Earth to Table

The other week when I was in Sydney, I was lucky enough to be there for the opening of the first raw cafe in Sydney, Earth to Table. It's the baby of Julie Mitsios from Conscious Choice - and when I initially found out Julie had decided to open one, I knew that if anyone can do it, she could! I was way more than excited!

The cafe is totally organic, all raw and vegan. They support local farmers, environmentally friendly products and sustainable agriculture. Everything is made with love, amazing ingredients with flavour combinations that sit side by side in perfect taste-bud harmony on each plate, and served with smiles and attention :)

I had this lunch date planned for weeks anticipating my arrival and flight down to Sydney, and knowing it was opening the day before I left. Total luck there! Those perfect date-match-ups so rarely happen in my world. I was like a kid in a lolly shop with excitement at going to Earth to Table with my best friends, Janine and Sebastien from Simply Raw. The three of us drove up to Bondi Junction (from their cosy beach pad) and was welcomed with big Hello's and smiles from Julie and her team into the bright, fresh new decor of the place. We had a wander around, had a look at all the products available there; books, appliances, raw proteins and super foods powders, seaweeds, dried berries, tea, environmentally friendly drinking bottles, mushroom supplements, and cacao, including my favourite, and the smoothest, most delicious rich raw chocolate ever had, Sacred Heart raw chocolates OMG!! Get them here 'cause orders online from the USA will have you paying truckloads in freight (trust me, I know and learnt that one the hard way).
So after we had our chit chats and admired every inch of the place, we calmed down a little and began perusing the menu... Let me warn you; you might be flipping coins to narrow your choices down. You've got juices, smoothies, coffees, light salads, bigger salads, starter bits n pieces, heartier earthy meals, cakes and more. This is what we had...

Now I LOVE kefir - but I will say I love kombucha more. So seeing this on the menu had me sold. The subtle ginger taste lifted it for me as I'm a lover of water kefir over coconut water kefir, but this drink was delicious none-the-less and helped my belly with everything that followed...

Janine had this salad as her must-have from word go. I have to say, she chose well. Cabbage, broccoli, carrot, kelp, arame, hemp seeds and more all smothered lightly in a delicious creamy dressing. 

COFFEE!! Oh hello you delicious dreamy glass of goodness! I have had a love affair with coffee since it first hit my lips. A barista for 8-odd-years, I've since teetered in and out of my addiction slash love affair as I've played around with my health and tried new things. Having said that... I've always loved the stuff. Give it to me black, straight up, no fillers, creamers or sweeteners. YUM! Sebastien and I share this love for the black stuff, sometimes adding shilajit or reishi for a hint of difference, so when we saw the coffee available here we were in Heaven. Seb was cursing me for putting ideas into his head as to potentially riding up for a daily hit but I said just roll with it! I think coffee is great for so many different reasons, but not when it's taken with dairy and sugar, and of course individually dependent (by that I mean if you've got an addictive personality or suffering adrenal stress, daily coffee shouldn't be on the menu, for example).
From memory there are about 6 different coffee's available, both iced and warm varieties, but we ordered one whose name I can't remember but not because it was only average. This coffee was insanely good! It was a cold-pressed iced coffee with almond milk and WOW it was the most delicious, creamy, iced coffee I've ever had! Def gonna be getting that every trip back home!

Raw garlic bread. Yep, not something you see everyday and this baby immediately had my attention when reading through the menu. The 'bread' is crunchy on the outside yet subtly soft on the inside with a
dreamy garlic flavour running through it all. Served with a traditional South American chimichurri sauce with added bits n' pieces that was to die for - definitely  needs to be bottled!

In all the catering events, raw retreats, and food workshops Julie has done, I have always heard rave reviews about her quiche. Always. Every time. So when I found out she was serving it at her cafe, there was no further thought processes in my head other than YES PLEASE. This was  
quite possibly the best meal we shared. In terms of satiety, price, flavour and everything else, the quiche is the winner! Caramelised onions, olives and marinated mushrooms in a spinach quiche that tastes exactly like my mum's when I was a kid (but minus the cheese, milk, cream, butter, and pastry). So so good!

