Archive for March, 2012
Outfit of the Day
Urgh! Winter is well and truly here. Days of sleeveless tops and bare legs are gone and the panty hose and jackets are out.
Today I debuted this Vivienne Westwood suit that I’ve never worn before. I love it. It’s so feminine but still has some little Westwood quirks. I think the poodle-print blouse works so well with it - nothing like a pussy bow with a skirt suit.
Over the weekend I went through my wardrobe and tried a few new looks for Autumn. I’ve got a lot of dad’s old shirts and granddad’s old jackets that I’m going to team with really femme accessories.
What looks do you have planned for Autumn/Winter?
CHISWICK
The last restaurant I talked about on here was The Bistro in Newcastle which is all about bringing back a good honest meal with quality produce and traditional flavours. Well now, finally, we have our own version in Sydney. In case you haven’t heard yet, CHISWICK, Matt Moran’s new baby smack bang in the middle of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs on the old Prunier’s site, is a lot different to Matt’s other restaurant, ARIA. CHISWICK steers away from fiddly, couldn’t-make-it-at-home-youself, expensive food and brings us back down to earth with meals designed to be shared, with most featuring produce straight from the garden which is on the premises.
The space is airy and light; a real treat on a clear day like today. The actual restaurant is surrounded by greenery and the colour follows through the building with wishy-washy green and white interiors that make you feel like you’re in your own country home. Another comparison was that it feels a lot like being at Palm Beach – either way, the general consensus is that it has a holiday aura. In fact, I kept wishing I was on holidays so I could order some of the cocktails other people were ordering. They looked so pretty and were garnished with leaves, I’m guessing, from the CHISWICK garden. This restaurant is going to be a massive hit with the Eastern Suburbs Ladies Who Lunch But Don’t Actually Eat Anything While They Lunch because it’s all clean, healthy food on share plates. No excuses not to go here if you’re on a diet!
I was lucky to get a booking after pretty much every single one of Sydney’s celebs has been dining there in the past two jam-packed weeks and I think midday on a Sunday is the perfect time to head in for lunch. Matt told us that the lamb shoulder would most likely be sold out by 1pm and, upon tasting it, it’s easy to see why. Despite being presented with a big fork and carving knife sticking out of it, the lamb falls off the bone -there’s absolutely no need for cutlery here.
Along with the wood roasted Moran Family lamb shoulder with chick peas and mint ($65), we ordered all the sides:
- Hand cut chips, thyme, black garlic aioli ($9)
- Salad of baby cos, crushed hazelnuts, pomegranate ($13)
- Steamed broccolini with garlic and chilli ($10)
- Rosemary flat bread ($5)
- Chargrilled scallops, artichokes, burnt butter, tarragon ($20)
and for dessert eerr we got all of those too (all $15):
- Caramelia eclair, almonds sugar plums
- Baked meringue, yuzu, granny smith apples
- White chocolate pannacotta, crushed berries, jelly
- Poached beurre bosc pear, toasted rice ice cream
The desserts were all nice but if I can give CHISWICK one criticism, the pannacotta and poached pear weren’t anything remarkable. Don’t get me wrong, they went down very easily, but if I’m going to waste the calories I want something that really blows me away. Since the Caramelia eclair did exactly that, we ordered another one. Oops.
The Caramelia eclair is actually named after Matt’s daughter, Amelia. She must be a little sweetie!
The tea selection is also lovely with the tea being served in beautiful floral teacups.
For one shared main, five desserts, five sides, two glasses of wine, a tea and three soft drinks the bill came to $212 – more than reasonable.
If you can get a booking, go as soon as you can. If you can’t – still go as soon as you can – there’s a section for walk-ins and a gorgeous big communal table near the bar. I can’t recommend CHISWICK highly enough!
Have you been to CHISWICK yet? What did you think?
Outfit of the Day
Today I went to Chiswick for Lunch. I’ll post more about that later but I haven’t done an outfit post for months so I thought I’d better do one!
I can’t believe how cold it is in Sydney today. I went to the footy after lunch and it seriously felt like the middle of Winter at the Sydney Football Allianz Stadium.
