Oven-baked Fish & Chips (with half the calories of your traditional Fish & Chips)

A classic combination given a  healthy makeover by oven cooking the ingredients instead of frying. All the flavour with a lot less fat!

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Makes: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 880g of floury potato, scrubbed and cut into chips, (leave the skins on) for a healthier option use Sweet Potato
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, for me it is Coconut Oil but you can use one of the lite oil sprays
  • 50g fresh breadcrumbs, I use wholemeal but feel free to use breadcrumbs of your choice
  • zest the peel of 1 lemon
  • 2 – 3 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 4 x 140g/5oz thick  white fish fillets (up or down the numbers depending on your requirements) this is based on 1 per person,
  • 200g cherry tomato, I like to sprinkle a little black pepper onto these

I also like to add a green veg on the side of this but you can opt for your favourite and steam this.

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PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Pat chips dry on kitchen paper, then lay in a single layer on a large baking tray. Drizzle with half the olive oil , coconut oil or spray and season with salt. Cook for 40 mins, turning after 20 mins, so they cook evenly.
  2. Mix the breadcrumbs with the lemon zest and parsley, then season well. Top the cod evenly with the breadcrumb mixture, then drizzle, with the remaining oil again using your option. Put in a roasting tin with the cherry tomatoes, then bake in the oven for the final 10 mins of the chips’ cooking time.

As far as easy goes this is way up there. it tastes delicious and needs very little attention while in the oven, this is one of my families favourites

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NUTRITION

Per serving: 366 calories

  • Tip , Healthy benefits

    We have halved the fat and calories of this traditional favourite by cooking it in the oven instead of frying, and even better again with coconut oil of your lite oil sprays. Although potatoes don’t count towards your 5-a-day, they’re a useful source of vitamin C as well as B6, potassium and manganese and if you opt for a sweet potato you have seriously increased the health benefits, Remember to add a nice green vegetable with this to make it a truly great family meal.

Let me know how you get on with this and as always if there is something you would like me to make, then let me know in the comments section below or via the contact me page.

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Claire with the hair McCarthy ❤

Do you or have you, ever suffer hair envy?

I came across some stunning hairstyles today and I just have to share them with you, nothing of serious content, just some pretty pictures. A Blog with pictures can be better than a 1,000 words sometime 🙂

Anyhow feast your eyes on these stunning styles and let me knowCollage your favorite in the comments below ❤

hait8 hair5

 

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

Top 3 Beauty Must Haves

What are your top 3 beauty must haves? I was asked this very question today and it struck me that I rely on far more than three beauty products each day 🙂 This maybe a easy question to answer for most but for me it is really hard to narrow this down to just three!! 🙂 But with a twisted arm, I choose these 3. 🙂

My No1 has to be: Mascara and not just any old Mascara, but this FABULOUS black mascara from YSL, say hello to BabyDoll. I was given this to test about 4 months ago along with maybe 15 other brands of Mascara and this was my No1 out of them all, but Mascara is also the one thing I would take to a desert island with me, it is my No1 out of my top 3 beauty must haves. babydoll This comes in 4 shades , Fetish Black , Audacious Blue, Indiscreet Purple and Wheedler Brown, this is priced at €32.50 and available from Brown Thomas stores nationwide. This delivers volume, length, drama and colour without feeling dry (in fact your lashes stay soft and not at all hard or brittle) It stays put until you decide to remove it (no panda eyes) your lashes are not just covered but they are also conditioned and as a contact lens wearer I can honestly say this is suitable for even the most sensitive of eyes. The unique application brush also means that every lash including the tiny ones get a coat of this fabulous Mascara. This is a serious Mascara that delivers in all the right ways and this will remain on my beauty shopping list for some time to come.

No 2 on my top 3 beauty must haves: goes to Brows, this is something I would not even like to take the bins out without having these done 🙂 and my top pick here goes to Shavata Brow Perfector, With 25 years in the beauty industry, Shavata Singh is the definitive go-to guru for grooming the most important feature on your face. Being the lynchpin to a polished visage, Shavata’s unique combination of threading, waxing and final tweaking with tweezers means she can produce the brow-to-wow look by creating the perfect arch to frame your face and at home you can create amazing brows with her Brow Prefector pallet,  brows brows1 The 3 crème shades glide on like a powder and covers the hairs as well as skin, these can also be blended to get the perfect shade for you. Ideal for filling in sparse brows or for helping camouflage tell-tale grey hairs. Apply with the soft brush for a smooth and natural finish. This is available from http://www.shavata.co.uk and is priced at £19.50, this roughly converts to a little under €25 depending on current exchange rates.

