Supa Green; The (enormous) green smoothie post!

  

My pint of green deliciousness.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with green smoothies, they are a simple (but completely amazing) drink, made from fruit, green leafy vegetables, water, ice, & sometimes juice. Green smoothies are quick & easy to make, but for best results a powerful blender, such as a Vitamix is required.
Green smoothies are packed with nutrients, & because the ingredients are liquified, those nutrients are easily absorbed by your body :0 Simply put, I believe this is one of the very best things you can include in your diet!

 Basic Green Smoothie Recipe

Requires:
Powerful blender, such as a Vitamix, or Blendtec

Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized, ripe Banana (or 2 small ones)
- 1 Green Apple - Rinced, & quartered, with seeds removed.
- 1/2 a Grapefruit
- 1 Orange
- 2 handfuls of Kale Leaves
- 2 handfuls of Spinach Leaves
- 1 cup pure, Organic Orange Juice (no cordials, etc!)
- 2 cups Water
- 4-6 Ice cubes

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients, except the ice cubes into your blender.
2. Start the blender on slow, & gradually move up to it's top speed. Blend on highest speed for 25-30 seconds, adding an ice cube every 5 seconds or so.
3. Once ingredients are liquified (this should take no more than 40 seconds, tops!) switch back down to your blenders lowest speed, & turn it off.
4. Now your amazing drink is ready! Pour some into a large glass, & enjoy! : )

This recipes yields approx 3 large glasses of green smoothie, & it's fine to store in the fridge overnight to drink the following day.
There are many green smoothie recipes around, & you can try different combinations of fruit/greens, depending on what's available in your area.
There is a wide variety of greens that you can use, some of my favorites are -
*Spinach
*Kale
*Dandelion Greens
*Silverbeet (aka. Swiss Chard)
*Cos Lettuce
*Bok choi Greens
*Beetroot Greens

Be sure to rotate between greens to get a good variety, & because drinking large quantities of only one green may upset your tummy.
Greens vary greatly in taste, & it can be a good idea to work your way up, starting with something very mild like spinach, which adds little to no taste.
As a basic guide, you can start out with only a small amount of greens (say one handful) & add more each time you make a smoothie. I like my smoothies to be 2/3 fruit, & 1/3 greens, + the liquids. Usually I only use one variety of greens per smoothie, however all greens combine well with spinach because of it's mild flavor ;)
Green smoothies are a bit different from most other drinks, & you may not love them at first, but keep it up, & soon you'll never want to be without them!

For more info check out, Green For Life! this is where I learned about green smoothies.
Here's a short video to help get you started -

 

Go chug some green everyone!

Oh snap, another one!

'Let's do it!'

For all my Pokemon bros.

More drawings - OC's

After another long dry spell, I'm back into drawing. I really dislike the irregular patterns I have when it comes to digital art, & as I get older I seem to draw less & less, which makes me so sad.

Recently though, it's just pouring out, I doubt it will last long, but I'll keep it up as long as I can -

'Gonna be late...'

'Hands off'

More to come.

Just because; Japanese mochi (Daifuku) & Finn the human

This is a 'just because' post, encompassing two things I love, but really have nothing to do with one another c:
First up, Japan! I have been interested in Japanese culture, language, food, etc for over a decade (:0) I've studied Japanese, & in 2005 I was lucky enough to travel to Japan whilst studying the language. Much of my Japanese language skills have dissolved over the years, however I still draw a lot of inspiration from Japan, & regularly investigate recipes, movies, etc for ideas :)
Recently, along with a couple of friends, we experimented with making mochi.
Mochi is essentially a soft, (often slightly sweetened) dough, made from glutinous rice flour. It's not overly complicated to make, however, it's quite different from any western cooking that I had encountered, & it can be a bit intimidating. More info >>> Mochi
Many recipes use a microwave, but I shun electrical appliances, so I found a more traditional technique, where the dough is steamed instead.
When the dough is ready, you then wrap it around a filling of choice, in this case we used fresh strawberries + chocolate, it was amazing o_o Prepared in this way, they are known as Daifuku, & are very popular around the world :) More info >>> Daifuku.
Another popular filling for daifuku (which I really love) is sweet red bean paste, commonly known in Japan as 'Anko'
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These are our daifuku -
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They were a little rough, but they tasted really good, they were by far the best batch we have made so far :)
The process of wrapping the mochi dough around the filling is a little tricky, & takes practice, but it's fun too.
Here's a great recipe for making daifuku, it's a little different to how we did it, but it gives you a good starting point to work from :)
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I'll post the recipe I use soon, after I make some more!
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Secondly, & completely unrelated to mochi, or Japan, is my Finn figurine!
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LOOK AT HIMMM!!!

