Our Trip to the Crystal Castle.

March 19, 2012 · 9 Comments

Some of you may have noticed the beautiful picture I have on my blog and Facebook page. It is a massive piece of quartz crystal, set in the gardens of the Crystal Castle. Nestled up in a little mountain in the Byron Bay Hinterland, not far from Mullumbimby in New South Wales, Australia is the most magical, spiritual, beautiful place I have ever been.

We went on a road trip to visit my parents last year and finally I got to visit the Crystal Castle! We even made a whole day of it, staying at nearby Murwillumbah overnight. You really need at least a good three or four hours to visit. Both of my children, as do I, have a fascination with crystals. They are drawn to their beautiful energy and love collecting them. So, we were really looking forward to this trip!

The Crystal Castle is like an uber cool hang-out joint in the rainforest! We had a lovely lunch first off at the Lotus cafe – sitting out on the deck, overlooking the mountains – bliss! The food was yummy, healthy and organic. We had a bit of stroll around the shops, all tucked away in little rooms, branching off the main area. You can buy crystals (of course!) in all shape and forms, spiritual books, music CDs, gifts and loads of other things. The kids had a bit of a muck around in the playground – it’s right near the deck, so you can have lunch while keeping an eye on the kids.

The focal point is Fireheart the dragon, complete with crystal eyes.

They also have a large building for all sorts of workshops and you can even have readings done by resident clairvoyants. If you go in school holidays, there are lots of activities on offer, including face painting.

Didn’t they do a good job on my Natural New Age Girl?

How awesome is this picnic table and chairs made from rose quartz? It was so cool and smooth to sit on!

Once we did all the stuff in the main area, we headed off for a walk in the gardens. They are magnificently landscaped and feature statues of all different gods. We followed the lead of many others and left coin offerings on the statues as we made wishes. Crystal Castle collect the offerings and donate them to a Tibetan kindergarten in India.

An image of Ganesha, a Hindu deity.

The walks are not long and there are plenty of spots to sit and meditate or just enjoy. The highlight of the gardens would really have to be the Blessing Buddha statue which is four metres high !

Blessing Buddha Statue with gorgeous lotus mosaic.

We walked the magic spiral, the ancient labyrinth and gazed at the enormous statue of Buddha. Then we sat down for some quiet time – just relaxing and soaking up the amazing energy.

Walking the rose quartz magic spiral.

What I found most incredible was the sheer size of some of these crystals. Absolutely breathtaking!

♥♥ Rose quartz – the stone of universal love. How could you not feel the love with a crystal that big?? ♥♥

We had such a wonderful time and left reluctantly, not wanting the spiritual high to end. The Crystal Castle’s motto is “enrich your spirit” and I can honestly say that they deliver on that promise. This is a tourist attraction like no other!

Best pizza EVER !! 2 Ingredient base, Yummy topping!

March 16, 2012 · 26 Comments

I am a fan of home-made pizza. I have never had a bought pizza that tastes as good. However, I have not been to Italy (yet!).

But the dough you say! the kneading! the proving! it’s all too hard! Well, what if you could whip up an easy pizza base in less than five minutes, throw some toppings on and have it all cooked and ready to go before the pizza boy even gets on his bike? With the added benefit of having a family dinner with no additives or artificial stuff ? Yeah, that’s what I am talking about !

I am going to share with you the easiest, tastiest pizza base ever – spelt and yoghurt (my mum gave me the recipe, but of course I tweaked it!) and a yummy topping – prawn, fetta and pesto – that my family just loves. This recipe will make 2 largish pizzas.

2 Ingredient Pizza Base

Okay, so this is what you need:

2 cups organic wholemeal spelt flour*

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup organic greek natural yoghurt

10 large Australian green prawns, peeled and chopped into thirds

200g organic fetta cheese, cubed

4 tablespoons organic tomato paste

1/2 capsicum, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2-3 tablespoons pesto

2 large handfuls of rocket (or spinach)

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees celsius. Oil a couple of pizza trays. I like the trays with the holes in the bottom so the pizza bases stay nice and crispy!

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add the yoghurt into a bowl and mix well.

Work it together until it forms into a ball. You may need a drop or two of water at this point.

Take it out and knead it gently for a minute or so on a floured bench until it is nice and smooth. Don’t go too crazy – just a light kneading is all it ~~kneads~~ needs. 😀

Roll out the dough with your rolling pin into 2 rough circle shapes. Fling it onto the trays and press it to the edges. Now we are ready for yumminess on top.

Now, this is a personal preference, but I like to cook off the onion and capsicum in a pan – just so it’s not such a ‘raw’ taste on my pizza. So, do this if you are fussy like me!

