October: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

It's been a while since I did one of these and I'm afraid the content is a little lean, but I do like looking back on these to get meal ideas and knowing that I'll be posting about these things helps motivate me.

Meals

1. I looked back on previous spring meals and I realised its been a while since I made the traditional new potatoes tossed in butter and oats with asparagus and fish in a dill sauce - perfect welcome to spring!

2. Not one of my meals, but I saw these fun Hallowe'en capsicums at the supermarket haha!

//Spring Meals

3. Omelette with mushrooms and spinach

4. Another spring classic, pan seared scallops with grapefruit and avocado salad 

Miles: 39.56 km (walking)

I've been making an effort this month to gently get more active and I've been trying to get in a walk most lunchtimes.  I'm actually surprised at my monthly distance because it never seems to be much at the time but it sure does add up.  This month I'm going to attempt a couple of runs :)

//Photos from my lunchtime walks

Books:

I finished 4 books this month and I've got 5 books to go to make my Goodreads reading challenge.  My favourite book was Beartown by Fredrik Backman.

//Images from Goodreads

1. Beartown by Fredrik Backman  2. Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente  3. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson  4. Lagom by Linnea Dunne

//Images from Goodreads

Looks:

I've got one look to share this month.  I was quite pleased with myself because I had actually made a bit of an effort and wore jewellery and heels!  And the sun was shining so I got to break out the short sleeves.

//Necklace and Heels!

February: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

Meals: 

I had some really nice meals this month and I wish I had taken a photo of Kane's most excellent vegetarian fish spaghetti and his new creation vege chow mein. Oh well I suppose he'll just to make them again so I can photograph :D

//February Meals//

1. Waffles: I love making making waffles in the waffle iron I got for Christmas!

2. Greek Salad: We've had lots of hot and humid days where salad has been the order of the day.

3. Minestrone Soup: This is a great dinner for getting more fluids in.

4. Grilled Veg Ciabatta and Salad: One of my favourite meals this summer. 

Kane and I set up a processing line and made a very large batch of vegetarian ham and mustard sandwiches to freeze and have for lunches.  This has saved us so much time!

//Vegetarian Ham and Mustard Sandwiches Batch for Freezer//

  I thought I'd jump on the coconut band wagon haha!

//Coconut Rum//

Miles: 7.9km

Running has been a bit pathetic for me this month and I only totalled 7.9km.  I really must try harder in March!

//Sunset//

Books:

I finished 2 books this month.  The first was Horrstor by Grady Hendrix.  This was my first horror novel and it was actually quite fun and not as scary as I was expecting.  I'm probably not going to be converted to a fan but I but wouldn't be against reading something like this again.

//Feb Reads//

A Killer Crop by Sheila Connolly is part of a series that I'm reading and it was nice to check back in with characters.  It is set during the late summer early autumn and has really put me in the mood for the changing of the leaves and low sunny evenings.  This book was only available from the library in large print so I felt like a very old lady reading it haha.

//Azzy and the large print//

Looks:

I bought a new Lapis Lazuli necklace from Etsy because it matched the logo on my business card.  I'm an IT contractor and I named my business Lazuli IT after my cat Lazuli.  Lazuli is Azzys uncle.

//Lapis Lazuli Necklace//

I finished the bandana cowl I was working on and it's turned out great.  I'm just not sure that it will ever be cold enough in Auckland for me to wear it!

//Who wore it best//

And I bought the Gilmore Girls on DVD so I'm all set for a rewatching over Autumn and Winter :)

//Gilmore Girls DVDs//

Happy March!  What was the best meals and books for you in February?

January: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

// January Meals //

Meals:

I made some super simple but healthy summer meals over January.  It always seems that little bit easier to eat well when so many tasty vegetables are in season!

1. Tomato and Courgette bake: It's basically layers of sliced tomato and courgette covered with breadcrumbs and a sprinkling of cheese and popped in the oven.

2.  Bruschetta: Any tasty bread toasted (I've been really into Freyas low carb 5 seed loaf) topped with a mix of diced tomato, garlic, basil and olive oil.

