Smooth Operator

One of the most beautiful book editors in all of the biz requested a smoothie recipe from me late last week. Well did she come to the right berry or what?

Here are three of my favourite
Energy
This smoothie is the perfect way to start the day or a fantastic afternoon snack as 3:30itis hits!

Cacao blueberry smoothie
(I can't take full credit for this one. I took inspiration from my buddies at Bru who took inspiration from Pete at Suveran.)

• Coconut water (I use a fresh new coconut but the bottled stuff works fine too just make sure it's pure coconut water with no added sugar. If you do use a fresh coconut scoop the flesh out and stick that in too).
• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
• 1/2 small banana ( this varies the sweetness of the smoothie add more or less depending on your taste. Sometimes I skip it altogether.)
• 1 teaspoon of cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon of maca powder
• 1 teaspoon of spirulina ( if the smoothie is sweet enough you won't taste this but nobody will hold it against you if you leave it out. But just think of your glowing skin.)
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds ( only use these if you're going to drink this within half an hour of making it otherwise they expand and go gelatinous and your smoothie will become like sludge.)
• 1/2 cup of rice milk (or your milk of choice)

Combine ingredients in a blender

Why is this good for me?
Coconut Water is the purest liquid next to water. It is full of electrolytes, calcium and potassium.
Blueberries are the number one antioxidant fruit that help fight cancer and other degenerative diseases they have cholestrol lowering and anti inflammatory properties,  promote good heart health, are anti aging (love that) and most importantly are delicious.
Cacao is a wonderful source of beta-carotene, amino acids (protein), Omega-3 EFA's, calcium, zinc, iron, copper, sulphur, potassium, and one of the best food sources of muscle relaxing, stress relieving magnesium.
Maca is rich in amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and trace elements it also contains unique alkaloids, which help stimulate the master glands that in turn may help optimise and balance the entire endocrine system.
Chia seeds are the highest plant based source of Omega 3, dietary fibre and protein

Recover
Protein Power
Perfect post workout or a good way to start the day and fill you up until lunchtime

·        1/2 cup of mixed berries

·        1 cup of rice milk ( or your milk of choice)

·        2 tablespoons of sheeps milk yoghurt

·        1 raw egg (you won't even know it's in there trust me)

·        1 tablespoon of chia seeds (see above note)

If you want to add more fibre add either of the following

·        1 tablepoon of wheatgerm

·        1 tablepoon of psyllium husks

Combine ingredients in a blender

Beauty 
This smoothie is a god sent for your skin and don't be suprised if people start commenting on the whites of your eyes.

Green Smoothie
The basic principle of this dairy free smoothie is 60% fruit and 40% greens. The ratio may vary as you get used to drinking blended up leaves.
Feel free to use any combo but this is my favourite

• 1 medium banana
• 1/2 cup of mixed berries
• 250ml of water
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 1/2 cup of loosley packed fresh mint
• 1 bunch of baby bok choy
• 1 celery stalk with leaves.
• 2 cm piece of fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon of spirulina (optional)

Combine ingredients in a blender. You may be tempted to juice this instead of blend it but when you stick the vegies through a juicer you lose all of the valuable nutrients in the skin and fibrous parts of the plant.

Warning: Stay clear of peppery greens like Rocket.

Sometimes we all need to be rear ended

I wrote my car off this week. Yep, one minute my little blue echo was cruising innocently down Oxford st, next minute it resembled a pepsi can at the mercy of a 90s high top sneaker. As Tony the tow truck driver hooked it up to be dragged away he said "better say goodbye love, you won't be seeing this baby ever again". Insert sad face emoticon here!

That car held so many memories for me. In 2004 at the age of 20 I packed my life into it and moved up to Byron Bay, months later I packed it up again and we drove back into Bondi with our tail between our legs. In 2008 we got stuck in the northern river floods. Together that echo and I drove through rivers and over bridges that were no more. The longest we had been apart from each other was when I had to leave her up there bogged on a property of a lady who lived in a house she had built out of sticks and stones.

That car was my means of driving down to Robertson to see my dad and siblings, to Naremburn to see my nieces, to the gym in the mornings, to the market to bring home my boxes of groceries. It drove me to photo shoots for work, and when I needed to get to a friend in a time of need my little echo got me there in a flash.

