Cold hands, hot tea

104. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. Smashing through a couple of hours of book work and then taking a blanket, some Pana chocolate and my journal down to the headland to watch whales for an hour before I started work.
2. The traits I inherit from my father: using coloured pencils as bookmarks so I can colour in the good bits.
3. The look on my 5 year old niece's face when I told her that the pink lace underwear she was giggling about on our washing line weren’t mine, but my husband’s. Some sort of mixture between shock and delight.
4. Quinoa croquettes from The Happy Frog. Can someone PLEASE experiment with a recipe and let me know asap!
5. Sunday mornings spent pottering around the house: YouTubing furniture restoration, writing a shopping list for Bunnings and hanging up pictures.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Every two months since May last year I’ve been seeing a herbalist (because a dentist needs to see a dentist right?). I’ve never met anyone as magical as this woman.

At our last consultation she instructed me to go down to the ocean more often. She said that even if I can’t be bothered going for a walk, to just sit there and breathe in the salt air. It corrects the negative/positive ion ratio in the body, purifies our cells and relieves the urge for us to go nuts. That’s actually how she worded it.

I would like to pass this sage yet simple advice on to you this week. If you are not coastal, head to a park, botanical garden or any sort of patch of nature you can find. Breathe deeply and feel yourself being purified from the inside out.

Some call it “earthing”. Some call it “biophilia”. Or as my herbalist calls it “Stopping yourself from going nuts”.

I don’t believe in “Mondayitis” but I was really struggling to get in the right head space yesterday morning.

So as I was driving to work –through road works which of course pissed me off even further, I asked the Universe to send me exactly who I needed today. I do this from time to time and the coincidences are always quite freakish.

I received phone calls from people I’d been meaning to connect with, people popped in and shared wonderful stories that all had a common theme and I booked a handful of exciting new clients that I’m really excited to work with. By midday I was feeling refreshed and energised on life again.

Maybe give it a try sometime. Invite synchronicity into your life.

“What you seek, seeks you”

-Rumi

105. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. The Salt n Pepa car ad.
2. Being tucked up in bed listening to the wind trying to blow our roof off.
3. The cute little sparrows that bounce around the sushi place picking up fallen grains of rice. Actually kind of unhygienic now that I read that back.
4. Very slow, very gentle yoga in the winter sunlight.
5. The smell of chocolate beetroot cake baking in the oven.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. One of my gorgeous clients wrote in an email this week and shared a quote she had come across:

"If we do not feel grateful for what we already have,
What makes us think we'd be happy with more?"
-Ritu Ghatourey

Comparing ourselves to others is the easiest way to become unhappy.

To me, CONTENTMENT would have to be the best feeling there is. Just being totally stoked to the brim with exactly what you have and where you’re at right now. It takes away the burden of constant striving, we become less materialistic and it allows us to be happy for others rather than envious. Once all that pressure is off, it allows us to simply live in the moment and align with the flow of life.

The first step to feeling more content, is continually practising GRATITUDE. Every. Single. Day. Although at times I get distracted or stuck in a rut, I remind myself to:
*List a handful of wonderful things going on in my life when I go to bed and wake up every morning
*Repeat positive affirmations
*Surround myself with uplifting people
*Continue to write my Top 5

It amazes me how the simple act of practising gratitude acts as a potent catalyst for even more abundance that you could have ever imagined!

