The 4th course of a 6 course tasting menu + matching wine. This was served with @hochkirchwines Syrah which we both really, really liked.
I’m so grateful I am finally in a place where I enjoy a meal out, without thinking about the vege, carb or calorie content.
I’m so grateful that I can be present, discover + discuss the different flavours + textures, let my hair down + knock over a glass of red wine, on a white tablecloth, straight after knocking over my glass of water.
It saddens me that many lives, pre+post holiday conversations + minds are focused on dropping x kilos or eating x amount of protein, and the actual real moments in life are missed out on. (I don’t want to hear about your holiday wt gain. Tell me about the experiences, the food, the people + the night you nearly ended up in a Bangkok prison).
Maybe you’ve started on a new lifestyle plan (or diet, because it is probably most definitely still a diet) to be healthy (aka lose weight, because, in our culture wt loss = health). You may feel great that your clothes fit better + you have found that nourishing your body with nutritious food gives you the energy, concentration, glow + spring in your step your body has been longing for.
BUT, if you feel you can’t go out and drink your favorite cocktail with your BFFs, share in birthday cake or enjoy the textures + flavors of a 6 course meal with your love to celebrate 2 years of annoying each other without feeling guilty or stressed, is what you are doing truly working for you?
Health is not the size of your waist, the no. on the scales, the cake you abstain from or the amount of vegetables you eat.
Health is your physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing together. How you eat will likely impact more on your wellbeing than what you’re actually eating.
From my lived + learned experience, it is not worth it. Don’t let your life revolve around being a certain size. Don’t miss out on precious time with the people you love, to be a certain size.
Eat food that nourishes the body, mind + soul, food that you enjoy. Move your body because you love it, not because you want to fix it. Respect your body, practice self care + enjoy the cake💜
This week has been a good week. Sunday we sat down + planned our meals, made a list, did the shopping AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN BACK TO THE SUPERMARKET SINCE (+ will make it through to Sunday, maybe). Leftovers for lunch, leftovers for dinner + a stash of spaghetti bolognese in the freezer. Packed with vegetables, not too expensive + 100% delicious.
🥕Chicken, silverbeet + lentil dhal (- the silverbeet + beans). @hfgaustralia
🥑 Chilli con carne with the usual goods. Some canned, some fresh. 🍝 Reheated kangaroo bolognese + bow tie pasta. We packed the meat w/ grated carrot + zucchini, and served with my grilled zucchini + pea salad. 🐟 Redfin, smoked paprika sweet potato chips + the grilled zucchini salad, again (It’s so tasty + easy + quick to make)
🍝 A gnocchi bake inspired from @colessupermarket mag - but we used pork + veal mince and flavoured it with chilli, fennel, sage + orange (search for meatballs on my blog, + omit the egg/parmesan/breadcrumbs/milk). We had this with green beans. We were going to have broccolini, but we were already buying beans + they are cheaper.
This is me (well, my hand) enjoying (holding, to eat) a hot cross bun. Every year they are part of my Easter weekend. I buy my first packet to bring to Peterborough, I cook them on the coals on the campfire + I love to top them with peanut butter + banana. Today it’s figs. The other half (the top, I always eat that last) was topped with olive oil spread.
This is me reminding you that it is okay to enjoy hot cross buns and chocolate this weekend.
This is me helping reduce the percentage of posts this weekend that are telling you how many burpees you need to do to burn of one Cadbury cream egg, or long you need to skip to burn off a hot cross bun. These are not helpful, and I’m a person that thought these were personally helpful, when they actually weren’t. You don’t have to earn food, + you don’t just eat to exercise.
In the grand scheme of life, if you eat two hot cross buns today, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s actually not a big deal. I know that it can be hard, but it is okay.
Life is far more precious. Spending your time with your family + friends, learning about their lives and family debates about who makes the best hot cross bun, or discussions about how criminal fruitless hot cross buns are, or standing up for your belief that red tulip are the gold standard Easter eggs, is far more precious that worrying about the calorie or carb content of hot cross buns. Buns are yum, let them be what they are. Practice some self care, allow (like, really allow) yourself to enjoy them if you do actually enjoy the taste of them, and remember life goes back to normal Tuesday + you’ll be doing what you normally do. 💜
Happy Easter friends. x
