Smoothie O'Clock!

It was *SMOOTHIE TIME* at the Caller household this morning! We make our own separate ones because he likes his thick and sweeter and I like mine milky and fruity.

His: pea protein, cacao, coconut oil, chia seeds, rolled oats, organic acai powder, almond milk, banana and blackberries.

Mine: pea protein, mango, blackberries, LSA, coconut oil, super greens powder (wheatgrass, barley grass, spirulina and chlorella).

It’s so fun to get your creative juices flowing in the kitchen and really get involved in preparing nourishing LIVE food for yourself instead of just pouring some processed cereal into a bowl. I always tell my clients that LIFE GIVES LIFE –which means you take on the vitality of your food so be mindful of how fresh your food is. Needless to say we are now bubbling with energy to bounce through the rest of the weekend!

Did you guys get your smoothie on this morning? What taste sensations did you come up with?

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Learning that the size and extravagance of a bunch of flowers is in exact proportion to the amount of brownie points the can be earnt from me. I’m a sucker for Precious Petals bouquets.

2. Another yoga retreat booked in for next month!

3. Wandering into a new café and having the BEST salad: chicken, walnut, green apple, parmesan, celery and rocket with a honey mustard dressing. All while the new Fat Freddy’s Drop cd was cranking.

4. Riding my bike past a sea of happy yellow daffodils in someone’s front yard. It’s a sure-fire way to tell that August is here.

5. Picking up my guitar again after many years and strumming little songs to myself.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “And then there’s the most dangerous risk of all… The risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself freedom to do it later” –Randy Komisar.

Make your dreams a priority because there is no dress rehearsal for this precious life of ours.

"Wow it smells so good in here" is what we hear multiple times every day as people walk into the shop.

We'd like to say that it was us, but its actually our delicious Drishti Candles from Bellingen.

I've got the Fire Dancer burning at work (cinnamon and sweet orange) and I light the Uplifter (lime and lemongrass) every morning at home to begin each day with a fresh start.

Drishti Candles have no synthetic perfumes, artificial dyes just pure essential oils that offer a therapeutic effect like lifting your mood or promoting a restful sleep.

Next time you go to buy a cheap brightly coloured tropical scented candle, just be mindful about what you and your family are inhaling.

Every once in a while I’ll meet someone with no sense of smell. Can you imagine that? The things simplest things we take for granted! My yoga teacher once told me that when you need grounding, just tune into your sense of smell and this will stimulate your base chakra.

I came across so many beautiful scents today.

-earthy spicy-ness from a pot of dandelion chai
-salty breeze on the top of Muttonbird Island
-delicious oils infused with Ayurvedic herbs during my Indian head massage (thanks Trista at Ayurvedic Skin Care & Reflexology Fusion.)
-fresh laundry that’s been flapping in the sunshine
-bubbling yellow curry on the stove
-banana oat choc chip cookies baking in the oven
-my husband

Inhale, exhaaaaaale.

Soooo excited to get to work today and unpack the new *KORA ORGANICS* delivery!!!

Every time I order with Kora Organics I keep adding new products and increasing quantities because it's just selling like gluten-free hot cakes!

We're open every Sat from 9am til 1:30pm so pop in and have a play with the testers with me!

Kora is:
*vegan
*cruelty free
*certified organic
*uses essential oils instead of fragrances
*packed with antioxidants like noni juice
*full of essential fatty acids like sea buckthorn and jojoba
*Australian made and owned
*THE BEST SKINCARE RANGE I'VE EVER USED!!

Sunny weather = happy people!

Keep those vibes high everyone!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Downloading a ‘Daily Affirmation’ app on my phone. Once I read that day’s affirmation, I set it to the background of my phone so I see it every time the screen lights up. Today’s was “I am surrounded with loving, caring people in my life”.

2. Funny faces, big yawns and a little sigh from 8 day old Ayana while she laid my arms. My husband nearly cried when his best mate asked him to be her godfather. Bless xx

3. A box of band aids with sharks all over them that I wrap my client’s fingers up with after I’ve taken their blood.

4. A satisfied craving for baked beans… with a little pink salt.

5. Making almond milk for the first time! Then making bliss balls out of the leftover ‘nut meat’. Recipes coming at you this wk!

