Sunday, December 16, 2012

Chili Mango Rice


In Southern Queensland you know its summer, and Christmas is just around the corner when you can find fresh mangos at the markets. This recipe is sweet and spicy and great for a light afternoon lunch or as a side dish to accompany fish or chicken. Enjoy with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, NZ on a hot summer afternoon.
 
2 cups cold, cooked brown rice
Juice of one lime
2 vine ripe or heirloom tomatoes
1 red chili (hot variety- I used Asian red chili)
1 small red onion
1 cucumber
2-3 garlic cloves
1 mango
Handful of coriander (cilantro)
Pinch of rock salt
Dash of ground coriander seed
Dash of cumin
1-2 tbsp extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

Dice tomatoes and put into a metal bowl, sprinkle with salt and add juice of lime, toss to coat and let sweat while dicing the remains ingredients.
 
Remove the seeds from the chili and chop, add to tomatoes and lime. Adding the chili to the lime helps bring out the heat of the chili.

Dice the red onion, cucumber and garlic and add to top of tomatoes

Chop coriander, I use the stalks and all. Grab a small handful and fold in half, begin chopping down, then across, add to bowl and sprinkle with ground coriander seed and cumin, mix all ingredients together.

In a larger bowl drizzle the cold rice with olive oil, toss to coat. I used garlic and red chili infused olive oil for an extra kick, but regular olive oil is fine. Add the tomato, chili, mango mixture to the rice and mix.
Enjoy!

To boost the protein in this dish you can use mixed quinoa instead of rice. Quinoa has 6 times the amount of protein then brown rice, is energy boosting, an antioxidant and is good for the heart by lowering cholesterol and increasing circulation.
Chilis stimulate blood flow, are a natural decongestant and excite the nervous system, and not to forget, they increase your body’s fat burning ability!

Tomatoes, onion and garlic are all good for your heart, lowering cholesterol. Helps protect against cancer, natural immunity booster and are a natural antibacterial, antiviral and antibiotic.
Mangos stimulate the immune system, energy boosting and detoxifying. They also contain papain which is a protein-digesting enzyme that may help with gluten intolerance.

Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil is high in antioxidants that help protect against heart disease, reduces bad cholesterol and has an anti-inflammatory effect. It is low in omega 6 fatty acids which are pro-inflammatory. To obtain all the benefits of this oil, it should be consumed at room temperature. Olive oil has a low smoking point at which it turns rancid, releasing free radicals in the body and losing its antioxidant effect.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Fruit and Veg Muffins


2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup rapurda
1 cup oat milk
1 cup grated zucchini, 1 normal size (not GMO) will be approximately 1 cup
2 cups shredded carrot
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
2 cups raw oatmeal
2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill RIGHT STUFF Cereal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 apple or pear skinned and chopped

Heat oven to 175C/400F

In a bowl whisk together eggs, oil and rapurda, add in milk, zucchini, carrot, honey or agave and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until blended.

Line muffin pans with paper baking cups and fill 2/3 full. (I like to use a soup spoon to measure).

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Recipe makes 24-30 muffins

Enjoy!

 This is a recipe I adapted from Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Fruit Muffins. Bob's Red Mill products can be found at most health food stores and some of the larger grocery stores. To find products or other yummy recipes, visit bobsredmill.com

Raw Chocolate Oat Bars




1/2 cup butter or Nuttelex
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, I used rapurda brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp agave nectar or honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
2 heaping tbsp cacao
3 cups almond meal
2 cups oatmeal

Mix butter, oil, sugars, honey, vanilla, cocoa and cacao until smooth. Add in almond meal and oats, mix well. Mixture will not stick together at this point. Pour into a baking dish and firmly press into the dish. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours and then cut into bars.

Enjoy!

Health tip, add in 1-2 tbsp of SUPERFOODS FOR KIDZ Berry Choc Chunk it's a great way to boost the antioxidants and photonutrients of theses bars. I found this one at my local health food store in Australia. If you can't find a superfood add in, just add an extra heaping tbsp of cacao.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Diet, exercise and fat loss

You Can't Out Exercise a Bad Diet.

