if i had 24 hours in sydney…

It’s been a year since I’ve been in Sydney and (go figure) I miss it so much! I can’t wait to visit again soon, but when I daydream all I think about are the top things I would do if I had one day to spend in Australia again….
IMG_3245First, I would go for my morning swim in Coogee. I lived right across the street from the beach and couldn’t go about my day without a fresh dip in the cool water.One day, a girl who worked at Love Juice in Coogee Pavillion told me she was very jealous of my morning routine, seeing as I would show up wrapped in a towel, with wet salty hair and sandy feet. I’ll never forget when she told me “you never regret a swim”…which takes me back to a time that I told myself that as I jumped into the rough, sea-weedy water on a stormy day… might have regretted that one.

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Wrapped in my towel and barefoot, I’d make my way over to Coogee Pavillion. I’d get an almond flat white and chat with my favorite people working there. Coogee Pavillion was one of my favorite Marivale restaurants–I’d do anything to go back for some pizza there too! I found myself sitting at he high tops for hours on end working on school work and my blog. It was peaceful to watch all of the people coming and going, and seeing people walk along the beach sidewalk.

IMG_1362I wouldn’t think twice about doing the coast walk! I love going on walks with friends or sometimes alone to clear my head. Each bay throughout the hike was so special and beautiful. The picture above is Gordon’s Bay, just at the beginning of my coast walk….

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…and at the end are the Bondi Icebergs! I never went for a swim in any of the ocean pools, but I was so fascinated by them! The water from the ocean would flow right into the pools.

IMG_2683And then there was brekky at Porch and Parlour at the very end of the walk! I could eat there for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I had my way! 
IMG_2835At some point in the day, I’d be sure to pay a visit to my Aussie family! Michelle is like my second mom (I love you too, mom!!) And her kids are like my younger sisters and brother. This was when we went to Opera Bar to see the sunset before seeing a show at the Opera House. It was such a beautiful night!IMG_2708And OF COURSE, I would go to Messina for the best ice cream in the entire world. I’m pretty sure Messina was the leading cause of my weight gain in Sydney, but it was so worth it! They have a list of specials every week, and the line is always down the block!

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Dinner would 100% be at Three Blue Ducks. I love sitting up at the bar and having hand made cocktails with kangaroo tartare and their pork belly! Yeah, you probably just read that and thought those both sounded equally disgusting, but don’t knock it till you try it! They also just opened The Farm at Byron Bay, which I will definitely be visiting next time I am there!

So there you go…I’ve hopefully sold you on Sydney, and successfully made myself want to cry after making this post. It is such an incredible place, I can’t wait to go back and explore more!

xx


let’s not keep this on the DL

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[image from @dirtylemondetox]

Who here hates cleanses? I do! I feel like every time I try to do a detox cleanse, I want to eat everything I’m not supposed to eat even more! I even tried a 2 week cleanse that had a whole list of foods I couldn’t eat, and one was red bell peppers…guess what I craved? Red bell peppers! So bizarre… anyways…

Dirty Lemon Detox is the light at the end of the dark tunnel of cleanses and detoxes. It goes in line with my eating lifestyle: everything in moderation. I eat a healthy diet, but there are times where oreos or a few extra tacos are essential to a happy day.

This detox drink contains activated charcoal, cold pressed lemon juice, dandelion root and ginger. Charcoal drinks have been making an appearance lately, however, most contain pure cane sugar to add sweetness.

Charcoal has been around in the wellness world for some time. It is used in extreme cases to extract poison and even help patients who overdose on drugs. In our case, the amount of charcoal added to the drink is just enough to help you feel less guilty about that late-night pizza order (or in my case, an extra side of bacon with my avo toast!)

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I enjoyed sipping on DL in the late afternoon or even after dinner. It helped ease digestion and went to work on my daily food intake. I even enjoyed it in the bubble bath, instead of a glass of merlot!

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I also follow their Instagram and love their cheeky posts!

You can order Dirty Lemon on their website, where you can add your phone number to coordinate your next purchase (because you will want to buy another detox!) You get six bottles of DL for a one week detox for $65, which is worth the price! I already have my next order on its way after all the continuous birthday celebrations (and sweets!)

[you can also see this post on bondtwenty.com, sign up today!]

xx


makin’ banana granola (not pancakes)

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{photo via: minimalist baker}

It’s been a rainy week here in Sydney…boo! The one thing I love doing on rainy, cold days is to stay in and try baking something new. My mom makes this amazing banana granola that she shared to me from Minimalist Baker, one of my favorite food recipe blogs! Her Banana Bread Granola will make your kitchen smell amazing, and it’s so easy to make! There are only a few ingredients needed, and you probably already have them stocked in your kitchen so it saves a trip (out in the rain, in my case) to the store. I added almonds and used coconut palm sugar instead of raw sugar. I also was generous with measuring the wet ingredients to make sure every bit of granola got banana syrup! 

I already had a bowl with my favorite coconut yogurt and Orchard St. green meadows juice this morning. The only downside is that the remainder of the batch will be taunting me from the kitchen all day while I stay in : ) 

The one thing missing on this rainy day is my baby Tucker. He’s the best snuggle bug! I’d do anything to have him in Australia with me : ( 

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acai addiction

Happy Monday! Ever since I got home for the summer, I’ve been going to 3 Natives for my daily acai bowl fix. I’m pretty sure the people working there think I’m crazy considering I’m there almost every morning… So, in an attempt to save time and money, I found the Sambazon acai sorbet and created my own breakfast bowl! This is super fun to make with friends or family and can be personalized to any of your favorite fruit and topping preferences:

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Just stir the softened acai in a bowl (mix in peanut or almond butter if you prefer) and add as many toppings as you want! I added some organic peaches (hint hint, 3 Natives!). I also mixed in a little bit of raw honey and dang coconut chips. If you haven’t tried dang, you haven’t truly lived..just saying. I also like to add some bee pollen, maca powder, and vanilla granola too.

I will say, this bowl was almost exactly the same as 3 Natives. So for those of you who don’t live in the area, you can try it out or yourselves in your own home! However, for me, I just love making the trip there after yoga with friends and family! I also just remembered I have a free acai bowl from my 10 punch card (don’t ask me how many of those cards I’ve been through…)

Hope you all have a great week! : )

 


i’m just doing what i love…

The best part about summer–wake up, take your time, go on pinterest, and then some yoga or pilates–well, at least that’s what I’m doing for now! Lauren made these amazing coconut buckwheat oat jars yesterday, which go great with my favorite green fiend juice from 3 Natives.

I absolutely love my tassel necklace from Bohemian Summer Boutique. Not to mention, the owner is one of my best friends (new website coming soon)! And of course, I can’t go without mentioning my iPhone case from evoncase.

I’ll just be here, pretending this is what I do everyday… enjoying the moment!

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happy mothers day!

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It’s so nice to be home and celebrate a special day!  Lauren and I made these delicious pancakes with berries and chocolate chips (she made the “mom” since I’m not as artistic).  My dad used to make “names” pancakes when we were little and it’s been a tradition ever since.  Maybe someday I’ll post the old video of him making them when we were little–my mom sent in home videos to iMemories and we have so many old videos to watch!  

I hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating your mothers and grandmothers!  

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Me and momma back in the day : )