i quit sugar - an introduction

CONFESSION: I am addicted to the sweet stuff.

I will not shy away from the sugar-laden syrups added to my latte. M&Ms and jelly babies are my study snacks. Ice cream is my ultimate downfall. If it has sugar in it, it will soon be in my stomach.

There is no self control when it comes to me and treats. I really cannot help myself – put a huge slice of cake in front of me and I will eat the whole thing, scrape the plate clean, and ask for more. I’m the kind of girl who makes any sort of baked goods and eats half of it before it’s even cooked. Oops.

However, I’ve also suffered from a fair few things that I really don’t like. I have acne which isn’t so bad on my face, but is pretty terrible on my chest and back (being honest here!), and it’s looking pretty stubborn. I’m moody a lot of the time and easily irritated. I have days where I’m completely lethargic and devoid of any energy, but I’m up until two o’clock in the morning. Most of the time, I’m lacking in motivation and focus. All of these things can be linked to poor diet, and after being in denial for a long time, I’ve come to realise that to change myself, I also have to change what I’m putting in my body.

Now (if it wasn’t obvious), I’m no health freak. Today my breakfast had chocolate chips in it. But I also know myself, and I really am addicted to sugar. Last May, I managed to stay healthy for quite a while, and it was honestly quite a challenge. It took a good week for my cravings to not be so overwhelming, and about a fortnight for them to completely disappear (well, almost). So when I picked up the I Quit Sugar book, I decided on a whim to purchase it and actually try. Sarah Wilson, please be my saviour.

For the next eight weeks, I am going to (try to) follow the I Quit Sugar detox plan and cleanse myself of sugar. It actually doesn’t look too harsh, and it’s definitely doable. The only concern is to actually curb your addiction, you have to go cold turkey on all sorts of sugar. The main sugar the book tries to get you to quit is fructose, which is the “bad” sugar, but you find a lot of fructose in fruit. And I love fruit! Especially with the weather warming up, there’s going to be a lot of summer fruit coming up. However, I believe I can do this and I really hope I have your support too!

This means that my blogging is going to be a little different to usual. I will continue to post on Thursdays with regular lifestyle posts, but I will also be updating my sugar-quitting journey every Sunday with a weekly recap of how I’ve felt during the past seven days/what I’ve been eating, etc.

I’d love it if you followed along!

xx Silje

anniversary breakfast

On the 24th of last month Luke and I celebrated our three year anniversary, which is really quite a long time considering we're a high school couple. I only know one other couple who've been together since high school (year ten in Tasmania), although I can imagine there are quite a few.

The plan was to go to Rottnest Island, a small island off the coast of Western Australia, but the ferry we thought left at 10.30 actually left at 10, so we were a little late to say the least. We still managed to book tickets for the next day (a post to come for that!) but we didn't have plans for the rest of the day, so we wondered around for somewhere to eat. Most cafes were either chains or not open until noon, but we found one little place that was absolutely gorgeous, so we stopped in and had a look at the menu, which was delicious.

Look at that cutie pie! The whole set up of the place was really nice, with pastel coloured chairs and tables, and wooden crates for chairs and barrels for tables. It was really super quaint, but managed to avoid looking tacky.

Someone was a little shy ;)

Wasn't our table cute?! We decided to sit outside as weather in Perth is quite mild in winter and the sun was out. All of the tables were undercover, but it was just a bit more refreshing where we were. We also had a very interesting table number decoration.

Apparently Ken and Barbie were joining us for breakfast.

The menu was full of delicious options that made my mouth absolutely water. Luke had a hankering for pancakes, so he had that, whilst I was really hungry, so I went for the option aptly named 'The Beast'. It actually looked a bit funny this 6 foot guy ordering blueberry pancakes and a tiny girl ordering a beast of a meal! We also had the yummiest drinks. Luke had an iced coffee that was ever so slightly bitter at first, but once the vanilla ice cream melted a little it had the most gorgeous flavour. I went for a tropical smoothie with pineapple, mango, coconut water, and chia seeds. Oh god it was good. And of course, like any good hipster cafe, they were served in jars.

I didn't manage to get a proper shot of the drinks because they were too damn delicious to take photos before drinking. I also managed to steal a couple of bites of Luke's pancakes. We were going to go half and half but by the time I was halfway through my meal, I couldn't muster more than a couple of bites I was so full. The Beast had done its job of filling me up, and a bit more, too.

The Beast - bacon, tomato, spinach, avocado, on a toasted Turkish bread pita with pesto aioli and a side of hash browns

Blueberry pancakes with a blueberry compote served with cream

All in all, it was a gorgeous breakfast perfect for a casual meal. Maybe not an anniversary meal, but it was certainly great for a last minute find, and honestly, we didn't have much of a budget. We're both young adults, can you really expect us to afford a fancy restaurant?

I would definitely recommend the breakfast we had, it was so so yummy and I always love just having a nice chatty meal with Luke. Three years later, we can still talk and talk and talk. And if you're reading this, I love you Luke.

xx Silje

mexican quinoa dish {vegan, gluten free}

Not to brag or anything, but I am a master at this dish. This dish incorporates lots of yummy flavours and mouthwatering spices with lots of different textures to become an awesome, and even better yet healthy dish.

Fine, I'll admit - this is about one of the easiest dishes I have come across. But that only makes it better! It's perfect to use up vegetables in the fridge, and all the ingredients are usually right there in the cupboard. I makes a great weekday dinner, and you can store it for a couple of days in the fridge to bring to work/school for lunch. You can also alter it to make it non-vegan (here it is shown with a sprinkling of cheese) or non-vegetarian as it is super flexible.

Most of all, though, it tastes pretty darn great!

Mexican Quinoa Dish
Adapted from Damn Delicious
Serves 4

Ingredients:
enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, red or brown
1 red capsicum
1 cup quinoa
1 cup vegetable broth
1 can beans - I like kidney beans, but whatever option suits you is fine
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 can super sweet corn kernels
chilli powder, 1 tsp or to taste
ground cumin, 1/2 tsp or to taste
paprika, 1 tsp or to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
1 avocado
1/2 lemon or lime

Method:
Coat your pan with olive oil, and set to a medium-high heat. Cook the garlic, onion, and capsicum until softened before adding the quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, and spices. Bring to the boil before simmering at a low heat until quinoa has absorbed most of the liquid, around 10-15 minutes. Serve with sliced avocado and a squeeze of lemon or lime.

I like to serve mine with a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkling of mozzarella, which makes it non-vegan, but it still tastes great without. Even as a meat eater, I can tell you that this vegan dish is just plain awesome.

Let me know if you try it out for yourselves! Maybe post your pics on Twitter and I'll be sure to check them out. :)

Love always, xx.