Month: August 2015

Exercise rambles, Health, Snacks

The universe of the fit and healthy

by Anna

Alright, so, this post is about running and pre-running/exercising snacks in general, but it’s mostly about running. If you’re mainly interested in the snack ideas, I suggest you scroll down to the bottom of this post, otherwise, sit back, relax and enjoy the ramble.

Running is my happy place and I LOVE IT. I’ve run since I was quite wee and I now feel like it makes up part of who I am. Running for me is my time to relax and zone, and a time when tend to ponder on life things and make decisions – how productive! I am however very aware that not everyone is like me and some people would rather stick pins in their eyes than go for a run, or to bootcamp (at the crack of dawn), or for a tramp, or water ski, and fair enough it does sound quite awful really with all of the plodding and sweating and lycra and rain and wind and stuff. I think it’s one of those things that you either love or hate, and don’t get me wrong, I don’t like all sorts of running – take sprinting for example – err no thank you. Yuck.

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Anna
Health, Ingredients

But I said you were the good kind of fat…

by Anna

“But I said you were the good kind of fat” … said no one ever who wanted to stay in their relationship. However, good fats in relation to foods are increasingly becoming recognised as ‘good’ rather than evil. Take this from someone who used to be petrified of fat – all fat, even the good kind – and I would actively avoid it. I wouldn’t even eat avocado – what a nutcase. I ate low-fat everything which I now know effectively means I was eating fake products loaded with chemicals and extra sugar … not ideal, but even if someone had told me back then that some fat was OK (which they probably did), I would have ignored them (retrospective apologies to you all!!). NB: Low fat products = chemical sh*t storm – who knew?!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not some superhero who suddenly changed their ways over night, but over time and after a lot of reading, self-educating and reflection, I now have a better understanding of fat and what is good-for-you fat and what we should stay away from. I’m still learning as I go but have slowly made changes regarding which fats I’m happy to consume, and which ones I now ninja away from. So I’ll blab on about fat for a bit below, and feel free to take whatever you fancy from it and biff the rest from your brain!

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Anna
Baking, Chocolate, Dessert, Treats

Sweet Georgia holy yums …

by Anna

Did someone say salted caramel? Say no more. I’m in! My love for savoury/salty-sweet things began a few years ago when I was lucky enough to live in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. I LOVED IT THERE!!!

I spent a year in Galway, and amongst other things it was a year filled with meeting some of the most delightful and amazing people, a lot of rain (of course), hilarity, adventures, owning a bike painted like a cow – aka the ‘cow-cycle’, Guinness (I grew to like it!), cobbled streets, living an extremely carefree lifestyle and drinking an extreme amount of of tea. Some of my fondest memories come from Ireland – if you ever have the opportunity to visit, you most definitely should.

My life in Ireland was born whilst I was living in Paris. I was 21 and had arrived in France with a one-way ticket and not a lot of money. After living in Paris I wasn’t ready to move back to NZ, so after chatting with and Irish friend in France, and google image searching Cork and Galway, I decided that Galway looked pretty quaint and Irishy, so I went. That makes me sound like an extremely relaxed person and like I do things randomly on a whim – I actually don’t usually, although sometimes I wish I did. I must have been slightly mad at the time (not unlikely) and so my solo Irish adventure began.

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Anna
Breakfast, Lunch, Treats

Peanut butter oaty pancake delight!

by Anna

Few things can top good ol homemade pancakes. I remember when I was little they were a treat that we would have sometimes after swimming lessons on a Sunday evening – topped with lemon juice and sugar, or golden syrup. Um, yum. There is something quite comforting and homely about pancakes, so it only seems right to be able to enjoy a clean eating version of them. They are yum AND healthy! Such a win.

Hands up who’s a peanut butter fan? I never used to be, I thought it was similar to margarine injected with peanut flavour and I found it super gross. It is now however, something I love (along with all other nut butters!). I like peanut butter with banana, peanut butter with honey, peanut butter with raw chocolate … peanut butter everything!! I opt for the natural variety – usually Pics (local from Nelson) – but it is pretty spendy. It’s a more thrifty option to make your own – I’ll put a post up with a recipe soon! You can buy non-natural brands but unfortunately folks, they aren’t super good for you 🙁 sob.

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Anna
Beverages & milks, Snacks

Coffee dreams and pottery mugs

by Anna

Apart from the fact that when you’re an adult you can do whatever you want (within reason), another joy is that you enjoy things that when you were a child were YUCK. Coffee, wine, tea, vegetables, salad, going to bed, entire day walks … the list of glory goes on.

One of my own personal loves is coffee, mmm coffeee. Don’t get me wrong, I am also a huge fan of tea and drink more tea than I do coffee, but that’s what makes coffee even better – it has the treat factor. Another great love of mine is pottery – pottery mugs, pottery bowls, kitchen pottery anything! My super awesome and very dear friend Mecca, who fluttered back to her homeland of Canada last year (sob), is a most excellent potter. I went to a few classes with her, but unlike Mecca who had patience, skill and talent – I did not. Therefore, these days I’m all about supporting other people who are successful potters, and one mug at a time my flat is being taken over! Did I mention that I love my flatmates??

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Anna