GIVEAWAY :: Emma & Tom's Life Bars

I almost tripped and gave myself whiplash when I took a double take to check out these beauties.

WOW! Fruit bars that are actually GOOD for you - packed with enzymes, antioxidants and busting with deliciousness. I'm in love. REAL love - my favourite is the cacao & orange bar.

These wonder bars are made with no more than 5 ingredients and include exceptionally choice ingredients. But what got me was - NO SUGAR! They are all kinds of fruit and nuts. They had me at hello.

Head to the website for more info - Emma & Tom's Website

I have to share. I'm giving away one of each flavour (4 in total) to one lucky follower. Just tell me which flavour you think would be your favourite. (I mean how do you decide? How good does Lemon Fig sound?!!) For your nearest stockist refer to the website - or we have them at The Pagoda Tree for you to grab one to try at your next visit.

* winner will be announced & notified Wednesday 9th of March.

my fertility sandals

Images by Hayley @ little pinwheel

You might have heard me joke about my fertility sandals recently. They are my very orange and much loved salt water sandals and came all the way from little pinwheel. So why am I referring to them as my fertility sandals? Well, I know that the colour orange, according to various therapies represents fertility - hence the crowning 'fertility sandals.'

Orange is the colour that carries both yellow and red. When you combine these properties of the two colours you get subtle influences of both - orange might be the colour you should be sporting right now! It's also related to the uterus, large intestine, breasts, testis & prostate - all the necessary organs for reproduction. Its influence is said to treat aliments including period pain, digestive issues and support breastfeeding. It also stimulates the thyroid (important for fertility to stimulate hormones).

If you're reading this wondering how this all works, I assume you're not alone. I'm not an expert in colour therapy but my understanding and logic certainly tells me that when I wear particular colours, I reflect a certain mood. More scientifically, colour is said to vibrate a specific frequencies just as organs and glands in our bodies also do the same. Colours respond to areas of the body the vibrate the same frequency - this meaning that these organs (mentioned above) must vibrate to the same tune of the colour orange. When we become sick, our body become imbalanced and may not function in their proper frequencies. When we can restore this (using colour in this instance) we can benefit health and create harmony within.

So whats the best way to incorporate orange into your life? According to Alla Kondrant, it's best not to go painting walls - subtle and small is the key. Use orange accessories both as attire and to decorate your homes, especially the bedroom. She says that orange is sure to brighten up the space and enhance communication between a couple.

Orange is a warm colour - great to lift any spirits but a colour that isn't as much now days (compared to the 60's & 70's). Watch out if I find me some orange boots this winter - I will be all fitted up to the neck to take on this fertility business! Or I could simply dress like Hayley from little pinwheel but would my patients take me seriously is the question....

Don't forget to enter my Emma And Tom's Life Bar Competition. Entries close tomorrow night at 11:59pm.

Good food friday :: Micro Mania Microgreens sharing the love challenge

Images by CJ photography

Nadia & Anthony from Micro Mania set me the challenge - to come up with a savory dish and a dessert using Micro Mint and Micro Lemon Balm. Last Saturday saw me rise to the challenge of creating healthy, nutritious and beautiful eats - just in time for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival which kicks of as of today - 4th of March, here in this wonderful city.

"Microgreens are rich in a wide variety of energy giving nutrients. Packed with minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium along with chlorophyll, lecithin, active enzymes, proteins (amino acids), vitamins and are full of antioxidants - extremely beneficial for human health and been found to contain particular health promoting or disease preventing properties and are totally fat and cholesterol free! Shoots that are eaten while still growing and 'alive' can have up to 100 times more enzymes than in fruit and vegetables as well as also being a good supply of vitamins A, C ,E and K plus B complex. The fresher the shoot, the higher the vitamin content hence the reason why these living microgreens are such a great lifestyle alternative."

Need I say anymore - these recipes provide wonderful essentials plus taste bud approval.

pomegranate broad bean mint and feta salad

Depending on when broad beans are in season - my pick would be to use the fresh variety if possible. Otherwise frozen are available from your local supermarket.

1 pack broad beans

1 pomegranate - arils (seeds) removed ready to be used

1 tin of Persian feta

the juice of 1 lemon

3 tbs Olive oil

I garlic clove crushed

1 bunch of Micro Mint (available from Micro Mania)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine broad beans, pomegranate, 3/4 of the feta and 1/2 the mint in a salad bowl.

In an appropriate container combine lemon, crushed garlic, oil, salt and pepper and shake vigorously to combine ingredients until creamy.

Pour dressing over the combined ingredients and toss to coat. Garnish with remaining feta and mint. Serve immediately.

raspberry mold with lemon balm and double cream

Again, fresh is best but you can also purchase frozen berries at your local supermarket.

4 punnets of raspberries

1/2 cup of honey

1 bunch of lemon balm

1 sachet of gelatin

Double cream to serve

In a saucepan combine raspberries, 3/4 of the lemon balm and honey. Melt down the two on a very low heat (approximately 10 minutes) until well combined.

Once combined, push mixture through a sieve to separate raspberry seeds. Discard.

In a clean saucepan, place in sieved mixture and stir continuously until almost boiling - careful not to allow to boil.

Sprinkle gelatin over the top and mix well until dissolved.

