Sick.

Crosswords and juice = my day

I'm not feeling so grand today, I have grown myself a fairly impressive head cold. Not surprising really, considering most of my day is spent getting sneezed on and holding the hands of little people who think it is a good idea to suck their own fingers before touching mine... mmm yum. I always prefer to take a day off work early on in the sickness, than end up being bedridden for a week. I am in that 'not sick enough to spend all day in bed, but shouldn't be around people' phase, so instead of work, today I will read my book in the sun, drink juice and channel health.

Today I have consumed a large vat of juice (carrot, apple, ginger, lemon and orange) and have taken a clove of raw garlic like a pill, to help increase my immunity. I'm carrying around a tissue with Olbas oil drops on it, tucked into my top; and am smearing my poor chapped lips and nose with Trilogy's Everything Balm (my favourite beauty product ever!). I also started back on my vitamin D supplement, which I take through Autumn and Winter, to strengthen my immune system. It usually works a treat, and I hardly ever get sick.

Here is an article I read today about the top 10 immunity-boosting superfoods. Try and add a few of these into your diet, to avoid yuck bugs this winter...

And, a repost from 2010, of my go-to recipe for chicken soup:

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I've been feeling like I'm coming down with something these last few days, and I'm not happy about it. I've been on holiday from university for a few weeks now and it just so happens that the week I start back for the most intense stretch of my entire degree, my body decides to get sick. Not impressed body, not impressed.

At the slightest hint of a cold or flu, Paddy and I have a few things we like to do to try and knock back the bugs before they get started. Despite a number of interesting medical ailments, I try my best to avoid going to the doctor as I find they are much too quick to prescribe antibiotics. I much prefer to make my own home remedies.

Lemon Honey Ginger Drink
I used to make my lemon homey drinks by pouring hot water over lemon juice and honey and calling it a day. But, when an old work colleague enlightened me to the glory of juicing the lemon and ginger through the juicer, and then adding honey and hot water, my immune system was never the same again.
For this drink, I juice a whole lemon, with just the skin removed (leave as much of the pith as possible) and a good 2 or 3 cm of ginger through the juicer. To this liquid gold I add a generous helping of manuka honey, hot water, and stir to combine. This tart beauty will definitely make your taste buds tingle, but really does the trick for soothing sore throats and getting lots of vitamin C into your system. It's nice cold too if you are that way inclined. I drink as many of these a day as my bladder can handle.

Healing Broth
A cheesy name, but a definite winner. This recipe is adapted from James Wong's 'Grow Your Own Drugs' herbal medicine book and TV show.

We have been using it for a few years now and it never fails to make us feel better. It would also be easy to make vegetarian, by changing the stock to vegetable, and swapping out the chicken for some lentils or legumes. 

Healing Broth

2 litres homemade chicken stock
1 chicken breast, sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
Mushrooms- as many as you like!
3cm fresh ginger, skin removed, thinly sliced
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 Tbsp goji berries, soaked in hot water
1/2 packet dried soba noodles
Extra garlic and ginger to serve


Place stock, chicken, onions, mushroom, ginger, garlic and chilli in a large pot. Simmer on low for at least an hour. Add drained goji berries and noodle and continue to cook until noodles are al dente. To serve, finely chop 1cm ginger and 2 garlic cloves per bowl, and ladle hot soup over. Garnish with parsley and enjoy! Best served with homemade sourdough, of course.

This makes a huge amount, that feeds Paddy and I for at least two days; by which time, we are feeling better!

Other ideas:
I have been using Vicks to clear chest congestion since I was a child, but with my new awareness of the potential risks of petroleum-based products, I am keen to change to a more natural alternative. ecoMILF has a wonderful recipe for homemade vapour rub using almond oil and peppermint or eucalyptus oil. This sounds like just the ticket to me, so I am keen to give it a go.

With these plans in place, as well as lots of extra water and sleep, any colds we have are generally gone within a few days.

