clean eating 101

So it occurred to me that some people are a little lost when it comes to nutrition.  I am always caught a bit off guard that things that I think are common sense are quite foreign to others.  

Of course, I don't think this is a negative, rather, it presents an opportunity to share ideas and knowledge.

And I don't mean that I am an expert, far from it to be honest, but there's nothing I love more, than sharing what I am passionate about, and that is healthy, delicious, nourishing, unaltered, clean food.

Ok, ok, so I'm not always such a clean eater, I do have a penchant for sorbets and such delicious treats but on a whole, I've found that my journey through food, has lead me to having less and less of the more 'naughty' foods.  

Maybe it's like with anything, once you develop a habit, it's hard to give it up.  Healthy eating is definitely one of these things for me. 

My advice to people is this: read everything.  Research what you are interested in and you will find answers.  Make sure you keep an open mind, and also, beware that there is a lot of crap and conflicting info out there.

If you want to get started on eating clean and eating well, here are five simple suggestions.

1.  Keep it simple.  This is my mantra.  The less you do with it, the better it will be for you.  Eating foods as close to their original form is without a doubt, the best way to get the maximum benefits.  For this reason, I eat mostly raw.

2.  Drink water.  Simple, yes, but easy to forget.  

3.  Eat when you're hungry.  I had to learn to do this.  Like I said, changing habits is hard and I've always been one for routine.  I had to unlearn and relearn new habits.  A challenge but so worth the time to get there.  At the end of the day, it came down to lifestyle change.

4.  Always eat a hell of a lot of greens.  They are so good for you, they provide so many vitamins and minerals and much needed fibre.  Amazing.

5.  Eat seasonal.  I know it's hard sometimes, but, eating what's in season is best for obvious reasons.  There's also the added bonus that seasonal fruits and veggies are also cheaper and at their best.  Of course if it's within your means, eat organic where possible.  I can't always do that so i make sure I wash my fruit and veggies really well.  

TIP:  Rinse your fruit and veggies, then fill your sink with water, add some apple cider vinegar, and let your produce soak in that for about 15-20 minutes.  Helps to remove all the pesticides and other nasties.

There you are, a few simple steps to get you started, now for the recipes!

A word of warning, the following recipes contain the use of zucchini, A LOT!  I just love them as they are really flavour neutral but are pretty, filling and have a wonderful texture.

zucchini pasta for days!!!

White asparagus, zucchini and mint salad

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 medium zuchhini
1/2 bunch white asparagus
1/4 cup fresh peas
1 cup baby rocket
1 cup of fresh mint leaves
1 orange peeled and segmented
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tsp himalayan pink salt
fresh cracked pepper
1/2 avocado to serve (optional)

Method

Wash all your veggies thoroughly, use a salad spinner for your rocket if you have one.
Slice zucchini using a potato peeler into thin ribbons and place in a large bowl, along with peas and rocket.
Cut half of the asparagus into bite sized pieces and with the other half, use the potato peeler to slice into ribbons.  Add to bowl.
Chop your mint leaves and mix in with your zucchini ribbons, rocket, peas and asparagus.
Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly with your hands.

Place on your plate and arrange orange segments on top.
Serve with a side of avocado slices.

Japanese Seaweed & Enoki bowl

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 cups of baby spinach

1 zucchini peeled into ribbons/spiralized

1/2 bunch of enoki mushrooms

5 cherry tomatoes halved

80g japanese seaweed salad

1 TBS tamari

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 nori sheet, cut into thin strips

pickled ginger (optional)

Method

Place all ingredients except ginger and nori, in a serving bowl and toss gently.

Arrange the pickled ginger around the sides and top with nori bits.

The following two recipes require the use of a spiralizer (handy little tool), see previous post.

However you can get away without one by using a potato peeler to cut into ribbons and then cut into thin strips with knife.

I first tried this pasta at a raw food workshop I did at Sadhana Kitchen.

I fell in love with it because of it's creamy texture and awesome flavour.....without the bloating that comes with eating pasta.  Better yet, it's so fast to prepare, I'm usually done making it in less than 20 minutes.  Perfecto :)

Zucchini Fettucine Alfredo

Serves 2

Ingredients

For Fettucine

2 medium zucchini

2 cups baby spinach

For Alfredo Sauce

1 cup raw activated cashews* 

1/2 clove of garlic

1/4 cup brown onion

3/4 cup water

1 tsp raw unpasteurized brown rice miso

1 tsp dried dill

2 TBSP cold pressed EVOO

2 TBS nutritional yeast

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Method

Pasta

User spiralizer to turn zucchini into fettucine.  Place in a large bowl with the washed and rinsed baby spinach.