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He valiantly stands guard beside our TV, I feel happy very morning when I see him :) Now I just need a Jake to go by his side...

Day out at Hurstbridge Wattle Festival

Yesterday was the annual wattle festival in Hurstbridge. The festival started 10 years ago, & has since grown into quite an enormous event, with live music, art, activities, market stalls, & even rides. I found it all a little overwhelming, & I have to admit that it seems to be becoming more commercial, instead of celebrating beautiful local produce :/
All the commercial junk aside, there were some awesome things to see, the best of which, in my opinion, was the beautiful art, ranging from painting to woodwork, to sculptures. Another very interesting & quite unique attraction is the steam train, we didn't ride it, but just watching it roar along the tracks was quite a thing to see.
It was a great day out, & if you've never been I would highly recommend getting there next year if you can :)
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 Beautiful bright pink blossoms.

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An incredible wood sculpture, by a local artist.

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My favorite sculpture; a metal bonsai.

Coincidentally this was made by an old friend :)

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Rainwater harvesting, so much enthusiasm

Came across this video via permaculturenews.org, it's packed with amazing ideas for capturing, using, & reusing water, & quite honestly, I don't think I've ever seen someone more energetically enthused about what they're doing.
There is also a great video about sun & shade harvesting, which I also highly recommend, & you can find it at Brad Lancasters Youtube Channel.
Check out his website for more info - www.HarvestingRainwater.com.
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Rain water harvesting strategies, by Brad Lancaster:
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Recent activities...

Re-homing snails (away from my veggies)

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Walking/observing. Super green swamp FTW.

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 Building new compost area + hugelkultur bed.

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 Washing...

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 ^ Gathering firewood v

 Staring at the morning sky (I love sunrise & sunset)

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Making/eating pudding.

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Checking out these amazing blossoms!

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Among other things...

James Prigioni; video diary of an amazing permaculture garden

Eli discovered this channel yesterday, via permaculturenews.org.
It's a video diary of the progress of a beautiful permaculture garden, which incorporates the techniques of Masanobu Fukuoka, Sepp Holzer, Bill Mollison, and more.
These videos are informative, enjoyable to watch, & there is so much to learn from them. James Prigioni explores companion planting, seeds balls, hugelkultur, edging, and water management, to name a few.
Check out the progress of this garden starting from the very beginning (approx 5 months ago) & see the amazing changes that can be made to any plot of land to make it diverse, & productive :)
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One of my favorites so far; edging:
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Check out James Prigioni on Youtube.
Like, favorite, & comment on his videos to show your appreciation for his work.

The Permaculture Ukulele Project

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This is an absolutely outstanding project, aimed at delivering some of the key messages of permaculture to you via music & song :D

We bought 'PERMACULTRE: A rhymers manual' shortly after it's release date, & we're both in love with it. The music is charming, & the lyrics inspiring & entertaining, & each song is filled with thoughtful information :) We listen through the album every other day, & I can't recommend it highly enough! If you're into gardening, ukulele, permaculture, the environment  living green, or just clever, inspiring music then give this album a listen, you'll surely love it ;)

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Definitely a 10/10 from us.

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For more information check out Permaculturesongs.com.
Purchase the album from formidablevegetable.com.au.

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The album is gorgeous, & contains both original, & acoustic CD's, as well as

a handy booklet with lyrics. 12 tracks in total <3

Complete eco dental care; bamboo 'enviro toothbrush' + herbal toothpaste

Until recently I had never given much thought towards my toothbrush, I was already buying herbal toothpaste, having been disturbed to discover how nasty some of the ingredients in many toothpastes are, & that many companies use animal testing!
Whilst browsing one of my favourite online vegan stores I chanced upon these enviro toothbrushes, which are made from bamboo (a sustainable material) & they are completely biodegradable. We were due for new toothbrushes anyway, so I grabbed a pair, & they're great! They do a perfect job, just as good as any other toothbrush I have ever owned, & they're cheaper too :)
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These toothbrushes are available at veganonline.com.au, they are affordable, eco friendly, & work perfectly, they are available with soft, medium, or hard bristles, & also come in packs of 12 for convenience.
Grab one for yourself, or maybe a pack & share them around :P
While you're at it, why not grab some lovely herbal toothpaste, & some vegan dental floss! Complete dental care that's gentle on the environment, & animal friendly too :D
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I've got the complete set :P

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Keep those vegan chompers healthy, & don't forget to floss!

