So I was a little under the weather last night, hence, no blog post.
I just discovered this on youtube and thought I'd share it. It's an oldie but a goodie!
YouTube can be so much fun sometimes! I get lots of study information in YouTube too .. you name it, YouTube has it!
Speaking of study, I squeezed in a few hours of study today, but I'm still feeling a little panicked over the exam on Tuesday. I hate exams! Don't we all?
So, obviously, while I'm studying so voraciously, not much else is happening to share with you.
Nite all.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
Counting Down
Five more days of study left til the exam. Feeling pressured. Brain won't retain the information long enough! So much to remember! Ugh!
I wish there was a way to change my brain from being a reflective surface bouncing all the information back to where it came from .. to a sponge soaking up and retaining everything that I need to know.
Ageing brains are not our friends. Well, not mine anyway.
I actually did some cooking today too. A chicken and vegetable stew, a roast chicken and some honey and lemon chicken wings. I planned on making an apple tart this evening too, but then a very long phone call with 'best cousin in the world' put an end to that idea.
Adoring Husband had some SES training tonight, so I had a few hours at home alone, but a very unproductive few hours!
Once again, it's after midnight.
Sleep is my friend.
Nite all.
I wish there was a way to change my brain from being a reflective surface bouncing all the information back to where it came from .. to a sponge soaking up and retaining everything that I need to know.
Ageing brains are not our friends. Well, not mine anyway.
I actually did some cooking today too. A chicken and vegetable stew, a roast chicken and some honey and lemon chicken wings. I planned on making an apple tart this evening too, but then a very long phone call with 'best cousin in the world' put an end to that idea.
Adoring Husband had some SES training tonight, so I had a few hours at home alone, but a very unproductive few hours!
Once again, it's after midnight.
Sleep is my friend.
Nite all.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Sleep and Food
It was a late and slow start to the day.
I had a very late night last night, because sometimes life gets in the way.
Eventually, after coffee and a trike ride, by late morning, I started to study.
I stopped briefly for lunch when Adoring Husband was good enough to bring some delicious fresh sand crab home. I devoured it over the kitchen sink, making a fabulous splashy juicy mess everywhere!
Facebook provided me with this great recipe that I modified (as I do) and had with dinner tonight.
Ingredients:
4 zucchinis quartered lengthways
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil (or 5 fresh leaves finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 fresh cloves minced)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T coconut oil
2 T fresh chopped parsley
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Line a flat pan with baking paper.
Combine everything except the zucchini, parsley and oil, in a bowl.
Place the zucchini on the prepared pan, drizzle with oil and sprinkle the parmesan mixture over the top.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Put under the grill for 2-3 minutes until golden brown (be careful the paper doesn't catch alight).
Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.
I really loved the flavour of this, except I accidentally mixed the parsley with the mixture and it got a little burnt under the grill .. so I'll leave that out and sprinkle it last next time, like the recipe states!
We had it with crispy skinned salmon, sweet potato chips, snow peas and broccoli.
Dessert was chocolate zucchini cupcake with blueberries, strawberries and cream.
I'm soooooo full!
Nite all.
I had a very late night last night, because sometimes life gets in the way.
Eventually, after coffee and a trike ride, by late morning, I started to study.
I stopped briefly for lunch when Adoring Husband was good enough to bring some delicious fresh sand crab home. I devoured it over the kitchen sink, making a fabulous splashy juicy mess everywhere!
Facebook provided me with this great recipe that I modified (as I do) and had with dinner tonight.
Ingredients:
4 zucchinis quartered lengthways
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil (or 5 fresh leaves finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 fresh cloves minced)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T coconut oil
2 T fresh chopped parsley
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Line a flat pan with baking paper.
Combine everything except the zucchini, parsley and oil, in a bowl.
Place the zucchini on the prepared pan, drizzle with oil and sprinkle the parmesan mixture over the top.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Put under the grill for 2-3 minutes until golden brown (be careful the paper doesn't catch alight).
Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.
I really loved the flavour of this, except I accidentally mixed the parsley with the mixture and it got a little burnt under the grill .. so I'll leave that out and sprinkle it last next time, like the recipe states!
We had it with crispy skinned salmon, sweet potato chips, snow peas and broccoli.
Dessert was chocolate zucchini cupcake with blueberries, strawberries and cream.
I'm soooooo full!
Nite all.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Study Mode
Yep, study mode again. I was actually quite productive with my study today, so I'm feeling happy with today's achievements.
Morning tea with the girls was a great start to the day and Adoring Husband spent a lot of time at the SES shed, which gave me the quiet time that I needed, to get focused.
We didn't go for our walk along the beach this afternoon because we had gale force winds attempting to blow the town away. If the weather improves tomorrow, we'll try again.
I love these cups ...
... and here are my favourite quotes from Facebook this week ...
Psychotic dogs are a bit restless tonight, so I think I'll get them to bed early.
Nite all.
Morning tea with the girls was a great start to the day and Adoring Husband spent a lot of time at the SES shed, which gave me the quiet time that I needed, to get focused.
We didn't go for our walk along the beach this afternoon because we had gale force winds attempting to blow the town away. If the weather improves tomorrow, we'll try again.
I love these cups ...
... and here are my favourite quotes from Facebook this week ...
Nite all.
Monday, September 1, 2014
After my Heart
So ... I've known this woman in town for about 18 months. We have never had a long conversation, but have lunched in a group situation a couple of times and always say hello when we pass in the street or the supermarket. We probably wouldn't even qualify as acquaintances.
Yesterday, I stopped at her house to buy something that she had for sale and we began to chat.
Almost immediately, we discovered that we have a similar dislike for, and mistrust of, doctors, and the conversation became much more animated about our health and the various methods of healing that we use.
