Kai Chronicles

Eating, exploring and enjoying life


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I don’t live here anymore

Please subscribe to the NEW Kai Chronicles.

Believe it or not, I’ve revived Kai Chronicles – on a new platform. I’m now over at Substack, where I send weekly newsletters (is that what we are calling it now?) to my growing subscriber list.

I have stepped away from freelancing to MSM so I’m as free as a bird to write about whatever I want. At the moment, I’m back on a restricted diet due to significant health issues.

I’d love for you all to come visit me at Substack. Click the link to see my first post:

https://jmortonwriter.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-new-kai-chronicles

Right now, all content is free for all subscribers. I will have a paywall in the future for some content (including a podcast).

I hope you are all well and happy. The past three years have been a wild ride.

Jenn x


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UPDATE: travel and lifestyle blog on hold

follow me around the world

UPDATE: March 23, 2020

If you’re just seeing this post, please disregard it. I am back here at Kai Chronicles where I will return to blogging about everything food, health, travel and life in general. But, the focus will be cooking and baking! Stay tuned.

~

Hello there!

I just wanted to tell you all that I am blogging over at my writer site!

I would love you guys to subscribe to that blog where I will focus on all things travel and lifestyle.

On my website, you will also see my portfolio of published writing.

I can’t promise much happenings here at Kai Chronicles but I do have big travel plans for 2018 so please stay in touch over at JMW.

Subscribe to my new blog here.

As a small gift,  you’ll get a PDF copy of my short e-book, Becoming my own boss: 5 things I wish I’d known before starting my own business. It’s perfect for anyone starting, or dreaming about, running their own work from home business.

Thank you for being here. I hope to see you over at JMW. May you travel far.

travel quote


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Would you pay for a private cook?

personal cook for hire

Meal packages and food delivery services are all the rage but what if you could have meals cooked in your home by a hired help?

My BFF in Canada loves to cook. For 10 years, she owned a quaint seaside restaurant. She sold it in 2016. Now, she’s toying with another food related career move: private cook.

And ever since she mentioned it to me, my ears have be perked up and my brain has been spinning. I love food and I love to cook too.

I used to be a house cleaner and although it’s a physically demanding job, the money is good. It’s quite common for a household to have a professional cleaner come in weekly or fortnightly.

But would working families, couples and singles also hire a weekly or daily cook? Imagine arriving home to glorious food smells and a hot meal waiting on the stove or in the oven. If I asked for a show of hands right now, I think there would be many jazz hands in the air.

Here’s why I think hiring a private cook to prep and cook meals in your home could be the next big household “norm”.

Time Poor

This is the problem with so many people these days. We are all busy. Too busy to make healthy food choices even. How many professional men and women pick up dinner from the drive-thru because they are too tired to cook once they get home? Wouldn’t it be nice to arrive home to a home-cooked meal 5 nights a week?

Can’t Cook

Not everyone is on their way to being the next Masterchef. I’m not either but I can cook yummy food, just ask my son (and he’s a fussy bugger).

I’m often shocked when I read posts on social media from people saying they can’t cook. Maybe I take this skill for granted because I grew up in a household with a mother who cooked from scratch most of the time. But not everyone is able in the kitchen. It’s a good reason to hire someone to cook your meals.

Hate Being in the Kitchen

Some people know how to cook but they hate it. I’ll admit it, I don’t always love having to cook after working all day and I certainly use some shortcuts sometimes but generally, I like being in the kitchen. Especially with the music cranked up and a glass of wine in hand.

The Same Meals All. The. Time

It is so easy to prefect a few recipes and stick to them. The problem is, you and your family will get bored. Hiring a personal food prepper will give you variety and ideas for the times you do cook for yourself and your family.

Can Afford a Private Cook and Cleaner

Hey, if you have a disposable income, why the heck not? You may think a service like this is reserved for the rich and famous or executives but it’s working families who need it the most (in my opinion).

How much would you spend on a private cook? 


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How to make apple pie

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It’s Sunday. And Sunday is my regular baking day. I’ve always loved to bake and now that it’s winter, I find myself in the kitchen a lot.

Growing up in Canada, dessert was a constant. Especially fruit pies. I really miss seeing fruit pies on menus in Australia. It’s rare so I make them at home. Expect to see a flow of dessert pie recipes here on Kai Chronicles. It’s my way of helping the world. One pie at a time.

Let’s start with a classic: apple.

Continue reading →


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Recipe for Apple and Date Lunchbox Treats

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When I was a kid, my mother used to make date squares a lot. They weren’t my favourite but I still held fond memories of eating them.

