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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Prahran Market

This week involved several unsuccessful attempts and one successful attempt to visit the Prahran Market.


The sign clearly states it's not opened on Monday or Wednesday, and I can verify that it is indeed correct. Thankfully the third time was a charm and I spent the morning at the market.




I bought organic spinach, organic grapes and a fancy fizzy drink.

Obviously, I had to swing by Mr Nice Guy Cupcakes (aka vegan cupcakes). Mini cupcakes are far superior to regular sized cupcakes, if only because of the frosting to cake ratio.


I opted for the hazel chocolate chip, which had a surprising (and nice) cinnamon flavour.


I was even sweet enough to get one for the Aussie.

Lunch included a nice appetizer:


A very traditional guacamole but with gluten-free seed based crackers - Mary's Gone Crackers.


If you're looking for a tasty and healthy cracker then these are a must have. Perfect dippage vehicle, in my humble opinion.

The Workout

I did a 5k walk. I also got the green light from the doctor, so next week should be filled with bodypump!

Off to scrub pots (ugh),

B

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Failing & Rocking it all in a day

Today started out with a flop.

I was craving delicious fluffy pancakes after seeing these. Sadly, mine were inedible and looked like this:


For lunch I opted for a sandwich and fruit with a watermelon smoothie. The key for a sweet and tasty watermelon smoothie is to make sure the watermelon is ripe (it can even be over-ripe to the point that it's a bit mushy if you were to eat it) then blend with ice and small amount of water.


I stopped by a new-to-me health store today and scored some great products: oat groats, coconut flour, and chia seeds. They also had chocolate chip cookies made with coconut flour and almond flour but the price tag of $16 scared me away. Instead I decided to create some of my own.

Healthy Coconut and Oat Choc Chip Cookies
1 cup oat flour (blend oats in high powered blender)
¼ cup coconut flour
½ cup walnut flour (same as oats)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
2 flax eggs
½ teaspoon blackstrap molasses
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup coconut flakes
½ cup choc chips
Water (enough to get mixture to hold together – around 1/4 cup for mine)

Combine all ingredients and roll into a ball. You can eat these raw or dehydrate them (either with the oven method or a dehydrator). I ate some raw and dehydrated the rest in the oven (low setting with oven door open) until texture is to your preference. They have incredible flavour and taste amazing straight from the oven. 
 

The Workout

It was a rainy on this end, but I did go for a 2k walk. I wasn't able to get a doctor's appointment until tomorrow, so no bodypump on this end.  

Off to finish dinner,

B

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Dessert then Dinner

Last night I thought it would be a good idea to stuff myself with fruit - a salad of watermelon & rock melon along with an orange & pineapple juice.


It was good in theory, but bad in practice. Fruit digests quickly and I think my fruit buffet got stuck behind some sourdough bread (aka lunch) and I was left feeling like "ugh" (no better way to describe it). I have learned my lesson - fruit is breakfast food.

Tonight was date night with the Hubs, who had a training session in the city. I headed into the city around 3:30.


I met him after his course for every kids dream - dessert then dinner.

We started with scones and tea/coffee at Hopetoun Tea House, which was established over 120 years ago.






Then we had dinner at an Italian restaurant called +39. I didn't remember to snap a photo until we had already attacked our meals, so dinner will go unpictured.

I also finally got my watch fitted. The watch was a birthday gift from the Aussie and my birthday was ... uhhh ... 8 months ago. I am a slacker but I plan to make up for lost time by wearing it non-stop.


In the background is the Aussie's recent bday gift - a skim board. He'll be falling using it this weekend (weather permitting).

The Workout

Rest day. I'm hoping to get an appointment with the doctor tomorrow to see if I can get the green light to exercise. 

Off to veg,

B

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Weekend

This weekend we were rebels and completely changed up our juice - it doesn't even include beets (pretty shocking stuff). We decided to make a green juice. I have had green smoothies, but never green juice. Truthfully, my green smoothies were very fruity (hello, pineapple & mango) and the greens were spinach so they always tasted pretty tropical (fun fact - my roommate in law school used to get asked about the weird green drinks I brought to class).

