Buying Local: Anita’s Organic Mill

Over the past year I have enjoyed a piping hot bowl of oatmeal almost every single morning, and it is by far my breakfast of choice for many reasons.  Not only is oatmeal a great source of dietary fibre that helps me stay full throughout the day, but it also has been said to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, control blood sugars and help with weight control.  It is all of these reasons along with the fact that it tastes delicious and there are numerous flavour combinations and things you can add, which keep me, eating it every single morning.

My love for oatmeal has lead me to do some more research on it, and I have recently found out that the Quaker quick oats I have been eating each morning are not necessarily the best option if you are looking to maximize your nutrient intake.  While quick oats are great for when you’re in a rush to head out the door in the morning, but if you have a few extra minutes in your morning routine, it is more beneficial to nix the quick oats and go with a less processed option.

Prior to doing some investigation, I was completely unaware that there were different types of oats that you can eat.  There are three main kinds:

Quick Oats

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

Steel-cut Oats

Instead of going into great detail about the differences of each, I can summarize it by saying that the more the oat is processed, the more nutrients are lost. The oats also differ in texture, where steel-cut are a bit thicker and have a more gummy texture than quick or rolled oats.

I had brought this issue up to my mom and she had told me that earlier this year she had found a great little store in Chilliwack that sells organic, Canadian-farmed grains that are milled to order and always fresh.  This really excited me, and in search for a more natural oat grain alternative I made the trek out to Chilliwack earlier this week get myself some organic grains!

I was shocked at the variety of products they had for sale, the shelves consisted of everything from organic Kamut flakes, to organic spelt pancake mixes. Although the shop was quite small, it spent quite a bit of time perusing each shelf and ended up purchasing a nice big sack of Old-Fashioned Rolled oats and also Anita’s Organic Breakfast Boost with Chia and Hemp seeds.

  

I have had rolled oats, with fruit, a bit of Greek yogurt and a spoonful of Anita’s breakfast boost every morning this week.  Although, these oats take about 15-20 mins to cook on the stove, it is well worth the wait.

If you don’t have time or the means to make the drive all the way out to Chilliwack, Anita’s Organic Mill products are also sold at most Choices and Caper’s Markets throughout the Lower Mainland and they can also be purchased online here http://anitasorganic.com/index.php.

If you are looking for delicious, healthy, sustainable and organic breakfast options Anita’s products are definitely the way to go!

Utilizing My Spare Time

My exchange credits from studying abroad finally came through, and I recently received the wonderful email informing me that due to my courses taken abroad, I was able to drop my 3^rd course this semester.

Since this news, I have realized that one less class results in a lot more spare time.  Instead of wasting away watching TV and mindlessly surfing the Internet, I have vowed to use this new freedom towards meaningful things that I love to do, but have previously been forced to neglect because of school.

First on my list: Make a serious dent into my 2012 Reading List.

I just finished Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bordain, and it was a surprisingly entertaining book.  I am a big lover of the food network and this book was the literary equivalent (but better) of the network cooking shows.  As you read it, you feel you have a backstage pass to the prestigious chef world, and it’s also so interesting how he relates sex, violence and crude indulgences to the indulgences of fine cuisine.

I also went to the bookstore this week and picked up Shadow of the Wind and The Great Gatsby.  And will be started those very shortly.

                  

For other readers out there, if you are not already aware of this amazing website: www.goodreads.com, then it is my pleasure to introduce you to it.  It is an amazing database that connects you with reviews of books, create your own personal reading lists, log books you have read, rate them as well as bookmark books are hoping to read and also sends you recommendations of books you might like.  I have spent hours perusing this site and book lovers will be hooked!

Another site I’ve found very helpful is www.whatshouldireadnext.com.  If you don’t want to rely on the recommendations from goodreads, then can check out this website.  You simply type in a novel you have read and enjoyed, and this database will come up with a long list of similar books to the one you just read.  I have used this site often and the recommendations given have yet to disappoint me.

I will blog about my next 2 projects as I get to them, but I plan on covering my upholstered headboard for my bedroom.