*EMMA THE NATUROPATH’S BEAUTY REGIME*

Over half of my shop is filled with natural skincare. I have meticulously picked every single product out and let me tell you, I am VERY particular!! When customers are browsing our shelves, I constantly get asked which ones I use. So here they are. My FAVE products that I *LOVE* and use all the time:

BUTTER NAILPOLISH: I’ve given away all my other nail polishes and am slowly growing my collection of Butter. Not tested on animals and lacking the 3 main carcinogens. ($17.95)

TAMAUNU OIL: We got this in about a week ago and I’m loving it on my face (at night) and body after a shower. Organically grown in Vanuatu and imported by a local lady in Scotts Head who used to live there. ($19.95)

VRINDAVAN CINNAMON SCRUB SOAP: Anything spicy smelling is my friend. Olive oil based with little poppy seeds in there for exfoliation. Life is too short not to use decadent soap! From the Sunny Coast ($4.95)

WARBOTANICAL ‘NORMAL’ SHAMPOO: Hands up who has tried a million natural shampoos with no success? Me too. Well this shampoo is the ultimate crowd pleaser! It foams perfectly (thanks to coconut and sugar) and my hair is always so soft after I use it. From Warburton in Vic. ($14.95)

MOOGOO CONDITIONER: It’s like a super thick cream. Plus it smells like milky-vanilla goodness. From the Goldy. ($16.95)

MOOGOO MILKY WASH: This is my favourite cleanser in the world!! You only need the size of a pea. Also a beautiful body wash. ($16.95)

KORA PURIFYING DAY AND NIGHT CREAM: My day time moisturiser. I feel like I’m “feeding” my skin with this little organic tonic. From Sydney. ($42)

RED SEAL ‘NATURAL’ TOOTHPASTE: Simple ingredients. From NZ bru ($4.95)

GIOVANNI 2CHIC AVOCADO AND OLIVE OIL HAIR MASK: Usually on a Sunday night I’ll leave this in my hair for 10 mins while I read a book in the bath. One of the few things that tames my thick wavy locks. ($16.95)

As you can see, I’m incredibly mindful about not only WHAT is in my personal care products, but also about WHERE they come from. We have so many fantastic natural brands in Australia that deserve our love.

Far out it’s nippy today!! QUICK! Let’s write a post together about all the things we love about Winter to keep the love alive! I’ll get us started….

What we LOVE about winter:

1. Holding cups of hot tea to warm our hands
2. Flanno pj’s
3. Knitted scarves made by someone you love
4. Opening the front door and smelling the slow cooker which has been bubbling away all day (without burning the house down!)
5. Burying yourself under piping hot laundry that’s fresh out of the dryer
6. Adding more hot water to the bath –for the third time
7. Hot water bottles with fluffy covers
8. Steaming pumpkin soup with a dollop of greek yoghurt
9. Empty beaches
10. Winter produce: mandarins, pears, leeks and pumpkin

Oh hi strangers!

Sorry for the lack of attention and Top 5 action this week but Emma the Naturopath has been in recovery from a nasty cold

Have been smashing down the echinacea, vit D, vit C, zinc, colloidal silver, probiotics, soaking up the sun, sucking on homemade coconut water/mango icy poles (recipe will be posted), eating soup, drinking gallons of water with apple cider vinegar and sleeping like nobody's business!

There will be a *VERY SPECIAL* Top 5 coming to you this Sunday!! That's all I'm saying for now...

HOMEMADE ICY POLES FOR SORE THROATS

There’s nothing like a yummy healthy icy pole to soothe an inflamed throat.

I bought some Lickety-Sip icy pole moulds for a few dollars from Big W and mixed up two different batches. Just blend, pour into moulds and freeze!

MANGO & STRAWBERRY ICY POLES
1 cup frozen mango
Handful of fresh strawberries
2/3 cup coconut water
1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
(I also added vitamin C powder)

SPICED BANANA & COCONUT ICY POLES
1 banana
1 cup frozen mango
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup coconut cream

Get as creative as you like!

Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health
Phone: 0266 514 533
Email: carrots_and_apples@hotmail.com

Facebook: Essential Health Coffs

Tell me everything...

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: (our 99th!!)

