A few years ago I was at a major turning point in my life and hungry for change.  I was lying in a hospital bed staring at the ceiling one night and I asked myself a simple question which at the time had no idea would have such a profound effect on my future. 

The question that was swirling around in my head seemed to make perfect sense to me but others around me weren’t so convinced by what I was contemplating; I’d always been quite interested in nutrition but this time I wanted to know even more about the food I was eating and whether certain kinds of foods could not only provide me with nourishment but actually become my medicine to eventually restore and heal my body. 

After being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, when I was faced with the prospect of a dull and overcast life on steroids, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, this teeny idea that had begun  blossoming in my mind like a flower in springtime, was slowly becoming a much bigger part of how I wanted my future to look.   I envisaged a future which would allow me to live freely and naturally and one that would see me healing my body with certain foods, and wean myself off the cocktail of pharmaceutical drugs I was having difficulty swallowing daily.

At the time there wasn’t a whole lot of information that I could find on the subject and I was starting to discover that there was a great deal of conflicting advice, especially on the internet.  Fortunately for me, it just so happened that a friend of mine named Cleo sent me a link to the Food Matters DVD which really opened my eyes to the concept of using food as medicine. As I watched the eye opening DVD, there was a moment that became a huge turning point for me.  Something in the DVD really resonated with me and it made me cry.  It was scary to think that I wanted to go against convention and try a different healing path.  I remember feeling really concerned about being criticised and made to look reckless and irresponsible because my choices were unconventional. But something inside me was convincing me that this was the right path for me even though most of the people around me disagreed.

It was from that point onwards that I was truly convinced I was going to try and discover as much information as I could and become my own “Food Is Medicine” experiment to see whether I really could heal myself without the use of prescribed drugs.

Over the next few years my health improved dramatically with food and nutrition being one of the major components of my recovery.  I also found that healing my gut, lowering inflammation in my body, taking up gentle exercise and doing a daily meditation played an important role in my overall health too.

When Food Matters asked me to be a part of their affiliate program I was really excited because James Colquhoun actually wrote the forward in my first recipe book Supercharged Food, and I was such a big fan of he and Laurentine because of the profound effect they had on opening my eyes to a new way of life. 

Hungry for Change is the next book and DVD from the makers of Food Matters and it unravels the clever marketing ploys that the diet, weight-loss and food industries use to keep us coming back for more.  It shows us how we are made to think we are eating ‘healthy’ and ‘nutritious’ food when really what we are being offered is disguised food with minimal to no nutritional value at all. Nutrients from real food – vegetables, fruits and good fats are what enable us to heal from the inside out. These nutrients can’t be obtained from processed foods on a supermarket shelf but from real food grown with no chemicals and pesticides, in our own gardens, absorbing the shine of the sun, raindrops and the minerals from clean soil.

If you’re interested in finding more out about Hungry for Change which will really have you questioning the nutritional values of every packet you pick up off a supermarket shelf, every advertisement you see on TV or in a magazine then you can watch the Hungry for Change DVD here or read the Hungry for Change recipe book here.

Nourish your body with real food and your body will nourish you.

Thank you for reading my story, you can read my books by visiting my bookshelf here.

Happy cooking,

Lee xo

Photography by Kristy Plumridge

I love these muffins because not only do they taste delicious, they use the natural sweetness of carrots paired with the incredible antioxidant properties of lemon zest.  It's my second diabetic friendly recipe as part of the eftpos Giveback Campaign for Diabetes Australia.  If you have a favourite healthy recipe you'd like to share, you can submit yours here.

I’ve been using spinach in my dessert recipes a lot lately, remember THAT spinach ice cream?

Using spinach in dessert recipes offers up a healthy dose of iron just when you need it.  I’ve found that one of the best ways to keep on top of my auto immune disease is to make sure my iron levels are topped up and to follow an anti-inflammatory diet.

At the Inflammation Research Foundation, in Massachusetts, USA, Dr. Barry Sears is continuing his ongoing research into treating diabetes and believes that obesity and type 2 diabetes are strongly associated with increased inflammation. As the inflammation in adipose tissue increases, this becomes a strong driving force for the development of increased systemic inflammation that results in metabolic syndrome, eventually followed by the development of overt type 2. He believes that potential reversal of both conditions can be achieved by reducing the levels of inflammation through the use of an anti-inflammatory diet. You can watch him chatting about the realities of obesity and diabetes here.  (more…)

A nourishing salad fit for a busy family is what I am going to share with you today.

