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

ALIVE IN A NEW CITY, SLOWLY GETTING MY FOOTING (and energy) BACK

So here I am. Sitting with a black sapote and a licorice tea up in Queensland's Far North Cairns. It’s not the typical hot sunshine drenched day you might ponder in your thoughts today, but nonetheless I am still in short and a tshirt – a far cry from my thermals, trakkies, ski socks, ugg boots, scarf and dressing gown I used to wear around my place in Sydney only last week. Yep I’ve made the big move and such explains my absence from here. Well that and trying to finish last assessments, cram for exams, see people, pack, clean, the list went on.

Saturday Night Potluck Feast

Saturday night was the last raw food pot-luck in Sydney as we've known it, as the wonderful woman behind it all has decided to step away for the time being due to health issues. Every month she would organise events at different locations, get lucky-door prizes sorted, and much more, so it will definitley be sad to see her go, but the much needed rest she is after will do her the world of good I'm sure. And who knows - someone else might step in and take over and we'll have more Sydney pot-lucks in the future... And maybe I'll begin organising them up in Cairns when I get there - more about that soon.
I took loads of piccies of all the amazing food as usual, so will keep the word content short and sweet so your eyes can do the talking as you scroll through the mouth watering morsels that were our dinner.

First up - My big plate of everything piled up ontop -now what exactly is all this??

Carrot Falafels with Tahini Sauce

Cauli-Brocc-Dill-Avo-Orange Salad

The most delicious Garden Salad - with macadamias! My fav :)

A yummy Cabbage and Veggie Salad - walnuts tossed through for extra crunch

My dinner highlight - Raw Dolmades!! Wow these were incredible!

Cabbage Slaw - one of those great dishes to soak up the goodies scattered amongst your dinner plate

Veggie Salad with colourful Greens

Chunky Creamy Curried Vegetables

Salad spread

That scrumptious macadamia salad again

My guacamole and the creamy cauli-brocc salad

Most of the dishes on half the table - I got so excited to see so many colourful salads!

Two different sauces for the Zucchini Pasta

Little blob of babaganoush on the left there - that was incredibly and delectably smokey

We absolutley polished every salad dish off with next-to-nothing to spare! That's how good it all was. But a pot luck is never complete without desserts, and often there are so so many you make yourself a little sick, so I was quite pleased to see less than usual, and most based on fruits not cacao (now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my cacao, love love LOVE it, but too much does make me feel ill, and too much is an easy thing to let happen at a pot-luck).
So for the desserts...

Pear Baklava Crumble deliciously moist with pistaccio's smothering the top

Mmm ooey gooey goodness!

Fruit Salad with Crunchy Mature Coconut

Soft and sweet Carob-Banana-Coconut Balls - had myself a few of these babies

 And the grand finale...

Strawberry Ganache Fudge Cake - YUM!

I had an absolute ball seeing everyone again - people I know, people I was yet to meet. I love the banter that goes on a pot-lucks where everyone shares what works for them in relation to the food intake, what doesn't, things they've read about, hints and tips for things, connecting like minded people, enjoying fabulous food and company!

So as I mentioned above, I might start this sort of thing up in Cairns! Yep it's official I am moving to Cairns! I've made little mention of it in previous blogs as I decided exactly what I wanted to do and what was in my best interest for my studies. With all that (and more) in mind, I have made the decision, booked my flight, and will be leaving Sydney for Cairns July 18th! I will be continuing my Nutritional Medicine studies, but doing modules in class as oppose to via distance education as I have been doing. I'm very much looking forward to the warmer weather, spending time with my big sister who lives up there, meeting new friends, and study buddies, and living in a different city. I can't wait to go, but as I still have so much to do before the big day, I'm quite content with the days passing slowly!

Until next time... a quote to keep you inspired...

"The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison" 
- Ann Wigmore

Recipe to make You Feel Soup-er!

As I've sat on my couch all day at home, finishing assessments whilst surfing the web in procrastination, I envy all the American people getting ready for Summer, whipping up fruit cocktails, frozen popsicles, fresh produce... not that we can't have it down here, but you'd be mad too! Sydney has been so darn cold of late I'm wondering if my fingers are going to soon fall off! I've always been one to feel the cold, but I'm not over-exaggerating here. My friends will agree. It's FREEZING!!

