Ok, hold your horses! I know that typically thinking of canned soup leads us health freaks to negative associations. Yes, traditionally they're packed full of preservatives, modified food starches, sugars, sodium and plenty of other reasons not to go near them, but I have just discovered a canned soup that is sooooo unlike that!
Introducing The Soup, La Courtisane! A lunch-time revolution with at least four reasons to try it:
- Firstly, this soup is more of a juice and the can it comes in is are more of a metal bottle!
- Secondly, it's made in France using only 100% fresh and natural ingredients, like vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs, salt and pepper for spice.
- Third, the entire range is completely free of complex carbohydrates and refined sugars!
- Lastly, the above reasons combined make this soup guilt-free, nutritious and soooo convenient for you! Without needing a can opener or spoon, you can throw it into a handbag and drink it straight from the container at your office table or on the go!
Some of the flavours - like cucumber & mint - actually taste better chilled, so the only thing that makes this soup in fact a soup and not a juice, is that the ingredients have been cooked before hand! Personally, with the calorie count per can (or bottle?) ranging between 12 - 109 (average of 40 calories per can): I prefer to drink mine as a juice with my lunch, or have the one that's always in my handbag now as a pick-me-up between meals.
I've been busy catching up on work assignments since we got back from South Padre Island last Thursday and I'm almost up to date so I'll be posting all about our trip and sharing lots of photos etc over the coming week. We had a brilliant time with lots of opportunity to unwind and refocus, and I'm looking forward to sharing it all with you in a new (and very exciting!) way.
One thing I briefly mentioned a while ago, but haven't touched back upon, is the topic of house-hunting. Since Will and I moved to Austin without knowing anything about the area, we rented the place we're in now, to scope things out and find our niche. While we love the area we're in, we've decided for various reasons that we aren't going to stay here. It became apparent pretty quickly that we need to be close to Austin, but not in it. So here we are. Swiftly approaching the end of our lease (just three months to go, eep!) and looking at places outside of Austin's metropolitan zone! This is very exciting for me since my whole life I've lived in big cities but at the same time, it's very frightening. So frightening that yesterday I had somewhat of a panic attack thinking about moving 'into the county' and 'being remote.'
This will be my 10th move in 8 years. Will has had a similar amount. Not all of those moves have been inter-city or major; but all have warranted moving trucks, lots of cleaning and rearranging furniture. It will be my fifth major move into a brand new city where I know no one and that's always frightening. I have hope that as we are buying our new place of residence, we may spread some roots there at last, I am weary of moving and anxious to build a home, yet simultaneously nervous about committing to a community we are unfamiliar with.
I often smile when I think of just how many of life's biggest decisions Will and I make based on our intuitions. I know this makes little sense to many, but it has truly worked for us thus far. Sometimes we feel different things - like yesterday when I let fear grip and shake me wildly, while he drove steadily on to our destination, unyielding and determined: his logical left-brain rationalizing the decision his gut has already made. I admire that about him so much! And while I'm not a fan of sexist stereotypes that dictate all men are logical while all women are emotional, in our case it holds true. When we are deciding a massive, life altering choice - I truly take comfort in the constancy of Will's resolve. Once he makes a decision, he rarely wavers on it, unless my gut is absolutely screaming NO!
Then again, that's the thing about soul-mates: you're usually intuitively connected.
I've had a few people lately asking me whether I've lost weight and although I have lost a little, it's not significant enough for it to actually be noticeable. When I examined my past and present photos, I realized it's because I'm toning up that people are noticing and remarking. My secret? Simply drinking a cup of warm lemon water first thing every morning!
I started drinking lemon water about two months ago, after (my idol) Gisele Bundchen posted the recommendation on her Instagram, claiming that it boosts the immune system, balances ph levels and aids digestion. Well I didn't need to be told twice and since then I've noticed several wonderful things. Firstly, despite not changing my diet or exercise regime at all - I'm toning up! Secondly, I feel more energetic - often not needing a cup of coffee afterwards! Thirdly (which might be aided by my coconut oil pulling) hangovers are a thing of the past!
Drinking warm lemon water is easy! The more lemon you can stand, the better: some people (Gisele Bundchen) squeeze an entire lemon into their water, others do half. As for me, one third of a lemon (two thick slices) is all I can stand to comfortably drink and I believe it's enough to start reaping visible benefits. I just muddle the slices in the bottom of my mug to release the juice and nutrients from the rind, then pour boiling water over the top and wait several moments for it to cool before drinking it as fast as I can. It tastes great and has many other benefits, but don't take my word for it! Here are some of my favourite articles on the topic, or you can do a lemon water google search for yourself.
