Revisiting Old Favourites

   

It feels like forever since my food blogging days; always coming up with new recipes, testing, taking photos, creating. Nowadays my cooking is pretty limited and my mother-in-law is incredibly helpful creating beautiful Japanese meals for my husband and our daughter. So I mostly cook for myself (vegetarian meals) and on weekends often bake something as well. Here are a few of my favourite recipes, revisited. You can view the whole recipe index here.

I can't go past a good salad and these are some of my all time favourites

Rich Mineral Salad - amazing with buckwheat, papaya, spinach and fresh herbs. This salad is packed with flavour!

Skin Beauty Salad - full of good oils essential for your skin. I love how simple, yet nutritious this salad is.

Greenlicious Kale Salad - who doesn't love kale? Enough said, this salad is definitely in my top 5 of all time. The simple tahini dressing is to die for.

A few "heartier" meals

Earth Bowl - full or protein to keep you full for longer and I love the addition of pomegranate. Perfect for summer or winter!

Cauliflower curry - I'm normally not a curry-girl, but this is not too oily and it's super fresh.

Red lentil and sweet potato soup - a staple dish I make most weeks, especially in the cooler months.

Another lentil dish! Roasted cauliflower with lentils - perfect hearty meal for winter, I love this one.

The sugar-free coconut granola with almond milk makes a delicious breakfast.

And for a quick snack, these coconut balls are so so addictive. These are also so good to bring along for long trips, as they're packed with energy.

One of my recent favourites has been this banana bread. Works every time without a fail!

Spring is in full swing here in Sydney and we've had some beautiful, warm days. I cannot help, but crave for lighter meals like fresh salads and green smoothies. There are lots of fresh seasonal fruit available as well, making every meal a colourful feast!

Back on Track - Diet and Exercise Update

This is part two of my "back on track" updates, after a long hiatus. 

After pregnancy, my diet went from being healthy and balanced to grabbing snacks on the go. I was surviving on caffeine and quick meals and never drank enough water. I also developed some sort of intolerance for a few different ingredients I had been eating daily before having a baby (like some green vegetables and especially eggs). This made my diet even more restricted and I felt trapped in between severe stomach pains and an unbalanced diet. I had tests done for reflux, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance and gallbladder, but all test results came back normal. I slowly started introducing ingredients back into my diet knowing I could manage the symptoms with some dietary changes. It's been a frustrating journey, but I am feeling almost back to normal now. 

These are still some of my favourite recipes I make frequently

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup I've adjusted this recipe by adding fresh ginger and fresh turmeric.

Green smoothies with kale, lemon, almond milk, papaya, blueberries, etc.

Fresh salads with spinach, tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas, sauerkraut (I love this brand), etc. Sometimes I add tofu or 1/2 a boiled egg for extra protein or cooked sweet potato, green beans with Japanese style sesame seed paste, flaxseed oil, etc. 

I try to eat fish at least once a week, usually salmon with a salad. 

This Soba Salad  is also a favourite. 

As snacks I have dandelion tea with a piece of dark (90% cacao) chocolate, a small handful of almonds or fresh fruit. I've cut down sugar and caffeine, and I drink a lot of water throughout the day!

Getting back on track with my exercise has also been quite challenging. I haven't had the chance to go to the pool every morning like I used to, but I'm determined to get back regularly this summer. I've continued long walks (often with my daughter in a pram) and a short yoga session in the morning just to stretch things out. All in all I finally feel like I'm getting back to my old-self again!

I hope this has been helpful, more updates/news coming up shortly, so stay tuned!