Meatless Monday - Cob Loaf Love....

I got the whole idea of Meatless Mondays from this page....I think its an awesome idea. Although we don't go meatless every Monday, I do try and have a couple of meat free dinners every week.

Lately we have had an over abundance of bread in the freezer because our church gets leftovers from the local bakery once a week - so I had to track down a yummy recipe to use it up! This one is perfect for a cob loaf or even a regular uncut loaf.


Layered Vegetable Cob Loaf
( Adapted from an Exclusively Food recipe here)

You will need about half a medium butternut pumpkin, two large zucchini and a large capsicum for this recipe.

270g red capsicum
550g peeled butternut pumpkin
2 tablespoons oil
350g zucchini, ends removed
250g mushrooms
1 round cob loaf, unsliced (about 20cm in diameter)
50g baby spinach leaves
150g feta cheese, crumbled or sliced
44g (1/2 cup) parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
2-3 tablespoons pesto (we used sundried tomato pesto)
Salt and pepper

(My Variations: I used green capsicum, sweet potato egg plant, zucchini and baby spinach leaves - with tasty and mozzerlla cheeses. I also used pizza sauce instead of pesto. To prepare eggplant, slice up, salt each side and rest for awhile on a clean tea towel. I just fried them in a bit of oil, make sure the oil is hot enough - or else the eggplant will absorb too much oil.)

Cut capsicum into quarters and remove seeds and membrane. Place under a very hot grill, skin side up, until
most of the skin has blackened. Remove from grill, place in a small bowl, cover and allow to cool. (I had never done this before, its super easy and the capsicum is so tasty!)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Cut pumpkin into 1/2cm slices. Place on a baking tray, toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and
pepper and bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Turn the pumpkin once during the cooking time. Set
pumpkin aside to cool.
Slice zucchini lengthwise into pieces 1/2cm thick. Cut mushrooms into 1/2cm thick slices. Toss zucchini and
mushroom with salt, pepper and remaining tablespoon of oil. Grill or pan fry until vegetables are golden and
cooked through. Set aside to cool.
Remove charred skin from capsicum. Cut capsicum into strips.
Cut a ‘lid’ from the top of cob loaf and set aside. Remove most of the bread from inside the loaf, leaving a 2cm shell.

Spread the inside of the loaf and lid with pesto.
Use about half of the pumpkin slices to line the base of the cob, pressing down firmly. Create layers with half of each of the remaining vegetables. Top with half the feta and parmesan.
Repeat the layers, pressing firmly, until all the ingredients have been used, or the cob is full. Replace the lid and tightly wrap the loaf in aluminium foil.

Place cob on a large plate and top with an unturned plate. Place something heavy on the top plate to weigh the loaf down. Refrigerate for at least a few hours to allow the loaf to consolidate.
If serving the cob hot, heat the foil-wrapped loaf in a moderate oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 30 to 40
minutes.

If serving cold, remove the foil and place cob on an oven tray. Bake in a very hot oven (220 degrees Celsius) for 5 minutes to crisp the crust. Cut into wedges to serve. (this is what I did to reheat it the next day for lunch.....mmmmmm :)


I adore this meal - however, I would also like to note that my kids hated it and only wanted to eat the crusty bread without the fillings....whatever ;) it made for some yummy lunches for me for the next couple of days!

Worth The Wait!.....

I have been wanting a herb garden forever....so a little while ago I got really definite about it and my awesome supportive husband went and bought me some coloured tubs, potting mix and seeds to get me started.

Admittedly the soil filled tubs sat outside for a few weeks before I actually did anything!

However, in my defense, I was doing research!....I wanted to get it right - and plus, I was super freaked out that they were not going to grow....that I would over water them, or not water them enough, or that I would plant the seeds too close together....bla bla bla.....slightly over dramatic, I know, but this was my first time growing anything and I would have been totally devastated.