The second project will involve labeling my books in the bookshelf I covered in this blog post Bookshelf.

And of course, I am also dedicating my newly accrued spare time to blogging more frequently!

Fun Fact: Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero

 

Ever wonder what the actual nutritional difference is between Diet Coke and Coke Zero, or Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max?

Answer: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. 

There is no difference in the nutritional content between the two, leading one to wonder why they are branded as two different products right?

Answer: Studies show that men are less inclined to buy “diet” labeled products, simply because the majority of diet foods are marketing towards women.  

There is a socially constructed ideal of what it means to be a man and to be masculine. Mainstream media portrays imbeds this into our minds, so much to the extent  that the idea of a man sipping on a diet coke during his lunch is in no way ’manly’. We have been fed the idea that men aren’t supposed to be bothered by or even aware of their physical appearance and body type… Those are female issues.  So, low and behold, the birth of diet drinks for men!

Pepsi Max and Coke Zero are targeted towards males while Diet Coke and all other diet products (such as yogurt, thinsations, lean cuisine, etc.) are all marketed to a female audience.  If you don’t believe me, check out these commercials and see for yourself the striking difference in advertisements of 2 products that are nutritionally exactly the same.

Just another way we (the consumers) are fooled into consuming.

French-Chic Bedroom

Last year I had moved into a new place and began to decorate my new bedroom.  In previous blog posts I shared how I beautified my bookshelf, I also made my own bulletin board and wallpapered my back wall.  After this, there were only a few little additions I made to finally have my bedroom complete!

One of the things I added was this wall clock. 

This was actually purchased at Costco, and was super easy to apply on the wall.  All I had to do was simply center and align the template, I had someone hold the stencil up while I used this scraping tool to press the ink onto the wall.  After the numbers were applied, the clock came with a set of letter so you can spell whatever you like under the hands of the clock.  I chose the word Paris, since I have a French-chic theme. I think this simple clock makes a great addition to the room.

The next addition to my room is my favorite piece I have in my room and definitely the focal point… Antique Chandelier

I had been looking for a chandelier for my room, but all of the ones I found in stores looked too stark and modern for the look I was going for.  My mom suggested that we check out some local antique shops so we spent a day out in New Westminster in the area called “Antique Alley“  (if you click on the link, it will take you to a description of antique alley).  It was the first store we went in and we found this chandelier on the ground, it was a bit scuffed and discoloured but it had that timeless look I was looking for, and I knew it was the one!

With all of the finishing touches added, my room is finally complete! Here is a look at the finished product.

It figures, as soon as I finish my bedroom I find out I’m moving again in 1 month.  So sadly my wallpaper, clock and chandelier are staying with the house. But, on the bright side, I have a whole new room to decorate again, so stay tuned !

The South Melbourne Market

Not only am I going to miss the coffee from Melbourne, but another thing I am sad to say goodbye to are the bi-weekly or as Australians would say, “fortnightly” trips to the Market.

Right in the heart of the city there is the Queen Victoria Market, which is a fairly large half open-air, half inside market.  Since produce and groceries in general are extremely pricey in Australia in comparison to grocery shopping at home, going to the markets for great fresh produce is beneficial not only for the fun shopping experience, but it is easy on the wallet as well.  Since I have only been to the Queen Victoria Market only once, the very first week I arrived in Melbourne, I am not an expert on the particular vendors there, so I am going to focus this blog on my favourite one instead, The South Melbourne Market.

Located just 10 minutes out of the city and about 15 minutes from St Kilda, the South Melbourne Market is perfectly situated for those in surrounding suburbs of the city to easily get to.  Every 2 weeks or so, my flatmate and I would hop on the 96 tram, for the short 15 minute trip to the South Melbourne stop.  Reusable grocery bags in hand, the market has tempting food options at every corner.  There are vendors for every type of food imaginable, fresh baked bread, a whole stand just for poultry, one for fish, a several delis and delicatessens, and best of all, ones dedicated to chocolate and sweets. While these specialty vendors are not always the most cost-efficient places to buy meat, bread or cheese, it was nice every once in awhile to splurge and get some delicious, high quality, organic groceries.  However, in terms of produce, the Market really shines.  There are several locales selling beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables at great prices.  One of my favourite deals I found there were Avocados for 0.62 cents each, or Mangos, 3 for $3.00.  There are vendors at every corner yelling out the “hot deals” of the day, almost reminiscent of an authentic fish market you see in movies.  The experience is really great and it makes it even more enjoyable when you leave the cash register with your pockets not completely empty.