Homemade Muesli

I am keen to keep our grocery bill down, and would always prefer to spend my hard-earned money on local, organic food rather than processed rubbish that has travelled across oceans to get to me. Keeping the food bill down is becoming achievable thanks to a few handy hints:
1. Reducing the amount of meat we eat, and when you do eat it, focus on quality over quantity. We eat good quality, local and usually organic meat once a week and really enjoy it.
2. Make our own cleaners!
3. Not buying prepackaged snacks/treats/junk food. You will not find a single packaged biscuit, packet of chips or whatever else is popular these days in my pantry. My wallet and waistline really appreciates it.
4. Making whatever we can ourselves. Everything from stock to bread to muesli to cleaners. If I can do it myself, I will.

I was shocked recently to find a packet of relatively 'nice' looking muesli is over $6.00 to buy at my supermarket. Checking out the ingredients list, I wasn't too impressed about what I found in it either. Many of the ingredients I didn't recognise or couldn't see a purpose for. I much prefer my own, homemade version for taste, price and piece of mind.

Homemade Toasted Muesli

3 cups wholegrain rolled oats
1/4 cup each of chia, flax seed, sesame seed and sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut (any style is fine, I used shredded)
1/2 - 2/3 cup roughly chopped almonds
1/4 cup canola/rice bran/olive oil
1/4 cup honey
Dash vanilla

Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Melt together the honey, oil and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until all the mixture is coated and shiny. Spread out in a baking dish and bake at 180 degrees for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should be slightly brown when you take it out but it will keep cooking as it cools. Stir it a few times as it cools down to keep the heat distributing evenly. Leave to cool entirely before storing in an airtight jar.

I used to add dried apricots to to the mixture once it had cooled, but now I prefer it as above. I add fresh fruit in the morning with organic yoghurt and milk for a delicious breakfast.

Breakfast

I used to be in a rut about breakfast - I would have the same thing everyday because it was quick and easy, and I began to dread it. That is no way to start a day! If breakfast is dreaded, it doesn't set you well up for the rest of the day going well, does it. So, in line with one of my New Year's resolutions (get up earlier), which is going wonderfully, may I add, I have been branching out with breakfast.

source

Here are some of my favourites so far:

• breakfast smoothies: blueberries or mango, banana, organic yoghurt, organic whole milk, whole rolled oats, chia and/or flaxseed and/or hemp, and sometimes honey
• porridge: made with whole rolled oats and half milk, half water, served with banana or blueberries, organic whole milk, organic yoghurt, brown sugar and cream.
• homemade muesli: mix whole rolled oats, chopped almonds, seeds (sunflower/pumpkin/sesame) chia and  flaxseeds with honey and olive oil and toast until brown, add chopped dried apricots and serve with organic milk and yoghurt and fruit
• Japanese breakfast: brown rice with tinned tuna, mayonnaise, avocado and lemon. Sometimes with a cup of miso soup too
• wholemeal or spelt sourdough toast with butter and homemade preserves, and chopped up seasonal fruit
• green smoothy: banana, blueberries, greens and water
• poached eggs on wholemeal or spelt sourdough with wilted greens, butter, lemon, salt and pepper

I usually have a cup of tea with breakfast too, which varies from day to day. As I have a long drive to work, I sip a hot water and lemon drink. I have also recently purchased a wide mouth drink bottle, so I plan on taking a green juice on my drive to work each morning too. I can't get enough of those greens!

Any awesome breakfast ideas I'm missing out on?

Blackcurrant Tea

1. Pick some blackcurrants or acquire some from a lovely friend or neighbour.
2. Add them to your favourite tea cup and cover with boiling water.
3. Allow to steep for a few minutes, then relax and enjoy.

Detox - Day Three

Breakfast - if only it wasn't 2 degrees
outside when I ate this!

Well, I made it the three days of my detox, as planned. I still feel fine - not hungry, tired, grumpy or like I'm 'detoxing' at all... Was it all a waste of time? I'm not actually sure... Maybe as I don't eat a lot of sugar, drink much coffee or alcohol or eat hardly any processed food, I don't really have much in my to detox? Oh well, I've done it now, and so now I know what it is like and can make an educated choice of whether or not to do it again!

