Tuesday 20th December

 

Good Morning Everyone!

I very nearly slept in this morning, because the plug for my chargers came out of the wall during the night. Luckily my body woke up at 5.45am and I noticed my phone was dead when I went to check the time.

I'm pretty tired this morning after getting home late from seeing Rogue One again for date night. It was totally worth it though, I enjoyed the film more the second time. I understand the intentions of some of the characters more now and it made the story more satisfying.

CrossFit was very strength based today. We started with a 500m jog then lots of stretching (which was great after the leg workout yesterday.)
Our Metcon was a 10min AMRAP of:

21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Shoulder to overhead with a barbell.
And 50 bar hops between each set.

Since it was high-intensity, I could only lift a lighter weight but I made it all the way to the round of 6. For strength today everyone did a 1 rep max clean lift (ground to front-squat position.) It was hard for me to push weights because my technique still needs work. It's a little frustrating, but I know with some practice I'll get there.

I really craved toad in the hole this morning. It's so easy and so delicious. I'm going to watch some Sacconejoly's before I hop on Twitter and catch up with everyone.

Today's pre-run snack: a banana, coffee, and a healthy mince pie made by my Mum.

It's a beautiful sunny day for a run, the wind is a little gusty but look at that blue sky!

I was craving a protein shake when I got home. I don't think I've been getting enough protein into my diet lately, so I need to get back to these smoothies. Today I just blended some frozen banana, almond milk, chocolate whey, and peanut butter.

I am in love with these Atkins bars lately. I kid you not, this one tastes just like a Snickers bar. It only has 1g of sugar and 2g of carbs. It's the perfect treat size!

Time for an afternoon snack. I was craving a tuna toasty, so I opted for a healthier version with Freedom bread (gluten-free and lots of seeds!) I'm also having some chopped mango on the side.

These shoes are still the best $30 I ever spent.

Tonight's dinner is: vegetarian sausages with roast veggies and spinach on the side. There's extra chili on the sweet potato for a spice hit!

 Blogmas is keeping me so busy that I've been having a coffee after work to help me get more writing done. It really helps!

Scheduling a few tweets while I have a mini Big Bang marathon. Buffer is such a life saver!

Just a short one today, but I'm really happy with how my eating went. I'll be taking a few days off blogging in the lead up to Christmas. It's just so that I can enjoy family time and not get stressed out about work. Lots of baking (and eating) will be done in the meantime!

How have you found blogging in December?
Steph x.

My Favorite Movies Of 2016!

Let me just say that I am a shameless lover of blockbuster movies. Slap a Marvel logo over the intro and I'll pay $20 to see it. Any kind of action/adventure with explosions or a cute romance film will make my Saturday night worth leaving the house for. I know this year has been pretty hard on the world, but in terms of film-making, we have been given some pretty amazing distractions. More books have been made into movies and these superheroes are on a whole new level. It's an exciting time for a nerd like me!

Deadpool

Ryan Reynolds really outdid himself on this one. I always knew that Deadpool was a hilarious and kick-ass character in the superhero world, but seeing him on the big screen just cemented him as one of my all-time favorites. Some of the gritty stuff isn't my thing, but the humor really made up for it. All I need now is for him to team up with the Avengers so I can watch him cause all kinds of trouble.

Suicide Squad

I know this one got mixed reviews, but I bloody loved it! It was nice to watch some bad guys forming a team to kick ass and not worrying about doing the right thing. With all of the superhero films around at the moment, it was a nice break from all of the serious stuff DC produces. I was so excited to see Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and she totally nailed it. Even though Will Smith was bad-ass as ever, I think my favorite character was Captain Boomerang. He makes me giggle so much in this movie. 

Miss Perigrine's Home For Peculiar Children

I went along with my family to see this, mainly for their benefit. I wasn't overly excited about the movie, but I left the theater absolutely loving it! So many lovable characters, a bit of adventure and some magic on the side. It had that typical Tim Burton feel and a few creepy moments that I wasn't expecting, but in good way that it added to the experience. I've bought the book and am planning on buying the DVD once it's been released.

Captain America: Civil War

An obvious one, but how could I not love this film! It's like the Avengers but better because it we get a new Spiderman, Bucky Barnes, and a villain smart enough to take down the whole team. I liked that Cap was more of the rebel in this one and Tony was behaving himself, it made for an interesting change. It was so good to see Ant Man in the mix as well. If you couldn't already tell, I would be on Steve's side too.

Doctor Strange

God bless Marvel for bringing Benedict Cumberbatch into the MCU. And also for bringing that multiple dimension/magic element more into the superhero world. It's one of the reasons I love the Thor movies. I also enjoyed how their powers are all about the strength of your mind, rather than your body. Just goes to show that if you study hard, you'll be rewarded. Can we please talk about his awesome cape?

Star Trek: Beyond

Fun fact for you: Even though I wasn't in the right generation to watch the original TV series, I really like the recent films! The chemistry between the characters is always so natural, and it has a good balance of humor and emotional moments. I liked that this new installment took them away from the depths of space and into a whole new environment. Plus, Chris Pine looks pretty good on that motorbike and blue jacket...