This was the salad I wanted to try - I LOVE picked, fermented anything! And the cheese on top tasted like a pongy blue cheese (which I always loved eating) it was incredible!  

Another amazing dish filled with lots of veggies including mushies, zucchini, fresh green peas (no doubt hand-shelled), onion and a few others and mixed into a tomato-ey, chilli type concoction of Heaven. And the 'bread' crumbled in your mouth... oh this was good!

And of course no meal is complete without dessert - especially if it's at a raw restaurant! And they are all so appropriately displayed behind glass at the counter so you can oggle and drool, and make your meal choices according to the dessert you've already eyed off - just like we did. Tiramisu it was gonna be! There was also a damn fine looking pear-ginger-caramel cheesecake, a choc-peppermint cake, a nut-free berry cheesecake and raw super food balls.

Here my love of coffee and chocolate intertwine for the most delicious Italian dessert - but made completely raw. So light and smooth each spoonful feels like your mouth is floating in the clouds. The rich chocolate hits the sides and the subtle coffee is enough for any coffee lover but not too much if you're not a huge fan of the stuff. This was totally incredible, delicious, taste-bud tantalising, a real conversation go-er, and the perfect way to finish the most delicious 6-course meal I've probably ever had!

We came. We saw. We conquered.

Janine and I doing our photo's thing with our phones

And we will definitely be back again. In less than a few weeks to be exact. I'll be back down in Sydney November 16th for Coldplay (and more raw cake of course).

In the meantime, I'll be posting the recipe for the coconut cake I made for Brock's birthday last week in a few days. It's super simple and super delicious! And nut-free so the ingredients will set you back less than otherwise which is always nice. Keep your eye out for it. I reckon it will be perfect over the Xmas Summer holidays in Oz, or the chilly Winter elsewhere. I'll be making it again then for sure.


Oh and have you signed up for my weekly Nutrition Notes Newsletter yet? Be sure you do. I'll recap the week's posts, share some nutrition info, giveaways, prizes, recipes, and anything else that inspires me to share. Get you name on the list here

See you there
Christie xx

Birthday Brunch and Cairns Catchup

So I know I said I would write a more detailed explanation as to why I'm eating eggs again, but to be frank, I can't be bothered. I had begun a long post about it; my thought, initial objections, feelings, my first egg brekkie again, and then of course all the nutritional benefits I am now getting from them (how could I not indulge myself on that one?)... but un-ironically so, in true adrenal fatigue fashion, it no longer interests me to explain it all to you.

I'm eating eggs again 'coz I want too. I'm enjoying them. I feel good eating them. And that's that!

As for the adrenal thing; I've actually had one morning this week where I woke up and DIDN'T feel like death! YAY!! I actually felt GOOD! I did have one evening where I was totally wired tho which wasn't so fun in my attempts to fall asleep (typical tired and wired adrenal types). I've been reading loads more in a new book I just got which is proving to be very valuable indeed.

Asides from that, I've got a new job at Go Vita which is a health food store and I'm LOVING it!! I write down everything I wanted from a new job and I got it! Working with cool people, great pay rates, flexible working hours, laid back uniform policy... haha Loving it! My college studies have begun also and that was great too. I've only had one class so far, and spoken to a few people, but in a small class of about 15 of us, I'm sure I'll get to know them all pretty quickly.

Rusty's Markets, Cairns

I get over-excited to get down to Rusty's Markets every Friday morning, even tho it's open all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The organic kale lady sells out on a Friday so I make a bee-line straight to her. The other week I got all this organic (or chemical free) produce for only $27.50... This much would cost me at least double if not triple that in Sydney. And whilst chatting to locals, sampling seasonal produce, grabbing a coffee if I'm feeling like one, perusing second-hand books, jewellery, home made soaps, candles and more... who wouldn't get excited?




