12. Eat Breakfast at Tiffany's

A mecca for all things fabulous! Tiffany & Co!

I have had a long time love affair with this movie (who hasn't!) and everything it encompasses - Tiffany & Co., New York, Audrey Hepburn.......Amazing! and that little blue box - instant joy!

A Tiffany & Co advertisement always makes you think of fabulous things - I pass this one on a billboard on my way home each day - instant smile!

So without a doubt, a tribute to all this fabulousness needed to find a place on my list! It was time to channel my inner 'Holly Golightly' and peruse the windows of Tiffany's, breakfast in hand - which in turn makes everything good in the world again!

My fabulous friend Peggy (may or may not be her real name) was on board to help me achieve list item 12 and share in the fun. Very conveniently, there was a Starbucks just around the corner for us to pick up our breakfast goods - how perfect, and very New York feeling!

With breakfast in hand, off we went to take in the sparkles and of course, capture the moment with many a photos!!

The stunning Peggy xx

Following, it only made sense to surround ourselves with more fabulous things!

However due to budget restraints, it wasn't long before our travels took me somewhere more fitting................

Ah, a girl can dream though right!

Number 12.......complete!

Monday 27th February - LOVE Oscars night! Secretly always hoping that Kevin Costner AKA the Bodyguard may have to slow run out from the curtains and save the day!! Cue dramatic music!

Sunday 26th February - Breakfast purchases from Starbucks ready for our date with Tiffany & Co!

Saturday 25th February - I LOVE Powerade and it just got a whole lot better! Zero sugar - guilt free recoveries ahead!

Friday 24th February - I feel the same way about you too my cheesy little friend x

Thursday 23rd February - Love the feeling of a full petrol tank on pay day, and watching the little gauge climb its way up to that 'F'.

Wednesday 22nd February - It's a very sad day, My work bestie of 5.5 years is leaving :(

Tuesday 21st February - Season 1 done! Loving this show........

Monday 20th February - Whitney mania! Long live the Bodyguard!

14. Create a Tradition

I have had MANY a suggestions for little number 14 - and overall a few traditions will prob come from this list (yearly Super Bowl parties are a must), however I have had my little heart set on this idea and so the tradition begins...................

PANCAKE TUESDAY (aka Shrove Tuesday)!!!

Let them eat Cake, or in this case 'PAN'cakes!

When I was a wee child, I do remember the delight of Pancake Tuesday and when we were lucky enough to have them made for us before school (Shout Out Aunty Nene!) - So it was time to bring this tradition back! I thought it would be a fabulous idea to indulge in some Pancakes yearly on Shrove Tuesday and one day (in the far far far away future) continue this fun with my own kids! and Mule, if you're lucky :)

Was it everything I had hoped?? Well, the first few pancakes cooked turned out fabulous, but then our mix went a bit down hill and a lot following turned to mush - lucky we have a lot of years ahead of us to perfect this day!! Everything still however went down a treat, how could they not, pancakes are going to taste good in any form.

Here are some pics to document our fun!

READY..........

SET..........

FLIP!



Topping Choices..............

TA DAH!

And in review, L O V E  Pancake Tuesday!

18. Eat like a vegan for a week, or something similar.........

WE MADE IT! and by 'we' I mean my delightful other half Mule and I, as he was lovely enough to join me on this culinary adventure!

As previously mentioned, we had come up with our list of 'rules' for this week's challenge, which you can find here.

So how did we go?!

Overall, it challenged us to be creative in the kitchen and we came up with some absolutely delicious meals with the foods we were allowed, however we realised just how much prep work goes into eating like this on a regular basis - every meal needed to be prepared and then basically made from scratch! Lucky I live for organising!! Here were some key points from our week of el'natural!

• Shopping for Fruit & Veg at the Farmers Markets was a hit - so cheap, so fresh, and something we are going to try and continue doing each fortnight.
• The markets are full of delicious healthy treats (see fruit juice pic below) which got us off to a great start!
• We both feel a lot lighter and healthier, with one of us losing 2.5kgs (not me), DROP IT LIKE ITS HOT!
• There were some moments where it felt like we were taking part in a round of 'Biggest Loser Temptation'. Its crazy how many temptations one can come across each day.
• Craved a lot of things I wouldn't normally care about, just because it 'wasn't allowed'.
• Mule and I really can be Masterchefs when its needed (pat on the back!)
• We are now going to attempt this food plan at least twice a year.........

Here are some pics from our week of 'getting back to basics':

Hitting the Farmers Markets Saturday morning.

