Change is sometimes scary but change can also be good for you and your health.


I am a huge fan of change. I am the type of person that gets bored easily so I am always changing things. However there are occasions where some changes freak me out and I avoid the change. Recently I had the opportunity to change my career and it has made a huge difference on my life. At first I was totally confused as of what decision to make about my career because I loved my cafe job and I never even dreamed of leaving it. I had formed amazing friendships and the cafe team and my bosses had become like family to me. I loved the customers and even some of them had become like family. I loved making coffee and most importantly I loved being good at my job and proud of what I could achieve.

It wasn't until I was offered another job in a completely different field that I actually sat down and considered what would be better for myself and my family. The job on offer was a hairdressing apprenticeship and it meant I had to go back to the bottom of the ladder and start again. This scared the crap out of me.I had built up so much confidence in my cafe job and I was getting so high up that going back to the bottom made me feel like I was downgrading myself. After lots of thinking I decided to just go for it! I could make hairdressing a proper career and have the options to go far where as my cafe job there wasn't much more I could do with my career. I am almost 30 and I really wanted something I could call a career and something that would provide enough for me to support my family and make me much more independent. I took the plunge and a huge weight has lifted off my shoulders without me even knowing that I needed the change.


I have been in my new job for a almost 3 weeks now and I am very happy with my choice. I love the people I work with they are all fantastic and I can see them becoming like family and I love the vibe they have in the salon. In the short time I have been there I can see myself becoming a hairdresser and putting all my efforts into getting up to the top of the ladder again.

If you have opportunities that sound scary always take them into consideration before putting them in the too hard or too scared basket because sometimes change can be the best thing for you even if they don't seem so at first. If you are wanting to change things in your life because you know you need it JUST GO FOR IT!! Live life to the fullest and always do what will make you happy and never let society judge you for doing what makes you happy xx

Stay Happy and Healthy
Liane Xx

p.s Since I was encouraging change the last few weeks I also decided to go all out and change my hair too :P hehe I'm officially blonde!

Ok so this week was not one of my best weeks but I managed to get back on track.

When it gets to "that time of the month" my whole body just kind of dies inside and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and eat junk food ALL day long!! This kind of thing doesn't really go well with the whole eating healthy and nutritious plan I have going on.

I wanted to share this delay I had with you all because I want to make sure that I share with you the real me at all times, because this is what my whole blog is supposed to be about. I want to make sure that I always stay true to you all and share with you all of my ups and downs because that is what life is full of and I want to give you an idea of my real life not just all the ups I have.

So this week I went to junk food central town! I wanted chocolate, chips, coke the whole deal and it made me feel fantastic for two days but then I crashed HARD. I was tired, I felt like crap, I had headaches and I was just plain flat. I know that during that time of month you generally feel like this but for me I knew that the junk foods were making it even worse. Now I am back on track again and eating healthier again and all my energy is flowing back. I don't mind having some treat foods occassionally but I think during that time of the month I  really need to keep up my healthy eating no matter what! So my plan for next month is to not give up and stick to my healthy foods. I can still have my bag of maltesers if I really want a treat BUT I need to keep my regular eating up as well. That was my biggest downfall. I was not eating breakfast for a couple of days because I just couldn't be bothered and I was eating junk food ALL day for 2 days. My body just hated me for it.


So just keep in mind that sometimes your body deserves a break and deserves little treats especially when you are feeling sad or low but make sure you keep up with what makes your body healthy and happy as well because during this time especially you really need that extra boost of healthiness and happiness.

Stay Happy and Healthy
Liane Xx

Today I thought that I would share with you my favourite motivational quotes from Pinterest. I'm a huge motivational quotes fan! I have them pinned to pin boards in my bedroom, saved on my phone and written in diaries. I even love them on cushions..........yep I'm gonna have a big collection of them, but don't tell my husband :p 

This gem of a recipe is in my pile of "go to" recipes. It is super simple to make and I generally ALWAYS have the ingredients on hand. It is delicious reheated as well so I love to take this to work for lunch the next day which is what I did this week.

