Tag Archives: restaurants

Motivational Monday: Going Meatless

21 May

Happy Monday guys!  How was your weekend?

Mine was action packed with fun and not-so-fun events.  But let’s focus on the fun ones shall we?

On Saturday I attended a food photography and styling workshop with Dario Milano.  It was an intimate setting in his workshop, with 5 other lovely ladies attending.  Most of them had food blogs, loved to cook, and of course take lots of pictures.  You can imagine we all got along swimmingly!

Being a group of mostly novice photographers, Dario took the time to go over the basics of adjusting the settings, and helping each person with their camera.  I don’t own a DSLR, so was lucky enough to borrow one of Dario’s for the duration of the class.  It was great fun seeing what a really good camera can do!

Over the next few hours we played with light and shadows to make the piece of food look appetising and natural.  Dario had been to the farmers market that morning, and picked up some beautiful produce to photograph including tri-colour carrots, baby fennel, oranges, red apples, and some baby potatoes that had a beautiful pink hue. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos from the day as I was borrowing the camera, but I will be sure to post some up as soon as they are sent through to me.  I was just eager to tell you all about the exciting day!

Seeing and photographing all that beautiful produce on saturday got me thinking about the great simplicity of eating meatless.  To be honest, I actually quite enjoy eating vegetables and fruit. I’m the kind of gal who will dig into a big plate of steamed veggies  and revel in their deliciousness.  Especially broccoli.  So today I thought I’d do a little recipe round-up of some meat free meals.

Eating a meatless meal is not only beneficial for your health, it is also kind to the environment.  A few advantages to eating meat free include:

  • Reduced risk of cancer
  • Reduced risk of heart disease
  • Reduced risk of becoming overweight or obese
  • Reduction in your carbon foot print
  • Reducted water usage
  • Reduced fossil fuel dependence

The great thing about meatless meals is they are also kind to your wallet.  Seriously, what’s not to love?  (Ok maybe brussel sprouts, but that’s just a personal dislike).

To get you started I’ve rounded up a few yummy looking dishes for inspiration, but feel free to create your own.  Let your fresh produce be your guide! Try a lovely fresh salad at the beginning of the week, and make some soup on the weekend when you have extra time.  Balance it out by adding some beans, lentils, or a handful of nuts for a hit of protein that is sure to keep you satisfied!

Meatless Meal Ideas

Try this Eggplant and Arugula Wraps with Tomato Basil Cashew Cheese by Gena @ Choosing Raw for lunch

Copyright Gena @ Choosing Raw

Or maybe a Mango Basil Personal-Sized Tortilla Pizza by Averie @ Averie Cooks

Copyright Averie @ Averie Cooks

Or even a big juicy Veggie Burger by Angela @ Oh She Glows

Copyright Angela @ Oh She Glows

As you can see meatless meals are just as enticing and delicious.  So put that bacon back in the fridge and veg out!

What is your favourite meat free meal or snack?

Baking for a cause

1 May

Hey guys,

Hope you enjoyed yesterday’s post from Shira on living with a little less, so others can have a little more.  She is pretty awesome and I really commend her for her efforts to make a difference in the world.

After yesterday’s post went up I jumped on facebook to see what was going on and noticed that my friend was having a bake sale the next day.  Not just any bake sale though!!! It was one to raise money for Live Below the Line, a campaign to raise awareness for those living below the poverty line.  I figured it was more than just coincidence that I saw her notice, so I asked if I could contribute some goodies to the bake sale.  Of course she said yes!

And with that I was off to the shops for a few supplies.  I decided to make these Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats from Angela at Oh She Glows.  I really love her recipes! They are simple, yet delicious, and her desserts have NEVER let me down.

Almond Butter Rice Crispy Treats

These treats were a breeze to put together and tasted like a million times better than your average rice crispy treat.  I think the almond butter and chocolate topping sealed the deal for me.  But I restrained myself to one square since the rest were for a good cause.

The Bake Sale seemed to go off without a hitch. Sarah and Mish are both participating in Live Below the Line, so each baked up a storm of goodies to sell. There were cakes, brownies, tarts, cookies and even some lovely decorated cupcakes!  By the end of the lunch hour most of the items had dissapeared off the table, leaving the donation jar filled to the brim with coins and notes.  Note: if you are fundraising, a bake sale never lets you down (I mean the girl scouts do it every year and we never get tired of those thin mints and samoas right?).

Two thumbs up from Mish!

All smiles from Sarah

Bake sale in action

Although I’m not taking part in the event myself, I was really happy to help them out.  I do what I can with what I’ve got, and that’s what it’s all about!

