Crunchy granola sweet

I just can't seem to get my act together lately, despite my best efforts.

I have spent the morning doing usual motherly household duties, chasing my tail. You know how it is. It was all very uninspiring until mid morning, when I finally had time to make my new favourite Banana Granola recipe. See what I mean? I had granola for lunch! I did however have it with a lovely, sweet, ripe Bowen mango. My first mango for the year. This somehow made the chaos of this morning worthwhile.

I found this recipe for Banana Granola on the Green Kitchen Stories website. David and Luise the masterminds behind this website, are so very clever. Their recipes are delicious and their photography well, breathtaking. I also have their cookbook which I adore. It would make a gorgeous Christmas present!

 

As I sat at our table savouring small mouthfuls of this crunchy goodness, I got thinking.

Do you think Neil Diamond also loved granola? Was that why he wrote 'Crunchy Granola Sweet'? Who knows... these are the big questions friends.... :)

 

In an ideal world this serving of granola should have had handfuls of blueberries and strawberries strategically placed on top of the heaped tablespoons of yogurt, but when I went to grab them from the fridge, there was none left. Need I say anymore.

 

I hope your day has been far more organised than mine :) x

Ode to my Chesterfield

 

 

I don't care if I would stick to it in the awful Queensland humidity. A couch like my friend the Chesterfield, is calling out to be sprawled on. Imagine lying back with a coffee and your favourite magazines. I would have the new Kinfolk, Fete and Country Style magazines close by. 

My favourite CD would be playing quietly in the background and the faint smell of home baking would be wafting from the kitchen. Of course my Chesterfield would be strategically placed under one of our double hung windows, with the shutters slightly open, allowing for just the right amount of sunlight and cool breeze. Imagine ....

 

 

Click on the photos for links to Pinterest.

Hope you all have a fun weekend! I am off to our work Christmas 'do' tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it. Nothing like a catch up with your favourite work friends .... x

Give me bread - healthy bread.

Lovely readers,

 

Like me, do you dream about bread? ;) Come on admit it, you do. I cannot be the only person who dreams of warm comforting bread. That and a trip to Mauritius in one of those bungalow's that stretch out over crystal blue water, only accessed by a bridge. See, I knew you did :)

 

I have deliberately not eaten bread in ages. Put simply, bread and I are not friends. I can't control myself around it, especially after a night shift when I want to throw down a whole loaf with loads of butter and vegemite. Let's be clear, I am talking about Bakers Delight bread, not healthy bread.

The kind of bread that makes my bum get big - eaten in the quantities I want to devour it anyway.

Among all the random thoughts I have in a 24 hour period (and there are many), I have been contemplating introducing bread back into my diet that is healthier, gluten free and homemade - free of sugars, preservatives and other nasties.

And easy. It has to be simple. I don't ask for much and surely this is a better option than depriving myself of such goodness?

A lovely friend recently posted photos of the most delicious almond meal and chia seed bread that she made on facebook. I demanded that I must have the recipe immediately and presto, today I have made the most delicious, spongy loaf of healthy, gluten free, grain free bread.

The recipe is from Tania Hubbard's Gluten free, grain free blog and is quite the find. Her recipes look delicious and her cookbook would be the perfect Christmas gift.

 

With lashings of avocado heaped on my bread with just a touch of pepper, I was temporarily in heaven until I remembered there was a toddler whinging at me in the background, demanding yet another bowl of  yoghurt  :)

 

Find the recipe here and please, do yourself a favour and make it.

 

 

 

A Bircher Breakfast ...

 

I have re-written this post a couple of times. All versions have sounded 'oh woe is me' which lets face it, is boring.

All I will say is that this week we have all been sick, and without sounding too harsh, the men in my household do not cope well with sickness. 

Nurses are generally far more patient with the people they care for at work than the one's at home - or so it would seem, or so I have been told ;) - either way, enough said.

 

Moving right along ....

 

Living in Queensland you are right, is pretty sensational. Spring is just gorgeous, but with that comes early sunrises and noisy birds. Are you getting where I am going with this?

