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

Pomegranate Martini

Pomegranates are a good source of Vitamin C, B5, Potassium, Polypheriols such as Tannins and Flavonoids. Besides from being good for you the humble pomegranate is delicious in taste and looks spectacular!

Last night after a busy day the office, i made a refreshing pomegranate martini and sat in my courtyard, sipping generously and reflecting at the day events. I used Rosehip tea in my recipe for extra wellbeing and if your on a alcohol free diet this drink is still very good, just remove the vodka and add extra tea.

Pomegranate Martini

Makes 4

1/2 pomegranate (seeds removed)

100ml rosehip tea, cooled

100ml 100% pure pomegranate juice

60ml vodka

16 small ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients except pomegranate seeds into a cocktail shaker. Shake and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Drink in moderation!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking.

Mich x

Get the Scoop on Natural Sunscreens

After the last few days of beautiful weather I started thinking about how to protect my skin yet still enjoy the sunshine. I love summer and feel so alive after a day at the beach, sand in my toes and sun on my face! So to find out what a natural sunscreen is and how to avoid the nasty chemical sunscreens this summer keep on reading.

How do sunscreens work?
Sunscreens protect the skin from burning by either absorbing the harmful rays or reflecting them from the skin. No sunscreen can provide total protection from all of the sun's rays and that’s why it is always important to cover up using appropriate clothing and eye wear especially during the hottest part of the day. Sunscreens are filters of UV energy. They are used to filter a proportion only of UV rays.

What active ingredient does natural sunscreen use?
They use Zinc Oxide (250mg/g) which reflects UV-A and UV-B rays rather than chemical actives which absorb these rays.

Does natural sunscreen contain Nanoparticles?
Nanoparticles are man made, extremely small particles that can easily enter the body and can be found in cosmetics, moisturizers, mineral make up and sunscreens. They are used in sunscreens to prevent the white film once applied. Natural sunscreens should not contain Nanoparticles. Friends of the Earth's Safe Sunscreen Guide states "Studies have shown that Nanoparticles can produce free radicals and DNA damage, especially when exposed to UV light. These studies suggest that rather than offering us sun protection, if nano-sunscreens are absorbed into our skin, they could result in serious damage."

What does Broad Spectrum mean and is it important?
A sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection protects against UV-B rays as well as UV-A. All sunscreens protect against UV-A rays which cause loss of elasticity, premature aging and skin cancer however not all protect again UV-B which causes sun burn.

Recent studies have shown that UV-B radiation plays a large role in causing gene mutations that can lead to skin cancer. Therefore it is vital that when using a sunscreen you check that it offers broad spectrum protection.

Check List for Your Sunscreen

Free from:
Chemical UV filters/absorbers
Nanoparticles
Titanium dioxide
Sulphates
Parabens
Petrochemcials
Artificial fragrances

Emm

xxx

Tomatoes

I just love tomatoes, they are rich in Vitamins C and A and provide the body with lycopene, a valuable source of nutrition which prevents damage to the cells causing cancers. They come in all different varieties which vary in colour, size and flavour.

Over the weekend i made Baked Chicken in Tomato and here is my quick and easy recipe.

Baked Chicken in Tomato

Serves 2

1 eggplant, trimmed and sliced in 1cm rounds

1 x 250g punnet cherry tomatoes (mixed varieties)

1 x 400g bottle organic tomato pasta sauce

4 organic chicken drumsticks

In a large baking dish, layer eggplants and tomatoes. Pour tomato sauce over and add chicken drumsticks, turn to coat in the sauce.

Bake in a hot oven (180C) for 1 hour until chicken flesh meat is falling off the bone and vegetables are tender.

Spoon a large ladle of vegetables into a shallow bowl and top with two chicken drumsticks. Add more sauce and serve hot.

(Optional) Top with shredded basil and grated Parmesan.

Happy Cooking and Eating !

Cheers, Michelle xo

Morello Cherry and Almond Little Cakes

Spring; this morning i jumped out of bed and made these yummy little cakes for breakfast. The taste and smell of the sweetness of maple and cherries mixed with roasted nuts is just amazing!

1 cup almond meal (or process mixed nuts)
1/2 cup 100% pure organic maple syrup
3 x 60g organic eggs
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1 cup stoneless cherries, drained (morello)
10g butter, melted for greasing

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Grease 6 cup muffin tin with melted butter.
2. In a medium bowl add almond meal, syrup, eggs and vanilla and mix with a wooden spoon or soft spatula until well combined. Add cherries and gently stir in (be careful not to break cherries).
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until cakes have risen and are golden brown in colour.
4. Cool in tin for approximately 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges of each muffin to release from the tin.
5. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving with a creamy yoghurt. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking and Have a good day :-) Cheers, Michelle xx

Mushrooms – the New Superfood!