3. Vegetable Fajita with Guacamole: Capsicum, onion, portobello mushroom, courgette and carrot all sautéd with a fajita or taco spice mix.  The guacamole is avocado, onion, tomato and garlic mashed with a little lemon juice.  Served with heated tortilla.

4.  Chickpea Curry with Rice: After soaking the chickpeas overnight, I put them in the pressure cooker with a tin of tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic and garam masala power for 20 minutes.  I stirred in some baby spinach just before serving.

Miles: 6.92km

I failed at my only goal not to get injured :(  I had just finished warming up and was taking my first few strides on the treadmill when my calf muscle gave out on me.  So I have been using the rowing machine at the gym and dutifully stretching my legs and glutes and slowly building up some strength in my glutes and calves.  I've now managed two little jogs on the treadmill and it felt so good to be running and pain free!  So my plan is to keep going with the stretch, strength and cross training with some easy running over February.

// Trying to make friends with the "erg" //

Books:

Reading got off to a good start this year and I read 3 books this month.  Ok, one was a short poem and another a book of poems but thy still count towards my annual reading goal!

1. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams.  I love Douglas Adams' style of writing, it's fun!  The book is fun and quirky and just what I hoped for.

2. Kubla Khan - Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  This poem and its author was mentioned in the Dirk Gently book so I wanted to read it to get more insight.

3. The Transient - Josephine M Woods.  This was suggested to me and I thought I'd give it a read.  Some parts felt too religious for me, but overall I liked the imagery of the nature around that part of England.

Looks:

I bought a new necklace that is a round lapis lazuli.  Lazuli IT is the name of my contracting business (named after my cat, who came with his name) and this necklace matched my logo perfectly!

In other slices of life, we are stripping off all the wall paper in preparation for decorating.

I'm making a big effort in decluttering ALL THE THINGS! I am a bit of a hoarder of jars and I reduced two packed full shelves down to this:

// I can't go cold turkey //

My new power tool, these alligator loppers, are just awesome and make cutting small trees and branches so easy.  The garden is finally getting a much needed tidy up!

If you've got any good tips or exercises for strengthening glutes and legs to stop me getting injured while running then I'd love to hear them in the comments!

April: Meals. Miles, Books and Looks

Looking back through my photos for April, I can't believe the Pumpkin Carnival was at the start of the month as it feels like it was such a long time ago now.  We also celebrated a friends 60th birthday, helped with the running of our big Lions Club fundraiser, attended a city bike ride workshop (in the rain!) and finished up the month with a great day of running and yoga at Wanderlust 108.

Meals

Meals took a bit of a nose dive this month and there were a little too many purchased meals and take outs.  There were a few home cooked meals in there though and here are some of them:



// Meals

1) Vegan pancakes with slices plum, cooked sliced apple, and maple syrup.
2) Vegan lentil and barley stew - I made a big batch and froze the leftovers.
3) This is supposed to be enchiladas.  I wrapped vege chilli in tortillas and covered with enchilada sauce and smoked cheese - it was really tasty anyway :)
4) Smoked fish pie with parsnip, carrot and kumara.

// Ginger loaf and pumpkin muffin mix

For the Lions Club fundraiser I made the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins again and I also made a banana loaf with some of the bananas I had frozen.  Both Kane and I love home baking so to soften the blow of giving all these tasty treats away, I made our favourite ginger loaf.  It's very much like the McVities Jamaica Ginger Loaf that is popular back in the old country.

Miles: 22.6km

Running has felt a little uninspired this month and most of my runs have been about 4km and half-hearted.  I'm feeling the motivation creeping back in though and I'm looking forward to a nice morning run tomorrow.

I went to 2 yoga classes and I've started doing sun salutations in the mornings.  I also did 6 strength training sessions and I really noticed the difference in my yoga.

Books

I read two books this month as well the non-fiction book The Truth About Style by Stacy London.

I finished Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell at the start of the month and I really loved this book, and it got me interested in the music that it references.  I found a couple of Spotify playlists and I made one of my own from these.

Towards the end of the month I finished Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  The story itself is fine and it was a quick read but I found myself thinking about some of the ideas it brings up, especially the unplugged back to nature versus high tech urban life, long after the book was finished.


