This lockdown has got me spending a whole lot of extra time in the kitchen.

For those of you that don't know, it's not somewhere I venture to.  My husband can tell you all about it.  He has numerous jokes about me being in the kitchen.

Pinterest - the land of great looking dishes, perfect houses, quick and easy DIY's, flowing living spaces, and the list goes on.

This recipe seemed simple enough, so I gave it a try.  I don't happen to always have chia seeds in my grocery cupboard, but a while ago I really wanted to try going vegan (I'll keep that post for another day).  Let just say for now I'm vegetarian.  That is how the chia seeds landed up in my grocery cupboard.  

I searched Pinterest for recipes that use chia seeds and came across this, it's delicious and versatile as you can use it as a pudding or even a breakfast. 

Perfect as a sweet treat and it's healthy, packed with protein.  Two tablespoons of chia seeds provide you with about 4 grams of protein!  Pretty powerful for a little seed.

RECIPE
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon coffee
8 tablespoons chia seeds

METHOD
whip all your ingredients up, once everything is whipped up, add your chia seeds, then whip again.
Put in the fridge to set overnight. The seeds should grow in side and the consistency goes a lot thicker.

Serve with whipped cream and grated chocolate on top.

There is a whole lot of variations, peanut butter and banana, strawberries and cream, but for now I've tried this one and thought it was delicious.  It's really simple to turn it into a vegan recipe too by using Almond milk.

​

2020...

How did that happen?!

I can't believe that we already heading for March.  

SO, this post is very delayed and was supposed to be at the beginning of the year.

January not at the end of February!  Is there anyone else that is feeling like they just not as organised as they would like to be, or is that just me?

I love stationery and planners.  I cannot begin to tell you how many planners I have tried and tested, researched, pinned and dreamed about.

I've tried the small inspirational ones, the standard A5, the leather refill, the leather refill is extremely awkward as it's an odd size and not to mention that the rings in the middle get in the way when trying to write, not ideal. 

However, before I realized how awkward it was I even customized it by trying to make my own and took the standard ones out. 

After that I tried an A5 ring binder, covered it and printed out my own inners.  This was really cute and I loved how it looked and that I could put sleeves in for those extra pages that get shoved and crumpled in wherever.

I came to the conclusion that it was really big and bulky to carry it around, and when I did carry it around it was just a whole lot of extra unnecessary weight. 

Still, all of this has not stopped me in finding the perfect planner.

I came across bullet journals and watched a ridiculous amount of You Tube videos and got lost in the world of Pinterest.  Perfect, it wasn't restricting and I could write it and plan it out however I liked, and when I felt like changing the look up for the month, I did.  This worked really well, but in the end I realized that I was basically customizing it and I eventually stuck to the same features as the well known planners, that sadly you don't really find easily in SA.  Erin Condren and Kikki K.  If you haven't heard of these, and you slightly obsessed, okay, maybe largely obsessed with planners, like me, then go take a look at these beauties.

I thought my planner journey had come to an end and wasn't sure which option I should settle on for the new year, that's when I was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook at the end of last year and came across I Do Designs 2020 planners.  Nicola from I Do Designs customizes your planner with your name on the cover, as well as different cover options to choose from.  It was like it was really meant to be, insert laughing face here.

Monthly view, daily planner, tasks, water log, birthday, grocery list, breakfast, lunch, supper.  These are a few of the features.  There are a few extra cute pages thrown in here and there, which gives it a little extra something. 

 do think that I would like to possibly try out the A4 next year, which is one of the options.  I also wish that there was a spot for a monthly budget and maybe a weekly view option, but for now this one is just perfect, and if you don't believe me, go take a look for yourself.  Since I ordered mine there is a larger selection of covers and there is the blank page option, meaning you can start the planner at any time of the year, the date is completed by you.  There is also the bullet journal which is now an option.  

I'll be keeping a close watch on these pretties as I'm sure they are going to get even more perfect, if that is even possible.