It's Raining, It's Pouring

Autumn has well and truly arrived here in Sydney! Not only has daylight savings ended, which means the dark nights are descending earlier, but the weather has that nice chill to it, and right now, it's pouring outside.

I've got to say, I don't mind this time of year - there's none of that exhausting heat, there's not too many bugs around (or hayfever) and there's generally not too much rain.

This time of year also sees me pull out my big lovely pots again and head to the kitchen to make yummy soups, pastas, bakes, risottos and such. Tonight's menu: pumpkin, mushroom & spinach risotto. And anyone that knows me will know that despite living on my own for a while over the past 10 years, and cooking for myself in share houses during that time as well, I struggle to cook for one. Absolutely.

How to cook for 1
Good news? Now that my friends are starting to have babies, I am dropping over ready made, home cooked meals for them : ) So not strictly cooking for 1, but definitely not allowing all that food to go to waste!

I've also tee'd up a deal with a girlfriend at work where one week I'll bring lunch in for both of us on the Monday, the next week it's her turn. That means at least one healthy, homemade meal for lunch each week (and for a take-out loving girl like myself, this is a good deal!). We've been going for a couple weeks and each week there has been at least 4 of us going in this so it's working out well.

Anyway, I'm off now to start the cooking, and look forward to having leftovers tomorrow : )
Happy Easter friends xx

PS - made it (FINALLY) to yoga today, a vinyasa class at Body Mind Life. LOVED IT!

Cupcakes, Eggs & Chocolate, O My!

I love Easter. More obviously, I love the CHOCOLATE of Easter. And in the post-Easter glow, I love the idea of new beginnings that Easter is really all about.

I've been struggling to get into any sort of fitness routine for the last couple of months. Between teaching yoga and working a very full on full-time job, doing anything above and beyond the duties of those things rarely gets a look in. Hence why I needed to stay at home this past holiday - to just BE STILL and BE.

But the joys of getting older means that those jiggy bits are a bit more obvious and also take a bit more work to shift. And heck, I had to buy a pair of new jeans for Winter yesterday and being in a change room under horrid flourescent lights is enough to slap your senses into moving your butt!

So today I'm off to the gym. I think.

I actually really want to get to a yoga class but I really do need to do the simple treadmill and bike thing. Perhaps both? (Yes, I tend to want to do everything, all at once!) We'll see. But at least one bit of exercise today, for sure. I've also started assisting in 2 x Tuesday morning yoga classes which in itself is a little bit of work - pulling and (gently) pushing people into the right adjustments! It's heaps of fun but more importantly for me right now it's proved I can get out of bed early. A new habit for me to keep ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter, friends.

xo

Hoorah for mini breaks!

Well I must say I did get pretty excited to have a big fat yoga payment come through into my bank account, but how quickly reality sets in! Ok, so I did get the flyscreens from Hire-A-Hubby (boy, who would have thought those things are so expensive?!) and I'm really glad they're being installed on Wednesday because I'm sitting here itching and scratching from all the bug bits I've got!).

And I got a bunch of photo frames, which I spent a couple of hours last night block mounting and then hanging up on the wall. They're actually not that expensive at all (god bless Ikea) but what is expensive is my yoga teacher insurance. So there goes the rest of my $$$. Ahhh it was fun being rich for a day!

Ok, I should tell you as well that today I'm getting a massage, hoorah! I love to get massages - and they're not always a luxury. Take today for example - well rather, last night. I didn't sleep well at all as everytime I turned I woke up with a sore neck & shoulder. Perhaps it's sitting at a desk all day looooong hunched over a computer in a stressful job. Perhaps it's then going to twist and bend for many hours each week in yoga. Me, I think the yoga cancels out the tight hunching... but regardless, I often get a horrible tight neck and shoulders.

I have actually twice been in the situation where I physically could not turn my neck at all it was just locked so tight! Ouch!

Maybe it's just my 'thing' - but so be it. And off to the masseur I go. Not a bad deal... although i have been known to cry on the massage table because I have such big knots it HURTS when she gets them out. ;( Anyway, so today it's off to get a massage and if you're in Sydney and need a good one - head to the Buddah Bar in Newtown (Amal and Elaine are the best).

I've spent the last couple of days resting and being 'housey' - dropping off a meal (complete with dessert) for my gorgeous friend who has a new baby, cooking myself some meals, unpacking those final few boxes from the move... and tomorrow mum + sis + niece are coming up to see my new home. I've watched the "Twilight" movie 3 times (I definitely need to go to the dvd store, but hey, R Patz is YUM so it's not all bad), and I've got a day ahead of not much - it sounds perfect.

