A Modern Girls Life

New Website!

2011-11-06T20:16:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone, As I mentioned here, I have decided to get back in to modeling as an eco-model. I can't thank you all enough for all of your beautiful support with this decision and it's been great to get back in to work. So, I've packed up all my things and I'm moving house. Well, online house that is. I now have a new website and I've imported all of the articles from this blog over to there

Eco Doozies

2011-10-20T21:07:00.003+10:00

Everyone loves the word 'eco.' I'm not even sure if it's a real word. In fact, a little squiggly red line has just appeared underneath it, so that confirms it. Not real. But 'eco,' 'green,' and similar labels, are everywhere. I admit it - I love it too and use it constantly. Eco-this and eco-that. But companies use it to lure us in, hoodwink us if you like, into buying products that may

Put a pin in it

2011-10-17T15:05:00.000+10:00

I've recently discovered Pinterest. If you haven't heard of it before it is like your very own virtual notice board, or group of notice boards, where you 'pin' different images from around the web. At first I dismissed it as another way to waste oodles of time, 'following' other people's boards and 'sharing' things that you come across (sound familiar?). But it is also an excellent tool for

Fake it Baby

2011-10-13T18:45:00.003+10:00

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Attempting to look a bit sultry in Zara faux fur There was a time when it was frowned upon to fake it.

DIY Candles

2011-10-11T16:08:00.003+10:00

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); One thing I love doing is op shopping. But rather than search for that one-off beautiful dress, I have recently

Desiderata

2011-10-06T16:38:00.005+10:00

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); One day while I was in high school, my Dad brought home a copy of this famous poem by Max Ehrmann, written in

Melbourne Eats

2011-10-05T09:19:00.005+10:00

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Wassup Melbourne! Here in Australia, I’m not sure if anywhere beats Melbourne for it’s awesome array of vegan

Interview with A Modern Girl: Putheavy from Cambodia

2011-10-01T10:22:00.001+10:00

A month or so ago I introduce you to The Other You campaign from ActionAid Australia. I love the idea that you can help to support an activist and actually follow what they are up to and see the work that they are doing. Rather than just donating some money, you actually feel like you are a part of something and can see the results of your contribution straight away. I wanted to get to know

Hello There...

2011-09-23T11:40:00.002+10:00

Hi everyone! I'm very excited to present to you my very first VLog. Please note that it is my very first one so don't give me too much of a hard time... haha I'd also like to mention that, although I said in the video that I felt alone when I was diagnosed with cancer, I certainly didn't mean physically. I had so much love and support around me from family and friends - I am a very lucky

for the love of food

2011-09-20T09:14:00.001+10:00

via A beautiful friend of mine, Jess Ainscough, just got me on to a great blog called Oh She Glows. Oh She Glows is a vegan recipe blog which shares how the writer, Angela, has overcome her battle with an eating disorder and now LOVES food and herself. It's such a beautiful and honest blog and it reminded me of why choosing to eat a vegan diet changed my life so much. I initially went

A day at the beach

2011-09-17T17:24:00.000+10:00

Trudi and Davey at the beach Hi everyone! A couple of days ago it was our little darling staffy, Trudi's 3rd birthday and we celebrated with a day at the beach. She LOVES the beach and gets so excited as soon as we head off. Whenever we take her out and about we always get comments on how healthy and shiny she looks and people can never believe that she is a vegan doggy. But she just loves

Be SELFish!

2011-09-13T13:14:00.001+10:00

We all need to take some time to take care of ourselves once in a while. I know I know - you're very busy and important. If you take time to take care of you, who is going to take care of everyone else? They will survive! Besides, you are no good to anyone if you are burnt out, or worse, come down with an illness. So you HAVE to take care of you. For some reason we tend to get feelings of

The big decision - Eco Model

2011-09-07T13:53:00.001+10:00

Taken by the very talented Nat Lynn I've recently come to a decision. The decision to get back in to modeling. I used to be with Viviens Model Management in Australia and have also worked in Europe. It was fun and I loved everyone that I worked with. After everything I've been through and learnt in the last couple of years though, I really thought my modeling days were over. I just didn't

you know you live in the sticks when....

