monday, meh

Monday's require more effort than other days of the week.

FACT

Monday Cookie

xx

sad banana turns happy dessert

Banana bread, or similar variation, is my go-to recipe when I want something quick and delicious. 

Oh, and when I have sad bananas slowly and quietly dying on my kitchen bench.

This is just another lesson in never judging a book (banana) by it's cover (black, spotty peel).

Banana bread is often a great snack, but this time I decided to make these little individual cakes, dessert-style.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond flour 

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 large ripe bananas

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp raw honey

6 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180

2. Combine the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir with a fork to combine and to break apart any chunks. Set aside.

3. Place the bananas, eggs and vanilla extract in a blender and blend until combined. Add in the coconut oil and honey and blend well until smooth. Add the flour mixture and blend to combine.

4. Pour the mixture into the lined muffin tins. You should have enough for 12 muffins. 

5. Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 23-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm with drizzle of organic maple syrup.

YUM

xx

the shirt doesn't lie

I'm not a huge fan of text on tshirts.. I've seen some really tacky slogans printed on a shirt.

But this top made me laugh out loud.

Help Me I'm Poor

Inspired by the quote from Bridesmaids (the movie) and available on Etsy, this is one item I need in my wardrobe STAT!

xx

when life gives you lemons...

...you know the saying...

Well, a lovely colleague gave me some lemons fresh from her lemon tree.

And rather than break out the tequila, I promised to turn some of them into a morning tea treat.

I didn't tell her it would likely be of the paleo variety....

Maybe she won't notice?!

Collect your ingredients :

⅔ cup coconut flour, sifted

5 eggs

⅓ cup carton almond milk

¼ cup agave

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

juice of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

Ready, set, BAKE!

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Sift your coconut flour into a bowl.

Add eggs and almond milk. Mix until smooth.

Then add the agave, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Mix well to combine.

Pour the mixture into cupcake liners.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until slightly brown on the top and cooked through in the middle. Do the toothpick test to check.

Let them cool.

Eat!

xx

It's That Simple

Sometimes I think we forget about the important things in life in a rush to get through the urgent tasks of the day to day.

Have you ever stopped to consider that the simple things in life actually are quite simple?!

I especially agree with the point about the trampoline !

Here's to living a simpler life.

xx

Image here

vote #1 cupcake

Macaroons and cake pops have taken over the sweet treat world. 

And whilst my next statement might be controversial, I'm gonna say it anyway - 

Cupcakes win hands down.

Here's a pic of my latest just to prove my point

Bailey's Double Choc Cupcakes

They're chocolate; and they have bailey's cream cheese frosting.
And they're fat-free!

OK.. that last part was a lie.

But they're totally worth it!


THE CAKE PART

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup almond milk (you can use regular milk if desired)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Directions
Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.


THE FROSTING PART

Cream cheese (2 packets?)
Cocoa (1/2 cup?)
Icing Sugar (2 cups?)
Baileys (umm... a 'splash' - a really big splash...)
Unknown quantities of all... Beat with electric mixer until desired consistency. 
Add extra cocoa or icing sugar if it's too runny. Add more bailey's if it's too thick,
(Sometimes there's no measuring in my kitchen!)

xx

snip snip

They say change is as good as a holiday; And even though there's been plenty of change in my life recently, I have found myself considering yet more change. Of the hairstyle variety.

The urge to dramatically change my hair is regular and persistent. And then it passes and I move onto something else.

Late last year, I bleached my hair from dark brown to blonde on a whim.

And can I say - I actually don't think blondes have more fun....

Since bleaching my hair, it has been unhealthy and dry and sad and now I am facing a new challenge -

To chop; or not to chop.

I've turned to Pinterest for some hairspiration.

All beautiful girls with such stylish short hair.

And yet, I have been staring at these photos for days and still can't commit to making a hair appointment!

Maybe next week?!

xx

avril, is that you?!

Let it be known that I love Katy Perry..

I love her music, her style, her story.

And yes, I cry every damn time I watch her movie 'Part of Me'. So what?!

But her latest single, Roar - 

here

Ohhh the disappointment I feel when I hear it.

And on the weekend, I realised why I don't love the way I wish I did.

It's because she sounds like Avril Lavigne. During the verses, she's not singing, she's speaking. And it's very reminiscent of the Skater Boi style.

Why, Katy?! Whyyy?!

.I really hope the next single from her new album is better than this.

Anxiously waiting.....

xx

the new girl

There's a fine line when you start a new job - a zone between being incredibly quiet and awkward; and overly confident and annoying.

I am very familiar with both of these categories having watched an embarrassingly high number of new people come and go through the front doors of my previous workplace. I was there for 6 years. 

Note the key words - 'previous workplace'?

I'm not there anymore... And now I am uncomfortably aware that people in my new workplace are probably judging me in the same way that I have judged others over the years... 

Ok - let's be honest, they're probably not judging as harshly as I have done.

I hope.

So now I'm The New Girl.

New to the state. New to the industry. New to the job. 

Now on the other side of judgement.

Far out.

Besides learning the role and the business; I'm also learning about myself.

For example, I don't like being The New Girl! 

And I miss The Cool Pod more than ever. 

I have also become very aware just how much my Work Family meant to me - I got engaged, married and divorced during my 6 years at my previous job; That's kind of a big deal!

But I'm trying to embrace this new beginning. 

I know I won't be The New Girl forever.

And slowly but surely, they will come to understand a few important things about me -

*

I don't drink coffee, but am always up for a tea break

*

I always have snacks in my desk drawer (and sometimes I'll even share them...)

*

I have a unique ability to get lots of work done while looking like all I've done is swan around the office all day

*

Equally, I can look like I'm hard at work and get nothing done for hours

*

I will be told to stop talking on a regular basis. 

I am used to it. It won't work

pinned here

xx