Sauce

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour sauce over zucchini and spinach and use your hands to coat, serve.  

The most delicious thing EVER!!

* Activated cashews are just cashews that you soak.  i soak mine as required as I don't have a dehydrator and using the oven to dry them for 10 hours is just not that practical (or bearable) for me.

Carrot and Zucchini Spaghetti with a Coriander Pesto

Serves 1

Ingredients

For Pasta

1 medium carrot

1 medium zucchini

For Pesto

1 cup raw activated cashews

1 cup firmly packed coriander

1 clove of garlic

1/4 cup brown onion

3/4 cup water

1 tsp raw unpasteurized brown rice miso

2 TBSP cold pressed EVOO

2 TBS nutritional yeast

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Method

Spiralize zucchini and carrot and place in a large bowl.

Place sauce ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.

Pour sauce over pasta, coat well and serve with a little bit extra sauce on top.

Decorate with cherry tomatoes and sprigs of coriander if desired and serve with a side salad of greens.

Note:  Both of the above recipes will leave you with left over sauce.  I also use the sauce like mayo and pour it over veggies when I make raw wraps or as a dip for veggie sticks.

Citrus Berry salad with a Raspberry vinagrette

Serves 1

Ingredients

Salad

1 medium zucchini in ribbons

1/2 grapefruit, segmented

3/4 cup strawberry halves

1 cup of baby spinach leaves

Dressing 

1/2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

3 TBS apple cider vinegar

3 TBS cold pressed EVOO

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Method

Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl

Add all your dressing ingredients into your blender and blend until creamy and smooth.

Pour dressing over your salad and serve.

Note: Makes about 3/4 cup of dressing and last for up to 5 days in the fridge in a glass container with a tight fitting lid.

so fresh and so clean

Ok, zucchini obsession over, here's a salad without.

Purple carrot, Mushrooms and Avocado Salad

Serves 1

Ingredients

1/2 bunch enoki mushrooms

1 cup button mushrooms sliced

2 cups baby spinach leaves

1/2 avocado cubes

1 medium purple carrot sliced on the diagonal

1/4 red capsicum, diced

1 TBS tamari

Method

Place all ingredients in a bowl, toss with tamari and serve.

It's clear to see from all of the above recipes why I love eating raw so much.  Apart from the food being bright and delicious, it really takes next to no time to prepare.  Seriously, the hardest thing is washing the veggies and cutting a few bits.  

So you can't blame a girl for having a little internal snicker when I hear people use the excuse of 'no time' in response to why they don't eat well.  I hope I can convert a few with my recipes, that's always the goal :)

Okay, so we've had lots of savoury recipes, what about some sweet little treats?

Being summer, we're lucky to have an abundance of fruit, and delicious tropical and exotic fruits at that. 

I've been making the most of that and making delicious fruit salads, or just gorging myself in the freshest I can find.

I always start the day with a green smoothie and here are some of my essentials. The only thing that I will change is the fruit (except banana and pear) to fit the season.

And when a chocolate craving hits, nothing beats a deliciously creamy and cold......

Chocolate Thickshake

Serves 1

Ingredients

200 mls unsweetened almond milk

2 medjool dates pitted

1/2 avocado

1 large ripe frozen banana

2 TBS raw cacao powder

Raw chocolate or cacao nibs (optional)

Method

Place all ingredients (except optionals) in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Serve with optionals on top.

Slurp away :)

And whilst we're on the topic of chocolate, here's a pudding that you can make anytime, in fact, I had it for dinner the other day.  Hey, there's nothing wrong about having dessert for dinner when it's this delicious and clean.

Chocolate Pudding with Figs and Coconut

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 large frozen bananas

1/2 avocado

150 mls almond milk/coconut water mix

1/4 cup flesh from a young coconut

2 TBS raw cacao powder

2 medjool dates pitted

1 fresh fig

1 TBS cacao nibs

2 TBS desiccated coconut

Method

Blend bananas, almond milk/coconut water, coconut flesh, cacao powder and medjool dates until super smooth.  It will be thick, that's how you want it.

