All in Blog
It's August already! Where has the time gone?! It's been six weeks since moving house now, and we are hopefully inching closer to finding our own little house but for now, Isaac, Frankie and I are living with his parents. Frankie is so brave with their dog, Harper, a labradoodle. I hope they become best friends soon because it'd be so cute and it would make my life easier not having to monitor them together all the time!
This is recipe I've been making for ages so I thought I'd share it with you all seeing as it's so cold and dreary today! This black rice pudding warms you up right down to your toes and is much lighter than the traditional recipes or store-bought versions.
This is an easy recipe I make all the time which always leaves leftovers for lunch the next day (even better) and smells amazing wafting through the house! I like to really pack my shells with ricotta and spinach because I love the texture and it ups the protein, calcium and iron of the dish.
I just got back from a week away in Tasmania and it was ahhhhmazing! Everything is so pristine there and just so fresh. The produce was out-of-this-world and I really loved being somewhere that enjoys life at a slower pace for a change, seeing as I'm always go go go!
It's Saturday here which normally means MOVIE NIGHT! Last week we saw 'Spotlight' which was absolutely brilliant. A fantastic film. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. This week maybe 'Brooklyn' or even 'Concussion', I've heard both are fabulous.
A couple of week ago we went blueberry picking in Silvan, Victoria. It was fabulous! So fun and I definitely ate my fair share whilst picking. I was like Violet from Willy Wonka (the original, not that god-awful remake) literally turning violet from all the berries I gobbled up!
Isaac woke up so unwell this morning. It's not really surprising because he has worked his butt off the last couple of weeks and both of us have been jetting back and forth to Sydney for work over the last fortnight. One of us was bound to get run down.
What a battle getting a picture of this roasted tomato soup! Little Frankie (my 11 week old kitty) thinks anything that moves is purely for her attention and enjoyment. So laying out fluttery basil leaves and gangly spring onions was a whole big game to her!
The first time I made cacao chia pudding, it was disgusting. It was hard, and crunchy, and really gluggy. I couldn't understand why because the instructions said "mix chia seeds and water in equal parts". For those of you reading this who have made chia pudding before, you know that:
I reckon I used to cringe big-time whenever I heard the words 'green smoothie'. Ummm no thank you, I do not want to drink a cold, savoury, thick and goopy beverage for breakfast. Breakfast is meant to HELP me get out of bed, not hinder me! I'll give myself credit though, I did persist everytime I went out or to a juice bar.
"I'll get the green smoothie, thanks"
The start of February usually rings in the end of the festive and party season. This means you may be feeling a little less than fabulous perhaps having indulged on your holidays and attending more parties and get-to-togethers than usual. There really is no better time to check in with yourself and see where you can begin to make some positive changes to your health and wellbeing.
One of my favourite ingredients since studying Ottoman cuisine has been dukkah. It's smoky, slightly spicy, crunchy and fragrant. It teams perfectly with anything from fish to chicken to veggies and I even love rolling boiled eggs into it or sprinkling some onto my hummus for extra flavour.
This week there's been a few weird-weather days here in Melbourne. Even though it's summer, we went through a bit of a rainy, cold-snap and I felt like nothing more than soup. However, because it is summer, I didn't have any of the usual suspects in my fridge, like celery, pumpkin or broccoli. Luckily, I had the right handful of ingredients to make this delish Turkish red lentil soup that I learnt to make last year.
Did you know that more than 3.8 million Australians skip lunch thinking they will get more done? But by 12pm blood sugar levels begin to drop leaving you feeling tired and having trouble concentrating. Taking a few minutes for a light lunch helps to re-fuel your body and get you ready to take on the afternoon. Good choices for lunch are quality carbohydrates, protein, good fats and some vegetables or fruit.
What a week! I feel as though it's flown by! And I guess it has - I've had my hands pretty full this week with lots of recipe work including this delish peaches and cream cake (yum!) and a new baby kitty, Frankie.
Humpday calls for treats. Well at least it does in my house haha! I had been wanting to recreate creamy, and smooth raw vegan peanut cheesecake bites like the ones I had sampled at a raw cooking class I did agggeeesssssssss ago but didn't want it to be too heavy or sweet or too dense.
Nothing beats brunch on the weekend especially after a little exercise, it's such a relaxing way to ease into my days off after I've got my work out done and dusted. Before I workout, I always have a pre-workout snack and The Bar Counter is perfect. It's delicious, all natural and packed with nuts and dried fruit. Peanut butter is my absolute fave at the moment!
Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful festive season and are getting back into the groove of healthy, balanced meals and a little more movement! I started my new year in Bali this year and it was absolute bliss. Think early(ish) mornings, long walks in the soft sand (great for your legs and pretty much like a foot exfoliation at the same time!), fresh smoothies for brekky, then a dip in the ocean, some beachside stretching and a walk back home. My go-to 'uniform' for my active routine has heavily featured the new Mix Apparel range now available at 740 Coles supermarkets nation-wide.
The arrival of december means the beginning of all things Christmas! I've got the tree up and decorated, the stockings are hanging from the mantle, the fairy lights are twinkling and now I'm getting busy in the kitchen making some healthy Christmas treats!
Summer time and Christmas go hand-in-hand in Australia and I love nothing better than a good pav during the warm, festive season! I am so happy to be working with Pacific Epping on this gorgeous marbled berry pavlova, it's not too sweet and a little healthier than most <3
