Tag Archives: Eat Drink Run Fun

The Healthy Plates Initiative with Uncle Ben’s

**Nope not sponsored by Uncle Ben or Aunty Bessie or any other long-lost relatives. Delighted to say I learned loads and left with a fantastic recipe**

The team working with Uncle Ben’s recently invited me to a mini workshop with renowned chef Gary O’Hanlon and esteemed dietician Orla Walsh (Athletics Ireland). They were launching a campaign to show Ireland how easy it is to make a healthier plate, in minutes. The healthy eating plate idea focuses on  food groups and the quality of food rather than the pain in the BLEEP calorie counting. Continue reading

The Secret Life of Pets – Movie Review

So what exactly do pets get up to when their owners leave them alone?

Brought to you by the team behind Despicable Me (Chris Renaud) The Secret life of Pets gives audiences a hilarious insight into how their adorable pets spend their days.

Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) lives in a Manhattan apartment building with his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). His dog life is turned upside down with the arrival of Duke (Eric Stonestreet) a larger than life addition that Katie brings home. Continue reading

Booze Infused – Gin & Tonic Jelly

Gin has come a long way since the days of robbing a swig of the Gordon’s from the mother’s drink press. Over the last couple of years gin has exploded in popularity and with world gin day having just taken place on Saturday June 11th it would be rude not to put together a gin inspired recipe. Continue reading

Limoncello & Basil – A Smoothie Surprise

All too often when the sun shines you hear people (everyone’s mother) roll out the phrase ‘sure with weather like that you wouldn’t want to go away’.  Well as glorious as Ireland is in the sunshine I might still be tempted to jump on a plane to Italy and sip Limoncello by the sea. As luck would have it, I work with a lovely Italian lady who brought me in a bottle. I cobbled together a few healthy ingredients which I then completed doused in liqueur and came up with a refreshing Italian inspired summer smoothie. Continue reading

Vodka Smoothie – Its For Adults Only

The smoothie has long been praised for being a quick and easy way to get fresh fruit and/or vegetables into our diets.  To be fair making a smoothie takes little or no skill and the right combination can taste incredibly good.  Continue reading

A Childhool Favourite PIMPED – Pink Wafer & Marshmallow Ice-Cream Cake

When I was a kid Viennetta was the height of luxury when it came to Sunday after dinner treats. I suspect that is what sparked the trend (on my street) of ice-cream birthday cakes. It didn’t matter that we didn’t have the weather to go with them, they seemed fancy and different and that was good enough for us.  Our cakes were a little less extravagant looking than Viennetta. They were basically a block of ice cream with some whipped cream and smarties on top. For this recipe I’ve decided to give simple ice cream cake a bit of a makeover with a surprise inside.  The kids can of course lend a helping hand. Continue reading

Roast Pork Stuffed with Spinach, Pine Nuts and Apricots – Recipes

I recently took park in a food challenge run by Tesco with five other bloggers. The task was to come up with a summer inspired dish using a choice of meats and to keep the budget under €20. You can find the full details of the challenge here Continue reading

Bloom 2016 – Snapshot of The Food Tents & Surrounds

This weekend I’ve been checking out all that Bloom has to offer. Yesterday I gave you a snapshot of the very impressive show gardens which are open all weekend until 6pm on Monday June 6th and you can get tickets here. Today I’m giving you a flavour of what is on offer in the food village and also some of the crafts on show. You will find everything from gin to juice and this is only a small sample of a wide array of food and drink products on offer. You can of course purchase on site and take them home with you. Continue reading