I found the recipe in a Super Food Ideas magazine I think last year and it is one of my favourite pies. My top favourite pie is a thai curry chicken pie which I will share with you one day as well.

This week I started a new job as a Hairdressing Apprentice which is a huge career change for me but due to getting used to my new hours and work day changes I haven't been blogging much this week. I will be getting back to the regular blogging from now on so stay tuned. I will be having a new "What I Ate Wednesday's" post every week,  continuing on with my "Motivational Monday's" and the rest of the week will just be bits and pieces in between.

Okay now that's all been said here is the recipe for you guys!

Stay Happy and Healthy
Liane Xx

Bacon and Egg Pie 

 

serves 4 (on it's own or 6 with a fresh salad or steamed veg etc)

Prep: 10 mins 
Cook: 45 mins

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced and drained on paper towels
8 middle bacon rashers, diced
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan forced. Grease a 22cm pie tin.
2. Cook bacon in a frying pan over medium/high heat until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
3. In a small bowl whisk 1 egg, milk and parsley together until combined.
4. Line base of pie tin with one sheet of pastry (trim and fill gaps if required). Prick base all over with a fork.
5. Sprinkle half the cooked bacon over the pastry base. Top with all the tomato. Break the final 7 eggs over the tomato, piercing yolks slightly with a fork. Sprinkle over the remaining bacon and pour parsley mixture over the top. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Place remaining pastry sheet on top and roll up sides of pastry to seal the pie. Brush top with 1 tablespoon of extra milk and pierce a small hole in centre of pastry lid.
7. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180°C/160° fan forced and cook for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffed. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I have seen What I Ate Wednesday's being used on lots of blogs and vlogs lately so I thought I would give it a go on mine. I think people find these posts so interesting because 1. it's fun to be nosey sometimes 2. it gives us ideas of what to eat and 3. we have this urge to find out what other people, especially fitness bloggers or nutrion bloggers are eating all day.

Because I like nutritious and fresh foods and I like to be healthy I thought I would share with you what I eat on Wednesday's because I am a busy working Mum and I do think that feeding yourself and your family healthy foods is one of the most important parts of the day. So I will not only be sharing what I eat in these posts but sometimes I will share what my kids are eating for school lunches etc.

My new job means I now work full time and about 42 hours a week I now take my lunch to work much more often which has been a slight change but still easy to prep for. I do some prep work on Sunday's for snacks and I always make sure that before I go to bed I do a last minute prep of what I need to take with me the next morning. My number 1 priority is to fill my large water bottle and bang that in the fridge so it's nice and cold to take to work.

Here is what I ate for my day:
I had my homemade muesli with almond milk for breakfast. 

Happy Motivational Monday :) 

I love Sunday's! Especially when they are Sunny Springtime Sundays, and boy oh boy was today a Sunny Springtime Sunday. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the blossoms on my peacharine tree look amazing! I'm so happy!



Of course being a Sunday it means meal prep time and because I have started a new job where I work 9 - 5 I have to take most of my lunches to work with me so this task has become a necessity. I love meal prepping. I know that sounds weird but it is quite therapeutic for me. Having Sunday's off work means I can just relax and meal prep with no stress or rush.

Today I made a roast pumpkin salad to take along to a dinner party I am attending tonight with friends and for the start of my week I made:

1 x batch of overnight muesli
1 x batch of curried eggs for some sandwich rolls
6 x boiled eggs for snacks or lunches
chopped some fruit salad for tomorrow
prepacked single portions of fruit and nut tubs
and made 2 x tubs of rice salad - one tuna and one chicken.

Today i thought I would share with you my recipe for Overnight Muesli. This recipe was inspired by Jool's Oliver and I just make my own combos.

