Do it ANYWAY.... Stay TRUE

LIFE IS PERSONAL.  

OK Sure..., our life is woven in and out amongst that of our friends, family, work, and all the other different pieces of the puzzle in the flowing stream of our experiences....But underlying all of this is the PERSONAL LIFE of ours: Our Dreams, our Values, our Aspirations, our Morals.  It's these CORE Truths which our own actions and way of living stem from.  If we hold steadfast in our TRUTH, the Authentic Self freely shines.  

But how easily do we get "Distracted"????  Distracted by THAT neighbour; what they're doing; how they responded; how we are judged; how the world didn't 'co-operate' that day; by that inconvenient resistence that  wasn't MEANT to arise; the coulda, woulda shoulda's; and the fear driven 'what ifs'??.  How easily do we veer away from the TRUTH of what each of us ASPIRE to as honest, pure and well-intentioned human beings BECAUSE we're affected by that which is outside of ourselves?  Do we get distracted from persevering to live according to our TRUE Self because of external distractions?

In a recent 'fed up' grovel I was spilling about an incident that just WASN'T meant to happen and put pressure and temptations on me to REACT...... Someone I very much respect and admire responded with....: 'Saya... Just keep being true to your Authentic Self despite it and keep on going.  Simple as that.  See this All as your LIFE PRACTICE'.  How beautiful are those words?....  "LIFE PRACTICE."  I like the feel of those words.

The Way of our LIFE is PERSONAL.... and it's good to ask "do I sway away from my values and who I aspire to be in order to suit the 'everything else?' that's occurring and distracting me?  Rather, it's best to have an unwavering loyalty and strength, in being TRUE to who we have chosen to be in this gorgeous existence we are blessed with.  I have re-visited the below message time and time again and it sums it up pretty nice.  To hold steadfast in honoring one's own SPIRIT...., TRUTH.  To no matter what, remain AUTHENTIC, WHOLESOME and  PURE in how we carry out ourselves in this existence.  The bottom line is, the correct WAY to live, is ultimately between you and the luminous spirit that is your TRUTH within.  Keep honouring it no matter what.

xo

DO IT ANYWAY

People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centred.  

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  

Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  

Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  

Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it may never be enough.  

Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  

It was never between you and 'them' anyway.

- Mother Teresa

   

Making time for Desiderata

What a week!!  Any others out there who are emotionally and physically EXHAUSTED after a whirlwind week..... running around frantically... unsure about what destination you're chasing but just anxious about getting SOMEWHERE? 

In the midst of such chaotic and heavy times in life,... I love it when in a fleeting moment as you're going about your busy day.... something catches your eye, and you actually LOOK and STOP.  And really appreciate whatever THING it is that caught your eye, because you know without a shadow of a doubt you were MEANT to encounter it at that very moment in your life.

For me this week it was Desiderata......  A plaque displaying this gorgeous poem, peered down at me from the corner of my friend's kitchen cupboard.  I'd never noticed it before on any of my visits to see her until now.  She pulled the plaque down for me, dusted it off and I read it with her then and there.  I thought.... Thank YOU, thank you, THANK YOU.  And even more sweet was her insisting that I take the plaque home with me because she knew I needed it right now.

Then within days I'm back full speed again, going about my frantic days but this time travelling interestate.... and what do I see again sticky taped onto someone's bathroom wall?  Desiderata.

For all the other frantic freaks out there not living in the present moment ... STOP for Desiderata xoxoxo

DESIDERATA

Go Placidly amid the noise & haste & remember what peace there may be in silence.  As far as possible be on good terms with all persons.  Speak your truth quietly & clearly & listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.  Avoid loud & aggressive persons they are vexations to the spirit.  If you compare yourself with others you may become vain & bitter; For always there will be greater & lesser persons... than yourself.  

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.  Keep interested in your own career however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.  Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.  But let this not blind you to what virtue there is.  Many persons strive for high ideals & everywhere life is full of heroism.  

