Choc Macanana Smoothie

Posted in Food, Wellness by


choc manana

Liquid Cleanse. Two words that on their own are completely acceptable, even pleasant, but put those hands together and you have yourself a world of hurt. And it is only day one! Well actually I am being a bit dramatic. In general I find cleanses liberating, detoxifying, lightening and (funnily enough) cleansing! But of course they can be difficult and need a fair chunk of determination to get through. It is more of a psychological challenge than physical; because you know you can’t eat anything the mind plays tricks on you and tells you that you’re hungrier than you are. (Which is exactly the reason diets don’t work).Either way… by 3:30pm of Day #1 I felt faint, nauseous and panicky. I really felt I needed something hearty to keep my energy levels up enough to play with my 5 month old and pack our entire life into boxes. Enter the Choc Macanana Smoothie.

Also – for fun – whisper Choc Macanana in a deep tribal voice; doesn’t that sound like some mystical island legend? Can’t you imagine being around a campfire on the beach and Choc Macanana appearing with a fern headdress? Look, in my solids deprived brain I found that hilarious and have now been giggling for about 5 minutes. C’mon Em, pull yourself together!!! Anyway…

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A Little Word About Maca…

I will go into a lengthier post about Maca Powder later on but I just wanted to say that this is the one Superfood that I have felt instant and dramatic effects from. Maca comes in powder form and is made from a turnip-esque root vegetable of South America. The list of health benefits of Maca is too huge to list but the most common praise I had heard was it’s ability to balance hormones, give your energy levels a boost (your libido as well!) as well as giving you the most amazing glowing skin.

I had held off until a few weeks ago as I had heard from some that it can negatively affect anxiety levels – and considering mine were just starting to normalise I didn’t want to risk another surge. But in the end the pros outweighed the cons and I gave it a go. Even on the first day I took it I felt noticeably better which I have never experienced with a product before. Now after two weeks of 1 teaspoon a day I feel like a different person. My husband has commented on how much more positive I am, more patient. I have had a lot of comments on my skin. And – surprisingly – my anxiety management has improved again. I have since learned that Maca is renowned for it’s depression-busting skills too.

The point of this spiel is to recommend that you invest in some Maca if you have any of the ailments I mentioned. I use this product from Loving Earth and they deliver all over Australia. But hopefully you can find it in most good healthfood stores.

Prep time – 5 minutes; Serves 1

Ingredients

1 x banana

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used my homemade Cashew Milk using this recipe)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon maca powder

1 teaspoon raw cacao powder

Pinch of cinnamon

2 x dates

Method

Throw all ingredients in the blender.

Blend until smooth.

If you want to get fancy sprinkle on some cacao nibs.

What is your can’t-live-without ingredient and why?

Would love to hear in the comments…

Will You Pause For A Cause This May?

Posted in Wellness by

It’s well known that meditation is a powerful tool that can completely change your life… but imagine if your practice could change someone else’s? That’s the hook for Mindful in May – and I must admit that the bait is lookin’ pretty tasty.

mindful

What Is It?

An awesome group of Aussie’s created this amazing campaign which is part challenge, part online course, part fundraiser, 100% good juju. I’ll let the MIM team take the stage here;

Mindful in May is for both beginners and more experienced meditators, aimed at bringing the benefits of meditation to you whilst improving the lives of others. The funds raised during Mindful in May will be given to Charity Water, an innovative, not for profit organisation that builds clean water wells for those in need.

So basically you donate $10 minimum to receive a comprehensive online meditation course and it all goes towards helping to bring people in Rwanda clean water. I’m in.

Why should you do it?

310950_519100228127952_25068777_nMeditation is awesome for you…

Meditation is the only true one-size-fits all lifestyle choice. Not meaning to sound like a ‘meditational’ fundamentalist here, but everyone in the world would benefit from regular meditation practice. I’m not a yogi by any means and have just started committing myself to daily dedicated mindfulness – but my word am I converted! I feel calmer and more grounded and if I don’t meditate I really feel a difference; I am flightier, I don’t sleep as well, I feel my anxiety creeping up again.

