In Review -The Hunger Games

If you're an Aussie television watcher, no doubt you've seen, or are possibly even getting sick of seeing, advertisements for "The Hunger Games" movie, which is released here on Thursday.  For the last week or so, however, I've been immersed in the book-world of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

I hate using clichéd terms.  I very much want to find something more imaginative sounding than "gripping" or "thrilling" or even "compelling", but either my brain isn't working properly (highly likely) or those words genuinely do it justice.  I've had trouble putting this book down, and in fact, am probably at least 1/3 of the way through the second book of the trilogy.  This book was also my first ebook experience, having read it on my kindle.  But lets get back to the book.

The Hunger Games takes place in what remains of North America, now called Panem.  Panem is divided up into the Capitol and 13 Districts.  There was an uprising in the Districts about 74 years earlier that was put down by the Capitol.  In the process of this, District 13 was completely annihilated and the rest of the Districts left to eke out their lives in service to the Capitol, whilst annually supplying a lottery-chosen boy and girl between 12 and 18 years of age to take part in the Hunger Games. These Games are required viewing by all and are designed to remind the greater population that they are subject to the Capitol, with the victor being the last "tribute" left alive.  It's a fight to the death.  The main character Katniss finds herself thrust into the Games after she volunteers to take the place of her 12 year old sister Primrose as the District 12 tribute.  And so the Games begin.

The Hunger Games presents such a bleak picture of life in Panem.  I found myself hoping from the start that they would rise up and overthrow the Capitol.  So many people in the Districts are left to starve to death under the horribly sadistic government, that just surviving ordinary life is no mean feat.  The story is told in first person present tense, which took me a little getting used to, having never read a book in this tense before.  I think it adds to the pacing of the book though.

Collins apparently came up with the premise of the book while watching the television one night and channel surfing between reality shows where young people were competing for money and stories of actual war, where young people were fighting each other to the death.  Whilst it is set in a very bleak world, I really enjoyed this book.  In fact, I found myself getting quite emotionally invested in it and feeling a genuinely concerned about whether I could handle the stress of the story when reading the second book. That's got to be saying something about the skill of the writer, if you find yourself that involved in their literary world!  I  give it an 8 out of 10.

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie and I hope it will do justice to the book.  Having seen some of the previews, it looks like they may have greatly sanitised at least some of the characters.  If it's as action-packed and well paced it should still be well worth it.


First image from http://www.firstnovelsclub.com/2011/04/judge-y-mcjudgerson-which-books-helped.html. Second image from http://screenrant.com/hunger-games-images-katniss-peeta-fire-costumes-kofi-147705/the-hunger-games-movie-poster-katniss/

No Added Sugar

Today I am beginning a little experiment.  I'm not sure how it will go or even why I'm really doing it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.  Deep breath and here goes: I am going to try to cut out all (or as much as I can) sugar for one week.  Phew. I think that still scares me a little...

I would be more scared, but since John and I started doing the 1 Million Kilo Challenge I've cut back to 1 teaspoon of sugar in my coffee (oh, how I love our espresso machine... But that's a story for another day) and half sugars in tea and Ecco (it's a weird drink, I know, but I like it).  I think the hardest thing will be resisting Bible study morning teas and collecting a sweetie treatie from our weekly Baker's Delight leftover's collection.  I'm not sure if I will get withdrawals, but I've recently been reassured from another friend that whenever she goes off sugar for a while she feels "heaps better".  Plus it surely it can only help with weight loss. We shall see how it goes.

I'm glad that Easter isn't in the next week.  Now I just wish I hadn't had a pre-experiment top-up to make up for all the sugar I won't be eating...

Photo from Flickr by Sidereal.

Of Hearth and Home - Super Easy and Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

I grew up reading a lot of classic fiction, especially Charles Dickens, so I love the idea of the hearth - coming in from the snow, sitting nice and close while you heat a bowl of soup or roast a chicken...  I thought I might try a regular feature with some homey-type things that I enjoy and would love to share with you.  I couldn't wait to share my first - a super easy, low fat banana bread.

