A Collection of Thoughts

Clean Eating Snacks

Let's be honest one of the reasons we don't eat clean is because it can be hard work. Prepping all the veges and fruit. Making your own crackers, slices, meals. One meal done and it's time to do another. Not eating clean is easier. That's a fact. I was also battling the whole Sponge Bob thing.  Do you have that in your house?

Before we ate clean I asked the girls one day what they'd like in their lunch boxes. One said oh can you get those new fruit things ? I'm like what fruit things ? They are Sponge Bob and they come with a free sticker.  I'm embarrassed to admit I went searching and randomly threw them in the trolley and it wasn't until  I got home I really looked at them and said umm I think these are just lollies ???

 

• Ingredients

  Reconstituted Fruit Juices (65%) [Apple (63%), Orange (1%), Raspberry (1%)], Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Gelatine (Halal), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Natural Flavours, Maize Starch, Gelling Agent (Agar), Vegetable Oil, Natural Colours (Curcumin, Anthocyanins).

Now they know not to ask and they are much more savvy about labels and realise just because it says fruit doesn't make it a piece of fruit.

However it can be a losing battle in that good old Sponge Bob is cute as - he comes in a bright happy packet with his free sticker and really that can be hard to beat. Not to mention that you can also just readily throw it into a lunch sack without having to think.

i have been searching for "clean" processed snacks - things I feel I can live with including and here are my top  five - all available from Woolies.

 

 1. Hello cute packaging! These are freeze dried fruit snacks - come in apple, banana and strawberry and they are crunchy and really good.  You can read up about them here  - Ingredients - 100% fruit.

2. Mrs Mays - these are a little beyond my usual rules as they include cane sugar but there are lots of different ones. We have just tried the almond so far. You can read up about them here  -Ingredients Almonds, Rice Malt, Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt.

3. Sesame Snaps - also containing sugar but I have just found that they come in a little packets - I had bought the larger ones.  These are a perfect treat to pop in lunch boxes.You can read about them here - Ingredients Sesame Seeds, Glucose Syrup Sugar

4.Organic Popcorn- We pop our own but one day when we were out getting a juice after school I noticed these at Boost Juice. A quick look at the ingredients and the grls were thrilled when I declared they were aok. I am yet to see them in the supermarket but the girls have already decided that we will get these before we go into a movie next time.  You can read about them here  - Ingredients popcorn (organic), expeller pressed - sunflower oil (organic), sea salt.

5. Fruit Roll Ups - We don't have a dehydrator so I'm yet to try and make my own and we never really had the other roll ups but we do buy the home made ones from the markets which the girls love so we thought we would try these.  My two say they are ok - not super delicious but ok. I asked should I buy them again and they said yes - so not overwhelmingly excited.  You can read about them here  Ingredients  100% dried fruit, apple, passion fruit, Pineapple, Banana, Mango.

I have to admit I'm a bit dubious about 100% dried fruit - thing because there is dried fruit and there is dried fruit - but still I think these are a far cry better than the Uncle Tobys ones

Ingredients

CONTAINS WHEAT AND SOY AS INDICATED IN BOLD TYPE.
MALTODEXTRIN (MAIZE OR  WHEAT), CONCENTRATED FRUIT PASTE (22%) [APPLE (15%), PEAR (5%), PEACH (2%)], MODIFIED STARCH (1412)(WHEAT), FRUIT JUICE CONCENTRATE (5%) [APPLE (2%), ORANGE (1.4%), PINEAPPLE (1.4%)], DIETARY FIBRE (INULIN), VEGETABLE OIL [EMULSIFIER (LECITHIN) (SOY), ANTIOXIDANTS (304, 306)],  EMULSIFIER (471),FOOD ACID (CITRIC, MALIC), SUGAR,  NATURAL FLAVOUR, NATURAL COLOURS EXTRACTED FROM FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND PLANTS (CHLOROPHYLL, ANTHOCYANIN, TURMERIC), VEGETABLE GUMS (410, 415).

 

The bonus is the girls are happy to have "processed" stuff and I am happy with what they contain and thats all that matters.

Oh and if you need to still combat the free sticker thing ?

 I love these for slightly older kids

via pinterest.com

 

or for the younger ones

 

via pinterest.com

and here are some disney ones too. If you follow the link there is a boys version as well.

 source

I have just pinned a heap of nice ones over at pinterest for you too - see them on my perfectly printable board.

As I continue in my clean eating life I will share other products that I find that work for me -and I'd love it if you do the same.