At the moment, lets just say that I am very 'anti-kookaburra'.

In fact, I hate them :)

You see, if the sun is rising and the birds are singing, or as it may be laughing (at my expense I am quite sure), then it must be time for two year olds to get up! At 04.30 ....

 

I am a Child Health Nurse. I work at a centre which assists parents in getting their children to sleep!(ha!!)

I have tried every trick in the book to support/encourage/gently force my little friend to sleep longer but this it would seem, is where we are at - 04.30 starts.

So I am trying very, very hard to 'suck it up'...

 

With all this drama and my determination to continue to eat healthily, particularly since I am working night shifts and now seemingly getting up at 04.30, I have made a conscientious effort to consistently prepare myself a scrumptious, no fuss, healthy breakfast.

 

A lovely friend of mine Piera, put me onto this book by Saimaa Miller. It is here that I found my new favourite breakfast.

This is just one of the great healthy recipes in this book. Check out Saimaa's website for further inspiration. Either way, Easy Bircher Muesli is yummy!

 

 

Easy Bircher Muesli

(Aussie Body- Diet and Detox Plan, by Saimaa Miller page 78).

 

Serves 2 (Although I have been known to eat a whole bowl and go through until lunch).

 

45g oats

2 tablespoons of oat bran

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

70g mixed berries example goji, acai or blueberries ( I have just used frozen blueberries which are delicious)

1 small banana (75g)

1 tablespoon (20g)shredded coconut

1 tablespoon (20g) raisins or sultanas

500mls rice or dairy free milk (I have recently started using a lactose free milk called Zymil).

 

Mix it all together in a bowl and let is soak overnight.

 

 

A nutritious breakfast like this, even at the earliest start to the day, is guaranteed to put spring in your step. Things never seem so bad when you go to a little extra effort to do something nice for yourself - don't you agree?

 

I hope you are having a good week friends.

Apologies for the late post.

x

 

Unexpected surprises.....

Today has been one of those days. I finished my night shift this morning at 7 am and I am yet to have a sleep. It is a long boring story - we have had tree loppers here all afternoon which although exciting, has prevented Dominic and I sleeping. The end result is impressive though, and will make such a difference with the landscaping we have planned. Either way, I think it is fair to say both Dom and I are only just hanging in there. 

 

Despite the chaos of today, I unexpectedly received the most beautiful gift from my gorgeous, incredibly thoughtful cousin Jessica. Yes, that is the Orla Kiely storage jar I had been eyeing off from Lark, and I also received a beautiful cutlery set that is so lovely, it is worthy of a post of its own.

So, stay tuned.  

 

Thanks for thinking of me Jess. You rock!

 

 

Happy Friday friends!

My your weekend be a good one.

As for us, I think it is time for bed.

x

 

Marimekko

One of my consistent decorating themes, no matter where I have lived, is my love of colour and pattern. I am not talking about outlandish wall colours (yuck), but bright coloured cushions, canvases and prints. A colourful bunch of flowers can regularly be seen in our house too - bringing a smile to me, even on the most dreary of days.

 

Marimekko fabrics have long been a favourite of mine. The great use of colour and pattern in Marimekko homewares could brighten up any space, but they are not for the faint hearted.

I would love a big Marimekko canvas in our living room - maybe I will be brave and buy some fabric and make one myself? In the meantime, I will lust after Marimekko fabrics and try and pick my favourite. The Marimekko dress below is kind of adorable too - don't you agree? A Marimekko store opened in Sydney last year. Maybe they will come to Brisbane too? Eventually everyone does :)

Here is the stores feature post from The Design Files archives.

Do you have a decorating theme that has been carried across the different places you have lived? Colour? Pattern? Or may be you prefer the classical look with heavy fabrics?

Don't be shy people.... share your favourite decorating themes....

 

x

It's a Flapjack.....

My new favourite food blog is written by the ever talented photographer, Kate Berry.

The food/home baking blog that she writes accompanies her photography website and is called 'hello lunch lady'...

