Bunny face lift

We're heading to the in-laws for the long Easter weekend tomorrow, so today involved creating (and then subsequently destroying) bunny cookies and flourless peanut butter kiss cookies. And of course since we won't be here for Easter, the Easter bunny dropped off our basket a bit early.

That sugar overload will be shared with the fam.

The best bunny/cat cookie looked like this:

Icing artistry work completed by the Hubs.

Unfortunately, the bunnies underwent substantial plastic surgery (literally when I tried to put the saran wrap over them). The bunnies are hopeful that the Hubs will offer free reconstructive surgery.  

I hope everyone enjoys a lovely long weekend and has as much fun as I plan to have with my favourite pugaliers - Molly and Charlie.

The Workout

I went to body pump and walked 6ks.

Off to read,

B

Melting in the kitchen

Today was the highest day in March in Victoria in over 50 years, and I decided to do some baking. I definitely didn't think this plan through. The title says it all.

At the market the other day I bought a cucumber and tomatoes, so I decided to make a panzanella salad. I had some basil on its last leg (I can kill a plant faster than anyone I know).

I figured I could make a nice basil mix for the croutons - basil, oil, garlic. I thought I could use my vitamix to blend the mixture; I could not. I was able to use my onion chopper though (by the way, you need an onion chopper).

The croutons turned out really tasty (as in a few didn't make into the salad).

I moved on to my next baking adventure - biscuits. I served the biscuits with roasted veggies and the Hubs was a happy man.

Now I have to drag my bum to the laundry mat to dry my sheets after a fight with my washer and not enough time before bed for the sheets to air dry. Wish me luck.

Off to dry,

B

Body pump

Body pump is my go-to for a good weight lifting session (okay, it's the only way I'm lifting weights these days). I first discovered body pump in law school in 2008 and since then I've had phases of loving it and hating it. I'm currently in a loving phase and try to make it twice a week.

Body pump involves working each body part for the length of a song - warm-up, quads, chest, back, triceps, biceps, hamstrings, shoulders, abs. It's always in the same order, which when I'm in the "hate" phase makes for a long hour session, but lately the class has been going by really fast. From the Les Mills website it states that you can do up to 800 repetitions with 70-100 per body part. 

What I love about the class is that you really start to notice increased strength with the moves. Lately I've been noticing that I'm getting stronger with the tricep moves and the lunges. Lunges are something I want to train myself to love (seriously, is there a way to love the ahh-it-burns?). I'm a fan of the squats and really like some of the super intense shoulder tracks. I dislike when the instructor sings.

When we move I'm not planning to join a gym, because the one in our area has really inconvenient hours. I'm hoping that I can buy some weights and get into a good home-based weight lifting routine.

The Workout

Today I went to body pump and walked 5ks. 

Off to clean the house,

B

Week 2 Meals

I really enjoyed having a meal plan last week, although Friday ended up being takeout instead of the cauliflower wings (darn you Thai - you get me every single time!).

Let's see what we can wrangle up for this week.

Monday - Pizza and Juice
Tuesday - Summer pasta and juice
Wednesday - TLT and smoothie
Thursday - BBQ with veggie dogs, corn and tomato
Friday - Fridge scavenging / Take-out

This week should be entitled "I don't feel like cooking" (okay, I'm really just being lazy, but we're all entitled to be lazy sometimes). But meal plans, at least for me right now, are more about organising and budgeting than an amazing meal.

Today I went to the market to get some organic produce and decided to try another variety of carrot.

The golden carrot.

Obviously, I had to use these beauties in a fresh juice. I opted for a non-traditional juice (at least for us) and it included - golden carrots, oranges, spinach, lime, and sweet potato.

It was a delicious juice with a mild flavour.

We followed the juice with a healthy portion of summer pasta (this time I added crushed red pepper - yum!).

Now I need to come up with other uses for the basil bunch I have left (suggestions welcomed).

The Workout 

I walked 5ks and went to body pump.

Off to watch tv,

B

Purple Carrots

Yesterday was an exciting day in house buying - we paid our deposit (it's starting to feel real). I also went to the Prahran market in search of some organic produce. I found lovely spinach and also a new-to-me veggie - purple carrots.

Purple carrots taste exactly like their orange cousins, but offer a different nutrient profile. It's important to eat a variety of colours, and purple pigments can improve vision, protect against heart attacks and help with memory functions.

We put ours into a juice.

The dinner plan said Mexican bowls, but I decided to change things up a bit by making potato nachos (which used mostly the same ingredients). The Aussie and I were pretty happy with the results. Slice the potato extra thin and toss with olive oil. Then bake on top of a cooling rack and top with whatever toppings you desire.

The Workout

I walked 5ks and went to body pump. 

Off to be productive,

B

Pinterest is Addicting

Today was not overly productive. I did some job searching and applying (Hi Potential Employers, hire me!). I also spent an unhealthy amount of time scouring pinterest in search of home decorating ideas.

Master bedroom potential:

source

Organised & bright laundry room:

source

I can't wait to call this "my" street.

It has such a welcoming feel.

For dinner tonight I modified the stacked enchiladas to regular rolled enchiladas, because we used flour tortillas instead of corn. The filling was zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, black beans, spinach, cilantro, and seasonings.

 
We also had a juice to start the meal with the usual suspects.

I really enjoyed having the meal plan in place, because I didn't have to think about what to have for dinner.

The Workout

Rest day. I made the mistake of pushing the workout to the evening and then by the evening I felt a bit "blah" (medical term). Lesson learned - knock it out first.

Off to spent time with the Hubs,

B

First Meal Plan

I've seen a few bloggers doing a weekly meal plan, and I figured it might be a way for me to curb my food spending habits. In the last few months the Aussie has been tracking our spending in preparation for buying a house, and we've sadly realised that food spending is out of control ridiculous - fancy ingredients (hello, coconut flour), eating out (Thai take-out), and poor planning. I accept that Australia is more expensive (heck, avocados were $4 the other day), but I think planning meals will help ensure I'm using everything I buy. Plus I can pair more expensive meals with cheaper meals during the week.

Speaking of buying, I plan to start raiding my pantry to see what I can come up with. I bought a case of organic canned beans awhile ago, so I still have a few of those. Plus the more we eat the less we have to pack.

This week will be nothing too fancy, but hopefully I'll get better as the weeks go by.

MONDAY - Toast with cream cheese and tomato (no food in the fridge)
TUESDAY - Tofu scramble 
WEDNESDAY - Stacked Veggie Enchiladas
THURSDAY - Mexican bowl with homemade salsa and guacamole
FRIDAY - Cauliflower wings with side salad

The Aussie was a champion and picked up 90% of what we need for the meals (I'll be picking up some organic produce from the market and a few odds and ends).

The tofu scramble was delicious. The key to the perfect scramble is to ensure the bottom browns with proper cooking (let it cook without flipping it for awhile). For my scramble, I use pepper and mushrooms and the tofu base is organic tofu, a ton of nutritional yeast, turmeric, mustard, black pepper and pink salt. I use a potato masher to mash the tofu and then add the ingredients with a splash of water. I cook the peppers and mushrooms and then add the tofu to heat and brown it.

Today's other excitement (perhaps only excitement, because seriously meal planning isn't that fun) was visiting a specialty store selling American food called Amazing Savings. When I arrived I was told that today was closing day, which meant super low prices. I was forced to load up on things the Aussie and I haven't had in forever!

The goods will need to be portioned out or else we'll be on a permanent sugar high. With that being said, I do believe breakfast will be a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch.

The Workout

I did a 5k walk.  

Off to read,

B