Oh my! Today was a glorious day. Day two of my thirty day challenge was just B-E-A-utiful!!!
It was a gorgeous 25 degrees in Adelaide and the sun was shining brightly. I managed to get outside and enjoy the garden. My husband and I got out in the front yard and got some much needed weeding done and then I enjoyed some sunshine in the back yard with a yummy glass of apple juice and my crossword book. It was so cute watching our two cats playing around and chasing little bugs.

Spring is my second favourite season (Autumn is my favourite) minus the crazy magpies that feel the need to attack when you are taking a stroll or riding a bike. But I absolutely adore all the gorgeous flowers that are blossoming at the moment. They always make me smile.

I did find some of my favourite clothes from our Bali holiday last year which always makes me comfortable and always give me the feeling of freedom and relaxation. A perfect addition to my relaxing day. 


Now on to the food of the day! Which I know you are all keen to see. Day two's food was just as exciting as day one and as always was easy peasy to put together.

Breakfast:  
I woke up and made a yummy batch of oats with almond milk and cinnamon. Topped with fresh blueberries and chopped banana. It is that simple. It takes me about 5 - 10 minutes.
I used to eat the quick oat sachets for quick morning go-to (pre packaged crap) but since starting this challenge I have really been reading ingredient labels and one of the ingredients I didn't know very well on the label was Maltodextrin. I decided to do some research on this ingredient because I have seen the name an awful lot on products I buy.
I found this article really interesting. If you don't know a lot about Maltodextrin, have a read. I will certainly be looking out for it more now. Making my own oats, using organic oats is so much healthier and so quick it's worth it.

Mid Morning Snack:
Most of you would have seen this in my other blog posts but I always buy half a watermelon, rockmelon, papaya or whole pineapples and chop them up the day I bring them home ready to eat for the week. Today I snacked on a big bowl of watermelon! Yum!

Lunch: 
Ahhhh today's dish of the day!
I was super impressed with my lunch today. I had some hokkien noodles and just boiled them until soft. I chopped up some spring onions and some seaweed sheets (something I learned from The Edgy Veg on Youtube - check out her vlogs! AMAZING) and then I whipped up a quick noodle sauce which consisted of:
- Chilli Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Honey
- Salt & Pepper
- Soy Sauce
I would like to try and make my own chilli sauce because the one we had in the fridge has way too much sugar in it and I think I could reinvent it with a little experimenting for a healthier version.
Anyway the dish was SO yum and we topped it with an egg and some fried onions. Delish. It took just as much time as making the packet migoreng noodles but there was no extra nasties.
 

After School Snack: More chopped up fruit from the fridge

Dinner: Ok guys. Here I have to tell you my horrible secret which I feel really bad about.
We got caught up in an op shopping adventure that went for a 'little' bit longer than we planned. So we then realised that the homemade pizza bases we were going to cook wouldn't be ready on time for the kids soooooo on the way home we picked up pizzas from a little local pizza shop.

Day two and I already stuffed up! But it's okay. I learned from the mistake because I no longer felt good afterwards. My body didn't like it all! This is progress as I think my body is really telling me what it needs and I won't bully myself about it any longer. Things happen and at least I am learning.

Today I learned that if my body wants to feel it's best I need to fuel it with more delicious whole clean foods. Bring on a new day and another chance to succeed. Hopefully by the end of my challenge I will have gained more lessons and be better equipped to live a clean lifestyle.

Stay Happy & Healthy
Liane Xx 
 

This morning I woke up with a brand new outlook on life. My new 30 day challenge is just one of the things I am working on in my journey to wellness. I am also researching into the whole minimalism way of living. I can see so many great things coming up for the future. Make sure you all stay tuned on the blog as there is so much more to come.

With minimalism I am currently decluttering my house. I basically do this every spring so it's nothing out of the ordinary except that this time I am REALLY decluttering. I don't want all this stuff anymore, it's crazy. I hate that it has taken me so long to work out that I don't need 'stuff'.

Anyway more on that later.......I am sure I will have lots of blog posts on minimalism very soon!

Today was my first day on my 30 day challenge. If you haven't read about my challenge you can have a read here. I have got the husband and kids on board as well but they are still eating bits and pieces here and there like 2 minute noodles, because my teenage son was apparently starving and my husband still has chocolate from Fathers Day to get through. Apart from that we have been doing pretty good so far.

I am feeling pretty good today. Refreshed and ready to take on the challenge and there have been no obstacles to battle so far. Only one day in but fingers crossed.

I have got this.......right??


 Thank you!

