Monday Moments (on Tuesday)

It’s MONDAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!  Or that would be TUESDAAAYYYY!

Photo from Reallyfunnypictures4u

I guess you know what that means?!

Let’s kick this pig into gear…yeeeeaaaahhhh!

Let’s HEIGHTEN YOUR VIBRATION with this one!! CRANK IT DJ!

You would never be able to take your baby seriously, would you?

Photo from Reallyfunnypictures4u

Weekly Challenge

It is the beginning of another week.

I realise you don’t wish to be reminded.

To be honest, I don’t really understand the concept of hating a particular day of the week.  I guess it stems from the fact that I LOVE my job (would hardly call entertaining people a job really).  I have also had a 7 day work week for the past 10 years or so, but that is a story for another time.

Monday is also the day that tends bring the NAGGING out of you and into the air.

Nagging, fighting, arguing with people in your life is more  about the power struggle in your relationship rather than the thing you are ACTUALLY upset about.

Taffy Brodesser-Akner of REDBOOK blogged a post called “A Month of No Nagging”.

Your challenge for the week is to stop nagging.  This may be easier said than done I do realise.

What I would like to suggest is a redirection of your frustration by writing your “NAGS” down.  So for the next week, your frustrations are going to be still going to be voiced, but to another audience….

Your computer/journal/diary.

Weekly Net Fix

Are you looking for some business inspiration or guidance then check out these three FANTASTIC websites and women.

1. One for the performing artists out there and a homegrown favourite of mine.  The Entrepreneurial Pocket Rocket Natalie Peluso @ http://www.nataliepeluso.com/
2. EMpower Online is an online business resource founded by Helen Rosing, one of Australia’s best success and business coaches. With it also comes their online magazine which you can subscribe to be delivered to your door or download back issues directly to your computer @ http://www.empoweronline.com.au/
3. This list wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t put down the queen of entrepreneurship and online business, Marie Forleo @ marieforleo.com.

Weekly Recipe Fix

Photo by Paleo Australia

Egg
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/2 zucchini, julienned
1/2 capsicum, finely diced
~100g of meat (bacon/chorizo/turkey breast/etc) cut long and thin
1/2 can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil (from the antipasto jar if possible!)

Sauté onions and garlic in a pan. Add meat, zucchini and capsicum. Continue to cook through. Add tomatoes, extra oil, spices, salt to taste. Simmer for 10 or so minutes while poaching an egg.

Transfer sauce into a bowl, place egg on top and enjoy!

Weekly Book Fix

Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

A Pulitzer Prize winning title.  What an amazing book!

“An ancient Chinese proverb goes that women hold up half the sky. Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn want that to be appreciated — on the ground….It declare (‘s) the global struggle for women’s equality “the paramount moral challenge” of our era.

“Half the Sky” tackles atrocities and indignities from sex trafficking to maternal mortality, from obstetric fistulas to acid attacks, and absorbing the fusillade of horrors can feel like an assault of its own. But the poignant portraits of survivors humanize the issues, divulging facts that moral outrage might otherwise eclipse.” – NY TIMES REVIEW

_______

“From two of our most fiercely moral voices, a passionate call to arms against our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.

With Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we undertake an odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there, among them a Cambodian teenager sold into sex slavery and an Ethiopian woman who suffered devastating injuries in childbirth. Drawing on the breadth of their combined reporting experience, Kristof and WuDunn depict our world with anger, sadness, clarity, and, ultimately, hope.

They show how a little help can transform the lives of women and girls abroad. That Cambodian girl eventually escaped from her brothel and, with assistance from an aid group, built a thriving retail business that supports her family. The Ethiopian woman had her injuries repaired and in time became a surgeon. A Zimbabwean mother of five, counseled to return to school, earned her doctorate and became an expert on AIDS.

