Carrot Juice with Chocolate

I could say I went slightly carrot-mad last week, but I felt like my body was craving the orange beauties so I kinda went along with it. I was having between 500ml and 1L of fresh carrot juice everyday as an experiement to see how my skin conditions would fare having read so much on carrot juice recently (check out a blog post I did for the Raw Divas here). My skin didn't turn orange but my acne looks better :)

And with left over pulp from juicing so much I also made a big batch my my favourite carrot soup, and my favourite carrot falafels of Gena's you can find here, but never got 'round to making these delicious individual carrot cakes here. Another week perhaps coz you can freeze vegie pulp until you've got enough for what you want - or until you've got time to get in the kitch again!

If I can tune in and listen to what my body wants I'll run with it - so when it was screaming CARROT JUICE, that's what I did. And I feel amazing from drinking it! The only problem I have is when my body feels like chocolate - alot of chocolate - then I'm not so sure if my body is telling me the truth or playing little white lies :)

So with Easter just around the corner I've spent the last 2 days mucking around in the kitchen trying to make some choccies. I had a couple of recipes to try and a whole load of different ingredients to experiment with I was like a little kid in a lolly shop full of exciement!

So what was the outcome? Well let's start with the question "What did I learn?"
To trust in my own abilities more that's what. To not put all your eggs in one basket (no pun intended), and to make sure whatever happens when you're in the kitchen, remember to LAUGH!

Why? Because even when I followed each recipe they both turned out horrible! One tasted disgusting. One wouldn't mix properly...

Then I had problems where my chocolate wouldn't come out of the moulds (more than once which really did my head in). I mixed the ingredients too much in the second lot which made my once glossy silky mixture turn kinda chewy and thick ...

and ontop of that going wrong I was thinking about the deadlines I had for other things going on in my life, college work, packing that I still had to do to go away, and the house was a mess... ARGH! I felt like I was wasting time TRYING to be the Easter Bunny and make yummy choccies but it wasn't working!

It's been a stressful last couple of days (with a head cold trying to rear its ugly head at the same time but I'm not letting it) but I have now made my choccies!

And you know what? It was the laughter that made the biggest difference! That and deciding to poo-poo the recipes I had and come up with my own. TRUSTING in my own abilities and you know what? The best tasting ones are the ones I came up with myself! They were the smoothest, silkiest, easiest to work with look amazing!

Easiest Tastiest Choccie Recipe Ever!

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup cacao powder
25ml maple syrup
1/8 cup cacao butter, melted (you can omit this)


Melt the coconut oil and cacao butter down then slowly whisk in the cacao powder and maple syrup (or any other sweetener you like - by the time I got to this recipe after mucking up so many others, maple syrup was pretty much all I had left but it does give a beauiful depth to the flavour).


Pour your choccie into moulds or into a container to cut up into pieces or squares later on.

You can add anything you like to these too. Be creative! Nuts, seeds, goji berries, bee pollen, buckwheat crunchies... I also made a bunch with a few drops of peppermint oil for a minty surprise!
The hardest part of waiting for them to set!

(Another super easy recipe that also worked amazingly well and tasted sensational - if you can get your hands on CACAO LIQUER, melt that down and add sweetener to taste. That's it. And it sets at room temperature. The taste is incredible! I ran outta that stuff real quick!)

This recipe is so damn easy coz alot of people would have coconut oil in the panrty, but not alot of people have cacao butter lying around. And to be honest with you - as I am yet to perfect a chocolate recipe using predominantly cacao butter, coz I just don't like the taste of it! At all. So I need to find a ratio where I do. Where as coconut oil - now you're talking! The only down side is that they can't be kept at room temperature or they'll likely melt. Cacao butter wouldn't. But the health benefits of coconut oil versus those of cacao butter - ENDLESS (and you can read a little here) !!

So when my body craves choccies that I have made from my own recipes with lots of coconut oil, there's good reason and I will listen intently :)

But from tomorrow I'll be goingn away on retreat for 6 days and consuming nothing but GREEN SMOOTHIES which I am SO EXCITED about!! So I wont be doing any blogs for at least a week if not a few days more, but will be sure to SPILL ALL when I get back! Have an awesome long weekend!

And a Happy Happy Easter :)

Summer might 'technically' be gone...