Inspirational quotes....you've gotta love them. I know I do.

So to get the family started I treated them to homemade bacon and egg muffins. I used wholemeal english muffins and they were a big hit. There was no cheese involved but nobody noticed.......phew!
I am still trying to stay away from meat so I didn't have bacon in my muffin. I substituted my bacon for spinach and tomato.

YUM!

Mid morning snack was a coffee. I am trying no soy products for the 30 days and I usually have soy in my coffee so I substituted that for almond milk. So far so good. I'm quite enjoying it and the almond milk I am buying is the organic kind. Remember less ingredients the better. I would love to make my own but at the moment I don't have the time. Baby steps peeps!

Lunch was just an easy salad sandwich. Wholemeal bread, lettuce, spinach, tomato, carrot, beetroot and cucumber.The kids had the same packed up for school with a fruit salad and yoghurt.
I am still big on the anti dairy thing and I have completely cut it out of my diet. However......my kids are not so keen on the dairy free alternatives yet and so they still consume it occasionally. They are old enough to make their own choices and i'm cool with that. My daughter is pretty good with anything you give her but my son's palate is a little hard to get through.

For dinner I experimented with some pasta and vegies. Experimenting with foods is so much fun and you can come up with some gorgeous flavours. There have been times where I have got flavours completely wrong but it's all about having fun and getting creative.

I got some vege coloured pasta the other day so I cooked up some of that and drained it. Then I fried up some onion added some mushrooms and diced tomatoes and stirred it all through to heat up. Following up with some halved cherry tomatoes that I had in the fridge.


With most foods it's all about the sauce or dressing. This can make a dish happen!
I grabbed a small bowl and whisked together some balsamic and maple vinegar that my husband purchased at a local market. You could just add some balsamic and a little bit of honey or maple. Two garlic cloves were then crushed in, some lemon juice, olive oil salt and pepper.

I threw the pasta in with my vegies and poured the dressing over the top.

That's it folks!


A delicious meal and if you have leftovers you can throw it in a tub for tomorrows lunch! Easy peasy.
I'm looking forward to what happens tomorrow.

Stay Happy & Healthy
Liane Xx

The last six months of my life have been a crazy ride. I have been vegan and mostly loving it but there have been parts of me that still have questions. I have never felt better since adopting the vegan lifestyle. I feel like I have a bit more energy, I no longer get mega migraines and in general I feel better. However half of the time I haven't been fully vegan because as I have mentioned previously I still eat eggs every now and then and I also eat honey.

Why?? because I believe that honey has so many health benefits and eggs are a great source of protein. Do I feel bad for eating them? Yes! because I feel pressured to keep up with the vegan values, because I want to care about the animals and also care about my body. Over the past week I have been thinking about 'labels'.

Before going vegan I had been through lots of different labelled 'diets'. I tried Paleo which also made me feel pretty good. I tried vegetarian, raw til 4 and then I have tried mini weekly meal plans from celebrities like Michelle Bridges.

I'm not looking at losing weight. That is the last thing on my mind. I'm a slim person and I am quite happy with the way I look. So why all these diets you ask?

I want to be healthy. I want to be natural and fit. I want my body to be rid of stupid chemicals that we are always putting into our bodies and I don't want the processed crap. I want real food. So far being vegan has provided me with the best of that and the Paleo way has given me knowledge and a basis for this train of thought. I just hate all the rules. I want to be able to go out and not be judged because what I am eating has some egg in it or the chocolate I ate the other day 'may contain milk products'. I want to not feel absolutely shit when the vegetarian roll I ate the other day actually had some feta in it.


Since trying all of these diets and fads I have realised how frustrating it is to cut out foods. But also how amazing my health has been since cutting out things like dairy and meat. So for the next 30 days I am starting my own challenge for myself. My challenge is to cut out foods that I have learned from experience are not good for me. As far as meat is concerned I am still trying my very best to stick to vegetarian. After my 30 days I will revisit my vegan diet and still if I still want to pursue that course. I will be eating fish for the 30 days but I will mostly stay away from meats. But my family will still be eating meat so I won't be punishing myself if I eat the odd meat with a meal however I will be avoiding it as much as possible. Please remember that this is a way for me to learn about nutrition and my body so I am trying everything on my journey.


