Downloadable Cleaning Checklists

Lets be honest here, we all can't be Martha Stewart and as much as I dream of waking up one day and having the time and skills to pull off the perfect house wife stereotype its just not going to happen, plus I am a disastrous DIYer, a messy cook and I hate hate hate with a fiery passion cleaning up.
That being said the one thing I hate more than cleaning up is a messy house, see my conundrum. 
Therefore I try to follow a simple list of tasks to keep my house as clean as possible, I created A Lazy Girl's Guide To A Clean House which you can download HERE for free because I am the laziest cleaner I know so having a cleaning checklist up on my fridge keeps me organised and makes having a clean house all that much easier.

Winter turns into Spring and I suddenly get this unbelievable urge to clean the house from top to bottom and everywhere in between. That's when I pull out my Room by Room Super Spring Cleaning List which you can download HERE and go to town! It's broken down into rooms and can be done anytime of year I just find that I am more likely to clean at the beginning of Spring hence why its a Spring cleaning list.

Well there you have it, this is how I try to live a little bit like Martha. Unfortunately as I currently work full time I need to be as organise as I possibly can to ensure that my house stays clean, some nights I would love to just hop straight into bed and fall asleep but I find if I don't keep up with the little things everyday soon enough there is just one big giant mess that I really don't want to clean up!
What do you think of my cleaning checklists? Do you do have any suggestions for my list?

Thank Goodness It's Friday

It seems lately that the weekend keeps creeping up on me, not that I mind I love my weekends but it feels like I have all this work to get done and then whoops its 5pm on Friday and I barely have anything done, oh well it just means that I am super busy on Monday mornings which is good considering the busier I am the faster the day goes.

Alright well lets get into it shall we.....
1 // My blog // So my mother peer pressured me into giving her my blog URL last weekend, I had been avoiding letting her read it as she went to university for a writing degree and well this blog has the writing and spelling skills of a 5 year old. I also treat this blog like a diary and would you let your mother read your diary? I didn't think so but at least I can harp on about Veganism on my blog and hope she reads it as no one listens when I try and talk about it. 
Hi Mum!!
2 // My Adult Bed //  This week our new king bed arrived, I keep calling it my first real adult bed as it is exactly what I imagined as a child when I would dream about Saturday mornings sitting in bed with my future husband and children. Dylan got us a great deal on it too as it was the last of the fabric they had left as they where changing to something else and he managed to get the lamps and bedside tables at a reduced rate because they are the last of the floor stock. I am so glad Dylan is good at bargaining because I certainly am not, they see me coming from a mile away and instantly know I am a sucker.
3 // Netflix and Chill // We decided to off foxtel and get netflix this week as foxtel was charging us a ridiculous amount (see told you I am a sucker) and all my sisters have netflix and keep raving about it, I am a bit devastated that there is no teen mom and Game Of Thrones but I am sure we will end up downloading it somehow or signing up to the HBO streaming service to watch GOT then unsubscribe after we have watched it.
4 // Spring Nights are here // We may only be half way through the first month of Spring but the weather has already started to warm up a considerable amount, so much so that tonight we will be watch the AFL final Adelaide Crows Vs Hawthorn Tigers outside on the projector whilst we have a bonfire to try and get rid of some of the olive branches that have been cut off. I doubt we will make a dent tonight as there are so many to get rid off but the end of the fire season is almost here so we need to get burning.
5 // Family Reunion // Sunday we have a family reunion, I am really not excited to go as I can't even remember who is who or what half the people attending names are and which families they belong too but there is no getting out of it! I was discussing helping one of my sisters break her leg just so we can get out of it but she wimped out on me (just kidding) so at this stage my plan is to have too much to drink then whinge about no vegan options and leave thus insuring I am never invited to another one again. 
Well that is it for my Friday, Saturday is going to be a lazy day and Sunday is going to be a nightmare but oh well I am sure the rest of my family is as excited as I am about the family reunion.

How was your week? Did you link up for Oh Hey It's Friday? 

Is privacy on the way out?