Oh, and I've also caught up with some different friends for coffee and breakky. It's been a wonderful mini-break and I can't wait to enjoy the final 2 days.

Much love,
me x

ps - why is it I struggle getting up during the work week but come holidays, I'm up bright & cheery before 8 every day?!

Smoking Chair

I'm at home sick again today. Still got the fever thing, the belly thing, the dizzy thing. Dr said it's a bacterial thing. All these things... but I'm getting lots of sleep, which is good. I really can't even bring myself to watch tv - despite getting out the entire season 2 of Six Feet Under.

I've not really eaten much today either, just some toast for breakky. So I'm a bit peckish - but the thought of cooking, and actually - the thought of eating, doesn't really sit too well with me. I was in shock when I dropped by my bday gathering last night (delivered my cupcakes!) and couldn't even be tempted to nibble on all the party food. That is how I know I'm really sick - me, knocking back sugar?? LOL.

Spending some time now reading some personal finance blogs to help me stay on the track to get out of debt. Feeling good that I've consolidated the debt and now it's just the one easy payment to knock off each month. That feels SO GOOD - seriously, I started getting anxiety attacks thinking of all the debt I was in. So future - here I come! I actually am excited about pay day now, seeing those debt figures come down (see the funky debt counters I've added to the blog too?).

One way I could surely save some dosh is to stop eating out, but I guess it's one battle at a time. At least I'm eating dinner most nights now - which was a very different story 6 months ago. So baby steps. And speaking of 6 months, come this Friday it'll be 6 months I've not drunk, god willing. I'm so happy and more than that, I'm nowhere near as depressed as I've been prior to now. So no drinking, I'll stay with it.

I was feeling a bit of a pity party attack this afternoon, I mean seriously - it's day 4 today that I'm home sick and I just want someone to come and take care of me ; ) But I'm now sitting by the back door in our elegantly titled 'smoking chair', and feeling that breeze come through and watching the sun over the back yard, well, the pity party is moving on. If I have to be sick, I suppose it couldn't be in nicer surroundings : )

Today I'm grateful for:
* I have a job
* I have a beautiful home
* my family
* books books books
* study retreats coming up
* the net!

Growling Belly

I am so hungry tonight that my belly is growling and I feel sick. Sweet flatmate is cooking up a yummy dinner so I can smell it wafting through the house and I'm crying for it!

Last night I asked sweet flatmate if she could cook for me all the time. She said yes. Haha how I wish that were true! I need to get out of my cooking funk and start trying to be healthy again. At least this week at work I've made my lunch each day (salads mostly, a plain old tuna sandwich today!) - that's a start.

Oh - and it really helps with the budget! My oh my, does it ever! It's good to have something to save for or something to pay off to inspire you to get the budget under control!

My loan (to consolidate debt) got approved this morning - but then she called back and said they'll have to put it through the process again as they didn't take into consideration that I still have a HECS debt (less than a couple grand.. but still need to note). Ugh. So I'll find out tomorrow morning if it's still all good to go - fingers crossed. It would make life so much easier having just one payment instead of all these ones here and there each pay.

Good news though - savings have increased again this pay day. Hoorah!

Off to dinner now, hugs x

Lady Beatle : )

Was stocking up on some yummy summer fruit & veg early this year and came across a pretty little ladybug, travelling in some grapes.

Too cute : )

Can you see her? On the sign, hiding up the top in the red section!

One week - 14 meals - just $50 = POSSIBLE!

Yep - it is! There was a great feature in the Good Living liftout of the Sydney Morning Herald a few weeks ago and I just came across it again, and thought it worth a posting.

A new year means new budgets and new inspiration so here's to home cooked meals and getting frugal! Being frugal is the new black, didn't you know? ;)

(* Click on the images to make them bigger)

Organisation schmorganisation

I've come to believe there is some truth in the idea of being organised. So I'm giving the weekly meal planning thing a go. Small steps.

So far:
- I've got a mushroom, chickpea and tomato risotto on the oven which will last me a good few meals!
- There's pumpkin baking in the oven so I can make the yummy pumpkin, tofu and tomato meal with couscous
- I bought lots of veggies and stock to make up a vegie and lentil soup
- I also bought lots of vegies to make my all time fave dish from my Moosewood cookbook
- Finally, I've also bought some fruit. Comes in handy that.

