link party ♢ weekly wishes

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Time for round 2 of Melyssa's weekly link party!

I'm pleased to say I did really well with last weeks promise to keep up with the daily yoga challenge I signed up for.
There's a quote I love from Joseph Pilates: "You are only as young as your spine is flexible".
  I love to see those pictures floating the internet of 80 year old women who are in wonderful shape and can still contort into the most impossible asanas~ proof of the truth behind this statement. I like to keep this quote and those images in my mind's eye whenever I feel like shirking my daily practise.

Today my weekly wish is based around a big brown envelope I dropped off at the post office today.
5 years ago I developed a keen interest in Nutrition which  has ballooned  into a desire to pursue it as a career choice. After 5 years of procrastination and talking about it I have finally bitten the bullet and filled out an application for an online degree course in Nutritional Therapy.
After much mulling over with my Mom about how this will eat up the next 4 years of my life and income I have decided the end goal is so worth it. I will be able to begin a career in something I am truly passionate about.

My wish this week is that the universe will send back a positive response to my brown envelope and send me down a new and exciting path in my life.

Fingers, toes and eyes crossed >.<

⋙⋙⋙currently⋙⋙⋙

⋙⋙⋙ planning⋙⋙⋙

Tired eyes and bed head~ I'm planning to sleep for the next 10 hours.

 We drove 8 and a half hours in the rain to collect this little sass-mouth today.

Folks, meet Buddy. The new man in my life.

 Just look at that belly.

Blurry photo c/o my equally exhausted mom.

Buddy post coming soon!

⋙⋙⋙ reading⋙⋙⋙

Currently reading this quirky little illustrated travel diary on my kindle.

 This is such a lovely little book, and proof that sometimes it pays off to judge a book by it's cover! 

⋙⋙⋙ watching⋙⋙⋙

Have you ever seen a wild rose? They are growing in abundance by our house.
They smell like beautifully clean sheets on a freshly made bed. 
I must pick a few to make some rose petal ice cubes.

⋙⋙⋙ eating⋙⋙⋙

I've been treating my sweet tooth here lately. In a clean way.

This week I made Almond Milk for the first time, with a few yummy flavourings thrown in. Perfect for making chai tea and pouring over muesli in the mornings.

The creamiest peach strawberry smoothie, I know it's twee but it's definitely more fun drinking them from a mason jar with a pretty straw ^.^

These ice pops were so yummy and easy to make~ just blend coconut milk, peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 banana and pour liquid into ice pop moulds.

⋙⋙⋙ writing⋙⋙⋙

I've been catching up on my letter writing this week. If your waiting for post from me, it's being sent this Monday I promise!

⋙⋙⋙ listening⋙⋙⋙

So excited about Fleetwood Mac's new single. It's all over the radio at the moment and I turn it all the way up every time.

⋙⋙⋙ learning⋙⋙⋙

the record collector

Ever since I was a little girl my Dad has visited record stores, fairs, flea markets and festivals collecting records and music memorabilia.

Americana has always been the cornerstone of my memory and sense of home...even in leafy suburban South London where I grew up.

In every house we've ever owned my dad has had what we all call his 'music room'~ a room where he proudly displays his thousands of records, vinyl, tapes and concert merchandise.

That's Willie Nelson's cowboy hat above which my dad caught when he threw it into the crowd at a show in the eighties.

Some of my earliest and most cherished memories are of flipping through row upon row of dusty vinyl stacked in boxes in our local mom n' pop new and used record shop near where I grew up. I'm sure that store is probably long gone by now.

To me there's no one cooler than my old man. With his music room and hippy heart and clock in the shape of his favourite state in all of America.

God bless 'im!

x

link party ♢ weekly wishes

I'd like to take a long moment in this post to introduce you to a purdy young lady I have had the pleasure of acquainting with through this funny ol' blogging world.

Meet the lovely Melyssa of The Nectar Collective.

I "met" Melyssa earlier this year when I came across her blog and instantly connected with her as she is a fellow expat teacher in an Asian country. Even though she currently teaches in Japan while I used to teach in South Korea, I instantly related to her blog posts about the struggles and breakthroughs of living, essentially, as an 'alien' on another planet.

