It’s time to spring into a new way of cooking. As much as I absolutely love constructing home-cooked meals, I know that not everyone, myself included, has hours to spend cooking up a feast in the kitchen every single day. Many of us lead very busy lives and have demanding tasks to attend to, often leaving the food we eat as the last priority.

While we all know that processed and take-away foods are something that shouldn’t be encouraged, especially for families, in the age of convenience, it can sometimes seem to be the only viable option. However, these foods are often made of unhealthy ingredients and can actually cost you more in the long-run.

It’s completely understandable why some people are under the impression that cooking healthy and nourishing home-cooked meals can leave you with little money or time to spare. When you look at your favourite TV chef, competitive cooking show or favourite cook on Instagram, the extraordinary meals that are created can seem out of bounds for us. They’re over-complicated, could never actually feed a whole family and are a bit too delicate for our likings. It’s time to get real; we need to cook meals that fill both our stomachs for a few hours and our fridges for a few meals.

It’s time to create dishes that last the distance in the kitchen; versatile dishes that can help save both money and time without compromising quality, health benefits or taste.

This is the perfect solution to our modern-day problem. While we lack the time, and quite frankly, the energy, we need to cook every day for hours, I’m going to show you how you can become one with your kitchen and cut your food bills in half. If you’re ready to create fresh, stress-free and nutrition-packed meals for you and the whole family, it’s important to find uncomplicated meals that are tasty, simple and use affordable and sustainable ingredients. This is the key to making your kitchen experience an effortless and more importantly, an enjoyable one.

By cooking in larger batches and creating a ‘base meal’, you can reclaim it to make delicious meals that can live on for another meal or four.  Don’t get me wrong, re-using food doesn’t have to mean eating soggy leftovers or re-heating the same, boring prepared meal for a week straight. You can actually create different meals out of your meals, to prevent you from total boredom, food wastage and time wastage too.

In order to do so, you need to be inspired by the idea of consuming and creating a home-cooked, nourishing meals. There’s nothing better than the feeling of a fresh, warm meal, especially when it’s infused with love. When you’re able to reuse your kitchen creations in a style of continuum cooking, you won’t need to spend hours every day slaving over a hot stove. Continuum cooking allows you to cook with love and of course, spend more time with your loved ones.

Chicken Schnitzel is definitely an old-school family favourite. They’re the perfect treat and loved by children and adults alike. However, traditional, take-away schnitzels can be mad with relatively unhealthy ingredients that can leave tummies tied up in knots. These versatile schnitzel recipes makes for the perfect weeknight meal, school lunch and Sunday dinner.

RECIPE A

Chicken schnitzels with parsnip mash and garden salad 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Schnitzels 

• 6 chicken breasts, sliced in half widthways to form 12 pieces (4 for tonight’s dinner, 8 for the next recipes) 
• 1⁄2 cup arrowroot (or tapioca flour) 
• 3 eggs, whisked 
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup coconut flour 
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• Sea saltand pepper

Mash (There’s enough here allowing you to save half for Recipe C)

• 1 onion diced 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 medium parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped 
• 1 tsp thyme 
• 1 tsp oregano
• Sea saltand pepper

Salad 
(There’s enough here to create Recipes B and C as well.) 

• 4 large handfuls rocket 
• 1 cup button mushrooms, halved 
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 1⁄2 cup Kalamata olives 
• 1⁄2 avocado, diced 
• Small handful fresh basil leaves, torn 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• Sea saltand pepper

Schnitzels 

To make the crumb mixture, add the almond meal, coconut flour, paprika, sea salt and pepper to a shallow bowl, mixing to combine.

Place the eggs into a shallow bowl and whisk. Place the arrowroot flour in a separate shallow bowl.

Dip each piece of chicken into the arrowroot flour, then egg mixture, then the crumb mixture. Make sure that they are evenly coated.

Pre-heat a large fry pan on medium-high heat with 1 tbsp coconut oil. Cook each schnitzel for 4-5 minutes on each side, adding a fresh tbsp of oil each new round of schnitzels (cooking 4 at a time, depending on the size of your fry pan).

Set aside 8 of the schnitzels for Recipes B and C, first allowing to cool to room temperature then placing into a sealed container and refrigerating for up to 3 days.

Salad 

Place rocket, basil, mushrooms, tomatoes and olives in a bowl and combine.Separate half the mixture and set aside in a bowl, refrigerating until preparation of Recipes B and C (this will keep undressed in the refrigerator for up to 5 days).

With the remaining half, add avocado, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well to combine.

