All thats new and good – July 2014

I thought I’d start a new series of posts here to outline a bit f what I’ve been doing, what I’m loving and what I have coming up. The purpose of this is two-fold; firstly as I feel it’s important to take note of all of your achievements, no matter how small, and I also hope it will allow you all to get to know me a little better. And, hopefully you’ll join in the conversation and share some what’s new and good with you too!

So lets kick it off shall we?

What I’ve been doing

• Weekend getaway – the other weekend our little family (B, Maggie and I headed off on a little family holiday down to Eggs and Bacon Bay in Southern Tasmania (check out the view from the deck of our shack at the top of this post!). It was such a nice way to get away and relax for the weekend – we went for a few walks, ventured into the nearest town for pots of chai, had lots of Jenga and Uno championships, plus indulged in a little local Tasmanian wine and delicious food – a mix of our usual clean diet plus a few extra little treats. I strongly believe that whilst it’s important to eat well the majority of the time, the occasional treat – especially on special occasions – is fine. We came back from our weekend away feeling relaxed and rejuvenated (and wanting to do it all over again!)
• Eat More Veggies Comp – We are half way through my Eat More Veggies competition. I started this competition as I strongly feel that a diet high in fresh, seasonal, and organic (where possible) vegetables is crucial in forming a healthy diet and contributes to a healthy lifestyle. I also believe that the more you cook and prepare your own vegetables, the more you will find new ways you like to enjoy them for both you and your family. Therefore the competition is a little bit of incentive for people to start experimenting a little with their veggies and finding new ways to enjoy them. There have been so many amazing entries, but you could still have the chance to win the amazing prize pack – make sure to get your entries in soon if you are planning on entering
• ES Wellness Well Woman – I was recently featured as a Well Woman by the lovely Erin on her gorgeous blog ‘ES Wellness’ – you can check out my interview here.  Erin writes in an honest and friendly tone about wellness, inner peace and self love, make sure to stay a while and check out some of the other great posts while you’re there.
• IIN Takeover – I’m currently studying holistic health and wellness at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) from which I’ll graduate from as a certified holistic health coach in just a few short weeks – watch this space! :)  The other day, I had the amazing experience of taking over their Instagram account and sharing what my typical day looked like.  It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with a wide audience and share some health and wellness tips that I live by. If you missed the posts, you can still check them out here.

What I’ve been loving

• New blog – There seems to be so many new blogs popping up all of the place, I thought it would be great to share one new (or “new-to-me”) health or wellness related blog that I am loving each month with you. My favorite new-to-me blog currently is Natural Minimalist, a blog dedicated to all natural solutions for all areas of your life from health to beauty to the home. Filled with some delicious, simple recipes like Cardamom & Sea Salt Chocolate made with only five (all natural) ingredients, and house hold products such as Natural Household Cleaner, there is something here for all aspects of your life.
• Vita: Nature + Culutre – For those of you in Hobart, a delicious frozen yoghurt shop has just opened up called Vita: Nature + Culture. Its a gorgeous little space when you can enjoy handmade frozen and fresh yoghurt and cold pressed juices. Its definitely worth checking out if you haven’t yet.
• Pana chocolates – This stuff is a tad on the exxy side, but sooooo worth it! Handmade using natural, organic ingredients, this is my new favorite not-so-naughty indulgence.
• Cauliflower – is there nothing this vegetable can’t do? I’ve been blending, chopping, add it to pie crusts and using it to make porridge – the opportunities are endless!

Next months goals and plans

• I very much believe that we should constantly be working on improving ourselves, and therefore I thought I would list some of my goals for the next month.
• Improve my photography skills – particularly around controlling the white balance. Our house is quite dark, and the gloomy winter lighting hasn’t really been helping things. My photos have been quite dark, with a horrible tinge of blue which is a constant source of frustration. I have been doing a little market research though, so I’m hoping to practice some of my newly found skills – though if you have any other tips – I’m always open to suggestion, so please feel free to share!
• Seeing this movie – Its not so much a goal, but I am very excited to see The Human Experiment Movie which looks at all of the chemicals that we are exposed to in our everyday life and what effect this is having on us.
• And verrrry much looking forward to attending the upcoming “Changing the way we eat” conference in Hobart this coming month. With a whole host of interesting speakers, plus a bunch of local organic produce to sample, this conference is the first of its kind here in Tasmania and I’m loving the noise it’s making.

So that’s me for the month, now I’d love to hear, whats new and good with you this month, and what are your goals for the coming month?

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