So it's Monday morning, the sun is shining, the air is cool and crisp, and it seems to be a favourite time of year for alot of people I know. It is beautiful, but I'll be frank here, I much prefer Summer. Give me hot heat anyday! So when I got up and felt the hunger pangs for brekkie... this is what I made...


A Summer Smoothie (in a bowl of course)

1 small papaya
1 nashi pear
1 frozen banana
1/2 frozen mango cheek
2 slices pineapple
1/4 cup coconut water

Mmmm... brings back Summer memories doesn't it? Team it up with the morning sun on your skin eating it on the back deck, with papaya rubbed on your face for a morning exfoliation whilst slurping this deliciousness and you've got yourself a recipe for the best day ever!

This past week has FLOWN by I've only realised it's been almost a whole week since my last post! I had an awesome weekend tho - if you do care to know I will happily indulge you :)
I spent most of Saturday in the kitchen with my tunes on, dancing around making a mess, sun shining through the window and by the time I was done I had:

- carrot flat bread
- sweet potato crisps (althouth they're still in the dehydrator coz they were obviously too moist - Maya told me a trick I'm gonna try next time)
- 3 types of ice cream; Choc Chip Chai, Pineapple and Coconut (which had me singing "do you like pina coladas" all afternoon), and a Caramel Maple Maca...
- 2 type of a choc-orange slice; one "glued" together with chia gel which gives it a subtle lightness if you can even imagine that, and the other has tahini so it has a richer thicker flavour

These babies keep forever in the freezer, so when unexpected guests drop by I've always got something to offer them. Now they've got these and last week's brownies to choose from! People will be lining up at my door ;)

I also did some dehydrated walnuts and almonds, made some more seaweed rolls and a batch of Gena's amazing carrot falafels that i LOVE and have made time and time again

For a Monday lunch at home I don't think I'm doing too badly do you? I made a quick dressing simliar to Gena's but a bit different and teamed these babies with bok choy, tomatoes, mushies, sprouts and a biq squeeze of limone!

I've also sprouted buckwheat that I'll start dehydrating tomorrow coz I wanna make some granola full of seeds and fruit that I can share with some friends of mine :)

I did the Spit to Manly walk with Brock Saturday afternoon which was beautiful, but as the sun faded it became dark very quickly so the walk back through the bush turned into a run - bare foot trail running - and I managed to stub my big toe which kinda hurt but I figured it was nothing too bad, until yesterday at work it began turning purple and blue and primrose too! Not sure what I've done, I can walk but don't think I'll be on my rebounder or out running again too soon :(

Yesterday I was at work til mid-afternoon and met a guy that popped in who inspired me :)
He came in bubbly and energetic wanting to talk to me having heard I was the "raw girl" at the shop (he had already read my beautfiul little blog!) as he explained he is just starting the whole "raw vegan" thing. YAY!
I love it when people come to me telling me about what they're doing in their diet and lifestyle, changes they are making and the benefits they feel from even the smallest of changes. I love it love it love it!! I get goosebumps and shivers, my energy levels soar with enthusiasm and excitement and I walk away (usually after quite some time) on cloud 9. It's like my drug fix!
We were chatting for a while about differnt things and he is already doing fantastic, knows alot, has read alot, was asking me for some advice and suggestions which I gave him, and I really look forward to hearing more about his journey. Shout out to you if you're reading hun :)

An intersting trip home in the pouring rain carrying bags of fruit and veg with a purple busted toe unable to keep my thongs on, had my train ticket fall out of my pocket on the way... but had Maya offer to pick me up, then Brock surprised me and showed up instead, and the three of us sat around drinking tea and eating these brownies all afternoon at my place over amesome chit chats.

(I feel like writing "and these are the days of our lives") Coz I suppose they are. Each day is only as good as you make it to be. And I've been very aware of that recently. I've been throwing a mixed bag in each day as I've always been very structured and planned about everything. Now I'm not saying that's a bad thing coz I don't believe it is at all. But having always been like that, I've needed to see if I can be any other way... so I've been a bit looser... gotten on a different train to see a friend after college a few times instead of going straight home to study... went for a bike ride instead of a run... got a new hair cut last week...
I know they're all little things but in the end it's all about the little things I think. You never remember every detail about the trip to Italy you went on 5 years ago... but my god you do remember the best ever pizza you ate at the little pizzeria in Napoli... mmm... the little things

These are some of the little things that make me jump up and down!

