Is this the last ice coffee for me?

I am almost a month without caffeine. I asked my husband if he noticed a difference and I was told absolutely. For the better if you were wondering. For me I think it is a good thing to forgo caffeine. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I will never have an espresso or an iced coffee or a latte, pot of tea ever again. No it means that I will give my body a caffeine holiday.
I stocked up on coffee beans so we have four bags in the cupboard. Oh dear. With only half the household drinking coffee the rate of use has dropped dramatically. I used to make a latte every morning. That said, I don’t drink milk now either as I don’t get a chance to mix it with my espresso. We buy a 1l instead of a 2l of milk now.
Do I miss it? Not really. I like the smell of coffee though. Do I crave a latte? No. But if I see a latte served to someone else I think, oh that looks good, but I don’t feel that I’m missing out.
Masala tea would be the only thing that I might miss. I have to try milk with spices instead and see if that makes up for it. I have yet to do this.
At Chinese restaurants now I ask for hot water instead of tea. At Korean restaurants I have roasted barley tea. At cafes I order herb tea. At restaurants I go without.
I may feel differently in a couple of month’s time.

Shopping rituals

When I buy food that is wrapped in plastic in the supermarket I have been in the past known to carefully check the back for the small print and by that I mean is to find out what the heck is in the bag. If the ingredients have long names I tend to avoid them, this usually means additives that I’d rather not have them in my body. I then look at the calories and see if there is an alternative choice between what I am holding and what else is on the shelf. Of course I check the price too.  Lately I don’t bother. It’s not because I don’t care any more it’s because I tend to buy the same things. I definitely need to change my menu.
Chemical Maze
I have the app Chemical Maze that I use when shopping for a new item. It lets me know what certain ingredients really are. Whether they are good, okay or bad for my health. There are so many imported foods where the regulations are different and what is acceptable in one country is not in another. Small print often states made from local and imported ingredients which is not helpful at all. It might just as well write made from ingredients from Earth. It doesn’t help in anyway. Do they think we are that stupid? I think they do. Do they think they are being clever? I do. I do not agree with it at all.
Health Star Food Labelling Systems
A new voluntary health star food labelling system is going to be rolled out in New Zealand along the same system as Australia. A health star rating will be written on packaging. Note the word voluntary though. With the health star rating it will state how healthy a product is clearly. (Appliances have an energy rating system and the food rating looks similar.) I imagine that healthy food will display it proudly and unhealthy food will chose not to be involved. This I suppose is a clear way to navigate the supermarket aisles. The customer is not stupid. We know that eating an apple is better for us than eating a bag of chips. We really do know that. We make poor choices that is all. The fewer the poor choices the healthier we eat.
Citywide Food Hygiene Grading Systems
Auckland citywide has the excellent grade system for food hygiene here. This covers butchers, fish shops, delicatessens, bakeries, restaurants, fast food stores, anywhere that food is handled. This is supposed to be displayed in a easily viewed location, preferably in the front window.  This is not always the case. You are entitled to ask what a premise’s rating is. Cleanliness in the food service industry should be the first condition for good food. Again this is not always the case. I commend Auckland and Dunedin cities for having the rating system. I wish other cities in New Zealand would do the same.
Dunedin’s food hygiene rating search is here.
Eating Out
When you go to a cafe or restaurant they don’t have to write on the menu where their ingredients come from. Some proudly display where fresh produce come from. In season is the best. That is the only way people ate before refrigeration and low cost airline freight. They don’t have to tell you what ingredients are in the food either. Unless its a peanut, egg or other food allergy then really they don’t have to state. So all that careful checking at the supermarket for your health goes out the window when you step into a food court, cafe or restaurant. Nuts, isn’t it. Excuse the pun. You can always ask the waiter/waitress and they will ask the chef if they don’t know. Sometimes it’s up to us to hint to the owner that we would like to know the answers to these questions. The more people that ask, the better. Dining in or out is supposed to be a fun experience. If we learn something, it’s a bonus. We do have to eat daily and if we can enjoy mixing up the flavours all the better.
Entertainment Book
One more point to add and that is the Entertainment Book. For those of you unfamiliar with this book/app it is a grouping of dining and other entertainment establishments that give a discount to you for dining or using their services. The purchase of the annual Entertainment book/app runs from June each year. With each purchase of the book/app a portion goes to a charity. The book/app is city specific and can be found in Australia and New Zealand. The app is out just this year so you don’t have to clip a coupon you can just redeem electronically. Got to love technology! The thing I like about this book/app is that it suggests trying a new dining location, it allows you to eat where you might not normally and it helps you to get to know your city better. I would recommend this to anyone who is new to a city an expat returning, a local or even if you are on holiday with your family. The savings are definitely worth it.  It covers fine dining to fast food, movies to accommodation and much more.