To recommence my regular blog segments, I thought I'd start with the horribly neglected food for thought. This week I wanted to talk about pâté, but first a little back story:
Russians, like so many other ancient cultures, believe in consuming as much of an animal that's been slaughtered for food, as possible. For this reason, eating liver was never a big deal at my place growing up - I just knew better than to tell any of my squeamish Australian friends about it! Americans are similar in this regard, one mention of eating liver will send them running for the hills, but since I've seen first-hand how liver is washed and treated: I've never been afraid of it. In fact, it's often been said in my family that a medium-rare piece of steak has more bacteria than a (correctly prepared) liver dish.
Pâté (pat-ay) is a meat spread that's made almost entirely of liver (either chicken, duck or pork) and it's very popular all over Europe and Russia. Perhaps it's the Russian in me - or perhaps it's simply because I've tasted it before (pardon me when I say that no one who tries it dislikes it) - but I love pâté!
It wasn't something I never noticed on the menus in Atlanta but here in Austin, almost every trendy restaurant I've been to around town features pâté on its menu. This surprised me because, as I mentioned, Americans don't typically eat liver... perhaps ignorance is bliss! Case and point: Will loved pâté when he first tried it and I know that if the main ingredient had never been mentioned; he'd still be eating it to this day! There are few things better than a slice of rye bread with brie and a smear of pâté on top. Yum yum!
For 'R' I've compiled a list of random facts that start with the letter - all about the things outsiders to America notice upon arrival. Let's dive straight in:
- red birds: ok, so these birds are called cardinals but they're my favourite birds and I was really just looking for an excuse to throw in a pic!
Photo taken by my talented cousin
- road:
traffic moves in the right direction
rule 1: most States allow you to turn right at a traffic light, if the way is clear. This is called 'right on red"
rule 2: some States don't require motorcyclists to wear protective leather or helmets!
- religion: it's more obvious that religion is a big business in America. You'll see billboards, TV commercials and pamphlets promoting different churches and denominations almost everywhere you go. (Especially in the South).
Yes, that is a church sign beside a strip-club sign No there's nothing wrong with your eyes. Thanks to abc.news for this image
Just couldn't resist sharing this one as well! Thanks postkiwi.com
- ratings: that is, TV ratings. These are (compared to Australia) higher for movies that have sexual references and swearing, but are actually lower for violent movies! (Also, swearing is still largely unacceptable (unlike Australia) in the media so most channels will bleep out swear words or simply do a voice over - over the swears. Even words like 'boobs' are considered rude).
- railway: apart from America's very large cities, travel by railroad is not a popular option. Most trains you'll see within the country itself are transport ones.
- radical regulations: some of the country's founding laws are either still in place in many states, or have only recently been abolished - whether residents know of them or not. Will told me about a law that has only been revoked within the past decade, that allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick, as long as was: (a) on the steps of the courthouse (b) on a Wednesday and (c) with a stick no thicker than the width of his thumb! This law was actually written down in documents and was allowed in many Southern states.
I couldn't decide upon a specific topic to blog about for letter P so I thought I'd do both my top ideas - keeping them short and sweet of course :)
1. Paper money that all looks the same:
I miss Australia's brightly coloured, different shaped, plastic notes. Not only for the obvious reasons that everyone knows; like how paper rips, or that it's porous and therefore harbours bacteria plus just feels dirty to touch... but also because I've considered the following scenario: say you're in social a situation with friends, (no let's make that) people that you've only recently met and are trying to impress, when you spot a bill on the ground not far from from you ... with American notes that all look the same - how can you tell whether it's worth bending over to pick it up? You don't want to be seen as the tight-ass who dives for a 5-er off the dirty ground!!
I mean, with Australian currency you'd likely leave it if it was purple ($5)... depending on how important these new acquaintances are you might even leave a blue ($10), or a red note ($20) casually laying there, but no one would leave a shiny yellow ($50) and certainly not a green bill ($100) laying there! Picking one of those up would afford you instant center-of-attention-ness with your new posse - especially if you jubilantly proclaim 'drinks are on me!' as you raise it into the air!
