TRAVEL :: THE BEST GELATO IN ROME

Gelato. It goes hand in hand with pizza and coffee when I think of Italy. And it's something that I have no issue eating on the daily whilst I'm over in the country I love so much.

The history of gelato dates back to the 16th century. Sicilian-born Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, undoubtedly was one of the most influential individuals in the history of gelato, was among the first to sell it to the public, spreading its popularity throughout Europe.

The history of gelato is closely tied to two regions: Dolomite in the far north of Italy, and Sicily in the far south. In Dolomite gelato was made with milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and natural flavours. In the far south, the gelato was predominantly water based. Lower in fat and slightly higher in sugar content, it was called sorbetto or "sorbet" in English. That's all the dairy free flavours I get to choose from, although more and more gelateria's offer dairy-free creamy gelato as well, not just sorbet.

In Rome, gelato is a must. Firstly the city is off the coast so in summer you can't cool off in the sea, and secondly because it's the most scenic city to stroll around in. And strolling is always made better with a refreshing gelato to lick.

So here are a few of my fav's and a few well-known incredible spots to find gelato in my favourite city of all of Europe, The Eternal City, Roma.

BEST CURE FOR JET-LAG :: PREVENTION

I get asked time and time again what to do when trying to get through the hell that can be jet-lag... and to be honest I'm yet to come up with something that actually works besides riding the waves, getting into the local time zone and sleep times as quickly as you can, drinking plenty of water and avoiding caffeine after midday.

However when it comes to preventing jet lag, that's a different story. It's also the most effective way to avoiding it in the first place. And one I can help you with.

7 TIPS FOR PROBLEM SKIN WHEN TRAVELLING (FROM MY FACIALIST)

Travel can mess up even the most flawless skin we all know. An old friend of mine Zoe Marshall posted on her social media on last week how her skin went rogue after her recent 2 weeks in Europe. Chrissy Teigen opts to look like Freddy Krueger when flying knowing airplane air is the worst for you skin. And dancer-slash-actress-slash-activewear designer Julianne Hough cleanses her face halfway through a flight, then follows that up with a toning pad, knowing that prevention is better than cure at the other end of the flight. (Source)

TRAVEL :: WHAT DO I TAKE IN MY SUPPLEMENT BAG?

It's no secret I love to travel. But with a background in Nutritional Medicine, I cannot help but consider what I put into my mouth, including supplements that may benefit me from time to time. When I travel, it's highly likely I'm eating different foods (especially when out of Australia), drinking more red wine than usual, sleeping differently, and in different time zones, and then of course with exchange rates and not knowing whether or not you will be able to find certain things shall you require them, half my luggage is usually supplement bottles.

Now everyone is different in what they may be taking regularly, and again whilst travelling. But I have been asked more than a few times this week alone, what my recommendations are for supplements when travelling. So I thought why not curate a list for you.

TRAVEL GUIDE :: EPIC FOOD IN PARIS

You guys know my love affair with food... I mean it's the reason I travel! Besides my love of travel itself, obviously. I spend all my money on local foods, restaurants, sweets, treats, breads, spreads, coffees, drinks, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and local markets ~ I'm not joking. I spent 27 euros on new sneakers here as I left mine in Switzerland! I was prepared to spend 30 euros, no more. My money here is for food.

And here is a rap up on some of the best places we found during our week spent in Paris.

TRAVEL GUIDE :: CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIPS

Image from here

There are so many incredible parts of California to explore that you could live there for a year and still not see them all I'm sure of it. After our month long stint in Venice, we borrowed a mate's Ford Mustang (of course) and shifted gears outta the city life and into dirt mountains, rocky crests, aqua waters and a slower pace of life. 

Here are a few of my fav's from our second month in Cali, on the road.