Not only that but her blog is peppered with beautiful crafts, recipes, adventure stories and, my personal favourite, her 'Musings From Monja' series where she chronicles (hilariously) life as viewed from her cutie pie dog Monja's eyes and all the thngs that "really get my nub wagging".
 Leaves me rolling around in happy tears every. single. time. 
(I challenge you to go read about the poop barf and not chuckle)

Anyhoo, fawning aside, you should check the gal out. She wins the internet in my book.

Which is why I will be taking part in her Monday Link Party: 'Weekly Wishes'...

Each Monday Melyssa will host this link up over on her blog and she is inviting one and all to share their personal  wishes/goals/challenges/promises with each other. I can't wait to click through to some new blogs, maybe find a new favourite, and also read what goals people are making each week and gain some inspiration from them.

This will be my first contribution to the Weekly Wishes link up and I am going to start this week by challenging myself to be vigilant and keep up with the free 30 day yoga challenge I signed up for yesterday.

Apparently this Weekly Wishes has come at just the right moment in my life because it's personal challenges like this that make me hold myself accountable when I sign myself up for things and then end up not doing them. Case in point, I was emailed my first yoga video this morning and I still haven't done it ~.~

I was, however, very proud of myself for sticking to my one week raw cleanse which I posted about yesterday.

I had a bit of interest about my eating schedule since posting that so for any who are interested just leave me a comment or email me on tremblingstarz {at} gmail {dot} com and I will send you my 7 day recipe plan which I made to follow every day of the cleanse.

The plan breaks down the week day by day and gives recipes for all meal times; some  recipes are taken from the book I was following and some were from recipes found on Pinterest, including raw blended tomato and coconut soup and lemon chick pea avocado salad.

Just drop me a line if you're wanting to cleanse and I'll shoot it to you lickety split.

Peace!

x

RᐱW

Look at this array of rainbow foods~ ruby red tomatoes, perfect pink raspberries, vibrant green leafies and pop of yellow bananas. 
Food that shines and glows. 
Last week I finished a 7 day raw cleanse which left me shining and glowing from the inside out.
I loved every single bite, the abundance of energy and the feeling of lightness I was left with after the week was out and will definitely be cleansing like this once every few months ongoing.

Here is the cleanse template, a few snaps of my meals and a special smoothie recipe for any who are looking to detox, purge sluggish livers and revitalize their energy levels this summer:

7 Day Rejuvenation Cleanse

>>>>Your Daily Schedule<<<<

Every morning upon waking immediately drink 1 pint of water.

>>>Breakfast<<<

v 32 ounces Blended Green Smoothie AND

v Abundant raw fruits

>>>Lunch<<<

Your choice of:

v Fresh salad with seasonal vegetables OR

v Blended raw soup OR

v Raw entrée

>>>Snacks<<<

     vFruit v Herbal tea

   v Vegetable juice v Nuts + Raisins

    >>>Dinner<<< 

    Your choice of: 

v Life Cleanse Smoothie or veggie juice AND 

v Fresh seasonal salad AND/OR 

v Blended raw soup OR 

v Raw entrée

Raw entrée// Stuffed bell pepper

Seasonal salad// Grape + Mango 

Raw dessert// Almond Chia seed cup

Raw Green salad

<<<<< Coco Date Banana Shake >>>>>

{{Toss 8 pit-less dates, 1 ripe banana, 200 mls of light coconut milk, a handful of cacao nibs and a few ice cubes in to a blender and whiz into a sweet, frothy, coconut milky frenzy}}

The first 2~3 days of the cleanse were the toughest and I really was craving a hot meal or at least some grilled fish with my salads, I also hankered for my usual breakfast staples of oats or muesli.
However these cravings fell away surprisingly quickly and it was very interesting to realize how bloated I am by a lot of things I eat such as bread and pasta. I felt incredibly light and flat stomached by the end of the cleanse and I noticed a huge difference in the energy I brought to my work outs too.

