Smell the flowers

114. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. My husband’s eyes growing wide as he turned to me and asked “Was that the baby?!” Pretty special feeling the baby kick for the first time.
2. Walking down the hill from Bronte to the beach and admiring all the charming old houses and the abundance of Australian bush flowers: wisteria, bottlebrush, sea banksias, macrocarpa and wattle. *Photo by Brett the Physiologist*
3. The incredible jasmine vines that were draped from the ceiling beams at the wedding reception. The entire space smelled of Spring and looked magical. Congrats Mr and Mrs Satchwell, it was the most perfect day xx
4. A spontaneous morning involving the Bronte to Bondi headland walk, feasting at the farmers market, meeting up with friends at the chai tent, discovering Orchard St café (kombucha on tap!!) and spending time with more happy friends.
5. Ordering a chai bowl (yes a chai in a BOWL) from Pure Bronte this morning.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before”.
-Dalai Lama

Invite adventure into your life!

*MATERNAL MONDAYS*

“Experiencing a child growing in your body just gives you such a newfound respect for the human body. It’s just fascinating! It gives you this sense and this feeling of timelessness, this sort of evolution of man and what a miracle it is that you get pregnant at all.

It’s not like you take a special pill and this pill makes the baby grow. The baby just grows, without you even doing anything but breathing and sleeping and eating. That is an amazing feeling. You feel so proud of your body.”

-Liv Tyler

Emma the Naturopath xx
(22 weeks -size of a papaya)

~*OCTOBER SPECIAL: 10% OFF ALL STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLES, INSULATED MUGS, LUNCHBOXES, LIDS & POUCHES*~ 

Water bottles are always the “go-to” present for that difficult person to buy for, or an awesome incentive for yourself to stay hydrated! Or come in and stock up on water bottles (and spare lids!) before the kiddo’s go back to school. We’ve got sizes from 350ml to 1.2L in lots of snazzy designs in all the best brands: EcoTanka, Cheeki and EarthLust!

Tag someone in this post who you think would get a bit excited about 10% off all water bottles!

"Happiness is to hold flowers in both hands"
-Japanese proverb

So high on Spring right now... What flowers are you loving? I'm all about the bottlebrush and calla lillies!

115. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. Hot gf chocolate and coconut pancakes cooked in salty butter. Just a little Tuesday night treat.
2. Whale sightings on a windy headland.
3. The name of my friend’s neighbour’s cat: Sophie PrettyToes. Best. Name. EVER.
4. Brand new bamboo sheets as well as a new king-size quilt and linen doona cover which have been washed and hanging in the sunshine all day. I am SO excited to go to bed tonight.
5. The fact that my overly house-proud husband finds it a necessity to have fresh flowers in the house at all times. No complaints here. *The wonderful picture is courtesy of lovely Sherrin from ST Images

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “It’s not how much love we give, but how much love we put into giving”
-Mother Theresa

When you give someone a compliment this week, mean it. And when you help someone out, do it cheerfully. Let’s genuinely care for one another

*MATERNAL MONDAYS*
NESTING

I’ve always loved cooking and baking (it's an Italian thing), but now that I’m pregnant I’ve really gone into overdrive! I have been scouring the library shelves for new cookbooks and saving recipes on blogs to a special folder entitled “TO BAKE”.

This morning I’ve made zucchini slice, bliss balls, toasted muesli as well as salt and vinegar almonds. Now I'm thinking about what I can cook for dinner... Did I mention it’s only 10:30am? I was at Coles at 7:30am to buy supplies. My husband is beside himself with joy.

When did nesting kick in for you? Were you madly rearranging the whole house or cooking up a storm like me?

Here is the bikkie recipe I baked on Saturday afternoon:

SPICY OAT COOKIES
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup cashews
1 cup gluten-free SR flour (I use a box of Orgran from the health food aisle of Coles)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger (ground or fresh)
¼ tsp pink salt
½ cup honey/rice malt/maple syrup (or 100g coconut sugar)
½ cup coconut oil or organic butter (melted)
1 Tbsp chia seeds

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Throw oats and cashews in food processor and grind coarsely.
3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
4. Roll mixture into walnut sized balls and place on a lined baking tray.
5. Bake for 10 mins or until slightly golden. Store in airtight container.

How easy is that? You can be eating hot chewy biscuits in 20 mins from now! Perfect for school lunchboxes, afternoon tea with a cuppa or at 2 in the morning when you’re STARVING!

