What Is Chlorophyll?

Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green pigmentation. It absorbs the sunlight and turns the energy from the sun into usable energy through a process called photosynthesis. There are many health benefits associated with consuming chlorophyll.

Health benefits:

• · Research suggests that chlorophyll has an alkalising effect on your body and consuming chlorophyll daily is my number 1 detox tip!

• · Chlorophyll has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties.

• · Helps with the growth and repair of tissues.

• · Helps to neutralize the pollution that we breathe in every day.

• · Natural deodoriser to reduce bad breath and body odour.

• · Neutralizes free radicals that do damage to healthy cells.

• · Research suggests that chlorophyll has the potential in stimulating red blood cells to improve oxygen supply.

• · Useful in assimilating and chelating calcium and other heavy metals.

• · Delivers magnesium and helps the blood in carrying oxygen to all cells and tissues.

Foods sources:

The main sources of chlorophyll are green leafy plants however the therapeutic benefits are destroyed during cooking therefore supplements are the best option. Chlorophyll supplements are available as extracts, liquids, capsules and tablets. Other sources of chlorophyll include green tea, alfalfa, parsley, spirulina and barley grass.

Vegies From The Sea...

These interesting sea creatures are packed full of nutrients and minerals like iron, iodine, calcium, Vitamin A,B,C, manganese and magnesium. Sea Vegetables are great for your teeth, bones, hair, skin and nails and help to keep your thyroid in good health. Research has investigated the cholesterol lowering properties as well as positive effects on cancer prevention.

You may be thinking that they are going to taste like seaweed fresh from the sea but they really don’t have a strong taste especially once you add them to your food.

Different types of sea vegetables:

Kombu: Looks like a long stick of seaweed and is highly alkaline. When added to water it becomes soft so add it to soups, brown rice and quinoa.

Nori: Sheets of nori is what is wrapped around nori rolls. You can use these sheets by adding your own ingredients to them and rolling up or otherwise tear the nori into strips and add to salads, rice dishes, vegies and soups.

Arame: This is a species of kelp and can also be added as a garnish to dishes or eaten on its on own with some tamari and ginger.

Wakame: Soak wakame in water before adding to salads or add it in the last couple of minutes to your cooking. Wakame has probably the strongest taste out of all the varieties above but super delicious!

Start experimenting with sea vegetable today!

Eating for Health!

For the past few weeks i have suffering from a bad cold/flu which has developed into a nasty cough and after speaking with Emma over the weekend she mentioned to me to not forget to eat shiitake mushrooms known as the "medicinal mushroom", taken as a remedy for upper respiratory diseases, poor blood circulation, liver trouble, exhaustion and weakness and to boost life energy. She also reminded me about miso as it is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals.

So, therefore, i developed a yummy healing recipe; Take a look;

Base Soup Healing recipe


6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced


20g miso


1/2 cup vegetable stock


In a small pan, heat stock, add mushrooms and miso and bring to boil and cook 1-2 minutes until mushrooms are just tender. Spoon into a bowl and eat immediately.

Alternative: Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to pan and add mushrooms, stock, miso, 1 chopped red chilli, 1 shallot finely sliced, bring to boil and cook 1-2 minutes until mushrooms are just tender. Spoon into a bowl and eat immediately.

10 Day Cleanse

Day 10 - 2 rasher bacon with 1 scrambled egg and mushrooms, winter salad, apple, salad, lamb and cooked vegetables, vegetable sticks and selection of cheeses.

OK - I've done it. No coffee for 10 days and plenty of water and feeling great! Can't wait to do this cleanse again soon! ... Michelle :-)

10 Day Cleanse

Day 9 - stewed fruit and yoghurt, salad roll, banana, grapes, grapefruit, salmon and salad.