Last but not least we have my No 3 in my top 3 beauty must haves: This goes to a serious hero product, a product that can be your eye colour, you cheek colour and your lip colour, all in one cute little pot!! have you guessed what I might be talking about yet? well let me tell you what I am talking about 🙂 It is a fabulous product from the amazing people at Benefit and it is their Benetint, this is a brilliant item for any make up bag, regardless of age or  your make up style preference, this can slot into any beauty regime. This is priced at €34.50 and will last you until the best before date as a little really goes such a long way and the real tip to getting the best out of this is to go super easy on it, I always say, you can add easier than you can take away and with this that is very true . benetint You can buy this almost anywhere, Debenhams (who have 10% off all beauty at the moment) Brown Thomas stock this as do many other department stores nationwide.

So there you have my Top 3 Beauty Must Haves, the things I love to live with and have no plans to live without 🙂

What are your top 3 beauty must haves? can you narrow it to just 3? or have you just 1 item you can’t live without? let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for reading you Fabulous people

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

The 4th Judge has just been Revealed for the new series of The Voice UK

thevoiceThe 4th series of The Voice Uk is to return with a bran new judge to replace the fabulous Kylie Minogue , Rita Ora is to join the team, became the only lady in the 4 judging panel made up of Will i am, the ledgend Sir Tom Jones and Kaiser chiefs front man Mr Ricky Wilson.
 
And if this tweet is anything to go by, the singer is pretty excited about joining The Voice Uk “So excited to be part of – and for my team to win – The Voice this series!” Rita tweeted
 ritaOraThe star is definitely happy about her new role, tweeting: Let’s have some fun will.i.am, Tom and Ricky! I’m really looking forward to the blind auditions – and spinning in my big red chair. EXCITED!!!!”
 
Tom Jones ricky william
Will.i.am said: “Sir Tom Jones is our rock, Ricky is awesome and it’s our pleasure to welcome the very talented Rita Ora. Rita is sweet, spicy and sassy – she’s going to be a great addition to the Coaches team.”Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky added: Ricky Wilson said: “I enjoyed spending last winter with The Voice, it’s definitely fun to be part of a show with a spinning chair. I hope Rita likes it too… I’m sure the audience will love her.”

Sir Tom Jones is also looking forward to welcoming Rita to the Voice UK, saying: ”I’m really looking forward to coming back to The Voice for season four.

“Not only do I get to know and work with Rita, I can once again enjoy hearing and seeing the talent that comes from just about every corner of the UK.

“I respect and admire all those who have the guts and determination to get through each challenge that the show presents, so let’s see what happens in 2015!”

The new series will hit screens in January next year and after hearing this news, we can’t wait for it to start.

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

Here we are, Week 3 of my Food and Activity diary

Wow Week 3: Already?! Time really does fly 🙂 Ok so we are still eating clean, moving more and sticking to the ‘One Big Change’

The week was some what more challenging than week one or week two, for a few reason’s but most of all because I had a party to attend on Saturday night and I had a trip to the Cinema over the weekend to see Noble. Last weeks ‘One Big Change’ involved the No crisps, candy, wine and so on, which was in abundance at the party and snacks are all over the place at the cinema.

So the party on Saturday night, there were snacks, nice things and alcohol everywhere and I did not touch any of it, I choose to not pick at anything as if I began I may not stop! and I stuck to drinking water with a lime wedge. Was this decision easy, well yes but sticking to it was not very easy but then I woke up Sunday very proud of myself for sticking with my plan and staying focused 🙂 I found people watching very interesting on Saturday night, It is not often I am in a room full of people who are all getting drunk and I am the one to remain sober and I found waking up, without the dreaded hangover on Sunday a real blessing 🙂 hangover Sunday as I was bright eyed and not like the cat in the picture 🙂 I decided I would head off to the Cinema to see Nobel, this wold never have happened if I had been drinking on Saturday night but this trip came with the smell of popcorn (not allowed for another 10 days), bags of sweets and chocolate everywhere (again not allowed for the next 10 days) ((as per last weeks ‘One Big Change’) but I got through it, found it odd not struggling with the massive box of popcorn and slurping on the over size fizzy drink, but again proud that I got through this without feeling deprived or sorry for myself.

