Posts belonging to Category 'Food'

Beauty and Wellbeing Crushes: Stoved Cooked Porridge, Home Roasted Almonds, New Becca Products.

Hello hello! It’s that time again where I get to share with you my top crushes for the week in the hopes of inspiring you to maybe develop a lil crush all of your own. This week it’s a mixed bag with some yummy, healthy treats, Perth born beauty prods and a bit of a spruik of our latest comp. Let me know if you have any questions, as always I’m happy to chat 😀

Stove Cooked Porridge

My love of porridge is well known (to me), but would you believe that for all these years I’ve been microwaving it? Every morning, into the microwave for a quick, hot and tasty breaky. Last week I decided to do something I’d never done before… cook the porridge on the stove. Now I realise this might sound a bit lame to any domestic kitchen goddess babes, but for me it was a revelation. The porridge turned out so much thicker and creamier and about 2.5 x more delicious! I threw in some frozen blueberries and stirred in some nut butter – dreamy.

Porridge is really good for calming your nerves, beating stress and providing you with sustained energy to take on the day! Porridge lovers put yo hand UP!

Home Roasted Almonds

Here’s another one that makes me feel a bit silly. I only just discovered how flippin good roasted almonds are. After spouting my love to all and sundry, a work colleague of mine suggested I roast my own at home. Mind blown, again. I just don’t think of these things! She recommended popping a tray of almonds w/skins into the oven at 180 degrees, just when cooking something else or on their own if you want.

I roasted my nut babes for about 12 minutes until the skin came out looking split, as in the above picture. It was all I could do to stop myself scoffing the whole tray. I am now totally converted and have been cooking up a small tray each week to take to work as a trail mix with dried cranberries. Super delicioso. Have you tried roasted almonds?


AEOS Crystal Nail File

If you’re tired of those scrappy emery boards and the rough powdery feeling they leave on your nails, you’re going to rejoice at these new crystal nail files from AEOS!

Metal files and emery boards tear the nail as they file, leaving rough, sharp edges. The crystal file glides across the nail tip so you can quickly and easily shape your nail to a flawless, smooth finish. Crystal files seal the nail tip as you file, preventing water, dirt and debris from seeping into the nail tip.

The files will last you a lifetime due to the crystal not being able to harbour any bacteria. I find that pretty amazing! So long as you don’t lose it, you’ll never have to buy another nail file again. I’m a bit of a slacker when it comes to my nails, but I’ve been using this file whenever I spot a jagged edge and it’s been serving me very well indeed.

The AEOS Crystal Nail files are available for $22 from the beGenki online shop, and come in an AMAZING array of beautiful colours that you’ll want to whip out everywhere you go!

Becca Butter Balm SPF 20 – $40

Becca – Halcyon Days

Two of the new Becca products from the Halcyon Days Collection have been making a big impact on me these past few weeks. The Butter Balm (pictured above) immediately transported me to summery, beachy days when I first tried it – I was honestly in the best mood all afternoon after applying!

Perhaps it’s that the balm is brimming with nourishing ingredients such as shea, cocoa, avocado and jojoba butters and vitamin e, or maybe it’s the tahitian vanilla and honey mixed with the subtle scent of “the beach” that makes this product so appealing. The SPF 20 doesn’t hurt either, and guess what? It’s paraben free too!

Beach dreaming – this is the water down at Freo.

At $40 this is a seriously luxe purchase. Upon opening the gorgeous silver container (which also locks so that the lid doesn’t slip off in your bag, genius!) the amount of product looks rather small, however since using it I’ve found that it lasts for ages and ages and you only need a tiny slick to get moist, supple lips. This is the perfect summer purchase, or Christmas gift (yup, it’s nearly here again) for the beach babe who has everything!

I’m historically not a beachy girl, growing up 400+ kilometres inland will do that, but the Butter Balm has me wanting to hit the sand almost daily. Loving it.

Zoe Foster ‘Amazing Face’ Competition

This ones a plug for our latest competition to win one of two copies of ‘Amazing Face’ by Zoe Foster RRP $39.95!

Enter the competition and you could soon be swooning as much as I did whilst exponentially improving your beauty knowledge. Worth it!

Bon appetit my loves. What do you think of my crushes this week? I would love to hear your crushes! Do share x.

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Beauty and Wellbeing Crushes: Invisible Zinc, Strawberries & Oranges, Increased Yoga & More!

1. Cheaper Strawberries & Oranges

There’s been an influx of these bright, summer reminiscent fruits in the shops lately and I for one am LOVING IT! I think strawberries were up around the $8-$9 mark for a while and I prefer to buy local oranges as opposed to ones that come from the USA, due to them being gassed prior to undertaking their travel!

