Mid week break of food, fun and sea

With the start of May beginning with a public holiday I decided we had to get away. So I found a quiet little cottage in Sheffield beach.

Hearing the sea when I fall asleep and wake up is probably one of my favourite things.

Today was a day for food!!! It started off with egg and bacon rolls in bed cooked by the boyfriend and then a stroll on the beach.

We then decided to go food exploring.  A seafood lunch ended off with coffee and cheesecake and a drink at one of the local pubs.

The galley in ballito serves a variety of food whilst you stare into the distant ocean. We had a seafood platter and beers.

Waterberry in ballito is still one of my favourite. Coffee and nougat cheesecake followed by a walk in the forest was a great end to our day.

And last but not least we had to stop at a local umhlali pub called the duck for a beer and there famous peanut butter and bacon sarmie bar snacks.

So dinner....sjoe im all full up!

Lauren Leigh cc

No peanuts in my peanut butter

Everyday I am hearing of more and more people who have allergies, especially nut allergies.
And even more so, peanut allergies.
I happen to be one of those unlucky people who have a peanut allergy. And my one weakness happens to be...peanut butter!!

My wonderful friend did some searching through her recipe books and found this AMAZING recipe for sunflower seed "peanut butter".
She lives on it and you can choose how crunchy you want to make it by how much you blend the sunflower seeds.

Try it out and let me know how you enjoy it. We have it on toast, in smoothies to make our own peanut butter bomb smoothies and even on blocks of chocolate!

Recipe

375g sunflower seeds
sunflower oil
himalayan rock salt (to taste)
1-4 teaspoons honey ( to taste)

1) Bake sunflower seeds on a tray at 180 degrees celcius
2) You can grill them too. Ensure you watch them carefully. The longer they in the oven, the quicker the burn
3) Roast until golden brown and allow to cool
4) Place seeds in a blender a cup at a time and blender until a powder ( there can be a few chunky seeds)
5) While the blender is running slowly add sunflower oil until a paste starts to form
6) Add enough oil to suite what kind of spread-ability you would like
7) Add salt and honey to taste and mix
8) Makes enough for 2 nutella size jars and store in airtight jar in cool place

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Chicken Curry Sundays

today has probably been one of the best Sundays I have had in a long time.

It started off with breakfast in bed followed by a walk on the beach and a cuddle with a blanket on the sand while we watched the paddlers. Then an aromatic coffee and MASSIVE slice of baked cheescake at Cafe Jiran ( they have an awesome coffee and cake special) and now we are listening to Frank Sinatra and cooking chicken curry for a couple of hours.

It is days like this that you realise things are pretty good and everything has been done your way!
Gratefulness is a humble emotion.

Hope you have all had a good weekend xx

P.s. give me a shout if any of you need a really good chicken curry recipe

LaurenLeigh cc

i heart market

i heart market time this weekend.
Probably my most exciting start to a month and my sister and mom are coming with me to market. A good morning of girly fun and markets.

Picture from iheartmarket.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

Laurenleigh cc

Whole food Night Market

Tomorrow is the first Thursday of the month which means its the Whole Food Night market.
I have unfortunately missed quite a few of these but tomorrow night is market night and ladies night with friends.
This month they have chosen a venue with a twist...a street market in Oldham Road Stamfordhill.

The market runs from 6pm - 10pm and the market will be full of treats, wholesome foods, delicatessens to take home and live music.
Entry is free and its a wonderful social event for the entire family.

For more Details visit Whatson website
What else can you do on a Thursday evening?

Laurenleigh cc

The Liquid eating Plan

So as most of you know, I have been on the Lisa Raleigh 30 Day detox. I am now on Step 3 which is the liquid only diet.
This can consist of juices ( the freshly juiced kind not the box kind), smoothies and soups.
The liquid part has actually been a lot easier than I thought it would be but I HAVE to eat every 2 hours or I turn into the HULK...literally.

I have noticed that I have had most of my headaches on this part of the diet but my bowel movement ( sorry for the overshare) has got much better and I feel like a human being again!
Another plus is that my nails are long and strong which I can only gather is from the healthy eating and lack of "bad" foods.
Dehydrated skin has also depleted my moisturizer but I am putting that down to a combination of change of season and the detox.