And if you don’t believe my humble opinion then rely on the credible evidence proving that regular meditation leads to reduced stress, improved physical and mental wellbing, enhanced immune function, reduced genetic ageing and increased happiness. Sold – to the woman in the pyjamas!

…Clean water is awesome for everyone

I try to keep this blog positive but occasionally the nitty-gritty is called for. Here are some heartbreaking stats to get your mind ticking;

  •  Every 20 seconds one child dies from a disease caused by lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
  •  Over 1 million children are killed every year by diarrhoea through dehydration and malnutrition.
  • 4 million people die every year from water, sanitation and hygiene related diseases.
  • Many women and children in Africa and Asia walk an average of 6km every day to collect clean water.
  • In the past 10 years the number of children killed by diarrhoea exceeded the total number of people lost to armed conflict since World War II.
  • More than 1 in 6 people in the world don’t have access to safe drinking water.
  • In just one day, 200 million work hours are consumed by women collecting water for their families, which is equivalent to building 28 empire state buildings each day

Plus, you get awesome stuff!

If you take the challenge to commit a meager 10 minute a day to meditating you receive the following;

  • Weekly guided audio meditation downloads
  • Daily instruction and guidance through different meditations hurdles
  • Accessible cutting edge scientific research to help motivate your practice
  • Daily inspiration through curated videos, quotes and article links
  • Access to interviews with leading experts in the field
  • Opportunities to partake in community events (although predominantly in australia at this stage)
  • Invitations to host your own Mindful in May events and connect with other like minded people in your community

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Hurry, time is almost up!

If you want to partake in the challenge you need to register here by Saturday 4th May, 10pm (Australian EST).

Or just donate?

If you don’t want to meditate though, or you missed out, feel free to sponsor someone who is taking the challenge. If you want to sponsor me please go through to this page. Or you can pick a totally awesome celebrity to sponsor like comedian Magda Szubanski or nutritionist Lola Berry.

So, will you take the challenge?

10 Simple Self-Love Tips

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Click image for source: Elephant Journal

Click image for source: Elephant Journal

I am a love bug. I have no problems telling the world about all the things I love. Repeatedly. My “About” section is full of love. I tell my family and friends how much I love them daily. I am the annoying one in the car that screams “OHMAGAAAAWD I LOVE THIS SONG”… every single song.

So why is it when I come to myself I get tongue tied? It’s like a first date. My eyes hit the floor. I shift from foot to foot. I get coy.

And a lot of people I know seem to be struck by the same affliction. I have deducted that this is down to two things; either we are embarrassed at the thought of loving ourselves or we truly don’t. Both of those are wrong.

Self-love is not being selfish.

It is about being kind to yourself. Allowing yourself rest. Turning your inner monologue into a cheer squad instead of a lynch mob.  Most importantly, self-love is vital.

So if you aren’t already, it’s time to get on the self love train. Toot toot!

1. Write yourself a letter of advice

I am terrified of flying. So, on a trip to Bali my mum suggested that I write a letter to my imaginary teenage daughter about living a full life. Silly as it sounds, it worked. I wrote rational truth and vicarious dreams and because I technically wasn’t talking to my self-doubting self I gulped it all up. So when I was feeling lost the other day I pictured my 80 year old self writing a letter of advice. It’s a great way to remind yourself that you only live once! (Did I just YOLO?).

2. Practice mindfulness

Meditation can be quite intimidating but it is an unbelievably powerful tool. If you have tried it before and couldn’t quite ‘get it’ then know that you don’t have to master it to feel the benefits. Sarah Wilson (of I Quit Sugar fame) describes it as a “jerky, nervous, chattery [experience] that is far from inspirational”. The more you exercise your stillness muscle the stronger it gets… keep at it. Here are some amazing meditation resources that I use;

  • The Chopra Meditation Center (Yes Deepak!) is a constant source of inspiration not to mention a comprehensive resource. Explore!
  • I love this guided meditation by Melissa Ambrosini
  • Buy some guided meditations either on iTunes or at your local alternative health store. (I can’t recommend this set of 22 Perfect Health Meditations enough – just gorgeous!)