2011-09-01T15:08:00.001+10:00

Trudi and I on our walk Two days ago I had to stop more than once on my drive to work because there was a cow in the way. Then Davey and I started playing a little game - "You know you're living in the sticks when..." So I thought I'd share some of them with you :) You know you live in the bush when you can shower outside and not worry about who might see you. You know you live in the

Super Fun Eco Tights

2011-08-30T18:26:00.000+10:00

A little while ago I won some gorgeous tights from Tightology through a competition over at my favourite eco-fashion blog Eco-Friendly Fashion. I AM IN LOVE WITH THEM They feel divine because they are made from bamboo which I've talked about before here and here. A little recap for you: feels super soft, grows fast and needs very little water so super eco-friendly and it also has anti-bacterial

The Art of Saying No

2011-08-23T09:06:00.000+10:00

Now that I'm back to feeling like my old self, I have quickly fallen into the trap of taking on too many things and getting busier and busier. For the last couple of years I haven't felt like doing much at all, so now that I've got my energy back I'm having a hard time saying the word 'no.' I used to be like this. And a few months ago I made a deal with myself never to let myself get too

Super Dooper Foods

2011-08-21T18:09:00.001+10:00

When it comes to nutrition, I think what we choose to put in to our bodies is very personal. Some people are allergic to the strangest things like coriander, for example, while others can't get enough of it (like me). You can find research to support almost anything these days and if you took all of these studies literally you would probably have to throw your hands up in the air and decide

Interview with A Modern Girl: Rachel Blackman yoga instructor

2011-08-16T03:40:00.000+10:00

Rach is a dear friend of mine and lives a life many of us would surely envy. She is gorgeous with such an open, warm personality and I have great pleasure in introducing her today for this month's Interview with A Modern Girl. Rachel is a Bikram Yoga Instructor who gets to travel to all corners of the globe teaching what she loves. A couple of weeks ago, I finally went to a class at Rachel's

The Other You

2011-08-05T19:21:00.000+10:00

Last week I was sent some information about an international anti-poverty agency that I had never heard of before, called ActionAid. Active in over 40 countries across the world, they work in partnership with over 2,000 organisations - from small community groups to national alliances and international networks - to address the root causes of poverty, not just the effects. So I thought I’d

Vegan Lemon Gem Cupcakes

2011-08-01T11:19:00.000+10:00

image via In the last couple of weeks I've tried my hand at baking. It may not be the healthiest past time but it's so fun and addictive! When I serve a plate of freshly baked goodies to Dave and Trudi (our staffy), they are just so happy and polish them off in a flash. And as I think it must be my turn to contribute for the Vegan Recipe Swap, I thought I'd share one of my favourite

Guest Post: You Are What You Put On Your Skin

2011-07-28T16:37:00.000+10:00

via As readers of A Modern Girl’s Life, you’d likely be well versed on how much fuelling your body with local whole foods can boost your health. But what about the ingredients in the beauty products you apply to your face every day? When we digest food our liver removes many of its toxins before it enters our bloodstream and tissues. Yet when we apply products to our skin, the chemicals

Asana

2011-07-16T18:43:00.001+10:00

NB: This is NOT me, but hopefully one day it will be! A few weeks ago I introduced some of the philosophies behind yoga. You can check out this post here. Now that I have procrastinated for so long 'studying' yoga, I think it's time I actually got my butt on the yoga mat! The third discipline of the 8 fold path is Asana or posture. Participating in a series of postures loosens and

Interview with A Modern Girl: Anita Van Dessel

2011-07-08T20:29:00.000+10:00

I don't know about you, but I've always thought that the word 'aromatherapy' meant something along the lines of 'nice smelling oils.' I've never really thought of it as a therapy or form of healing and don't know a thing about it. So, following on from the last post: Never Stop Learning, I thought it was time to find out a bit more about it and how it can be useful in our everyday lives. To

Never Stop Learning

2011-06-28T19:59:00.000+10:00

via "Every job is only a means for us to learn and grow. Actually, we don't do any work. You shouldn't complain and think that you're working too hard. It's only a means for us to learn. God uses this method to educate us, let us become enlightened and give us a chance to develop our talents, cultivate our personality, beautify our demeanor and develop our mindfulness." Supreme Master

Green your wardrobe

2011-06-17T11:34:00.002+10:00

Recently, I've become increasingly aware of the little things we can change so that we are not exhausting the planet's resources unnecessarily. Unfortunately we all still need to consume consume consume but I figure if we do this a little more consciously and only when we need to then it can only be a positive step! So here are some tips for you to 'green' your wardrobe. Plan Try your best to

Vegan Recipe Swap #2

2011-06-16T12:47:00.000+10:00

Last week some lovely new friends and I started up Vegan Recipe Swap. I started with this pizza recipe and this week the gorgeous blog Starring Nobody has posted some very yummy looking buritos. Check out the recipe and her beautiful pics.... "It's my turn this week to provide the recipe for the "Vegan Recipe Swap" and I decided to go with clean and simple burritos. I got this recipe out of

