Happy, um, not Monday?

The reason why I need to get to the farmers markets!
Source: Single Minded Women

Hi hi! Sorry my Monday slice of love and gratitude is very late. I had every good intention of writing this post when I got home from uni and a staff meeting Monday, then got ridiculously sidetracked by my first piece of loving this week…

FoodBuzz has just started the most amazing contest. 2000 bloggers (well 1,889), whittled away over 10 rounds until finally there is one winner. Loving to read other people's adventures with food, I started browsing through the contestants, and 4 hours later it was 1am, I was loath to stop reading, and my 'followed' blog list had at least tripled in size!, It has seriously reinforced my love of blogs by young, active guys, a rarity in this area of interest, and I've found some amazing new reading material, Here are some of my favourite finds:

• Food Makes Fun Fuel & The Kitchen of a Runner – Both of these guys have reinforced my love of young guys blogging! This is a seriously female dominated area, and it is great to read the kitchen exploits of two active, health conscious young men with awesome appetites. Not to mention they've given me some great ideas for taming the hungry animals over at Safari.
  
• The Flexitarian Foodie – I had no idea what a flexitarian was until having a read of this blog. Must say, she's going to become one of my regular reads, as I love her writing style, and some of the yummy looking posts.
  
• Gluten Free Betsy – Everything I saw on her blog looks seriously yummy! Mumma Dryad is gluten intolerant. Well, that, or allergic to wheat, we're not really 100% sure. Either way, we've been doing a LOT of gluten-free discovery since she figured this out. I'm going home next week, so we may have to give a few recipes a whirl, and see how we go!
  
• Poor Girl Eats Well – Awesome advice for uni students, or anyone else on a seriously tight budget. This woman is amazing, and makes living off a small amount of money look very appetising!
  

I'm loving the way Geelong is currently gearing up for the UCI Cycling Championships, starting this next week. Lacking the "Cats in the Grand Final" buildup of the last few years, it's nice to still finish off September with a bang. The town has got a general tidyup, people have been painting the power boxes, and this time next week, the place will be crowded with 200,000 sporty/athletic types and their entourages. I'm not going to be here for the first half, which disappoints me greatly, but hopefully I should still get to see plenty of action, since my house is literally 25m from the main straight of the course. I have heard some people being quite negative about the whole thing, but having witnessed the annual tourist influx in Alice Springs, and the life it brings to the town, I'm seriously looking forward to the event!

Warning, shameless work plug! Mr Hyde is starting breakfast! I'm actually seriously excited about this, because even before I started working at Hyde, I loved the food. Seriously, pancakes topped with gooey berry goodness, and a heavenly cark hot chocolate to start the morning? Yes please! In case you didn't know, we also do $3 coffees for students all day, every day. That's cheaper than uni caf, not to mention better quality, direct-trade coffee. So who's coming with me to the breakfast launch on Saturday morning?

My favourite thing about this time of year is the insane amount of fresh produce starting to pop up all over town, and cheap. Seriously, last week I spent $13 in Fruit Shack on enough veges to last me 2 weeks! Course, they're not organic, and not all local, but it WAS all Australian produce, and with my return to studenthood, I'm trying to save money, so I'm not complaining too much.

This has been a rather food orientated Happy Monday, but then it's been a very food orientated week for me! What's getting you fired up this week?

Love, Neysa xo

Foodie Friday – Yummy Sprouts

This week, I did a massive fresh veg shop, and came across super cheap fresh brussel sprouts. I don't know about anyone else, but when I was a kid, I used to hate the things. We used to get them at Grandma's, and they came out of the freezer, went in to salted water, and were boiled until they were grey and kind of slimy. Probably zero nutritional value by the time they reached your plate. It's a shame, because brussel sprouts are high in many of our essential vitamins and minerals. Figuring that sprouts are pretty much just tiny cabbages, I decided to have a crack at cooking them the way my mum cooked cabbage for us as kids. Thankfully, huge success, and a hit at our family dinner last night! Unfortunately, in between all the talking, eating and laughing, I forgot to take photos, but I have some sprouts still in the fridge, so there will be one coming!