I have saved my favourite vendor at the market for last, which is the “NutShop”.  Each and every time I’m there I get myself dry roasted almonds, which are the best tasting nuts I have ever had, so crunchy with a great toasted flavour, you just can’t go wrong.  Another staple of mine from the nut shop are their dried cranberries, I think that these cranberries is what I will miss most about the food from the market.  They aren’t like the regular dried and shriveled up cranberries you see in the big box grocery stores, instead they are the most juicy, plump and sweet dried berries you will ever taste.  Let’s just say I have eaten my fair share of cranberries during my stay here in Melbourne and it is going to be difficult settling for Craisons when I return home.

Not only is the market good for groceries, but also, there are great options if you want to grab a bite to eat, do a bit of clothing shopping, or even furniture, home décor and household knick-knacks.  In sum, the South Melbourne Market has it all.

I was going to write out the hours here for you, but I will let the graffiti art inform you.

The market also has one final thing I want to indulge you in.  On Thursday evenings up until the summer season, the South Melbourne Market has a night market, which I had the pleasure of going to last week.  Unlike the market in the daytime, this was a lot smaller, however not lacking in character and overall experience.  There were musicians playing at every corner, great clothing and jewelery stands and of course food.  The streets were brought to life and every single restaurant surrounding the market building was packed with restaurant go-ers and patio drinkers.  It was a really great atmosphere and also worth a visit whilst in Melbourne.

Et Voila!  My second favourite item on my efforts to showcase the best things I’ve seen in Melbourne.

From one Coffee lover to another

In Melbourne, there is no such thing as ‘drip’ coffee that we see at Tim Hortons and McDonalds at home. At first I was a little bit upset about this, being a Tim Hortons enthusiast, until I discovered the glory of the Melbourne Latte, and sometimes if I want to be daring and switch it up, the ‘Flat White’.  I’m sure that you fellow North Americans have no idea what a flat white is, as I was when ordering my first coffee in Australia, so here is a brief overview of the types of coffee they have here:

Latte: A latte consists of espresso, and steamed milk served with a small layer of smooth froth on top (usually about 1cm thick). Because of the way the latte is poured from the milk jug it is often possible for a trained barista to create ‘latte art’ on top as can be seen in the pictures below.

Latte

Flat White: A flat white is a coffee beverage originating from Australia and New Zealand.  It is prepared by pouring microfoam (steamed milk from the bottom of a pitcher) over a single shot (30 millilitre) or double shot of espresso. It is similar to the latte and like other espresso-based beverages it can be interpreted various ways. (Thanks you Wikipedia for the descriptive definition)

Flat White

Long Black: A long black is made by pulling a double-shot of espresso or ristretto over hot water (usually the water is also heated by the espresso machine). A long black is similar to an American, which is made by adding hot water to the espresso shot; but a long black retains the crema and is less voluminous, therefore more strongly flavoured.

Long Black

Cappuccino: is a coffee-based drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed milk foam. A cappuccino differs from a caffè latte in that it is prepared with much less steamed or textured milk than the caffè latte. A cappuccino is traditionally served in a porcelain cup, which has far better heat retention characteristics than glass or paper.

Cappuccino

Macchiato: The macchiato is served in a demitasse cup, it is comprised of an espresso stained with a dollop of milk froth. (A lot different than a macchiato you would order at Starbucks in Vancouver)

Macchiato

Now that you are familiar with Australian coffee, here are my top 3 favourite cafes and cups of coffee to go along with them.