Those innocuous mushrooms in your shopping basket could be the answer to your vitamin D deficiency! Expected revisions to the recommended daily intake of vitamin D, which are expected this summer, may do wonders for mushroom sales. "There's a better understanding of importance of vitamin D in human health," said Tara McHugh, a research leader at the USDA.

At least 40% of Australians don't get enough vitamin D, but others estimate it may be twice that number. In addition to aiding calcium absorption by the body, vitamin D may help numerous health conditions including osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis and even a reduction in overall mortality.

Vitamin D, a fat soluble vitamin found in few foods, occurs naturally in fish oils and has been added as a supplement to milk since the 1930s to help combat rickets, a major health problem at the time. Humans also create it naturally when ultraviolet rays from the sun strike the skin. It’s our “sunshine” vitamin!

While it has been known for years that mushrooms also can generate the vitamin, it wasn't until a few years ago that people started thinking about its commercial viability. It was found that exposing mushrooms to a short burst ultra violet light produces a daily allotment of vitamin D in 120 grams of mushrooms without a negative impact on other nutritional benefits, appearance, taste or shelf life. In comparison, one cup of fortified milk provides about 30% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D.

So, add mushrooms into your diet for an added boost of vitamin D, an essential nutrient for optimal vitality! Read about my immune boosting soup that features the powerful Enoki mushrooms.

PS

Have you checked you vitamin D levels after our cold winter?

All Things Hunter Valley

I have just spent the last 3 days guest presenting at the Golden Door Health Retreat in the beautiful Hunter Valley. I love to go there as it is a place where people transform and achieve huge goals. My role this week was to take the guests through a series of seminars and a cooking class. The focus was weight loss and how to achieve a healthy state of being. I just love this kind of work and my mission is always to inspire people to achieve an incredible level of health and wellbeing and I was in the perfect place for this!

I regularly guest present at this gorgeous retreat and every time I have this experience I love it. The surroundings are rolling hills covered in vineyards. As I look out my window in the morning I can see hot air balloons slowly rising. I was blessed with a Leo full moon and I spent a good hour at the top of meditation hill soaking up the moon rays. It felt exquisite and I was so full of energy that I spent the next 5 hours writing!

So if you can take a week away from your life and want to transform your current situation make a trip to the Golden Door. The crew they have are highly trained and they have hand picked the best from every occupation and therapy. There are links below to my various activities from the last few days. If you want more information about what to expect simply email me through my website.

I am in the process of organising a 5 day Female Health retreat for January 2011 so let me know what you would be interested in learning. This is an amazing opportunity for me and I would love to see you there. Cooking classes, seminars and one on one consultations are just the beginning!

While I was there, I picked up a copy of Michael Hallock’s amazing CD called “Aaah Inspiring Meditation”. We talked about this 2 years ago and I am so proud of him reaching his goal. I love his cd - incredibly soothing and the perfect tool for anyone who is stressed and feeling frazzled. You can buy a copy here.

I visited Michael recently on my trip to Bali. He is helping set up the most amazing retreat I have ever laid eyes on. It is in Ubud and I really cant express how incredible it is. it has just opened and you can read more about it here.

I am sure that I will be back to Five Elements and look forward to a regular visit to such a special place.

I am off to Thailand tomorrow to conduct some research that I will tell you about soon. In the meantime keep warm and infection free by reading my tips. In case you are wondering about my photo, Tamburlaine winery is an organic winery that I always visit when in the Hunter. To my delight, they have just released an organic Blanc de Blanc - now that makes me happy!

View from Meditation Hill

Check out the view from cooking class!

Executive chef Mark and I with my Detoxification Salad

Executive chef Mark in action

Herb of the Week - Nettle

Miso and Nettle Soup

I adore fresh nettle and have been lucky enough to get my hands on some organic varieties. Just remember to wear gloves as it can give you a mild rash or hives temporarily. Nettle is an incredibly powerful herb and I use it for pregnancy as it is so rich in nutrients. It's also used for hay fever, dermatitis, arthritis and blood noses.

I made some lovely nettle and goats cheese frittatas as my snack at work last week and this week I have made a quick soup.

Ingredients
1 litre water
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 leek, cut in 1 cm rings
2 Tbs quinoa
2 Tbs miso, dissolved in a bit of water
4 Tbs nettle leaves finely chopped
Servings: 6

The nettle tops should be harvested early in spring when they are still very small (about 5 cm). Only use the small unfolded top leaves.

Put carrots, onion, leek and quinoa in water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 min until tapioca is clear and soup is slightly thickened. Stir from time to time to prevent the tapioca from burning. Add the miso and mix to dissolve. Add the chopped nettle leaves and only bring to boiling point. Don't boil to preserve the vitamins. Serve the miso soup immediately