The goods:


Rainbow chard, spinach, 2 granny smith apples and a lime.

The juice was intense (as you can see below), but it wasn't too bad.


After inhaling the juice, we packed up for a weekend at the beach. My in-laws just purchased an amazing motor home with plenty of space for all the intruding kids.


The campground was right on the beach, so the Aussie and I got to relax while looking at this view:


On Saturday I went to my first ever golf tournament - the Victoria Open. It may have been the absolute best one to go to, because we weren't stuck behind ropes and instead allowed to follow the players up the fairway. I basically pretended I was playing as I cruised my way closer to the hole. 

I may have pushed my luck with the sun on Sunday because we were at the beach for a few hours and I apparently forgot to reapply on my thighs so they're looking a bit crispy. The water was cool, but refreshing. I even rode a few waves on the boogie board. Fortunately the in-laws brought theirs, because we neglected to bring ours (I blame the Aussie who was too busy worrying about golf). But we're heading back for another beach weekend on Friday, and this time the boogie board and the skim board will be packed.

Today I decided to walk to the Prahran Market to see if I could score some organic greens (seriously I wish Coles would just start selling them). Okay, I may have also been interested in checking out Mr Nice Guy's Bake shop. But atlas it wasn't meant to be, because the market is closed on Monday.

Instead I walked back home and had a fabulous new favourite creation of sourdough toast with peanut butter and banana with local honey drizzled on top. I will certainly be recreating this meal.


Lunch was an unpictured tempeh sandwich, since I have taken a lot of pictures of my tempeh sandwiches and they are all the same - toast, mayo, avocado, tomato, spinach, and tempeh.

Dinner will involve a juice (featuring beets - hey you didn't expect me to keep neglecting them) and whatever else I can find in the pantry. Some days you feel motivated, and some you do not.

Today also included some job applications, so send some good vibes my way!  

The Workout

I did a 3k walk. Workouts this week are going to minimal, and it killed me today not going to bodypump. Sometimes you have to do what's best for your health, even if it isn't best for your mental sanity.

Off to organise the mess that is my apartment,

B

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Ch - ch - chia!

I first heard about chia pudding on Kristen's blog several years ago, and I filed it under "oh, I should try that" but never did ... until last night.

I was inspired by a recipe but changed it a fair bit.

Into a wine glass (because dessert should always be glammed up) went:

Rice milk
Peaches
Chia Seed
Passionfruit
Coconut flakes



After you mix everything, then let it set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

After it set:


The best thing about chia pudding is that you can put whatever you want into it (and in any amount you desire).

The seeds swell to approximately 10 times their size when placed in liquid and are a complete source of protein. They're also a great source of fiber and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids which play a vital role in brain function, as well as decrease inflammation and may reduce the risk of heart disease.

If you want to read more about chia seeds, then head here and here.

I'm off to grab a coffee with a friend, and I hope it looks like this:


The coffee in Australia is a million times better than America, and I have absolutely no clue why.

Off to enjoy the day,

B

Market Day & Cheesy Kale

I ventured down to the Queen's Market (aka Vic Market) today so I could give our fridge a good dose of produce, in particular I was on the hunt for organic greens (which aren't easy to get at traditional supermarkets in Melbourne).


I ended up with green overload (hiding in the back of the below pic) and a bucket of passion fruit.


The haul included:

20 passion fruit
1 bunch of rainbow chard
1 bunch of purple kale
1 pound of spinach
1 rock melon (aka cantaloupe)
1 pineapple
4 granny smith apples
2 green peppers
2 chunks of pumpkin
2 beets

Tonight for dinner I decided to try mushroom pies.


Spoiler alert - the finished pies did not look like the picture.

I also wanted to use some of my greens. I decided to use the purple kale to make cheesy kale.

I used 1/2 the bunch.


You de-stem kale because the stem is tough (okay, the leaf is tough).


Then you add your seasonings - pink sea salt, garlic, crushed red pepper, black pepper and sunflower seeds.


And your nutritional yeast (they call it savoury yeast in Oz).


Lots and lots of nutritional yeast.


Now you get your hands dirty and give your kale a good massage (it's a bit depressing that my kale gets more massages than I do **hint to the Aussie**). I add a bit of water to get things going.