Well ... you all know how passionate I am about nutrition and how I find it difficult to control my, for want of a better word, 'enthusiasm' for my recent lifestyle change. I discovered that she too, was equally enthusiastic and showed me a book that she had recently acquired called "Take Control of Your Health and Escape the Sickness Industry" by Elaine Hollingsworth.
I guess she sensed my keen interest, because she hesitantly offered to loan it to me for 'a couple of days'. I accepted her offer and spent yesterday afternoon devouring as much information from the book as I could and took copious notes.
This afternoon, I went to return the book and told her how excited I was to read it and that I would definitely order one for myself from the website. She then offered for me to keep the book for another week! I almost snatched it back from her! So now I am taking my time with long leisurely reads (between my studying sessions of course).
There is so much interesting information in the book. Some of the advice, I have been putting into practice for almost a year already, but there is more information that I wasn't aware of, but which makes so much sense to me. Some of it I will share here during the week.
If you're interested in the book or the website from where I will be ordering it, go here.
Meanwhile, I finally got to take Adoring Husband to the beach for our bare foot walk on the sand this afternoon. We walked for about 50 minutes and it was really nice to have the time together in the fresh air, with time to talk and no distractions like TV or phones or dogs and to feel the sand between our toes and slosh through the puddles and shallow channels.
We've decided to make it a habit.
It's been difficult to get into my studies this week. There are two houses being built behind us and they are at the 'nail gun' stage. The wind is blowing from that direction, straight into our back door, so the sound seems amplified and pierces my tranquility. Every time I feel focussed, there is a sudden series of loud bangs as the builders get on a role.
I'm not sure how I'm going to combat this problem, but I'll work on it.
Once again, it's almost midnight, so I'm outta here!
Nite all.
Yesterday, I stopped at her house to buy something that she had for sale and we began to chat.
Almost immediately, we discovered that we have a similar dislike for, and mistrust of, doctors, and the conversation became much more animated about our health and the various methods of healing that we use.
Well ... you all know how passionate I am about nutrition and how I find it difficult to control my, for want of a better word, 'enthusiasm' for my recent lifestyle change. I discovered that she too, was equally enthusiastic and showed me a book that she had recently acquired called "Take Control of Your Health and Escape the Sickness Industry" by Elaine Hollingsworth.
I guess she sensed my keen interest, because she hesitantly offered to loan it to me for 'a couple of days'. I accepted her offer and spent yesterday afternoon devouring as much information from the book as I could and took copious notes.
This afternoon, I went to return the book and told her how excited I was to read it and that I would definitely order one for myself from the website. She then offered for me to keep the book for another week! I almost snatched it back from her! So now I am taking my time with long leisurely reads (between my studying sessions of course).
There is so much interesting information in the book. Some of the advice, I have been putting into practice for almost a year already, but there is more information that I wasn't aware of, but which makes so much sense to me. Some of it I will share here during the week.
If you're interested in the book or the website from where I will be ordering it, go here.
Meanwhile, I finally got to take Adoring Husband to the beach for our bare foot walk on the sand this afternoon. We walked for about 50 minutes and it was really nice to have the time together in the fresh air, with time to talk and no distractions like TV or phones or dogs and to feel the sand between our toes and slosh through the puddles and shallow channels.
We've decided to make it a habit.
It's been difficult to get into my studies this week. There are two houses being built behind us and they are at the 'nail gun' stage. The wind is blowing from that direction, straight into our back door, so the sound seems amplified and pierces my tranquility. Every time I feel focussed, there is a sudden series of loud bangs as the builders get on a role.
I'm not sure how I'm going to combat this problem, but I'll work on it.
Once again, it's almost midnight, so I'm outta here!
Nite all.
Perfect Sunday
Today was THE MOST PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL DAY! I took this photo with my phone.
I spent an hour walking along the beach and another hour sitting on the bank of the river, just enjoying the fresh air, the clear water and the blue skies.
I had to come home eventually and do some studying.
Adoring Husband arrived home safe n sound from Marburg after successfully completing his SES training. He's a happy chappy and now in bed snoring his happy little head off!
I am following his lead.
Nite all.
I spent an hour walking along the beach and another hour sitting on the bank of the river, just enjoying the fresh air, the clear water and the blue skies.
I had to come home eventually and do some studying.
Adoring Husband arrived home safe n sound from Marburg after successfully completing his SES training. He's a happy chappy and now in bed snoring his happy little head off!
I am following his lead.
Nite all.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Saturday Bliss
I set my alarm for 6am this morning, so that I could go to work. The alarm went off right on cue, so I switched it off and promptly went back to sleep!
Despite the scrambled start to the morning, I did get my work done and then spent some time at the Seat of Knowledge. Later, I kicked my shoes off and went for a long walk along the beach as the tide came in.
I sloshed, ankle deep, through the shallow water which was icy cold in patches, but comfortable in others.
There were quite a few pelicans resting on the beach, so I took a few quick snaps of them, until a lady stopped to chat. Her name was Christine and she was in her early 60s and a self proclaimed hippie.
She had lived in Gladstone for 39 years, then sold her house and bought one for $20000 in Cracow, which is about 300 km west of here. It's a very small and old gold mining town with a population of about 120 people.
She was travelling in an old 4WD, but was planning on getting a small camper and painting it bright colours and then travelling wherever life wanted to take her. She makes dream catchers out of the bird feathers that she collects on her long walks.
She did confess to stopping for road kill .. a dead Wedge-tailed Eagle on the road, to steal it's feathers for her dream catchers! I told her that I thought that was pretty sick .. and not in a good way! She laughed and said "Well, it's not like I killed it for the feathers. It was already dead!" We both laughed.
We shared a little of our life history and then went our separate ways. She is taking a sick friend to Brisbane for surgery and then they are coming back here for recovery time and then home to Cracow.
I walked for another 45 minutes and then pedalled to my local haunt, got my usual take-away coffee and sat outside in the sunshine for about an hour. A few locals stopped by for a chat and finally, I arrived home at about 11.30am.
