Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Spring Cleansing means Taste-Testing :)


So our 2nd official eCourse, 21 Days of Spring Cleansing, is available now - and kicks off on the 1st of September (yep, first day of Spring).



This means that the gorgeous Jacqui and I are busily busily creating content, interviewing our guest experts, coming up with meditations and of course, road-testing recipes, natural therapies and other such goodies to share with the course participants.



All in the name of YOU, our beloved participants, we recently hit up Sadhana Kitchen in Newtown for some raw food/whole living foods goodness and we weren't disappointed! Green smoothies and berry smoothies rocked our world.




In other news, the early-bird rate for course sign-up's closes in just 24hours, so head on over quickly if you want to save some pennies.





In other news, I've commenced my study with Endeavour - Naturopathy makes my heart sing but gee it's taking some time to get used to the old brain working in that uni student way again :) Love love loving it though, and will be sure to share all my knowledge with you here :)





Big love and hugs xxx

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Special Day


My first Food Connect box arrived today - so ultra-excited!



Don't forget - tell me what amazing recipes I can make this week with the following goodies and you can win a spot on the upcoming 21 Days of Spring Cleansing eCourse (valued at $75!). Loving the entries so far - you guys make me hungry :)



Nom Nom Nom xx








Monday, July 16, 2012

Seasonal Meal Planning


So I'm a joyous little yogi today, as I'm starting to meal plan for my first box of delicious, local, organic and seasonal fruit & veggie delivery!



My first Food Connect box arrives at the end of this week, with the following goodies:






I am pretty unadventurous (so far!) with my food and obviously I can see a potato, leek and cauliflower soup in there. But what else? I am excited!





Give me your suggestions, to go into the running for a space on the upcoming TwentyOne Days of Spring Cleansing eCourse :)





Email me or leave a comment below!





Love x
















Friday, July 13, 2012

Green Smoothie Power!


I'm kicking off Round 2 of the adrenal fatigue battle. I kicked ass over it at the beginning of this year, but bad habits slowly crept up on me & with all the career & life changes that have happened this year, it's time for another repeat performance.



I've had random green smoothies over the past few months but I'm recommitting to daily smoothies, lemon & hot water in the mornings, meditation and loads and loads of veggies, fruits and whole foods.







I just read through a couple of my own posts here as well and was astounded by the transformation I experienced before, and can't wait to dive into that again!



Love to you x


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Sharing = Caring (5 sites I'm digging right now)


Here's some websites that you simply must check out. One) because they're great and I regularly visit them. Two) because they remind you to find the sunshine in your day - come Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn. Seriously. Hop to it xo



Marc & Angel - Hack Life :: they say their website is about Practical Tips for Productive Living and they've pretty much summed it up. Some of my all-time fave must-reads are: 16 Harsh Truths that Make Us Stronger, and 15 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist.  Prepare to spend hours on here :)




The Wellness Warrior :: Jess Ainscough is one helluva tough cookie, and inspiration gal to boot. She took her health into her own hands and now shares her knowledge and spark with others most days.




YogaGlo :: a subscription site that offers over 1000 yoga classes a week! Watch 'em on your computer and be inspired. Some amazingly talented teachers here - I'm loving Jo Tastula, Dice Il and Tiffany Cruikshank at the moment but all of them are awesome. Ask me next week and I'll love someone new ;) So inspiring and this site has jazzed up my personal practice no end!




Love More Fear Less :: non-stop beauty, inspiration, quotes, movement, bliss. Seriously - go check it out, amazing!




From Love More Fear Less




Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants


I went to see the phenomenal Michael Pollan at the In Conversation With series at the Sydney Opera House this week, and all I can say is WOW. I love this guy.



Anyone who can pack out a full auditorium, speaking about food, in a non-heated but inspiring way has to be doing something amazing.