 

September Sort It List

With just two days left until the end of August - eeeeek -  have you taken some time out to write your September Sort It List ??

I'll admit I have been procrastinating - I keep thinking I need to do more. I keep adding and taking stuff away.

 But here we are the final list.....

1. Color coordinate bookcase (I know don't say anything but I really think it's cute )
2. Donate magazines
3. Sort cookbooks to family room
4. Reorganize lipsticks and glosses
5. Tupperware sort out
6. Move stuff from over kitchen cupboards
7. Open new aperture library - backup
8. Cull jewelry in the bathroom
9. Sort out third drawer in the kitchen
10.Organise drawers and cabinets in the bathrooms
11.Frame photos - I have the frames and the photos ... no excuse
12.Hang blind for Richard's office
13.Toss old stuff from the medicine cabinet
14.Buy new ironing board cover
15.Reorganize tea cupboard
16.Defrost chest freezer
17.Create original art display
18.Wind cotton to spools
19.Restock emergency kit in car
20.Clean centre console in car
21.Watch Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
22.Book some apple store workshops
23.Wardrobe rearrange
24.Cull my google reader list
25.Visit Howards storage for some new storage ideas
26.Set up insert for my handbag-- because then I can swap bags readily yay
27.Research diaries for back to work-- yes really I did type those words ... back to work
28.Girls clothes sort out-- aggghh shoot me now
29.Finish the top shelves of the pantry clean out
30.Arrange the outdoor set up for the kittens

But I'm being realistic and there are these niggly things that I have wanted to do for ages so September Sort It is on :)

I love having a defined list - If I just say get sorted then it doesn't happen. But move cookbooks - means gather cookbooks - move them... You know ?

Well it's good in theory.

• Mel has hers here
• Lisa has hers here 
• Lisa B has hers here
• Bron has hers here
• Julie has her list here
• Leonie has her list here 
• Carrissa has her list here 
• Anna has her list here 
• Vanessa has her list here
• Little White Dove has her list here 
• AJ has her list here 
• Fay has her list here

I love reading other peoples lists :)

Please leave a link in the comments if you do write an online list and I will add you :)

 - and just a note if you want a serious overhaul then my lovely friend Katrina from Organised Housewife is doing a major 20 day organise your whole home.

 Happy September Sort it the countdown is on!

 

Happy Lunches

Welcome to our first in a series of blog posts about Happy Lunches { and treats and snacks }. If you are a new reader you might like to catch up on our philosophy of clean eating over here. Mel and I are writing these posts together so some weeks you will hear from both of us and other weeks just one or the other.

First up let's talk about lunch boxes.

I know the topic has been done forever -at the start of every new year of school- freeze a popper, drink bottle, make it the night before  etc I don't mean that - I'm talking about the actual lunch box itself.

I lived in Japan for a year and my host mother would pack me an obentoo lunch every day for school. They were serious works of art.  I am all for creative but first thing in the morning or late at night - umm not so much.

I needed to get some sort of system happening that meant my two would be enjoying their lunches more - and maybe move past the fact that they no longer had a LCM bar, sugar filled yoghurt, chocolate muffin and ham and cheese sandwich in their containers.

Enter the obentoo concept without it being too tricky.

I am fortunate to have a Japan Mart in Southport - it's a newish concept here in Australia a bit like the 100en stores in Japan ( everything is one hundred yen ) Here they are $2.80.  They have all sorts of great bits for obentoo for just $2.80 each. I managed to get the little winnie the pooh lunch box ( that has their savoury stuff in ) I do a second one too with sweet or fruit bits. I also found the egg shapers - you boil and egg and pop them in and they come out in the shape of the  container. Cute tooth picks for holding things together, the silicone molds and also the little cutters.

 So what if you don't have a $2.80 store?

With the exception of the egg molds which you can buy on line if you want to, you can easily substitute.

Just get toothpicks from the grocery store - there are all different ones.

Baking moulds also available in woolies or coles - or failing that get some paper ( foil would be better ) muffin or cupcake liners, and some shape cutters that you would use for cookies.

Lunch boxes - get a small plastic container - tupperware kmart target  $2 store doesn't need to be winnie the pooh. Small is better trust me on this.

The other tip  I have is put all the bits inside one big container or basket - so you can readily take that out of the cupboard when you go to prepare lunch.

I just chop things up smaller and they have a much larger variety than what they used to - inside each little cup I put a few bits, on the toothpicks I'll add other things and they munch away. Smaller amounts with an increased range is working perfectly for us.

