Blood, Guts, Gore & LARP

If you're squeamish or afraid of zombies, look away now! Seriously, go and Google some pictures of cute unicorns or kitties or something.

Okay, you've had your chance. This post is going to be pretty picture heavy. 
*Note: Click on the images to make them bigger*

Brace yourself!

I was recently involved in a photoshoot, to remake instructions for Deadtime Stories: A Zombie LARP. I had so much fun, and learnt so much, I just had to share it with everyone!

What is LARP you ask? Why it's Live Action Role Play of course! Essentially, you get to dress up in character (or as a class) and complete a mission, depending on which game you're playing. You can play with 5-50 people, anywhere, and (almost) anytime. 

Now, Deadtime Stories is a zombie LARP, so you have survivors (still humans) and zombies (dead!). The zombies have different stages (wandering, dead, or active) and I had the honour of being a zombie. Kon, who organised the day, was kind enough to supply us with costumes as well.

Unfortunately a couple of the MUA (Make Up Artists) pulled out, but thankfully we had the wonderful Zoe on hand and ready to make us all over! Because we were short on time and helping hands, I ended up being 'The Blood Girl'. Not even kidding, they nicknamed me because I kept doing everyones blood. By doing, I mean artfully covering them in fake blood. Because, ya know, I'm an artist.

Now, the other players in Deadtime Stories are survivors. There are a few classes of survivors including: Soldiers, Medics, Clerics and general population. Obviously soldiers are the best at weapons, Medics heal people, Clerics use the power of their faith against zombies and the public have survived on sheer dumb luck. Survivors primarily use Nerf guns, but can also make their own weapons (foam ones of course).

It was so much fun playing dress ups and getting all bloody (without the pain!). All in all it was a great day. I learnt so much about using latex and special FX makeup, as well as how to clean up fake blood!

I'm thinking actually playing the game, now that I have a basic knowledge of the rules, could be a lot of fun...

Love

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Roasted Capsicum Dip

This is such an easy recipe and takes little to no time to make. You can buy most of the ingredients preprepared which cuts down on the time.

If you want to start from scratch, then keep reading, if not, skip to the bottom. But be warned, you're going to miss out on the good bits...

You'll need:

3 fresh medium sized red capsicums
2 cloves of fresh garlic (not peeled)
oil spray
salt & pepper
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 cups pine nuts
1 red chilli

Start off by preheating the oven to 180°c for 10 mins. Then grab your capsicums, core & deseed them, then cut into halves or thirds. Lightly oil the pieces, put them and the garlic on an oven tray, and bake for 30 minutes.

While they're baking, we need to lightly dry toast the pine nuts. In a non-stick pan, with no oil, throw in the pine nuts, and toast over a medium flame. You'll see them change to a light golden colour. Make sure not to burn them though. Set aside to cool.

Grate the parmesan, and put in a bowl, ready to go.

When the capsicums and garlic are done, squeeze the garlic out and carefully chop them and set aside to cool. Make sure everything is cool to touch before putting them in the food processor. 

Then, put everything in the bowl of the food processor, and blitz until you reach the consistency you like. 

Now, you may find that you use all the pine nuts, or not a lot, work the recipe to your tastes.

 

You can serve it straight away, or chill it till firm.

Let me know how yours turns out!

Love,

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Roasted Beetroot Dip

Recently I wrote a post for my HHM - Raw Beetroot Dip, and now I'm sharing my roasted beetroot dip recipe. All you need is a little time and patience... oh and a food processor. I originally sourced the recipe from here, but adapted it slightly for my tastes.

850g Fresh beetroot, peeled and cut into chunks
spray oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic
Splash of lemon juice

1) Lightly oil the beetroot, and bake at 180°c for 30 minutes, allow to cool. The beets should be soft, but firm. When you feel it, you'll know what I mean.
2) Blitz the now cooled beetroot, as well as the garlic and seasoning, until you reach the desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky.
3) Transfer the mix to a bowl, and fold in the yoghurt.

That's it. Roasting the beetroot brings out a slightly sweeter, deeper rich flavour, which I've found many people prefer. 

I made this yesterday to take to a Melbourne Cup BBQ, and it was a hit! I also took some home made falafel and roasted capsicum dip (which I'll post about soon). 

Beetroot is such a versatile vegie, and I still have a couple left, so look out for more beetroot recipes!

Love

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Raw Beetroot Dip

Beets, beets, the magical food, the more you eat, the quicker your liver can process toxins, the quicker your liver processes toxins, the better you feel, so eat your beets with every meal!

But seriously, the beetroot is an amazing vegetable, and is both delicious and good for you. 

Did you know that the beta cyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its amazing colour, is actually an antioxidant? It helps speed up detox of your liver, so if you've gone out for a night on the town and are feeling a little worse for wear, try a glass or two of beetroot juice, it might just help beat that hang over.

