Bikram

In mid April I took my second ever Bikram yoga class. After taking a pretty long break from having any regular exercise habits I am loving the fact that i have found bikram. After my first class I have tried to get to class as often as I can - usually 4-5 times a week. I am experiencing some great positives from taking bikram both physically and mentally. At around the same time that I started bikram I also gave up drinking! This was part of a 3 month plan to cut out alcohol. So far it has been surprisingly easy and I am loving the 'high and mighty' feeling I am getting from not drinking. Each bikram class provides new challenges and depending on my state of mind I can have a very frustrating standing series or an amazing class!! One of the things that I have noticed is that if my concentration is a bit off at the beginning of the class I will usually struggle. Also since I began my extremely inflexible shoulders have begun to loosen up. This week I will only make 4 classes but will aim for 5 again next week. I have also been researching yogic diets. At the moment my diet is really lacking. Being a vegetarian I need to be putting WAY more effort into my meals!

Autumn

We have just returned from a fantastic trip to Thailand and also to Stradbroke Island for a friends wedding. Both were such amazing trips! Thailand was relaxing, amazing food and amazing beaches. Stradbroke was a great chance to catch up with friends and chill out! I have come home feeling a little bit like I still need a holiday! It is time to start planning our Europe trip and start setting some serious goals. I need to keep working on my french and get in shape!

So I have made myself another list of goals aiming at getting healthy starting from tomorrow!

Firstly I am going to steer clear of alcohol, ensure that I complete some form of exercise each day, drinks heaps of water and set myself a running goal that I can complete!

More on this to come but for now here are some pics of my trips!

Salut!

We have three trips planned this year and I am starting to get excited. The first is to Thailand for a few days of sun and fun. Then we are off to North Stradbroke for Alana and Marshall's wedding. We also head off to Amsterdam & France which I am currently planning. This is a huge adventure for us since neither of us have been to Europe. I have been researching accommodation in the Loire Valley, France and the hardest part is making a decision. This weekend I am also continuing my FebFast which is going brilliantly and will be testing out some Epsom Salts. This is the hotel we will be staying at in Amboise - pretty!!

Bye Bye Sugar!

I had been contemplating giving up sugar as part of FebFast and then I saw Sarah Wilson's post on giving up chocolate as part of FebFast also! Great minds sure do think alike! I have a serious addiction to chocolate and had been in denial about it. I practically always pick up some chocolate during the day either at the petrol station or the supermarket and they are always my 'little treats'. But enough is enough and it is time to make some changes. I am very excited about the double whammy - giving up alcohol and chocolate in the same month. I am sure worse things could happen and my body will really thank me for it. I am well aware that I will not be a happy camper after a few days without chocolate so will need to investigate a substitute 'reward food!'

Part of my inspiration has come from James Dugains 'Clean and Lean - Flat Tummy Fast' I am not so concerned about the flat tummy - although that would be nice! It is more about cleaning up my diet and eating food that is actually going to benefit my body.

So my new health plan goes like this

1. Complete some form of exercise each day - even if it is just taking the dog for a walk or doing some yoga.

2. Cut out alcohol and chocolate for one month. I will continue to eat fruit as I really, really couldn't live without it!

3. Get more sleep. I am terrible, staying up late watching rubbish TV. Must aim for some more relaxation/sleep time in my life.

Can't wait!!

FebFast

It's been a little while...

It is so hot in Melbourne today I really don't know what to do with myself!

I have been doing lots of online bikini shopping in preparation for our trip to Thailand which is coming up!

The other day I signed up for FebFast. I did try it out last year but to be honest I think I only made it one or two days! Since signing up I have been checking out FebFast ambassador Sarah Wilsons blog which I love! I think my body is going to be very happy to have a months break from alcohol. I wish I could be brave enough to give up chocolate too - I have a day or so to decide on that one!

Here is a more recent photo of Dash - what a spunk!

Lots more travel, food & health related posts to come!

The weekend

I have been so busy over the past few months I have had no time to blog. But with lots of exciting things up my sleeve and a weekend off I am keen to jump back in!

Dash

It has been a long time between posts with work mayhem and moving house.

Here is a photo of our gorgeous new puppy Dash. She is adorable and seriously cheeky but we love her to bits already!

Lots to report so I will be posting more over the weekend xx

Pet Rabbit

My latest idea is a pet rabbit after visiting a client the other day who had a gorgeous grey bunny running around their front yard. There are lots of pet rabbits for adoption on the PetRescue site - so if I keep working on hubby I think I can make this idea stick!

