Visiting (cook) books....

(Mobile phone pic of Guryel Ali, my Rhema FM colleague on my 40th birthday, March 17th - and my first day on radio. I sit opposite him with the same microphone and headphones - but he has all the 'computery' gadgets to fiddle with on his side. I notice Guryel likes Hawaiian-style shirts when 'on air')?

CATCH ME ON 96.3 RHEMA FM THIS MORNING (each TUESDAY) AROUND 8.10AM.

Listen LIVE here.

Mobile phone pic - taken during a typical lunch break at work!

Are any of you familiar with the 'visiting book' phenomenon (of the modern age)?

You know.. a pile of books appear on a table in a staff room or Admin desk somewhere? You can find these in kindergartens, day care centres, schools and workplaces. They act as 'fundraiser' thingy's. Vans drop them off. The books come with an order-form that tells you the RRP ($value) and the *special-just-for-you* this week price. Example: "Mary had a little lamb shapes and join the dots book" $17.95 now $10.00 OR "1,000 ways with Bicarbonate of Soda" $19.95 $8.00. Or more recently I saw an actual set of "5 glass bowls with plastic lids" (that fit into one another like Russian Matrioshka dolls) $24.95 $12.00.
So, I've been at my new job for 8 weeks and I've bought 2 cookbooks already. In my defense, not flippantly. I've 'visited' the visiting-books at each tea/coffee break and lunch time. That equates to many, browsing minutes. I've said "no" to about 8 cookbooks. But two have passed the grade! So I now have a cookbook about cooking from what's in your pantry..(which has been temporarily misplaced since moving). And last week I bought what I'm declaring to be the 'Cookbook of the Year' (so far), being a chunky, softcover 'Healthy Heart' cookbook. Sounds boring? Trust me.. I love this book! A picture for every recipe..not essential..but yes 'tick'. Lovely looking/sounding recipes 'tick', healthier versions of old fav's like Spaghetti Bolognese 'tick', yummy desserts like rich chocolate torte and cinnamon banana caramels (like creme caramel) 'tick'. Dips, snacks, burgers, International food.. all there.

I appreciate details like 'prep time' (though have you ever found those estimates to be accurate)? -- umm... also 'serves' ie. portions and 'kilojoules' and 'saturated fat grams' (..essential for working out Weight Watchers points. And I did calculate the points values of a number of recipes before purchasing). Umm... sodium, fibre...all have mentions. I also like the 'Healthy Hints' and 'Cooks Tips'. And most of the recipes seem to fit into the WW Satisfaction program of 'filling foods' too.

My first 'trial' recipe from the Healthy Heart book is an 'old favourite'..and some may think "ho-hum... done that before"..but I would implore you to please try this version because it really is yummy! And if it helps, don't tell people how healthy it actually is. I'm talking about Shepherd's Pie.

Now.. I found myself in a bit of a 'predicament' this weekend just gone by because I needed to prepare my radio recipe of the week.. but I was also on a heavily restricted diet due to a medical procedure I had done on Monday. And by restricted I mean, no solids at all on the day I made the Shepherd's Pie! But I could never cook anything without tasting it along the way. So.. I tasted.. I swished (ewwwww)..and then I spat out into the kitchen sink.. (double-ewwwww). How different is that from wine tasting? This was how I was able to 'tweak' the actual recipe. I have used my new Healthy Heart cookbook as inspiration you could say..and changed a few things here and there to make something good ...even better.

So here 'tis! And please don't leave out the lentils. My friend Cheryl is living proof of someone who ordinarily wouldn't put lentils in her shopping trolley, yet she ate and enjoyed a red lentil and tomato soup with garlic Turkish toasts at my house one day. And enjoyed it muchly.

So here 'tis:

(p.s. I doubled the quantities for my family to make extra for freezing)!

(Mobile phone pic of my trolley at the supermarket..shopping for this recipe)

Maria's new, old fashioned Shepherds Pie!