Beetroot also contains betaine, a substance which relaxes the mind, and is used in other forms, to treat depression. It also contains trytophan, which is found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being.  

I myself love beetroot in burgers, the true Aussie way! But you can have it in various forms, such as dip, chips, grated in salad or even in soup. It's great raw or cooked. 

I recently bought a couple of bunches from Bushy Park and would normally turn them into chips, but I thought, with the weather warming up, why not try our hand at a beetroot dip. 

Clearly it's a messy venture, so make sure you have lots of room, and cleaning products on hand. Food handling gloves are also your best friend, have a few pairs on hand (pun intended) and swap them out if you get any holes, otherwise you risk having pinky purple skin for a few days.

You'll need:

850gm of fresh beetroots, peeled - cut into medium sized chunks. The smaller the bits, the quicker and easier they blitz. You can also cut the beets into small cubes for a chunky version.

2 cloves of garlic

about a cup of natural Greek yoghurt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground coriander

salt and pepper to taste

Feel free to add any other spices or herbs depending on your tastes. Everyone is different, and you may not like Cumin, but love turmeric etc etc. 

Chuck the beets and garlic in the food processor (or not), and blitz until smooth.

Now throw in the spices and seasoning's and blitz until combined.

Transfer to a bowl and fold in the yoghurt, spoonful at a time, until it suits your tastes. You might find you want more yoghurt, and that's cool, just add more!

Now, some people among us may not like the fact this is raw, and may comment that they don't like the 'raw' taste. That's perfectly fine, we always have a way of working around these things

If you don't want Raw dip, then:

Cut the beets into chunks, and lightly coat in oil and spices. Roast at 180°c for about an hour. Take them out of the oven and allow to cool, then blitz and add yoghurt.

I did not prepare my space very well... whoops!

This recipe makes quite a lot of dip, so unless you eat beetroot dip twice a day, every day, you can either halve the recipe, or make the normal amount, and give it away as presents. 

Unfortunately, I've found it doesn't really freeze very well, but will store in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Just charming isn't he.

Anyhoo, let me know if you have any other delicious uses for beetroots! I have a chutney recipe I've been dying to try, so when I do, you lovely readers will be the first to hear about it!

Love,

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Basil Pesto

I never really liked pesto, it always tasted far too basil-y for my liking. That is until I tried it with chicken, in a foccacia. My taste buds were hooked! It was so creamy and delicious, I had to try and make my own!

It couldn't be hard right? Just chuck a few things in the food processor and away we go!

Actually, it really was just that simple. I doubled the batch because I didn't think it would make much, and I wanted to share it with my mum.

*Side note, my mum has just figured out how to use the internet on her new smart phone, and happened across my little bloggy-wog. I'm so excited! Hi mum!

I had bought a couple of bunches of fresh basil from Bushy Park as well as a small bag of pine nuts, so all I needed was some parmesan and I was good to go! 

Now, I had garlic and olive oil at home, so if you don't have these, make sure you grab them as well.

1 1/2 cups fresh basil  - I tore up the leaves and guestimated
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
enough oil to emulsify

So, all you really need to do is throw everything in the food processor, and blitz till smooth-ish.

It's hella tasty, and half the jar has already gone. Thankfully I have more of everything, so I'll be making another batch next weekend.

Now, you know I wouldn't leave you without a little food porn...


This is pesto chicken, baby roma tomatoes, baby spinach on light rye bread.


Enjoy!

Love,

J xx

Breakfast Of Champions

Weekend breakfast, one of my favourite meals. I mean, you actually have time to cook, you don't have to rush to eat, so you can sit down and enjoy your meal.

One of the recipes on my 28DBT was Scrambled eggs in pita. It looked okay, but I decided to beef it up a little, and add a couple of extra vegies, Still very healthy, but slightly more calories than I was allocated on the 28DBT, oh well.

So, here is my masterpiece!



Looks delicious, right? Well, it actually is. Here is a rough guide on what I put in my version. It always ends up being a little different, just because I don't measure everything.

Serves 1

Scrambled egg mix - 2 eggs & Splash of low fat milk
Hand full of baby spinach
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
Avocado (to spread)
Low fat feta cheese (block the size of a match box)
Small handful of red onion, finely diced
10 or so small mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 pita pocket, cut in half (you eat both halves)

Keep in mind, you can add anything else you like, or take anything out. A small amount of grated tasty cheese is also really nice, but feel free to add some meat based protein like chicken, turkey, or even bacon if you're feeling a little naughty. Make it a little Mediterranean by adding some capsicum and olives perhaps?

So, start off by lightly frying your onion. I use a little bit of oil spray, but it's up to you. Then you need to scramble your eggs mix, and depending on how you like them, when they're half way done, throw everything else in and cook until the spinach has wilted.

If you're not keen on cooking everything, feel free to make your scrambled eggs, and put them in the pita pocket, with everything staying fresh. Entirely up to you.

Shove everything (gently) into the pita pocket, and enjoy! I recommend eating this over a plate, as it can get a little messy.

If you have any other great breakfast ideas, comment below and let me know!

Day 14 - Food Coaching

Had my very first Food Coaching session last night. Wasn't too sure what to expect when I booked it, but I'm glad I went.

Maxine weighed me again, down 2 kilo's! I'd been having trouble staying motivated, because i had been left to my own devices at the gym, but I'm so glad I am actually getting healthier.

Maxine and I had a chat about the types of foods I like, and what I should be avoiding. We spoke about my goals, and why I come to the gym. She commended me on giving the 28DayBrekaThru a try, because it's only 1200 cal a day, and that is a big change for me. I explained how I make myself a nice smoothie in the morning, instead of having 2 or 3 cups of coffee.

We didn't really have enough time to talk about much else, but afterwards she let me join in on the Summer Beach Bods group, as they had a smoothie class. Yup, that's right, smoothie class.

One of the other staff members Kerry also showed us ways we can still use coffee, without actually drinking it (is she crazy?!?!). She made us some great little coffee body scrubs, and sent us home with out own little recipe booklet.

 

I'm so glad I can talk to the wonderful ladies at the gym, even if they don't have an answer straight away, they'll always work hard to find out for me!

Talk soon, 

J xx

Day 7 - A Little Bit Of Glee

Guys, I had my first compliment today!

Well, Justin said I looked brighter and happier on Friday, but he's biased.

Anyway, I digress. Remember that horrid 'before' picture? Well, I'm wearing the same clothes today, and was complimented on 'already losing weight' and 'looking well'. Gee, thanks guys! 

I'm not going by weight (not unless I have to), but instead my my measurements and how I feel. I haven't checked my measurements, but it's only been a week. I am feeling fantastic!

I have so much energy, and I feel like I have a more positive outlook on life.

I promise I'll post a photo of how I'm going, come the month mark, but in the mean time, stay tuned for little updates every now and then, as well as my normal blog posts.

Love 

J xx

Oh Sugar, Sugar (Free)

Don't run away, I promise I'll try not to get all preachy! Hear me out though, we all know that sugar isn't really the best thing for us, so when we have the chance to remove it from our diet, why not try?

That was my thinking anyway, which is why I now have no sugar in my coffee. You heard me, no sugar. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the easiest thing to do, cause I love my sugar. But I've been slowly cutting down anyway. I mean I used to have 3 sugars with chocolate powder in my coffee, then it was just the 3 sugars, then it was 2, then 1, then artificial sweetener, until finally I just stopped adding anything sugary to it. Mind you, I still have a heck of a lot of milk, but that's more about temperature than anything.

It wasn't a conscious thing, I didn't set out to try and remove sugar from my mornings all together, it kind of just happened. But I'm getting used to coffee with no sweetness, and now I can finally taste the actual coffee. Delicious.

So, I guess that is one more thing off my 'healthy lifestyle' check list. Not that I have an actual list. Although, that would be a good idea...

Until next time!

Love

J xx

Day 4 - Smoothilicious

Is that even a word? No, I didn't think so. Oh well.

Getting back to my point! I've started having a mango smoothie in the morning (when I remember) instead of my regular coffee. I want to try and cut down my caffeine intake as much as I can, while still having a nice healthy filling breakfast. My basic smoothie was a few frozen mango chunks, some yoghurt and milk and throwing it all in the blender and hoping for the best.

Today, however, I went a little mental... I made a detour on my way home from work and headed into Bushy Park to grab some fresh fruit and vegies. I arrived home with a tonne of bananas, 2 mangoes, 2 leeks, chia seeds, 2 bunches of fresh beetroot, 2 massive bulbs of garlic and a whole bag of spinach, all for around $50!

Anyway, I portioned up all of my delicious fruit (not all the bananas though), laid it neatly on backing trays covered in baking paper and popped them in the freezer. I also cut up a few kiwi fruits I had left over, cause I didn't want them to go to waste. 



Once all of that was cleaned up, I headed off to Knox, in search of more information about protein powder. I'd heard about it, and a few friends have it either before or after their work outs, but I just wasn't sure if it was for me. I ended up speaking to a lovely young lady at the Go Vita store, who was full of knowledge and really helped me make a decision. I walked out with my very first lot of protein! 

Thought while I was at Knox, I might as well grab a couple of other things, like some coconut water, pineapples, and milk, then I was on my way home to make my first protein smoothie.

Look guys, I'm not going to lie, I made up the recipe for my smoothie tonight, out of thin air, and I cannot remember the quantities for anything. That being said it was delicious and contained:

Banana
Mango
Pineapple
Yoghurt
Milk 
Ice

I just blitzed it until smooth! How easy is that!?!?!?


I'll be trying a few new recipes/flavour ideas for smoothies soon, and I'll let you all know how I go!

For now, it's bed time, I have a doctors appointment in the morning, then it's grocery shopping with my honey.

Love,

J xx