I have been thinking a lot lately about how safe and private our lives are these days with technology, in the blink of an eye someone can capture your image and use it however they wish too with you being none the wiser.

I recently had a issue at work where a child was playing on something dangerous and someone took a photo to prove that she had been on there in the hopes that her family would be reprimanded and something done with the item she was playing on to ensure another child doesn't play on it and then fall and seriously hurt themselves.
The family noticed that a photo had been taken and immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was taken to be used for something sinister, now that certainly wasn't the case and the person that took the photo was only doing so as it is part of their job to report safety issues but none the less the photo was taken without the child or parents knowledge.
In Australia there are no laws that stop someone posting photos/ videos of you taken from a public location, even when you are on private property. Someone can post a photo of you in your home or garden as long as it was taken from the public footpath.  
Now that technology is so advanced we really cannot expect our privacy to remain all that private, on walking into a shopping centre your every move is monitored on a myriad of camera's, you really cannot go anywhere with out your image being captured. 
At the end of the day do you feel content in knowing that crime is easier to solve because our images are constantly captured or do you feel on edge that days of full privacy are limited? I guess I am on the fence about the level of privacy we have but I am curious how starting a family and having to worry about my own children will impact my views on this subject.
What are your thoughts on technology? Would you be concern if some took a photo of you without consent?

Crispy Chilli Soy Tofu with Cauliflower Rice

Ever since going Vegan I have been avoiding recipes with tofu in them like the plague, as I had been told countless times that tofu is bland and gross by other people so rather than trying it and deciding for myself I did the smart thing and listened to other peoples opinions (I'm a real free thinker!).
I didn't even know what tofu was made from.....
Tofu, also known as bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks.
Mmmmmm doesn't that description make tofu sound even less appetizing, well the little adventurous optimist voice inside my head decided to remind me that a large percentage of the world eat tofu every day and I like soy milk so I most likely will like the pressed curd blocks (it doesn't sound anymore appetizing when you call them curd blocks) too.
I searched pinterest for some yummy looking tofu recipes and then merged them all together to make one of my new favourite meals......

Crispy Chilli Soy Tofu with Cauliflower Rice 

• 500 grams firm tofu, organic if possible
• 1 Tsp sesame oil
• 1 small head cauliflower
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 tsp mirin
• 1 medium red chilli
• 1/2 tsp sweet chili sauce
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1 bok choy bunch
• Spring onions

Before you do anything remove the tofu from packet, set out on absorbent paper towel and place a plate over the top then leave for 20 minutes to squeeze out any extra moisture in the Tofu. I didn't do this straight away and had to wait a extra 20 mins for the tofu to drain.

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Slice the tofu up into small cubes and plan on a lined baking tray then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until slightly golden and crispy.

3. Leave the tofu to cool.

4. Combine 2 cloves of garlic crushed, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 red chilli, 1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 tsp sesame sauce, 1 tsp mirin, and 1 tsp sriracha to make the chilli soy sauce for the tofu.

5. Once the tofu has fully cooled place in the chilli soy mixture and leave to marinate for 1/2 hour.

6. Shred the cauliflower using a food processor until it resembeles grains of rice.

7, Heat up a pan, then add 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 red chilli sliced, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 clove garlic crushed and the cauliflower stirring gently until the cauliflower crisps up slightly.

8. In another pan add the bok choy and 1 Tbsp water then cover with a lid and leave to wilt down for 2 minutes then add in 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and cook for another minute then transfer to a plate.

9. Place the tofu into the pan that was just used and pour in a tbsp of marinade, let the tofu crisp up slightly but watch out for the marinade catching a burning. Once cooked transfer to the plate with the bok choy.

10. Divide the cauliflower between 4 bowls then top with the tofu, bok choy, sliced spring onions lime juice and some fresh red chilli.

This recipe has shown me the wonders of tofu, super easy and fast to cook yet it tasted amazing. Not at all what I had imagined, I will be cooking with tofu constantly from now on.

What do you think of Tofu?
Do you have a tofu recipe I should try?

DIY Outdoor Movie Night

With spring finally arriving the nights are slowly becoming warmer and warmer which means we can finally bring out our projector and enjoy a DIY outdoor movie night.

