tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65164850871088459102024-03-13T13:32:34.556+10:30Little Vegan LifeLittle Vegan Life grew from a vegetarian food diary come vegan lifestyle blog called 'So Do You Just, Like, Eat Salad?'. Little Vegan Life explores the vegan lifestyle and my little vegan life, pondering issues big and small, and, most importantly, talking about delicious vegan food! (And 'So Do You Just, Like, Eat Salad?' fans don't despair, all of those posts are in the little vegan archives).Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.comBlogger265125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-58856756389731002012015-08-23T10:09:00.001+09:302015-08-23T10:09:13.899+09:30A post about stopping, and living<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It happened so slowly that I can hardly say when it began. As is usually the case with these things, one thing simply followed another, and another, and another, until it hit me. Life had become too fast. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Too full of worry, anxiety, new jobs, alarms, deadlines, appointments, rushing, working, g</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">uilt over projects and people I didn't get to simply because there were just not enough hours in the day. There is a German saying that e</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">veryone has the same number of hours in the day, we just prioritize them differently. I realised that the jobs, the chores, the <u>work</u>, it had crept in more and more until I was no longer prioritizing any time for myself, for the things that I love, the things that make my life fulfilling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It had crept up on me, life had become too <u>hectic</u>. It was t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ime to slow down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I turned inwards to find the things that really matter to me, and how I could bring them back into my life as well as keeping on with the necessary grind required to survive in this society. How to do this without feeling that the things I love had become another list of 'things that have to be done' intruding upon the freedom and autonomy of my life?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I concluded that it's about being <u>present</u> in the moment, and <u>deliberately</u> organising life to contain windows of freedom, creativity, and self-love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's letting go of the anxiety that maybe everything won't get done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's quelling the fear of what other people think.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's choosing to say no to some things, and choosing to say yes to others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's slow mornings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's using a teapot, and taking the time to enjoy each sip of tea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's lying in bed until half past 10 on your one day off because that quilt is just <u>oh so snuggly</u>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's taking the time to breathe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's stopping to <u>feel</u> your body, to feel how tired it is, and letting it rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's <u>taking the time</u> to give yourself a <u>nice time</u>, instead of just what's next on the agenda of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's stopping to feel the <u>life</u> running through you, and the life inside others.</span></div>
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It's less phone, less Facebook, less worrying about getting the washing dry, and more life.</div>
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It's taking your 15 year old dog to the beach to slowly walk along, basking in the pale glow of the weak winter sun.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taking an interest in what the sea has washed up after a storm...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NviaO8tJQs8/VdkRWxUqHXI/AAAAAAAACFc/iPX5hNw5o20/s1600/20150523_112203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NviaO8tJQs8/VdkRWxUqHXI/AAAAAAAACFc/iPX5hNw5o20/s400/20150523_112203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...and noticing the galah foraging amongst the seaweed - odd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's laughing at your old dog's refusal to climb the steep sand cliff to return home, and carrying her up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's looking down the picturesque track, taking a deep breath of that cold fresh air blowing straight in from Antarctica, looking at your dog and feeling blessed to have shared this wonderful moment in time with her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy living! :)</span></div>
Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-49689325125027373682015-05-16T09:40:00.001+09:302015-05-16T09:40:48.207+09:30"Do You Even Lift Bro?" Protein Balls Recipe<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A coworker of mine was telling me about the protein balls she makes for her fitness-buff boyfriend and based on what she told me, I made my own up. I find these highly addictive! This recipe makes 15 and I ate them all in 3 days, probably not what you're supposed to do. But now, if anyone asks me "Do you even lift?" I can be all like, "Not really but I eat a lot of protein balls", and I'm pretty sure that gives me fitness cred, doesn't it?</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Makes 15 balls</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 overripe banana, mashed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tbsp chia seeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6 tbsp rolled oats</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 tbsp smooth peanut butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Shape into balls and arrange on a baking paper lined tray. Put the tray into the freezer overnight. When protein balls have frozen solid, they can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the freezer for several weeks, if they last that long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span></div>
Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-48957972861759956072015-04-06T10:34:00.000+09:302015-04-06T10:34:24.536+09:30An extra special Easter<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year Easter Sunday was extra special as it was also my sister's birthday. I was making her a pair of pyjama pants for her birthday but then I realised I'd cut the patter out with the fabric print upside down! Disaster! Being the Easter long weekend, I couldn't go and buy more fabric, so I cut up my mess and made this cushion for her instead. When the shops open again I'll buy some more fabric and then she can have a matching cushion and pyjama set! There was also enough fabric left over from making the cushion to make one for me, so that was nice. Silver linings!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because I am really good, Easter Bunny still visits me every year. So on Easter morning I drove to my mum's house and after we did birthday presents for my sister, we had out Easter egg hunts! Easter Bunny leaves cryptic clues all around the place that you have to work out in order to find your eggs. It is a lot of fun and it makes you work for it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After being stuck for a while on a few tricky clues, I eventually found my present (with the help of a few clues). I received this beautiful basket full of lots of chocolate, a toy, two candles, and four handmade stuffed carrots made by Easter Bunny *cough* mum *cough*. It was such a lovely and touching gift, I felt very special and loved.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm61UkMowIQ/VSHOYmbbG2I/AAAAAAAACCw/wqYv_NkMj-s/s1600/20150405_091341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vm61UkMowIQ/VSHOYmbbG2I/AAAAAAAACCw/wqYv_NkMj-s/s1600/20150405_091341.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For breakfast I had these warm hot cross buns, homemade by my lovely mother. They were excellent.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ8O1wIVWtc/VSHOmSYKxZI/AAAAAAAACC4/iLHJBARP8rw/s1600/20150405_091525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ8O1wIVWtc/VSHOmSYKxZI/AAAAAAAACC4/iLHJBARP8rw/s1600/20150405_091525.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For her birthday, my sister wanted to go to a conservation and wildlife park in the Adelaide Hills. My highlight of the day was getting a cuddle with this beautiful Stimson's python. He had the cutest face and big puppy dog eyes. Absolutely heart-melting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, we spent most of our time feeding kangaroos, which never gets old. I loved the attitude of this male red kangaroo. Lounging around like a king and expecting his slaves (us) to come to him and feed him until he was satisfied. You also can't help but marvel at the sheer muscular power of these animals. Look at those arm and chest muscles! For all of my international readers, these male kangaroos are easily as tall as human men, this one's tail was as thick as my thigh. When you are around animals of this power, you really respect that they are in control and you feel very privileged when they choose to interact with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mostly though, they like sleeping in the sun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, ok, they like eating a lot as well!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3qyjzjtiww/VSHQFVmxulI/AAAAAAAACDY/s7PJWp4jdSg/s1600/20150405_125314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3qyjzjtiww/VSHQFVmxulI/AAAAAAAACDY/s7PJWp4jdSg/s1600/20150405_125314.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look at those beautiful eyes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This young male was also very interested in my phone and the clicking sounds it was making!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I included this koala photo especially for you international readers, I know how you all love koalas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also arrived at the dingo enclosure just in time for the keeper talk and feeding, which was great. Dingoes are such great animals, it is so sad that they are so misunderstood and hated by farmers, just as their wolf brothers are elsewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all, a lovely day spent outside feeding animals and eating chocolate.<br /><br />Happy Easter :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-24122660741555700062015-03-29T18:44:00.000+10:302015-03-29T18:45:26.170+10:30A change is in the air...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There has been a change. While I used to be woken by the dazzling golden glow of sunlight streaming in to the bedroom, I now awake to the cold grey light of Autumn. The bedroom window is foggy when I open the blinds, and the mornings carry with them a crispness that turns your mind to scarves, warm cups of tea, and hot breakfasts. Warm breakfasts are something that I have been enjoying lately, slow, sleepy, cozy ones that entice me out of my snuggly bed cocoon on these chilly mornings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A favourite that I have been enjoying is semolina topped with fresh fruit. I got the recipe <a href="http://nomeatthreeveg.