Girl On Raw

Workout Wear

Girlonraw — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Hi beautiful people, what’s happening with your week?

I am at the end of my trip and will be heading back home soon enough but before I do, I thought I’d share the some of the rest of the goodies I have picked up whilst being here in the States:

On Saturday I mentioned I hit up Katy Mills for some outlet shopping and I was happy to snag some goodies from the Nike store:

(Don’t ya just love the hotel room carpet?) With some of my buddies from Boot camp and Boxing class singing the praises of the Nike Tempo shorts I thought I’d better get me some to try out. And to be honest, it’s been a while since I actually bought some new’ish workout gear, usually opting to just wear old t-shirts and tank tops with 3/4 pants when I work out, but I really needed some new threads. And I am really impressed with the cut, fit and style from Nike. I tend to stick to Asics trainers (runners) so I’ve not really gotten on the Nike bandwagon, but I really like their workout clothes, sweat-wicking and all. Do you have a favourite brand for workout clothes? I’m really happy I may have just found mine!

Also something I’ve wanted for sometime is some Mason Jars for storing my seeds and nuts and powders and Ryan reminded me on her blog that I needed to get me some (the last lot I ordered from Amazon never reached my hotel in time so they got lost in the dead letter office I’m sure). This won’t be the last you see of them….

Today I couldn’t believe my luck, when channel surfing, to find Ellen interviewing the writer of a new book called Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer. I hadn’t even heard of this book before so of course when I went to one of my favourite places in the world this evening (Borders) I just had to get me a copy. And I found this little gem next to it:

I suspect me living in Saudi Arabia has turned me into a hoarder big time. When I get let out for trips I tend to go a little nutso on picking up things I feel I am missing out on having access too. So my plan when I get home is to make sure I get stuck into these books

Has anyone else read these?

Well it’s way past my bedtime, so I am off to pack up the last of my supplies and start to get ready for the big haul back home. I am looking forward to seeing 3 faces (2 furry & maybe 1 human!) and I have to get home in time to bid farewell to Becci as we take her over the causeway for the last time as she takes off for her new life in Europe.

Edit: Go on and check out Chic Runners blog on running shorts here

I Wanna Move into Wholefoods

Girlonraw — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:52:12 +0000

Hey hey, for those of you just joining me, I am still in Houston but not for much longer

Yesterday saw me running around like crazy trying to get all my last minute pick ups before I head back to the Magic Kingdom and I cannot help feeling I may have overdone it?? What do you think?

Averie has got me convinced that I should start to learn how to make alot of these things myself, in the very least the bars like she talks about here, but I guess the reason I like having these convenience foods is for when on the run and for the lack of a better option (like a piece of fresh fruit). And I like to buy in bulk

When I headed out the door yesterday, I hit up Jamba Juice for a double wheatgrass shot (unpictured as I downed it in one!) and a Strawberry Whirl:

STRAWBERRIES, BANANAS, STRAWBERRY/APPLE JUICE & ICE

Not the best choice but a juice nonetheless….

I then went in search of this place after Sara sent me a link on Twitter yesterday to try out.

But my GPS just couldn’t find it. Very disappointing as I was looking forward to trying out what they had to offer by way of raw vegan goodies.

So I hit up Wholefoods instead. You never have to ask me twice.

Other than supplies to head on home with I picked up some great new things to try that I have been dying to check out including:

And it tasted better than I thought! Just like a Ginger Beer, only a little more tart and slightly vinegary (pleasantly)

Here is the culture just before I accidentally DRANK it!

This is what is says on their website

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is alternately known as a Chinese tea, a plant, or a mushroom. But it’s not really any of these. It’s a living culture of beneficial microorganisms, and in Kombucha’s case, the whole is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts! Our Kombucha is delicately cultured – some liken it to fermentation – for 30 days. During this period, essential nutrients form like active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. All of these combine to create an elixir that immediately works with the body to restore balance and vitality. Kombucha has been used for hundreds of years throughout the world as a daily health tonic. The culture resembles a light brown, tough, gelatinous disk—and because it’s a living, growing entity, it can regenerate and create new cultures with every batch. In fact, GT’s Kombucha and Synergy are made from Kombucha cultures that are descendants of the original culture GT grew to create his first bottles

Then I walked back into my hotel room to THIS!