None of this prevented me from rewarding myself with a huge bar of salted dark chocolate when the week was finished though ^.^

I signed up for the 30 day yoga challenge at Do You Yoga today. Can't wait to get started on it!

june bug

You know it's officially summer when you've taken your first lick from your first ice cream cone of the year.

June has arrived and blessed this damp little island with the bluest skies and a sun-kissed garden.

I've been padding around with bare toes and winter-white legs shamelessly out on display for all to see!

Dates with myself, a blanket and kindle have been on the Specials menu daily just recently and Jess can hardly believe her puppy luck with all the walking her little legs have been getting ^.^ 

Ice cream floats are also doing the rounds, as are red runny noses from the darndest hayfever allergies.

I can't even with hayfever. Streaming eyes and itchy nose for days.  Ack!

No matter. Swoony, sun-filled afternoons still shoot the moon. Balled up tissues or not.

Happy June sailors!

x 

print + paint

A week long sabbatical from the internet reminded my creative juices that they are still present and correct despite being redundant for some time so I set them the task of finally doing something pretty with the beach stones and shells I squirrelled away from my Donegal trip.

I love the results, especially on the shells. They look really lovely occupying tabletops and windowsills.

I also spent some time customizing a sad little multi-frame that has been boring me to tears on my bedroom wall for some time!

A pair of scissors, some washi tape and an afternoon on my bedroom floor doing some cuttin' and pastin' the old fashioned way has revived this frame and made it something a little more unique and personal to me.

My Mom brought me back this Parrot's tail feather last week after a trip to the Gardening Centre where she rescued it from the floor.

It's so beautiful and the other side of it is canary yellow. 

Being in the country birdsong, nests in our roof and watching for different species at the birdfeed in our garden has become part and parcel of our daily living.

We're even lucky enough to spy beautiful pheasants running through the fields surrounding our house occasionally. 

I'll be sorry to swap the sparrows and the starlings for pigeons when I move back to London!

dark chocolate + avocado pudding

As promised here is a recipe that, I swear to you, you want to try!

Especially if you are one of those people (like myself) who love combining flavours...

I'm talking to the lovers of chocolate with sea salt and mixing peanut butter and banana in to your oatmeal. You need to try this pudding!

As usual, I discovered this dream blend of coconut milk, dark chocolate and avocados via Pinterest.

Do you pin? I'm semi-obsessed with it. Must be because I'm not working right now and have the time but these days I've been feeling a lot like this>>>

Can anyone relate to this? hehe!!

Anyway!

To the recipe ^.^

This recipe is not only delicious but also very good for you!

Dark chocolate is loaded with anti-oxidants and is good for your heart and brain while coconut milk is full of healthy fats that won't clog your arteries and avocados are a super-food with a wealth of health benefits, including being a great skin beautifier.

Bottom line is~ you can enjoy this smooth and creamy and deliciously chocolately pudding without having to feel 'the guilt' afterwards. AND, it's incredibly easy to make. All you need is 5 minutes and a blender.

Ingredients// 

~ 200 ml coconut milk

~ 4 ripe avocados {remove skins + stone}

~ 4 tbsp low fat cocoa powder

~ 4 tbsps honey, to sweeten

~ 1 large bar of good quality dark chocolate

~ 2 tsps vanilla extract

~ pinch of sea salt

Method//

Blend. Done.

See, I told you it was easy!

Please, enjoy!

x

clean eating inspiration

{{mango + avocado salad}}

When I began this post it was purely going to be a recipe post for a delicious chocolate avocado pudding  and an update on my clean eating regime. However, as I thought about my current eating habits I realised how they tie in with the story of my last few months in South Korea and how I came to leave my job and move back in with my parents for some much needed recovery from the bashing my mind, body and metabolism had been though.

It's a tough story to recount, and even though I'm not 100% comfortable with baring my soul like this on-line, I think it will be a cathartic and healing practise for me to write it.

Perhaps some of you who read this will have had similar experiences.

I've been interested in superfoods, clean eating and nutrition in general for many years now. Throughout my twenties I have managed to maintain a constant low weight through a combination of diet and yoga.