The photos are just beautiful and her recipes are simple and delicious.

I have now whipped up a few of Kate's recipes, but our favourite to date is the infamous 'flapjack'.
 I won't provide the recipe here cause I want you to check out her blog. So, here is the flapjack recipe and link. 

My mum popped over this afternoon and in no more than 15 minutes, I whipped up my own batch of flapjacks. They don't look as good as or as scrumptious (and in fact now that I look at my photo, the plate isn't even centred??) as Kate's, but they are the bomb - and healthy (enough) too.

In the batches that I have been making, I have been substituting golden syrup for rice malt syrup which tastes just as good, but not quite as sweet. I have been smothering our batches with Sunflower seeds, Chia seeds and Pepita's. Check out Kate's blog either way. You will not regret it.

 

Happy Friday lovely readers - this week has flown!

Have a lovely, relaxing weekend

xx

Jasmine or Jacaranda?

Queensland at this time of year is truly something special. The tree lined streets, lit up with the brightest of purple Jacaranda trees, is truly a sight to be seen. But for me, it is all about the Jasmine.

Whether it is Jasmine hedges or Star Jasmine grown over little gate houses, I cannot get enough of it!

I am not sure whether it is because I have a big nose (I do!), but the smell of Jasmine as we go for our daily walk absolutely overwhelms my senses. I stood outside a Jasmine covered little gatehouse, similar to the one below the other day and couldn't help but take the deepest of breaths - closing my eyes I remembered the Jasmine hedge that grew outside my bedroom window when I was growing up. Waking up to that smell was heaven. I must have looked like a mad woman standing outside the front of this house, but when you live somewhere as beautiful as Brisbane in Spring, these things simply cannot be helped.

 

It is the end of the weekend friends. Hope your weekend has been as enjoyable as ours

 

x

 

Favourite blogs...

Being the obsessive blogger that I am, I have decided that each week as able ( I have learnt now not to make promises that I cannot keep!), I am going to do a post on one of my favourite blogs. There are so many, it is quite ridiculous!

 

I have long been a fan of the blog Design Mom written by Gabrielle Blair.

 

Gabrielle, among other wonderful features on her blog, has 'home tours' that talk about 'living with kids'. As she says, her blog is about 'where design and motherhood intersect' - love it!

 

Earlier this month she featured the home of Courtney Adamo from Babyccino kids.

 

I am seriously in love with this home. Here are a few of the photos featured from the post.
If you want to see more lovely photos from this home, read more here.

The concept is simple really. A grey and white colour palette, with splashes of green from the beautiful garden and indoor plants, make for quite the visual feast. I have always been a big fan of grey and yellow together, but grey and green should also be seen!

Click on the actual photos for Pinterest links or the direct link above to Design Mom.

 

How are you doing? Are you feeling weak at the knees?

Me too.....

x

Friday - snapshots of home.

This week has been a challenge. I have found myself many a time exasperated by the behaviour of a certain two year old, and with 5 am wake up calls to boot (this is not something we are accustomed to), the days have been long. Thankfully amongst the chaos, we have still laughed :) 

Determined to put up a post to end this week, I have flown around the house this morning and taken a few rushed, imperfect snaps. No kitchen or bedroom shots yet. I can't get the lighting right.... but in the meantime...

 

 

Here is the beginning of a photo gallery in our hallway. Yes, that is a toy trolley in the bottom right hand corner and the top of my Birkenstocks on the left :) Notice the original light switch!

 

 

I seriously love lying on our couch and staring at our pressed metal ceilings and original light fittings.

 I doubt we will ever replace these. They add so much character!

 

 

This is one of the quirky light fittings in Dominic's playroom. I love it!

 

 

The camellia bushes at our front door. There are plenty of buds on them, so hopefully they will flower again soon.

 

 

My kitchen herb garden :) I have started growing pots of veggies too. - they are coming along beautifully. Will post some photos in the upcoming weeks ..

 

The Jacaranda Tree in our backyard. It is huge and the majority of our backyard is purple! Although it is beautiful, I must admit, it is making a dreadful mess.

