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♥ Hemp Seeds

Oh, my loves! Where have you honestly been all my life?

For some reason chia seeds don’t really agree with me, I’ve tried many times with little success – they seem to make me feel really spaced out. So I’ve been wondering for a long time how to boost my omega 3 intake in salads and smoothies, and hemp seeds have turned out to be the answer!

These creamy little new friends of mine are actually not approved for consumption within Australia – even though they are everywhere else in the world. Over here they’re sold for alternative uses, such as skincare, but they are food quality and perfectly safe and delicious to eat (they contain none of the chemicals that get you “high”, and are actually a different strain of hemp plant to marijuana).

I’ve been having mine in smoothies, on salads, on frozen blueberries with cinnamon and even just eating them off the spoon. They are delicious and supposed to be very good for you. I’m a convert!

Purchased from Health Kick in the CBD, $17.95 for 250gm, or you can purchase online here, at the Hemp Foods online store.

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♥ Rice Milk

Another a-ha moment I recently had was that soy milk makes me feel sick. As a vegetarian for 10 years I was pretty shocked that it took me this long to zone in on the fact that every time I made a soy smoothie or drank a cup of soy milk, I got a stomach ache, a headache and generally felt exceptionally average.

Only once I started experimenting with rice milk in my smoothies instead over the past few weeks, did I notice that “Wow, I don’t feel horrible after I drink this! Maybe soy doesn’t love me?” A pretty slow revelation indeed, but I’m really happy to have finally figured it out and switched to something that will fuel me and make me feel great. Yay!

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♥ Vanessa Megan Essential Blend Spray

This stuff is amazing! My lovely friend Haley from Peachy Clean Organic Beauty sent me a bottle when I was feeling down and I haven’t stopped using it since. The scent is SO calming and delicious at the same time, it’s got a kind of gingerbread mixed with musk scent and I love it. I spray it all around the house, on my yoga mat before I practice, when I’m feeling uptight, on my clothes before I go out if I want a light and lovely perfume, on my bed before I read there… the list goes on!

Available for $30 from Peachy Clean.

I’d absolutely love to hear what you’re crushing on right now, so please share your crushes below! 🙂

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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♥ Cinnamon

If someone held my spice rack hostage and said I could only choose to save one spice, it’d definitely be cinnamon! Lately I’ve been using outrageous quantities of it in at least one meal a day.

Cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar levels and is a killer source of manganese, which is an important mineral for maintaining healthy bones.

Five ways I’ve been adding cinnamon to my diet:

♥ In greek yoghurt mixed with blueberries
♥ In coffee with a little bit of stevia
♥ In my daily green smoothie (along with cayenne pepper and ginger for a real kick up the bum in the morning!)
♥ Sprinkled on cubed pumpkin or sweet potato along with Himalayan rock salt, roasted
♥ In my banancakes (see below!)

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♥ Banancakes

I love pancakes on lazy Sunday mornings, but unfortunately they’re a “sometimes food”. I can’t even describe how thrilled I was to stumble across a “pancake” recipe with two ingredients – banana and eggs – and then to discover it tasted like banana bread…!!!!

After my first shot at making these banana-y pancakey gems, I christened them “Banancakes”. If you’re sceptical, I urge you to try these out because they are the best thing since sliced [banana] bread.

Gemma’s Banancakes

Ingredients:
♥ One medium banana
♥ Two whole, organic, free-range eggs
♥ Cinnamon!!

Method:
In a blender, whiz up the eggs until they’re frothy. Slice up the banana and add it in with a hefty pinch of cinnamon until you end up with a smooth “batter”.

Grease a frying pan with some coconut oil and pour the mixture on – smaller pikelets are easier to flip! Keep the heat on low-medium (the sugar in the banana caramelises and therefore these babies burn easily). Just like pancakes, flip the banancakes when you see little bubbles on the surface. Cook on the reverse side until they don’t feel squishy to touch – it’s about five minutes on each side.

They’re fairly moist so they don’t need any accompaniments, but they are delicious with a drizzle of organic maple syrup.

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♥ T2 Tummy Tea

This tea has helped me curb my coffee and hot chocolate addiction and up my water intake. With peppermint leaves, liquorice root, fennel seeds and calendula petals, Tummy Tea starts off refreshingly minty and ends delightfully sweet (thanks to the liquorice root). It makes for a perfect brew after a meal or snack, aiding with digestion and the sweetness tends to trick my mind into thinking I’m having dessert! Tummy Tea is sugar and caffeine-free and has been taking pride of place next to my kettle since the start of the year.

