Fresh

Moremore Pawpaw

Had a fantastic week this week.

Did plenty of sunbathing, snorkeling, paddleboarding and eating pawpaw and coconut. This lifestyle couldn’t get much better.

To get to the office, I have the arduous task of cruising along the Muri beach, depending on how slowly I dawdle, it usually takes me 5 minutes. Every morning is picturesque, I am literally living in a tropical post card.
I think I am starting to take the beauty of my surroundings for granted, but every now and then I will stop and look at it all and it always makes me smile.

I had a different perspective of the island yesterday.

I finally made the time to suss out this paddle boarding craze.
The friendly local man sitting at Captain Tama’s with a lazy fag hanging out on a clam shell (by fag I don’t mean a colourful homosexual, I mean a ciggie) insisted I take the board out for free once we started chatting and in passing I mentioned I was the new accountant at Sails.
He also insisted I come by as often as I like and help myself to the kayaks/boards.

It’s funny, as soon as the locals realise I’m not just another ‘tourist’ they immediately treat me like family; their entire demeanor changes and they instantly want to know every last detail about my life!

So anyway, for some reason I expected paddle boarding to be hard, not sure why, because all you do is stand in the middle of the board and paddle… not rocket science, nor do you have to be particularly athletically orientated!
I cruised out to the motu’s (small islands) and around the back of one.
By this time my feet were hurting (I have retardedly irregular tibia’s which means my feet enjoy the support of orthotics) so in the middle of the lagoonI plonked myself down on the board and sunbathed! It was the best feeling, to have the sun prickling my skin while my feet and hands hung into the cool water. BLISS!

After about 20 minutes I realised I had floated out quite a distance, which was a good thing, because from where I had drifted to I had the most spectacular view back onto the island, a view of the island I had not seen before.

Today there was a wedding at work. The bride was an hour late (!) but it was quite a nice looking wedding, although not as lovely as my wedding!
It was one of those cliché island weddings…

I was standing out on the deck with all of the restaurant staff watching the bride walk down the beach to her man, and it was so funny, EVERYONE (including the local dogs) on the beach had stopped what they were doing to have a massive gawk, there were even a couple of people on the lagoon in kayaks who paddled over to have a closer look!
I like the idea of a beach wedding, however I’m not sure I would trade in my privacy for one.

So plenty of things happening up here in paradise. I am currently obsessed with pawpaw, I can sit down and eat an entire one no trouble at all!
Food on the island is quite simple and fresh, not a lot of cooking happens either, mainly salads with the odd bit of meat and freshly baked bread from Deli food.

Oh, one last thing, here is a conversation I had earlier today that made me laugh:

Terre: “Hey Kate, do you ‘go out’?”

Me: “Umm, yeh? I haven’t ‘gone out’ up here yet though”

Terre: “Ohh yeh! We will have to take you out to find an island boy!”

Me: (laughing hysterically) “Uhhh, I have someone at home Terre!”

Terre: “Ohhhhhhhhhh! Hah! Well we will still have to go out sometime!”

Me: “Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Yeh alright Terre!”

Da Poepoe

As I was driving into town to drop off the banking on Friday I was pulled over by the police… Rory’s red rocket was out of a WOF by 6 months and I didn’t have a Cook Island drivers license! Even though a NZ drivers license is international, this isn’t good enough for the Cook Island government, they have decided to tax you some more so you have to pay a $20 fee to carry around a Cook Island drivers license. F*cking crazy. 

Anyway, the nice policeman let me off, god, I’m so glad the hard looking police lady wasn’t the one to decide this, she was a total biarch!

After waiting at the bank for what seemed like hours I walked down to the police station to get my license, they don’t provide pens (more tax!). I had to buy one for $2.00 from the CITC store, walk back to the station, stand in line, get my photo taken and leave with a shiny new Cook Island license. I look epically haggard in the photo!

Driving back to the office the police were still there pulling people over – so I learned my lesson, some times the Rarotongan police will do their job.