Friday

Thank god it's Friday.

We made another visit to Plush Pizza tonight - it is SO good. Tonight I had the Classic Vegetarian, which sounds a little boring but it was delicious. There is lots of garlic and the soy cheese was perfect for me as I have actually been craving something cheesy!

To update my list - my iPod is fixed - hurrah! I am very excited about this one..

Just because..

This weather is so gloomy and depressing - time to post something fun! Our wedding feels like years ago (in a good way). I think it is time to start preparing for some beautiful sunny weather and getting myself motivated. So after being inspired by my friend Cas and her awesome blog I think I need to set myself a list of short term goals to get me focussed! They may only be small steps but I bet they will be motivating! Her list was 10 goals in 2010 - I think I am running out of time but lets see how we go!

1. Start running again - I am going to get this iPod working and if not my sisters iPhone which is being handed down to me, get my couch to 10k happening and get moving. It might be a case of getting out of bed at the crack of dawn but thats ok!

2. Visit Shakahari in Carlton. Since going Vegan this place has been high on my list!

3. Cook an eggplant bake based on this recipe. Not the most exciting challenge so should be able to cross this one off pretty quickly!

4. Get a new hairdo! My long locks have been hanging around for way too long - it is time to go!

5. Start my organic vegie patch. First step might be to order some organic seeds and get them going.

6. Sell my wedding dress. I love it but having such a pretty dress hanging in my cupboard will not benefit anyone. Fingers crossed on this one!

7. Adopt a dog. I am getting a bit obsessive about this one but it is a 'must do'.

Ok that's all I can come up with for now but I think it's a pretty good start - will keep you updated.

Earthlings

Have you seen it and what did you think?

Veganism

Tomorrow will mark my 1 month of being vegan!

I am very happy with the decision I have made and I feel like it is the right one for me. Someone asked me yesterday if this is going to be a long term thing to which I replied "yes". I feel much better for not having dairy and eggs and of course meat. My shock at the facts about egg laying male chicks being disposed of (approx 12 million per year in Australia), and bobby cows who at 5 days old are taken from their mothers and slaughtered (approx 1 million per year). The more I learn the more passionate I become!

I know this may not be for everyone and some people may not feel like it is something they would ever consider and that is fine. So tomorrow I will be enjoying some delicious vegan pancakes to celebrate and I hope you all have a lovely Sunday!

Food!

I have ordered a copy of Veganomicon online and am waiting for it to arrive. I hope it comes tomorrow. I have been cooking lots of delish vegan food but because of the lack of daylight hours + my ordinary camera I haven't been able to take any decent photos. Last night we had a red curry with tofu and cashews which was a hit. For lunch today I made a roast vegie and couscous salad. One of my favourite meals since going vegan are bean tortillas. So simple, but so yummy. I do refried beans and also red kidney beans cooked with onion and cumin. It is amazing how much I used to rely on eating cheese and sour cream with everything!! It has also started showing on the scales which I won't complain about! This weekend I am planning a trip to the Tim Burton exhibition at ACMI and hopefully lunch at Lord of the Fries or Movida next door - we will see!

I have also been in touch with an old family friend who has been vegan for over 3 years. She offered me some great advice and also some encouragement which is really nice. She also recommended 'skinny bitch in the kitch' which I had heard of but now 'must buy'!

Pub Crawl!

Last night we gathered up a few of our friends and took them to the Vegie Bar. I know some people may not love this place but I think the food is super tasty, plenty of vegan options and you can get a table fairly easily... I tried the Mee Goreng which came with potato & shredded lettuce - I thought it was delicious! Despite my best efforts to retire after dinner we made our way to the Night Cat, another bar across the road from the Night Cat (?) and the Copa Cabana club. Bit of a long night but well worth it. Now I am just trying to decide what to cook for dinner tonight - spicy tofu & broccoli stir-fry or gnocchi with tomato sauce (plain but yummy and easy!) I seem to have become addicted to Keeping up with the Kardashians which is a little worrying!