Have carried on with Spinning and Walking and this week I am going to attempt a new class (all in ext weeks update) 🙂 Finding I want to move more, if I don’t do some activity, I am thinking I should be. This is a great place for my mind to be 🙂

This week I have found many tasty, easy to do meals for me to do, there is lots of vegetables, meat, fish, still using Coconut oil to cook foods that require oil, still not eating any candy, cakes, white breads etc and this week I have included Chia Seeds as my ‘One Big Change’ chia these practically tasteless seeds have a wide range of benefits, some of which are:

1/ Lose Weight Without Starving : The Chia Seed is a dieter’s dream come true. The tiny, healthy seeds can be made to taste like whatever you want, and their gelling action keeps you feeling full for hours. Hunger is the main reason people fail in the weight loss attempts, Chia seeds will keep you feeling fuller for longer with no excess calorie intake.

2/Keeping balanced levels of blood sugar is important for both your health and your energy. Blood sugar may spike after meals, especially is you have eaten high-starchy foods or sweets. This can lead to ‘slumps’ in your day where you feel tired and lack energy. By balancing your blood sugar, you not only lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, you also ensure steady, constant energy throughout your day.

3/ Eating a portion of Chia Seeds each day adds a healthy omega-3 to your diet. Omega-3 oil is usually thought of as “that healthy oil in fish” , But, what if you don’t eat fish each day? then eat Chia as this is the richest plant-source of the health oil. By weight, chia contains more omega-3 than salmon. Omega-3 oil is important in heart and cholesterol health.

4/ Chia seeds will keep you more energized all day long, Don’t want to feel like you need a nap mid afternoon? then have some Chia, your energy levels also impact on the choices you make when deciding what to eat. Chia is one of nature’s highest plant-based sources of complete protein.The combination of complete protein, vitamins, minerals and blood-sugar balancing gel all work together to make sure you have steady, never jittery energy.

5/ Chia is age-defying in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants have always been in the news due to their super benefits. You know that blueberries and sereral exotic fruits have them, but did you know that chia is extremely high in anti-oxidants too? The anti-oxidants found in chia are the reason the seeds stay fresh for so long. Kept at room temperature your chia seeds will stay fresh and ready to eat for over 2 years and this is without a single chemical or preservative.

These are just some of the incredible benefits for eating Chis Seeds and this is why I have chosen these as this weeks ‘One Big Change’

This is a simple, after work, mid-week meal, It is some salad and chicken with a sprinkling of Chia goodness and a simple meat free egg salad with a small wholemeal pitta bread , yummy 🙂

salad salad1 salad2

Sometimes the hardest part of eating healthier, is thinking what to eat, so with this in mind I am going to add some meals to the blog that are healthy, easy, quick yet tasty.

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare With The Hair ❤

September Best Dress Buys

So we are heading really quickly towards the end of September and if you are anything like me, then you are thinking the party season ahead is approaching fast!!, and if you are going to get the best of what is out there, then you better get those shopping skates on and start looking at the very least for those party wear gems 🙂 Here are some of my favorites and all of these you can purchase online so anyone can get there hands on them.

The 1st one is from CHI CHI London, these guys have a site full of cute, stylish, yet affordable dresses suitable for a whole host of occasions, from wedding guests, day at the races, girls night out, evening wear and for any other parties you may have. This is their AMY dress, this stunning dress is available in size 6 – 16, priced at €64.99 and I would say these are very true to size dresses, it is new stock and as with all there dresses this will fly out the door, so if this is the dress for you then get shopping!! ChiChiAmy Shop this look http://www.chichiclothing.com/products/Chi-Chi-Amy-Dress.html

