Armchair Collective (Monavale)

My bestfriend friend took me to a local cafe in her area called "Armchair Collective" for brunch a few months ago - i absolutely loved it! Inside the cafe there are lots of things on display for purchase like kitchen accessories, homewares, flowers, everything interior. They also had an assortment of cakes, breads & muffins to choose from take away or eat-in (with a coffee would be perfect!)

It was about 11am on a saturday morning and the shop was bustling with families, couples, a few people looked like they had just finished a jog or came from the gym, a very positive vibe in the air everyone was chirpy with smiles on their faces, a really great atmosphere for catching up.

I really loved all the flowers that were around, its such a smart way to brighten up the cafe/shop, and to have them available for purchase too, we had this white lily(?) on our table which was sooo pretty.

It took about 15 minutes before we got a table, after a lot of eye hawking people to finish their meals, standing close by looking at things so we didn't look suspicious of stealing their table as soon as they stood up to leave (haha, it felt a bit wierd doing this but it was the only way to get a table!)

soy mocha

A really lovely mocha which i wish was served in a bigger cup! hehe.

pot of chai tea $4.50

This was served in a very stylish set up: on a wooden board with a funny tea pot (that yielded 3-4 cups of tea) with two mini dishes of honey and cinnamon. I didn't try any but Ann is a huge lover of chai and she gave this a thumbs up.

spicy scrambled eggs on soy linseed toast w spinach avocado + roasted tomatoes $16

My eggs were scrambled nicely but i saw no hint of spice at all! The spinach was bland (some kind of dressing would be nice) and my avocado half had the little hard head of pip still attached on it (i find this annoying, do you?). Also, my toast was plain i would've liked some butter but at that point i was just too hungry and just dug in.

the collective baked breakfast of eggs, spinach, beans + sausages $18

Ann's meal was quite substantial and at this price i think its reasonable, she couldn't finish the beans or the sausages though, a very big serving indeed.

I'd love to go back one day and try the "brioche french toast w berries, mascarpone + maple syrup $16" as that sounds delicious! And i'd like to have a look at the pots and teapots again, i just love exploring homeware shops i can't wait to have my own home i'll decorate it so nicely!

On a completely different topic (still food though) here are a few different bento boxes i found online- they are sooo adorable!

Healthy toasted coconut muesli

Has it been almost a month? I apologise for disappearing, life has just been a bit crazy, although i won't go into detail.. i will try harder to post more often :)

Inspired by Maria's sugar-free coconut granola, i went out to buy some coconut flakes and made my own version.

What i love about Maria's food blog is not only her photo's (which are always gorgeous) but all her recipes are healthy and good for you, i know she is a bit of a health nut so i have courage in trying her recipes and sharing with my friends who are also health conscious.

What i found about this recipe was that with my oven, it required about 4 times of turning before it got to the colour that i wanted, so you could even turn it once every 15 minutes and you would be safe, it won't burn!

I made 2 batches, one for my lovely couple friend Ann & Chris, (Chris i know likes granola/toasted muesli) and Stella, my girlfriend who cannot eat gluten and so i omitted the quickoats, and so i hope they all like this!

Healthy toasted coconut muesli

1 cup quick oats

125grams coconut flakes

50grams almonds (unroasted)

30grams chia seeds

30grams pepitas

30grams sunflower seeds

35grams coconut oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

(serve with any type of milk that you like)

1. pre-heat oven to 140 C (lower to 120 C if you have a fan forced oven)

2. mix everything together and spread onto a baking tray lined with paper

3. bake and watch it at either 10 or 15 mins and turn batch over with a spatula, and put back into the oven, keep doing this until you get the colour that you want.

* * *

I was a bit bored, so i calculated the kilojoule count and ended up with:

including quick oats 1870kj/100gram serving

without quickoats 1570kj/100gram serving

So even though it is quite high, and a bit higher when you add milk, you will know that your mix has no preservatives, extra sugars, or anything nasty as you have made it all yourself :)

Vegetarian Meatballs - & my trip to the Healthy Chef cafe in Avalon

One of my favourite websites (which has been, ever since i stumbled across it) is the stone soup

www.thestonesoup.com

I love how simple her meals are, with minimal ingredients and effort required, and that they are healthy, fresh, and delicious, and that you can cook for one or two, or even in big batches to freeze.