Overnight Muesli Medley

1.5 cups rolled oats
large handful chopped nuts (I used cashews and almonds)
handful of chopped dried fruits (I used goji berries, cranberries and fresh medjool dates)
small handful of sunflower seeds (pepitas)
2 tbsp chia seeds
Almond Milk

Directions
Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Top with Almond Milk until covering all ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight. In the morning you can serve in individual bowls heated or as is and top with your favourite toppings. I like to have mine on it's own but sometimes I top with a little greek yoghurt or chopped fresh fruit and honey or homemade granola. The choices are endless.

Another combination I use for overnight muesli is my Coconut and Apricot Muesli

1.5 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
handful chopped almonds
2 tbsp chia seeds
Coconut Milk

Let me know if you come up with other combos!

Stay Happy and Healthy
Liane Xx

Eating healthy and clean doesn't mean breaking the bank! It took me a long time to learn this and at first I panicked at some of the prices and many times I just gave up and went back to buying tins of baked beans full of sugar and salt and bottles of ready made sauces that have nothing on homemade.

Then I taught myself some little tips and tricks and now shopping to eat healthy is as easy as abc......

Yeah I went there......haha


Okay back on track! So for my family of four we survive on a food budget of $200 a week. Sometimes we get extras here and there but it is roughly around the $200 mark , give or take maybe $20. Lots of people are shocked by this when I tell them so I thought I would share my tips with you all so you can see how it happens. (generally our budget includes things like toilet paper, paper towels, washing liquid and all that jazz as well but it doesn't include our personal toiletries I have a separate budget for that)

I generally go shopping twice a week. The first day is a Thursday where I will do the bulk of my shopping and the second day is the Monday where I will get the last of the fresh produce and other staples to get us through to the next big shop.

Thursday is my pay day so I always start my big shop with a coffee to take around with me, I always get my LaCrema coffee, which is the best coffee in Adelaide and they serve it in the cafe right next to Coles so YAY!! If you haven't tried LaCrema coffee you really must! You can find it in lots of cafes around Adelaide or you can visit the LaCrema team at St Mary's for all your coffee needs.


Once coffee is ready, I am ready to go!!

My top tips for shopping cheaper and healthier: 

 Meal Plan and Shopping List
This is an absolute must for me. I always sit down on a Wednesday and plan a week of meals including breakfast's, lunches, dinners and snacks. I always look through my pantry and fridge to see if there is anything we need to use and I work around that. Meal planning is actually my favourite time of the week because I grab a cup of tea, recipe books and my Ipad (I love getting recipe ideas from Pinterest) and I just plan away! I get some input from the other members of the family as well especially from my daughter as she is vegan she prepares her own meals but we have 2 vegan nights a week so she doesn't always feel left out.

Once the plan is done I write out what ingredients I need to purchase and then I write the list one more time really neatly and in department order. Fruit and Veg, Meat, Dairy etc etc (i'm a little OCD).

All of this not only makes shopping easier but it also means i'm not wasting money preparing unnecessary meals when I already have things to use in the pantry.

Meal Prep
I think I have talked about meal prep a few times on this blog. I am a huge meal prep fan. It makes life so much easier and giving yourself a day or evening to prep a few meals is key to cheaper meals. If you can make a batch meal you can eat it twice for dinner OR take some for lunch another day. Easy peasy! I will do some future blog posts on meal prep to help you all out. I always do my meal prep on Sunday and make as many things as I can to save time.

Never Shop On An Empty Stomach
If you go shopping hungry you will buy things that are not on your list because you will crave more. It's dead simple to fix. Just eat before you go. If you stray from your list you will go over your budget. You will also be more likely to crave unhealthy snacks.

Shop As Little As Possible In the Aisles
The outside of your supermarket aisles is where most of the 'real' foods are. You will find your fruit and veg, your meats and your dairy products. In the aisles is where you will find everything else. My trolley is generally half filled with fruits and veg, some meats and then a small amount of everything else. A colourful fresh trolley is always more vibrant and healthy.