// Images from Good Reads

Looks

I have one "look" and the rest are life snapshots :)  My look are these red pants I got from Esprit last month! I am getting braver :)

Life looks are: Kane and I at the start of the 5k at Wanderlust 108 - that was such a good day; Me playing in the crunchy leaves I swept up on the driveway; Kane and I looking a bit soggy after biking in the rain during the city ride workshop - quick drying pants and a rain coat might have been better than jeans and a hoodie though!

// Life

March: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

I've really felt the change of season this month.  It's become noticeably cooler in the evenings and the clocks go back an hour this coming Sunday.  Motivation has waxed and waned and some days I'm running racing and eating sensibly while on others I barely leave the sofa and eat too many creme eggs.  The hot chocolate cravings and desire to hibernate are there already but it's far too early for all that!

Meals:

I finally bought the Le Creuset mini cocottes that I've been coveting for years and made and served lots of food in them this month.

I had my first attempt at making toad in the hole but as I was in the process of making it, I realised that I used the eggs that I thought I had so I used the egg replacer I had in the cupboard.  It was edible, but perhaps a bit drier than it would have been otherwise.

1) boiled egg & soldiers, 2) carrots & mixed peas and corn
3) toad in the hole, 4) macaroni cheese & broccoli

I upgraded my spice rack with some garam masala and cumin to make a kumara and chickpea curry as my last attempt using generic curry powder was too bland.  I'm pleased to say that the new spices really bolstered the flavour.

And as I mentioned in my Pi day post, I did make chowder out of the left over vegetables.  I blended half of the vegetable mix and added shrimps and some salt and pepper.  It made a really tasty, hearty soup that I'll definitely make again.

1) chickpea and kumara curry, 2) baked potato & shrimps,
3) mojito lime marinaded tuna and vegetables, 4) shrimp chowder 

Miles: 29.4km

A painfully low amount of kilometres this month.  I ran 2 races this month, which I did well in but other than that it's been a difficult month for motivation.  I've also done 4 strength sessions and 1 single yoga class.  Oh dear :(

Books:

I read 3 books this month to keep me on target to read 24 books by the end of the year.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn, was an amusing read.  I heard about this book over on Lisa's blog and it lived up to expectation.

A Deadly Yarn by Maggie Sefton is the third book in this series that's become a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.  Books that include recipes and knitting patterns? Sign me up!

All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka is a short read that the film Edge of Tomorrow is based on.  I enjoyed the movie and I really liked this book.  It's a bit different from the movie so it didn't ruin it for me having seen the movie first.

Looks:

I finally got my jeans hemmed and I bought some new shoes and red pants that I've not worn yet but hopefully that means I'll have some new looks for next month.  This month however I've only got my silly outfit I wore for a St Patrick's day dinner and a head band that I knitted.

//St Patricks Dinner

//Knitted Headband

I love this pattern and its available for free on Ravelry.  I'm not the fastest knitter but it took less than 2 hours to have a finished wearable product.

February: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

I'm so glad that I set a goal at the start of the year to find some balance between activity and rest because by the time these end of the month recaps come around I'm feeling really good about the things I've achieved without freaking out at time moving too fast, which was an all to frequent feeling last year.

I was treated to a beautiful city morning on Friday I couldn't resist sharing.

// Auckland

Meals:

Most of our clubs and classes have started back this month and we've been trying to settle back into a meal routine when we're more restricted on time.  I've been reading lots of cook books this month to get ideas and inspiration for fast and slow cooking.

// February Meals

1) Tofu triangles in a red thai curry sauce with rice

2) Lentil and potato curry with rice

3) Baguette pizza with rocket

4) Sweet corn egg flower soup 

Miles: 47km

20 km less than last month oops!  I've had 2 really good 10k races this month but my confidence in training and running a half marathon is wavering somewhat.  I'm still working with my online running coach but our focus lately is on a very hilly 8k that's coming up next month.  Perhaps I should just focus on the race in front of me and worry about the half marathon later :) 

I've also been working with a personal trainer twice a week during February and I've been seeing some strength gains.  My trainer is away for the next month though so I'm on my own again, she's left me a program and I just need to be disciplined enough to do it!