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 

I waited all year for this to be released and I was not disappointed! As soon as I saw the Warner Brothers logo in the clouds, I felt like I was straight back in the Wizarding World. I don't know what I love more: Newt Scamander and his new friends or the amazing creatures he has in his case. I totally saw the Grindewald reveal coming, but there were lots of other surprises that I loved. J. K Rowling really did the most amazing job of the screenplay, and I'm so happy she's back to writing about magic again! I'm also happy that everyone loves Hufflepuffs now, we are pretty cool after all!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I'm not gonna lie, the first time I sat down to watch this I was a little frustrated with the first half of the film. But after seeing it a second time, I realized how brilliantly it shows the realistic side to the rebels and what they had to sacrifice. This movie is such a great addition to the film franchise and I can't wait for more stories to be released.

What were your favorite movies from 2016?
Steph x.

Baking With Ro: Moon Cake!

It feels like it's been forever since I dove into the Nerdy Nummies cookbook. There's still so many amazing creations in here that I'm dying to make, as well as what's on Ro's YouTube channel. 

This past weekend was crazy busy with two birthdays in my family. Every year I love making some kind of cake for my Dad (my brother doesn't like icing, so I bake him brownies instead.) This year I thought it would be fun to put a theme to it and make a moon cake! My Dad is obsessed with anything space related and we are going to be seeing the new Star Wars film, Rogue One. Perfect!

This cake is very simple; it's essentially a vanilla white cake that is baked in a bowl instead of a tin. I used the recipe given by Ro in her book. The measurement conversion is always tricky, but it turned out really well.

Ingredients: 

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder 

1/8 tsp salt

1 stick salted butter, at room temp

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

 1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

5 large egg whites

3/4 cup whole milk

Note: I didn't have any shortening, so I just added slightly more butter and it worked fine.

Preheat oven to 350*F or 175*C

Grease an oven-proof glass bowl with butter or cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside. 

In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening with an electric mixer until it has softened. Add the sugar and beat until it's light and fluffy, scraping down the side of the bowl as you go (about 3-5 minutes.)

Beat in both of the extracts. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each. 

On a slow speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. The mixture will be thick once mixed together. 

Pour into the prepared bowl and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the oven for fifteen minutes, then drop the temperature slightly and slow-bake it for another 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Leave to cool them remove from the bowl carefully. Level the top with a knife if needed, then place flat side down on a cake board or large plate. 

Place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill and to stop the surface from crumbling as you decorate. 

For the craters, use a small ice cream scoop to make holes in the surface. 

Using whichever buttercream frosting you like, mix in a little black food coloring until you get the desired grey. Make sure to mix it well, so that the color has blended evenly. 

Spread the icing over the cake and level it out using a spatula. I used a spoon to help spread the icing in the craters. 

Hint: If you aren't happy with the texture, simply chill the the cake in the fridge for thirty minutes and try again with another layer. Or have a tall glass with hot water to dip your spatula into to help get a smooth texture and get rid of excess icing. 

Feel free to add any other space-themed decorations on top. And it's done! 

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and it was super-easy to make. 

Make sure you check out Ro's book and her YouTube channel for more ideas like this one. You'll be baking like a pro in no time. 

What do you think of the cake?

Steph x. 

Daily Blog: Sal's Pizza & Rogue One!

Happy Saturday!
Yesterday was a crazy-busy day, I barely had time to change out of my running shoes. After training and a quick lunch with Mum, I had to sit in a hair salon to get my roots done. I'm looking forward to spending my morning reading some blogs and catching up on Twitter.

Time to go for a run. It's getting quite warm outside so I'm wearing my Oakley tank with the sides open and Nike Pro shorts. I'm also particularly proud of my ab progress today.

While we were out on our usual track, we could see the new adventure park that's opened up on the hills. It's just mountain bike tracks at the moment, but they're going to be built up over the next five years. It's about time we make use of our outdoor playground.

My hay fever is really playing up today, but it was a good run. The blustering wind also made it an interesting challenge.

My Mum had to quickly run across the road to our hair salon for a cut, so I'm going to wait for her before having some lunch. I ordered a coffee then couldn't resist getting one of their famous date scones! There was only one left and it felt like fate. Never one to miss an opportunity to get some reading done, I finally started my book on CrossFit. So far it's looking like a great read.

Finally time for food (and more coffee.) I went for the mushroom medley again and it was as good as it looks.

One of the reasons I love this cafe, is that they are all about Fair Trade and giving back to people. They sell some of the cutest gifts, including a few tote bags I plan on picking up soon.

Guess who finally remembered to wash her makeup brushes?

Working on a baking project for my Dad's birthday that I'm turning into a blog post! Can't wait to show you the end product.

I know I don't usually condone packet food like this, but my hay fever has been bad today and I need something to help my sore throat. I'm also having a whole wheat bagel toasted with some oil on the side. I can always justify it as protein!

I had to rush off to work, but it was surprisingly quiet tonight which was nice. We also got given some secret Santa presents! I won a small bottle of wine that I'm now planning on turning into a cocktail on Christmas night. 

Since it's my Dad's birthday today and my brother's tomorrow, we are all doing dinner and a movie. I met them at Sal's Pizza (after getting lost. Typical Steph.) How cool is this place? The food makes for a perfect cheat meal too!

It's finally time to see Rouge One! I was a little naughty and got a salted caramel ice-cream for the movie, but it was so good that I can't bring myself to feel guilty. I won't give away any spoilers, but if you are a Star Wars fan I highly recommend it! There were a lot of claps at the start of the credits.


Important question: what is your ideal cheat meal? I'd love some ideas.
Steph x.