It's funny - the more I study holistic nutrition and health, the more I find just how heated this area is. People all believe that what they think & do is right. And don't get me wrong, I completely understand how hard it is to look outside the box. We are told by our own government, by our tv's and media that the right way to eat is A, B, C. Yet let's face facts - we're an overweight country, we're addicted to sugar and processed foods, we pop pills left right and centre to 'heal', and there are agendas that want us to believe certain things.



We have lost touch with the truth, and Michael's bringing it back!



Michael Pollan isn't a scientist; he's a journalist and teacher who is generous, down-to-earth & engaging. There's been some wonderful feedback on his talk (you can read some quick tweets! Or a great post here or another here) but it really got me thinking.



I'm studying health, nutrition and naturopathy, and yet I'm a sugar addict. I suffer from depression which often leaves me so tired and depleted that I either a) don't eat, or b) grab takeaway. Neither of these options are healthy, and if I am at least part way educated on this stuff and still fall into these traps, no wonder we're an obese country with a love of processed foods. And no wonder it's so hard to inspire people to believe otherwise.



But in the quest for change, I'm continuing to stay educated and inspired. I've just ordered my first box from Food Connect (yippee!). Have you heard of these guys? Food Connect offers sustainable produce, direct from local farmers. So none of this shipped from overseas stuff - it's organic or chemical free, it's local, sustainable, and money goes to the farmers (& not just 10c in the dollar which many of our supermarkets pass on to them).




From the Food Connect site, "We challenge people to:


  • Think about where their food comes from,

  • Find out what food quality means to them and

  • Consider the impacts of chemical farming on their health and that of the farmers and the natural environment."









Why have I not used Food Connect before? I'll be honest - I looked at the food boxes (I ordered the small mixed seasonal box) and thought, "I'm still going to have to go shopping - it has stuff I don't eat in it, and not everything I do eat."  I mean, who cares if my strawberries are pumped full of herbicides and chemicals, and they were shipped from Italy weeks ago because they're out of season here? I want what I want! Yes, it's true. I'm humbled to admit it aloud! And I know I'm not alone in living an on-demand life of convenience.



But change starts with where we're at, and so today I signed up. I'm actually totally excited to start supporting our local farmers, and to start cooking with new ingredients (which has been a goal of mine for a wee while).   In being part of this scheme, I've also managed to get only what's in season, reduce my carbon footprint, and get to know who is growing my food (and how they're doing ht!). Pretty cool, huh?



So stay tuned to check out some (hopefully) wonderful dishes coming out of Shiny's* Kitchen in the near future.  I'll be posting "what's in the box" here online each week and would LOVE to hear your recipe suggestions.



Love

x










Shiny* Library


A dear student asked me after class this week if I had any good book recommendations. I'd just shared a few quotes in class from the inspiring Brene Brown, and he mentioned he liked the kinds of things I often spoke about in class. I thought it would be good to start sharing those things right here on this blog, so you can all fall in love with them too.



One of the books that my first beloved yoga teacher recommended to me when I was going through a particularly tough time (as this student is), was "When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times".





Pema Chodron is a Buddhist teacher who I can't talk about enough - she gives fabulous interpretations of Tibetan philosophy that Western audiences love, and they're so accessible that I've referred to her over and over again - personally and professionally.



What is this book in particular about?

How can we go on living when things fall apart—when we are overcome by pain, fear, and anxiety? Pema Chödrön’s answer to that question contains some spectacularly good news: there is a fundamental happiness readily available to each one of us, no matter how difficult things seem to be. To find it, according to traditional Buddhist teaching, we must learn to stop running from suffering and instead actually learn to approach it—fearlessly, compassionately, and with curiosity. This radical practice enables us to use all situations, even very painful ones, as means for discovering the truth and love that are utterly indestructible. (Source)




I also love and often quote another of her books - "Start Where You Are". There are so many goodies in her works but When Things Fall Apart is often the first book I encourage students to delve into as it's so relatable. I'd love to hear if any of you have read it!