The best part of this all...I get to use my juicer and smoothie maker. Absolute gems.
And you can out ANYTHING into your juice and smoothies...as long as its healthy and on the list.

LaurenLeigh cc

Juicy Lucy

Recently, on a shopping splurge at the SPCA in Kloof, I found a Moulinex juicer going for R25.
Yes, R25!
So I figured well if it works then this is the best place to shop in the world and I will be back for more and if it does not work then I have lost R25? I will take that chance.

So after this little white and grey compact juicer got a spring clean and sat in the cupboard for over 3 weeks, I decided that last night was the perfect time to make some fresh juice and see if this little juicer actually works.
This is what I squashed inside to make the juice:
1 x baby marrow
1 x carrot
1 x small beetroot
1 x small green pepper
1/3 cucumber
1/3 broccoli
1x small apple
squeeze lemon juice
a few grapes

At first we decided it tasted like squashed compost but after the second sip we realised it was amazing!
Fresh, healthy, beautiful juice full of antioxidants and nutrition.
And my juicer for R25 WORKS!!!

Down side: you have to clean the juicer asap after use or the colours of the fruit or vegies used may stain. And you have to peel some things and chop them up but other than that...awesome.

Happy as Larry!

LaurenLeigh cc

Lisa Raleigh 30 day detox - Week one

I decided to partake in the Lisa Raleigh 30 day detox. Yes, crazy I know but to people who don't understand healthy eating and way of living; I am sure there are plenty of things that health fanatics do that you think are crazy.

Week one ( well actually this part of the detox lasts for 10 days) includes no meat, sugar, dairy, wheat or stimulants.
Say what? OMG!
But you know what? It has been easier than I thought. Even my boyfriend is doing it with me.
This week has been a combination of oats, boiled egg, lentils and quinoa with pesto, bean and rice salsa mix , fruit, fresh oven baked fish and guilt free potatoe wedges ( this was the boyfriends favourite and he ate this at nearly every meal).
I even took recipes supplied and added my own twist onto them to create some really yummy wholesome meals.

Eating healthy isn't about stopping your life; it is about choosing the right foods, ensuring you have time to prepare them and eating regularly.
The minute your food isn't prepared and you rushing, this is when you reach for unhealthy "bad" food.
We actually look forward to cooking our meals now and cannot wait to eat the freshness and taste of the food.

I am already feeling healthier internally, not craving sugar as much as I used to and feeling more energetic.
The down side is that eating this way is a bit more pricey on the wallet pocket but in the long run it is so worth it. And if you happen to go somewhere where there is no healthy food ( like the baby shower I attended yesterday and there is no healthy food ) I cheated but it was 3 things and now I'm back on track.

Well, my fresh potatoe and leek soup is brewing on the stove so I will leave you with this...
Try the detox. What do you have to lose besides the toxins in your body and a few percentages of fat?

LaurenLeigh cc

The Monday Blues...And Pie and Pint

It has been exactly 10 days since my last blog...I am not going to apologise as my blog is for my enjoyment and those of you that enjoy my scribbles.
So hello again and welcome back.

Everybody seems to have "the monday blues" every Monday. I seem to feel like that everyday as of late so I decided this Monday is the first day of change.
The boyfriend is sick so homemade chicken and noodle soup is brewing on the stove. Made from scratch and with love...I clearly decided to hang ten on my studies this evening.

But for those of you that don't enjoy cooking...Livingston's Gastropub in Glenashley has an AWESOME  Mondays special. Pie and a pint. You can't go wrong there now can you?
And with winter starting to creep into the evenings, a pub pie sounds way better than chicken and noodle soup for dinner tonight.

Have a look at the poster below or check out their website here

Picture courtesy of Livingstons website

LaurenLeigh cc

Craft Trattoria

It is eventually April and heading towards the Easter weekend. Chocolate, religious celebrations and food.

Recently the boyfriend spoilt me to a surprise dinner at the lovely Craft Trattoria in Glenashley for a quick bite to eat. We had heard their pizzas were out of this world and thought it was only fair to try it out.