- Talking to people on similar paths who are making positive changes in their lives and instantly reaping the benefits; physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally
- Hearing about people's health and lifestyle goals, progress, trials and tribulations, good, bad or indifferent; I LOVE this!
- Making love mess in the kitchen with my fav tunes blasting while shuffling about :)
- Spending time with Mother Nature (even if she does present me with lessons about my toes)
- Sun Sun and more Sun
- Working at the health food shop; chatting to customers, making changes, learning new things, whilst letting my inner perfectionist/organiser go WILD doing orders, writing signs, stocking shelves, and labelling things to a T ;)
- Educating myself and learning more and more and more about nutrition and lifestyle and health and fun and relationships and LOVE
- Having inspiring connecting motivating pure sharing conversations with people
- Jumping into bed after a long day and snuggling with my teddy
- Meditating on the cliff top at North Curl Curl beach
- Getting in the surf... it's pure food for my soul that one
- Getting big hugs from people I love, and from people I dont know :)
- Writing my blog :)


Have a beautifully sunny Monday wherever you may be :)

Too much pulp!!

And Marie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake!"

Last post I wrote about the BENEFITS of JUICING and why I LOVE it so much! But one issue I had for a while was knowing what to do with all the left-over juice pulp! It seemed such a waste to throw it out and my compost heap is having a hard time keeping up with that amount of fruit n veg scraps I go through!

And so, I make BREAD. I make CAKES. I make BURGER PATTIES.

To make delicious, tasty kitchen creations, all you need is your IMAGINATION... (or the help of me with a recipe) ;)

Left-over pulp will keep in the fridge for at least a few days if you're not ready to use it straight away. Sometimes I keep my carrot pulp seperate from my celery pulp seperate from my beetroot pulp... and sometimes I keep it all mixed together!

To make bread - combine 1 part ground flaxseeds to 2-3 parts left-over fruit or vegie pulp then add whatever you wish... spices, garlic, onion, lemon juice, curry powder, herbs, tamari, dried fruits, etc. You can do it all by hand or throw it all in your blender. You might need to add a drizzle or oil or water to help bind it until it's of a dough-like consistency. Spread it on teflex sheets and dehydrate your bread for an hour or so, flip, and dehydrate for another hour or so. The length of time depends on how thick your bread is. If you dont have a dehydrator, you can use your oven and set the temperature to 40 degrees, spreading your mixture on baking paper-lined trays. GLUTEN FREE. WHEAT FREE. and depending on what you choose to put in your mix, it can also be FAT FREE AND SUGAR FREE. Use it for sandwiches or as a side with a big green salad.

To make crackers - as above, just spread your mixture thinner and dehydrate longer! Serve with raw dips or pate or eat as is!

To make burger patties - as above, just alot fatter and shaped like burger patties! Experiment with almond meal or other nut pulp (left over from making nut milks) in place of flaxseeds, or in addition too! Dried herbs are also really good. Blending fresh tomatoes are good for extra juiciness in your patties. Dehydrating time is usually alot longer due to the thickness (and any added juciness) of your patties. Serve on raw bread, large green leaves or field mushrooms, with salad or vegies, salsa or nut cheese.

These are "Conversation Burgers" by Gena

To make cake - well here's where you don't have to think coz I've got a quick and easy CARROT CAKE recipe for you! An all time favourite, I was so excited to make this RAW!

1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins/sultanas/dates/figs
1 cup carrot pulp
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp flax oil
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/4tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg (MINIMUM! If you're like me, and LOVE your spices feel free to add more)

Pulse walnuts and raisins in food processor until crumbly. Then TASTE TEST HERE (fun part) - if you want your mix sweeter add more raisins or dates, agave syrup or honey and pulse again. I like my cakes not too sweet.
Then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse again until it starts to form a “dough”.

Shape your cake dough into a square or round cake on a plate, or put into little individual silicon moulds like I did. I got 5 small cakes out of my mix.

For the icing - I experimented and used

1/4 cup soaked cashews
1/4 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp agave
squeeze lemon to taste and a drizzle water

Blended it all until smooth and spooned it ontop of my mini cakes, followed by a dusting of nutmeg!

So tasty. So cute. So good on a little plate for afternoon tea.