And when all else fails or I become lazy and don't want to cook, there's frozen salmon fillets in the freezer, along with some frozen single serve vegies. Not ideal, but hey - better than takeaway.

Phew!

Noodle Markets & Fun

I've been really busy lately. It seems we all have. Seriously - I need to take a breath! There have been awards celebrations + working till late + airport pickups + gigs with 10 000 italians + egos + early morning starts + yoga classes + noodle markets + new haircuts + so much more.

Art & About in Hyde Park - artworks in the outdoors!!!

Good Food Month & Night Noodle Markets!

Day trips to Spotlight to make eyepillows for yoga classes!

Water fountains in Hyde Park - a 2 minute walk from my office. Sometimes life can be smiley.

: )

Eating Local

I have just finished reading “The 100 Mile Diet” by Alissa Smith & JB MacKinnon, and it was so interesting.

While eating local may not be the answer to everything (yes, it may be closer, but costwise it may not be sensible as just one fact) it raises the point that we really have become so far removed from our food. Not just physically – but on so many levels. I have no idea where my food comes from – whether in Australia or overseas. I have no idea how many pesticides it has been sprayed with, or how old it is!

Over the last 2 months my flatmate and I have been getting an Organic Fruit & Veg box deliverd (by The Organic Grocer) and the quality is amazing. See? Fruit really isn’t meant to go off and soggy within 2 days of purchase!! haha..

So I'm making a promise to myself to eat more local foods - and while I am not sure how things will go with this goal, I am interested in just finding out where my food comes from. How far it travels. Where it originates from.

It will be interesting : )

Has anyone else got any tips or does anyone know about this stuff? If so, please help this city gal out!!!

Fun posts:
Organic news and small family farms

ABC Local Challenge

The 100-Mile Diet – the book & site

Slow Food

Holidays are here!

It was not just another Saturday..... no, it was the beginning of my holidays. So a jaunt was in order!

I woke up before my alarm went off so just lazed in bed reading books, then got up and had some yummy organic strawberry jam on toast. Then we had a little visitor - Baby D came over and we had a ball just doing, um, baby stuff. Watching him, laughing at him, trying to feed him.. Babies rock : )

Next I headed into Newtown to go to the post office, and as I was over that way I dropped by the Glebe Markets. I wandered around the stalls (bought 2 awesome 2nd hand books), just taking in the colours and smells and sights, and then plonked down in the park to enjoy my feast whilst a guitarist was playing and kids were running about.

My feast? There's a regular stall there with the BEST EVA beanie nachos (you can get them on brown rice or corn chips) - it's been there for years and it's just so fresh and yummy. I just head to Glebe and get a craving for them so today it was all about the beanies : )

I then came home to devour my new books - Simple Abundance, and the Celestine Prophecy, both of which I'd been looking on amazon for! - and had a nap. I love afternoon naps!

Pottered about, had some fabulous gluten free patties on a bed of rocket with shaved parmesan and tahini for dinner, and then had an early night. Woke up to a gorgeous sunny Sunday and decided more food was in order!

Yummy scrambled eggs with fetta a fresh parsley, with jasmine & green tea

I started doing the exercises in Living Out Loud whilst sitting in the backyard, and that all got me thinking about what I want to do these holidays. Then it was time to go and see my friend's new little bubba - so so teeny tiny! Can I tell you how excited I am to have these bubs in my life??

Monday - BED DAY! You heard right, all day, in bed, books and magazines. Is this gold? Yes indeed!

The holidays are off to a good start : )

PS - isn't waking up without an alarm clock the best thing?!!

Happy Housewarming!!!

There was pictionary, curries for 16, water problems, water solutions, hula hoops, great friends and many glorious memories.

What a night : )

All that talk of food...

...got me searching & wandering around the net..... and so I eventually came across Wednesday Chef and TA DA this gorgeous recipe. All I can say is YUM!

So I haven't tried this YET but as I'm always on the lookout for yummy new recipes, I'm sure as heck gonna give this one a whirl. Hopefully you do too : )

Giant Lima Beans with Roasted Peppers
Serves 2 amply as a main course
1/2 pound giant white lima beans
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 roasted red bell peppers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 bay leaf2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste


1. Put the beans in a pot with ample water to cover (enough to come about 3 inches above the beans). Let sit for half an hour. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the flame to low and simmer the beans for approximately 1 hour, or until al dente. About 15 minutes before removing the beans from the heat, season with salt. Drain and reserve the boiling liquid.