No 2 for me come from an Irish website: iClothing , this site has a whole host of items available, all at great prices and all bang on trend, as I am thinking the party season ahead I have chosen a dress from here too but dresses is not all iClothing website is about, they have accessories, coats, jeans, shoes and many casual everyday items. This dress, Suzie Sweetheart Dress is a classic black, that you can really dress up with a statement neck piece and some killer heels, this dress comes in size 8-14 again very true to size and is priced at only €45, iClothing offer next day delivery, so if you are in a hurry then this is your go to site for those rush orders. What I love about this dress is the neckline, you could dress this up with a head piece for a very special occasion, you could even pop a white shirt under this and a belt for office wear, this really is one of those dresses you would pull out of the wardrobe over and over again. iclothingShop this look www.iclothing.com/suzie-sweetheart-fishtail-dress

No 3 comes from another Irish retailer: Ruby Rouge based in Gorey ,with a beautiful online store too, Ruby Rouge are complete “Girlie Heaven”, renowned for individual style, exclusive labels, bold colors & prints! With over 50 labels from 20 different countries worldwide we have a wide and exciting mix! My pick from here is a real WOW dress, no matter what the event, you will be noticed for all the right reasons in this, from size 8-14 and priced at €149, I really love this, it has draping in all the right places to be super forgiven when you have had one mince pie too many, a real gem of a dress as an incredible price for this quality and style.RubyRougeShop this look http://www.rubyrouge.ie/collections/dress

No 4: Comes from Lipsy, if you have a cocktail party, a wedding or any other party coming up, them pop on over to Lipsy, these guys know party wear, it is hat they do and they are brilliant at is, they have collaborations with the Kardashians, Michelle Keegan as well as their own collections, you are sure to find something perfect for your occasion at Lipsy. My chose from here is a stunning party piece, heads will turn for the lady wearing this stunning party piece,  This cami styled dress in red features an embellished detail on the front and back. The hem is embellished with a geometric design. Back features a scooped V shape. Available in size 8-14 and priced at £135. This is sure to fly out at Lipsy Lipsy If this is your party dress then head to Lipsy http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/frock-and-frill/frock-and-frill-embellished-cami-dress/product-is-BR02280_051

No 5: Comes from VaVaVoom, this site offers next day delivery and have a host of fabulous items, love some of their blazers and love lots of the dresses on this site 🙂 from day wear to party wear, VaVaVoom has it all at some of the keenest prices around, you should take a peek, I think you will be surprised just great this site is , My pick from here is a lovely pink dress, without accessorizing this has a nice bit of bling but with some key items added this could become a serious party dress 🙂 Imagine a crystal encrusted clutch, killer heels and this dress .. WOW !! vavavoom You can find this and lots more on VaVaVoom site here : http://vavavoom.ie/collections/dresses

If you would like help finding a party dress or any other items from handbags, head pieces, shoes, shawls or jewelry then please get in touch, clarewiththehairblog@gmail.com , I am only delighted to help 🙂

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare With The Hair ❤

We have ONE #Competition with THREE prizes to #WIN!!

Here we go!!! COMPETITION TIME

Our 1st Blog Competition so to celebrate this new section of the Blog we are not given away One prize, we are not given away Two prizes but we are given away 3 prizes.

When you enter the Competition please state the prize that you would like, Prize (A), Prize (B) or Prize (C), you can of coarse enter more than once and the more times you enter the more times your name goes into the hat on Prize given day 🙂

So lets have a look at the 3 prizes:

This is prize (A) and in this you get Pre and Post Active Woman Shakes, Karora Tanning Mist & the Ultra Smooth Tanning MittPrize1

So if you would like Prize (A) then please pop Prize (A) in the comment box below.

Now lets see Prize (B)Prize2 Prize (B) has the beautiful, easy to wear, SO…? Perfume, Ryan Sheridan CD & the bran new Beauty UK Define FX Mascara.

If Prize (B) is the prize you would like then please comment Prize (B) in the comment box below.

And last but not least we have Prize (C): Here is Prize (C), This is the much talked about Denman Tangle Tamer hairbrush and Colour WOW’s One Minute transformation styling cremePrize3

We are delighted to bring you Three prizes to kick of the Competition of this Blog.

Now the RULES, How can you ENTER? Well it is pretty simple , you can enter right here, you can pop over to my Twitter https://twitter.com/ClaireBearMull or you can enter at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whats-Going-On-with-me-Claire-McCarthy/1443353879281643

  1. For FACEBOOK entries you muct: Like the post on Facebook, Share the post on Facebook and Comment which Prize you would like to Win on Facebook .
  2. For TWITTER entries you muct: Like the Post on Twitter, RT the post on Twitter and Comment which Prize you would like to Win.
  3. For WordPress entries you must: Like the Post Here, ReBlog the Post here and Comment which Prize you would like to Win.