(This product talk is bought to you by Nuffnang and Spotlight)
I have been talking this movie night up to friends all winter so its time put the effort in and make this movie night happen, luckily I don't have to put too much effort in as I can pick up most of my supplies from one shop.............................................. 
Spotlight.
I'll be honest here, spotlight gives me life! If I'm not struggling my way through a DIY disaster, I'm redecoration the bedroom with new quilt covers and throw pillows so my love for spotlight runs deep.
I had grand dreams of a movie night wonderland that made everyone reminisce the old drive in movies we used to go to as children so attention to detail was paramount and I went with a traditional black, white and red theme.
To create a authentic experience I made these super easy movie ticket invites for my friends and posted them out with a note that entrance to the "theater" would not be granted without a ticket (of course they could still turn up I just really wanted the drive in experience)

To make these adorable invites I simply created a ticket template using picmonkey then printed straight on the front of these black cards (using my office printer shhhh) nice and simple with maximum impact.

My husband created the screen by chucking up a square wooden frame 205 x 205cm and then nailing a large spotlight white Hudson Roller Blind 210 x 210cm. The material is a polyester so is similar to movie screens, holds the image well and will last longer than a simple sheet.

Of course no movie night is complete without a Snack Bar and Drinks tables, I'm all about the blackboard bunting at the moment and luckily you can buy them premade and write straight on them, I was super relived and I think the sign turned out far better than any of the bunting I have tried to create before.

Most of the snacks where vegan, I made amazing vegan chocolate chip muffins, fruit sticks and provided a mixture of sour patch kids but of course someone brought some non vegan chocolate and lollies but most people weren't too fussed about the vegan snacks on hand.

We had our own little popcorn maker that heated the popcorn up and then had to be turned out into the bottom when all popped. It was adorable but lead to a large amount of unpopped corn being thrown around at each other, I think next time we will need to not get so excited and turn the popcorn out as soon as we hear popping!
It was wonderful, we laid down a tarp and piled up all the beanbags and blankets we had and dragged out the shed couch so there was plenty of seating, the projector and speakers where placed on a little table and then we where ready to go. Thankfully it was a warm and clear night and the citronella candles kept the mosquito's away.

We watched one of the AFL finals and then the Tim Burton version of Charlie and Chocolate Factory, I feel asleep halfway through the movie and was woken up by Dylan who was putting everything away as everyone else had packed it in for the night.
Everyone had such a wonderful time, I think that this will become a summer monthly event. I think the little extra decoration flourishes from spotlight really added to the overall mood of the night and will certainly be reused.

If you are looking for idea's to put together a fun and interesting night I suggest you check out the Spotlight facebook page and instagram, there are a lot of great tips and tricks on there.

This night also reinforced the fact that I need a new good quality camera, hopefully Dylan will pick up on the many hints I made and pick me up one for Christmas.

What do you think of my DIY movie night?
What movie do you suggest we watch next time?

What I Ate Wednesday - A Wednesday In My Life

Lately everywhere I turn there is a celeb giving a day in their life spiel that to me is sooo ridiculously unattainable even for them. In honor of that today's WIAW is going to be slightly different and log a day in my life.

5.40am I literally roll myself off the bed and onto the floor, my brain is still half asleep and cannot take proper steps. I drag myself to the bathroom and spend the next 5 minutes playing games on my phone to wake up. Luckily I sleep in my gym clothes because there is no way I am going to get up earlier to hunt for clothes, then I pull my sneakers on and drive to bootcamp.
6.00am Arrive at bootcamp, I go to the one with the shortest distance from my house because no way am I getting up even earlier than this to go to bootcamp, I am punishing myself enough just going I dont want to deprive myself of sleep either.
7.10am Finish bootcamp and drive myself home, I am such a mess I have to stop quickly and open the door to take in a couple of fresh air deep breathes because bootcamp honestly kills me even though I am the worst one there by a landslide.

Post workout selfie, its hard being this good looking!!