Mash 


Sauté onion in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp water in a large pot for 3-4 minutes.

Place the chopped parsnips into the pot with enough boiling water to cover. Add herbs and seasoning. Stir to combine ingredients.

Bring to the boil and turn down to simmer, cooking for 25 minutes, or until parsnips are soft.

Turn off heat and carefully pour out the parsnip broth into a jar, leaving just a little bit of water in the bottom of the pot.

Add remaining olive oil to mixture. Using a stick blender, or transferring to a food processor, blend until pureed. Set aside.

The leftover broth can be stored in the fridge and used as a vegetable broth or you can drink it right away as a nourishing beverage.

To serve, place a piece of schnitzel on each of the 4 serving plates, with a generous scoop of mash and side salad.

RECIPE B

Chicken Schnitzel and broccoli salad 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cooked chicken schnitzels 
• half of the leftover salad from Recipe A 
• 2 large handful chopped cos lettuce leaves (or our choice of lettuce) 
• 1 cup broccoli florets, washed 
• 1 cup cauliflower florets, washed 
• 1⁄2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped 

ACV Dressing 

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic 
• 1⁄2 tsp ginger 
• Sea saltand pepper

METHOD

Place cauliflower into a pot of boiling water, cooking for 4-5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for a further 3 minutes. Remove vegetables from pot and set aside.

In a large salad bowl, add cos lettuce, leftover salad from recipe A, broccoli and cauliflower, stirring to combine.

To make the dressing, add all dressing ingredients to small bowl and mix well with a spoon to combine.

Pour dressing over the salad and mix again so dressing coats the salad well.

Spoon salad into serving plates and sprinkle a quarter of the walnuts over each salad. Slice each chicken schnitzel in half and place on top of salad so each plate receives 2 half pieces.

Sprinkle with some extra sea salt and serve

RECIPE C 

Chicken schnitzel wrap with lemon and parsnip spread 

4 wraps

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken schnitzels, cut into thin diagonal strips 
• 4 gluten free wraps (see my recipe in the continuum cooking day section)
• 1 grated carrot 
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon 
• Leftover mash from Recipe A 
• Leftover salad from recipe A 
• Sea saltand pepper

METHOD

Lay out the 4 wraps on your kitchen bench.

Spread a heaped spoonful of parsnip mash down the centre of each crepe.

Add all other ingredients evenly across the 4 crepes and season with sea salt and pepper. Squeeze a touch of lemon juice in each crepe.

Roll into cylinders, curling in the bottom edge so filling doesn’t fall out.

Cover in foil and store in the refrigerator until it’s time to take to work or school. Lasts in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. 

If you’re anything like me, you’ll agree that cars are really only useful for one thing: getting you from A to B. Whenever I can, I choose to walk to places and have always had the luxury of choosing homes that are close to public transport. I think we can all agree that one of the worst things about cars are the expenses. Car costs, petrol and insurance always seem to creep up on you. Whether it’s taking it in for a service, filling up petrol or getting a new slip, I’ve always tried to get down and thrifty with it. I’m sharing with you my six hot tips for saving money on your car – you’ll thank me later.

1. Whenever I go down a hill, I make sure to lift my foot off the accelerator to save on petrol. At first, I found it a bit scary to just let it roll but sometimes, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do! I also avoid speeding or rapidly accelerating because one, being safe is really cool and two, it doesn’t burn through my petrol as quickly.
2. Make sure your tyres are always inflated to the right height to save on petrol… trust me, it works.
3. Whenever I’m picking someone up and I’m waiting for them to come outside, I turn the engine off. By standing (or sitting!) idly by, you can go through a lot more petrol than you realise. It takes less petrol to re-start the car than by waiting with your tank on.
4. Stop braking up – your car that is! While aggressively speeding can make you whizz through your petrol faster, the same goes for braking suddenly. It’s much better to slow down into a halt than brake in a hurry.
5. If you’re handy, or you know someone who is, get your (or their) hands on some easy car repairs. You may try changing the lights or fuses by yourself but before you do, find some online tutorials before diving head-first into your trunk.
6. Ditch the car and walk! I seriously love walking and I know just how good it is for my mental health, physical health and savings. Here’s an easy way to junk your car.
7. If you must still use your car, then Route4Me route optimisation software is an ideal way to save petrol as it finds the shortest, most fuel-efficient route to all of your destinations. This route optimisation helps to reduce fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear.

The other day, I was thinking of what presents I could give to some of my family and friends for the upcoming holiday festivities. They know I've never been interested in buying fast-fashion that lasts a season or trinkets that get thrown away a mere few months into the new year so, they await an individualised, and often DIY, gift from me. What could I gift this time?

