Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

November 15, 2017 · 3 Comments

My parents came down for a visit a few months back and we tried out a cafe that had heaps of great reviews. The Golden Pig is in Newstead in Brisbane and if you get the chance to go, you won’t be disappointed! The food is sublime.

Mum and Dad has this yummy quinoa salad with some slow cooked lamb and we were blown away by the flavours. Of course we had to then try to recreate it when we got home. Sadly, it’s not quite as good as the original but it’s pretty close.

I have served the salad to a few visitors and they all really love it. I hope you do too.

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, dairy free, egg free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo

What you need:

5 cups cooked white quinoa

1 cup finely shredded baby spinach

4 finely chopped small green shallots

1/2 cup finely shredded parsley

1/2 cup finely shredded mint

1 large pomegranate, deseeded

1/2 cup roughly chopped pistachios

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

2 crushed garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

How to do it:

Whisk up the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper together or shake in a glass jar. Add to the rest of the ingredients and gently mix. I like to leave it to sit for a few hours in the fridge for the flavours to develop.

This salad will serve about eight to ten people as a side. We serve this with slow cooked, marinated lamb and a generous dollop of home-made hummus. Divine!

*Hot Tip

A lot of people tell me they hate quinoa!! You do need to give it a really good wash before you cook it as the outside of the grains have saponins which can be quite bitter. I soak it for a bit in some water and then rinse really well. I find adding a little salt to the cooking water also helps bring out the flavour.

This would make an awesome salad for the Christmas lunch menu! Find some more whole food Christmas recipes here.

Love List Sept 16

October 7, 2016 · 2 Comments

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.

Love List Aug 16

August 30, 2016 · 17 Comments

It’s the end of August and we say goodbye to chilly nights and look forward to some more warmth of Spring! How has this month been for you?

Here are some things I have been loving in August.

Love List

♥ Mandala Stencils

So excited about these beauties! The gorgeous Felicity has teamed up with a friend to bring you the brand new Yogini Divine Living Co.

Inspired by their trips to India where each morning they would watch the women decorate their homes, floors and surroundings with beautiful hand painted chalk designs. They learned these designs signify a welcome to guests, the divine spirits and good fortune. Back home in Australia, they have created a new collection of Yogini Mandalas stencils for us.

You can use them for a permanent artwork on your walls, floor, furniture, windows and fabrics using paint (or use spray chalk for a temporary mandala). How amazing would they be for weddings or celebrations? They come in all different sizes to suit your space.

The stencils are totally reusable – just give them a wash and store them in the tube they come with. So fun and easy. I am in love! They would make a gorgeous, unique gift for a special friend.

I am loving the idea of painting them onto a pot planter. You could make loads of these for Christmas gifts or the local school fete.

Until the 20th of October, you can get an exclusive 20% off everything in the store. Just use the code: NAM20 here.

♥ Crafty Course

My amazingly talented friend and natural new age mum, Jasmine is running a crafty e-course! Starting on the 5th of September and running for five weeks, you will learn how to make vintage style home-made gifts perfect for Christmas. You will get access till the end of the year and an e-book, so you can go at your own pace.

♥ Screw Infertility

Another beautiful natural new age mum is Robyn Birkin from Modern Day Missus. She has written a book called Screw Infertility! Lessons from a Fertility Warrior. Surviving infertility, IVF and miscarriage. It’s all about her heartfelt journey through infertility and out the other side. Beautifully raw and real, Robyn shares her story and tips to help navigate infertility.

Get it here.

♥ Wholefood for the homeless

This is one of my favourite charity projects. Amber Magna is a girl with a big heart who has created Feel Good Food Packs. She believes everyone deserves the opportunity to eat food that helps them to thrive.

A typical pack contains items such as a trail mix, fruit and nut bar, jerky, healthy chocolate bar and energy ball and is given to a person experiencing homelessness or disadvantage in Melbourne and surrounds. You can help by donating, volunteering or spreading the word!

Check out the website here.

