11.3.13

ELLIE GOULDING & LISSIE



Im not sure where Lissie has been all my life. But she's officially gonna be a part of it now. Flippen incredible voice; so this little collaboration with ellie goulding is a treat to the ears. thank me later


 

28.2.13

Clean Coconut Oil Chocolate

Must share cos these are amazing!! It's a myth that you can't eat tasty healthy food. I've been making so many sweet things that are yum and fructose free! These particular treats are fructose, dairy and gluten free. Matt looves them and they taste similar to Reece's peanut butter cups which DO NOT contain clean heathy fats ha.

Coconut Oil Chocolates

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (make sure it's sugar free)
1/4 cup raw honey or rice malt syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence


Melt coconut oil.  
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender.  
Pour into paper-lined muffin tin cups or moulds.  
Chill for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes. When firm, remove.  
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 

NOTE: there are so many variations you can add to this- omit the peanut butter and add a few drops of peppermint essence or Irish cream or oh my goodness even baileys would be so delicious! Get amongst x


15.2.13

VALENTINE


hope you had a lovely day celebrating the people you love x



6.2.13

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..  

  

15.1.13

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