7.25am - 7.45am I jump in the shower and depending on how exhausted I am I stay in the shower longer or manage to will myself out after 10mins. Usually my will power fails and I stand in the shower for as long as possible.
7.50am I chuck on some work clothes which I already have waiting for me, I organise a weeks worth of clothes on a small rack in my room because I know I wont have time in the mornings. Then I slap on some makeup, I currently have my go to face down to 10mins and if I don't put it on everyone always asked if I am sick because I look unwell. Thanks undereye bags and pale skin!
8.00am Get to work, take my transplant tablets and have a raspberry lemonade and a large soy chai for "breakfast" it is after all the most important meal of the day so I make sure to completely avoid it because CBF that early in the morning.

1:00pm I have spent the morning working in my office, if its a good day then I have sat at the computer doing paper work with the a/c blowing stale air around my office and the desk heater keeping my feet warm. Unfortunately its not a good day which means I have been running around dealing with tenant issues, chasing kids out the mall, more running around and just adding to my general exhaustiveness. Plus side, I am killing it in my fitbit step challenge!
1:30pm Lunch time, I forgot to bring leftovers from dinner last night so its a baked potato with tomato, cucumber and avocado from the cafe downstairs. This short break is a highlight of my day, I normally sit in my office and treat myself to a youtube video or read a book for my allotted half an hour or an hour depending on how much work I have to get done.

5:00pm Finally finish work and scoot into the supermarket to grab food for dinner, contemplate only buying oreo's but my will power for once pulls through and I buy the stuff I need to make pasta, whilst simultaneously talking myself out of going to yoga. A win and a lose for the will power I guess this makes us even.
5:30pm Get home and chuck my pj's on then spend the next 10min alternating staring at the pantry and staring at the fridge waiting for some magic vegan deep fried chocolately goodness that wont go straight to my arse to appear but it never does.
6:30pm Cook my pasta which is pretty much boiled pasta with garlic croutons and fresh garlic, chili and lemon yet I somehow manage to trash the kitchen and spend the next hour cleaning up.

8:00pm Cravings have set in, thankfully I have removed all forms of junk food from my house because I know if I didn't I'd be elbow deep in a can of pringles right now. I settle for some chocolate nice cream with dark choc chips that I forgot I had. Kitchen once again looks like a bomb hit it, how is it possible to make this much mess I will never understand, I only blended frozen banana's with soy milk and cocoa powder.

9:00pm  I clean the makeup off my face and put on my sleeping mouth guard (sexy!!) whilst Dyl locks the dogs away in their kennel then I put on Pirates of the Caribbean for the umpteenth time and fall asleep dreaming of Johnny Depp ahhhhhhhhhh.
I feel I should finish this post with a picture of me sitting naked on some weird wooden board with my legs crossed like they all do but don't worry that's not going to happen, the internet couldn't handle that much amazingness!!
But there you have it, there is a Wednesday in my life can you live upto that? Granted I only attend bootcamps on Monday's and Wednesday's all other week days I sleep in till 7:30am ahhhh its good.
What do you think of my day? What's your Wednesday like?

How to become a Vegan

I know that the idea of becoming vegan is daunting and almost terrifying at times. The thought of being judged by friends and family, having to completely change what you cook and eat, stop using make up, burn all your clothes, shoes and accessories, turn your hair into dreadlocks, ditch the deodorant and perfume, start protesting and throwing red paint on celebrities.
Just kidding..................................................
Granted if that's what you want then you do you honey, more power to you but the reality is that changing to a vegan lifestyle is pretty simple, there is no one way to live and most of the vegan community is supportive no matter how small the changes you begin with.
So I have broken down some tips I think will help when becoming vegan below.