TRAVEL GUIDE :: VENICE, CALIFORNIA

Life in Venice California. Without sounding unhappy at the fact that I am currently in Paris typing this... TAKE ME BACK! #SecondHome

For one month, B and I were living smack in the middle of an epic epicentre of awesomeness!! We felt it, and have also had it confirmed by a local. There are 4 main roads in Venice and it’s the space in between them all where magic happens! And we were living in the middle of it all ~ a very cool, lengthy, synchronistic tale as to how we nabbed the place we did as well. Added bonus, is that these 4 roads are the hippest places for food, coffee, and shopping in Venice, and they are all walking distance from where we were living on 6th Ave.

CALIFORNIA: MY FAV PRE-PACKED SNACKS WHEN ON THE GO

If you've been following me on Instagram and Snapchat, you already likely know that I LOVE finding epic snacks when I travel. It still amuses my partner ~ I've worked in health food shops for 5 or 6 years and am still a kid in a lolly shop when I see one! I walk on in, love seeing what brands are stocked, try and find new things I haven't tried, chat to the staff and check out the interior design! Call me crazy! But y'all know I travel to eat! And thus the inspiration for this vlog post.

HOW TO KEEP FIT WHILST TRAVELLING

It's no secret I like to travel. But you may not know that I am also very much a creature of habit. I love routine. I love structure. I love similarities. But, I also love travel, and travel with my partner is typically off-the-cuff and spontaneous, whilst also always being incredibly serendipidous, its ridiculous. And it has definitely taught me to be less of a control freak.

However, I also know that if I don't work out in the morning, by midday I'm one cranky bitch to be around. And lucky for me my man loves movement just as much as I do so it happens daily. The only thing is, in a new city it can be hard on a control freak to find her groove.

TRAVEL SECRETS TO STAY SANE WHEN AWAY (WITH EXTENDED FAMILY)

I like to think I travel quite frequently, but most of the time they are very shorts trips away from home for a few days. I recently went on a family holiday to Noosa and that was the longest both Brock and I had been on since 6 weeks in California last September. We were down south for 10 days in total and it was during this time both Brock and I got thinking about tips to offer others when they go away.

The brainstorming started quite early in our trip as we were staying 2 nights with my mum, 2 nights in Byron, and then a week in Noosa with B's family. All these locations had a proper kitchen but there were times when we knew we could have better prepared.

HOW TO TRAVEL + COME HOME WITH A BETTER GUT

Travel -- something we all love. To get away, see new places, wander new streets, and if you're like me, eat at every place you've previously googled, reviewed, read about, or been suggested to go visit.

On my recent trip to Sydney, we ate out more than not, moving around with weddings, classes, meetings and more, and as much as I love a cafe brekkie, having them everyday, plus lunches, and most dinners at restaurants around town can get a little monotinous. And ontop of that, if they are not nutritious meals, it can be very easy to feel sluggish, bloated, fuller than normal and a little less than your usual amazing self, quite quickly.

So how can we make sure that when we're traveling we eat just as well (if not better) than we do when we're at home? And then return from our trip feeling better than before?

My Thailand Travel Essentials

I could say I'm reasonably frequent traveller - at least in the last 18months I have been - short trips to Melbourne, Sunny Coast, Brissie and Sydney, but it's been a few years (almost 6 now I think) since my last International flight.

When I fly domestic I don't feel the need to take everything with me; I can still buy most things I might need at other major cities. However, when flying overseas, there are a few things I like to take for peace of mind, where my health may be at, and simply because it's unikely I'll be able to get something similar (quality, ingredients, price, source) depending on where I'm headed.
Now I'm in Thailand and there was considerable thought put into what my necessities were (clothes and the usual aside). So here they are:

+ Charcoal tablets
If we happen to eat anything that instantly feels funky, get tummy bugs or the runs, this will be our best friend. Charcoal literally grabs everything that doesn't belong in your lower digestive tract and takes it out the other end (gas included)

+ 2012 fermented shelf-stable probiotic powder
A probiotic at home is taken for preventative measures against nasty guys in our gut, so when travelling to South East Asia, this wasn't even up for discussion. B and I both knew it was coming.

