Wednesday 15 March 2017

My new obsession - hiking!

 

As you would be aware by now, I am all about living a healthy lifestyle. But for me a healthy lifestyle is more than just hitting the pavement and breaking out in a sweat. A healthy lifestyle is about challenging yourself, cleansing the mind, body and soul and quietening the internal noise that we all suffer from inside our head. 

I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone and really challenging myself. And there is something so invorating about being out in the open spaces, in nature and it's clean fresh air. 

I recently went on a hike up the You Yangs to Flinders Peak in Victoria. Having not been up there before I decided to take the "harder" track with the steep incline and 450 steps to the top! I jumped and climbed onto rocks on the way up and pretended to be the Queen of the jungle. The view from up top was amazing. It was calm, quiet and everyone seemed at peace. 

I watched many people come and go up there and even saw a little boy and his mum enjoy a picnic up there. 

I then moved out onto a rock and sat there for about 45 minutes, just admiring the breath taking view and all it's glory. The morning clouds were slowly parting and allowing the sunshine to beam down upon us. 

I then saw a girl climb out onto a bigger rock and thought "wow that's brave". I have a fear of heights you see, so for me, that was pretty gutsy! 

I was then challenged to step out there myself. My first reaction was "um no way". But with a little encouragement and holding of my hand and some very very jelly like legs, I eventually got out onto that rock. I may not have gotten as far as sitting down and dangling my legs over it, but I got further than I thought was possible for me. The adrenaline I felt in that moment was captivating. 

So not only did I get some exercise during this hike, I had many laughs, I cleared my head, I got fresh air and I challenged myself. So you see, exercising is so much more than burning calories. And I now have a new healthy addiction to hiking. I am already looking for my next mountain to climb and my next big rock to climb out on. And you never know, maybe next time I'll make it as far as sitting down on that rock and letting my feet fall freely beneath me........ watch this space! 

 

Thursday 9 March 2017

Best. Mum. Ever!

 

Well it's no surprise that my favorite time of the day is meal time!! And today was no exception! 

My mum spends a lot of time meal prepping for me (yes you heard right, meal prepping for a dog.......I have a sensitive tummy ok), which I very much appreciate, but today's meal was out of this world! 

Seriously, I knew straight away that it wasn't my usual chicken, rice and veggies. My nose was going crazy trying to sniff the different smells, my tail was wagging and the suspense was killing me! Then when she put my bowl down in front of me, I knew all my doggy dreams had come true - baked salmon, brown rice and veggies! You beauty!!!!! 

Of course I demolished it in 30 seconds, I wasn't taking any chances. And the verdict? Delicious!! My mum sure can cook. She is the best mum ever!!! 

I was still so excited after my dinner that I did laps around the backyard and then rolled around on the grass. Life is pretty sweet right now. 

Stay tuned for the story of my latest beach trip where I surfed my first wave! It was totally gnarly! 

Peace out dudes
Mr Teddy Bear

 

Wednesday 1 March 2017

Not all things turn out as planned!

So I have been cooking for years, trying new things  and experimenting. Most of the time not knowing how something will turn out. When things don't turn out the way I had hoped, I get disappointed that I've wasted my time. But sometimes, with a little creativity, you can turn even the biggest of disasters into something surpringly great! And today was one of those days.

My mother and I have been wanting to try cooking a gluten free vanilla slice for a while. Who doesn't love a vanilla slice right? And it has been over four years since I've been able to indulge in one. We had all the delicious ingredients ready to go, instructions at hand and off we went! 

Step one, cook puff pastry in oven until crispy - sorted. Step two, combine cream and vanilla pods and heat to a simmer  then take off the heat - easy as, we've got this! Step 3, whisk egg yolks and castor sugar together until thick - check! Step 4, combine egg and sugar mixture with cream Mixture and put back onto the stove on medium heat and stir until thick - should be easy enough! UNLESS of course you didn't realize you were meant to let the cream mixture completely cool before combining with the egg mixture. EPIC FAIL! The hot cream ended up cooking the egg and it turned it's a lumpy mess. 

We realized we had made a huge mistake and that it was time to hang our heads in shame. We had failed this mission. But we did have plenty of giggles along the way and it's definitely a mistake we won't make again. 

Meanwhile, the gluten free pastry was cooked and anyone who has bought gluten free pastry knows it's not cheap to buy, so we weren't prepared to throw it out! 

Instead we smothered it with jam, heated it back up in the oven and served it with cream and icecream for dessert! The result?? Absolutely AMAZING!!! If you have not had pastry with jam and icecream, then you haven't lived!

So today I have learnt to not only let cream cool before adding egg yolk to it but that pastry with jam and icecream is not only a super quick and easy dessert to make (seriously, even Mr Teddy Bear could make it) but it is also beautifully delicious. So do yourself a favor and give it a go!