Love List ~ June 18

In this edition of the Love List, I have six amazing products for you to check out. What have you discovered lately that you are loving? Let me know.

♥ Handshine Handwash

Aussie mums, Alisa and Danni from 123 Nourish Me have done it again with another amazing product made from quality organic ingredients. This time it’s hand wash called Handshine. But, it’s not just a hand wash, you can also use it as a shampoo, body wash and bubble bath.

We are loving it! It leaves skin nourished and soft and the pink grapefruit and organic apple make it smell delicious. 123 Nourish Me is fast becoming my favourite brand for not only their hard-working, effective products, but for their uncompromising quality and ethics.

Check it out here.

♥ Hippie Mamas Book

“Hippie in City” Rita Balshaw has just released a new book all about holistic pregnancy, birth, babies and beyond.

Hippie Mamas has a wealth of information about how to take care of yourself and your babies with aromatherapy, nutrition, herbs, natural remedies and self-care. There are loads of recipes for nourishing food and DIY beauty and health remedies that I can’t wait to try.

With beautiful illustrations and an easy-to-read format, Rita’s beautiful book is a fantastic resource for all mums and would make a really thoughtful and useful gift for a baby shower or blessingway.

You might even find Natural New Age Mum listed in the resource section! 😉

Get it here (on sale at the moment!)

♥ Mystic Essential Oil Candle

I am a huge fan of beautiful online store, Lemon Canary!

It’s actually quite hard to find good quality candles that are made with just pure essential oils and not fragrance oils. Fiona, a natural new age mum from the Gold Coast, has an exquisite range of 100% pure essential oils blends that she hand crafts into gorgeous high vibrational products like these candles, massage oils, soaps and mists.

I am loving the MYSTIC blend at the moment but well, I can’t really pick a favourite! All of the essential oil range is blended with lots of thought and love to create something quite special. You can also get LOVE, MEDITATE, DREAM, GRATEFUL and HAPPY!

Find them here.

♥ Note to Self Cards

Some of you know that my friendship with Alisha at Naughty Naturopath Mum stretches back many years now. She is a very special soul with a huge heart and I have often been the recipient of her wise, gentle and loving advice. Somehow, she always knows just what to say!

Well, all of you can now benefit from her wisdom because she’s just released a beautiful set of cards, Note to Self. These cards are like having Alisha as your personal life coach, friend and cheerleader all in a little box!

You can use them as oracle cards to give you guidance. Shuffle the cards while thinking of a problem or something you need help with and pull a card you feel drawn to. The front of the cards has a short message and on the back of the card is the sentiment explained in more detail.

Get them from Alisha here.

♥ Good Fat Mayo

This mayonnaise is the answer to all my mayonnaise problems. I love mayo and I love making it myself at home but it does take a little time to organise (the eggs and ingredients need to be at room temperature) and it doesn’t last very long in the fridge. Not great for spontaneously needing mayo!

Most mayonnaise you buy from the supermarket contains toxic seed oils, usually canola and usually contains a whole host of other weird things you don’t want to be eating either.

Good Fat Mayo is made with olive oil, free range eggs and all natural ingredients and it’s packaged in a glass jar. Woohoo!

Get it here.

♥ Elate Universal Creme

Are you a bit of a low-maintenance/minimalist person like me when it comes to makeup? Or maybe you just don’t have time to spend putting it on in the mornings? Well, the Universal Creme is our new best friend.

You can use this creme as a blush or lipstick and even on your eyes. It comes in five different colours so you can choose one that suits your skin tone. I love that it’s packaged in a reusable (and funky) bamboo container that you can get refills for. Zero-waste, plastic-free beauty!

Seriously, how has nobody thought of this before!?

Elate make a whole range of lush cosmetics that are vegan, cruelty-free and of course made from all natural, quality ingredients.

Check it out here.

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.