Beetroots, carrots and fresh herbs appear to be the biggest culprits for left over fridge remnant veggies – anecdotal evidence I have managed to cultivate among many people I chat to about healthy eating and food waste. 

While the best part of my job is helping people take control of their kitchen choices, I’m not a big fan of wasting food and will do anything to save a veggie from the trash can.

And so this recipe, a delicious Carrot, Beetroot and Pear Salad is the perfect example of roasting on the edge vegetables and still getting a great result.

A sweet, satisfying medley of cooked veggies, roasted in the oven with an array of medicinal spices and offset with the crispness of a beautiful pear. Again, any chopped root veggie could be used here – my preference is for beetroot and carrot for their natural sweetness.

Apart from their innate sweetness, I love carrot and beetroot for their grounding properties. I believe in ayurvedic philosophy and their eating principles definitely ring true for me, especially when it comes to food and mood. (more…)

Photo by The Whimsical Wife

Say goodbye to soggy bread.  Sometimes it's good to have a break from sandwiches and introduce new healthy bread options to kids' repertoires.  

Here's a breakfast,  lunch, or bulging snack  idea that kids can easily assemble themselves and have fun in the process. It comes from my book Supercharged Food for Kids which you can find here.

The pockets can be filled with bacon and eggs at breakfast time or veggies, avocado and tuna or leftover dinner meat and spring salad ingredients and topped with homemade mayo or ranch dressing.  

You can pretty much stuff in whatever you like or whatever you have available in the fridge.

The basic recipe can also be made as a flat crusty pizza and delivered to hungry mouths pretty quickly once your favorite toppings have been fixed.

Test these on your brood and let me know what you think?

Makes 4 pitas

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 TBS almond or rice milk
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS coconut flour
• 1 TBS flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup blanched almond meal
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 TBS mixed herbs chopped fine (optional)

 Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Place baking paper on a baking tray
• In a bowl whisk egg and add water, milk and olive oil
• Add dry ingredients and stir well
• Pour mixture onto baking paper in 2 medium sized circles about 12 cms across and spread evenly with a palette knife
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden and crispy around the edge
• Let cool and with a sharp knife slice along the centre so that a pocket is created
• Stuff with favourite fillings

Happy Cooking

Lee xo

This week I chatted to the lovely Curtis Stone who is back in Australia to launch his cooking range into Coles stores.  One of the really exciting new cookware tools he has developed is a handy pizza stone, which is the perfect platform for making healthy gluten free pizzas. 

What’s interesting about using the stone is that it prevents you from getting a doughy result underneath and because you heat it up in the oven before-hand, it crisps up the base of the pizza by holding in and then dispersing the heat, making it crunchy on the bottom and giving you a melt in the mouth softness on top. It’s affordable too and for just over $20 you can make your own healthy wood-burning-oven like pizza without breaking the bank. 

So how does it work?

-the pizza stone is pre-heated in the oven
-the dough gets a jolt of heat when it hits the stone
-the heat of the base helps the pizza cook quicker and cooks the dough through
-to get a crisp crust without a stone you need to cook the pizza longer, which usually means hard crust and overcooked toppings
-Pizza stones are also great for making homemade breads, heating up flatbreads and preparing pita!

I asked Curtis a few questions about what he’s been up to since he was last in Australia. 

How's your trip back to Oz been?

Fun so far, I’ve just spent the last couple of days acclimatizing my wife Lindsay and baby boy Hudson to the weather and the culture here.  It’s been so fantastic to be able to spend time with cousins and grandma! They’ve all been having such a great time getting to know each other.

What do you miss about being home?

I really miss my family and I also miss our Aussie sense of humour.  Sometimes in America I tell a joke and they don’t really get it or they think I’m being a bit strange, we’re used to a ribbing kind of humour in Oz and I like it so it’s great to be back and get a sense of that and have a laugh and a joke. 