*I do not receive any reward for mentioning Chemical Maze nor do I work for the Auckland or Dunedin councils the Ministry of Primary industries, or the Entertainment Book.

Night vision improving while driving without caffeine

Cranberry & Pomegranate Tea

I was wondering yesterday if going without caffeine has had any affect on me. I must be Day12 caffeine free by now. I couldn’t really pin point anything until I drove to the supermarket after dark. My night vision seemed to be improved. I don’t really enjoy driving at night. I love driving during the day. But at night it is a different story. My depth of vision is challenged. I need more concentration driving at night. I avoid it when I can. But last night I felt like I could see through the dark like a nocturnal being. I don’t wear glasses to drive.
Is it possible for my vision to be affected by caffeine?
I recently got my first ever pair of reading glasses. I was quite excited about that. I was looking forward to choosing the frames. This is unrelated of course by I can’t help sharing. I know many people dread wearing glasses but I have been waiting ages for the chance. Excited even. I bought a pair last year against blue light emitting from the computer screens. Nice frames too.
I searched “caffeine and eye sight” online and found that apparently I’m not the only one noticing a difference. I may decide not to slide back into drinking coffee every morning after all. Still love the smell of it. No need to give it up completely.
I am enjoying the range of herbal teas that are on offer. Today’s photo is of Cranberry & Pomegranate Tea served in a wonderful purple cup. Love the colours.

Day 11 Caffeine free

Here I am at Day 11 of a caffeine free moment in time. Do I miss it? No not really. Was I an excessive coffee drinker? No. Then what’s the point? I wanted to see if I felt any different without it. Plus the fact that it was easier to give up coffee than the occasional glass of wine or biscuit.
Habits are what they are, something that you do without thinking. To break one is harder than to create one. That is why some suggest to graft a good habit onto a bad old one, that appears to be easier. It all requires thought and will power.
So what am I drinking instead of coffee? Chamomile tea, licorice tea and lemon water.
I absolutely love licorice tea. I love licorice sweets and was eating an obscene amount so I thought perhaps I would look at the tea form instead. It sat in my cupboard for ages. I was rebelling against the alternative from the “real thing”. With this coffee challenge that I have put to myself I revisited my tea cupboard and looked at the licorice tea and brought it out again. Turns out I really like it. Too much. I was reading about licorice tea and it is suggested not to drink more than three cups a day for more than four weeks. I was drinking three cups a day and loving the naturally sweet taste of licorice. I have cut back as I intend to keep drinking it when I get back to coffee. Yes. I said when I get back to coffee. I’m not trying for sainthood here, just a little balance and listening to what my body wants for the best. We all know that coffee in excessive amounts make us a little edgy or shaky but gives the illusion of energising. Long term affects of multiple cups per day of coffee cannot be good for you. I just wanted to see for myself if I felt any better. Less bloated? More energy? Lighter in mood? Less PMT?
I found it easy to give up. However I found the habit of the 3pm cup a little hard to break but in walks licorice tea and saves the day. It has also removed the urge to have biscuits or cake then also. How long will that last, I wonder?
I plan to have my latte in the morning at home. As my only cup of coffee of the day, I shall savour it. Milk makes it sweet enough so that I don’t need sugar either. A bit of a bonus. My 3pm cupper will be licorice tea or masala tea and I may just break out the good china cups and saucers for this. And my night drink will be chamomile tea. And any other drink in between times maybe green tea or lemon water or masala tea. I do have a packet of peppermint tea in the cupboard that I haven’t really given too much thought, that will also be on the menu at our house.
I’m getting a little ahead of myself. I want to be a month without caffeine so lets keep on track. Off to boil the jug, it’s almost three o’clock. Cheers!

Chamomile Tea benefits: Helps you sleep better, Stress reliever, Boosts the immune system, Eases PMT
Licorice Tea benefits: Soothes sore throats, Soothes upset stomachs and heartburn

Note: If you are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant then chamomile nor licorice teas are recommended

Caffeine content of drinks from the Mayo Clinic here.

*Licorice tea should not be consumed if you are taking Warfarin.

Feeling sleepy or energised after eating?