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/vegan-snacks-for-kids-that-they.html">here</a>, from the lovely Kate over at No Meat and Three Veg. I halved the amount of sugar as I preferred it with a milder sweetness, and doubled the serving size, because I eat a lot! I just honestly can't get enough of warm semolina right now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another warm breakfast that I have been enjoying is porridge topped with amber agave syrup. This is a simple yet underrated breakfast. So warm, comforting, and filling, it's always a great start to my busy days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Big cups of warm herbal teas have also been making an appearance at my breakfast table of late. I absolutely love this huge cup, its happy yellowness brings so much joy to my soul. I'm sipping from it right now as I type, and my steaming tea is enveloping me in a warm embrace from the inside out. Just what you need during these grey Autumn days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy living! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com1Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-34.928621199999988 138.5999594 -34.928621199999988 138.5999594tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-92156143463458536522015-03-17T11:26:00.000+10:302015-03-17T11:26:20.934+10:30WOMADelaide 2015<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes it's that time of year again, time for me to gush about how much I love WOMADelaide and how much food I ate. Or is it? There was yoga, there was food, there was music and dancing (and this year there was also powdered dye throwing), but I decided that I didn't want to just repeat everything I wrote <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/adelaide-festivities-part-2-womadelaide.html">last year</a>. Instead, I will just share the day in pictures. I hope you enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy living! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-9745722346259244102015-03-04T07:25:00.001+10:302015-03-04T07:25:31.304+10:30Apple and coconut muffin recipe<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because yesterday just really felt like a muffin baking day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Makes: 12 muffins</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups self raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup wholemeal flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup apple sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/3 cup coconut oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">100ml water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup desiccated coconut</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease your muffin tin - I used coconut oil for this. In a large bowl, combine flours, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Add apple sauce, coconut oil, and water, and mix until well combined. Stir in desiccated coconut until even distributed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 20-15 minutes, until the centre is springy. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-56703160127920866672015-03-03T12:59:00.000+10:302015-03-03T12:59:10.495+10:30Running!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About 7 months ago I started running. I started by walking 200m, then running 100m, then walking another 200m and so on. When I first started, I could only do this 3 times before I was exhausted and had to walk the rest of the way. After a while I could do the cycle 5 times, and then I slowly built up the running parts until I could run more and more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Running has helped me to achieve so many goals that I have set for myself, and it gives me such a sense of achievement and pride in myself. Recently I achieved my goal of running 5km without stopping (I actually ran 6km). This was me right after I achieved that goal, looking hot (it was 7:45am and already 30 degrees) but very proud and happy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a favourite place to run, it's along a river, right at the end where it comes out into the sea. It is a really beautiful place. It's in the middle of a city and yet the land surrounding the mouth of the river is full of horses. Further upstream the land has been returned to its natural wetland state, which is really beautiful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I like to run in the early mornings so I get to see some beautiful sunrises while running along this river.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love the smell of horses in the morning! So relaxing, you can forget that you are in the middle of a built-up city here. Here you can just let go, and <u>be</u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wetlands smell amazing too. Like water, and bark, and dirt, and <u>life</u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wetlands are also home to a large number of native birds, which is great to see. On my last run I counted 20 species, including herons, spoonbills, pelicans, ibis, swallows, ducks, and a variety of parrots and insect and nectar feeders. The only ones brave enough to get close enough for a photo though were these moor hens. I also took a dodgy picture of some native swans to show you all, as Australian swans are black, and I know that this is an oddity in the rest of the world! You can see them down in the river in the bottom picture, with a spoonbill in the background on the right, and a group of cockatoos in the centre background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During my runs, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I run up the river, and then turn around and come back down to where it runs out to sea. This is the sight that greets me when I get there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I'm done, I sit down on a bench, have a big drink and some breakfast, and enjoy that post-run high. No drug could ever compare to that amazing feeling! Plus, how can you not feel alive when you're eating your breakfast with this view for company?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used to loathe exercise, now I love it. I love running. I love this place, I love where I live, I love being alive!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy living! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com1Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-66056710978425654792015-02-22T21:24:00.000+10:302015-02-22T21:24:28.170+10:30Summer days<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I hear about Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it seems like it is a time of generally frolicking outdoors; picnics, water fights, and snoozing under big leafy trees. Not so in Adelaide (and most of Australia for that matter). Summer in Adelaide is hot. Like <u>really hot</u>. Like it is 8pm and it is still 35 degrees C outside hot. Like the temperature regularly reaches 40 degrees C and above hot (today it was 39). Also, the UV danger is 'Extreme' for the entire time that the sun is up. Every. Single. Day. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You just cannot possibly go outside. Like outside will kill you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To add to the fun, electricity costs more in Summer, so I for one, try to avoid using my air conditioner at all costs. Electricity costs more for two reasons, 1) because it is the peak period of power usage due to air conditioners and so the power companies can make more money, and, 2) because it acts as a deterrent to </span><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">using</u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> your air conditioner, this is necessary because during heat waves (4+ days of 38+ degrees C) when everyone has their air conditioners on, there is literally not enough power for the city. This results in what are known as 'rolling blackouts', where suburbs are blacked out in turn for about an hour at a time in an effort to 'share the load'. Interestingly when I have spoken to people who live in the more affluent areas of the city though, they have never experienced blackouts during heatwaves... so I have a feeling it's not so much 'sharing the load' as 'poor people taking the burden so that rich people can have their air conditioners on'. Anyway... I don't really mind the heat most of the time, I much prefer it to the cold. So I keep cool the old fashioned way, sucking on ice, watching David Attenborough's <i>Life in the Freezer</i>, and having lots and lots of cold showers. It is also the norm during these very hot weeks to keep your blinds shut, in an effort to keep your house as cool as possible. So this is what every room of my house looks like every day:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is hot. It's dark. You're stuck inside all day, every day. What do you do?! I want to share with you a day of living through the Adelaide Summer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Firstly, I started my day with an 8:30am yoga and meditation session run in Botanic Park in the city. Driving into the city it looked as if Autumn had come early, with big piles of leaves gathering along the footpaths, but actually it was just that the leaves are all dying due to the heat. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was very overcast but still hot, already over 30 degrees, however after the past few days it actually felt quite pleasant</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love going to this yoga session, not only does it leave me feeling really revitalized and energetic, but Botanic Park is just such a lovely setting. While practicing yoga we had probably 1000 flying foxes (AKA fruit bats) chattering in the trees above us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I got home, I cleaned Christian's tank, and then loaded it and the fish tanks up with bottles of frozen water. It's disturbing when your tanks are almost at 30 degrees C and changing the water actually makes the tank <u>hotter</u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next it was time for the first of today's cold showers, followed by some TV (doesn't require movement, which generates heat). However, I was feeling crafty (in the best kind of way) and I was itching to <u>make</u> something. A couple of days ago my mum and I were in Spotlight and saw this fabric on sale for $4 a metre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fell in love with it and Mum very kindly bought some for me. It's warm, fleecy material so I decided to make some Winter pyjama pants out of it (you can find the tutorial <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Sew-Your-Own-Pajama-Pants/#step1">here</a>). I think they turned out quite well, especially as this is the first time I have ever made any kind of clothing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not bad for $4! Plus $3 for elastic... It took me over 2 hours to make them, due to some silly mistakes by me, but I really want to make more! I think you can expect to see a lot more DIY clothing projects on this blog in the future! I just love this fabric. I love that I now have carrot pants. Excellent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My productivity continued after that, when I finished <i>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</i>, which my sister lent to me on Boxing Day. And which I started not long after that. Yay! She will stop giving me those horrible long-suffering looks now that I'm finally returning it to her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apologies for the dark picture it was, you know, dark in my house. What with all the blinds being shut and all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now, I sit. And I type. And I dream of tomorrow when a cool change is coming (only 27 degrees! It will feel freezing!). I check the website for the Bureau of Meteorology to see when the change is coming in, when can I open my house up and get some cool, fresh, air in?! Not until dawn tomorrow. Another hot night here. I will open my door just to check, even though I know that the air outside will still be hotter than the air in here. Maybe I should just have another cold shower.