Holiday Envy

It's been a trying couple of weeks in the household; my eldest son has been getting into a bit of trouble at school and also a fair bit at home, the baby's sleep routine has changed (cue iced coffee and just generally feeling lethargic all day) and I've felt as if I've been coming down with something, yet my body was taking its time deciding whether or not to give up the fight... The body lost and I went through 2 colds/viruses in 2 weeks, fun!!

In the midst of all this, one my closest friends (along with her husband who is a close friend of my husband) went on a second honeymoon of sorts to Thailand. Probably my favorite place to travel (I've been there twice). The whole time she was away I was greeted with photos and Facebook status updates which brought back so many amazing memories of my time there, not to mention the shopping!! Luckily for me, she came home with some goodies.

If I close my eyes I am there: the massages, the people, the heat, the shopping, the cheap alcohol... Did I mention the massages and the shopping?!

We were intending to go to Bali for my 30th next year, but I'm considering changing it. Whatever I am missing in Bali (which I don't think is much), can wait a bit longer... My heart (and spending money) belongs in Thailand.

Combatting the Bulge

I am on a journey to lose weight. As of yesterday, I am back at the gym and will be committing myself to at least 3 classes a week... And my goodness I've missed it!

My favorite class at the gym is Body Combat, and I'm a little disappointed that my gym only offers this class once a week... BUT they've started a new class called 'Boxing', which is similar in that you're using karate etc but you're actually hitting something! I'm going tonight for the first time with a friend, so fingers crossed I like this one and can add this to my list of classes each week.

I don't have a great deal of weight to lose and I know I should be grateful for that, but I am really struggling with my appearance. To get down to my pre-pregnancy weight I've got 5kgs to lose, but my ultimate goal is to get to my weight on our wedding day 18-months ago which means I need to lose 10kgs.

I'm going to weigh in each Wednesday "Weigh-in Wednesday".

Oh and yes!! I realize that this is a tad ironic given my current addiction to dessert making, but I believe that weight loss is all about portion control. I am still going to eat what I want to, but just have smaller portion sizes... So my recipes and yummy food will still be here!!

Hopefully by Christmas I will be somewhere between my first mini-goal and my ultimate goal, it's 6ish weeks away so if I aim for 1kg a week then it's possible!

So today's weight is 68.5kgs.
My mini-goal is 63.5kgs and from there I will try and get to 58kgs (wedding weight)

I've never been one to go by my scales though, I tend to compare myself to how I fit in my clothing. I've always been someone who goes to the gym, so having to stop so early in my pregnancy meant that before yesterday I hadn't been to the gym in 12-months! At the moment I am not at all happy with the excess skin on my belly (obviously a result of a large baby!) and also my bum and thighs, so those are my target areas. In addition to this, I've lost the tone in my arms which I really really loved, and my collarbone seems to be hiding. As long as I get to a point where I am fitting in my clothes nicer I am happy, especially considering that classes at the gym mean I may put on some muscle. Not that I am using this as a reason to stop before I get to my goals though, but I am being realistic that numbers aren't everything. To me it's more about having that self confidence... And at the moment I have next to none.

A Day in the Life of a Couch Potato

I want to know what a couch potato actually is... anyone?

I spent practically all day today on the couch (other than the time I spent making my Vanilla Slice). Hubby and a mate went off to some car show at the show grounds, which left me at home with the baby and a girlfriend (hubby's mate's wife... but we were there first!), cue girly time of baking, wine and our favourite show, Offspring.

I was most pleased with our efforts, last time we only managed 4 episodes (bare in mind they're just under an hour each) and I think today we got through 6, 6!! We're watching the show from the pilot (we've had 2 seasons aired on TV) and are almost ending the first season, so it will still take a few more of these Offspring Marathons before we get to the end, but I am not complaining whatsoever.

It was so good to just chill out at home... I know that having a baby means that I am home a lot anyway, but it's so good to have someone there for company whilst at the same time, not have to keep them entertained with conversation. You can just zone out, watch a bit of TV and chit chat, but not focus your whole time on making sure they're not bored, etc. And it helps when you've got a friend who also shares the same likes and dislikes... the amount of things we've got in common is eery sometimes, I must admit! For example, I like to cook... and she likes my cooking!

So with that, no housework got done... well I washed all the dishes that were dirtied and I did one load of washing that is still in the machine, oh and I did vacuum the lounge room this morning because hubby and I filled a new chair with bean bag beans and we had a spillage. I am buggered now, so the washing can wait until tomorrow when I either chuck it in the dryer or hang it on the clothes horse. It feels pretty good to just not be consumed by housework. I'll get to it tomorrow. Maybe.

I can get used to days like today.

I {heart} iPad

Thanks to my sister, I crossed over to the whole 'Apple' technology about 2 years ago. There wasn't any real reason for it, but considering that I had an iPhone, I really wanted to have the remainder of my hardware to match... I am a bit of an OCD freak like that. Now I have all my little gadgets connected with iCloud and very soon we'll have the AppleTV that will connect all these things with the TV... I love it! It's brought out my massive geek side, all these gadgets and syncing, it's right up my alley. (I think I've lost a few of you now with my geek talk, so I'll continue on with my story)

I've got the Macbook Pro, the iPhone 4 and iPod, so it was only natural to {want} the iPad when it was released. Luckily, I didn't jump on it straight away and since then the newest iPad 2 has been released and it came with some awesome features that I couldn't resist... and it kinda helped that hubby's laptop (one of those windows versions *sigh*) decided to die and therefore left us with only one computer, heaven forbid!