Pour into a bowl and decorate with fig slices.  Spread desiccated coconut around rim of bowl and sprinkle on cacao nibs.

Umm, I'm warning you, it's really yum.

And last but not least, I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!!  Raw, that is.

P.S there's is nothing simpler than making raw vegan ice cream.  Just take frozen fruit, add whatever flavours you want to mix with and process away.  Fool proof deliciousness for seriously lazy ice cream lovers.

Durian and Banana Gelato

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 medium frozen durian seed* (seeds removed)

1 medium ripe frozen banana

Method

Process separately until mixture starts to clump together in a delicious ice cream scoop.

Serve with fresh berries.

My clean eating, mainly raw food obsession continues, will keep you posted with more recipes and all things yum in coming weeks.

And I have a little surprise to share with you next week too.

Peas, love and mung beans

xxb

thank goodness for december

Now that November is over, I can get busy in the kitchen again.

Going sugar-free made me realise that I just love making desserts.  Is that bad?  Maybe, but as the kids say these days, YOLO!

To welcome fruit in my life, I made the following pillows of goodness.

Oat and banana pancakes

Serves 13x10 cm pancakes (i know, weird number)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup wholegrain oats

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas + 1 to serve

coconut oil spray

Maple syrup to serve

Method

Place all ingredients, except bananas, in a large bowl and use a hand held blender to blend until smooth.

Add 2 bananas and blend until incorporated in to the batter.

Spray a large frying pan with coconut oil and heat on medium heat until hot.

Add batter and cook in two.  About 1/4 of a cup per pancake.

Repeat process until all batter is used up, spraying pan as required.

Serve pancakes with extra banana and maple syrup.

Or do as I do, eat them on their own or covered in almond butter.

YUM.

But it's not just the sweet life I love, I also love making new food discoveries.  I've recently discovered a little something called Slim Pasta.  I'd been looking at it for a while but wasn't too sure, but decided to try it out and it has proved quiet tasty and easy to use.  I just use it in place of noodles and pasta in meals and it's also easy and quick to prepare.

Here's a couple of recipes I've been making of late.

Spicy Curry Noodles with Spinach and Mushrooms

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 packet of slim pasta organic fettucini

2 cups of baby spinach

1 cup red capsicum strips

1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup enoki mushrooms, cut in half

1/2 cup zucchini julienne

1/4 cup coriander chopped

2 TBS unhulled tahini

2 TBS tamari

4 TBS water (or more depending on preferred consistency)

1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

1 TBS curry powder

sprouts and sesame seeds to garnish

Method

Prepare pasta to packet instructions.

Combine tahini, tamari, water, curry powder and chilli flakes in a bowl, and whisk to combine.  Should reach a smooth consistency. Add more water at this stage if required.

In a large bowl, combine all your vegetables and pasta, add dressing, and mix throughly.  I use my hands as I like to get every single strand of pasta and vegetable covered in the goodness.

Divide into serving plate and decorate with sprouts and seeds.

 I like to eat this at room temperature or cold, it's refreshing and really filling.  It also travels well and is a favourite work lunch/dinner.

Roasted vegetable Pasta
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 packet of Slim pasta organic fettucini
2 garlic cloves unpeeled
3 grey zucchini
1/2 large eggplant
2 large flat mushrooms
2 cups spinach shredded
1/4 cup basil shredded
1 cup tomato pasta sauce
2 tsp nutritional yeast
4 kalamata olives sliced
2 semi-dried tomatoes sliced

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
Cut your zucchinis in half lengthways and cut into 1 cm slices.
Cut your eggplant into 1 cm slices and cut each slice into quarters.
Slice your mushrooms and combine them with your other vegetables and garlic.
Lay flat on baking tray and dry bake them for apporoximately 20 minutes or until soft and slightly golden.
Cook pasta to packet instructions and place in a large bowl.
Add your cooked vegetables, shredded spinach, basil, and sauce to the pasta and mix thoroughly until sauce is incorporated and everything is coated.
Serve and decorate with olives, tomatoes and nutritional yeast.
Eat straight away!
You can have this cold or warm.  Up to you.

The beauty of this dish is that you can add any vegetable you want.  Baked capsicum would go really nicely too, with a bit of chilli flakes in the sauce.

