{RECIPE} Rhubarb & Strawberry Chia Jam Popsicles

I can't believe it's June already, I honestly don't know where the past six months have gone.  One minute I was celebrating Christmas with mère & Pig, on a short break back to England & the next, I am here in Rome, having been to Pisa, Florence, Venice, Verona, Milan, Nice, Monaco, Chabanais, Brantôme, Paris & Berlin on my way!  Phew!

The weather here in Rome is hot hot hot & I am loving it!  I finally get to wear my shorts & sandals on a daily basis, without the fear of being caught in the rain & my fleshy parts are gaining more & more colour with each day.  In order to mould my body into something I'm not ashamed to show in a bikini, I have been attempting to abstain from overeating & falling back into bad habits, such as my love of carbonated, enamel damaging, soft drinks & fat inducing daily gelati.  Instead, I have been filling up on snacks of fresh fruit & unsalted nuts, eating plenty of salads & making sure to stay hydrated, by drinking lots of H2O!

Something I am really keen to try out, is this delicious looking recipe from Elenore, over at one of my favourite sites; Earthsprout, for Rhubarb & Strawberry Chia Jam Popsicles!  Super healthy, relatively easy looking, vegan friendly & perfect for summer!  I love how she's added stripy paper straws too.  I'm a sucker for food that looks as good as it tastes!  I think I would definitely have to go with the raw chocolate drizzle on top, let's face it, my love for the dark stuff will never die!

I didn't know you could make jam using Chia seeds too!  I never usually eat jam, because, whilst I do enjoy the taste of it, it's just so packed full of sugar, but a Chia jam, sounds interesting & perhaps a little more guilt-free.  I love how Chia seeds are so versatile & I fully admit to having a mild obsession with them, having written about their merits before.  Mère posted a bag out to me in France, when I didn't seem to be able to locate any in the stores, however, that bag is now looking dangerously empty & soon I will have to scour Rome for some more.  They are very expensive in Berlin, so I am already wincing at the possible price tag here in Italy.

Besides the sweet treats, I enjoyed reading Elenore's post & her thoughts on how we, as humans, never entirely feel satiated.  I think there is a great deal of truth in that.  Though, as she says, if we channel our desires constructively, i.e. searching for growth through experiencing new cultures, new places, taking in new ideas & expanding our mindset, our capability to love, to share, even to feel, then that hunger can only be beneficial.

Ultimately, I think that's what I love about traveling.  The world is so vast, that when you put yourself into perspective, you are simply a grain of sand in a mile long beach.  There is so much that I have yet to see, so many things I have yet to encounter, to experience.  When I think of all the wonderful food there is to try, the many languages I have yet to master, the people I have still to meet, the possibilities are endless & almost unfathomable, but it's what keeps me going.  My desire to expand, to grow, to change, to absorb.

I think we all too easily get stuck into our routines & our own comfort zones, that getting off the sofa to go make that cup of tea seems like an effort, let alone finally taking that trip to Asia.  It's when we really push ourselves though, that we truly see how capable we are & how, ultimately, we are only stopped by the limits we place upon ourselves, because this world, as vast as it is, perhaps as scary as it can be from time to time, is full of opportunities, if we only reach out a little, to try to grab them.

What are you hungry for?

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Ciao ragazzi!

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After three months away, I am back in Italia, soaking up the sun in Roma.  It feels good to be back.  Although I am here for work, it feels strangely more like a vacation.  The weather is sublime, with temperatures near to thirty degrees & today, I have been strolling around town, taking in the atmosphere.  Whilst my time in Italia overall, has shown me I don't wish to settle in the country, I really do enjoy my visits & spending time here.

I've actually really missed the language, the rolling 'r's & the avid hand gestures.  Whilst cycling through the streets of Berlin, I am constantly shouting 'che fai!' at people in my head, as I continually swerve round cars & people who seem to feel the need to get in my way.  It's nice to be able to practice & improve my Italian.  In fact, today, I had a few people come up to me asking me in Italian for information about the metro.  I think it's the tan, they don't think I'm English, although, I'm not convinced they think I'm Italian either.  I've started to be able to respond nearly entirely in Italian, although, I always start with "parlo solo un po d'Italiano."  Perhaps by the end of the month I shall have etched a little closer to fluency.

One thing I have not missed, is the excessive amount of food Italians eat.  On my first day back in the country, we had a two course lunch, consisting of pasta & then a light salad.  The same evening, we had a three course dinner, with the inclusion of pasta & salad once again, followed by pizza & ending with fruit & sorbet.  I was in pain.  Pasta & I are not the best of friends & I have since avoided its consumption & stuck to eating only the salad & fruit on offer.  I'd forgotten how late meal times were here too.  I've never understood the point of eating so late & then going to bed on a full stomach.

Equally, I have never understood the Italian obsession with disposable cups & plates.  If you are Italian & you happen to invite some friends round for dinner, you immediately pop down to the supermercato & pick up the disposables & shun the hoard of perfectly fine crockery in your cupboard, which seemingly never gets used.  Has this nation not clocked onto the financial & environmental pitfall of this love of plastic yet?  It seems not.

What I do love about Italians however, is their love of the sun.  As a summer baby & a Leo, I am never happier than when I am in full corpse pose, soaking up the heat & watching my naturally porcelain skin darken to a golden shade.  As I arrived in Italy on a bank holiday weekend, we took a trip to a lake, just north of the city & spent the day sunbathing & floating round the water in a pedalo.  It was blissful & I am now a rich shade of mahogany.

I have to say, that recently, I have started to feel more human again.  More myself to be precise.  Finally appreciating more & worrying less.  What did worrying ever achieve in any case, bar frown lines.  Today, as I sat outside the Pantheon, people watching & soaking up the sun, I nearly cried with the overwhelming feeling of gratitude I feel inside, that this is my life right now & how fortunate I am that this is the case.  Bellissima! 

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{Insightful Sunday} Gratitude

If my journey over the past year has taught me anything, it's to be grateful for what you have, rather than wasting energy worrying about the things you feel you lack.  I think, to a degree, we are all quick to criticise, both ourselves, our lives & of course, others.  Filling our time obsessing over the things we don't have, perhaps things that others possess & feeling as though we are incomplete in some way.

I felt as though, in the past, I spent a lot of my time wasting energy worrying or obsessing over all of my faults, all the things I felt myself & my life lacked.  However, speaking with people during my travels, people from varying backgrounds & countries, has really helped to give me perspective.  It's made me realise that perhaps happiness is not obtainable through striving for a particular thing, such as a house, a car, a career, etc. but perhaps happiness is obtainable more so from the appreciation of what you already possess.

I've come to realise that when I look back at my life, I have been exceptionally privileged, even perhaps when I thought I was deprived.  I hate to think of all the times I've complained, or felt incomplete in some way, because I didn't have this, or I hadn't had that.  When I look at the world, I see it with new eyes.  They are open & they do not shy away.  They see the suffering & they see the joy that can come from the smallest of things.  They have a new perspective.

Currently, I have no fixed income, no car, no home, very few possessions, but, I have people around me who support & love me unconditionally & with open hearts, I've been able to travel the globe & experience new cultures, take in new views, I have my health, my freedom, a roof over my head, food in my belly & clothes on my back.  Regardless of all the things I do not possess, all the things I seemingly lack, I am happy & I am content & most importantly, I am grateful.

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