Friday, September 26, 2014

Meal Inspiration

Hello :) Friday night is when I start thinking about inspiration as to what to buy at the weekend markets, as I buy most of our fresh produce/meat/eggs/bread - & usually struggle carrying it all home! Sometimes I look through cookbooks or read foodie blogs and see if a dish grabs my attention, then stock up on whatever ingredients we need to make it. 


Here I am with a basket full of vegetables from last weekend (clearly pretending I'm in kinfolk magazine)

Well I thought maybe you could also help inspire me - I think I need to start mixing up my repertoire! So I'd love to know what are your go-to dishes? To kick things off, here are some recipes that I've bookmarked to make soon .... 


Hannah x

Monday, September 15, 2014

Two Weekends

Hello :) The past two weekends have been particularly fun so I thought I'd document them here!

Two weekends ago I wasn't working at orange grove markets, so decided to check out pyrmont markets which are on once a month. It was pouring with rain for most of the time (lucky I wore gumboots!) - but was glad I made the effort as it was nice buying everything from producers that I don't usually see. The organic produce from field to feast was amazing and so fresh (they're also at marrickville markets) - I stocked up on new season garlic, fresh camomile and radishes.


The camomile are currently drying (to make into tea) ...


With the produce from pyrmont markets I made a really nice roast pumpkin soup. I chopped up two little butternut pumpkins, roasted them with  whole garlic cloves, then added them to a pot with hot water, some cumin, cooked barley and blended it all ... topping with butter and coriander. So creamy!


Last weekend - on Saturday I was working at orange grove markets & had this divine cinnamon scroll from sonoma. Why have I not tried these before? Despite being topped with sugar and cinnamon they aren't actually overly sweet ... & have a delicious croissant like pastry. Too much.


And yesterday was particularly special as it was my birthday! I turned 22. It started off nicely with flowers from mum, fruit toast from sonoma & a cuppa. 


I spent most of the day outside in the sunshine working at woollahra makets, which I enjoyed - & came home with a few bouKALES (ha ha) 


As we had my birthday dinner the night before it was a pretty low key evening spent reading this novel (so excited to finally have it!) and cooking a nice meal.


And instead of a birthday cake I wanted portugese tarts from the honeymoon bakery in petersham - cause they are the best !!! 


I hope you had a nice weekend! 

I'm still very much doing my mindful monday posts & have lots of ideas - it's just a matter of writing them down (which to be honest, I forget to do!)

Hannah x

Friday, September 5, 2014

Some Things

Hello :) Over the past two weeks, life has settled into a nice rhythm. I'm luckily to have gotten a few new jobs that are one day a week - so I can look forward to something different most days. Here are some things I've been up to over the past few weeks ... 

Enjoying a nice salad in my garden - can't get enough of barley at the moment! 


Discovered a cute little cafe in bondi called lilliputien 


Porridge with cardamom, cultured butter & honey (so yum when they melted together) and toasted sunflower seeds.


Two recent morning teas at black star pastry 



Gorgeous heritage eggs - almost too pretty to crack!


One day a week I help out with food prep for a couple's market stall. I couldn't help but take a photo of this pretty frittata we made the other day (along with 11 others!) - filled with tomatoes, spinach, feta and olives!


Close up of my brekky the other day, which included some yummy buttery thyme mushrooms.


So I found both these books at vinnies for a total of $9 last week - there are some great recipes!! I quit sugar for life only came out a few months ago, so I thought it was quite funny it's already in vinnies. 


Tomorrow I have a rare saturday off work as my boss is away, so I'm waking up early and going to pyrmont growers market for the first time. I might even go to eveleigh too cause I'm a little market obsessed!

Hannah x

Monday, September 1, 2014

Mindful Monday: Transitioning to Spring

Hello :) Today on the first day of spring (!!!) it seemed appropriate to talk a little bit about mindfulness through the transition of seasons. Peter, a friend and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, describes both autumn and winter as the yin seasons while spring and summer are depicted as yang seasons. While yin seasons are cooling, contracting and passive, the yang seasons which we are transitioning into, are warm, expanding and dynamic. Both yin and yang are constantly ebbing and flowing - and this generally dictates our health, mood and energy.

It's important to become aware of the seasonal changes we should make that accompany the warmer weather. So I thought I'd write a nice list of things to consider as we make this transition to a season full of renewal and rejuvenation.

a gorgeous bunch of ruby chard

according to TCM, it is the liver and gallbladder that are the organs of focus for spring. The liver, amongst other roles is responsible for moving the qi (energy) around the body - so stretching, exercising in the outdoors and eating green vegetables are all excellent ways to improve the liver's qi. I think I'm going to start swimming laps once a week, with the promise of a cold brew coffee afterwards ...

- start to embrace cooling, raw foods. In winter I made a lot of slow cooked stews, added ginger to my dishes and steamed a lot of veggies. That isn't to say we shouldn't have any more of these foods (in fact I'm making osso bucco tonight with homemade beef broth), however as it warms up, it makes sense to eat more raw, enzyme-rich vegetables and enjoy lighter meals. I have been making green smoothies (spinach, kale, frozen banana, green superfood powder, coconut milk, water) which I think is a nice way to transition into eating more raw veggies.

my green smoothie 

- for optimal digestion remember to soak your grains before cooking. Grains are perfect to add into salads and Sally Fallon, author of nourishing traditions writes that the best way to soak your grains is with warm water and salt, which can remove phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. I usually soak grains like barley and brown rice for a few hours or overnight, and less for smaller grains/seeds like quinoa and millet. 

A salad I made for lunch today - it had barley, lettuce, ruby chard, radish and raw golden beets finely sliced as well as boiled eggs (inspired by heidi) There is also a serving of fermented beetroot, apple and inca berries - from a local company called ferment it. 

I have actually started working with them on Sundays at a new market ... Woollahra Artisan Market. It only started yesterday and is on every Sunday till December, with the hope it'll start again in the new year! There are only 30 stalls, so it's small (just in a carpark on queen st) - but I had fun on the first day learning about fermented vege and then talking to people about all the benefits. It's a pretty amazing product - I'll talk more about it in another post.


How are you making the transition to Spring? What are you excited about eating?

Hannah x