So anyway....I decided to stop sitting around and just plant them already - the worse thing that could happen was that I would have to try again....right? The seeds were planted, I marked my calendar, and watered them nearly every day and night. (My awesome son took over watering duty this past week, he loves the responsibility!) By day 7 I was a little concerned - nothing was happening.....I reminded myself to be patient and I kept on....

AND around day 12....

They started growing!!

The first sight of green was soooo exciting!! :) I showed my kids, I showed my husband - I was super stoked!! Within a week every plant had started growing....it was working!!! I was/AM growing a herb garden!! Yay!!

I am feeling very awesome right about now! Thinking about planing some flowers next....:)

All About Me.....

Spending a lot of time in this room, in this chair lately....
my study space!

I have been hyper-aware of myself lately....I think its a combination of temple preparation classes, study deadlines, general conference and visiting teaching (I am a newbie!). More that ever I am aware of the fine balancing act that is required to keep on top of things and to stay spiritually focused.

I am slowly beginning to understand the necessity and the immense blessings available when adhering to the principles of the gospel with exactness. (ps. super loving the Visiting Teaching messages these last couple of months!! - I swear they were just for me! :) I just have to keep striving to live them....daily! This is where the balancing act comes in.....cause its rather hard, and requires constant vigilance (love your recent post This Girl Loves To Talk! exactly what I have been thinking about lately) .

Which leads to something else that I am learning - I will never be perfect. Not that that is new a revelation...but knowing that I will almost constantly require correction to varying degrees to keep myself on track....AND more importantly, realising that this is not failure! Tomorrow will always be a new day and it will be whatever I decide to make it.

So bring on going to the temple soon, the last four weeks of uni, crazy study, brilliant marks and just awesome life in general!!! :)

I Am Still Here!!!....

Its been ages, I know.

I think the semester holidays relaxed me so much that it was extremely hard getting back into the uni study/family combination. But, I am here, if only for a moment (studying for my final mid-semester exam tomorrow), and I wanted to give an update.

My life has been consumed with the usual family/study/dancing/cooking/cleaning - and although my head has been filled with 'blog thoughts' none actually made it on here. Sorry :) Michael and I had our 6 month anniversary a few weeks ago, we didn't do anything to celebrate (that I can remember!) but it was just nice to take a pause and bask the awesomeness of our life together.....I am so happy with him, it is all quite brilliant! I could go on, but I won't ;)

I have also been doing a little more dancing thanks to Raw Connection's 2 for 1 weekly class deal. Loved it! Although it really makes a different adding one extra night of dancing to my life - I was a little wrecked and not getting enough done - especially on the study front. So now I have had to take a couple of weeks break to study for these exams. I am definitely looking forward to dancing again next week though! :) Raw Con have also started up a half hour open DJ session before class - so for a week I was stuck in the late 90s, going through my CD collection and putting an old school R&B/rap playlist together. Super fun! This week I will be putting together some funky/smooth soul tracks for the gold coast class. I think some of this will go down nicely. :)

My Butt Lift challenge is still going - and its been great! I have increased my leg weights and my resistance band. (Is my butt higher? Looker nicer?? I think so, or at least Husband thinks it is! :) This past month has been off, however, due to busy life-ness....I am hoping my weight work at the gym will keep the strength up until I get back into it. It does feel great to set yourself goals and actually see results! Yay!

Speaking of goals, my goal for attending the temple this year is going well - even better than well, I didn't expect it to come about so fast. I admit, that freaked me out a little! (ok alot, it freaked me out alot!) I expected when I told Bishop I was feeling ready to get serious about my preparation it would be at least 3-4 months away. But no, he put me in the temple preparation class that was to start in a few weeks. I had my first lesson earlier this week. It was intense and brilliant! I have had a couple of challenges already just getting that started - the exciting thing is that challenges proceed blessings....I definitely have to keep reminding myself!

So yeah, that is some of me these past 6 weeks....gotta get back into more regular blogging after exams.

Don't Be A Hater.....

I washed my car today (last week). Its been awhile....like I really can't remember the last time I did it.