As you can see, I didn't use any oil in the cooking, so this is perfect for those watching their fat intake.  The pasta itself only has 11.8 calories per serve, so when you combine it with dry baked vegetables and a tomato sauce, you've got a really good, low-fat, low-calorie, nutrient dense meal.  You are getting some B group vitamins from the mushrooms and nutritional yeast, some iron from the spinach, and the vitamin c in the tomato sauce is helping with it's absorption.  Winner of a dish.  Really satisfying and won't leave you filling bloated and needing a nap like starchy pasta.

I've also been experimenting with some burger recipes I've found on the net.  The one I tried was from fatfreevegan and it was delicious.  I love this blog as most of her recipes are made using no added fats and they are really delicious.

I served them with a side of sweet potato chips which I dried baked and a lovely salad of spinach, carrots, sunflower seeds and capsicum with a simple lemon vinaigrette.


Inside my burger bun, i had avocado, baby spinach, and sprouts.  I also made some coriander cashew mayonnaise and pickled red onions.



Coriander Cashew Mayonnaise
Makes 1 1/4 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (4 hours minimum)
1/2 lemon juiced
1 cup coriander chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
8 drops of tabasco (optional)
1/2 small clove garlic


Method

Place ingredients in a blender and blend on high until completely smooth. 
Season to taste. 
Store leftovers in a sealed glass container.  Keeps for up to 3 days.

Pickled onions

Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 large red onion thinly sliced
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 dried bay leaf
4 whole cloves


Method

Place your ingredients, except onion, into a medium saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil until all the sugar has dissolved.
Add the onion, and stir for a couple of minutes.  Take it off the heat, place it in a glass container, and put in the fridge to cool down.  Or you can let them cool down at room temperature but I couldn't wait that long!!

And whilst we're on the topic of add-ons, I have to say that hummus is one of my favourites.  It's full of fibre, and it's super tasty and nutritious.  I always wonder why people buy it when it's so simple to make.  You can add it to just about everything, and it's such a great protein rich snack to keep those munchies away.  Here' my fail proof recipe.

The best Hummus

Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 400g can of organic chickpeas

1/2 lemon juiced

1 small clove of garlic

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup unhulled tahini

6 drops of tabasco (optional)

1/4 cup water (or more depending on preferred consistency)

Method

Place all ingredients in a food processor or powerful blender and whiz until smooth.

Enjoy with EVERYTHING!!

I don't know what it is but whenever I'm feeling a little out of sorts, I always turn to soup. It's also perfect for when I'm feeling cerebrally challenged after a long day at work as it requires minimal preparation or fussing over.  Chopping and blending is as hard as it gets.  Thank goodness for soup.

Green power cream soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cups fresh spinach chopped

1 cup zucchini chopped

1 cup broccoli chopped

1/2 brown onion chopped

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped

1/4 cup celery chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 litre of water

1/4 raw cashews

1 vegan stock cube

2 TBS creamed corn (optional)

alfalfa sprouts (optional)

Method

Place water, cashews, stock cube and garlic in a saucepan and bring to the boil on med-high heat.  Lower heat add zucchini, broccoli, celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add spinach and cook for a further 2 minutes.  Turn heat off and add parsley.  

Using a hand held blender, blend until smooth.

Check seasoning once blended and adjust as desired.

Serve with a TBS of creamed corn and some alfalfa sprouts.

Again, I didn't add any oil, and you will get some good fats

from the cashews, as well as a bunch of other good stuff.

But a meal is not complete without a sweet little treat!  Now that No-sugar-vember is over, I have been able to indulge in some fruit and indulge I have!

With the temperatures reaching crazy high 30's, here's a treat to keep you cool.

Cookies and Cream Gelato

serves 2.....or 1 :)

Ingredients

For the cookies

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup raw brazil nuts

6 medjool dates

1/4 cup raw cacao powder

1 TBS coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

For the gelato

2 frozen bananas

Method for Cookies

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until you get a crumb that holds together when pressed into a ball.

Take about 3 TBS of the crumbs for your gelato.

Line a shallow tray with baking paper and press the rest of the crumb into it to make a slab.  Cover and place in the freezer for indulging at a later date.  Or you can get cookie cutters and cut out shapes, store shapes in a container lined with baking paper and keep in the freezer.  Take them out only as you are about to eat them otherwise you risk eating them all in the one go, and they will also return to their crumbly beginnings.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Method for Gelato

Place frozen bananas in food processor and blend until it reaches a smooth, gelato like consistency.  Add your crumbs and pulse until it's incorporated into the gelato but not blended threw.

