Lee – Page 34 – Supercharged Food

A Year of Beautiful Eating + Roast Lamb and Ramen Recipes

Madeleine Shaw, a wonderful nutritional health coach from London, has just released her latest book A Year of Beautiful Eating and I must say, it's everything that I look for in a cookbook and more!

A Year of Beautiful Eating explores the art of eating healthily to achieve inner and outer beauty all year round. It contains over one hundred wholesome recipes that are made according to the season and help to recognise what our body needs to feel and look its best throughout the year.

Like many of us, Madeleine turned to health after feeling constantly lethargic and bloated. She embarked on a health journey to Sydney, one of the healthiest cities in the world (go Sydney!), to discover the art of eating well and living a more energised life. This is when she started to learn how to listen to her body and give it what it needed. Madeleine began to fall back in love with food, life and most importantly, herself.

After this revelation, she was inspired to help others back in London, and across the world, do the same.

Madeleine is now a food blogger, nutritional health coach and mum to be.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with her over lunch, last time I was in London launching my book Fast Your Way to Wellness and let me tell you, she practices what she preaches! Madeleine delivers her philosophy of keeping things simple, delicious and deprivation-free. She is lovely in real life and glows from the inside out.

Madeleine believes in healthy eating, not starvation and deprivation. More than anything, A Year of Beautiful Eating teaches you how to live a healthy life, not just follow a diet. The recipes are sugar-free and wheat-free and will be sure to leave you wanting more. Every dish is mouth-watering and simple!

Whether you’re looking to cool off with a Papaya and Peanut Salad in summer, delve into a Slow-Roast Lamb Shoulder with Celeriac Mash and Greens in Autumn, cure your Winter blues with Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies or lovingly lounge with Lamb Chops with Parsnip Mash and Asparagus in Spring, A Year of Beautiful Eating has got you covered. It's the perfect cook book for everyday of the year!

Two of my favourite recipes from the book are the Slow-Roast Lamb Shoulder with Celeriac Mash and Greens and the Chicken Ramen. Yum.

Congratulations on the beautiful new book Madeleine and best of luck with the baby-to-be!

You can follow Madeleine on Instagram here.

Slow-Roast Lamb Shoulder with Celeriac Mash and Greens

Serves 6

2kg lamb shoulder, bone in
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped
2 sprigs of fresh
rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
1 tsp salt
For the celeriac mash
2 celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp butter
½ tsp salt

For the greens

2 bunches of Swiss chard
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh
parsley
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Take the lamb shoulder and rub the garlic, thyme, rosemary and salt into the meat all over. Place in a casserole pot with the lid on, and put in the oven.

Turn the oven down to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 and cook for 4 hours until the meat falls apart.

Shortly before the lamb is cooked, prepare the side dishes. Steam the celeriac over a pan of simmering water for 10 minutes until cooked through, then drain and place in a blender with the mustard, butter and salt. Steam the Swiss chard for 5–6 minutes, then drain and tip into a pan. Add the olive oil, parsley and salt. Sauté for a minute or two.

Serve the lamb with a dollop of mash and a serving of greens.

CHICKEN RAMEN

Serves 2

1 tbsp coconut oil or butter
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
500ml chicken stock
200g button mushrooms
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2 chicken breasts or thighs, cut into strips
100g rice noodles
2 eggs
salt, to taste
2 carrots, julienned
juice of ½ lime
2 spring onions,
finely chopped
1 tbsp toasted
sesame seeds

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Next add the stock, mushrooms, chilli, tamari and chicken pieces.

Cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook your rice noodles as per the packet instructions in a separate pot. In another pot, boil the eggs in plenty of water for 4 minutes, until the whites are cooked but the yolk is still runny. Once cool enough to handle, peel and slice the eggs in half and sprinkle on a little salt.

Just before serving, throw the carrots and cooked noodles into the soup and squeeze in the lime juice. Top with the boiled egg halves, spring onions and sesame seeds, then serve immediately.

These recipes are taken from A Year of Beautiful Eating by Madeleine Shaw, published 20^th April 2017 by Trapeze in Hardback and eBook, priced £20/£10.99.

Probiotic Drinks at Home + Jun with Ginger and Galangal Recipe

One of my favourite parts of the human body, the gut, has taken the health world by storm. Probiotics are foods that help our guts not only survive, but thrive and their popularity is your one-way ticket to wellness.

But why?

Probiotics increase our energy levels, aid in the detoxification process, improve our skin and boost our overall health. From Kombucha to kefir, you can actively transform your gut health with every single probiotic sip.

Felicity Evans is a fellow gut-health crusader. She was initially brought into the health world after a health crisis following the birth of her second daughter. Her disease sparked her interest in all things gut and probiotic. She started to create her own probiotic drinks and the rest they say, is history.

She has also launched her own kefir brand, Imbibe Water Kefir, to help people add more beauty and energy into their everyday lives (we’ll take two please!).

Felicity Evans has released her first book Probiotic Drinks at Home, a step-by-step recipe book with over 50 delicious probiotic drink recipes. Her recipes are low in sugar (only natural sugars here), functional for the body and aimed at helping to boost the immune system. Evans shares her secrets about fermenting, and explains the why and how of each fermentation process.

Probiotic Drinks at Home is the perfect book for anyone looking to improve their gut health and overall immunity. She covers everything from Kombucha to ginger beer.

I was lucky enough to interview Felicity myself and let me tell you, she’s GUT some interesting and innovative ideas!.

