So...2020...Am I Right?
Hi Everyone! As you all know...unless you’re Jared Leto or the German cast of Big Brother... a lot has been going on. It took me a while to figure out what to write. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to focus on the state of the Games… the Pandemic… or something to keep our minds off of both of those topics. As is my nature, I’ve decided to touch on all of them.
I Came Home Early!
I’ve been in Canberra for another bout of training for the last few weeks. Originally, Australian Track and Field Nationals were supposed to be in Sydney this week. However, they were, of course, cancelled. I had planned on staying at the AIS to complete my training sessions, when a few days ago, my brother texted me saying that they were planning on closing the state borders. Therefore, 12 hours later, I was in my car puttering back. That sucked, but on the drive home I did rediscover the joy of eating Maccas chips dipped in Big Mac sauce, so that's something right?...Pay attention to the little joys in life...
2020 → 2021: It’s A Vibe
I think we can all agree this whole Coronavirus thing sucks. Almost everything is cancelled and shut down right now to try and “flatten the curve”, and sport is no exception. While it didn't particularly come as a shock, I’m not going to sugarcoat the fact that it bloody hurts that I won't be able to race this year at the Games. I know many people have been posting positive social media messages like “the goalposts have moved but the goal has stayed the same” and while I agree, I personally needed some time to come to terms with the disappointment that has come with the postponement, too. I have made some really positive improvements this year in and out of the chair and while the timeline has been shifted 12 months, I’m determined to keep growing myself as an athlete…So, back to the drawing board to maximize the next year.
Isolation and Chill
So, to move away from the repetitiveness of the internet at the moment (I recommend Disney+, Doctor Who, and Picard by the way), here are some of my favourite quick recipes to keep you and your isolation buddies full and healthy. To be honest, I came up with the idea to write these down 100% cause I was hungry whilst trying to think of blog topics to write about this week. It was either this, or me babbling on about hot chips (“french fries” for the Americans reading) for way too long. I can’t recommend chippies and Big Mac sauce enough...
Without further adieu, I give you this easy to whip up, almost foolproof (except for Q), black bean stir fry for your cooking pleasure. It’s healthy, and depending on how many veggies and greens you add, full of goodness!
Black Bean Stir Fry - Vegan Friendly
What I love about this recipe is that you can honestly use whatever vegetables and greens you have laying around and it'll work out a treat. I like adding in partially cooked sweet potato into mine to make it a more substantial meal if i'm ravished.
Black Bean Sauce Ingredients
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed (half for sauce, other half for stir fry)
4 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
3 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peanut butter.
1 red chili, finely chopped
Other Ingredients
Rice Noodles
Cooking Oil
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed (half for sauce, other half for stir fry)
Any and all veggies
It’s the Method...Man Part
(I’ve been at home too long already…)
Add half the can of washed beans into a small processor or blend cup with 4t bsp of water and all the sauce ingredients. Blend until combined and smooth. Place paste into a medium heated frying pan and cook until dark and silky. You’ll be able to smell the garlic and five spices doing their glorious thing as it cooks. (Approx 5 mins, constantly stirring)
Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
Add boiling water to your rice noodles to rehydrate and cook/follow instructions on the packet.
Heat up the frying pan nice and hot, adding a small amount of oil and a few spoons of sace into the pan.
Add the other half can of beans, vegetables of choice into the pan and stir fry combining with sauce. Adding more if coverage is not sufficient.
When vegetables are looking almost done, drain the noodles and add them to pan mixing through.
Remove and serve. (You're welcome)
So you now have a belly full of goodness but it's still daylight outside...HOW DOES TIME MOVE SO SLOWLY DURING QUARANTINE!? Time to open up your favorite streaming service and binge the night away, or at least until it's a decent enough time to call it a night. Now that you have sat down to watch all 8 Harry potter movies, it feels like you need something comforting to help you on your binge, right? Tea and cookies! Because what's the point of tea if you don't have a decent cookie to dip into it? For me the best cookie needs a little bit of chew to hold its shape as you dunk it, and an abundance of chocolate chips to turn gooey and melt in your mouth as you devour it.
So for your dunking pleasure…
Choc-Chip Cookies
Ingredients
180g butter softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
125 ml sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (sifted)
200g of chopped dark chocolate
50g of chopped milk chocolate
The Cookie-ing Part
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Using an electric mixer (unless you need a serious arm workout), beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Slowly add in the condensed milk.
Add the sifted flour and mix on low speed until combined and looking like cookie dough. Stir through the chopped chocolate until incorporated, making sure to eat any leftover chocolate.
Roll into desired cookie size balls and place onto the oven tray. Slightly flattened balls down with a fork or your nearest squishing utensil and bake for approximately 15 mins or until lightly golden and brown. Resist the urge to eat your creations and keep them cooling on the trays so as not to burn your hand on molten chocolate!
Let me know how this recipe turns out for you all and give me suggestions of your own, too! Clearly I will be cooking at home a lot more often! I want to give a shout out to everyone performing essential services and especially health care workers who are battling this pandemic and are on the front lines as we cook and binge-watch in our homes. I want to thank all of the loved ones and fans that have sent me well wishes during this crazy time and know that I really appreciate them as we go into new preparations for Tokyo 2021. Stay in touch with loved ones, remember to social distance, practice your cooking, read a good book, stay fit and, above all, WASH YOUR HANDS!
PS: Really though, stay in touch with loved ones, or you’ll go quarantine crazy… as is evident since on DAY ONE of quarantine my dad got so excited at our dog returning from a walk that his yelp of glee was mistaken for the voice of my 3 year old niece...