 

And finally at our front door. I re-potted this gardenia a fortnight ago. It was miserable. Look at it now! Seeing this little bud this morning has made my week. I will also take a photo of the gardenia hedge at the front of our house if/when it flowers too.

 

Enjoy your weekend lovely readers. I am off to a conference in Toowoomba with work colleagues tomorrow. Ironically it is on mindfulness which after this week, feels awfully appropriate! x

.

 

Simple Lemon Slice

Don't you love it when you whip up a dessert and have family and friends asking for more?

It is seriously one of the best feelings!

I subscribe to Stephanie Alexander's Cooks Companion Club and was inspired to make her Simple Lemon Slice which featured in her newsletter earlier this week. We had family over for lunch yesterday and I decided that this would be the perfect dessert. And quite frankly, it did not disappoint.

I will be honest. I consider myself to be a purveyor of fine lemony treats (said in my best Kel Day- Knight/ Kath and Kim voice). I LOVE lemons - smell and taste.

This Lemon slice is seriously zesty.

It has a delicious biscuit base, with a smooth, gooey, lemony layer on top - divine!

And best of all, it was so simple.

I am kinda thinking you should be making this at your next lunch or dinner party.

Here is the recipe thanks to Stephanie. I love her books and am fast becoming a fan of her recipes and simple attitude to great cooking and baking.

Fashion Spring 2013

My time management skills have been nothing short of exemplary this week. Two posts for this little blog and it is only Thursday!

Have I told you how much my wardrobe needs a 'revamp' at the moment? I am not sure whether it is the weather or my mood that has caused such a revelation, but I am determined to come out of Summer/Spring 2013 looking fresh, yet casual (that's fashion speak people) and markedly less 'mummsy'.

At the moment I am loving a good knee length skirt - primarily to hide the varicose veins and on occasion, hairy legs. In Brisbane particularly in Summer, wearing pants is rarely an option, unless at night time. So lovely bright flowing skirts, simple singlet tops and saltwater sandals are my chosen fashion items for this Spring/Summer.

 

Only recently have I become aware of the Australian fashion label, Gorman. I know. How sad. But never fear. I am aware now and I am ready to have a small (ish) spend up. If only my bank account felt the same way! :)
Here are some Gorman clothing garments on my wish list for Spring/Summer 2013.

Bright and colourful baby. It is the only way to go.

 All photos copied from the Gorman website.

What are some fashion labels that have caught your eye this season?

Apartment Therapy ..

I have an unhealthy obsession with the blog Apartment Therapy. Do you follow it too? If you don't, I fully suggest you pop on over for a squiz after you have finished up here - as if I was going to suggest that you go there now? :)

 

Things have been busy. My blogging (as usual) infrequent, despite my best intentions and to top it all off, it is nearly the end of September. How did that happen?

Things at the shanty are going well. No progress in terms of projects really, just small stuff, but I am loving our little bit of Australia. Our Jacaranda Tree is beginning to flower too, which makes me oh so happy. Always looking for inspiration and intent on maintaining the character of our home without turning it into a modern, charmless 'once was' Queenslander, I came across these pictures on Apartment Therapy this morning and found myself squealing with delight.

These photos are of an Edwardian terrace house in Edinburgh, dating back to 1910.

The owners of this terrace house have maintained so much of the original character, incorporating just the right amount of modern day gorgeousness and charm. This is absolutely the look I am after in our house, particularly the kitchen; except on half the scale and without the Aga or the Smeg fridge. Seriously, imagine having an Aga oven and a Smeg fridge! Be still me heart ...

I will apologise in advance for the size of the photos. I had difficulties pasting them into the boarders set on my blog. In the meantime enjoy...

And for the real tear jerker .... The Aga .....



And as if that wasn't enough, I want their bathroom (fully wallpapered!)



and couch too...

Monday, monday.....

 

Flowers in our house today.....

 

Don't mind me my lovelies, if a have a little bit of a brag about the sensationally sunny weather we are having here in Brisbane at the moment. It is winter and we are experiencing 25 degree days! Heavenly I tell you.....