Who these days hasn’t been on some kind of diet and exercise program in hopes of dropping a few kg/lbs? Some diets are so extreme that you are set up to fail before you ever start. Here is some information I have learned through my research of Nutrition.


Our bodies are bombarded with toxins every single day through our drinking water, the soaps we use to clean ourselves and our houses, to the air we breathe and the food we eat. Let’s face it, we live in a toxic world, but our bodies have the amazing ability to heal its self. We have the power to help it every day.
Toxins store in your fat cells and are our body’s way of protecting itself. The liver is your body’s filtration system and everything you eat, breathe and absorb through your skin goes through the liver. The liver then excretes the waste and toxins into the bile. If you are eating the right foods, you then remove the waste and toxins through your bile (pooh). If you are not eating the right foods these toxins are then reabsorbed into the blood stream and distributed throughout your body. Your body is so incredible and is constantly trying to protect itself from harm that it forms a fat cell and mucus around the toxin to protect it from damage.1, 2 When you diet or exercise to lose weight (fat), your body holds onto the fat because losing it will cause more damage to your body.¹ You can’t exercise the toxins out. Yes, you do lose some toxins through your sweat, but to effectively remove toxins from your body they should exit through the bile.
So what can you do? There are so many options here and no way for me to list them all, but here are a few I have learned and incorporated into my family’s diet.
· DRINK WATER! The first thing you should drink in the morning is water. Sleeping is how your body repairs itself and it needs to be hydrated to do this. If you wake up in the morning stiff and sore, that could be a sign of dehydration. Headache, thirst and hunger pains are all signals your body sends you that it needs water.
o Vitamins and minerals are water soluble, which means they need water to travel through your body. If you take vitamin supplements and don’t drink enough water they cannot travel through your body and be distributed where they are needed.
· JUICE!Why juice when you can just eat it? Good question, but are you eating it? Juicing is a great way to supply your body with the nutrients you need to function and for your body to heal. Here’s one I juice every day. (All organic ingredients)
o Celery- for bone health and a great alkalizing food
o Cucumber- good source of vitamin C, good for skin health and another alkalizing food
o Parsley- super chlorophyll food, helps eliminate body odor, highest vitamin C rich food, diuretic, settles stomach, and helps with kidney stones
o Cilantro/coriander helps remove the toxins from your body
o Broccoli- high in vitamin A,C and K, overall super food
o Carrots- super beta-carotene food, powerful antioxidant. Beta-carotene is what protects fruits and vegetables from sun burn, has the same protective effect in our body.
o Apple- high in vitamin C helps promote digestive system, an apple a day keeps the doctor away!
o Oranges- major source of vitamin C, flavonoids in the white part are a great antioxidant.
o Beetroot- helps oxygenate the blood and is great for muscle recovery in athletes.
· SUPERFOODS!
o Chia seeds- form a gelatinous texture when mixed with liquid and helps to ‘grab on’ to toxins in the bile. Aloe Vera has the same beneficial effect.
o Coconut oil- helps remove toxins from fat
o Miso- helps remove toxins
o Organic Coffee- helps to stimulate the liver to release toxins. Organic coffee enemas are used in the Gerson Therapy.³
2 ½ months ago I went to a Naturopath and I started a liver detox, an herbal drink that quite honestly tasted horrible. During this time my body started to detoxify, I began to get headaches and felt a cold coming on. I became congested and two weeks in felt a bit run down. The next week my mouth filled with tiny ulcers and felt like there was a gritty film (yeast) all over my teeth, tongue and cheeks, food tasted horrible, I also craved salty foods. That lasted for just over a week. At first I didn’t know what was happening to me, I felt horrible, but I was reminded that my body was detoxifying. Detoxing will be different for everyone and will depend on the amount of toxins you have stored in your body and how your body will react. Since I started my detox, I have lost almost 2.5kg, the majority of it coming off in the last few weeks. (Keep in mind, Easter was 2 weeks ago- Chocolate!!!) I have incorporated raw foods and juicing into our family’s diet and I do a Raw Food Detox at least once a month for maintenance. (Check out my Raw Detox and Cabbage Salad Blog)
Now for those of you who know me know I love exercise, but since November 2011 I have not been able to work out due to a strained muscle in my back. The only exercise I am getting right now is walking and riding bikes with my two daughters to and from school (less than 15K a week). A year ago I was competing in my first Olympic distance Triathlon, but during my training I put on an extra 2kg. I constantly complained to my husband who saw the foods I ate, plants and neither one of us could understand what was happening. I was 64.7kg this time last year and I am happy to say I am 60.2kg today! I have lost fat from my abdomen, arms, thighs, face and bum. My hair and nails are growing stronger and healthier and my skin has never looked better. Wrinkles are disappearing and even my dark spots on my face are fading. My energy is back and I no longer have that afternoon fog, I feel great! The power of food is amazing and I will forever quote,
Let food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be food.”- Hippocrates
When you eat real food, you don’t need rules”- Michael Pollan