Refreshing orange wedges, fresh strawberry smoothies & chopped fruit with natural yoghurt have been keeping me healthy & happy lately. HOORAY FOR SEASONAL EATING!!!

2. Invisible Zinc.

Although I’ve long heard the hype about Invisible Zinc, it’s taken me until now to jump on board the ‘physical sunscreen’ band wagon. With total babes such as Elle Macpherson and Georgia May Jagger (Jerry Hall’s daughter) as spokesmodels, it’s no wonder that this brand is turning heads. Being a freckled lass means that I should have been sunscreening up on a daily basis. Emphasis on the should have. I’ve only recently been really making an effort to make sure I pop on some sunscreen before putting on my make-up.

Tales of my naughtiness aside, I am really enjoying the Invisible Zinc Environmental Skin Protector SPF30+. It feels great during and after application, lives up to it’s name of being invisible and has THREE (count em) ways in which it does our skin some serious favours:

♥ UVA + UVB protection. Physical sunscreen reflects these danger-rays, unlike chemical sunscreen (the regular stuff) which absorbs only UVB rays and then turns them into free radicals, which is less than ideal. So physical wins here!
♥ Pollution barrier! Stops city smog from interacting with your face, ESP forms a film over your face to protect you from these baddies which can contribute to aging.
♥ Packed full of antioxidants, which help to protect your skin cells pre & post sun exposure.

International model, Simone Kerr, also enjoys it – check out our interview with her here!

3. More Yoga!!!

The benefits I’ve experienced from yoga include: increased mental clarity and calm, less moodiness, increased flexibility, better sleep, clearer skin and a more toned tum. Despite all of these wonderful perks, I’ve been slack with making time to fit in into my schedule. UNTIL NOW! The past two weeks have seen yoga appearing twice in my 7 day routine and I’ve been loving it!

I would love to take part in a ‘yoga revolution’ which is one entire month of doing a yoga class, once a day. I think the benefits would be incredible, but I might have to start off with just a weeks worth first! 😉

4. Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash

I am adoring this, hard. I’ve previously talked about it in my birthday wellness weekend article, but wanted to declare my love once more. LOVE YOU BB, DON’T EVA LET ME GO <3. Ahem.

5. Mukha Natural Yoga Mats – $80

I’ve had one of these for quite some time now, but kept forgetting to take it to class with me! Very silly, I know. The mats were dreamed up when Perth based yoga teacher, Lisa Gawned, was in the well loved downward dog position.

She realised that she was ‘grounding’ herself upon a PVC mat, a man-made material which is toxic to our health and the environment. And so Mukha Mats were born, made from 100% sustainably farmed natural rubber (the smell is very strong in the mat when you first get it, but soon dissipates), healthy for you and the environment. The mat is also completely biodegradable at the end of it’s life, which is pretty awesome.

I found the mat heavier than expected when I first started using it, but quickly got used to it and am now enjoying having my own personal eco-friendly mat in which to stretch and de-stress on. No fear of sharing sweat and bacteria with other people and the knowledge that it’s non-toxic and good for the earth? Double win.

My Organic Tea Favourites!

♥ Photo by Paul Monaghan/Ohhtography

I love tea. This can be proven by the following fact: currently there is a dodgy kettle in my apartment, every time my housemate or I switch it on it cuts the power to the rest of the house. The tea love is so strong, that it constantly overrides this knowledge of said dodgy kettle and I continue to try and try, failing every time and shutting off the power (which gets annoying after say, one time).

THANKFULLY, a new kettle is on the way. But for now I’m considering taking a step back about 25 years and boiling some water on the stove to make a delish cuppa.

I have been slowly incorporating more organic into my life lately, the idea that I’m putting a few less pesticides into my body is a good one, therefore I’m going to share with you my absolute fave organic teas today, and hopefully inspire some new pesty-free crushes in you too!

Endota Organic Teas

I have a giant crush on Endota, while we haven’t been lucky enough yet to have this day spa chain in Perth (though I am promised it will be here early 2012 in a CBD location!), their organic philosophy and natural, earthy treatments give me a brain buzz when I read about them!

I got to try two of these beautiful tea babes, lavender and rosehip – plus check out the box! Tea with a ribbon? Already got my heart. Having never tried LAVENDER tea before, I was pretty excited to get brewin’ late one winter night after a stressful day. It was a delicious soothing sip, and the rosehip tea? Fannnn-tastique, as always, rosehip is so good for you and really tangy & tasty. There is a generous amount of tea packed into the box as well, but you will need a teapot with strainer or some kind of infuser as it’s loose leaf.