♥ Lily Lolo

I have a 15 year old daughter and she loves makeup! Being a student with a casual job, the amount she can spend on makeup is limited (she needs fashion too!) It’s so tempting for her to buy the cheap toxic stuff but we try to compromise a little with her borrowing some of mine and me funding some as well.

Then along comes the natural range Lily Lolo for us to try out (with thanks to the gorgeous Kitsa at Emporio Organico) and we are in love. Fabulous quality products, all natural and affordable. There are some little gift packs as well so I know what my go-to for gifts is. The packaging is so trendy too. I think we are onto a winner here!

Check out Lily Lolo here.

♥ The Best Coconut Cream

I often get asked what is the best coconut cream or milk to buy. This is my hot tip – Honest to Goodness. It’s certified organic, has no weird stuff like thickeners added, has only one ingredient – coconut and the can comes with a BPA free lining.

It’s the cream of the coconut creams!

I only ever buy coconut cream by the way, not coconut milk. Coconut milk is simply coconut cream with added water, so save yourself some bucks and get the cream and add your own water. We use it a lot in cooking – it gives a lush flavour to curry, biriyani and laksa while adding in lots of good fats.

If you can’t find it at your health food store, have a look online.

That’s it from me this month. What have you discovered? What are you loving?

Love List July 16

July 29, 2016 · 4 Comments

Love List July 16

My monthly love list is back!

I know I haven’t been writing as much as usual. It’s all part of the healing process, slowing down and spending more time with my family. I have had loads of ideas though, so once I am feeling more on top of this adrenal fatigue that keeps hanging around, I will be writing a little more regularly. I hope you have all been keeping warm and well.
Here is what I have been loving this month.

♥ Wholefood from the Ground Up

I was lucky enough to meet the whole food goddess herself, Jude Blereau recently. Her new book is an absolute cracker with lots of wisdom around eating whole food and of course some amazing recipes. The olive oil, lemon and rosemary cake is utterly divine.

Get it here.

♥ Bone Broth

The awesome people at Nutra Organics just keep bringing out really good things! Their latest is beef broth powders. Now you all know I love my broth but I tend to stick with chicken as beef is a bit smelly to cook. Well, you don’t have to worry with these dehydrated versions!

Just add to some hot water to make a cup of broth or use to sprinkle in your cooking. It will boost the nutrition and give you a fabulous flavour without all the nasties in stock cube powders. The broth is made from certified organic, grass fed bones and gently dried to preserve nutrients.

Get them here.

♥ Earthing Sheet

So a few months ago, my hubby read the Earthing book (pictured) and promptly went and ordered an earthing sheet kit from the lovely Laura at Earthing Oz. We have previously ordered some radiation protection devices from her and love them.

I wasn’t all that keen on spending money on something I wasn’t too sure about it but he was adamant it would improve my health! Well okay hubby you were right. I love my earthing sheet!

It feels exactly like a normal fitted sheet except this one has earthing properties. You plug it into the wall, switched off to connect to the earth. I haven’t told you much about it yet because I wanted to trial it for a while. I have been sleeping a lot more deeply and restfully and I really noticed when I went away for a week and didn’t take my sheet (lesson learned) that there was a noticeable difference.

One of my readers also got herself a set and she reported back good results also! I think earthing in any form is so beneficial. I am going to write more about this on the website soon, so keep an eye out.

If you want to check out the sheets, go here.

♥ Aromatherapy Oil Diffuser

So spoilt! I won this amazing Lively Living diffuser on Facebook the other week and I am officially in love. I do have five diffusers of various types already (what can I say, I am an addict that likes oils in every room!) However, I must say this surpasses them all in terms of quality and appearance. My absolute favourite.

It’s an ultrasonic cold diffuser. The ultrasonic technology utilises high frequency vibrations to atomize the liquid, meaning there is no need for heat source. Each micro sized droplet is coated with a fine layer of the essential oil. This cool mist becomes a vapour which spreads evenly throughout the room, and is easily inhaled and absorbed.
Find out more here.

