Being a Yoga instructor and a real believer in practicing yoga to improve health, yoga mats are a beloved tool of mine and one I like to use frequently in my weekly yoga teaching.

Cork Leaf Yoga mats are a new breed of mats and made from all natural resources; cork-backed with natural tree rubber and are 100% biodegradable. Eco, self-cleaning, biodegradable, non-slip, and natural, they are all the things you want a yoga mat to be; soft yet supportive and offering a whole host of wonderful attributes. 

The beautiful eco-friendly mat is made entirely from 100% natural cork, and constructed from natural Cork tree means that Cork Leaf mats naturally disinfect. Cork kills all bacteria growing on it, as well as mold, leaving your yoga mat smelling sweet and fragrant after every session of yoga.

Being a member of Carbon Neutral Plant-A-Tree Initiative shows how dedicated and committed Cork Leaf are to giving back and being as environmentally sustainable as possible.

This is a real bonus for me, as I love using equipment that is naturally sourced and working with manufacturers who are doing their bit with our precious planet preservation in mind.  

Although you may be sceptical about the comfort of a cork mat, as soon as you step on the mat, you can feel the slightly spongy support beneath your toes.

Boasting a robust organic build with heavenly comfort, you can feel that this yoga mat is meant to last and will. 

Step forth with the knowledge that you’re helping mother earth whilst you practice and that CORK LEAF is an initiative to help minimise the negative ecological impact of yoga in Australia.

Cork Leaf mats are a great go-to mat to cover all of your natural bases. 

Click here to find out more about a new way of moving. 

The Happy Life is a captivating and easy to navigate book which is in part a mixture of fun and healthy recipes as well as a sweet guide to whole wellness.

Featuring simple, healthy recipes and nutritious meal ideals that contain relaxed ingredients, it’s refreshing to discover a healthy cook book that is devoid of too many strict guidelines.

Although this book oozes Lola’s unique laid-back holistic approach, it's obvious to the reader that she really knows her stuff when it comes to nutrition.

The beautifully crafted recipes are wholesome, cute and scrumptious and the book features stunning photography that captures a sense of wonderment at every turn of the page. 

Not only does Lola demonstrate her health food nerdiness, she also illustrates her desire to strive at the ultimate goal; happiness. Talking through nourishment, mind, body, soul, friendship, intimacy, career and travel you can feel how personable and down-to-earth Lola is in this personal feel good book.

I like her unique approach to creating recipes that not only light up the page, like her gorgeous Salted Caramel and Cinnamon Macadamias, ideal for any movie night, but also the fact that her recipes are super tasty and adaptable for many different food tastes.

For more information about The Happy Life visit here.

It never ceases to amaze me that kids as young as one have an instinctive attraction for junk food. Chocolate. Fries. Cake. Cookies. They just know.  Once they've been exposed to these kinds of foods, they'll often talk about it and ask for them again, and again, and again. Rather than neglecting children of these treats, I like to take up the challenge of offering them these 'naughtier' foods; but better. Better ingredients, and better flavour. 

Pizza is one of the foods that kids just adore- a big, easy to grasp triangle of starchy carbohydrate covered in fatty melted cheese? It's a kids dream, and speaks to their biological instincts for macronutrient dense foods. This is why kids are so obsessed with toast! It’s a quick source of energy that tastes great. 

Unfortunately most pizzas that kids are exposed to at parties or any standard gathering in western culture has possibly come out of a cardboard box housed in the frozen food section of the supermarket. Have you read the ingredients lists on those things? It's like reading a lab report, not a list of foods. 

Another problem with the standard pizza offered to children and adults alike in our modern food culture is the problem of the wheat source. Aside from the fact that many kids have allergies and intolerances to wheat; the modern wheat grain that around ninety percent of the western population eats today was only hybridized in the last few decades.  (more…)

What are you doing this weekend? Want to come and join us?

We're bringing the Food Matters Live Tour to your home! 

Gather your friends, family and loved ones, get comfy on the couch or in the back yard and tune in to a full day of health and wellness celebrations.  You'll meet James and Laurentine from Food Matters, Jon Gabriel, Dr Libby Weaver and me!

You'll experience delicious superfood recipe demos, visualizations you can do at home, expert talks, life-changing discussions and perhaps even a few surprises 😉

To book click here.

I can’t imagine a more comforting way to end the day than tucking into a gorgeously sweet crème brûlée. Sitting alongside my spiced poached pears with orange, it's a recipe taken from my new book Eat Right for Your Shape.

After that initial crack of the spoon hitting the caramelised roof of candied sugar, the dreamy smoothness of what lies beneath is a moment of pure indulgence. 