<br /><br />Happy staying cool, or warm, depending where in the world you are! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-90912373123317392812015-02-21T17:42:00.000+10:302015-02-21T17:42:15.998+10:30Goodbye sweet Alex<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday was a very sad day. Today is sad too. Yesterday the little vegan family had to say goodbye to one of its members, dear elderly Alex.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex had grown slow of late, and tired, and forgetful. The sun was setting on his life and mostly he wiled away this twilight time sleeping and eating. This is the last photo I took of Alex, just a couple of days before he died. He looks old. So very old.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then yesterday I knew that something was very wrong. Alex was sick. Alex was dying. My work colleagues very kindly gave me the day off at a moment's notice, and an appointment was scheduled with the vet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex was relaxed. He was peaceful. He was ready. He welcomed death's embrace. And a piece of my heart broke, never to be healed. The piece that belonged to Alex.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Goodbye my hairless, neurotic friend. The house is quiet and empty without you. I miss you, and love you, always.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-26294101707898480982015-02-17T16:12:00.001+10:302015-02-17T16:12:20.937+10:30A productive couple of days<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I didn't get called in for any relief teaching work yesterday or today but did I let that get me down? No! Did I spend my time worrying about how I will pay the bills? N... ok maybe a bit. But did I choose to see this freed up time as an opportunity? Yes! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apart from looking for jobs, which is pretty much a daily occurrence</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in my life at the moment, I've spent the past couple of days being quite productive, sorting things out and getting to some of those 'I'll do that when I've got some spare time' jobs. It is so satisfying!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mum recently gave me her old sewing machine and I am <u>so</u> excited and touched by this. She has had this machine my whole life, and it is the one she taught me to sew on when I was a child. I'm a very sentimental person so this sewing machine is something that is very special to me. I am so so excited to have it as my very own, and my mind is buzzing with all the projects I could make.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have had this idea in my head for a while now, to make a different tablecloth for each Pagan festival. Then I could put the tablecloths on for dinner that night to really make it feel like a special celebration, and a reminder of the moment of the year that we are in. So yesterday I decided to christen my new sewing machine by making the first of my tablecloths. I made this one for Mabon, which is the upcoming festival celebrating the Autumn Equinox.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was actually quite difficult to find fabric that really suited the Adelaide Autumn feel that I was going for. I wanted something which was Autumn coloured, but not dark or reminiscent of cold weather and snugliness, as Mabon falls in March in the Southern hemisphere and in Adelaide it is still very hot in March. After about an hour spent looking at every roll of fabric in Spotlight (not that I'm complaining, it was heaven!) I managed to find one that I <u>think</u> suits the feel. I'm still not quite sure though. But anyway, it was the best I could do! Hopefully I can save my pennies and make another one for Samhain in May, the festival celebrating the halfway point between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. It's the origin of Halloween and one of my favourite festivals (because there <u>is</u> a feeling of cold weather and snugliness!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My project today was to make my life a little more <u>organised</u> and <u>stress-free</u>. I don't know about you, but clutter and disorganisation make me feel stressed, and an organised environment where everything has a properly allocated (and labelled) place makes me feel peaceful and relaxed. Being a teacher, I have a lot of teaching resources and organising and storing these is a nightmare, particularly when you don't have a permanent job so you have to store them all at your house! I have one particular shelf in one of my wardrobes, where I had a whole heap of really great resources, but they were just all shoved in there so they were not accessible or usable. This was the shelf when I started:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the shelf when I finished:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's still not <u>quite</u> done to the standard I would like, I still need to buy a couple of things next time I go shopping and borrow my mum's label maker, but looking at that shelf now makes me feel happy and satisfied, rather than panicked! Also, look at all the extra space for new resources! Yay!<br /><br />Happy living! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-49954535202106236902015-02-15T19:52:00.000+10:302015-02-15T19:52:01.178+10:30Bio Cheese has landed in Australia!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you heard exuberant cries of excitement and delight echoing across the country? It's probably because Coles has recently begun stocking Bio Cheese, previously very hard to get in Australia. So there is now finally a vegan cheese available in a major supermarket! Yay Coles!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />But what does it taste like? Well, apparently very very good. The internet was going crazy about it, so I decided I had better get into it and see what all the fuss was about. At $9.50 for 250g, it's not cheap, but vegan cheese never is, is it? So I forked out and excitedly unwrapped it and took a bite of a slice. Now as I have mentioned before, I have been burned by vegan cheese before, so I cautiously chewed my mouthful and carefully analysed the flavour and texture, but I'll be damned, it is very nice! The flavour and texture are both very reminiscent of Edam or Swiss cheese, and it is very hard to stop at just one slice. I have eaten it by itself, and on Arnott's Jatz biscuits, and both are delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, the toughest test; the melt test. To be able to best analyse the melt texture and flavour, I made some simple cheese on toast (and very handily, 3 slices of Bio Cheese are the exact perfect fit for a slice of bread!). The cheese bubbled well under the grill and melted very well I think, compared to other vegan cheeses. Compared to dairy cheese, Bio Cheese melts like processed cheese slices, with a skin on the top and creamy melted cheese within. My only issue with this was that the skin got stuck on my teeth. Do not eat in public. The melted cheese within was very nice though, very creamy. It didn't stretch but hey, you can't have it all!<br /><br />I think this cheese is great, definitely the closest I've ever tasted to dairy cheese. I think that it would be great in a toasted sandwich, as you wouldn't get the processed cheese skin issue, and I really want to experiment with putting it in pastas, soups, and seeing how it reacts when grated and spread on a pizza. Whie I still have a soft spot for Sheese on Jatz biscuits, I think that Bio Cheese is a definite winner, and very readily available! Yay! A sure sign that the vegan market is growing and becoming more influential, and a perfect example of the cycle of consume and demand. Companies only provide what you ask for with your money, if you ask for ethical foods and practices, that's what you'll get. So much for the "But you're only one person" argument, we're all only one person, and together we are billions of people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com5Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-88989842606551283062015-02-07T17:08:00.000+10:302015-02-08T21:00:30.202+10:30Top 5 family movies with vegan messages (that won't scar your children for life)<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Growing up in the 90's, I was exposed to a large number of environmentalist-message TV shows and films. Most of them, while having an impact, weren't disturbing to me at all (with the exception of perhaps the poaching episodes of <i>Captain Planet</i> and <i>Widget the World Watcher</i>) but some of them were just plain horrifying.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will never forget sitting glued to the TV every afternoon watching <i>The Animals of Farthing Wood</i> feeling so anxious and nauseous about which animals were not going to survive the traps, hunters, and road crossings on their way to finding a new home; and it was pretty gruesome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was also an awful 8.5 minute claymation called <i>Turtle World</i> which showed monkeys building a civilization on the back of a turtle that swam through the sky and as they cut down trees the turtle became sadder, then the monkeys pried up one of the scutes of its shell and 'mined' down into its body while it cried, and eventually the turtle dies and so does everyone riding on it. <u>DISTURBING</u>. If you too want to be disturbed, you can watch it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHRYe6ldzJI">here</a>. There was also another animation shown at Christmas time which depicted happy pine trees being cut down and taken away from their friends to wither in lounge rooms before finally being thrown out to die in the gutters. I wish I was embellishing that story but I truly am not. Merry Christmas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that was just on the TV. As far as movies went there were gems like <i>Once Upon A Forest</i> where animals are killed by poison gas thanks to a road being built through their woodland home, and <i>FernGully: the last rainforest</i> where one of the main characters was an escaped laboratory animal who had electrodes sticking out of his brain.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7lT9m5EJpwc/VNWyZA3PxLI/AAAAAAAAB6w/G9CY8uT9KQE/s1600/Crysta_hugging_Batty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7lT9m5EJpwc/VNWyZA3PxLI/AAAAAAAAB6w/G9CY8uT9KQE/s1600/Crysta_hugging_Batty.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All I can say is thank god that my mother kept <i>Bambi</i> and <i>Black Beauty</i> away from me or else I may have spent the rest of my life rocking in a corner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, what can you do if you're an ethically-minded vegan adult wanting to instill the same values in your children without terrifying them and scarring them for life? Don't worry, as a massive fan of children's movies I have been there and done all the research for you! Here are my top 5 picks of <u>child friendly</u> movies with powerful vegan messages.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Number 5</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Beauty and the Beast (Disney)</b></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UIegYl50l4/VNWv3V7pTZI/AAAAAAAAB5s/Lx9iD_r0_T0/s1600/belle-and-the-beast-in-beauty-and-the-beast-disney-couples-25378817-1280-720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UIegYl50l4/VNWv3V7pTZI/AAAAAAAAB5s/Lx9iD_r0_T0/s1600/belle-and-the-beast-in-beauty-and-the-beast-disney-couples-25378817-1280-720.