♥ Pathfinder Wolves Pendants

So beautiful! These gorgeous pendants are the soulful creation of Melbourne-based sisters LJ & Anna from Love is Your Compass. They are a range of hand carved wolf talismans, each with a different name and purpose, infused with reiki and love.

“We wanted to create wearable sacred tools which would energetically support the wearer to explore their inner world.”

Find out more.

25 Homemade Real Food Gifts

November 7, 2014 · 25 Comments

25 Homemade Real Food Gifts

How special is it to get handmade goodies?

I think it’s great that people take time and effort to make things with love.

You don’t have to be a cooking whizz or crafty. Just grab some pretty jars from the opshop and spend a couple of hours in the kitchen with the kids. Whip up a few treats and then jazz up your jars with a little raffia, ribbon or string and a homemade tag and there you go: gifts sorted! For a more susbstantial gift, combine a few homemade treats in a cute basket or wrap in an beautiful tea towel. Cheap, eco-friendly and made with love.

What more could you want?

Here are 25 real food (because we don’t want to feed our loved ones fake food) ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Just click on the link under the photo for the recipes. Enjoy.

Taco Seasoning mix

(my friend Iwa from Additive Free Bites made my recipe in pretty jars)

Crio Mac (chocolate macadamia toffee)

Vanilla Essence from Cyndi at Changing Habits.

Bacon Jam from Helene at Super Kitchen Machine

Spelt and Almond Cantucci from Jo at Quirky Cooking

Choc Hazel Bliss Balls – a healthy version of Ferrero Rochers!

Flavoured Salts (thermomix) from Cooking with Tenina.

Honey Nougat from Jodi at Hot Pink Chilli

Preserved Lemons from Bead Recipes

Chocolate Coated Nuts – the healthy way!

Buckwheat Granola from Jo at Quirky Cooking.

Chai Tea from The Kitchn

Spiced Fig and Ginger Bread from Alexx Stuart.

Healthy White Christmas

Healthy Homemade Milo

Ginger Candy from Alexx Stuart

Choc Hazelnut Spread from Jo at Quirky Cooking

Beetroot Relish from Iwa at Additive Free Bites.

Chai Spiced Honey Biscuits from Jane at Marinya Cottage Kitchen

Salted Choc and Almond Fudge from Collette at Cut out the Crap

Mango Curry Chilli Chutney from Alexx Stuart.

Easy Marshmallows from Quirky Cooking

Cheese Crackers from Georgia at Well Nourished

HOT TIP! Bec from 4 My Earth covers her homemade goodies with her extra small food cover. They are reusable and eco-friendly alternatives to plastic wrap. They make a great little extra to add on to your homemade gift. Super cute!! You can find them here.

Do you make handmade real food gifts? Share your links and recipes with us!

20 Real Food 2 Ingredient Recipes

May 16, 2014 · 21 Comments

20 Real Food 2 Ingredient Recipes

4 Ingredients? I laugh.

There are plenty of real food recipes you can make with just 2 ingredients!

Check out these 20 Real Food, 2 Ingredient Recipes.

No packets, no gimmicks, just two real food ingredients!

2 Ingredient Biscuits.

2 Ingredient Pizza Base.

Sweeeeet Potato Chips!

Apricot Coconut Slice – simplify my recipe and just use apricots and coconut!

2 Ingredient Coconut Cookie Dough balls from Chocolate Covered Katie.

Home-made Ice Magic from A girl, a guy, fur kids and food.

Caramel Sauce – just sweet potato and water!

2 ingredient grain-free pastry by Tania Hubbard.

Mango and Chia Crackers from Fitness Treats.

Maple Souffle from SugarLaws.

Banana Flaxseed Crackers from Undressed Skeleton.

Paleo Caramels by My Heart Beets.

2 Ingredient Tortillas from The Kitchn.

Date Squares from Colourful Canary.

Okay, it’s not food, but good enough to include! 2 ingredient playdough from Laughing Kids Learn. Use natural conditioner for non-toxic playdough!

♥ Banana Pancakes.

