Lazy Morning Breakfast

I opened a package and turned around for one second and found Milly being cute in the cardboard box. Crazy cat lady? Me?

Beloved morning coffees. Made by my darling boy <3 He added a tail to his star!

Yummy breakfast of grainy toast with my leftover bolognese mixture from my Stuffed Eggplant recipe.

Photogenic shot of the boy at breakfast :)

Me excited about my starry coffee. Excuse the morning hair!

Don't you just love lazy mornings? Where you wake up when you feel like it and don't have anything on your to do list. We love to sit outside and drink our coffees and talk about all the things we never get time to talk about. Lucky for me I have a Monday morning off! How much better can life get :)

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Hungry Recipe - Bolognese Stuffed Eggplant

My parents grow eggplants and brought some down for us to try on their last visit. I wasn't sure how to use them but decided to stuff them after my mum recommended it.
So delicious! Continue reading for the recipe.

Bolognese Stuffed Eggplants (adapted from taste.com.au)

Ingredients (makes 8 eggplant bowls)

• 4 medium eggplants
• 4 cups of bolognese sauce (I used the skinnytaste.com sauce)
• 1 cup of frozen baby peas
• 200g of low fat crumbled feta
• Olive oil spray
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh oregano leaves (just a few for each eggplant bowl)

 

 Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the eggplant halves, leaving a 1cm-thick border. Use the scooped flesh in your bolognese sauce if you like. It works great and saves wasting that healthy flesh. I just put it in when the sauce is simmering. 
2. Spray your empty eggplant bowls with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. This just helps draw out excess moisture and makes it yummy.
3. Mix your bolognese sauce, peas and feta in a large bowl to combine. 
4. Spoon the mixture evenly among the eggplant cavities. Place the stuffed eggplant in a large baking dish or roasting pan. Spray with a little more oil and season with salt and pepper. 
5. Bake in oven for about an 1 hour or until eggplant is tender. 
6. Sprinkle with oregano leaves and serve immediately.

Hope you enjoy!

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Skinny Taste Review - Delicious Pork Tenderloin for Dinner

It has been a rainy week for Queensland. With the constant showers only holding up for Thursday's Australia Day holiday. Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!

It has been a lazy Saturday, I am giving my muscles a rest and my day has mostly consisted of laying on the couch and watching my saved recordings of the Martha Stewart morning show.

Dinner was a delight. A few weeks Gina at skinnytaste.com posted 'Sweet and Fiery Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa'. I am a bit late with Chinese New Year but I still wanted to get into the spirit.

I had to make a few alterations to her recipe. Unfortunately the boy doesn't like Mango (or any fruit for that matter) so I made do without. I don't know what Sriracha sauce is either so I just used sweet chilli sauce. The result was still absolutely amazing. The pork was sweet and succulent with just the right amount of bite. The boy couldn't stop raving about it and went back for thirds! Find the recipe here.

I served the pork with my rendition of coconut rice. I altered my normal rice cooking by replacing the majority of my water with coconut milk. I just popped it all in my rice cooker and flipped the switch. After its cooked I added a cup or so of green peas, mainly because I can't eat a meal without any green vegetables!

Milly is getting a little big for her scratching tree and now when she rolls around on the top platform, flops off! I tried to get her in action and you can kind of see she is about to make her descent. I have never see a cat that is so clumsy, she accidentally rolls out of bed. She falls off the couch, I have even seen her trip over her own feet!

It has been a tradition this year that the boy will make us coffee before bed. A caffeine hit before bed isn't so great for my sleeping patterns but my goodness I do love them. He bought cute little templates which he always puts on my coffee! Yum Yum Yum!

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Birthday dinner at GPO Bar and Cafe - Toowoomba

 Last Friday night we set off to GPO Bar & Cafe for the boy's birthday dinner. My parents were visiting for the weekend and it was great that they could join us.

We had initially tried to get a table a few weeks earlier and they had been fully booked out. I was well prepared this time and when we arrived we were seated straight away at our table.

The waitstaff were attentive throughout the night and the owner even took his time to see to us and advise us on drink selections.


