CAT VAS

My very dear babe-of-a-friend Cat Vas has just released her debut EP- "Faster". She is one of my favourite people in the world so get on board with the cool kids and go get her album. Only 11 bucks- and you can find it here. Little bits of Lykke Li and dancey pop vibes. Lots of fun.

To convince you it's worth it- here's her music video for 'A Really Good Woman'.


  
Cat Vas - A Really Good Woman from Brooks Reynolds

GOING SUGAR FREE

Yo! I've been MIA a little lately. Mostly cos I didn't start this blog to gain a million readers,  I just wanted to have my corner of the internet where I could rag on about anything I wanted and if someone found that interesting- that would be a bonus.

So I don't talk about health stuff much but I have a pretty selective diet. As of May last year I have been sugar free. It all started cos my natural health practitioner recommended I come off sugar to help my digestion. It was pretty daunting at the time cos I had already been gluten and (mostly dairyish) free since I was 13. Also, I didnt think I consumed THAT much sugar cos I've always had a more savoury tooth. But alas, in the name of good health, I began my little sugar free adventure.

Pretty much sugar is made up of fructose and glucose. Everyone assumes fructose is the good stuff because it naturally occurs in fruit but unfortunately fructose is the bad guy. It's found in high amounts in the western diet- crackers, sweets, tomato sauce, pasta sauce, canned good etc.

What scientists know about fructose is that the body doesn't use it for energy but converts it into fat pretty much straight away. Fat doesn't make us fat, sugar does. Think about it, everything is '99% fat free' now but society is the fattest its ever been, that's because fat free doesn't mean sugar free! You could put a '100% fat free' label on a 1kg bag of sugar but once into our body, that fructose is being converted to fat. I also learnt that in the 1880's the typical australian would consume aprox 2kg sugar per year. We now consume over 50 kg a year which equates to a kilo a week! As the author of 'Sweet Poison' says 'if you eat what sounds like a healthy breakfast cereal and a glass of orange juice, you’ll consume 440grams of sugar before you even touch a chocolate bar."(David Gillespie)

Craaazzy.

SO the whole point of this post was that I was kindly given Sarah Wilson's 'I Quit Sugar' cookbook the other day and have been testing out her recipes. I wanted to share with you my favourite one from her book. Its a coconut dream. (by the way coconut oil speeds up your metabolism and is also killer for hair, digestion and memory.)

Sugar Free Raspberry Ripe by Sarah Wilson

* 1/3- 1/2 cup coconut oil
* 1/3 cup organic salted butter
* 2 tbls raw cacao, or cocoa
* 1 tbls rice malt syrup
* 1/3 cup coconut, shredded or flakes (for a chunkier version)
* 1/3 cup of frozen raspberries or any berries

1. Melt the butter and oil in a pan.
2. Stir in the cacao and syrup.
3. Arrange the berries and coconut on a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray or plate (a dinner plate creates a good shape). Pour the coconut oil mixture over the top and pop in the freezer. When firm either break into shards or cut into wedges.

So yum! and totally fructose free. Next time I make it, I'm gonna make it in a smaller baking tray so the slices are thicker.

If you wanna find out more about sugar check out the author of 'Sweet Poison' HERE.
And you can find Sarah Wilson's website HERE with links to her cookbooks too.

happy thursday x

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Matt and I saw this last week and loved it!!! Jennifer Lawrence is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses and she is only 22 which makes her even more impressive. Such a good script and music and a good dose of real life and romance all mixed together..  

  

NEW ENDEAVOURS

I have been missing in action a little bit lately. Alot has already happened in Matt and I's world this year! Two weeks ago I bit the bullet and signed up to the Endeavour college of Natural Health for a Bachelor in Naturopathy. Big deal! I have always had a passion for alternative medicine so this is exciting for me. I have also been drowning in residency paperwork as Im also applying for permanent residency so in a couple of years I can get all the (study) perks that come with citzenship. The australian government certainly doesn't make it easy. They have lovingly jacked up the cost of applying as of January by $1000. So happy new year to me. One must do what one has to do though. and I must do this.

Anyway, this afternoon I stumbled upon this beautiful poem. Made my heart utterly swoon- so pretty. I am currently reading 'The Bronze Horseman' which must be contributing to this endless feeling of romance... enjoy x

  You are the dew and I am the earth,
   who awaits for the morning.
  You are the wind and I am the tree,
   where the wind will descend.
 You are the fire and I am the dry land,
 that will revive to life.
 You are the ocean and on its offing
  I will listen to the song of the ocean.

  

We belong together like the heaven and the earth,
we cannot be apart.
 We belong together like a storm and the night,
 your wave hitting my shore.
We meet in a moment of forever,
 when we burn blazing.
 When your memory has dissolved in sand,
 the undying love will live on.

You are the heaven and I am a swallow,
who soars to you.
You are the wind and I am the tree, 
where the wind will descend.
You are a stream and I am the moon,
 that reflects on the water.
You are a spring and on the verge of it
 I will bow, thirsty.
You are the ocean and on its offing 
 I will listen to the song of the ocean.

-Anna-Mari Kaskinen

2013

Happy New Year!! 2013, holy moly- can't believe it is actually upon us. Matt and I have decided to stay in Sydney- we had been toying with the idea for months of moving our lives over to New Zealand but after much deliberation and prayer we feel like it is the right decision to stay in Sydney so I am excited for new discoveries this year. We have been loving the holidays. Matt surprised me with a mini ipad for christmas. He wins a thousand husband awards cos he gave me so many treats and left the ipad last hiding under the tree. Best surprise ever! I fear any sign of a 2013 social life could be slipping away cos 'flight control rocket' game is waaaayy to addictive. my high score is 200,000.... shame.
 Below is some new year inspiration. So many pretty pictures and words that make me want to make this year our best one yet. feast your soul child x

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INKED

I am officially inked! After talking about getting a tattoo for about fifty years, my ballsy friend Cat decided she would make it happen. So off we went to surry hills to seize the day. The man who did it was particularly intimidating and needed to work on his tattoo bed side skills I think. I told him what I wanted and he said he didn't wanna do the heart facing me cos it would 'look like two boobs from upside down'. I persisted and said, I was sure this is what I wanted and he grunted and drew it on. So, hot tip- don't just walk into a random parlour and pick the first artist you see, he might tell you your tattoo will look like boobs. YOLO x.

GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS

OH MY GOODNESS. yes, GIRLS is back with it's second season. I feel like I have been waiting for this for so long. Ever since I first discovered GIRLS a few months ago, I felt I'd found a long lost friend I didn't even know was missing. Lena Dunham has talent coming out of her toes - she writes, directs and stars in the show. Impressive as. Coming to our screens Jan 2013. hkjhauiyjkhasdkjhiuyw3em,nbm,nsd is all I have left to say about this.