Day Three's Eats:
9am: warm water with lemon.
10.30am: fresh pineapple, mango and banana with chia and flaxseed sprinkled on top and a fresh kale, apple, pineapple and mango juice.
12noon: a big green salad with savoy cabbage, cavolo nero, spinach, sorrel, basil, carrot and daikon radish with an olive oil, apple cider vinegar and mustard dressing and a small portion of wholemeal homemade pasta with tomato sauce.
3pm: a fresh kale, apple, ginger juice.
8pm: (late, because I went to an early play) a delicious Burmese meal of many different dishes. Probably not the best way to end a detox, but I wasn't going to miss this - I have been waiting for a reservation at this restaurant for weeks!

What did I learn:

• I don't like having to control my food, even if it is me in control. I never normally think twice about what I eat, and I didn't enjoy having to decline myself something I felt like because it wasn't part of my detox plan.

• I freaking love food. Well, I already knew this, but I have confirmed it for good now.

• It is not that hard to eat fruit and salad and juice for a few days, and it would probably be quite a good thing to do, say, one day a month, to give the ol' digestive system a rest.

• Winter is not a good time to do a detox - the seasonal veges are not that exciting to repeat for three days and the fruit is almost non-existent (hence the very-unlike-me tropical fruit binge). I think if I was going to do a multi-day detox again, I would do it in the Summer, when produce was more plentiful and it wasn't freezing!

• It really helps to read books about health and nutrition when you are trying something like this - it really helped to keep my mind on the end goal to be surrounding myself with inspirational books, TV etc. This probably applies to most things, I imagine.

• Massages are lovely; I should get them more often.

Detox - Day Two

Day two of my three day detox is almost over. I have had another relaxing day, including a gorgeous massage, choosing costumes for Paddy's students for their upcoming play and a bit of house cleaning (this may not be relaxing to everyone but I am kinda weird!). How am I feeling? Still pretty good, I'm not tired or hungry and I slept well last night. I am getting a bit sick of juice, but I know it is not forever, so I can handle it. I haven't really been hungry at all today, and looking at what I've eaten/drunk today, it's actually not that much. I probably need to take care tomorrow to have a bit more or I will waste away! I'm sort of waiting for the 'detoxing' to begin - the headaches, skin breakout, achy muscle etc that people write about. Maybe it won't happen at all? I'm mildly apprehensive...

Day Two's Eats:
9am: warm water with lemon
10am: fresh apple, ginger, mint and silverbeet juice
12.30pm: cup of red miso soup with wakame
2pm: handful of raw almonds and fresh apple, ginger and kale juice
4.30pm: fresh pineapple and mint juice
Dinner: I have prepared another big salad of savoy cabbage, cavolo nero, spinach, sorrel, basil, carrot and daikon radish with an olive oil, apple cider vinegar and mustard dressing and a dollop of mashed avocado on top. Followed by a cup of fennel tea before bed. Then another early night for me!

Tomorrow I am planning on having chopped pineapple, mango and banana for breakfast, a big salad for lunch, vege juice throughout the day and a light, vegetarian dinner to top the detox off.

Detox - Day One

Tonight's dinner - yum!

As I mentioned in this post last week, I decided I wanted to do a detox of sorts during my week of holiday. It's not that I live a particularly toxic life or anything, but my hair isn't as great as it could be, my skin is breaking out in a hormone frenzy and I am feeling a bit bleh. I thought this would be a good way to give my system a clean out, and start with a clean slate. Originally I was planning on including hot yoga classes along with the detox, but I have decided it might be a bit too much for my body to handle, so I will start those once my detox has finished.

There are about a million different types of detoxes around - I did some reading and designed one to suit me. I would recommend checking with your doctor before doing anything like this. I mentioned my plan to mine last time I saw her and she was happy with it.

So what's my plan? Well, it's mainly focused around fresh vege juice, raw veges, nuts and seeds, herbal teas with some warm food added in towards the end. I have chosen all organic veges, fruit and teas. I also plan on taking it pretty easy, using this time to read, walk my puppy and generally relax. Early nights are a must too!

Day One's Eats
9am: lemon juice in 1.5 cups of warm water
10am: 2 cups of green juice with apple, ginger and silverbeet
1pm: 2 cups of green juice with apple, ginger and silverbeet
3pm: 2 cups of green juice with apple, ginger and silverbeet
6pm: big green salad with (all raw) cavolo nero, spinach, savoy cabbage, pumpkin seeds  and sesame seeds with an apple cider vinegar, olive oil and manuka honey dressing topped with a dollop of avocado mashed with lime juice and chilli. 1 cup green juice with apple, ginger and cavolo nero.

