a hot cross bun off.

For the last number of years, I've chosen to be quite strict with what I eat because I notice the difference it makes to my body. Choosing not to eat certain foods helps my digestion, mood and energy. At times I've gotten a bit slack but since having my baby who vomits and seems to react when I eat gluten, dairy and refined sugar, I'm being super strict about what I eat, because I want what is best for her (and it helps that it's also best for me!).

Usually this is ok, but at Easter I LOVE hot cross buns.

In previous years I have made The Healthy Chef's Hot Cross Buns but I thought I'd give a few other recipes a try and see if there were any better. (I didn't make the recipe I've made in the past as it is no longer on her website, but you will see that I did try one of her newer recipes below).

So here is my comparison of four hot cross bun recipes. The criteria for marking are the same for each and have been judged by myself and my husband.

1. The Merrymaker Sisters Paleo Hot Cross Buns.

Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:

• Flavour            4/5          3/5
• Texture            0/5          0/5
• Appearance     2/5          2/5

Overall:

• Flavour            5/5          3/5
• Texture            4/5          3/5
• Appearance     4/5          3/5

                                  19/30      14/30

Ease to Make: easy to follow recipe, no food processor/one bowl, had all ingredients in the cupboard, annoying to grate apple

Notes: used coconut oil instead of butter and it was super oily in the pan post cooking!!! the crosses didn't work – all of the water pushed out of them as I tried to pipe them but I made 3 by rolling the mixture instead. I used homemade almond meal which affected the texture and make it much more bitsy.

Summary: delicious. Scored super well in the overall ranking but not so well in the closeness to HCB. Would definitely make again. Excellent as long as you're not expecting a traditional HCB.

2. I Quit Sugar Paleo Hot Cross Buns.

Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:

• Flavour            1/5          3/5
• Texture            0/5          0/5
• Appearance     1/5          2/5

Overall:

• Flavour            3/5          3/5
• Texture            1/5          1/5
• Appearance     3/5          2/5

                                  9/30      11/30

Ease to Make: the mixture was very dry and couldn't be mixed. I needed to add extra water and rolled them into balls instead of pouring the mixture into the tray.

Notes: I used half walnut flour instead of all almond meal as I had run out but have used this substitute in the past with success. The mixture was very dry, I had to add water. I omitted the chocolate (but should have replaced with sultanas!). I didn't attempt the crosses. Did the dairy-free option of coconut oil instead of butter.

Summary: these are descried as "nutrient dense" and a "crowd pleaser." They definitely are dense but I think they'd only please a crowd of starving people. I will not be making this one again!

3. The Healthy Chef Healthy Hot Cross Buns

Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:

• Flavour            4/5          3/5
• Texture            2/5          3/5
• Appearance     1/5          2/5

Overall:

• Flavour            4/5          4/5
• Texture            3/5          3/5
• Appearance     2/5          2/5

                                  16/30      17/30

Ease to Make: this was a bit more labour intensive than the other recipes. It needs to be made over two days and needs a mixmaster with a dough hook to make it. Unfortunately my bowl didn't spin itself (not sure if that's because of the dough or my machine) which meant I had to manually spin it. The recipe was easy to follow and I had the ingredients on hand.

Notes: I used buckwheat and rice flours to make this gluten-free and substituted the dried apricots for dried figs (as it's too difficult to find preservative-free dried apricots). I think these substitutions worked well. I used dried yeast which I have kept in the freezer to held maintain it's shelf-life (and it is past its best before) but mine didn't rise as I would have expected them to. I would be keen to try again with fresh yeast.

Summary: Teresa has a number of different HCB recipes on her website and because of my success with other THC recipes in the past I would like to attempt others. I chose this recipe even though it wasn't gluten-free but used different flours to almond meal. I would definitely make this again. It was the most similar to a traditional HCB.