 

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Marianne Williamson once wrote:

“Do what you love.
Do what makes your heart sing.
And NEVER do it for the money,
Go to work to spread joy”.

This is my favourite quote in the whole world. It makes me feel emotional every time I read it. What did you want to be when you grew up? Where do your thoughts wander when you daydream? What subject gets you all excited and makes your eyes light up? THIS is your passion! Do everything in your power to pursue this!

There is no denying that Spring is just 2 wks away!! 

The gorgeous Jasmine List at One Conscious Breath Yoga (previously Yoga Sense on Moonee St, Coffs) is running a Spring Intensive. There are only a few spots left so give her a call asap if you are looking to increase your vitality and shred you Winter coat!

Emma the Naturopath xx

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Shop local.

Don't you think?

Mine: frozen blackberries, vanilla pea protein, cinnamon, coconut water, fresh mint, LSA, coconut oil.

It's just around the corner....!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Feeling the sweat trickle down my body at hot yoga on Tuesday night.

2. Three good luck signs this week: making a wish on the hugest dandelion I’d ever seen, picking up a penny (well 10c) and seeing a shooting star!

3. My current obsession: chai spiced dandelion tea with almond milk sprinkled with ground cinnamon.

4. Hour long phone calls, smoothie dates and sweet text messages with three of my long lost special friends that warmed my heart.

5. Tandem surfing with my husband at Scotts Head today. I was upside down during one of our lifts and gained a whole new perspective cruising along the wave with the water where the sky should be. 

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Love recognises no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination” –Maya Angelou. This week, show those special people around you that you love them. It doesn’t have to be the clichéd bunch of flowers or box of chocolates. It’s the little things that count like cooking their favourite dinner or making them a hot water bottle and popping it into their side of the bed so it’s toasty when they jump in. Thoughtfulness goes along way.   

Not just for itchy scalps! It's also a fantastic weekly treatment for glossy smooth hair. 

Just don't forget to put an old towel over your pillow before you go to sleep!

"Imagine that you are having difficulties with a loved one, such as your mother or father, husband or wife, lover or friend. 

How helpful and revealing it can be to consider the other person not in his or her “role” of mother or father or husband, but simply as another “you,” another human being, with the same feelings as you, the same desire for happiness, the same fear of suffering.

Thinking of the other one as a real person, exactly the same as you, will open your heart to him or her and give you more insight into how to help."

-Sogyal Rinpoche, world-renowned Buddhist teacher

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Having a Wintery weekday off and waking at 7am, refilling my hot water bottle and jumping back into bed til 10am, drinking tea, reading cookbooks and having lovely chats on the phone.

2. Going for an afternoon walk on the boardwalk at the marina and looking down to my right to see a baby stingray the size of a saucer cruising along beside me.

3. Meeting Billy, my new next door neighbour. The fluffiest white Persian cat I’ve ever seen. He has the hair of about 7 cats! Not the most masculine looking bloke!

4. Being asked at Café Bacio if I would like gluten-free toast or sourdough with my pumpkin soup. Hands up all the gluten-free peeps out there whose pet hate it is to be charged the same price for soup and toast even when you ask for no toast because you can’t eat it!

5. The rambling and wild garden of Mrs Jenny Joske. Could I please move in now?

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I received not one, not two, but THREE bags of citrus this week from loving customers and friends. Ruby grapefruits, Valencia oranges, lemons and Tahitian limes. There will be no scurvy in this household!

This week, think about how you can show GENEROSITY to your family, neighbours or anyone. Think about what you can do for the other person instead of what you can receive from them. Bake a batch of bickies and pop them in a jar saying “help yourself” in your staff room, tell the checkout chick a joke to brighten her day or leave a ten dollar tip for your waiter –even if you only ordered a coffee. As my yoga teacher once told me “you have an endless ocean of love and kindness inside of you”.

I’m so proud of being a sole trader instead of a franchise for so many reasons!