(Recipe adapted from The Vegan Baker by Dunja Gulin)

Emma the Naturopath xx
(23 weeks –the length of a shallot)

Essential Health

0266 514 533

carrots_and_apples@hotmail.com

Facebook: Emma the Naturopath

Local, fresh, perfect.

How many times have you gone to buy seafood from the supermarket and the little sign says it’s from Taiwan or Uganda or some other random country thousands and thousands of kilometres away?

One of the things I love about living in the quiet little coastal town of Coffs Harbour is the fishing co-op located down at the marina. This morning I bought some fresh local prawns which were the size of mini lady finger bananas!

So tonight I sautéed the prawns in a tonne of organic extra virgin olive oil, a splash of Braggs liquid aminos and a handful of pay choy.

In another saucepan I boiled up some organic quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah” til soft and fluffy (12-15mins).

While that was all doing its thing, I whizzed up some pesto in my food processor with a couple of handfuls of freshly picked basil from the garden, a few swirls of olive oil, some toasted pine nuts and a wild amount of garlic.

Then finally I threw together a quick salad of mixed leaves, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, grated beetroot (cleansing for the liver), cucumber and a handful of cherry toms.

I popped the quinoa, salad and prawns on my polka dot plate and spooned the pesto all over it with a big squeeze of lemon.

Now for the washing up.... Eek!

Remember, shop local, cook from scratch, keep it fresh and always get your husband to do the dishes xx.

*Wednesday Website of the Week*

There are so many inspirational and informative websites out there. So every Wednesday I'm going to pick one of my faves to share with you!

This week's website is 'Gluten-Free Goddess' which has the longest list of gluten-free recipes I've ever seen! Click here and get scrolling! xx

The Munchies.

Finish work at 1pm. Staaaarving! Must. Resist. Buying. Sushi.

I quickly made my way home and flung open the fridge door and decide to cook up a super tasty omelette. Screw those high GI white rice sushi rolls with their over processed chicken cooked in chemical laden sauces.

Mix together in a bowl:

2 free range, organic eggs
Red onion
Goats fetta
Mushies
Grated zucchini

And cook in an omelette pan on the stove with some extra virgin olive oil.

When mostly cooked, throw on some basil from the garden and tear up some pak choy leaves. Then fold in half. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkling of chia seeds.

Too easy xx

PS. Rest assured, not all sushi is bad. But when it's purchased on the run as a 'quick fix' from one of those little kiosks with flavours like turkey and cranberry or chicken ceasar, turn the other way!

Hummus from home.

We’ve received a swag of rad engagement presents over the last couple of months. One if particular being a snazzy little food processor! My latest culinary creation is homemade hummus! Those plastic tubs of hummus in the supermarket just don’t compare to the flavour, texture, smell and how filling the real stuff is!

I’m always trying to discover ways to become more self sufficient to improve my health and reduce the amount of packaging I use. Eg growing my own herbs, mixing up our own muesli, buying toilet paper in paper packaging rather than plastic so it can be popped in the recycle bin.

So I’ve stopped buying crackers and started using mushies, snowpeas, zucchini, cucumber, red capsicum, carrots as my dippers! Also by putting the dip into little glass containers you’re cutting down on the foil and plastic packaging of the commercial stuff.

Here’s what to do:

1 x 400g tin of organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained (packed with protein)
½ tsp pink Himalayan salt (rich in minerals)
1 garlic cloves (natural antibiotic)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (vitamin C)
2 Tbs tahini (high in calcium)
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (essential fatty acids)

Whiz everything in a food processor then store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days.

There are heaps of variations you can make like pumpkin hummus, spiced beetroot, mint and pea, etc. So get creative!

What new dishes have you made lately? How can you cut down on packaging around your house to reduce your carbon impact? xx

Oh yeah and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Silly yak.

How many people do you know with Coeliac (seel-ee-yack) disease? Coeliacs are unable to digest gluten with differing tolerance levels and symptoms. Some people feel a bit tired or get mouth ulcers after a sandwich and then I know others who cannot even use the same toaster that has had regular bread in it because even a few crumbs will cause them to start vomiting violently!! When people are diagnosed via a blood test or gut biopsy they are sent out into the big wide world instructed to never touch gluten again. So what the heck is there left to eat, you ask? "Plenty!!" I answer with triumph!

Here are a tonne and a half of gluten free meal ideas for all the silly yaks out there!