I had some lunch and then set myself up in bed with my laptop and study material, ready to spend a couple of hours studying before the football started. Yes, it probably seems strange to do this in bed, when I have a perfectly good desk to sit at .. but the air and light in the bedroom was so lovely, it just seemed like the right place to be.
After a while, I got a phone call from Vegan Chickie, who has been very ill for a couple of weeks with every ailment known to mankind, from the flu to food poisoning to infections to serious allergies!
The poor thing. Luckily, she is on the mend now, but it might take a while for her poor body to fully recover from such an onslaught! It was really nice to hear from her and I loved listening to Chicklet chatting in the background. I miss them and need to get down there for a visit soon.
I decided to go for another ride before the football started and as I rode along the path beside the river, there was a Whistling Kite floating above me ...
I waited patiently for the White Breasted Sea Eagle that was soaring in the skies across the river, to head in my direction, but even though he teased me a couple of times, he never got close enough to photograph and eventually I gave up and rushed home to watch the football.
There were 3 games today and I tipped the losing teams in all three games .. not happy Jan!
I think I will now climb into bed and watch the end of the movie "Armageddon". It's highly possible that I will fall asleep before it finishes, considering it's now 10.40pm and it doesn't finish til midnight!
So, nite all.
Despite the scrambled start to the morning, I did get my work done and then spent some time at the Seat of Knowledge. Later, I kicked my shoes off and went for a long walk along the beach as the tide came in.
I sloshed, ankle deep, through the shallow water which was icy cold in patches, but comfortable in others.
There were quite a few pelicans resting on the beach, so I took a few quick snaps of them, until a lady stopped to chat. Her name was Christine and she was in her early 60s and a self proclaimed hippie.
She had lived in Gladstone for 39 years, then sold her house and bought one for $20000 in Cracow, which is about 300 km west of here. It's a very small and old gold mining town with a population of about 120 people.
She was travelling in an old 4WD, but was planning on getting a small camper and painting it bright colours and then travelling wherever life wanted to take her. She makes dream catchers out of the bird feathers that she collects on her long walks.
She did confess to stopping for road kill .. a dead Wedge-tailed Eagle on the road, to steal it's feathers for her dream catchers! I told her that I thought that was pretty sick .. and not in a good way! She laughed and said "Well, it's not like I killed it for the feathers. It was already dead!" We both laughed.
We shared a little of our life history and then went our separate ways. She is taking a sick friend to Brisbane for surgery and then they are coming back here for recovery time and then home to Cracow.
I walked for another 45 minutes and then pedalled to my local haunt, got my usual take-away coffee and sat outside in the sunshine for about an hour. A few locals stopped by for a chat and finally, I arrived home at about 11.30am.
I had some lunch and then set myself up in bed with my laptop and study material, ready to spend a couple of hours studying before the football started. Yes, it probably seems strange to do this in bed, when I have a perfectly good desk to sit at .. but the air and light in the bedroom was so lovely, it just seemed like the right place to be.
After a while, I got a phone call from Vegan Chickie, who has been very ill for a couple of weeks with every ailment known to mankind, from the flu to food poisoning to infections to serious allergies!
The poor thing. Luckily, she is on the mend now, but it might take a while for her poor body to fully recover from such an onslaught! It was really nice to hear from her and I loved listening to Chicklet chatting in the background. I miss them and need to get down there for a visit soon.
I decided to go for another ride before the football started and as I rode along the path beside the river, there was a Whistling Kite floating above me ...
I waited patiently for the White Breasted Sea Eagle that was soaring in the skies across the river, to head in my direction, but even though he teased me a couple of times, he never got close enough to photograph and eventually I gave up and rushed home to watch the football.
There were 3 games today and I tipped the losing teams in all three games .. not happy Jan!
I think I will now climb into bed and watch the end of the movie "Armageddon". It's highly possible that I will fall asleep before it finishes, considering it's now 10.40pm and it doesn't finish til midnight!
So, nite all.
Friday, August 29, 2014
A Good Time
It was a good night tonight at the club.
I won a raffle prize and it was nice to have some fun with the girls.
We discussed that I would be brief in my blog post tonight because I planned on coming home to have some more wine and then fall into bed.
I haven't had any more wine since I arrived home and I only had 3 glasses at the club, but I am decidedly tired so am climbing into bed as soon as I sign out.
My footy team won tonight, so they are still in with a small chance of making the finals. Fingers crossed.
Congratulations to my friend The Nikonian, on the birth of her first Grandson, Flynn Cheyne. I can feel the overwhelming love from here! He looks so peaceful and perfect and I know that everyone is over the moon with happiness.
On that note .. my bed is calling.
Nite all.
I won a raffle prize and it was nice to have some fun with the girls.
We discussed that I would be brief in my blog post tonight because I planned on coming home to have some more wine and then fall into bed.
I haven't had any more wine since I arrived home and I only had 3 glasses at the club, but I am decidedly tired so am climbing into bed as soon as I sign out.
My footy team won tonight, so they are still in with a small chance of making the finals. Fingers crossed.
Congratulations to my friend The Nikonian, on the birth of her first Grandson, Flynn Cheyne. I can feel the overwhelming love from here! He looks so peaceful and perfect and I know that everyone is over the moon with happiness.
On that note .. my bed is calling.
Nite all.
The Joy of Sales
Firstly, a photo of our lady's lunch yesterday ...
... and my neighbour asked me if I'd like some herbs, namely Dill and Parsley, from her garden. I accepted her offer because my herbs are failing in their tiny little dried up pots. Her brand new garden is flourishing, as ours did when we first moved here and she gave me this lovely big bouquet of herbs.
Remember the wonderful walls of herbs that Adoring Husband created for me in April? Well, it seems that the herbs don't like such tiny pots because the soil dries out so quickly, it's impossible to keep enough water up to them. So we have to rethink our herb situation.