 Here was todays lunch box

• Leftover Stirfry chicken and baby corn
• Zuchini sticks
• Pepitas
• Boiled Egg
• Cherry Tomato
• Cheese

 and

• Kiwi Fruit
• Blood Orange
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Cherries

Sesame Snacks ( sesame seeds, glucose syrup and sugar ) I'll share some of the other "clean" "processed" foods that we use in another post soon - this is one of the few that has sugar in it. as well I throw into their lunch sack an apple or banana and a yoghurt. While this may seem like a huge amount of fruit it's actually not - One strawberry three cherries 1/4 kiwi fruit  some berries 1/4 of an orange - it adds up to about one serve. But it's a rainbow of variety.

 Don't forget to pop over to Mels blog - she has the cutest lunch box system ever.

 

 

New Blog Series

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be bringing you a new blog series in conjunction with the lovely Miss Mel :) It feels like forever since we have written and created together.

One of the challenges we have both found since changing our families way of eating has been to provide a happy healthy lunch box that the children actually eat. I had about three weeks of one child coming home each day saying I am hungry I couldn't eat my lunch it tasted yuck. Or my favourite comment I swapped with a friend for a nutella sandwich.

Hmm- We have a rule at home ( have always had it ) that you don't tell Mumma dinner was yuck. You always try it because she has spent time making it. It's the same rule for Daddy's dinners too - which eek can sometimes be more challenging. But it's our rule and we stick to it.

So I am not sure why the dinner rule did not suffice for lunches.

Needless to say I was lamenting to Mel about it one day and she confessed she was having similar conversations in her house too.

It certainly doesn't help that both of us have children in nut free schools which also cuts down options..

As well as lunch boxes there is the 4.30pm - 5.30pm I'm starving time. The girls get home about 4.30pm having had lunch at 11.30am - so they are always ravenous. I have to have afternoon tea prepared in the fridge if I am out, or ready to go the second they walk in the door.  Mel and I started texting one another what was on for afternoon tea - or things that were hits or misses in the lunch box. We have gathered quite a little collection now and it's not as much an issue as it used to be.

 Over the next few weeks we will share them with you too.

Even if you aren't clean eating or paleo eating you may like to have a read and it might help the what's for lunch /afternoon tea/can I have a treat questions that happen each day.

So do tell - are lunch boxes a problem in your house or do you have it set ??

Ours series will run on Tuesdays. Don't forget to pop over to Mel's blog too.

 

 

 

Bangalow Markets

Richard was beyond thrilled I tell you when I explained that both Sat and Sun were going to be spent at markets. Even more excited was he to hear that both lots were over an hour away :)

Saturday we went to the teen 2 tween markets in Brisbane which were very nice. The girls really enjoyed it. I managed to get a cute market bag which I didnt take a photo of for all my fruit and veg market shopping. Today however we ventured to Bangalow - its just over an hours drive. This is the look I got constantly - through the day when I asked him if he was having fun. Though it was glorious day nothing to complain about really.

These two despite being wired and with wifi (we took a stick) - still really dislike driving.

 

The markets are incredible - so much to see and eat . There are 300+ stalls and heaps of organic, raw vegetarian, sugar free dairy free - you name it they have it. Of course there is also the obligatory cupcake stall - which the girls were delighted when I said yes.

After the markets we hit the town.  Richard was quite keen to go straight home but no chance.

 We would come out of a store to see him standing like this. He is so hard done by.

One of our favourites was this little converted house filled with the best ever bits. Eek so expensive though. They have totally worked out to put serious prices on vintage pieces. When I saw a tiny milkcrate was $80 I didnt bother to look at any other prices.

It was a mix of hand made and vintage.

 The whole town is like this though. You can literally go into every store and find something to ooh over. I was kind though and we only visited about 5.

I love this place -its called The Corner store and today they had two Papillionaire bikes out the front - so so gorgeous.

And it wasn't all bad for Richard - he always found someone else to chat to.

We had a giggle in one home decor store when we saw this card :) I loved those bright mats.

Another favourite was this little Japanese store - filled with yukata and kokeshi dolls, stationary and covered buttons. Could have spent sooo much - but didn't.

We finished the day off with lunch at a little cafe. That's the  only problem with the Bangalow Markets there really is nowhere to sit and eat - it's all standing around.

 Happy Days :)   You can read the girls version over on their blog too if you like :-)

 

 

 

 

 

Tools for Clean Eating

When you focus on reading labels you quickly realise that you will either be spending more time in the kitchen - making from scratch or you'll be eating a lot more simply. I'm trying a mix of the two. Having the right tools really does make it so much easier. That's not to say you need to rush out and buy stuff. I didn't to begin with but I soon realised I would be able to do so much more if I had a decent food processor.

