Vegan Carob Peanut Butter Cups

Christmas Wrap up

Christmas all wrapped up, but isn't that half the fun? This year we DIY decorated our present pile in hand made paper, gift tags and all the trimmings. Featuring foxes and bears of course! Keeping it simple with hand stamped brown paper, neutral colours and festive red. Each parcel different and packed with plenty of love. They looked too good to open but that just cant stop some people :P 

Christmas breakfast

Pre-presents, we sat outside on a beautiful Summer Christmas morning and enjoyed our home made muesli, fresh apple juice and summer fruits, amongst DIY decorations. We hand made bon-bon's for the table, each one filled with a quiz question like, what was your favourite trip abroad & a memory? & would you rather grow up in the Brady Bunch or the Adams Family? (strangely enough we all chose the Adam's Family!). Some answers got everyone laughing so much they were in tears! Such a lovely way to start christmas day with something a little bit different (and prolong that present suspense ;) )

Raw Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Vegan Brownies

This raw vegan triple layer pecan pie salted chocolate brownie recipe is to die for! Literally the best thing we have ever tasted…and it’s good for you (well sort of!)

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

Vegan Lentil Loaf for Christmas Roast

Cute little Raw Vegan Blueberry Pies

A very vegetarian christmas

Here at FTTB we have been planning and prepping the prefect Christmas feast for months!....... ok, more like a week. Life has been busy lately for foxes and bears with so many changes as well as new and exciting things coming up for 2013. So we are so happy to finally share with you all what we have install for Christmas.

Wednesday Thought

I was chatting to a friend today, about just how much of an influence the people and things you fill your life with can have. Surround yourself with negativity and of course things will go badly. Negativity is toxic and spreads like a disease. Positive people and beautiful things can make all the difference. So cull the negative vibes, this may mean you lose a few people who you once thought you couldn't live without. It may be hard, but it will definetly be worth it.To quote CoCo Chanel, "Don't spend time beating on a wall, expecting it to become a window". Negative people will never change into the wonderful people that deserve your company. You may just meet some new friends, and have new experiences you never thought possible. This has been my mantra for the year and honestly I am so much better for it - just a thought. xx Bear

A Beary Merry Christmas Wish List

 After a long year, filled with ups and downs, I've decided to be a little bit selfish and put together my (realistic) Christmas wish list. Of course I would die for Dior, and go a little cray for Cartier but let's face it, I don't think anyone loves me that much! So here are a few of my picks for a little touch of everyday luxury.

1. Anything and everything from Aesop. Their delicious, organic products are combined with sleek minimalist packaging making them ultra luxurious. The Australian based company can do no wrong. I am coveting their hand creams, and having dreamy cloud-soft hands for days.

2. Zimmermann mixed print bikinis. So so so cute, and after year of working extremely hard every morning in the gym on my health and fitness, I feel I deserve it.The uniform of summer - combined with a healthy slather of SPF 50+.

3. Diptyque Candles. The lush combination of wax and perfume, to perfectly scent your living space. These candles, direct from Paris are the epitome of the candle world. Available in a rare choice of around fifty scents, inspired by a childhood memory, nature or journeys.Much to expensive to justify purchasing for myself at the moment, I'd be more then happy to accept one as a gift. Gardenia and Marquis are my current favorites.

4. Adidas by Stella McCartney studio range workout gear. Although Lauren & I have just purchase a few pieces, I am officially addicted to Stella McCartney designed workout wear. The cuts and prints are so different to anything else available here, making sure you will stand out for all the right reasons in the gym, on the track or in the studio. The delicate seamless studio range is ultra comfy and perfect for post-Christmas party season yoga classes.

5. Camera (and photography lessons)

There has come a point were the camera on my Galaxy phone just doesn’t cut it, and this Canon Powershot S110 camera is the perfect solution. Lauren has one and I am super jealous! One of the best point and shoots available means you can take high definition professional photos without having to lug around a chunky SLR. Pop it in your bag and take it everywhere, so you never miss a moment. (Photography lessons would be nice too, so that I can learn how to utilize the many features other than auto mode).

6. Season Pass to the Australian Ballet

A season pass will ensure not missing any of the fabulous ballets coming up next year - Don Quixote, Vangaurd and the amazing Cinderella. The perfect excuse to dress up, look fabulous and get together for an evening a little more cultured then just hitting the clubs. First choice of dates and seats means you will see and be seen. Now who’s coming with me?

7.Speedo Aquabeat Underwater Mp3 player & Garmin Heart rate monitor

Running with the workout theme this year, I wouldn't mind either (or both) of these nifty gadgets. Speedo Aquabeat is an underwater mp3 player for use whilst swimming. I have been thinking about getting back into swimming for a while now, and this will provide that extra bit of motivation to brave the pool.The Garmin heart rate monitor is pretty essential too. I have been reading a lot around heart rate & it's usefulness in weight loss and general fitness, so I would like to give it a try! 

8. Plane tickets. To anywhere. 6 months in the one place & no travel plans on the horizon is making me antsy! A white Christmas in Paris or Stockholm, or sunning myself in the Dominican. I'm not fussy. Okay this one probably isn't realistic, but a girl can dream.

And that will do me, just a few bits & pieces. Thanks in advance

xxBear

(Images sourced via Amazon and Google)

Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese with Zucchini Pasta

This delicious vegan Bolognese is sure to please. Low-fat, low- carb, full of nutrients and so good for you that you can have seconds! Pasta has never looked so good.

1 x red onion
1 x clove of garlic
1 x tin of organic lentils (you can use dried, just make sure you soak them overnight before hand)
2 x handfuls of mushrooms
1 x carrot
1.5  x tin of organic tomatoes
4 or 5  x zucchini
1 x bunch fresh basil
dried Italian spices
salt
pepper
olive oil

Chop onion and garlic finely, then sauté in pan with a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Quarter the mushrooms, then add them to the pan & stir. When the mushrooms start to brown, grate the carrot & add, then add the tomatoes and a sprinkle of dried Italian spices. Let simmer for 5 minutes.  Drain the lentils and stir them through the pan. Season with a little salt & pepper to taste. Let simmer for another 10 minutes until the sauce has not too much liquid so that it is able to hold its shape. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini into fine strips. Slice the zucchini strips finely lengthways into noodles. Transfer the sauce to a big bowl, and stir through a big handful of fresh basil leaves just prior to taking off the heat. In the same pan, add a little olive oil and all the zucchini noodles. Toss with tongs until the noddles are heated through. Serve a big dollop of the sauce on a bed of the noodles, with a few fresh basil leaves; sprinkle a little cheese on top if you wish. Enjoy!

 xx Fox&Bear

Tamen Negara - Jungle Adventures

Malaysia is such a beautiful part of the world and I've had so much fun living in and exploring Kuala Lumpur, but it was so nice to take a break and escape the city. We took a trip out to the amazing Taman-Negara rain forest. The oldest jungle in the world, 130 million years to be exact and spanning 4343 square km. This magnificent, lush region is also home to a number of endangered species such as the Asian elephant, tigers, leopards and rhinos, as well as a vast number of other stunning flora and fauna.

We started our journey off with a boat ride down the river and into one of the local villages, spotting monkeys and beautiful birds along the way. We then trekked into the night, joining one of the tours organised by our favourite floating restaurant “Mama Chop”. Then spent the next morning walking through the tree tops.

Sunday Thoughts - 25 Things To Do Before You Turn 25

1. Make peace with your parents. Whether you finally recognize that they actually have your best interests in mind or you forgive them for being flawed human beings, you can’t happily enter adulthood with that familial brand of resentment.

2. Kiss someone you think is out of your league; kiss models and med students and entrepreneurs with part-time lives in Dubai and don’t worry about if they’re going to call you afterward.

3. Minimize your passivity.

4. Work a service job to gain some understanding of how tipping works, how to keep your cool around assholes, how a few kind words can change someone’s day.

5. Recognize freedom is a 5:30 a.m. trip to the diner with a bunch of strangers you’ve just met.

6. Try not to beat yourself up over having obtained a ‘useless’ Bachelor’s Degree. Debt is hell, and things didn’t pan out quite like you expected, but you did get to go to college, and having a degree isn’t the worst thing in the world to have. We will figure this mess out, I think, probably; the point is you’re not worth less just because there hasn’t been an immediate pay off for going to school. Be patient, work with what you have, and remember that a lot of us are in this together.

7. If you’re employed in any capacity, open a savings account. You never know when you might be unemployed or in desperate need of getting away for a few days. Even $10 a week is $520 more a year than you would’ve had otherwise.

8. Make a habit of going outside, enjoying the light, relearning your friends, forgetting the internet.

9. Go on a 4-day, brunch-fueled bender.

10. Start a relationship with your crush by telling them that you want them. Directly. Like, look them in the face and say it to them. Say, I want you. I want to be with you.

11. Learn to say ‘no’ — to yourself. Don’t keep wearing high heels if you hate them; don’t keep smoking if you’re disgusted by the way you smell the morning after; stop wasting entire days on your couch if you’re going to complain about missing the sun.

12. Take time to revisit the places that made you who you are: the apartment you grew up in, your middle school, your hometown. These places may or may not be here forever; you definitely won’t be.

13. Find a hobby that makes being alone feel lovely and empowering and like something to look forward to.

14. Think you know yourself until you meet someone better than you.

15. Forget who you are, what your priorities are, and how a person should be.

16. Identify your fears and instead of letting them dictate your every move, find and talk to people who have overcome them. Don’t settle for experiencing .000002% of what the world has to offer because you’re afraid of getting on a plane.

17. Make a habit of cleaning up and letting go. Just because it fit at one point doesn’t mean you need to keep it forever — whether ‘it’ is your favorite pair of pants or your ex.

18. Stop hating yourself.

19. Go out and watch that movie, read that book, listen to that band you already lied about watching, reading, listening to.

20. Take advantage of health insurance while you have it.

21. Make a habit of telling people how you feel, whether it means writing a gushing fan-girl email to someone whose work you love or telling your boss why you deserve a raise.

22. Date someone who says, “I love you” first.

23. Leave the country under the premise of “finding yourself.” This will be unsuccessful. Places do not change people. Instead, do a lot of solo drinking, read a lot of books, have sex in dirty hostels, and come home when you start to miss it.

24. Suck it up and buy a Macbook Pro.

25. Quit that job that’s making you miserable, end the relationship that makes you act like a lunatic, lose the friend whose sole purpose in life is making you feel like you’re perpetually on the verge of vomiting. You’re young, you’re resilient, there are other jobs and relationships and friends if you’re patient and open.

— January Nelson

Backstage at Chanel cruise 2013 showing in Malaysia