Just recently, the Rainbow Bee Eaters have returned to our area. They have always nested, by tunnelling into the ground, next door on what was once an empty block of land, but now our neighbours have built on the block and the birds have had to find a new nesting spot.
Luckily for us, there are still a couple of empty blocks nearby, so they are still nesting quite close and they sit in the branches of our young Jacaranda trees on our footpath.
Tomorrow, I plan on sitting on the garden seat in our front yard, camera in hand, attempting to get some good shots of the Bee Eaters as they feed on the bees from our garden! I hope they co-operate!
Adoring Husband and I spent a lot of time in The Bay today. I got some great clothes and jewellery on sale .. which of course, means that I have to toss some old clothes out of my wardrobe .. that's the rule! Out with the old. In with the new.
I also bought a book called 'I Quit Sugar for Life' by Sarah Wilson. Sarah's facebook page was the first page I joined when I quit sugar in September last year and I have seen a few excerpts from her book, so I was interested to see more. The first shop was selling it for $39 and then we looked in BigW and there it was for $18!! Bargain!!
So, as usual, retail therapy cured many ills today.
Good grief! It's after midnight!!
Nite all.
... and my neighbour asked me if I'd like some herbs, namely Dill and Parsley, from her garden. I accepted her offer because my herbs are failing in their tiny little dried up pots. Her brand new garden is flourishing, as ours did when we first moved here and she gave me this lovely big bouquet of herbs.
Remember the wonderful walls of herbs that Adoring Husband created for me in April? Well, it seems that the herbs don't like such tiny pots because the soil dries out so quickly, it's impossible to keep enough water up to them. So we have to rethink our herb situation.
Just recently, the Rainbow Bee Eaters have returned to our area. They have always nested, by tunnelling into the ground, next door on what was once an empty block of land, but now our neighbours have built on the block and the birds have had to find a new nesting spot.
Luckily for us, there are still a couple of empty blocks nearby, so they are still nesting quite close and they sit in the branches of our young Jacaranda trees on our footpath.
Tomorrow, I plan on sitting on the garden seat in our front yard, camera in hand, attempting to get some good shots of the Bee Eaters as they feed on the bees from our garden! I hope they co-operate!
Adoring Husband and I spent a lot of time in The Bay today. I got some great clothes and jewellery on sale .. which of course, means that I have to toss some old clothes out of my wardrobe .. that's the rule! Out with the old. In with the new.
I also bought a book called 'I Quit Sugar for Life' by Sarah Wilson. Sarah's facebook page was the first page I joined when I quit sugar in September last year and I have seen a few excerpts from her book, so I was interested to see more. The first shop was selling it for $39 and then we looked in BigW and there it was for $18!! Bargain!!
So, as usual, retail therapy cured many ills today.
Good grief! It's after midnight!!
Nite all.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Lady's Lunch
Had a great day today.
Caught up with a couple of friends as I drank coffee at my local haunt, then came home and made myself presentable for the lady's lunch, which I really enjoyed. The food was good and the company was funny and interesting.
Fabulous storms all afternoon dropped 15mm of rain on our garden and then a quiet evening at home while Adoring Husband attended an SES meeting.
I have photos from today .. but they have to wait til tomorrow's post.
It's almost midnight and I think the pumpkin thing is going to happen any minute!!
Nite all.
Caught up with a couple of friends as I drank coffee at my local haunt, then came home and made myself presentable for the lady's lunch, which I really enjoyed. The food was good and the company was funny and interesting.
Fabulous storms all afternoon dropped 15mm of rain on our garden and then a quiet evening at home while Adoring Husband attended an SES meeting.
I have photos from today .. but they have to wait til tomorrow's post.
It's almost midnight and I think the pumpkin thing is going to happen any minute!!
Nite all.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
People
People suck.
Why do people have such an aggressive and negative attitude about other people's food choices?
How does it affect them?
Is it because they feel guilty about their own food choices?
I know that vegans, vegetarians, fruitarians and raw foodies, as well as Celiacs and their 'gluten free' requirements, all have the same kind of responses and I've had the discussion with Vegan Chickie before.
You only have to look at some of the recent negativity in the media, surrounding Pete Evans and his Paleo lifestyle.
If the Paleo diet gets people to choose real food over junk, take away and processed food, then I'm all for it! If Pete Evans' improved health status is any indication of how effective the diet is, then that's another reason to be all for it.
I like to follow a lot of paleo recipes, but our only real restrictions are on refined sugar, processed foods and gluten.
Anyway, after a pleasant morning enjoying two morning teas and then pedalling around town for about 45 minutes, I came home for another cookathon.
I finished off the tomato sauce and then made a spaghetti bolognese with the leftover sauce and used chicken mince. It was so full of flavour!
Time sure gets away. I'm off to bed because we have the big lady's luncheon tomorrow, so I need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed!
Nite all.
Why do people have such an aggressive and negative attitude about other people's food choices?
How does it affect them?
Is it because they feel guilty about their own food choices?
I know that vegans, vegetarians, fruitarians and raw foodies, as well as Celiacs and their 'gluten free' requirements, all have the same kind of responses and I've had the discussion with Vegan Chickie before.
You only have to look at some of the recent negativity in the media, surrounding Pete Evans and his Paleo lifestyle.
If the Paleo diet gets people to choose real food over junk, take away and processed food, then I'm all for it! If Pete Evans' improved health status is any indication of how effective the diet is, then that's another reason to be all for it.
I like to follow a lot of paleo recipes, but our only real restrictions are on refined sugar, processed foods and gluten.
Anyway, after a pleasant morning enjoying two morning teas and then pedalling around town for about 45 minutes, I came home for another cookathon.
I finished off the tomato sauce and then made a spaghetti bolognese with the leftover sauce and used chicken mince. It was so full of flavour!