But cold weather doesn't always equate to getting a cold - unless you've got family that come to visit all weekend, and leave a trail of sore throats, coughs, headaches, running noses, bodily aches and pains... Welcome to my last 24hrs. Yep, what a nice place to be. It's funny how whenever we're healthy and have to go to work in the rain, we secretly wishe we were sick at home on the couch watching day time soap's whilst our loved ones would wait on us hand and foot with scrumptious food, showers of affection, love and get well wishes....

Well I'm sure there are plenty of lucky people out there who get all that when they're sick (I know I used too - when I was 7yrs old), but not me. I had trouble sleeping last night due to a severe sore throat that I was genuinely surprised to find was not tonsilitis when I got up and opened my gob to the mirror this morning. I made the tough decision to bail on my clinic hours today (yes, I LOVE going in, and that was not a sarcastic tone), stomached a coconut water and a teaspoon of honey (couldn't do anything else), then wandered up the road to grab a juice and a few veggies to make a pot of soup for the day. I took my Manuka honey, miso paste, veggies and herbal tea, and walked the 3 houses down to my mum's place where I could sit and do assessments all day by the heater, whilst my soup would brew on the stove (mum was going to be for more than half the day anyway and the few hours she would be home was with the kids she nanny's for, which means WARNING CHRISTIE, you'll get no study done... but still... there's just something about being in your mum's home when your not feeling well.

My 

Dear-Lord-I-don't-want-fruit,salad,nuts,anything-right-now-but-help-me-feel-better 

Veggie Soup 

Recipe

1 onion
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 swede
1 parsnip
1 tsp miso paste


Chop all veggies, throw 'em in a pot, cover with water and plop in miso paste. Cook until soft enough to eat. It probably took me about 45minutes. I've had it left on the stove all day. Reheated a bit in the afternoon. Will do the same in a couple hours for dinner. If you like garlic, but all means add it. If I had it I would have!  ENJOY!!

The assortment of veggies I used was purely and simply coz when I went to the store, they were pre-bagged up for soup making, and the first thing you grab when you feel shit, is usually the way it goes. You can use any others you like. My girlfriend Janine from Simply Raw swears by loads of garlic and a pinch of chilli in her soup!


Later on I made a herbal tea for my throat and threw in sliced lemons for an extra kick-up-the-pants! Most herbal tea's will help a sore throat due to the warming effect and herbal properties. Pick what you like, make your own, or go buy one. We sell a Zen Throat Soother loose leaf tea that we make ourselves that's amazing where I work.

I've had a few small bowls of my soup and a few cups of tea. Went for another short walk to get some fresh air, then made a fresh O.J. All up, if you look at what's in the soup, in terms of quantity, it's a far cry from my usual calorie intake, but (1) when you're sick and don't feel like eating, don't eat! Your body knows best and right now, it's need rest! and (2) I wanted to eat minimal to let my body rest and heal, but you do need some nutrients or you'll flake and your body can't work with nothing anyway - especially if you're trying to do college assessments.

The only other things I can add which I'm sure you're all aware of (but whether you do or do not when feeling under the weather) would be:

- keep your fluids up
- phone a friend for a chat
- really listen to your intuition; a girlfriend of mine only just told me that when she feels sick she craves junk food and eats white bread, strawberry jam, lollies, soft drinks... I wanted nothing this morning but juice, and my first soup serving hours later was tiny! A typical day of eating for me would have usually included 6 bananas, more fruit, a big salad and some nibbles all in that same length of time!
- chew slowly; this will make sure everything gets broken down well making digestion easier on your body and ensuring no upset tummies later on
- try sticking to foods that are easier to digest
take time out to rest; easier said than done I am well aware, but it can mean feeling crappy for a day or two versus a week or two
- start that book you've been meaning too, watch that DVD you haven't had time too, or write that blog post you've been trying to squeeze in somewhere the last little while ;)

The sooner you're feeling AMAZING again (me too) you (and I) can get back to our usual beautiful bubbly selves :)

Mocha-Chip Smoothie

I thought I'd share something a little more tasty than our last poo talks here and here this time around.
I've got my delicious Mocha-Chip Smoothie recipe for you.