Weeeeeeeee! Ordered from these lovely peeps.

Look how shiny and new it looks! Yes I have one already well OK the boyf has one that I bought him for his birthday last year, but I use it way more than he does, but it was about time I bought myself a HERS! And the beauty is although the models are different, the jugs are interchangeable.

I was exhausted from a full day of shopping (I bought some other goodies that I’ll share with you laters)…so I plopped down in my hotel room to watch The Biggest Loser (my first episode in years) and nibbled on some:

Brown Rice Cucumber and Avocado Sushi (still loving the Brown Rice yeah!)

Grilled Portobello Rice Paper Rolls

A little later and I was feeling a bit peckish so I couldn’t resist these:

And I ate the entire packet! And almost the sachet to keep the chips dry! Haha

Then my sweet tooth kicked in so I just had to have this little beauty

The filling was the perfect mix of choc and mint reminiscent of an Arnott’s Mint Slice from my childhood days

and the crust complimented the filling with a slight salty taste.

I’m outta here to get some rest before my next flight. I’ll be back soon with some more goodies I’ve picked up!

If you don’t have access to certain foods or services, what is one thing you like to stock up on when you get the chance?

Tweet-Up with the Flighties

Girlonraw — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:57:21 +0000

Hey everyone! How has your week been so far? Sorry I’ve been awol, these across the pond trips knock me around more than I realise, plus I’ve been getting in some much needed shopping time to stock up on some luxuries we don’t really get in my part of the world and we did a little flight the other day to the countryside:

Saturday, I heeded my pal Jenn’s (of the Robertsons of Mumbai who have suddenly moved to Thailaind) advice and checked out Central Market and fell in love.

Photo courtesy of here

I just forgot that it was the weekend so probably not the best time to check out a new place, but I walked out with some goodies including a mango slicer (did I mention I am a kitchen gadget FREAK?) and this delicious green juice….ahhh love.

Celery, parsley, spinach & cucumber.

This place was pumping with outdoor music, plenty of food to sample (March of the Foodies is the festival and flavour of the month) and sooo much to choose from. My senses were completely overwhelmed but I was extremely jealous of the locals having access to this wonderfully stocked gourmet market. I walked out with an unpictured bottle of Pomegranate Wine and a large spinach salad for lunch. Then headed on my merry way to do some outlet shopping at Katy Mills. Bring on Victoria’s Secret and Nike

But back to some exciting news! I caught up with my tweetie pal and Flight Attendant podcaster extraordinaire The Flying Pinto and former Flight Attendant Sissie for dinner on Monday night and it was so lovely to meet for real. Sara and I first ‘met’ when I appeared on her podcast show The Crew Lounge a few weeks back (along with some of my other flight attendant bloggy pals that appear from week to week – check it out!), but I’ve also been checking out her terrific Flight Attendant blog here for some time.

Me, Sara & Sissie

Sara was such a darling, knowing my ‘eating’ habits, and her with one foot in the vegan door she thought she had found us the perfect place to dine, but we arrived to find it was shut up and closed for business. So I was in the hands of the local ladies and we headed off to chain restaurant PF Changs which actually wasn’t too bad. The company made the night though. Was lucky we were all eating veggie so we shared the appetiser of

CHANG’S VEGETARIAN LETTUCE WRAPS

A vegetarian version of their signature appetizer with tofu instead of chicken

COCONUT CURRY VEGETABLES
Stir-fried mixed vegetables, crispy silken tofu and peanuts in a vegetarian coconut curry sauce

MA PO TOFU
Sichuan’s famous dish of crispy silken tofu in a vegetarian sauce with steamed broccoli

All served with Brown Rice!! I love that you can have Brown Rice at restaurants. Seriously it should be standard EVERYWHERE.