If I have told you to not worry about the speed limit, licenses etc, I was lying. Make sure you abide by the road rules, the fines are epically steep, plus, they do not allow a 10km speed discretion like they do in NZ, even if you are going 51km they will slam you with a hefty fine (more tax!!!). You have been warned.

Can’t wait for Grace to get here, I need a partner in crime that’s for sure.

Two Tank

Went out diving this morning at 8am with a group of 7 divers +3 dive masters. We went to two passages on the southern/west side of the island, the first dive started out in a chaotic mess, a fat American dude called Scott and his 12 y/o fat kid called Brian decided to go down on a dive with one of the new dive masters instead of coming with all of us as a group. They descended before Nga (main dive master) was out of the boat, turns out the anchor wasn’t down and we were in really deep water, not quite where we should have been! The rest of us waited on the surface while Nga tried to signal to the dive master to come up (apparently revving the shit out of the engine means surface now!)

The dive master came up, but the two fat, loud mouth Americans decided to do a 5 minute safety stop! After that we all had to hold onto a rope and towed to the right spot! All up I reckon we probably wasted a good hour because of these pushy mother effing Americans!

Finally it was time to descend. I saw a big school of eagle rays, a couple of Eels, some HUGE dog tooth tuna that looked ferocious! PLUS! I saw a turtle which was amazinballs! It was maybe 10 metres away, I started frantically going after it, as I was doing so I left the group behind and probably ascended a good 6-8 metres! Hahaha. I so badly wanted to touch it!!

Went for second dive, saw more of the same but even more Eagle rays, I was much more relaxed this time and the dive went for over an hour.
Headed back to CID HQ, rinsed everything off then sped back to the office, got there just before 2! I told Erin I would be back before 12! Whoops! Totally Island time on that one, I blame the useless Americans.

That night I went to the auditorium and saw all the different islands performing dances/chants/drum dances. Not fully up to speed with all of the names/meanings of the performances, but it was pretty spectacular.

Had a crepe with mashed up pumpkin, crumbled feta and pinenuts – was the skinny option but def not the tastiest! Erins smoked Marlin mornay was totally delicious, oozing with creamy cheesy badness!  

Really settling into this island lifestyle! Think I could probably stay here a lil longer…

Banking

Up sweating at 7am. Heading into the office today to learn some of the ropes.

Breakfast was an improvement on the UHT/Oats combo, I mixed my oats with my vanilla Easiyo yoghurt I made yesterday, yumo! Is it bad to eat raw oats?? Cos I love this, so quick and easy, plus when it’s hot in the morning hot porridge doesn’t really appeal.

I was introduced to too many locals whose names I can’t pronounce let alone remember with the exception of Joe (bar manager), Muma T (never greet Muma T with hello, only say Kia Orana!) Mii (head chef with a lack of front teeth - super lovely lady) and Ahsin (DeliFoods bitch boy). I figure if I can remember the names of 4 people a day, I may just learn all of them by the time I leave!

Banking and the daily re-caps weren’t too bad, different to how I am used to doing it, plus LOADS more cash! Took me a couple of hours and then headed into town to deposit my mornings work.
If you think that banks in NZ are painfully busy and excruciatingly slow, you are wrong! I don’t think Rarotonga Westpac could be any more painful, thank baby jesus they have good air conditioning, that was their only redeeming factor.

I headed around to Cook Island Divers to see Ian and Greg about their website and just to touch base generally. Didn’t manage to get onto the website, but I Skyped James for the first time, loved seeing his face and hearing his voice! I’m going for a dive with CID tomorrow morning at 8, epically excited!

I headed back to the office and learned some more accounting shiz, turns out QuickBooks lets you pretty much do/change anything! Haha an auditors nightmare I’m sure! I’m finding QuickBooks painful to use after using Nav Dynamics with all my short cuts, reports and quick lookups. Oh, and in QB’s there is no such thing as a cost centre, it’s called a ‘class’ DUH!

Haven’t been eating a lot since I have been here, I’m never hungry, it must be the heat. I’m a little worried that I’m not eating enough vegetables or protein, but I’m happy my calorie intake is low seem as the exercise is non-existent!