If you want to find out more about Felicity or Imbibe Water Kefir, you can go here.

Tell us about your new book?

My new book aims to add more radiance and energy into the lives of everyday people, by helping them create their own probiotic drinks at home. It’s so much more than a recipe book – it’s a new way of living, aimed at connecting the dots between ancient ways of fermenting drinks and our hectic modern lifestyle.

It aims to demystify the process of making your own probiotic drinks at home in a simple and stylish way. Gone are the days of 1000-steps and multiple processes to make the perfect kombucha.

It’s easy to read, beautifully styled (with lots of vines from my garden!) and the steps to fermenting are laid out in a step-by-step way so that it’s super simple to follow! There are pages and pages of troubleshooting tips, FAQs and everything you need to get started.

It’s the type of book I wish I had when I started off my fermentation journey.

I personally make all these drinks every week for my family, and myself and I know they work.

What exactly does a fermentation aficionado do?

We thrive, not just survive!

Seriously, these drinks have totally changed the trajectory of my life so I’m pretty enthusiastic about them. Before I discovered the power of living probiotic drinks, my health was lackluster, my skin was dull and my digestion was slower….. so fermentation is well and truly here to stay in my life!

I’ve found a very natural pace and rhythm to my family life and fermentation slides beautifully into that pace. Usually on a Sunday I’ll make and bottle a 5 litre batch of seasonal kombucha – right now its ginger and turmeric and green tea… in summer it will change to mango, cherry, plum and peach.

Then of course there is my everyday nourishment in the form of Imbibe Living Water Kefir, which is my company – I’ve made a batch of water kefir everyday for the last 3 years, so it’s in my blood now, and if I don’t have it I truly miss it! You really do start to crave these drinks.

In terms of my business, Imbibe Living (imbibeliving.com) my mission is to bring the radiance and energy into every day. I do this by making a range of low sugar organic water kefir elixirs that I stock at over 200 health food stores. I also make fermentation easy for people to access with my homegrown kombucha and water kefir kits and cultures. Part of my service is creating free Ebooks and video tutorials and other resources so that people can find a pathway to probiotic nourishment.

Why are probiotics and probiotic drinks good for you?

In my mind, they are the ultimate beauty food! Seriously, beauty begins within, so to cultivate radiance you need to focus on your gut – and living probiotic drinks are a fabulous adjunct to a healthy diet, good sleep and all the other things we know we should be doing!

Probiotics are the good bacteria that we all need to help us thrive. We are outweighed 10:1 bacteria to human cells, so to thrive, we need to be replenishing the good bacteria in our gut. When you ferment ingredients, the nutrients become more bio-avaliable for the body to digest and absorb.

So for example, making a Beet Kvass (a low sugar fermented beetroot drink), not only are you getting the living probiotics activated through fermentation, you are also getting pre-digested enzymes and nutrients from the beetroots, renowned for their liver and blood cleansing properties.

What are some of the pitfalls you encounter when handcrafting and brewing elixirs?

Oh my gosh! There are so many things that could go wrong! Which is why I wrote this book – to arm you with all the troubleshooting so that if something does go astray, you know exactly what to do to fix the problem!

The main things I find that come up is not understanding how these factors can affect fermentations, leading to people giving up:

Temperature

Because fermenting is so dependent on a myriad of factors, it can be frustrating. E.g. in summer, your ferments could rage and bubble with delight and be perfectly sour in 24 hours. In winter, it could take 14 days, and you may be left wondering if it’s all still working!

Time

Having a diary will really help you understand and track the progress of your ferments so that you understand when they should be ready.

Ingredients

The quality of the ingredients you choose will ultimately affect the fermentation and also the end result of the handcrafted elixirs.

There are a few unusual drink trends surfacing in 2017, from wild mushrooms to blue algae and non-hallucinogenic hemp. As 2016 was the year from kombucha and kefir, what new probiotic drink concoctions are on the horizon for 17?

Ha! Well, I can firmly put my hand up and say I contributed to the blue-green algae drink trend, because I make an organic blue water kefir using blue-green algae!

I think that as 2017 unfolds, we will see consumers being more aware of what constitutes a real living probiotic drink (hint, if its not in the fridge section of your local store, its probably not living!) and choosing small batch, beautifully pure probiotic drinks. I also see water kefir making a huge impact, as people don’t necessarily want to drink dairy kefir, and prefer the lightness of a water kefir.

What’s your favourite recipe from the book, how did you come up with it, and why do you love it?

It would have to be the Jun with Ginger and Galangal. It’s such a light, refreshing and delicious elixir. I was looking for a drink that would give me all the benefits of a living probiotic, but not have that super acidic taste that kombucha can sometimes have. My research lead me to this mystical and mysterious culture called Jun. Jun is an effervescent fermented tea, which only ferments green tea and honey. It has a light taste and sort of sparkles in your mouth. The roundness of the honey almost makes it buttery against the slightly sour characteristic of a fermented drink.

Jun with Ginger and Galangal

Ginger and galangal pair well with the sweet honey notes in the Jun. They can boost circulation and heat the body, calm nausea and aid in digestion. These two rhizomes complement each other well in the flavour department. Ginger has more of a fiery, pungent and sharp taste, whereas galangal is more peppery and aromatic, with tones of pine. The bacteria and yeasts tend to love the ginger and galangal – you will see lots of carbonation building around the rhizomes. If you don’t have both ginger and galangal, just use whichever one you have.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Fermentation time: 6–17 days

Difficulty: Easy–medium

Shelf life: Refrigerate for up to 4 months Makes: About 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups)

Ingredients

1 x basic Jun (recipe below)
2 cm (3/4 inch) piece fresh ginger, skin on, thinly sliced
2 cm (3/4 inch) piece fresh galangal, skin on, thinly sliced

Primary fermentation

Follow the instructions for basic Jun below.