#1 Seven Seeds

It was our first couple of days in Melbourne when a friend in our hostel took us to Seven Seeds, located in the CBD right near the University of Melbourne. At the time I wasn’t even aware that they were voted best Coffee in Melbourne for 2010 and that it was a café world renown for its coffee, but after trying it out it was easy to see why.  Not only did Seven Seeds have a great, hipster, University type atmosphere, but the food was great and of course my soy latte was amazing.

# 2 St Kilda Galleon Café

This café is located just a 5 minute walk from my house in St Kilda and if I could afford to buy a coffee every single day, I would most likely be frequenting this place regularly.  I didn’t discover Galleon until about halfway through my time here, and to my dismay I was missing out big time.  Galleon again has a such a great laid back atmosphere, with great funky eclectic décor.  The coffee here is so good, and strong (just how I like it) and they also have a very very very good breakfast menu.  Every time I pass by this place it is always packed full with happy customers enjoying good food and coffee and its no surprise why.

#3 St Ali

St Ali was recommended to me by a friend, and like Seven Seeds, is also known around Melbourne for great coffee.  St Ali roasts their own coffee beans on site and I was sure to purchase some of my own to take home and brew afterwards.  Located on a hidden street in South Melbourne, with little to no signage, this place is the kind spot that only locals know of or you hear about from word of mouth.  Luckily I had the message passed along to me so seeking the ultimate cup of coffee I took a trip out there for breakfast and this time a Flat White.  The coffee was delicious as well as the breakfast however definitely not cheap, $30 for eggs and toast and a coffee! However the experience was well worth it.  Once again the atmosphere was very cool, it had an almost open warehouse feel, accompanied by miss-matched tables and chairs and worn out floorboards but it all fit together perfectly.  Regardless of the price, St Ali makes my top 3 favourite spots and it is definitely a must-see in Melbourne.

Well there you have it, my top 3 Coffee spots in Melbourne!  If you ever end up visiting the city, please go to at least one of them, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

 

*Coffee images retrieved from google images*

My Tribute to Melbourne

Ideally, my hope for this blog was to discuss and talk about things happening in my life without them being so personalized, but since moving to Australia I am using it as a way for my family and friends to keep in touch with me and follow my experiences and life over here.  However, I feel kind of silly just talking about myself all the time and I plan to go back to my original format as soon as I’m home next month.  It is definitely more fun blogging about things around me and as opposed to things happening to me personally.  As such, I have decided to dedicate my next few posts to the city of  Melbourne and showcase all of the things that have made me fall in love with this city, and why I am so lucky and happy to have called this place home for the past 5 months.

I started brainstorming all of my favorite things about Melbourne and within minute I had a list  filling up an entire page, which would then turn into an extremely long and dense post about all things Melbourne, which would then probably result in you getting bored, leaving my blog and never returning and I don’t want that.  Soooo, I have changed my focus and decided to categorize my favorite things about the city and talk about one each week.  Since I am a hardcore coffee enthusiast I have decided this time not save the best for last and blog about this first!

Study study study, Horse Races, study study study

This is my 3^rd attempt at writing this blog post.  My poor, aging 5 year old laptop is regrettably on her last life.  She just can’t handle Microsoft word anymore and every time I wrote a passage, Word would shut down and I lost everything I have written.  Finallyyy I managed to make it though without it closing on me again and deleting my work.  All I can say is thank goodness it didn’t do this when I was writing all of my papers!

The past few weeks have basically involved me, my textbook and the Melbourne State Library.  Since I am finished my classes and I’m not working  at the moment I don’t really have much else to do other than study.  So the lack of interesting things to do, combined with sub par spring weather in Melbourne, I actually managed to get a lot of work done and went into my first 2 exams feeling confident and I am sure that I definitely pulled off the minimum requirements for my exchange marks.

Here is a picture of my favourite study spot I found in the state library. The room is so beautiful that is just makes me want to be productive. I am definitely going to miss that when I come back home to the dingy SFU library.