The birthday boy was the only one of us to get a entree (because he is fancy like that :P). We noticed another table actually got a larger serving of the same entree? Maybe they were friends of the staff?

For mains, Dad and I both got a Prawn and Rice dish. I honestly cannot remember the name. Both of us agreed, the flavours were very nice but I was still hungry afterwards :(

Mum ordered the lamb cutlets with green beans (again I can't remember the name of the dish). She was not impressed and simply stated that it was just unflavoured, fatty lamb chops with a few green beans.

Luckily, Josh was very happy with his meal. He ordered 'Angel Chicken' or a name to that effect. He complimented the meal noting it was well cooked and very flavoursome. He also ordered a potato side.

GPO was neither fantastic or terrible. Although the food was tasty, we felt the menu was quite limited, the meals were expensive for the portions that were served and the sides were an extra charge (even for dessert, which we didn't order for that reason).

I think if we were to visit again, it would not be for dinner. It would be for either breakfast or lunch as their menus for earlier in day look much more appealing.

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Evening Walk in the Sunflowers

Just a short walk from our home we found an amazing sunflower farm.
Beautiful yellow flowers as far as the eye can see.
Just on sunset we were able to take some really beautiful pictures. I love my Nikon D90 SLR Camera that the boy gave me for Christmas. It takes some beautiful shots and I am still learning how everything works. I have included some of my favourites from the afternoon.

 

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January 2012 Bellabox Review

Guess what I got in the mail a few days ago... 

I have been tossing up whether to cancel my membership to Bellabox. January's lineup was either going to make it or break it for me. So what did they have to show me this month in their cute little brown box....

I love the packaging! It is so darn cute! Also I plan on keeping my boxes to use for friends/family presents. Just cover them in cute paper or fabric and you have a great gift box.

First item, Violent Lips. This is a lip tattoo in leopard print. Seriously... I am not Snooki. I wasn't impressed with this as all.

Soleo Organic Sunscreen - Fairly large sample size and I like that it is all natural. I will have to try it out next time I need sun protection.

Qi Lifestyle Teas. I like the idea of providing tea samples. I drink peppermint tea at least twice a day but I am scared of buying a new type/brand of tea and being stuck with a whole box that I don't want to drink.

Tea #1 - Detox Green Tea -This is a very clean tasting green tea.
Tea #2 - Gingo and Green Tea - Haven't tried it yet!

Pangea Organics Lip Balm - This is a full sized balm and so far I like it. I keep it at work and have been trying it out over the last few days. The balm is smooth and moistourising. I am not totally in love with the smell but it is pleasant - I recieved the Italian Red Mandarin with Rose.

Halloween Kiss and Halloween Kiss Sexy - Two perfume samples! I have tried Halloween Kiss. I really like the scent. It is fruity, floral and sweet. Their website list that the perfume contains orange, pear, red fruits, peach, orchid, freesia, gardenia, peony, violet, teak wood, vanilla, tonka bean and patchouli. This combination is delightful and worth checking out if you are into sweet and girly scents. I haven't tried out the Halloween Kiss Sexy perfume yet but I hope it follows the same path.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream - I have been using this in the morning as a replacement to my normal facial moisturiser and it is quite nice. It has a thick, creamy consistency. Not greasy in any way and it doesn't make my face oily by the middle of the day. I will keep using it and see how it goes.

Herban Essentials Towlettes - I haven't used this yet so I haven't really got anything to say about it. I will have to pop it into my purse and try it out. This sample didn't excite me as much as the others though.

Sparoma Roll-On deodorant - I believe this product is to be used as a pulse point deodorant. I put a bit onto my wrists. It has a very stong rose essence scent. It was a bit overpowering for me so I probably won't use it.

Overall I was very happy with this 'Natural' edition of the Bellabox so I am continuing my membership! Yay for me! I am very much looking forward to seeing what they bring out for the February edition.

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New iPhone and what I ate today

At last, I have finally upgraded to the new iPhone 4S. Goodbye my old iPhone 3GS, we have had some great times but I have found someone new!