Time sure gets away. I'm off to bed because we have the big lady's luncheon tomorrow, so I need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed!
Nite all.
A Bit of Productivity
Yes! I got out on my trike this morning! I saw my boys, rode along the river path, sat with my coffee and did a little grocery shopping ready for a productive day in the kitchen.
I finished off and packaged my beef stock first, and there was still enough meat on the bones to have with dinner tonight, which I'll tell you about soon. I ended up with seven containers of stock to freeze.
I needed the slow cooker for my tomato sauce, which is still slow cooking as I type this. I'll keep it going overnight, so the flavour should be rich and delicious by morning!
Next on the cooking agenda was lunch, which I didn't photograph, but we tried our local butcher's chicken kiev flavoured chicken sausages with a big salad of baby spinach, lettuce, red capsicum, tomato, onion, snow peas, avocado and boiled egg.
So far, we haven't been a fan of his flavoured sausages, and we've tried four or five different flavours. Today's were quite nice though. Our favourite is still his plain beef sausage.
Adoring Husband headed back to the SES shed after lunch, which gave me the opportunity to make some Banana and Walnut muffins.
... and the finished product ...
Delicious, sliced in half with a slathering of butter!
As I was saying earlier, about there still being enough meat on some of the ox tail bones to remove and mix with dinner tonight, I made the same sauce as last night, with some beef stock, red wine, apple juice and a little of the tomato sauce mixture that was still cooking. I stirred that through diced chicken breast and ox tail meat mixed together. There was leftover cauliflower au gratin and I steamed some broccoli and snow peas.
A healthful and satisfying dinner.
So the dishwasher has certainly had a workout today and I thoroughly enjoyed spending so much time in the kitchen. I think I'll try some new recipes tomorrow too.
Oh my gosh, I just looked at the time and realised it's after midnight! I think I am just naturally a night owl .. I'll never be able to stick to my 'early night' rule!
Nite all.
I finished off and packaged my beef stock first, and there was still enough meat on the bones to have with dinner tonight, which I'll tell you about soon. I ended up with seven containers of stock to freeze.
I needed the slow cooker for my tomato sauce, which is still slow cooking as I type this. I'll keep it going overnight, so the flavour should be rich and delicious by morning!
Next on the cooking agenda was lunch, which I didn't photograph, but we tried our local butcher's chicken kiev flavoured chicken sausages with a big salad of baby spinach, lettuce, red capsicum, tomato, onion, snow peas, avocado and boiled egg.
So far, we haven't been a fan of his flavoured sausages, and we've tried four or five different flavours. Today's were quite nice though. Our favourite is still his plain beef sausage.
Adoring Husband headed back to the SES shed after lunch, which gave me the opportunity to make some Banana and Walnut muffins.
... and the finished product ...
Delicious, sliced in half with a slathering of butter!
As I was saying earlier, about there still being enough meat on some of the ox tail bones to remove and mix with dinner tonight, I made the same sauce as last night, with some beef stock, red wine, apple juice and a little of the tomato sauce mixture that was still cooking. I stirred that through diced chicken breast and ox tail meat mixed together. There was leftover cauliflower au gratin and I steamed some broccoli and snow peas.
A healthful and satisfying dinner.
So the dishwasher has certainly had a workout today and I thoroughly enjoyed spending so much time in the kitchen. I think I'll try some new recipes tomorrow too.
Oh my gosh, I just looked at the time and realised it's after midnight! I think I am just naturally a night owl .. I'll never be able to stick to my 'early night' rule!
Nite all.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Late Nights and Cooking
Today is day four.
Four days in a row that I haven't gone out in the morning for a ride on my trike.
One of those mornings was far too wet to even consider it, but the other three have been because Adoring Husband has brought my coffee to me in bed and then I have lazed in bed with my iPad, sipping take-away coffee with not a care in the world.
Suddenly I miss my morning routine. I miss seeing the boys at the Seat of Knowledge. I miss riding along the river path and soaking up the fresh air and beautiful water views. I miss sitting outside the local shops drinking my coffee and chatting with the locals.
It's time to get energised again and start my days with a bit more enthusiasm!
When I climbed into bed last night .. well after midnight (Yes I know! Much later than my new rule allows!), I was flicking through the channels on the bedroom TV to find something to fall asleep to, when I stumbled across the beginning of a movie.
I recognised it immediately. The opening scene is a huge indoor concert arena with the audience chanting and spotlights moving through the darkness. A frisbee sails through the air and it glows under the spotlight.
It was the movie "A Star is Born" with Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson and Gary Busey. Another one of my favourite movies of all time and one that I've watched about 30 times.
I was 16 yrs old the first time I watched it and I still sob during the same scenes almost 40 years later!
Of course, I had to sit up in bed and watch the entire movie and it was 3am when I turned off the TV and immediately fell asleep!!
Adoring Husband made us a delicious fluffy omelette this morning with cheese and mushroom and onion and capsicum and snow peas. A great way to start Sunday.
After we cleared that mess away, I made a fresh beetroot, carrot, apple and lemon drink for Adoring Husband and then began preparing dinner:
Adoring Husband ate seconds, he enjoyed it so much.
In the meantime, I added more water to the cooker and the bones and vegetables are still in the slow cooker for another 7 hours. It will be a delicious stock/broth that I will freeze. I should get about 6 or 8 chinese containers out of it.
Sadly, I did not take one photo of my concoctions, but I do have plans for some more cooking tomorrow, because I didn't make AH's breakfast cereal today and I have some muffins to make for his desserts and snacks, so I will take photos tomorrow.
I feel like I achieved 'something' today anyway.
Nite all.
Four days in a row that I haven't gone out in the morning for a ride on my trike.
