POO TALK PART 2

So how’d you all go with my last post? Not too put off I hope.

If so, well too bad, ‘cause here’s Part 2. I wanted to go a little further into our ‘poo’ topic as I think it’s something that no-one really talks about it (properly) or knows about… a lot of people get squeamish at the mere though of it and whenever I ask people how often they go if it’s relevant when they come to see me at the health food store, I get a non-existent answer. Like I said, no-one wants tot talk about it.

WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR POO? PULL UP A STOOL

Ok somewhat 'controversial' in the sense that would anyone actually write about that? is my post today.

It was Monday morning that the idea for this post came to my mind. And I actually got so excited about it I finished getting ready for my day before jumping online and beginning the draft for this - as I'm jetting off to work in about an hour and know I won't finish it.

So what am I talking about?

Permission to show off?

Okay I've just gotta show off what my friend Jess and I made last Thursday night -


Moonie Pies!!!

A recipe of Heather's that I've wanted to make for soooo long (even though I'm not a fan of making chocolate-dipped-anythings really). I thought it would be alot of chocolatey-messy-fun to do with Jess. So we rolled up our sleeves, and around so much chatter we slowly got things under way.

A date and walnut base, covered with a vanilla-coconut-cream layer, topped off with a another layer of the date and walnut base... all left to set layer by layer until it looked like this. One mighty big slab of we cut up into about 30 pieces.

Then the messy (taste testing) part - the chocolate dipping. Although if I do say so myself... we were pretty clean!

It amuses me that something of reasonable size, once dipped into a rich cacao sauce and left to set, instantly turns into giant blocks of rich chocolatley goodness - almost too big for one!
I said almost ;)

Of course we had big green salads full of goodies, as I've gotta have greens when making something with cacao or I feel sick as a dog (even so, the following morning I woke feeling the effetcs of the cacao).

Yummy kale, sprouts, mushies, cukes, sunnies, avo, asparagus, seaweed, onion chili relish, olive oil... loads of fun!!

Aside from that, last Friday I had orientation for college (which starts tomorrow!!) - which wasn't all I cracked it up to possibly be by the way... but once that was over, I met Dani for a whopper sized organic vegie juice on her lunch break then took my time walking from Crown Street all the way to Newtown to get my colonic!! Yes, it was the 35+degree day here but I've gotta say I love the heat! And aside from one other friend of mine, I think I could be the only person in Sydney that loved it last week. Ok so HEATWAVE I know. I get it. It's hot. Maybe I need to move north?

Anyways, I hadn't my therapist in a while so I was very excited to catch up on everything we've missed! As usual, a great session (no need for gorey details) followed by my little slice of bliss - the infra red sauna. Not usually a sweaty person I love getting in these things coz i actually sweat! And coz of the temps we were having last week, I was dripping in less than 5minutes. Want proof?

From head to toe baby!

So tomorrow begins my new adventures in Nutritional Medicine as I begin my studies! It's something I have wanted to do for far too long and so I am excited to finally be beginning - but at the same time, which surprises me actually, I'm very bloody scared!

Wish me luck! I'll let you all know how I go.

My Birthday Week of LOVE

a-ga-pé: [ ah-gah-pey, ah-guy-pey, ag-uh ] from Ancient Greek agapé means

a. God's unconditional love for us
b. a pure selfless love of one person for another
c. a love feast shared as a sign of love and fellowship

And that's what my last week has been all about.

It was my 25th Birthday on Wednesday and I've been SPOILT ROTTEN everyday since!

I was surprised with a BEAUTIFUL bunch of flowers from my boss (who is currently on her honeymoon mind you) at work on Wednesday, and they were GORGEOUS! Orange gerberas and purple cabbages...




After an early start and a long busy day at work, then seeing a client, I was happy to get home on Wednesday night for an Indian-inspired-Feast.



Beautifully created by my mother, and my two sisters (one of which came down from Cairns especially). Lisa set the table with special plates, gold cutlery and crystal glasses. There were candles lit, music playing, lights dimmed and incense wafting...

Mum, Lisa, Nikki, Annabel, Chris and my grandmother were all delighting in different curries, rices and breads, samosas, chutneys and side dishes, while Brock and I were indulging on the following mouth watering dishes that were made especially for us both...





Sweet curry with sultanas, apple, spices, banana...


Cauliflower and parsnip rice - this one is a sweet sulatana and almond one, we also had a beautiful ginger cauli rice


Warmed marinated broccoli which was so good


Carrot salad with cumin, zucchini, red onions...


And my dinner plate (first of two serves)

Finished with a parfait glass with scoops of raw vanilla choc-chip ice cream Mum had bought - but Brock had my homemade coconut ice cream and said he liked it better!!

I was showered with gifts - including a basket of fruit and veg that I jumped up and down with excitement over! Best pressie ever. Way to a raw girls heart :)

Friday afternoon I spoilt myself to a colonic and infra red sauna! :) BLISSED OUT! I feel so unbelievably good after both I walk out BEAMING!
And then Brock came to pick me up and take me out for a SURPRISE DINNER!
We first wandered the streets of Newtown and into my favourite Health Food Shop for a browse. I get a BUZZ out of all things nutrition - working in a health food store myself, I was like a kid in a lolly shop, and Brock and I walked out with a few coconut date rolls as a pre-dinner snack :) Yum!