Divide up the toppings equally for your two pizzas. Spread with the tomato paste, sprinkle with onion, capsicum, fetta and prawns.

Chuck into the hot oven for about 10-12 minutes until the prawns are cooked and the cheese is going nice and brown.

Drizzle the pesto over the top of the pizza and pile on the rocket. I don’t serve anything with this pizza – the salad is on top – bonus!

Cut with a pizza cutter and serve it up.

*Yes, you can use different types of flour in this recipe. Use organic wholemeal self-raising flour and leave out the baking powder. Experiment with your favourite flours!

We also love roasted pumpkin on this pizza instead of the prawns if you want to go vego!

As always, I love comments and feedback, so please come back and let me know if you made it and what the family thought. If you like it, share this link with your friends.

So, there you go – easy Friday night dinner and the pizza boy need never darken your door again !! 😛

Make your own NATURAL stain-remover.

March 12, 2012 · 27 Comments

If you have kids, you will be very familiar with stain remover!!!

My Natural New Age Daughter (age 10) is the worst. I have no idea what she does, but she is always filthy! Instead of using expensive, chemical-laden stain removers from the supermarket, make your own natural version. It is incredibly, almost embarassingly, easy and I bet you already have everything you need.

So, this is what you need:

1/4 cup 100% pure eucalyptus essential oil

1 cup filtered water

1 spray bottle

So this is how you do it:

Pour the oil and water into the spray bottle and shake well. Label it and keep it away from kids. Even essential oils can be dangerous if ingested, particularly those that aren’t food grade. To use, just spray liberally on the stain. I like to wait a few minutes before I throw it into the wash.

If stains are really bad and don’t come out the first time, you can soak clothes in a capful (thats a capful, not a cupful!) of oil and water overnight. I have never had any clothes react badly to eucy oil, but if it’s your favourite outfit, you might want to do a spot test first!

Eucalyptus has great anti-bacterial properties so a capful into your wash is really handy if you need to kill any bugs that might be lingering around on your clothes. It’s great to use with towels and linens too, especially if someone has been sick. I always use a capful in a hot wash when doing sheets to kill any dust mites.

Such an amazing oil ! It is also useful for colds and flu. A great, all-purpose wonder oil that every family should have!

Crunchy Chicken Strips – Healthy Chicken Nuggets

March 10, 2012 · 22 Comments

Just say no to nuggets!

I won’t start with a rant about processed chicken nuggets. I just won’t. You can watch Jamie Oliver (my hero) show kids what are in chicken nuggets here.

Let’s not focus on the negative, let’s focus on the positive. This recipe I am going to share with you is quick, easy, crunchy, gluten-free, tasty and a whole lot healthier than a processed nugget. It will serve four people, generously – but, they are so yummy, I bet the kids go back for seconds!

This recipe does use processed corn flakes and although they are not a totally healthy food in the strictest sense, I still think they are an okay option for every now and again. Use the Norganic brand I have suggested as a much better alternative to the leading brand which contains an obscene amount of salt. Find them in the health food aisle of major supermarkets. I wouldn’t rely on the leftovers for a good, low GI brekky for the kids though – save them for cooking or an afternoon snack. Right, ready to go?

Okay, so this is what you need:

500g or 2 large free range or organic chicken breasts

3 Cups of Norganic brand organic corn flakes (best option)

3 tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise recipe below (or use Norganic mayonnaise you if you don’t want to make your own)

3 teaspoons of dry oregano

2 teaspoons organic Vogel’s Herbamare (or salt, optional)

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a large tray with baking paper. Cut the chicken into strips and coat with the mayonnaise. You can pop them in the fridge at this point and crumb when you are ready.

Crush the corn flakes with your fingers in a large bowl or use the food processor/ thermomix. Be careful though, we don’t want powdered cornies, just the size of breadcrumbs would be good. 😀 Add the oregano and herbamare.

Coat the chicken in the cornie crumbs. Press on gently.

Place on the tray and spritz with some oil (I use my own oil sprayer with macadamia oil as a better option to cooking sprays). You can pop the chicken in the fridge at this point and bake when you are ready.

Bake in oven for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown and crispy.

A really nice dipping sauce (pictured in the first photo) is natural yoghurt mixed with some mango chilli chutney or sauce. You could serve these in a wrap (Sorj or Mountain Bread brand are best) with lots of salad or just with steamed veges on the side like I did.

I really hope you enjoy this recipe. Stay tuned, because I have a few more recipes for you that also make great alternatives to chicken nuggets. I will post the recipes for you soon. As always, if you try them out, please come back and let me know if you like them and what the kids reckon!