• Become acquainted with your local farmers market or better yet plant your own vegetable garden, this means that you will always have the freshest of vegetables available and will help keep costs down.
• Don't be afraid of carbs! Eat both complex and simple carbs, just eat until you are full, no need to stuff it in and no need to avoid them.
• Buy all the banana's in the shop. Most fruit and veg shops will bag up the banana's when they start to become spotty and sell them a discounted rates. This when they are at their ripest so I always buy the whole display then I come home, peel them and store them sealed in the freezer.
• Eat as much avocado as you like. I know that some High Carb Low Fat vegans like to demonize avocado because of its fat content but at the end of the day a little bit of healthy fat is good for you plus avocados are amazing.
• If you like the mock meats and fake cheese then go for your life. I am yet to meet a mock meat that I enjoy so I don't cook with them but I am sure it would make the transition much easier. Also if you have a good mock meat let me know, I am still on the out look for a good one.
• Finally eat what you want when you want, as long as you aren't eating animals you are doing alright in my book!

• Make up is a very personal preference, I myself love a full face of make up or at least a bright lip and some mascara. Make up makes me feel confident and well presented so when I went vegan I was terrified that I would have to give that all up. Thankfully I didn't.
• There are quite a few cosmetics companies that do not test on animals, that doesn't mean that they don't contain animal products so if you are unsure just contact the company and ask if they are vegan.
• PETA runs a page that lists cosmetics that are not tested on animals, feature the PETA bunny label and are or aren't vegan. I thoroughly suggest checking the site out HERE.
• Some of my favourite vegan products are made by Australis there liquid lipsticks are everything, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and E.L.F which are extremely cheap and are amazing especially their moisturizing lipsticks.
• Its all good and well to have make up but you need some brushes to apply it, I love the vegan make up brushes my Morphe (granted there are other non vegan brush sets so make sure you check before you buy!) and the cheaper E.L.F studio brushes (only the studio sets are vegan).
• What to do with old products I hear you ask, I know there are people out there that once they make that decision its out with the old in with the new. I personally cannot justify not using the full products I currently have and replacing them with vegan products so I have decided to continue to use them until they are empty and then buy the vegan products but that's a personal preference.

• Unless you live in a nudist colony clothing is not really optional but I'm not one for baggy hemp, again if that's what your into more power to you, I'm just more flaunt what you got hide what you need to kinda girl. Thankfully more and more companies are using vegan friendly products in their clothing lines.
• Looking for vegan shoes look no further than these guys Bourgeois Boheme they create amazing and super stylish shoes, Cri De Coeur sell amazing shoes and bags, Vegan Style has amazing bags and shoes a little on the pricy side but they are amazing and Vegan Wares do amazing things with faux leather and even make footballs.
• Not sure where to buy stylish vegan clothes Stella McCartney created a vegan line, Vaute Couture has heaps of adorable slogan tee's and ships worldwide, Zazzle have heaps of stuff even cute vegan slogan baby onsies, Blessed Earth make clothing and bedding, Green Horse sell beautiful from clothing to skincare and Herbivore Clothing sell everything from clothing to home-wares. 
• As with make up I have a lot of non vegan clothing that I bought previously which I am also choosing to wear until they need replacing but if you want to get rid of everything non vegan consider giving it to a company supporting the homeless or needy.

• In a prefect world you would wake one day, decide to become Vegan, tell your family and friends and then that's that. However life is not that easy and normally family and friends can be the most critical of your veganism, this is mostly caused by ignorance and their love for you.
• To help combat the negative questions and to help inform your loved ones of their misinformation it helps to be highly educated on the hot topics and there are plenty of sources around these days.
• Looking for films and documentaries check out Home, Meat the truth, The 11th Hour, A River of Waste, Food Inc, Earthlings, Behind the Mask, Gary Yourofsky's Best Speech You Will Hear, Food That Kills and Forks Over Knives, 
• Looking for great books check out Eating Animals, The China Study, Skinny Bitch and The Kind Life.
• There are also countless youtubers and bloggers out there are not only information but inspiring. 
• Find the right information and then use your social media platforms to educate others.

Finally just enjoy yourself, if you are living the best life possible then you are doing the right thing. You may have slip us, you may eat something that's not correctly labelled only to find out after, you may squash a bug before it dawns on you that its a animal too, you might be given clothes that aren't and you may do none of that and be the perfect vegan it only matters that you can start your vegan life, live it too its fullest and love animals.

What do you think of my vegan tips?
Do you have any tips for me?