*500 grams minced lamb
*1 tablespoon of Rice Bran oil (or Canola oil)
*1 large onion, finely chopped
*3 medium carrots, finely chopped
*3 celery stalks, finely chopped
*2 leeks, thinly sliced
*2 tablespoons tomato paste
*3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
*3 tablespoons soy sauce
*600ml beef or lamb stock (reduced salt preferably)
*100 grams red lentils
*3 tablespoons chopped parsley + 1 extra tablespoon chopped for topping
*1 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
*pinch of dried rosemary
*few shakes of white pepper to taste

Topping
*800 grams potatoes'

*250 grams parsnips (about two)
*30grams reduced fat margarine/buttery spread
*salt & white pepper to taste

*Optional 60 grams of grated reduced fat cheese - eg. Weight Watchers brand
-----------------------------------------------------------

*Lightly brown mince, stirring occasionally and breaking up chunks

*Put cooked mince in a colander and run hot water over it to wash off any excess fat/oil. Set aside to drain

*Add tablespoon of Canola or Rice Bran oil to a deep, hot pan and add leeks, celery, onions and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes

*Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, lentils and stock. Stir well. Bring to boil (increasing the heat) - and cover with either a lid or a large sheet of tin foil.. stirring now and again.. for 20 minutes. Taste mixture. Add a little salt if you feel it needs it. I always use 'Maldon' salt flakes. This step will depend on how salty your stock is.

*Add lamb mince and chopped parsley to the vegie mixture and stir through well. Turn off heat and cover.

*Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C and prepare Shepherd's Pie topping (as follows)

*If you have a steamer of any kind, steam chopped up potatoes and parsnip. Alternatively boil in water until tender...and drain, but return to a very low heat, stirring to 'dry off' any excess moisture for a minute or two.

*Add margarine/buttery spread to tender potatoes/parsnip and use potato masher to mash together, finishing it off by whisking mixture quickly with a fork. (Don't be tempted to add milk. If you seek a creamier, more calorific topping, add a couple of tablespoons of thickened cream).

*Add salt and white pepper to your tastes, being careful not to over-salt

*Spoon the meat/veg mixture into an ovenproof dish. Spoon potato mixture over top of meat/veg mixture and smooth-out with the back of a tablespoon.. spreading it as evenly as you can. Topping it with parsley.

*Optional: Sprinkle 60 grams of grated Weight Watchers (or reduced fat) tasty cheese on top, along with the rest of your chopped parsley

*Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven until top is lightly browned/bubbling. Serve with a generous amount of green peas! And keep the tomato sauce bottle handy!

This recipe could be classified as a "Ssshhh, don't tell 'em it's healthy" dish. It has a generous amount of veg and pulses.. all high in soluble fibre. Do give the parsnips a try (in the topping). If you really can't bear the thought of them... don't worry, just use potatoes only.

Ok, chopping can be boring. Put your favourite music on. Or radio station! *wink* Or get your older kids to help if you trust their knife skills. My hubby said he would have chopped all of this up if he knew I needed it done. Motor racing had lulled him to sleep on the couch. It wouldn't be Sunday afternoon without the combined sounds of racing car engines and soft snoring.
Red lentils, so versatile and good for you. Do use these coral pellets now and again! Don't be put-off by their name or boring reputation.
With double the quantity... I could barely fit it all into my giant pan!
Tomato paste, herbs and sauces.. make this a wonderful, textured vegie emulsion.
So much goodness here. Leeks, carrots, celery, onions and red lentils make the bulk of this..so meat isn't really the main attraction. But you can definitely taste the lovely lamb when it's mixed through.I prefer steaming (instead of boiling) toppings for Shepherd's pies and Fish pies.. You want a topping with 'body' not potential watery-slop.I don't know about you.. (Sshhh!) ...but I can't resist scooping a finger into anything mashed like this.
Be careful smoothing over the topping, so as not to stir-up what lies beneath.. which could potentially turn your white topping a bit orangey.

Double the mixture means we have plenty for dinner on Wednesday night and also some individual meals for the freezer aswell.
Ready for the freezer.
Please excuse (on this occasion), my lack of a 'Ta-Daaah' finale-finish photo of the delish Shepherd's pie scooped onto a serving plate and photographed at beautiful angles with optimal lighting. Since I wasn't eating.. hubby and girl decided to grab a Shepherds Pie foil container each Sunday night and "fend for themselves". While I had lemon jelly and miso broth. The main Shepherds Pie (in a big baking dish) is currently refrigerated and will be our dinner come Wednesday night. So what I can show you here is hubby's plate, as he had it with peas, a dinner roll and some guacomole I made Sunday afternoon! Girl and hubby opted to melt some full-fat tasty cheese on top of their pies. Tuesday night we all happen to have alternative dinner plans.. so I have "Mmmm-Mmmm" thoughts of Wednesday night when I can finally get some of this into my mouth. And belly!

One day before the examination... (Sunday)

NO SOLID FOODS, NO MILK PRODUCTS. DRINK ONLY APPROVED CLEAR FLUIDS ALL DAY.

