The second was seeing a commercial for a new TV show called 'Bringing Sexy Back'. The basic premise of the show seems to be people being unhappy with how they look, dreaming of looking the way they do in photos that are decades old.
What is the common theme for today's upset? Beauty. Our society puts such importance on physical beauty, to a point that 9 year olds are asking the world if they're pretty. They're wearing make-up and all the right clothes, but they're still not as pretty as girls in magazines, or other girls at school. They compare themselves with the physical attributes of others, and they can't measure up. Did I mention they're 9 years old?
25 years ago, just before I hit my teen years, I started to notice I was 'fat'. My sister, who was a couple of years older than me was very slight, she was around a size 6 naturally. I was a size 10 - standing next to her, I was huge. I grew up in the 80's in a family that joke to show they care, and compliments were doled out very rarely, to avoid conceit. My nickname was Norm. Kids of the 80's will remember the Life Be in It advertisements of the day? A big, fat, lazy guy sitting around in a chair. That was me, or at least how I learned to see myself - Norm.
As a teenager, I hung at the fringe. There were others like me, and they'd sit with me in class, sometimes hang out with me in the yard, but for the most part, I was alone. I went further with boys than I wanted to, because I just wanted affection and attention. I wanted someone to love me, to approve of me, to think I was pretty. I ran away from home at 16 to live with a guy I thought was the love of my life, because finally I found someone who thought I was beautiful. I nearly married him for the same reason, despite the fact we weren't good together.
Years later after speaking to others from the fringe groups at my high school, they felt similar feelings. Alone, unattractive, seeking approval and love, kindness and friendship. Things that weren't given by all those perfect girls, the popular ones with the jock boyfriends that were just so damn hot. They were so beautiful that the boys wanted to date them, not just make out with them behind the building so no-one would see - like they did with me. Oh how I wanted to be them. They had the right clothes, the right shoes, the right hair, and they were just so fucking beautiful. I was ugly, so I had to hide behind a make-up mask and lots of hair.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate pretty just as much as the next girl. I have occasional moments of having my breath taken away by a set of rock hard abs, muscular shoulders or piercing blue eyes. What I'm getting at is that it's not the most important thing. In fact, it's not really important at all.
So when I see a T.V show that has grown adults striving to look like they did as young adults, it makes me so sad. Beautiful women, many who are loving wives and mothers who hate the way they look. I would never want to go back to who I was then, I'm finally me. I am beautiful. I am happy. I don't need your approval. I don't need things. I don't need the right clothes, the right hair. My body is most certainly not what it was back then, but I don't care. I have housed two humans in there. My body is amazing. It grew two people - made from scratch.
My amazing body isn't what it used to be. It's much bigger. Mostly because of how I chose to treat it. For the better part of two decades I lived on a diet of toxins. Cigarettes, alcohol, chips chocolates and any other crap I could find. It made me unhealthy and sick. Hindsight tells me I was eating away emotional issues, which gave me very real physical problems. For the last 4 years, I've been studying wholefoods and eating to restore health. When what went in my mouth started to change, my head changed. I stopped being so sick, but I also stopped thinking so negatively. I actually started to like myself.
To my three devoted readers, I ask this of you, teach your daughters that what is on the outside is not as important as what is on the inside. Teach your sons to respect women, and look beyond appearance. Instill a sense of self in your kids that isn't dependant on what other people think of them. Teach your kids that kindness toward other people, a sense of humour, the desire to help people worse off than yourself, intelligence, a social conscience, a love of nature, passion for life and a killer smile are all so much more important than pretty. Also, teach your kids to honour and respect their body. To love it, nurture it and care for it. Don't let them get into their 30's before they start to nourish it. Teach them young. Teach them well. Teach them to just eat real food!!
Now for my lasagne - it's not a recipe, it's a guide. I think a good bolognese is a really personal thing, and everyone tends to make their own version. The way I make my Bolognese has evolved from my mother's recipe, which is chunky and delicious!
Yesterday for the very first time I made the pasta for my lasagne, which I really enjoyed and found to be lots of fun! I made the dough in the Thermomix in about 90 seconds.
Dough
300g flour (I actually used wheat as it was for someone else)
3 large free-range eggs
15g Olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients into TM bowl and mix speed 6 for 6 seconds. Then knead for 2 mins. Remove from bowl, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 mins. Then using your pasta machine, roll out to desired thickness (that's the fun part!!)
Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
500g minced beef
2 carrots
1 large stick celery
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbsp veggie stock paste
1 tin diced tomato (plus 1 tin water)
1/4 cup tomato paste
This section can be done in the TM or on the cooktop. I wrote it for the cooktop - because that is how I prefer to do my sauce.
Crush garlic, dice onion, carrot, celery. Add oil to large fry pan on medium heat. Gently sweat off garlic carrots celery and onion until the onion is translucent. Turn heat up to high and add minced beef oregano and basil. Stir until meat is browned.
Add wine, stock paste tomatoes, water and tomato paste, reduce heat and simmer for approx 30 mins. Once cooked, refrigerate until cold for a better lasagne!
In the thermomix, make sure you remember to have the blade on reverse so the meat and veg aren't mushy - or cook them in the basket.
Bechamel sauce
This part is so easy in the Thermomix and I hate doing a bechamel on the stove!
In the TM bowl combine
400ml milk
30g butter
pinch salt
pinch pepper
pinch nutmeg
20g corn flour
1 large free range egg
Mix at speed 5 for 3 seconds. Set timer for 8:00 temp 90 speed 6
I like to add a handful of grated cheese and cook for another minute to melt the cheese - this is totally optional.
100g cheese - grated. Please grate cheese yourself or use your Thermy. Commercial shredded cheese has anti caking agents that are toxic. Fresh is best!
Essentially once you've rolled out your dough, the process is exactly the same as any lasagne. Layer sauce and pasta, then pour over bechamel and cover with cheese!
It's just as easy to make a double, or even triple batch of the sauce and make several lasagnes, as they freeze really well!
I hope you enjoy, comment if you make this to let me know how you go. Don't forget to just eat real food!
Marney x
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