I think I’ve posted about these leather pants quite a bit on here. I’m so addicted to leather clothing and I’m thrilled that it’s becoming more accessible and basics like leather tops and pants are even being sold in chain stores. I’m on a spending ban right now but I’m hoping I’ll be able to pick up some more leather pants when I’m in London in a couple of months. They’re just such a good staple and so, so warm.
What are your favourite leather buys of the season?
St Ives/Fitness First Outdoor Yoga Event – Saturday 17 March
Photo from atbondi.com
If yoga’s good enough for Miranda Kerr, it’s good enough for me. When it’s free and includes giveaways, fresh fruit and Cocobella coconut water, blood pressure checks from Fitness First and samples of St Ives body lotion, it’s even more good.
This Saturday, 17 March you can get all of that down at Bondi Park, off Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach from 9:00 am in an effort to celebrate healthy living. The class will conclude at 10:00 am with more fun to follow! Spaces in the class are limited so make sure you get there with ample time to secure your spot.
What a perfect way to start they day, huh?!
What: St Ives/Fitness First Outdoor Yoga Event When: Saturday, 17 March 9:00 (yoga commences) – 12:00 (event concludes) Where: Bondi Park, off Campbell Parade, Bondi BeachBlackmores 10 Day Detox
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you will know that I’m a fan of a cleanse. I’ve done three Urban Remedy cleanses but after giving up coffee a few weeks ago and cutting back on my sugar intake, I decided it would be a good time to do a detox that focused on cleansing the digestive system and reflorinating the gut.
The Blackmores 10 Day Detox is really simple – another reason why I thought it would be suitable for me. Working full-time and having a busy uni schedule and social life means that I don’t have time to be thinking about taking potions or eat special foods at certain times. One box contains 5 elements; 2 different tablets, a liquid, some herbs and an exfoliating glove.
I didn’t prepare myself terribly well for day one of the cleanse. As you will see by the table below, I didn’t eat very well on that first day but I suppose it could have been a lot worse, too.
If you look at the Blackmores website you will see a great guide to tackling this cleanse; recipes, what to eat and what to avoid, a discussion board with other people who are taking the cleanse too.
My other problem was that I had to go to the Gold Coast for 4 days for uni which had the potential to really throw out my healthy eating. I chose to stay in a serviced apartment with the plan to cook healthy dinners myself, at least try to stick to my nourishing breakfasts and prepare lunch each day before I left. This really didn’t pan out the way I’d hoped, again, as you will see in the table below. The “serviced apartment” was not equipped for cooking, the healthiest thing I could find for lunch each day was not my idea of clean eating and dinners were not the best – but you have to make do, right?
Here’s an overview of the 10 day experience:
| Day | Food | Comments |
| 1 | Peach2 pieces of toast with vegemiteSoy hot chocolate
Peppermint tea Spaghetti Bolognese Soy chips Moroccan lemon chicken with brown rice Grapes |
Felt hungrier than usual although it was raining and a Friday – two things that would normally lead to me overindulgingDry mouth |
| 2 | Granola with sheep’s milk yoghurtGrapes2 peaches
Grilled chicken and Asian coleslaw |
Dry mouthExhausted! Had a nap that lead to a 3-hour sleep in the middle of the daySlight afternoon headache (sugar withdrawals?)