Fresh Produce Markets 
This kind of shopping can sometimes be time consuming especially if you are like me and don't live close to the city or country. I like to get to the Adelaide Central Markets as much as I can and occasionally I will shop at the Willunga Farmers Markets. If you can get to these kinds of markets you are in for a treat. Fresh produce like fruits and vegies are usually much cheaper and nicer than chain supermarkets and you know exactly where your produce came from just by talking to the stall holders. I find meats to be somewhat cheaper here as well but it is all about shopping around. Again this can sometimes take up time which sometimes you just don't have and I totally understand. Health products however can be a little dearer (in my opnion) so if you do have time just shop around and work out where you get the best price. I buy my nuts and dried fruits from Suntralis as I find them quite cheap compared to somewhere like Coles. After a while you will work out a routine of where you need to go to get the best price.

If you can't get to a market there are always awesome fruit and veg stores around who also have great bargains and are usually in close proximity to most supermarkets. Always check these guys out as well and frequent your local butcher for top quality meats.I purchased this chicken for just $5 at the Central Markets and seasoned it myself when I got home! YUM!



Storing Foods Appropriately
The OCD in me loves finding ways to store things nicely so I love this part. I find that strawberries go a bit funny in the tubs I get from the store and when you get 3 tubs for $5 there is always a tub that goes missing and is found at the back of the fridge two weeks later. When I get home from a shop I always empty packets where I can and store in airtight containers. This is great for fruit and veg because I chop and store them, making snacks and lunches quick and easy to grab. It also means no food is wasted when you get bargains like 2 for 1 etc and the fridge hides them.

I store all my nuts and dried fruits in containers in my cupboards so I always know where they are and can easily read the side labels when writing my shopping list.

Meal prepping also calls for good storage to be able to last longer so it is always good to invest in some good storage conatiners. I buy mine from Coles when they are on special.


Compare prices on the "unit cost" not the specials sticker! Like many people I would get excited seeing that bright coloured specials label on the shelf and grab the item thinking I had scored a bargain, but sometimes this isn't the case. I have learned thanks to my husband to always look at the price per 100gms or per litre etc which is always listed at the bottom of the docket. This also helps you out when deciding to buy in bulk. For instance I always bought smaller tubs of honey because $6 always sounds much better than $13 for the bigger tub, but by purchasing the bigger tub it lasts longer and usually works out cheaper per gm than the smaller tub. therefore saving you cash in the long run.

Always Read Your Labels
I used to buy muesli bars in the snack section. 6 muesli bars for $3 sounds like a bargain when you are walking round the store BUT if you actually read the nutritional labels on them you are just cramming your body full of sugar and stuff your body just doesn't even need. Basically if I read the labels and it has ingredients I can't even pronounce let alone have even heard of I put it back on the shelf. Now I make my muesli bars from scratch and it actually works out SO much cheaper as well. Grab a big bag of rolled oats, some honey and a bunch of nuts and seeds and you have delicious snacks on the go. I make mine on the Sunday to be used for the week easy peasy and you know exactly what was in it. I always read labels and also try and make most foods from scratch. Obviously some things are just too time consuming for some people to make from scratch. I understand that completely.....I am a working mum after all. But if you can make just some changes to homemade clean you are much closer to clean eating than most people so good on you :D It's all about motivation.

Shop in Season 
Buying avocadoes when they are in season costs about $1 - $2 buy it out of season and that avocado becomes $4 - $5. If you can shop in season you will save money on your items. So always pick meals to cook that have ingredients that are in season. They will also taste nicer :) If you really want your favourite mango smoothie but mangoes aren't in season stock your freezer up on frozen fruits until they come in season again!

 A little extra effort goes a long way
The other day I bought a whole pumpkin for $2 a kg! Right next to me a woman purchased a packet of pre cubed pumpkin which worked out to be $5 a pack and it was only a 1kg pack. I saved money just by coming home and cutting the pumpkin up myself. It took an extra 5 minutes of my day but I make time on after my shopping to slice and chop everything before I pack it away, like my pineapple, watermelon, pumpkin it saves money and I enjoy cutting everything to how I like it. The same goes for nuts etc. A bag of whole almonds is much cheaper than a pack of almond meal and a pack of peanuts is much cheaper than a pack of crushed nuts. If you pay attention to what you can do at home yourself you can save a bunch.