After the accident I went through a myriad of emotions. On Thursday I had insane amounts of adrenaline running through me. On Friday I was in shock until midday and then an emotional wreck until I collapsed into bed that night. On Saturday I was exhausted and spent the entire day on the couch unable to maintain conversation with anyone for longer than 10 minutes and by Sunday after three consecutive sleeps of 10 hours or more a night I started to feel somewhat normal again.

Apart from bringing to my attention how reliant I am on having a vehicle, this weekend also brought to my attention the bodies ability to force you into a state in which to be able to repair itself.

Just for the record I would like to say this accident was by no means my fault but inadvertently just what I needed to force myself in to doing nothing.

I get carried away with myself sometimes. Much like my dinner plate, I have no barriers to portion size when it comes to my life. I fill every nook and cranny of it with stuff. The past few weeks have seen me attempt a full time job, a TAFE course, freelance home economy work, catering, 2 blogs (in which I gave myself the unrealistic and impossible task of updating daily), going to the gym every morning before work, making myself nutritious homemade meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and doing all of this while surviving on no more than 6 hours sleep... Oh and then there is the whole maintaining friendships, visiting family and taking 5 minutes to sit and breathe.

Apart from exhausting my adrenals by attempting to juggle all of this I made matters worse by being disappointed in myself for not being able to complete all of these unrealistic expectations. If I missed a gym session I felt guilty, if I didn't update my blog I was slipping, if god forbid I got take out one night I was lazy. Ridiculous right?

The reason I'm sharing all of this with you is that sometimes the universe is a bit of a minx and tries to get our attention at a time when we're too caught up in hysteria to listen. So instead of quietly suggesting we take it easy, subdue the amount of pressure we place on ourselves and stop to smell the roses everybody goes on about, she instead sends a Honda CRV up your rear end and causes a four car pile up on your way to a work photo shoot.
 

So this week I'm going to take my mums advice and nurture myself. I'll try and stay as consistent as I can with my blogs but if I miss a day no big deal. The gym will still love me if I can't commit to it every morning and some extra sleep does wonders for a full time job and study. I will continue my home cooking because nothing nurtures me more and I'll share my most nurturing recipes with you guys because thats what i love to do.

And as for having no car for awhile? Well I wrote this blog on the way to work on the bus this morning. Can't do that while your driving now can you?

Makeover on an Underestimated Veg

I went back to Eveleigh markets last weekend and picked up a huge bag of Brussel sprouts. God know why, I’ve never cooked with them and I’m pretty sure I didn’t like them as a kid.

I think I had a Barney Stinson moment and saw a challenge sitting in a bag of cruciferous sprouts and accepted it wholeheartedly. It was only on my way home that I remembered an amazing side dish of brussel sprouts I’d had at Porteno one night and thought that perhaps my sprout purchase was based on a subconscious food memory.

I wasn’t about to ruin the Porteno experience by attempting to recreate their masterpiece, so instead I took inspiration from one of my favourite food blogs 101 cookbooks and tweaked this amazing brussel sprout recipe from Heidi Swanson. She claims it will revert sceptics of this veg which has been given a pretty harsh rap in the flavour department and I would have to agree.

I found Heidi’s recipe didn’t get the brussel sprouts soft enough before they browned so I reworked it a little and replaced the olive oil with coconut oil for a little more flavour.

Golden-Crusted Brussel Sprouts



Ingredients

12 small brussels sprouts cut in half

1 teaspoon of coconut oilfine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Method 

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and place in a stemer for 5 minutes until almost tender (you don’t want them too soft as they still have to go in the pan).

Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in your saucepan over medium heat.

Place the brussels sprouts in the saucepan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese.

Why is this good for me?

Brussel sprouts contain nitrogen compunds called indoles and significant amounts of Vitamin C which maximise their amazing cancer inhibiting potential. The Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant to fight off free radicals and also works as an immune booster which is perfect at this time of year. As an added bonus brussel sprouts also supply good amounts of folate, vitamin K and potassium.

A trip down memory lane.

I have become rather nostalgic lately. Its part of the aging process I'm sure but i think it's also a product of my generation. I, and I assume the majority of you, are part of that limbo generation that isn't quite Gen X or Gen Y. It's a funny little group of people who have grown up half wholesome with shows like Full House, Blossom and Hanging with Mr Cooper and half thrust into the I-evolution with iMac, iPod, iPhones, iPads and isnack (vegemites disgrace). I think because we had a taste of life before playing wii tennis as a form of exercise that every now and then we develop a longing for those wholesome moments from our past.