And then last year happened. I started a new job at the beginning of my third year in Korea. The hours at my new school were crushing, the responsibilities and workload were threefold that of my previous school. At the end of every work day I was mentally and physically beat. I would stay up as late as I could every night, despite being exhausted, just to try and delay the moment when I would have to wake up and do it all over again.

 Needless to say my health and fitness habits became sloppy to say the least. Instead of using exercise to combat my work based stress I turned to all the quick fixes~ smoking, take-outs, boozy nights out after work. 

Before too long my health started to suffer, not only physically but mentally. It was around this time that my anxiety disorder became out of control, I couldn't visit a shopping mall or supermarket without having a panic episode. I decided, after 15 years of refusal, to seek pharmaceutical help for my stress and anxiety.

Two prescriptions later I was heavily medicated on anti-anxiety and anti-depressant meds, wired from my crazy work schedule, still drinking and eating unhealthily. 

9 months in to my contract I began to unravel.

My relationship suffered, my friendships suffered, I was suffering. I was burnt out, strung out on the medication, constantly sick with something and abusing alcohol to mask all the pain and disappointment I felt with myself.

When I put myself in hospital after one night of complete despair a big decision needed to be made.

And so here I am... back home, in therapy, off meds, working out and eating clean.

I'm back on track and ever, ever so thankful for the love and support of my family right now.

Now, more than ever, I realise the importance and quick-fire benefits of a good diet and active body.

When I stepped off that plane from Korea and entered Arrivals to meet my parents my Mom said she was shocked at my appearance; I was pale, thin, listless, the sparkle gone from my eyes. I had zero energy and would need to nap for a couple of hours if we did as little as go out to do some food shopping. I've never felt so zapped and depleted in my life.

But since I've got back on track and readjusted my lifestyle I feel one million times better.

I notice it in my hair, my skin, my energy levels, my mood.

Even my breathe, as gross as that is!

The fact is  (for those of you still with me!) my diet has been the cure-all remedy for all of the stress, anxiety and despair that I was going through.

It's always easier to reach for the cigarette or the slice of pizza, or to crack open a can to help you relax. But the truth is none of those things contribute towards your well-being. They will only contribute towards a second rate version of you, and who wants that?

I hope this post doesn't sound preachy. I just wanted to share my personal experience and journey.

And so I don't miss the complete point of my original post~ here are a few of my favourite and even peculiar healthy eating inspirations from Pinterest. 

{+ I will return shortly with the pudding recipe!}

Here's to eating yourself happy!

^.^

{{basil + peanut butter on wholemeal roll}}

{{date + coconut oatmeal topped with banana + dark chocolate}}

{{grilled grapefruit topped with honey, ginger + cinnamon}}

sunday's child

At 4 months old our Jess is a detergent ball playin', gift wrap helpin', window washer watchin', growlin', teethin', toilet trainin', foot lickin' dose of love.

I've been a forever dog person, long, long before we ever even owned one (I was around 13 when we got our first Westie, Peppy), I've always had an affinity with dogs. 

I think it's because they are capable of displaying and responding to affection and me being a very tactile person, I just adore the love they are capable of giving.

And one look into those deep liquid brown eyes and you can have a whole conversation with your pooch. There's a wealth of understanding in those eyes of theirs, sounds strange but fellow dog owners will agree!

My ultimate breed of choice would be a British bulldog. Named Buddha.

Not that I over-plan or anything ^.^

Yesterday we had some family over to celebrate my Aunt's 80th birthday~ I love this snap of me with my Pops. His belly laugh is one of the best sounds in the world ^.^

I made my speciality dessert; a boozy Bailey's chocolate cheesecake for the event, a sinful indulgence which is made only on special occasions.

  My Mom and I definitely do not orchestrate special occasions just so we can make the cheesecake. Oh no.

I was over the moon when Artful Blogging magazine asked if they could use my blog header in their 'Banners We Love' feature in their Summer issue.

Today I'm reading it curled up with leftover cheesecake and good strong chai tea.

I've been asked a few times about who designed my header, while I came up with the initial design I was helped by the lovely Savannah at Oh So Pretty to tweak it and bring it into fruition. I highly recommend her for anyone looking to design their own blog template~ she was wonderful to work with >.<