My pick is the T2 Small Mesh Tong, it serves me well.

Clipper Decaffeinated Green Tea

I’ve previously written about this tea. Lurve lurve lurve! It’s decaf so you can drink it at any time of the day or night. My daily ritual is to turn up to work, boil the kettle, brew a cup of this and then settle into my day. I will usually drink 1-2 cups per day, but if you drink 3+ you will see incredible benefits to your skin.

T2 Organic Teas

T2 also has a new range of organic teas which I’ve checked out a few times and I think it’s great that they’re expanding their range to incorporate more organic. They have a beaut looking lemongrass & ginger tea that will soon be vying for space on my already overflowing shelf – delicious and purrrfect for keeping sniffles at bay!

In closing: tea is a total babe who can make you feel amazing for minimal bucks, certified organic tea is even better so if you haven’t already got some in your life, I reckon you should jump on the ideas above, or seek out some other varieties and organically warm up with some delish liquids! x

What are your favourite teas?

Do you have any organic? Let me know! I love to chat tea 😀

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Favourite Recipes: Avocado and Danish Fetta on Light Rye.

[credit]

Avocado and Danish Fetta on Toast

Confession time: I. LOVE. AVOCADOS. Maybe not as much as the person above, who clearly wants to take their avocado obsession to the grave – which is cool – but definitely enough to want to eat them every single day.

And what’s not to love? They’re teaming with carotenoids (People consuming diets rich in carotenoids from natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are healthier and have lower mortality from a number of chronic illnesses – source, wikipedia), known to be highly anti-inflammatory (good for arthritis and skin conditions), promote a healthy heart, help prevent against cancer, regulate blood sugar AND taste delicious.

One of my favourite super quick and easy avocado “recipes” is as follows:

♥ 2 slices of Abbott’s light rye
♥ 1/2 an avocado
♥ Small bit of slice-able danish fetta
Indigo Grinds – Caesar Salt

Bread into the toaster, slice up the avo and the danish fetta, when toast is done, spread on the avocado (or place slices, your call), place some sliced danish fetta on top, garnish with the salt grind.

DELICIOUS! Eat and bask in the deliciousness of my favourite snack.

Are you an avocado fiend like me? Let me know if you try this ‘recipe’!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

What are the top 5 wellbeing superfoods, and why?

1. Apples

When it comes to eating for wellbeing, you truly can’t go past apples. Not only are they rich in antioxidants, they have also been shown to significantly lower many of our blood fats. Apples decrease the oxidation of cell membrane fats – which is a primary risk factor in the clogging of the arteries and other cardiovascular problems. The insoluble fibre found in apples also provides bulk and aids digestion by holding water, which helps food to move quickly through the digestive system. There are enough varieties of apples to suit just about anyone’s personal taste and you really should be aiming to eat one a day. (Ed: Organic is preferable, check out our reviews on farmers markets here and here for some suggestions on where to pick some up!)

2. Fish

Fish provides an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, is extremely low in saturated fat and very high in protein. Consuming fish with a fresh salad or vegetables will keep you fuller for longer due to its high protein content and you should try to eat fish two to three times a week to truly reap the nutritional benefits. Fish is healthiest when enjoyed grilled, boiled or steamed. (If you’re going to eat fish try and source sustainably harvested types!)

3. Olive Oil

Olive oil contains the beneficial monosaturated fat, oleic acid, and the antioxidant Vitamin E. Olive oil is the essential ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, for maintenance of good health, particularly in reducing ‘metabolic syndrome’ risk.” Olive oil is believed to reduce the development of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and is said to increase life expectancy. Consumed in moderation, olive oil is an important part of a healthy, well-balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables and wholegrain breads and cereals.

4. Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that is considered to be nature’s natural healer and provides excellent health benefits when added to dishes. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has also revealed that turmeric may aid in fat metabolism and assist in the treatment of many different health conditions including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis and liver damage.

5. Garlic

Proving to be a delicious addition to many dishes, garlic is known to offer a number of antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Garlic can assist in the lowering of blood sugar and can even be used by people with diabetes in addition to their regular regime of insulin and special diets. Garlic is also believed to help prevent life threatening illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

Article by Dr Robert Vial from SureSlim Australia for Wellness WA. Dr Vial has been working in General Practice for almost 20 years and has a special interest in obesity, nutrition medicine, weight related medical conditions and metabolic syndrome.

Be well,

xoxo