4. Wholefood Simply Quick and Easy Hot Cross Bun Mug Cake. 

Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:

• Flavour            1/5          1/5
• Texture            2/5          1/5
• Appearance     2/5          1/5

Overall:

• Flavour            3/5          3/5
• Texture            3/5          3/5
• Appearance     3/5          2/5

                                  14/30      11/30

Ease to Make: mug cakes are known for being quick and easy to make: mix and microwave, and this held up their reputation. 

Notes: I doubled the recipe and divided it between two mugs. My mugs were obviously much larger than Bianca's and they came away from the sides but still worked. 

Summary: These were yummy but not really like a hot cross bun at all! I might make these again, but don't need to be set aside for Easter! I'm keen to try her 'slap dash hot cross buns' and 'hot cross bun bliss balls' but ran out of time to get this out before Easter.

S U M M A R Y

Overall Winner: The Healthy Chef.

But I will definitely also be making The Merrymaker Sisters recipe again. It was yummy!!!

Have you tried any other gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free hot cross bun recipes? Please comment and let me know how they are! There's still time for me to make more!

our master bedroom and entrance.

This week I assembled my new "bedside table". It's the sweetest bedside table that you ever did see. It meant that my room required some rearranging and photoshoot – obviously!

I am constantly doing things around the home: rearranging, doing up old furniture, changing things... so things don't stay the same for too long and things aren't always in their place. We are currently sanding back and potentially reupholstering the chair in our room (it was swapped out for the chair in our baby's room) so that isn't included.

I realised that I haven't shown you photos of my home, so now is a good opportunity. Who knows what it will look like when you come to visit...

And because our room is just by the front door, I've included some parts of our entrance. Because I'd love to show you around my home.

This is my new bedside table. My mum thinks it will be good for holding lots of books but mightn't be stable enough for a cup of tea. Luckily I have a cloth (aka muslin wrap) to wipe up any spills!

Pillowcase by Gorman x Walala, Doona by Kip & Co, Organic Muslin Wrap by Pure Baby, Cradle by Seed Organic, Flower Crown by Floristik.

Our entrance has a few features: 

As you walk in the front door you can see an original artwork I painted at the Belinda Marshall workshop. Keep your eyes peeled for a review on the workshop soon, but if you want to see some of her work and learn about the artist, check out this post.

We also have our very scary guard deer, which I made from a flat pack, given to me as a housewarming gift. I love him.

Opposite these is an old writing desk, full of character, and topped with an Australian made wooden bowl (used to store our keys), an ampersand, and a bit of greenery – because I NEED greenery throughout my home!

Pot by Jones & Co.

If you then peek into our room, this is what you'll see.

Yes, a beautiful screen printed artwork. This amazing Rachel Castle Tree tea towel (intended as art) was a combined housewarming and birthday gift from a very special friend. I love it in my room – it's often the first thing I see when I wake up. It has such beautiful colours.

It is now surrounded by my old and way-too-practical bedside table and lamp (not within arms reach of my bed) with beautiful cards, a photo of me and my husband and a natural candle on it.

Artwork by Castle and Things, Heart Card by Blacklist, Bunny Card by Maud n Lil, Candle by Natural Tranquility, Pewter Frame by Via Rustica.

Here are the sides of our beds.

We have matching frames above our used to be matching bedside tables: mine filled with dried flowers from my wedding bouquet backed with linen, and Rod's with an artwork we bought on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

Our Gorman pillowcases are beautiful and complement our reversible Kip and Co bedspread perfectly (when it's on its plain side!). I love the character, shapes and colours of the pillowcases, whereas Rod prefers the simplicity of the blue lines. Thankfully they're also reversible so they work well for us.

After the ultrasound of our baby, there were two stand out pictures of her. This one on Rod's bedside table was his favourite so I got it printed and framed for him. You can see just how beautiful she is! I love seeing her next to his bed and how much he loves her already!

Can't wait to have our baby girl in her bassinet, right next to our bed, wrapped up safe and with her mum and dad.