I have now ordered an iPad 2 and I am waiting oh so impatiently for the delivery man to bring it to me. I cannot wait to play with her!! It's supposed to be my Christmas present, but I've never been one to sit and wait when I could be enjoying it (just ask my mum who bought me a vacuum cleaner for Christmas that I started using 2 weeks ago!).

Ohhhhh iPad, how I heart thee.

Vanilla Slice

So today I made some vanilla slice, there's not much left!

It didn't look as great as I was hoping, but considering this was my first ever attempt (and I winged the majority of it), I am pretty impressed with the flavour... even if it didn't present well!

Ingredients:

Custard Filling
1 packet Arnott's "Lattice" Biscuits
1/4 cup custard powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup castor sugar

Coconut Icing
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup icing sugar
40g butter (melted)

Method

Grease and line a slice tin and line with a layer of biscuits.
Add castor sugar and custard powder to a small saucepan. Add a small bit of milk to make a paste and then gradually add the remainder of the milk. Put saucepan over a light heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring often until mixture has thickened.
Pour into a separate bowl and cover with glad wrap to prevent the custard film forming on the top. Place in the fridge and allow to cool completely. Once cool, pour over the layer of biscuits and form another layer on top.

To make the coconut icing, add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix together until forming a ball. Place in the microwave for a few seconds to allow the mixture to soften and spread evenly over the top biscuit layer.

Put the tin in the fridge to further set (about an hour) and then it's ready to serve!

The Little Things...

It's Saturday night, the baby is in bed after an Oscar-worthy performance earlier and hubby and I are about to settle with a movie. Hubby has blown up an air mattress to test overnight (for our upcoming camping trip)... and he has decided that this is our bed for this evening, we're camping in the lounge room.

I don't know what it is, but I find this a combination of exciting and cute.

It has got me thinking... I have found that great balance of spontaneity, respect and love in my husband. I have always known this, so it doesn't come with a sudden rush of surprise, but I just love the times where something ordinary is turned into something extraordinary, with something so simple.

Love, and most importantly long-lasting love, really depends on these moments. The little things are everything. And I have a man that treasures every loving moment.

Have a great Saturday night! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else xxx

Say Cheesecake!

I've just created what I hope is the most decadent cheesecake known to man. Yes I know, just a tad over the top, but I am craving this so badly that tomorrow feels so far away!

I've been trying all week to utilise the cream cheese and condensed milk that is sitting in my kitchen... and after this I still have 1 of each left, sigh! It's been fun though, I thought they'd be all used in one recipe so I've really enjoyed researching desserts and having it spread throughout numerous dishes.

So, here is my recipe for my Aero (Mint) Cheesecake!

Ingredients:

Base
1 packet Arnott's "Granita" Biscuits
1/2 cup melted butter

Cheescake Mix
250ml tub cream cheese (Philadelphia)
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup whipped cream
1 block Aero chocolate

Method
1. Blend biscuits until resembling fine bread crumbs. Add melted butter and mix.
2. Press into greased dish and chill for approx. 1hour or until firm.
3. Mix cream cheese and icing sugar in a bowl.
4. Fold in whipped cream.
5. Smash Aero into small pieces and add to the mixture (keep some for decoration if you like)
6. Pour mixture on top of biscuit base and sprinkle kept Aero on top
7. Chill for another hour and then it's ready to eat!!

You can also substitute Aero for any other chocolate bar... Toblerone, Flake, Crunchie, Coconut Rough (ooooh that'd be awesome!!!), the possibilities are enormous!!!

Ps. It's a pretty safe bet to say that this will hinder any diets you're on, so unfortunately you have to share :P

A sudden {zest} for life

So I love all things lemon, and considering I've got a bit of time up my sleeve now that I am home with my newest addition, I've been experimenting in the kitchen...

This week I kept it simple and I've made a yummy lemon slice. At first I wasn't so keen, I was researching recipes for a cheesecake as I've got some condensed milk and cream cheese to use, but couldn't go past this when I saw how easy it was!

Here's the recipe (Courtesy of taste.com.au):

Ingredients:

Base
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
100g butter
200g Granita biscuits
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 lemon, rind finely grated

Lemon icing
2 cups icing sugar mixture
40g butter, softened
1 lemon, juiced

Method
Grease and line a 3cm-deep, 15.5cm x 25cm (base) slab pan (see note). Place condensed milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until butter melts.

Place biscuits in a food processor and process to fine crumbs. Combine crumbs, coconut and 2 teaspoons lemon rind in a bowl. Add hot butter mixture. Stir until well combined.
Press biscuit mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours or until firm.

Make lemon icing: Place icing sugar mixture, butter and 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Spread icing over slice. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes or until icing has set. Cut into pieces. Serve!!