OSD
Lewis reunion in Caba…
August was huge…. 11 family members converged on Caba for a beach getaway and a bit of a Lewis reunion. It’d been a long time since we’d all been together. At least four years for some of us… Catching up is now made harder by the decision for the four of us sisters to live in four separate states. Our parents love us!!!
Seeing my sister for the first time since she’d had not one, but two gorgeous little boys was pretty amazing. The best thing though was that picking them up from the airport after their mission from Gracetown in WA was just like picking up a best friend who I get to see everyday. Our friendship remains the same even through all the distance and time apart. And that’s the way it is for our whole family. We got to enjoy a family holiday with our Mum and Dad and our Janny (step mum) all at the same time which is pretty special in any family. I adore being one of four sisters. Three built in best friends who I know are always there for me regardless of what’s going on in their lives.
xx
Banana ice cream with salted maple almonds….
Not really the weather for it but I couldn’t resist trying out this ice-cream recipe. How could I resist the smooth soft-serve-like texture of this banana ice cream topped with crunchy salted maple almonds… Ridiculously delish!
Ingredients
4 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced in to rounds
1/4 cup roasted almonds, finely chopped – Mine weren’t roasted, but just as delish!
2 tablespoons plus 2 tsp maple syrup, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Place banana slices in a single layer on a plate, freeze for at least 3 hours. In a bowl, combine almonds, 2 tsp syrup and salt. In a food processor, pulse frozen banana slices, milk, vanilla and remaining 2 tbsp syrup, scraping down the sides as necessary, until mixture is the texture of soft-serve ice cream. Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with almond mixture.
Left overs were put into ice block moulds to be enjoyed at a later date.
xx
MMA…
A few weeks ago I was reading an article on MMA – Mixed Martial Arts in Womens Fitness mag and thought it sounded like a pretty cool work out. Lots of talk of strong cores, lean legs and a ‘perky backside’. What more could you ask for? So I googled MMA and found the Tweed College of Martial Arts. And perfectly enough they run free week trials where you can go and try any class you like. Whether it’s a morning MMA class, an afternoon Gracie Jiu Jitsu class or an evening Thai Kickboxing class. Totally kid friendly with tables and seats for older kids to sit and watch or a play pen for the extra little ones. They also run kids after school classes in both Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Thai Boxing.
So, I gave them a call and spoke to the most welcoming and amazing lady on the phone, who was just as welcoming when I rocked up the next day feeling like a total fish out of water….. But, I was introduced to an amazingly friendly group of people who were all super encouraging and love seeing new people come along and give it a go. After some initial warm ups of shuttle runs and push ups I was partnered with a super experienced black belt who was able to take me through all the moves and correct my techniques when I needed it. I’ve had a bit of experience with boxing which I was able to draw on but everything else was pretty new. And pretty awesome! Definitely felt like I had a good work out and my shoulders definitely knew it the next day….
So if you’re after a shake up to your normal work out routine definitely give this a go!
Click here for timetable
xx
Coconut rough slice with a hit of protein…
This is a fail safe, ridiculously easy and super cheap lunch box treat. Perfect with a banana and afternoon cup of chamomile tea!
Coconut rough slice recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups desiccated coconut
- 1 heaped tablespoon cacao
- 10 Medjool dates, seeds removed or 20 Standard dates soaked in hot water, seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream
- I also add a scoop of chocolate protein powder for an extra hit
Instructions
Place all of the ingredients into your blender or food processor. Blend until well combined. Press the mixture into a loaf tin lined with baking paper, place the mixture into the freezer to set, slice and enjoy!
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Found on Eat Drink Paleo
xx
Anyone for Brisbane Stampede 2015…?
Kicking back one sunny Sunday afternoon and I stumbled across the ‘What’s on’ section in this months Womens Fitness mag…. Brisbane Stampede!!! Only two weeks out. Hmmm didn’t really hold out much hope that this was this going to work. But thought I’d check it out anyway…. Tickets still available…. check! Husband home… check! In Brisbane that weekend already… check! Available babysitters check! check! check!!! You have no idea how little things like this work with a husband who does fifo!
But it did and it was awesome! It was a dry, clear somewhat crisp day. Neither of us had done an obstacle course before so only had the youtube vids to go from. We had cargo nets, ice baths, electric shocks, floating river crossings, giant water slides, tire walls and so much more. Each obstacle had us weaving up and down the gorgeous but often ridiculously steep hills of Woodford whilst covered head to toe in mud and sludge.
I wasn’t 100% healthwise but still thought it was a pretty cool adventure. Made even better because I got to do every step with my man by my side!!
Will definitely do again next year!
Early bird tickets are already on sale…
- $45 for THE STAMPEDE 5km run
- $65 for THE STAMPEDE 10km run
- $30 for The Junior STAMPEDE
Mt Warning…
When I first knew I was moving to a small town I was a little nervous. What if it was really clicky and hard to make friends…? Yet within a few weeks of moving here I enrolled Jack in surfing lessons. And who did I meet on that first morning…? My beloved Natalie, who in a short space of time has become an amazingly dear friend.
She puts up with my incessant movement and ideas and pretty much puts her hand up for each and every adventure I throw at her. And today was no different.
So with the sun shining and all our children in school or day care we set off for Mt Warning. Wow! It was absolutely spectacular and we could not have chosen a better day! It was a gorgeous walk/climb full of lush rain forrest, moss, rocks, birds and peace. And then of course there was the view after the last scramble to the top. Breathtaking to say the least.
We timed it perfectly and by lunch time were happily ensconced at Mavis’s Kitchen tucking in to mouthwatering roast lamb and salad. It goes down in history as one of the best Friday adventures ever!!
xx
Beetroot and Watermelon pick me ups…
The perfect pick me up on a sunny Thursday afternoon…Beetroot and Watermelon Juice.
We (embarrassingly) got caught watching TVSN Shopping channel a few months ago and bought ourselves a ‘we just moved to a beach side town and want to be healthy’ present and invested in cold pressed juicer.
It’s been awesome and I’ve come across some delish recipes….
Power Gulp
Kale, green grapes, cucumber, granny smith apple
Total Health Booster
Apples, pears, cherries
Antioxidant Supreme
Blueberries, strawberries, mango
Energy Upper
Lychees in syrup, peaches, coconut water
Immune Booster
Grapefruit, oranges, kiwis
Post – Workout Refueler
Oranges, almonds, sweet potato, apple
Detox
Ginger, beetroot, carrots, apple
xx
love delicious days 