Project 365: A new start

Now that I have the time to start Project 365 again, I've been thinking about taking it in a slightly new direction, inspired by the Michalaks' vlogs, which I've been binge-watching ever since I discovered them through Hollie's blogger/vlogger favourites last week. If you're not familiar, the Michalaks are a family of three from London who capture their daily family life through weekly vlogs, and the way they capture it so beautifully and with such warmth and tenderness has left me feeling really inspired. This week I've been tackling Project 365 with that inspiration in mind, trying to capture the wonderful little moments that I might otherwise overlook or later forget, not only to encourage myself to be more grateful for them, but also so that N and I can look back in years to come and relive those everyday joys.

Monday 21st March :: N and I came back to Norfolk last Friday for Easter break, and after spending the weekend with him and his parents I headed home. I always find there's something so calming and comforting about coming home, so I'm very glad to be back for a few weeks. On my first day back I indulged in a morning in bed, carrying on with my Michalak binge and enjoying the beautiful morning light that streams through my bedroom window.

Tuesday 22nd March :: Tuesday was the first truly Spring-y day we've had this year. Normally I much prefer colder weather, but the bright sunlight and milder temperatures really put a spring in my step (no pun intended, I promise) and left me feeling all kinds of grateful.

Wednesday 23rd March :: Wednesday was quite a quiet day, mostly spent brainstorming ideas for N's (21st!) birthday present. Mum and I popped out to a few shops in the late afternoon and by the time we came home we were both ravenous, so I cooked up a hearty chickpea and vegetable curry for dinner - perfect after an afternoon of shopping. I apologise for the lack of photo for this day - I'm still getting back into the swing of things, so please bear with me!

Thursday 24th March :: I spent most of Thursday cosied up indoors, indulging in my love of morning television and helping Mum sort through our old things before she moves house next month. We had a lot of stuff in our outbuilding which hadn't been touched for years, so sorting through it all was a real trip down memory lane, uncovering old school books, creative projects I did when I was little and photographs we didn't even know we had, including lots of our old dog Merlin when he was a puppy.

Friday 25th March :: On Friday morning I made my way over to N's house for his birthday weekend. I always look forward to his birthday as I love surprising him and making his day special, and we started the celebrations this year with dinner at one of our favourite restaurants for special occasions, The House, which serves the most delicious Thai food. We went with N's parents and it was a gorgeous evening, which we rounded off with pub quizzes and G&Ts at home.

Saturday 26th March :: On Saturday we all popped into town to hunt around for last-minute bits for N's birthday, and his parents very kindly treated us to a lovely lunch at Patisserie Valerie. The Spring weather from earlier in the week was nowhere to be seen, so when we got back I warmed up with a relaxing lavender bath, which always feels that extra bit special after being bath-less in Brighton during term-time.

Sunday 27th March :: Sunday was forecast for rain and thunder, so we spent the day at home, and in the afternoon N and I cuddled up in bed with cups of tea (and fresh sheets, which are always so dreamy), and while N played Playstation I got to work on editing this week's photos, all the while the smell of a Sunday roast was teasing us from downstairs. I've said it before but I'll happily say it time and time again; Sundays are, and probably always will be, the best days, especially when you have the time to slow down and enjoy them with loved ones.

I hope you've enjoyed the new approach to this project as much as I've enjoyed putting it together. There's definitely something to be said for being just that little bit more aware of all the small things we have to be grateful for, and I'm very much looking forward to documenting them and looking over them months, even years, down the line.

I also hope you've had a wonderful Easter weekend, and I look forward to catching up again next Sunday.

Salted caramel millionaire's shortbread {gluten-free + vegan}

I don't know about you, but I don't mind the salted caramel craze one bit. Admittedly I'm not about to go and throw it on everything and anything, but I think in some cases it really works. A few weeks ago Mum and I came across this recipe for raw vegan millionaire's shortbread made using Nakd's salted caramel nibbles, and when I had a craving for something sweet combined with the urge to bake the other day, it sprung to mind. However, I didn't have any Nakd nibbles to hand, so I've adapted the recipe slightly to make my own version.

I don't mean to blow my own trumpet here, but they turned out pretty darn well. So well in fact they even got a seal of approval from N, who however well he tries to hide it isn't usually very keen on my healthy concoctions, so I take that to be a very good sign.

The key to the success of these delightful little bites is the caramel, which is a simple and healthy but ever so indulgent mix of dates (a.k.a nature's own caramel), coconut oil, non-dairy milk and a generous dollop of almond butter, which gives the caramel an almost Snickers-esque flavour. And of course, the added sea salt gives it that extra edge and really helps bring out (yet balance) the sweetness of the caramel.

What's more, every one of the ingredients in this recipe is rubbish-free and good for you, and the recipe is both vegan and gluten-free (and can be made nut-free with one omission), so really there's no excuse not to make them. With that said, let's get onto the recipe...