Accompanied by a very delicious

ORGANIC AGAVE MARGARITA
4 Copas Tequila and Organic Agave Nectar shaken with fresh lime juice

and yes I was definitely attracted to it because of the Organic Agave

It was a great night and I hope to catch up with the lovely ladies again very soon. Isn’t cyberspace terrific for meeting up with new, likeminded friends?

Have anyone ever had any Blog or Tweet ups (Twitter meet ups)?

Time for me to buzz off but I will be back later with some of the treats I have managed to snag over the last couple of days of shopping ready to take back home

Nighty night

Dining with Carnivores

Girlonraw — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:01:11 +0000

Howdy everyone! Guess what? I get a kinda weekend with y’all. (Texas is starting to rub off on me!) And I think my jetlag has subsided but I am going to be boring tonight and hit the sack early for a Saturday night.

The other night I decided to go out for dinner with some of the crew, and they took me back to THEIR favourite place to go when we are in Houston – Fogo de Chao. A Brazilian churrascaria. OK, not what you would expect to read about on a vegan blog, but hey we are in Texas and also, not everyone I socialise with is vegan, or even veggie, so sometimes I have to go where they want to go.

Last time I was here, I was not a vegetarian, let alone a vegan, but I still wasn’t eating very much meat, but I went along to Fogo de Chao and had a little sampler of the meat, but the salad bar was impressive. So I didn’t decline when the crew asked me out for dinner this time as I knew I would be more than satisfied with the greenery at the serve yourself salad bar.

Just one of MANY plates I had that evening.

So I’ve hired a car, and I’ve hit the shops for some retail action – mind you I actually don’t really like to shop, however, living where I do for most of the year, means that when I get to the western world, I usually have a long list of things to get, of which most of them are basics, like underwear and clothes. Yes you can buy these things in Saudi, however they don’t have change rooms and it annoys me to have to buy things only to take them home then have to make a return trip to the store, to either exchange or refund. It’s not a fun process, especially when I have to rely on others to drive me as women are not allowed to drive in Saudi either (but we do on the camp as that is a different story!)

In other news, my partner in crime at work and play, Becci has decided to resign and move on and retire her wings so I will be sad to see her go next week as it does make life in that part of the world a little easier when you have friends from back home, but she will be moving to MUCH greener pastures and she is moving close to my little sister Kim in Europe. Good luck Bec, and don’t leave before I come home and say goodbye properly to you next week. I will miss having Becci come over and sample my cooking and ‘un’cooking.

Time for me to rest up, have a flight to prepare for and I’ll be back later with details on what I’ve been up to here

Restaurant Review: Saf London

Girlonraw — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:42:29 +0000

Well howdy y’all (that’s right I’m in Texas right now!) and I think I have gotten over my jetlag from the trip across the pond but let’s rewind a couple of days to London!

I arrived into London early Tuesday morning to this familiar sight at Heathrow:

This would have been the plane I would have worked on, had I remained living and working in London. I never was trained to work on the big betty. Isn’t she large?

This was after a 12 hour flight through the night from Bangkok to London in 2008 on the smaller 747.

KLM lost my luggage into London! Can you believe that??? I don’t usually fly commercially for work, but this time was a little different and with all the travelling I do, I was amazed that it hasn’t happened more often. But I am definitely a believer in ‘manifestation’ and only the evening before, as I was painstakingly packing for this trip, I said that I wasn’t going to pack that much as I could do with buying some new clothes on this trip, plus for the first time in FOREVER I really didn’t want to go away. Sometimes living out of a suitcase can get a little tiresome, and I really just wanted to stay at home and not go away for once…maybe a sign that it’s getting close to retiring the wings?

After numerous calls to the airline and their baggage contractor, I determined I may not see my luggage before I left the following day, so I resigned myself to having to go out and buy some basics.