Bottling

Follow the instructions for basic Jun below.

Secondary fermentation

Add the ginger and galangal to the bottle and tightly seal the lid. Leave the bottle on the bench to build carbonation. This could take anywhere from 2–7 days, depending on the temperature. ‘Burp’ the Jun daily to release some pressure by opening the lid slightly and then tightening it again.

Drink up

When the Jun is as fizzy and sour as you like (this could range from a small spritz to a ferocious fizz), store it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process, and enjoy cold.

Tip: you can add more ginger and galangal if you prefer stronger flavours.

Add a squeeze of sweet and fragrant lime juice when serving the Jun.

Basic Jun

The quality of the green tea and honey you choose will affect the final taste,
so choose the best quality you can afford. I always use organic green tea and
raw honey so that the Jun culture and I both get the best quality on offer
and there are no pesticides that could kill the good bacteria.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Fermentation time: 6–17 days

Difficulty: Easy–medium

Shelf life: Refrigerate for up to 4 months

Makes: About 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups)

Ingredients:

1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) filtered water or springwater
4 green tea bags or 1 tablespoon loose-leaf green tea
3 tablespoons raw honey
3 tablespoons Jun starter culture liquid (available at http://imbibeliving.com)
1 Jun SCOBY, around the size of your palm

Primary fermentation

Bring 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) of the filtered water to a simmer. Pour into a teapot or heatproof bowl, add the green tea bags or tea leaves and leave to steep for 40–60 seconds. Strain the tea into a heatproof 1.5 litre (52 fl oz/6 cup) wide-
mouth glass jar and discard the tea bags or tea leaves. Pour in the remaining water. Add the honey to the jar and stir well to dissolve.

When the liquid has cooled to room temperature, add the Jun starter culture liquid and SCOBY. Cover the jar with a piece of muslin (cheesecloth) and secure with an elastic band.

Place the jar out of direct sunlight in a cool spot where it won’t be disturbed. Leave the liquid to ferment for around 4 days in hot weather and 7–10 days in cooler weather.

Bottling

Gently remove the SCOBY to re-use or rest, and retain 3 tablespoons of the Jun liquid as the starter culture liquid for your next brew.

Mix in any sediment that has settled at the bottom of the jar. Put a funnel in the opening of a 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid and put a strainer on top
of the funnel. Pour the Jun into the bottle through the strainer. Either discard any solids left in the strainer or incorporate them into your next brew.

Secondary fermentation

Tightly seal the bottle lid and leave the bottle on the bench to build carbonation. This could take anywhere from 2–7 days, depending on the temperature. ‘Burp’ the Jun daily to release some pressure by opening the lid slightly and then tightening it again.

Drink up

When the Jun is as fizzy and sour as you like (this could range from a small spritz to a ferocious fizz), store it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process, and enjoy cold.

Tip: Letting green tea steep for too long causes it to turn bitter. Only steep the tea for around 40–60 seconds.

Images and recipes from Probiotic Drinks at Home by Felicity Evans Murdoch Books, RRP $27.99. Photography by Rob Palmer.

The Wholefood Pantry + Chia Pudding Three Ways Recipe

We all know just how important it is to avoid too many processed foods. Everything from sauces to cheeses and butters to jams, and even pickles; all of these are delicious foods but often by the time they hit our palates and plates, they've been enhanced with additional sugar, salt, artificial ingredients and refined carbohydrates.

The art of creating your own versions of these foods however, for some people can seem all too difficult in this day and age. Sometimes it seems as if creating a whole new pantry of items can cost more than an arm and a leg and leave us with an even bigger dent in our wallets.

This is where the Amber Rose’s latest book, The Wholefood Pantry, comes into our lives.

Amber grew up in New Zealand where her pantry was actually her mother's garden. Her mother and her would forage for wild flowers, exotic fruits, mushrooms and seasonal goodies to include in their cooking.

Her family have a love for not only cooking deliciously simple food, but appreciating the whole process; the excitement of discovering and collecting food, completed by the rituals of preparation and cooking.

Amber's childhood inspired her love for cooking and teaching others how to do it themselves. Amber introduces us to pantry essentials so we can re-build the contents of our kitchen from the inside out. The Wholefood Pantry includes wholesome recipes for stocks, sauces, butters, milks, pickles and more!

Her cooking style is extremely intuitive, delicious and simple. She uses lots of flavoursome herbs and spices to make her recipes as nourishing as possible.

The Wholefood Pantry starts with the basics, teaching us the art of fermenting, creating and customising. Kim chi, nut milks and cheeses are all on the agenda. Once you’ve nailed these pantry staples down, we can move on to utilising these items in delicious recipes. Expect to find loads of salads, meat dishes and of course, beautiful sweet chocolatey dishes too.

'The Wholefood Pantry' simply embodies the ideal that food is medicine. It takes us back to our hunter gatherer roots so we can fall in love with not only food, but cooking it too.

Lucky for us, Amber has allowed me to share her delicious recipe for Chia Pudding basic mix plus two delicious variations down below.

Congratulations on the beautiful book Amber!

For more on Amber, check out her beautiful website and instagram.

