Monday Delights ♥ Episode Twenty

Always... //source

This article is full of some really great tips. Now to overcome my shyness photographing in a restaurant... //source

I. AM. OBSESSED. WITH. BENTOS. //source

Just so much LOL here - I wish I had the courage to do this to my cat hahaha //source

These fonts are just simply gorgeous... //source

I am soo going to make this - what a smart idea to come up with! //source

Good Monday to all... I'm back to the ol' grind of work but at the end of this week I am looking forward to two weeks holidays. The husband and I are heading south to the gorgeous state of Tasmania and I couldn't be more excited. I can't wait to share it with you! Hopefully I can blog when I am down there but it will depend of what kinda wifi access I can get.

June 2013 Goals

Good Saturday to all and welcome to the second half of the year! I can't believe we are already half way through - this year has been massive for me and I am loving it.

Today was great, my lovely hubby made me a delicious breakfast and then we went for a stroll around our neighborhood, trying to gain some inspiration for some house/garden updates we are planning to undertake later this year.

Back in January, I wrote up some monthly goals on the blog to try and then I kinda didn't bother to ever follow up with it. Well six months down the track, I am back to share my goals and hope that you all can keep me accountable!


Food

• I really need to get back into meal planning - it saves time, money and decision making during a busy week. Last year I did really well at this but I have kinda slacked off so I want to get this under control again.
• I love Bentos! Feel free to check out my Bento Pinterest board and please leave tell me if you know of any great bento box sites/blogs so I can start making my own healthy and fun bento box lunches this month.
• More veggies - I am pretty good in the vegetable eating department but I think my body wants more! I want to try to incorporate green veggies in every meal.

Exercise

• Reintroduce P90X strength training 3 times a week. I haven't done any P90X since the wedding and I miss it so! My body also seems to be missing it because my back has been so sore lately. 
• Start walking 2 or 3 times a week. I love the concept of running but I don't think my joints or stupid asthma likes it too much. Walking is good though, and it is something that Josh would be keen to join.

Well-being

• I need to try to control my stress and anxiety - my new job is getting to me... a little bit too much. I need to remember that work isn't the most important thing in my life and focus on all the positives that surround me.
• One technology free night a week - I am a little bit dependent on my iPhone. I would like to stash it away for one night a week and get off the interwebs once and a while.
• Finish reading the Game of Thrones book series - I have two books to go! I love the Game of Thrones TV series so I have been catching up on the novels and of course, they have been amazing so far.
• Practice indoor photography - by the time I get home, there is generally no natural light so I have been  trying to learn a bit about light boxes etc.. time to put the education into practice.

Does anyone else set monthly goals? If so tell me what kinda things do you try and aim for?

WIAW ~ Episode 28

My eating habits since the wedding have been so-so... I find myself going ahead and having that second helping, adding more cheese to a dish than is asked for... picking up a bag of m&m's while grocery shopping.
While all these things are perfectly fine in moderation.. I feel my pants tightening a bit (it could also have to do with the multiple weekends of social outings I have had over the last month)

I don't want to go back to the restrictions I held upon myself before the wedding but I think I need to pull the reins in a little bit... and keep in mind one of my favourite healthy eating quotes.

how beautiful does my breakfast look! english muffin with hummus, scrambled egg + egg whites + chives and salsa pan-fried asparagus french press coffee

leftover cheeseburger casserole (wasn't a huge fan of this one) salad with baby spinach + tomato + olives + radish + feta and a little evoo

sofrito chicken stew (was a huge fan of this one!) served with naan bread, greek yoghurt and chopped coriander (cilantro)

Today, in pictures looks quite healthy.. doesn't it? Yay!

I did snack throughout the day too... coffee, cottage cheese bowl (apple sauce + pecans) and a few pieces of greek shortbread.

Anyhoo that's all for today.

Lots of love to the gorgeous Jenn over at Peas & Crayons for hosting WIAW for us every week! 

Monday Delights ♥ Episode Nineteen

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i am keen as a bean to have a go at both this gorgeous and fun DIY's

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forego an expensive gym membership and develop your own workout style at home, can't wait to test this one out

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this caprese stack makes me droooolll and this bloggers photography is just freakin' amazing

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i am crazy jealous of every single element of this home. I can not fault anything.. sighhh.

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such a dreamy photograph and the hairstyle reminds me of my wedding day!

life update
i don't know if i should be sorry for being absent from my little blog or not. life gets hectic and i don't want to feel like i am forced to post something ~ so sorry.. but i'm not really sorry

i thought my life would become less frantic when wedding planning was out of the way but it seems that life has gotten busier. i recently have been promoted to a massive project at work (yay! but scary) and by the time i get home, eat a bit of food, do a little exercise and hang out with my lovely husband i find i have very little spare time ~ i'm slowly but surely developing some schedule to my life so i plan to visit and say hi more in the future

if anyone can suggest a way to fit a few more hours into the day ~ tell me!!! haha :)

Monday Delights ♥ Episode Eighteen

Adore this look - such a casual but polished look for work.