My garlicy mayo (with a whiff of apple) recipe !

So this is what you need:

250g grapeseed oil

1 small clove of Australian garlic, crushed

1 organic egg yolk

1 teaspoon organic Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon organic apple juice concentrate

Good crack of black pepper

Good crack of pink Himalayan sea salt

So, this is how you do it:

Start with all ingredients at room temperature. Add everything except the oil to a food processor. Whizz for a minute or so until well mixed and starting to thicken. In a thin, slow stream, add the oil while the blades are still running. You may need to scrape down the sides. Take your time with this so the mayo doesn’t split. Store in a glass jar in the fridge – it will last about a week. Thermomix people, you can follow the basic mayonnaise recipe in the EDC book, just substitute these ingredients! 🙂

You might also like to try some other ‘just say NO to nuggets’ recipes. Find them here.

Pineapple Mint GreenTea Green Smoothie

March 5, 2012 · 21 Comments

Have you joined the green smoothie revolution yet? I love them. We all know we have to eat greens, but sitting down to a large bowl of spinach is not always possible (or fun). Green smoothies are a great way to get a big dose of vitamins and minerals in a form that is easy to digest. They are different to freshly squeezed juices, because you use the whole food and the fibre is still intact. They are fantastic if you feel a cold coming on or you are feeling a bit rundown. I absolutely love the flavours in this one I have come up with. Not too sweet, but with a nice zing from the mint. If you don’t like mint, this recipe is also really yummy with a half a lime (with skin) instead of the mint.

I need to mention green tea. I hate the stuff. It tastes like grass to me!! But, I know the health benefits are substantial. So, I was looking for ways to drink it, without drinking it. Then it came to me – hide it in a smoothie! Genius (if I do say so myself!). Now, if you want to get reaaaaaaally tricky, you could make up a heap of green tea ice cubes and use them!

Ready to make it? This recipe will give you enough smoothie for two to three large glasses.

Pineapple Green Tea Green Smoothie

Vital Stats: Gluten Free, Grain Free, Nut Free, Egg Free, Vegan

Okay, so this what you need:

300g of fresh, ripe pineapple

1 pear

large handful of baby spinach leaves (I like spinach because it doesn’t have a strong flavour – in fact, you can’t even taste it!)

half a handful of fresh mint (I throw in the stalks too)

1/2 cup green tea (made with two organic green tea bags and cooled down)

2 teaspoons of Inliven (or other green powder), optional

large handful of ice

So, this is what you do:

Chop up the fruit roughly and chuck everything into your thermomix or strong blender. Whizz the heck out of it. I like to go slowly up to speed 10 and then blend for about one and a half to two minutes, just to make sure it’s all smooth. Pour into glasses :

the mummy glass or

the kiddy glass !!

Actually I use the kiddy glass a lot too. It’s a fabulous insulated BPA free tumbler from Oggi with a screw on lid and a non-spill straw. You can get them from kitchen stores. Perfect for green smoothies on the go too. Sip one on your way to work in the car instead of that coffee!

Now, a chat about kids and green smoothies. Is it universal that kids have an aversion to green? Or is it just that their young palates prefer sweet things? Anyhow, I had to use all my clever mum tricks on mine before they grew to love green smoothies.

Spinach in my drink??? they cried ! Are you serious??? I am sooooo not drinking that !!!

The next time I made a green smoothie, I put it into stainless steel travel mugs. Here darlings, try this lovely smoothie I made you – just keeping it cold in the travel cup.

Mmmmmm yummy they say. Open the lid I say! Ha Ha…… green smoothie. One point to Mum!

Now, they happily drink green smoothies (as long as I use spinach – some other greens are really bitter and they really make a fuss about that!). Try it out on your kids – you might need a bit of clever marketing – younger kids might think alien juice is pretty cool! It is a fantastic way to boost their daily nutritional intake or to use as a meal replacement if they are feeling a bit sick.

If you would like some more ideas for green smoothies, the fabulous Jess Ainscough at The Wellness Warrior is giving away a FREE ebook filled with over 80 green smoothie recipes. I downloaded it. Awesome.

So, if you enjoyed this, let me know! Do you have a favourite green smoothie recipe? I would love to hear it.

{this post contains affiliate links}

Dairy-free ‘cheese’ spread

February 29, 2012 · 7 Comments

I love cheese. I loooooooove cheese – fetta, camembert, wensleydale, parmesan, vintage cheddar, ricotta, triple cream brie … you name it, I love it.

