my food: bread winner

Obviously I'm no stranger to the odd culture or ferment residing in the depths of my pantry, so it was only a matter of time before this happened:

Bread-making has never really been my thing. All that kneading, proving and knocking down just seemed like a bit too much effort and dedication. But my penchant for a fresh loaf slathered in cultured butter (combined with the fact that there is no decent bakery near me!) means desperate times...

My Thermomix has been the catalyst. It does it all for you which makes it too easy. So now that I'm armed with all the tools at my disposal, I have a date with my oven this weekend.

I'll report back with my results shortly. In the meantime, watch out Sonoma.

reality bites

So I poured some kombucha into a wine glass on Friday night and Rob told me that I had officially lost it. I don't know when this healthy lifestyle went from being a labour of love to an all-out obsession, but it has definitely happened. Our reality is this:

Noah thinks kefir is yoghurt (hey, close enough!), and as a "treat" he puts goji berries on it. To him, cacao nibs are chocolate chips and chia seeds are sprinkles. Our dessert tonight was "chocolate pudding" made from avocado, banana, cacao and maple syrup. Noah thought it was Christmas, so you can call me Santa.

We've made a game of swallowing fermented cod liver oil tablets without chewing them (it was the only way I figured he would take it and hey, it worked!). I don't want to think of the reaction if he ever accidentally bites into one of those - even I'm not game enough to take it straight!

With his tablet chaser of choice: kombucha.

Each morning, our green smoothie leftovers go into icy-pole moulds. These have proven particularly popular since I started adding Vital Greens powder into them.

As you can see, Harry just wishes he was eating solids already. Your time will come, my friend.

I seriously get excited when I think of all the good things these foods are giving his body - at the moment he hardly ever gets sick. Um,  #winning ! So far the one thing that I just can't win him over with is broccoli. We even call them magic trees and still no interest. Zilch. Ah well, you can't win them all!

And so much for being the crazy one in the family - I couldn't believe my eyes when Rob poured himself a glass of kombucha (instead of a beer, no less!) as he relaxed on the couch on Sunday afternoon. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

my life: obsessive compulsive

Yep, its a list of what I'm obsessing over right now.

superfood smoothies: I know, I know, this is nothing new. But this breastfeeding gig is making me ravenous (and also time-poor) and smoothies are the answer. Any combination of the following are sure to get me excited: coconut milk, almond milk, cacao, frozen banana, dates, spinach (seriously- you don't even taste it) and maple syrup with a topping of chia seeds and cacao nibs. Ah-mazing. As it gets colder, I plan to whizz these up for longer until the Vitamix heats them up slightly. Hot chocolate, anyone?

gwyneth: Yeah, this is nothing new either. I mean who isn't obsessed with her, even just a little? She is rad. I want to be her.

But since that's impossible, I'll settle with being her in the kitchen. Which is also rad.

Her latest book It's All Good is an amazing compilation of recipes suitable for all kinds of elimination diets. We're talking gluten-free, dairy-free and none of the fun stuff - coffee, alcohol or sugar. But since I don't strictly follow any particular diet (besides an all-around healthy one!), I'm just using it for some much-needed inspiration in the kitchen. I'll get back to you with how that goes.

thermomix: So I've kinda gotten caught up in the hype and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Rob gave me the go-ahead to buy one for Mother's Day (#winning!) so I placed my order a few days ago and am counting the hours until my life changes forever.

If you've never heard of one, then climb out from under that rock and have a look-see over here. At first glance, it all seems a bit steep for a kitchen appliance to set you back just under $2K, but what I will say is this: you can't put a price on time, it's our most precious resource. (Yes, I really did use that line. And yes, it really did work).

And to those of you who may be worried that an appliance like this eliminates the art of cooking? Let me just point out that there is no "art" of cooking at 5.23pm on a Tuesday with an infant on your hip, a toddler giving you hungry eyes and a burnt lentil dahl on offer to those with no sense of smell. My life will now be divided into two parts: BT (Before Thermomix) and AT (Don't make me spell it out for you).

Seriously - I'm so excited, I could wet my pants. But Gwyneth would never do that.

benefits of babywearing

Wow, this post could be a loooong one. I am such a baby-wearing advocate it's not even funny, and not only for the obvious reasons. It just makes life so damn easy. As in, "strap on your baby and carry on with your day" kinda easy. It means I get dinner cooked, any errands run, and the house in a relatively livable condition - and all the while bub happily comes along for the ride. I'm not one to fuss about and I like to avoid excess baggage where possible, so this solution is really a no-brainer: baby on the front, toddler in one hand and then I'm all like, "I'm coming for you Wesfield!" *

*Not really. I'm still a bit scared to brave the mall with two kids. But you get my drift.

Noah babywearing his partner in crime "Monkey".

On that note, let me share another little gem. Sometimes you may hear mothers talk about having "one of those days" when their baby just will not sleep. For me and both of my children, this is more commonly referred to as approximately 4pm. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

OK, OK, to be honest, that was a slight exaggeration. Harry really hasn't been that bad (so far). Perhaps he senses that, being the second child, I'm just not able to sit down with him while he takes his sweet time falling asleep. Or maybe it's because this is generally how we roll once mid-afternoon nap-time hits:

Snug as a bug in the Ergobaby carrier

But that's not to say he doesn't try to fight it. Oh boy, does he try to fight it.

But I always win.

Emily = 1. Harry = 0.

my food: crazy for kombucha

It doesn't take a lot to get me excited. In fact, a new hobby is just the ticket and at the moment I'm all about brewing kombucha. 

Never heard of it? Well my friends, "Kombucha is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea that is used as a functional food" (thanks Wikipedia). Want more info? This will fill you in.

Up until now I used to get my fix from a bunch of zany guys at my local markets, but this stuff is just too easy to make so I took it upon myself to start brewing. I ordered my starter kit from a lovely lady on eBay and two days later I was handling a SCOBY like it was no one's business. 

All you need to do is this: brew some tea, add a bit of sugar to feed to culture and leave it for a week to do it's thang. 

That is all.

Let me put it this way: if you like iced tea, then you've hit the jackpot. If you're a fan of soft drinks, then this will be your new crack. And if you just want a healthy and ridiculously refreshing drink full of probiotics and all sorts of goodness, then drink up my friend. 

If your digestive system could talk, then it would most certainly say: Thank You.