Nearly done...can't wait for a coffee! Happy Days...M x

10 Day Cleanse

Day 8 - Muesli with fruit and milk, baked potato and cooked beans, salad, carrot soup, fish with yoghurt and salad.
Carving Coffee...but still no coffee yet, drinking lots of water and tea!
Two more days to go..
Michelle :-)

10 Day Cleanse

Day 7 - vegetable juice, cooked fruit with almonds and yoghurt, mushroom risotto, salad, pear, lamb stir-fry, celery sticks and a apple. More water please! Again still no coffee! 3 days to go! Cheers, Michelle :-)

10 day Cleanse

Day 6 - Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, orange juice, spiced pumpkin soup, wholewheat roll and butter, salad, hommus with celery and carrot sticks, steamed fish and cooked green vegetables. Lots and lots of water and i still haven't had a coffee !! Michelle :-)

10 Day Cleanse

Day 5 - Porridge, 1 slice wholewheat bread or toast with butter. Salad and a apple. Cooked vegetables with either chicken or meat. Plain day...headache has gone and remained strong still no coffee or alcohol for 5 days now! Yippee...half way through!

Mich xx

10 Day Cleanse

Happy Australia Day!

Today having a BBQ with family and I'm taking a Indian spiced iced tea with me. Use 2 x chai tea bags, 3 strips lemon rind, 1 cinnamon quill, 1 star anise to 1 Litre boiling water. Let brew for 1 hour before transferring to a water bottle and serve with lots of ice.

Day 4 - Fruit and natural yoghurt with chopped nuts. Baked potato with butter, coleslaw, a ripe pear, vegetable casserole with steamed broccoli and a orange.

I must admit i went a little out of routine today and had some BBQ prawns, lamb and barramundi which my brother brought to our BBQ and they were amazing and oh course a lamington!

Feeling good!

Mich xx

10 Day Cleanse

OK - Feeling not too bad apart from a headache and very hungry.

Day 3 - 2 slices wholewheat toast with butter, large fruit salad, salad, cooked green vegetables and wholewheat pasta with tomato sauce.

Mich xx

10 Day Cleanse

Day 2 - freshly juiced apple, carrot and mint, then rest of yesterdays soup, sweet potato salad and cooked cauliflower with cheese!

Going well so far, felt terrible yesterday afternoon and evening but today feeling good.

8 more days to go!

Mich x

10 Day Cleanse

Good Morning - i started a 10 day cleanse yesterday which means no coffee, alcohol and lots and lots of fruit and veg's.

Day 1 was a 1/4 watermelon, vegetable soup, brown rice and veg salad more soup and cooked vegetables and beans. Yummy! Mich x

Happy 2011

Hello and Happy New Year! I hope you have had or still continuing to have a enjoyable festive season. Over the holidays i was book writing and recipe testing in between spending time with family and friends. i am looking forward to this new year ahead and would like to thank everyone for their support and good wishes with our book adventure. Any new year resolutions ??? Anyone found a great recipe over the holidays ?? Have a great week everyone and blog soon. Michelle x

Packing Day this Saturday!

I will be one of over 560 registered volunteers helping Sydney Basket Brigade to decorate, pack and deliver hampers just before Christmas Day.

Sydney Basket Brigade source donations of products and money throughout the year, to fill hampers full of food and a present for individuals and families in need over the festive season.

The Sydney Basket Brigade team is a 100% volunteer organisation. No-one gets paid for their help and everything we achieve is made possible by donations, good will and people’s time.

I am really forward to the day and happy to assist! Check out their website:

http://www.magicmoments.org.au

Wishing you all the best for the season! Michelle x

MEDIA RELEASE

EAT YOURSELF SEXY
EXCLUSIVELY FOR LIFESTYLE YOU

MONDAY 8 NOVEMBER

XYZnetworks’ LifeStyle YOU today announced that it has commissioned Southern Star Entertainment to produce an Australian series of the Cineflix International format, EAT YOURSELF SEXY. Inspiring and uplifting, EAT YOURSELF SEXY encourages women to take control of their lives and get back on the road to loving themselves.

“LifeStyle YOU prides itself on knowing Australian women. Our viewers contact us all the time with requests for makeovers, diet and exercise plans and relationship advice. When we found this show we knew it was perfect for LifeStyle YOU as it covers the gamut and the goal of what Australian women want to be – healthy, happy and sexy,” said Nicole Sheffield, General Manager, LifeStyle Channels. “Eat Yourself Sexy crosses genres with diet and fitness advice along with makeover tips and is about the realistic makeover to get Australian women feeling sexy again.”