Unfortunately, as I get older I notice that cheese doesn’t like me all that much. Let’s just leave the rest to your imagination in the name of good taste!

So, as well as cutting back on my cheese consumption, I have been playing around with some dairy free ‘cheese’. Inspired by a recipe on the thermomix forum, I have tweaked and tweaked (I love saying tweak!) and found a version that I think is really tasty and also tastes rather cheesy!

Even if you are not a dairy-free person, this is still a lovely recipe to make in its own right. It is delicious spread on crackers or raw vegetables.

So, this is what you need:

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cup almonds, blanched

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon savoury yeast flakes (find it in the health food store) what is it?

1 tablespoon red onion (you can use white, but I find it a bit too strong)

1 – 2 teaspoons (or to taste) Vogel’s Herbamare (find it in the health food aisle of the supermarket or health food store) what is it?

So, this is how you do it:

You can soak your nuts overnight in some filtered water if you like. Why would you soak your nuts? Find out here. (I can hear you tittering !!) 😀

If you have a thermomix, throw the onion onto the running blades on about speed 7. Add all the other ingredients and whizz the heck out of it on speed 7-8 for a minute or so, scraping down as you go. It should be light and fluffy.

If you don’t have a thermomix, grate the onion first and then put everything into a strong food processor and whizz the heck out of it. It should be light and fluffy.

I like to let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavours to develop. Serve with crackers (check out these) or raw vege sticks for a really good snack or lunch!

My kids and their friends love this dairy free ‘cheese’ spread and fight over the last bits. It’s all in the marketing with kids…. if I had told them it was a dairy free cheese alternative, they would have complained it wasn’t cheese. I just tell them it’s a yummy savoury spread !! 😛

As always, if you give it a go, come back and chat to me and tell me how you went.

It’s all about BALANCE !

February 24, 2012 · 6 Comments

This is the blackboard I have up in my kitchen. I use it to write quotes (I am addicted you know), funny stuff, messages to my kids on their birthdays and when they have done well. This time, I have written the word BALANCE on it – for me. It is a concept I seem to struggle with. I have a bit of all or nothing personality.

If I get excited about something new, I throw myself into it and spend loads of time on it. In doing so, I neglect other things – the people I love, my health, my sleep, the housework ! So, since starting up this blog, nearly four weeks ago, guess what I have been doing? Yep, spending WAY too much time on the computer – blogging, facebooking and pinteresting. Added to this, I have a bit of a sensitivity to EMR (electromagnetic radiation). So too much time in front of the computer sends me a bit loopy. I get headaches, brain fuzziness, fatigue and just generally feel blurrrgggh.

So, I need to remind myself of BALANCE. I feel so much better in myself – physically, mentally and emotionally when my life is balanced. Time to care for myself to sleep, exercise and eat well. Time to spend with my precious family and friends. Time for reading, yoga and solitary pursuits. Time to go to work and pay the bills. Time to keep the household clean and organized. As well as time to pursue this new venture (which I am ABSOLUTELY loving). I can still love it. Just in smaller, more manageable doses.

Okay, it’s time for me to go do something else now! I would love to hear how all of you find balance in your lives. Please share.

“I’ve learned that you can’t have everything and do everything at the same time.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

Healthiest pancakes EVER …. they’re green !!

February 21, 2012 · 26 Comments

Thanks to Facebook, I found out it was Pancake Day (or Shrove Tuesday) today ! Never wanting to miss an excuse for pancakes, I decided to whip up a batch of our favourite pancakes from one of the best healthy recipe blogs around, Health Food Lover.

Of course, you know I never make a recipe the way it tells me to. I am a serial tweaker. So here is my version of Michelle’s fabulous Green (Spinach) Pancakes recipe.

Healthiest Pancakes Ever…. They’re Green!

So, this is what you need:

3 organic eggs

1 large handful of washed baby spinach

1 and a 1/2 large bananas

1/2 cup almond meal

1/2 cup wholemeal spelt flour

1 tablespoon chia seeds

coconut oil for cooking

to serve:

vanilla yoghurt or cashew cream

blueberries

So, this is how you do it:

Whizz the heck out of the spinach and eggs in a food processor, blender or thermomix. You don’t want any identifiable green leaves or the kids might freak out !

Chuck the banana in and whizz again. Stir in the flour, chia seeds and almond meal.

For those of you with a thermomix, I made the almond meal in the thermy, then added the spinach, banana and eggs and blitzed on speed 10 for 20 seconds, scraping the bowl. Then I added the spelt flour and chia and mixed on reverse, speed 5 for about 10 seconds or until it was combined.