At last count I have six friends who swear by their thermomix. I really really really debated it. Back and forth as I do have the dodgiest oven in the world. I have a sunbeam food processor - incy little thing that I was given as a gift for my engagement ( yep 20 years ago ) so I knew I wanted to upgrade that at least.

After much research I decided on the Kenwood 980 food processor. It has 55 functions - a couple of bowl sizes, comes with it's own appliance holder, a grinder and also a blender( something we didn't have).

I watched this video

Read a heap of reviews and knew that was the one I wanted. Richard however did not like the $699 price tag. More googling and I found that Amazon UK ship Kenwood to Australia - and with shipping and conversion rates it came in at $330. Yes less that half price. It arrived 3 days after I ordered it. HUGE box.

The kittens loved the boxes - we had cardboard box city in our family room for a few days.

I love my processor I use it every day - even to do things like grate carrots or chop up veges. It's a bit painful to wash - lots of bits but that's food processors in general I think.

The other day I made icecream in it using a version of this recipe- mine has cocao and almonds.

So good.

Also in my arsenal of tools have this breville juicer.

It was the first thing I bought when we started clean eating. While I know there are lots of arguments around eating whole fruits and veges over juices because you don't get the fibre - there are equally as many compelling ones about juice delivering the nutrients readily absorbed.  For me it was about increasing nutrients. The girls love that I make them a juice in the afternoon after school and they no longer think anything about it having carrot, celery or beets in it. We started them with straight fruit juice and then added a carrot, and minused an orange ... You get the idea.

 On my wish list is this bread maker -

and this dehydrator.

Oh and I wouldnt mind this kitchen either.

But we are fast running out of room and that little thing called money. So tell me what's your go to tool in the kitchen - and can anyone recommend a good garlic crusher ???

 

September Sort It

Wow -  Thank you so much for your enthusiasm over September Sort it :)

You have just on six days to get your list together. Don't forget if you don't need to sort you can make your September Sort It whatever you like. 

Maybe you have been thinking about trying some new recipes?  Playing on Pinterest? Joining Instagram ? It's the month to get those niggly want to dos sorted before the end of year madness hits for real.

I'm going to add in some fun things to my list too. Like watch Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - it's just something I have wanted to see and haven't got round to it. Maybe I can watch that and sort my thread :)

You get the idea. I'll check back in the next few days on this to see how you are going and to share my final list.

Here is a link for your blog if you like - Thank you to Miss Emily for the code

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My girls are growing up

This is a tricky post to write because I'm so super proud of my girls but I'm also sad too.

Tonight they published their first blog post.

When I first started blogging back in 2005 I knew at one point I would stop having a focus on them as they grew older and would no longer share the details of them growing up. I didn't have a definite  time line on when and Richard and I have discussed it plenty of times. I'm always conscious of what I write - I never want them to go back and have things that may cause them grief written publicly. Though there was the time when they drew on the walls! And when they used to only wear Dorothy the Dinosaur :)

 

I also figured there would be a time when they wouldn't want me to take photos and tell stories about them. That hasn't happened yet (thank goodness).

They love a good photo shoot and have many of the same likes as me.  When I am exclaiming over a fun new DIY I have seen they are usually right beside me saying cool let's try that. They have always had an avid interest in my blog and what I write. We have noticed some other girls about the same age start their own blogs and have their own instagram accounts and they have been pestering me about it.

I have resisted because I didn't want to share my computer LOL. But the other day Mel shared her new blog for Bella with me that the very clever Emily Wind created. I knew if I showed the girls that the pestering would never end so it was a conscious decision to do so.

They of course loved it and wanted to get started straight away. It's been quite a few late nights discussing and reading others and talking about what they want and the things they'd like to share. I have been surprised by how much they already know. Working in high schools I see too often the issues around social media not being used responsibly and not being understood by some younger people. Clearly its here to stay and I believe that part of my responsibility is to teach them how to use it properly. We have had lots of chats about copying things and how it's important to put your own ideas to things. It's been really fun actually.

The girls skyped with Emily last night - they wanted to know what she thought about bad comments or if people were mean. She is a wise soul and told them just to be true to themselves and to not worry about what anyone else thinks. Mind you I had given the same advice and still they wanted to ask Emily. Sigh.

So anyhow they are now up and running and no doubt will share the links with their friends at school. No they aren't doing facebook but I have created a fan page for them which I will load the links to and let them know if there are any comments.