Be yourself.  Especially do not feign affection.  Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment, it is perennial as the grass.  Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.  

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.  But do not distress yourself with imaginings.  Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness.  Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.  You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars.  You have a right to be here and whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.  

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be & whatever your labours & aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.  With all its sham  & drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.  Be careful.  Strive to be happy.

- Max Ehrmann (1927)

Colour Me Green xo

I am a BIG fan of greet tea desserts.  I LOVE green tea flavoured creme bulees, ice-creams, or sticky rice mochi balls....  My ultimate Gooey treat which lights up my eyes whenever I encounter them in a Japanese cafe or supermarket.  Getting your hands all sticky and messy and your lips covered in a dusting of rice flour is half the fun!  

Green tea itself can be bitter and somewhat 'blah' in taste on its own.... but when you combine that rich bitterness of the finely ground green tea powder with super sweet ingredients to balance out the flavours.... you end up with something very special and unique which leaves a deliciously subtle, bitter flavour of tea lingering in your mouth.  When I was having a blog writing freeze moment, a friend suggested I try posting a green tea dessert recipe.  Google spoilt me for choice with recipes for green tea shortbread cookies, sponge cakes, cheese cakes etc and would you believe, even recipes for carrot cakes with green tea icing?

But a coconut and green tea cake recipe caught my eye, so I got the creative juices in action again to come up with this recipe for a gorgeously rich, moist cake with a healthy spin, but it's still BURSTING with tonnes of flavour.

If you want to try something DIFFERENT, or are already a lover of Asian flavoured desserts and like a kick of bitterness and sweetness all in one mouthful, this one will be sure to please you xo 

Healthy Green Tea and Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups almond meal

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 cup lite coconut milk

2 1/2 level tablespoons green tea powder (matcha) (you can get it in Asian/Japanese supermarkets)

pinch of salt

3/4 cup maple syrup (or a few tablespoons less if you don't like things too sweet)

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees Celcius (347 degrees fahrenheit)

Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm spring form pan with baking paper.

In a bowl mix the almond meal, desiccated coconut, salt and green tea powder together.

In another bowl mix together the coconut milk and maple syrup and vanilla essence.  Whisk the eggs until frothy, then add into the other wet ingredients and stir in.

Fold all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.  Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the top is JUST set.  Leave to cool in the cake tin.  Cut and Serve and Enjoy!

PS: An idea I have for next time which you might like to try is to add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the batter at the very end before pouring into the cake tin.  Will add a nice element of texture to each bite xo

Sweet apple goodness... to say Thank you xo

My favourite yoga teacher celebrated his birthday this weekend.... and it was a perfect opportunity for me to say THANK YOU for being the best of the best teachers I know!  James is a what I'd call a yoga ninja... he'll demonstrate complex poses effortlessly with grace and strength, and his handstands make him look as light as a feather.  He could have spiderman talents and climb up walls and ceilings for all I know.  He knows each and every unique student's capabilities, and without him challenging my body, I wouldn't have ever discovered the flexibility I'd had hidden within me.  He is a walking dictionary on anatomy, lives and breathes good health and yoga and has the quirkiest sense of humour... with hilarious jokes and anecdotes interweaved with valuable yoga principles shared in every class.  You know there are some people you meet in life that teach you lessons and you're a much better person because of it?  Well my yoga teacher is without a doubt one of them.

So what better way to show some soulful appreciation than with a cake that screams 'home made and jam packed with love'.  As you've already figured..... one of my favourite moments of bliss are when I'm pottering around in the cosy oven warmed kitchen, with the benches covered in crumbs and splashes of sticky batter and I don't have a care in the world or the concept of time.  In moments like that I just want to put my all in making something pretty looking and delicious for people I care about.  Rustic home made goodies beat those artificial supermarket bought cakes any day... and they taste SOOO much better and are much better for our precious bodies.  