One of those mornings was far too wet to even consider it, but the other three have been because Adoring Husband has brought my coffee to me in bed and then I have lazed in bed with my iPad, sipping take-away coffee with not a care in the world.
Suddenly I miss my morning routine. I miss seeing the boys at the Seat of Knowledge. I miss riding along the river path and soaking up the fresh air and beautiful water views. I miss sitting outside the local shops drinking my coffee and chatting with the locals.
It's time to get energised again and start my days with a bit more enthusiasm!
When I climbed into bed last night .. well after midnight (Yes I know! Much later than my new rule allows!), I was flicking through the channels on the bedroom TV to find something to fall asleep to, when I stumbled across the beginning of a movie.
I recognised it immediately. The opening scene is a huge indoor concert arena with the audience chanting and spotlights moving through the darkness. A frisbee sails through the air and it glows under the spotlight.
It was the movie "A Star is Born" with Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson and Gary Busey. Another one of my favourite movies of all time and one that I've watched about 30 times.
I was 16 yrs old the first time I watched it and I still sob during the same scenes almost 40 years later!
Of course, I had to sit up in bed and watch the entire movie and it was 3am when I turned off the TV and immediately fell asleep!!
Adoring Husband made us a delicious fluffy omelette this morning with cheese and mushroom and onion and capsicum and snow peas. A great way to start Sunday.
After we cleared that mess away, I made a fresh beetroot, carrot, apple and lemon drink for Adoring Husband and then began preparing dinner:
- I browned 1.5kg of ox tail in a skillet
- Placed it in the slow cooker with celery, carrot, garlic, apple cider vinegar, himalayan salt and ground pepper and lots of filtered water, for 5 hours on high.
- I removed the bones from the cooker and took all the meat off, placing it in a bowl and then setting it aside, putting the bones back in the cooker.
- I also removed 3 cups of the broth from the cooker and put it in a saucepan with a big splash of red wine and half a cup of freshly squeezed apple juice (which I just happened to have in the fridge) and a little more himalayan salt.
- I let this simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes until it reduced a little, added some cornflour to thicken it and then added the meat from the ox tail.
Adoring Husband ate seconds, he enjoyed it so much.
In the meantime, I added more water to the cooker and the bones and vegetables are still in the slow cooker for another 7 hours. It will be a delicious stock/broth that I will freeze. I should get about 6 or 8 chinese containers out of it.
Sadly, I did not take one photo of my concoctions, but I do have plans for some more cooking tomorrow, because I didn't make AH's breakfast cereal today and I have some muffins to make for his desserts and snacks, so I will take photos tomorrow.
I feel like I achieved 'something' today anyway.
Nite all.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
The Laziness Continues
Another cold, wet and windy day where I stayed in bed longer than I should have .. although there was nothing on my agenda, so staying in bed was the most enjoyable option.
I am not a Pluviophile.
Which is not to say that I don't enjoy the rain sometimes, but I certainly do not find joy and peace of mind during a rainy day.
I had to get up twice to answer our front door. Once for the Girl Guides selling raffle tickets and once for a neighbour asking if I knew of any Justices of the Peace in town.
That was annoying, because nobody ever knocks on our front door, and I was very warm and comfortable in bed!
Adoring Husband made his way to the SES shed early this morning to attempt to erect a tower - yes in this dreadful weather - and they didn't quite finish the job, but he did bring me coffee before he left the house. Thank you darling :)
Aside from that, I boiled a dozen eggs to make a paleo version of devilled eggs tomorrow and I cut up a big fillet of Snapper into fish fingers and crumbed them to have with home made chips and salad for dinner.
I swapped produce with my neighbours yesterday and today. My next door neighbour gave me a lettuce out of his garden and I gave him 8 eggs. My rear neighbour gave me a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes and I gave him 6 eggs straight from the chook pen.
Adoring Husband ate the last of the chocolate zucchini cupcakes, so I have to make something tomorrow to replace them. I also have to make his special breakfast cereal.
After AH arrived home this afternoon, we sat down in front of the TV with our lunch and watched a good old movie made in 1963, starring Doris Day and James Garner, called "Move Over Darling". I love Doris Day.
I found a couple of nice quotes on facebook today.
All things going to plan I should be able to share a recipe or two with you tomorrow.
Meanwhile, you know the drill.
Nite all.
I am not a Pluviophile.
Which is not to say that I don't enjoy the rain sometimes, but I certainly do not find joy and peace of mind during a rainy day.
I had to get up twice to answer our front door. Once for the Girl Guides selling raffle tickets and once for a neighbour asking if I knew of any Justices of the Peace in town.
That was annoying, because nobody ever knocks on our front door, and I was very warm and comfortable in bed!
Adoring Husband made his way to the SES shed early this morning to attempt to erect a tower - yes in this dreadful weather - and they didn't quite finish the job, but he did bring me coffee before he left the house. Thank you darling :)
Aside from that, I boiled a dozen eggs to make a paleo version of devilled eggs tomorrow and I cut up a big fillet of Snapper into fish fingers and crumbed them to have with home made chips and salad for dinner.
I swapped produce with my neighbours yesterday and today. My next door neighbour gave me a lettuce out of his garden and I gave him 8 eggs. My rear neighbour gave me a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes and I gave him 6 eggs straight from the chook pen.
Adoring Husband ate the last of the chocolate zucchini cupcakes, so I have to make something tomorrow to replace them. I also have to make his special breakfast cereal.
After AH arrived home this afternoon, we sat down in front of the TV with our lunch and watched a good old movie made in 1963, starring Doris Day and James Garner, called "Move Over Darling". I love Doris Day.
I found a couple of nice quotes on facebook today.
All things going to plan I should be able to share a recipe or two with you tomorrow.
Meanwhile, you know the drill.
Nite all.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Care Factor
It's been a lazy day of doing bugger all.
Adoring Husband snuck into the bedroom and left my coffee on the bedside table this morning, but I must have woken soon after because the coffee was still very hot when I took my first mouthful.
