new beginnings: 5 things I never thought I would do

during the past five months i have experienced many things that have completely transformed my life. it has been really scary and super exciting all at the same time.

here are my top five. 

1. myreallifekitchen. it began with this blog back in december 2012. after several months of procrastination, thinking and questioning i finally coughed up enough courage to click 'publish' with my first post. the chatter in my head was who's even going to read it and no one will be interested and all that other self depreciating stuff that dampens our creative spirit. but i did it and am here to share my personal and confronting journey with you. 

2. business. this week i completed an 8 week online business course. to those of you who know me well enough to know that businessy things are not for me and have just fainted after hearing this for the first time, im sorry. but i did it. and it was great and inspiring and enriching and all that other stuff. and well, i am about to embark on my exciting new business venture so watch this space!! 

3. veganisim. i just spent the past 5 weeks on a vegan diet. yep, that's right - no meat, dairy, eggs etc. i did eat fish on three occasions out of necessity  but other than that it was veggies, beans, veggies, veggies and quinoa. what was it like? AMAZING! my whole outlook on food and eating has changed and my body is eternally thankful for it.  

4. social media. this was a biggie for me. id never really been a online media participant. in my mind it was always a place for other people to share their photos, thoughts and ideas. but then i clicked 'share' on facebook and let you all into this place; a secret place i'd been hanging out in for a while. i can now say that i have officially embraced social media. my instagram account is in full flow and i will, in the near future, post my first (small steps please) comment on twitter. until then... 

5. read a manual. this one is dedicated to my husband and sister - both  are avid manual readers. they, along with you too now, know that i DON'T do manuals. not for anything; kitchen appliances, gadgets, electronics, NOTHING! in fact, even if something has malfunctioned and hindered me from getting an important task done i still wouldn't read the manual! 


however, on the weekend i just so happened to become luckiest new owner of a super cool camera. this camera was an early birthday present from my love. 

it came with a manual. 

i have never before been this excited to read anything. Ever.  

What gets on your nerves?

Lately there has been something in my life that has seriously been getting on my nerves, like literally. By lately I mean for the past year, however I have only recently figured out why. Story goes, about 24.5 years ago, courtesy of my parents, I was born with an extra rib. Yeah, thanks mum! Docs call it a cervical rib because it arises from lowest cervical vertebra. It is completely useless and exists in my body simply to be annoying. Some people (it could even be you) may have one of these extra bones and go through their whole life without even knowing it. Luckily for me I couldn't ignore the unexplained pain and weakness in my arm (that and my husband got sick of me whining about it) so after countless PT appointments I was finally sent for a xray.

Cervical rib? Confirmed
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome? Confirmed 

What next???

What this cervical rib actually causes in my body is a serious compression of the area where nerves, arteries and veins run down the neck and into the arm - it simply kinda blocks the flow. Numbness, weakness, aching, headaches and tingling are just a few of the daily symptoms and there really isn't anything that I can do about it other than stop doing the things that aggravate it (which is only slightly impossible when your daily doings include- piano playing, painting, cooking, exercising and computering). i am currently in the process of getting to the bottom of the exact cause of the pain (nerve, or other) and deciphering whether or not i can continue to coexist with this bone or have to have it removed. 

so this brings me to the question that i have been asking myself lately; what do you do when faced with the reality of chronic pain? you know, the kind that is with you all day and night and doesn't go away even if you try to fight it off with drugs. I am lucky enough to have never experienced such pain before and am learning how to deal with it the best I can....

This is what it has taught me so far:

• pain demands your attention and forces you to be present. you cant ignore the fact your arm isn't working as it should be. 

• it makes you learn new skills and rewire your brain- its quite amazing how quickly we can become ambidextrous when forced to.   

• It makes you slow down and feel the sensations in your body and connect to real time and space at any given moment. 

• it makes things ok. ok to sit and rest, ok to let the dishes wait and ok to not be doing a thousand things at once.

• it teaches you to be kind and gentle with your body and not even for a minute take it for granted.  

So to anyone out there who is suffering... and unfortunately there are a few special people in my life that are... remember to surrender to what is. your body will persevere if you give it the time, care, kindness and space it needs. treat it well and it has no choice but to do so in return. and in the meantime, the washing can wait. 