My partner arrived last week which was very exciting, and my mother also flew up to see my sister and I. She timed it perfectly for my birthday :) And I had found the perfect place I wanted to go too...




My mum, my sister, my man and I all went up the mountain together to a little hippy town I love called Kuranda, where there is an amazing cafe I wanted to visit. It is nestled in and amongst the Rainforest Market which winds up and down, around, through and within the rainforest, other shops, hidden gems, stairwells and trees. It's absolutely beautiful, very peaceful, really chilled and easy-going. Loads of tourists flock there daily but it's stilled brimming with colourful locals.

We sat down in the sun, deciding what to order whilst eye-ing off all the goodies in their display cabinet. Their list of smoothies and juices was what instantly had my attention - from Green Goddess, to Cacao Maca Buzz... Scent of Summer, Kiwi Zing and Golden Glow... it was hard choosing only one.

So B and I ordered 2 to share; Kiwi Zing green juice, and a Green Goddess (banana, pineapple, ginger, something else, with green superfoods) smoothie. Once we had drinks underway, our food choice was easy - the Raw Power Plate.


This was delicious! It's piled with whatever salads are available on the day, with almond falafels and a sweet tangy tahini dressing. We had green salad, an incredible Coconut Raita which was coconut flesh shredded ever so finely, and tossed through with red onion and herbs, giving it a light and refreshingly fluffy texture that was amazing. I've never had anything like it! Our taste buds also sang tunes to the marinated beetroot and the quinoa tabouli.

Delicious living colourful lunch

Queensland coconuts are hard to pass by, and once all the juice was slurped out, we had it smashed in half to some fleshy eating! Mmmm :)

My sister and my man

And a few others photos of life up here...

Organic salad one day - with homemade saurekraut

Cruising the Cairns inlet in the dingy

Driving through Redlynch - a stunning part of Cairns

I'm Going (to do everything I can with) Bananas

Wow what a week! I'm so totally exhausted!


And getting back on the SPIRULINA to keep me going!

A quick one to let you know what I've been doing (and muching away on)...

I'm back at work and although it was a quiet week due to some people still away on holidays, we were still pretty busy and I was still on my feet unloading orders and what not for 8hrs a day, whilst still going to the gym before work and meeting up with people after work... everything adds up and starts to take it's toll. But I figure it's good to feel this now so I can get back on track with what I know works for me, in order to get everything done, still have time for me, and feel rested. Breathe Christie.

Ok... so I went out for dinner with my cousin Bernie and our girlfriend Carla one evening which was so nice. Girly gossip is always good :)
I went shopping Thursday evening with my beautiful baby sister Lisa, and caught up with Heidi from college Friday arvo for a long catch up over beautiful herbal tea.

And today I spent the whole day with Maya at Taste Organics Raw Cafe. AND SOLD OUT OF EVERYTHING! It was crazy busy. Both Maya and I were admittedly exhausted and not overly enthused as we usually are each month, but then BAM! And it didn't stop. We had people waiting for table ALL DAY LONG! That has never happened!

All Chocolate Lovers Dream's - GONE!
All Coconut Pie's - GONE!
All Roundtable Salads - GONE!
All Moonlight Shadow's - GONE!
All organic fruit and vegies juices - SOLD OUT!
Green smoothies - so good with the warm weather we had today.

And the surprise this month was Strawberry Cheescake - all GONE!


Other than that... Brock ventured up to Queensland last week to do a few things and see a few people and came home with this -

Locally grown lady finger bananas that are delicious! And then for some crazy reason, Thursday morning at the wholesaler, he comes home with this -

Coz we need more!! With a cheeky grin kinda knowing we didn't really need them all, but as they were so cheap, like a kid in a lolly shop, he couldn't resist. But I am excited to be able to freeze, blend, dry, and simply eat these babies for the next few weeks!

