought of these. But boy do they work. There's something very relaxing about snuggling into your pillow and breathing in a floral fragrance to help wash all the troubles of the day away.

3. Good pillows are everything. They can be the difference to waking up a grouch or waking up full of zest to face the day. I personally prefer some nice and firm on top with a soft feather pillow underneath for the contrast. This Zonal Support Pillow from sleepy people.com* offers next support and holds its shape perfectly. I find with feathers they  get too scrunched up throughout the night and I wake up like a bear with a sore neck.

4. Switch off and opt for a book instead. I find getting lost in a good book makes my eyes droop and I fall asleep a lot quicker. Staring at your phone can strain your eyes and make you feel completely wide awake. Give yourself some down time. Your body will thank you in the morning when you wake up fresh as a daisy.

5. During the week try and go to sleep at the same time. It's easier said then done thanks to Netflix but it can really help your tired eyes. Get into a routine and it will help your quality of sleep. Hopefully you should wake up without an alarm which is always nice!

Do you have any tips to share?

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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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