Going Dark/Guest Post

Hello fellow Fit Food Lover followers!(apologies for the alliteration)
So I'm guessing you're probably asking yourself..."Where in the world has my favorite blogger gone?" Well she's been a little busy. But no worries she hasn't forgotten about all of her followers. She has sent me, her sister, to send her apologies and to let you know that she didn't fall of the face of the earth.

Anywho, to answer you're question she has been taking care of last minute wedding preparations, honeymoon packing, you know all of the pre-wedding madness. On top of all of that, our family has done lots of interesting things like playing with lions and tigers and riding elephants(this is not a joke).

Ashley and Miguel playing with a tiger

Me, Mom, and Ashley

Not to drag it on or anything but I'm sure you are all itching to see pictures of the wedding. So here are a couple:

 

Newlyweds

 My personal favorite

So my sister is now on her honeymoon, which her hubby planned and kept secret. But yesterday we finally found out yesterday that it is in Paris. So for the next week I'll be guest posting here and there. I'll try to get up more pictures of the wedding also so make sure to check in every once in a while!

About me: My name is Monica and by this post I'm sure you know that Ashley and I are sisters. My sister is one of my best friends and I'm going to miss her dearly while she is living in South Africa. We have lots of similar interests such as music, food, and blogging. Check out my blog here. (No worries I got permission to advertise)

Things I've Missed

When you mention South Africa, for many uninformed people, thoughts of mud huts, antelopes bounding across the plains, and lions roaming wild is often a picture that comes to mind. Worldwide,  unfortunately, South Africa is known for its (rather recent) rocky and tumultuous past.

Yes, SA has its down sides, and although its residents might argue it’s sometimes hard to see anything else, I try to focus on all of its diverse culture, luscious landscape, and of course, scrumptious food. With each passing day, I realize how much I’ve missed this place.

As previously mentioned, the fruit is to die for.

Papaya with yogurt and GF granola

Things here are pretty close together. There’s a shopping center every few feet and an hour away is a “lengthy drive.” BUT (and this is a big but), for the most part, there is virtually no store that has everything (i.e. Wal-Mart). Translation: you have to go to a million different places to get your shopping done. For a busy bee, this might not be ideal. For me, one with nothing better to do at present, this is awesome because it takes up the entire morning.

One of time-consuming things we did today was go to the garden center, which happens to also contain my favorite café. This brings me to another beautiful thing I love about this country. There are cafés everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Not drive through coffee kiosks or Dunkin’ Donuts. Nope. Just sit-down, enjoy-the-company, savor-the-moment, and sip-your-coffee-slowly cafés. And a café surrounded by plants and flowers—can you say perfection?

Cappuccino art

Chillin'. Literally. It's cold here...

 Having the copious amounts of food readily available makes for colorful and flavorful meals. Case in point:

Salad, chicken and rice, and cauliflower

 These are just a few things I love and have dearly missed about my new country of residence. I am doing everything I can to soak it all in and make up for lost time.

Two-Day Recap: Rush and Relax

Yesterday and today have been better than I thought they would be. Luckily, I didn’t spend the WHOLE day lying around the house—only half the day, which still sucks. But, buzzing around town in the first part of the day made me feel a teensy bit better about slothing about for the second half.

As you know, I do NOT enjoy sitting still for long periods of time. However, I made attempts at keeping myself busy. These attempts include eating food, thinking about food, and reading about food.

Eat, Pray, Love, and Fresh Living Magazine.

I am pathetic, but what can I say. It’s a passion and I have to accept it and nurture it, right?

Here are some of my recent, delicious, South African eats (Side note: apologies for the pictures. I've been using my new BlackBerry to take them, but I realize they're not quite as clear as a real camera):

Breakfast:

Tuesday: oats with Nutella and black coffee

Hot quinoa with milk and a banana

Snacks:

Figs: my favortie fruit

Salted cashews

Let’s just take a second to talk about South African produce…

Enough fruits and veggies to feed and army... or one Portuguese family for a week...

First of all, it’s almost all grown locally because they have dream-like soil. Secondly, everything is brightly-colored, properly-sized and non-GMO. Thirdly, I am certain that the nutrient content is much higher, because after a short time of being here (every time) my nails and hair start growing at twice the normal rate and my body feels like it should have been living here its entire life.

Needless to say, it’s almost impossible for me to keep my hands off the fruits and veggies.

Lunch:

Tuesday: Tea, celery with hummus, soft-boiled egg, orange.

Wednesday: Chilled mashed cinnamon pumpkin and tuna salad with celery, carrots, pickle, mayo, lemon juice, and cherry tomatoes.

Dinner:

Tuesday dinner (not pictured)- honey mustard chicken, salad, and pumpkin. 

Wednesday: pork chop, roasted veggies, and salad.

 Fun things took place the past two action-packed mornings:

On Tuesday I…

• Hit up the bank. Not literally… I suppose the terms “hit up” and “bank” should not go in the same sentence.
• Visited the cake man
• Had a look at a little cottage nearby—which was not as wonderful as advertized. Even the pictures were much more spectacular than the real thing.
• Went to the new Pick ‘n Pay in town which resembles Fresh Market. It was love at first shop.
• Made a trip to the fruit and veggie shop, A.K.A. the Mecca of Produce. I must take pictures next time we go. Just imagine piles and stacks of the most gorgeous fresh fruits and vegetables you’ve ever seen. It’s basically the farmer’s market on steroids.
• Spent the evening with the love of my life who came home to tell me he had a surprise day off on Wednesday. Nothing makes me happier than spending the evening with him.

Wednesday I…

• Went to Makro (South African Sam’s Club) with Miguel in the AM to look for some new stylish kicks for all “the walking we’ll be doing” on my surprise honeymoon.
• Realized that we would have to come back to Makro another day seeing as the line was about 70 people long. No joke.
• Created a registry for my kitchen tea (bridal shower). I am going to write a book called The Almost Perfect Man (because I’m not delusional), and it’s going to be all about Miguel. Seeing him get excited about home ware is so hot…
• Chilled on the couch for the rest of the afternoon

The Europa Cup Final is on TV now, which I am supposed to be watching right now. I’m gonna go do that…