A whirlwind of dark nights

...either too many words to an idea or not enough furniture for the idea itself or somebody else's furniture; always a muddle and clutter of speech.
- Towards Another Summer by Janet Frame

I am home alone tonight and it's all dark and cold outside. M is out of town for work and my other flatmate is, well, out somewhere. I don't really like being home alone even when it's light. It's not that I can't entertain myself. More that I just like to know there are other people around. I could do with some chocolate but there is none...very silly I know!!

Since I'm feeling a little down I'll tell you a little about a couple of my favourite meals that I've been having a lot since I got down here. I've always loved nachos (well, at least in the last few years) but the way I've made them has changed over time. I found this old post from 2008 where you can barely see the bean mix under all the vegan cheese! But here is a plate of nachos from the other week...and I think this is the best version so far.


Everyone else was having sour cream so I got a little jealous and thought I'd try some hummus instead and it worked really well!

Another favourite is, well, a sandwich. Makes a great dinner when you fry up some tofu, spinach and mushrooms. Makes an even better dinner when you've been at the climbing wall for the last few hours, it's gotten super late and you are really hungry.


There is something about toasting the bread that takes it from being lunch food to super awesome dinner food...kind of weird but true.


I have also had a lot of tofu (and veggie burger) sandwiches for lunch lately...well, especially since starting my new job last week. ARGH!!! Can't believe I have a job! But it has made life even more of a whirlwind of madness than it was before...but life is still amazing.

It's all very exciting...

But he could not move. He could not make the effort. He lay there with his face turned into the gentle stream of falling water and did not stir again.
- Angel - Seeker by Sharon Shinn

...otherwise known as Saturday in Christchurch.

It started with coffee...or, more specifically, since I've never drunk a cup of coffee in my life, a ginger chai latte with rice milk from The Orange Tree.


I then wanted vegan pancakes and nobody was going to stop me...I doused them in maple syrup and they really didn't last long at all. I love pancakes (oh, and they can make them gluten free too if you so desire)!


I've only just recently started climbing again after various injuries and events got in the way. Unfortunately winter is not really the best time for climbing outside so we just hit up The Roxx. Just so you know, I don't normally climb in socks (or polypro pants for that matter) but my feet were too cold.


There was an emergency peanut butter sandwich consumed partway through (well, not partway through a climb because that might be a little crazy).


Yes, I have chalk all over my hands...they don't normally look that weird.

Climbing makes me hungry so we went exploring for a stop of lunch/afternoon tea. And what did we find?


Yep, it's Eternal Delight - a raw vegan cafe. I didn't even know they existed (well, in New Zealand anyway). It was all terribly exciting but I had to remember we were going out for a fancy dinner so we couldn't eat too much so we decided to split a main and a dessert. B chose the Italian pizza and salad.


Seriously this was amazing. I don't know how they did it but just looking at the photo right now makes me want it again real bad. The salad especially was very impressive (yes, the pizza was great but there was something about that salad...).

As a sweet treat I picked the Superfood Black Forest Cake which uses goji berries instead of cherries. The guy gave us a discount because it had fallen over. He said that normally it stands tall and proud. Again it was pretty awesome. We decided we'd have to come back here for their Friday night fine dining next time I'm down.


And then we raced home to check trademe (like eBay I guess but specifically for us here in New Zealand). You see, I had placed an auto bid on a road bike as the auction was going to close while we were out so I had no idea if I'd won or not. But guess what?! I won!!! This is exciting news number 1 (more to follow in the next post). I will probably post photos of it everywhere at some point. It's awesome!

Anyway, moving on! Dinner was a special occasion made even more special because B and I were joined by my beautiful cousin D and her boyfriend. So basically, it was dinner with my bestest friends in the whole world and it really can't get much better than that. We decided to go to The Lotus Heart because it's fancy and they do awesome food.


Fries first...you can't really go wrong with that (plus their homemade tomato sauce is real good...they should bottle and sell it 'cause I'd definitely buy it). B ordered tea and I had to take a photo...I want this tea set.


D and I went with their homemade ginger beer...you also can't go wrong with that. I order it every single time.


For our mains B and I decided to order a couple of different things and share (D and her boyfriend did the same). We got the vegan pizza which had their special cashew vegan aioli on it...I have to try this 'cause it tasted super cheesy (well, at least my memory of cheesy).


We also ordered the curry of the day. Somehow I have managed to delete the photo I took of this...oops! Anyway, I can't remember now what it was but it was tasty which is really all that counts. I think the waiter was quite impressed that we polished off all this food with such ease (and then casually asked for the dessert menu too).

Dessert...raw pumpkin pie with raw ice cream. Oh my god! This was really REALLY good. So good that I was very surprised. It was also a ridiculously large portion and I couldn't even finish it which is quite a rare thing for me. I had to take the leftovers home (there was no way I was letting it go to waste!).


And to finish off an awesome night? We went to live comedy...a perfect night (especially because B and I tried to book too late so they'd sold out but somehow 2 people cancelled right before the show was about to start so we got their tickets).