Then bake at 350f/180c for 20 minutes.

Dinner is served.



I told you the pie looks like crud. You win some and lose some.

Tomorrow I'll share our dessert - it involves lots of Omega 3s and no sugar.

The Workout

Rest day today.

Off to bed,

B

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

People are strange

Oscar, my beloved juicer, made an excellent breakfast juice today by chomping up the usual juice suspects (with the Aussie's help, of course).

This:

 became that:


I love all the colours, and yes ice makes everything better. This made two 16 ounce juices.

For lunch I decided to venture out for a veggie burger. It turned out to be an interesting walk. First thing I saw was the mailman (mailperson?) delivering mail on a bicycle! I'd never seen that before, and definitely thought it was an awesome way to do it. In true stalker fashion, I whipped out my camera to snap a photo.


Um, you may be wondering where the bike is (heck or even where the mailman is). You need to look very closely and you'll see his little bag sticking out as he turned the corner. Those guys are fast, and, sadly, I am not (note to self - take paparazzi off potential career options).

But, my walk got even more interesting when I saw a guy riding his bike in the middle of the rode wearing these (not a mailman):

 Source

I kid you not. And I definitely wouldn't recommend it, because it's incredibly reckless (I think he must may have been drunk at 1pm on a Wednesday).

I finally made it to the burger place - Urban Burger.


I have been here once with the Aussie, and decided to be unoriginal and get the exact same thing - vegan burger & snack sized chips with honey mustard for dippage.


The burger is made from lentils and darn tasty.

After the feast, I decided to peruse Aunt Maggies, a local health-food store.




I like to imagine that it's like Wholefoods, but it's not (not even close). I was delighted though when I saw they started carrying my favourite local sparkling water from Hepburn Springs.


The Workout

Today I did 5 ks of walking and bodypump.

Off to veg,

B

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Thrifting it up

I love sleep. There I said it. So much so that the Aussie and I often joke that one highlight from our honeymoon in Tonga was this incredible nap when we first arrived and there was a breeze blowing through our bungalow (I say "joke" but it seriously was a highlight and often reminisced about). To have the perfect sleep I need a cold bed, a fluffy pillow, and a handsome husband (okay I could probably even lose the third thing and still have a great sleep, actually sometimes the third thing makes my sleep worse - bed hog!). At midnight last night it was still 27c/80f and our little fan was not cutting it at all, so we were rebels and turned on the our split system (similar to a window unit in the US). Um, I'm definitely going to be dreading the next power bill.

But today provided much needed relief and I welcomed the chilly and grey day (a bit blasphemous to say in the summer). I decided to venture out for a bit of thrift shopping.

The goods:


I plan to pair this dress with a cardigan for a nice office look (obviously not needed until an employer realises how fabulous I am).


This tank looks cute on, but I'm still not sure what to pair it with. And yes I tried (and failed) to find a way to show the goods that didn't look completely bland.

The Workout

I went hard with the squats in bodypump last night, and today I am feeling it. I did a 4k walk today.

Off to catch-up on sleep,

B

Monday, February 18, 2013

Monday's delayed post (aka Zesty Mexican Salad)

After a small battle to get back into the blog after I forgot my password (thanks Google for finally believing I was the rightful owner!), I can now post about my nutritious and spicy dinner.

I wanted dinner to highlight lots of veggies (perhaps to counter last week's love affair with scones), so I knew a salad was in order. However, salads can be boring and I was in the mood for exciting.

Mexican flavours are obviously the best, so I went with a Mexican themed salad.

I started out with a layer of spinach.


Then a layer of black and kidney beans.


Followed by tomato.


A mound of corn (I used corn on the cob off the cob - beats frozen every.single.time)


 A glob of salsa.


And finally a heap of guacamole.


After you take the final picture then you mix it altogether until it looks terrible and tastes delicious. What it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in flavour.

The Workout

I thought it might motivate me more to have a little section on each post about my workout. Monday's workout was a 3k walk and bodypump. Luckily the pump class wasn't super packed, which meant the room didn't get boiling hot.

Off to be productive (or not),

B