Low Energy

My energy levels have felt very low today. Perhaps I had one too many glasses of wine last night?

I woke up early so that I could do Adoring Husband's work for him while he's away at training and then I had a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, tomato, onion and avocado, attempting to gain some energy, which only lasted til lunch time and then I simply needed to nap.

I napped comfortably for almost 2 hours. Five minutes after I woke up I received a phone call from my happy little Chicklet who told me all about her adventure at Aussie World a couple of days ago. They were the only family there so Chicklet had all the rides to herself! I love listening to her talk .. she hardly takes a breath sometimes .. other times she forgets what she started to tell me and loses track lol. So precious.

 
Finally, I made myself a delicious and healthy dinner tonight. Zucchini pasta with avocado, lemon & basil sauce and crispy skinned salmon.

It was delicious, but I couldn't eat all of the salmon.

It's now 10pm and I'm off to bed. I have a big day tomorrow attending the 'Wellness Day' in Hervey Bay.

Nite all.

Quotes for you.

... and for all you Patrick Swayze fans out there ...

Patrick Swayze and his wife dancing

... and don't watch this video of Lisa Niemi Swayze unless you have a tissue handy ...

Lisa Niemi Swayze - Worth Fighting For

*sniff*

Nite all.

Beef Vindaloo in the slow cooker for dinner tonight. I've never made it before, nor have I ordered it in a restaurant, but I do know that Number One Son likes it.

Adoring Husband seemed to enjoy it and ate a huge bowl of it with a side of papadums. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I think the flavour is a little strong for my liking and I don't think I'll make it again .. unless Number One Son comes to visit.

Yay for the footy season! Tonight's first game is between my team, the Broncos and last year's Grand Final Champions, the Rabbitohs. Almost at half time and the Rabbitohs are winning 8-2.  Football season has been a long time coming!

I didn't get much study done today, even after my early night last night. I seem to have hit a wall and I need to figure out how to climb over it! I'll have a long weekend to focus while AH is on some training, so let's see how I go with that.

AH picked up our FROG box today which was full of celery, chard, silverbeet, spinach, kale, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, cucumber, zucchini, plums and grapes. What a haul!

So the fridge is chockers right now!  I need to check out some paleo recipes for the abundant green leafy vegetables that I have. All of my old recipes have cheeses and pastries in them, which aren't paleo.

I'm certain that 'Pinterest' will provide me with some ideas. I do love 'Pinterest' for recipes because I can ALWAYS find just want I'm looking for when I do a search.

So as I sit here eating organic purple seedless grapes watching the footy, I bid you farewell.

Nite all.

It's a Date!

This is what I'll be doing on Sunday ...

On Sunday, 8th March, Jessie Reimers from Get A Fresh Start will be hosting a Wellness Day at The Sticky Fig Gallery Cafe.

Jessie will demonstrate how you can make your own Toxin Free Products to use at home and get rid of dodgy chemicals that have been linked to endocrine disruption and long term health problems- it's easy to make your own all purpose cleaning spray, mould remover, deodorant, perfume, foaming hand soap and more and she will show you how including take home recipe info sheet!

Jessie will follow this with an Introduction to Essential Oils Class and how you can use these and other tools to support your body in many ways- physically as well as EMOTIONALLY! She will talk about the mood management oils, the peaceful blend, a wonderful blend for focus and supporting PMS, post menopause and mood swings as well as some wonderful ideas to assist those with ADHD, those on the Autism spectrum, anger and other behavioural and emotional difficulties.

Tickets are $25 or for a limited time bring a friend and pay just $15 each and this includes a free Wild Orange dōTERRA essential oil for you to take home as well as recipes and information pack.

Please contact the Sticky Fig Gallery Cafe to order one of their delicious salad boxes for lunch on 4191 4443. Jessie's last Hervey Bay event completely sold out, so get in early as this is going to be another sold out event.

After lunch there will be an optional information session to find out more about the business opportunity with doTERRA and becoming a consultant in our wonderful team.

Bookings are essential, don't delay as this event has limited capacity.

I'm a big fan of Jessie Reimers so I'm looking forward to this very much, and especially because Mardi and Woman of Many Talents will be sharing the experience with me!

*******

Tonight for dinner I dipped some boneless chicken thighs in egg and then coated them with a mixture of almond meal, LSA, sesame seeds, chilli powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. I lay them on a tray lined with baking paper which was brushed with coconut oil and baked them in the oven for 20 mins, then turned them over and baked for a further 15 mins.

They were scrumptious and on another tray in the oven I roasted sweet potato, beetroot, onion and zucchini and then I placed 2 large flat mushrooms on the tray with chopped garlic and butter in their centres. I drizzled some balsamic vinegar over the vegetables after I served them up and added a little container of my sriracha sauce to dip the chicken into.

It was GOOD!!

I found another short Paleo story from Hayley to share ...

My/Our Story

Mid last year my husband become unwell and was sent off to see various specialists who sent him for numerous tests. The results were unclear, but that didn't stop them (Drs) from stocking him up on all types of medications. One specialist told him he may have to remove a piece of his large intestine. That was it for me, I decided that there had to be a better way. So I started researching, I came across the word "Paleo" and read everything I could find on Paleo. Everything I read just made sense. I found Chef Pete Evans face book page and purchased his book 'Family Food'. We ate 80% Paleo as we patiently awaited The Paleo Way 10 week Program to start. Since starting Paleo I have disposed of 16kgs and my husband 15Kgs. Little did I know that the Paleo way would not only change my husband's life but mine also.  I have struggled with digestive issues my whole adult life and was living in constant pain, I had just accepted this as being part of my (normal) life. WELL I could shout from the roof top .. its not a normal way of life! My pain is nearly non existent now, I no longer take any medications for my stomach or my sinus (which I have had for years). My husband and I are also enjoying clearer skin, more energy, weight reduction, brighter eyes, we are less hungry and the list of improvements just keep coming, but best of all is we cant stop smiling. The Paleo Way is a life changer and we will NOT be going back to the old way of life. Give it a go, you wont be disappointed... A huge thanks to Pete and his team, you guys have helped give my husband and I our quality of life back xx

I got some more study done. I didn't enjoy it at all today! I struggled and was easily distracted, but I didn't give up completely, so I feel like I achieved something .. not a lot, but enough.