Pour into molds and place in fridge until set (approximately 2 hours).

Once set and ready to serve, remove from mold and serve with cream and left over lemon balm to garnish.

They Teach It at Stanford

These are the girls in my family - we share genetics but most of all we share friendship.

I receive this email last night and I just had to share it!

"I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last
lecture was on the mind-body connection - the relationship between stress
and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other
things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to
be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she
could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her
girlfriends.

At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support
systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life
experiences. Physically this quality βgirlfriend time" helps us to create
more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can
create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men
often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a
buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their
personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing,
hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our
sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said
that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health
as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we
are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with
friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged not
true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal
relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as
smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just
pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good
for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our
friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

meet Amy.

Image by the lovely Clare Metcalf Photography

This is Amy - and we can show her face on my blog because she isn't a dentist. She is my Amy. Amy is my new assistant, and it is fair to say I am absolutely beyond excited that she is joining us here at the clinic.

This has been a rather frantic week so far at The Pagoda Tree. Sara, my business partner and I, said our goodbye's on Monday, as we both walk our separate ways as health practitioners. Not an easy thing to do by any means - but I am thankful. Thankful for 8 wonderful years together. Thankful for the beauty she brought to this clinic not just in presence and appearance but as a whole package. I wish her all the blessings in her future journey - she will do great things because she is a wonderful practitioner and more-so a beautiful woman.

New beginnings make room for changes. Some big, some small. I'm really excited about this new chapter in my life, for the clinic and for the future.

Amy has a lot of work to do! She's a go-er and I know she's up for it. I'm equally thankful for her ability to slip into the clinic and make this transition for me as painless as possible. Thank you Amy - you have no idea what you're in for!

breathing a NEW breath of fresh air

image here

In...... and out..... For all those who joined me with the End of Summer Body Cleanse.... YOU'VE DONE IT! Well done to you. The emails have been flooding in of just how amazing you are all feeling. What's more, you have inspired a new week of cleansers - there is a big bout of cleansers starting today also. For the newbies, there is an entire weeks worth of recipes on the blog - so go back and check them out for inspiration, you won't be left hungry with these wonderful treats I have complied for you.

Cleansing is nothing short of a life changing process. Each and every time I cleanse I learn something new about myself. This time is no different - I've discovered a new level of clarity, and a real sense of calmness through my entire self. Many of you have been reporting this also, as well as a heightened sense of awareness not just within but for the things you are putting into your body. Be encourage to continue with good eating habits - we have been blessed with amazing and beautiful bodies - and in seriousness my heart does break when I see the way in which we can abuse and take ourselves for granted. Health isn't something we are simply given, it is something we need to work at and maintain.

Since substantial diet changes at the beginning of the month, I have been able to see a new perspective of just how important the fuel we put into our bodies is. The connection between fertility and food is even more evident to me right now. Poor food/lifestyle leads to poor gut function. The gut and the bowel are so closely related; the bowel and the uterus share the same nerve innervation; this sequence of events that occur inside us everyday must be oiled and greased correctly to work well.

Be encouraged by all of this, continue to eat well and respect your inner workings. There are some wonderful events coming up (like Sam's) that can show you new and exciting ways to prepare your food and deliver everything to your body that it needs! I will be joining the crowds next week at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival at some of their events - come along and learn something new too!

I'm so excited to be attending Sam's surf spa food event - come along with me - we might learn something new together!

SURF SPA FOOD EVENT Monday 7th March 2011. South Melbourne Market 6.30pm.

Join therapeutic chef Samantha Gowing for a transformational journey into her world of Conscious Cuisine. Sam will share her proven methods of achieving optimal wellness in daily life. Discover the secrets of her global Surf Spa Food business and how you can create an amazing lifestyle in the hospitality wellness industry. A must for organic business and spa owners.

What: Surf Spa Food

When: 7 March

Time: 6:30PM – 8:30PM
Where: South Melbourne Market, Corner Cecil and Coventry Streets, South Melbourne

Cost: $110.00
Bookings: 02 6685 5400 / 0411 852 387

beans glorious beans!

Image from Hayley @ little pinwheel - who by the way since starting the cleanse has developed her very own 6 pack. You heard it here first.

This is the most delicious recipe - the first time I made this was for my birthday dinner (amongst other things) where I had a tapas style meal. It works perfectly as a side dish or as a main. You could add some brown rice if you wanted a bit more - I find it delicious on it's own. Definitely a household favourite.

beans braised in olive oil and tomato

olive oil
2 onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely or crushed
thyme sprigs
1 tin of canned tomato
300gm green beans, ends trimmed off
50ml red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons of coriander seeds

pre-heat oven 160 degrees
Place olive oil in an ovenproof saucepan over a high heat on the stove (of you do not have an ovenproof pan, you will need to use two separate dishes).
Add 2 tbs of oil, adding garlic and onion and sweat until translucent - approximately 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme (10 sprigs) and cook for a few minutes before adding vinegar. Bring to a simmer.
Place baking paper over the pan and cover with foil.
Transfer to oven and roast for 1 - 1.5 hours (or as long as possible really - up to 4 hours)
Increase oven temperature and place beans into the baking dish. Sprinkle with coriander seeds. Recover with baking paper and foil and roast for a further 20 minutes or until beans are cooked.