+ Nano Greens
Vital Greens, or an equivalent - basically a green food supplement containing fruit and veggie powders, enzymes, nervous system support, immune system support, probiotics and more. Neo Greens is just made differently so absorption is super duper fabulous (and as my digestion and absorption is not great right now; I'd rather take something that I know will reach and get into my cells). It'll make sure our daily nutrition is adequate, and add extra goodies to ensure we're feeling our best.

+ Digestive enzymes
For now anyway as my digestion is needing help. Not always necessary.

+ Tea bags
Not many but a few just-in-casies. On the aeroplane I don't like paying for a tea bag (it's totally different out a cafe sipping from fine china, listening to tunes and watching passers by) so I just ask for hot water. Peppermint and chammomile also settle an upset tummy which can be a comon occurance for me, and any tea can also calm down flying- and travelling-related stress making the world of difference.

+ A few snackies to begin with
Nothing worse than a long plane trip, taxi ride, train into town, late arrival, and no decent food. So be prepared. I grabbed a pumpkin, chickpea and garden salad at the airport and added my own salmon for lunch and dinner plane meals. Had a few bits of Loving Earth choccie from Easter. Some activated walnuts and goji berry mix. And of course, a few Simply Raw bars. Once we hit the ground in Asia we can find healthy snacks of Thai flavour.

+ Castile soap bar
It's small and as it is based on oils, it is all naturale. Liquids over 100ml are a no-go on International flights so this bar is great and can be used as body soap, face soap, even shampoo.

+ Immune Blend essential oil
This stuff is amazing I'm in love with it. It's by Twenty8 on the Sunny Coast, but I'm sure most essential oil brands do something simliar. Great to dab on a tissue if you're feeling a little cold and flu-y-ness coming on from somewhere, but it is a lifesaver in a small spritzer bottle of filtered water on the plane. Have the empty spritzer bottle going though customs, then add filtered water and a few drops of the oil once you're through (and it's safe it won't be taken off you). Spray on your face as much as you want whilst flying. It wards off nasties flying about the enclosed, confined, air conditioned plane, and doubles as a skin hydrator and sanity life saver. Trust me on that. It smells so fresh and feels so good, why wouldn't you use it? Oh, I have been told that some airlines don't like us patrons spraying stuff around, so if need be, take it to the bathroom and spray it all around and breathe it all in there. Parade out on Cloud 9.

+ Tampons
One's that I'm happy using. Enough said.

+ BPA free water bottle
To re-fill with water of course.

+ New mini laptop
Well it's an ASUS tablet with a keyboard attached so it's tiny, and allows me to continue blogging, skyping and doing B School whilst relaxing in a hammock with a coconut in hand.


These are just a few things I've got with me this trip, and I'm sure it will change depending on the destination. Hopefully they're all I need. Have you been to Asis before and taken any essentials of your own? I'd love to hear what they were and perhaps add them to my arsenal next time.


Love and Blessings from Bangkok

Christie xx


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I finally got to the Kind Living Cafe

The day I arrived in Maroochydore I told Brock we were heading out to Maleny. For food. But not just any food.
I have been a fan of the Kind Living Cafe ever since I heard about it, having yet to actually visit it! Brock hadn't heard of it so of course I was showing him mouth watering food piccies online during our drive out... a little temptation never went astray.

This is my picture though - just so you know :)

By the time we got there, yep we were starved, and had to wait for a table which I had kinda expected, but the staff there were lovely and happy to chat to us amongst their busy lunch shifts while we waited. Once we sat down we knew exactly what we wanted to order - well pretty much - having sussed out the menu while waiting. Still, a tough job to say the least.

Not being huge fans of traditional gourmet raw food fair we tried to stay away from the nuttier 'gourmet' options - although the kelp noodles in cashew cheese sauce did sound so tempting. More the kelp, less the cashews.

