G’day readers!

Now that I am back in the U.S and have pretty much slept off the jetlag I thought I would share one of the last (and one of my favorite) meals I had while back home with the fam: fish and chips sea-side!

Growing u

p, both sets of my grandparents lived on the coast while my family resided in-land in Albury, New South Wales at the time. Visiting the grandparents during the holidays always made for lots of beach time which equaled just as much fish and chips. I guess this is one of those smaller memories I mentioned in last week’s Thankful Thursday post. Whenever I go home I always make sure to enjoy fish and chips at least once.

The meal’s nutritional value is probably that of deep-fried cardboard but I am quite ok with that. Everything in moderation people

My Mum and I picked up the parcel of fish and chips while my Dad and Mitch headed down to the Strand to secure a table.

I have never been a fan of fish or seafood in general. It is definitely something I am working on as I know the huge health benefits it can offer. So when I say we had fish and chips, I kinda only had the chip part…

…along with two potato cakes (aka potato scallops). They are basically just thick, round slices of potato also deep fried.

You can probably see grease oozing through your computer screen by now

We sat and talked for a while, it was fun enjoying similar moments together as adults that we enjoyed 10+ years ago as kids.

We then rounded out our night down at the beach with Juliette’s, a really popular gelato shop/cafe that opened during my freshman year of college. I remember going

home over the summer and making frequent trips down to cheap car insurance quotes the Strand to walk with Mum which would be followed by a cup of gelato. We have continued our ‘gelato walks’ each summer I have returned home.

I always try to get a different combo each time we visit Juliette’s and this time was no exception. I went for a small cup, half honeycomb and the other half coconut.

It was definitely one of those “food coma” nights but I have absolutely no regrets! I believe balancing healthy meals, fitness and nights with foods like those listed above is key to a healthy weight/healthy mindset when it comes to your health and eating habits.

Do you have a particular meal/memory that always reminds you of childhood and family time?

Last night my older brother arrived in Townsville from the Sunshine Coast where he is at college. The last time all four of us where in our home all at the same time was in 2009 when Mitch and I were home for the summer. To take advantage of

the family time, we headed out on the boat over to Magnetic Island (aka “Maggie” by the locals), to enjoy some sunshine and snorkelling. Maggie Island is just off the shore of Townville (in tropical North Queensland) and is about 5 miles in length.

(source)

By ferry, the boat trip is only about 20 mins. Approx. 2000 people reside on Maggie Island. It’s definitely a favorite getaway spot for both tourists and locals alike.

We drove about half way around the island before deciding to anchor in a small, private beach called Arthur Bay.

The house you can see in the picture above is a holiday rental. A few years ago my hairdresser had her wedding there. Although I didn’t attend the wedding, she showed me pictures and they looked absolutely magical. Does it get much more romantic than a private beach wedding?!

After anchoring the boat we snacked on chips, veggies and dips before getting to work on lunch. We had planned to eat lunch on the island but the water was calm and we were quite happy sitting on the boat so we just ate on-board.

My Mum had packed up a big cooler full of bread rolls and a variety of salad toppings. I had cheese, tomato, cucumber and lettuce.

Since I couldn’t eating the bread rolls, I brought along some multigrain Sol Bread. So yummy and satisfying

We let our lunch sit a little (we probably broke that “no swimming within 30 mins after eating rule ) before suiting up in stinger suits to go snorkelling. I’m not the best at breathing through a snorkel, I even had a mini freak out thinking there was some weird sea creature brushing up on my leg. Turns out, it was only Mum’s flipper. Pretty sure there are much scarier things out there then a

rubber flipper!

You may be wondering what the heck is a stinger suit?? Well, in North Queensland we have what is called “Stinger

Season” from November to May each year. This is when there are a large number of stingers in the waters because the water is soo warm. It is still safe to swim, but to protect yourself it’s best to wear a full body lycra suit. If you brush up against tentacles the lycra will protect you from the sometimes deadly effects of the stinger.

They aren’t the sexiest things to be sporting but you can bet I wasn’t dippin’ my big toe in the water without having a suit on first!!

My Mum was wearing my Dad’s suit. It is pretty intense – offering a hood and hand gloves so that 98% of your body is protected. This is mainly for when my Dad goes fishing out on the Great Barrier Reef. Like I said, not always the sexiest, but safety first

My Mum and I stayed pretty close to the boat while snorkelling. While I didn’t see any stingers, I did see a few small jelly fish.

If you look closely at the two photos above you can see the two whitish/clear looking jelly fish toward the middle of the photo. I spotted these right over the side of the boat while having lunch.

After spending a few hours out on the water we headed back toward the mainland. I told Mum that she and Dad are not allowed to move away from Townsville, as each time I come home it’s just like a tropical holiday!!