The garden city adventures: part four

'Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin,' thought Alice; 'but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!'
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

My final day in the garden city, Monday, dawned perfectly clear and fine so our mission was apparent...to climb outside at last! But first, breakfast...

We'd decided we were going to go back to The Lotus Heart to try out their breakfast menu. The sun was streaming in through the window by our table overlooking Cathedral Square and while we waited for our breakfast to be served I had a chai latte made with rice milk.


Believe it or not I had never had french toast, vegan or not, until this morning. Once I tried to come here for brunch to order it but we missed brunch by about 10 minutes so today I was determined!


This was so delicious - grainy bread for the french toast with caramalised bananas sandwiched in the middle and served with fresh fruit salad and maple syrup. It filled me up for hours. I'm going to have to learn how to make my own french toast now!

After breakfast we let our food settle before I set off for a short run to stretch the legs and B biked round the block. We debated trying somewhere new for lunch but were running short on time so settled on going back to Soul Food. We both picked this delicious flavoured green tea drink to try...refreshing.


I was hoping they'd have a vegan BLT left but unfortunately we were obviously a bit late and the cafe had been super busy so there was none left so I ordered the vege burger (same as B ordered on Saturday) and salad instead.


Delicious (but not as good as the BLT). Why can't we have food like this easily accessible in Auckland? Or am I looking in all the wrong places?

Anyway, after lunch we headed off to the Port Hills (the only real hills in Christchurch!) and to a patch of rock called Rapaki where we met up with one of B's climbing friends.


Climbing outside is quite different to climbing on a wall inside. For a start you can use anything you can as handholds or to put your feet but it isn't immediately obvious what you can use. We climbed fairly easy climbs since it was my first outdoor experience but it was still tough work as it was so different (and SO hot).


Look at that view off the side of the wall...it was such an amazing experience. I am totally doing this again (I've become seriously hooked on climbing).


A glorious end to what was quite possibly one of the best weekends I've had in a long long time. As I hopped on the plane I was kind of wishing I didn't have to leave...although my body sure was glad to be able to resort to normal eating habits!

The garden city adventures: part two

I walked on the muddy foreshore of the river with my baby on my hip and tried not to know that it was happening. The wind blew gently up the river and a seagull called mournfully over my head.
- The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Saturday started with a slice of peanut butter and banana toast which I couldn't be bothered photographing since it was terribly unexciting and not part of our food challenge. Then we set off on a short run round Hagley Park from his flat (we are going to be doing this race together next month).

By the time we'd got back, found we were locked out in the freezing cold and rain (I was turning purple), knocked on people's doors to find a ladder, managed to scale the side of the house to get back inside and finally showered and defrosted, we were starving so we set off for lunch at Soul Food. It was a bit of a challenge to find but that may have been because we hadn't looked on the map beforehand and were starving!

I started with a drink...organic cola.


It didn't last long.

After reading about the Vegan BLT on The Fairest Feed I knew as soon as I saw it in the counter that it was what I wanted.


I have to say that it totally lived up to expectations. It was SO good - the bread was deliciously fresh, the bacon was awesome but I think it was the sauces that really made it (vegan aioli or mayonaise?). The side salad was also delicious. So if you ever find yourself at Soul Food...get the BLT!

B ordered the Vege Burger which was also vegan. This had a pattie made from brown rice (and a few other things) as well as vegan aioli and served inside a grainy bun.


It was pretty tasty (I snuck a bit off his plate) but not nearly as good as the BLT.

Finally they had some sweet vegan options so dessert was required. I got a muffin which I think was apricot and apple...maybe (okay, I'm sure about the apricot part but not about the apple part).


It had a really nice texture which reminded me of spelt and a delicious dob of icing on top. Yay, lunch mission accomplished!

After lunch (and having a bit of a lie-down after eating too much!) we headed off to The Roxx, the indoor climbing wall at Christchurch. We were hoping to head outside for my first taste of climbing on real rock but the weather wasn't up for it.


The Roxx isn't nearly as big as Extreme Edge which is where I climb in Auckland but it has some pretty crazy climbs. Good fun but I was a bit disappointed we couldn't climb outside.

Dinner was planned for The Lotus Heart restaurant in Cathedral Square, which we'd both been to before. Since we were running late we didn't bother going home to change and just rocked up in our climbing gear (minus the harnesses and stuff...we're not that crazy!).

I am rather partial to a good ginger beer so when I noticed they had a housemade ginger beer on the menu that had to be ordered.


Delicious (although it could have been a bit more gingery). I liked how it wasn't super fizzy either. We started off the meal with a bowl of fries with tomato sauce because, well, we could...


I don't know what kind of seasoning they used but it was very tasty.

For some reason I really felt like a burger despite having had a sandwich for lunch and their Sun Burger caught my eye. It's described as a "live" burger pattie with salad, salsa and vegan aioli in an essene bun.


This was a seriously good burger - delicious and also a bit different. Their vegan aoli is really good and totally made the burger otherwise it might have potentially been a bit dry and helped make the burger not taste so dense. This meal was probably the highlight of the day.

The Lotus Heart has an actual dessert menu and as a vegan you have more than one option! Having come here before I knew I had to try something different from last time.