I'm not sure if I've made mention or not here before but I am partial to a (damn) good double espresso. No milk. No sugar. Nothing. If it's good coffee... mmmm it's BLISS. I put it down to my barista-ing for 8yrs that I have a bit of a snobbery when it comes to good coffee - but with good reason in my opinion. Why pay for something if you're not going to enjoy it right?

Anyway... it's not a daily ritual for me, as it is for some. It's not even a weekly one. I go through periods where I don't want it for months on end, and then I want it twice in two days. For me, I do notice though if I have coffee everyday, it affects my adrenals and before i know it, I'm tired, lethargic, stroppy, cranky, I have no energy... the list goes on. Maybe it's due to all those coffee's I drank daily behind the machine I don't know?

I find my adrenals are the first thing to go when I'm not looking after myself so I have to watch my intake of this oh-so-delicious beverage enjoyed my millions daily worldwide.

So, I came up with a sneaky alternative for when I really want my (two) shots, but know it's not in my best interest -

Mocha-Chip Smoothie

4 1/2 small bananas (I ate half in the process)
1 cup water
2 heaped teaspoons of cacao powder
8 organic coffee beans
3 fresh dates
2 tablespoons of cacao nibs
drop or two of vanilla


Blend everything except the cacao nibs until smooth. Then add the nibs and pulse once or twice more. Doing it this way ensures the coffee beans have been pulverised a fair bit, but you still get your cacao crunchies.


If you've got a cupboard full of superfoods, other add-ins I love include (1 tsp) acai, (1/4 tsp) pau d'arco, (1/8 tsp) licorice root, even goji berries.

If it's hot where you are, use frozen bananas! If it's cold (like Sydney at the moment - OH MY GOD!), use warm water to warm them bones. If you want less banana's you can easily do that also. I had this smoothie this morning after a run and was starving!

So delicious this one is, and in comparison to a double shot espresso (using god knows how many hundreds of beans), this recipe only uses 8 teeny tiny baby ones! But the coffee flavour is sure there!

Enjoy!!  :)

POO TALK PART 2

So how’d you all go with my last post? Not too put off I hope.

If so, well too bad, ‘cause here’s Part 2. I wanted to go a little further into our ‘poo’ topic as I think it’s something that no-one really talks about it (properly) or knows about… a lot of people get squeamish at the mere though of it and whenever I ask people how often they go if it’s relevant when they come to see me at the health food store, I get a non-existent answer. Like I said, no-one wants tot talk about it.

WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR POO? PULL UP A STOOL

Ok somewhat 'controversial' in the sense that would anyone actually write about that? is my post today.

It was Monday morning that the idea for this post came to my mind. And I actually got so excited about it I finished getting ready for my day before jumping online and beginning the draft for this - as I'm jetting off to work in about an hour and know I won't finish it.

So what am I talking about?

Soul Food

I've come to realise in these past few days that one thing I thrive off, that feeds my soul, makes me smile and fills me with joy is creativity. Maybe not such an AHA moment of sorts, but as I've been trying to finish a bunch of assessments to hit my study goals for May, I feel like all I've been doing is assessment after assessment after assessment... which is true. In and around the health food store, going for walks or runs and whatever else I seem to fill my days with, all I've been doing is assessment after assessment after assessment. Don't get me wrong, I love my studies (Biology has actually been fascinating for me - no joke!), learning new things and going WHOAH when I read something that blows my mind, but it can kinda get to feel a little like ground-hog day.

So as I worked everyday bar one this week, I decided to do a few things differently so as not to get all tied up in stress and continuous worry about the lack of college work that would get done, when I've usually got more than half each week to do it.

I got creative. And more creative. And more. And I loved every little bit of it I feel like my happy pot has been filled up again and I'm ready for more!

I found a few recipes of home-made beauty products from a magazine I kept from years ago and decided I wanted to make some things from it; I'd run out of my mouth wash and it's not cheap so instead I made my own Double-Mint mouthwash. I also made a Stimulating Hair Oil and a Fragrant Hair Tonic.