STOP PRESS! It's now Saturady afternoon/evening and markets are over for the week so any leftover produce is ours. I'll give you one guess what the man comes home with -


So if my calculations are correct, 9-10 boxes of bananas at roughly 13kgs each... about 129KGS OF BANANAS at our place right now. Well I'll definatley be getting creative this week!!

Last week however, whilst I was staying at mum's for a few days I made RUM AND RAISIN ICE CREAM with left over dried fruits I had, and a nice big SPLOSH of rum, mixed into a quick ice cream recipe I found. OMG! HEAVEN!

Yesterday I whipped up a loaf of buckwheat bread and a few raw bread rolls (by 'whipped up' I mean I made it up, nothing spesh, presuming it couldn't end up too bad) -

Here's my little buckwheat loaf -


And my sweet-cinnamon-banana-cacao-pecan rolls. I wanted to use dried dates but couldn't find where I put them when I brought them home the other day... until of course I finished making them and then found them in my wardrobe, in the bag with all the new clothes I bought!

The verdict - not nice. I think my buckwheat had been out too long coz it's been a little warmer the past couple of days so it tasted a bit funny. My bread was very dry and crumbly also. But I haven't given up. I'm determined to make a better bread - next time using a different grain (or grainS), adding more liquid and different nuts and seeds to spice it up a bit!

I invented (yep it's my claim to fame) a new AMAZING salad topper - the ULTIMATE in flavour combos - coconut oil, nutritional yeast and dulse flakes which totally rocks my world! OMG! Ontop of shredded kale, mung sprouts and juicy red tomatoes. WINNER! I've had at least one plate of this everyday :)

I've been munching away on PURPLE CARROTS at work with hommous and other vegies...

One of the latest and greatest "superfoods" I see in magazines, the humble little purple carrot tastes much like the regular orange variety, only a subtle difference. Much much higher in antioxidants though due to their colour (think blueberries, blackberries and the like), for me they just make an interesting colour variation on my plate!
I'm all about different colours = different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Loading up on wholesome smoothies for all the energy I've needed this week -

this one is my work-brekkie-smoothie and was made from oat milk, frozen nanas, rice protein, hemp protein, acai, maca, cacao, and spirulina (I found out I'm low in IRON so I'm pumping up on the greens and the spirulina so I'll be sure to let you all know how I am on my next blood test in about 5months time... aside from that I'm itching to tell you all the AMAZING things about everything else in my smoothie but I'll save it for another time).

I can appreciate that it looks a little like tar, but take my word, it tastes amazing and is super dooper to get you up and buzzing in the mornings.

And I'm back taking some herbs to cleanse my intestinal tract, and others to help with my hormones (and clear my skin - yay) so they're making me feel good and helping to get gunk out of my system too. Great start to the New Year, even if it has been a little chaotic.

Open For Business

MoFo Day 7 and I'm SO EXCITED to be heading off for the Cruelty Free Festival in Central in a few hours! There will be BIG blog piccies from that later on for sure!!

For now though I've got a few mouth-watering temptations for you to salivate over.
Yesterday was the RAW CAFE at Taste Organics that I help Maya out with every month and another great day it was...

Chocolate Lovers Dream Pie - chocolate base, white chocolate layer, dark chocolate layer, cacao nibs and oozy goozy choccie sauce. Yep definatley a chocolate lovers!!

Roundtable Salad - greens, cherry tomatoes, activated pepitas, sprouts, the BEST chilly/curry/flavoursome tomato sauce and a delicious garlic and chive cheese/dip that always surprises customers who think it's dairy. Love those questions :)

Served with crackers but this month we had a new variety - Rosemary Almond and a Spicier version that also differs in colour (both from a new company called The Goodness Company)

This is my all time favourite - Moonlight Shadow - a chocolate spiced moon brownie with THE BEST vanilla ice cream known to man kind. I'm not kidding!