If you want to help these guys out, jump over to their pages (Sarah’s here and Mish’s here) and make a donation.  

What’s your favourite bake sale treat?
Do you participate in any charity events yourself?

Adventurous April: The Final Countdown

28 Apr

Hey guys! How are you all??? So first of all I’d like to apologise for being a little m.i.a. this week.  As you probably know, I’ve been madly studying for mid-semester exams.  Well I’ve completed two, and have one left on Monday.  I’m feeling quite worn out mentally, but I’m pushing through.

Even though I’ve been a busy bee studying, I still managed to find some time for a few adventures. This is officially the last week of adventurous april, and I wasn’t about to let exams get in the way of having just a wee bit of fun!  Here’s a recap of this week’s adventures:

1. Pomegranate

Before this week I don’t think I’ve ever tried a pomegranate.  But when I saw that they were on special at the store, I decided to pick one up and try it out.  After removing the arils from the fruit, I quickly got to work for recipes to try with this new-to-me ingredient.  I came across a tropical inspired oatmeal recipe that sounded right up my alley, and used it as inspiration for this great protein packed breakfast.  I give you Pomegranate Power Porridge!!! It’s just a simple variation of my Banana Berry Oatmeal Soufflé, but tastes very light and fresh.  I especially love the burst of flavour when you bite into one of the pomegranate arils!

From this...

To this!

The close up...oooohhhhh

Click here for the recipe: Pomegranate Power Porridge

2. Bacon

Yes you read that right! I also tried bacon for the first time.  Growing up I was never a fan of bacon OR eggs.  Well last year I made the leap and started eating eggs, so naturally bacon is the next step to the equation.  Part of the reason I avoided trying bacon was the fact that I thought fat was bad, but now that I’m over that whole saga, I decided to give it a go.  I cooked it up and added it to a nice big salad with some corn and leftover chicken.  I’d love to show you exactly what it looked like, but sadly hunger got the best of me.  But you all know what a salad looks like right??? In case you don’t it was pretty similar to this:

3. Fancy Pants

I have a confession to make: I’m fairly slack when it comes to dressing up for uni.  I would live in workout gear if it were socially acceptable to do so.  But do you ever notice how good you feel when you put in that extra effort?  Your confidence radiates, you have a bit more spring in your step, and feel dead sexy. Ok ok let’s not get carried away here…

With exams on, putting in that extra effort was definitely a challenge.  But I really felt the confidence in my appearance would translate into confidence that I was going to ace my exam!  Positivity feeds off itself right?

Red seems to be my colour!

4.  Photography

Since starting this little blog of mine, I’ve taken a keen interest in photography.  I currently use a point and shoot to take most of my shots, but get frustrated with how they turn out sometimes.  To be honest, my Dad’s iPhone takes better pictures!  So I’m saving up to buy a camera, and have also decided to some money into improving my skills.  First on the agenda is a food styling and photography workshop in a few weeks time (adventurous april is being extended in my books).  The guy who runs it, Dario, said he would be happy to lend me one of his cameras for the class. I’m super excited and can’t wait to learn some tricks of the trade!

Rhubarb Crumble. Photo Courtesy of Food Pixels.

5. Meeting my fitness idols!

This weekend the Australian Health and Fitness Expo was on at the Sydney Convention Centre.  Being a pilates instructor, I got free entry into the event, so there wasn’t any way I was going to miss it.  Especially because some of my fitness idols would be there!!! Specifically Lindy Olsen and Alicia Marie.  I got to meet them in person, and even had my photo taken.  Really made my day.  That and all the free samples.  Who doesn’t love free stuff right!

Alicia Marie, Me, and Lindy Olsen

Phew, what a week!!! Anyway tomorrow is back to studying for my final test on Monday.  And speaking of Monday, I’ve got a special treat coming up for you, so stay tuned! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Who are your idols? Have you ever met them in person?
Do you have any foods that you like now, but hated growing up?

Weekend Link Love

14 Apr

Hey guys! How was your week?  Good, bad, or somewhere in between?  Regardless of how it went, you can relax now because the weekend is here!!! Which means taking time out to do things YOU enjoy.  Maybe it’s a run outside, catching up with friends, or perusing the morning paper over a leisurely breakfast.  Whatever floats your boat!

For me, catching up on my Google reader is something I look forward to. It’s my alternative to the morning paper, and the reads are usually much more inspiring than the world news, which I often find a little sad. Anyone else?

I love reading about people’s adventures, mishaps, or tales of inspiration.  But most of all I love sharing my favourite finds with you guys! So let’s get some link loving underway!

1.  Check out these awesome travel videos titled Move, Learn, Eat posted by Peace.Love.Nutrition.

I was so moved and inspired when I watched these videos (and the guy in them is pretty hot too!)

