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

Flower porn

SPRING INTO GOOD HEALTH

HAPPY SPRING LOVERS!!

Spring is often welcomed with open arms after the bitter chill of winter. It is actually considered the first season of the year due to its sense of renewal and fresh starts. Our energy lightens and begins to move ‘up and outwards’ after hibernating during the winter months.

Spring is the perfect time to clear out our wardrobes and cupboards and let go of superfluous possessions. As this season sees us lightening up physically and emotionally, the food we eat needs to reflect this also.

ORGANS THAT NEED A LITTLE EXTRA LOVE THIS SEASON:

Our liver and gallbladder are sensitive during spring. We need to lighten the burden placed on them by being mindful of our intake of coffee, alcohol and fatty foods. Feelings of anger, resentment, irritability, frustration and impatience are stored in the liver. Flower essences and spending time in nature (biophillia) are ways to move through these feelings.

NOURISHING YOUR LIVER AND GALLBLADDER:

-incorporate SOUR foods into your diet like sipping on lemon or lime juice in water before a meal.

-consume BITTER foods like adding a handful of rocket to your salad, swapping to rye bread and brewing chamomile tea.

-eat FRESH, YOUNG greens like salad greens, sprouts and wheat grass.

-fruit salad and freshly made juices and smoothies are recommended.

-seafood is an excellent protein this time of year.

Pack away your slow cooker and bring out your wok. Spring is the time to be cooking food at a high heat for a short period of time such as stir frying or steaming. Choose an extra virgin coconut oil when frying and make sure your veggies still have a great crunch to them. Or throw together a quick salad.

 Avoid salty, heavy foods like meats which put stress on your liver.

TASTY SPRING MEALS

Brekkie: Free range egg omelette with goats cheese and a handful of rocket

Berry smoothie: berries, almond milk, psyllium husks, wheatgrass and mint

Lunch: Vietnamese rice paper rolls with local prawns

Fresh garden salad with home grown sprouts

Dinner: Scallop stirfry packed with vegies

Thai laksa with broccolini and soba noodles

Emma the Naturopath xx

Phone: 0266 514 533

Facebook: Essential Health Coffs

Instagram: emma_the_naturopath

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

PS. Pop over to Facebook and like "Essential Health Coffs"!

Get ready for Spring!!

Hello 27 degrees in sunny Coffs Harbour! There are only 4 sleeps til Spring... and I've already sussed out where all the jasmine bushes are on my morning walk so I can bury my head into them!

ALPHABET TUESDAYS

S is for Spring!

It’s Spring on Saturday! Spring is actually acknowledged as the first season of the year as it focuses on renewal and beginnings. Our energy starts to flow up and outwards after the colder contemplative months of Winter.

I’ve noticed my customers and clients are beginning to feel lighter emotionally and physically as the weather warms up, and our diet also needs to reflect this. Opt for stir-frying or steaming your veggies so they still have that crunchiness and start reintroducing salads to your meal times.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine the liver and gallbladder are more sensitive during Spring. So give them a bit of extra love by starting your day with a squeeze of lemon in warm water, swapping one of your coffees for dandelion root tea, whizz up a fresh vegies juice each morning and release anger and resentment.

Go play outside in the fresh air and have some fun!

As it’s my fourth fun filled day of my holiday in the bay of love, I’m giving you a very special...
Top TEN Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. The lighthouse being lit up yellow for Daffodil Day
2. CoYo organic coconut yoghurt
3. Going for a lighthou...

se walk and the whales jumping out of the ocean all over the place like fireworks!
4. Red Saltwater sandals.
5. A 5am wakeup call, 9 km, 15,334 steps (according to my pedometer)… also known as conquering Mount Warning! Having to pull yourself up to the summit by chains is not for the faint hearted. But oh the view!!! I am so thankful to have such healthy legs.
6. A refuelling feast at the Bangalow Markets! Homemade chicken dimsims, gluten-free orange blossom cupcake with passionfruit icing, seafood paella with fresh lemon, a spirulina, mango, banana, macadamia nut smoothie. In that order!
7. Drinking a dandelion almond milk latte while hypothesising about life with a girlfriend at The Conscious Café.
8. How crystal clear (and fresh!) the ocean is this time of year.
9. A phone call from my long lost parents.
10. Not washing my hair since Thursday, because hey, it’s just going to get salty again tomorrow!

Enjoy the last week of Winter everybody!

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I’ll be physically back in the shop tomorrow after my holiday, but my mind and heart may still be in Byron Bay :)

Essential Health
Coffs Harbour
0266 514 533

Spring fling.

Are you guys and girls loving Spring? Me too. I constantly stop in my tracks admiring stunning trees in full bloom, the seductive scent of jasmine floats through the air and nothing improves your quality of life like a stroll on the beach at 6pm after work.

Springtime is all about new beginnings and we start to feel and eat lighter after the slower, heavier months of winter. I frequently flick through my copy of Eating for the Seasons by naturopath Janella Purcell and have made a conscious effort this year to eat and live more seasonally.

As tempting as it is when you catch a waft of mangoes at the supermarket, it’s best to be patient and wait til they are at their peak of ripeness in summer.

When in the kitchen, aim for lightly stir-fried vegies (that still have some crunch to them) and fresh, leafy salads. Feast on green vegies that act as beautiful blood cleansers: green peas, cabbage, green beans, asparagus, bok choy, lettuce, spinach, watercress and silverbeet!

Your liver and gallbladder are more sensitive during spring so be kind to it by cutting back on oils and alcohol and dose up on bitter foods like chamomile, rye and rocket.

The emotions stored in the liver are anger, resentment, irritability and frustration. So think about whom you need to forgive and any grudges that you are hanging onto. And once you’ve done that, get outside and have a play in the garden!

The reason for seasons.

I swear I must be the only one loving Winter this year! Over the last three months I've spent hours soaking in hot baths, simmered litres of soy chai, prepared countless casseroles in the slow cooker and invested in a pure lambs wool underlay.

But rest assured, Spring is only nine sleeps away... Hello bare legs, blossoming flowers, light cardigans and yummier fruit!