3. Accept compliments

If someone gives you a compliment smile broadly and say Thank You. Hell – agree with it if you want to!

4. Stop pointing out what is wrong

Make a concerted effort to only point out the positives – even if you don’t feel like it. Brainwashed positivity is more contagious than the flu and has an amazing knack for changing your perspective.

5. Take a step towards your dreams (even if it’s a small one!)

You owe yourself your dreams so if you are living a life where you are constantly standing still admiring them you are not going to feel very fulfilled. So, whatever your dream take a step towards it – no matter how small! For example; you dream of being an illustrator? Enter an art competition. You fantasise about living in New York? Stick a photo of Times Square on your computer at work. Want to feel healthier? Join a local wellness Meetup group. It doesn’t have to be anything dramatic… just a little love note to the universe telling it that you are ready for what it’s got to throw at you.

6. Take a step away from social media

It is unrealistic to think of life without social media… it’s here. And thank god because otherwise we wouldn’t be chatting now! But sometimes it can be so damn overwhelming. So – starting today – do something to reduce your usage. Make a rule that you do not check it first thing in the morning. Give yourself allocated social media times – once in the morning, midday and afternoon. Never consume more than one media at once (I.e. watching TV while tweeting; cruising instagram while on the phone etc).

7. Random acts of kindness

If you are low on love for yourself logic would have it that you need to keep as much as you can for yourself. Hoard your happy. However, I have found that as low as you feel if you can muster the energy to do something for someone else it magically makes you feel better. This quote really sticks with me – “Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again” (Og Mandino).

8. Dedicated you-time

Allot yourself a specific time once a week where you pamper the fuck out of yourself! Turn off your phone and do exactly what it is that makes you feel fabulous. If that is lighting your expensive candles, pouring a champagne and chillaxing in the bath for 2 hours then go for it!

9. Express yourself

Commit to expressing yourself without judgement. Paint, run, cook, read, dance, go to a nudist beach, sit under a tree alone, sing – do whatever it is that make you feel 100% authentically you. Don’t judge yourself on it (i.e. “I’m not a very good painter”) just let your body and mind move however it feels right.

10. Unleash your inner 12 year old

Go into a room by yourself. Put your favourite song on. Now dramatically mime it. Dance! I have never managed to do this without feeling better afterwards. Laugh at yourself. Don’t take life too seriously.

What about you? Do you have a never-fail self-love pick me up?
Love to hear in the comments.

Super Duper Liver Cleansing Juice

Posted in Food, Wellness by

As you may or may not know, I am on a serious detox mission. I am going through my life with a red pen and crossing out all the things I don’t like and rewriting my essay. I will update on this over the next few weeks but so far I am slowly moving through the sections of my life; career, location and exercise. Next up ‘toxic people’: people in my life that don’t enrich, support and inspire. But then it got me thinking… there was one little friend that I was neglecting. My poor liver! In the past I have been a bad friend and I almost wondered if our relationship was irreparable but then I read this quote and felt so much better;

Every 35 days, your skin replaces itself. Your liver about a month. Your body makes new cells from the food you eat.
Your new food literally becomes you. You have a choice in what you are made of.

Wow! Our bodies are amazing… and so forgiving. It was time to show that ugly little organ some love!

Instagram @oliveonblonde

Instagram @oliveonblonde

5 Foods that Cleanse your Liver

  1. Citrus in general, but especially Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime – Full of Vitamin C and antioxidants
  2. Leafy Greens - All the chlorophyll in these babies suck up all the nasty toxins in your blood stream. They also neutralize heavy metals and pesticides.
  3. Apples - The pectins in apples helps your body to cleanse and your digestive tract to release toxins. This lightens the load on your liver.
  4. Beetroot - Chockablock full of plant-flavonoids which are vital for getting that liver into gear. Same goes for carrots!
  5. Maca powder - Our liver break down excess hormones, so if it is not functioning to tip top condition it can actually create hormone imbalances. Maca is famous for correcting hormone imbalances. A match made in heaven!
    Condition: if you have any liver or kidney disease speak to your naturopath or doctor before consuming.

Note…

If you are wanting to detox your liver then try as hard as you can to source organic produce! Otherwise you are detoxing yourself with food full of residual chemicals which can be a little nonconstructive.

Recipe

These ingredients (using a cold-press juicer) made 2 big juices. You could easily get 3 out of it or 4 ‘shots on the go’ style juices. liver cleansing juice ingredients

  • 4 stalks kale
  • Quarter of a bunch of parsley (I used flat leaf)
  • 1 large beetroot
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1/2 green capsicum
  • 2 apples
  • small knob of ginger
  • 2 teaspoons raw maca powder
  • 2 teaspoons bee pollen

Method

Place all ingredients except the maca and bee pollen in your juicer.

Any juice you are consuming then and there add maca powder and stir.

Garnish with 2 teaspoons of bee pollen.

Drink within 10 minutes.

Do a little jig to celebrate how nice you are being to your liver!

Juicing for Later?

I make juices to take out and about with me or for my husband to take to work. Fruit starts to lose it’s goodness after being juiced so it is important to immediately transfer it to an airtight container and keep in a dark place (fridge, esky, handbag). Old jam jars work a treat! You must consumer the juice within 48 hours though.

Do not add the maca and pollen in advance as your juice will go gluggy.

What is your can’t-live-without juice ingredient?
Would love to hear in the comments.

Highlights from my Sanctuary

Posted in Life of Olive by

Last week I decided I needed some R&R… and sometimes the one thing you need to truly relax is to be near your family. So I (largely) switched off from the social media world, got on me wellies and headed to my parents beautiful hobby farm for a mini-holiday. Here are some highlights!

This is my parents cottage. It is in a very small town in South West Australia called Boyup Brook. It is made of granite and is encased in vines which change from green to red throughout the year. Staring out the windows is always magic.

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The perfect reading chair!

The perfect reading chair!

Every morning started like this…

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The wonder in Lucy’s eyes when I would part the curtain and reveal this leafy world with crazy guinea fowl running around, was amazing.

Then we would go and get breakfast…

From my Instagram profile - @oliveonblonde

From my Instagram profile – @oliveonblonde

Mum and Dad truly love their animals and have unintentionally created their own farm sanctuary. Every sheep and goat that they have on their farm was rescued by them; from the countless lambs that were found alone and shivering to death in a paddock to the ‘dud’ goat that they bought after seeing it chained, unwanted and about 2 days away from a stove top. They now have a hilarious and mismatched collection of 6 goats, 13 alpacas and about 30 sheep – each has a name and most come when they are called. Here is a photo from 3 years ago… the start of their mad family. All but one of these sheepy’s is still around and Dufus is the leader of the flock.

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What happened when I took Lucy to introduce her to the them all is one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. I walked into the paddock and sat on top of the hill looking down on all the goats and sheep. They turned and looked at me and then from every direction started walking towards us – such a funny sight to see over 30 animals all making an executive decision to come say hello. Then when they arrived they almost lined up and took turns coming up and very gently sniffing on Lucy’s face and mouthing her nose. She could not stop giggling and they had no problems at all with her reaching out and running her hands over their wool. It was amazing. Later when I told mum about it she said that that is what they do when they are introducing a new lamb into their flock. Heart officially melted.

What a funny face

What a funny face

These are not pictures of that exact experience, but they reacted much the same. Especially my darling Charlie who is everyone’s favourite sheep. My dad cannot count the number of times that he has been gardening or fixing a fence and felt something fuzzy on his face to find Charlie giving him smooches. He will happily sit with you for hours asking for a face tickle.

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This is Sherman.

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He is the ‘dud’ I mentioned before. He has mixed up man bits and is technically known as a Cryptorchid. Basically – commercially speaking – he is useless. He is lucky he met mum and dad who scooped him up for a life of wandering paddocks.  He is also without a doubt the strangest animal I have ever met. He is slightly vacant but is also really funny. He has bulbous eyes that aren’t a regular characteristic of his breed. His horns grow like a mohawk down the centre of his head. And he stinks. He stinks to high heaven. Lucy and I were sitting alone in a paddock and all of a sudden this ungodly stench punched me in the nose. I was looking around to try and figure out what was causing this smell which is when I spied Sherman plodding across the paddock to say hello. Strange, lovely, stinky little man.