Looking forward to showing you more of our home as it comes together. It's always felt like home but it's slowly becoming more ours and I'm enjoying that!

before and after: kitchen stools.

There are many things I love:

I love my home.

I love a bargain.

I love DIY.

I love repurposing.

So when I picked up these stools from either the side of the road (or was it a garage sale) – either way, a bargain – I saw great bones and new life... and had much excitement.

We have had them for a number of years despite not having a breakfast bar. We used them as plant stands and side tables and step ladders. Trying to do up furniture in a fourth storey apartment with no garage on the Pacific Highway in Sydney is quite difficult. Moving to a house in suburban Melbourne was a good move for DIY projects, especially ones that involve sanding. And nothing gets you ticking off jobs from your to do list like having a baby.

BEFORE: 

Here are the stools. In pretty good nick (we have been using them for a few years in this condition and they were someone else's pre-loved beauties before us). We like what they're vibing, but they're in need of a little TLC.

DURING:

Sanded back. Such a beautiful colour timber.

AFTER:

All finished!

The during and after photos look quite similar. We decided to coat them in a natural wax – to use less chemicals and to keep the natural colour. 

We think they're stunning!

Some of the marks didn't sand out of the tops, but that's ok. We like the stories they tell and their personality. We also decided to leave the legs as they were because their sanding and painting is much harder work... and we like the green. And we like things with a bit of a story... Aren't they great!?

We have also been working on two armchairs: one for our bedroom and one for the baby's room.

Stay tuned for the before and afters of them. Coming soon.

ready. and waiting... and some pregnancy shots.

I'm very pregnant. And I'm very happy.

I've had weeks of constant crying. I've had weeks of overwhelm. I've had weeks of guilt (for so many different reasons). I've had weeks of doubt. I've had weeks of fear.

But I've also had weeks of joy. I've had weeks of excitement. I've had weeks of happy tears. I've had weeks of thankfulness. I've had weeks of expectation.

I've had all different types of weeks.

I'm currently in those weeks where my baby is considered full term. I think these are the best weeks.

I'm about to have a baby. She is fully grown (but will keep growing!). My life is about to change. It's really happening. It could be any day now.

I'm usually quite self-aware: of my mind and my body... I'm currently very aware of everything that's happening in me and around me.

And it's good.

Recently, many well-meaning people have asked me when she'll be here and how I'm feeling. I think they want me to say I'm just bursting for her to come out and I'm super impatient and to ensure they can prepare themselves for when she'll be here. I love people guessing when she'll be here, but I can't tell you if you'll be correct or not, because that's all it is: a guess.

EDD stands for Estimated Due Date, but most people seem to interpret it as Exact Due Date. I'm not telling you when she'll be born, because I don't know. If they had worked out an exact formula for when each baby would arrive, pregnancy would be very different. But they haven't. They have worked out that it's safe for a baby to arrive from 37 to 42 weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period.

My due date is a five week time period. And I love the mystery.

The thing about pregnancy is that it's a miracle. And it's beautiful. And it's incredible. And it's crazy.

What I can tell you is that there is a real life human being inside of me. She knows what is happening, she knows what she wants and she knows how to do it. It might look slightly different when she's on the outside, but I can tell that she's exactly where she's meant to be and doing what she's meant to be doing for now. It's an incredible thing.

So I completely trust that she'll come just when she's ready. And just when my body is ready. And as long as it's in a five week period of 37 to 42 weeks, then she's "on time." Stop asking if people's babies are "late" or "early," trust that they'll be here at just the right time.

I've been doing whatever I can to prepare my body for this amazing thing, and to ensure I don't prevent her coming when she's ready, but I'm certain she'll come at just the right time. For her, for me and ready to meet everyone else. Did you know that statistically most first babies come at 41 weeks?

I can't wait to introduce Baby Girl Thearle to you! I'm ready to meet her, but in the mean time, I'm happy, I'm loving spending quality time alone, and embracing this season and each moment I've got.