1. This week’s ‘Food Safari’ in Japan on SBS. Oh the memories… Kind of makes up for Maeve O'Meara's hectic wardrobe choices.
2. Gorman’s range of watermelon swimwear, vegetable doona covers, broccoli totes and pineapple cushion covers. Makes my little naturopath heart beat faster.
3. Having a “stay-cation” for 5 days just around home.
4. Sitting on the jetty… seeing a few bubbles float to the surface… then a shadow… then a big old sea turtle coming up for air.
5. Going for a walk around the neighbourhood just on dark when you can smell people’s fire places and their hearty dinners bubbling away on the stove. I love the crisp night air!

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I remember asking a client once if they meditated.
“Yes I walk my dogs in the bush near my house” they replied.
I paused… “But do you MEDITATE?” I asked again.
“Yes” they repeated with a smile. “That is”.

In every consultation I am humbled by what my clients teach me.

I meditated my head off this week. I sat on the end of the jetty and watched the water lap the pylons below. I sat on a little red wooden stool in my garden and weeded in the sun. I slowly stirred my porridge in a clockwise fashion. I laid in the bath and stared at the steam on the mirror.

My mind wasn’t buzzing. It was quiet. It helped me come home to myself.

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes a day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour”.
-Zen proverb

I've had such a satisfying time in clinic lately. Such wonderful souls have been coming in (or bringing their children in) to learn how to nurture their bodies better. They leave feeling more empowered.

It melts my heart.

I've had an influx on teenage boys as well as pre-diabetic individuals these last few weeks. I love the observing the waves of particular people that all seem to come at the same time.

If you want to come in and chat with me in my little pale blue room, please give the shop a call and we'll work out a time that suits you. I'd love to meet you.

~*OUR 100TH TOP FIVE THINGS I LOVED THIS WEEK:*~!!!

1. Being read to in bed (The Way of the Peaceful Warrior) while sharing a hot water bottle.
2. Broccoli from Dorrigo, coriander from Bonville and wild caught Coffs king prawns. I love the Coffs farmers markets.
3. Those random moments that restore your faith in humanity.I was waiting for my takeaway wrap at a café where a Matt Corby-esque busker was playing nearby. I watched all the people rush by with their busy lives as he started playing a haunting rendition of Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah. I saw a woman in probably her fifties stop in her tracks and she became fixated on him. As the song progressed she gravitated closer and closer to the busker and by the last verse she was standing directly opposite him, only 2 meters away. When he finished the song she removed her glasses to wipe tears from her eyes, whispered a few words to him while her hand was on her heart and they embraced.
4. Shiitake onigiri from Zen Japan.
5. The instant warmth on my face when the sun popped out of the ocean this morning while I sat on the rock wall doing my meditation.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Thanks guys for frothing on my weekly stoke with me for the past 100 weeks!! Not a week goes by without someone kindly telling me that they dig the Top 5. I remember being in the shop one day and hearing a woman say to her partner “I just have to tell the lady in here something”. She explained that she was holidaying from Tassie and she found my shop so she could let me know that she always looks forward to the Top 5. Bless.

While I’m getting all emo on you guys, I wanted to mention that in May Essential Health celebrated our 9 year anniversary since opening in 2005!! It was my parent’s baby for four and a half years and then mine for the other four and a half.

High five guys! Let’s continue having an attitude of gratitude and who knows what the future will bring…!

“The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling.”
-Fabienne Fredrickson

DRY SKIN and WINTER seem to go hand in hand. Think of your cells as little water balloons. The surface of the balloon (your cell) is made of oil so if we don’t have enough oil from our diet, the water will leak out and the skin becomes dry and scaly. A cell with a decent amount of oil and water will be strong and hydrated. Really aim for those 8 glasses of water a day!

OILY FOODS for silky soft skin!
*Grill a lovely piece of Atlantic salmon or barramundi
*Cook stir-fry’s and curries with extra virgin coconut oil
*Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over salads
*Pop a tablespoon of flaxseed oil into a smoothie
*Add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil to your porridge
*Sprinkle chia seeds over your scrambled eggs
*Spread some avo on your toast then sprinkle with hemp seeds

For an extra boost you can also pop some oil capsules like fish oil, evening primrose, sea buckthorn or vitamin E.