I was walking around my house and noticed that one of my lights were starting to fade. This my dears friends, is what I truly call a lightbulb moment - I was going to make a DIY lightbulb vase!

Forget out with the old and in with the new, here at Supercharged Food HQ, we’re all about in with the old and out with the new. There’s nothing I love more than reusing and upcycling for a renovated and eco-friendly lifestyle and gift.

Rather than wasting a lightbulb that’s served its purpose, beautify it and include some nature in your home while you’re at it too. This simple craft of making your own light-bulb vase only takes a few minutes per bulb. If you’re looking for a simple ‘thank you’ gift or easy way to brighten up your home or next event, you’ve got to light the way with a light-bulb vase. They’re totally the new thing – just scroll through your Pinterest!

There’s nothing that lifts my cheeks more than than reusing and upcycling - it makes me feel like I'm a serious contestant on a home  renovation show. Plus, it can help contribute towards living a more  eco and budget-friendly lifestyle.

So, the next time you have to take out an old light bulb, think twice before you throw it away.

So now for the real question – how on earth do you do it?

Well, you’ll need:

• Old light bulbs
• A needle nose plier
• Nail set
• Hammer
• Wire/floral wire for the hanging vase
• Wire cutters
• A wooden dowel
• Drill
• Electric tape (optional)

Be mindful that you’re working with glass so maybe it’s time to take a selfie with some safety goggles and gloves. Your Instagram feed will thank me later.

Method:

• First thing’s first – over a rubbish bin, use the nail set and hammer to break apart the bulb. Be extra careful here as you’re playing with glass.
• Once you’re done, remove the small silver layer with your pliers and throw the black glass into the bin. Next, break the layer inside the glass carefully, again using the nail set and hammers. Also, break off any pieces around the inside edge of the bulb.
• Now for the fun parts – remove the inside of the bulb with your needle nose pliers. Also shake out the loose glass so you’re just left with the vase.
• Once you have your vase, drill a hole that’s big enough for your wire to fit in. Now, cut your wire into about 50cm or 20-inch pieces. Pull the wire through the dowel and start wrapping it around the dowel clockwise approximately 2-3 times.
• Use the wire cutters to remove the wire from the dowel cutting right at the hole. Adjust if needed by turning the wire with pliers to tighten or loosen it depending on what you need.
• You can now bend the wire down to form a base, shaping it whichever way you like.
• If you want to make a hanging vase, drill two holes in the bulb base and attach floral wire.

Ta-da - you’ve just DIY’D a light-bulb vase! Enjoy your upcycled gift and let me know how you went with it.

Have you ever bought yourself some fresh Rosemary from the supermarket for the latest recipe you want to try and by the time you walk through the door it’s already somehow deteriorated?

It’s safe to say, we’re not all born with the green thumb; but that’s okay! There are plenty of ways to get your gardening on besides building a forest in your backyard. Whether you’d describe yourself as inept when it comes to creating botanical creations (hey, you said it, not me!), or you’re an absolute superstar gardener who deserves every award ever, terraria are the perfect low-budget and low-maintenance gifts for pretty much anyone – including yourself.

Get ready to get those gardening boots on and slip on your favourite gloves, you’re about to make your own terrarium.

Firstly, choose an open or closed glass container of some sort – you do you.

Then, cover the bottom with about an inch-sized layer of pebbles or rocks.

Next, it’s time for activated charcoal. Yes, I know you’ve heard about it as the latest wellness trend and our plants love it too! Similar to how you use my Love Your Gut Powder to clear our bacteria, just use a thin layer of activated charcoal to keep the water fresh and prevent mould or bacteria building up.

Then, add some potting soil. Be sure to pick the right soil for what you’re planting – cacti and succulents use different soil to moss and ferns so watch out!

Once you’ve plotted your soil, it’s time to finally place your plants in your newest terrarium creation. Be sure to start with the largest one first so you can squeeze them all in there!

When it’s time to decide where it goes, imagine that you’re planting this beloved beauty into the Amazonian rainforest. The plants need sunlight, but not too much, they also need access to water but you don’t want to drown them! If it does receive too much sun, it’ll give your serious growing pains! Give it sun, but not too much, be like Goldilocks and choose a spot that’s juuuuust right.

I recommend watering them every three months with just a little sprinkle of water. If it starts to smell or look a little dry, it’s time to give it a splash!

Enjoy your terrarium!