Chia Pudding

Serves 4-6

BASIC CHIA PUDDING MIX

500ml coconut milk or almond milk, or a mix of the two
2 tablespoons raw honey
4 tablespoons chia seeds
½–1 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)
½–1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1–2 tablespoons kefir, either milk or coconut (optional)

Pour the coconut/almond milk into a glass jar, add the raw honey and give it a good whisk. Add the chia seeds and use a fork to stir them through the milk really well. Let the mix stand for 1–2 minutes and then stir it really well again, breaking up any lumps that have formed. Repeat this process a few times over a 10-minute period. Add the spices, if using, and stir. Place the chia pudding in the fridge and let it soak overnight, or for at least a few hours. This allows the chia seeds to soak and thicken up.

You can also try the layered vanilla chia and fruit cup below;

1 quantity of the basic chia mix
550-600g your favourite fresh fruit or compote
Edible flowers, optional

Spoon half the chia mix into three glasses. Sprinkle over half the fruit, layer on more chia pudding, then sprinkle over the rest of the fruit. Serve.

Raw chocolate and red berry chia pudding.

MADE IN ADVANCE

1 quantity of the basic chia mix, to which add 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder before soaking and 2 tablespoons maple syrup or raw clear honey

FOR ASSEMBLING

350g strawberries and raspberries, mixed
Juice of ½ lemon
1½ teaspoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
1–2 spoonfuls coconut kefir (optional)

Put the berries, lemon juice and coconut sugar in a small bowl and mix well, lightly crushing the raspberries. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes.

Spoon half the chocolate chia pudding into three glasses, spoon over half the macerated berries, then layer the rest of the chocolate chia pudding on top. Finish with the rest of the berries and lastly sprinkle over the cacao nibs. Serve.

Recipes from The Wholefood Pantry by Amber Rose. Published by Kyle Books. RRP $39.99.

The Wahls Protocol Cooking For Life + Turkey Tacos + Spaghetti Squash

If there was one story that I would've loved to have heard when I was enclosed in eerie hospital walls and in the grips of fibromyalgia, it would be Terry Wahls.

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the year 2000, Dr Wahls' health was on a down-hill spiral. She became confined to a wheel chair and felt like there was no hope in sight.

Just like myself, Dr Wahls decided to turn to scientific research and understand nutritional ways to cure herself. Instead of getting her vitamins, antioxidants and minerals from pills, she decided to find ways to enjoy these nutrients by way of the food at the end of her fork.

This led her to developing the Wahls Protocol; a revolutionary diet and lifestyle based on a modern paleo plan to help to treat all chronic autoimmune conditions. After years of being confined to a wheelchair, Dr Wahl reversed many of her symptoms and now rides her bike to work and walks around cane-free. Now thats an achievement!

Dr Wahls has a foot in two camps, as a patient and also a clinical professor of medicine. Wahls conducts clinical trials to test the effect of nutrition and lifestyle interventions to treat progressive health problems, like multiple sclerosis.

After hearing about Dr Wahls' recovery story, I just knew I had to get my hands on her beautiful book and share it with you all.

The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life covers the essential recipes you need to reduce and improve symptoms related to autoimmune problems, neurological diseases and other chronic conditions. The book is in a simple, easy-to-read format to make lives that much easier.

The Walhs Protocol Cooking for Life contains over 150 tasty, simple and nutritionally-charged foods so it's perfect for anyone looking to improve their state of wellbeing or just add to their paleo recipe collection. These include green juices (my favourite coloured juice!), grain-free cereals, succulent soups, delectable desserts and more.

Unlike many cookbooks on the market, The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life book helps us understand how to cook delicious food on a budget, how to celebrate the holidays without compromising on our wellbeing and how to reduce the amount of food we waste; something that's near and dear to my own heart.

With Wahls' help, you can be one recipe away from rewriting your health journey.

We’ve been lucky enough for Dr Wahl to share two of her deliciously easy recipes with us: Turkey Tacos and Spaghetti Squash.

Thank you for sharing your inspiring story with us Terry Wahls and best of luck with your beautiful new book!

Turkey Tacos

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
3 cups thinly slices bell peppers
3 cups thinly sliced onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 large lettuce, kale, or collard leaves
2 tbsp ghee
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp taco seasoning Salsa and/or guacamole to taste

Method:

Heat the ghee in a stockpot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey, taco seasoning, bell peppers, and onions. Cook until turkey is browned and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Serve the cilantro and hot sauce on the side, or stir them directly into the skillet. Divide the taco filling among eight large leaf wrappers (lettuce, kale, or collards). Add salsa and/or guacamole.

Roll up or fold up and enjoy. Alternatively, serve the filling on a bed of greens as a taco salad.

Cooking tip: You don’t need to add water or broth to the fat when you are cooking the meat for this meal.

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Squash

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon ghee, melted
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Put the spaghetti squash in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the squash feels soft.

Remove the squash and let it cool until you can handle it. Cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and scrape out the pasta-like strands with a fork. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 375° F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, put the halves cut-side down in a large roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast for about 40 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the squash with a fork. Use a fork to scrape out the pastalike strands.
Put the spaghetti squash “noodles” in a large bowl and drizzle with ghee, then sprinkle with the nutritional yeast and sea salt and pepper to taste. You can also top this with your favorite bolognese or marinara sauce.

The Digestive Health Solution

As well all know, the digestive system is one of the most talked about topics in the wellness industry. Did you know one in four people experience regular digestive discomfort? That’s gut to be crazy!

The Digestive Health Solution by expert naturopath Benjamin Brown (ND), gives us the much needed low-down on all things digestive health.

If any of you experience stomach cramps, pain, bloating, gas, diarrhoea and constipation, you may have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Don't panic! Whilst IBS still has no known cause, there’s a lot of available research which uncovers ways to resolve these issues and enhance digestion.

IBS isn't as simple as food goes into our mouth and out the other end with mild (or not so mild) turbulence in between. It also relates to headaches, depression, anxiety, fatigue and more. If we have poor overall health, our digestive health won’t function efficiently. What we need to do is fix our overall health and then we'll be able to reap the benefits in our digestive system!

The Digestive Health Solution is a revolutionary book that’s above and beyond health fads, focusing on an evidence-based approach. Brown explores the mind–body connection, food intolerances, gluten sensitivity, dietary changes, food additives, parasites, fermented foods and a low-histamine diet. He then provides a practical ways to help us turn our digestive health around.

It can be so hard to know what’s right and wrong with a constant flood of gut related products and information from different sources being shoved down our throats. Brown uncovers evidence-based and safe treatments to enhance digestion and improve, or even eliminate, these issues. He individualises his approach with a five-step program to quickly relieve and improve health.

The book teaches us that by improving our digestive health we can transform the health of our whole body. He’s passionate about all things natural health. His interest in various natural therapies, such as mind-body therapies, nutritional and herbal medicines has been incorporated in a fascinating way.

Good luck with your new book Benjamin! It’s a really good read.

If you want to hear more about the author click here, or, if you’re interested in the Digestive Health Solution, click this link here.

What is SIBO? FREE online summit

There's a little known condition that's secretly affecting the daily lives of millions of people around the world! I'll give you a hint... it starts with an S and ends with an IBO.

For those of you who don't know, SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth) is a condition present in over 60% of people with irritable vowel (oops) bowel syndrome 🙂

If you suffer from any of the following:

Bloating
Chronic Constipation or Diarrhoea
IBS

It could be SIBO!

Before the freak out begins (Hello Dr. Google Search!), I've got another solution.

My friend Shivan Sarna and her Co-host Dr. Allison Siebecker are bringing together some of the foremost experts across the globe to discuss this little known, yet potentially life altering disease.

I'm so excited to be part of the FREE SIBO SOS Summit, where leading nutritionists, international doctors and patients are going to reveal one of the most overlooked and under-diagnosed conditions on our planet.

If this is an area of interest for you, it’s going to change your mind, change your life and move you to take real action about your own health and wellbeing. Featuring over 5 full days of expert interviews, Shivan will take you deep into the causes, treatment options and expert opinions on everything from diet, to medication and information you need to know to help and encourage you to regain your health and beat SIBO (even if you didn’t know you had it!).

We're giving you access to treatments, tests, tips and breakthroughs that really work. It's perfect to help you and potentially, your patients, treat and prevent SIBO. As a special guest, I'll be speaking all about gut health and how you can simply make healthy eating delicious and I'm so excited to bring you along.

The FREE online summit is from the 24th June-28th June.

You can sign up here!

I'll see YOU at the SIBO summit!

Lee xo

Be your own health ‘influenzer’ this winter + My bestest ever vegetable broth recipe

Is it just me or does it feel like we’re never truly prepared for winter? It’s like winter arrives and we’re always so shocked that our sun-loving country has turned wintery and cold. June has barely begun but winter has well and truly arrived in Australia and it’s safe to say it's fffreeezzzing.

Apart from the nippy weather, many of us start to notice change is in the air when the local chemist has started advertising flu vaccines to prevent seasonal influenza and more throats become scratchy and noses sniffly on our morning commute.

To stay on top of things this winter and become your own health ‘influenzer’, why not look towards supercharged foods to bulletproof your immune system? Rather than relying upon regular cold and flu medication, which can weaken your immune system’s ability to respond naturally to illness, try leaning towards natural ways to boost immunity and fight of colds and flu.

One of the first places to look when building immunity is your gut, where 70-80% of your immune tissue resides. Because your gut is often the first entry point for pathogens, you’ll want to ensure that you have enough friendly gut flora (the good bugs that are allies for immune cells) to prevent pathogens and infections from being absorbed through the gut lining.

As well as a healthy balance of microflora, you’ll want the gut lining to be robust to assist in nutrient absorption. The best way to ensure good gut health is to eat a diverse diet, filled with anti-inflammatory, fibre-rich, prebiotic and probiotic rich foods. Plus my Love Your Gut powder.

This month I'd love to share some of my favourite foods that are wonderful for supercharging your winter immunity. The grocery items I’ve used are available at Sprout Market. You can find out more about Sprout Market here.

Turmeric

One of my must have natural medicine-chest items for winter immunity is turmeric. Whenever I use turmeric, I like to think of it as nature’s golden fairy dust. It has recently gained popularity and rightly so!

Turmeric’s dazzling golden colour is derived from curcumin, a natural antioxidant that helps fight off and repair damaged cells. Turmeric is also a powerful secret weapon when it comes to good health. I love using turmeric because it’s so versatile. You can enjoy this supercharged spice in anything from drinks, bakes, smoothies, curries, stir-fries to main meals.

Turmeric not only holds an abundance of antioxidants; it also has anti-inflammatory properties. An easy way to incorporate some turmeric this winter is to add it into hot drinks. If you haven’t tried it yet, you must get into my Anti-inflammatory Toddy Drink, a wonderful warmer for boosting your immune system and best of all, it tastes super delicious! If you’re willing to give up your morning coffee, this golden goddess is a serious pick-me-up. If you’re pinched for time in the mornings, Sprout has a coconut latte version here or try my delicious and versatile Golden Gut Blend.

And you can pick up the individual ingredients for the recipe too;

During winter, the days are shorter and the nights are longer (cue guitar solo here). Cold and early nights mean we can often become more susceptible to caving into unhealthy food cravings. A fast food diet comprised of takeaway food can lead to poor digestion. This means that when food is broken down by enzymes within your stomach and pancreas, some food molecules can still remain in your small intestine.

The small intestine is the place where nutrient absorption occurs. These molecules are then able to pass through the gut wall into the bloodstream, which can result in bloating, irritation, inflammation, fatigue, aches and most importantly, low immunity to colds and flu. A good way to help maintain the integrity of the gut is to eat an easily digestible diet with non-aggravating foods that don’t damage the lining of the gut.

Gelatin is one of my winter immunity boosting ingredients and an excellent source of special proteins, which help to seal the gut wall and greatly improve the integrity of the gut lining by restoring the mucosal layer. One of gelatin’s gut healing attributes is to absorb water and retain fluid in the digestive tract, which is required to promote transportation of waste and healthy bowel movements. When you optimize your gut health, this can also help with nutrient absorption.

A simple gut healing dessert to fill up on is my Almond Milk Jelly Cup. Generic vanilla custard can have your tummy doing backflips and somersaults, because of the refined sugar and cream, so in my recipe I use powdered stevia.

Hearty Broths

Some main meals to grab hold of to boost immunity and fight off colds and flu this winter are garlic filled tummy warming broths, soups and casseroles. These tasty recipes have become a staple in many households (mine included!) because of their numerous health boosting qualities.

At the heart of a tasty casserole is a homemade broth or stock. Want my supercharged tip? Make lots of broth and keep leftovers in the freezer, it can supercharge any dish for that restaurant quality finish.

Beyond adding delicious flavour and being used as the base of sauces, stocks, soups and stews, broths also act as a supercharged “tonic” and are wonderful for adding a dose of healing nutrientsperfect for empowering your health. You’ll love my Bestest ever roasted vegetable stock recipe please try it and let me know what you think! You enjo have it as a warming drink too.

Apple Cider Vinegar is a worthwhile component to any broth recipe, known for its ability to nurture the sick and nourish the body. Fats in meat-based broths pair well with vinegar since it helps to draw out all those valuable minerals in the bones into the broth. Raw apple cider vinegar is a good choice since it’s unfiltered and unpasteurized.

If you’re pressed for time, you can buy your own ready-made stock. Just be sure to check the ingredients list to make sure there are no hidden nasties! I’ve tried these stock mixes myself and love that they're made the traditional way, plus they’re delicious and nourishing all at once.

Pantry items to stock up on are;

Coconut is an ideal ingredient to boost the health of your digestive system. Coconut oil has wide-spreading medicinal quantities to improve immunity and it’s anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-microbial and has anti-bacterial properties.

The transition to winter has resulted in many simple raw meals being replaced with warmer, flavorsome comfort foods. Soups can be supercharged with a range of nutritious ingredients that’ll ensure your immune system is powered up whilst you remain cozy indoors, snuggled up on the couch.

If you haven’t had a chance to try my pumpkin and coconut soup, you should! It uses coconut oil as base along with garlic and onions, both well known for their immune boosting properties, next just add some pumpkin and coconut milk, ginger, stock and nutmeg; it’ as easy as pumpkin pie!

I’m using onion in the recipe as it contains significant amounts of quercetin – responsible for the protection and healing of damaged cells, as well as garlic which acts as a natural antibiotic. Ginger is a great immunity-boosting tool, to help to reduce fevers, soothe sore throats, and encourage coughing to loosen mucus from the chest. The chemicals, shagaols and gingerols responsible for that ginger kick when you eat it, are what help to stimulate blood circulation and open up sinuses allowing you to breathe more clearly.

Soup ingredients to add to your trolley are;

Kombucha

Fermented foods like kombucha are another beneficial way to increase your good gut bugs when your gut is healed, primed and ready. Not only is kombucha a delicious way to introduce some cultured foods into your diet, it also easily replaces any soft drinks.

Try my Homemade kombucha recipe. Or if you’re worried that the fermenting process is too much like a complex lab operation rather than a kitchen recipe (it’s really easy once you get into the flow of it!) and you simply don’t have the time, kombucha is offered in plenty of flavors and readily available in stores. My personal favourite is Remedy’s Ginger and Lemon.

I’d love you to try these supercharged ingredients for boosting immunity and let me know what you make with them!

Lee xo

Schedule in a Staycation + my Love Your Gut Lassi Recipe

Whether it’s school holidays, university break or annual leave, I think it’s safe to say we’re all dreaming about that desired mid-year break. Travelling to a tropical destination may not be in the cards for all of us this year, so why not create a holiday in your very own home instead? You can do it on any day of the week, depending upon your schedule.

Join me on our very own: Healthy 'staycation'! You’ve earned it and I'm going to show you how to transform your house into the health retreat you’ve always desired. Get ready to roll out those yoga mats, light some candles and welcome yourself to your very own health retreat at home. Try it one day this week.

Let's take a deep breath before we dive in, shall we?

First thing’s first, let’s establish some ground rules. Going to a health retreat takes you out of your everyday life and brings you into a state of tranquility. It's time to put the world on hold; don't worry, it'll still be there when you get back. No phones, no emails and no stress. Just for the day, and give yourself some time to re-charge.

(more…)

Spice up your life with my Lemon Slice

Image by Kate Duncan

What do you do when life gives you lemons?

Make lemon slices!

Think back to the first lemon slice you ever bit into. Was it equally decadent yet surprisingly fresh, classically creamy yet delicately chewy and beautifully zingy yet surprisingly sweet?

The lemon slices many recall from childhood were made with a chewy biscuity base that was complemented perfectly by a smooth lemony filling that achieved mouth-watering satisfaction. But, these desserts were often made with a biscuit base, loads of sugar, flour, milk, coconut and of course, luscious lemon.

While this may be the dessert you dream of, for some it is a nightmare for the gut. Sugar, gluten and dairy are all known to irritate the lining of the gut, causing various digestive disorders and serious discomfort in some people.

But there is no need to give up on lemon slices altogether. I'm encouraging you to throw out everything you’ve ever known and thought about lemon slices right now, because things are about to get very interesting…

I'm going to share with you my raw, sugar-free lemon slice that's bound to impress and tastes just like the real thing minus the uncomfortable bloating after eating.

To begin, lets work from the ground up, in this case it’s all about the base. Instead of a regular lemon slice biscuit base, this supercharged slice uses a delicious mix of shredded coconut, coconut butter and creamy cashews.

You may be looking at this and thinking: what’s the difference between coconut oil and coconut butter?

Well, coconut oil has been extracted from the meat of the coconut whereas coconut butter is a spreadable paste made from coconut flesh. Coconut butter can act like a metabolism booster that can help burn calories and increase energy levels. It's high in lauric acid which can boost immunity and ward off viruses. It’s delicious in soups, curries or sometimes, off the spoon (I won’t tell if you don’t!).

Of course, you can’t have a lemon slice without a zingy squeeze of lemon. Lemons are rich in many nutrients like immune-fighting vitamin C and blood pressure-stabilising potassium. They can also help aid digestion, balance our internal pH levels and reduce fevers. If you are looking for an excuse to eat a lemon slice, this is it!

And now for the filling. Not only do these slices contain lovely lemons, they also contain limes. Limes have been used for centuries for their medicinal purposes. They can help aid digestive disorders, relieve constipation and get your skin nice and glowy. Combine the lemon and the lime and you've got a really good show going!

I just need to warn you, these lemon slices will give any other lemon slice you've ever had a run for it's money. They're seriously decadent, fresh and delicious.

PS: If you're a slice loving kind of person, please promise you'll check out my Salted Caramel Slice and Australian Lamingtons.

Without further adieu, the lemon slices you've all been waiting for:

Lemon Slice

Ingredients:

Base
¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours in filtered water & drained
1 cup shredded coconut
¼ tsp stevia powder
60mL freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp melted coconut butter

Filling
250g raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours in filtered water & drained
½ cup coconut butter
Zest & juice 2 limes
Juice 2 lemons
1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
¼ tsp stevia powder
60mL coconut milk

Method:

To make the base, combine cashews and shredded coconut in food processor and blend. Stir in remaining base ingredients, adding some filtered water  if it looks too dry and won’t hold together.
Use your hands to mould mixture into dough, then press dough into freezer-proof tray. Place in freezer for 30 mins.
To make filling, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Remove the base from freezer and add the filling, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top.
Return the slice to the fridge for 30 mins or until set. Cut into slices and serve.
Will keep in airtight container in fridge for up to 1 week, or 2 weeks in freezer.

Enjoy!

Lee xo

Brussellin’ into winter with Supercharged Sprouts

The other day I was standing in the middle of my local supermarket and was stuck; bewildered by all the choices I could possibly make; especially in the tea aisle; there were about thirty five different types!

Instead of diving straight into the fresh produce as I normally would, I decided to observe my fellow shoppers and see how they made what was going to be one of the toughest decisions of the day: paleo bread or white bread? Organic brown rice or regular white rice? Organic apples or non-organic apples? stevia or steeeevia 😉

I noticed that people stopped and peered at the organic food, checked the price tag, proceeded to pick their jaw up off the floor and then trundle towards the non-organic produce.

With so many available products in the supermarket, for many of us we tend to end up choosing the cheaper, mass-produced options.

I've recently partnered with Sprout Market, a new online grocery market, and the perfect helper to make healthy living affordable and accessible for everyone; especially people who don't have natural ingredients available at their fingertips. Sprout Market is a membership-based community that is focused on sharing organic and natural products with Australians at low prices.

With that thought in mind and as I picked up my usual Brussels sprouts, a new recipe idea overcame me and I knew I had to get into the kitchen and share it with you ASAP.

Cue: my delicious Honey + hemp oven roasted sprouts with goat's cheese.

Brussels sprouts are rich in many valuable nutrients such as fibre and calcium. They help to cleanse the body (in the nicest possible way) and are loaded with antioxidants - Say hello to glowing skin!

I've also added hemp seeds into the mix because they're nutrient-dense and add a delicious crunch. Hemp seeds have a perfect balance of proteins, essential fats, vitamins and enzymes. Hemp provides a wide range of health benefits, including sustained energy, increased immunity, lowered cholesterol and decreased blood pressure.

And let’s not forget the delicious combination of goat’s cheese and honey, two prime ingredients that marry beautifully together. I’m practically drooling at the thought of it are you?. A sweet drizzle of honey so perfectly complements the freshness of goat's cheese. I really hope you make this one.