YOU MAY DRINK CLEAR FLUIDS INCLUDING:
*strained fruit juices without pulp (apple, pear, white grape, orange)
*water, clear broth or Bonox, coffee, tea (without milk or non-dairy creamer)
*Staminade, Gatorade or Exceed
*carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks
*fruit flavoured cordials
*plain jelly (without added fruits or toppings)
*clear ice blocks
*Do NOT have red or purple coloured liquids

Try to drink at least 1 glass of any approved "clear fluid" each hour during the day (plus preparation liquids- i.e. 1.5 litres extra mixed with powders!!).

Well... I am hungry! I made up the two bowls of jelly you see up top (passionfruit and lemon), but have only had some of the lemon for dinner tonight with a mug of instant miso soup. Hubby made some mango flavoured jelly last night and I had that for lunch with more miso soup and a cup or two of black tea? Oh! I also bought lots of 'juicing' fruit this afternoon and have had a few glasses which was quite nice...being a combination of three kinds of pear, apple, orange, ginger and a bit of lemon. Very nice! But food would have been nicer!

The first preparation 'sachet' (made with warm water at church this evening) looked like a glass of milk but tasted like the juice of 6 grapefruits and 6 lemons. Two hours later, I'm working my way through a different 'preparation' made up with 1 litre of water (which had to sit overnight in the fridge) - & it has to be consumed in an hour. It tastes like Aspro-Clear.. in a lemon-barley, chalky-kind of way.

Two days before the examination... (Saturday)

*Stop all iron containing medications
*Stop eating brown bread, cereals, vegetables and fruit
*Do not have anything with seeds in it
*Do not have any yellow cheese

YOU MAY EAT: boiled or poached egg, cottage cheese, low fat plain yoghurt, white bread, steamed white fish, boiled chicken, well cooked, peeled pumpkin or potato

Greek influence...

CATCH ME ON 96.3 RHEMA FM THIS MORNING AROUND 8.10AM!

I've missed some local foodie events in the past week... regretably (being food festivals hosted by local schools), however.. I've seriously had other priorities which is saying a lot for this foodie!
Having said that.. I did have a new 'foodie experience' last week (which had been pencilled-in... for a little while). The 'girls' at work had organised a 'Girls Night Out' -being dinner at a local Greek restaurant, which I'd never been to before. I have to say though... I always thought 'Spanokoppitta' was spelled with one 'p' and one 't'? I have reproduced the word here as it was written on the menu. It's a filo pastry dish with spinach, fetta &/or ricotta.. (recipes vary). Bistro@310's version, though modest in portion, was superbly delish!


When 'the girls' started arriving, we still had lots of nice, lovely natural light (much better for photo's)! After surveying the menu, a few of us decided on the 'banquet' (below - yes both pictures and all of those items).

On our table, three of us chose the banquet, so what you see in the photo's is what was served to the three of us. We just helped ourselves from the main serving dishes. I'd never eaten dolmades warm before (seasoned rice wrapped in vine leaves)! But they were ok! There was a scanty amount of the giant lima beans.. and my favourite dip here was the eggplant. The fullcream fetta bits under the olives were delicious too. The rest wasn't anything overly remarkable...
Lots of sausage slices! We noted two different kinds.. both continental in flavour.. and a tad oily. The saganaki (fried cheese) was oily..and salty as you'd expect.. but dangerously more-ish. I used paper napkins to soak/mop-up excess oil off some of the food.

Then came the seafood! A big, giant mega prawn each...and they were delicious! But most delicious was the fish fillets (3 on the plate, 1 each). Perfectly cooked, as if lightly barbecued? Sadly the calamari rings were a bit ordinary (and chewy). The white bait was interesting. Obviously dusted in flour and thrown into some oil. Crunchy, fishy snacks? Everyone seemed scared of them except for me.

Then came the lamb! The lamb on the skewers (souvlaki) was predominantly chewy.. so I had no choice but to leave 'spit balls' on my plate. The chicken souvlaki was a bit dry too. The 'lemon lamb' was basically lots of shredded lamb.. but not lemony at all. It was the most tender of all the red meats on the night. There was a very small portion of pan-tossed, seasoned potatoes, eggplant and zucchini on the plate too which seemed to be overlooked by my other partners in banquet-crime. I would have liked more of the veg actually!

I actually like to start a meal with fruit (as I do at work)..but usually it comes served at the end of a meal doesn't it? This was our fruit platter for three... and the girls next to us (who didn't have the banquet) ordered their platter for $10 and received the exact same plate. Subsequently they felt a tad 'ripped off'. As it turned out.. a lot of the ladies who didn't choose the banquet, spent $40 at least on the night anyway.. with mains being between $22 and $28 from memory.

All of my work colleagues found the baklava 'sweets' disappointing. We were all used to finely-ground nuts with this traditional, Mediterranean sweet delight. What we received was chunky-style, unidentifiable nuts..and a few of us bit into whole cloves.. which made us feel like we were eating pot pourri. The tiny squares (serves) are only $2.50 each - which is ok by restaurant standards. But many plates of baklava were left behind. We also didn't receive the three kinds of sweets we were promised for the 'banquet' (ie. a sample of each). Service did lack on the night unfortunately. However, I did have a good time spending a couple of hours with ladies who don't work in my department even though we share a common employer. The night was worth it for the social aspect alone. (That is a dessert spoon below, not a tablespoon).

So.. after eating filo twice at the Greek restaurant.. I was influenced to buy some myself and use it to make 'filo rolls'. Not really Greek and not really 'sausage rolls' because there's no sausage meat in them. But they certainly look like little sausage rolls. The great thing about this recipe is you can alter it to suit anyone's tastes. Don't like Korma? Try Tandoori or Vindaloo. Or salt-reduced Taco Seasoning (adding a Mexican twist)? Instead of beef, try lamb or chicken mince with fresh herbs and a good quality spice mix. I stress good quality because it does make a difference.

Though filo can be fiddly.. it rewards you at the end with a light, moreish crunchiness. And speaking of lightness, it makes a lighter alternative to puff pastry in general (calorie-wise and fat grams too). Don't be put off by buying filo now and again. Left over rolls can be cooled and reheated another day and children, visitors/guests will love them. I'll be making these again when I need to 'bring a plate' in less than two weeks (..church small group -we start with dinner... Last Friday I took along Moroccan meatballs and pasta).

Maria's Korma Beef & Pumpkin filo's....

*300 grams lean, beef mince (best quality preferably)

*150 grams grated pumpkin

*1 medium sized potato grated

*2 teaspoons chicken stock powder

*1/4 cup warm water

*1 large clove garlic, finely chopped or minced

*1 small onion, finely chopped

*30 gram tasty cheese (I use low fat)

*1/2 to 1 tablespoon good quality Korma curry powder or paste (not sauce).. according to your own tastes

*1/3 cup of chopped fresh coriander

*1 tablespoon poppy seeds

*12 sheets filo pastry (I buy it in a long, rectangle box in the 'fridge' section at supermarkets - which requires an hour or two at room temperature before use).

*Oil spray (I use 'Rice Bran' oil spray as it has a high smoking point.. ie. the oil won't burn when it reaches high temperatures, thus retaining the true flavours of the food you are cooking)

*Preheat oven to 180deg C.

*Line a baking tray with 'Glad Bake' or similar baking paper

*Grate potato, pumpkin and finely chop onion, garlic

*Dissolve stock powder (or a good quality cube) in the water

*Heat a deep fry pan, spray with oil, add onions and soften for 2 to 3 minutes until tender

*Add grated pumpkin, potato, garlic & chopped fresh coriander and cook -stirring occasionally for 3 minutes

*Add dissolved stock (at this point feel free to season with additional salt and pepper.. according to your own tastes, being careful not to 'over salt')

*Turn off heat when mixture is softened and water has incorporated into the mixture (ie. it's not runny) - Take off heat.

*Combine lean, beef mince with cheese

*Add pumpkin/potato mixture to beef and mix well

*Remove filo sheets from packaging and cover with a slightly damp tea towel so filo sheets don't dry out

*Work with two sheets at time. Spray one sheet, top with second sheet, spray again. Place some of the mince mixture onto the filo pastry - arranging it along the shortest length. Then roll up.
(Recipe continued....)

Love my 'Herbie's' spice mixes. Sri Lankan curry mix is excellent too.

Meat/cheese mixture with spices added.. ready to chop coriander. Poppy seeds on right.

Lightly spraying the sheets of filo with Rice Bran oil.

*Cut each rolled-length in half and then cut each half into three pieces (making six pieces out of each roll)

*Lightly spray rolls with oil and sprinkle with poppy seeds - place on baking tray

*Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown (but not too dry/overcooked)

*Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving

*Serve with skim yoghurt or tzatziki dip... or alternatively tomato or barbecue sauce!

When filo pastry isn't in use, cover with a slightly damp clean tea towel. Not too damp or your filo will become soggy!

With my excess potato and pumpkin I made a pumpkin/potato mash with light sour cream and served this with the filo rolls -alongside a salad (dressed with a special dressing I received for my birthday from my girl -pictured further down)....

Smelling good!

Even though I like coconut, I was a bit afraid of the 'coconut' on this label! However, the dressing wasn't 'coconutty' at all. It was sweet.. but with a distinct chilli hit! It complimented the filo rolls nicely and we all enjoyed some home cooking again.... (can you hear my hubby sigh with relief...??)

Birthdays... pass me a pillow and blanky..!

Today has been soooo busy. Ok and I'm tired -- all for good causes. It all started kind-of with Weight Watchers late morning after a much-welcomed slower start to the day (.. great because it was different from the Monday to Friday early morning routine).

Today I have:

*recorded a 1.2kg weight loss - after wearing heavier weigh-in clothes & eating 3 kinds of cheese each a.m. and p.m in Tasmania. Hiking up and around mountains may have helped! I also recorded a 900gram loss the week before.

*met with my WW leader again as she was filling in for the regular leader

*paid $1.40 into a parking meter that wasn't working so I did the usual 'sms'-the-council thing to notify them of my vehicle registration number and the parking meter number etc

*paid $6 parking in town.. I think I was a smidgeon away from paying $9

*eaten sushi for lunch

*drank lots of water and lamented this too-warm 33+degree day....Those who know me, know I'm a hot weather-sook.

*walked here, there and everywhere in search of hubby's birthday presents

*we filled a gift box with small 'care package' items and bought a giant $30 singing birthday balloon (exact design in title picture)... which was attached to the box and delivered it to his workplace - Didn't take it up ourselves as half the hospital is closed due to a sizey gastro outbreak.. so was advised by hubby to not visit today. So we visited the foyer and left the singing balloon etc at the front desk which was taken up to him... no issue.. we had lots to do anyway. And the box wasn't his proper presents. We still have to wrap those here at home...

*picked up hubby's favourite 'ginger fluff' birthday cake from a bakery the other side of town (right near where I work)

*used ATM facilities A LOT!

*didn't get a chance to visit a local college's food festival..which is 3 min's from home

*am bracing myself to do a home-cooked WW meal.. hubby's request as he's over eating out. He also ate two jelly slices this morning at work.. and other things.. so he's seeking 'healthy' food...

*... off I go to hit the WW recipe books...and probably the supermarket and I have about an hour to do it all in! Time to change into cooler clothes I think... ENJOY the rest of your weekend everyone :)

Celebrating '40' in Tasmania's wilderness...

Here I am in my $60, egg-yolk-yellow 'Rainbird' jacket purchased at Cradle Mountain's Visitor Centre. I was planning to hire one at 'Cradle Mountain Lodge' (where we stayed) but what their website didn't mention was that paying-guided-tour-people receive jacket-hire priority! So I missed out. But why pay $27 per person for commentary (preceding a devonshire tea) when you can go at your own challenging pace.. sing "Doo-wa-diddy-diddy-dum-diddy-doo" loudly in time with your own hiking-step and with an $8 baguette from the lodge 'boutique' in your backpack? (read: souvenir shop). And what with moving house, working full time and all the rest..there just wasn't time to shop for a jacket too.. but anyway... the sales lady (and my family) convinced me that this colour looked 'cool' on me. No doubt, in a 'glow-in-the-dark' way? This post is just a preview of more photo's and mountain-chat I look forward to sharing. When I have this many (photo's)... I easily get swayed into making a You Tube video.. which makes sense because I have video footage too! The photo's of my girl (above) and I were taken on our first hike. A 3 hour 'Crater Lake' hike on part of the 'Overland Track' which meant we started on what felt like 'the ground' and a cosy boardwalk track with chicken-wire hammered down onto it. But that quickly turned to ascending..and 'oh my goodness I can't believe we are still climbing' ... like mountain goats on all sorts of tracks, discovering all sorts of things along the way. Like serious Austrian hikers with hiking poles in each hand and so covered-up in hiking gear you could only see their Austrian eyes. Rocky, winding paths with loose and embedded rocks and stones looked like vertical creek beds..with running streams of water gushing over and under our feet. Oh and so many waterfalls from trickling-tiny to roaring-monumental! Our room temperature bottled water seemed to suddenly become fridge temperature. I didn't have waterproof pants either! So we saw the common, everyday state of 'being dry' and warm in a whole new light after that experience. I personally will treasure the Crater Lake hike memory for the rest of my days... it was truly unique.
My 'Lodge' souvenir shop baguette. Vegetarian. It had semi-dried tomatoes, fresh tomato, gourmet lettuce, cucumber, Tassie relish and fresh bocconcini. $8.00. And very tasty indeed! The muesli bar was one of the many we imported into Tassie via our luggage.. for hiking snack purposes.

