Happy 2019 all!
I was recently invited to a lovely evening with Future Inns to try out their new afternoon teas with a handful of other bloggers. 
If you haven't heard of Future Inns before, they are a small Canadian chain of hotels, currently based in the UK in Cardiff Bay, Bristol and Plymouth and not only do they offer overnight stays with free parking and WiFi (priorities!) and easy access to the city centres, but they also have a fantastic restaurant that we were lucky enough to visit. They're currently pushing their Taste of Wales afternoon tea which is all made from scratch on site. 

Exams are finally over, the sun has started shining through, so it's time to get my ass into gear! I was approached by the Results with Lucy PR team recently asking if I'd like to trial their student plan (fronted by Lucy Mecklenburgh's little sister Lydia who also understands the struggles of keeping up a fitness regime whilst studying!) and of course I said yes. I love going to the gym a couple of times a week but this isn't always possible (especially while I was revising as I found it so hard to motivate myself to leave the house to workout). I also love eating healthily when I can, but often find that healthy foods are more expensive and it's sometimes just easier to go for something unhealthy! So I'm excited to try out this plan which gives you a huge range of home workouts (which you can do with or without exercise equipment, and gives you suggested alternatives such as filled water bottles if you don't own the equipment needed), and also suggests recipe ideas perfect for students on a budget!

I guess I should probably write a short introduction for anyone currently thinking "what the hell is Results With Lucy?!" - well, the brand was created by TOWIE's Lucy Mecklenburgh and is comprised of many plans tailored to your needs - whether you want to tone your tummy for summer or you just want a nutrition plan to eat yourself healthy - there is pretty much something for everyone. Moreover, you can get a free 3-day trial to see if Results for Lucy is really for you! The student plan which I will be trying out for 3 months is tailored specifically for students BUT WAIT FOR IT. Unidays are offering students 25% off any of the plans so it's even more affordable! So with the discount, you can get the student plan for just £10.50 a month - pretty good for a plan complete with recipes, workouts and the ability to track your progress throughout your fitness journey. 
I'm starting my plan today and will keep you guys updated with how I'm getting on! So far so good - the website gives you an interactive tour when you begin which is so helpful as it can look a little confusing at first (it's really not though!). I'm already planning my next meals and hoping to ease myself in gently for the first few days. It's important to enjoy what you're doing otherwise you'll not be motivated to keep it going! I'll still be enjoying the odd meal out whilst still following the plan and allowing myself occasional days off. Watch this space as I'll be adding before and after photos later on in my progress! 
My first (slightly modified!) attempt at a Results with Lucy recipe - subbed in sweet potato mash (to please the masses) instead of roasted sweet potato and I used chicken thigh fillets instead of chicken breast just because of personal preference - FYI it was delicious!

Meat can be expensive.  So I tend to try and stick a couple of vegetarian dishes into my diet every week to keep the costs down.  Not only is this recipe inexpensive, it also only uses one pan, so less washing up for you!


INGREDIENTS

• 75-100g spaghetti (500g for 49p at Lidl)
• Handful of cherry/plum tomatoes (Tub for 75p at Lidl)
• Feta/greek-style cheese to serve (200g for 75p at Tesco)
• 1/3 bag of fresh curly kale (approx. 80-90p per bag)
• Dash of olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• Juice from 1/4 lemon (5 for 99p at Morrisons)

One serving = 80p (I keep surprising myself at how little each serving actually costs!)

METHOD

1. Pop the spaghetti in a reasonably large pan and cook in boiling water.  Add a pinch of salt to taste.

2. Meanwhile, wash and prepare the kale (I always pull out the hard stalks because they tend to taste very bitter) and chop the tomatoes into halves/quarters.  After about 5 minutes of the spaghetti cooking, add the kale into the saucepan.

3. Add the tomatoes a couple of minutes later.

4. Leave to cook together until the spaghetti is soft and ready to eat.

5. Drain the water, leaving the spaghetti, kale and tomatoes in the pan.  Add the dash of olive oil and the lemon juice to flavour it.  I would usually use fresh lemons but I forgot to pick some up! I always keep a bottle of lemon juice in my cupboard for forgetful times like these.

6. Pop it all in a bowl and crumble the feta cheese over the top.

This is probably one of the easiest meals I have ever cooked and also one of the most delicious.  Even better, it's really cheap and pretty healthy too! For any recipes I post I'll estimate the total spent per serving, but obviously this will depend on where you're buying your food. I'm assuming you have cupboard items such as salt/pepper/herbs already.
 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 avocado (4 for 99p at Morrisons)
• 75-100g spaghetti (500g for 49p at Lidl)
• Juice from 1/4 lemon (5 for 99p at Morrisons)
• Dried herbs (coriander works well)
• Pinch of salt/pepper
• Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

One serving = 40p!!!! (This seems so ridiculous haha but it's true! Morrisons sell small avocados so much cheaper than anywhere else I've seen - elsewhere they're at least £1 for just one)



METHOD:

1. Cook the spaghetti for the recommended time stated on the packet (usually around 10-15 minutes).
2. While the spaghetti is cooking, de-stone and peel off the skin of the avocado, chop up the inside and place in a bowl to mash.  It's best to use a very ripe (soft) avocado as it's much easier to mash up.
3. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, lemon juice, chilli flakes and dried herbs to the mashed avocado.
4. Drain the spaghetti when it's cooked to your liking, add the mashed avocado to the saucepan and mix over the heat.
5. And that's it! If you're feeling crazy, why not chuck in some bacon or cherry tomatoes! As you can see it's not the prettiest dish, but it's so yummy and easy when you don't have the energy to cook anything extravagant.