Then onto dinner...
AGAPE - a Greek word translated into LOVE, and the name of a stunning restaurant out in Botany using only ORGANIC produce where Brock had been waiting to take this special girl :)
We were so warmly welcomed and greeted with "Happy Birthday" at the door. Surrounded by candles, wooden furniture, pink roses and antique velvet couches, this place really does say LOVE. Absolutley beautiful.

Brock is friends with the very talented chef named Simon So sneakily set up something special. But never expected what we got. A 5 course raw menu for 2. The attention to detail was impeccable and the presentation divine. From start to finish...

Tomato and basil salad, crisp kale and apple balsamic

Beetroot carpaccio, olive, basil, almond, apple, blood orange vinaigrette

Marinated broccoli, carrot, sesame, silverbeet, lemon, garlic and chilli

Mushroom, salsa verde, rocket, honey and mustard

Golden delicious apple, raw honey, almond, sultana

As each plate came out the flavours got better and better - dessert being the winner for both of us.







An early morning sunshine run together on Saturday before I had a hair appointment in the city to pamper myself, and later met up with Lara for a very belated catch up, before doing my nails and getting ready for our night out.
And Saturday night dinner with the girls!
My sister had made raw bruschetta bread for Maya, Tamsyn and I but the restaurant COOKED IT! We ate the fresh tomato on top tho, had BIG salads and DELICIOUS cinnamon scrolls Maya so kindly made. Good food, great company and lots of laughs finished by dancing at the local til after midninght... an AMAZING end to an AMAZING week!

THANK YOU to EVERYONE that made my week MORE than special. I felt like a royal queen all week and LOVE each and everyone of you.

xxx

Saturday I'm in Love

Saturday morning and I was up at the break of dawn to set off for my 8am COLONIC :) Happy as Larry! I LOVE getting my colonics and the past couple of times I've gone I've also had infra-red saunas that are TO DIE FOR! I walk out of my therapists place feeling like I'm GLOWING and I'm BEAMING with enthusiasm for whatever life throws at me next! I've got a spring in my step, sunshine from within, and a smile on my face :)

I met up with my cousin down the road at the Newtown Vegan Bake Sale to grab some cruelty free goodies for my mum who beautifully indulges her sweet tooth daily, and to say hi to my friend Mandee (who has a great blog of her own here) who runs the stall. Doing her usual FABULOUS baking and organising, they raised a whopping $994.45 for A Poultry Place in Canberra this time around. Good work!


I later did a couple of house inspections with Brock before we stopped in at Taste Organics for a bite to eat with Maya at the cafe as it was the last day it will be open for a while. I was hanging out for some raw ice cream of hers that is DELISH and to my excitement/surprise/indulgence/happiness/every-other-yummy-word-you-can-think-of... she had made ICE CREAM SANDWICHES!! So so so good - but silly me forgot to take a pic for you all.

The rest of my afternoon was spent making raw soup and hitting up the gym for my favourite class before I was out with good friends for a Raw Potluck in Turramurra.
I made my favourite Spiced Carrot Soup, Maya had cakes from the cafe, Brock made a big tasty coleslaw and a beaut green salad, Tam had the greatest choc-banana pudding (that was only made better with dried bananas dipped into it), and Tsung brought loads of sweet juicy organic oranges (we had as appetisers, palate cleansers inbetween meals, and as "after dinner mints").

We GORGED on coleslaws, kale salads, curried cauliflower, sweet potato slices in some sort of dressing that I feel in love with and still can't put my taste buds to working out what it was... parsnip mash, live fries with sundried tomato sauce, mini sausages wrapped in eggplant strips, soups, saurekraut, garden salads, fresh fruit...

Dessert was UNREAL and even though I wasn't initially feeling like alot, I did eat alot. Here's my DESSERT MOUNTAIN (mind you that was only the first helping).


There is a mango passionfruit sorbet to the right that was deliciously refreshing amongst all the CACAO. An apricot pie that was gooey and sticky but a bit much for me, a dark rich gooey CACAO pie, Tam's AMAZING cacao-banana-avo-mousse-pudding that we dipped our dried banana fingers into and used as spoons (MMM), and a very sweet yummy pecan pie pictured here. Ontop of all that (or as well as once inside my happy tummy) we shared beautiful sliced bananas with coconut and sultanas, a chocolate mint ice cream, an apple and date 'dip' with celery sticks (strange but really good to break up so much cacao), Maya's coconut pie, little chocolate balls, and itty bitty almond date fudge pieces. Wow.


Maya, Tam and I before our cacao-high-laughter fits

Delicious food, beautiful company, close friends and new people to mingle with, everyone had a blast, ate too much, laughed even more and went home BLISSED andblessed by the evening shared, and the full moon eclipse we were so lucky to have seen - helping us all cast off the old and move on with the new (side note - mid next month we have another eclipse, this time a new Moon so between now and then it's up to us all to think about where we know we have to make changes...)

Brock and I braved the cold for a 45minute 'digestive' walk back home at 11pm, making the most of the beautiful moonlight, and then sleeping like babies :)