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.

Good Food Friday Treats :: cleansers apple crumble

Hayley was so excited to make and snap this one - she called seventy eleven times to tell me so! I don't blame her really...

Cleansers will welcome this one as it comes as a sweet treat for your weekend. Apples are starting to make their way into the grocers - they are delicious and are the all round wonder food being full of antioxidents, canter fighting properties, good for your heart and assist in weight loss. What are you waiting for? Just beware - Hayley will be over in an instant if you do whip it up tonight!

cleansers apple crumble

4 apples

2 peaches

1 cup of rolled oats

1/2 cup of crasins (or sultanas)

1/2 cup of walnuts/almonds (or nuts of your choice)

1/4 sunflower seeds

pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

Peel apples and cut into chunks.

Place in a saucepan with 1 cup of water and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, gently simmer for approx 15 - 20 minutes or until the apples are soft.

Remove from heat and set aside. Strain liquid but keep for later use.

In a bowl combine dry ingredients.

In a baking dish, place apples in the bottom to cover the dish. Sprinkle dry ingredients on top. Once done, pour 1/2 cup of the left over juice over the top of the dry ingredients and place in the oven - cook for 15-20 minutes, checking regularly or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

*Those cleansing - If you're stuck for dinner tonight (because I've shared a dessert rather than a main) you can't go past a big tray of roast veggies - get in it whatever you can; pumpkin, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, onion. The list is endless!

shiitake and barley soup

Since the weather has turned slightly cooler - so must the food. This will warm you good and proper!

I could look at these food images all day! Thank you Hayley.

shiitake and barley soup

8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1tbs oil/coconut oil
4 spring onions chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 celery stick, diced
1 carrot, diced
250g fresh shiitake mushrooms chopped
2lt of veggie stock
200gm of pearl barley

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl with hot water. Soak for 30 minutes. Once soaked, squeeze out the liquid from the mushrooms and slice thinly.

Heat oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add spring onions, garlic, celery, carrot and fresh mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until softened. Add stock and barley and 125ml of water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and summer for about 40 minutes, until the barley is tender.

Plate up and enjoy!

we quit sugar! talking with Jo Foster

THIS is the lovely Jo Foster positively glowing sans sugar!

I would be kidding if I didn't say it's been a huge month for me. Inspired by the lovely Sarah Wilson, I made the decision to quit sugar at the beginning of Febuary. I also started Feb fast. At the time I wasn't sure how I was going manage without dark chocolate, but now I couldn't be laughing at myself more. The month has been nothing short of wonderful! For me, the big shift was in my state of mental clarity – it has been amazing. My brain feels like it is working at a new level. In addition - my skin is really clear and I have lost a few kilo's along the way.

I asked Jo – who works with Sarah Wilson to share how she has been going since she gave sugar the boot. Here is our conversation:

Why quit sugar? I can tell you are a leader not a follower so what was your motivation?

I actually spent a lot of last year refining and tweaking my eating habits, and had been feeling for a few months that I needed to step it up another notch. Giving up sugar was "THE NOTCH", but I was really hesitant to take that leap.... Then the lovely Sarah Wilson declared that she was going to do the no sugar as well, and, well, I'm a girl, we like to do things with friends, so I figured if I was ever going to actually do it, I might as well do it with Sarah. Also, she forced me... ha :) I think I was about 85% convinced when I read David Gillespie's "Sweet Poison", and then that was it. I was on board. And I'm not one for doing anything half heartedly - once I'm in, I'M IN!

What changes have you noticed - are you hotter already? No seriously have you noticed changes in your body? Mind? Tastebuds?

Ha, yeah, I'm super hot now! No, I wish! I have noticed my taste buds changing, and my sense of smell! Our vanilla fridge wipe(which I used to love) smells sickly sweet to me now, as do some sauces that my friend's cook with. I am finding I am loving the taste of my natural yoghurt - which was really 'tart' a few weeks ago. I'm finding it quite sweet now that I'm not eating anything really sugary. I thought I was pretty sharp mentally(don't laugh!) but I feel really alert. There's a much brighter sense of clarity - I feel like all of my senses are heightened. I've been off sugar for three weeks(started Friday 28th Jan) and I've lost a kilo as well - which is a miracle, as I've been eating LOTS of cheese to curb my sugary cravings!

