Tag Archives: vegie bar

Having the Time of My Life

27 Aug

I’m not going to beat around the bush here, I’m having the time of my life.

Blogging has taken a backseat lately, but that doesn’t mean I’ve skimped on the adventures, I have trips in the working for Vineyard Tours, a trip to the Outback, a tour of Queensland, Australia’s great beaches, the rainforest, the reef, and so much more!

The other day I competed in that MasterChef Challenge I was telling you about last week. But I’ll have to let the anticipation build as I do a quick food recap. :)

Vego or not, I don’t think I’ve encountered a person who doesn’t have an obsession with Vegie Bar

I got the Original Stir Fry


A generous selection of seasonal vegetables and tofu cooked in garlic and ginger, served with brown rice and tahini.

Generous was definitely an understatement. There were heaping piles of capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, and tofu topped with about a kilo of bean sprouts. The tahini was a fabulous addition as well.

As usual, Vegie Bar left me with absolutely no room for dessert. Oh wells.

I have been hearing about this hole-in-the-wall coffee chop called Seven Seeds from everyone. It’s located next to a building where I have a good amount of classes but somehow I have not yet made my way there. They brew their own coffee in-house and have been touted by Masterchef as having the best cup of coffee in Melbourne.

Did it disappoint?

Well….I completely forget to take a picture until my second long machiatto, and even then I couldn’t be bothered to snap many more.

The most EPIC Long Mach ever.

I also got some nibbles as I did some schoolwork at Seven Seeds.

Hot Pressed Grain Sandwich: Free-range egg omelette, smoked cheddar, spinach, roasted tomato chutney

FYI: Australian’s usually call cheddar cheese – tasty cheese

I found this hilarious my first week here

The presentation was lovely, but the tomato chutney had a bit of an overpowering sweetness. The bread was delicious though, very seedy and grainy. (Appropriate for Seven Seed, yes?) I think I’ll be sticking to just coffee here, though the menu did seem rather earthy and intriguing.


I’ll be making more appearances this week.


Casey

Rolling With the Punches

20 Aug

Went back to an old favorite for some brunch.

Animal Orchestra serves baked eggs all day. Perfect for those morning when you just don’t want to get out of bed for breakfast.

I got the exact same thing as I did my first visit there.

Baked Eggs with Salmon, Rocket, Capers, and Dill

with a thick slice of bread and butter on the side

I loved the presentation in the skillet. It made it seem so much more rustic and fresh.


Heaping amounts of field greens on top.

I didn’t mind having to scarf my way down until I uncovered the deliciousness that awaited underneath.

Like tearing off the wrapping paper to see what present lies inside! :)


Superb. Animal Orchestra, you’ve done it again.


After hearing I was vego, heaps of people have recommended Shakahari Vegetarian Restaurant to me. I’ve heard nothing but great things, so I was excited to finally try it.

The restaurant had a great ambiance and decor. I was seated directly next to the fireplace and received a complimentary glass of fresh squeezed OJ.

Lots of thing sounded great on the menu, but most of the dishes with faux meat were fried. I found one of the few non-fried dishes on the menu, Cous de Fes I believe it was called.

Moroccan Cous-cous with a Chickpea, Eggplant, and Red Capsicum Ragout with sautéed Spinach and Olives.

The description sounded right up my alley. But I was really disappointed in the flavor. It was very bland. The only thing that had a lot of punch was the saltiness of the olives. I don’t think I’ll be giving this restaurant another go because it was a bit pricier than I’d like and there are so many other delicious venues. Ahem….Vegie Bar?


Living in a college means that things are going to get thrown your way every week. So having a schedule is pretty close to impossible. I have to make sure to get my workouts in early in the day and to roll with the punches. Someone will always be inviting you out, to grab a bite to eat, to go to a ball, to go get costumes for a theme party, or just to chill and drink coffee at some little cafe.

There are no set days I will work out, it really depends on how much time I have and how my body (and mind!) are feeling that day. I try to make it to the gym four times a week and I’ve been pretty good about keeping up with it too! Working out is so important to me because no matter how chaotic college life may get, I can always have my “me” time when I’m at the gym or running.

