Where did the days go?! I am so sorry to have made you wait oh so long. Somewhere between my last post and now, I vaguely remember a very rainy, overcast spell of weather that saw a little bubby sleep lots of a day only to stay up more at night. Oh what fun! I also have a vague recollection of doing stuff, like catching up with my bro, my sweet sis-in-law and their adorable bubby boy for an early Christmas celebration before they depart for Japan. Other than that, it's just been a tired, mile high pile of washing kind of gray drabness in my memory. Or maybe that was why I am forgetting. So. Much. Rain. We know what that means for those of us without a clothes dryer. So. Much. Washing.
Looking at the photo below makes me remember another treat- a brunch out with my non teen. How could I forget- the food was divine!
I ordered the vegetarian delight, or something similarly named. Oh my, It Was Good! Fried haloumi, the nicest mushrooms I can remember eating, tomatoes, super runny poached eggs on sour dough...drool. Definitely ordering that again from Choux Box cafe in Kingscliff :)
I made a decision a few days ago that I am sick of being angry after waking up in a vile mood. The rain and lack of sleep was getting to me. Correction- I allowed the rain and lack of sleep to get to me, instead of finding the joy in the situation. To combat this, I have been going Instagram crazy. Each day, I have to focus on at least one thing beautiful, then snap it, and post it. I must say- its helping! I am so excited to find the beauty in even the ordinary, and my backyard has provided most of my recent inspiration. I'm even finding my faith is growing again, as gratitude is a natural conduit for re-connecting with God. I am feeling lighter inside already :)
A ray of light on a rainy day with my geranium in the foreground- simple and beautiful.
Hubby and I did manage a brief date last Thursday morning while my non teen watched bubby. We were fortunate enough to get in some stunning scenery before the heavens opened in the afternoon.
How stunning is this view! Cabarita beach looks amazing from up this high :)
My back yard again- mint on the bottom reaching up towards bromeliads. I love this pic, and sitting here to have a cuppa. Learning to be grateful, and making room for it, is so worth while.
Another steamy, overcast morning, but how beautiful! Love the colour contrast and the stormy sky.
My little herb garden, flourishing well in its new spot.
My humble little garden has been the source of so much inspiration of late. i'm starting to see it with new eyes :)
This morning- I captured this by angling my iPhone differently. What a result!
A little later, I took this. I love how light plays on the palm leaves. Beautiful.
Back to today's cooking. I did a bit actually. I made hubby some of his protein balls yesterday. His are higher fat and use his new, blokey, thermogenic protein powder. I am leaving that stuff to him. I made a bit of an experimental batch for myself today. They sort of went something like this...
Cottage cheese Protein Balls:
2 heaped tablespoons of cottage cheese.
1 large tablespoon of no sugar/ salt peanut butter.
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
1 tablespoon of cocao powder.
1 teaspoon of rice malt syrup.
1 tablespoon of chia seeds.
1 heaped teaspoon of shredded coconut.
1 heaped teaspoon of coconut flour.
1 tablespoon of blitzed oats (raw oats that have been shredded in a food processor til they resemble crumbs. I am weaning bubby from rice cereal to oats. So far-so good!).
Almond meal- for coating.
In a food processor, mix the above til it all comes together. It should make a reasonably sticky mix that rolls together well. Roll small amounts into balls, coat with almond meal, store in fridge. Note- you will need warm water on hand to get the excess of your hands between rolling. The little I sampled was a bit bitter, but with a morning coffee after an all too early wake up- yum!
I then made 3 breaky parfaits...
Natural Jalna yoghurt topped with frozen strawberries, soaked black chia seeds and topped with walnuts.
Today was beautiful, especially after so much overcast weather. Honestly, I was so utterly exhausted, but determined to walk and enjoy being outside at some part of the day.
This made it worthwhile. The creek looked like paradise today.
I love walking this boardwalk. Today didn't disappoint. Hubby, bubby and I enjoyed our stroll in the sunshine.
Now, back to food. A friend had posted a dish that got my interest- a marinated, whole baked cauliflower. I knew I had one sitting in my fridge, alone and forgotten. I had to make this!
I made mine like this:
To approximately 1/2 a cup of dijon mustard, I added a tablespoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When it was mixed well, I spooned it over a cleaned, trimmed cauliflower that was sitting in an oiled cake tin. I allowed it to sit while i heated the oven to 220 degrees.
The dinner tonight was simple. My non teen was coming over for family dinner night and though I didn't feel like heavy food, I wanted a satisfying, nutritious meal all the same. To accompany my roasted cauliflower, i finally decided a cooked chicken salad may work. After cooking a double, cubed chicken breast in coconut butter, adding a little salt and pepper once cooked, i put together a simple salad: Mixed green leaves, cherry tomatoes and herbs from my garden :) The salad was put down first, then topped with cooked chicken, and then, I added some malt vinegar to the chicken cooking juices, and poured it over the salad.
Tonight's healthy salad.
The cooked cauliflower. It received some interesting comments! And yes, it does look like fried brains. The whole thing took an hour an a half to cook- my oven is slow. I did need to cover it and turn it down for the last 20 mins.
The cauliflower was tender and the topping tasted great. I am keen to experiment with different toppings now. Almost everyone, except my teen, devoured their serve.
There you have it, your lot for today. I hope that keeps you satisfied for now. I hope to be a lot more efficient and post regularly. Praying my sweet bubby lets me sleep!
Until next time, thanks for reading :)
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