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What it's about:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Come on guys, it's a 'tale as old as time'! Classic fairy tale set in provincial 19th century France. Selfish prince is cursed by enchantress to live life as a hideous beast until he can learn to love, and is loved in return. Intellectual Belle offers herself as The Beast's prisoner in exchange for her father's freedom. They fall in love. There is singing furniture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegan messages:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In his introductory song, Gaston, the villain, declares "I use antlers in all of my decorating". If that's not a bad guy, I don't know what is. Belle, at first afraid of the mysterious and wild Beast, soon befriends him and sees his true, gentle nature. She, like all Disney princesses, is also very kind and nurturing towards other animals, and teaches the Beast to be the same. When the villagers find out about The Beast, they are afraid of "what we don't understand" and, rallied by Gaston's cry of "We're not safe until his head is mounted on my wall!", they set off to hunt down and kill The Beast, despite Belle trying to educate them on his true gentle, loving nature (replace 'Beast' with any other wild animal!). However, love and kindness prevail, bad guys are vanquished, and miracles happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Warning: This movie was made almost 25 years ago, when scary scenes in children's movies were actually a bit scary. <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> has 2 scary scenes involving a pack of wolves, a scary looking man who runs an insane asylum and is involved in a plot to have Belle's father institutionalised, and the scary-ish mob scene at the end. Depending on your child, they might want you close-by during those scenes, especially during the first viewing when they don't know that it all turns out ok. The wolf scenes would also provide a good opportunity to talk with children about how wolves are generally misunderstood and are often portrayed as evil and aggressive when in reality they are not (much like The Beast!). Oh, and i</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">f your child is anything like I was, they may become most upset when The Beast regains his true, human, form and may have to be carried out of the cinema screaming "I want The Beast back!" But don't worry, they will get over it and by the time they are in their mid-twenties they will just sulk and mutter it under their breath during that scene.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Number 4</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Finding Nemo (Disney Pixar)</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What it's about:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nemo, a young clownfish living on the Great Barrier Reef, strives for independence and to prove to his father that he is quite capable despite his disability. During an effort to illustrate this, he is caught by a diver and taken away to Sydney to live in an office aquarium. His dad, Marlin, must traverse the oceans in an effort to find his son and along the way is joined by the bubbly but very forgetful Dory, as well as a whole cast of other animals the pair meet along the way. Hilarity ensures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegan messages:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The diver who takes Nemo, mistakenly believes that he 'saved' him while he was "struggling for life out on the reef", when in fact that was not the case at all, Nemo was doing fine in his natural habitat. This highlights the ethics of removing animals from the wild and assuming that we know what is best for them, as well as the ethics of taking animals from the wild to keep as pets. There is also a scene where Dory is captured in a fishing trawler's net and Nemo and Marlin must help her, and the hundreds of other fish in the net, escape. I think this scene does a really good job of illustrating the terror felt by the fish in the net, and their will to live. It is also a great example of the problem of by-catch. Dory is obviously not the target species and yet she is caught in the net all the same. Additionally, along their journey, Marlin and Dory meet a group of sharks who have decided not to eat fish anymore because "Fish are friends, not food". Yes, there are vegan characters in this movie. Sure, one of them has a bit of a relapse, but he is back to living his ethical lifestyle at the end. But where do they get their protein...?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Point of annoyance: Movie is set in Australia, almost all of the side characters have Australian accents, so why do the main characters have American accents? Weird and jarring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Number 3</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Monsters Inc (Disney Pixar)</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oB18itmYxxw/VNWwMBK8POI/AAAAAAAAB58/fxuDQmHHx7U/s1600/monsters-inc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oB18itmYxxw/VNWwMBK8POI/AAAAAAAAB58/fxuDQmHHx7U/s1600/monsters-inc.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What it's about:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Set in the world of monsters, in a city called Monstropolis, best friends Sully and Mike work at Monsters Inc, the city's power company. In the monster world, power is generated by collecting children's screams. Sully and Mike work on the scare floor, where only the elite work. Sully is the company's best scarer, and Mike is his assistant. To collect screams, wardrobe doors are used to enter into the world of humans. The scarer scares the child in the room and then leaves, while the assistant collects the child's scream in a canister. All is well until one day, Sully and Mike find themselves in possession of Boo, an escaped toddler. A child escaping into the monster world is unprecedented, and children are believed to be extremely dangerous. Together Sully and Mike must return Boo to her world without being caught. Along the way they discover an evil plot that goes all the way to the top of the company, to kidnap children and use a machine to suck their screams out of them in an effort to combat falling productivity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegan messages:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Monsters Inc is an industry that runs on the exploitation of children. Children are treated cruelly, scared, and traumatized, but no one questions this because it is socially normal. Children and their screams are commodities, and there is a belief that screams are necessary in order for society to function. Societal myths support the exploitation of children; children are believed to be toxic, dangerous, and stupid, they are not thought of as having feelings like the monsters, they are lesser beings. It is not until Sully and Mike make a meaningful connection to a child that they realise that the social myths are wrong. However, they still believe in scaring, just doing it in an 'ethical' way, i.e. going into children's bedrooms to scare them rather than kidnapping them and using "The Machine" to suck screams out of them. This is a similar stance to that taken by those who buy 'free range' meat and eggs rather than factory farmed. A turning point comes in a moving scene where Sully accidentally scares Boo and is faced with the reality of how terrifying he is to children, and how much they are suffering because of him. Sully realises that what he is doing is wrong, there is no excuse for it and scaring has to stop. Sully ends up revolutionizing the industry so that both monsters and children benefit, changing the whole of society and showing that there is a better way. Throughout, Sully is guided by love and kindness and in the end, everyone is happier when the system is changed to one based on kindness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What else your child will gain:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An introduction to Steve Buscemi, Billy Crystal, and John Goodman, which can only be a good thing. Also, if you're a fan of Disney Pixar movies (as I am) you'll know to look out for Easter eggs (hidden references to other Disney Pixar movies). <i>Monsters Inc</i> probably has the most Easter eggs of any Disney Pixar movie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Number 2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Brother Bear (Disney)</b></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OymTJ3BYEN0/VNWwVIkMJMI/AAAAAAAAB6E/XmyX2TLOs7U/s1600/scr-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OymTJ3BYEN0/VNWwVIkMJMI/AAAAAAAAB6E/XmyX2TLOs7U/s1600/scr-2.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What it's about:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Brother Bear</i> is a beautifully animated coming of age story that follows an Inuit boy named Kenai, whose transition to manhood, he is told, must be lead by love. During a confrontation with a bear, which Kenai provokes, his older brother, Sitka is killed. Kenai's other brother, Denahi, says that he doesn't blame the bear for Sitka's death, as the bear was only acting within its nature, he blames Kenai. Kenai then hunts down the bear and kills it in revenge for Sitka's death. However, the spirits, including Sitka's spirit, are extremely saddened by Kenai's actions, and transform him into a bear. Denahi, who has followed his brother, arrives shortly after the transformation and believes that Kenai is the bear who killed Sitka, and that it has killed Kenai as well. In a fit of grief, Denahi swears to avenge his two brothers and kill the bear, who is really Kenai. While dodging Denahi and journeying to a sacred mountain in an effort to regain his human form, Kenai meets a young bear named Koda, who promises to take him to the mountain if Kenai will accompany him to the salmon run, as he has become separated from his mother. Over the course of their journey, the two form a close bond, however when Koda tells the other bears how he became separated from his mother, Kenai suddenly realises with horror that Koda's mother was the bear that he killed. Kenai must take responsibility for his actions and their outcomes. He learns to live guided by love, and everyone is changed for the better. As the movie's tagline says, 'the story of a boy who became a man, by becoming a bear'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegan messages:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow, where do you start with this one? Killing animals is wrong. Animals have thoughts and feelings just like us. Animals are just as important as humans. Animals are here for their own purposes, not ours. This whole movie is just a wrap-up of vegan values! Ok firstly, this film does an excellent job of showing the same series of events from the point of view of the human, Kenai, and the point of view of the bear, Koda's mother. If you ever wanted a perfect instrument for teaching empathy, <i>Brother Bear</i> is it. Secondly, through his transformation and the relationships he builds, Kenai learns that bears are not vicious, mindless monsters undeserving of kindness, like he had always thought thought they were. He also realises that the bears (and other animals) fear humans and try to run away rather than resort to confrontation. When he revisits the events leading up to his murder of Koda's mother, he realises that this is what she had tried to do. Kenai realises that there was no excuse for his actions, and in a heartbreaking scene he tells Koda, "I have a story to tell you. It's kind of about a man, and it's kind of about a bear, but mostly it's about a monster. Koda, I did something very wrong. You're mother's not coming." By the end of his journey, Kenai chooses to put the needs of the animals above his own needs, and his transition into manhood is complete. <i>Brother Bear</i> does a great job of showing that all life on this planet is connected, all life is equal, and all life is sacred.