31 July x2

Sporadic periods of sleep from 5am to 9am seemed to have done the job, I was wide awake and sweating in the heat. I had to get up and have a shower. 

The house was deathly quiet apart from the clicking of the gheekos and the continuous squawking of the local feathered community.

The house and local surrounds were empty, not a person in sight. Suddenly I felt very alone and exposed. What the fuck was I doing here??! Why had I made a shotgun decision to move across the pacific to be alone in, well, lets be fair, an alien Island I had only scratched the surface of?

The extent of my history with this place was a measly 2 weeks back in April when I was on my honeymoon with my closest partner in crime.
Now I’m sitting here sleep deprived and starting to panic. IS THIS A MASSIVE MISTAKE?

No microwave… so instead of having my banana oats like I had planned, I had raw oats with UHT milk. Yum.
I sat out reading Paul Henry’s awful attempt of a memoir, but I was in the shade, I wasn’t getting any closer to perfecting that tan! I was inland, away from the beach, didn’t have a key and didn’t want to leave the house unlocked; So I stayed out in the shade for another couple of hours. It didn’t look like the others were coming home anytime soon so I packed up my towel and heading out on foot to the Muri Lagoon.
After a tropical smoothie I went out on the white sand to get me some of those sweet rays of vitamin D. 

I don’t know how long I was out there for, but I felt my skin tighten and start to sting.
I had a couple of dips into the lagoon, watched a white horse walk along the beach, a chubby German couple taking photos of themselves frolicking in the water and a bunch of locals netting up some tiny fish. There were loads of foreigners today, I didn’t see too many New Zealanders which was strange.

I wandered up to Anne and JT’s where I was quickly shuffled into a ute with a bunch of Paupa New Guineans and driven down the road to Sails, which is crazy, it is literally 2 minutes walk down the beach – I swear to god, no one here walks anywhere! I didn’t turn down the ride though, the insides of my toes were pretz sore from jandel-ing my way down to the Beach earlier.

As the day wore on I felt really upset, not knowing why I just assumed it was because I missed James. All I wanted to do was be by myself where I could have a breakdown.

Back to the jungle I headed with Erin and Izzy, time for some sleep, my 2-3 hours of broken slumber must have left me on the edge of hysteria. 

NZ18 I Hate You.

Leaving Wellington was easy, what wasn’t easy was finding a plane that was on time and trustworthy; It was only 11.45am and I was already struggling to find some self control and patience so not to slap a fussy child and it’s neurotic parents.

My flight leaving Wellington was 40 minutes late, but that was okay, I got my speed racer on and got to International and through customs in record time.

Found my departure lounge, sat down and still had 15 minutes until boarding.

“Air New Zealand flight 18 to Rarotonga and LA has been delayed until further notice, please contact your…”

FUCK!

My disappointment turned to frustration which quickly morphed into little balls of rage that penetrated my eyeball forming daggers as the delays continued and the information about when we will be leaving non-existent.

After nearly 10 hours waiting in airports, eating empty calories, my rage was finally overcome by that awful achey throb that sits just underneath the surface, waiting for a moment of vulnerability to erupt and totally destroy all poise.   

Three gate changes later, a bit of pushing and muttering I was finally in seat 27E. If you are allocated seat 27E, have this changed. Worst seat ever.

I spent the next 4 hours enduring the screaming of little twerps, incessant coughing and the most awful smelling meals (creamy beef casserole, BARF!) 

Finally I arrived. The damp warmth was so, so welcome. The wankers who decided to bottle neck the escape route were not. 

5am, finally make it to bed. My senses totally overwhelmed, head throbbing. I tried to focus on my breathing to get to sleep… BEKEEEERK! The rosters were awake, so was I.

Curried Pawpaw salad (4 pax)

2 firm pawpaw

1/2 tsp mild curry powder

1/3 cup plain greek yoghurt

small handful mint, chopped

Cut up the pawpaw into cubes, discard the skin and seeds. Mix curry powder with a tiny dash of hot water and mix to create a paste. Combine the curry, mint and the yoghurt well. Stir through pawpaw.