Walks; all of the nature! (lots of photos this month)

Yesterday I made the most of the good weather & went on 2 walks, one shorter one around our property for my old dog, & then a much longer one in a big park with a good friend, & her papillon :)
The sun was out, it was warm, & nature was pretty much yelling at me to take photos.
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Mini walk -
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Some kind of pretty clover.

The bloom is interesting, it looks like a flower inside a flower :0

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Big walk -
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 'Little Bit' the papillon, doing her thing : P

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 We found this funny structure off the path, in the bushes.

It seemed to be naturally formed, it was completely hollow with

a little opening at the back.

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 Moss 0_0 <3

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 Orange fungi.

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Beautiful rocky cliff face.

It reminds me of some fancy setting in a game : P

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That was my adventure for the day. A storm rolled in later, I should have taken photos of that too! Maybe next time ^(- v -)^

Bare foot & fancy free ヽ( °◇°)ノ

My favorite grass... Get bare foot as much as you can! It's awesome~

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Being outside makes me so happy, it's an instant mood improver.
The weather has been so mild recently that it almost feels like spring will come early, so I've been spending more time outside in the garden, bare foot & fancy free!
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The garden is coming along well, & I got a pic this morning to compare with the first one I took :) Take a look  v v v
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(April 15, 2013)

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 (July 18, 2013)

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Sorry for the different angles, but you get the idea!

So far we've had a good amount of salad greens, potatoes, daikon radish, & some chard & kale too. I'm really looking forward to starting seeds in the greenhouse in preparation for spring :D

Special Vegetable Satay Recipe \(^ ^)/

Here it is!

Special Vegetable Satay Recipe

Ingredients:

- 1 tsp Coconut oil (optional) *Alternatively peanut oil can be used 

- 1 medium Onion (red or brown is fine) - Diced

- 1/2 a Red capsicum - Cut into short strips

- 3 medium sized Carrots - Cut lengthways, & sliced

- 1/4 of a small Jap Pumpkin - Peeled, & cut into bite-size chunks

- 1 cup of Green Peas (Fresh or frozen) * Alternatively green beans could be used

- 1 can Coconut Cream

- 1/2 can of water (use coconut cream can)

- 3 tbs Peanut Butter

- 1/4 cup Sweet Chilli Sauce (I use Trident)

- A splash of Tamari Soy Sauce (I use Spiral)

- Fresh steamed rice to serve (Basmati is awesome)

- Spring Onion to serve - Finely sliced (optional)

- Fresh Coriander to serve - Finely sliced (optional)

Method:

1. Prepare the onion, & put it into a medium sized skillet, along with the oil. Then prep the rest of the vegetables & set aside.

2. Saute the onion over a low-medium heat, if you do not want to use oil, a little splash of water will stop the onion from becoming dry.

3. Once the onion has softened, add the carrots, coconut cream, peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce, a splash of soy sauce, & half a can of water. Then stir until well combined.

4. Simmer covered over a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the carrots soften. At this point check the sauce & adjust seasonings to taste, ie. more sweet chilli for sweetness/spice, more soy sauce for saltiness, etc.

5. Add the pumpkin, replace the lid, & simmer covered for another 5-10 minutes until pumpkin is cooked. Finally, add the peas, if you think the sauce needs thickening simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, otherwise cover & simmer for 5.

6. Serve with fresh steamed rice, along with toppings of choice, a pinch of coriander &/or spring onions adds extra flavour :)

Hope you all enjoy this lovely quick recipe!

As always, please please please be sure to read ingredients lists carefully to be sure the ingredients are suitable for you.

Photo tribute to my cavoodle, Addi.

She is the most amazing friend :)
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If you're considering getting a dog, especially a cavoodle (aka cavapoo) feel free to comment & ask me any questions, I will tell you everything I know!

Winter feeling...

Afternoon sun through the trees.

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Morning frost.

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 'Nabe' Japanese hot pot.