One of which is that I can stock any product/brand I believe in instead of being dictated by “head office” on what to sell because they have done a deal which certain companies. Ever wondered why you get *discount days* at franchises…?

So I choose to support/stock Australian brands that I LOVE such as:

*Rainbow Chai from Repton

*Drishti candles from Bello

*EpZen Epsom Soaks from Muwillumbah

*MooGoo from the Goldy

*Kora Organics from Sydney

*Bee Natural beeswax candles from Bonville

*D’Entrecastaux soaps from Valla

*Warbotanicals from Warbotan in Vic

Who is your dollar supporting? What is your fave “local product” or “small business”?

Does Vicks Vapour Rub work? Yes.

Is it natural? NO. Vicks contains petroleum by-products which are not good for us or our kiddies.

Here is the recipe I give my clients for a really easy to make chest rub that is gentle on the skin and works a treat!

Coconut Chest Rub

¼ cup organic coconut oil
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
10 drops peppermint essential oil (if pregnant, swap for spearmint)

15 drops lavender oil (perfect for a restful sleep)

1. Melt the coconut oil by holding the measuring cup in a mug of boiling water.

2. Once melted, add in the essential oils and stir well.

3. Pour into a small glass jar or even an empty lip balm pot. That’s it!

Uses:

-Massage into throat, chest and upper back.

-Add 2 tsp to a large bowl or the bathroom sink filled with boiling water then pop a towel over your head and breathe deeply.

-Add 2 tsp to a bucket of hot water with a cup of Epsom salts and pop your feet in for 20 mins.

-Massage into feet before bed then pop some old socks on.

My husband even rubs a little under his nose before footy training to keep his airways open!

If you were super keen and were going to make up a descent amount to give to friends/family, whiz mixture up in a food processor and it will be more fluffy and spreadable.

If you don’t have any essential oils at home and didn’t want to buy all four, Oil Garden have a blend of corn mint, eucalyptus and thyme called Breathe Easier which would work well.

Label the jar and keep essential oils out of the reach of children. Do a little patch test first if super sensitive skin. Coconut oil is a wonderful moisturiser especially for eczema and psoriasis and soaks right in! A little bit goes a long way!

Emma the Naturopath xx

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Creative juices

*CALLING ALL SWEET TOOTHS*
We now sell certified organic, sustainably sourced coconut palm sugar!! Made from the nectar of coconut palm tree blossoms (different from palm oil trees) and has a delectable caramel taste.

Super low GI of only 35 which is nearly half that of cane sugar (GI 68) and lower than honey (GI 55) and even agave (42).

Packed with minerals and amino acids, it's vegan and gluten-free. Only $10.95 for 500g.

Try it on your porridge or in your chai today!

*TRAVEL ESSENTIALS*

On my recent trip to Bali there were a few essential supplements that I wouldn’t leave the country without:

1. BioCeuticals UltraBiotic IBS: Gotta love a probiotic that doesn’t need refrigeration! 80% of your immune system resides in your gut so by increasing your good gut flora you will be improving the breakdown of your food as well as keeping the nasties at bay.

2. BioCeuticals Lactoferrin plus SB: Once again, another goodie for both the immune system and a happy tummy. Basically it weeds out the bad bugs, promotes the growth of the good guys and boosts the immune system by improving the integrity of the gut lining.

3. BioCeuticals Pharma Mag Forte: Magnesium is a great all-rounder for recharging the adrenal glands, energy production and relaxing my hard working muscles after hours and hours of yoga each day. Massages and fresh coconut water worked a treat too ;) I normally take magnesium powder but taking white powder into a foreign country, well, y’know…

I did also pack Heel Traumeel tabs which are a great little homeopathic blend just in case my shoulder played up (which it didn’t!!). The main ingredient is arnica which is invaluable for soft tissue inflammation.

*I love that both 1 & 2 can be taken daily as a preventative or acutely if Bali Belly strikes.

When going to a foreign country it is so handy to have your own little first aid kit of natural supplements. Of course it totally depends on where you’re going and your own personal health needs. So have a chat to a naturopath first about what is right for YOU.