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also useful for:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Times when you need a good cry but can't find a socially appropriate reason to do so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Number 1</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks)</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What it's about:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hiccup is a Viking boy on the verge of manhood. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hiccup's home island, Berk, is periodically raided by dragons, who steal the Vikings' food. The Vikings respond by fighting the dragons and killing them (don't worry, you don't see any dragons being killed).</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Small, scrawny, accident-prone, and not dragon-fighting material, Hiccup is a disappointment to his tough, chieftain father. Hiccup's strongest desire is to kill a dragon to prove himself to his father, his community, and of course his love interest. There are many kinds of dragons, each different in its attack methods and the skill it takes to kill. The most dangerous of all dragons is one which is never seen, the Night Fury. No Viking would even attempt to engage a Night Fury in combat, so of course this dragon is Hiccup's target. Miraculously, Hiccup manages to catch a Night Fury, but he doesn't have the heart to kill it, and instead lets it free. However, the catlike dragon has been injured during capture, and is unable to fly. Hiccup ensures that the dragon, whom he names Toothless, is kept secret from the rest of the island's inhabitants, and constructs a prosthetic for the missing part of Toothless' tail, the part which is preventing him from flying. However, the pair discover that the prosthetic will not work on its own, Toothless will only be able to fly again if he is ridden by a human, so that the human can turn the prosthetic like a rudder for Toothless. Slowly Hiccup and Toothless gain one another's trust and friendship, and work in partnership. Meanwhile, Hiccup is enrolled in dragon-fighting school, where he uses his new found understanding of dragons and their behaviour to avoid having to fight any. However, this plan backfires when Hiccup comes top of the class and is giving the 'honour' of killing a captured dragon. Needless to say, Hiccup refuses, Toothless is discovered and captured, and everything gets very bad. Hiccup's father uses Toothless to lead him to the dragons' nest, where he hopes to kill them all. Of course this doesn't happen though, Hiccup and Toothless are reunited, minds are changed, dragons are saved, and the society is reformed into one where humans and dragons live in harmony. Hooray!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegan messages:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was very, very tough ranking <i>Brother Bear</i> and <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i>, and <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> only <u>just</u> came first, mostly because I think that it is very relevant to our society at present. Something that strikes me in this movie is the activism messages, and the 'it's ok to be different' messages. Basically, <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> says it's ok to have ideas and beliefs that are different from the mainstream. It speaks to me as a vegan, saying yes, people might oppose you and your views, people close to you included, mostly because they are afraid of change and a move away from 'tradition', you must persist anyway. <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> is about doing what's right, not what's popular, it's about questioning authority and 'the way things are'. It also highlights that old saying, 'the most dangerous phrase in the English language is "Because that's the way we've always done it"'. Hiccup goes against his family and community because of differing morals, and I'm sure that's something that a lot of vegans can sadly relate to. Like <i>Brother Bear</i>, this movie teaches that killing animals is wrong, teaches kindness and respect towards animals, and says that animals have feelings and a purpose of their own. Hiccup's father exploits Toothless, and this is shown to be wrong. Hiccup can't kill Toothless, this is seen as a sign of weakness and of not being a 'real man', but it is actually a sign of strength. Like <i>Brother Bear</i>, <i>How to Train Your Dragon </i>says that kindness and empathy towards animals <u>is</u> manly and heroic. I think that this is a very important message. Once his hunting quarry, Hiccup feels guilt and remorse for injuring Toothless. He feels responsible for Toothless' wellbeing as the injury has taken away Toothless' freedom and ability to return to the wild. As with the children in <i>Monsters Inc</i>, and 'farm animals' in the real world, in <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> there are societal myths about dragons that justify their treatment, dragons are believed to be ruthless, stupid, and evil. And like <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, this movie really highlights how lack of understanding leads to fear, and we see this all the time, in relation to sharks for example. Hiccup seeks to achieve a humane society through education and this reminds me of a quote from one of my favourite books, <i>Priceless</i> by Bradley Trevor Greive: 'In the end we will save only what we love, and we will love only what we understand'. I believe this is so true. All in all, I find <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> so powerful and moving. How could it not rank first in this list with a quote like: "I wouldn't kill him because he looked as terrified as I was. I looked at him and I saw myself."? And let's not forget <u>that</u> moment:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disclaimer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately <i>How to Train Your Dragon 2</i> is not vegan at all in its messages, which is very disappointing. The dragons are pretty much treated like horses and viewed as commodities. Don't even GO there with the 'sport' that sees the protagonists throwing terrified sheep through the air into hoops for entertainment. I also do have a few negative points I'd like to share about the original. Firstly, the movie does have a bit of a conflicting message, being all 'wild animals want to be free' at the start, and moving towards a mutually beneficial trust/respect partnership towards the middle and the end. Also, during the fight scene at the end, the protagonists <u>are</u> mean to the 'bad dragon' that is controlling the others (though it is suggested that this might be natural hive behaviour? Confusing), and do kill it. <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> also suffers from The Nemo Effect, all of the characters have Scottish accents except Hiccup and his friends, who have American accents. WHY?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Special Mention</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>WALL-E (Disney Pixar)</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As WALL-E just missed out on making the top 5, I'm putting it in as an added bonus, because it's awesome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What it's about:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WALL-E is set in the future, where Earth has become uninhabitable due to the enormous amounts of rubbish generated by humans. The humans have abandoned the planet and have been orbiting around in a big spaceship for generations waiting for the planet to be cleaned up by the WALL-E waste disposal robots. WALL-E is the last functioning robot on the planet. He meets EVE, a life-probe robot sent from the human ark spaceship on periodic missions to search for signs of life. She finds it and together she and WALL-E embark on a journey to save mankind from themselves and bring them back to Earth. And on the way romance ensures. Of course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegan messages:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok so not quite vegan, more environmental, but being vegan is great for the environment right?! WALL-E is a gentle soul who is kind to the cockroach that he meets while cleaning up all the rubbish on the abandoned Earth. When EVE first sees the cockroach she is afraid because she doesn't understand it, and she tries to kill it. WALL-E stops her and teaches her how to connect with animals. Together WALL-E and EVE fight to protect the fragile life of Earth and bring the humans home to live in harmony with the natural world. Man, I can never get through the end credits (where the children are learning to plant vegetables and life is returning to the planet) without crying my eyes out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other reasons you should see it:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This film is a cinematic masterpiece. There is no dialogue FOR THE FIRST 22 MINUTES and it doesn't need it, it is amazing. The main characters themselves only say 5 words between them, and are <u>machines</u> and yet they convey everything through their dialogue and 'facial' expressions. I have no idea how they convey so much though their faces, absolutely exceptional character design and animation. When WALL-E changes, you know it, just by looking at his face. The music and sound are great, but visually, this movie is amazing. If you can, watch it on blu ray with a HD TV and be blown away by the fire extinguisher scene. Oh, and the movie also has a big message about corporatisation, consumerism, and reliance on technology. And is a huge homage to <i>2001: a space odyssey</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy watching! :)</span></div>
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Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-61834944694009987702015-01-26T09:56:00.002+10:302015-01-26T09:57:09.395+10:30'I Need to Eat More Vegetables' Curry Recipe<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You'd think that being vegan it would be easy to eat fruit and vegetables everyday. Well, it is, but sometimes nutrition does fall by the wayside and you realise with a shock that you have only eaten vegetables twice in the past week and you start checking your gums for signs of scurvy. Never fear, this curry will replenish your poor neglected body! Also, you don't have to wait until you're in the early stages of scurvy to make this, you could just, you know, make it because it's delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serves 4</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tbsp coconut oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tsp ground coriander</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tsp ground cumin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp turmeric</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp ginger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 onions, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 carrots, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 potatoes, cut into 2cm chunks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A large handful of green beans, cut in half</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">400g tin kidney beans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup peas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">400g tin chopped tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">500ml water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil, then add coriander, cumin, turmeric, and ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Next add onion and fry for 3-5 minutes, until softened.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Add potato, carrot, and green beans, and fry for 5-10 minutes (I usually do it until the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pot).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Add kidney beans and peas, and stir to coat. Next add tomatoes, water, and salt. Bring to the boil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Add spinach and stir to combine well. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serve with rice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-67020282043615888972015-01-26T09:36:00.002+10:302015-01-26T09:36:34.424+10:30Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This recipe is one of my favourites and is slightly adapted from the one in Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's cookbook, <i>The Joy of Vegan Baking</i>. If you don't already have a copy, you should feel ashamed and quickly walk down to the bookshop and get one (or, more likely, click around to find the best price online). This book is fabulous, and so are these cookies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 3/4 cup plain flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 tsp bi-carb soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Egg replacer made up to the equivalent of 1 egg (I use Ogran brand)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tbsp water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/4 cup smooth peanut butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup Nuttelex</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 tbsp soy milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tbsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup crushed peanuts</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C and line baking trays with baking paper. Trust me on the baking paper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. In a small bowl, combine flour, bi-carb, and salt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Next, in a large bowl, combine brown sugar, peanut butter, soy milk, and vanilla extract using an electric hand mixer. Beat until well blended.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Add the egg replacer to the peanut butter mixture and beat until just combined. Next, add the flour mixture and peanuts and mix until just blended.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls 5cm apart on the baking trays, and flatten slightly with a fork.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Leave to cool on tray for 3-5 minutes before removing to let cool on a wire rack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-46184487404128136602015-01-25T23:16:00.002+10:302015-01-26T09:59:10.041+10:30Gratitude<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This morning I started off my day in a beautiful way, with a two hour yoga and meditation session with beautiful people in the beautiful Adelaide Botanic Park. Thanks to the Adelaide Yoga Community and Breathe In Peace initiatives, these free sessions are run on the last Sunday of the month (for more details see the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adelaide-Yoga%E0%AB%90-Community/538330419626363?fref=ts">Adelaide Yoga Community Facebook page</a>). Basically the aim is to create a collective consciousness and spreading of kindness, gratitude, and peace throughout the community and the world. It is also about nurturing kindness and gratitude within ourselves, towards our bodies, our rhythms, our lives, and creating inner peace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Filled with this positive energy I came home feeling very calm and relaxed. I feel that an important part of establishing inner peace is surround ourselves with environments that create peace within us. For me, this means a clean and tidy environment, so I burnt some incense and straightened my house. I stripped the bed and put on my yellow quilt cover, because it makes me feel happy. Then I put on some classical music and baked some biscuits for an afternoon tea I was having with a friend </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(you can find the recipe </span><a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/peanut-butter-cookies-recipe.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">)</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Ahh the peace!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, we are all different, I know that for a lot of people clean and tidy spaces make them feel anxious. This is ok, we are all unique and we all require unique energies. Something that we all have in common though, I think, is that all </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">too often we find ourselves drawn to thinking about what <u>isn't</u>, instead of what <u>is</u>. I really enjoyed talking with my friend over afternoon tea, and something that was talked of a lot (and even visited) was the house she is building. It would be easy to fall victim to feelings of envy and self pity, but instead I only felt excitement and gratitude that this wonderful thing was happening to a most deserving friend. It is so <u>liberating</u> to experience positive vibes over negative ones, if only we all lived with more gratitude, respect, and love in our hearts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was at this point in my day that I was truly overwhelmed with gratitude. Things have been tough for a long time, but I recently confided in my mum that I have been skipping meals because I can't afford to buy enough food for a whole week. This afternoon, she showed up at my door with <u>boxes</u> of food that she had bought for me, as well as a posy of herbs and flowers to brighten my day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tears were shed. There are just no words to describe how thankful I am for the kindness and generosity of this woman and how much she has helped me over the years, but particularly over this past year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having so many options for dinner was slightly overwhelming, but I eventually decided to make a curry filled with HEAPS of vegetables, because vegetables have been scarily lacking in my diet of late, what with my diet mostly consisting of rice, toast, and breakfast cereal. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead of eating in front of the computer like I usually do, I made dinner a special event, a special time for me to just spend time on me.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3BOgj5EDHPE/VMTlPjDOiBI/AAAAAAAAB40/vb7snLqGIUk/s1600/IMG_3585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3BOgj5EDHPE/VMTlPjDOiBI/AAAAAAAAB40/vb7snLqGIUk/s1600/IMG_3585.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The curry was amazing, so delicious, colourful, and nourishing, and you can find the recipe <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/i-need-to-eat-more-vegetables-curry.html">here</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately I began to feel a bit ill while eating dinner, I'm not used to eating a normal amount of food or eating food of actual substance. But still, I was thankful that my body was finally receiving</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> the nutrition it needed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part of embracing gratitude, love, and peace, is being kind to ourselves, and taking the time to nurture ourselves. So often we are caught up in the business of life that we overlook this. Stop and take a moment to truly <u>love</u> yourself. To acknowledge your amazing body and the way it keeps you <u>alive</u> and makes you who you are. Take that moment to respect yourself and thank yourself for being awesome. Then give yourself an internal self-hug (or, hell, an actual self-hug). You could even nurture your body and soul with a warm candle-lit bath and the best of Tchaikovsky, as I did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'I just love this day I just feel that we're blessed' - DNA (from the song Life As It Is)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy living! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-34770162479154393682015-01-20T09:13:00.000+10:302015-01-20T09:13:07.002+10:30Growing and changing: less salad, more life<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I haven't posted in a while and the reason is that I was just too flat out doing other things and something had to give! I did my final student teaching placement, finished my university degree, loved and lost, and started my career as an <u>actual qualified teacher</u> (finally!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, I wanted a little break because I wanted some time and space to think, and I have been thinking a lot. Because increasingly I was wanting to post about things that weren't necessarily about veganism, they were just about my own life and things that I was doing that I wanted to share. But this didn't really fit with the focus of 'So Do You Just, Like, Eat Salad?'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I feel that it is time for a direction</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> change, and as as I said, this is something I have been mulling over for a long time. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over time, I have been growing and changing and the things I want to share have been moving beyond 'So You You Just, Like, Eat Salad?', and something else has been taking shape in my head. Something called Little Vegan Life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now don't fret lovers of 'So Do You Just, Like, Eat Salad?', because Salad will still be here in spirit! All of the yummy recipes, the food product reviews, the reporting on what I ate at various events, and the thoughts and ponderings will continue, there will just be more... other stuff! Also, all of the old posts are still here to rummage through. I've even kept the URL the same so that links to this blog on other sites will still work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Things grow and change, people grow and change, ideas grow and change, that is nature and that is wonderful. Think of this as 'So Do You Just, Like, Eat Salad?' growing and changing, dying its hair, listening to different music and wearing different clothes, but still being the same blog underneath.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am really excited to be sharing more of my little vegan life with you, and as always I would love for you to share your life and thoughts with me as well as we go. Here's to a new chapter!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy reading! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-66836598943398078742014-08-23T08:58:00.002+09:302014-10-19T11:50:48.023+10:30Vegan chicken noodle soup recipe<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other day a colleague brought a chicken noodle soup in for lunch. It looked really yummy and I was like you know what? I can veganize that! So away I went to invent this recipe. It's quick, easy, very very yummy, and doesn't involve any dead animals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serves: 4-6</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 carrots, diced into small pieces</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 sticks celery, diced into small pieces</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 onions, finely diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 cloves garlic, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">250g vermicelli pasta, broken into 1/3 lengths (or use angel hair pasta if you can find it, I couldn't get any!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3L vegan chicken stock (I am a fan of Massel powdered stock)<br />A big handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tbsp Nuttelex</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Melt the Nuttelex in a large saucepan, then add the carrot, celery, and onion and fry for 5 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Then add stock and bring to the boil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Add the pasta and stir. Boil soup for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-15700024283976486142014-07-26T09:49:00.001+09:302014-08-14T07:27:42.098+09:30In sickness and in health<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes in life we take risks. We take risks and we think 'it'll be alright', and then sometimes it isn't. This year I didn't get the flu shot. I was busy, I didn't have time to get it and I didn't have the money to pay for it. Then I got the flu, and considering the loss of productivity and wages I experienced, it would have been much better to just get the shot in the first place. Ah well, hindsight's like that isn't it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I was very ill for several weeks, even now that I'm back at work I'm still not 100%. This was also my first experience of being sick while living alone, and it was hard! But thankfully in my hour of need, I still had my family to take care of me. My grandmother to drive me to the doctor, my sister to lend me the entire box set of <i>Horrible Histories</i>, my mum to cook for me, buy me medicine, and lend me money so that I could pay my rent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One day when I was really sick, my mum brought around this beautiful basket full of things to nurse me back to health. Herbal teas specifically designed to support your immune system, help you get to sleep, and restore energy; my favourite biscuits; a big pot of warm homemade baked beans, and some nice bread to go with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If my break-up and the difficult period following it has shown me anything, it's the love of my family and the way in which we all support each other. You're never alone when you're surrounded by people who love you. Thank you family, for being awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy loving :)</span><br />