Be More Like Gandhi

2011-06-14T12:56:00.000+10:00

Ok, so he may not be 'a modern girl' but we can all learn something from Mahatma Gandhi. Here are some basics about this incredibly selfless man. Born in 1869, as Mohandas K. Gandhi in India, he devoted his life to helping others right up until the day he was shot to death in 1948. Gandhi was given the prefix Mahatma by his admirers, which means Great Soul. He committed himself to

Guest Post: Eco-friendly lifestyle assists cancer patients

2011-06-08T09:00:00.002+10:00

via The overwhelming trend of going green has become huge in the last decade, with activists and campaigns that seem to pop up all over the streets and on the back of cars. Most of the people behind green initiatives point towards the large scale environmental impact as the reason for change, but there are also many advantages that have a direct impact on an individual’s life. Living an

Monday Inspiration

2011-06-06T15:21:00.001+10:00

via via via

Awesome Vegan Pizza

2011-06-02T13:55:00.003+10:00

I met some lovely tweeps (code for peeps on twitter) last week and we all decided to share a different vegan recipe each week. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the fact that I can socialize and network while sitting in my PJs - it's fantastic, but also a tad lazy.... Anyway, I'm not here to talk about the fact that we, as a society, are becoming lazier by the minute, but to

Interview with A Modern Girl: Grace Culhaci

2011-06-01T12:07:00.000+10:00

Grace Culhaci Welcome back to Interview with A Modern Girl! Last time I introduced you to my beautiful friend, Jess Williams from I Died and went to Vintage, who gave us lots of tips on how to find the perfect vintage outfit without trudging through the op shops. You can revisit that interview here. Today I have the absolute pleasure of introducing you to the CEO and founder of Pure & Green

Meditate to Save our Home

2011-05-29T23:22:00.004+10:00

I'm going to keep it short and sweet here and get right to the point... With all of the recent catastrophes around the globe and predictions from many different religious and spiritual Masters that the world is coming to an end, it's tough to keep ignoring the thought that perhaps we are actually destroying our home. Of course no one wants to believe any of it but I, for one, cannot see how we

Starting a Detox - the why's and how's

2011-05-28T10:03:00.001+10:00

via I visited the docs again a few weeks ago and found out that I am definitely definitely definitely in remission from Hodgkin's Lymphoma! Woohoo! They were 90% sure when I finished chemo back in December, but I had to have another PET scan to be absolutely sure. The reason that they were a little unsure was because I started detoxing straight after chemo, came down with flu-like symptoms

Camp Fire Feast

2011-05-26T12:40:00.000+10:00

Camp Fire Feast for Davey, I & little Trudi! With the recent drop in temperature in our part of the world (way too soon - it's not even winter yet!), we’ve been enjoying our little fire pit more and more. It's not just sitting around a fire that I love, it's everything that goes with it - going for a walk to find firewood, preparing all the food to cook on the fire, putting on my 'fire'

The Yogi Within

2011-05-15T11:12:00.000+10:00

A few years ago I gave yoga a try. It was offered as one of the group fitness classes at my gym. I hated it. I wasn’t flexible and was not interested in calming down; it was just a bit boring to be honest. This was at a time in my life when I was working 3 jobs, going to uni and always trying to squeeze every last drop out of the day. I was probably in the same mindset as Catherine Zeta

The Path

2011-05-12T00:00:00.000+10:00

Quetzalcoatl traveled to visit the city of Cholula which bloomed like a magnolia, where he had brothers who loved him and whose hearts were anxious for his word. This is the way he spoke to the people who had gathered to listen to him, among whom were also the priests of the temples: Brothers of Cholula, I do not bring beliefs nor doctrines to you because, what is the purpose of adding more

5 ways to live a long happy life

2011-05-10T15:35:00.000+10:00

Being in my mid-twenties, you probably don't think I'm really qualified to be giving tips on living a long life. Well, sometimes I feel as though I have lived a lifetime and, even though I haven't got there yet, I still think I have learnt a thing or two about how to enjoy life. Research suggests that our diet, stress levels, and general outlook on life are up there in terms of determining how

Interview with A Modern Girl: Jess Williams

2011-04-29T15:48:00.000+10:00

Jess in her favourite vintage dress Welcome to the first installment of a new series here on A Modern Girl’s Life: Interview with A Modern Girl! I will be interviewing some gorgeous gals from all walks of life who are doing something extraordinary with their lives and doing what they love. So, if you need a bit of inspiration, make sure you don't miss a moment by signing up for my monthly

