A bit of this and a bit of that

How many of you stand with your hand on the fridge door, eyes glued on the inside of that same fridge, swinging a leg or shifting about willing inspiration to pop out at you.

This happens to me daily.

When it's a school morning I can't really afford to spend too much time doing this riveting activity and need to make a decision about what to make quick-fast. Which generally translates into a salad with something that can be microwaved to add flavour and protein (enter veggie burger or tofu or veggie sausages... even eggs can be microwaved people!)

I think I need one of these!!

But you already know all about my packed lunches. How about the weekend? The time spent in front of that fridge is significantly greater and generally the outcomes are significantly better. That's good, I guess!

Before you get too excited though, the weekends never really feature one complete meal. You know what I mean. Snack plates have taken over people!

This magnificent feast of random was an oven roasted sweet potato (I microwave my fork-poked sweet potato for 3 mins then oven bake at 180 degrees celsius for 30 mins) some oven roasted broccoli (steamed slightly first and then chucked in the oven) and a salad of spinach, peas, corn and a torn up lentil burger.

This guy was sort of more of a dessert, riddled generously with blobs of cashew butter and slowly enjoyed because it was just. that. good.

I love keeping the skin on- the chew factor really adds something!

Generally my snack plates involve popcorn. Because it is the soul reason for my existence. Basically.

Here we have some oven-roasted chippies (1 medium potato cut into fries, drizzled with olive oil and roasted at 180 degrees celsius for 30 mins) popped popcorn (plain popcorn kernels popped in a bowl with a lid in the microwave for 2:30mins) and a salad with chopped kale, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, capsicum and spiced oven roasted beans (white beans rubbed with cumin and paprika and roasted in oven for 15 mins)

Such a good salad!
Sometimes I'm just feeling the regular good ol' potato- always a favourite!

And popcorn. Enough said.

So there's sweet potato fries. Then there's white potato fries. And then? Butternut squash fries!!

I love butternut squash fries- cut em' up, drizzle with oil and roast for 30 mins= happiness. With a side of spinach, capsicum, tomatoes, bean balls, hommus and some roasted brussels (mmm roasted brussels sprouts). There may have been something else too...

Hehe.
Look I made a fork kebab:

It's probably my crazy, illogical, creative, messy side that takes over when I make snack plates. See, none of the different items on the plate really go together but are all favourites of mine separately. So I fling together a salad and popcorn and fries and veggie burgers and nut butters and chips (mainly tortilla chips) and roasted greens and peas and anything else and call it lunch. Why not?

I used to hate having to come up with ideas for lunch. Now I just grab and create. :)

Tell me:
What is your go-to lunch on the weekend?
Do you ever have snack plates?
What would be on your ultimate snack plate? Mine would feature a baked sweet potato with nut butter (preferably almond) some brown rice crackers and hommus, popcorn, roasted brussels sprouts, dried fruit and maybe some pomegranate seeds. Yum.

The key to a good snack plate is to not go overboard on just one item (except if it's popcorn) little bits of everything make it so much better.

And with those prodigious words of wisdom I leave you! Have a fantabulous day and don't be afraid to make a lunch that is super weird and crazy- you'll love it! Bye!! :D

Sunday Morning Pancakes Calling

What time is it? Summer time Pancake Sunday!
How great are Sundays? Maybe I'm just saying this now after a week full of hectic, but seriously, whoever invented Sunday was awesome. They knew people needed a day to just... rest. They knew that in the year 2015 in the 3rd week of Feb, an Aussie teenage girl would plead for a day of nothing with such urgency and so created Sunday.

Then there was the person who invented pancake Sunday. Equally as awesome and nameless and equally appreciated by this Aussie teenage girl.

So after a slow and lazy morning in bed (6:00am- 6:30am reading blogs) and then a nice, not-rushed Purely Twins leg and ab workout (6:30am-7:00am) I plodded into the kitchen and set about slowly and relaxedly( new word :) making some pancakes.

Cinnamon banana pancakes :)

I also got to try out my latest supermarket purchase! Woohoo!

 I've read a lot of blog posts about Maca powder and have wanted to try it for a long time- finally not ridiculously expensive!!

I've written quite a few recipes for different pancakes, so if you're craving a different combo you'll probably find it here. For these guys I simply placed 1/3 cup wholemeal spelt flour, 1 heaped tablespoon of golden flax flakes (feel free to sub in any crushed flaky cereal), 1 tablespoon rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 heaped teaspoon Maca powder and a few dashes of cinnamon in a bowl and stirred to combine.

 Then add in 1/2 medium banana (mashed) and about 1/3 cup milk (I used macadamia milk) keep adding until mixture looks like a semi-thick pancake batter.

 Of course your next step would be to fry up in a fry pan until golden brown on each side, however I just wasn't feeling it today( Sunday remember), so I plopped some dollops of the mixture onto some baking paper on a plate and microwaved for 1:30. DONE!