It's nice to be given a conscious choice through colour recognition, because you know that with paper money that all looks the same, there's no choice: you'd leave it laying there to save face in front of your peeps in case it's a $1 bill, then spend all night wondering if you should have risked it in case it was a $100!
2. Pharmaceutical commercials
Seriously these blow your mind the first time you see them! In America it's illegal to NOT mention the side affects of any advertised medication so a simple, 30 second ad for headache medicine turns into a two minute event, where after the initial commercial, some guy yaps on about side affects the pills may cause, for example:
Here, take these lovely allergy pills to clear your nose :)
But beware, side affects include: brain hemorrhaging, unknown bruising, kidney failure, multi-personality disorder, impotence, blindness or absolutely in the worst case may result in limb amputation.
Lol, are you laughing? Maybe it's best if I demonstrate, check out this popular ad for sleeping pills which screens regularly on everyday TV:
It's actually very mild comparing to many others I've seen which seriously resemble my above joke!
America's geography has to be the most diverse in the world! The collection of plants and animals is surely the most unique since natives happily coexist with ones introduced from Europe and Africa. Perhaps this is possible because of the diverse landscape. Here in America you will find deserts, mountains, beaches, thick forests, rain forests and all manner of fields necessary to sustain life. It's wonderful to explore and mind-blowing that the seasons and landscapes vary so dramatically from north to south, east to west. You could almost be in different countries!
FL Pensacola Beach
TX desert
MI marshland
GA farmland in the mountains
FL Pensacola Bay
Cities in America are laid out differently to the rest of the world. In most places (Australia included), States have capital cities and these are the cultural, social and business center points of each State. These capitals contain the Central Business Districts (CBDs) where all major businesses have headquarters, all major shopping, dining, nightlife, parks, botanical gardens, landmarks, entertainment and so on! Everything in one location that's easy to walk around in or take a very effective mode of public transport to. To say 'city' in Australia means the capital. In America this isn't the case.
Firstly, American capital cities are not always central cultural hubs nor do they always have a CBD. In the case of Texas - its capital is Austin but Dallas is much larger with a greater skyline and many more businesses. In the case of Georgia, Atlanta is the capital but despite a massive CBD, has virtually no nightlife or shopping in the city itself! Chicago and New York City bare the closest resemblance to Australian-style capital cities but despite being two of the largest and most popular cities in America, neither are actually the capital of their State!
Secondly, Americans call their suburbscities and and their zonescounties - each one independently ran and taxed, unlike Australia where many suburbs are grouped into one zone. Therefore in most cases, each individual suburb has its own CBD complete with office headquarters, major shops, theaters, restaurants, art galleries, landmarks, nightlife etc. I've met many people who rarely leave their suburbs since they contain everything they could ever want. Mechanics? Check. Hardware? Check. Furniture? Check. Pet supplies? Covered. Medical centers? Yep! Salons? You betcha! Everything is close by.
American housing estates are also built quite differently - many incorporating walking trails, swimming pools, community/ recreational centers that are complete with tennis/ basketball courts and gyms, covered in resident's monthly HOAs for unlimited use: it's all about convenience!
Lastly, American public transport SUCKS! Chicago and Austin seem like the only cities attempting to fix this problem. Everywhere else (NYC included) trains and buses move in straight lines throughout small sections of the cities, making reaching an actual destination almost impossible. And honestly, there's a 'only poor people get public transport' mentality everywhere so most Americans never even bother with it.
I like the American suburbia style a lot but I miss 'going into the city' where I could disembark at a convenient train station, take a historic tour, eat an exotic cuisine from a restaurant representing any country in the world, walk the museum or art gallery, shop 'til I drop and then end the day with a relaxing latte at the botanical garden cafe, all in one central location!
Me in Brisbane Aus, next to the very efficient bus terminal
(that everyone uses!)
Both Australia and America have housing estates built around (or containing within) a man-made body of water. Forest Lake is a great Queensland (Aus) example and Peachtree City is an excellent one from Georgia (USA). The difference is that if you grabbed a fishing rod (pole) in Australia and headed down to the lake/ pond in your suburb, people would think you were insane. Here in the US however whenever a suburb has a body of water, its council will actually stock it with various types fresh water fish and create an eco-system where they will live and grow until you fish them out! So it's not uncommon to see people sitting around these lakes/ ponds near their house, fishing.