Pic courtesy of the Craft Trattoria

Glorious pizza bases piled with pancetta, artichokes, mushrooms, butternut, feta and cheese as well as a wheat free base for me with vodka and cream napoletana sauce, chargrilled aubergines, mozzerella and fresh torn up basil leaves literally left us with full tummies, satisfied taste buds and me edging on my seat to write a blog about this hidden food gem.

Overlooking the ships bobbing on the seas, soft relaxing 1920's ( or some kind of 1900 music playing), amazing aromas and friendly staff fill this restaurant and the raw edged furnishings and glass kitchen so you can play peek - a -boo with the kitchen staff and chefs leaves you feeling like you have stepped into someone else's home for an exquisite home cooked meal.

Our waiter was on top form being friendly, chirpy, always there when we needed him and a pure gem as I have found Durban to be lacking in the good service department as of late. With a head of dreadlocks and a bright smile, he looked after us very well.

Do yourselves a favour and explore this place...or at least, explore Durban!

LaurenLeigh cc

Farmstyle Homemade Ice Cream

Recently, we went to visit my old friend, ex room mate and new mom Sarah at her new home and farm in Greytown.
Besides buying one of my best antique timeless pieces of furniture ( that is for another blog), I got to eat Sarah's farmstyle homemade Ice Cream.

We decided to give her recipe a bash this week. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add whatever you want into it to make it into your own flavour.

So here are the basics but we made a Ginger biscuit and Cinnamon ice cream:

* 500ml cream - beaten until stiff
* 1 tin condensed milk
* 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
* 4 beaten egg whites - I beat mine just before stiff peak stage
* half a packet ginger biscuits - roughly crushed
* 5-10ml cinnamon

1) Beat the cream until stiff
2) Fold in the concdensed milk, vanilla essence and egg whites
3) Add flavour of choice EG: crushed ginger biscuits and cinnamon
4) Freeze
5) Indulge

Although this ice cream is a creamy mouthful and spoon of heaven, it does work out quite pricey but is worth every penny.

Go on and spoil yourself!!

LaurenLeigh cc

The low down from New Years Eve

Our New Years Eve was exactly what we wanted and it seems to be becoming part of a tradition that Mr.Adams and I spend it just the two of us.

We started off at The Blue waters Hotel in The Coimbra cocktail bar. Imagine retro old velvet drapes, small bar chairs, a fish tank and old school dance music...that is where we were. Back in time with half price cocktails and my first Margharita on an empty stomach. Tingly, tipsy and Tequila come to mind...

We then headed upstairs for buffet dinner at The Versailles where we indulged a massive amount of food in between smoke breaks and to my disappointment we still couldnt make dessert.

We ended up getting to a friends flat at 22.30 where we proceeded to watch half of City of Angels, watch the Durban lights and then fall asleep to awake at New Years with fireworks and very excessive loud bangs.
We watched the fireworks together on the balcony, contemplated opening our Champagne we had brought along and decided to go straight to bed.

The next day was a glorious beach day with half the masses that had been there on the day before and we sported no hang over.
And this afternoon we punished the champagne and made the most amazing dinner.

You see, New Years is really just another day and an excuse to celebrate something that you can celebrate any time...friends, family, those you love and life itself.

Happy 2012...mke it your own!

LaurenLeigh cc

So what you doing for New Years Eve??

Yes, it is that time of year again when everyone frantically sms's, emails and tweets their friends or random people to find out "so, what are your plans for New Years Eve?"

I have a theory...if you haven't planned or booked your evening in advance there are only a few options left to choose from which usually range from a braai at a mates place, a braai at a mate of a mate or one of the few nightclubs in Durban. Yes there are other functions but not everyone can afford R1000 a couple for a night out.

Now as tempting as those options sound to me, quite frankly, this year I am utterly exhausted and am rather excited about our plans for New Years Eve.