Lori M


Here is the legal stuff… The thoughts on this blog are my opinion and are of things I have an interest in. They are based on research, testing on myself and documented where need be. They are in no way intended to override a medical professional or treat or cure anyone. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. Feel free to challenge me, disagree with me, or tell me I’m completely nuts in the comments section of each blog entry, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever (abusive, profane, rude, or anonymous comments) – so keep it polite, please.

1) http://www.hungryforchange.tv/
2) http://www.hungryforchange.tv/detox 
3) http://gerson.org/gerpress/
4) http://www.blogherald.com/2007/10/01/does-your-blog-need-a-disclaimer/










Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing


This salad is great to help detox the liver. Think of your liver like an oil filter in a car… your liver filters everything you put into your body and it, just like a car, needs to be cleaned out once in a while if you want to keep running smoothly.

Cabbage Salad
·         Shredded Cabbage, Green and Purple
·         2-3 Grated Carrots
·         Small broccoli head, Chopped
·         Small or ½ a cauliflower, Chopped
·         Red Onion, thin sliced
Dressing
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp Tamari soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp raw honey
Toppings
·         Sesame seeds, black and white
·         Sunflower seeds
·         Pepitas- pumpkin seeds
·         Chia  seeds

To make this salad I use my food processor to shred the cabbage, grate the carrot and chop the broccoli and cauliflower. You want the salad to look like coleslaw with small chunks of broccoli and cauliflower in it.  Put all salad ingredients into a bowl and toss. To make dressing, put all ingredients into a glass jar or salad dressing shaker and shake to blend.
Now you can do one of two things…
1.     Pour dressing over the entire salad (if you made a large bowl, you may need to make extra dressing) and toss to coat. I like to use a covered bowl to shake the dressing on the salad, or
2.    Put salad into individual bowls and pour dressing onto salad.

Top each salad with the toppings, there is no measurement for this, just add what your heart, or liver in this case desires. Enjoy! 

This salad can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days.  You can also purchase pre made coleslaw mix with broccoli in it, but try to use a good quality organic mix. Remember this is a detox salad, so you want to avoid the chemicals they spray on conventional foods.
The salad helps the liver excrete the toxins into your bile, the roughage from the salad then helps to scrape the sides of the intestines to remove excess waste and the topping, especially the chia seeds help ‘grab’ onto the toxins and safely remove them from your body before they can be reabsorbed into the blood stream.

WARNING- this salad may cause gas and increase visits to the bathroom, this is a good thing. Toxins are supposed to be removed through your bile.

Chia Seeds are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids and form a gelatinous texture when mixed with liquid which is needed to ‘grab’ onto the toxins for removal. Aloe Vera is also another good toxin remover.

Raw Detox

Day 1
Juice one lemon, ginger and water

Green drink- wheatgrass powder in water
Vitamin drink- vitamin C, magnesium, spirulina and liver detox (herbs from naturopath)

Breakfast juice
4 carrots, 1 cucumber, 1 beet root, spinach, parsley
Vitamin C

Flax seed

Pre Lunch Juice
Celery, cucumber, ginger, beet root, apple, carrot

Lunch
Broccoli, eggplant, capsicum, shiitake mushrooms, red onion and garlic marinated in lime juice and seasoned with Herbamare spicy pikant (veggie salt) and Dulse flakes (sea vegetables) over brown rice.