2. As the beans simmer, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the peppers from their oil and finely chop. Add them to the onions and garlic, and stir over medium heat for about 3 minutes to meld the flavors a little. Remove from the heat and add the beans to the pepper mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir gently to combine.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Scrape the bean mixture in an ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish. Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved bean cooking liquid. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the beans. Tuck a bay leaf into the center of the dish, covering the leaf well with the beans. Cover the dish and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beans are very tender and their centers creamy.

4. Five minutes before the beans come out of the oven, pour in the vinegar. Remove from the oven and serve. You can let the beans cool to room temperature as well and serve the next day.

Food, glorious food!

My new housemate follows a gluten free diet, and it's interesting. I followed a gluten/wheat/dairy/sugar/red meat free diet for 3 months a couple of years ago for depression and it was amazing. I felt so full of beans and energy and my skin was so clear, it was phenomenal... and very hard to follow hah!

But it's not a 'choice' for my housemate, she medically has to follow this diet - her body don't like gluten!!!!

And while I follow a very heavy vegetarian based diet (with some fish thrown in) and love my lentils, brown rice and vegies, and feel that I eat quite well, well... looking seriously at ingredients in diets is fabulous.

I recently found Green Bean Dreams and it has made me really explore diet and sustainable living. This book has also excited my interest in food. And this blog.

Now.. I'm off, and I'm hungry ;)

Till next time.. x

Home Sweet Home

Well the move is done, I'm here! I still have a couple of random boxes to unpack (one which contains my laptop!) but mostly I'm settled into my gorgeous new home. I moved a few suburbs out and couldn't be happier.

I am loving living in a house now (as opposed to a studio!) and my flatmate is just fantastic. Oh, and we have a bath! For those of you with baths in your homes, this might not be as exciting as it is for me.. but having lived in little studios where you can barely turn around in your own shower, a bath is certainly a luxurious treat!

I have a persistent cold that I've had for a good 3 weeks now that I know is just a symptom of being run down and in between seasons, so thank goodness I have central heating in the new home to stay rugged up and cosy in : ) And a tough but satisfying decision I've come to is that I've given up permanant teaching on weekends. Covers here and there are fine, but with my M-F day being so hectic, I realised (well, my body did first, then all my friends told me, then I finally listened) that being run down is no way to live. So this weekend is my first of total slobbing about the house, going to bed at 9pm and loving every moment of it!

Art of Yoga is around the corner from my house so I got up to a yoga class today (focussing on Dharana and knees) and it was gorgeous! Beautiful stretch to start the day. And last night I spent a bit of time looking up some recipes to start cooking in my new kitchen as I've become very happily all homely! So these vegan stuffed capsicums and this yummy sounding butternut pumpkin risotto with greens are both on the menu this week.

I have some lovely pics of my backyard (again - see the bath story above. I have, for the first time in a long time, a backyard!) and my new red corduroy skirt to post up soon (what better way to chase away the winter blues than with a splash of red?!)... but first my email needs to deliver them. I think it is also hibernating.

So stay tuned and keep warm and enjoy a cute piece on how to be a woman. It'll bring a smile to your face, I promise.

Till next time,

xxx

PS - Perhaps it's because I feel like I'm living in the movie 'Mean Girls' every time I am at work. Perhaps it's because people just aren't as polite as they could be in traffic, at the shops, or on the street. Perhaps it's because I'm a little run down and hence a bit more emotional of late (hehe), but whatever the reason, I really felt the following few words I received in an email from one of my yoga students just really touched me. I hope you enjoy them too:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.>> Watch your words, they become actions.>> Watch your actions, they become habits.>> Watch your habits, they become character.>> Watch your character, for it becomes...your destiny.>>>> 'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle'. x

Back to Work already?!

Weekend:

- yummy mushroom agnolotti pasta with salad and breadrolls

- morning yoga

- naps during a rainy day

- cheese on biccies

- afternoon yoga

- New Internationalist essays

- pink tulips in the bathroom

- clean house

- weekend papers

- books

- ribena

- downward facing dog

- goodnight x

I'm in LOVE

...with broccoli. Yep, love it.
Corn comes a close second....


any vegie you ADORE??

Online love

We are truly blessed with the internet.

Sure there are good things and bad things about living in a crazy technological age, but the best thing is that we get to make so many more friends. I have a loooong list of blogs that I check out each day - some I lurk on, some I am active on - and the good thing about having wonderful,creative and inspiring friends? I can copy them.