Dinner with Captain Planet

2011-04-18T11:11:00.000+10:00

If Captain Planet wasn't around when you were a kid then you definitely missed out! Let me introduce you to this awesome animated TV series and their team of Earth-saving Planeteers.... Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, is awakened from a long sleep by human activity threatening ecosystems, taking place across the globe. Realizing that the damage is extensive, Gaia sends five magic rings, each with

DIY Day 2: Solar Oven

2011-04-11T13:45:00.000+10:00

Welcome to DIY Day number 2! [DIY Day 1, all about how to build your own outdoor shower, teapot herb garden and compost bin, can be found here.] Today I am going to show you how to make your very own solar oven. What the hell is a solar oven? Well, it's an awesome way to cook your meals without the need for gas, electricity or even fire. In many villages, such as the one shown here in Ghana

The Princess's Bubble Necklace

2011-04-06T09:44:00.000+10:00

I came across this lovely story last night and thought I would share it with you. Enjoy. :) "There once was a princess who lived in a palace and had all kinds of pearls, agates and other gems. Being an only daughter, she was pampered by the king and queen, and was never in need of anything. One day, as she was watching the rain from her balcony, the raindrops hit the surface of the nearby lake

The Fight Against Sugar: 5 tips to get started

2011-03-29T17:17:00.000+10:00

I've just discovered Sarah Wilson's blog (I know I'm WAY behind the times), and was interested to read her battle with sugar and the controversy it is causing. It got me reminiscing about how much I struggled to cut it out last year, but hey, I'm still here to tell the tale. More importantly, so is my boyfriend. Although I may have ripped his head off once or twice. Especially around Easter.

Natural Skin Care 101

2011-03-26T23:38:00.000+10:00

As I mentioned earlier in the week, the lovely people at Endeavour College of Natural Health invited me along to one of their short courses - DIY Skin Care Products. If you missed it, check out my intro to this course here. Today I'm going to give you a bit more info on some of the things that we learnt and give you a simple reciple for your own scrumptious body scrub. One of the most

Love the skin you're in

2011-03-22T17:17:00.000+10:00

No, this is not an ad for Olay. In fact, I have a little secret that Olay, and any other cosmetic brand, would HATE me to tell you. Are you ready? YOU DON'T NEED THEM (or their chemical-filled, carcinogenic products). Not one bit. And not because your so gorgeous that you don't need skin care products (though I have no doubt that you are!), but because YOU can make your own beautiful,

Self-Sufficiency

2011-03-19T22:53:00.000+10:00

I haven't been to a library since I was forced to for school or uni. But lately, I've been spending loads of time at the local library and am loving it! It's a brand new, architectually designed building with free wi-fi all day long and lots of private nooks to occupy. Most importantly, it has unlimited power, which we do not have at home as we are completely on solar and have to be careful

The finer things in life

2011-03-18T20:03:00.000+10:00

Image taken by the very talented Holly Stewart As I enjoyed another glorious day in our new home, it got me thinking about the finer things in life. Those special moments or things we treasure most. I imagine that when most girls think of the 'finer things' they usually have visions of diamonds, champagne, a decadent meal or a luxurious spa treatment. Not long ago they would have been at the

Simple Socca

2011-03-10T14:32:00.000+10:00

Ahh the simple things in life… Simple and delicious food, for me, is definitely up there as one of the things that make life wonderful. This love of food, particularly cooked food at the moment, is the reason I am having so much trouble switching to a completely wholefoods and predominantly raw diet. But I’ve decided not to stress about it – my current headache (a result of too much dark

A few cures from the kitchen

2011-03-05T09:53:00.000+10:00

Aloe Vera Plant Next time you are not feeling well, you might be able to turn to your pantry rather than racing off to your nearest pharmacy. There was a time, long ago, when there wasn’t a pharmacy or Chemists Warehouse on every corner. Back then it seems that people, especially mothers, knew all about home remedies. As with many things, we seem to have forgotten a large portion of that

Forever 21

2011-03-02T19:36:00.000+10:00

The modern girl can choose to be whatever she wants to be. So choose wisely. Be compassionate and noble. Be extraordinary! Live each day to the fullest and be the best that you can be. My burst of inspiration to love yourself and live life like you mean it comes from the latest book I read called, ‘Forever 21,’ by Kathy Divine. It is full of wisdom, easy to read and will take you on a journey to

A little bit of faith

2011-02-26T20:24:00.000+10:00

On life's journey, faith is nourishment Buddha The one thing that really got me through my treatment was faith. Having complete faith that everything was unfolding exactly as it should and that, no matter what, everything would be ok. Up until recently I had never been religious or very spiritual, but I always thought that something, be it God or the Universe, was looking after things. I’ve had

