by Annette @ Wellness WA | Feb 5, 2013 | Organic, Products, Reviews
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One of the loveliest presents I received this Christmas was a Native Box. It’s such a great concept – every month a juicy array of natural, eco-friendly, ethical and organic products are selected for inclusion in the box. I love the idea of getting a regular surprise like this – kind of like Christmas or your birthday every month.
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The box I tested contained a diverse mix of products, from body care items like paw paw ointment and Aussie bush soap, healthy edibles including organic popcorn and delicious chocolate covered macadamias, along with various other body, soul and planet friendly fare.
All of the products have proved great, but just to highlight a few of my favourites from the fab fourteen:
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♥ Byron Bay Detox Foot patches: I’ve wondered about detox foot patches for ages but have always been a bit skeptical. I’m converted! I used these on Christmas Eve and woke up at 5.30 feeling extremely refreshed, before bouncing out of bed to do an early morning Bikram yoga class. Let me please note that this is not normal behaviour for me!
♥ Phytocare Daily C: these are handy sachets of vitamin C powder sweetened with stevia and xylitol, perfect for people avoiding sugar. Very effective as a post-indulgence energy boost as I found over Christmas!
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♥ Bee Natural Lemon Myrtle Lip Balm: the summer heat is leaving my whole body parched, lips included. This is a lovely light balm with a fresh, subtle scent. It contains super-nourishing beeswax and macadamia oil.
♥ Natralus Paw Paw Aloe Gel: I spent some gorgeous mornings at the beach over the holidays, Mettams Pool being my current favourite spot. Despite being slathered in factor 30 and sporting a very unsexy rashie top, the strong Aussie sun still managed to bake through and this gel proved a great skin soother.
From $12.75/mth plus shipping.
For more information on Native Box go to www.nativebox.com.au
What wellness treats did you find in your Christmas stocking this year?
Article by Karen, wannabe beach babe battling a serious case of shark fear!
Be well,
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Jan 31, 2013 | Food, Wellness Tips
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Comfort food, for whatever reason we eat it, does have its rightful place. It can provide us with nourishing warmth on a cool winters night just like a big warm hug can, and it can bring us pleasure in the form of something sticky and sweet when we are having a teary moment and just plain feeling like life is rough.
I don't believe we need to make comfort eating the enemy, as this can be a bit of a harsh approach since we tend to beat ourselves over the head with guilt at the best of times. This isn't such a good thing to do when we are inwardly seeking some kind of comfort.
The only concern is when we fall into the downside of comfort eating through making food choices that only satisfy our emotional needs rather than our physical needs as well (nutritious food).
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The side effects of some of the not so nourishing comfort foods can end up as the very problems that may make you feel less than happy about yourself in the first place. Things like excess weight, breakouts, fatigue and even mood swings! If these aren't what cause you to comfort eat, they can certainly make things worse when you are feeling crappy from eating too many Tim Tams.
Instead, why not swap some of your favorite not-so-nourishing comfort foods for foods that make your body sing, and still taste delicious?
Its time to do a Comfort Food Makeover! This so simple and is fun to do:
♥ Make a list of all the comfort foods you reach for when the going gets tough
♥ Now do some brainstorming on what delicious alternatives you could replace them with, things you know you cant guilt yourself out about afterwards. These still need to be things that really hit the comfort spot though, remember; healthier foods do not by any means equal boring or bland!
♥ Get shopping!! Have these foods on hand so that you aren't tempted to reach for extra body damaging foods. Explore some new shops with your list in hand and you'll be sure to find some great alternatives!
Here are some of my favorite alternatives to the usual comfort foods:
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Goji Berries & Raw cacao Nibs are full of nutrition and will really hit the sweet spot!
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Spelt pasta is a great alternative to wheat as wheat can contribute to weight issues in many people
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Organic Raw Cacao is a great alternative to the usual Cadbury’s bars
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Coco Luscious Ice-cream is made from coconut milk and is a fabulous treat in place of cow’s milk and often additive filled ice-cream
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These roasted tamari almonds are a super tasty treat for those that like their comfort salty rather than sweet.
Do you have any favourite healthy comfort foods? Please share your top tips in the comments below!
Article by Michelle Sims, a Body & Soul Coach for women who are ready to unveil the real them with a radiant body to match. Michelle is an empathic and intuitive coach who is passionate about helping women to nourish their body, nurture their soul and ultimately energize their life.
Be well,
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Jan 30, 2013 | Food, Other
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If how and what you eat was a reflection of your soul then what story would it tell you? Would the story read something like…“I love my body and enjoy nourishing it” Or “My life fulfills and nourishes me”? Or would it say something more along the lines of “I neglect my needs and stuff down feelings” or perhaps “I am unhappy and need some love and nurturing”?
There are many reasons for comfort eating that range from emotional to physical causes and even spiritual needs. I dont want to run through any of these with you right now, nor do I want to talk about how or why you should stop comfort eating, to be honest, it has many good sides to it too.
Instead I want to invite you to simply explore, with playful curiosity, your reasons for comfort eating, what makes you reach for certain foods and why. This is an exploration of you, of your soul.
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First up, its important to know that there is no right or wrong here, that whether you do or don't, how and why you comfort eat does not matter. For the sake of this exploration, lets pretend comfort eating is perfectly okay, you have full permission to just do what you feel.