Wonton Soup

After you have a meal are you inclined to feel like a nap or feel energised? Nine times out of ten I would have to say the former. I of course would rather feel the later.
I was talking to DH after have pizza for lunch yesterday. It was fast food pizza, nothing home made. Our once in a blue moon pizza. We were just finishing up and DH said to me, “I feel like a nap now.” I said to him, “so it doesn’t give you energy then. It makes you sleepy. Too many carbs.”
He did a double take and asked me twice about the sleepy versus energy making feeling after eating. He wasn’t sure if I was pulling his leg or not. I was not. Of course sometimes I do if I am in the mood.
Anyway to prove my point today for lunch I made soba noodles* with mountain potato and daikon radish.
I again asked him, “Do you feel sleepy or energised?”
This time he said energised. He had an ah ha moment.

What food makes you sleepy?
What food gives you energy?

*soba noodles are made of buckwheat

I heart potatoes

Hardly the healthiest snack but it was made with love!

We grew up with these for the occasional Sunday brunch. We called them mock whitebait fritters… Don’t you think they look like whitebait fritters?

Mock Whitebait Fritters (AKA Potato Fritters)

1 large potato, grated
1T flour
1 egg
salt and pepper
milk, enough to make it bind together
paprika (optional)
tomato sauce

Add all the ingredients to a bowl. Combine well.
Grease a frypan and add a large spoonful to the pan. Flatten.
Turn over when ready.
Squeeze out the shape of a heart in tomato sauce.
Serve immediately.

Wish List updated

I thought it was about time to reread my wish list and see how I was getting along.
I don’t like to beat about the bush.
…
Progress: SLOW
Results: Not enough data to reach conclusions. DO MORE.

Facing the facts can be helpful, some would say necessary if one wishes to progress.
I have my wish list relating to food. I didn’t include “make a Christmas cake”which I did and I can say that it was great. A long process.  I made two. One is in the freezer waiting to be eaten. In total I made four. Two with the help of my aunt under the ‘supervision’ of my mother. I was the muscle on the beating and the co-remover of almond skins. Loved every minute of it. I then took my new knowledge and went onto make two more.

MIKka-BOzu macaroons

Passionfruit, Mint Chocolate and Raspberry Macaroons bought locally!!!!

Mikka-Bozu is a Japanese expression that if translated means “Three day priest.”
Mikka means three days, and bozu, monk. What it really means is “starts big and fizzles soon after.”  You know like at New Year’s, resolutions and gym membership. I think January must be their biggest month for profit. And I think by March the queue for the machines are enni-minni-mini-mo.
I am not a gym rat. I don’t like it. I have been to a gym. The last one I went to had no parking and I had to pay parking each time and I felt time-pressured and stingy about having to pay for that on top of the membership. I quit after a year. Why a year and not three months, I paid for a year up front for the “cheaper rate”! Suckered. I will not fall for that again.  I didn’t like it when they weighed me with my clothes on on my first visit for the assessment. Gym shoes are heavy! However they do add height for the measurements part. And I am not going to stand there starkers (as in stark naked). Anyway it was unpleasant. I didn’t start today wanting to talk about gym membership or being weighed. Enough of that. I do however have to admire those that do regularly go to a gym. Showing up.
That brings me back to Mikka-Bozu. I bought the THREE macaroons especially for the MIKKA part and I couldn’t find a priest to photograph. I improvised. Perhaps I should have rationed them out over three days to make my point. Damn. Sorry, Father. They have all gone already. My enthusiasm got away on me. Yet again.  They were delicious by the way. Really rich in flavour and crunchy on the outside crust and moist in the centre. The perfect break. Espresso and macaroons. Ahh.
So back to the priest. Do you think it means that it’s easy to be a priest for three days then after that if you fake it you can make it? No. I didn’t think so either. Or that you can sit and meditate for three days like a priest and then give up because God didn’t show a sign? No. Me neither. I think it means that with dedication we can do whatever we chose. The key is to show up. Yeah, just show up. That could be just sitting at your desk. Or being in your studio or classroom, bakery, restaurant, office, shop, factory, farm, dance studio. Not just for three days but for how ever long it takes. To create a habit some say it takes 21-28 days. Then there is the 10,000 hour rule that in order to become accomplished in something, whether it be the violin, baking the perfect croissant, learning a language or painting, you need to spend time doing it. I think that is the same thing, I prefer the MIKKA_BOZU expression. Far more interesting.
Just showing up is harder than it looks. The fact that there is a Japanese expression means that Japanese also have issues with will power and dedication. It isn’t just my problem, but knowing that others are in the same boat doesn’t make be feel better. I would rather have the solution handed to me. But I wasn’t listening earlier. Just showing up. Why is it that it is so hard to just show up? Writer’s block, blank canvas block, forgetting our lines. Why do we feel that every moment must be a masterpiece? It doesn’t have to be that way. That is not reality. Why do we fear doing and instead not act? Because it’s easier.
Van Gogh didn’t sell a painting throughout his entire life and yet he didn’t become famous until after his death. Granted that he did sell his paintings to his brother Theo, his benefactor, but that’s family. He dedicated his whole life to painting.  He believed in himself when no-one else did.