And here are some of the other cheeky buggers…

Lady Fallon

Lady Fallon

Springer... a spoilt but delightful lad!

Springer… a spoilt but delightful lad!

Fallon welcoming Lucy Goosey

Fallon welcoming Lucy Goosey

A very self-satisfied Stompy

A very self-satisfied Stompy

Gorgeous Elsabee

Gorgeous Elsabee

Photo-bombing goat…

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Allen being cheeky!

Allen being cheeky!

And of course no trip would be complete without the disobedient little arsehole…

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My parents are amazing. My mum is a feeder. If anything is wrong in life the solution starts with a meal… the bigger, the better. So when I asked for a very light, very small plant-based meal I couldn’t help but laugh when she produced this…

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You may not be able to tell from the photo … that veggies stacked weighed about 4 kilos! It was absolutely delicious even though I could barely finish a quarter of it.

I also found this little book in my Dad’s bookshelves.

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Made my heart burst a bit when I remember how nervous he was before giving the speech at my wedding. What cute little muffins they are.

I came back feeling loved, rested and content. Must be true that home is where the heart is.

Where is your special place?

Raw Cross Buns

Posted in Food by

Dairy Free – Gluten Free – Grain Free – Refined Sugar Free – Raw – Vegan – Paleo

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My husband looks forward to Easter for one reason and one reason only; Hot Cross Buns! He lives for them. So considering we are both gluten intolerant now the prognosis of his HCB addiction hit him hard. I had to really talk him down from the bakery ledge the other day as he was going to throw bloatedness, itchiness and general discomfort to the wind for the sake of some gluten goodness. They say grief goes through 12 stages right? Poor soul. So I have been keeping my eye out for a gluten free recipe to try and ease his pain. And as soon as I saw this recipe on fab raw food blog Rawified I knew I had to give it a crack of my own version… and i’m pretty stoked with the result.

These little bun bites are delicious! They taste identical to hot cross buns which is slightly confusing as they are an entirely different texture (obviously they are not going to have that glorious fluffiness that only refined white bread has!). While I would have easily downed 3 hot cross buns in my past life these are so rich and nutrient dense that you only need one before you are totally satisfied. Plus they are full of Omega’s, protein, fiber and deliciousness. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 cups raw almonds 
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup cashew pulp (made from cashew milk… see recipe here) OR 1 cup cashews if you haven’t made milk **see note
  • 2 tablespoons sweetener of choice (agave, raw honey, maple syrup etc)
  • 3 tablespoons ground flax seed (aka linseed)
  • 3 large dates
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

** If you have prior notice to making these then I would urge you to try the milk! You are going to use the same amount of cashews in the recipe anyway and if you just soak them 6 hours before (preferably the night before) you can get a good litre of non-dairy milk as a bonus!

Icing

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 2 tablespoons sweetener of choice – i used maple YUM (agave, raw honey, maple syrup etc)
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt (if you don’t have that table salt is fine)

Method

Dough

  1. Using a food processor grind up your almonds to a fine powder (and if you are using whole cashews instead of cashew pulp add these too)
  2. Add all other ingredients except the raisins. Pulse your food processor until the ingredients are well mixed.
  3. Add the raisins and pulse so that they are mixed but not purified.
  4. Shape your dough into balls slightly smaller than golf balls. Flatten them with the back of a spoon. Get a butter knife and carve in a cross shape. As you press the knife in wiggle it side to side so the groove of the cross is opened.
  5. Set aside while you make the icing.

Icing

  1. Using a food processor grind up your cashews to a fine, even powder. This is your icing so you do not want it to be lumpy and bumpy.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and combine until they are a smooth caramel coloured paste.
  3. If you have a piping bag use this to pipe your crosses. Otherwise I just used two butter knifes. I got a bit of icing onto the blade of one knife and then just scraped it into the cross grooves.
  4. Serve with a big smile.

Have a happy healthy Easter!!!

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