There is a great website a friend of mine stumbled across the other day that pretty much encapsulates every single 80s/90s nostalgic memory you can conjure up.

Remember these?



I'm pretty sure I had this exact dancing flower. Did he make music too? I think he did!



Dancing Cola Can! - SO Cool!

Slap Bands!!!!!!!

I think I decapitated my one of these when it flew into the ceiling fan

Or how about these shows?

He-man - Dreamboat!

"Not the momma!!!!"

My absolute favourite cartoon - Rainbow Bright

I could go on and on, this website will send you in to a nostalgic overdrive.

Here are some of my favourite food memories.

Snoopy snow cones



Marshmallow cones




Definitely cracked a filling or two on these little babies




LOVE!




I can't remember if I had this one or the snoopy one they both look so familiar




I don't remember the strawberry filled ones but the chocolate ones were so good!




Every kids dream corner store treat - Bubble Tape



As a kid who was never allowed to eat junk food, I'm surprised at how many of my food memories are full of sugar. I must have been fantasising about them because I can’t imagine my parents ever buying me any of these.

I find these trips down memory lane very soothing, like a kind of comfort food for the soul. I’ve been a little frazzled lately and I found a day on this page calmed me somewhat . . . Well calmed me and excited the beejesus out of me as I started remembering all of this cool stuff! Kids these days got nothing on us!

Check it out http://www.imremembering.com/ but be warned it’s addictive, you’ll need to set aside the time.

Kale Chips

I don’t really like chips. I mean I don’t hate them but I’m not one of those people that craves a bag of crisps. But these little gems, these are in a whole other league.

First of all they’re made out of Kale. . . No don’t stop reading! They’re super duper duper good for you and really tasty. I flavoured these ones with cayenne pepper and salt but you could use anything you want. A nice Moroccan blend of spices would work really well.

Ingredients

1 bunch of Kale with stems removed

Olive oil to coat

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Sprinkle of sea salt

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180°C, or if your oven is anything like mine and can either be turned on to full blast or low heat, switch to the lower heat.

Wash Kale leaves to remove dirt and dry well.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and toss Kale leaves in oil until well coated. Alternatively you could use olive oil spray and spray them on the baking tray which would work just as well if not better.

Sprinkle evenly with cayenne pepper and salt and bake for 15 minutes or until crispy.

Note: Don’t over do the cayenne pepper unless you’re that way inclined. First time I made these I went a little overboard and coughed up half my lung from the heat.

If by chance you can resist not eating these in one sitting, store them in a an air tight container and they should keep for at least a week.

I was experimenting one night at home with this recipe and then oddly enough the very next day stumbled across a similar recipe on Sarah Wilson’s blog. Her way sounds pretty good too might try that one tonight.

Why is this good for me ?

Kale is exceptionally rich in nutrients. Its part of the cruciferous family but looks more like spinach with a darker almost blue hue to it. Kale is like an anti cancer ninja due to its high levels of antioxidants. It’s packed full of beta-carotene and chlorophyll, contains 10% of the recommended daily intake of Calcium and Vitamin B6, 40% of magnesium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and 684% of vitamin K. Those are some crazy percentages people!

Cayenne pepper makes everything taste better but it is also proven to increase metabolism, improve congestion, act as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and there are also suggestions that it stabilises blood glucose levels in diabetes sufferers.

Happy Sunday

"One cannot think well, love well,

sleep well, if one has not dined well."

Virginia Woolf

Kiss Me

Okay!

One more cup of coffee 'fore I go to the valley below.

Warning: This post makes me sound pathetic! But perhaps because I recognise my own patheticness you can forgive me.

Sometimes I wake up stupid!

I question whether the painting above my bed fell off its hook in the middle of the night and rendered me a half-wit.

I say this because sometimes I’ll rise from my slumber with ideas of grandeur, invincibility seeps from pores and I think “today is the day I will forgo my morning coffee.”

“I don’t need my large long black with cold soy this morning” I tell myself.

“Today is the day I break free from the caffeine shackles that bind me and start the day with a squeeze of lemon in hot water.”

Ha! I think I may have to get someone to reinforce that picture hook above my bed.

