COOKING FOR A CLIENT! [VIDEO]

Visit my Services page to find out how you can possibly get your hands on some healthy Nigerian vegan meals.

Earlier this week, I had fun cooking a bunch of Nigerian meals for a client. Watch the video below to find out a bit more about it! Pictures of the food below.

COCONUT YOGHURT [VIDEO]

Check out my short tutorial video on how to make this easy, 3-ingredient, raw vegan coconut yoghurt! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss my videos - I'm really sticking with this whole YouTube thing! ;)

BANANA, MANGO AND VANILLA SMOOTHIE [VIDEO]

You'll need:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 ripe mango
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 250ml (approx.) coconut water

MIGHTYBEE REVIEW (COCONUT WATER & COCONUT MEAT)

Hi, my name is Tomi and I am a coconut addict. Whether it's coconut water, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut flour, or pure coconut cracked out of its shell, I'm all about this versatile superfood. If you carry out a quick search on my website, you will see that I have used coconut and its products in various recipes including, but not limited to: Coconut and Turmeric Roast Potatoes; Coconut Vanilla Cake; Coconut Cupcakes; Chilli Coconut Salad Dressing and Creamy Coconut Spaghetti Sauce.

So I'm sure it must come as no surprise that I instantly took to the stash of coconut products sent to me by the company MightyBee. Included in their branded, reusable bag was their Virgin Coconut Meat in a resealable pouch, along with two sizes each (235ml and 473ml) of their Raw Coconut Water and Virgin Coconut Water. I was impressed with the clean, beautiful branding and packaging, which, in my opinion, do well to reflect the stated values of the company.

Here are a few reasons why these newcomers in the coconut product market deserve your attention:

- Their products are 100% organic 

- They are all natural and unpasteurised, so nothing added or taken away

- Their products are made from Nam Hom coconuts, grown in Ratchaburi, Thailand

- The coconuts are obtained from sustainable farming practices and fair trade

- Both the coconut water and coconut meat make it from tree to package in 24 hours

What to do? What to make?

The coconut water and coconut meat can certainly be enjoyed as they are. The water has a pleasant, sweet taste which makes it the ideal substitute for processed, sugar-laden soft drinks and juices. The coconut meat, once defrosted, makes a great snack on its own - the flesh is tender and has an intense coconut flavour. If you want to get creative, however, here are a couple of ways you can use these products to enhance or create yummy foods/drinks/snacks.

Coconut water: add it to your smoothies for extra sweetness and for a hydration boost. I made a banana, mango and vanilla smoothie, adding one 235ml bottle of Virgin Coconut Water. Utter deliciousness! 

Coconut meat: blend it with coconut water and lemon juice until smooth and you have coconut yoghurt! Garnish it with your favourite toppings to make a quick and healthy breakfast or snack. I threw on some chopped bananas, dates and mixed nuts. Filling and tasty!

If you love coconuts as much as I do and would like to find out more about what  MightyBee have to offer, visit their official website here! They are currently stocked at Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic, Selfridges, and As Nature Intended, to name a few places. For a full list of stockists or to buy directly from their website, visit their shop page.

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Note: This review has been organised by the Vegan Lifestyle Association It has not been paid for and the products were sent free of charge. This is my genuine and unbiased review of the product.

KALE, APPLE AND PEAR SMOOTHIE

Smoothies are a fast, efficient way of delivering much needed nutrients to the body. They never get boring because you can mix and match the combinations depending on what you're in the mood for. These days I am all about having them for breakfast. Five minutes of prep time with very little fuss, and I can get on with the business of enjoying the rest of my day. 

Kale is a leafy green vegetable that is a great source of calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin E, vitamin B12, vitamin B6 vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fibre. The list goes on but you get the idea of just how beneficial this superfood can be. By chucking a few leaves of kale into your morning smoothie, you're already seeing to it that you're getting a lot of the nutrients that you could easily miss out on during the course of the day. What a start!

Don't let the colour put you off (although who doesn't like green!) - the addition of apple and pear to this smoothie sweetens the whole deal and the earthy flavour of kale is practically eclipsed. 

Let me know what your favourite smoothie combinations are - I'm always looking to try something new!

Ingredients

- handful of kale leaves

- 1-2 red apples

- 1 large pear

- 1 tbsp ginger

- juice of half a lemon

- 2 cups water

Throw all the ingredients into a blender, starting with the water (to make blending easier) and whiz for a couple of minutes until the smoothie is liquidised and lump-free. Enjoy!

LOVESHEA SKINCARE (REVIEW)

Welcome to 2016. My first post of the year is in praise of a couple of spectacular skincare products by the company LoveShea. 

When it comes to skincare, I like to keep things simple. If I'm not using coconut oil as a moisturiser, I'm using shea butter, and so you can imagine how excited I was to carry out this review.

As wonderful as shea butter is, one of the problems I face with it is the scent. If you've ever used shea butter then you know exactly what I'm talking about! That musky, nutty smell is not for everyone. The folks at LoveShea have solved that issue by creating a range of scented Shea Soufflés - I'm talking Vanilla, Keylime Pie, Chocolate Fudge, Bakewell Tart and the one that I am a proud owner of: Wild Berry. This is food for the body that smells great and looks & feels good enough to eat. 

The shea butter is whipped, and what this means is that you're left with a creamy, spreadable, mousse-like consistency. A little goes a long way and you only need a small amount to moisturise in order to achieve super soft skin. At £6 for a 120ml jar I think it's a steal, especially as it will last you a long time.

The second product that I was sent to review is the Coconut & Lime Moisturising Sugar Scrub. Like the Shea Soufflé, this is also good enough to eat! They combined the scent of two of my favourite ingredients - coconut and lime - in this exfoliating scrub which not only gets rid of dead surface skin but leaves your skin feeling unbelievably silky, thanks in large part to the natural oils that are infused into the scrub, including organic coconut oil. 

Simply rub into damp skin in a circular motion to get the desired effect. I tried it on the back of my hand first to see how my skin would react and there was no problem at all. I felt satisfied that it was safe to use on the rest of my body.

The nifty glass jar is properly sealed to prevent the scrub from disintegrating, and so you can store it on your bathroom shelf or in your cabinet without any worry. At £7 for this 200ml jar you've got yourself another affordable treat.

All in all, I was extremely happy with both products and I would happily recommend that you give them a try. I can't deny though that the Wild Berry Shea Soufflé was my favourite of the two and I sense an obsession coming on! 

Visit LoveShea's official website for more information and show them some love on Social Media! :)

Thanks to the Vegan Lifestyle Association for organising this review. LoveShea Skincare is listed with the VLA and offers Associates a 15% discount and you can take advantage of this here.