It's hard to care when your car is as undesirable as mine is. It rattles, its loud, it has peeling tinted windows, the body is dented and marked, the glove box fell off a few months ago - sometimes I look at it and want to cry *sigh*

But when I think that about my car I feel really bad. I got it almost 3 years ago for $500-ish off my brother. He was going to trade it in - I paid more than he would have got for it, but I totally scored and it was a huge blessing. I didn't have much funds and I was in desperate need of a car.

I can't hate on it.

It may look and sound like a piece of junk, but I haven't put that much money into it and it still runs reliably.

My husband's daughter had to get a new car this past week, and I looked wistfully and all the cars I would like to replace my car - Nothing fancy, 2nd hand under $8.000, manual, etc (I know my fantasy specs....:) It would be awesome for the first time in my life to actually choose my car.

BUT

I really don't want one right now. I am happy/satisfied with my little car - it gets me around and I don't cringe too much when the kids do what they do.

However, when it finally stops running, I won't be too sad to see it go. ;)

 My car, when I first got it - I am not going to post a photo of it "now" :)

Lesson Learned.....???

Things have not gone my way this week/end and I am not dealing well at all. I put my neck out earlier in the week....I was good to myself, I rested, I heat packed, I got acupuncture, my whole little family was praying for my recovery....I had faith that it would all work out in time.

It didn't.

Well, actually Thursday night was great, I was healing wonderfully and everything was still going as planned. I tried to get up at 5.30am Friday morning - something went, and I was in agony....I could barely move and it was excruciating just to sit up.In that moment, it was over - No Ball, no routine....and I cried. Both for the pain I was in, and in disappointment. Disappointment that all my plans were over and that I was letting my dance partner down....especially that - I hated having to make the call. I cried on and off all day. Yay.

It wasn't just going to a Stake Ball either - there will be plenty more this year all over Brisbane.....It was just a chance for me to be in a social environment with people that I had been going to church with over the past six months - they really don't know anything about me....and they would have got to see me dance with Michael. That sounds really selfish - but its not that I think I am awesome, I just wanted to share something I am totally passionate about.

So anyway - as I said, I am not dealing well  - I hate not being able to do things that need doing, I can't just neglect that house, I still have to feed the kids and be a mum.....In saying that, Michael has been wonderful. He took that day off to drive me to all my appointments and to run the errands I needed to do and as I type this he has made pancakes for the kids and is folding my massive mound of washing - he would probably do a lot more if I let him. :)

One thing I have learned, is that I have a tendency to be a whinging b*tch with things aren't going as I have planned. I am terrible, I get angry and irritable at everything. Its not a very pretty personal revelation. *sigh*

As a sit here, packing heat, trying to ignore the filthy floors and to hold my tongue (after already apologising for my snapping at people....again).....I am wondering why? What can I learn from this?.....What does this show me about myself? (aside from the obvious ;) - and its this moment, I am grateful - for the trial, for the pain, for the opportunity my husband has to serve me, and for being forced to stop and acknowledge that as much as I think I can, I can't control everything....and thats ok - its here that I have to learn to roll with the punches, take a break and jump right in again when I am ready.

Addicted To Psych.....

 If you know me, you would know I can be a little intense when it comes to things I like. I devour books within days, I play favourite songs over and over and OVER,  I can eat a whole jumbo popcorn (seriously ;)....and TV shows are no different. I have been super bummed out that one of my favourite shows, "Psych", was hardly getting any airplay and for ages I could only get one season on DVD....

So these holidays I just decided to download it.

A greedy couple of weeks and five seasons later - I am overloaded, but still I could go more - alas I have one episode left to watch and I am waiting for Michael to get home to watch it with him.

Luckily the kids love it almost as much as I do, so when Michael was away for the week we had marathon Psych afternoons - it was the best part of the holidays.



If you haven't seen it, you are missing out on some seriously hilarious wise cracking, fist bumping, movie referencing goodness....Whaat?!

Best.Show.EVER