Books:

I finished Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan and I really enjoyed it.  It's a science fiction detective noir style story.  There's sex and violence and action.  I heard it's being made into a TV show and I think it would make a good one - I'd watch it.

// Image from Goodreads

I've also been reading lots of cook books for slow cookers and for pressure cookers.  I made a lentil and potato curry in 10 minutes in the pressure cooker (5 minutes to cook, 5 minutes to depressurise).  This is perfect for when we come home after ice skating and want something ready quickly.  It also makes leftovers that can be frozen for other quick meals on the go.  I haven't tried slow cooked porridge yet but I love the idea of waking up to ready cooked breakfast.

// Cook books

Looks:

The first photo is from the Hawaiian themed night at my Lions Club and the second is from Kane's Citizenship Ceremony.  Both dresses are starting to get a little loose on me now.  I'm pleased to be losing a little weight, but also sad that my favourite clothes are getting baggy.  I can't wear two of my favourite work pants anymore for fear of them falling down.

// Looks

Of course these bright pink tights I bought this month are in no danger of falling down.  I've worn them 3 times now.  I'm definitely feeling a bit braver with the bright pants in public!

 

 



 

January: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

I'm so used to starting these monthly recaps with how quickly time passes that I'm quite surprised with how much time felt like it was standing still this month.  New Year seems like such a life time ago and I can't even remember what I did over that weekend now - was that when I decorated my home office?

Meals

Well I'm glad I took some food photos to share here.  I made vege lasagne which I haven't made for a very long time and I remember why - it's such a long process!  I also had a go at making aubergine parmesan which I hadn't made before and there seems to be so many variations on this theme I went with basic aubergine layered with tinned tomatoes and parmesan with parmesan and breadcrumbs on top.  I used a whole mango for the mango salsa and it made such a large amount we've had it twice and there's still heaps left.

Top Row
1. Salmon in dill sauce with potatoes and carrots
2. Vege lasagne
3. Aubergine parmesan

Bottom Row
1. Prawn taco with corn on the cob
2. Bean chili and rice
3. Salmon on spinach with mango salsa

Miles: 68.8km

I've been running with a group most Tuesday mornings and I have a good Friday routine and this Sunday we decided to try out a different route which has the potential to expand into longer distances.

I did one race this month which was a 5k - Albany Lakes Series Race 1 and did well for me.

Also, this month, I've had my first 2 sessions with a personal trainer who I've hired to help me get stronger.  I was pleased to find that I had good stability which I attribute to hot yoga, but as I already knew, my core and glutes are weak and I need those to be stronger to make my running better.

Books

I read Death of a Christmas Caterer by Lee Hollis over the Christmas and New Year period.  I'm a bit of a sucker for these kind of cosy mysteries - the ones that have recipes, knitting patterns, snow globe making instructions and such like.  This one had lots of winter and Christmas recipes and cocktail recipes.  There was at least one slow cooker recipe that prompted me to get three slow cooker recipe books out from the library!

The story itself was a straight forward murder mystery with plenty of plausible suspects and the lead character was likeable.  The worst part of the book was a scene of office sexual harassment that the author failed to take this seriously and it wasn't necessary to the story so I don't know why it was written in.

//Image from Goodreads

The second book I read was The Method by Juli Zeh.  I read this for the February SciFi book club meeting.  This is translated from the original German and it's a dystopian novel likened to 1984 and  Brave New World.

I thought it was ok.  I liked the stories premise and the ideas, it was thought provoking, however it didn't feel gripping or entertaining enough.  I think this could be made into a really good movie though.

//Image from Goodreads

Looks

My looks for you this month is a simple photo collage of life this month.

We've been trying to make sure we get our 10,000 steps every day and because its been so hot during the day, we take an evening stroll to get those last few steps.  One of my favourite views is of the sea from the street at the top of my street.


I took the photo of me to brag to my sister about our lovely summer weather after she sent me a picture of her in the snow, but I didn't send it in the end.  It was like a sauna outside that day - humidity is nothing to brag about.