Are you looking to get rid of some of your waste… get your head out of the gutter… actually, maybe don’t! Get ready to get your hands right amongst the waste in your gutter. It’s time to talk about composting. By starting a compost system in your house, you can help contribute to a more sustainable future right in your own backyard.

If you’ve never heard of composting, it’s a natural process in which microorganisms help break down food scraps and other natural materials into a re-usable form for growth; it’s the circle of liiiiife (imagine Simba on the rock here). By composting, you can turn your trash into treasure and save money on chemical-filled fertilisers and pesticides. It’s also really fun and is way easier and less-hippie than you may think!

The first step is to find a good location for your bin – be sure to make it somewhere that’s easily accessible for you. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the shade or the sun, just as long as it’s convenient for you.

Then, it’s time to treat yourself to a bin. This can be a standard compost bin or a homemade one. It’s up to you. When you’ve got your bin sorted, it’s time for the fun part – filling it up. Be sure to throw all your fruit and veggie scraps, teabags and flowers into the big. You can also include leaves, twigs, soil and shredded newspaper in the mix too; I’ll explain how now.

Fill the first layer with dried leaves and twigs and be sure to wash it properly as water helps encourage the growth of bacteria which helps compost breakdown. Now fill the second part with all of your food scraps and plant scraps, just as thick as you made the second layer. Then, layer on the dried leaves and twigs again, including some shredded newspaper or veggie scraps too – make sure to add more water and water it down at this stage too. You can then finish it off with a thin layer of soil from your garden to help kickstart the compost growth. Now it’s time to add everything else including other food scraps.

Every time you empty the bin, cover it with some of the twigs and garden disposables to continue building a balanced compost. You’ll know when it’s ready to use when it’s reached a rich and dark soil. When you’re ready to empty it, simply tilt the bin, scrape away the finished compost and start again.

The following can’t be including in your compost bin: onions, lemons, dairy, meat and acidic ingredients as these can impact the pH of the compost.

Oh, and just by the way, just like your digestive system finds it easier when you first chew your food into smaller chunks, your compost bin appreciates the same. By breaking your layers up into smaller pieces, you’ll allow the compost to break down more efficiently.

To keep your compost breathing (yes, I know I said breathing… turns out plants have feelings too. Vegans, I’m looking at you), you need to give it some room to breathe. Be sure to turn it over and fluff it up at least monthly with some kind of garden fork or compost turner tool which you can get from a gardening store.

There you go – your compost bin is ripe and ready to use!

Are you ready to Supercharge Your Life?

In celebration of my new book release in February 2019 and in partnership with Booktopia, I’ve wrangled a very special pre-order discount for you, if you’re keen to get your hands on a copy. You can read more about it here. Or if you're in the US you can order a copy here. 

Supercharge Your Life, is a book that culminates all that I’ve learnt throughout my journey of life and the years of research, cooking and writing I’ve enjoyed during the creation of Supercharged Food.

To be perfectly honest, in the world of wellness I’ve seen the waves of fad diets, exotic superfoods and kale smoothies rage and settle. I’ve also observed the underbelly of the wellness movement; where the extreme focus on clean eating can create more anxiety than it’s really worth.

I wrote this new book to take the fear out of food again. My aim is that it will be a breath of fresh air for our relationship with food; widening our focus from the meaning of food simply being a potential catalyst for health or harm- towards a much broader and truly holistic perspective.

Food ties through every part of our lives, and when we perceive a broader appreciation of food and its power, we can lighten up a little; connecting food with purpose and joy once again!

The book includes over one hundred and sixty tried and tested, nourishing recipes that will cover every occasion from breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and festive occasions. The food as always is underpinned by my Supercharged principles of anti-inflammatory, balanced meals that draw from the traditional wisdom of Ayurveda. There are no fandangled ingredients in these pages; just honest, real, accessible food as close to nature as possible.

To help you understand the diverse, multifaceted power that extends from your relationship with food, I bring forward the concept of The Seven Keystones Of Life: Home and Family, Friends and Community, Career and Passion, Finances, Health and Longevity- with Love and Food at the centre of it all. I take you on a journey of how each of these areas represents a complex cultural, philosophical and even political relationship to food, and how each keystone is interwoven.

I explore concepts such as leading your household’s food culture, voting for the ethical production of food with our wallets, food as fuel for our passions and creativity, hospitality as the language of the heart, our food choices being key to a long and a fulfilling life and cultivating a respect for the wonder of earth's provision of food that traces back to our ancestors.