La Trobe Reading Room at State Library

Other than a lot of hours spent at the library I did manage to do one exciting thing last week.  Horse Racing is extremely popular here in Melbourne and during this time of year they have “Spring Carnival” where they say that they are “races that stop the nation”, because everyone makes an effort to attend one race day.  My friends and I bought tickets (not cheap I might add) to Crown Oaks Race Day, which is also known as “Ladies Day” because they have fashion shows and contests for best dressed women.  However we were told and experienced that Oaks Day is commonly referred to as “Blokes Day” because all of the men show up to gawk and awe at all of the beautiful and stylish women that attend Oaks Day.

While the weather wasn’t the warmest and I ended up losing some money on the race that I bet on, the day at the races was one of the coolest things I have done in Melbourne.  It was so great to see every single person dressed to impress, all of the girls looked so great and in my opinion nothing looks better than a man in suit, so it was great to just people watch in between the races.  Everyone packs a picnic, and sets up on the grass to sip champagne, eat food and mingle.  The day was so much fun and I felt like a true Melbourne local taking part in the races at spring carnival.

Here are pictures of us at the races.

In front of the race track

Picnic

showcasing my hair fastener

Contestants in the Fashion Contest

Horses Winner Circle

My Ticket that I won back only a quarter of what I bet

Other than that, I am back in study mode.  I have 2 more exams to go, one on November 14^th and the next on the 16^th and then we leave our home here in Melbourne for our East Coast trip on the 22^nd of November.  I cannot believe how fast time is flying by and before I know it I will be landing home in Vancouver.  I am so excited to come home and see everyone, but definitely want to travel and see more of Australia first.  I am going back into hiding at the library now and when the 16^th of November rolls in I will finally get my life back and really get to experience Australia as a traveller and not a student!

Making use of my new-found freedom

Just days up until my Spring Break trip, I had been stuck working at the restaurant, working double shifts all weekend long and which left me with no time to enjoy Melbourne and do and experience all of the exciting things this city has to offer.  So Paulina and I made the executive decision to end our time at the restaurant and spend our last month and a half in Melbourne actually enjoying ourselves.  Ever since we have been free from our duties there we have fully taken advantage of our new found freedom and this blog I get to share all of the exciting things we have down in Melbourne this past week!

First off, being away for our first Canadian Thanksgiving, we just didn’t feel right not celebrating it with a Turkey dinner so we went to our favorite market picked up all of the holiday fixings and made our first Turkey dinner.  I was still very sick at this point so Paulina was great and did most of the work, she did the Turkey and the stuffing while I was napping then I came in and helped out with the rest and did the cleanup.  All in all, the dinner was a great success, everything tasted so great and it felt nice to participate in a Canadian tradition all the way across the world.

The next fun thing we were finally able to do was go to the famous Brighton beach.  It was a beautiful hot sunny day on Friday so Paulina, Mitchell and I rented bikes and had a 30 min bike ride out to Brighton beach, it is famous in Melbourne for having little colourful beach huts along the beach.  We spend the day sun-tanning, playing Frisbee and hanging out and it finally felt like we were in Australia!

Brighton Beach Huts

And our latest adventure was by far the most amazing thing I’ve seen in Australia yet and it was the Great Ocean Road.  This road connects Melbourne to Adelaide and it kind of comparable to the windy sea to sky highway up to Whistler however 10 times more scenic and beautiful!  We got our early in the morning and walked to a car rental shop nearby.  We rented a very reliable Hyundai Elentra and I bravely took the first stab at driving in Australia on the left hand side of the road. I was surprised at how easy it actually was, I think it is because we have been living here for quite some time now and I am used to the traffic patterns of the wrong side of the road.  But surprisingly we made it safely out of the city and along the Great Ocean Road without getting lost once!  The trip took a total of about 12 hours there and back, but it was chalk full of amazing scenery, breathtaking views and the best of all the famous 12 Apostles.  It was such a great experiences to drive ourselves along the road as opposed to taking an expensive cramped tour bus.  We were able to stop and go at our own leisure and it was a lot of fun to have our first road trip over here.  Going on the Great Ocean Road is an absolute must-see if you’re ever in Australia and I am so happy I got to experience it.

