Four Faves: things that are exciting me right now

Image from Pinterest

1. New breakky smoothie recipe!

For breakfast, nothing beats a smoothie. I can't seem to enjoy anything else quite as much. They're light, easily digested, and you can pack plenty of goodness into them for the perfect start to the day. I've moved on from my regular cacao and berry superfood smoothie and have been trying to get more greens in. This is a great way to sneak more veg into your day. 

Green power smoothie

makes 1 litre: Grant and I share this throughout the morning

Ingredients (go organic wherever possible):

2 TBSP chia seeds soaked in half a cup of water for 5 mins
1 handful cashews soaked overnight, or for a couple of hours.
1 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 a large or 1 small avocado
1 small cucumber sliced
1 celery stalk sliced
a few big handfuls of mixed organic greens, chopped ( I usually use baby spinach, cos lettuce, kale or silver beet)
1 apple or pear
1 dessert spoon of raw honey
pinch of good salt (Celtic or Himalayan)
2 handfuls mixed berries
1 tray full of ice

optional extras:

-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-3cm slice of fresh ginger root
-2 cm slice of fresh turmeric
-2 TBSP hemp seeds
-2 TBSP linseeds
-1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Method:

place all ingredients (and any optionals) besides berries and ice. Blitz until really smooth. Add your ice and frozen berries and blitz again until smooth.

2. DIY products for the home.

Image from Pinterest

I love to DIY. I'm not the craftiest person, but am slowly learning a thing or two about how to make some practical household items out of cheap, non toxic ingredients. Here are two recipes that I use regularly.

DIY deodorant:

Deodorants are some of the worst chemical cocktails on the market. I wont use them anymore. But if you're in need of a bit of B.O prevention, this fail proof, non toxic version works a treat.

Simply mix together coconut oil and bicarb soda to form a paste. Add a couple of drops of eucalyptus, lavender, lemon or orange essential oil. Store in a little jar. Use your fingers to apply after you have a shower. 

DIY all purpose cleaner.

Next time you are going to throw out your orange rind, think again! Place the rinds in a jar and cover with white vinegar. Seal and leave in a dark cupboard for 2 weeks. Strain the liquid and you have yourself a brilliant, all natural all purpose cleaning spray! It's great for removing grease off your kitchen bench and other splatters of mess due to natural solvents found in the orange peel. This also works well as window and mirror cleaner.

3. Dr Josh Axe

Image from Pinterest

I love finding new nutrition and healthy living experts! I came across this rad foodie man last week through The Wellness Warrior's Foodie Friday post. The berry cobbler recipe featured at the end of the post is absolutely delectable and I've been making it weekly! Do give it a try for a super healthy, scrummy & gluten free dessert (or breakfast!).

Dr Josh Axe has a simple philosophy: eat real food; which he backs up with all the latest scientific evidence in nutrition research. I'm a huge fan. 

I especially love his podcasts which you can find on his website, or on itunes or podbay for android. You can find it listed as "Maximise your health with Dr Josh Axe". I've been listening to his stuff the last couple of weeks and each episode is full of super insightful wellness tips & recipes that will inspire you to make healthier choices. 

Follow him on facebook and twitter to keep up with all his healthy info.

4. DIY fermented foods

Image from www.thekitchn.com

Back in the old days before all the dodgy man made preservatives, people would ferment stuff. Fermentation is the process of converting a carbohydrate into an acid or alcohol. This also creates beneficial bacteria; or probiotics, which are awesome for your health; colonizing your digestive system with all the awesome micro organisms needed in your gut for optimum health. Unfortunately these days, as a result of of antibiotics and a lack of fermented foods in the diet, our gut health is compromised. Adding in fermented foods like kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso and sauerkraut is the best way to get ourselves back into balance. 

I've been doing a little experimentation with fermentation, starting off with the classic sauerkraut. This is a lactic acid ferment made from raw cabbage. Its got a bit of a kick to it, and is certainly not a taste that we are used to in the standard western diet, but you can make it more palatable by mixing it through salads with other non fermented veggies. Typically, sauerkraut is eaten in small portions as a side to any meal. It's potent stuff so you only need a couple of spoon fulls. Consider it a much cheaper way to consume your probiotics.

Sauerkraut:

-1 green cabbage finely sliced
-1 TBSP good quality sea salt (Celtic or Himalayan are best)
-1 TBSP caraway seeds

Method: 

1. Combine cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Massage the cabbage with your hands until plenty of water has come out (should take about 15-20 minutes).

2. Stir in the caraway seeds. 

3. Stuff cabbage into a clean glass jar (mine is about a 1L capacity, or you can do it in several smaller jars); stuffing it very tightly so that the water comes up and covers the cabbage. Make sure there is an inch or two space at the top so carbon dioxide can be released. lightly screw the lid on (so air can escape)

4. Let the sauerkraut sit on the bench for 2-4 days. Taste after two days and if you want it stronger, keep going. Once it has reached its time (I do mine for 3 days), store in the fridge for several months.

note: This has never happened to me, but apparently sauerkraut can go bad. From what I have researched you will definitely know if this is the case as you wont even be able to eat it. To avoid this, its important to ensure the jar is clean (I wash mine in really hot water).