Supercharge your life is broken up into three sections: Eat, Love and Connect:

The kitchen truly is the heart of the home, and as a pragmatist, I’ve made sure to include all the “how to’s” for creating your ideal kitchen, understanding flavour profiles and pairings, building a spice rack and stocking your pantry, fridge and freezer slowly and systematically; ensuring the heart of your home is a supercharged paradise.

With our lives becoming more and more full, one of the easiest things to go out the window is our food organisation- so I’ve included a detailed section on how to simplify your meal preparation and food budget, so you can eat wholesome and affordable food whether you’re a large family or a cash-strapped student. With an extended segment of “The Lost Art of Cooking Vegetables” you’ll have all the tips and knowledge on how to turn cheap, everyday veg into a wonderous feast.

Love is all about the heart, baby! Both your own heart, and the heart of what food is truly all about: hospitality, sharing love through nourishing and delicious food and creating memories with those we adore most. This is about shifting from a perspective of food and cooking as an inconvenience or a chore, towards a fresh rekindling of love towards the natural, instinctive and utterly human behaviour of turning base ingredients into something to savour.

Have you ever actually stopped to relish in the magical interplay of nature’s forces, and how our food makes its way from soil to plate? In this section I really delve into my own food philosophy including my adoration for the ancient healing art of Ayurveda and eating with mindfulness and gratitude and the ways in which we can open our eyes to the power of our food choices as a way of loving this planet we call home- including tips on my top ingredients for growing in your own edible garden.

I get a little political in here too- waving my banner for purposeful and ethical food choices so that we can make positive change in our food systems. Seeing your food budget as an investment into your world and your time in the kitchen as a way of loving your community is a way to spark new love and appreciation for food and its purposeful place in your life. I share a range of delightful recipes in this section; from how to create your own supercharged fruit infused water jars, and pot luck delicacies such as my super green hummus with turmeric and sesame crackers that can be taken along to gatherings and picnics.

Here is where we connect all the dots. You’ll learn about what eating for pleasure really looks like, the psychology of eating, how to identify whether you're eating from a place of freedom or fear; and how to let go of our intrinsic “immortality complex”. You’ll discover how to transform your thinking from fearful towards a liberated relationship to eating.

It really is my belief that food should first and foremost be enjoyed and savoured, and with so much nutritional information out there, we can be frozen like a deer in headlights when it comes to choosing what to eat. Casting the chains off a rule-based approach to food, I really take us back to good old fashioned, common sense eating.

Connection is all about relationships, and what’s better than food to bring people together? I really focus in on meal times as one of the most important rituals in our day for both nourishment and connection with our loved ones, with some friendly tips and reminders on why this is so important. I educate you on how to re-create the lost art of meal times in a busy twenty-first-century world; including some Pinterest worthy tablescape inspirations that'll be sure to turn your next mealtime gathering into something that places beauty and value on those at your table.

This truly has been a delightful process and I’ve poured my heart and soul into a book that'll hopefully impart in you a new sense of freedom, joy and connection into your life through the power of wholesome food.

I adore every single one of these recipes and hope you will too!  

I’d love to share a recipe from the book that’ll be sure to spread love to all your friends and family. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think in the comments section below. And to find out more about the Booktopia special click here. 

Layered salted caramel peanut fudge

{serves 4–6}

This is one of my favourite freezer desserts, and I like to keep it ready to grab at a moment’s notice. A decadent delight, it homes in on the irresistible flavour combo of caramel and sea salt. The unique peanutty edge makes it fulfilling for adults with a cuppa, but also brings plenty of happiness to little kids.

Fudge

• 270 g (9¹₂ oz/1 cup) almond butter
• 80 ml (2¹₂ fl oz/¹₃ cup) coconut oil, melted
• 90 g (3¹₄ oz/¹₄ cup) rice malt syrup
• 30 g (1 oz/¹₄ cup) raw cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Salted caramel and peanut

• 90 g (3¹₄ oz/¹₄ cup) rice malt syrup
• 2 tablespoons cashew butter or other nut butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• sea salt, to taste
• 35 g (1¹₄ oz/¹₃ cup) roasted salted peanuts

Method:

Line a 12 × 18 cm (4¹₂ × 7 inch) baking tin with baking paper.

To make the fudge layer, whiz the almond butter and coconut oil in a food processor until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin to 3 cm (1¹₄ inches) deep and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

For the salted caramel and peanut layer, clean the food processor then process all the ingredients except the peanuts until the mixture has a caramel-like consistency.

Spoon the salted caramel over the fudge, smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula, then scatter the peanuts over and press them in gently. Freeze for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. If stored frozen for longer, it may need some time in the fridge to soften a little before serving.

Sprinkle with extra salt before serving, if you like.