Cancer Journey: A Caregiver's View from the Passenger Seat

2011-02-22T13:02:00.000+10:00

Did you know that twelve million people will be diagnosed with cancer in 2011? Chances are you know one of them. I am excited to tell you about a book by another Modern Girl, just like us, and her journey. Her book, Cancer Journey: A Caregiver’s View from the Passenger Seat shows you how one woman managed to replace fear and depression with peace and joy during her

DIY Day

2011-02-19T12:46:00.000+10:00

Today, my friends, is going to be DIY Day! In our new place we have been busy hammering, digging, planting, cleaning, fixing, building and a little bit of dancing in between. We've become quite the team - I'm an excellent foreman/ideas man (well, woman actually) and Dave is my trusty labourer. But, never fear, this Modern Girl knows how to get her hands dirty too. Just not as much as Davey.

Our Home

2011-02-17T17:43:00.000+10:00

As I mentioned last week, we have recently made a very big move. We have dumped most of our stuff and are living the simple life in the mountains! Dave's post over at Path of Simplicity titled, "Why We Do What We Do," prompted me to tell you a bit more about our lovely little home and why we decided to move here. Of course we have moved here for the sheer joy of living in such a beautiful

A Modern Girl's Guide to Getting Through Chemo

2011-02-15T16:34:00.000+10:00

Today a girlfriend of mine told me that her father has been diagnosed with Bowel Cancer. Unfortunately, she is not the first person lately to tell me that they, or someone close to them, are suffering from cancer. Before I was diagnosed with it I’m sure I only knew 1 or 2 people who had been through cancer, but now I know many. After researching the stats, it’s amazing that I only knew 1 or 2!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T16:17:00.000+10:00

Happy Valentines Day! May your day be filled with love and giving. Love is one emotion that we cannot deny we have felt at one time or another in our lives. Whether it be a mother’s embrace, an intoxicating first love or the love you see when you look into your animal companion’s eyes – to quote the movie Love Actually, “Love actually is all around,” (It sounds better when Hugh Grant says it).

Earth Hour goes 'Beyond the Hour' in 2011

2011-02-11T12:36:00.000+10:00

I am very proud to announce that my boyfriend, Dave, has been nominated for an Earth Hour Award this year, for his efforts in spreading the Earth-saving message through Vegan Era and Path of Simplicity. What is Earth Hour and what are the Earth Hour Awards? Well let me tell you... For the fifth year running, Earth Hour will darken the world for 60 minutes on the 26th March. Created by the

Goodbye City...Hello Simple Life!

2011-02-04T11:02:00.003+10:00

As many of you already know, the little family and I had to move from the beautiful Sunshine Coast to Brisbane in June last year so that I was closer to the hospital for treatment. Rather than put people out and so that we had our own space, we decided to buy a lovely little caravan and we put it at the back of a property. Surprisingly, we actually loved ditching most of our stuff and living a

Green Goodness

2011-01-27T18:01:00.000+10:00

Most of us have been told to eat our greens from very early on in life. This is one old wive’s tale that cannot be disputed! Green leafy vegetables rule the kitchen at our place and there are plenty of reasons why. I cannot think of any green vegetable that I do not like, but I know many people who can’t stand them. Whether you like them or not, most of us don’t eat

Ahh Patience...

2011-01-25T12:53:00.000+10:00

As we begin a brand new year full of endless possibilities, I am filled with a sense of joy and excitement like never before. There’s nothing like being told you have beaten cancer to put a smile on your dial! Even though I was told that I was in remission just before Christmas, it wasn’t until the 1st of January that I really felt excited about a new chapter of life

Go Brisbanites!

2011-01-20T14:43:00.000+10:00

Dave on our street, trying to decide if we can get through My apologies for not posting as often as usual at the moment – it has been a little crazy here in Brisbane! Our lovely city has been swamped with mud and has left many people without a home. The few images I’ve seen have been devastating and upsetting. Luckily our little home is safely on a hill and wasn’t affected, but we have a

Detox Detox Detox!

2011-01-02T19:24:00.000+10:00

Now that I have officially been given the ‘all clear,’ it is time to start detoxing and get my body clean and healthyagain! To kick-start this we spent almost a week in a beautiful location, eating well, walking on the beach and relaxing. We stayed at the beautiful Byron Bay Eco Retreat http://www.stayz.com.au/59435 in Northern New South Wales. This retreat has been built in harmony with

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T20:49:00.000+10:00

As we get ever so close to a brand new year I wanted to wish you all a year filled with good health, happiness and peace! 2010 was a massive year and I feel so blessed to have met so many wonderful people and learnt so much. Here are some of the more popular posts from the year: http://amoderngirlslife.blogspot.com/2010/05/be-thankful-have-patience.html http://

Best Xmas Ever!