I am making these as soon as humanly possible!
They look so naughty but are pretty darn healthy :)


This is exactly how I am feeling at the moment.
Such a cute reminder for me.


Can I please be transported to this place?

I would love to recreate this for easy access to my favourite herbs.

WIAW ~ Episode 28

Good Wednesday lovely friends. Here is my WIAW :) I don't have a huge amount of news to share with you today and I am utterly exhausted so let's get onto what I ate today.

What's in it ~ 1/2 cup of quick oats, dash of milk, water, 1/4 cup of egg whites (add near the end), 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (add OFF the heat) and frozen blueberries.

What's in it ~ Hot french pressed Coffee, heaven, my life support.

What's in it ~ Crunchy sweet flesh and crisp skin... these apples I found at a local orchard are divine!

What's in it ~ rocket, sliced beetroot, grilled chicken and creamy goats cheese... yum!

What's in it ~ 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and a dollop of relish... don't try this at home. This was a new concoction and tasted like bleghhh

What's in it ~ lettuce, chicken and a variety of delicious ingredients you can find here 

Monday Delights ♥ Episode Seventeen ♥ Winter is Coming

I don't know where this is but I want to be there. The photo and design is just so entrancing. //source

Can this please be my kitchen? So much natural light and such a beautiful design. //source

I am hopeless at packing light. I plan on using this guide for my upcoming holidays //source

I can't imagine how anybody can become bored of salads if you followed these simple steps //source

Game of Thrones has a special place in my heart - This shirt is basically the coolest thing I have ever laid eyes on //source

Well... the weekend is over - another long week at work. However, I can't complain too much, I have a few exciting things coming up in my life though. I start a new job in the next few weeks and I am expecting a new car to arrive tomorrow which I am being super impatient about.

Is anyone else a Pinterest addict? If you are let's be friends!

My 24th Birthday Breakfast

Happy Birthday to me! Yesterday I turned the ripe old age of 24. I kept the celebrations relatively simple. My only stipulation was that I get a good latte and breakfast at one of my favourite cafes. Park House Cafe has a lovely atmosphere and we were also surprised to see an updated Autumn menu which I am super excited to try over the next few months

I am also lucky enough to have my folks visiting so it has been good to catch up with them. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. My mum helped me pick photos for our wedding album while Josh and my dad did boy stuff outside. Then mum and I made lasagne and lemon meringue pie for dinner which happen to be two of my favourite dishes - the lighting was a tad dark for pictures though!

WIAW - your average kinda day

Good day lovely readers! I am a bit of a slacko... I will post for a bunch of days and then I am a bum and become really boring and just work, eat, sleep and ignore my pretty little blog. Sorry about that!

I am back today to share my WIAW culinary delights (and I am a day late..) You should check out Jen over at Peas and Crayons, join WIAW (it's a blast) and congratulate her on finding out that she is expecting a little girl! So excited for her!

Breakfast was kinda amazing - I had a leftover thai turkey burger with a fried egg atop. Salad stuff is a given since I feel like a bit of a loser if I don't include some green in my food.

Lunch was pretty simple. Scrambled Eggs + egg whites with tomato, lettuce and mayo. Yum!

Dinner was a hearty and delicious Tomato-Basil & Spinach Risotto. I added bacon for the boy because he just can't function without meat.

My favourite dessert lately has been a big scoopful of cottage cheese with almond butter, chocolate syrup and a crumbled cookie. Kinda naughty and seriously delicious.

Jamie's Sausage Gnocchi with Warm Kale and Bean Salad

After swooning over Jamie Oliver latest TV show (and oogling over Jamie - ahh I love a man that can cook). I quickly jumped online and bought his accompanying recipe book Jamie's 15 Minute Meals.

The selling point of the book and the show is that you can make healthy, wholesome and delicious meals in 15 minutes. Let's be honest, unless your a expert chef with the perfect kitchen then there is no way that you are going to get this done in 15 minutes. I would leave about 30-40 minutes to get the food on the plate.

Tonight I recreated the Spicy Sausage Gnocchi with Warm Kale and Bean Salad and it was delightful!

Pillowy gnocchi, spicy sausage and tender broccoli in a rich tomato sauce. I forgot the yoghurt but I can see how that would have cut through the sauce and made it creamier. Even without the yoghurt it was still yummy, the perfect meal for a cold winter evening.

The warm kale and bean salad was amazing! I have never tried kale before as it is very difficult to find it where I live but I am so glad I found it for this meal. 

The kale and beans were quickly cooked in boiling water and then served with maple glazed hazelnuts and bacon. I kept going back for more of this salad, the hazelnuts were the crunchy and sweet and all together it was just mmmm. 

Josh and I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and have plenty of leftovers to contend over :) The recipes states 4 servings but I would suggest you could serve 6 people with the amount of food we have left over.