Don’t forget to nourish your skin with products that contain high quality natural ingredients. We just received another shipment of Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr today!! It’s such a stunning brand that I absolutely swear by so please come in and try it for yourself!

I've had alot on my mind lately. Something in particular that was causing me to feel fearful. This morning I reached over and grabbed my yoga affirmation cards that I bought in Hawaii from my bedside table. As I shuffled them, I asked what I should do about this situation.

I pulled out this card:

TRUST

"Trust relieves the worry and clears the path for forward motion. Divine forces are guiding your life. You are well protected".

I thought I'd share that with you in case you too needed a gentle reminder to just let go and have a little faith.

Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. Toasty flanno sheets.
2. Standing on the end of Woolgoolga headland and just feeling so tiny compared to the expansive ocean in front of me.
3. Conversations that start with “Are you Emma the naturopath?” Followed by a sheepish “Oh hi, I’ve been stalking your Essential Health page for ages”. It happens on a weekly basis and always makes me laugh out loud.
4. Sarah’s mandarins, Ainslee’s raw choc mint cheesecake and Anna’s tahini bliss balls. What clever and generous friends I have.
5. Winter indulgences: Leftover chicken and vegie soup for breakfast and spiced g-free carrot muffins hot out of the oven and smothered with salty organic butter for afternoon tea. Recipe coming to you this week.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Rest when you’re weary.
Refresh and renew yourself,
your body,
your mind,
your spirit.
Then get back to work.”

-Ralph Marston

I was kindly invited to have a chat with some lovely yogini’s on Saturday about self-nourishment, eating with gratitude and convalescing. Winter is the perfect season to turn inwards and restore our spirit. Embrace this time of year by reading a book in the sunshine, soaking in a candle lit bath and mopping up the last of your soup with some crusty sourdough. Be gentle with yourself.

SPICED CARROT MUFFINS (DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE)

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups gluten-free plain flour (I used the Orgran brand)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 small carrots, grated
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coconut oil (or olive)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup honey (or rice malt syrup)
2 eggs

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, spices, carrots and walnuts in a bowl. Make a well in the centre.

3. Add coconut milk, honey, oil and eggs. Mix until just combined. Spoon mixture evenly into muffin tin.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Adapted from an I Quit Sugar recipe


Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health
0266 514 533
Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

Facebook: Essential Health Coffs

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

PS. Head over to Facebook and like 'Essential Health Coffs'!

P: 0266 514 533

E: carrots_and_apples@hotmail.com

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

We heart Miranda

I remember reading DOLLY when I was 13 and Miranda Kerr won the Model Search. I had a meeting with Jane, her aunty, this week who is the rep for Kora Organics, Miranda’s stunning organic skincare range.

The week before Jane mentioned in a meeting with Miranda about Essential Health becoming a potential stockist for Kora Organics and she remembered our “cute little shop” from a few Christmases ago when she popped in to grab some paw paw ointment!

Well if we’re good enough for Miranda…

Brrrr! What happened to Summer? It's so rainy and blustery outside so I’m having a Winter convalescing day! I was in clinic this morning and now I’m spending the afternoon drinking tea, eating leftover chicken soup for lunch, reading the new Frankie in the bath, baking vegie lasanga, then off to yoga tonight. I’m clearly still pining for the winter wonderland of Japan…

Embrace the chill!

My gorgeous friend and Ayurvedic practitioner Amy Graham is running another Ayurvedic cooking class at 5 Church St in Bello next wk! The classes are always a huge hit and fill up straight away so grab Amy's contact details so she can keep you in the loop for the future if you're keen :)

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Stopping by our favourite antique shop on the way home from the airport and asking the owner what cd she was playing. Turns out it was a little jam mix that her son and his bestie made up one night in their garage. She gave it to us and refused to accept any money.