Meeting up with my girls for dinner, was definitely the HIGHLIGHT of the day, and something I really needed after the less than helpful airline staff and my lack of belongings.

So I finally made it the London’s only Raw food restaurant SAF and what a treat to end such a lousy day. All 3 of my friends hadn’t ever actually tried any Raw food and were a little hesitant (being the end of winter) but they were very excited and allowed me to take the lead with ordering. It was such a great idea to have the 4 of us too as it meant we could order and sample more food!

I arrived to the girls in the bar (Saf’s Wine & Martini Bar is one of the first organic bars in Europe) with Gemma sipping on a Lavender and Ginger Lemonade (fresh lemon, lavender and sweetened with raw cane sugar syrup) which she claimed to be delicious but I never got a try!

We made our way to the table and for a mid week the restaurant was neither empty or heaving, which was great for us!

Peta (we met at make-up school back in the day in Australia) & my old housemate Gemma (check our her gift cards & accessories blog here)

And another pal from school days in Australia, now living in London, Camilla. I went to her wedding in Albania last August. Shhh I’m wearing day old clothes due to NO LUGGAGE thanks KLM

Our starter to share :Tasting Plate Beetroot ravioli, vegetable maki, olives & spiced nuts, tapenade, sun dried tomato cashew cheese with raw flax seed crackers, homemade pickles and samosa. The girls loved the cheese.

Close up of the ravioli

With some extra samosas to try…these were quite similar to the real thing just a little sweeter.

And now for the mains….

Lasagne – Raw Bolognaise, sage pesto, olive relish, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, macadamia ricotta served with side salad

Apologies for some poor photo quality…hard in a darkened (but ambient) restaurant. Our only warm dish – Pumpkin Risotto : Pearl barley, pumpkin cream, cinna- mon, crispy sage, roasted pistachio, hazelnut and balsamic reduction

The wait staff were extremely knowledgeable in the dishes and explained all meals that came out including a new dish that we sampled which has not made the menu yet.

Don’t know what they are going to call it but it resembled pasta carbonara. Was tasty with some kind of dehydrated mushrooms.

Camilla’s and my favourite, the very spicy Pad Thai : Courgette noodles, enoki mushrooms,mung shoots, fresh chilis and chipotle almond sauce.

And of course we couldn’t come all this way and not try out the desserts…

Cheesecake! Ooooh yeah. I loved it. I strangely thought it tasted like the real thing..the others didn’t think so much.

Chocolate Ganache Tart: pernod ice cream, spiced rum & pear compote, cacao syrup

And unpictured pineapple & lemongrass sorbet (the clear winner) and not so great vanilla ice-cream (according to my critics!)

Such a fun way to catch up with my friends who all commented on how satisfied but not too stuffed feeling they felt and how they would definitely return with friend.

Oh and no girls night out is complete without a glass of vino or two (Unpictured!)

Saf Restaurant London

152-154 Curtain Road – Shoreditch London EC2A 3AT – +44.20.76130007
Coffee/Tea/Cakes starting at 10:00am – Lunch 12:00pm-3:30pm – Dinner: 6:00pm-10:30pm – Bar food & drinks: 12:00pm – till late
Now Open Sundays for London’s #1 Veg. Roast (Evening Standard) Served 12:00pm-4:00pm

Hey while you are there why don’t you check out Emily’s blog here and the interview I did with her this week. It was a load of fun, thanks Emily

Gotta run but I definitely have some more news to catch you up on later

London Bound!

Girlonraw — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:30:11 +0000

Hiya everyone! Sorry for deserting you, but it’s been a real tough week workwise and it doesn’t look like getting any easier, but let’s not get carried away with boring work talk because I am going to LONDON!

I wish it were for longer, but it is a tiny one night only, so enough for me to catch up with 3 of my favourite girls (I used to live in London before I moved to the sandpit) and try out a restaurant I keep meaning to get to – SAF! And even better than my friends get to try out their first gourmet raw food. How cool is that?