Today after a beach braai with good mates, Ryan and I decided to pop into the Blue Waters Hotel for a cup of coffee on the balcony. And then it hit us...amazing view, reasonably priced good foood, our favourite hotel in Durban and open on New Year's Eve...we have booked a table at The Blue Waters hotel.
Just the two of us for dinner, champagne at midnight and sea views. Done, dusted and booked.
And I am rather excited to get dressed up, go on a date and say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012 with my best friend, at our best place in Durban and not break the bank balance.

I will be sure to post on New Years Day with details of the evening.

Have a wonderful but safe New years and final day of 2011.
See you all on the other side.

LaurenLeigh cc

Hemingway's...Another Durban eatery

My latest Groupon voucher was for Hemingway's in Glenwood. Two main meals for the price of one but we decided to add in some starters and desserts just to round the meal off nicely. This is what I thought of it and the food we grazed on...

Starters was curried butternut and feta samoosa's with plum or sweet chilli dipping sauce. We both said the filling on the inside of the samoosa was a bit sparse and lacking some flavour. Throw in some cumin and chilli if the menu says "Curried" butternut and feta samoosa.

Mains was the "famous" calamari tubes with salad and chips and the fillet with chakalaka and avocado topping. The mains were probably the best part of the entire meal. The calamari had the perfect amount of lemon, garlic and chilli and the salad and crispy chips added the perfect combination. The fillet had a whirlwind of flavours with the spicy chakalaka and creamy avocado sitting perfectly on top of my rare fillet and sauteed potatoes.

Dessert was a Malva pudding with ice cream and homemade custard in a phyllo basket. This was a sore point for me. I originally wanted the chocolate mousse with brownie but that was out of stock. My boyfriend loves malva pudd so he was only but too happy to eat the next choice of dessert. When it arrived though, the ice cream was half melted, the custard tasted like watered down sugar cream and the malva itself was as dry as a day old muffin with no flavour.

The service was chirpy and responsive with a chatty waiter who knew his menu well and was a good salesperson. Although making me wait 20 minutes for the bill and then a further 10 minutes just to settle it didn't leave me with a good taste in my mouth towards the end of the evening.

All round - I will return to Hemingway's and I do recommend it. Just don't have the malva pudding.

LaurenLeigh cc

One of Umhlanga's best kept secrets...Indian Summer

Last night we were meant to meet friends for dinner but plans unravelled and it ended up just being Darby and Joan.

We decided to go for dinner anyway and after searching Google for over an hour I started asking mates where they would recommend.
A work colleague suggested Indian Summer in Sunningdale Centre, Umhlanga.

An aromatic, chilled, relaxed but very authentic Indian restaurant. Although the decor, atmosphere and view isn't one of the best in Umhlanga; the food was out of this world and I think I may have found one of my new favourite exotic places to eat.

It felt like we were sitting in India; eating with our hands and experiencing flavours that none of our senses had experienced before.

Unfortunately, there is no website for Indian Summer but I found all of my info from The Ridge Online ( http://theridgeonline.co.za/indian-summer-restaurant-glenashley/) . They offer take away and a sit down meal but make sure to book.

Give it a try.

LaurenLeigh cc

Double dates....order the pasta.

Tonight was a dinner at one of my regular half price special restaurants Plate in Hotel 64 on Gordon road with an old friend.

In front of us was a table of four. Two guys and two girls. A double date.
While I am sure they were only but too happy to be listening to our conversation of cussing, sexual conversations and heightened voices as the wine kept flowing ( as us girls do- please note the sarcasm in my typing voice), I had to stop and watch them as four individuals and as two couples.

The two guys were trying ever so subtly to compete with each other. Talking about their jobs, flashing their car keys around and lastly, one of them pulling their iPad out.
While the girls kept chatting quietly in the corner; I am sure acting in a very similar way to the boys but I could not hear them.

I'm a people watcher and I was so enthralled by the human behaviour of these four people. Both couples ordered exactly the same thing. One couple the pasta dish and the other the fillet dish. And the men ordered for the ladies.
Now this made me wonder...did they always do this while dining out or was this something they did only when meeting with friends and they felt insecure about themselves?

Nevertheless, my meal was amazing, the company phenomenal and an all round good evening. Try it out sometime.

LaurenLeigh cc