There are far worse things in this world than a freshly brewed long black. Caffeine in moderation is shown to be not only harmless to the average person but in some ways beneficial. However, I’m not your average person. ‘Little Miss Sensitive’ my ma calls me. And not cos I’m all meek and mild, cos I’m not! I’m strong and tough and stuff but when it comes to physical reactions to foods, or cosmetics or hydrochloric acid. . . I’m your girl. As a child I suffered from just about every food allergy under the sun. I grew out of them as I got older but I found other means of intoxicating my body – coffee being the biggest and best of them.

I’m not one of those crazy people who drink six cups a day (you crazies know who you are). If anything, I think I’m quite conservative in my coffee drinking ways. I’ll have an absolute maximum of two but most days a coffee first thing is all I need. So why would I bother cutting it out? Well I’m glad you asked.

I am 100%, without a doubt, unequivocally addicted to the stuff. Of course I’m enamoured with its taste, and the smell of it sends me into a state of nasal passage ecstasy, but what petrifies me the most is that I am physically at its mercy.

Those of you who know me will understand that this does not sit well with me. I’m not really all that okay with being at the mercy of a cup of coffee (even if it does sit on an eco-cup shaped high horse). I’m not so cool with the fact that if I decide not to have a coffee one morning I spend the entire day walking around like a zombie nursing a headache that rivals a red wine hangover.

I’ve done it before. I went 30 days last June without so much as a sip of the divine elixir. It only took me 3 days to get over the throbbing head, glazed eyes, and slow up takes.

Sure people commented on the whiteness of my eyes, my glowing skin and my fresh breath (nobody commented on the breath but coffee breath IS gross) but it came with its pitfalls.

My quick wit waned somewhat. I didn’t get to see my buddies at Bru every morning. I found myself still needing to replace the hot drink habit so was consuming unhealthy amounts of hot soy milk and most of all I missed the rush.

I remember the first coffee I had after my 30 day fast. It was terrible. I could barely finish it. My heart was pounding at a million miles an hour, the taste stayed on my tongue the entire day and I could still feeling it pumping through my veins hours later. But then I was tired one day and had to be on the ball at work so I had a coffee and what do you know, it freaking hit the spot and I’ve never gone back. . . until a few days ago when I woke up stupid!

Reading “Healing with Whole Foods” by Paul Pitchford before bed probably has something to do with my sleep induced stupidity. He talks about caffeine as if it’s a drug. I mean it is a drug, but he talks about it as if it’s toxic. Well it is a toxin but he talks about it as if it’s the reason my adrenals are out of whack, I get irritable in the afternoons and my liver is what the Chinese medical folk commonly refer to as stagnant. And that my dear friends is because it’s true. Gasp! No! Yes, it’s all true!

He also goes on to say that toxins like caffeine have a depleting nature and destroy key nutrients in the body. It makes me wonder why I bother taking so much care with all the good stuff I put in my body if I’m just killing it with my coffee consumption.

So I’m faced with a dilemma. I want to give it up, but it’s so damn inconvenient. I mean is there ever a good time, to have a throbbing head, vague demeanour and increased drowsiness? Certainly can’t do it on a work day! Would be next to impossible to get through a six hour prac class at TAFE. How could I start a Sunday morning without a coffee while I read the paper?

Paul admits that withdrawal from coffee is difficult for many (that’s me. I’m many).And that a gradual withdrawal is sometimes best. He suggests drinks made from barley or wheat-grass juice powders and satisfying grain-and-root coffee substitutes like dandelion, burdock, chicory or carob teas.

I gotta say dandelion does work. When I had a little stint living in Byron Bay back in 2004 I became somewhat addicted to LSD’s. Not the hallucinogenic silly, the drink. Latte Soy Dandelion! Sure the acronym only works when you rearrange the order, we all know it should be Soy Dandelion Latte but that’s not nearly as hilarious now is it?

There are quite a few cafes around Sydney that offer it and it can be easily created yourself. I like the tea bags because their kind of bitter (and for some reason I like that – weird I know) but the granules are a fave amongst many. They’re sweet and when mixed with frothy milk pretty much mirror a latte.

So what does this all mean? Well I’m not making any promises but when I’m ready I’ll give the whole giving up coffee thing another go. My bestie is actually in the process of doing it herself this week. The most agonising thing for her though is that she owns a friggen coffee shop. Talk about temptation, I admire her perseverance through self-inflicted torture.

Here’s some food for thought

Let’s say for arguments sake I do give it up, what am I gonna do if a tall dark handsome stranger asks me out for a coffee?

Say “no I’m sorry I can’t, I don’t drink that toxic filth. How about an LSD”?

Fat chance!