It's all about embracing the season, not constantly looking ahead to another one.

There's a blog post simmering, ready for me to write on this at another blog my husband and I write at. Check out Put Out Into Deep Water:
Blog: putoutintodeepwater.blogspot.com
Instagram: @putoutintodeepwater 
Facebook: facebook.com/putoutintodeepwater

meet the maker: belinda marshall.

The other week, I was fortunate enough to attend a painting workshop with the very lovely Belinda Marshall. Belinda is a Melbourne-based artist and surface designer – painting with acrylics on wood and linen (two of my FAVOURITE things!) and her works are beautiful! 

I have long been admiring her work and I stare lovingly at her calendar hanging in my kitchen on a daily basis. When I found out she was running workshops, I was excited, yet not convinced because I didn't want to spend that money on myself and I've never really painted before. My apprehensions were oh so wrong – check out my review of her workshop in a post coming soon.

I wanted to share Belinda's work with you and to get to know her and a bit about her work, so I had a chat with her.

When did you start painting and what initiated this love for acrylics and colour?

I started painting in high school and fell in love with it then. I took a massive break, which I guess was due to being an adult (earning money, etc) and I reconnected with painting properly when I was pregnant with my first son. I started with oils and moved to acrylics after my second son was born so that I could paint in short bursts.

Who/where do you look to for inspiration in your work?

I don't really look for inspiration anymore. I feel a bit spoiled for it having so much to look at on Instagram. I find that painting in itself gives me inspiration.

We're all creative (in different ways), what would you say to someone wanting to start or reignite a creative passion but isn't sure what to do or who to start?

I would say, start trying things out! If you're loving what you're doing, seek out other people doing the thing and give yourself time to pursue creativity regularly. I think doing creative workshops are great as they are a way to try things without committing time or resources outside the workshop which is a bit liberating. If you had a good time there and want to keep up with what you learnt, you have a group of people who you can follow up with to keep learning.

More and more people are working from home or for themselves; what makes for a productive days work for you? What do you need around you or in your workspace?

Having 15 minutes to myself in the morning with a coffee  and a book before my kids wake is really important for getting into a groove for work. I like to be in the studio to work where there are people around but not always right next to me. I just need music on to help with tuning into what's happening with my work.

Image from @ceciliafox on Instagram

MEET THE MAKER:

Favourite:

• flower: ranunculus (like the picture)

• breakfast: avocado on toast

• colour scheme: pastels (pink and blue!)

• location: Sweden

• thing in your home: a collection of paintings by my sons

• outfit: big dress with leggings

• day of the week: not fussy

To view (and be tempted by) more of her beautiful artworks, check out her website. She sells her work as prints, on cushions, beautiful wall hangings (did you see the one above, it's amazing!), eco-friendly greeting cards (one set shown below) and even has her 2017 calendar out (I've already purchased mine!). Click here.

Or even better, check out her exhibition on at Lumiere Art + Co in Sorrento on Melbourne's beautiful Mornington Peninsula. From October 9, 2016.

Follow her on social media for some beautiful images and to stay up-to-date with what's happening:

facebook.com/belindamarshallstudio

instagram.com/belindajmarshall

All images from Belinda's website or Instagram page.

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the best apple recipes.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"You're the apple of my eye."

"Apples are so sweet, and they're wholesome, and it's biblical – and I just thought it sounded so lovely and... clean!"
     Gwenyth Paltrow on naming her daughter.

Apples, obviously have a good thing going. And when, just down the road, you can get 4kg for $5, you know that's a good thing!

The other week I went and purchased one of those bags and ate many apples and made many things from apples. I wasn't disappointed – I found many awesome recipes and enjoyed the fresh, crisp apples.

So if you find yourself with an excess of apples or just need to get more fruit into your life, here are some ways I have eaten apples:

• as a snack. Apples are an easy food to chuck in your handbag, or take with you wherever you're going. They're hardy, filling and refreshing.