Sore neck (but could be related to the flu I had a couple of weeks ago?) |
| 3 | Almond hotcakes with lemon and stevia*AppleGranola and Greek yoghurt
Falafel bites, mini frittatas, salad Almond milk ice block |
A bit nauseous (again, sugar withdrawals?)Not hungryWeeing a lot |
| 4 | Muesli** with grated apple, lemon juice and Greek yoghurtPeppermint teaChicken and salad
Lamb and steamed veggies Apple |
Slightly less dry mouthVery easy to wake up in the morningNot at all hungry
No headache or dizziness |
| 5 | Muesli** with lemon juice and Greek yoghurtBlueberriesDate and raspberry bar x2
Chicken and salad |
Skin peeling in the “digestion zone” of the face |
| 6 | Muesli** with lemon juice and Greek yoghurtHandful of nuts (unsalted)Tangy chicken salad***
Chickpea salad |
Skin peeling a lot on the face but body skin is very smooth |
| 7 | Sweetcorn fritters and homemade tomato relish****Mango, strawberry and passionfruit frappeHandful of nuts and seeds
Grilled chicken and veggies Salad, cold turkey and ham 2 pieces of gluten-free toast with organic butter Grapes Blueberries |
N/A |
| 8 | 4 pieces of gluten-free toast with organic butterGreek yoghurtMuesli
Grilled chicken and veggies Lime and soda Grapes Handful of nuts and seeds |
N/A |
| 9 | 4 pieces of gluten-free toast with organic butterGrapesGreek yoghurt
Muesli Steamed veggies Lime and soda Handful of nuts and seeds |
Digestive Bitters not tasting so strong |
| 10 | Greek yoghurtMuesli4 pieces of gluten-free toast with organic butter
Chicken salad nuts |
N/A |
My biggest piece of advice would be to equip yourself with a good cook book that features a lot of healthy meal options so you can prepare yourself before hand. I chose to cook from Supercharged Food by Lee Holmes. You will see in the table there were some meals there in the earlier days. They’re all easy, so tasty and not particularly expensive to achieve.
Secondly, and most obviously, choose a block of 10 days where you won’t be tempted to drink alcohol or go out. I feel as though my little Gold Coast stint really threw me off but I’m not exactly sitting here on day 10 drinking a can of coke and eating Maccas; in fact, I have a curry from Lee’s book in the slow cooker right now. Don’t feel discouraged if you do slip up one meal or one day, you should be fine if you keep up the supplements. You’ll notice I still had some dairy in my diet. If you’re going to have a tough time giving up yoghurt or having dry toast, don’t do it – just cut out what you feel comfortable with.
The overwhelming outcome of the detox is primarily that I am feeling less sluggish, have a flatter stomach, a clear head (waking up easily), my skin and eyes are brighter and I’m not feeling as hungry which leads the way for modification of diet which can, in turn, lead to weight loss overall if that’s one of your health goals. I think the objectives listed by Blackmores on the box of: help cleanse the bowel, assist with the removal of dead skin cells via exfoliation, help maintain healthy functioning of the digestive system and balance and maintain healthy gut flora; were all achieved. Well, I can’t tell if my gut has been reflorinated but judging by my lack of cravings, I think it’s true.
My final thoughts:
- This detox would suit anyone who is stubborn or finds it hard to give up certain foods – you don’t have to give up too much
- Hates taking pills – they are teeny tiny! And there’s only one to take during the day so you don’t have to lug bottle to and from work each day
- It’s compact. The bottles are small
- It’s a good amount of time – 10 days is long enough to form healthy eating habits but not too short that you’re back to eating badly in less than a week
- It’s realistic – by letting you make up your own mind with your meals, you are choosing your own future health and what works for you
- It’s not unrealistic – liquid pre-breakfast, 3 pills at breakfast, 1 pill at lunch, liquid pre-dinner and 3 pills with dinner. EASY!
In terms of price, degree of difficulty (ie – none whatsoever) and results, I’d highly recommend the Blackmores 10 Day Detox and I would definitely do it again. It’s actually something you can keep up yourself anyway, particularly by taking milk thistle to help support liver function and acidophilus bifidus for your daily dose of probiotics.
Would you be interested in trying out the Blackmores 10 Day Detox? Have you already?
Boom Boom Boom – Alanna Deutrom
I wanted to give my readers a heads-up about an amazingly talented, up-and-coming singing sensation, Alanna Deutrom. Alanna was 2007′s Girlfriend of the Year and since winning has been working on her music, writing original songs and performing at various events around the country. Her debut single and film clip, Boom Boom Boom, is now up on Youtube, so do yourselves a favour and watch it now!
After meeting Alanna at the Girlfriend Model Search final last year and seeing her perform live, I know this girl is destined for greatness. Get in first and when the rest of the world falls in love with her, you can say you heard her first 
Check it out. Boom Boom Boom by Alanna Deutrom:
