How good are you at getting ready for things? Are you someone who thrives on change, or do you struggle to prepare yourself and also keep yourself present in the space you are in right now. Why is it that when you know something is coming up (even if you don’t quite feel ready for it yet) it is so hard to live through the last days, until you are really there?!

We are about to go travelling again, which is awesome and exciting and a little bit scary, and also at this point still totally unbelievable. I have been thinking about it for weeks and watching the days tick by, preparing in little (yet important) ways but not really feeling like I am getting anywhere! And it seems to have leaked over into the rest of my life…

I just can’t seem to get going on all of the things that I normally do as part of the week without any problem. I am stuck in a little bridge of time, between what is to come and where I am actually at now. And, for some reason, things that have seemed trivial enough to put off for months or years suddenly feel super urgent, and that I must get them all attended to before we go! Why is this? Why does my brain dredge up this muck from the bottom of the pond and want me to go through it all before we go away on holiday?!

I think some of it is my subconscious filing through all the possibilities and contingencies – working to find solutions to all the possible problems that you can easily fix when you are at home, but that are more challenging when you away. Things like visiting doctors, or knowing how to get help if you need it. So every time, before we go away, I think of all those niggles (and sometimes wonder if I am inventing some) that you would otherwise not even notice, and it seems terribly important to get everything ‘fixed’ before we set off.

Maybe it comes from needing medication 24 hours a day (for life, it says so in my doctor’s letter, ugh) – for some reason the responsibility of that feels so much bigger when you go away. Even if you have lived for years at home managing things just fine!

Oh, how I wish it wouldn’t take up all of my brain space and blur my excitement! So for once and for all here I am telling myself, you are prepared. You can do this, after all you’ve done it before. And actually it will be really fun, so let’s get to it!

Clear your desk and clear your mind. Go and have an adventure! Live your life! You will do well. Fill your heart with joy as much as you can. Be inspired. And sure, prepare yourself, but not so much that you get stuck there, for you will figure out anything you really need to when it happens and sometimes the funniest stories come from these moments. Part of the fun is how you work things out along the way, if only you have the right perspective. You only live once or maybe more, who knows, but you may as well do the best with what you’ve got and enjoy it.

One of my ways of preparing when we go away is to pack a few staples that make me feel like I am at home. This makes me feel a bit more certain, somehow a bit more safe in the midst of the adventure. I pack some of everybody’s favourite tea because if everything is all a bit much a cup of tea, made just like at home, seems to bring us all back to earth. Good salt and pepper also get room in my bag, they can elevate anything simple and make it more delicious. And my yoga mat, to help keep my mind and body in some kind of alignment. It’s as if these things from home provide me with a little anchor, to keep me from feeling lost at sea. Although I seem to feel more lost at sea before we depart, than after we actually arrive…

So, bring on adventure and new lands… and prepare yourself whichever way works best.

Banana flour crepes with tahini and honey

I guess these crepes are a good way to prepare yourself or your loved ones for the day, whether it be big or little or somewhere in between. On occasion I have even been crazy enough to pack my crepe pan when going away – I haven’t yet packed it when flying, but never say never, I’m a bit that kind of eccentric. In fact, it’s pretty easy to make crepes wherever you are in any little frying pan. If they are part of what makes you feel like you are at home, you can get it done, even if it all feels like a bit of a laugh (actually, it’s probably even better if it all feels like a bit of a laugh).

I’ve made crepes in Paris in the tiniest kitchen, where I used the top of the bar sized fridge to rest my chopping board, and we ate them sitting on the floor at a mirrored coffee table. I’ve made them in an old school house in the country and smoked the place out. I’ve even made them into a cake, to celebrate someone’s birthday who isn’t with us anymore. And every time they made the moment feel a bit more special, and a bit more homely, and created a memory out of a moment that we might have forgotten otherwise. Pop in enough butter and heat whichever old pan you can find well, before you swirl around the batter and all will be in the world as it should.

I used banana flour as a variation for these crepes because I love experimenting, and it’s a great pre-biotic, meaning that it helps feed all the good bacteria in your gut, and you want to have plenty of happy, good bacteria to help keep you well while you are travelling. Tahini and honey, along with banana and cinnamon will always be a simple yet delicious sweet and creamy combination that fills a certain kind of craving that I (often) have. Of course you can fill your crepes with any of your favourite fillings, or something new and delicious you have found on your adventures.

Banana flour crepes with tahini and honey, banana, cinnamon and salt

Makes 5 – 6 crepes

3/4 cup green banana flour (or green resistant banana starch) – in Australia you can find it here
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of milk
butter for frying

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1-2 bananas sliced
a tablespoon or so of tahini for each crepe
a sprinkling of cinnamon
a drizzle of honey
flaked salt (optional)

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat until hot, then add in a teaspoon of butter and swirl. Ladle a 1/3 – 1/2 cup of batter into the frying pan, tilting the pan around in a circular motion to achieve a thin layer of batter over the entire base of the pan.

Allow to cook for 1 – 2 minutes, until bubbles appear through the crepe and the edges set. Flip the crepe using a silicon spatula, or a flicking motion if you are really clever, and allow to cook on the other side for another half a minute. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve each crepe topped with a dollop of tahini, some slices of fresh banana, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I think they are even better with a pinch of flaky salt. Or your favourite topping – jam, yoghurt, chocolate spread, ricotta…

If you don’t have banana flour you can also use buckwheat flour – you can find my recipe for buckwheat crepes here.