I was also, strangely enough, craving coffee!! Almost all day!! Very weird. Needless to say, I did not cave to my crave :) tempting though it was.

Perhaps an early night is on the cards. My brain will function better after a solid night's sleep. Last night, I stayed up til midnight watching Grey's Anatomy .. when will I learn???

Nite all.

Love my girls

Yes, I do love my daughters very much. They make me so proud and are both more wonderful than I ever imagined they would be.

But, I'm talking about my other girls.

My Tuesday morning tea girls. My Friday night at the club girls. My once a month barbecue at the park girls. My every so often at the movies girls.

Today we went to the movies and saw "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".

We loved it so much!!

Apparently, it got very bad ratings from the critics ... like 2 stars out of 5. We can't figure out why.

I think it was as good as, if not better, than the original.

All of the original cast were back with a couple of extras .. including the very charismatic Richard Gere.

The movie was funny, moving, dramatic, uplifting, warm and reflective.

We thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone out there considering going to the cinema to watch it .. definitely worth seeing on the big screen, even if only for the glorious colours, scenery and energy that flows from the screen to the audience.

Just a couple of hours after we arrived home, we all gathered again at the Lion's Park for our monthly barbecue. There were about 17 of us there this evening. The weather was mild. The mood was happy and friendly. The variety of food was wonderful and delicious. We all had a great time.

I love my friends. You are all awesome!! You know who you are xxx

Nite all.

I'm a studying cook.

I sat down to study at about 9.30am but my brain just couldn't focus, so I went to the kitchen and cooked up a big feed of bacon, eggs, tomato, onions and avocado. That did the trick.

I studied til lunch time, when Adoring Husband arrived home from the SES, so I threw some beef sausages in the oven and while they cooked I chopped up a bowl full of salsa with tomato, capsicum, onion, avocado, cucumber and pear. A pinch of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice to finish it off.

I continued studying til 4.30pm and then it was Chilli Mince with vegetable cakes, which were so delicious!

For the veggie cakes, I riced half a cauliflower, grated 2 cups of sweet potato, finely diced an onion, chopped one bacon rasher, sprinkles of paprika, cumin, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup chick pea flour, a handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, a good splash of coconut oil and 3 eggs. I used egg rings to mould them into shape on a large flat tray lined with baking paper brushed with coconut oil, and cooked them in the oven for 40 minutes.

I had two servings of both the chilli mince and the veggie cakes! The servings were only the size of a bread and butter plate, but I couldn't resist. There are heaps left over, so I'll serve them with guacamole tomorrow. Yum.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to the movies with the girls. It will be a nice break from my studies. A bit of light relief. I'm looking forward to it.

 
Nite all.

I Think You Know ..

It's only 4 minutes long, so worth a look to educate yourself a little.



If you've got the time and you're very interested here is a link to a different (90 minute) talk about sugar and the history of how it got into so much of our food and what it is doing to the population as far as health is concerned.

Meanwhile, yesterday was my final chance to create a photo for the flickr challenge 'Nostalgia'. So, as the sun was setting, I gathered as much stuff as I could find in the house and shed, that was old, or could be considered nostalgic.

It took me two hours to finally come up with this...

It's pretty amazing how much 'old' stuff you can find in your own home! The camera is a Raven from the 1940s. The canister of film would be from around 1950s and Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire were big in the 1930s and 1940s.

I did a photo quite similar to this for my exhibit a couple of years ago.

It was nice to play with the camera for a while. I miss my photography. Studies have taken over my precious time. I might have to take a few days between semesters and get out and about with the camera for some fun!

Adoring Husband arrived home safe n sound after his big chainsaw course .. although the heavy physical work in the heat, has taken it's toll and his body (mainly his legs and hands) has been cramping up so badly that he had to stop a few times on his way home.

A hot shower followed my some magnesium oil massaged into his legs. A hearty meal full of good himalayan salt (for it's minerals) and plenty of spices, green vegetables and good fats, then topped off with a bottle of water in which a hefty swig of apple cider vinegar was diluted.

*[Apple cider vinegar is fermented juice from crushed apples. Like apple juice, it contains some pectin; vitamins B1, B2, and B6; biotin; folic acid; niacin; pantothenic acid; and vitamin C. It also contains small amounts of the minerals sodium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Apple cider vinegar can also contain significant quantities of acetic acid and citric acid. It is used to make medicine.
Apple cider vinegar is used alone or with honey for weak bones (osteoporoses), weight loss, leg cramps and pain, upset stomach, sore throats, sinus problems, high blood pressure, arthritis, to help rid the body of toxins, stimulate thinking, slow the ageing process, regulate blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and fight infection.]*

It will now be interesting to see if he sleeps through the night without cramping up.

It's after 11pm, so it's time for me to sleep. Tomorrow (2nd March) will be the 36th anniversary of my first son's (Jamie's) death. Thank you Grannymus for your message of love today xox.

Nite all.