So even though my knee is all better (woo!) I’m still taking it easy and not running more than once a week. That doesn’t mean I don’t have my eye on one of the many 10k’s and 5k’s coming up though ;) .

Here’s what my typical workout schedule looks like.

  • Sprint workout (typically 2-3 miles…. oh sorry, I mean 4-5k’s)      once a week
  • Spinning class or Body Pump once a week
  • Rowing machine interval training for around 2500 meters
  • Circuit training using the Bosu, stability ball, med balls, and weights

I’ll usually follow-up the sprint and rowing sessions with a shorter circuit using medicine balls or weights. I’ve really explored outside my comfort zone with the classes and I have to say I really like those two classes. It’s great for those days when you don’t have a ton of motivation. You can just listen to the music and do whatever the instructor is telling you to do. Body Pump uses all of the same weight training moves I am used to. It is just continuous and to a beat, not too shabby especially when its at 7:20 in the morning.

Have a great weekend!

Casey

All Hail The Queen

22 Jul

Spotty internet yet again! Hopefully it’s here to stay this time. I feel lost without any access to email. Le sigh.

I will now continue with your previously planned programming.

The Queen Victoria market is only few blocks from the Uni. I think I may be spending more time here than my own room. The market is massive and I was astonished at how sustainable, organic, and healthified everything was!


There is a ‘food court’ on the inside, miles and miles of produce stands, an entire building devoted to meats and cheeses, and a home goods, clothing, and accessory market across the street.

Lentil Burger: made from lentils, beans,  chickpeas, potatoes, and herbs. Topped with beets, spinach and a sweet chili sauce.

Veggie Burger: made from fresh vegetables and potatoes and topped with spinach, sweet chili sauce, and a herbed mayo.


The veggie burger was good, but the lentil burger was the one worth dating exclusively. That may have been because I was insanely hungry, but it was memorable nonetheless.

FYI: These were eaten on separate occasions, I wasn’t that hungry.

These burgers were so affordable too! They only cost me 4 AUD$ a pop.

Whilst camera creepin’ on my burger, I got to chatting with two curious blokes from the area. They gave me the low down on all the best markets in the area and good places to get my slow food on! The options in this city (and the countryside) seem to be endless. I just hope I have enough time to go to all of these places in my short 5 month stint.

I also bought a few things throughout the market.


Biodynamic Passionfruit Greek Yogurt

Gasm. As if it wasn’t perfect enough: it’s local.


Chic Nuts. Good name for a good product. These are made just up the coast in Queensland.

I’m on an obsessions overload this week! If your new to my obsessions, then clearly I am new to you too! Check out what I’m all about if you haven’t already.

Speaking of obsessions…….trust me it did not end there. I wondered around Fitzroy to find this little gem called the Vegie Bar. I was craving veggies like you couldn’t believe and the options on the menu were endless. I was tempted to order the banana carob smoothie, but decided to save that treat for the PM. I was torn between 4 different dishes that could pretty much be summarized as ‘copious amounts of veggies with hummous or faux meats’. Oh, hello new favorite restaurant. How are you doing?

After the waiter mopped up all of my drool that had poured over the menu I got my fresh squeezed juice of apple, carrot, celery, and ginger.


Drum roll please…..


VEGGIE HEAVEN

Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, mixed greens, roasted carrots, zucchini,  pumpkin seeds, Foccacia, pillowy mounds of fresh tzatziki and hummous.

Vegie bar also serves house made sietan, tofu, or tempeh burgers in addition to pizzas, wraps, desserts, etc… The entire menu is vegetarian with a ton of vegan and gluten free options.

Side Note: Sometimes when I read over my blog I tend to realize how much I looooove everything. Trust me on this, I’m a picky eater. I’m a foodie. If I’m going to eat I want to enjoy it. I want it to be memorable. I tend to do my research or shop around for meal ideas, restaurants, etc… That being said, when I have a meal that was impromptu and also forgettable. It wont really get as much face time as say…..carob peanut butter flavored froyo (hey, a girl can dream right?)

That’s all I got for tonight. More to come: Race recap, Queens College Tour, Cupcakes, Pizza, and Live Music!

Casey

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