I’ve always loved to bake and I’ve always baked homemade treats for my boy’s lunchbox. I was excited when I got my hands on my mum’s date square recipe and I used to follow it to a tee. My son has always loved them, even when I only put dates in them (as my mum did).

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with the recipe and this is what I’ve come up with (it tastes like Apple Crumble/Crisp…yum).

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The best chocolate cake ever…

If Jo says this is the best chocolate cake, it must be. She doesn’t even like cake!! I have THE BEST chocolate cake recipe in my collection, passed down from a sister. I think I may have to have a ‘cake off’ in my kitchen. Watch this space. And leave room for cake.

And Anyways...

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Yes, really. No exaggeration. In fact this cake is so good that it’s almost a community service announcement to share the recipe with you.

It takes literally 5 minutes to put together. I timed it. The longest part of the preparation is boiling the water for the coffee- which, incidentally, you don’t really taste…a good thing.

The recipe is here. You’re welcome.

I topped it with the best chocolate ganache slash sauce you’ll ever make too. This one takes some trust. You bring the cream to a near boil, drop the chocolate in, let it stand for a couple of minutes and then whisk the living daylights out of it. Although you might doubt, persist, which through it…the result is a glossy creamy chocolate sauce that you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.

Don’t worry, the recipe for that is here too.

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I made this as a birthday cake…

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Are you full of crap? I bet you are

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Have at seat. ©dirtyboxface

I recently researched bowel health for an article and interviewed colon hydrotherapist, Sue Twiggs. When I first saw her website, she said something to the effect of ‘the most miserable people in the world have improper elimination’. I see the website has been updated since but she does say this now:

It is normal to have a bowel movement 2 – 4 times per day, 2.5 % of the world’s population do, therefore most of us are full of shit.

I also love her description of the Constipated Person:

• Attitude to life always rushing never time for yourself, or your bowel…ignore toilet call, lose gut brain connection.
• Accumulation of emotional baggage unable to discuss/display emotions, holding onto the crap in our lives. Can also be sub-conscious or childhood memories baggage.
• Fear by letting go of faeces will bring up past unhappiness or hurt, so holding on to crap again. Amazing results are achieved with colonics as one lets go.

Are you miserable, tired, anxious, and stressed to the max? 

Continue reading →


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In search of health and happiness: A Manifesto

Well hello there. Yes, I know it’s been a long time since I’ve said good day to you all. You know when life gets messy and you just can’t fit another thing on your plate? That’s what’s been going down in my world.  I hope you’ve been eating well, things are looking a little thin around here.

I’ve had a major life re-vamp during my hiatus but I assure you, all is well – slowly but surely. I’m eating less junk, more healthy foods; drinking less beer, exercising a little (need to up that) and wrestling my health issues to the ground this week with a few appointments. All this around several deadlines. It’s been busy busy busy.

But I am back! All with a little kick up the bum from blogging freak (and I say that with love, affection and jealousy), Jeff Goins. I’m taking part in his 7-day blogging challenge. Day 1 (today) was all above setting the theme of your blog and publicly announcing your intentions and goals.  I wrote my manifesto à la Kelly Exeter style (her’s kicks mine straight to the curb but I’m still a little proud of my efforts) using Canva. I heart Canva.

Tell me what you think. And don’t hold back. My skin is getting thicker by the minute! Sometimes it’s hard to walk, it’s so leathery.

Manifesto for health and happiness

Do you have a manifesto for your life/blog/career/health? Share it in the comments.


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Are all chocolates good?

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Credit: CcCreatr

Forrest Gump’s Mamma said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

I haven’t been sharing much on here lately because my chocolate box has been a bit rotten. The past 6 months have been brown and gooey, not in the yummy chocolate kind of way but in the shitty kind.

I know everyone’s life gets messy from time to time and I’m not trying to do the poor me thing here. It’s not like that.

I’ve realised that even the crappiest days can offer insight, growth and reflection.

My favourite quote of all time, which I’m sure I’ve shared before, is:

Every crisis represents not only danger but opportunity ~ Eckhart Tolle

Although I am still prone to anxiety and pessimism, I am opening up to uncovering the chocolate-lining in every dark cloud that passes over me. I mean, can there really ever be a bad chocolate?

I think all chocolates can offer something delicious and satisfying.  You just have to allow your taste buds to mull it over instead of gulping it down then screaming YUCK. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

I have big changes happening in my life and although I relish change, it can also be terrifying. I have a real fear of the unknown and if I cannot plan and control a situation, I feel lost and uncertain. This is when more chocolate is needed.

Yup, I’m eating a lot of chocolate in search of my sweet spot. I know I’ll find it soon. Probably in a box of Favourites.

How’s your box of chocolates been lately?