For the next 30 days I will basically have:

- NO processed foods. 
I will be trying my hardest to stay away from packets and things that have more than 3 or 4 ingredients on the label. Ingredients I haven't heard of especially.
- NO dairy products. I don't like the dairy industry and from being vegan I have learned that my body does not approve either. This is one of the biggest things that has turned my health around so I will continue with it for my 30 day challenge.
- NO white grains/breads/potatoes.
Instead of white rice I will be choosing brown or wild rice. For breads I will limit my intake and if I am having bread with a meal it will only be wholegrain choices. Same for pastas and potatoes I will be eating sweet potatoes.
- NO store bought snack.
One of my biggest downfalls is munching on salty chips, sugar filled lollies and chocolates. For the next 30 days I will make my own snacks from home.
- Very Limited meats.

That is basically how my food intake will look for the next 30 days and I will of course be blogging daily for the next 30 days so you can all see how I am feeling each day and also the kinds of foods I eat. I will be sharing some recipes as well.
Throughout the next 30 days I will also be doing a lot of reading and research on nutrition and I am also considering doing some courses to better assist in my journey to complete health, happiness and wellbeing!!!


Stay Happy & Healthy
Liane Xx

When I write my blog posts I am usually always talking about all of the foods that I love or delicious recipes that I have made. However as much as I love foods and sharing such positive posts with you all, behind the scenes there are many foods that I don't like.

I experiment with foods all the time and I am always up for trying something different and there are some flavours that my tastebuds just can't handle. I'm sure that you get this all the time as well and I find it so interesting hearing what other people can't stand. Especially when you love something so much and then somebody turns around and tells you that they find it disgusting.

A lot of people ask me where I get the inspiration to cook. I cook a lot because I love it and I love trying new things and experimenting but I do get a lot of my ideas from various sources. I wasn't always obsessed with food, in fact when I moved out of home at 18, I had zero idea on how to cook anything. My mother was a busy mum of 6 kids so our meals were always spaghetti bolognese with tinned pasta sauce or frozen foods so I didn't get a lot of cooking skills and I wasn't really that interested in learning anything. One thing I did learn to cook from my mother was a decent roast dinner but that was because it was one of my favourite dishes and I wasn't going to survive living on my own and not having roast dinner.

When I met my husband 8 years ago I decided that it was time to start cooking proper meals. I learned a few basics from him like how to perfect a steak and how to boil and poach eggs. We spent quite a lot of our time in the kitchen preparing meals together and I loved it so much that it became a thing. I started buying recipe books and watching Jamie Oliver on TV and we even started watching Masterchef together.

As the years went on I got more and more involved in food to the point where I started my own baking business which I ran from home and sold at local markets. Life got in the way with my business venture and I put it on hold but still loved being in the kitchen and learning new techniques. I recently started up again with my baking business but I don't put so much pressure on myself so that I can actually enjoy it this time without getting worked up about it all.

I started buying more and more recipe books and watching more and more tv shows and food eventually became an obsession. I was getting out to local markets and fell in love with trying new things and the atmosphere that food can create.I attend lots of foodie inspired events in Adelaide as well which keep me inspired.

The more I taught myself about food the more I got into the health benefits of certain foods. My husband was quite into fitness and cycling as well so I was always listening to him talk about vegan diets and paleo diets etc. It wasn't long before I started to become really interested in Youtubers like Niomi Smart, Naturally Stefanie, The Edgy Veg, Bonny Rebecca and so many more. These youtubers really introduced me to so many new ingredients to cook with and all about vegan foods.

Documentaries like Cowspiracy, Supersize Me, Earthlings and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead really opened up my eyes to what I am putting in my mouth and taught me a lot about sustainability. For myself it has always been about a willingness to learn about saving the planet and also the enjoyment and socialness that food can create around you.Becoming healthy means an awful lot to me and I can see a lot more food creations and learning in my future. I would really love to do some nutrition courses and learning as much as I can so that I can teach others about the benefits of healthy eating. This is why I started this blog. This year I would really love to start my own veggie garden as well when the weather gets a bit nicer.

I never imagined that I would be so interested in something, especially cooking but the more I learn the more involved I get. I dream about food most days and I am so glad that I found a passion in food, a passion in something that not only brings joy to me but also joy to those around me.

If you ever find something that you are really passionate about, never let anything stop you from going for it. It is so worth it. You don't have to make money to be doing what you love. That is the biggest thing I have learned. Cooking and blogging are my hobbies and they make everyday of my life worth waking up for. Get inspiration from anywhere you can and just DO IT!!

Stay Happy & Healthy
Liane Xx 








 

Today I thought I would share something a little different with you because today was actually a public holiday here and I actually had the day off with no errands etc to run and the kids were away so it was half a day to myself and the other half with my Husband. I know this doesn't sound that exciting but it is very rare that we both have the same day off so it is pretty exciting to me.