Delicious Market Treat

An oldie but a goodie!

Vegetarian pasta made with organic spinach pasta from the markets, and our own home made pesto

Temptation time.......

I was even inspired to go natural with my face wash!

All in all, a great week to 'detoxify' and get back to normal after a busy Christmas and January! Go on, give it a go......................

Sunday 19th February - Loooove these on the weekend!

Saturday 18th February - Went to watch the Brisbane Roar take on Harry Kewell's Melbourne Victory!

Friday 17th February - Home made fish & chips. Delish!

Thursday 16th February - Early morning sun making it so much easier to get up!

Wednesday 15th February - A little valentines day gift from Mule xx A treat for when the food challenge is over :)

Tuesday 14th February - HAPPY LOVERS DAY!! This is a pic of the cakes currently tormenting me behind my desk........just like Biggest Loser Temptation!

Monday 13th February - Trying something new.................

Sunday 12th February - Let's see what all the fuss is about Red Dog!

Saturday 11th February - Love this picture. Friends for life x

25. Ride a Tandem Bike

I want to ride my bicycle................................

Another item on the list bites the dust! Ride a tandem bike - check!

We had the most amazing weather in Brisbane over the weekend so whilst already trying to eat el' nat-u-ral this week (number 18 on the list), we continued with the health kick and got in some good old fashioned exercise!

Firstly, a big THANK YOU to Mule for helping me complete this challenge, especially as it was life threatening at times!!

On Sunday morning after a little research we found a bike hire company situated at Redcliffe, and they had a tandem bike available. Delightful! Required bike + scenic water views for our ride (although i think maybe i should have been keeping my eyes on the path............)

Here are some pics with our double bike! Double the fun??!!!!

The verdict! Whilst a little scary at times, I LOVED it! Mule, not so much!! You see I took the front position (shock!) and from what I understand, the back can be quite full on - with no control over steering, a blocked view and a partner who keeps jumping off the bike when scared rather than breaking, I can kinda understand why! Yes, I may have tried to stop 'Fred Flinstone' style with my feet rather than the breaks - oops!

All the fear aside, once we got going it was actually a lot of fun! A bit of random fun for a Sunday morning :) If you ever come across the opportunity, I would recommend giving it a whirl!

One final thought on the matter - we made it through our ride argument free (for those that know me well, you will understand this is quite impressive!) - Mule must be the one for me x

When I grow up, I want to be a FRUITARIAN!

Well not quite! But after all the food mentioned in the post below, I thought it was time to tackle item number 18 on the list - EAT LIKE A VEGAN OR SIMILAR FOR A WEEK.

I have come to the realisation that I don't know enough about veganism (is that a word!) to 100% commit to that for a week - somewhere along the way I would do something wrong (so many hidden animal products trying to sneak up on me) and someone would point it out and tell me that my week didn't count - and we don't want that!!

I do however still want to embrace healthy choices for a week and have been researching the whole idea of a 'Clean Living' / 'Caveman' type diet. This basically means trying to eat as naturally as possible and aim to eat unprocessed foods wherever possible. Further research has found a lot of conflicting data on which items are allowed so I have come up with my own list! If I stick to the below, I believe I will have achieved my goal!

The official list of things I can eat!

• Anything in its natural state that has not been processed
• Organic meat
• Grains
• Organic bread, with no additives
• Organic pasta made from natural ingredients
• Herbal teas
• Soy milk
• Extra virgin olive oil

Starts tomorrow! 7 days, game on!

I need a last supper........................

19. Have a Super Bowl party..........

USA, USA, USA!!

A little soiree was thrown this week to knock number 19 off the list! OH WHAT FUN!!! Could I have been more in my element and felt more American?? I think not!

The stage was perfectly set with my team, the New England Patriots (GO PATS!) facing of in an epic Super Bowl 46 showdown against the New York Giants. Unfortunately the result didn't go my way (sad face) but the whole day and mini 'party of 4' did and we were provided with a nail biter game that came down to the final seconds - FABULOUS FUN!

We donned the unit in red, white and blue (naturally), put the buds on ice - which were consumed out of red cups (a must!) and had an overload of yummy American food. I'm talking bagels, pretzels, Pop Tarts, buffalo wings, Krispy Kremes, Hershey's Kisses, Peanut Butter Cups - OH.MY.DELICIOUS!!

Big shout out to Mule, Nelly and Chazlet for being involved in all the fun and making my SB dream come true. Long live this tradition!!

Here are some happy snaps to remember the day by:

National Anthem time, we were very patriotic!

Sophie says D-FENCE!