So I was awake just after 7am and then I lay in bed with my iPad until after 9.30am!!!!!!
The day was cold and wet and windy, so there was certainly no rush to get out of bed and we had nothing planned for the day, so I savoured the deliciousness of a lazy morning in bed.
It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't stay in bed for more than 5 or 6 hours because my back was just too painful, but since my change of diet, the only time my back really gives me a hard time, is when I spend hours either doing housework or cooking in the kitchen with bare feet on the tiles.
I try to wear slippers or rubber thongs when I do either of those two things and my back is fine.
We had a delicious salad with chilli garlic prawns for lunch and then the same salad with crispy skinned salmon for dinner.
I'm off to bed now after watching a great game of football where Manly lost.
Manly is my least favourite team of all time and I so enjoy watching them lose. My favourite is when my team, the Broncos, beat them, but a close second is when ANY other team beats them. Unfortunately, my little sister supports Manly. Also unfortunately, I tipped Manly in the footy tipping comp this week because I was certain that they would beat Parramatta. On the plus side, everybody else tipped them too, so it won't make a difference to anyone on the ladder.
Happy Friday night and Happy Weekend everybody :)
Nite all
Adoring Husband snuck into the bedroom and left my coffee on the bedside table this morning, but I must have woken soon after because the coffee was still very hot when I took my first mouthful.
So I was awake just after 7am and then I lay in bed with my iPad until after 9.30am!!!!!!
The day was cold and wet and windy, so there was certainly no rush to get out of bed and we had nothing planned for the day, so I savoured the deliciousness of a lazy morning in bed.
It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't stay in bed for more than 5 or 6 hours because my back was just too painful, but since my change of diet, the only time my back really gives me a hard time, is when I spend hours either doing housework or cooking in the kitchen with bare feet on the tiles.
I try to wear slippers or rubber thongs when I do either of those two things and my back is fine.
We had a delicious salad with chilli garlic prawns for lunch and then the same salad with crispy skinned salmon for dinner.
I'm off to bed now after watching a great game of football where Manly lost.
Manly is my least favourite team of all time and I so enjoy watching them lose. My favourite is when my team, the Broncos, beat them, but a close second is when ANY other team beats them. Unfortunately, my little sister supports Manly. Also unfortunately, I tipped Manly in the footy tipping comp this week because I was certain that they would beat Parramatta. On the plus side, everybody else tipped them too, so it won't make a difference to anyone on the ladder.
Happy Friday night and Happy Weekend everybody :)
Nite all
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Patchy Poitier
I'm watching an old movie. One of my favourites. Made in 1965 and starring Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters. It's called "A Patch of Blue".
I think I was about 10 yrs old the first time I watched it, and I've seen it about ten times.
A Patch of Blue
The second part to Catalyst was on tonight too. Here is the link if you missed it. I haven't watched it myself yet. I think I'll save it for tomorrow, when I can take my time and enjoy it.
I used up all of my old vegetables from the fridge to day, to make a spaghetti sauce.
It had fresh tomatoes, celery, onion, carrot, garlic, zucchini, roasted capsicum, spinach, home made chicken stock, chilli, pork and chicken mince.
It was a long process but very enjoyable for me to spend time in the kitchen. I made enough for tonight's dinner and three more meals which I've frozen for Adoring Husband to use when I go away in September.
I've baked a whole sweet potato in it's jacket too, which I'll use to make sweet potato salmon patties for lunch tomorrow. It's a new recipe that I haven't tried yet.
The weather has turned quite chilly again and there is a strong cool breeze blowing through our front windows. I love it when the breeze blows in that direction. I leave our bedroom windows open and snuggle right under the doona. Perfect sleeping weather.
Well, I'd love to stay up and watch all of this movie, but it doesn't finish til midnight and we all know my new sleeping rule...
... so nite all.
I think I was about 10 yrs old the first time I watched it, and I've seen it about ten times.
A Patch of Blue
The second part to Catalyst was on tonight too. Here is the link if you missed it. I haven't watched it myself yet. I think I'll save it for tomorrow, when I can take my time and enjoy it.
I used up all of my old vegetables from the fridge to day, to make a spaghetti sauce.
It had fresh tomatoes, celery, onion, carrot, garlic, zucchini, roasted capsicum, spinach, home made chicken stock, chilli, pork and chicken mince.
It was a long process but very enjoyable for me to spend time in the kitchen. I made enough for tonight's dinner and three more meals which I've frozen for Adoring Husband to use when I go away in September.
I've baked a whole sweet potato in it's jacket too, which I'll use to make sweet potato salmon patties for lunch tomorrow. It's a new recipe that I haven't tried yet.
The weather has turned quite chilly again and there is a strong cool breeze blowing through our front windows. I love it when the breeze blows in that direction. I leave our bedroom windows open and snuggle right under the doona. Perfect sleeping weather.
Well, I'd love to stay up and watch all of this movie, but it doesn't finish til midnight and we all know my new sleeping rule...
... so nite all.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Worked It
A day of house cleaning.
Checklist:
I just need to order my coffee early .. if Adoring Husband can bring me my coffee in bed, the way he did this morning, then I can jump out of bed with vim and vigour and zip through the rest of the work with a flourish!
It's 11pm and time to climb into bed for some rejuvenating sleep.
Nite all.
Checklist:
- 2 x bathrooms
- 2 x toilets
- Front porch cleaned
- Front door washed
- Entry Hall dusted and mopped
- Hallway and laundry mopped
- TV cabinet dusted
- 4 loads of washing
- Plants watered
- Chocolate Cupcakes baked and iced
- Almost 3,000 emails deleted
- Dinner Cooked
- Body hurting very much due to working in bare feet on floor tiles. Ugh!