Anyway I am sitting in the lounge in Bahrain and my flight is about to board so I’ll share with you a quick meal I made for my friend the Voracious Natasha and our very own Sushi Chef Danica when they came over for a girls brunch and catch up last week! I had meant to blog about it, but with this little thing called work, it didn’t happen

Tasha blogged about our girls brunch here.

I made this ‘Un’ stirfry from The 30 Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld & Jennifer Murray available here so I cannot really share the recipe but the ‘rice’ was made with cauliflower and macadamia nuts and seasoning and the veggies were marinated and I elected to dehydrate them for half an hour to soften them up a bit. This was my first ever attempt to recreate the cooked favourite, and I was pretty impressed with it’s close resemblance (taste & texture).

Well my flight is being called so I had better race off and I promise to update you more in much colder London. Ooooh I wish I had longer there!

Byeeeeeee

Learning to Kitesurf and Tasty Lettuce Wraps

Girlonraw — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:58:36 +0000

Happy Friday EVERYONE! Indulge me in your plans for your weekend because for those of you that have read me for a while you will know that my weekend is officially over now

This weekend has been pretty full, with meeting up with some fellow Aussies that have just moved out to this part of the world, to a Salsa infused Haiti fundraiser (wish I had taken pics but I was too busy catching up on Casino Rueda, Sombrero and Setenta learnt on our dance holiday to Cuba in 2009), to hitting the beach for some kitesurfing action.

No I don’t kitesurf (yet!). But we went out to a local beach to watch the boys, and both Becci and had a go at a trainer kite on the beach, so needless to say we are both eager to get out VERY soon and try the real thing!

Becci getting some Vitamin D

Becci giving the trainer kite a go! Go Becci (and Lucy!)

Dishing out the green smoothie (Frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, a whole head of romaine lettuce and filtered water)

Enjoying the Green Smoothie

And here is me having a little lesson on the trainer kite! (and check out the power)

Here, I do a little bit better!

Then time to head home

I’ve been eating loads on the run but here is a snack I had along the way that was quick, easy, delicious and 100% raw. Lemme know if you make it too.

My Soul Sista’s Kristen Raw’s Sun-dried Tomato Pesto. If you haven’t tried it, you totally must! It is crazily addictive and great as a dip, spread or on top of a salad!

cucumbers, peppers (capsicum) all rolled up in a romaine lettuce leaf. Too good.

Healthy Chocolate & Worldwide Detox

Girlonraw — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:10:48 +0000

Hiya bloggies, I’ve missed ya! Every time I have sat down to write a long awaited post, something else (like work!) has cropped up. It’s kinda crazy here with lots of work right now. Woe is me

But there has been plenty of time for some great eats. Especially this delicious smoothie my friend Kira got me onto from the Green Smoothie Challenge Website when she tagged me on Facebook.

Warming Ginger courtesy of

www.greensmoothiechallenge.com

The combination of pineapple, mango and ginger in this smoothie gives it an Asian twist. If you are in a cold climate then don’t let this stop you from drinking green smoothies. Ginger is warming on a cold day and also helpful during colds and flus to help you sweat and promote detoxification. Ginger also eliminates intestinal gas, relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract and is anti-inflammatory. In herbal remedies, ginger is used to alleviate nausea, dizziness and vomiting. To benefit from ginger you only need to use a little, as the active substances in ginger are so concentrated.

Pineapple is an excellent source of manganese, which is an important mineral in energy production. Pineapple is often recommended to promote good digestion.

½ head romaine lettuce
1 cup pineapple
1 large mango

1-inch fresh ginger

2 cups of water

Blend the pineapple, mango, ginger and water for 30 seconds. Add the romaine lettuce and blend until smooth. Thanks Green Smoothie Challenge!

If you have Romaine Lettuce, Mango, Pineapple and Fresh Ginger at home, YOU SO HAVE TO MAKE THIS!

Kira was telling me how she was dreaming out it one day, and her shift at work was changed last minute so she had NO time to make it before work that day. She reckons she was cranky for the rest of the day. So I had to try it for myself.