Serve and enjoy. 

A chocolaty hit without the refined sugars.  That's what I like the most.

With the festive season creeping upon us, I'm looking forward to trying out some christmas inspired recipes. I'm going to perfect a pumpkin pie, and also make some quinoa stuffed mini pumpkins for christmas dinner.  And you can't have christmas without vegan christmas pudding with lashings of vanilla custard can you?  No, that would be wrong!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

week 7

So i now only have 5 weeks left of the challenge.  I feel like the time has flown.  I am really entrenched in this way of eating now, and I'm wondering how I'm going to give it up, if it is that I decide to do that at the end.

Whatever the case, I feel like eating to nourish your body is not always a 'be all and end all' type of scenario.  It's more about what works for you, your body and your morals/ethics regarding food and food production.

This is not an easy idea to accept, specially for people like me who are stringent followers of the rules.  I've chosen to eat a plant based diet, and I am enjoying the ride, however, I don't want my health to suffer as a result of developing deficiencies, so my hope is that I can work through this and maintain this way of eating.

Now that we've got the serious stuff out of the way, let's look at some delicious summer treats that I've been playing around with.

I can smell summer in the air, it just keeps getting warmer in gorgeous Sydney, and there's nothing I love more on a warm sunny day, than stuffing my face full of ice cream.  

That's right, I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!

These two recipes are sugar-free but feel free to add a sweetener of choice if you like things a little extra indulgent. Personally I don't think you really need it, so give it a go without it.  I dare you!

Berry-coconut gelato
serves 2

Ingredients

2 bananas frozen
1/4 cup berries of your choice (i used frozen raspberries)
1.5 Tbs coconut cream
1 tsp sweetener of choice (optional)

Method

Place all ingredients in a food processor and whiz until it reaches the desired consistency.

Banana Peanut Butter Gelato
serves 2

Ingredients

2 bananas frozen
1 Tbs natural peanut butter
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp of sweetener of choice (optional)
1 tsp crushed peanuts for topping

Method

Place all ingredients except crushed peanuts into food processor and whizz until you reach ice cream consistency.
Serve with a sprinkle of crushed peanuts on top.
You could add the crushed peanuts and stir it through the gelato, I think that would add a really nice texture.  Crunch Crunch Crunch :)

Do you get the picture now?  

This is the simplest, most easiest way to make delicious, healthy ice cream in minutes, so there's always a new flavour that you can whip up at a whim.

I always have bags and bags full of bananas in my freezer.  It's such a good way to store them if you have them turning brown.  

I use them to make banana bread, cakes, smoothies, and of course, ice cream.
I picked up 2 kilos of bananas the other day for $2.50!!  Just because the skin is spotted and a little brown doesn't mean the insides are dying.  As long as there's no soft bits and black bruises, they're as perfect as unspotted ones.

Now, as you can see, the banana peanut butter gelato is not alone.  Next to it is a delicious serving of vegan chocolate mousse.
This indulgent treat is delicious on it's own, and also makes a great filling for a chocolate tart.

I have tested this out on my non-vegan friends and told them the secret ingredient afterwards and they couldn't believe it.
Give it a go and see for yourself.

Chocolate Mousse
serves 6 on it's own or makes one 8 inch pie tart

Ingredients

2 cups of avocado flesh (about 2 1/2 avos)
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup non-dairy milk of choice (i used oat milk for this one)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs arrowroot powder
1 Tbs almond butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (you can use cocoa powder if that's what you have)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 block of dark chocolate (i used Lindt 70% as it doesn't contain any dairy)

Method

Place all ingredients in a food processor except for the chocolate.
Blend it until smooth, you will need to scrape the bowl a couple of times to make sure it's all incorporated.
In a double boiler, or in a bowl placed over some simmering water, melt your chocolate until smooth and there's no more lumps.
Add to avocado mixture and blend again until all mixed through.  Mixture will thicken into a delicious smooth blend.  Try not to eat it all!!

The mousse will harden somewhat when refrigerated, and if you are using as a filling for a tart, make sure you place it in the freezer for a couple of hours before you serve it.  It will make it easier to cut.

I have some recipes that work well for tart bases but I will post that up next week as I will be making some salted caramel and chocolate tarts this week.