A peek at the 'Lodge' Tavern menu. Not too many choices, but everything we tried was quite good.

My Flourless almond and orange cake with citrus caramel $9.90 That quenelle of King Island cream was as thick as butter.

We only had dessert once at the Lodge. If you don't count the Victorian-import Tim Tams back in our room.Hubby reading the rules for 'Scattegories' in the Lodge lounge as my girl is thinking "Yay we're going to play a game!!". We were allowed to take the Lodge board games back to our room too.
We returned home from Tassie on March 16. And it was 'back to work' on March 17 (my 40th birthday).. but not without a 'bang'! I started my 'work day' and my 40th birthday with my first day on radio! Our local Christian radio station 96.3 RHEMA FM have taken me on... more to the point, Guryel Ali (the breakfast announcer) has invited me to join him for some foodie/lifestyle chat each Tuesday around 8.10am!! You can listen to Rhema on the web here.

Now for those of you who know me.. you will know that God has been taking me places. He know's what I'm passionate about. Food.. photo's and travel. And it's with all praise to God that I happily combine these three things in one blog post. Not in the form of a vision or plan. But in pictures and words.. documenting this 'new day'.

Yes I do wear headphones, but my 'mike' is soft and spongey-looking and spherical like an orange (and about the same size too)!

My time 'on air' went so quickly.. and I so really, truly enjoyed it! I'm counting the days 'til next Tuesday!

From the new laptop...

At last, a home-cooked meal. After too many days of various takeaways for dinner, --some deli-seafood saved the day. Hubby and I had 'lemon-dill' ocean trout fillets (not pictured) - and these (above) were my girls prawns. Hers was surf 'n turf.. because of an accompanying minute-steak. Other sidedishes included our faithful standby's -->baked potatoes in their jackets + some fresh, stir-fry Asian-style vegies (below). This vegie photo was taken at the 'beginning' stages. It had onion, zucchini, bok choy, yellow squash and birdseye chillies. I added the leafy-parts of the boy choy afterwards with Hoisin, Oyster & Soy sauces.

The moving is done and I no longer have a set of keys to the old abode.Cleaning mode.

I'm typing this post from my new laptop after uploading photo's onto it for the first time (and checking out the default-Windows Vista photo software in the process?).. I'm thinking I prefer my previous photo-editing software. I realise my blogging has slowed down in the last couple of weeks..but it's only because of having a (new) full-time job outside of the home and still having to do things inside of the home + errands after work +the whole 'moving house' thing.
Just a random photo. My wedding and engagment rings.

Our kitty didn't handle the move too well and was quite freaked out for the first 48 hours. She seems to be a little bit more relaxed now.

I went to WW tonight.. only 5 days after my last weigh-in - and in the P.M. hours too.. (ie. weigh-heavier)..but I was relieved to come away with a 900gram loss. Tonight was my last chance to officially weigh-in for the week. I was wanting so much to go home after work, but I had an errand at the bank (took half an hour), had a nail appointment (took just over an hour)..and then the weigh-in. I chose not to stay for the actual meeting which is so not like me. I wanted to get home after two days straight of leaving the house at 7am and returning after 8pm. I arrived home at 6:45pm. There was a 'fill-in' leader too ('not my choice' after a couple of meetings with her already)..so it made leaving easier. I noticed WW has a new cookbook out.. jumping on the whole '4 ingredients' bandwagon - except their cookbook is called '5 ingredients'. I was also surprised to see the April issue of the now monthly WW magazine already out.. so I picked myself up a copy. Yes, after months of the 'french manicure' look I opted for purple nail polish and a more 'square' look for my 40th birthday. Inspired by the actress Ginnifer Goodwin (she had purple nails in a movie I recently saw). I've never really gone for dark polishes, but I just wanted something completely different. I will leave it at that for now because it's late.. so it's goodnight from me and I hope you all have a good weekend :)

Moving. In pictures so far....

Yes, I cannot resist giving you updates already. The computer is still hooked-up and connected and will be until next week. Won't you let me share the moving journey with you so far? But it has to be very brief. Quickly typed? I've stopped for half an hour to drink, snack etc.. so I'm a foodie-gonzales at the moment.

We had takeaway Indian last night (the night before the move, our last night here). Excuse the low-light, grainy photo's. Hubby's choice of 2 meat and one veg was dry mutton curry, eggplant curry and beef curry with rice. He and my girl love the 'Elephant' brand drinks too (from Malaysia)? And yes, in the past, he has asked the man behind the counter if there was any elephant in there?... (his sense of humour). The elephant drinks are like fruit juices/nectars. My girl chose cheese roti with the usual 3 sauces they provide, being dahl (very mild lentil curry), some fish curry sauce and lamb curry sauce.