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♥ MooGoo 3 Vitamins Eye Serum

The three vitamins in the MooGoo 3 Vitamins Eye Serum are vitamins E and C (antioxidants to prevent aging) and B5 (to soothe the skin). The base is a blend of jojoba and olive oils so the product is very moisturising and you only need a little bit to go a long way.

I’ve been using this serum morning and night and have found my under-eye concealer goes on smoother now, and my dryness is improving! I’ve experienced no irritation and so far I’m impressed with how well it absorbs – even though it’s an oil, it doesn’t sit on the skin’s surface for ages, meaning you can apply it for daywear without waiting for the stuff to sink in! RRP $24.90

By Gemma Clark, who would be devastated if someone actually took her spice rack hostage.

Be well,

xoxo

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Picture a scene: you and friend sitting around doing what you do and all of a sudden their phone goes 'buzzzzz buzzzzzzz' then a second later yours goes 'buzzzzzzz buzzzzzzz' and after reading you both look up and almost perfectly in synch say; 'is $49 for 10 yoga sessions a good deal?'

Has that happened to you? No? It will. Why? Because everyone's inboxes are filling up with DEALS DEALS DEALS! Quick as a wink.

So today I'm going deep for you guys, I'm seeking out the deal BEHIND THE DEAL. And my dealer of choice today, is Groupon. In the first instance it must be said, I know it seems a little overwhelming. I know it seems easier to just bin that email without opening it. But if you do look you may just stumble upon a shining shimmering splendid.

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So with that in mind and for the purposes of this article I decided to get myself a 24-piece Makeup Brush Set for $29. I had a choice of colour (black or pink) and the delivery was free. TWENTY NINE DOLLARS! PINK! FREE! !!! My choice was motivated by the fact that I have always gazed at makeup artists brush sets in giddy wonderment (in that clap your hands together and bob on the spot kind of way) and as previously mentioned on Wellness WA, I massively enjoy drawin' on me face.

To balance this out I also bought a 20 session pass to a gym for $49 (CBD Health Spa, a gym I like and where WE ARE LOVING that I don't have to buy a full year membership, aren't we guys?) so we are now looking at a product and a service. Range. I like it.

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The brushes are flipping marvellous. I really cannot believe how it worked out to a little over a dollar a brush because the quality of them is so good. No stray brush hairs coming loose and hanging onto your chin like you're growing the world's thinnest most disgusting beard and my makeup application game has gone up a notch or two- hey don't wanna brag…all in all I'm THRILLED. The only downer was that they literally took months to be delivered – like 3 months- but my unease about that has subsided since I use these brushes everyday and am so happy with them. Plus the delivery was free so maybe chill Adriane, gees.

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And the gym one? Um…well…you know…uhhh- that one was instantaneous as soon as I bought it and so there were no problems in THAT regard. Full access to the 24hr gym, all classes and even a couple of PT sessions. But I've only been about three times. I KNOW. But I've got three months to use that one so I'll just, you know, go every single day from now until the end of the year and then I will be the Queen of Groupon Success*. That's totally possible right?

If you've been ignoring those emails because they are annoying you in their multitude then downscale to the ones you are interested in (yes you can choose) and be in it to win it. You might end up with something useful for yourself or your loved ones.

What do you guys reckon? Have you got a good Groupon deal of late?

*Groupon never said they would MAKE me go, that has to come from within…is there a deal that could help with that?

Reviews by Adriane Daff. Make up enthusiast and world class gym procrastinator.

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♥ REN Jojoba Microbead Purifying Facial Polish

Say hello to the REN Jojoba Microbead Purifying Facial Polish, a new staple in my skincare regime. REN prides itself on the philosophy of Performance, Purity and Pleasure. The formulation of all REN products are 100% plant and mineral derived and are free from synthetic ingredients*. Not to mention they look, smell and feel amazing! Using these products is an experience in itself.

The exfoliant in question is part of their sensitive skincare range and is laced with glycerides from jojoba oil that gently exfoliate and prompt cell renewal; and anthocyans from beeswax that keep it from being too abrasive and rough on your skin.

It has a divine minty feel to it too, leaving skin feeling fresh, purified and so damn smooth!

This facial polish will set you back about $40, but lasts for a while because you really only need to use it a few times a week. REN is available at all Mecca Cosmetica stores and from the Mecca Cosmetica website.

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♥ T2 – Buddhas Tears Tea

I am a firm believer in a “nice cup of tea”, and think there is no better way to achieve this than to make a ritual out of your tea drinking. Stop what you are doing, boil the kettle, get out a pretty cup, use your best tea, sit and unwind.