• as a snack with toppings. My personal favourite is apple slices with nut butter – it's high in protein and good fats and makes a filling and delicious afternoon tea. I also enjoy apple sprinkled with cinnamon, and my husband had apple with (a healthified) salted caramel sauce for dessert the other night. And I'm sure apple slices dipped in dark chocolate would also be delicious! 

• apple chips. These are delicious, easy to make, and make a great snack – just careful not to eat too many at once! All you need to do is grab a mandolin (or a knife), slice thinly, chuck them in your dehydrator (or I've done it in the oven!) and wait patiently. They're just so good!

• apple crumble. I love apple crumble and it's one of my go-to desserts when having people over. I usually use this recipe by The Healthy Chef (or make a variation of it) but my husband needs to be eating less gluten so I thought I'd try a new recipe from a new cookbook: Love Life and Gluten Free. (I do realise that The Healthy Chef's recipe has a gluten-free option but why not try something new?!). I made this Apple Berry Crumble in individual ramekins and we ate it for breakfasts for a week (it made 10!). Healthy, delicious and filling – my husband was so happy to be able to eat apple crumble for breakfast!

• apple blueberry chia bircher. This was another breakfast we enjoyed – and it was even better because it served 4 (so lasted two days), was super easy to prepare, and can be made in a jar and taken on the road if need be. It is also from the Love Life and Gluten Free cookbook. It's a mixture between a chia pudding and bircher muesli – a good in-between, in my opinion! So good I didn't take any photos, so you'll just have to imagine how good it is! Comment below if you'd like the recipe and I'll type it up for you.

I now need to go back for more because I still have a list of incredible apple recipes to make:

• As I was writing this post, a recipe for Vanilla Toffee Apples by Alexx from Low Tox Life came up on my Facebook newsfeed. YUM!

• I'm keen to make (and decrease the quantity and type of sugar in) this Nigella Apple and Almond Cake recipe. 

• Speaking of cake, I'm keen to make my fave Spiced Apple Coconut Cake from I Am Food. I've made this a lot but not in a while, but it's so moist and uses desiccated coconut as the flour – an excellent gluten free alternative.

• Other cake recipes I've come across include Brown Butter Apple Cakes and Coconut Apple Cake from Eleanor Ozich's – from Petite Kitchen – cookbooks.

• I'd love to also make gluten-free versions of an Applesauce Sweetened Granola and Apple Pie, as well as try an Apple Pie Milkshake and make some Stewed Apples to have when I have porridge.

So many apple recipes to try. I just want to make all of them. Have you got any more to recommend? Please comment below – I'd love to try them. I better get in quick while they're still in season and such a great price at the farm down the road.

new things coming!

In case you haven't heard, we're having a baby!

So much excitement, so much change, so much anticipation.

We're slowly getting things ready and getting ourselves ready... however you prepare for a baby.

This will mean lots of changes: changes in our lives, changes in the blog, changes with everything... but hopefully all for the better!

It also leads to much more potential of what to write about, especially in things I'm already passionate about:

- healthy living (how I'm bringing this baby into and up in the world)
- sustainable living (how to I'm trying to not create so much waste and use less plastic)
- interiors (oh I have some cute things to show you!)
- craft (yes, I've been busy making...)
- supporting small businesses (I have purchased a few sweet things!)
- DIY (and I've been doing some upcycling and creating)

Plus I'll share some photos from my baby showers (yes, I'm having two!) and I might share some thoughts and stories on pregnancy, birth and being a new mum... that is if my baby sleeps, my body copes, and I have any time and headspace to write.

Keep an eye out, hopefully we'll have new content soon (but don't hold your breath, pregnancy has been exhausting and not awfully productive!) including some interviews and I've been chatting with some guest bloggers...

I'll continue sharing other content as well. We'll have to wait and see what there is. Thearle Girl is changing and moulding, with life and its journeys.

Join me on the adventure... I'd so appreciate your support.