 

We had the busiest of weekends, catching up with family and visiting the 'country cousins' - three of the cutest kids you could meet. Country air is good for the soul people. The big backyard and fantastic cubby house with accompanying slide and swing, proved to be a huge hit.

Dominic was in his element. And, I only have one night shift which I am seriously excited about!

 

As for the ranch, last week I had a company called 'The Art of Hanging' come and professionally hang all my photos. Seriously, although it might sound a bit indulgent having someone professionally hang your frames, the stress of hanging 20 frames yourself and making sure the frames are straight is simply not worth the effort. The end result is fantastic! Not to mention the fun we (I) had arranging things.

 

I have also found myself thinking/daydreaming about indoor plants and plants to hang on our verandah. Preferably plants that are 'un-killable' and can survive the Queensland humidity.

I am in love with ferns - Boston and Maidenhair. Here are some photos that have inspired me from pinterest.

 

 

 

 

Click on the pictures for the pinterest links.....

 

Come on, tell me you don't imagine what plants you want to have hanging on your verandah too?

Or is it just me? - ok, so it is just me ;)

 

Happy monday friends

 

x

My little techno turkey....

Ahhhh, friends. Here is a post I wrote last week that couldn't be 'posted' due to technological difficulties. Read the story below - it will all make sense. :)

'Techno turkey' (from here on in, aka TT) is the nickname my sister has affectionately given to our two year old. No phone or piece of technology seems to be off limits to my 'little ray of sunshine'. He can navigate an iPad screen better than my husband - although I am not entirely sure that this is something to be proud of. I also found him listening to gangster rap on iTunes the other day. You know how you can listen to snippets of songs? He had just woken and I had left him innocently sitting on the couch listening to Justine Clarke, while I prepared his afternoon tea. When I returned, he was on the iTunes website listening to something by 'Flo Rida'.
Clearly not my proudest parenting moment and obviously TT needs to be more closely supervised - point taken.

Anyway, lil TT loves to mix things up a bit - you know what I mean?

My poor mother didn't receive a text message for over a week after allowing TT to 'mix it up' on her iPhone. After further investigation, it came to mum's attention that her phone had been placed on aeroplane mode - yes, TT had struck again! He also likes to randomly call people and send blank text messages to unsuspecting family and friends. Some friends which we haven't heard from in years. Imagine our embarrassment in having to explain 'we are so glad you are well but, no we didn't call. It was the TT. He sends his regards'.

In short, we haven't had Internet access for over three days. We have had many a deep conversation with a multitude of 'techno tosser's at Telstra, who all concluded that we needed a technician to come to our home because alas, there was something wrong with our netgear - what is netgear?
If only TT could have explained :)

Telstra confirmed that our appointment would be today, sometime between 10 and 2. Excellent I said. Right in the middle of the day, when TT needs to run laps of our local playground.

Never mind, we stayed at home doing laundry, blowing bubbles, playing chasey and waiting for the Telstra technician to arrive.

 Of course the technician arrived at 2. His appointment lasted all of about 3 minutes when he confirmed that although our modem was lit up like a Christmas tree, it wasn't actually communicating with the Telstra network cause it had been turned 'off'. I had flashbacks of finding TT lurking by the computer on Wednesday morning, banging the keyboard and playing with the mouse. Apparently he pressed a few buttons too - good grief. The embarrassment I tell you!

The technician couldn't have cared less. He also confirmed that our network keeps cutting out (something we have also complained about to Telstra) and that this needed further investigation by the 'Media Services' team. Seriously, where do they get these names?  Apparently they too will pay us a visit at some point. Lucky me.

You have to laugh - it is kind of funny. The technician made me feel like a complete idiot though. I felt like I needed to show him my CV to prove I wasn't a complete loser, just a mother of a technological genius ;)

So, how have you spent your day today? Has anyone out there wasted their time today too?

Chocolate chip cookies..

