Another year of neglect, and this blog *still* exists!

oooooooh boy. I keep coming back and this 'blog' is still here. As I want to write, but am more likely to write on a screen than in a diary, I guess I really should try a little harder this year! I have a brand spanking new computer, lots of thoughts running around and a whole stack on new cookbooks received for Christmas and my birthday.

First a disclaimer; I'm on a cleanse. I made a Frankensmoothie for breakfast :)

Frankensmoothie makes 2 large glasses

1 frozen banana
1 large handful of frozen strawberries
2 tbsp coconut yoghurt
1 tsp spirulina powder
1/2 cup coconut almond milk, more if needed

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender. Drink/eat!











Week two and I'm pretty much down to fruit and veg only. Add in some nuts and seeds and that's about it. And tea. Lots of tea. I'm a little hungry, and a little grumpy but if overall it helps cut down the chronic inflammation I have, then all is good. So far I've been cutting back on coffee, alcohol, grains and dairy. Its been pretty hard as summer holidays is a time of travel, catching up with friends and eating lots! Long car rides have been hardest - thats prime snack time! On my drive down south on Monday I snacked on fried carbs, the ultimate betterworse food. You feel better for a mouthful, but worse for a lot longer! On my drive back to the city yesterday I was better prepared and had some snack tubs from the store; one of roasted mixed nuts, and one of superfoods (goji, sunflower seeds, almonds, coconut). It worked! It kept me satiated and awake. Here's to being prepared!!
So I have no pics to show you from my two lovely cookbooks, but I do have a Butternut Giner and Lentil soup for dinner tonight. The kids can have some toast to go with it, and although I do have some gluten free bread in the fridge that fits the cleanse, I think I'll just have it straight up :)

The most important food I ate in 2017

In May I signed up for the Ration Challenge as organised by Act for Peace. I committed to living on the same rations that a Syrian refugee living in a camp in Jordan would for the whole of Refugee Week (18-25 June). It was amazing. Super challenging and confronting, but a huge personal success when it got me talking to friends and family about their position on how we treat other humans.

One weeks supply of dry goods was posted to me and I had to reach fundraising goals to add in bonuses. I joined a local team and the 5 of us raised over $6000 to support Syrian refugees.

 So what does a weeks food look like?

We were instructed to add extra rice and flour, as could be collected at a local market in a refugee camp. The 120g block of tofu you see here could have been tinned sardines for the meat eaters. As I increased my fundraising tally I was able to add the following items to supplement the week; 8 tea bags, 50g sugar, 170g of one vegetable (I chose kale as I knew it would last for a week, and it is hearty), a bonus 120g of tofu, a $5 bonus item (I choose a fruit smoothie on day 4),

One of my fundraising strategies was to ask my friends and family to join me for a meal or a day. I would buy the ingredients and they would sponsor me to cook the extra food and deliver it to them.

This was what I offered them. A whole day pack included a tea bag for breakfast, rice and lentils with a flatbread for lunch, and rice, kidney beans and a chickpea and kale felafel for dinner.

Lets just say, I have amazing friends. This is how many people joined me and ATE like a refugee right alongside me, while donating as well.

Here are some other snaps of my cooking that week. 

I was well and truly ready for some more spice and flavour - and coffee - at the end of the week. It was truly an amazing eye opener and conversation starter. I raised $2407, enough to feed 6 refugees for a year which was a great feeling.  I think I am almost ready to sign up and do it again!! www.actforpeace.rationchallenge.org.au

A year in food photos

 Lets start my reminiscing of 2017 off with a toast. To good drinks, salad in a glass, and friends to share with.
This is a replica of a drink I had at Helen's birthday gathering at Guildhall. West Winds The Sabre gin, good tonic, cherry tomatoes, sliced red capsicum and cucumber. Delicious.

Next came a glut of kiwi fruit from Che Sara Sara that we could eat fast enough and was turned into fruit leather. Tangy!

 

I have no recollection of this delicious looking savoury dinner!

Plums. Lots of plums.

More proof that we do eat savoury dishes. Spiced pepitas make the best salad toppers

Pizza

I made tempeh!!!