Anyways here is our spread...

First up (although we ordered everything at once) we tried the raw Nori Rolls. We figured it was kinda like an entree. Brock and I both LOVED LOVED these! I've tried gourmet raw nori rolls where nut pates and the like take up most of the filling, and I'm not a fan. It's too rich for me. But these babies were completely stuffed with alfalfa, cabbage, carrot, capsicum, cucumber, beet, avocado, spinach, enoki, sprouts and more!! So refreshing I could have easily eaten another plate of them. And whatever is in the dressing that comes with it - it needs to be bottled and sold!

Then we had the Tortilla. I wasn't sure about this one initially... but when we saw one go out to another table; BAM! Easiest decision ever made! It was a chia seed/flax seed/other stuff wrap stuffed with a melange of spinach, avocado, mushrooms and paw paw all mixed together in some sort of a yummy salsa, then topped off with 3 different sauces which were AMAZING, and side salad of course. And it wasn't your usual shitty scrap of ice berg lettuce here. Proper side salad! The dressing on that was damn good too! Happy days :) But a great dish to share. Brock and I both said we couldn't have eaten the whole one mainly due to the richer sauces, not the size.

Then Zucchini Linguini. Such a roll off the tongue isn't it? Brock wanted this one the most. It sounded a little lighter than the cheesy kelp noodles - zucchini with a miso asian styled sauce. Avocado based I think but we tolerate that alot better than nuts. And anything with miso - I'm there! So you can imagine the tang of this was delicious. Mushies and shallots throughout too, but like the tortilla, the richness was too much for either one of us to have had the whole dish. This is exactly why eating at raw restaurants or cafes needs to be done with friends. Because (1) the meals are often rich and 'gourmet' (when you find a raw place to begin with) so can be tough to tackle through them. And (2) so that you can try most of - if not all of - the menu they offer!

So they were our main dishes to satisfy our grumbling bellies. And we could have easily finished up there, but how often do you come across cafes in Australia that make, serve and sell you raw cakes? I mean really? Um... maybe one in New South Wales... a couple scattered across southern Queensland... more in Melbourne, few in Perth... few and far between really. So when in Rome (or Maleny in our case), you get the cake and eat it too.

Opting against the chocolate mousse torte, presuming the key lime pie wouldn't be so sweet and rich, we both dipped our forks in. Light and refreshing it was delicious. The base wasn't anything special, and the cashew cream on the side was ok, but the cake itself was divine. Brock said I've got 'em on desserts but they trump me on mains! Fair call.

We savoured every little mouthful with a raw hot choccie with cacao, nut milk, vanilla and honey - the only strange thing was that the milk came pretty damn hot. Raw ingredients, but not so raw. I thought that was odd. Maybe they hadn't thought about that though. Who knows. It still tasted really good.

And one last choccie bite tempted my tastebuds, but I wasn't all that impressed. To me it tasted like the coconut oil in it had gone a little bad. Great little concept though - brownie type base with more of a ganache top with goji's and macadamias (I think?) throughout.

All up though, I LOVED IT! And would definitely go back!  Brock and I spent a little time chatting to the owner Lucy about organics, ethical eating, sustainability and loads more before we left which was really interesting. Kind Living Cafe use organic and local produce first and foremost which we were very impressed to be told. It's just not something they advertise. Why? Well because if their produce is local and spray free, chemical free, grown with love, tastes amazing and is everything you could ever ask for in a plant... but it's not certified organic, then they can't say it's organic - even if it is. 

And for all those of you out there loving the raw journey you're on, or if you're just raw-curious... this cafe caters for both raw and cooked vegans so you can take your mates that might not eat the way you do, and still get them a decent feed. On the main road of Maleny, up in the hills from the coast, a beautiful little town and there is also a wicked little co-op selling organic produce, amongst everything else you'd expect to find in such a store, and a few unexpected goodies like these babies -

BLACK SAPOTES!!   nomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom