Monday 30 January 2012

Taste the flavour sensations!

How often do you actually, really, taste a mouthful of food? Have you ever stopped and actually TASTED every single flavour rolling around your mouth?
Often that is a bit impossible as there is so much going on flavour wise in our foods that we just chew and swallow and get the overall gist.
We cover every part of our meal with something else - salad is drenched in a creamy dressing, stir fries in a shiny glaze, even fruit has added sweeteners such as ice cream and choc syrups...


I challenge you to take your food back to simplicity, even if it's just one meal.



Instead of reaching for that caesar dressing, add a little olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice and let the sweetness of the vegies shine and that crisp fresh texture roll around your mouth.





Look around the supermarket for some of Mother Nature's most treasured gifts like a juicy mango, ripe pineapple, sweet papaya, or red strawberry. Take them home, cut them up and present it beautifully on your plate. Take you time to make your food look appealing and appetising and then you don't need to add anything else because it already looks beautiful!
Take your plate outside or sit by the window and bite into each piece of fruit and let the flavour fill you. Find the subtle differences between each fruit and bite. Tell your brain to please be quiet and stop judging and just let yourself enjoy it.


Or even better - go back to the freedom of childhood and throw away all airs and graces... and cutlery =) Take that mango, cut in halves, lean over the sink, and eat it with your hands! Let the juice drip down your chin and make sure you suck the pip dry baby!!!!


We have so much in life to be grateful for, and near the top of the list is the beautiful bounty we have been provided for by the Earth beneath our feet. Try thanking your food before you eat it, it doesn't have to be out loud if you feel silly hehe, just acknowledge internally that you give thanks for the abundance in your life that allows you to have the choice of what to eat, and that the choice you have is as varied and creative as you want it to be. 


Slow down, and take note of what you are feeding your body. Because chances are, if you are feeding your body foods that are less than, you are also feeding your body thoughts that are less than...


EMBRACE THE FLAVOUR SENSATIONS OF REAL FOOD!!!!!!!


Sunday 15 January 2012

Our helpers

There are people in life who just know you. People who offer you that little gold nugget of wisdom while you have just searched the entire backgarden in vain. People who open your eyes to see the rainbow behind the storm you are stuck in. They know exactly what to say with honesty and truth, no fluffing up your ego, no roundabout undercurrents. They are few and far between but in those times of crisis and trouble they show their faces and you realise their true worth.
I call these people soulmates. 

I use the term soulmate not in a romantic sense (although of course I don't discount the romantic soulmates either!), but more in an altruistic/platonic way. I have several close friends both male and female who I consider soulmates - I know that our friendship stretches over time and distance. Our paths are destined to keep crossing for eternity, ours is a friendship for life. And even though our paths lead us often in opposite directions around the world and we may lose contact for a while, I know we will always find our way back. 


And in those moments when you are down, they are there. With all the right words and a hug and without realising it they lift a little of that burden off your shoulders. 


And the best part of this friendship is that you know it is give and take. There are no agendas. They are there for you and you are there for them. Beautifully complex in its simplicity =) 


Because life can seem too much at times. We are so fully involved in creating that it is hard to step back and see the bigger picture. We are very adept at working ourselves into the cracks and crevices of our minds and analysing every twist and turn. Our soulmates prod us back into the right direction, remind us to let go and trust our choices again. And they remind us that hey, we are doing ok! 


Thankyou to everyone in my life, for extending that hand when I have lost my footing, it has not gone unnoticed... 
xxx

Sunday 8 January 2012

BLAH!

Sometimes you just feel BLAH. There is no one thing in particular that makes you feel that way, it is just as if today Mr Sunshine is there but you are seeing him through double glazed lenses so the sensations of life are all a bit hazy. I went to bed the other night feeling this way and somehow it lingered through to poke its head out the next morning.

I opened my windows to find that it was a full moon that night which always sends me a bit kooky in one way or another hehe. But for whatever reason, for that day, I'm not so easily amused/inspired/joyful and I'm a somewhat duller version of my usual self.

It's ok not to be happy all the time. Remember that movie Pleasantville? Set in the 50's, it starts off in black and white with the typical happy go lucky nuclear family with smiles pasted on at all times. However, it is not until the characters start to truly feel the lows as well as the highs- the anger, frustration, despair in opposition to the elation, excitement, and joy- that the movie takes on technicolour and springs to life on the screen.

My beautiful Mama is always reminding to simply let go and be in my "down" moods. She encourages me to cry, to talk, and to feel the feelings. That way they move, they shift, and hopefully leave us a bit quicker.

Because let's face it we don't live in a utopia - I have tried living as a shiny bright flower and I always end up crashing big time, IT DOES NOT WORK! Although, this is an ongoing lesson for me and for many of you I'm sure... We are encouraged to persevere, to jump up and run back into battle. But why would you go into a battle with armour that has holes and is frayed and torn?

If you are having a BLAH day, leave your expectations for yourself alone for the day. Just let yourself be. Be gentle, kind, and for that day just sit and accept yourself warts and all.

And I know it is easier said than done but if you just sit with yourself and be present in your not so joyful mood, one morning you will wake up to find you have moved through to the other side and life is a few shades lighter.

I write all of this because I need the constant reminding as well! This is not an easy lesson to learn but hey at least we are all in this life together =)



Wednesday 4 January 2012

You!

Here in Singapore the weather for the last week has been PHENOMENAL. Few things make me happier than opening my blinds in the morning to see a clear blue sky and the Mr Sunshine beaming down on my face - growing up in Australia you take that expansive blue sky for granted, and so when you find a patch of it while you are away from home... well, it is even more inspiring =)



And the sunshine always gets me thinking - what are the things in your life that make your heart sing, that make you feel like YOU again? Your go-to activities that always ground you into your true self and make you feel settled? 

If you are travelling around and away from your home base these are your keys.

One of my keys is my yoga practice, and the feeling of stepping back onto my mat after having had some time off is like plugging myself back into a power socket. I am immediately grounded, settled, and in tune with the dance of life. There is something so magical about the power of your breath and the way in which your body flows and moves fuelled by its power. Taking the time to quieten and actually be one on one with yourself is not something widely encouraged by our busy lifestyles, which makes it even sweeter when you stop.
Follow that yoga class with a beautiful green park, Mr Sunshine back for a visit, and a smoothie (or a big fat juicy MANGO) and ladies and gentlemen we have HEAVEN!

I think it is so important to find those things that make your heart sing and take the time to do them, no matter how selfish, silly, or insignificant they may seem at the time. Sometimes it is breakfast at your favourite cafe with friends, sometimes it is climbing a tree in the park, sometimes it is exploring a new part of town you have never been to. Whatever it is, work it into your weekly routine! 

And on that note I am going to share something else that makes me feel very warm and yummy inside but is also choc full of goodness: Raw Hot Chocolate!

It's super easy to make and great for an afternoon pick me up or for a snuggle with an episode of Grey's Anatomy hehe.

  • a small handful of nuts (I use a mix of cashews and brazils, I think it's about 10 nuts all up?)
  • 1 medjool date, deseeded and chopped up
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • a small tsp coconut butter
  • 1 1/2 heaped tsp raw cacao powder
  • pinch of cinnamon powder
  • hot water
In your blender blend the nuts and dates with a little water until they are a smooth paste. Add the remaining ingredients. Fill your mug with hot water and add that water to the blender. Blend all until smooth and creamy YUMMMM! 

Of course you can make this without a blender, just sub the nuts for already made nut milk and the date with honey or your choice of sweetener. But for me, the blender just makes it extra creamy and creates a lovely frothy top for your yummy drink!




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