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Being a big green tea drinker, I'm always looking for different types of green tea to mix up my “ritual”. Buddha's Tears from T2 defines the tea experience for me. The tea is a light blend of unopened white pekoe buds and green tea leaves that have been hand rolled into little balls. Buddha's Tears are best prepared about 3 or 4 at a time (in your loveliest tea cup) in water at 80°C. As the leaves unfurl, they dance about in the water and release a fragrant jasmine green tea flavour. This is more of a lighter tea, very gentle and calming, and best enjoyed in the afternoon or evening to relax.

&hearts

Buddha's Tears are a more expensive way to drink green tea (100g at T2 costs $45) but they are very long lasting, and can be brewed several times.

* No Buddhas were harmed in the production of this tea.

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♥ Grown Facial Masque

Get your paws on the most energising and purifying face mask and prep that skin for summer! This clay based “masque” is fortified with wheatgerm, gingko and cranberry to detoxify and deeply purify the skin. Teeny tiny clay particles act to draw out impurities and remove dead skin cells whilst the wheatgerm works to restore skin elasticity and produce a firmer skin tone.

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I've only ever had wheatgerm sprinkled on my morning muesli or in a smoothie, but never really considered it an addition to my skincare. Due to being rich in vitamins A, E & D and essential fatty acids, wheatgerm helps to increase absorption of active ingredients into the skin's cells and carry oxygen to the skin's surface to enable the formation of healthy new cells. Source.

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The Grown Facial Masque is lovely and light, and doesn't set like concrete on your face like some other heavier masks. The slightly granular texture makes for a great exfoliant when you rinse it off too! I have started prepping my skin for summer and using twice a week, followed by my Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist and Herbal Recovery Gel.

This beauty will cost you $39.95 and you can find it online and stocked in most chemists, as well as David Jones.

Review by Lucy A.

What are you crushing on this week? Share the crush-love below in the comments section!

Be well,

xoxo

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Eating healthy is a bit of a minefield. It’s not even about cutting out junk anymore; it’s about carbs, salt, proteins, a million and one factors, and the whole ordeal is a perplexing and stressful one. Even more so when confronted with things like health food shops – and believe me, as someone still trying to puzzle my way around the preparation of chia seeds, there is a lot to learn.

♥ Halp!

I jumped on the sample box subscription thing when it kicked off in Australia – and while I enjoyed it, I ended up cancelling them all because I was just collecting masses of tiny products, many of which for whatever reason I wasn’t going to use. So a sample box that mainly consists of consumables? Makes infinitely more sense. It saves you from the sizeable cost of buying a full bag of a product you don’t know how to prepare and likely haven’t even heard of (Kale? Maca? Acai?) and allows you to experiment before pursuing the products that you respond well to. In fact I think the sample box thing is far better suited to food/nutrition than cosmetics.

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Anyhow, subject at hand: Notoxbox is a monthly subscription box that combines healthy eating with some organic, healthy and naturally made products that all fall into that indefinable “green” category. All its packaging and padding is recyclable, there is no excess dressing up or ribbons or flounces or anything – it’s the box, a small explanatory sheet, and the products themselves. It’s rather wonderfully straightforward. The Notoxbox subscription is $25 a month – more than the beauty subscriptions, admittedly, but you’re also getting a fair few full sized products and a wider variety of things.

My box is the November one, and it’s pretty fabulous one.

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One a beauty front, I got a 20g Kosmea’s daily facial exfoliant (the rosewater mist is pictured instead above) and a Giovanni La Hold hair spritz (hairspray). On a hygiene front I received a Melrose organic hand sanitiser and a Pure Bamboo sports deodorizer (who told them I was a smelly gymrat? Who?) – and in the noms category I got a fullsized packet of Eat Rite brown rice tamari seaweed crackers, and samples of aforementioned chia seeds (The Chia co.) and Vital Greens, a powdered nutrient supplement. I actually already own Chia Co. Chia seeds and can now confirm that the least intrusive way to get em in ya is to throw them in with your muesli or into a green smoothie. I haven’t mastered anything with more finesse.

So this is essentially the learning experience of walking into a health food store and ensnaring a really, really good store assistant to boil it down to the basics for you. It’s low cost, low confusion and non-pushy, and pretty much genius as far as I’m concerned. Those who have contemplated making a healthy change but have no idea how to start would be advised checking these out – they’re a very beginner-friendly step to making some positive changes.

Do the samples in the Notoxbox appeal to you?

Review by Suzanne, who also blogs over at Don’t They Know Who I Am?

Be well,

xoxo