Wannabe Hippy

 

It’s Friday Favourites time again and today I am chatting with Michelle from Wannabe Hippy. Living on the Central Coast of NSW, when she isn’t studying Naturopathy or spending time with her (almost five!) son, she is blogging about her passions. At the moment her blog focuses on real food, health and wellness. This is partly because of her studies, but also because of their ongoing personal journey with food intolerances. When I asked her what her favourite things are she said that she has ‘Multiple Passion Disorder’ and that choosing just 5 was really difficult. But she did anyway, and here they are.

Chai Lattes

I absolutely adore tea, whether it’s plain black, earl grey, english breakfast or rooibos (red tea). I love them all. Now, although I do love all teas….my absolute favourite tea at the moment is Chai. Not the yucky supermarket tea bag variety, but the true version with all the variety of spices steeped in steaming hot milk of your choice. It’s not just the delicious taste of the Chai, but the sweet spicy aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves somehow reminds me of being warm and cosy. The weather is getting colder in our part of the world now, so there is nothing quite like a steaming hot cup of this liquid gold to warm me up.

Farmers Markets (or any markets really)

I know people who love to browse shopping centres even just to window shop. I am like that at markets. My most favourite is the Farmers Markets, which I frequent once a fortnight. I love the isles of stalls selling fresh produce, organic eggs, free-range meat, seedlings, nut butters, hand-made soaps, gluten free or sourdough bread and more.
At Artesian Markets, I am always amazed at how very clever some people are. I’ve tried my hand at a number of DIY hobbies over the years. I love the creativity of making something myself, but I’m certainly not clever enough to start a business from my handy-crafts. So, in the same vein as ‘those who can’t do…teach’. I promote: “those who can’t do…..shop” (at local markets).

Trees

I’m feeling very drawn to trees at the moment. Not just the type with a trunk and green leaves outside my window, but all things that represent trees, like; paintings, photos, jewellery, clothing. There is something very wonderful about trees. They give us oxygen (pretty important I think), they provide shade and shelter, paper, food and homes for humans and animals. I especially love our frangipani tree.

My Thermomix

I saw a Thermomix in action about 4 years ago at an Alternative Festival and thought, wow I would love one of those. But having not long had a baby, the $2000 price tag was way out of reach. So, the notion of owning one went onto my wish list. Last year, I noticed a lime green car constantly in our street a few house down with THERMOMIX plastered across the back windscreen. I kept seeing this little car and thought that has to be a sign. Finally, I figured out that the car was there a lot because the person who owned the car actually lived there.
Anyway, I visited my Thermie neighbour and booked a demonstration. Thermomix had an interest free loan deal at the time and voila….. In November last year, I became the ‘very proud’ owner of a Thermomix. My husband jokes that I love it more than him, and I always reply that he comes in close at second place?
I’ve had a lot of people ask me if they are worth the money and my answer is always, ABSOLUTLEY. I use mine every day and I love all the things that I can make from scratch, especially gluten free goodies. (Sorry to interrupt but check out Michelle’s recipe for gluten free brownies!!!)

Our Veggie Garden

There is something really satisfying about being able to grow your own veggies. I certainly wasn’t blessed with a green thumb, but we do have a lot of fun tending to the garden and reaping the rewards. Also we don’t use any pesticides so the produce is much healthier for us. My most favourite items in our garden are the herbs. I love being able to step out the back door to gather a few sprigs of basil, parsley or mint when a recipe calls for it.

 

Thank you for sharing your favourite things Michelle. I really love a good Chai, and I am often disappointed by the store bought mix, so I was really excited when Michelle shared her own Chai recipe so that I can make my own mix. Yum! I also love fresh food and am often found at the local farmers markets as well as staring at my tiny veggie garden. I’m a wannabe green thumb and dream of having an amazing veggie garden when I have a house with the space for it (that my husband will keep alive for me).

What are your top five favourite things this week? Do you shop at your local farmers markets? Leave a comment here, on facebook or follow the conversation on twitter with #myfridayfavourites. Don’t forget to go and checkout Michelle’s website Wannabe Hippy and say hello.