Keeping in line with my yoga teacher's principles of feeding the body with what is NOURISHING.... I've rustled up some nutrient rich ingredients and came up with this mouth watering gem.  An upside down apple and walnut cake bursting with the tartness of granny smith apples.... subtle sweetness of cinnamon and maple syrup all encased in a sticky moist cake.  So nourishing and So delicious.  

When all the yoga buddies shared this over our teacher's birthday breakfast.... their eyes lit up with yummy delight and surprise... THIS... Healthy?  Yep xo

Saya's Healthy Upside Down Apple and Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups almond meal

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon mixed spice

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 cup maple syrup + 1 tablespoon (you could use honey or agave syrup)

3 tablespoons coconut oil (2 of which are melted)

6 -7 large granny smith apples (2 for decorating what will be the top of the cake and the rest to make 1 1/4 cups apple puree)

1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts

squeeze of half a lemon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (338 degrees fahrenheit).

Grease a 20cm spring form cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Peel 2 apples and slice into 1/2cm wedges.  Then combine in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.  Stir over a low heat until just tender (a little al dente is ok).  Then take off the heat and neatly arrange slices at the base of the cake tin.

Peel and dice remaining 4-5 apples and combine in a saucepan with a squeeze of half a lemon and gently cook while stirring until it turns mushy.  If need be add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to prevent it from burning.  Once it turns into a soft consistency remove from the heat and mash with a fork to get it close to a puree.  Leave aside to cool.  Measure the puree and make sure it is about 1 1/4 cups worth.

Stir maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil into the 1 1/4 cups of apple puree.  Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, then stir into the rest of the wet ingredients.

In a bowl combine the almond meal, cinnamon, ground ginger, mixed spice and salt.  Gently fold in the wet ingredients until just combined, then toss in walnuts and gently stir in.

Pour batter into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the top centre of the cake is firm.

Leave cake to cool completely, then turn over onto a plate and voila.... beeeautiful.... deeelicious xo

  

When SIMPLE is BEST: Vanilla xo

When it comes to sweet treat 'flavours' these days, we are SO spoilt for choice at every turn; at every supermarket, every cake shop, ice cream stand etc.  Like at today's exotic coffee shop visit with friends, the menu boasted hot chocolates flavoured with hazelnut, mint, caramel, rose, chilli etc the list goes on!  And then there are the gelato stands that spoil us with every tastebud tantaliser imaginable, from the popular classics like pistachio, hazelnut and chocolate, to the inventive flavours like 'Ferrero Rocher' or 'green tea'.  

But do we still remember the joys of the humble vanilla bean?  It's a classic, simple and reliable flavour that is sometimes all we need instead of the over complicated choices out there.  I don't know about you, but as a kid when there was a choice between chocolate, strawberry or vanilla flavoured ice-cream, I ALWAYS chose vanilla.  And when spoilt for choice on a fudge shop visit.... vanilla fudge suited me best.  Vanilla is so subtley sweet, so gentle on the taste buds, so dreamy, so comforting, honest and pure.  As I type this I am remembering my last creme bulee moment where my spoon scraped away every last speckle of the vanilla pods at the the bottom of the ramekin.  Bliss xo

So while I'm still riding this wave of 'healthy desserts', this time I went simple and sweet with yummy and chewy bliss balls with a generous hit of vanilla extract.  Again, even bliss balls these days have so many flavour options... with the addition of dates, apricots, peanut butter, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger etc.  But yep... this one is simply vanilla and I LOVE IT.  Enjoy xo

Vanilla Bliss Balls (adapted from All Recipes) (makes 10 - 12 balls)      

Ingredient:

1 1/4 cup almond meal

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

extra coconut for coating

Instructions:

Mix together in a bowl the dry ingredients.  Stir in the wet ingredients.  Then roll dough into small 1 tablespoon worth balls and roll in extra coconut.  Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Yum xo