INGREDIENTS

For the base:

100g ground almonds

100g raw buckwheat groats

1 tbsp maple syrup

A splash of non-dairy milk (I used soy)

For the caramel:

160-200g dates

3 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp non-dairy milk

1-2 tsp smooth almond butter (feel free to omit if you are allergic)

Sea salt

For the chocolate topping:

4 tbsp coconut oil

4 tbsp cacao powder

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

The first step of this recipe is to make your base. Simply add the ground almonds, buckwheat groats, maple syrup and your milk of choice into a blender, and blend until everything is mixed together and starting to stick. Then place into a dish or tray lined with clingfilm or greaseproof paper, and use the back of a spoon to smooth into an even layer. Then pop into the freezer to set while you make the caramel layer.

Clean out your blender, then add in the dates (and eat half the bag as you go...), coconut oil, milk, and almond butter, if using. Unless you have a super powerful blender like a Vitamix your blender is probably going to hate this, but you need to blend the ingredients together until a thick, smooth caramel forms. Pulsing it at the start should relieve the strain on your blender, but try to avoid adding excess milk as this will result in runny caramel which won't set.

Once the caramel is blended, take the tray out of the freezer, spread the caramel out over the base, and sprinkle over your sea salt.

Put your tray back into the freezer to allow the caramel to set, then boil some water and place it in a pan over a low heat and use a heat-proof bowl to make a bain marie. Gently melt the coconut oil, then stir in the maple syrup, cacao powder, and vanilla extract if using. Once everything is smooth and combined, remove from the heat and pour over the caramel, gently spreading it with a spatula until it forms an even coat.

Put the tray back into the freezer one last time, and after around 15-20 minutes everything should be set.

Once set, cut into bites or slices and store in a container in the fridge for up to five days (if they don't all get eaten before then!). You could also pop your slices in the freezer if you're not likely to eat them all in time, and you could either eat them frozen or let them thaw out for an hour or so.

These gooey, sweet, fudgy bars are enough to satisfy even the sweetest of teeth, but without the refined sugars most sweet treats contain, and I've no doubt this won't be the last time I make them. If you decide to try making them yourself I would absolutely love to see how you get on, so please take pictures and tag me on Twitter and Instagram. I hope you love them as much as I do!

A little life update

This is the first chance I've had to really sit down and write out a blog post in far too long. As you may have seen me vaguely mention, these past few months have been very busy. In fact, probably some of the busiest months I've experienced yet, and I'm very glad things have slowed down enough now that I'm able to start investing time in my hobbies again.

So, given my absence during this time, I thought it was time for a catch up. Up until now I've been reluctant to say too much about what's been keeping me so busy, simply because I wanted to wait until I knew the outcome before I spoke about it properly. As you likely know, I'm currently at university in Brighton. While I'm really glad I made the decision to go to uni and I've loved being in education again, unfortunately the course I'm on just isn't right. While I'm still going to my lectures and will be seeing this year through, I also know this isn't how I want to spend the next three years, so after a lot of thought and talks with my family and friends, whose support has been utterly invaluable, in October I decided to apply to study graphic design. I think even when I applied for this course deep down I really wanted to pursue design, but because I thought that having never studied it studied it before there was no way I would be accepted onto a course, I pushed it aside as a pipe dream. However, when I started studying something else I realised it wasn't something I could just push aside and decided to go for it despite my doubts, and have spent the four months since then working tirelessly on building up a portfolio to try and get myself a place. During that time there have been countless late nights, a generous handful of wobbles, and a lot of stress, but I'm absolutely thrilled to finally be able to tell you that I have been offered places with my dream universities! I'm still undecided as to which university I'm going to pick, so I'll have to keep you posted on that, but either way I will be starting a new course in September, and I could not be more excited.

Working on my portfolio has been taking up most of my time since October so things have been pretty quiet outside of that, although in February I did travel around the country a little to attend interviews, including a day-trip to Winchester and my mini trip to Cornwall. Now things have settled down I'm focusing on catching up on anything I've missed at uni, as well as finding my blogging feet again and getting back on track with Project 365, which sadly did have to sit on the back-burner while I focused on design work.

This weekend has been quite a lazy one, and it's been nice having the freedom to sleep in and spend some time doing nothing much at all. That being said, N and I did go out for dinner on Friday night to celebrate, and we treated ourselves afterwards to a few glasses of wine at our favourite place, Ten Green Bottles, which we've agreed we're going to make a more regular thing. We also popped out this afternoon to pick up a few things, including a loaf of fresh rosemary and sea salt sourdough which I topped with perfectly ripe avocado, sun-dried tomatoes and sunflower seeds for a truly dreamy late lunch.

I hope you're all well, and I'm very much looking forward to posting more regularly again. Also, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! I hope you get spoiled rotten.