Thailand Part 2

For those of you who may be interested here’s a wrap up of the rest of our trip in Thailand, even though now it seems but a distant memory and I’m already on to planning our next trip.

Thailand

Bit Of This, Bit Of That…

Hi there, I’m still around although I’ve been a bit quieter lately. I’ve noticed I don’t seem to be the only blogger laying low, perhaps there’s something in the blogosphere at the moment… In any case, I can blame it on holiday brain, less than 36 hours til takeoff and I’m super excited. Bring on the relaxation and fun! I’ve still been in the kitchen but I’ve been turning to others for inspiration lately. It’s weird, although I love blogging, and reading other food blogs, I don’t actually often cook other recipes. I’m not quite sure why, but I’ve realised it’s a bit silly and so plan to attempt more recipes that interest me. This will be particularly handy in the baking department no doubt, my personal bete noire… First up is this super healthy looking soba noodle salad from Alexandra’s Kitchen. I love her blog as the recipes are beautiful and most really appeal to me. I totally relate to her post about indulging in must have, unique ingredients which sometimes don’t get used quite as much as initially anticipated. This salad was a great success, very filling and healthy. The dressing is redolent of a spicy satay, the only difference I made was using steamed broccoli and sesame seeds in place of cucumber and peanuts. It was delicious and a perfect lunch to take to work.

Cavalo Nero, Pancetta & Bocconcini Open Faced Sandwich

I’ve been a little distracted lately… It’s funny, I recently wrote a post on the first anniversary of this blog about the importance of blogging regularly and then I totally drop the ball and fall out my own routine. Ah such is life I suppose. It’s been good to be busy with seeing family and friends, exploring our new corner of the world, and also making plans. Big plans. I live love to plan. If there was an olympics for planning/organising, I could be a serious contender.

Spinach & Fetta Pinwheels

Mr Market Basket has a bit of a love/hate relationship with his car. When he bought her about 5 years ago, you could say she was um well entering her twilight years I suppose. Nonetheless he took care of her and kept her going, even after completing the massive journey from Adelaide up to Brisbane.

Noosa Dreams…..

I haven’t been in the kitchen too much lately. The weather has been too delightful to spend a lot of time indoors. Last weekend saw us take a sneaky little getaway to one of our favourite destinations, Noosa. 

Butter Chicken

Sometimes it’s easy to compare ourselves to those around us who may have more than us, and to feel like something’s missing as a result. In my experience, this generally leads to feelings of inadequacy, sometimes envy and other less desirable emotions. I’m trying not to do that so much anymore. Yes, perhaps I don’t have some things that other people my age do, but I still have a lot. When I see people who have things that I don’t, I’m trying not to let that get to me, and instead just focus on the things that I have going for me. One way to achieve that perspective I’ve found, is to compare myself to the billions of people who have so much less than me, instead of the few that have more.

Weekly Wrap Up

Howdy folks and happy Wednesday to you all, it’s all downhill from here. The markets this week yielded a generous haul for a mere $30. Leafy greens continue to rock my world and provide fresh, raw veggie hits through winter. We’re really digging on the fruit lately, I’ve discovered these red navel oranges for only $2 a kilo and they are divine. Heavenly scented, full of juice and just a joy to eat. Rockmelon and strawberries are also pleasant to gobble on at the moment. A bag of avos gives us a flavourful spread for our toast in the mornings, and these long wands of corn made a great lunch time snack after a light boil. Positively bursting with sweetness. It really isn’t hard to be healthy when everything is this good!

Prawn Gyozas

Gah. I started a big, deep post about how I’ve been contemplating my future lately but I think it was a bit too heavy for an easy Sunday arvo. Instead I’d like to tell you about a lovely fellow who brightened my day today.

Cauliflower Slaw With Horseradish Dressing

I have a confession to make…

I eat like a man.

I don’t mean I look like a man when I eat. Well geez I hope not. I mean I kind of eat man sized portions. I know Mr Market Basket is bigger and does more physical work than I do, but I still eat pretty much the same size meals as him. I exercise everyday and I don’t think I eat too much. I don’t feel exceedingly full or anything. I’m just a solid gal who needs a full tank to keep her engine running. I fail to understand when I see other women my age have a dish a quarter of the size I would, or when they push a half finished plate of food away with a puff of exertion and comment on how stuffed they are. That never happens with me. The thought of halving my portions terrifies me… I’ve tried reducing my intake, but then I don’t exercise as much. I exercise more, and my appetite goes up exponentially. It’s impossible for me to exercise regularly and be limited on the calorie front. Aint gonna happen. Upon reflection though, I think a healthy appetite is, well, healthy. Like most women out there I’ve had more than my fair share of body issues. I’ve wasted so much time worrying about my various flaws instead of focussing on the better bits. It’s true, I’ll never be a bikini model but things could be a lot worse. At the end of the day I just want to be happy and healthy. Which, thankfully I am.