If you're looking for affordable ingredients such as Manuka honey, good quality hemp seeds and lots of organic spices Sprout Online Market is a great place to start. For first time orders they have a 10% off plus free shipping Supercharged Special. (Full disclosure, I am an ambassador for Sprout Market).

For less than $5 a month ($59.95 annually), you are provided with a cream of the crop selection of quality food, supplements and products from some of the best brands at up to 60% lower than their RRP. Every product is categorised and tagged, with labels like vegan, paleo, GMO-free and more, to make it easier for everyone to select and shop according to their dietary needs.

Now, everyone can gain access to organic and natural products with prices that work with their budget.

I’m also delighted to announce that Sprout is 100% green, using biodegradable materials to package your goodies and ship them out to you wherever you are in Australia.

With that said, I can think of no better way to start the ball rolling than with some brussellin’ now that we are well on our way to winter and the wind is blowing a kale outside.

Honey + hemp oven roasted sprouts with goat's cheese

Serves: 4

Ingredients
• 400g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (or whole if small)
• 4 garlic cloves halved
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbs raw honey (I used Manuka)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup goat's cheese

To serve (optional)
• Squeeze lemon
• 2 tbs Superseed sprinkle mix (I used Pimp my Salad Brand)
• 2 tbs hemp seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C and place Brussels sprouts and garlic and into a large roasting dish, sprinkle with oil, season with cumin and turmeric, salt and pepper and honey and toss to coat.
Roast for about 30 minutes, and halfway through stir then, at the 20 minute mark add the walnuts. Return to the oven until crispy and caramelised.
Remove from oven and crumble on goat's cheese.
Squeeze some lemon juice if using then sprinkle with super seed sprinkle mix and hemp seeds and serve.

Living Well in W.A. FREE Event

Hello Perth friends.

I'll be heading back West to be a part of the Living Well in WA festival.

It's a fun festival where you can view healthy chef cooking demonstrations and sample organic food (who doesn't love sampling food?!), experience a range of natural therapy treatments, mindfulness meditations and source clean green eco-friendly solutions for the home and garden. You can also register online FREE before 31st May 2017.

Kids will also have a fabulous time playing with clay and paints in the Earth Parenting corner.

A major focus is on reconnecting people with the natural environment through West Australian plants and food gardens. Exhibitors will also showcase products and services for innovative enterprise and career opportunities, personal and professional development, parenting and children’s education, creative arts and design.

You can...

Meet Exhibitors and Natural Health Practitioners
Attend Talks, Seminars and Workshops with bestselling authors (me, ha!)
Experience mindfulness meditation, music, laughter yoga and sound healing sessions
Be inspired in the kitchen by Super Food demonstrations and get free samples
Try allergy free and organic healthy food, juices and organic wine!

I'll be speaking at these times:

Saturday 3rd of June at 11:00 am where you can learn about Supercharged Food for Kids and cooking for kids.
Sunday 4th of June at 11:30am where you'll discover more about Supercharged Food and why Gut Health is so important.
Sunday 4th of June at 1pm to 2pm Q&A Food Panel – Eat Well Live Well a down to earth discussion that cuts through the hype surrounding diets and weight loss. Come and join us and ask your questions.

If you're keen to join in you can find out more on their website and register for your free ticket before the 31st May here.

Can't wait to see you there!

Lee xx

PS: If you're looking for more fun events to go to, check out my tour and event dates here.

Eat Right for Your Shape. Well Hello U.S.A, I’ve Arrived!

G'day USA friends!

Today is the the day I get to share the happy news that my cookbook, Eat Right for Your Shape, is now available in the US.

You can click here to find out where.

Eat Right for Your Shape takes a brand new look at the ancient healing system of Ayurveda, where I show you how you can apply the healing system to your everyday life through delicious recipes and inspired practices.

Originating in India, Ayurveda presents a holistic approach to wellness and living in harmony with yourself and your surroundings, through creating unity between mind, body, senses and soul. It looks at treating the individual rather than the disease or issue that they may have, to achieve good physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

This book is a practical guide on how to nurture yourself through balance, harmony and self- care. Eat Right for Your Shape covers eating habits, digestion, daily routines, yoga and meditation plus some of my favourite recipes!

The book starts with a questionnaire to help you establish your dosha or constitution. This helps you create a greater understanding of yourself and helps you understand what you should eat accordingly to improve your health. In this way, the book is a practical guide to eating correctly for your individual needs.

Following this is a chapter of some of my favourite basic yoga poses and breathing exercises to nurture your dosha, or shape, and to help correct doshic imbalances to create harmony, manage weight and restore health.

My book goes beyond just a tool used in the kitchen, it’s created with the sole intention to improve your everyday life. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I’ve skimped on the recipes! The recipes are created with simple and seasonal ingredients making them full of flavour and completely satisfying.

The book is all about guiding principles rather than strict rules. Ayurveda isn’t a fad diet, it’s a holistic way of living. Eat Right for Your Shape will help bring your body back into balance so that you’ll become the size and shape you were always meant to be.

In other U.S News...

If you haven't heard about my other US release, my #1 Selling book, Heal Your Gut, is also available in the US! The book features 90 gut-loving recipes that aim to cleanse, restore and nourish your insides. Heal your Gut contains a four-week treatment program to improve your internal and external health.

You can find out more about it here and order from online retailers.

It’s been such a fulfilling journey to bring both of these books into your hands.

I hope you'll love them and enjoy the recipes!

Lee xo

Hello Perth friends.

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