2010-12-25T16:18:00.000+10:00

I have just found out that I am in complete remission after almost 2 years of fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma! This has been a fabulous Xmas present for me and for my family and friends. I can't thank all of my family and friends enough for all of their continued support and love. I have also been blessed to meet many beautiful people through this journey, including all of the wonderful staff at

Christmas Waste and Wish List

2010-12-19T13:38:00.000+10:00

While Christmas is supposed to be a time for family and remembering God, we all know that it's mostly about the pressies! Unfortunately, this means that we waste an awful lot at this time of year, consuming all sorts of things we don't need, wrapping them up beautifully in paper that is then thrown away and eating way too much food. New research in Australia, released on Thursday, revealed that

Healthy Eating on a Budget

2010-12-13T18:33:00.000+10:00

I wrote this post for the Vegan Era Blog but I thought you guys might like it as well… When chatting with people about eating a healthy diet, often the first issue to come up is money. Eating healthy and organic is often associated with being very expensive. I’m the first to admit that I can blow all my money on food in a flash but, as my funds are fairly limited, I’ve had to find ways to cut

Updates

2010-12-11T15:45:00.000+10:00

I've been playing around with the layout of the blog lately and have added in some pages at the top. Check out the recipes page for a bunch of yummy recipes and the resources page for my list of the best veg restaurants and grocery stores in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Northern NSW. Hope you like the changes! xx

Hungry Monster

2010-12-10T22:36:00.000+10:00

I have been eating lots lately (like 5 or 6 main meals a day some days) and have been really enjoying cooking (but not as much as eating)! I thought I would share some of my meals with you... I expect this habit of eating ridiculous amounts of food to end pretty soon as I won't be on large doses of steroids anymore and hopefully will not be such a hungry little monster! Breakfast - Sprouted

Guest Post: 5 Reasons Oral Contraceptives Might Hinder Your Health by Kristina Davidson

2010-12-07T16:25:00.000+10:00

It's my birthday today so I'm taking a break and letting someone else do the blogging for me! Let me introduce the lovely Kristina Davidson. Kristina has a passion for women's health and has written a very informative article about oral contraception. Five Reasons Oral Contraceptives Might Hinder your Health Sure, there are many of reasons why the advent of birth

Hello Summer!

2010-12-01T06:17:00.000+10:00

I can't believe it's summer already! Ahhhh! It's all about lazy days at the beach, mangoes and cool tunes...

Spring Clean Your Home

2010-12-01T00:18:00.000+10:00

Spring is almost over so it's time to continue the Spring Cleaning Series... Today is all about spring cleaning your home. Our environment plays a big role in our overall health and well being. Feeling relaxed and peaceful in your home should not be underestimated and reorganizing your home can help you to establish new routines. BASIC FENG SHUI TIPSFeng Shui is an ancient Chinese art and

Food Inc.

2010-11-28T07:45:00.000+10:00

I thought we'd take a little break from the Spring Cleaning series and do a little movie review. It's been around for a little while now, but if you haven't seen the doco, Food Inc., then I highly recommend it! I just watched this and it shows you where your food is actually coming from and explains why a hamburger is so much cheaper than a head of broccoli. I have to

Spring Clean Your Heart

2010-11-25T10:14:00.003+10:00

Our health is not only effected by outside factors that we “catch,” or by how we physically treat our bodies with what we put into it and what we do with it. Many people believe that our health can be effected by our mind and our thoughts, as well as our emotions. Now that we have looked at how to spring clean the mind, lets take a closer look at our hearts. LOVE Fill your life with love.

More on Habits...

2010-11-22T10:24:00.000+10:00

I've been slowly getting through an e-book called The Raw Secrets. I'll make sure that I do a review of the entire book when I finally finish it! It gives lots of information and tips on how to successfully adopt a raw vegan diet. This is something I am hoping to do (or at least a high raw vegan diet) in an effort to detox my poor little body after chemotherapy. Anyway, following on from my

Spring Clean Your Mind

2010-11-20T12:10:00.000+10:00

The simple life post got me thinking about spring cleaning in general. Now seems like a good time to spring clean the mind, the heart, the body and the home. Doing a big clean up will help to make space in our lives for new and exciting things to flood in. So how do we clean out the mind? First things first – addictions and bad habits need to go! Addictions and Habits: Author Mike

May LOVE rain down upon you today :)

2010-11-09T20:55:00.000+10:00

The Simple Life

2010-11-04T20:56:00.000+10:00

Yes, that's right, I'm living in a caravan. Before you go using words like 'trailer' and 'trash' in the same sentence or screwing up your nose, let me just say that we could not be happier in our new home. Enough cannot be said about simplifying your life. Dave, Trudi and I have done our best to do this so that we can focus on healing and have found immense peace and happiness in doing so. It

A little bit of peace...