To be honest, I was expecting something more exciting. It is a lot faster, the screen seems crisper and the camera is A LOT better but other than that, it is the same old iPhone...

My new baby, fresh out of the packaging :)

Today, I thought I would share what I ate during the day.

For breakfast, I thought I would try a recipe I saw on skinnytaste.com.
Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas. I had to cook mine in a bigger baking dish so mine turned out a lot flatter. It tastes ok, the baked blueberries are so delicious. Unfortunately a serving size of this doesn't give me enough energy through the morning, so next week I am back to my eggs.

I also made myself a macchiato with almond milk (bleh).

Lunch - Balsamic Baked Vegetables - Including capsicum, brocolli, red onion, mushrooms, carrots and asparagas. This is a great lunch and it was so delicious.

Snack - I often pack a bag of popcorn. I love popcorn, it is so yummy and low in calories.

Finally for Dinner - Chicken, Pumpkin and Chickpea Korma. I served it with about 3/4 cup of basmati rice and half a slice of naan bread. Sadly I had to limit myself to only one bowl :(

I also thought I would share this bunch of pretty flowers I picked up at the greengrocer. All the flowers at the store were discounted so I had to get them.

Whenever I walk past them in the kitchen they make me smile :)

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Hungry Recipe : Zucchini Quiche

Zucchini Quiche is a fun, easy, delicious and relatively healthy dish. 

It is incredibly versatile. You can pack it for your work/school lunchbox, serve it for dinner with a salad or even take it with you to a casual dinner party.

Ingredients

• 5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 90g of bacon or ham chopped
• 300g of grated zucchini
• 120g of grated light cheese
• 80g of flour
• 4 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1 chopped onion

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (or 360°F).
2. Mix all your ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
3. Pour into a greased or non-stick baking dish.
4. Bake for 30-45 minutes until browned.

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My Favourite YouTubers

YouTube is one of my most visited Internet destinations and here are a few of my favourite YouTubers I regularly watch and thought I would share.

I started watching Blair's videos a long time ago now and since then has evolved into a very popular fashion and beauty guru. I think I like her because she reminds me of the popular girl you wanted to be friends with in High School. She has a very bubbly, fun personality and my goodness she can talk. Find her on YouTube by looking for JuicyStar07 (main channel) or OtherJuicyStar07 (vlog channel).

Lisa is a professional makeup that works with many of the worlds top A-list celebrities, models, magazines and brands. But she also makes YouTube videos! Seriously this lady is gifted. Her makeup talent completely transforms her subjects. It is great to watch as you pick up a lot of ideas and tips. Find her on YouTube by searching for LisaEldridgeDotCom.

Funny and sometimes hilariously inappropriate skits and vlogs by two guys named Ian and Anthony. I love their vlogs, Mailtime with Smosh and Lunchtime with Smosh. Find Smosh on YouTube by seaching for Smosh (main channel) or IanH (vlog channel).

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A look back at 2011

2011 was a huge year for me. I am very lucky to say nearly everything that happened last year was awesome!

We packed up our things and made the first big move of our lives. New jobs and a new city for us to explore!

The boy surprised and delighted me by asking me to spend the rest of my life with him.

Sadly our first cat, Chad went missing at Easter and left a huge gap in our lives. It is still a very hard thing for me to think about especially since we never found out what happened to him.

We started house hunting after we settled in. We found the perfect home and luckily our offer was accepted! We are super proud that we have been fortunate enough to have our second house purchase so soon in our lives. Also we hated renting :(

Our new home was way too quiet with just the two of us. So we made the perfect edition to our little family. Cue - new kitten! Milly is her name, pure Burmese and completely adorable!

They were the big milestones but honestly 2011 was such a great year. Now just to hope we can make 2012 just as amazing.

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My Christmas

2011 was our year to host the Christmas festivities in our family for the first time!

My parents' and sister travelled down to our house and my Aunty, Uncle and cousin also stayed with us. We had a full house!

The menu plan I organised for the Christmas was so much fun I was so grateful to have a houseful of foodies to help me.

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