Tossed with penne makes a delicious dinner

Wok-tossed Brussel Sprouts

Serves 3 as a side dish

The Line Up

12 fresh brussel sprouts
2 rashers middle bacon, roughly chopped with rinds removed
1 onion, diced finely (I used 1 half Spanish, 1 half brown for some colour)
1 clove minced garlic

The Game Plan

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or frying pan, then add the garlic, stir for 10-15 seconds, then add the diced onion. Stir fry until the onion just starts to turn glassey, then add the bacon. Continue to stir regularly until cooked.
2. Meanwhile, cut the tough bottoms off of the sprouts, and remove the out layer of leaves. Depending on the size of your sprouts half or quarter them, and then add them to the wok with your onion and bacon. Stir the greens through, and continue to toss until they become just tender. Don't worry if they break up a little bit, adds to the asthetic! When they are ready, the sprouts should still be a bright green colour, but slightly tender.
3. Serve immediately, alongside just about anything!

The Interchange

• I haven't really experimented with this one yet, and am interested to see how it goes without the bacon, though I feel it would need something in addition to the onion & garlic to have the same impact.
• Sprouts are ridiculously good for you, even containing anti-cancer properties*. This is especially true when raw, stir-fried or lightly steamed. I've used them in place of baby spinach on toasted sandwiches, as an addition to my easy chicken stirfry, or even raw with some sort of dippy type thing (Cream cheese with sweet chilli sauce? Yummo!). Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!
  

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,

Love, Neysa xo

*maybe, a little bit... look, I lost the reference and can't find it, mmmk?

The Student’s Guide to Medical Support

Source: doodle and hoob

Almost everyone I know at the moment has a case of the sniffles or a sore throat, myself included. Aside from the usual maladies that arise with the change of season, it's getting to that point of the academic year where students are simply burning out. Long nights studying, several months on a poor diet consisting largely of Mi Goreng noodles, and more slabs of alcohol than you would willingly admit to having consumed, it all starts to add up, and your immune system gets hit hard. Sometimes, the cure is to curl up on the couch in your trackies and a blanket, chow down on some comfort food, drink hot chocolate and devour a book or some movies. But when your body crashes out on you, it's important to know how to get in contact with the right people…


Your Uni Health Service
Most universities have a student health service, usually consisting of a couple of full-time nurses, and a visiting doctor. These services are great, as you can duck in between lectures, and the staff tend to be very conscious of the problems facing uni students, not to mention university procedures if you require time off to recover. Remember to take your Medicare card, as they will usually bulk bill your visit, but be aware that you may face out of pocket expenses for things like inoculations, blood tests and procedures. The one main problem with on campus doctors is that the appointments can fill up weeks in advance, but if this is the case, you should be able to ask them if they can recommend another nearby doctor.

Bulk Billing Clinics
Outside of on-campus services, bulk billing clinics are the next best things for the sick student. They usually have a number of doctors on duty at any one time, meaning they can move through more patients in a shorter space of time than smaller private practices, and the best bit is it's free if you have your Medicare card! You don't normally have to have an appointment, but from experience, it can be a good idea to make one, in case you suddenly find yourself on the end of a 2 hour wait. Clinics are your best bet if you need to get prescriptions renewed, doctors certificates issued, or have issues you don't really want to discuss with your usual doctor. Just be aware that you may not always get the same doctor, meaning you'll have to be prepared to give someone new the low-down on your history every visit, because whilst files are usually shared at these clinics, the doc doesn't know you, and will ask questions accordingly. These places can also be quite drug happy, i.e. will prescribe something just to shut you up. If you're not sure why they're giving you something, or if it is the right treatment for you, don't be afraid to speak up and voice your concerns. Get them to explain exactly what it is, and why they're providing you with the script. If you're still not comfortable, seek a second opinion.