Use Your Freezer Wisely
If things like meat are on special buy a bunch of it portion it out and use it later to help save money. I store mine in freezer bags with the date on it. Also I like to make big batches of burger patties, salmon cakes, pancakes etc and freeze them in individual portions. I also freeze bananas when they start going brown for smoothies and my favourite banana bread!


Stay Happy and Healthy
Liane Xx

P.s sometimes I treat myself to a little something for all my hard work grocery shopping :P This week I grabbed this awesome watermelon bowl from Target to fill with yummy fruit salad. Perfect end to my shopping treat. Can't wait to sit down after dinner and share a big bowl of fruit and peanut butter yoghurt dip with the family!

Today was one of those "blah" days. I think I have just worn myself out at work and because i'm sick I haven't been eating as best as I could be especially over the weekend. Which made me feel like crap. I was quite disappointed in myself for not pushing that little bit harder over the weekend. I was just so tired I just couldn't be bothered cooking and I slipped a bit. Just a couple days of not eating right and my week has just been blah!

This morning I pulled myself out of bed at 6am and I got back into the swing of things. I have joined the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation online and that starts this Sunday so I have been spending my spare time preparing for that. Today we were given the meal plan and exercise plan so I spent time today working on that and putting everything in my diary. I am super excited. Obviously I didn't join up to lose weight but I am hoping that it will give me the drive to really focus on my exercise and get me fit and strong. Next year I would love to be able to run the City to Bay here in Adelaide so i'm hoping it will get me prepped for that as well.

Every week I sit down and work out a meal plan for my family and today was the day. I get lots of my recipes from things like Super Food Ideas magazines, Pinterest, cooking shows on tv and my own recipe collections. I love food shopping so much especially when you can fill your shopping trolley with so many lovely colours from the fruit and veg sections!I highly recommend meal plans because they make healthy eating so much cheaper and easier to organise and prep. Due to my blah week I am planning on stocking up with lots of healthy snacks and freezer meals so that if I do have any more tired days I will have better options than "ordering a pizza".

I left for work at 10.30am today so I was in the need of a nice healthy snack to take with me. I chose to throw together a quick smoothie that I could put in my special smoothie travel cup. I purchased my smoothie cup from TYPO and I freaking love it!!
 I thought I would share my recipe with you all so you can give it a go! It was super yummy and fresh.For all my smoothies I use my Breville Blender  which I think is a really cool little blender. It is also very affordable.

Mango Banana Smoothie
serves 2 
1 banana, sliced
5 - 6 strawberries, hulled
handful of frozen mango
2 tablespoons Greek Yoghurt
2 teaspoons Maca Powder
1 cup coconut water
3/4 cup almond milk
drizzle of honey

Directions:
Just place all ingredients in the blender and blend! It is as easy as that. You can change the measurements of the milk and water depending on how thick you want your smoothie.  

Oh how I love Bananas!  

 
 Stay Happy and Healthy
Liane Xx

The sun is slowly making it's appearance here in Adelaide! Hooray :)

Living the healthier life has actually been SO much fun. I'm not even kidding it is the absolute best. I haven't been doing it long but from what I have been learning, exploring and eating life has just changed so much for me. I haven't even completely changed everything yet. Just a few subtle changes have made a huge difference to me physically and emotionally.

I now try and shop mostly at fresh produce markets. The vibe is amazing compared to your everyday supermarket. Everyone is smiling, everyone knows about the products they are selling and where it came from and in most cases it is cheaper. Especially for fruit and veg. In Adelaide the last few weeks I have shopped at the Adelaide Central Markets, Market Shed on Holland and Willunga Farmers Markets. I find that the Central Markets are the cheapest and the biggest out of the three but there are just way too many fruit and veg shops to choose from so the shops get repetitive. I do absolutely love this market though. There is plenty  to choose from and you can spend quite a while there shopping, having breakfast or lunch and enjoying yummy coffee or a fresh made juice.