Double Mint Mouthwash

1 Tbsp dried spearmint
1 Tbsp dried peppermint
180ml boiling water
5 drops tea tree essential oil
3 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops clove essential oil


- Place the herbs in a bowl. Pour over the boiling water, cover the bowl, and steep for 30mins. Strain.
- Add essential oils, mix well, and pour into a dark glass bottle.
This is only a small amount but shouldn't be kept much longer than a week. For one person you could get away with halving this recipe.

The mints are effective at banishing odour and making your mouth sweet and fresh. Tea tree fights gum disease and is great for receding gums. Clove is both antiseptic and healing. Warning - the mouthwash packs a punch!

The process of making these is what I loved - the creativity of it. I had a spoonful of this herb, a spoonful of that herb in stainless steel bowls, covered in hot water to steep until cool, adding essential oils, straining, adding other things like apple cidar vinegar and pouring them into little bottles and making my own labels!  
I felt like a witch in my spell-concocting kitchen!

And I get just as excited when I make Bush Flower Essences; these babies work a treat if you've never tried them! You can buy ready-made combination bottles at health stores; we sell them they sell themselves. I recently did a course on them and found it incredible, and immediately bought some stock bottles to make my own remedies. I've tried different one's for different things, given some to my partner as well, and love getting feedback on these!

I've made up and taken one for the female-hormonal-emotional-drama-type-escapades (girls - you know the ones), another one I tried for a fungal skin infection, one for a lymphatic boost for my acne, and I'm currently trying a bottle of Five Corners which works well for self-sabotage (I had a feeling that a lot of my efforts in clearing my skin might be in vain due to unconscious self sabotage holding onto the acne I've had for so long; an unknown feeling that I'm not sure how to look at myself without it). When I read more about it I was surprised (although everything is divine timing right?) as it also helps with self esteem and a dislike of ones physical body, bringing about more self love and acceptance. Yes please! Alongside taking this remedy for 2 weeks I've got myself affirmations to say -

So far so good. I'm feeling great and sure other things play their roles but I know this remedy is pulling some strings.
But my blog wouldn't be mine without a mere mention of food now would it!! As you might recall from my last post, I haven't had my camera for a while as I rely on the one in my phone, and my phone was bust at the repair store. I knew I used my phone camera a lot, but I was surprised how much. Still not totally fixed, I can't get onto Facebook from my phone, so can't upload any pics I can now take, onto FB. Argh!! I've got my fingers crossed for the most delicious super-duper inexpensive camera I can one day afford! But I digress - where were we? Ah of course Food! Yesterday evening I decided to come up with some sort of  a-make-do-tabouli for dinner (that is "hey I've got loads of parsley - the main ingredient, but not a lot else...hmmm"). Having 2 massive bunches of parsley I wanted to juice, but realising I had nothing else to juice them with, (good one Christie) I instead made tabouli! And it was so good!


Make-Do Tabouli

1 bunch flat leaf parsley
2 small tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 lemon (squeezed)
drizzle of garlic infused olive oil (I got lazy here; you can use fresh garlic and oil of your choice)
sea salt to taste


Chop parsley until fine. Throw in a medium sized. Dice tomatoes and onion. Add them to the bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over, drizzle oil, sprinkle salt. Voila!

I added this to a bowl of kale and sunflower sprouts I had and enjoyed it in front of the fire at mum's place whilst the others ate spaghetti bolognese.

And then with cravings for some sweeties and there being nothing to have (according to them - meaning no ice cream), I pulled a few things out of the pantry and made fudgy chocolate balls, and sweet halva balls. No pics of these I'm afraid as they got demolished too quickly! Sometimes the experience of eating something far beats waiting for a happy snap! And again I got some creative juices going and had another smile on my dial :D

On another note though, I finished all my Biology assessments yesterday!! I had 21 in total and they have taken me since last October to complete and I am so so happy to say they are all done! YAY!! I've still got a few Nutrition assessments to do, and then 2 exams before I jet up north but know they will all get done.

But I've gotta dash up the road now to grab some things with mum. I've got a few surprise announcements up my sleeve; I'll save them for a rainy day, so stay tuned! All very exciting!! I hope all is well out there in blogging land with you all! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekends :)