20 Wholefood Slow Cooker Recipes

June 15, 2015 · 19 Comments

20 Wholefood Slow Cooker Recipes

My slow cooker is one appliance I use a lot.

It’s always bubbling away with a roast, bone broth or a lovely slow braise. When my kids were babies, it was a lifesaver.

There is something satisfying about getting dinner sorted early and enjoying the wafting aromas all day long.

Check out my article with tips and safety for using the slow cooker too!

Here are 20 nourishing, yummy meals for your slow cooker!

Slow Cooker Beef Cheek Curry from Alisha at Naughty Naturopath Mum.

Winter Beef Stew from Lou at Yogi Tree

Chinese Crispy Roast Pork in the Slow Cooker from Sarah at Clever Cook

Slow Cooked Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry from Sasha at Inspiring Habits

Slow Cooker Pomegranate Lamb Shanks from Kyrstie at A Fresh Legacy

Mexican Pulled Pork from Beth at Hungry Cub

Slow Cooked Lemon Chicken by Sandra at The $100 Food Challenge

Slow Cooker Osso Bucco by Kyrstie at A Fresh Legacy

Slow Cooked Lamb with Figs and Olives from Samantha at Food Health Wealth

Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dhal by Lindsey at Cafe Johnsonia

BBQ Pulled Pork with Cauliflower Cream by SBS Food

Slow Cooked Lamb Necks with Preserved Lemon and Fennel by Maggie Beer

Pork Belly with Apple, Fennel and White Wine from Eloise at Ellies Eating

Slow Cooked Asian Style Beef Ribs by Sandra at The $100 Food Challenge

Goat Curry with Nourishing Broth from Cyndi at Changing Habits

Slow Cooked Beef Ragu from Rhiannon at Move Nourish Believe

Just simple Sweet Potatoes in the Slow cooker from the girls at Super Healthy Kids

Slow Cooker Bolognaise by Annabel Langbein

Mexican Chocolate and Zucchini Cake from Tania at The Cook’s Pyjamas

Cranberry and Coconut Quinoa from the girls at Super Healthy Kids

Want more?

♥ Check out this gorgeous cookbook, Whole Food Slow Cooked for heaps of healthy recipes.

♥ Get lead-free slow cookers on sale here.

Do you use the slow cooker for meals? Link us up with your favourite!

Top Tips for Avoiding Dry Winter Skin

May 21, 2015 · 11 Comments

Top Tips for Avoiding Dry Winter Skin

Winter time can exacerbate skin conditions and the wind and heaters can make your skin dry, itchy and lifeless.

Here are some tips for keeping your skin lovely and soft over the cooler months. I also have some of the best natural skincare products that are all especially for repairing dry skin!

♥ Stay hydrated!

The cold weather can mess with our thirst mechanism a little. Lots of water will keep your skin smooth and moist. Try drinking herbal tea or hot water with lemon if water is a struggle.

♥ Good fats

Making sure you have enough essential fatty acids in your diet. Keep up the avocado, nuts, seeds, good oils and healthy fats.

♥ Upgrade your face moisturiser

You may need to swap your moisturiser in winter for something richer and more hydrating, especially at night time.

Try: Antipodes Avocado Pear Night Cream or Mukti Marigold Hydrating Creme

♥ Swap to a cream cleanser

I love a foaming face wash – they are so quick and easy in the shower but I find in winter they are just too drying. Swap over to a lovely cream cleanser and see the difference.

Try: Cloud 9 Deep Cleansing Balm or Vanessa Megan’s Petitgrain Creme Cleanser.

♥ Add in a serum

If you love your moisturizer, don’t ditch it, just add in a serum underneath. They are so beautiful and you only need a few drops.

Try: Pomegranate and Rose Hydrating Serum or Good Vibes Omega Facial Oil.

♥ Use a hydrating mask

A lovely rich mask once a week is a nice thing to do for your skin in winter. You could just use avocado mashed up with some honey (yum) or find a nourishing face mask. Avoid clay face masks as they will dry out your skin even more.

Try: Antipodes Manuka Mask or Madara’s SOS Intense Moisture Mask

♥ Don’t wash so often

Now I am not suggesting you get all whiffy! If you are in the habit of having a hot shower or bath twice a day, cut that back to once a day and lower the temperature. Hot water will quickly dry out your skin.

♥ Ditch the soap

Don’t use soap!! It’s so incredibly drying. Switch to a rich cleansing bar, body wash or even skip all together and use a body cloth.

Try: Mokosh Olive Oil Soap or Divine Moisturising Body Wash.

♥ Use a body moisturiser daily

I know I can get a bit slack with this in summer, but if you are using something to hydrate your whole body daily, you will notice the difference in the colder weather.

Try: Blissed Out Body Oil or Lhami’s Lavender Body Lotion.

♥ Oil Bath

Seriously divine – add a good splash of body or massage oil to your next warm bath. It’s a bugger to clean the bath, but it’s worth it for the soft, soft skin you get afterwards!

♥ Don’t get too crazy with that towel

Don’t dry yourself too thoroughly in winter. Just pat skin dry and quickly put your body moisturizer on, sealing in some of the moisture.

♥ Exfoliate

Gently exfoliating weekly in winter will get rid of the dry skin cells. Use a body brush or a scrub on your body and a gentle exfoliant on your face.

Try: Lhami Wattleseed Exfoliating Cream for the face and Eco Tan’s new Organic Pink Himalayan Salt Scrub for the body.

♥ Keep it handy

Hands can really get dry, red and irritated in winter, but we have to wash our hands to keep germs at bay. Use a moisturising hand wash and keep a hand cream next to your bed or next to the kitchen sink to remind you to pop it on. Always use gloves to wash up and for cleaning. You can even coat your hands thickly and pop some cotton gloves on overnight to really replenish.

Try: Vanessa Megan’s Peruvian Flower Hand Cream or MV Skincare Hand Rescue.

♥ Pucker up

Keep your lips nice and hydrated with a lovely nourishing lip balm. I keep one next to my bed and in my handbag and apply often. If your lips are really dry and scaly, you can rub them gently with a clean toothbrush to get the flakes off and then apply your balm.

Try: Suvana’s Paw Paw and Honey Organic Lip Balm or Physic Garden’s Winter Lips Balm.

♥ Cover Up

If the weather is really wild and windy, protect your skin with gloves and a scarf.

♥ Spritzer

A hydrating spritzer can bring relief. Use it regularly throughout the day or pop on before your moisturizer.

Try: Raindrops on Roses Hydrating Tonic or Black Chicken’s Hydrate My Face.

♥ Extreme care

If your skin is really red and irritated, it calls for serious heavy duty products on the sore spots. Coconut oil is always my go-to, but you may need something a bit more intense. I advise against the popular pawpaw ointment on the market.

Try: TLC Intensive Repair Oil, Physic Garden’s Soothing Skin Salve or the always popular Weleda Skin Food.

♥ Eczema

Got eczema? Try these tips from our community.

I hope these tips were helpful and you find some relief from that dry, itchy winter skin! I would love to know your tips as well, leave me a comment and let me know what you do!

How to boost your immune system, naturally!

May 8, 2015 · 7 Comments

How to boost your immune system, naturally!

Heading into the winter season, boosting our immune systems always seems to become more of a priority. There is nothing worse than being struck down by lurgies, but an immune system that is in top shape means you can fight them off with ease. Here are some things you can try:

♥ Probiotics

Good gut health is crucial to a good immune system. Taking a daily probiotic or including fermented foods and bone broth in your diet a great start.

♥ Fruit and Veges

I know it’s obvious, but it really does work! As well as the good old leafy greens and citrus, mushrooms are also particularly beneficial as they increase the level of white blood cells in your body, helping you fight off infections.

♥ Superfoods

I like to think of our superfood powders as our ‘insurance policy’ – that extra protection for my family! I don’t think you can go past Aussie company, Nutra Organics/Superfoods for Kidz for the best superfood powders. They are certified organic and contain quality fruit and vegetables in a concentrated form. It’s a much better way to ‘take your vitamins’ instead of the nasty synthetic options that are full of sugar and fillers.

♥ Garlic and Ginger

Add these two powerhouses to everything you cook! Garlic contains allacin which fights infection and bacteria while ginger has amazing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

♥ Get Good Sleep

Make sure you get a restful sleep every night at the amount of hours right for you. This pub-med study says ‘sleep enhances immune defence’.

♥ Chill Out

Getting stressed really impacts on your immune system! Try to eliminate the stress in your life and relax. Take up yoga or tai chi, go for a walk in the fresh air or watch some funny movies.

♥ Meditate

Get your ommmm on! Studies show that meditation improves your immunity in a positive way. Follow a guided meditation if you are new to meditation – there are plenty of free apps or you tube videos.

♥ Essential Oils

There are a number of essential oils that are great for your immunity. This beautiful Immune Boost blend from Twenty 8 is a powerful decongestant with anti-bacterial properties. Diffuse through your home or pop a drop on your feet at night time. Flora Remedia also make this divine infusion of oils combined with flower essences called Immunity Infusion.

♥ Zinc

Zinc is a well-known immune booster and can be found in red meat, eggs, pumpkin seeds, chicken, fish and sunflower seeds. Be careful about taking supplements though, because too much zinc can compromise your immune system.

♥ Herbs

There are so many great herbs that help your immune system and several ways you can take them.

Herbal teas are delicious and easy to make part of your daily routine. This Love Tea Immunity blend is designed by a naturopath and especially to strengthen your immune system. Get a tea flask and sip on it all day! I like to add a wedge of lemon and a sliver of ginger as well. Staying hydrated also helps keep your immune cells working well.

Herbal liquid blends can take a bit of getting used to taking but hold your nose and down the hatch! We find that taking a dose as soon as you get a niggle can prevent anything from taking hold. Try Kiwi Herb’s Immune Guard, or Olive Leaf Extract.

♥ Bone Broth

Make up some of this nourishing traditional broth and improve your immune system! Extra garlic, ginger and turmeric will really have a potent brew. Find how to make it here.

♥ Healthy Lifestyle

Keep smoking and drinking to a minimum or eliminating it all together is one of the best things you can do for your immune system. Exercising regularly will improve your circulation and help keep your immune system humming along nicely. Regular hand washing can also keep away colds and flus.

I hope these tips on how to boost your immune system, naturally have given you some ideas.

10 Healthy Winter Desserts

August 12, 2014 · 8 Comments

10 Healthy Winter Desserts

One of the best things about winter is tucking into a hot, comforting, delicious pudding!

This round up features healthier recipes – refined sugar free, wheat free, additve free and some are gluten free, dairy free and egg free as well. Enjoy them with hot custard, grass fed cream or homemade icecream for a treat that is oh so good for the soul!

Here are 10 healthy winter desserts from some of Australia’s most fabulous wellness bloggers (and me). You are going to want to use the PIN IT feature for these!

My Easy Gluten-Free Apple and Fig Crumble

Berry and Vanilla Clafoutis by Eleanor at Petite Kitchen

Apple Rose Tart from Hungry Cub

Sticky Date Pudding by Jen at Living on Little

Lemon Meringue Pie by Marinya Cottage Kitchen

Gingerbread Pudding Cake from Jude Blereau’s Wholefood Cooking

Lemon and Elderflower Honey Puddings from Homegrown Kitchen

Chocolate Self Saucing Puddings from Well Nourished

Creamy Coconut Vanilla Rice Pudding from Jo at Quirky Cooking

Flourless Mandarin Cake with Honey Thyme Syrup and Nutmeg Cream by Kelly Gibney

What is your favourite winter dessert?

My easy gluten-free apple and fig crumble

July 22, 2014 · 6 Comments

Who doesn’t love an apple crumble???

It’s one of the first dishes I learnt to cook and a standard recipe to learn in Home Ec!

The old-fashioned wheat and sugar one doesn’t work for me anymore, so I modified it and make this gluten-free version. It’s still tasty and delicious.