Yeah, chocolate cake caught my eye! Served with raspberry sorbet (which was really good despite the fact I don't normally like berry sorbets) it was intensely rich and awesome. I didn't want it to end!

Packing to eat through life

It's right, he thought, everything here is right, but it could go wrong - has started going wrong already, I think. I'm being allowed to feel as much of that wrongness as I can bear...but what is it? And what can I do?
- The Waste Lands by Stephen King

Just a quick hello before I head off down South for a long weekend (running late as usual and I still haven't finished packing...it is amazing how much sports gear you need just for a few days).

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week in New Zealand and on Saturday it is World Mental Health Day. I had high hopes of something interesting for this post but life and work have been chaos this week and my brain has turned to complete fuzz...

Last night I thrashed my previous fastest time for running home by 1 minute and 18 seconds and got under the 50 minute barrier. Since then this has, consequently, put me in a more positive frame of mind. Hoping I can keep it up over the weekend. Tomorrow is going to be tough...

Anyway, my best friend B and I are going to eat our way through Christchurch over the weekend (as well as do a bit of training for this event and scale some real rock walls which is freaking me out 'cause I've never climbed outside before but I do have a new harness so that's exciting!) so I will be back next week with the results!

Here's a recent dinner to tide you over...fake chicken stir-fry on wholemeal pasta (which you can't see 'cause it's buried under everything else).


Oh, and our little wolf (Keisha) is growing up so fast! She'll be full-sized (which is HUGE) before I know it.


Right, back to packing!

A day in the life of your average Monday

There was nothing I could do. There were no precautions I could take. There was no place I could hide. There was no one who could help me.
- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

It's probably just me but I thought you might be interested in what a "normal" weekday looks like for me. Every day is quite different but you get the general idea...

So the alarm on my phone goes off at 5:10am...welcome to Monday morning. I drag on my gym gear...laid out on the chair the night before so I don't have to use my brain. I try and drink as much water as I can manage and eat one of these...


Off to the gym! There is a queue of us completely insane people waiting outside for opening time at 5:45am. We file in, dump our gear in the lockers and head upstairs and across the bridge over the pool into the gym where I head to the peleton room and claim a bike (this is why I'm here so early...bikes go pretty fast especially as the weather improves...don't know why that is!). Spin class starts at 6:05am and is a 45 minute torture session taken by my friend L. After class I head over to the floor to finish up with some core exercises and stretches.

Time to hit the showers. I only wash my hair once a week (okay, so I rinse it if it gets too icky from sport but that's it) and Monday is the day...the gym showers are great and I don't feel quite so bad about taking too long. Because I have a really sensitive scalp I use this shampoo and this conditioner. These don't make my hair as soft and silky as other products I've tried but they don't make my scalp feel like it's erupting which is rather more important!

It's then off to work where I'll have breakfast at my desk. Yesterday it was a spelt muffin and fruit but sometimes I'll have toast with almond butter and jam. If I'm at home for breakfast it's normally weetbix, fruit and rice milk.


Did I really just take a photo of fruit? Not very exciting...well, as a photo anyway!


Work comes and goes but no doubt I'll spend a bit too much time having email conversations with a couple of my friends as I count down till lunchtime!

Lunchtime has been leftovers lately which is awesome. When I'm cooking dinner I'll often try to make extra 'cause I don't want to have to buy lunch (for a start there aren't that many options near my office).


Yesterday was leftover Pumpkin and Kumara Soup from the freezer mixed with leftover veges and tofu from another night - a double-whammy of leftovers!

Often Monday nights are quiet but last night I was climbing with my brother and his friend at Extreme Edge. We usually climb together about once a week but the night is always different to fit in with everyone's schedules. We are looking at doing a lead climbing course soon which is pretty much freaking me out.




My brother really wanted his arse to feature on this blog so here it is, just for you darling bro!
Anyway, before climbing I will normally snack on a muesli bar of some sort. Last night it was a Cool Mint Chocolate Clif Bar, my favourite.


I just noticed that there is a picture of a climber on the clif bar packet...how appropriate!
By the time I get home I'll no doubt be exhausted as I always fail in my resolution to go to bed early on a Sunday night so very little sleep will have been had! I'll also undoubtably be hungry (if we haven't gone to get Hell Pizza after climbing). Last night I was too lazy to do anything so I had nut butter and jam on toast! Terrible I know but it was after 9pm when I got home and sometimes you just can't be bothered.


This is actually a photo of a previous breakfast but I forgot to take a photo of my dinner...but they looked exactly the same! I also discovered I had a bliss ball in the fridge from The Blue Bird so I snacked on that too. Yummy!


I'll then pack my bags and organise my gear and in the fridge I'll put all my breakfast and lunch food for the next day in a bag ready for me to grab as I race out the door. Then I can finally drop into bed (always aiming for 10pm but not always succeeding!) and look forward to doing it all again in the morning!

Hmmmm, this seems to make my life seem somewhat boring but actually it's pretty cool (well, I think so anyway) and hopelessly busy (Google Calendar saves my life). I often wonder how I'm going to make it to the end of the week without dropping from exhaustion but I always do and am always ready and waiting for the week to start again come Sunday night!