What made you decide to become a chef?

From a really early age I‘ve always loved to eat and food is on my priority list. Ok so the truth is sometimes I like to eat off other peoples plates! That’s how much I love food. I feel so fortunate and lucky to have been able to follow my passion and work with food.

What’s the healthiest dish you like to cook?

Depends on the season really but at the moment we are in summer, so raw ingredients such as salad, kale, asparagus, grilled veggies, avocados with a bit of sherry vinaigrette is filling my plate right now.  The addition of avocado makes the dressing so creamy if you mush it up.  Granted it’s not the prettiest salad but it tastes amazing.

I’ve just released a kid’s recipe book and I know you have a little boy, do you make all of Hudson's food and what does he like to eat?

Lindsay and I both cook for him and he just loves seafood, he really enjoys eating proteins so when I watch him eat he likes to eat his salmon first and then he’ll eat his veggies afterwards.  It’s been a really interesting journey becoming a parent and trying to figure out his taste buds.

What's the best thing about being a dad?

Watching the development of Hudson has been incredible.  I also enjoy seeing Lindsay interact with him too.

I read that you were instrumental in getting more ethical products onto the shelves in Coles, such as sow stall free pork and no added hormone beef  tell us a little bit about that and has it been a hard process?

Yes it has been a very big food project that I’m very passionate about and have been working with Coles for a long period of time to make positive changes.  We are working on continuing to have locally sourced seasonal fruit and vegetables in store and as much Australian produce as possible. Coles currently source 96% of their fruit and vegetables from Australian farmers.   We are also trying to educate consumers to eat and shop seasonally so for example there isn’t a demand for cherries out of season whereby they would need to be purchased from overseas.  The ethical and sustainable meat products that we have introduced has involved a massive restructure of the whole industry and we are working together to bring about big scale change.  It involves talking to farmers about different ways that they can build their infrastructure and put an animal’s welfare as a priority, but as you know, major change does take time to implement. 

So tell me a bit about your new pizza stone, why did you decide to create it?

I really want to empower people to cook at home and make it easy for them to do so.  I am also working with Coles to bring a new product each month into stores, there’s going to be a wok soon and a roasting dish which is easy to use and affordable.

What's your favourite pizza recipe and do you have a healthy version?

My favourite pizza is a homemade one which would have artichokes, olives, Portobello mushrooms, I made one this morning with ingredients that were on their last legs seasonally, may as well use them up whilst they are there!

The Curtis Stone Everyday Pizza Stone is available at Coles stores from September 18^th, 2013 for $21.70.

For a deliciously healthy gluten free pizza try this one with a cauliflower crust.

Lee xo

 Photo by Pamela Mackertich

I'd love to share a wholesome and delicious recipe out of my Supercharged Food for Kids book.

Pikelets work well for children as they are smaller than a traditional pancake and become a practical and fun finger food for them.  They can also be used for dessert as well as breakfast or packed into a lunchbox for morning or afternoon tea.

I’ve used chia seeds in this recipe because they are a delicious super food, packed with Omega 3s and ridiculously high in antioxidants. They’re extremely versatile and easy to use too. Some great ways to include them in your child’s diet are by adding them to smoothies, sprinkling them on top of yoghurt or cereal, tossing them in your muffin mix or making these delicious pikelets.

Any time you can squeeze chia into your child’s diet, you’re boosting their nutritional profile. By including plain full fat yoghurt on top of these pikelets, you’ll be providing sustenance as well as essential protein, calcium, vitamin C, iron, potassium and Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

When mixed with water, chia seeds become gelatinous. In this form you can use them as an egg substitute in your baking recipes.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 TBS chia seeds
• 1 1/2 cup self-raising gluten free flour
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 TBS coconut nectar or sweetener of your choice
• 2 TBS butter

Method:

•  In a bowl place chia, flour, coconut milk, water, eggs and sweetener and mix.
• Heat a frying pan and melt some butter in the pan
• Pour in mixture and cook on medium heat until bubbles start to form
• Flip over using a spatula and cook until browned
• Continue until finished

I hope your whole family enjoys these pikelets. Top with yoghurt, berries or topping of your choice. You can find more recipes for kids here.