A beautiful pink and purple tinged sunrise to say 'Welcome Back!' dear readers. I am so glad to be sitting here on my posterior, having a cuppa and telling you all about my Easter and past several days.
This morning, we fare-welled possibly our last ever home stay student, which was emotional as always. Once back, we had an arduous task- rearrange three bedrooms. Just saying it makes me feel tired. Thank goodness Autumn has finally arrived! If we had to do this in the heat...! Add to this a flooded dining room from someone forgetting she was draining the fish tank to clean it (oops- that would be me!), and you've got a megga clean, sort, move furniture, mop, sit in the corner and hide until it all gets done by magic kind of day.
I may still have 25 zillion items of clothing to sort and keep/throw, but what an impressive effort by all. I may not have made it to gym for the week. Really though, today's effort was more than I would have pushed out at gym anyway. Go me!
Now, let me take you through a pictorial of my week, in non sequential order...
An example of some non chocolate consumption (miracle-I had a meal without it!)- dinner last week: zucchini slice served on rocket with creamy sauce (see below).
Always trying to come up with new ideas, this one was based on available ingredients... spuds, sweet spuds, fresh parsley, onion, celery, a hint of garlic and carrots.
I cooked these with butter/olive oil, added some chicken (1 breast which I cooked separately), cream, curry powder, salt and pepper...
Placed it in a quiche flan, added a huge amount of creamy mashed sweet and normal spuds on top, before baking in the oven til lightly golden.
Easy peesy chicken and potato pie.
The Easter Bunny did visit our house. I cut myself some slack, enjoyed my bounty, later regretted it but had a brilliant Easter all the same. My little sweet bunny got some Peter rabbit books- thanks to my family respecting my 'no sugar' stance for her until she tries birthday cake- in one month from today!
Love, love, love this photo- big and little sis both on their laptops. Truly too cute!
My beautiful non teen made Easter awesome. Love her company.
Easter feast, again, non chocolaty: Roast rosemary lamb with baked pumpkin, veg, gravy and my special spuds (5 large steamed spuds-cut into quarter with 1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream & 2 tbsp my pesto mix). The best lunch/dinner I've had for a while :)
Easter Monday brekky- rocket with omelette, grilled tomatoes and pesto. Trying to bring healthy back.
A picture of the first cool morning this Autumn- and a misty one too.
I like this sunrise- pretty colours with a fluffy sky.
Hubby and I went for a much needed walk a few evenings ago. We haven't been there since the boardwalk was being replaced. Not sure if they ran out of time and/or money, but it looks, well, interesting now. Still, leads to views like this.
That same evening, I managed to snap this from my bedroom window. Such a gorgeous sunset!
And this is what we got a few minutes later- beautiful colours and evening sky. Autumn, you may have come late, but what a show!
Even out back, the gorgeous skies could be clearly seen. Love this time of year :)
The next morning, I slept later (only because a certain little person woke me at 2:30!), and this is what I snapped.
Yesterday, I decided that seeing the chocolate temptation had been removed (by consuming it quickly), I would now prepare myself real food. The above is my quinoa tabbouleh- which I had a with lunch today topped with a poached egg.
I saw these mini sweet peppers on sale, and couldn't resist grabbing them and turning them into stuffed snacks. I used cottage cheese, but any soft filling works.
Again, these red capsicums were on special. Instead of wasting slightly older veg, I grilled them, peeled them, coated them in a hint of salt and vinegar and have a tasty salad ingredient on hand.
This is the dinner table last night, just before adding the miso (but tasted more like ramen) soup.
And this is my attempt at rice paper rolls. Ok, not particularly flash, but definitely delish. They were filled with chicken slivers, red capsicum and some dry coleslaw mix, and dipped in either sweet chilli sauce (a rare treat) and honey/soy. Amazingly different dinner, and one our sweet German teen appreciated.
Before ending, I shall tell you of recent events/ revelations. First of all, I didn't get the job. I did get a lovely personal email informing me on Easter Monday. While a little part of me was a bit sad I wouldn't be socialising with arty types, I realised that this isn't the right time. My sweet bubby was unwell for a few days, then broke out in mystery rash for another 2. We had 2 doctor visits and lots of snuggles with a sick little bunny. How could I go to work at this stage? I know women who do, and I respect that, but when a sick bubby needs her mumma, I will always be there for her.
I also realised that I don't want to be extreme with my diet. I still loathe most processed foods, but seriously, if I didn't have formula to feed my baby, she would have failed to thrive months ago. I do like honey, fruit and some dairy. Many extreme diets eliminate everything- I can't do that. No one in our home is gluten intolerant, so as much as I can afford good quality, we will eat gluten at times. Thankfully, I make my own bread at times, which eliminates needing to purchase chemical laden bread. Hubby and I don't each much bread anyway, and bubby likes a wide variety of foods, including omelette, cheese and fruit, so bread needn't be a major part of her diet.
Dairy is another one. Dairy isn't evil! Over processing is. I will use the best quality I can afford. Anyway, as a Christian, I believe in saying grace, and praying the food is blessed to our bodies. I had this revelation a few days back, and it gave me peace. I feel a balanced world of eating coming on! That's the best example I can give my sweet little girl.
Before I close, I should tell you that my blogging may need to be weekly from now on. Life with a turbo tot who is nearly walking is hectic. I also want to get back on the scales (not just yet- let Easter be a distant memory first!), and keep tabs on how my health is going. I still comfortably fit my jeans, so I know the weight gain hasn't been too serious-phew!
Until next time, thanks for reading :)
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