Green drink
Vitamin drink, no detox

Handful almonds
Chamomile tea

Dinner
Left over lunch

Vitamin drink
Chamomile tea


Day 2
Lemon drink
Green drink

Breakfast juice
4 carrots, 1 cucumber, 1 beet root, spinach, parsley
Probiotic and flax seed
Vitamin drink with detox

Glass of breakfast juice (left over)

Lunch
Tomato, cucumber, red onion, capsicum, spinach, garlic, lemon juice, seasoned
Over brown rice

Almonds
Chamomile tea

Dinner
Left over lunch

Vitamin drink with detox
Flax seed
Chamomile tea


Day 3
Lemon drink
Wheat grass drink

Breakfast drink
Vitamin drink with detox
Flax seed

Almonds
Apple

Lunch
Broccoli, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, cilantro, red onion, garlic, spinach marinated in apple cider vinegar, agave nectar and red Miso over brown rice.

Carrot with humus


Almonds
Chamomile tea

Dinner
Left over lunch

Vitamin drink with detox
Flax seed
Chamomile tea

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Turkish Pizza


Ingredients- I don’t measure, so it’s up to you to decide how much you would like to make...

Organic-
Eggplant
Red pepper/capsicum
Red onion
Mushroom
Garlic
Chopped spinach
Tomato
Turkish bread
Pizza sauce or pasta sauce (my favorite, OZGANICS Spring Vegetable)

My Seasonings of choice
·         Pink Himalayan Rock Salt
·         Granulated Garlic (yes, I like lots of garlic!!)
·         Dulse Flakes (sea veggies)
·         Chili
·         Seaweed Gomasio


Thinly slice eggplant and cut into quarters, thin slice red pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Chop garlic and spinach. Put all ingredients except for spinach and tomato in a wok and lightly stir fry. When tender add spinach and turn off heat. Season to taste,

Slice Turkish bread open to make your pizza crust and top with pizza/pasta sauce and veggie mix. Top with sliced tomato and season again with more granulated garlic (the garlic will toast on the tomato and really kick up the favor). Cook until edges of crust are lightly brown at 180C or 350F. Enjoy!

This pizza can also be made without the sauce, just put your veggie mix on the bread and top with tomatoes and garlic, then drizzle with olive oil. This one I like to sprinkle with basil, then cook until the edges of crust are lightly brown. 

Cacao Banana Muffins


1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground flax sees (linseed)
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup ripe banana, I usually keep few in the freezer for recipes
1/2 cup grated pear
1 egg

Heat oven to 175C or 350F

In a bowl or measuring glass, mash ripe banana and then add the grated pear. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together and add mash banana, pear and egg. Stir through.  Line muffin pan with liners and use a spoon to drop mixture into liners. Fill almost to the top.
Cooking times will vary; this recipe will make approximately a dozen mini muffins. This is a tester recipe and I have only made mini and medium muffins. I will update when testing is complete, but so far feedback has been good…

·         small muffins take about 20 mins
·         medium about 30
·         large about 45 mins

Check muffins when you start to smell them cooking, tops should be firm when touched, not still mushy inside. Set and let cool for as long as you can resist eating them… Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Humus


2 cans organic chickpeas
1 tomato, I prefer heirloom
1/2 red onion
Garlic, 1-3 cloves
Handful of Cilantro/Coriander  
1 lime, juiced
Spices- Cumin, Pink Himalayan rock salt and Chili


Chop tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro/coriander and put into a food processor. No need to dice; just chop enough to put into blender. Drain chickpeas and add into the processor the chickpeas, lime and spices, blend until smooth. I never measure my spices, but for those who need it, and these are approximates…
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
½ tsp chili  Warning- chili may add some excitement to your tongue… Enjoy!