2.  Get back on track with 12 Things Highly Productive People Do Differently by Marc from Marc and Angel Hack Life

These tips are super useful. I especially like number 1, 3, and 5. Heck they are all helpful! I printed these out and posted them on my corkboard to remind myself that I need to stay focused when studying (because a 5 minute facebook break just doesn’t happen….and don’t even get me started on pinterest. That thing is the ultimate time-wasting machine!)

3. Always wanted to do a headstand but have no idea how? Lulu’s got your back. Check out 5 steps to headstand by Carolyn Anne Budgell on Lululemon’s Blog

Remember practice makes perfect!

4. If you are looking for some beauty and style inspiration, head on over to Running On Happiness where Katie shares great fashion finds, DIY tutorials, and lots more!  I used this tutorial to try out a new-to-me hair-do for adventurous april: The Top Knot.

Saw it

Photo provided courtesy of Running on Happiness

Nailed it!

Another Adventurous April success!

5. Anyone else have a crush on Ryan Gosling? I think he’s quite a stud, and seeing these ‘Hey Girl, Gluten-Free’ pics on tumblr makes me like him even more.

6. Ridiculous, insane, delicious.  Those are the only words that came to mind when I saw this Tim Tam Cake by Steph from Raspberri Cupcakes. It’s not gluten free or dairy free or anything like that…but it is awe inspiring!

Photo courtesy of Raspberri Cupcakes

If you’ve never had a Tim Tam before you are totally missing out! The traditional version is two layers of choc malt biscuit with a light chocolate creme filling in between, all covered in chocolate.  And this cake has a whole pack hidden inside.  Sounds healthy right?  My advice if you make this cake – enjoy in moderation.  Or if you are after something savoury and slightly more figure friendly then check out Steph’s Ginger Beer Pulled Pork. It looks totally devine!

7.  Seeing as we’re on the topic of food, let’s throw some healthy meal ideas into the mix.  One product that I’m really loving lately is tahini.  It is so much more than just ‘that stuff you add to hummus’, right Katie?  So here are a few fun ways to incorporate tahini into your meals:

Carrot and Tahini Soup with Pita Crisps nytimes.com

8.  Enough about food, let’s talk fitness! I still don’t have a smarty pants phone…but if I did I’d probably use some of these cool apps to help track my health and fitness goals. You can check out the best of the best here with this infographic by Wellsphere.

What are you currently obsessed with?
What links are you loving? Feel free to share!

Weekend Link Love

10 Mar

Hey guys, how is your weekend going? It’s my dad’s birthday today so we will be celebrating in style! I’ve already made a great lemon cake, and we have a special dinner planned as well.

Happy Birthday Dad!

So while I’m celebrating please enjoy these links I’m loving:

1.  Protein treats are everywhere! Check out these Protein Thin Mints by pure2raw. They have lots of different versions so feel free to try out a few and see what you like best!

2. Head over to Meals and Moves for a super cool A to Z survey featuring the one and only Janetha.  She even added a template so you can fill out the survey yourself!

3. Andrea Drugay is fab when it comes to natural health & beauty tips.  My current favourites are Tip #6: Drink Green Juice and Smoothies and Tip#7: Stretch Once an Hour.

4. It seems cauliflower is the new potato.  How about trying Pizza with Cauliflower crust from Supercharged Food or maybe a Paleo Shephard’s Pie with a mashed cauliflower crust from Elena’s Pantry.

5.  Jenny from Peanut Butter and Jenny shared her Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging.  You’ll love this girl, she’s witty, takes some amazing pictures, and has lots of yummy recipes.

6. If you are in the mood to try something new, check out Angela’s posts at Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat. This weeks try something new Tuesday features Peanut Lime Scallops, Happy Kombucha Tea, and a review of Vega Sports reformulated Performance Protein.

7. Sleep. You know it’s important.  It prevents grumpiness, snacking, and the 3pm slump.  This cool infographic shows us we probably don’t get enough zzzz’s

8. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up! Samantha Cangelosi shares some fun facts you may not know.

9. If you love food and holidays, then Foodimentary is a blog you definitely need to check out.  John-Bryan Hopkins brings us the latest national food holidays, and daily food history.  This week highlighted some of my favourites: National Cereal Day and National Peanut Cluster Day (you can buy the BEST ones here).

10. the Berry. It’s pretty much a time wasting machine. But I love looking at their photos and they have lots of good content for pinning (you can follow me on pinterest here).  Just be careful…you might get sucked into the bermuda triangle of productivity.

What links are you loving lately?
Any plans for the weekend?
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