Will you go back? No! I feel really good. And I'm really aware of how bad sugar(fructose) is for me, so I couldn't possibly justify ranting on about it, only to embrace it all over again... I'm of the persuasion that once you know something, you're responsible for what you know(yeah, ouch!), and even if I don't like what I know about sugar, I know too much to let myself go sugar crazy again. Sigh, the responsibility of being a grown up hey.... Having said that, I'm sure there'll be days down the track where I take a slice of cake(ahhhh, CAKE!) offered at a birthday party, but I'm ever hopeful that I will only have a bite or two, and not want any more. (is that even possible!?) As I said, ever hopeful!

Advice to others thinking about quitting sugar - even if for a short period of time? Try it! What have you got to lose! Other than a crazy addiction you don't need! My advice - you've got to do it cold turkey. When we interviewed Gillespie, he said this, and it really impacted me. He said that a smoker doesn't make the effort to quit, and then just allow themselves a cigarette a day. That's not helpful to the process at all. I think the same applies here. If I'd been allowing myself a 'little' sugar every day, I'm never truly free of that addiction am I? And cold turkey will be quicker. And more intense, YES, but, it will be quicker!

Favorite food replacing sugar - At the moment I'm addicted to haloumi! And avocado. I keep driving to my favourite bookshop/cafe in Bondi, and ordering their smoked chicken salad, with EXTRA HALOUMI. It's delicious. And it completely satisfies. I have no sugary cravings if I have a bit of haloumi! Haloumi is the new Cadburys!

Last one - I think you're on feb fast? How did you feel combining the two? I am doing FebFast! I'm not actually a big drinker - maybe a couple of glasses of wine in a week... so it wasn't too bad. Although, once I stopped the sugar, there have been a few nights I've stared longingly at the bottles of wine in our kitchen! In hindsight, doing both at the same time has been really good. The no alcohol is probably also helping with the mental clarity!

Quitting sugar might not be at the top of your list of things to do for 2011 - but I hope you feel encouraged by seeing how wonderful both Jo and I feel without it. We have unfortunately become so 'addicted' to sugar, refined foods, caffeine and alcohol many of us panic at the idea of going without it – just like I did a month ago. For me the bottom line is that these things are ok in moderation - but they really aren't doing our body any favours. When we eat sugar, we want more. The cycle continues and we continue to attempt to fill up on sugar when really we would be better to fill up on whole foods.

Sugar fueled foods don't supply us with adequate nutrients - our body tells us we are dissatisfied, as it's nutritional needs haven't been met and so we eat more - more sugar. Swapping sugary foods for wholesome alternatives means that your body is getting all the vitamins and minerals it wants . In turn, you aren't left looking for more food because you feel satisfied.

Saying no to sugar has really shown me how strongly sugar impacts my well being – as a fertility expert, this has given me new insights. Your fertility relies strongly on good nutrition and choices so be encouraged to choose wisely.

tomato and basil risotto

and as promised... another beauty! Enjoy.

another beautiful image by Hayley Blease

tomato and basil risotto

3 tomatoes

1 Lt veg stock

2 tbs oil

2 garlic cloves

1 leak trimmed and sliced

325g brown rice

handful of basil leaves

extra oil to drizzle

Cut tomatoes in half and remove the pulp. Dice and set asside.

Place stock into a saucepan and put over a low heat. In another pan, place in oil over a medium heat. Add garlic and leak and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the rice and cook for a further minutes until coated.

Add 50-60 ml of the hot stock to the rice, stirring constantly until liquid has been absorbed. Continue doing this until all the stock is used.

Stir in the tomtatoes and basil.

Drizzle with oil and serve.

*cook brown rice partially before and freeze in fridge - in zip lock bags. When ready to use, it takes half the time to cook.

Cleansing Eats :: Coconut Dahl

I promise you with recipes this good - you won't ever feel like your missing out!

Awesomse image by Hayley Blease

Coconut Dahl

3 tbs coconut oil (or similar)

1 onions, diced.

1 deseeded green chilli chopped (optional)

1/4 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tomato chopped

225g red lentils split

250ml coconut milk

Basil leaves to serve

Heat oil in a saucepan and place over medium heat.

Add the diced onions and chilli and cook until softened.

Stur in tumeric and cumin and cook until aromatic (approx one minute)

Increase heat and add lentils, cocont milk, tomato and 750ml of water. Bring to bil and then reduce to a low simmer, stirring often. Cook for 25 - 30 minutes until lentils are soft and mushy. Season to taste.

Top with Basil and serve.

Just like I said - this is just one of many awesome recipes I'm sharing this week. This simple dahl can take the fuss out of cooking the family meal for us cleansers - just add some baked chicken and the whole tribe will be happy!