Prescriptions
Your trip to the doctor won't always end with a pharmacological solution, but if it does, you'll need to get your script filled, preferably sooner rather than later. It pays to have a look around at different pharmacies, as the one next door to the doctor can also be the most expensive! If you have a Health Care Card or concession, you can get some medicines at a reduced price, which is always appreciated by the bank account. If your prescription allows for you to get a generic brand, seriously consider doing so. Generics are exactly the same drug, in the same delivery format, but sold at a lower price. Same is true for over the counter drugs, such as paracetamol or antihistamine. A company has a monopoly over the production of a drug for the life of its patent, at which time it can be picked up by other companies, increasing competition for market share, and driving prices down, meaning win for the consumer! Here endeth the economics lesson.

Ambulance Cover
Nobody thinks they're going to have an accident, but if you do, the last thing you want to be worrying about is a $2000 bill from the Ambulance service for the ride they gave you to hospital. In my first week at university, everyone in our course was advised to get ambulance cover 'just in case'. Considering the dangers involved with science, with all its chemicals, glassware, fire and explosive hazards, etc, it's probably not surprising that I took that advice on board, and I'm very glad I did. My situation wasn't an accident in the lab, a broken leg at football, or getting into a fight while in town one night (all of which I have witnessed). I had an asthma attack at 2 o'clock in the morning, in the middle of uni break while no one was around, and had no way to get to hospital. If I hadn't had Ambulance membership, that ride could have cost me a huge amount of money, and not having the ride could have cost me my life. In my opinion, $75 a year is a small price to pay for knowing if I have an accident, my family isn't going to get hit with a huge bill while I'm still recovering. Some private health care funds have ambulance cover built in to them, and some states have a free public service, so check your situation before signing up!

Don't leave it too late
If you've been off colour for a few days, consider going to the doctor. Sometimes they can give you a certificate for a few days to rest and recover, or even make sure it's not something more than it looks. Always think in advance, especially if you're fluey and have assignments coming up. If you ever have persistent pain, numbness or tingling in your limbs, develop problems with your speech or sight, have recurring headaches or experience chest pains, ALWAYS see a doctor as soon as possible. Pay attention to your body, rest, and keep up your fluids and vitamins, because prevention and early intervention are always better than living through a full-blown illness.

Finally, the disclaimer – NEVER use this post against or in lieu of professional medical advice. Always use your common sense, and only follow advice you feel comfortable with. If you're not comfortable with the advice, seek a second opinion, or a third. If the problem isn't going away, persist until you get answers!

Love, Neysa xo

My Tea Chest – Golden Monkey

Yes, this is how I work!

During last summer, I drank I ridiculous amount of tea. I find this slightly amusing, as I drank more hot tea during out hottest months in Lorne than I have all winter at home since. In no small part, this was due to the Erskine River Tea House, which I visited almost every day as a way to escape from the monotony of working and living in the same building. I'd sit there for a few hours, reading a book, or working on my writing, and go through at least one pot of tea, trying a new one each time. Towards the end of summer, I started taking notes about the various teas that I was drinking, with a view to sharing them on my blog. A bit late now, considering we are now approaching summer once more, but as the old clique goes, better late than never!

The first tea I took notes on was called 'Golden Monkey'. It's a black tea from the Fujian province of China. The full leaf tip is curled tightly when dry, and resembles the hands of a monkey, which is where this particular variety gets its name. When brewed, these unfurl into beautiful, long, unbroken leaves, which themselves remind me of fingers. The tea brews to a golden honey colour, with a sweet aroma, itself reminiscent of honey and light stone fruit, maybe peach or nectarine. It's quite robust, with a slightly woody or earthy quality, is naturally a bit sweet, and pleasantly lacks astringency or bitterness. Well, usually lacks bitterness, I once let it overstep while distracted, and the result was almost unpalatable, so I recommend not going over 5 minutes. It's milder than your typical English-style black teas, very smooth to drink, and well-rounded on the palate. I've read some people's opinions on Golden Monkey teas, and didn't detect the chocolate tones that are often described, but that may be either my underdeveloped palate, or a variation between batches.

On the whole, a lovely tea that I highly recommend. Erskine River Tea House were selling it at AUD $12 for 100g way back in February.