This was my 'Chicken 65' (spicy curry - funny name - delicious!) + a mild lamb curry + mild chickpea curry + basmati rice. $10 without can of drink, $11 with! And hubby and I had supermarket-purchased skim yoghurt with this too. A nice cooling condiment.
Do I really have to give up this furniture?
Tired after a big week preparing....
Went to WW this morning.. arriving a tad late (I'd packed boxes in the morning and done washing etc). No breakfast.. which I don't like to do but on the way home from WW .. instead of doing what my 'old self' would have done (.. ummm.. sausage rolls from a nice bakery somewhere.. and probably iced donuts too).. I bought a punnet of raspberries and bluberries and some banana's. I had these fruits of some forest with the lovely Dairy Farmer's homestyle cheesecake yoghurt (which I've blogged about before). Only half a tub (which is 1.5points). I didn't photograph it but you can see what else I bought if you click here. It's a John West box with tuna inside called "Tuna and Beans" and I chose Roasted capsicum and three beans. It looks like double the size of a small tin of tuna and comes with a plastic fork. 3 points. Just opened it now & eating it. It has red kidney beans, chickpeas and little cream coloured navy beans. Tastes good..but maybe a tad high in salt? And getting towards the bottom of the tin it feels quite oily on my palate. I'm having trouble believing it's 3 points. So I'm leaving a few bits at the bottom. I'm used to draining my tuna well..but I decided to try this 'as is'.

After WW this morning and before the supermarket I met hubby in town and we went to a pet 'superstore' and bought a cage/carrier (Steel, black, with easily removable/cleanable tray) to transport Phoebe. It came packed flat and didn't require much assembly. Normally around $80, it was the last one in the store on sale and I bought it for $54.95. Ouch! We put one of the lounge cushions in there.. something familiar to her. Phoebe has taken-off by the way. With things being moved out and people arriving to pick-up things.. she's freaked a bit. But I'm sure she'll come back soon. (Update: She came into the lounge room out of nowhere..so she must have hid in the house).

STILL being in contact with eBayers this morning.. (some late-correspondence). Someone came to pick up our dining setting this morning and it was a bit 'eventful'. They were supposed to come last night, but didn't..so I phoned them (they live in a Melbourne suburb..about an hour away). I was like "Hello? Are you coming?" I was told that their day didn't go well.. eBay issues and bank issues etc. Could they pick it up Saturday (the next day)? When the man did arrive after 11am he declared the furniture wasn't good enough.. even turning over one of the chairs and deeming it poor quality. Which was not the case! It's like he was clutching at straws and planning to haggle with me. I did photograph the 5 chairs and extendable table..and said how our kitty had scratched 3 of the chairs. They chose not to come and look at it first. It wasn't the scratches he complained about. I was shocked.. because for $40 it was an excellent buy! Comfy chairs too. The man then thrust $20 at me being half the price he won the setting for. I said flatly "No!".. So very peeved and miffed he handed me the $40 and made me sign a receipt and give my full name. I told him I'd seen much worse settings at a Salvation Army store for $200 and over and he snapped back something like "Well they're rip-off merchants aren't they?". As a seller I can't give buyers negative feedback..but I can leave negative comments. It will be a shame if they leave me negative feedback. I've been nothing but honest and courteous with them from the get-go. I was surprised by this mans rudeness. I certainly didn't rip him off. Anyway... I got my money. Another slow communicator isn't picking up our entertainment unit as required from this address. They want to come at 7pm.. so we'll have to transport the unit to the new address and wait for them there. But there have been other successful transactions too.. which I'm grateful for. Like the microwave and TV and buffet hutch and lounge suite and glass shelves buyers! Good on you guys for the smooth transactions! Anyway.. I better get back to it all. :)

Sold!.. & when only a kit will do.

Actual eBay listing photographs

eBaying in the week you're moving is not recommended. If it wasn't for hubby's prompting, I probably wouldn't have even attempted it. But that's because I was just trying to do less..and put my head in the sand about what to do with secondhand furniture we don't need. Though.. ka-ching.. I've made $210 in the last 24 hours, with still some auctions ending tonight, so I can't sneeze at that (...cos sneezing is reserved for the in-your-face dust-bunny assaults when I move things). I came home late from work today (errands.. etc.. I was getting cranky and feeling overwhelmed by what I still had to do at home). Anyway I was horrified to learn eBay had yanked three of my listings. Removed them. Long story re: why, but I amended the innocent error and relisted immediately -this time listing them as 'Buy It Now' items or 1 day auction. (Original listings were 3 day auctions). A local girl was interested in my bed and had sent a "What the?" email as the bed had disappeared before her eyes off the eBay radar.