I found this recipe back in 2008 from a www.weightloss.com.au forum.  All I can say is thank you Ing86, you've revolutionised our banana bread consumption.  The things that I like most about this recipe are it's variability (don't worry, of ingredients, not how it turns out), how quickly you can make it with a stick mixer and that it still works when I've made it with gluten-free flower and rice milk (although not being used to consuming these alternatives, I did find the finished product a little troubling...  Not as bad a soy milk Boost Juice I tried once though...).

This will be my stick mixer version - if you don't own one, just lightly beat the eggs and mash the banana first.

Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

Pinch of salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup sultanas (or pitted dates for less sugar)

2 eggs

1 cup reduced fat milk

2 large bananas

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line the base and sides of a largeish loaf pan with baking paper, or if you're a little lazy like me, spray oil lightly over a silicone loaf pan.

Sift the flour, bicarb soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.  Stir in the sugar and sultanas.

Whack the eggs, milk and bananas into your stick mixer cup and whizz them all up together.  Using a large metal spoon (not 100% sure that it really has to be metal) stir the egg/milk/banana mixture into the dry ingredients, until well combined.

Pour the batter into your loaf pan.  Bake it for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Slice and serve.  It's nice toasted and if you're not worried about the health aspect, smear it generously with peanut butter or nutella.  Mmm...  It also freezes well.

If you're going through a great banana famine, you can replace the banana with pie apples, a can of dessert pears in chocolate sauce (replacing some of the milk with the chocolate sauce), replace the sultanas with blueberries.  I even tried it with fresh mango instead of banana once, although I'm not too keen on replicating that one again.

Eat and enjoy!

Photo from Flickr by Francesg29

(I'll admit it, I didn't make this particular loaf of banana bread, and I'm no food stylist, but this looks a lot like my bread)

Yes.  I may have just lost all credibility.

Hanging in the Balance

It's been a while since I've posted.  Sorry about that. Doesn't life get busy?!  I felt quite busy last year with having a second baby and trying to run an online shop. This year I think I got a bit over excited.  I've tried to add in starting up and co-ordinating  a Junior Jivers group, starting a one-to-one with a lovely lady from church and doing a proper Moore College subject one evening a week.  That should be a walk in the park, right?  I'm not sure I've thought this all through properly...

Let me give you an idea of my week:
Sunday - John leaves for church early and I get the kids and myself there by 10:30am.
Monday - We were going to try and go to playgroup, but so far we haven't made it this year. I think I'm going to have to let that one go.
Tuesday - College Bible study and Moorewest Community Dinner
Wednesday - Running Junior Jivers
Thursday - College subject in the evening.  John puts the kids to bed while I head into the city at 5:30 for a 3 hour class.
Friday - Meet my one-to-one fortnightly
Saturday - Family day/whatever else is on

All of this is while I still breastfeeding and introducing David to solids and really feeling the need to nanna-nap each afternoon. This really takes up a fair chunk of time (much to Hannah's disappointment at being put down for a sleep).

What I've discovered so far:
1. My house is an embarrassing mess and I really struggle to have time to clean it properly, let alone de-clutter the mounting piles of "stuff" everywhere.
2. I'm in constant risk of going off at the kids for minor things, because I'm feeling so tired and like a failure because I'm not doing everything as well as I expect of myself.
3. I'm not doing very much very well, because I'm not preparing for things properly.
4. I have a rising sense of guilt about all these things.
5. I need to de-stress by making things, but I don't end up having time when I still need to finish chores in the evenings (hence my online shop is currently on "vacation mode").
6. Caring for small children can really leave me feeling peopled-out, but then I still need to spend time with adults or I get way too introspective.

Do you find it hard to decide what things you should fill your week with?  How do you decide between what's good and what's best?  How do you let go of the expectations upon yourself that there's always more you can fit in because you're not "working"?  I think that this is a lesson that I'm going to have to learn many many times before it sinks in.

Photo from Flickr by NCinDC.