To help you write your soulʼs story from a comfort eating session, here are a few questions to ask your self (remember…you have full permission to reach for it this time!):
♥ What was I feeling and thinking just before making the decision to get some comfort food?
♥ Why did I choose this particular food? What does it mean to me?
♥ How is this food serving me? What is the payoff for eating it?
♥ How is this food NOT serving me? ie: weight, food coma, no nutritional value etc…
♥ What deep need did I have when reaching for this?
♥ How do I feel physically and emotionally AFTER eating this?
Now sum up in one sentence or paragraph, what this tells you about yourself? What needs is your soul reaching out for? Then think about how else you could meet these needs. This could be physical, nutritional, emotional, mental or spiritual.
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Put pen to paper with this one, as there really is power in the written word. What comes out onto paper can give you the power of insight and clarity on the gorgeous soul that is you.
Are you a comfort eater? What comfort foods do you love? Are you trying to break the habit or perfectly happy comforting yourself with food? Lets talk below!
Michelle Sims is a Body & Soul Coach for women who are ready to unveil the real them with a radiant body to match. Michelle is an empathic and intuitive coach who is passionate about helping women to nourish their body, nurture their soul and ultimately energize their life. Before turning to her own business, Michelle had a successful career as a formally qualified Chef before completing a Bachelor of Food Science and Technology. It was Michelle’s keen interest in health and personal development, along with her own personal story of healing that inspired her to create her own business in order to share this with other women.
Email: michelle@wellnesswithmichelle.com
More Information: www.wellnesswithmichelle.com
Be well,
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Jan 28, 2013 | Food
I've had a lot of emails asking me to suggest raw food “cooking” classes and workshops in Perth, so I thought I'd make a nice little database for everyone with a list of all the classes and workshop providers that I know of! Please send me an email if you think I'm missing someone and I'll update the list.
♥ Wellness with Michelle – http://www.wellnesswithmichelle.com/cooking-classes
♥ The Raw Kitchen – http://www.therawkitchen.com.au/The_Raw_Kitchen/Workshops.html
♥ The Health Collective – https://www.facebook.com/ReclaimHnF
♥ Loose Produce – http://www.looseproduce.com.au
♥ A Foodly Affair – http://afoodlyaffair.com/classes
♥ CNR Cafe – http://www.cnr.net.au
♥ Angie Mac – https://www.facebook.com/Angie.Mac.Australia
♥ Teach the World Raw – http://www.teachtheworldraw.org/index.htm
♥ Revital Health – http://www.revitalhealth.com.au
♥ AJ Wellness – http://ajwellness.com.au
♥ The Green Bean Store & Cafe – http://www.greenbeanstore.com.au
♥ Wild Raw – http://www.wildraw.com.au
♥ Rawsome – https://www.facebook.com/gorawsome
♥ Food Coaching with Marion Eggers http://www.foodcoaching.com.au/raw-food-classes-in-perth/
Have fun getting healthy and learning to whip up delicious raw treats! If I've missed any, please send me an email to let me know! X
Be well,
Annette
xoxo
by Annette @ Wellness WA | Jan 24, 2013 | Food, Reviews
Bircher muesli was invented by a Swiss doctor called Maximilian. Maximilian was a total dude; typically prescribing his patients gardening, muesli-eating and a 9pm bedtime! Max was really into people eating more fruit, and his original recipe has loads of fruit in it – but you’ll find modern bircher (and muesli in general) has more grains, less fruit.
Bircher sounds really complex and fancy but it’s mega easy. I’ve started making it a fair bit, easy to prep the night before and nice to wake up to… I like making a pretty neutral tasting bircher, so I leave out the apple juice and just use water and grated apple (which soaks the oats anyway). I then add a yum banana paste.
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Bircher Ingredients (makes two big serves)
♥ 3 x cups Rolled oats (not toasted)
♥ 1 x cup (cooked) quinoa
♥ ½ cup shredded coconut
♥ ½ cup slivered almonds
♥ 1 cup grated green apple
♥ 1 cup water
♥ Can add in some LSA mix, or seeds (i.e. pepitas) if you want
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Method: Pre-cook the quinoa as per the packet’s instructions, let it cool. Then mix all ingredients well in a big bowl. Cover with glad wrap, refrigerate overnight.
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Banana Cream
♥ ½ cup raw almonds (pre-soaked overnight)
♥ Handful dates
♥ 1 x banana
Method: Pre soak the almonds overnight. Combine the drained soaked almonds with the fresh banana and chopped dates in a food processor or blender, whiz until they form a smooth cream.
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Next day (serving instructions):
Dollop some bircher into the bowl then chuck a spoonful of the paste onto it. Then sweeten it up with fruit – a good one is grapefruit – the bitterness of it contrasts with the sweet banana cream well. I used mango and yellow nectarine. Throw a few more almonds on top, or pistachios, then drizzle with honey (yoghurt if you’re not using the banana cream) and that’s it!
Good to impress friends with if they come over for brunch; or take it to work for a breakfast that will keep you feeling full until basically mid-afternoon!
What do you think of this recipe? Are you a muesli fan? Lets chat Bircher muesli below!
Review by Thousands Perth City Guide editor Danielle Marsland, who is a pretty big fan of Bircher muesli, hey.
Be well,
xoxo