Heat up the coconut oil in a pan (medium high heat) and fling in tablespoons of pancake mix. Turn when little bubbles appear.

Serve with the vanilla yoghurt on top and the blueberries. Do not tell children there is spinach in their afternoon snack….. they will never know!! There is no spinach flavour, just delicious banana!

Well, okay, my New Age Natural Girl, did twig something funny was afoot because they were GREEN, but she loved them. So did my New Age Natural Boy – none left for Dad !

Some tips:

* you can make these pancakes fully gluten free by replacing the flour with almond meal

* you don’t need to add sugar to the mix if you are serving it with fruit and yoghurt, but if you aren’t you might appreciate a tablespoon or two of rapadura sugar in it

* don’t let this mixture sit for too long before cooking as chia seeds gel up

Happy Pancake Day !!

Make your own additive free taco seasoning !!

February 20, 2012 · 57 Comments

Make your own additive free taco seasoning!!

I did a quick look at the packet taco seasoning today at the supermarket and was sad to see that the first ingredient (that means it has the highest percentage) is either salt or sugar (white and refined).

Some of them have lots of artificial additives too. I think this recipe is just as tasty with a fraction of the salt and sugar (heck, you can even leave it out if you want!)

The kids always go back for seconds – that’s normally a good sign, right?

TACO SEASONING:

Vital stats: gluten free, dairy free, nut free, vegan, egg free

Okay, so this is what you need:

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

1 teaspoon oregano flakes

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon rapadura or coconut sugar

1 teaspoon pink himalayan salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon onion powder or flakes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

I like to use organic spices and herbs for this – Simply Organic or Gourmet Organic are my favourite brands.

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Mix all the ingredients together. Easy huh?

If you have onion flakes you may want to grind to a powder. You can do this by hand with a mortar and pestle or with your food processor. If you are lucky enough to have a thermomix, then grind on speed 10 for 10 seconds.

That’s it. Now you can store the seasoning in an airtight container or use it straight away. You could make a double batch and have some for next time. You could make lots of batches and give it away as gifts !

How to use it:

♥ Make taco mince using 500g mince and one batch of this seasoning.

♥ Rub it into a shoulder of pork and throw into the slow cooker for a delicious Mexican Pulled Pork.

♥ Fry with some strips of chicken, onion and capsicum to make fajitas.

♥ Rub it on a whole chook or chicken pieces and make my Mexican Chicken.

♥ Sprinkle on baked potato wedges and serve with sour cream and guacamole.

♥ Add to mince and shape into hamburgers. Serve in a bun or soft tortillas.

♥ Toss through a drained can of chickpeas and some oil and roast in the oven until crispy.

♥ Liven up a beans and rice dish.

♥ Add to mayo or sour cream to make a tasty dressing.

What else do you use it for?

Really Healthy ANZAC Biccies

February 17, 2012 · 77 Comments

These are a healthier version of everyone’s favourite Australian biscuit.

We have made this recipe numerous times now – it’s a winner.

Of course, I tweak, tweak and tweak recipes, so mine is a little different to the original recipe I found over at Teresa Cutter’s website. I absolutely love Teresa’s recipes – she makes really great healthy sweet treats. There is also a gluten-free and paleo friendly option for this biscuit on her site.

Really Healthy ANZAC Biccies

Vital Stats: egg free, dairy free, wheat free, vegan, vegetarian

So this is what you need:

1 cup almond meal

1 cup organic rolled oats

1 cup organic coconut shredded

1/2 cup rapadura sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

1 tablespoon water

This is how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a baking sheet with non-toxic baking paper.

In a mixing bowl, throw your almond meal, coconut, rapadura, cinnamon and the oats. Stir well.

Fling the coconut oil and the apple juice concentrate into a small saucepan and stir over a low heat.

Combine the bicarb and water, then add to the oil mix – it will froth up like a science experiment. Get the kids to watch for some cool mum points.

Add the frothy mix to your dry mix and combine it well. Add a little water if it’s too crumbly.

With wet hands, shape small balls of the dough and press together firmly.

I got about 15 biscuits from the mix, but it will depend on how much you sample as you go. 😉

Whack them onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking on them so they don’t go black and crispy.

Cool down on a wire rack and then eat.

These biccies will freeze well and keep in an airtight container for a week or so (they won’t last that long, because they are sooo yummy!)

As always, let me know if you make them and how you went. Tell me your tweaks too! Sharing, of course is always advised as we like to spread the love. 🙂

Want more recipes?
Check out these other healthy Anzac Biscuit recipes from some of my favourite wellness bloggers! And this amazing Anzac Slice recipe from The Root Cause.