If you’re having a big week of work, study, or managing a family, this ayurvedic treat would be the ultimate reward following a post-dinner Epsom salts bath with calming essential oils. And if I haven’t tempted you quite yet, there’s even more to celebrate in this delectable dessert. This isn’t your ordinary crème brulee laden with refined sugar and cream. 

Some savvy switches have been made to make it allergy friendly and a balancing source of nutrition for pitta and vatta dosha’s.

Pitta’s who are governed by the elements of fire and water will benefit from the cooling qualities of coconut cream that will help to pacify a tendency towards heat imbalance driven problems including fever, inflammation and skin troubles like eczema. Although pitta’s should normally avoid oily foods, coconut products are the exception due to their cooling and soothing nature.

If you’re a vata- governed by air and ether elements; you’ll find that your creative, contagiously energetic energy can quickly become imbalanced; bringing a fast shift to worry, anxiety, dry skin and hair, and muscular aches and pains.  (more…)

If you're not familiar with the bite-sized Bhaji, it's a well-loved street food in India that's typically spicy. It's similar to a fritter- traditionally served on top of meals as a crunchy addition, but has also become appreciated on its own as a delicious snack enjoyed at Indian festivals, as a starter before meals, and as a comfort food during monsoon season served with a cup of steaming tea and a smile.

This crunchy golden bhaji is a recipe straight out of the pages of my new book Eat Right for Your Shape, based on Ayurvedic principles, and the dish differs from its traditional counterpart with the exclusive use of gluten free ingredients, minus the typical excess of hot spices.

The absence of spicy heat makes it the perfect snack to balance out the Pitta dosha which is commonly fiery and 'hot' in its inherent characteristics of competitiveness, irritability, and the physical symptoms of skin rashes, inflammation and hypertension when in an unbalanced state.

My version will also be seen majoring on the superstar ingredient; broccoli. Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and chromium. It's also high in fibre to aid in detoxifying the digestive system. As broccoli contains subtle bitter qualities that mimic the energy of air and ether; the effect on the fiery pitter is one of lightening, refreshment, toxin removal and cleansing. 

The combination of the chickpea flour and brown rice flour makes a coating of complete protein; transforming it into a snack that'll fill and satisfy your hunger for longer, as well as stabilising blood glucose levels. 

Enjoy these brilliant bhaji's warm as a light meal or snack served with my chia jam and carrot and beetroot raita.

Ingredients:

Serves 4 

• 300 g (10½ oz/2½ cups) besan (chickpea) flour
• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
• pinch of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• Himalayan salt, to taste
• 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) filtered water
• extra virgin coconut oil, for shallow-frying
• 120 g (4¼ oz/2 cups) broccoli florets

Chia jam and Carrot and beetroot raita, to serve (recipes below)

Method

• Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a medium bowl. Gradually add the water, stirring well to avoid lumps.
• The mixture should have a smooth, paste-like consistency.
• Heat some coconut oil (about 4 cm/1½ inches deep) in a medium, heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat. Once the oil is hot (a small broccoli floret should sizzle and float), working in batches, dip the broccoli florets in the batter to coat well. 
• Drop into the pan and cook until crisp on all sides. Lay on paper towel to drain off any excess oil while you cook the next batch.

Chia Jam

Serves 4

This natural, sugar-free jam suits all doshas. Fruit jams are delicious, but obtaining the desired consistency and firmness usually requires a large quantity of white sugar. This recipe uses chia seeds to create a perfect consistency, and rice malt syrup to add sweetness to the apple and berries. Delicious on its own, it can be used as a topping for pancakes – or a dollop added to the mixing bowl will sweeten up cakes, and a spoonful added to the pan will highlight curries.

Ingredients

• 1 apple, cored and grated
• 125 g (4½ oz/1 cup) mixed berries
• 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) filtered water
• 90–120 g (3¼–4¼ oz/¼–1⁄3 cup) rice malt syrup, to taste
• 35 g (1¼ oz/¼ cup) chia seeds

Method

• Combine the apple, berries, water and rice malt syrup in a small, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the consistency is thick.
• Remove from the heat, stir through the chia seeds and transfer to a sterilised jar.
• The jam will keep in the fridge for 5 days.

Carrot and Beetroot Raita

Serves 3–4

• 520 g (1 lb 2½ oz/2 cups) sheep’s milk yoghurt
• 1 raw beetroot (beet), peeled and grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 small capsicum (pepper), finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Himalayan salt, to taste

Method

• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl by mixing gently with a spoon.
• The raita will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Lee x