What Americans do with their fish is beyond me... as I mentioned in my e is for eating post, nobody cooks so I can't figure it out. But to me the simple idea of being able to fish so close to the house is very appealing and relaxing.
Here are some photos from one of my visits to a pond in Peachtree City, where a sand crane grabs a fish for lunch out of the water:
There were people fishing too but it would have felt wrong to photograph randoms just to make a point. You will all just have to take my word for it :) Below are some photos of other wildlife that coexist in neighbourhood bodies of water in Peachtree City GA USA:
Crane and Canadian geese (on left)
Close up of the Canadian geese and regular variety (left)
After publicly announcing my eastern medicine preference (and therefore basically declaring myself a hippie), I was thrilled to discover just two days later that oil pulling was taking cyber space by storm with its amazing results! I always want to take any opportunity to advocate for eastern / alternative medicine but not blindly - so I decided to forgo last week's tip to conduct an experiment instead: my own oil pulling experience which I commenced on Sunday 10th March. Now, just one week later, I am already thrilled with the results and ready to dish out some advice on the matter.
Firstly, for those who don't know what oil pulling is, a very quick explanation is taking a table spoon of oil and swishing it around your mouth for 20 mins. The purpose is to 'pull out' food particles or bacteria with the oils' sticky texture. Instead of going into details about the procedure,benefits, oil types to be used or success stories, I have linked up various articles that do so much better than I can - most of which are extensively researched on the matter and include references (for you skeptics :P).
My own results are as follows:
- teeth are much whiter (goodbye teeth whitening strips forever!)
- sensitivity gone
- hardly any plaque buildup during the day - teeth constantly feel glassy and clean
- teeth feel thicker and stronger - bad breath? what bad breath? Even the morning breath is gone!
- skin is clearer
- MOST EXCITING (and completely unexpected):: THE WRINKLES AROUND MY EYES ARE DISAPPEARING!!!!!!!!!!!! I know this is 100% due to the oil pulling because I've not altered my cleansing/ moisturizing routine or diet in anyway.
I've blogged before about coconut oil but for those readers who haven't already rushed out to stores (or THIS website) and bought the magical oil that has so many uses and properties: do so immediately! Try oil pulling with it: if only to see whiter teeth after the very first swish and save yourself the $60 you would have otherwise spent on whitening strips.
...If you find the whole thing repulsive or happen to experiment with oils and find another (eg sesame) that works better for you - coconut oil has many non-edible, household uses as well that can be implemented in every home! From polishing metals to conditioning leather - there's really no limit to what it can do.
Of course if I break my leg, get poisoned or get hit by a car I would like to be taken to a hospital and jacked with as much pain killer as possible! But as I mentioned here, my own copious experiences with western medicine have left me very unsettled and caused me to loose faith in it for daily life. One of the points I struggle with is toxic medication which does more harm for the body than good. Most prescriptions, no matter what they're for, eventually affect the organs or mental state and it's so sad that people trust their doctors and take them anyway. The other (most important) thing that I don't like about western medicine is the separation that is practiced: that is the belief that all of our body parts are separate from one another . When you put both of the points I've just raised together, it should (if you're a logical person) at least make you scratch your head!
There are many branches of eastern medicine. Some, like acupuncture and herbology, are well known; others aren't. I was introduced to a GP in the field by my mother in law, shortly after moving to America when everything that was ever wrong with me physically was heightened because of my homesickness, loneliness and fear of the unknown. Shortly after the introduction, I was referred to a kinesiologist, who specializes in muscle testing and tapping, and who treated my then-current condition.
When I had my first sessions with both of these eastern masters they applied pressure to my ankles and told me, accurately, that I had endometriosis / something I'd known about for years but because of western practices (and their black and white approach that told me to cut it all out - reproductive system included) I still struggled with. Both eastern doctors told me surgery was not necessary to cure my endometriosis and that with time and correct practices, it would heal. Then they addressed another issue with my lungs, which I had been taking medication for for years and now no longer have at all! From that point, there was absolutely no going back for me.
Since I started eastern healing, I am now able to cure my own migraines, minor headaches, carpal tunnel and cystitis very easily as they arise (I know I sound like a broken model :P). All of these were reoccurring conditions that I struggled with for many years before discovering the simple, natural, cheap and non evasive remedies. Now the frequency with which they bug me is decreasing as well. Come to think of it, I haven't had one migraine this year! I'm also managing my endometriosis and you should see the difference! I feel like a regular girl with a regular period - I can walk, eat and function. The pain isn't debilitating or nauseating anymore - much to the grievance of my western doctor who told me that, after 10 years with the disease, I would be either completely bed-ridden or dead by now without sugary. HA!