Good Luck to Everyone

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

♥Claire With The Hair McCarthy♥

In Pictures : Oscar De la Renta at New York Fashion Week SS2015

Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015
Oscar de la Renta

Below are some of the STUNNING dresses Oscar de la Renta unveiled to the Fashion world at New York Fashion week on Tuesday, I think you will LOVE these as much as we all do , they are feminine, pretty and super chic ♥

Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015
Oscar De La Renta – Runway – Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015
Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015
Oscar De La Renta – Runway – Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015

 

Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015 Oscar De La Renta - Runway - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2015

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Wow!! How incredible beautiful are these Oscar de la Renta dresses?? Think Sex in the City meets Jennifer Lawrence on the red carpet and you have this collection being shown at New York Fashion Week.

This is a serious highlight of the week so far and we have just fallen head over heels in love with these gorgeous, voluminous, floral, show stopping, floor length gowns… I think if there was a dress heaven it may look like this collection.♥

Oscar de la Renta has said ‘I just want to make beautiful clothes’ and this is exactly what he is doing with this and previous collections.

I just can’t wait for the High street to recreate some of these style in the weeks and months ahead.

That PINK dress Carrie Bradshaw wore for her date with the Russian in Paris is one of Oscar’s .. and a true favourite of mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZv_LsndF7w

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare With The Hair ❤

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Nuts for Coconut … Oil

We are all going nuts for Coconut oil & who can blame us?! Coconut oil is a fantastic solution to many of our problems, be it dry skin, dull hair, digestive problems and even athletes foot.. This oil can work for you!!

Coconut oil

Here are my Top uses for Coconut oil :

1. Glowing Skin
To brighten up even the dullest of skin, combine Coconut oil with brown sugar, mix equal parts of both and apply in light circular motions for a super charged exfoliation potion and rinse well to reveal your hydrated, supple, glowing skin.

2. Clean your makeup brushes
We all know how important it is to clean our makeup brushes and we are told by all the experts to keep these as free as possible from bacteria, this means regular cleaning of your brushes and we love to mix antibacterial washing up liquid & Coconut oil to give your brushes a really good clean while leaving them conditioned and soft.

3. Polish your pearly whites
If you are seeking nice white teeth but looking for a natural solution then this is it!! Mix Coconut oil with Baking soda until it is pasty enough to spread on a toothbrush & brush as normal to reveal a brighter whiter smile.

4. Long Natural Lashes
This is possibly the most effective yet simplest addition to any beauty routine, pop some Coconut oil onto a cotton bud and run along the lash line each evening before bed, do this for one month , take a before and after picture to see the results as they will be dramatic. Longer, fuller, conditioned lashes are only a little pot of Coconut oil away 😃

5. Keep your tummy happy
All stomach issues can be pretty serious so we would recommend you seek your doctors advise but adding just one tablespoon of Coconut oil to your diet per day can help treat ulcers and aid digestion.

6. Fat fighter
Eating Coconut oil can also keep your weight in check, research suggests that consuming this oil can help reduce waist circumference and abdominal obesity, plus Coconut oil contains fewer calories than other dietary fats.. A big bonus if your looking to manage your weight.

7. DIY Shaving Cream
Coconut oil not only gives you a seriously close shave but it hydrates the skin to boot!! Plus it is a delight for even the sensitive of skins.

8. Deodorise and Soften those feet
Our feet get a beaten on a daily basis.. Use the exfoliation mix above to scrub your feet at night follow with a generous layer of Coconut oil, pop some socks on .. 💤 and awaken to soft, smooth feet.. If you have athletes foot or a serious foot odour issue then please add a few drops of tea tree oil to your Coconut oil.

9. After Sun
You would think adding oil to burnt , lobster like skin would be a big no no .. Not the case with Coconut oil, apply the oil to your burnt areas for an instant burn relief and while this calms your skin it will also moisturise which in turn will reduce peeling .

10. Heavy duty Makeup remover
The beauty editors secret.. Use Coconut oil to remove heavy make up including seriously heavy eye make up with waterproof mascara .. Just rub a small amount onto your skin, leave for 3-5 minutes and remove with a warm face cloth.

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