2010-11-04T09:57:00.000+10:00

“People are born for different tasks, but in order to survive every one requires the same nourishment; inner peace.” - Sri Sathya Sai Baba"Keep quiet. Do your work in the world, but inwardly keep quiet. Then all will come to you." - Nisaragada Ha Maharaj“We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect the inner world and don’t make peace with ourselves. World peace must develop out of inner

Reclaim Your Health

2010-10-20T21:35:00.000+10:00

In a flash, this little challenging period in my life will be over. It's quite amazing how fast time has gone. By the beginning of December my treatment should be over. Hooray! So what's next? Well, for many of the patients around me, it seems as though they get straight back into work and back into the life they lead previously. This scares me. From everything the doctor's have said to me

2010-10-12T21:54:00.000+10:00

At least it's not boring! Besides, if life was always easy then we'd never grow, learn or find out what we're truly capable of.

Blondes have more fun!

2010-10-12T03:56:00.000+10:00

As cool as it is to be bald and channel the peaceful monk look, I am totally addicted to my new blonde wig. In fact, after treatment has finished I am seriously considering keeping my head shaved and going with wigs. It's so easy! I literally throw it on just before leaving the house, without a hair out of place, and after 25 wears I wash it in a bucket. How cool is that? My only problem

Soothing Love of Animals

2010-10-11T04:03:00.000+10:00

Our beautiful girl Trudi, a 2 year old staffy, brings so much love and joy to our hearts. It’s quite incredible how much time we spend admiring how cute she is and telling her how much we love her. She is so intelligent and so in tune with us that it constantly blows us away. Whenever I am feeling a little down or sick, she knows straight away and will not leave my side. She knows when to be

Overwhelmed by Beauty

2010-09-09T11:44:00.000+10:00

It's easy to see the negative forces at work when you look around each day at the suffering that each person goes through in this life, no matter how large or small. However, lately I have been constantly overwhelmed by the beauty in this world. From what I have had the pleasure to experience lately, each and every person has so much good in them. They have strength and courage beyond words,

Eat Pray Love

2010-07-13T22:47:00.000+10:00

Like so many girls, I loved the book, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and am pumped about the movie coming out! The movie is a personal project of Julia Roberts, who bought the rights to the book soon after publication. Check out the trailer at the bottom of this post! Some beautiful quotes from the book:"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under

A new world of food...

2010-07-11T21:55:00.000+10:00

Well I have certainly been on a roller coaster of a ride these past 5 weeks. I have already gone through horrific things that I didn't expect and have also laughed and smiled and experienced special moments. I am now officially bald, am loving playing around with scarves and looking forward to a girlie day of trying on wigs! I am so glad that I tried everything else before going down this

Life's Messy

2010-06-28T19:34:00.000+10:00

Sometimes, in real life, it doesn’t matter how much you want something, how hard you work towards it, how passionate about it you are , or how good you think it is for you, things just don’t work out the way we want it to. For whatever reason, no matter which direction you take to get there or which door you try to open, it is always being slammed back in your face. It makes you realize that,

Easy Raw Food

2010-06-07T19:38:00.000+10:00

In support of my good friend over at Ptit Poison, who is going raw for the next 5 days, I have tried to come up with a list of easy raw recipes to get her through. For some reason, I thought I had posted more raw recipes on this blog - I think I take photos then forget to write the post! Here are some meals that I've already blogged about:Raw sushi Big salad with homemade hummus (to make hummus

LOVING my daily Ayurvedic Oil Massage

2010-06-03T11:42:00.000+10:00

One thing that my holistic doctor did when I had my first consultation, was to check my pulse and tell me what my body type was according to Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine. The word 'Ayurveda' literally means 'knowledge of life' in Sanskrit. Ayurveda can be defined as a system, which uses the inherent principles of nature, to help maintain health in a person by keeping the

Creative Food

2010-05-29T08:00:00.000+10:00

Someone asked me the other day if I struggle with trying to be creative with my change in diet. The answer is YES. I've got some good staple recipes under my sleeve now but sometimes I feel like something different and get a little stuck. Luckily there are soooo many blogs and websites dedicated to raw food, so I usually just jump online and have a little snoop around. Sometimes I get really

A little bit of Vegan Era Fun

2010-05-28T15:20:00.001+10:00

Vegan Era is Dave and I's little project that keeps us busy most of the time. We have a website - check out the link to your right - and have somehow expanded into cookbooks, clothes, bags, hats, scarves, handmade jewellery and cards. Originally we just wanted to have a site that was fun and offered info and articles about leading a compassionate lifestyle, without being too 'in your face.'