Ginni placed third

Ginni deserved a sit down after being paraded about in front of the judges.
Placed a respectable third. I must admit I missed her grading and cannot say how many girls were competing but luckily she wasn’t judged from this photo, this is her least photogenic shot. A rather odd stare. Whatever. Well done Ginni. Judging from the size of her horns and the desire to sit down, just a young one.
Clevedon Market on Sundays, complete with livestock show and stalls. You can get up close and personal with the prize winners too. No autographs but plenty of photo opportunities. Gourmet cheeses, meats, home made pasta, organic foods, sauces, jams, honey, boutique aromatherapy based products and much more.
Plenty of free parking. Well organised.

So how close can you stand next to another person before you feel uncomfortable? What is a comfortable distance? Is it the same with people of the same sex? Or of the same ethnicity? At work or at the bus stop? At a nightclub/bar or at the supermarket? Big city, small town? A child or your boss? Does it make a difference?
How about when it comes to animals? Would you walk up to a strange dog and pat it and say hi? Or would you back away? Avoid it completely? Size up the type of dog and its manner and then decide whether or not to approach? Or does it bring memories to your last dog encounter and you base your approach on past encounters only?
What about cats? Or cows or sheep? Or goats? Or chickens? Hedgehogs? Snakes? Birds?
Do you approach an animal/bird in the same way as you would a person? Do you talk to it and expect a response? Do you treat it like a child and talk in a babyish way, adding -ie on the end, nice doggie?
You will observe that I gave Ginni plenty of space. I wanted to rush up to her and give her a hug and run my fingers through her fur.  I was mindful of the horns and I had never met Ginni before so I erred on the side of caution. I restrained myself, kept my hands to myself  and took a photo instead. What is show etiquette with the winners I wonder? A casual nod of well done in the direction of Ginni and no photo? An offering of a carrot in exchange for a photo? Have I broken protocol? No one confiscated my camera so I must be in the clear. I wonder if Ginni got an extra bucket of carrots for winning?
I had breakfast outside this morning. It was a beautiful warm winter’s day, not a breath of wind. I enjoyed my cooked breakfast of chorizo sausage, streaky bacon, poached eggs and toast and tea. I call it my Welsh breakfast as it reminds me of a wonderful breakfast at a B&B years ago that was so fresh we could almost taste the grass. Rolling green paddocks and farm animals, no names. Delicious. Anyway back to my morning breakfast. I was not alone, current company excluded, I was being observed by the neighbour’s ginger and white cat from beyond the hedge. It wasn’t shy about staring and it was amused until I had finished my first piece of toast, a slice of bacon and one egg and then it stretched itself, scratched the nearest tree and then wandered off elsewhere.
A starling got my last mouthful of toast, I tossed it onto the lawn to see how long it would last. It hopped closer and closer and grabbed the toast in its beak and darted to the side of the retaining wall and then in a triumphant call it flew off elsewhere to enjoy it in peace. There were traces of egg on the toast, I wonder if he minds?

Say cheese

Paddock of sheep, great photo opportunity.
Excellent.
Happy, smiling sheep until you reach the fence line.
Seriously.
Instantly camera shy. He/she I can’t tell. But he turned around and showed his bottom to me instead of the moments-ago happy smiling munching.
I suppose I don’t like to be watched while I eat, and certainly don’t like to have a camera shoved in my face during this sacred time so I suppose I can’t blame him really.
He could have been a star.
He may still become famous, or perhaps infamous for his umm dirty bottom.
Perhaps he could sense that I have lamb shanks in my fridge ready for roasting. He could just tell. Don’t blame him really for not grinning madly momentarily into the little black box. He did the best thing really, he noticed me then ignored me and carried on eating. A true foodie. Sure his diet doesn’t have much variety, grass, followed by grass and then more grass. But who am I to say what is boring when it comes to menu planning. At least he doesn’t have to think, he just knows, he thinks about other important things like which post is best to scratch himself, where his sister is, which corner of the paddock has the best grass, where to go when it rains, windy or sunny. Things like that. Perhaps he doesn’t think at all. Just eats. Doesn’t that sound like bliss or perhaps not?
Are you coming back as a sheep? Or are you still thinking about the lamb shanks in the fridge.