2. Taking a full day off after my holiday to settle back into my life again. My gorgeous friend Mish taught me to do this. I bought flowers, filled the fridge and fruit bowl and burnt some Nag Champa.

3. Having a new appreciation for all the things I missed whilst travelling: vegie juice, watering my garden, broccoli, Om Veda exfoliant, a saucepan of chai simmering on the stove, salt air, coconut water.

4. Romance.

5. Listening to the water lap under the stand-up paddle boards as we cruised down the river.

Open up one of your cookbooks this week, close your eyes and flick to any random page and create what you see!

Want to get healthy? Great! Just don't do it overnight...

Check out my latest 'surf health' post for the guys over at ST Surf Images

http://www.stsurfimages.com/featured/change-it-up/


Head over to Facebook and hit the like button on the Essential Health Coffs page!
Have a beautiful week everyone!

Emma the Naturopath xx

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!

Winter wonderland.

20 Things we love about winter:


Homemade hot chocolate with extra marshmallows
Bamboo cotton pants
Knitted scarves made by someone you love
Opening the front door and smelling the slow cooker which has been bubbling away all day
Starting to knit a scarf and giving up halfway through
Getting soaked to the bone but then jumping in a hot shower
Wrapping yourself up in towels or sheets that are fresh out of the dryer
Adding more hot water to the bath –for the third time
Pawpaw ointment on chapped lips
Hot water bottles with fluffy covers
The smell of Vicks
Knee socks under knee high boots
Steaming pumpkin soup with a dollop of greek yoghurt
Bone chilling gusts of wind
Empty beaches
Mandarins, pears, leeks, cauliflowers and pumpkin
Having fantasies that we would be awesome snowboarders if we ever tried
Creamy porridge with banana and cinnamon
Peter Alexander flannelette pyjamas
Knowing that every winter day is one day closer to summer

Enjoy the next two and a half months xx

Welcome Winter.

Essential Health's guide to Winter Wellness

These colder months are a time for hibernation and inner reflection. Don't push yourself! Be gentle with yourself by rugging up in warm clothes and going to bed a little earlier. Move slower and enjoy bowls of creamy porridge, steaming hot chai and thick vegetable stews from the slow cooker, rather than raw foods like salads and juices.

Nourish
As we move into the cooler weather you may naturally want to eat more, so ensure that your choices are warm, nourishing and vegetable based foods and resist the temptation to overindulge in the foods that do not support your body’s daily needs. Nourish yourself with seasonal fruit like apples, custard apples, oranges, mandarins, lemons, persimmons, pears and rhubarb. Winter vegies include beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, fennel, garlic, ginger, kale, leeks, onions, parsnip, peas, potato, pumpkin, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, sweet potato, turnip. My rule is: If you can find it at a local farmers market, it's generally in season.

Move
Although it’s tempting to hibernate during the cooler months, it is so important to keep your body active to increase circulation and burn off those comfort foods we all indulge in this time of year. If it’s raining outside, try indoors activities like pilates, yoga, zumba, gym workouts or swimming and aqua aerobics at an indoor pool. Make the most of the times when it is sunny with an invigorating, brisk walk outdoors.

Food as medicine
*Fresh pesto with lots of garlic and basil
*Chicken and vegetable soup
*A warm bowl of oats with banana and cinnamon
*Fresh slices of lemon and ginger in a mug of hot water
*A super spicy curry to get the nose running
*A beef stew with a variety of root vegetables
*A fresh vegetables juice with lots of ginger and parsley
Tip: when cooking with garlic, add to the dish and stir through just before serving to retain its therapeutic properties.

Convalescing
This term means to return to good health and grow strong again after being sick. We do this by listening to our bodies, taking it easy, rugging up in warm clothing, eating nourishing food and not returning back to work before completely recovered. If we haven’t fully gotten rid of the bug it will come back before you know it.

Stay cosy :)