Herbs Herbs wonderful Herbs...

2010-05-21T16:41:00.000+10:00

As you can tell from my Garden Joy post, I've been pottering around in the garden lately in my pretty blue boots. Ok, mostly I watch Dave potter in the garden. Anyway, today I was very excited to receive my package of seedlings from Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm! Who would have thought you could order plants online and have them delivered express right to your door? They were all packaged up

LIVE FOR FOOD

2010-05-20T15:25:00.000+10:00

Recently, I had to fill in a questionaire about my eating habits. I can't really remember what it was for, but one of the questions was, "Do you live for food?" I asked Dave, my boyfriend, what he thought. He didn't hesitate. It was a resounding YES. I had never considered this before, but last night this was confirmed. I was sooooo full from the most amazing 4 course raw dinner that a

Love You, even just a little.

2010-05-18T09:02:00.000+10:00

Something I have definitely learned this past year is that we have to love and care for our bodies. Unfortunately, it's often not until the body literally screams and stamps it's feet like a loud 2 year old in a supermarket aisle, that we actually take notice (the above video is quite amusing by the way). Most of the time, we take it for granted and lose patience when it doesn't keep up. We

Garden Joy

2010-05-12T06:00:00.000+10:00

At the risk of sounding like a lovely old granny, putting on your gumboots (these are by far the coolest boots I've ever owned - and my second pair of Vivien Westwood for Melissa shoes) and pretty gloves for a day in the garden can be an absolute delight! The healing and health benefits of gardening have also been well documented. In Ian Gawler's book, You Can Conquer Cancer, he says, "

Raw Curry Anyone?

2010-05-10T18:28:00.001+10:00

I know it probably sounds CRAZY but I just made a raw curry with 'rice.' Yep. And it was really tasty and chock full of goodness! The spices even made me feel warm, like I was really eating a curry. mmmm.... The picture doesn't really do it justice as I went a bit overboard with the sprouts, so you just have to trust me that it was lover-ly. I found the recipe on a great site called

Getting Creative! Part 2

2010-05-10T17:35:00.001+10:00

Taking the time to do something creative can be very therapeutic, relieve stress and help you to feel more balanced. I have never thought of myself as a 'creative type' and was never interested in art at school. Lately though, I've been playing around with beading, making cards, cooking (surely that can be classed as creative??) and a few other little things. I definitely recommend taking the

My new doctor

2010-05-07T19:04:00.000+10:00

As you can probably tell from the last post, I have been looking for a bit of inspiration and guidance to confirm that I am doing the very best possible things I can do to heal my body. Things are going well but I just felt like I needed a fresh opinion and someone to give me a little boost of determination! And I found this in Dr. Sandeep Gupta. I was lead to him through an acquaintance and

Be thankful, have patience

2010-05-04T09:16:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it's pretty tough to keep motivated, no matter what you are doing. Whether you are trying to start a new business, finish Uni, change your lifestyle or diet or just make an effort to be positive and happy in life, it's tough sometimes to keep on truckin'. Life likes to throw us little curve balls and set backs, just to test us. What I've realised is that we are never given a task or

Mother's Day

2010-05-04T07:49:00.001+10:00

As Mother's Day quickly approaches I thought I would bring your attention to the cruelty that some mothers are forced to endure. I know it's not the loveliest of subjects, but I was heartbroken to see how these mothers and their babies are treated and think it is important to share it. Ignorance is bliss sometimes but once you do know the truth about how these animals are treated, it's tough

A green home

2010-05-03T15:50:00.001+10:00

I recently wrote this article for VeganEra.com but I thought I would repost it on here because the chemicals you surround yourself with in your home can have a big impact on your health. After all, there are nasties and pollution everywhere you go and they can all build up in your body. Now, I'm not suggesting you become the bubble boy, but if you can make an effort to reduce the chemicals

Raw food journey spring break!!

2010-05-02T00:44:00.000+10:00

I did my three weeks of eating 100% raw (well I pulled up a couple of days short but it was Dave who couldn't hold out for a big fat food party!). So we went on our little journey down to Lismore and had an awesome few days. Lismore just has so much to offer in terms of vegan food! There was a party in our tummy's for 3 days straight and a massive hangover to go with it. I have to say