Get 2 eggs and mash with 2 bananas. Fry in a pan like you would a pancake!

♥ Chocolate Banana Icecream.

Whizz frozen banana chunks with a little cacao in your food processor!

♥ Banana Chips.

Brush banana slices with orange juice or maple syrup and bake in a low oven until dried.

♥ Berry Chia Jam.

Mix 1 cup of pureed berries with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. Let set and store in a jar in the fridge.

♥ Berry Coconut Icecream.

Puree a can of coconut cream with about two cups of frozen berries.

♥ Sweet Potato Pancakes.

Just sweet potato and egg. Genius. Get the recipe here.

I’d love to know if you have a real food 2 ingredient recipe that you make. Please share!

10 Apps for Natural, New Age Mums

October 18, 2013 · 26 Comments

Apps allow information and entertainment to be at our fingertips 24/7 in a portable, user-friendly way.

But it’s not all for techno-geeks and game players, apps can be used to enhance your everyday. These ten awesome apps will help you lead a healthy, happy, holistic life.

1. Headspace Meditation. Headspace is a project designed to demystify meditation. Using the wonders of science and technology, they make it easy-to-learn, fun-to-do, and relevant to your everyday life. Featuring how to meditate, daily meditation sessions and reminders. Download it here.

2. The Whole Pantry. A very popular health, wellness and lifestyle app with a vision to restore balance and empower. The Whole Pantry is the new go-to place, filled with a continually updating library of resources, empowering information, lifestyle guides and simple, yet beautiful nourishing recipes. Visit the website here.

3. Healthy Home. Is your home making you sick? With the increase in asthma, allergies, chemical sensitivities and other illnesses related to indoor pollutants a healthy home has never been more important. Take a walk through your home and complete the quiz to identify health assets and challenges. Discover tips and resources to help you create a healthy home for your family. Find out more here.

4. GS1 Go Scan. By either browsing the database or scanning products in store, Go Scan gives you information about food to help you make the right choices for your family. It includes information on allergens, ingredients, nutrition, storage and preparation, dietary and basics like country of origin and company website. Check out the website here.

5. EFT Clinic. This free app allows you to tap into (see what I did there) the amazing healing power of EFT (emotional freedom technique) with a combination of text, diagrams and video. Free yourself from difficult emotions wherever you are, be it stress or anxiety, depression, low self esteem, weight loss and much much more. EFT Clinic is presented by Sue Beer, one of the first certified EFT Masters. Check it out here.

6. Safe Runner. Aussie mum, Rebecca has come up with app to not only be a personal tracker for running, walking or pushing the pram, it comes with inbuilt security. Safe Runner will track your distance, calories burnt and if required will automatically notify your emergency contact that assistance is needed as well as your GPS location. For more information go here.

7. Inspire Me Quotes. With quality images and designs, get inspired and uplifted by beautiful quotes. Inspire Me Quotes offers users the chance to browse through a variety of inspirational quotes to reveal wisdom from great minds such as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Mark Twain, Steve Jobs, Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, Abraham Lincoln and many, many more. Find out more here.

8. Shop Ethical. A quick and easy way to avoid companies with a negative track record and support those making a positive impact. With 10 years of research as a basis, this app have everything you need to start shopping ethically. With information on animal testing, factory farming, food miles, labour exploitation, GMOs, overfishing, palm oil and more, you can find products that fit with your values. Get it here.

9.Yoga Studio. This app is like your own yoga studio on call. It features detailed info and advice on 280 poses and 16 hours of yoga classes in a clean, easy to see format. Ideal for beginners up to advanced, it’s an affordable way to bring yoga into your life. Check out the website here.

10. The Chemical Maze. The very popular book by Bill Statham is also available in app form. With ten years of research and a huge database, you have access to information about food additives and cosmetic ingredients. Identify the risk level and possible reactions and problems of each. Invaluable in navigating the world of chemicals! Go here for more details.

Want more? My friend Alexx Stuart shares her top apps here.

What is your favourite app? Link us up!