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so adaptable. Use whatever fruit needs eating up! A favourite of ours is pear and blueberry. For some reason the pears are the most unpopular fruit in the house and I am often left with a couple that are going soft. I don’t even stew the pear as it’s such a soft fruit, just slice thinly. Rhubarb and strawberry is also a great combination.

We scored a heap of reduced price organic apples at the supermarket so I set my gorgeous boy to work prepping them for me. We just stew them in a little water and then freeze the excess. I added in figs this time because the ones I bought at the market were not ripening up properly (I don’t think it’s even fig season, is it?)

You can also adapt the topping – add in whatever nuts you like! If you are dairy free, simply use coconut oil or macadamia oil instead of the butter. Use honey or rapadura or coconut sugar instead of maple syrup if you like – I just love the gorgeous caramel flavour of maple syrup in this recipe.

My easy gluten-free apple and fig crumble

Vital Stats: Gluten free, grain free, egg free, refined sugar free, vegetarian

Okay so this is what you need:

1 cup stewed organic apples

1 cup figs, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon organic cinnamon

1 cup organic almonds (or use almond meal)

1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons organic butter (about 40g)

3 tablespoons organic maple syrup

1 tablespoon organic coconut flour

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Whack the fruit into a nice ovenproof dish.

Sprinkle the cinnamon liberally over the top of the fruit.

Chuck the almonds, flour, syrup, vanilla and butter into your thermomix and mix at speed 6 for about 20 seconds, scraping down until you get a nice consistency. If you don’t have a thermomix, throw it into your food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together.

Get little blobs of the mix and sprinkle it on top of the fruit.

Fling it in a moderate oven and cook for about 20 mins until the top is nice and brown.

Serve with lots of fresh organic cream or custard.

This recipes serves four.

Do you love crumble? What’s your favourite?

10 Nourishing Winter Dinners

July 9, 2014 · 7 Comments

One great thing about winter is the food! A chance to tuck into warming, hearty dishes!

Your slow cooker is your best friend in winter time. Load it up with meat, veges, flavourings and a little bone broth in the mornings and you will come home to a nutritious meal.

Make a huge batch and you will have meals for several nights or freeze the leftovers for another time.

Here are ten warming ideas from some amazing Aussie wellness bloggers.

My Slow Cooked Goat Chops in Red Wine with Polenta.

Fish and Corn Congee from Wendy at Vegie Smugglers.

Kangaroo Pies with Homemade Tomato Sauce from Nikki at The Wholefood Mama.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks by Jules Galloway, Naturopath

Cheap as Chicken Curry from Louise at Yogi Tree.

Hearty BBQ Meat Loaf by Jen’s Paleo Kitchen

Homemade Baked Beans by Jo at Quirky Cooking

Slow Cooked Beef Cheek Casserole from Angela at Lovely Little Coconuts.

Vegetable Paella from Cyndi at Changing Habits.

Healthy Roast Marinated Chicken from Georgia at Well Nourished.

Do you have a favourite winter warmer recipe for dinner? Share it with us!

Don’t forget to check out the 10 Nourishing Winter Soups post!

10 Nourishing Winter Soups

June 17, 2014 · 15 Comments

Winter is officially here!

I don’t know about your family, but we start to turn away from salads and tuck into hearty, nourishing soups.

Soups are such a cheap, healthy meal.

♥ Add in loads of veges – the kids don’t notice too much, especially if you puree.

♥ Make a good quality bone broth as a base and get all the gut health and immune system benefits.

♥ Add lots of fresh garlic, turmeric and ginger to keep winter lurgies at bay.

I know you all love the recipe collections, so I have ten healthy recipes to share with you today from some of the best healthy food bloggers in Australia!

Tomato Noodle Soup from Natural New Age Mum.

Coconut Lemon Chicken Soup from Quirky Cooking

Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup with Sumac and Mint from Nourishing Hub.

Coconut Seafood Soup from Alexx Stuart.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Soup with Gremolata from Brenda Janscheck

Pumpkin and Bone Broth Soup from Cut out the Crap.

Witches Stew with Croutons from Vegie Smugglers.

Zucchini Noodle Ramen with Miso Eggplant from Kelly Gibney

Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup from The Wholefood Mama.

Beetroot, Coconut and Ginger soup from Well Nourished.

Do you have an amazing soup recipe? Share it with us or link us up!

Want more healthy WINTER warmers? Check out my 10 nourishing winter dinners post.

Slow cooked goat chops in red wine with polenta

May 4, 2013 · 9 Comments

Organic goat neck chops are a budget-friendly option at your organic butcher and they taste amazing. Think lamb but a more subtle flavour. Use lamb neck chops or just lamb chops instead if you want!

Slow Cooked Goat Chops in Red Wine with Polenta

Vital Stats: gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, can be dairy-free.

Serves 8.

Okay, so this is what you need:

8 large goat neck chops or goat loin chops

3 cups bone broth (I use chicken but anything is fine)

1 cup red wine

2 onions, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 bay leaves

4 organic garlic cloves, crushed

2 cups organic polenta

1 litre full cream organic milk (we love Barambah)

1 litre chicken bone broth or stock

pink Himalayan salt

cracked black pepper

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Heat oven to 180°C. Brown the chops in batches in a frypan on the stove. We don’t use oil as there is enough fat on the chops. Place in a large baking tray.

Saute the onion and garlic in the fat from the chops on a medium heat. Sprinkle over the top of the chops the sliced carrots and bay leaves. Pour over the red wine and 3 cups of chicken stock and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Place in the oven to slow cook for two to two and a half hours or until the chops are tender. You do need to check and turn them a few times as there is no cover. Add more liquid if needed.

You can also cook this in a slow cooker. Just reduce the bone broth to 1 cup instead of 3. Cook on high for about four hours or low for about eight hours. You want the meat falling off the bone!

To cook the polenta, heat the milk and stock in the saucepan until boiling. Add the polenta in a steady stream while stirring all the while. You might like to use a whisk to avoid lumps.

Turn the temperature down and stir occasionally until the polenta is thick. It will take about 20 minutes or so.Season with salt and pepper.

Put a big dollop of polenta on the plate and serve with the chops and vegetables and some of the pan juices drizzled on top with some green steamed vegetables on the side.

To make this recipe dairy free, simply use all stock for the polenta instead of the milk.

Notes:

I always choose an organic polenta to avoid GMO corn.

Want to know more about bone broth? Check out my Beginner’s Guide to Bone Broth.

Have you eaten goat? How do you cook it?

Fruity Flavoured Water

June 7, 2012 · 17 Comments

We all know how important drinking water is, right?

If you are not properly hydrated, it will cause all sorts of problems from headaches to fatigue!

Our water intake can sometimes slow down in winter, because we don’t feel as thirsty. But, this is really a time to make sure you are drinking enough. The heating in your home or office will dehydrate you more than usual. Drinking lots of water will also combat the dry winter skin!

I like drinking water with stuff in it. It tastes really lovely and makes it a bit more interesting.

Basically, you just add whatever you like to your filtered water, using a wide mouth jar or jug. You can squeeze or muddle your ingredients if you want an intenser flavour. Chill it for a couple of hours to get the flavours going. Keep it in the fridge so it stays nice and fresh.

It looks really impressive when guests come over too. You can even freeze fruit or mint in ice-cube trays to serve with it.

The one I have made up at the moment is orange, mint and cucumber – very refreshing!

You can put it in whatever you like. Try some of these other ideas:

lemons

limes

ginger

grapefruit

strawberries

raspberries (any berries really!)

pineapple

green apple

lemongrass

rosemary

basil

watermelon

anything you like!

We also like to make up herbal tea and chill it for a refreshing iced tea.

Did you know?

A rough guide to how much you should drink each day is 30ml per kg of your body weight. Another way to make sure you are drinking enough is to check the colour of your urine. Clear urine (apart from the first wee of the day!) means you are on the right track.

Do you drink enough water? How do you make sure you get enough?

Share your tips!