 

I love spending time in my home office now its mostly finished.  I still have to paint my desk but I'd have to move the cat first.  I love having furry company, I should have got more chairs.

Lazuli doesn't normally rest his head on the coffee table but he does get into some uncomfortable looking positions sometimes, however last night he look so comfy curled up at the base of my pillow as I went to bed, I had to sleep in the middle of the bed and put up with him kicking me in the back as he stretched out more and more.  I am such a pushover for these cats!

December: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

Meals 

In November I read Rosemary Conley's Amazing Inch Loss Plan and I started to follow the principles outlined in the book, which is a low saturated fat calorie controlled diet combined with daily activity.  I haven't followed the specific exercise plan and some of the menus use products not available to me but the idea is clear and simple to follow so I haven't found it difficult to adapt for me.  Since I've been using MyFitnessPal for calorie counting I thought I'd share with you the calorie count of each of these meals.

1. Calamari, chips and salad (480 calories)
2. Hot dogs and Heineken Light (633 calories)
3. Tuna niçoise salad (280 calories)
4. Cajun trevally, asparagus, courgettes and roast capsicum (222 calories)

 

1. Quorn bacon, lettuce and tomato with mayo on a baguette (472 calories)
2. Egg fried rice (484 calories)
3. Boiled egg and toast (154 calories)

1. Calamri, kumara chips and salad (440 calories)
2. Orkney oatcakes, cream cheese and smoked salmon (353 calories)
3. Quorn swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam, cream gravy, potatoes and cabbage (433 calories)
4. Cajun snapper, grilled asparagus, tomatoes and courgette (143 calories)

1. Quorn turkey steak with vegetables and cranberry sauce (419 calories)
2. Sardine tacos with mango salsa and cabbage (259 calories)
3.Starbucks panettone latte (about 240 calories)
4. Rum stollen (half of this is about 398 calories)

I didn't follow the plan at all on Christmas day but I still kept a count of what I ate.  I can see why the diet gurus tell you to keep a food diary because it really does help keep you aware of what and how much you're eating.

1. Christmas breakfast of mini bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon (262 calories)

2. Christmas dinner starter of prawn cocktail (159 calories)

3. Main course of Quorn turkey steaks with roast potatoes, maple glazed roast carrots, beans and cranberry sauce and gravy (781 calories)

4. Traditional dessert of Christmas pudding à la Mode (475 calories)

1. Sparkling sauvignon blanc with iced cranberry juice hearts (128 calories)
2. Ritter sport assortment
3. Orkney fudge (gift from Kanes parents)
4. I didn't eat this!  This is my cats special Christmas food - they loved it!

Miles: 49.7 km

I'm really starting to build good running habits which is just as well because I've signed up for a 5k in January, 2 x 10ks in February and an 8k in March.  I've been running once a week with a beginners morning group that my coach has organised as well as following the plan he's given me.  Yoga is going great and I can see some improvement, eventually I'd like to add in some other strength training but right now I really feel it the day after yoga so I know I'm getting a good workout there.

Books

December has been a weak reading month for me.  I've started reading my Christmas mystery and I have a small pile of library books that I feel many of them will be getting returned unread!

I'm gearing up for a new Goodreads challenge though.  Last year I challenged myself to read 12 books since I've been out of the habit of reading for a very long time, this year I'm going for 24.

Looks

I love where I live but it could be infinitely better if there was an IKEA and a GAP!  And maybe a Costco.  We got a Top Shop earlier this year, we're getting an H&Ms in 2016 and Ben & Jerry's has just opened a store so we're not totally deprived .. but I digress.  For the past couple of years we have bought GAP stuff from the US in their black Friday sales and had them shipped to us.  I was so happy to get these plaid pyjama pants in time for Christmas, I teamed the red pair with a black T shirt with Santa on it for my Christmas morning, present opening attire.  The white ones I saved for New Years day.

The jeans, thick socks and leather gloves will have to wait until summer is over before I can wear them!

Happy New Year!  Have you tried calorie counting before?  What store would you find it hard to live without?