So lovely readers, my intention had been to make these delicious choc chip cookies earlier in the week. I had it all planned. I would make them early in the morning when the light was perfect and do some 'Donna Hay' styling and photography but alas, this is the real world. Instead, I have whipped these up at 5 o'clock this afternoon, the light is shite and instead of doing 'Donna Hay' styling, I have had to request the assistance of a toddler with very sticky fingers :)

We have been eating healthily (or whatever you want to call it) for a couple of months now and we are reaping the benefits - weight loss (which was never the purpose but a welcome benefit) and heaps more energy. We are loving experimenting with wholefoods, eating more veggies, fruit and protein. Of course, we are still allowing for treats, but with a healthy twist.

Since having Dominic, I have spent lots of time researching healthy food options for him, not because I am wanting to be precious and restrict his sugar intake, quite the contrary, but because I want to be able to provide him with nutritious, wholesome food made at home.

I purchased this gorgeous book written by Jude Blereau when we first introduced solids called  Wholefood for Children. 

I have referred to it often and still find myself pouring over it for inspiration.

Jude's chocolate chip cookies feature regularly as a delicious morning tea treat in our household.

As the delicious smell of maple syrupy goodness wafts through our house, our tummies grumble in anticipation - yes, they really are that good! They are not your regular large choc chip cookie. They are small, chunky and have a bit of crunch - delicious. The maple syrup adds just a subtle hint of sugary goodness. These cookies feature in Jude's book, Coming home to eat – Wholefood for the family, published by Murdoch Books, Australia (p.175). For further information about Jude, just click here and read her blog here.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

wheat free/dairy free/vegan

Makes 20

Ingredients

150g (5 1/2 oz / 1 1/2 cups) rolled (porridge) oats

155g (5 1/2 oz / 1 cup) raw almonds (skin on)

125g (4 1/2 oz / 1 cup) plain (all purpose) white spelt flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

170g (5 3/4 oz / 1 cup) chocolate chips

125ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) almond oil or flavourless coconut oil (melted for measuring, if solid)

125ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) maple syrup

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

To make

Preheat oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Spread the oats on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately tip into a bowl to stop the cooking process. Spread the almonds on the same baking tray and bake for 7-10 minutes, taking care they don’t burn.

Put the oats in a food processor of blender and grind to a coarse meal. Tip into a mixing bowl. Roughly grind the almonds and add to the oats. Add the flour, baking powder and chocolate chips and whisk through to combine.

Mix together the almond oil, maple syrup and vanilla, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.

Spoon tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking tray, then flatten and shape into neat circles 8mm-1cm (3/8 – 1/2 inch) thick.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until ever so slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to sit on the tray for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

I suppose these cookies are meant to last a week or so in an airtight container, but they never seem to last that long around here! Cook them and let me know what you think.

 

Hope you are having a good week

x

Inspiration everywhere .......

 The world of blogging is such a tremendous place for inspiration and this week, my imagination (as usual) has been in overdrive. The Design Files featured Tim Leveson and Libby Knott's home earlier this week. The simplicity of this home, the art, attention to detail and obvious sense of family and informality, has had me crazy with ideas for our shanty. I love houses just like this that have not been 'converted' into contemporary monstrosities, but exude so much character and warmth. Have a look at the divine photos below - divine I tell you!

 

 

 

Click on the photos for links to The Design Files

Similarly, Design Sponge has also been tormenting me with ideas for our little garden. This week they featured 'A London Home filled with Travel finds'. Quite literally this home and gorgeous garden brought a tear to my eye :) - look at all the colour! Flowers in pots on mass really pack a punch don't they?



 

 

Click on the photos for links to Design Sponge ...

Disappointingly, I discovered on the weekend that the area I was planning to turn into a veggie patch, is in fact a paved area which has just had a shallow layer of soil dumped on it - seriously what is the go with that? Anyway, I am now definitely turning my attention to growing things in pots, particularly vegetables. It is funny that after a couple of months now of living in our shanty, we are still discovering sneaky little things like this, that we would have never noticed on inspection ;)

What has inspired you this week?  ....