I just need to order my coffee early .. if Adoring Husband can bring me my coffee in bed, the way he did this morning, then I can jump out of bed with vim and vigour and zip through the rest of the work with a flourish!
It's 11pm and time to climb into bed for some rejuvenating sleep.
Nite all.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Gut Reaction
In case you missed the ABC program, Catalyst, this week ...
Catalyst - Gut Reaction Part 1
There is a lot of information here that was part of my course studies this semester, and a lot of extra information here, that is new, so not included in any studies yet.
I find it amazing that it has taken more than 50 years for science to begin researching food and diet and how it relates to our health, to bring about positive change.
Medicine and Science have been rejecting Naturopathy and nutrition for so many years and essentially warning us all away from it, when this "apparently" new information is what Naturopathy has always promoted.
Finally Science is catching up .. or perhaps they are looking backwards at how we once lived and are realising that before fast food, junk food and strong medications and antibiotics took over our lives, we were actually at our healthiest.
I'm looking forward to next week and watching Part 2.
I took the opportunity today to catch up on a little housework. Because of my studies and Adoring Husband's health issues as well as visitors, the housekeeping has suffered somewhat, so we are taking the next couple of days to join forces and do a bit of Spring cleaning.
Now that I am on a study break, I'm going to take the time to get back to cooking again too.
I'm looking at better sleeping habits too .. that doesn't mean that I'm going to bed at 8pm with AH, but it DOES mean going to try getting to bed well before midnight!
Nite all.
Catalyst - Gut Reaction Part 1
There is a lot of information here that was part of my course studies this semester, and a lot of extra information here, that is new, so not included in any studies yet.
I find it amazing that it has taken more than 50 years for science to begin researching food and diet and how it relates to our health, to bring about positive change.
Medicine and Science have been rejecting Naturopathy and nutrition for so many years and essentially warning us all away from it, when this "apparently" new information is what Naturopathy has always promoted.
Finally Science is catching up .. or perhaps they are looking backwards at how we once lived and are realising that before fast food, junk food and strong medications and antibiotics took over our lives, we were actually at our healthiest.
I'm looking forward to next week and watching Part 2.
I took the opportunity today to catch up on a little housework. Because of my studies and Adoring Husband's health issues as well as visitors, the housekeeping has suffered somewhat, so we are taking the next couple of days to join forces and do a bit of Spring cleaning.
Now that I am on a study break, I'm going to take the time to get back to cooking again too.
I'm looking at better sleeping habits too .. that doesn't mean that I'm going to bed at 8pm with AH, but it DOES mean going to try getting to bed well before midnight!
Nite all.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Quiet on the Home Front
Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour are home safensound after a flight that left The Bay about 40 minutes late and landed in a cold, wet and windy Sydney at about 3pm.
It's all quiet on the home front and the psychotic dogs are feeling very abandoned. For ten days, they've been either in somebody's arms or on somebody's bed ... now they have to adjust to their own beds again!
It might take a day or two to get back to normal.
I've been meaning to post a photo of the artwork that we bought at Eumundi last week. This is Bertie .. who is hanging beside my side of the bed, so she is the first thing I see when I wake in the mornings. She makes me feel very happy!
Finally, I thought you might like to see how healthy Adoring Husband is looking ...
Now I need sleep.
Nite all.
It's all quiet on the home front and the psychotic dogs are feeling very abandoned. For ten days, they've been either in somebody's arms or on somebody's bed ... now they have to adjust to their own beds again!
It might take a day or two to get back to normal.
I've been meaning to post a photo of the artwork that we bought at Eumundi last week. This is Bertie .. who is hanging beside my side of the bed, so she is the first thing I see when I wake in the mornings. She makes me feel very happy!
Finally, I thought you might like to see how healthy Adoring Husband is looking ...
Now I need sleep.
Nite all.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Sunday
It has been at least a couple of years since Adoring Husband and I attended the markets in the Bay, but we decided to take Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour into the markets today.
We remembered the markets as being very big, with a hundred or more stalls ranging from fresh fruit and veg to jewellery to craft to plants and garden ornaments to bric-a-brac and much more.
We remembered the car park being difficult to navigate and always full to the brim.
We remembered that it took a couple of hours to stroll through the markets to see everything.
So we were looking forward to spending a leisurely couple of hours browsing.
How disappointed were we to discover maybe 15 stalls set up at the markets .. mostly fruit and veg. Apparently, according to the people running the markets, the bad weather from the day and night before, had frightened the other stall owners away.
Today was a glorious day with not a cloud in the sky.
I got a few fresh vegetables and then we drove to the Boat Club where we had some lunch, put $20 each in the pokies, followed that up with some shopping and then home in time to cook dinner.
A bit disappointing for a their final day here, but at least we got to spend it together.
Everyone is into bed early, ready for a reasonably early start morning tomorrow, so that's where I'm going now.
I have to say that I'm feeling pretty exhausted tonight.
Nite all.
We remembered the markets as being very big, with a hundred or more stalls ranging from fresh fruit and veg to jewellery to craft to plants and garden ornaments to bric-a-brac and much more.
We remembered the car park being difficult to navigate and always full to the brim.
We remembered that it took a couple of hours to stroll through the markets to see everything.
So we were looking forward to spending a leisurely couple of hours browsing.
How disappointed were we to discover maybe 15 stalls set up at the markets .. mostly fruit and veg. Apparently, according to the people running the markets, the bad weather from the day and night before, had frightened the other stall owners away.
Today was a glorious day with not a cloud in the sky.
I got a few fresh vegetables and then we drove to the Boat Club where we had some lunch, put $20 each in the pokies, followed that up with some shopping and then home in time to cook dinner.
A bit disappointing for a their final day here, but at least we got to spend it together.
Everyone is into bed early, ready for a reasonably early start morning tomorrow, so that's where I'm going now.
I have to say that I'm feeling pretty exhausted tonight.
Nite all.
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