 Spread generously with some peanut butter, that I didn't realise had some salt in it (not a bad thing, just wasn't expecting it- we do need a bit of salt in our diets!) so was a bit surprised after the first bite but then thoroughly enjoyed the following noms.

 Enjoyed with a side of rich, creamy, chocolatey avocado mousse- you'll have to wait until later in the week for that recipe ;)

 Unfortunately in pancake form I couldn't really taste the Maca powder (does Maca powder even really have a taste?) so I think I'll add it to some plain oats or something next time. Still extremely delicious pancakes though!

 Warm, drizzly peanut butter though. Something so simple and small that brings me so much joy. I definitely love it more than I should!

 Also knives and forks are for the faint of heart when it comes to pancakes. Pancakes should be eaten like pizza. Trust me, it tastes better. ;)

 Before you go accusing me of forgetting to take with me a knife and fork to my lovely breakfast spot by the pool, I actually didn't! There was a knife right next to me and for s split second I almost picked it up. But then my hand was filled with warm pancake instead. What can I say?

 I also eat my pancakes the same way I eat my crumpets. No other way.

 Look- I made an Australia!!

What a brilliant way to start Sunday!

What about you?
Do you love Sundays as much as me?
Favourite way to start your morning?
Pancakes on a Sunday?

So to sum up- Sundays are awesome- make sure you enjoy yours, Sunday breakfasts are awesome- make sure you have something delicious and you guys are awesome! Make sure you remember that!:D Bye!!

Welcome to me!

Happy Saturday everyone! Yay for the weekend! I had the busiest week ever and I can't tell you how glad I am to finally have a weekend and a rest!!

I say 'I' a lot don't I?

Which I guess sort of makes sense seeing this thing here is my blog. Though I (there it is again) don't feel as though you really know the girl behind the words and the pretty (most of the time) food pictures.

One of the reasons why this is the case? Probably me being self conscious. I don't take pictures of myself (sorry no #selfies over here) and therefore don't post pictures of myself.

So this post is a big step for me. Pictures of me. So you get to know me. That's a lot of me!

Ok, so you probably have all picked up by now that I like to runner. I would consider one of my defining characteristics to be- runner. I also sweat and scrunch my face and, yes, there has once even been a few tears while out running and I definitely do not look awesome after a run... so here it is:

 Check out the hair!!

 Rockin' it Steph!
I am also one of those people who likes to drink everything out of jars- so here is a picture of my re-hydrating water:

I also made myself a super thick and super delicious green smoothie for brekky in a jar that was 1 frozen banana + 1 chopped frozen mango+ 2 big handfuls of kale+ 3 big scoops greek yoghurt + sprinkle of chia seeds plus some squeezed orange juice and water:

 With some wholemeal crumpets on the side smothered in nut butter. You know me.
I am also a big candidate for showers. Showers are good for the soul. So is washing one's hair. So this is me after doing both: (probably a good idea after a run)

 Cheese!

 You've also probably noticed that I talk a lot about the masses of homework I am receiving this year (year 11 is tuff stuff!) but if I am honest I do feel good after completing that ominously looming stack of work and sometimes I even enjoy doing it!

 Especially out in the sun. Which brings me to another favourite of mine. If I had to choose between Summer and Winter I would kick \Winter out into the farthest galaxy in our universe (and if there are other universes out there than I would kick it there) and tell it takie it's cold and grey and gloom with it and to never come back. Ever.
In other words- I love the sun!

So homework in the sun makes everything more fun! (I should write poetry.)
My favorutie people in the world include my family. None of which are home at the moment... good opportunity for a family portrait, huh? Well I'll just have to show you one family member that is here!

 Ash the fearsome Bull terrier!
Just kidding, she's a Maltese/ silky terrier ;)

 She's also such a poser too!

Ok, family done.
friends- I love my friends, we have lots of fun.

Us going on our river cruise- yep I'm that short one in the middle :P

You also probably know that I have a popcorn fetish...

It's pretty intense.

I love art- drawing, acrobatics, music- playing the flute, annnd a bunch of other stuff!! Like cooking. I kinda like that too. :D

So that's me. Do I look different than you expected? What did you expect? Maybe don't answer that... I know you all thought I was a unicorn.

Your turn:
Are you self conscious?
If you have a blog do you post pics of yourself?
Do you selfie? ;)

That's it for today folks- just a fun little post to kick off the weekend! Have a fabulous day!! Bye! :D

Thinking Out Loud- Accidentally Sorta Paleo

Something occurred to me the other day as I was chomping my way through 2 boiled eggs and a bowl full of roasted veg.

My diet's changing.

Ever so slightly and very subtly... but changing nonetheless.

Ever so slightly in that I am starting to veer off grains a bit (after looking back at some of my earlier WIAW's I could see that I incorporated more than nowadays) and focus on more veggies and fat and protein.

But before you start screaming down my neck about grains being essential to everyday life and I'm a runner so I need more carbs etc. etc.