Posing with our hot ride

View atop Bells Beach

1st Part of the 12 Apostles

12 Apostles!

Oh and finally, some other news is that I switched my flight and I am coming home 10 days early, becauseeee…. I AM GOING TO FIJI!!! I decided that I will probably only be on this side of the world once in my life and it has always been a dream of mine to visit Fiji.  I know that if I didn’t do it now, I probably never would have so I found a reasonable flight early December and I am sacrificing 10 days of travel in Australia for 5 days in paradise.  As of yet, I will be traveling solo to Fiji because Paulina and her friend don’t want to come, but I am quite excited to travel on my own, meet new people and simply relax on the beach with a good book.

Spring Break Trip

I am finally back and made it home in one piece from our crazy trip to Sydney and Byron Bay.  With a few minor hiccups in the weather the trip was still so much fun.  Since I am bed ridden with a horrible cold resulting from lack of sleep and a bit too much partying, I have time to go into detail about everything on our trip.

It started off with quite the rocky start, we were planning to leave for our early morning flight at 5:30 am, I knew it was going to be rough considering we were out for Paulina’s big birthday bash the night before, but I didn’t intend on it being so hectic.  I had the stupid idea to half pack the night before and just wake up early and finish packing that morning at 4am.  I have now learned the hard way NEVER to plan to back the morning of with a hangover because I woke up to our friend Kris asking me what time the cab was picking us up. I mumbled 5:30 am and then Kris said okay well its 5:15 so we should probably get a move on.  I completely freaked out, in a major panic, I threw whatever was handy in my suitcase and hoped for the best as we all rushed out the door late for the cab and almost missing our flight.  Nonetheless we made it on time and arrived in Sydney at 8:00 am to pouring rain.

Regardless of the rain and cold weather, we went out exploring and found the Opera house and walked around Darling Harbour, it was really cool to see such an iconic building in person.  That night we went out with a group from our hostel and it was tons of fun. Rather than write a paragraph about everything we did and saw in Sydney I’m going to compose a list:

-       Saw the Opera House

-       Went to the aquarium

-       Went ot the wildlife reserve

-       Did a harbour cruise

-       Explored the dodgy-ness of Kings Cross

-       Went to Bondi Beach

Feeding my friend roo!

View of the Opera House from our Harbour Cruise

I feel like we did all of the quintessential Sydney sights and sounds and it was really beautiful on a sunny day, but I left Sydney feeling quite happy that we are living in Melbourne.

After we had conquered Sydney, we made our way to the train station to catch our 12 hour train ride followed by another 2 hour bus ride to finally arrive in Byron Bay near the Gold Coast.  The trip was tedious and uncomfortable and soo soo long but it was the cheapest option so I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  We arrived in Byron Bay at 6 am and right away I fell in love.  This small surfer town felt like Hawaii but even better because it was in Australia!  We lucked out with a beautiful hot and sunny first day, and we bee-lined right to the beach.  After catching some good tanning hours, Paulina, Mitchell, Jacquie and I took off for some surfing lessons.  Surfing was SO much fun! We all got up and were getting the hang of it by the end of the session and I definitely plan on surfing again when I travel up the east coast.

 

The next day Kris Jacquie and I took an hour bus tour to a little hippie town called Nimbin.  We had to partake in the hippieness and I bought a tie-dye headband to fit right in.

We didn’t have the best weather in Byron Bay either, and we got caught in some rain as we did in Sydney so I am hoping to go back there again closer to summer and really enjoy the town in the hot hot sun.  On our last day in Byron, I had paid and booked for me to go skydiving, no one else I was traveling with was interested so I was going to head out solo and I was super excited for it.  Unfortunately I woke up from a phone call from the company saying the conditions were too windy for jumping that day so I had to get a refund.  I’ll just have to save skydiving for my traveling at the end of the trip also.

It was such a whirlwind of sight seeing, partying and traveling around and I have to say it feels quite good to be back in Melbourne and back into the routine of things and out of the hostel life.  It’s so weird how Melbourne feels like home now and not Vancouver.

Here are some extra pictures from our trip:

The 3 muskateers

 

Us girls at the beach in Byron Bay

Kris chilling in the hammock at our hostel