Plush Pizza

After a long (and very frustrating) day at work we stopped off at Plush Pizza in Hawthorn for dinner tonight. I have been doing lots of reading about yummy vegan places to eat and this one was high up on my list! I had the Aztec & Hubby had the Ben Special. He obviously liked his so much that he wouldn't let me taste it but mine was delicious! We will be dining there again for sure! More to come tomorrow - goodnight for now! xx

Going Vegan

My hours of reading and watching videos over the past few weeks has lead me to the point where I have decided to go vegan. After watching Earthlings as I mentioned I decided to go vegetarian but I have now decided to go a step further and go vegan. I have become very passionate about animal welfare issues but I also feel that this is a major step towards good health and making a real difference. I do love cheese and this is probably my main concern but with a bit of planning and research I can see that it is not impossible to go without cheese! Over the past 2+ weeks we have not eaten meat and have phased out our dairy products. I have also been 'phasing' out non-ethical products from our house, and buying some amazing organic produce. I have been cooking some delicious healthy vegan recipes and I am feeling so fantastic! I could go on for hours about all of the new things I have learnt but that is enough for now. I am really looking forward to moving out of winter! Lots more to come! PS. I met the most gorgeous little kelpie the other day and her owner 'may' be considering putting her up for adoption - not getting my hopes up but we will see!

I forgot to mention my new favourite website - Unleashed and their amazing forum has given me so many really helpful bits of information and some very cool people sharing like-minded ideas - thanks guys!

Adopting a dog

My hubby and I will be moving to a bigger property in the next month or so and will be able to get a dog! I have wanted a dog for so long but now I am obsessed! I browse the pet rescue sites every day searching for a puppy/dog. It takes lots of thinking to work out what breed of dog will suit us and to make sure we can care for it properly. I love the idea of adopting a dog and would NEVER purchase a dog from a petshop... Although it is hard to watch some of the footage from Earthlings relating to puppy mills and pets in general is absolutely heart breaking and should make all humans think about the way we 'use' animals for our own satisfaction.

I came across this gorgeous dog - Angela today she is an 18 month kelpie cross lab which is the sort of dog I think will be perfect for us! Will have to wait a few more weeks before we can start looking properly but I will keep you updated about how it goes :)

Lots and lots of things going on in my life right now and lots of reading and thinking about veganism - more posts to come on this.

Miss Organic

My first delivery from Miss Organic came on Thursday. I was very excited and when it came I opened it up to find lots of yummy organic fruit and veg. I got an "energy box" as a starter to check it out and see what sort of things you get. My box came with:

Vegies:

Pumpkin, sweet potato, lettuce, rainbow chard, chinese brocolli, brocolli, carrots, avocado, and garlic

Fruit:

Apples, pears, lemons, kiwi fruit, bananas

I was super happy and I will be making sure that I use up everything that came! Hopefully I didn't miss anything.

Lentil and vegetable cottage pie

The other night I cooked this fantastic cottage pie based on this recipe from taste.com. I forgot to get celery so there was no celery and I added capsicum and mushroom and of course no eggs in the mash, soy milk instead of dairy and nuttelex in place of butter. I have already bought the ingredients to make it again! You can use any vegies you like and it is really fast, simple and delicious!

Sorry about my terrible photos but they will get better I promise!

Recipes!

I am dying to share some great vego recipes but this one was passed on to me by my friend Gab who runs the Aprelo blog and has recently gone vego too. It looks so delicious - maybe I will cook it on the weekend! I promise there will be more recipes coming and photos to make this place look a bit nicer!

Gwinganna eggplant moussaka on spinach with roasted tomato sauce

Ingredients (ideally all organic):

1 large eggplant, sliced 1cm think

1.5 large sweet potatoes, cut 1cm thick

2 medium zucchini sliced

0.5 cup quinoa

0.5 cup green lentils

1 bunch English spinach

Sea salt & pepper.

Roasted tomato sauce ingredients (once again organic):

500g ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

Sea salt, pepper, oregano, basil

1-2 bay leaves, sprig rosemary

0.5 cup filtered water.

Instructions:

For the tomato sauce:

Roast tomatoes, onions and garlic in oven until they get some colour. Add spices, herbs and water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and blend in food processor. Adjust seasoning to taste.

For the moussaka:

Sprinkle eggplant with sea salt and leave for 20-30 minutes. Rinse and dry. Pre-bake all sliced vegetables on a tray. Cook quinoa at a ratio of 1 cup seeds to 2 cups water on low heat and covered until all water is absorbed. Soak lentils for 2-3 hours, rinse and boil in fresh water. Mix quinoa and lentils with some of the tomato sauce. Stack in layers in a baking dish, starting with the sweet potato and finishing with a layer of eggplant. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for approximately 30-40 minutes, covering half way through cooking time. If necessary, rest before cutting into squares. Serve on spinach leaves with extra tomato sauce and top with a dollop of cashew cheese or pesto. Serves 5.