HEALTHY GLUTEN-FREE MEALS

Breakfast ideas
Gluten-free muesli with rice/soy/oat milk, fresh fruit, yoghurt and cinnamon
Bircher muesli: soak rolled rice flakes with enough water to just cover it and add ¼ cup of sultanas, a sprinkle of shredded coconut and 8 almonds. Then in the morning add a grated granny smith apple, some honey and yoghurt to make it creamy
Hot bircher muesli (follow above recipe but in the morning add some extra milk and heat through on the stove before eating). Add stewed apple and cinnamon
Boiled/scrambled/poached or fried eggs on gluten-free toast with avocado and sprinled with Celtic sea salt or cracked pepper
Breakfast stirfry: sauté mushrooms, capsicums, onions and bok choy in some tamari sauce (wheat-free soy sauce) then serve on toast with an egg
Homemade baked beans and avo on toast
The Essential Health Super smoothie: fruit, milk, yoghurt, protein powder, LSA, honey
Mashed steamed veg (such as a combination of sweet potato, broccoli and carrot) with some cooked brown rice mixed in with a soft boiled egg on top and sprinkled with Celtic sea salt
Make an omelette with mushrooms, baby spinach, onion and halved cherry tomatoes with fresh herbs from the garden
Fruit salad with a spoonful of yoghurt and sprinkled with sunflower seeds, pepitas and cinnamon drizzled with maple syrup

Lunch/Dinners ideas
Miso soup with tofu, brown rice or vermicelli rice noodles, broccolini, bok choy, snow peas and mushrooms. Cut up ½ a nori sheet (what they make sushi out of) into 1cm squares with scissors. You can poach, steam or grill a chicken breast, then place it on a chopping board and shred it with a fork then add it to the soup
Sushi
Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Vegetable minestrone with canellini or borlotti beans
Chicken and vegetable soup. Add 2 cups of cooked brown rice or quinoa
Spiced pumpkin soup
Orgran buckwheat pasta spirals with pesto, green beans, asparagus and chicken or tuna
Chicken/tuna/egg/felefel/lentil patty and salad in gluten-free wraps
Omelette and salad
Vegetable frittata
Mexican beef or bean nacho’s (unsalted corn chips) with lots of salad and fresh guacamole
Zucchini slice
Turkey meat balls with pasta or rice
Felafel wraps: buy a box of felafel mix from the health food aisle in the supermarket, soak mix in water for 20 mins and shallow fry in a frypan til golden. Sit the felafels on some paper towel to absorb the excess oil then put in a wrap with hommus, sweet chilli and salad
Grilled fish with freshly squeezed lemon and fresh parsley or basil with vegies on the side
Pesto grilled chicken salad with rocket and cherry tomatoes
Fried brown rice: add free range chicken breast, grated carrot and zucchini, corn spears, snow peas, mushies, fresh pineapple and fresh coriander, tamari and sweet chilli sauce. Make a little omelette of two free range eggs and shallots, then slice up and mix through the rice. Leftovers? Yummy for breakfast with a poached egg on top (Nasi Goreng style) or rolled up in rice paper rolls with some baby spinach.
Zucchini slice make with gluten-free flour served with salad. They’re great for school or work when baked in a muffin tin!
Fish cakes with a lime and chilli dipping sauce
Pizzas made with Orgran dough mixes


Snacks and treats
The Essential Health Super smoothie
Juice up some pineapple, pear, apple with fresh mint then pour into a shaker and mix in one teaspoon of barley grass
Juice an apple then blend it up with ½ a cup of berries and spirulina
Pack a little lunchbox with sticks of carrots, cucumber, capsicum, snow peas, mushroom cups, cherry tomatoes with a source of protein: felafels, a boiled egg or tin of tuna
Make your own dips to have on veggie sticks, corn thins or Vita Wheat “Rice Crackers”. Salsa: dice tomatoes, capsicum, red onion and fresh parsley with chopped coriander. Guacamole: mash an avo, squeeze of lemon, some cracked pepper and sweet chilli. Homemade hummus.
Baked granny smith apple with sultanas and cinnamon
Fig and almond bliss balls (finely chop 2 cups of dried fruit and 1 cup of nuts/seeds then combine with 2 Tbs of coconut cream, a big spoonful of peanut butter and roll into balls and cover with coconut, sesame seeds or LSA). You can add spirulina, protein powder, carob powder, cinnamon. Store in a container in the fridge.
Tamari roasted nuts and seeds (lightly coat 2 cups of nuts and seeds with 1 Tbs of tamari. Spread over lined baking tray and bake in 180 degrees over for 15mins or until dry).
Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit, sunflower seeds, cinnamon and honey


Great cookbooks
Wheat and gluten free by Jody Vassallo
Allergy-friendly Cookbook by Alice Sherwood