How is your year so far?
For us, the last few days of January have been most hectic with 2 major events: school starting again and (probably more significant for Terry and I) the sale of our beloved boat. The decision was a few months in the making and it took even longer to complete the final move. I will spare you the details of days spent packing personal items, scrubbing and cleaning, carrying out repairs (as luck would have it, some of the equipment decided to fail us 1 week before handover!) and generally having it ready for the new owners to enjoy. It was a massive job, which combined with back to school preparations with the kids, made for a very busy time. Read More
Summer holidays are coming to an end. School starts again tomorrow and I am slowly getting my head around resuming the “back to school” routine: alarm clock set for 6.30am-check, new school stationery-check, uniforms washed and ready-check, school shoes polished- not quite I am leaving it to the kids, lunches organised-working on it…
To be honest, we are still in a holiday mood and are stretching the feeling to the very end: sleep-ins, lazy afternoon by the pool, weekend escapes on the boat, house and boat pottering,… the weeks have flown. All this indulgence was reflected in the cooking, where I am embarrassed to report that the excesses of Christmas somewhat spilled over into the New Year. I called them culinary experiments, you know, the recipes you’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to or the audience for. Read More
I realise that we are well into January, and it seems like a blur since the end of the year festivities. I hope you all had a fabulous time for Christmas and New Year with loved ones, near and far, young and old, on land or at sea…and since 2016 will last for another 11 ½ months, I don’t think it is too late for me to wish you all a very Happy New Year!!
In Australia, summer starts on Dec 1 and we were lucky enough to spend our first summer weekend on the boat, cruising around the Sydney Harbour. I say lucky because the opportunity doesn’t present itself that often, as we live a few hours away by boat. But this time, the boat had been in the city all week for maintenance, and being launched back in the water on a Friday, we thought we’d make the most of our time in the harbour before heading back south. We were kids free (they both had a busy social schedule, apparently more fun than hanging out with us on board!), the weather forecast was for a balmy 30C and sunny days and for once, we didn’t have anything on!
Summer is just around the corner and boy can we feel it. As I write, Sydney is sweltering in 35 deg C, the kids have been coming home with warnings that if the temperature reaches 42 deg C, schools will close (wishful thinking from their part!), even our fitness schedule has been brought forward to 6am to stay out of the heat…
Needless to say that cooking has been non-existent for the past 3 days. I mean, we do eat, just don’t cook. While I am still to embrace the raw food movement, I must admit to getting pretty close: green salads have never tasted so good and fresh juices are daily staples. Not only does the meal need to be cold but the time spent in the kitchen minimal ( no slaving over a hot stove or washing an army of dishes!)
For example, here is yesterday’s lunch : green juice with kale, oranges, lemons, carrots and cucumber…yes, I have succumbed to the kale craze, hoping that all this talk of super anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory/anti-bacterial powers will prove true ( in the meantime, I drink it because it tastes great!). And a salad of crab meat (technically it is cooked, but not by me!), avocado and cherry tomatoes… Add a few herbs and a splash of lemon juice, serve on a rice cake (for sustenance) or on lettuce leave ( for these of you on a carb-free diet) and you have a refreshing and delicious lunch. Preparation time: 10 minutes (mostly peeling the fruits for the juice) which is the longest I want to spend in the kitchen on a hot day!
High C Green Juice
Kale because it is the latest superfood (so I read), oranges and lemons for vitamin C hit, carrots for vitamin A helping to see in the dark and cucumber for extra juice so I don’t have to add water. Serve with ice cubes for a super cool anytime of the day drink.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 kale leaves, stems removed
2 oranges, peeled
1 lemon, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
1 small cucumber, peeled
Crab Salad
Serves 1 as a light lunch
Ingredients:
70g crab claw meat
2 cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ avocado, cubed
1 tsp green shallots
A handful of coriander
2 tbsp garlic flavoured olive oil
A squeeze of lemon juice
2 rice cakes (or lettuce cups) to serve
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve over the rice cakes or in lettuce cups. Best eaten with fingers!
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