It's almost 7pm now and I feel pretty good! Not hungry or tired, just good. I plan on having a cup of nettle tea before bed and a nice early night! Tomorrow will be similar, but with the addition of fruit during the day and miso soup with my salad for dinner. I have also booked a massage, which will be divine, but also help this little detox along.

Food Matters

I think everyone should take the time to watch this documentary. It is an insightful and informative look into using food and nutrients as medicine, to heal your body naturally; something I have been interested in for the past few years. Watch this documentary, learn, and ask questions.

"Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food". Hippocrates 460 BC.

http://foodmatters.tv

Inspiring Distractions

I am desperately trying to finish my Honours thesis before I start my new job (in 12 days!). This means lots of agonising hours spent at my laptop, along with scheduled breaks, for my sanity. In my last break I came across this wonderful website, full to the brim with delicious recipes and inspiring information. One particular post really spoke to me and I felt compelled to bring it to your attention.

I am a huge advocate of real, local, fresh, seasonal, organic (when possible) food. Paddy and I try our best to eat this way as much as possible, and feel so much better for it. It has taken me many years to figure out what I really think and feel about food, after many tumultuous years of negative relationships with it. The Nourished Kitchen article on Real Food really sums up how I feel now, and I plan to continue with this ethos for the rest of my life.

What do you guys think? I would love to hear about your food philosophies (if you have one).

Under the Weather

I've been feeling like I'm coming down with something these last few days, and I'm not happy about it. I've been on holiday from university for a few weeks now and it just so happens that the week I start back for the most intense stretch of my entire degree, my body decides to get sick. Not impressed body, not impressed.

At the slightest hint of a cold or flu, Paddy and I have a few things we like to do to try and knock back the bugs before they get started. Despite a number of interesting medical ailments, I try my best to avoid going to the doctor as I find they are much too quick to prescribe antibiotics. I much prefer to make my own home remedies.

Lemon Honey Ginger Drink
I used to make my lemon homey drinks by pouring hot water over lemon juice and honey and calling it a day. But, when an old work colleague enlightened me to the glory of juicing the lemon and ginger through the juicer, and then adding honey and hot water, my immune system was never the same again.
For this drink, I juice a whole lemon, with just the skin removed (leave as much of the pith as possible) and a good 2 or 3 cm of ginger through the juicer. To this liquid gold I add a generous helping of manuka honey, hot water, and stir to combine. This tart beauty will definitely make your taste buds tingle, but really does the trick for soothing sore throats and getting lots of vitamin C into your system. It's nice cold too if you are that way inclined. I drink as many of these a day as my bladder can handle.

Healing Broth
A cheesy name, but a definite winner. This recipe is adapted from James Wong's 'Grow Your Own Drugs' herbal medicine book and TV show.

We have been using it for a few years now and it never fails to make us feel better. It would also be easy to make vegetarian, by changing the stock to vegetable, and swapping out the chicken for some lentils or legumes. 

Healing Broth

2 litres homemade chicken stock
1 chicken breast, sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
Mushrooms- as many as you like!
3cm fresh ginger, skin removed, thinly sliced
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 Tbsp goji berries, soaked in hot water
1/2 packet dried soba noodles
Extra garlic and ginger to serve


Place stock, chicken, onions, mushroom, ginger, garlic and chilli in a large pot. Simmer on low for at least an hour. Add drained goji berries and noodle and continue to cook until noodles are al dente. To serve, finely chop 1cm ginger and 2 garlic cloves per bowl, and ladle hot soup over. Garnish with parsley and enjoy! Best served with homemade sourdough, of course.

This makes a huge amount, that feeds Paddy and I for at least two days; by which time, we are feeling better!

Other ideas:
I have been using Vicks to clear chest congestion since I was a child, but with my new awareness of the potential risks of petroleum-based products, I am keen to change to a more natural alternative. ecoMILF has a wonderful recipe for homemade vapour rub using almond oil and peppermint or eucalyptus oil. This sounds like just the ticket to me, so I am keen to give it a go.

With these plans in place, as well as lots of extra water and sleep, any colds we have are generally gone within a few days.