Tuesday 28 January 2014

4/52



First tooth today.

Thursday 23 January 2014

Tomato Harvest



Had a bit of a harvest in the garden yesterday evening . We preserved these little babes as a zesty salsa.
Hope you guys are enjoying this beautiful weather !
x

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Sunday Pancakes



Chris & I have always been pretty into going out for breakfast. I like to think it's because we are in the hospitality industry, but it's really just because we are lazy and like to let other people cook for us. Since we are in our no spending year, we've had to step up our game a little bit. A few weeks back I  threw together this basic pancake recipe, & I kind of think I nailed it.
They are definitely the fluffy kind, not the thin crepey little suckers that Chris is into, but I thought they were good enough to share. 
So good that I almost wanted to share the recipe without a photo, because we ate them so quickly I didn't have a chance to take a good photo, hence, the worst food photography in the world. 
Is that the back of my couch behind them ? Yes.
Are they already partially eaten ? Yes they are.

The good thing about this recipe, is it's basically already vegan. I used a bit of butter & an egg in mine, but I've listed the super easy alternatives. I also used wholemeal flour because it's what I had on hand, but any other gluten free option would work great. Oh and they are refined sugar free ! Basically, they ain't nothin' ta fuck with.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda or baking powder
salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon 
1 Tbsp nutmeg

2 Tbsp honey
I can coconut milk or cream
2 Tbsp melted butter/coconut oil
one egg/1-2 Tbsp mashed banana
vanilla extract

As for method, the trick is to melt down the honey & butter, & combine with all the other wets.
Sieve & combine all dries in a bowl, make a well and slowly add the wet mix using a fork, mixing until basically just together. Don't worry too much about small lumps, you really just don't want to overmix it.
Cook on a low heat using a little butter or coconut oil, and try not to go to big, they are quite soft & they can get tricky to handle if they are too large.
I served ours with a berry & honey compote, coconut cream & toasted coconut.
Yay !

H x



Monday 20 January 2014

Sunday 19 January 2014

Thursday 9 January 2014

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Strawberry picking




Now that Chris & I are in our year without spending (more on that later), we're having to come up with some pretty cheap ways to spend our time. By cheap I basically mean free.
You have to pay for the strawberries that go into your bucket, but I feel like I got a bargain seeing as I ate my weight in the little suckers while I was out in the fields.
Now all I have to do is grow some balls and learn to make jam.
x

Monday 6 January 2014

Goals


I can't believe we're already a week into this new year.
I remember when I first found out I was pregnant, I felt like there was no way I could wait nine months. It's just the longest period of time imaginable, and I'm really not very patient at all.
A little over a year later, & I can not BELIEVE how fast that year has passed me by.
I feel like I can safely say the last two years have been the best of my life.
Traveling, being with Chris, my job, my art practice, friends, family & this baby. It is so simple, really. Life can be so, so simple. I don't think happiness is always easy to find, but I have found that it fills me up, when I keep everything pared back.

I'm not into resolutions on their own, if you want your life to change you have to make lots of small changes. The resolutions of 'excercise more, be happier, eat less' etc are too vague and kind of just expect failure.
But I'm hugely into writing down goals. I first started realising the importance of writing down your goals after watching my mums success.
About six years ago, my mum was talking to a lady about setting goals. She asked my mum what she would do if she could do anything, no obstacles, what really excited her. My mums dream was to own a food store, making real, fresh beautifully baked things, straight from the oven to the people. Not made the day before and sitting in a refrigerated cabinet for three days like most cafes. She wanted to make everything from scratch. She wanted to use free range and organic ingredients, so that all the meat & dairy came from animals that lived happy lives. She wanted to create a place that made people happy when they ate there.
But in my mum's eyes, there was no way that it could be financially viable. Organic produce is expensive, no one would be able to afford to pay the price.
Regardless of this, she was told to write that goal down, & hold on to it.
Four years later, mum was working away at her bench rolling pastry. She had been operating her small business, by the name Little & Friday, for three years. We had made the transition early on to free range eggs. Then the milk, then the meat. Many other aspects of the produce we brought in was slowly switched to organic. Working away at her bench that day, she realised that she had done it. She had achieved her goal. Not overnight, but slowly, one day at a time getting closer to what she truly wanted. Little & Friday has been around for five years now. Two stores, two cookbooks,  a massive vege garden & a whole lotta staff.

Write your goals down, people !

I've been working out a few things that are important to me that I would really like to aim for (& bullying Chris to do the same.. not there yet, haha).
Some of my goals for 2014:

Learn the Ukulele - I've been wanting to learn an instrument my whole life, but nothing has ever stuck. Almost everyone in my life is extremely talented musically, so this is probably something I will be practicing in secret when no one else is around. I've been looking at some youtube tutorials and I'm really excited.

Develop my ceramics - I would really like to develop my skills when it comes to ceramics. I've got piles of ideas  & things that I want to make, I just need to focus and get it done. I am aiming to start manufacturing these items to sell, either online or at some craft markets.

Make more time to eat with people - This seems like a weird one I guess, but it brings me so much joy to cook and eat with people. It's something I want to do once a week.

More yoga ! - All I want to do is like, 15 minutes 3 times a week. I hate setting goals that are too attainable & failing, so I think this is doable.

Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude - 5 minutes a day appreciating what I have.

Keep in touch - Write to people that I don't often see. This is probably my biggest failing as a human being. While I'm here, I may as well take the time to thank everyone that sticks by me, regardless of how inconsistent I am with my contact. This past year has been particularly unreliable, and I'm sorry ! Aiming to do better from now on in.

Unplug - Spend one day each week completely technology free. It's not lost on me how tragic it is that I actually have to make this a goal.

That's basically it. I hope you guys are writing goals, too. You gotta know where you're going, to get there.
Happy 2014, pretties.
H x

Friday 3 January 2014

1/52


That pretty little head of hair.

Thursday 2 January 2014

Whangarei Heads



Just got back from a couple of restorative days up north with some good friends.
Our friend Dan has the most amazing little house up there, it was such a nice way to start the year. So grateful for this country we live in, and the kind people that fill up our days. 
Now we're home I want to spend the day getting a little order in our house & lives. Cleaning, pottering, writing goals & cleaning up the garden. It was pretty great to come home to a handful of ripe cherry tomatoes last night !