Fat bottomed girls

Sorry Fresh has been pretty quiet recently, I have had lots of people coming and going. Two weeks of eating out and drinking has taken it’s toll…

There has been a bit of weight gain (F*CK!) so I am getting back into my eating plan to drop those numbers on the scales. 

Below is an example of my eating plan.

If you consistently follow this plan you will shift any winter weight that may be lurking on your arse or gut! I’ll include meat options as this is a high protein plan. Also, make sure you drink at least 2 litres of water EVERY day.

Breakfast (approx 340 calories)

Protein: 2 eggs/150g natural yoghurt w 1 Tbsp whey protein
Carb: 1 c Spec K/ 1/2 c dry oats / 1/2 c lite vogels cafe style museli 

Fruit: Small banana or 1 cup berries

Meal Idea - Banana Oats
NB: Get rid of the honey/sweetner, instead mix 1 Tbsp vanilla protein into yoghurt for sweetness and swirl through the oats once cooked, also omit the almonds as they are high in fat & we have already covered the protein content.

Morning Tea

Protein: 10 almonds
Fruit: large piece of fruit e.g. apple/2 kiwifruit/punnet berries
OR
Protein: 2 Tbsp humus
Carb: 2 corn thins
Fruit: Fresh tomato

Lunch (approx 350 calories)

Protein: 100g chicken/canned tuna/2 eggs
Carb: mini pita/small wrap/150g potato or kumara/large fruit
Veg: at least 1 cup salad/veg
Fat: 1 Tbsp hummus or cottage cheese/ lite dressing (check sugar content!!)

Meal Idea - Roast Veg/chickpea wrap
NB: Use the chickpea spread instead of hummus & add two boiled eggs/meat to the wrap to increase the protein content, feel free to add whatever veg you have in your fridge and if you are in a rush, steam some carrots/broccolli instead of roasting root veg. The idea is to fill up on fibrous veg (so have a salad on the side as well). The protein will keep you feeling full for longer. 

Afternoon Tea (<200 calories)

1 protein bar/shake (check for sugar content, not to exceed 12g sugar)
OR
small banana w tub lite or natural yohurt

Dinner (400 calories)

Protein: 150g chicken/fish/quinoa
Carbs: 150g kumara/potato/200g pumpkin/mini pita/small wrap/1/2 avocado
Veg: 2-3 c salad/steamed or fresh fibrous veg
Fat: tomato based sauces/25g low fat cheese e.g. feta/ 1 Tbsp sweet chilli/bbq sauce

Meal Idea - Lentil Dhal
NB: If you are using a lentil/chickpea vegetarian option, make sure you serve it with a wholegrain, such as brown rice so you get a whole serving of protein, quinoa is the only grain which is a complete source of protein.  

If you are hanging out for something sweet after dinner, have a small piece of carrot cake or a small serving of apple crumble or try a cup of Jarrah Lite Hot Chocolate. Try to only have dessert 2-3 times a week at the most! 
If I am really craving something after dinner I’ll add a big juicy slice of lemon to hot water and sip on that, generally the craving will have passed by the time I have finished my drink.  

If you have any questions post them on the Fresh Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresh/135355123207087

“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” :P

xx 

HERB GREEN PASTA

This be so yum and is a different take on most pasta sauces. Give it a go, it’s epically quick, fresh and wickedly tasty! 

1 bunch fresh coriander
Small handful of almonds
2 cups rocket leaves (I used rocket because it gives a nice peppery taste, but feel free to use alternatives such as spinach etc) 
1/3 head broccoli, steamed until tender
1 lemon, rind and juice
1 clove garlic grated finely
1/2 tub ricotta cheese (100g)
Splash olive oil
salt to taste 

Throw everything into the trusty food processer, pulse until smooth and well combined.

Stir through hot fresh pasta. VOILA! 

P.S. I was a bit fat and added a sprinkle of fresh parmesan to mine, it added a beautiful nutty flavour.