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~ Mostly Recipes & Musings on Health

This Sydney Life

Tag Archives: Friendship

Things Julia Child has Taught Me (That Have Nothing to do With the Art of French Cookery!)

02 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Joanna in Food, Random Stuff

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Career Change, Cooking, Friendship, Health, Health Coaching, Julia Child, Learn to cook, Passion, Quotes

TSL Julia Child

Isn’t that the BEST pic?
(Original image by Paul Child)

I’m a little bit in love with Julia Child. You could say I have a girl-crush on her.

Don’t know who Julia Child is? – Where have you been?

In a nutshell, Julia was a TV chef and author. She is most famous for adapting complex French cooking for everyday Americans, in a time when cooking was not in vogue, with her groundbreaking cookbook ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’.

Mainly, I love the paradox of Julia – so very sensible and yet, at the same time, so wonderfully kooky and eccentric.

And, I love that she was middle-aged before she found her true passion. She may have started cooking in her thirties (like me!), but it was much later that this became her driving force. And, she found such joy in her cooking.

Julia Child gives me confidence that I can change direction. In a big way, too.

So, today’s post is a celebration of Julia…

TSL Julia Child Quote

I totally relate to this. I didn’t really start to cook until my thirties, either. But I have always loved to eat! And if you haven’t yet really mastered cooking, it’s never too late to learn!

And, it took me a while to find my cooking mojo. Like any craft – learning to cook takes practice. It’s only by trial and error that you gain confidence.

But, the really great thing about being able to cook is that everybody has to eat.

Sure, some people enjoy food more than others, but everyone eats… And, it’s a skill that will ensure you never have to eat another take away meal again (unless you really want to!).

TSL Julia Child Quote

I’m not a fancy cook. Nuh-uh! In fact, my preference is to keep things pretty simple. Unless it’s a special occasion, of course.

But I do insist on good ingredients. The best I can find. By this I mean – as Julia says – as fresh as possible, minimally messed with (preferably organic), and locally grown if I can get it.

That also means I head to my farmers market every weekend. LM comes with me. So does Bella. And, anyone else I can drag along. I love it. I talk to the farmers. I buy what’s in season. And I get ideas for my cooking experiments. LM is a willing subject!

While I’m a big advocate of keeping things simple, I have learnt that some level of planning is key. Having a good stash of homemade stock (bone broth) at the ready in my freezer means I can always whip up something healthy and tasty, even on those nights I can’t face cooking from scratch. Once a month, I make a big jar of fermented vegetables (TSL’s House Kraut), which keeps my gut happy! And, I’m a fan of batch cooking.

You’ve heard me say it before – Cook once to eat twice or thrice. That way, there’s always something in your larder as back up.

TSL Julia Child Quote

I’ve discovered that I’m really passionate about getting healthy. I’ve been doing this by applying the principles of Sarah Ballantyne’s Autoimmune Protocol.

Over the past two years, I’ve changed the way I eat. I’ve changed the way I approach sleep (hint: it’s a priority!) And, I’m pretty committed to managing my stress levels, too.

Along the way, I’ve been voraciously reading, learning and trying out realistic ways we can apply healthy changes to our every-day lives.

And, it’s been so successful for me that I now want to share that knowledge by working with others to effect healthy changes to their lives. I’ve recently qualified as a Health Coach. I’m in the process of designing my website. And, this blog will eventually migrate over to the new site.

So, you’ll notice a few changes heading this way at Casa TSL in the coming weeks. More on that in a later post. I hope you’ll stick with me…

TSL Julia Child Quote

The more I explore this healthy living gig that we’ve adopted here at Casa TSL, the more I realise that I will never know everything there is to know about it. Impossible.

And, I’m not alone. New discoveries are being made every day.

For example: – even five years ago, we had no idea just how important the health of our microbiome was to our general well-being. We hadn’t made the connection between gut health and how it has the capacity to affect such diverse aspects of our physiology as our mental health and our immune system.

And, I’ve discovered I really like learning about health. It’s such a positive topic – especially when small changes can have such dramatic effects.

So, the wonderfully ebullient Julia Child has taught me a lot. I’ve followed her advice and found something I’m passionate about. And, I AM tremendously interested in it. It’s inextricably tied to cooking real food well. Which is mighty convenient – because that’s also a passion for me. 

Have you found something you’re passionate about?

 

A Weekend in Flowers…

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by Joanna in Random Stuff, Sydney

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Claude Monet, Colour, Florist, Flower, Friendship, nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sydney

Flowers by LM

Flowers by LM. Vase by Rosenthal.
(Image by LM, Creative Director)

It seems my weekend has been punctuated with beautiful blooms.

First up we have LM, who has christened himself Creative Director of this very blog. It’s a role he takes very seriously. As a result, this Monday I give you the paper daisies he bought for me at the markets on Saturday – purchased specifically with my Rosenthal paper bag vase in mind.

He buys me flowers at the markets every week and he arranges them himself. Lovely man.

Earth laughs in flowers. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Jodie McGregor Flowers

Flowers by Jodie McGregor Flowers
(Image by LM, Creative Director)

Next, the flowers purchased for a lovely spa buddy who cooked us a delicious meal on Saturday night.

Flowers for TSL

Flowers for TSL
(Image by TSL)

The flowers I unexpectedly received from my lovely spa buddy! I just love the colour of those roses.

I am following Nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. (Claude Monet)

Flowers by Jodie McGregor Flowers

Flowers by Jodie McGregor Flowers
(Image by LM, Creative Director)

Housewarming flowers for my Australian ‘other’ Mum & Dad who move into their new home in Sydney today. Happy new start, Ann and John!

It really was a weekend of flowers here. Hope yours was equally lovely, wherever in the world you may be.

Thanks to an introduction by my Creative Director, Jodie McGregor Flowers is now my florist of choice here in Sydney. The crew there – whether it is Jodie herself, or one of her fab’ team always exceed my expectations. I particularly love the arrangements they do with Australian natives.

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