And after discovering what was so dreamy about it, I packed up the rest and shared it with some of my Boot Campers on Monday night. But not before I made them guess what was in it. And yes they all came back for seconds. You totally have to try it!! And let me know how much you love it!

On other news, this week I received an exciting package in the mail that I am really excited to share with you all once I have tasted it. Has anyone heard of Xocai (healthy chocolate?). I am still doing my research on it so I don’t know that much about it, but anything you can share would be much appreciated.

Time for me to race off for boxing. Lately I’ve been making 3 classes a week (2 x Boxercise & 1 Boot Camp/Circuit Class) and walking/jogging the fur baby around the golf course most days (approximately 7kms). What ‘movement’ are you doing/liking right now?

Don’t forget if you are looking for that kickstart to detox your life, my pal Casey and Marlena Torres kick off their Discover Detox program tomorrow so check it out here! Such a great idea for beginners or people who need the inspiration and encouragement from someone who has been in your place!

Anyone got any ideas on where to eat/dine/shop in Houston? I may/may not see Houston in my near future?? More later

This Dessert Will Change Your Life….

Girlonraw — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:24:31 +0000

Well maybe not that dramatically but wowsers it certainly can enhance it!

See you tomorrow with some more great eats! Am off to a walk/run the dog before movie night and pack my bag for an overnight trip I have tomorrow night

Jaffa (Choc Orange) Pudding

serves 6

3 avocados (yes avocados)

1/3 cup of agave nectar or raw honey

1/3 cup of raw cacao powder

2 T nut better (I used my favourite of almond butter)

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of himalayan salt

zest and juice of one orange

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth. You may need to stop the blender/food processor periodically to scrape down the sides until you have a smooth and mousse consistency. Add water if it gets too thick as it will set again once in the fridge.

Place into small souffle bowls to serve (I used larger bowls and had to half each serving as this recipe is quite decadent!)

Garnish with a slice of fresh orange when serving (I didn’t have time before taking this photo and EATING)

Quick & Easy Dinner – Quinoa Vegetable Curry Casserole

Girlonraw — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:12:16 +0000

Hey everyone!!! Sorry for such a brief post today but wowsers, I have just been uber busy, creating dishes in the kitchen and working out as I had such a work heavy week last week I needed to catch up on my kitchen time.

Yesterday I ran around like crazy and ending up at Boot Camp/Circuit class with not much fuel in the tank but I gave it a shot anyways. Really I don’t think I had enough to eat, so that was a lesson for next time – make sure to have fuel/food to get me through.

When I got home I was starving for dinner but not much in the fridge, so I made this and it worked a treat!

Quick! Easy! Tasty! Hearty!

Quinoa Vegetable Curry Casserole

1/2 cup of Quinoa

3 T Curry Powder

1 packet of frozen organic steamed veggie packets

1.5 T garlic powder

Handful of baby spinach leaves

1 T of vegetable stock powder

1.5 cups of filtered water

Serves 2 with a side salad or ONE very hungry Boot Camper!

Throw it all in a covered casserole dish in a preheated oven (400-450′) for 20 mins or until all the liquid has evaporated (enough time for me to jump in the shower).

YUM.

I was still a little hungry afterwards so I had a slice of Ezekiel Toast with Olive Tappenade.

Also, my little big bro Dan the Man turns a whopping 24 years of age today! Sorry bro I can’t be with ya in Oz to celebrate, but how about a raincheck til I get back home in April?? We had an awesome time when he came to visit me on my work trip to New Zealand here. As my mum says, if we weren’t her kids, she would still wanna be friends with us (and we’d call the cops on her for being a stalker) but really I’d wanna be friends with my brother and sister too if we weren’t already related. Have a great day Daniel xxx

Anyway guys I’m out as it’s 3am here and I’ve gotta get some ZZZ’s before my brunch tomorrow with some really cool chicks.

Here’s a sneaky peek at what I might just be serving tomorrow….

Laters!