Feeding Creativity in my Thinking Chair

Yesterday I decided to feed my creativity. I got baking. This is not a hat I wear regularly – but I was inspired!

And since my efforts were so quick and easy – and yummy (always a bonus) I thought I’d post them for any PiBoIdMo/NaNoWriMo participants in need of some tasty snacks.

My first ‘simply wonderful’ recipe came from @ColesOnline’s blog, courtesy of @BeAFunMum, Kelly Burstow. But in typical ScatterKat style – I changed it. It started as a Coconut Bread. A tasty lunchbox treat in itself that is so simple, it’s laughable. I’m always varying it – adding cherries (I like!) apricots or nuts. But yesterday I decided to up the health factor and sneak in some zucchini and carrot. It worked! My anti-zucchini kid loves it.

Kat’s Loaf-ly Coconut Bread

Loaf-ly Coconut Bread - One piece isn't enough!

2 cup self-raising flour
2 cup desiccated Coconut
3/4 cup white sugar
1 3/4  cups milk
1 small zucchini, grated
1 small carrot, grated
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dates

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Pour mixture into large greased loaf tin.
4. Sprinkle with extra walnuts.
5. Cook for 40 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
6. Slice and serve with butter.

Zucchini Carrot & Pecan Loaf

So moist! So quick. So tasty.

I wonder if I could hide pumpkin in this one, too? Bwahahaha.

The zucchini/carrot/walnut combination reminded me of my Zucchini, Carrot and Pecan Loaf, so that was my next quick and easy cook. (I’ve already blogged that recipe, here.) Mmmmm… Healthy and delicious every time. (You can eat more, because it’s healthy – right?)

I was sooooo busy baking that I’d forgotten all about my PiBoIdMo idea for the day – but that baking worked a treat for inspiration. At 11:45pm (thanks to a tweet from @I_am_LadyJai) I sped away to my Word document… saw a quote from a child in April this year that I’ve been wanting to work into a story, with no success thus far… decided this was it – and suddenly I had it. My idea. My story angle. My PiBoIdMo. Phew!

Of course, I had to celebrate. And scones with jam and cream were a suitable midnight feast. (This after roast chicken and vegetables for tea. Just so you know that I really was baking up a storm yesterday. :P)

Which makes me think that this afternoon I will have to do an extra-long ramble of paddocks in search of inspiration…

And that reminds me… There has been a lot of PiBoIdMo discussion about thinking chairs, thanks to @danaFR, which has led me to the realisation that my thinking chair is not cosy or comfy – but it is like a breath of fresh air on my writing. I tramp across grassy paddocks and rolling hills, with thoughts flying free into limitless blue skies. I can almost feel stress uncoiling inside me, loosening its grasp on creativity. Within metres of my house I am buzzing with exciting ideas and bites of poetry. Love it!

My Thinking 'Chair' Space

I guess that’s just as well, since I’ve been feeding my creativity so well.