 Glut of loquats led to this 

Another great gin - Four Pillars Christmas gin with strawberries and orange

New beginnings

Its been about 5 years since I posted here! I can't believe this site still exists! The beginning of a new year brings new motivation and enthusiasm and hopefully I can maintain that through 2017. There will be more food, more pictures (probably of food), and more exercise. Undoubtably there will be more politics as 2017 is an election year here in Perth, WA and I have a bit to say about that!

A month ago I replied to an email from Epicurious online to join the #cook90 challenge. It seemed like a fine idea in November! Today is the beginning of the challenge and I stumbled over breakfast. Oops. #cook90 challenges participants to cook 90 meals in January. Its a big task. Breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month, with only 3 slip up meals/eat out meals. I really don't think I can do it, unless I count morning and afternoon teas that include home baked or home prepped things. Skipping over the Panettone we ate for breakfast, we ate a variety of leftovers for lunch. T and E ate left over wood -fired pizza from my birthday party two nights ago. DH ate left over carrot tarte tatin with left over lemon and curry leaf baked rice, also from the other day. I ate the last piece of zucchini slice with aforementioned rice. Sorry, no pics but I assure you it was delicious!

DH and I are heading out to the tennis tonight so I thought I would make a ton of Vietnamese rice paper rolls; some to smuggle into Perth Arena, the rest to leave with the kids and the babysitter. The fridge provided the inspiration in the form of garlic tofu, purple cabbage, red capsicum, carrots, mint, coriander and some hoisin sauce. The pantry provided the rice noodles and rice paper. 

As today feels like a good prep day, I also turned some pizza dough into bread rolls. Sounds easy, right? While the oven was heating I started kneading and rolling the dough into knot rolls like I have done a hundred times. Bang, pop! The oven explodes. Yep. Explodes. Great big orange sparks, billowing black smoke, banging and popping noises. Awesome. Oh well, we had four and a half years out of it and it wasn't new when we bought the house. The fan has been a bit rattle-y for a few days so we thought it might be on the way out. Never fear, it is New Year Sale time so that gives us something to do! Next decision was wether to light the wood fired pizza oven or try the convection microwave. I chose microwave and they seem to have turned out well. 

Except for the last two - the microwave shat itself. Just stopped. No lights, no one home. Looks like an expensive shopping day is in my near future.

So cheers to an interesting start to 2017 and lots more food to come!

This weeks meals

I promised a meal plan and I didn't deliver - sorry Pen!  As I said last time, I am so extra hungry from upping my exercise so much, so I decided I really needed to add more whole grains and nuts to fill me up without stuffing my face.  With major inspiration coming from the infamous Moosewood cookbook by Mollie Katzen we will be eating; a very interesting version of Mac and cheese, Bulgarian Pepper casserole, Lentil and Walnut burgers and Eggplant and almond enchiladas.  From old and various magazines clippings I will make a Vegetable and risoni bake and Bean and pesto pots with cheese scones.  I haven't really decided what sweet treats will fill lunch boxes and tummies this week, although once I find some un-sulphered apricots I have a bunch of recipes to try.

Back in Aus

Wow.  What a journey the last two years have been.  We have now settled back in Western Australia, enjoying the sun and surf rather than the sun and snow of Colorado.  Meal planning and running both flew out the window during the last few months of transition, but I am pleased to say they are both back on the schedule.

I have joined the local gym and am so far happy with the creche.  T is in full time school, so it is just E that gets dragged along to the creche.  I have my fingers crossed that she continues to enjoy it.  I have made a commitment to go to the gym four times a week.  There.  I said it.  Now I am accountable!  I am planning on all four sessions being at least 45 minutes of cardio on a mixture of the elliptical, bike and treadmill. Two of the sessions will also include a weights and core strength routine.  My goal is to be able to run a 10km by the end of September - perhaps even the Bolder Boulder if we are back visiting Colorado at the right time!  So far so good, although it certainly is early days.

To make the most of these workouts, I have to get on top of meal planning and eating right.  With T in school I need to have the right lunchbox snacks for him as well.  I have been starving since working out so I know that if I dont have the right snacks around I will sabotage myself.  Stay tuned for this weeks menu.

Skirt Chaser in the Denver Post

Fifteen local women race in Skirt Chaser 5K General News Stories Denver YourHub.com

Wow! We made the paper.