Love List Sept 16

I know I am a bit late with the September Love List as we are already into October! I have been on a little holiday and just chose to drop everything and relax for five days. Bliss!

Anyway, here is what made my Love List this month…..

♥ Turmeric Chai Latte

My gorgeous friend Simone from Nourishing Hub sent me some of her latest addiction to try out. Now I will have to make a confession here and say that I have not gotten into the ‘golden milk’ craze as the thought of turmeric in milk was grossing me out.

But after my initial hesitancy I am now left wondering what took me so long. This stuff is delicious! It tastes like a chai latte with a very subtle hint of turmeric. It doesn’t taste ‘savoury’ like I thought it would. I can easily see myself having one of these every night after dinner. You could also use the powder in bliss balls, raw desserts and on bircher or in smoothies too.

Golden Grind is vegan, sugar-free, nut free, gluten-free, dairy free and preservative free, handcrafted in Melbourne. It only contains turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper. I didn’t feel the need to add any sweetener as the cinnamon seemed to be make it sweet enough. Yum.

Check it out here.

♥ Real Food Essentials Course

I have been a big fan of Kristin from Mamacino for years. She is an amazing whole foods cook, blogger and mum of three. Now she is sharing all her secrets of how she does it! The Real Food Essentials eCourse is a step by step, practical guide to saving time, money and your sanity by organising your whole food kitchen. You get 12 emails over three weeks so you can go at your own pace and then at the end of the course, Kris gives you an ebook with all the information in it.

It’s such an affordable price at $39! Find out more here.

♥ Stainless Steel Kids’ Plate

I get a lot of mums asking what is the safest, non-toxic and non-breakable plate they can use for their kids. The Onyx stainless steel plate is finally back in stock and I’m so excited to show you. It’s so affordable at just $7.95 and it’s virtually indestructible! The divided bits are perfect for toddlers or kids with sensory issues and don’t like food touching.

Get in online here.

♥ The Light Between Us

I am always fascinated by what happens in our afterlife. This book from Laura Lynne Jackson was so interesting. She is a psychic medium (and ex-teacher!) and shares insights about her gift of connecting with those who have passed over. There are some really beautiful stories about people she has read for. I found it of great comfort and lessened my fear of dying significantly. I would recommend it for anyone having trouble with the grieving process. Have you read it?

Check it out here.

♥ Global Knife Set

I did some chef training at Uni and the first thing you learn is that you need a darn good knife set. It really makes so much difference in preparing food. I love the Globals – they are so light to use and all stamped out from one piece of stainless steel so you don’t get breakage at the handle. There is also an amazing 10 year guarantee. If they look familiar, they are the knives used on Masterchef!

You can get them for less than half price and FREE shipping here.

♥ Painful Teeth Tissue Salts

I am shouting from the roof tops about these amazing tissue salts. I have been using the Schuessler range for years for various things and always found them to be good. However I just had to share how great the Painful Teeth ones are.

Without regaling you with all the gory details, I had some teeth issues that left me in agonising pain for weeks. While the severe stages needed pain killers, I found that these tissue salts really helped take the edge off, lessened my need for as many pain killers and have been fabulous as an ongoing solution as needed. Apparently they are also good for teething babies.

Find out more here.

♥ Wooly Mates

Natural new age mum, Anna is the brains behind these amazing Wooly Mates dryer balls. Since moving to Brisbane where there is often non-stop rain I have had to buy a dryer. These wool balls go in with your clothes and lessen the time needed to dry as well as softening your clothes and reducing wrinkles. It’s a great way to cut down your electricity usage and ease the eco-guilt a bit! I am a fan.

Check them out here.

As always, such a mixed bag! Hope you found something useful in my love list this month.

Today I am welcoming my gorgeous friend, Kristin Cosgrove from Mamacino to the blog. She is sharing one of her family’s favourite recipes with us.

♥♥♥

Kids in the Kitchen + Green Spaghetti

I am passionate about teaching my children how to make good choices for their happiness and well being and this definitely includes guiding them towards a healthy and whole food way of eating. I love to see them in the kitchen experimenting with different foods, being curious about how things taste and taking pride in the dishes they create. In my experience as a mum and as a teacher, kids learn best when they can get their hands dirty and have a go for themselves.

It is for this reason, I have recently written and published a cook book for kids!

Mamacino: Kids in the Kitchen is an inspirational guide for families who are keen to give a whole foods diet a go. I have included over fifteen recipes that are mostly gluten and dairy free and are simple and no fuss. I use easy to find ingredients – mostly things you probably already have in your own pantry. I have included beautiful coloured photographs of each dish for added inspiration.

The recipes in Mamacino: Kids in the Kitchen are truly our tried and tested family favourites. This is the food my family loves and I hope yours will too.

Go Green Spinach Pesto

Go Green Spinach Pesto is one of the most popular recipes in my book because it’s just so versatile. I have used spinach and cashews but you can use basil and pine nuts or rocket and walnuts, whatever you have available. Stir through spaghetti, spread on a salad sandwich or use as a dip for crackers or veggie sticks. Go Green Spinach Pesto is a winner!

Ingredients:

About three handfuls of washed baby spinach leaves

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

150g cashews

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

Put all of the ingredients except the live oil into your food processor and chop finely.

Add the olive oil and process again until you reach your desired consistency (I like mine to be still a little bit chunky). Add more oil if you like it oozy.

Store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Enjoy!

About Kristin:

Kristin Cosgrove is a blogger, food stylist and photographer, mum of three and whole foods devotee. She is also the author of Mamacino: Kids in the Kitchen which is available here for $13.95 with free postage (Australia wide).

With her Italian background, food and family has always been a big part of her life. Since having her own children, Kristin has barely left the kitchen – or so it seems.

Kristin and her family live by the beach on the Surf Coast in Australia. When she gets a quiet, kid-less moment, Kristin love to jump on her bike and head down for a dip.