End Month Series

Carpe Diem

April 30, 2019

Meal I have enjoyed the most this month…

Nyama Mama’s Japanese inspired Avocado & Beans Curry Farmer’s Pie aka mukimo and beans curry!This is the most exciting meal my palate has had the pleasure of exploring this year. The title mislead me as I was expecting a pastry stuffed with avocado and beans. So when a porcelain bowl was presented to me, its contents being a light layer of cheese melted over a thin spread of mukimo and topped with avocado cubes, I immediately knew I was in food heaven. I dug in to find the most flavourful bean curry underneath, the combination exploding in my mouth. It was part of the Nairobi Japan Food Festival and I sincerely hope Chef Lesiamone makes it a permanent fixture in the menu. Also, much as I call myself an aspiring vegan, I’m still eating cheese in copious amounts, with zero apologies. Only until my system says “enough with the cheese” will I stop indulging in it.

Lilmissbelle Nyama Mama

Thing I am marvelling about ..

That it is possible to go for a month without eating meat and not feel like a druggy who can’t access his supplies. The best thing about going (or trying to go vegan) is that you discover such mind blowing plant-based options that taste way better than your conventional meat options. My favourite meals so far? The Abor’s Spicy Tofu that’s served with stir fried rice, ArtCaffe’s Tofu Steak served with grilled vegetables (only available at Westgate), ArtCaffe’s Falafel with lentil and rice, The Hob House’ Falafel with tahini sauce and ArtCaffe’s Vegan Breakfast whose egg-plant and zucchini curry is so delightful and makes me feel played for all the days I settled for Egg Benedict or Egg Florentine! 

ArtCaffe Felafel
ArtCaffe Falafel
The Hob House Felafel
The Hob House Falafel

Moments that steal my heart

Spending time with my younger daughter Xia. She has just learnt how to talk and is such a joy to listen to, much as her demand for attention can be overwhelming. When I walk into the house from work, she bolts (literally) towards the door and gives me the tightest hugs and says “Hi mama” then asks “Here a?” pointing at whatever I would be holding, say my laptop. It’s just a thing she picked up recently where if she doesn’t know the name of something, she says “Here a?” expecting you to respond with the name in this case, “a laptop”. Sometimes when I’m at work, I feel like walking around the office asking my colleagues

“Here a?”…. “A printer.”

“Here a?”…. “A lanyard.”

“Here a?”…. “A desk.”

“Here a?”…. “A story teller who should instead be working!”

Have I also mentioned that she’s growing too fast and I am seriously contemplating adding another one to the troop?

Xia at 5 months
Xia at 5 months
Xia now ordering for ice-cream
Xia now ordering for ice-cream!

Thing I’m grateful for..

Getting my running fire reignited. Last year up until July, I was passionate about running and diligently got up to it at least three times a week. At the Victoria Falls Marathon in July, I clocked my personal best record of 2hrs flat for a 21km run. Thereafter, for the remainder of the year, I somehow lost all motivation to run but mostly because I signed up for personal training with Alvin Lee at the Alpha Fit and I was really enjoying it. Seems like I am the type that can only be in love with one thing at a time haha. However, I purposed to get back my running zeal this year. I have slowly found my mojo since the beginning of the year but it hasn’t been easy. Initially, I felt like a child learning how to walk, the falls in this case being the intermittent stops or painfully slow runs that resulted in atrocious average paces. I can mostly attribute the renewed passion to our running WhatsApp group where FOMO reigns supreme. Folks are always posting their runs and when you see the consistency in some people, you ask yourself whether your limbs are less capable! You immediately jolt into action. So far this year, I have done one half marathon (The First Lady’s Half Marathon) in 2 hours 10 minutes. The plan is to cover 100km every month and run a half marathon every quarter, something I am looking forward to.

Victoria Falla Marathon-1st July 2018
Victoria Falls Marathon-1st July 2018

Quote I am loving..

“If you played golf and you hit a hole in one on every hole, nobody would play golf, it’s no fun. You’ve got to hit a few in the rough and then get out of the rough. That makes it interesting.” Warren Buffet.

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