I have made this as a tart before and it it delicious.  The best thing is that you can freeze the left overs and cut off a piece as you go.

It definitely is a rich chocolate flavour, so a small serving is really enough to satisfy your chocolate craving.

Now that we've had dessert, how about a main?

As I've said before, I HATE waste, so I made the following recipe with the left over risotto I put up in my previous post.  

I made a big batch of the sauce from my spaghetti veganese recipe, and used the left over to make a pasta for the family that included chorizo (they are NOT doing the challenge).

All you have to do is stuff your capsicum with the risotto, spread the pasta sauce on top and a little on the bottom of the baking  pan, and stick it in the oven at 180 degrees celcius and bake for about 30-40 minutes.

Once out of the oven, sprinkle some chopped herbs and some nutritional yeast flakes for some added vitamin B.

Add a side salad and there you have it!  

Now for another savoury dish. 

I was playing around with making some vegan pesto and this is what I came up with.

Tomato Pesto

makes approx. 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup basil leaves

1 1/2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup semi dried tomatoes

1/4 cup evoo

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method 

Place all ingredients in your food processor and process until nearly smooth.  Now, it will be a little bit thick so I added about 1 Tbsp of water at a time until I got the desired consistency.  I ended up adding 3 Tbsp but it's personal preference.

This is good to have on hand when you are stuck and need to jazz up a meal.  Here's two I used it with.

Quinoa Topped Mushrooms

serves 6 as a light meal

Ingredients

1 cup of quinoa rinsed and drained

1 tsp of vegan stock powder

1 1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 garlic clove minced

1/3 cup brown onion diced

1/3 cup squash diced

6 sundried tomatoes cut into strips

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh basil

3-4 Tbsp water

6 large field mushrooms

pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Clean mushrooms by wiping with a paper towel to remove dirt.  Place clean mushrooms, caps down on lined baking tray and place in oven for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Whilst your mushrooms are in the oven, place the rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan with water and stock powder and bring to the boil over medium heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated and quinoa is translucent and cooked.  Turn heat off.

In a frying pan, add your coconut oil, garlic, onion and squash. Cook until squash is a little soft but still has some crunch in it.  Add to quinoa.

Process your herbs and water with a hand held blender if you have it and add this mixture to you quinoa, along with the sun dried tomato strips.  Stir gently to combine.

Return the quinoa to a low heat and cook uncovered until there's no more liquid, this should only take about 3-5 minutes as there's not really that much water added.

By now, your mushrooms should be ready.

Take them out of the oven and place them on a plate, top with herbed quinoa and your tomato pesto.

Bon appétit!

Mediterranean Pasta

serves 1 

Ingredients

Wholemeal pasta or pasta of choice (enough for one person)

1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/3 cup of eggplant strips

1/4 cup brown onion diced

1 garlic clove minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

4 sundried tomatoes cut into strips

6 kalamata olives chopped

3 Tbsp tomato pesto (or more if you like)

1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped

2 tsp nutritional yeast 

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

Cook pasta to packet instructions

Heat coconut oil in frying pan and add garlic, onion and eggplant, cook on medium heat until eggplant turns golden.

Add oregano, chilli flakes, sundried tomatoes and olives.  Cook for a further 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add to hot drained pasta.  Stir in pesto and parsley and mix until well incorporated and covering every inch of pasta.  Add your seasoning at this stage if you feel it needs it.

Plate it up and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.

Serve with some crusty bread and a basic salad.

I also use the pesto as a spread on my sandwiches, and stuff them with salad and baked pumpkin. Yummo!

On the body front, I am still losing hair :( but I have started taking the supplements and it's early days so I'm hoping it will stop soon.  I guess I have to give it some time.  I think about 4 weeks should be long enough to start to see some difference.  Fingers crossed!

Otherwise, energy levels are good, my sleep is still great, give or take a few nights when work has been really hectic, or my girls have a bad night.  But these are normal everyday things that would happen regardless of eating habits.

I've started doing some meditating, just small 5 minute intervals at this stage.  Trying to find a regular time to do it is the only problem as you can imagine.  At this stage, I can only do it at night after the family are all tucked in and asleep.

I know it's best to practice first thing in the morning but alas, it's a rare occasion when I wake up before everyone else.  I'm usually woken up by my youngest poppet calling out 'maaamiiiiii!' from her cot!!

But never fear, I will persevere.

Peas, love and mung beans

xxb