My Shopping from today @ the Adelaide Central Market

Market Shed on Holland is a gorgeous little market for organic and vegan foods. It is smaller than Central Markets but I love the atmosphere and it is a great way to spend a Sunday. There is normally a musician playing out the front to entertain. The bike juice blending idea is just plain cool and the vegan and organic foods are just damn well amazeballs!! They are a bit on the dearer side but when you realise how much time and effort goes into making them and keeping up a stall you don't mind paying the price. I don't go every Sunday it is more of a treat market for us but if I was a bit richer I would probably spend every Sunday there eating everything and anything! I do like getting my bulk seeds, nuts and flours from here though. Great prices and great products!

Willunga Farmer's Markets I don't get to as often as it is a bit out of the way for me. But I do love strolling through them even if I don't need anything. It's all outdoors so walking around in the sunshine and just perusing the markets and talking to stall holders is enough. Jams and Fruits are my favourites to grab from this market and they have some great prices.

I have spent so many years shopping in places like Coles and Woolworths for simplicity but in all honesty I believe the best fresh products are from the markets. If I need things like seeds, nuts and grains and I can't get down to the markets I usually pop down to Suntralis at Lonsdale. They have good pricing and I can walk around with my little plastic bags and grab as little or as much as I need. I love this because if you go to Coles and you only need a handful of slivered almonds for a meal you have to buy a whole bag but at Suntralis you can just grab that handful. I then come home and store everything in plastic containers with labels (More on that in a later post).

I have also been trying to use more natural products on my skin and more natural products to help with illnesses instead of just jumping for the panadol or other medications.

When I have a cold I always go for the good old Hot Honey and Lemon tea. If i'm really sick I will have some medication too but I try my best to just run on the tea to get me through and for the most part it works wonders. I manage to get through most colds with no damage and none of these cold and flu capsules etc. Even for headaches etc I try and get through without medication unless it is truly severe. I think I have only taken panadol once this year. The majority of the time most common illnesses can be cured just as well by rest and a cup of tea. I'm not a doctor so please don't use what I say as facts or anything like that. I'm just letting you know what works for me and I personally don't like using pharmaceuticals unless it is the last resort.

Since I was born I have always had really bad eczema. some washing powders set it off or some soaps but majority of the time it is just the weather changes. My eczema/psoriasis comes in the form of tiny blisters that form a cluster and are quite painful. I have spent years trying all sorts of medication, prescription creams and ointments but nothing has worked. Last month I had a bad bout of it again and somebody from work told me to head on down to the health store and buy a brand called MooGoo. I used this cream for two days and the itching was more manageable. Another two days later and my eczema was pretty much gone. I was amazed. MooGoo is made from more natural products and it has no hidden ingredients. They state absolutely everything on the back of the bottle which I love. I definitely recommend giving it a go if you have skin problems. The cream I used was the MooGoo Eczema and Psoriasis Cream but they also have everyday moisturisers, soothing creams and much more.

You can head to their website here if you are interested in learning more about their range of products:
http://www.moogoo.com.au/

My beauty products are slowly building to more natural as well. I have been using a new moisturiser called........wait for it! COCONUT OIL!! Oh my gosh this stuff kicks ass!! I use it on my hair to give it a glow, I use it as a daily moisturiser after getting out of the shower and I have a second jar in the kitchen that I use for cooking :D This stuff is da bomb! I did find a good tub of moisturiser at the supermarket called Little Bird - Organic Coconut Moisturising Butter and it is amazing!! I find it easier and nicer to put on my skin after a shower and the tub it comes in is nice and cute. Which means you can carry it around with you in your handbag. I take it everywhere with me.




Stay Happy and Healthy
Liane Xx

*some images are not mine and are found on google. I am not paid for any advertising and everything on my blog is written for my own hobby only*

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