She left a phone number so I called her. As it happens she was nearby and had initially expressed wanting to see the bed first..around 6pm tonight. So within twenty minutes of talking to her she was here with a friend, laying down on the bed and testing it (and giggling). I learned she was a local student, originally from Toowoomba suffering with a bed that is bad for her back. She deemed my bed OK, bought it and loaded-it up onto the back of her utility vehicle with Queensland plates. Little did I know this morning when I got out of bed that it would be the last time I slept in it. Hubby (after his 12hr shift) insisted on bringing around a deluxe blow-up bed he had at home. It's the same height as an actual bed and uses electricity to auto-inflate.
This buffet/hutch thingy above.. I bought in an 'abandoned', sad house .. maybe 7 years ago? It was a deceased estate.. or I think one of the owners had died, the other went into a nursing home..and the kids were selling off what was in the house. My legal secretary friend was made aware of this 'estate' and gave me the heads-up on it.. so I landed it for $30. It sold tonight on eBay for $85. I'm a tad concerned however because the buyer appears to live in the Northern Territory! ie. several states away!! I've asked that they contact me a.s.a.p. regarding whether their details are current or not.

Tonight a couple of other auctions are ending being my TV and an entertainment unit..with the final few things ending tomorrow.

Well, well, well.. re: the birthday list at work.. it is no longer on the fridge. It is gone!! I've not seen this happen before.. not in January or February.. (yes.. in all of my weeks working there ;) ) There's a piece of paper on the fridge instead congratulating some sporty employee's for their sporting achievements.. at state level over the weekend. How sportariffic of them. Couldn't the two bits of paper co-exist on the same fridge door? I'm hoping someone has taken the birthday list away to amend it and include everyone's birthdays. If the sporty congratulations note is still on the fridge by next week (minus March's birthdays), I will take it down and replace it with a recipe for cabbage rolls or something. Or.. more fittingly.. maybe Irish Stew.. (St Patricks Day and all..) *wink*

Dinner tomorrow night will be 'OldELPaso' Crispy Chicken soft taco's.. inspired by Julie.. the 'helper' at work (currently on loan from the packing room). All I have to add is: Chicken breast cut into strips (I will marinate them in WW sour cream, garlic and powdered chicken stock while I'm at work.. ie. it will make them tender as)! The strips will then be coated in the 'Crispy Crumb Seasoning' provided in the box. Lettuce and sour cream are the other extra's the 'kit' asks for . I also grabbed a pack of WW grated tasty cheese..and some black Russian cherry tomatoes. The actual 'kit' contains 10 mini tortilla's, the crumb seasoning and sweet chilli taco sauce. I bought two kits as Fred will come for dinner and take packed-boxes home with him. Ok.. very muchly my bed time :) 'Niiight.

Forgotten. But still like Jennifer Aniston.

Yesss, Jen-Jen turned forty this year.. and I'm about to join that club too... not with marquee's however or catering or big chunky security men screening guests as they arrive at the foot of my driveway.

I was however looking forward to my name being on the fridge! One of the fridges at work I mean. When I started my employent in January there was an A4 piece of white paper stuck to the main fridge at work listing two or three names and January birthdays + anniversaries (one lady has worked there 25 years and another man 35 years). February had its own A4 sheet of paper and another short list of names/employee birthdays. Actual ages don't seem to be mentioned unless they are a 'milestone'. One lass who just left (resigned) last Friday celebrated her 21st birthday in February for example.

Well today is March 2nd and the first work day in March! I usually fill-up my water bottle before I go to my desk in the morning.. soooo I went straight to the fridge to see March's birthday list. I immediately noticed a little 'postscript' or additional 'note' added to the printed list! At the bottom, in small-ish, bold letters was: "Apologies to anyone left out". These words had not been written on January's or February's lists! And guess what.. I was not on the list!

I decided I would 'suck it up'.. and probably lament about it to my husband. However later in the morning a bunch of employee's hovered around the list making note of the birthdays this month. I spontaneously (in a quite 'out of character' way) piped-up "Mine isn't on there though"! That was met with "Really?" "Write it in!!" ... "There's a pen over there" ... "Just write it in!" So I went over to where the pile of book-club books were.. grabbed the blue pen and between the dates 10th and 20- something.. I wrote: " March 17th Maria -surname- (40th)"