EAT YOURSELF SEXY follows the stories of eight women, one per episode, as they transform their bodies and find the power to reignite their relationships with the help of a team of experts. From the salad dodging housewife whose libido has gone missing to the frantic mum-of-three who never has time for herself, this series will help Australian women lose weight, regain health and reclaim their long-lost mojo once and for all.

Hosting the Australian series and guiding these women along their life changing journey is LifeStyle YOU presenter Sarah Wilson. Sarah knows it’s possible to eat yourself sexy and she is going to prove it. Along with expert nutritionist Emma Sutherland and trainer Blake Worrall-Thompson, they are on a quest to transform these women from saggy and stressed-out, to sexy and stunning in just eight short weeks.

"The premise of Eat Yourself Sexy is so refreshing. The series is about changing your eating patterns to not just lose weight, but feel better about yourself and regain confidence, energy and sexual spark. I think Australians will learn a lot from this show... it goes into the kitchens and bedrooms of everyday women and holds a mirror up to our habits,” said Sarah Wilson.
EAT YOURSELF SEXY follows the Cineflix International format of the series, which sees international nutrition sensation Gillian McKeith use her no nonsense, tough love approach to get women back into shape.

Southern Star Entertainment will produce the eight-part one hour series for LifeStyle YOU which is currently in production. EAT YOURSELF SEXY is set to premiere mid 2011.
“Eight Australian women with very relatable food issues fess up about wanting to get their health on track and find a new sense of body confidence. What they learn and how they change is deeply inspiring,” said Courtney Gibson, Director of Programmes at Southern Star Entertainment.

LifeStyle YOU is available on FOXTEL and AUSTAR.

Book Update

Sorry we haven't blogged for awhile; Emma has been busy with her clinic work and i have been busy with my full-time job (Breville's Test Kitchen Manager and Cooking Specialist). So, I wanted to give you a update on the book. Emma has completed all her research notes and i have been madly recipe writing and testing. We sent out all the recipes recently to keen recipe testers and this was such a positive experience for us; we received constructive feedback and some twigging and retesting was required and now we are in the second round of recipe testing. So our aim is by end of December to have all recipes tested so that we can start approaching publishers early next year - Wish us luck! Cheers, Michelle

My New Best Friend is also Product of the Month!

Ssshhhhh - I have a secret to share with you. It's my new kettle and it is amazing! You may be wondering what all the fuss is about but this is not just a kettle. It is the Breville Automatic tea maker and kettle and it makes me the perfect cup of tea every single morning. It has 5 different temperatures and 3 different tea strengths. All I do is press "Herbal" and "Strong" and put my tea in the large tea basket and voila - perfectly brewed tea and it even keeps it warm for an hour! Perfect as I love to top up my tea throughout the morning.

As far as smart designs go, this little baby is hard to beat. A clear glass jug so I can see my tea brewing, a clear beeping to alert me to my cuppa and it really does look rather special in my kitchen. So bravo Breville on making my morning tea ritual just that one bit more special and enjoyable!

Zucchini Fritters

We'll ladies who would have thought zucchini and mozzarella to be friends! Last night i made Bill Grangers Zucchini Fritters from October Issue Delicious Magazine and they were absolutely fabulous. Attached my photo for proof! Happy Healthy Cooking. Cheers, Michelle.

Mint Lassi

I have mint growing wildly in my courtyard at the moment and I've been using the mint leaves in tea, or finely shred and/or tear leaves to mix in salads or add to other herbs to garnish curries and if your planning on cooking a spicy curry, I have the most soothing drink to refresh and cool down your mouth, here is my Mint Lassi.

Mint Lassi
2 Tablespoons biodynamic organic wholemilk yoghurt
125ml fullcream organic milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
8 ice cubes
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Sprig mint

In a cocktail shaker, add all ingredients except mint and shake well.
Pour chilled yoghurt drink into a glass and top with a sprigs of mint.

Delicious!

Happy Healthy Eating!

Michelle xx