I know all that. I've spent the past year practically preaching that. I still believe that. It's just when I eat some types of grains (mainly wheat) I can definitely notice a difference in how I feel ( bloated, heavy... not great) and when I have a meal with heaps of veg cooked with some oil (coconut/ olive etc.) or mixed with some olives/ avocados/ nut butter/ any other deliciously healthy fat then adding in some good protein sources like tempeh, beans/ lentils (not Paleo), I feel a heck-of-a-lot better!

 Typical lunch now-a-days with some roasted potatoes and white sweet potatoes, oven roasted brussels sprouts and brocoli, steamed corn and spinach topped with a lentil veggie burger.

Even after a bowl full of oats, I just feel heavy.

So I've been mixing things up a bit. Sometimes oats in the mornings, sometimes smoothies chock full of protein (nut butter/ protein powder/ greek yoghurt/ almond milk) fats (nut butter/ chia seeds/ avocado) greens (kale/ spinach). Sometimes sandwiches for lunch, most times big salads with veggie burgers or roasted veggies with tofu. Sometimes a bowl of pasta for dinner, most nights oven baked veggies (tomatoes/ onion/ mushrooms/ eggplant/ zucchini- in olive oil) or a baked sweet potato, along with eggs and spinach.

 Delicious dinner of some more roasted potatoes (this was not the same day!) and some home-made ratatouille!

 Onion, celery, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, capsicum, chili, garlic, tomato paste and water boiled on the stove for around 30 mins, then added in some kale and chopped tempeh and boiled some more for around 15 mins.
P..S why did no one ever tell me how good tempeh is when it's in a sauce and soaking up the flavours! (Now that I write it like that, it seems pretty obvious)

It's not because someone's told me to do this, it's not because it's the next big diet fad, it's not because it will give me amazing super powers to save the world from utter destruction. No! It's because my body feels noticeably better when I focus on obtaining my carbs from other sources (potatoes, apples, nuts and legumes, dried fruits, bananas and green veggies)

I know it's not very Paleo at all, but that was the most recognized diet that I could think of that was starting to fit into my diet changes. I don't like labels and so consequently my diet doesn't seem to fit into any of those labels. Makes me happy. And feel a little rebellious. ;)

  

Woah. Things just got deep.

Ok, I brought it back down to not-deep with that awesome paleo t-shirt!

No- I'm not going to start to eat meat again or cut out grains and legumes and all other yummy things I can't live without (no oatmeal?!?) This was really just a post about me realising that my diet's changing, my love for sandwiches and huge bowls of oats is sort of decreasing. And also I wanted to throw a few paleo puns out there. :)

What about you?

Do you follow a paleo lifestyle?

Are you like me and don't fit any single diet?

Have you ever noticed your diet changing?

That's it for today folks! I'm just Thinking Out Loud on this lovely Thursday- make sure to head on over to Running With Spoons to see what other people are thinking out loud about too!! Bye! :D

WIAW #44

Hello, hello and happy Wednesday! Feeling like the weeks dragging? (I don't see how, my time seems to be running away from me!) Need something to carry you over the hump? How about this picture?

You're feeling better already, right? Good! Well in true Wednesday fashion- WIAW! Thanks as always to Peas and Crayons fro this awesome weekly link-up! Who wants to see some eats??

Breakfast: 
After 2 dates at 6:00am and a 90 minute run, I quickly hurried around getting organised for school and then managed to scarf down some oats in a jar with a banana:

 Hmmm, that nut butter looks a bit off!! (Oh boy, I'm so funny!)

 1/2 cup oats+ 2 big tablespoons flax flakes + 1 cup almond milk + 3 scoops greek yoghurt+ lots of cinnamon+ sprinkle of chia seeds- stirred up and left in the fridge overnight:

 Filling, delicious... quick!! Perfect.

 Couldn't fit the banana in so I fit the oats on top instead!!

Snack:
You've seen the pot of peas many times. And I forgot a picture. Oh yeah.
Lunch: 1:00pm
By lunch the running hunger was yelling and I gratefully wolfed down my roasted veg and peas and corn and tofu salad:

 Roasted potato, sweet potato, beetroot and swede with spinach steamed peas and corn and chili tofu.

 Again, filling and delicious (and prepared the night before for maximal quickness and easiness in the morning!

Snack: 4:00pm 
After a tiring day at school (learning tires you out people! So do tests!) I needed a little snack-attack and chopped up some yummy fruit!

 And soy milk to satisfy the hunger for a while.

 Chopped apple and deliciously sweet and crisp green grapes.

Dinner:  6:45pm
Mexican night!!

 Pita-pockets stuffed with hommus, Mexican seasoned beans and lentils and a fresh crunchy salsa with tomatoes, capsicum, coriander, lemon juice, chili and avocado, with a side of steamed pumpkin and parsnip:

 Y.U.M!

 Happy days.
That's what I ate. I gotta run (busy, busy, busy) keep eating, keep smiling and head on over to Peas and Crayons if you wanna check out what other people have been eating this Wednesday!

Bye! :D