Another newbie this month - on the left is a Chocolate Mint Slice, and on the left is a chewy Goji Cookie. Both delicious.


And then this was the SURPRISE this month. There is always one brand spanking new dessert on the menu that noone knows about unless they come to the cafe. It was the MESSY COLADA! A light, soft, creamy Chocolate Mousse served with a fresh orange slice, orange chocolate pieces and finished with a rich chocloate sauce.

Saturday I'm in Love

Saturday morning and I was up at the break of dawn to set off for my 8am COLONIC :) Happy as Larry! I LOVE getting my colonics and the past couple of times I've gone I've also had infra-red saunas that are TO DIE FOR! I walk out of my therapists place feeling like I'm GLOWING and I'm BEAMING with enthusiasm for whatever life throws at me next! I've got a spring in my step, sunshine from within, and a smile on my face :)

I met up with my cousin down the road at the Newtown Vegan Bake Sale to grab some cruelty free goodies for my mum who beautifully indulges her sweet tooth daily, and to say hi to my friend Mandee (who has a great blog of her own here) who runs the stall. Doing her usual FABULOUS baking and organising, they raised a whopping $994.45 for A Poultry Place in Canberra this time around. Good work!


I later did a couple of house inspections with Brock before we stopped in at Taste Organics for a bite to eat with Maya at the cafe as it was the last day it will be open for a while. I was hanging out for some raw ice cream of hers that is DELISH and to my excitement/surprise/indulgence/happiness/every-other-yummy-word-you-can-think-of... she had made ICE CREAM SANDWICHES!! So so so good - but silly me forgot to take a pic for you all.

The rest of my afternoon was spent making raw soup and hitting up the gym for my favourite class before I was out with good friends for a Raw Potluck in Turramurra.
I made my favourite Spiced Carrot Soup, Maya had cakes from the cafe, Brock made a big tasty coleslaw and a beaut green salad, Tam had the greatest choc-banana pudding (that was only made better with dried bananas dipped into it), and Tsung brought loads of sweet juicy organic oranges (we had as appetisers, palate cleansers inbetween meals, and as "after dinner mints").

We GORGED on coleslaws, kale salads, curried cauliflower, sweet potato slices in some sort of dressing that I feel in love with and still can't put my taste buds to working out what it was... parsnip mash, live fries with sundried tomato sauce, mini sausages wrapped in eggplant strips, soups, saurekraut, garden salads, fresh fruit...

Dessert was UNREAL and even though I wasn't initially feeling like alot, I did eat alot. Here's my DESSERT MOUNTAIN (mind you that was only the first helping).


There is a mango passionfruit sorbet to the right that was deliciously refreshing amongst all the CACAO. An apricot pie that was gooey and sticky but a bit much for me, a dark rich gooey CACAO pie, Tam's AMAZING cacao-banana-avo-mousse-pudding that we dipped our dried banana fingers into and used as spoons (MMM), and a very sweet yummy pecan pie pictured here. Ontop of all that (or as well as once inside my happy tummy) we shared beautiful sliced bananas with coconut and sultanas, a chocolate mint ice cream, an apple and date 'dip' with celery sticks (strange but really good to break up so much cacao), Maya's coconut pie, little chocolate balls, and itty bitty almond date fudge pieces. Wow.


Maya, Tam and I before our cacao-high-laughter fits

Delicious food, beautiful company, close friends and new people to mingle with, everyone had a blast, ate too much, laughed even more and went home BLISSED andblessed by the evening shared, and the full moon eclipse we were so lucky to have seen - helping us all cast off the old and move on with the new (side note - mid next month we have another eclipse, this time a new Moon so between now and then it's up to us all to think about where we know we have to make changes...)

Brock and I braved the cold for a 45minute 'digestive' walk back home at 11pm, making the most of the beautiful moonlight, and then sleeping like babies :)