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<script type="text/javascript" async src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-65195222735254929632014-06-17T16:08:00.000+09:302014-08-14T07:28:22.339+09:30Samhain (and the Woolton pie recipe)<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As some of you may know, and others may have picked up, I am Pagan. For me, this means observing the movement of our amazing planet as it travels through space, the seasons which result from this, and the feelings we inherently associate with these seasons. I've always celebrated the Pagan festivals by having a special dinner that reflects the moment in time we are celebrating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shortly before we split up, Jeff and I observed Samhain, which is the festival from which Halloween was created. Samhain marks the halfway point between the Autumn Equinox (Mabon) and the Winter Solstice (Yule. Ah, I see you making the historical connections to another popular festival celebrated around the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere...). Samhain is the final festival of the Pagan calendar and represents death and dying in the circle of life, before the spark of life is reignited at Yule when the days begin to lengthen once more and the sun begins to return. It seems fitting then that this would be the last festival that Jeff and I would spend together. This is also a very fitting time for me to be grieving for this loss and spending my time healing, consolidating, and refocusing for a new beginning in the coming months, because that's what this time of year symbolizes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, Samhain, with its background of death, is not a time of sorrow. It is a time of acceptance, of love, and of appreciation for what you have, and what you will have. I like to make something for dinner on that night that reflects that feeling you get around this time of year, that you just want to curl up in the warmth with a hearty meal and those you love, and hibernate through the Winter. This year I made something I've been wanting to make for years, Woolton Pie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Woolton Pie has its roots in WWII England when rations meant that there wasn't a whole lot to eat besides a few vegetables and a bit of flour. I found my recipe many years ago and cut it out of a magazine, the name of which I have long since forgotten, and have been saving it for a festival such as Samhain. It was a bit more effort than I like to take when making dinner, so I think it'll stay as a 'special occassions' meal only, though I must say the pasty was very yummy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Woolton Pie</b><br /><br />Serves 4<br /><br /><u>For the filling</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u>450g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">900g carrots, peeled and thinly sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 leek, thinly sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 sticks celery, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 spring onions, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp dried thyme</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 bay leaf</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pinch of nutmeg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chopped parsley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nuttelex</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegetable stock or water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Salt and pepper to taste</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>For the pastry</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">50g Nuttelex</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">22g plain wholemeal flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Fry the potatoes and carrot separately in Nuttelex until soft. Set aside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Fry the spring onions, celery, and leek in Nuttelex until soft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Mix all the cooked vegetables together with the dried thyme, and salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chopped parsley to taste. Fill a pie dish with this mixture, bury the bay leaf in the middle, and moisten with a little vegetable stock or water. Set aside to cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. To make the pastry crust, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Rub in the Nuttelex, then add enough water to make a rolling consistency, although one that is slightly softer than when making pastry with white flour. Roll out and use to cover the pie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span><br />
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<script type="text/javascript" async src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-21680822826043179812014-06-17T15:23:00.001+09:302014-08-14T07:28:41.089+09:30Lately...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had intended to write longer individual posts on all of these, but in light of recent events I think a list will have to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Carrot, potato and peas curry from <a href="http://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/vegan-carrot-potato-and-peas-curry.html">Allotment 2 Kitchen</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ukHFkMehLto/U5_PwAeeS4I/AAAAAAAAByg/T290qGzSARY/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ukHFkMehLto/U5_PwAeeS4I/AAAAAAAAByg/T290qGzSARY/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the NEW <i>Oxfam Vegetarian Cookbook</i> (yes there's a new one!), spiced cauliflower masala.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r70qfwgiy9I/U5_R5APmKuI/AAAAAAAABys/jHmsUcCVl7U/s1600/IMG_2366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r70qfwgiy9I/U5_R5APmKuI/AAAAAAAABys/jHmsUcCVl7U/s1600/IMG_2366.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">African sweet potato and peanut stew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bean and vegetable chili from <a href="http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/03/29/bean-and-vegetable-chili/">Fat Free Vegan</a> with quinoa.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpU8lr0rbdc/U5_UCCfF3JI/AAAAAAAABzE/HKqtrWIoFGk/s1600/IMG_2327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpU8lr0rbdc/U5_UCCfF3JI/AAAAAAAABzE/HKqtrWIoFGk/s1600/IMG_2327.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/perfect-pancakes-recipe.html">Pancakes</a> with sliced banana and amber agave syrup for breakfast.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7TC59xhhaI/U5_UfSmcOII/AAAAAAAABzM/zuv-8NddciY/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7TC59xhhaI/U5_UfSmcOII/AAAAAAAABzM/zuv-8NddciY/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roasted pumpkin seeds which came out this time with the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth texture!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uf5U-jCRWS8/U5_U1uhNIYI/AAAAAAAABzU/ZhI067CFly4/s1600/IMG_2471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uf5U-jCRWS8/U5_U1uhNIYI/AAAAAAAABzU/ZhI067CFly4/s1600/IMG_2471.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alpine Coconut Yoghurt with banana for a snack.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VO8qiOG56Ro/U5_VJOjRulI/AAAAAAAABzc/gNOcSIlON1s/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VO8qiOG56Ro/U5_VJOjRulI/AAAAAAAABzc/gNOcSIlON1s/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Porridge with amber agave syrup on cold mornings.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LPtfrjkG9XM/U5_Vf19rT7I/AAAAAAAABzk/3cY3-VLLZ18/s1600/IMG_2497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LPtfrjkG9XM/U5_Vf19rT7I/AAAAAAAABzk/3cY3-VLLZ18/s1600/IMG_2497.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A delicious pie I got during my <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/everything-vegan-shopping-spree.html">Everything Vegan shopping spree</a>, McCain's Beer Batter Chips, and tomato sauce.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JyQWOgupHkc/U5_V7-EGSII/AAAAAAAABzs/aB7xmnOZM0Q/s1600/IMG_2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JyQWOgupHkc/U5_V7-EGSII/AAAAAAAABzs/aB7xmnOZM0Q/s1600/IMG_2521.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Homemade carbonara (you can find the sauce recipe <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/vegan-lasagna.html">here</a>) with <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/what-im-eating-kinda-bacon.html">Kinda Bacon</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CQv_ZYoGaUE/U5_W9qidwrI/AAAAAAAABz4/awYZlSbrWww/s1600/IMG_2550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CQv_ZYoGaUE/U5_W9qidwrI/AAAAAAAABz4/awYZlSbrWww/s1600/IMG_2550.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span><br />