This recipe really appealed to me because it's a 'mock' version of meatballs, and id love to be able to feed these to my friends and have them be surprised at how nice it is, even if it contains no meat! It impressed two of my friends, Stella (this is also great for people who are gluten intolerant since it uses almond meal) and also my friend Da binh, who has been a vegetarian all her life. Big bear said it was okay, just missing that 'meaty' taste, he said it 'wasnt too bad'. So for meat eaters, this might not be for you, but definitely if you are trying to eat healthy, i definitely reccomend giving this recipe a go, its so quick and easy - and cooked really well in my convection oven (25 minutes) as i like the balls to be crisp on top :)

before i put it in the oven

lentil balls with tomato sauce recipe

(recipe from here)

takes 5 mins prep + 20 mins cooking

serves 2

i doubled this recipe, and made 9 large balls, froze a few and kept a few for lunch at work

1 can lentils (400g/14oz), drained

75g (3oz) almond meal

1 egg

1 jar tomato passata (tomato puree) (700g/24oz)

parmesan cheese, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F).

2. Roughly mash lentils in a large bowl with a fork, then add almond meal and the egg. Mix and season.

3. Place tomato passata in the base of a large oven proof dish. Using a soup spoon, form the lentil mixture into small balls. Placing them in the sauce as you go.

4. Drizzle very generously with extra virgin olive oil and bake for about 20 minutes or until balls are firm and the sauce has reduced a little.

I also sprinkled in some chilli flakes & dried basil to give it a bit more flavour.

after it came out of the oven

As well as trying out healthy cooking at home, i always try to order the healthy options when i go out to eat (sometimes im naughty though! but it's healthy to cheat once in a while, it keeps you fromc raving the bad stuff all the time, allows you to stay sane)

A little while back, Stella, my good friend, drove us out to Avalon beaches for yoga, a beach run, and then lunch at 'the healthy chef cafe'.

Yoga - was fun! Since then i've bought my own yoga mat, aiming do give my body a good stretch out atleast once a week.

Beach run - is so much harder then normal running! it was a great work out for the legs, and in the short distance, it felt like a really long run with the after burn i got later in the day

You can check out the healthy chef website here, and also check out the cafe menu here.

They cater for vegans, vegetarians, meat eaters, people intolerant to gluten and dairy, there's is something for everyone but the main focus is on healthy eating which is great!

& here is a list i found on the site too- enjoy!

Teresa’s 10 steps to eating well:

1 Eat plenty of seasonal vegetables and fresh fruit and choose organic wherever possible.

2 Foods should be served as close to its natural state as possible, without processing, additives, preservatives, artificial colors or flavors.

3 Use healthy cooking methods like steaming, baking, grilling, sauté or stir-frying and eliminate deep fried foods

4 Cook with lots of fresh herbs and spices not only for taste but for their health and medicinal properties this will also allow you to use less salt.

5 Include nuts, seeds and super foods daily as they provide you with an abundance of minerals, vitamins, fiber and essential fats for optimum health and well being.

6 Eat healthy cold pressed oils such as extra virgin olive oil, macadamia nut, avocado oil, sesame and sunflower oil and other virgin nut and seed oils in moderation. Avoid trans fats and hydrogenated oils.

7 Keep to a low allergy, low GI diet this includes reducing wheat and excessive coffee consumption.

8 Stop counting calories, Instead just adopt a sensible approach to wellness with healthy food as your focus.

9 Try to keep red meat to a minimum and replace with healthier protein sources like fish, seafood, eggs, organic chicken, turkey, beans + pulses, nuts, seeds.

10 Drink plenty of water and avoid soft drinks, alcohol and excess sugar.

bright green cups used to get your own water from the counter

Gluten free lemon polenta cupcake

chocolate milkshake

dandelion tea

iced soy chai

My iced soy chai was so refreshing, and not to sweet (they used just a hint of honey).

toasted gluten free banana bread

I'm not sure if it was the fact that they toasted it on a grill, or that it had specks of coconut flakes in it, but this was the best piece of banana cake ive ever had! i really miss making banana bread, and eating them, as they are still soo expensive (AUD$10 per kilo).

Poached Salmon with zucchini linguini and green goddess avocado

I wanted a zero carb meal and this was perfect - zucchini linguini is such a smart idea, (tossed with parsley, mint and lemon salsa verde) and the salmon was poached in apple juice - id love to recreate this meal at home.

organic poached egg w/ baked beans bacon spinach + hint of salsa verde

Bacon and organic egg panini with caramalized onion and tomato relish

(i think this was ordered on a wholewheat bun instead of panini)

Everyone at our table enjoyed the food, and we all felt really' healthy' eating is, especially after the yoga & beach run. This is an example of the perfect day out for me, some physical activity outdoors, on the beach, near the water, followed by a delicious and healthy meal, this has become one of my favourite cafes, i'll definitely come back again.

R.I.P

William Tran

8.3.1991 - 3.9.2011

I am glad to have met you

Although our acquaintance wasn't long

You have taught me that life can be short

that even tomorrow i could be gone

this is why i believe

you should live life to the day

and make the most of what you have

don't dwell on the things that you dont