Keep those creative juices flowing!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Living next-door to a family day care centre. I was lying down on my yoga mat in my courtyard trying to meditate this week and all I could hear was a whole bunch of little kiddies yelling out “I AM A ROBOT, I AM A ROBOT”! in mechanical voices.

2. Cooking my first “real” chicken soup. A whole free range chicken, vegies and 3hrs of bubbling.

3. Winter morning surfs then going out to brekkie with my husband.

4. Watch ‘Yoga Woman’ last night at Soul Cinema. So inspiring. It made my heart flutter.

5. The Oldfields and the Raes xxx

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. After returning from the serenity Unanimously deciding to only watch one hour of TV a night and to turn the laptop off by 9pm. Goodbye reality cooking shows, reality renovation shows… Hello actual reality! Not enough hours in the day? Not sleeping as well as you could be? Might be time to switch off.

A recent investigation by consumer watch dog Choice have released a list of products tested on animals (Jurlique is now shamefully added to the list):

Avon

Biotherm

Bobbi Brown

Chanel

Chapstick

Clairol

Clean and Clear

Clinique

Clearasil

Dove

Donna Karan

Elizabeth Arden

Estee Lauder

Garnier

Giorgio Armani

Head & Shoulders

Herbal Essences

Jurlique

Kerastase

Kiehl's

La Mer

L'Oreal

L'Occitane

Lancome

M.A.C

Max Factor

Maybelline

Michael Kors

Missoni

Nair

Neutrogena

Olay

Old Spice

Pantene

Ponds

Redken

Revlon

Shiseido

SK-II

Sunsilk

Vidal Sassoon

Please purchase your beauty products based on ethics, not just how seductive their advertising is. Next week I’ll let you know about all the awesome natural products out there that are cruelty-free!

I’m sure you were all pretty shocked at the list of brands that funded animal testing on their products. Rest assured, I’ve put together a list of fantastic natural products that are guaranteed not to be tested on animals! I encourage you to add to the list and share this post to spread the love!

Ok here goes!

Alba Botanica

A’kin

Alchemy

Bambeco baby wipes

Billie Goat Soap

Botani

Burts Bees

Butter London

Crystal Essence deodorant

D’Entrecasteaux soaps

Dr Bronners

Dr Organic

EcoKid

EcoStore

Eco Sunscreen

Gaia

Giovanni

Grants toothpaste

Herbon

Herb Valley

Hurraw lipbalms

KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr

Kosmea

Inika

LaMav

Lavera

Lemon Myrtle Fragrances

Mayvers deodorant

Melrose

MooGoo

Mukti

Neem Rich

Om Veda

Perfect Potion

Richmond Nature

Riddells Creek

Sanctum

Sukin

Suvana paw paw lipbalm

Thursday Plantation

Tints of Nature hair colour

Trilogy

Vegesorb

Vrindavan

Vicco

Warbotanicals

WotNot

We are all on our own unique journeys.

Chin up!

Emma the Naturopath xx

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Balinese dreams

Can you identify all the ingredients in your moisturiser? 

I'm a huge fan of using 100% cold pressed oils on my body in winter with a couple of drops of essential oils popped in. The fewer ingredients in your beauty products and food the better!

My fave is almond oil, but coconut, apricot kernel, macadamia, black sesame and avocado are all great! It’s really economical too! About $7.95 for a 250ml bottle of almond oil and a ten cent piece amount will do both arms and legs and a bit in between.  

If you're in the shop we can give you our Dry Skin handout that has a bunch of different diet and lifestyle tips to make your winter skin silky smooth.

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Buying a world map and sticking it up on my bathroom wall so I can lie in the bath and dream up big adventures.

2. After rushing about and using my analytical mind all day planning, expecting and preparing, I finally sat down at my herbalist appointment and saw a little quote that said “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious” by Albert Einstein.

3. When you’re driving home after a massive day at work and the last thing you want to do is buy groceries and cook dinner. Then your husband calls and says dinner’s on the table.

4. Finally joining a private health fund. I know this doesn’t sound like a big deal but we’ve been “discussing” it for over 12 months now.

