Smoothie Sunday: Peanut Butter & Banana

Hello! And welcome back to another Smoothie Sunday! 

This 'Peanut Butter and Banana' Smoothie is the perfect snack for a Sunday afternoon. I usually make mine and spend the rest of the day lounging around with Mindy Kaling (in other words, I read 'Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? and wait for the day that we become best friends). 

This is a delicious and easy recipe, with only three ingredients! 

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Almond Milk

1 Banana

2tbsp of Peanut Butter

Simply place all ingredients together and blend. Easy!

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I would also like to add that I have a number of posts lined up: a number of DIY projects, some yummy recipes, a serious post about body image and I am working with the creator of the comical Invaders series, who you should definitely be checking it!

Day Out With The Family

As it was a surprisingly sunny and beautiful summer day, my mum, dad, little brother and I headed out for lunch at Longford, Tasmania, and for a nice walk in the lovely fresh air in both Longford and Perth, Tasmania.

Firstly, we had lunch at a wonderful cafe called 'JJ's Old Mill Cafe and Bakery'. We had a delicious Sweet Chilli Pizza, Ham and Cheese Bread Fingers, Sausage Rolls and a Plantation Pizza. Oh! And I had my amazing green tea served in a cute little teapot! The cafe also has an array of slices and little treats, other yummy pastries and milkshakes.

After lunch we decided to have a walk around the town.

We ended up at the old Church and the cemetery.

The Christ Church is a beautiful old, sandstone building. It was constructed between 1839 and 1844, but the tower wasn't completed until 1960. For more information on this beautiful church click here. We walked through the cemetery as well, looking at its layout and appreciating how the gravestones were made.

After walking around Longford, we decided to go to this cute little spot in Perth under the bridge. I would definitely love to come back here with a picnic or some green tea.

It was definitely a wonderful day; spending time together as a family whilst appreciating a few of the beautiful spots around Tasmania. I love spending time with my family, as we are incredibly close.

Smoothie Sunday: Berrylicious Smoothie

Welcome back to Smoothie Sunday! This week I have a made a tasty, healthy and berrylicious smoothie, packed with protein, iron and antioxidants!

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Almond Milk

1 Cup of Spinach

1 Banana

1/2 Cup of Frozen Blueberries

1/4 Cup of Frozen Raspberries

1/4 Cup of Strawberries

Simply blend all ingredients together, and enjoy!

The Best Shortbread Recipe

Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve is my absolute favourite day of the year, and I got to spend it in the kitchen cooking the most delicious shortbread biscuits ever. This recipe is easy and tastes incredible. And I love them dipped in chocolate!

Ingredients:

200g of butter, room temperature
90g of caster sugar
60g of cornflour
270g of plain flour
1/2tsp. of baking powder
A pinch of salt

1. Cream together the butter and caster sugar in a mixmaster until well combined.

2. Sift flours and baking powder into the mixture, add a pinch of salt and beat on low until it comes together into a ball.

3. Transfer to a floured surface, knead lightly.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for 30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes, remove from the fridge and with a rolling pin gently spread out the mixture (you may need to do this in halves).

6. Choose what shape you want your cookies to be and press out shapes with your selected cookie cutters. I used Christmas trees.

7. Transfer to a tray and put them in the oven at 130C for 1 hour.

8. Let the shortbread cool for 30 minutes. When they are cool, melt chocolate to a smooth and glossy consistency. Dip the ends of the shortbread into the chocolate and place back onto the tray to dry.

9. Once dry, enjoy!

I hope you all have an amazing Christmas!

Smoothie Sunday: Almond Butter Smoothie

Smoothie Sunday is becoming a regular feature on Pocket Trinkets, so watch out for a new smoothie recipe each week. This week I am sharing one of my favourite smoothie recipes ever. I am addicted to Almond Butter, and this smoothie is honestly the best way to have it. The taste of the Almond Butter isn't overpowering. And additionally, this smoothie is a perfect source of protein.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Almond Milk

1 Cup of Spinach

1 Cup of Red Grapes

1 Banana

2tbsp of Almond Butter

All you need to do is add all the ingredients and blend. Also, if you would like to add more protein, add 2tbsp of Vanilla Protein Powder. Don't be afraid to try having spinach in your smoothies, you won't taste it, and it is a great source of protein as well.

Enjoy it for breakfast or lunch, or even have it as a snack!

Small Town Adventure

When the weather in Tasmania, Australia is sunny and hot, how can it not be tempting to take a road-trip? Usually, the weather is cloudy or cold or raining, but waking up on a Friday morning and seeing that the sun is out only means that you have to take advantage of it. So, with the perfect weather and a new playlist, my mother, brother and I ventured to Evandale, a charming small-town, to get lunch at the Ingleside Bakery Cafe and have a small picnic at Clarendon House.

Ingleside Bakery is a lovely cafe, with an array of delectable desserts (caramel slices are definitely my favourite), pastries and breads. However, there are so many things that set this cafe apart from any others in Tasmania. The cafe not only grows its own herbs and vegetables, but additionally has a large assortment of art for sale, Tasmanian jams and sauces, and other little trinkets and treasures.

After looking through the cafe and finally deciding what we wanted to eat (I naughtily concluded that a caramel slice was the perfect thing for lunch, haha), we took a 25 minute drive down to Clarendon House. This is a gorgeous historic site, with extensive gardens, breathtakingly beautiful scenery and large grounds to walkthrough and photograph. We sat on the grass, basking in the sun, eating out lunch and drinking our green teas, whilst talking and laughing at our own little jokes. Then, spontaneously, we decided to take a tour of Clarendon House, one of the grandest houses I've ever been in. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take photographs inside the house.

If you ever get the chance to have lunch at Ingleside Bakery Cafe or explore the grounds of Clarendon House, I definitely recommend it. The food is scrumptious no matter what you decide to order; and Clarendon House is peaceful and extremely relaxing. The perfect way to spend the day.

Welcome!

Welcome to Pocket Trinkets!

My name is Madeline Johnston, and I have created this blog to share my recipes (especially smoothies and desserts, though expect an amazing shortbread recipe soon!), DIY projects (such as jewellery and various ideas for mason jars), beautiful discoveries and adventures. Additionally, Pocket Trinkets will be used to discuss important issues and topics that affect young women today, especially body image.

The title of this blog refers to the small things in life. Life is so much better once you discover the trinkets and treasures that each day has to offer. We often fall victim to becoming so concerned with things that don't matter, and I am no stranger to that. I was once obsessed with the number on the scale defining me, however, after realising how dangerously consuming it was, I am now focusing on living a more balanced lifestyle (this will definitely be a future blog post).

You can follow me on various other social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

I hope you are able to find something here that interests you, and maybe attempt some of the recipes or DIY projects that are posted. 

Love, 

Madeline