While there will still be plenty of mentions of them over here - the main stories will happen on the Twice as Nice blog - told by the terrific twosome. Their blog has turned out so cute Emily is very clever and the girls loved the creative process behind it.

If you have tweens in your house who might like to read the girls adventures we would love it if you would send them over that way.

It's more happy than sad.

 

 

Introducing September Sort It

Last night I realised September is fast approaching and along with that for our family comes a never ending parade of birthdays, celebrations, end of year events and of course Christmas.

Richard calls September grasshopper month. It's his birthday and father's day and the footy finals - so that means for him a whole heap of celebrating and collecting his reward for working hard - he says. We are also celebrating my grandfather's 80th this September.

This year it's even more meaningful as halfway through it will mark one year since diagnosis. Time for me has been passing in a blur- days meld into one another with a seemingless endless rounds of doctors and procedures and waiting waiting waiting. For the next few months I am just healing. Very little Dr intervention.  Hallelujah. The September onwards  will be vastly different from the worry of last year and with the decluttering of my schedule, I want to find a new norm around home as well.

Things have been left slide and I have lost track of routines. I often find it's the little things that make the biggest difference. We can spend 15 minutes hunting for a pair of scissors. Drives me nuts. I know we have 500 pairs. So with great frustration I wander the house and gather all the pairs of scissors and place them in a jar. It takes 5 minutes. The next time we need scissors they are easily found and I think why didn't I do that before?  The third drawer in the kitchen is jam packed with lunch wraps and brown paper bags and garbage bags so crammed in that it takes forever to open the drawer and then close it - and I can never find the baking paper. To sort it would take probably 10 minutes tops.

In light of that I'm introducing {September Sort It}

 

It's the perfect time of year - not too hot not too cold - to get it sorted.

I'm writing a list of 30 must do things.

Some take 5 minutes some will take longer.

By the end of September they will all be done and we will zoom into the next few months more sorted. I love the thought of it.

I have started my list  ( 25 things and counting) but I want to refine it a bit.

Image from © Lime Lane Photography

Thank you to Kellie for her free image for my little graphic - I'll just convert that over or actually have a handy little helper covert it for me so you can share it on your blog if you like.

Here is my start ...

1. Wind cotton to spools

- I have this great big tangled mess of cottons - I have teh spools  I just need to sit and do

2. Set up insert bag for my bags

- Margie gave me this cool insert bag that you put all your stuff in then when you change handbags you just lift it out and pop it into the handbag - simple and clever - have I used it ? Nope - so at the moment my card wallet with all my loyalty cards is somewhere - safe. Not be used for loyalties.

3. Donate magazines

- Enough said.

4. Move cookbooks to the expediate in the family room

- Currently our cookbooks reside in the bookcase in the bedroom, in the girls rooms, in the lounge room and under the table in a basket in the family room. I am constantly looking in 5 different spots for one book. Silly when there is space for them all to be together in the family room

5. Book Apple store workshops

- When I first converted to Apple I completed a whole heap of workshops but haven't for ages. I now have Lion and Icloud  and I know I am not using it to potential. Must book some workshops.

 

By the end of the week I will finalise my list then it will be time to start. Some days I might do more than one thing. I'll document it somehow even if it's just crossing it off the list  - or snapping it for instagram or if it's really fun or monumental then I'll blog it.

So what say you ? Want to join me in September get it sorted? I'd love to have some company.

 

 

 

 

What I Ate Wednesday

Last wednesday was not a good what I ate day :0 -  nil by mouth until 1.30pm - then out to it for a  few hours. Didn't get much down and what did go down didn't stay down. Gotta love surgery.

 Anyhow today is much more normal.

1. Late start breakfast - Organic spelt bread from Sol with almond butter and banana and a cup of tea

2. Farewell peppermint tea out with friends who are setting off to the UK for a month

3. Takeaway lunch bought home -  chicken and vegetable rice wrapper rolls ( not technically not clean being white rice wrappers ) and Miso soup

4. Afternoon snack with the girls - cherries apple almonds homemade crackers and pesto green tea

5. Dinner Homemade Vegetable, Corn, Chicken and Barley Soup

6. After dinner Coconut flour pancakes with organic maple syrup blueberries almonds and organic vanilla bean yoghurt

 

Excercise - nil - so frustrating was hoping to get the all clear from my surgeon to start back yesterday and he gave me the you have to be joking take another week spiel. I was going to ignore him - cause he's just a cranky pants but woke up to two new opened spots on my radiated side so blah will wait a little longer. This too shall pass.