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<script type="text/javascript" async src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com1Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-1380481637695275712014-06-17T14:38:00.000+09:302014-08-14T07:29:23.727+09:30How to heal a broken heart<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bob Graham wrote an excellent picture book called <i>How to Heal a Broken Wing</i>, the book follows a pigeon with a broken wing and the boy who helps it. There's a very vegan message of empathy, respect, and kindness towards all creatures and I highly recommend you check it out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you would have noticed, I have been absent from blogging for quite some time. The reason for this is that after 6 years together, Jeff and I split up. As I'm sure you can appreciate, this has been devastating and heart-wrenching for me, so I hit the pause button on my life and went to curl up by myself for a bit. I'm just starting to emerge back out into the world now, but the sadness and the grief is still there, and I'm still completely heartbroken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bob Graham writes that a broken wing can sometimes heal with rest, and time, and a little hope. But how does one heal a broken heart? Not with Breakup Pudding from <i>PETA's Vegan College Cookbook</i>, that's for sure! In my happily coupled-up days, I'd always wanted to make this recipe but never got around to it. Then when I found myself alone and facing suffocation under an ever-increasing mountain of snotty tissues, I thought yes, now's the time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This pudding is not for the faint hearted. It contains 10 tablespoons of sugar and though it professes to feed 4, I dispute that claim. This is 10 tablespoons of sugar for 1 person. Along with the entire sugar stocks of Australia, the pudding also requires a whopping 8 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 pack of silken tofu, 2.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Then you simply blend it all until smooth and chill. The end result comes out like this (please excuse the poor quality of the photo, I was not in a good state of mind):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is it possible to feel worse after your life partner has just abandoned you, you know you're going to be alone forever, and you find yourself curled up on the lounge watching <i>500 Days of Summer</i> while wearing a jumper that says 'I Like Cats' and crying into your breakup pudding? Well, no, but it is possible to feel very very sick on top of that. Was it eating my own weight in sugar? No, I don't believe so, though that did cause my heart to race at an extraordinary speed. Was it eating a pudding made for 4 people in one sitting? No, that's not really out of the ordinary for me. No, it was the absurd amount of cocoa, I'm talking so much cocoa that it burns the back of your throat as you're eating it. The problem is, the ratio of cocoa to water was, well, non-existent. This meant that the cocoa created a sort of thick gel in my stomach and couldn't continue down into my small intestine which resulted in terrible nausea and a great amount of vomiting. On the plus side, the relief that one experiences post-vomit was probably the emotional highlight of my day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So if you're ever heartbroken, I suggest that you ignore PETA's advice and do not eat their breakup pudding, even though sugary, chocolaty gloop is exactly what you feel you need. I think Bob Graham is probably on the right track, the only things that really heal a broken heart are rest, time, and a little hope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy (not) eating...and here's to hope.</span><br />
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<script type="text/javascript" async src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com3Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-14641113009379637022014-05-07T17:37:00.000+09:302014-08-14T07:29:32.545+09:30RSPCA: accepted fishing methods are inhumane<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have a sick fish in our house and while searching for advice I came across <a href="http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-the-most-humane-way-to-euthanase-aquarium-fish_403.html">RSPCA guidelines on euthanasing fish</a> (interesting) and <a href="http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-the-most-humane-way-to-kill-a-fish-intended-for-eating_451.html">RSPCA guidelines on killing fish for food</a> (more interesting).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Personally I have never fished in my life because even as a child I found it an abhorrent bloodsport. However, as I'm sure we all have, I have witnessed my fair share of fishing. Now, the accepted method of fishing sees fish being pulled from the water and left out in the air to die by suffocation (how 'fun'!). Occasionally I have also seen them put into containers of icy water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Interestingly, the RSPCA states that both of these methods are "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">not suitable for killing fish as they do not result in a rapid or humane death". Honestly, I was very surprised (pleasantly surprised) at this considering that the RSPCA endorses practices such as 'barn laid' eggs. So what are the killing methods considered 'humane'? A forceful blow to the head rendering unconsciousness followed by bleeding out, or spiking the brain (which should render the fish unconscious as soon as the spike enters the brain). So, how many people have you seen doing that?!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Unfortunately, despite all Australian animal welfare legislations covering vertebrates (which fish obviously are) in WA and my home state of SA fish are specifically excluded from cruelty protection. This is totally unacceptable and ridiculous! Animals are animals, pain is pain, suffering is suffering. Again, surprisingly the RSPCA agrees (it's not often that we see eye-to-eye) stating that "</span></span></span><span style="color: #121212; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because there is clear evidence that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and suffering, RSPCA Australia believes that fish should be uniformly protected under State and Territory animal welfare legislation."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #121212; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So be a voice for sea kittens! Share this information and hopefully fish-killing-type-people will start to re-think their actions.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #121212; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy reading and advocating! :)</span></span>
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<script type="text/javascript" async src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com0Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-10332416095936432302014-05-06T14:41:00.002+09:302014-10-19T12:07:23.091+10:30Warming Winter stew recipe<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's just something about cold rainy nights that makes me want to eat warm, nutritious comfort food! Slow cooking food is the best because it makes the house smell all yummy and cozy. This is a favourite stew of ours, a hearty meal to warm your soul.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We used liquid smoke in this, which we bought during our <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/everything-vegan-shopping-spree.html">Everything Vegan shopping spree</a>. It really is a fantastic product, if you haven't tried it you should!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serves: 6-8</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 large potatoes (or 6 smallish ones)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 large carrots</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 parsnips</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 swedes/turnips</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 large brown onions</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup pearl barley</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2.5L beef stock (Massel brand is vegan)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp liquid smoke</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Peel the potatoes, parsnips, and swedes/turnips and chop into 1cm cubes. Peel the carrots and chop the smaller half into coins, and the thicker half into semi-circular pieces. Dice the onions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Put all ingredients into a large saucepan, cover, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, stirring twice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span></div>
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<script async="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-28208785425661134732014-04-29T15:44:00.000+09:302014-08-14T07:29:51.474+09:30What I'm eating: kinda bacon<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another of my new treats from my <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/everything-vegan-shopping-spree.html">Everything Vegan shopping spree</a> was this packet of 'Kinda Bacon', bacon bits made with coconut (of all things!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh. My. God. Salty, smokey, crunchy, fatty, amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I never was a fan of bacon. I never really ate any pork products as a child in fact, excluding certain thinly sliced, extremely lean ham, even then I wasn't really a fan of it. However, I was always an avid muncher on bacon bits, which used to be produced by Masterfoods (and were vegan), but sadly they stopped making them a couple of years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been <u>very</u> upset about this for a long time, I even wrote on their facebook page begging them to bring the bacon bits back (sad, I know). However, I think that Kinda Bacon has healed my broken fake-bacon heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Totes amazeballs is, I think, the only accurate way to describe them. The smokiness is so yummy, almost spicy, and my God, they should come with a warning as they are highly addictive! Jeff had to actually physically remove me from their presence as I couldn't stop myself from going back for "Just one more little bit". It was the only way to stop me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that, I managed to control myself and I tucked them into the back of the pantry so they'd stop looking at me. I succeeded in saving them until we made baked potatoes and then I again relished their salty, fatty, loveliness. On our baked potatoes we also put Nuttelex, capsicum, pineapple, cashew sour cream (homemade), and grated strong cheddar Sheese:</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zmyGw5sQyS0/U189grZj0fI/AAAAAAAABvE/UNvbmzsLu1g/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zmyGw5sQyS0/U189grZj0fI/AAAAAAAABvE/UNvbmzsLu1g/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just had another "little bit" of these bacon bits before sitting down to write this post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just so that the taste was fresh in my mouth so I could write an accurate review.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fear they may not last much longer...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span>
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<script type="text/javascript" async src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516485087108845910.post-4603247850071253082014-04-28T19:53:00.000+09:302014-08-14T07:30:01.459+09:30What I'm eating: Redwood Thai fish cakes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the things that I picked up during my recent <a href="http://doyoujusteatsalad.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/everything-vegan-shopping-spree.html?showComment=1398372382374#c3425677979448073237">shopping spree at Everything Vegan</a> was this packet of Redwood Thai fish cakes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had them along with some steamed vegetables and rice and they were quite yummy. The texture was fish-like but the flavour wasn't very fishy (this might have been a good thing as I'm not sure I could stomach fish after 7 years of not eating it!). The Thai flavourings were very nice, though they were quite spicy so if you're not into that or you're looking for something to serve to little ones then this product might not be for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the whole, B+, would eat again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy eating! :)</span></div>
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<script type="text/javascript" async src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>Kayla :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14420537079015791435noreply@blogger.com2Adelaide SA, Australia-34.928621199999988 138.5999594-36.593689699999985 136.0181724 -33.263552699999991 141.18174639999998