Isn't trying to emulate the good habits of others a darn good compliment? As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.. or some such. So here we go. I'm still feeling a bit blue, so I'm going to try emulate these shiny peeps...

Cook like Dreena - yum yum yum, I really can't wait to whip up this Sweet Curry Chickpea bake. Dreena - no kidding - makes cooking fun! I tell you, cheesey as that sounds, I always want to run into the kitchen after I read one of her posts and eat vegies.


Live like YogaMum - she is the fab creator of WoYoPracMo and is never fails to inspire me. There's always a poem, a recipe or something or other going on over there. I have enough trouble taking care of myself, let alone others. YogaMum seems to do it in a beautiful way.

Create like Keri Smith - honestly, I often wonder where peope find the TIME to do things. I am so busy and hectic doing things that I can't possibly pull out 5 mins to write or draw and create... and between you and me, I think that is where my spirit is crashing. What is life if without colour and texture and sparkles? Omg you have to go over and check out Wish Jar as it's overflowing with ideas... I'm getting started on them NOW.

There are so many more that I need to take inspiration from but for today, this will do. I need to get hot with the hobbies, see my friends, do my yoga and nourish my spirit.

I'll give you an update in 7 days on my progress. x

Peace, Love + Brown Rice

I need a little more of all of these in my life.

Lately - for the whole last month, really - work has been intense. Intensely intense. For an example, my last week has been as follows:

Sunday worked all day at an outdoor festival (12noon to 11pm)

Monday had band in town, had work dinner at night

Tuesday has band in town, had work gig at night

Wednesday had band in town, had work gig at night

Thursday had band in another town so caught up on all my office work! Work gig at night

Friday.... sick at home

It's no surprise really that my throat is killing me today. My last week has been massively crazy and busy but I actually have enjoyed it - but the whole month has been full on. I'm actually feeling really on top of everything at work as well but yeh, rest sometimes is good.

I had a plan in February to deepen my yoga practice, but I've actually worked so much that yoga has taken a back seat.

pEaCe

So I definitely need some more yoga in my life. I need some more inner peace. When things are busy self-care flies out the window and it's a habit I need to break. So this month I'm going to go to a meditation class and up the yoga practice. Also going to jump on the treadmill so I can do some self-meditation.

lOvE

Self love, any love! Whatever falls under that banner, I need some of it. I need to do something this month, something to look forward to. Similar to an artist date, but just a date with myself. I am going to go to an art gallery, I am going to going to figure out some more things too. Stay tuned.

bRoWn RiCe

Food glorious food! I am going to eat proper meals this month. I'm gonna back off on takeaway. I'm going to cook with kate and quinoa and post foto evidence on here : )

x

Seriously…

When did it become ok for me to let my house become so darn messy? I have papers strewn here, there and everywhere. I have clothes piled onto the lounge. The unmade bed is looking at me and it’s gotten to the stage where I have to create a pathway to get from one side of my house to the other.

Ok, so I live in a studio (ie. a room!) so it’s not like I can shut the door on the mess and have one clean room etc. But this is a joke. Living alone has its benefits – you can be as neat/anal or as messy/crazy as you want to, but it’s time for even me to have the spring clean happen. And gee, must say I’ve been inspired in part by Yublocka who is going hell for leather on this task!!

Other things on the radar – cooking! I have been pulling out some of my delish cookbooks and finding new yummy treats to make and create. You know when Spring arrives, warm weather beckons and salads are the order of the day? Well, that’s me. I also went on a full on detox for the first couple of weeks of August and was amazed at how great I felt, so I’m looking forward to doing a lot more of that. I am loving this book - so stay tuned for reviews of my culinary expertise ;)

I’ve also gotten a new job, with a new car (yay!) so anything new is a good time to set up some new habits. I’m all for fresh starts and habits in case you’d not picked that up ; ) The new car means I’ll be able to do big grocery shops at the farmers markets and also enjoy picnics, sunshine and road trips without the hassle of public transport. I’m excited : )

Hope yr all well! Oh - and a massive THANK YOU for all of you who have donated to my Yoga Aid Challenge. I'm trying to raise $250 for Barnardos by doing 108 Sun Salutes this October, and I'm happy to say I've only got just over $80 left to make. Care to donate a dollar or 2? Then click on the link and I am sending smiles your way : )

x

PS - for those who were asking what a Sun Salute is, check out www.shinyyoga.com and read all about it! x