 

true love for herbies

my love affair with herbies herbs begun a few years back while I was living and studying in Sydney. I would frequent the store of an afternoon between uni and yoga - yes, the store is physically situated between the two. (Isn't Balmain Rd/ Darling St Rozelle a real gem of a spot)

image via scandifoodie 

At first is was cinnamon. My obsession with this spice, which only gets stronger by the day, began here with the most fragrant and warming cinnamon i could find. It was all about the health benefits at first - cinnamon is a natural blood sugar regulator, anti-inflammatory and great for digestion. However it quickly grew into a 'cant have breakfast without it' addition. 
- cinnamon and honey on toast
- cinnamon with natural yoghurt
- cinnamon on my muesli
- cinnamon in my tea
- cinnamon in banana bread .... You get the point yeah?

My herbies addiction then escalated to buying cardamom pods and cloves to make my own chai tea and many attempts to learn how to use turmeric in my cooking that resulted in staining all my cooking utensils and appliances in the process. 

Now I have what I call a healthily obsessed and tastefully spicy relationship with herbies. I ONLY use their herbs and spices! And when you try them, if you haven't already you will ONLY use them too! Not to mention how amazed you will be when you walk into their store and realise that that many spices actually exist in the world. 

Which brings me to last nights dinner. Now as most of you would know I come from a Macedonian background so cooking with spices pretty much depends on PAPRIKA!! Smoked, sweet, hot, anykind. and yes, i love the stuff. but it isn't very useful when you have asian cuisine on your mind. This is were the amazing herbies Chinese Stir-fry blend comes into it. Inspired by the tasty quinoa san choy bow i experieced at the cute and quirky vegan eat-house Nourishing Quarter in Sydney, I made my version of spicy stir-fry veg quinoa>>>>here is the recipe

ingredients.


cooked quinoa -i soak mine for a few hours first and then cook
garlic
fresh ginger
red and green hot chilli's
herbies chinese stir-fry spice
carrot
celery
peas
sesame oil
mirin
soy sauce - gluten free
oyester sauce

what to do. 

stir-fry onion, chilli, ginger and garlic in sesame oil. add the veggies and continue to fry. then add approx 2 teaspoons of chinese stir fry spice. combine until fragrant and then add quinoa, soy, mirin and oyester sauce. add a little extra sesame if needed. stir-fry until well combined and flavoursome! 

a beautifully somber weekend

the clouds rolled over and filled the sky on saturday morning. i couldn't think of a greater welcoming to the weekend. the QLD sun is harsh. abrasive and relentlessness to the point where even five minutes of it is more depleting than invigorating. im really not complaining, i do know i have it pretty good. but it has felt so calm and safe with an extra roof in the sky. even our little screechy has been basking in the grounding tranquillity.

he has been at peace and quiet and still as well as taking naps during the day which is a rarity for this bird as he suffers from chronic uncontrollable hyperactivity.

so, saturday happens like this...

chores. 
a fresh batch of coco - nutty muesli. 
stuff.
picnic lunch of leftover veggie pasta salad

followed by more stuff. 
gym. 
dinner of lentil soup and late night movie watching - life of pi. beautiful. 

sunday gets even better!!

breakfast baking - dairy and gluten free coconut berry drops. 

Recipce inspired by ohsheglows.com 

followed by creamy dairy free pumpkin and cauliflower soup.

and then, dinner with friends. the best. 

message to take home - don't hate on the weather. ride it. its a much more enjoyable journey. 

leftover veg pasta salad + extras

roasted red capsicum

grilled zuchini 

sautéed mushrooms - garlic, thyme, oregano, parsley, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinigar

caramilsed onion

extra virgin olive oil

salt pepper

toasted almonds

gluten free pasta

what was added for lunch>>

avocado

vine ripened tomato

cannelinni beans

chilli infused extra virgin olive oil

creamy dairy-free pumpkin and cauliflower soup

onion

garlic

olive oil

butternut pumpkin

califlower head

potatoes

allspice

nutmeg

fresh bay leaf

black pepper

salt

coconut milk

fry off the onion and garlic until soft. add the cauliflower, allspice, nutmeg and pepper and stir until combined and fragrant. add the potatoes, pumpkin and bay leaf. cover with water and boil. allow it to simmer for a little while. add salt to taste. remove bay leaf and blend in batches until smooth. place back on heat and add coconut milk. 

serve with extra salt and pepper and the most important - a drizzle of chilli extra virgin olive oil.  

chocolate 'gelato' .... for breakfast!

one of the best breakfasts EVER!

frozen banana

frozen blueberries

avocado

100% organic cocoa

almond milk

shredded coconut

chia

in a blender until it looks like this>>>