5. The fact that today I’m wearing jeans, ugg boots, a long sleeved top and a hoodie and tomorrow I’ll be in tropical Bali at a yoga retreat in the mountains!!! Ticking off another of my New Year’s Resolutions.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. This post mark’s our 49^th Top 5. When I return in 10 days I’m going to be bringing you an extra special 50^th Top 5 post –Balinese style. Now please excuse me while I bask in 30 degree heat, eat organic fruit, meditate then fall asleep in a hammock ;)

Smile brightly this week. It makes you look even more beautiful!!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

So I’ve been off in the hills of Northern Bali in a tiny village called Tejakula doing a Hatha retreat my yoga teacher from Bello organised. I thought I was just going for a bit of yoga and R ‘n’ R. Turns out; it was hugely transformative for me. My heart now feels like it glows again and I’m inspired right to the very seed of my soul xx

Being my 50^th Top 5, I’m bringing you a very special....

Top 10 Things I LOVED –Balinese style!

1. The empowerment of travelling solo.

2. Bathing under my outdoor shower while thunder and lightning lit up the sky.

3. Pastel pink lotuses the size of iceberg lettuces.

4. The coolness of the polished cement floor while practising yoga in the steamy 30 degree heat (pictured).

5. Not knowing what day it was for ten days, but more importantly, not caring.

6. Mango, papaya, coconut milk, lime, clove, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom smoothies. Like a mango lassi and a chai made love.

7. Being doused in holy water by a Balinese priest at the beach. Apparently I needed a good cleansing.

8. Chatting over the dinner table with fellow yogis about what we did that day. Answers were along the lines of “Well I read a book for 4 hours, then I had lunch, then I read for another 3 hours”. Or “I went to the day spa for 3 and a half hours, then I had a two hour nap”.

9. Whizzing up the mountain on the back of a motor bike with a cute Balinese boy. Dodging cars, roosters and stray dogs, often on the wrong side of the road around narrow bends. Don’t worry Mum, I had travel insurance.

10. Asking a pair of Balinese guys which way to Bingin Beach. One points left, the other points right. Bali in a nut shell!

Namaste.

Emma the Naturopath xx

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P: 0266 514 533

E: carrots_and_apples@hotmail.com

A: Shop 24 Boulevard Arcade, Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450 Australia

Bending over backwards for Kora

*NEWS FLASH*

Our Kora Organics delivery has just arrived in store!! Vanessa and I practically pounced on the courier guy when we saw the box. Our first order sold like gluten-free hot cakes so we’ve expanded the range which now includes the daily hand cream, purifying clay mask, eye gel, luxurious rosehip body oil and more! We were literally selling products straight out of the box before we even had a chance to unpack it! Oh yeah, and we can guarantee that our prices are cheaper than online ;)

For every Kora customer we are giving you a *FREE* full sized rejuvenating foot balm valued at $35!!!

We also have a MASSIVE bag of sample sachets so come in and take a lucky dip!

Today is the perfect opportunity to create some adventure and memories. You only live once!

It's official! I am so stoked to now be writing for Coffs for Kids which is a wonderful business that spreads the word on great activities/events on the Coffs Coast for families and kidlets!

Click HERE to read my first intro post that explains who the flipping heck Emma Caller actually is.

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Continually yelling out “I used to LOVE this song” while listening to the Hottest 100 on the way down to Crescent Head with my husband.

2. Driving through the beautiful countryside and seeing trees laden with citrus. Welcome to winter!

3. A blissful one hour walk along the beach in the sunshine.

4. The magical healing hands of Jon Ross!

5. The shower you have after you’ve been camping and you’ve never felt so clean in your whole life.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I was reading a chapter on simplicity today “Every time you bring something new into your house, get rid of something. Touch every piece of mail only once. If you haven’t used it in a year, pass it on”. Love that. x

Did you know... that 80% of your immune system lives in your gut?! 

So enhance your digestive function by sipping on apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in water 10 mins before a meal, avoid the foods you know don't sit well with you and take a probiotic to prevent nasty bugs this Winter!

Emma the Naturopath xx

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