Being the over-thinker that I am, eastern medicine has invariably lead me to metaphysical healing, as they (mostly) go hand in hand and I discovered Louise Hay and her books about thought patterns that cause illness in the first place. When I began having problems with my teeth (a root canal followed by a filling that kept falling out), I knew it wasn't the fault of my dentist but me making this happen. I researched teeth and metaphysical causes for problems in that area and found out that the left side of the mouth has to do with problems with the mother/ right side with dad. Just as I began going through a very difficult time with both of them! I almost laughed at the correlation and how well my body was communicating with me, letting me see clearly where tension was building within me and what I was focusing on most. I got to work releasing stress in that area and what do you think? Haven't had any problems since.
Eastern and metaphysical healing are very controversial topics. In some ways, people are waking up and seeing the corruption and monopolization within the western industry, in other ways, they are not. You only have to check out applied kinesiology on wikipedia to see how frowned upon and discredited it is. I'm not pushing any form of medicine down anyone's throat, I believe in everybody's internal guidance leading them down the right path for themselves. This post is about me and my experiences which have formulated my beliefs and I know that what's right for me may not be right for someone else. But let me ask you, have you questioned anything lately? Have you done your own research about your medical condition? Looked for, or tried, alternatives? If you have, bravo! You are doing all you can for your healing! If, on the other hand you have completely trusted your GP or specialist, as I did earlier in life, I only advise another opinion. It may be vastly different and less expensive!
I don't like forced romanceValentine's Day. This year I've been kind of vocal about this and it turns out that a bunch of my friends (and a contributor to the Huffington Post who wrote this awesome post on the subject) don't either so maybe this topic won't be as scandalous as I originally thought.
Although the day is upon you in Australia and many of you are about to kick it off by walking into your offices or lounge rooms and swooning at the sight of flowers, chocolates or cards; we here in America get to wait for that excitement since we're a day behind you guys. Here, in true American fashion: people have decorated their homes with pink/ red hearts, arrows, cupids, fluffy things, streamers and ornaments... so we get to enjoy that... plus one more day of seeing the tacky V-day crap displayed around every store we are forced to visit out of necessity. All that gloriously overpriced stuff that society has deemed acceptable tokens of love. The stuff that single, heartbroken (or just shallow) people look upon with longing as it determines their self-worth.
One thing I can tell you all with certainty: this happy woman in a very committed relationship to the man of her dreams won't be getting any of those things and I don't care. When I was younger, in school or perhaps a previous unstable relationship, I would have. I would have taken that forced gesture and got SO carried away with it or sulked for possibly a week afterwards that I wasn't singled out. Four years after marrying my best friend and soul mate however, we are happy (as we've always been) to completely boycott this pretend and over-commercial romance-day by going to the cinema for a horror movie with contraband alcohol, sneaked in via my bag, and giggle as we swig it.
I just don't understand the forced nature of it all. I don't hate love but I dislike the idea of putting a price tag on it. Or expressing it only one day a year. Or comparing what you were given with a friend and then feeling down because yours was smaller. Maybe it was too big? What does that mean? Is he over-compensating for something? GRRRR! To me, romance should be spontaneous and genuine: like the all-year, constant kind I get from Will. Besides, traditional V-day presents are so horrible! I mean what do you even do with a giant teddy bear or a heart-shaped pendant after the day is over? Barf!
Of course I am thrilled for anyone who gets spoiled on this day on top of their already perfect relationships and if you have a bf/ gf/ hubby/ wife who shows you love all year long but wants to sweeten the deal on Valentine's Day because it's the international day of love, then GREAT. As long as everyone is happy :)
Personally, I've always preferred my flowers, jewels and candy 'just cause' instead.
Basically the second my puberty arrived, my taste buds changed dramatically and overnight I went from listening endlessly to The Backstreet ...
In the spotlight
My ig photo of Austin's Capital dome // featured on the official ACL music festival blog
About unwavering me
Sharing my stories of migrating from Australia to the US | travel adventures | married life | furry kids | new experiences | lessons | and loving life despite always missing home. xo.