Through these stories, Kristof and WuDunn help us see that the key to economic progress lies in unleashing women’s potential. They make clear how so many people have helped to do just that, and how we can each do our part. Throughout much of the world, the greatest unexploited economic resource is the female half of the population. Countries such as China have prospered precisely because they emancipated women and brought them into the formal economy. Unleashing that process globally is not only the right thing to do; it’s also the best strategy for fighting poverty.

Deeply felt, pragmatic, and inspirational, Half the Sky is essential reading for every global citizen.” – Summary from www.bookbrowse.com

 

Monday Deal Fix

Want a holiday with a little more AWE included?  Having seen this WONDER in person, I cannot suggest enough that people see and experience this at least once in their lives.

Check out this incredible deal to see one of the WONDERS of the WORLD: The temples of Angkor.

Check out TRIPADEAL.COM.AU for this experience of a lifetime.

HAPPY MONDAY!

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Healthy & Wise: Are you a singer?

Photo by Andrew Milligan/AP

Are you a singer?

I don’t mean a professional… you know ….the people who sing for their supper so to speak.  (Wow what an alliteration)

I mean a SINGER!

The kind of singer that opens up their vocals in the car only to be caught by the person in the car next to you staring at you and laughing.  (After all, the car is really the only place one can admit they like Justin Bieber’s new song without the judging eyes following… ahhhh….)

The kind of singer that when you get into the shower, the instant reaction is to see how the acoustic is this morning and make sure it is still of the quality you are accustomed to.

If you aren’t (or are CLOSET…you know what I mean), the check out the following article by Madisyn Taylor at THE DAILY OM.

“The act of singing is one of the easiest ways of raising the vibration of your body as you harmonize with the universe.

Singing is an act of vibration. It takes music from the realm of the unformed– whether that is in your mind or from that magical space of inspiration–and moves it from within to without. From the first breath singing moves the energy in a circular way inside your body. As the breath fills your lungs, it brushes against the second and third chakras˜the centers of creation and honoring self and others. Instead of merely exhaling, pushing the air past the fourth and fifth chakras where heart charka and the center of will and intention reside, singing engages both the heart and mind. Sound vibrations from vocal chords resonate in the sinus cavities, filling the head with motion and sound while the brain lights up with the processing of the mathematics of music. This marriage of activities brings the third eye into play and opens the door for inspiration from the crown chakra before sending the sound out into the world.

Once the vibration begins, it is sustained with each note, moving throughout your body and the space around you. This can help you to harmonize your frequency with the world and with the divine. The use of the voice can bring about catharsis, a cleansing from the expression of emotion, which is why we feel better after singing certain types of songs. All of this occurs even if we are not conscious of what we are singing, but when we really connect with an intention, the power of the voice and music together are powerful tools in creation.

Even if you are not a singer by nature or talent, you are not left out. If you have a voice, it is your birthright to celebrate life with song. It doesn’t matter if you don‚t feel you have a nice voice. Chanting or humming, singing solo or with others, your voice is yours to enjoy. Whether you sing along to the radio or use vocalization as part of your meditation time, singing and harmonizing are healing activities that bring your body‚s vibrations into alignment with the universe.”

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Flog a Blog: Elana’s Pantry

It is that time of the month once again and I bring you this month’s Flog a Blog in a mo.

First of all, I have to give a HUGE shout out to all my Paleo-inspired Peeps taking an active role in figuring out how THEIR body is working by adopting a simplified eating plan for a while.  So….  HEY!  AND keep up the great work.

Secondly, I have had a few people say to me recently – after starting on this eating plan and in a somewhat distressed tone – “I miss my morning toast!  I may KILL SOMEONE for a piece of bread!”

Ladies and Gents, I hear you loud and clear!

You will be happy to know I have managed to find a few FANTASTIC, PALEO bread substitutes.

HURRAH!

I now I share with you one of the most incredible, and semi-untapped resources (well….at least here in Australia).

And that is, drumroll please….

ELANASPANTRY.COM

Image by Elana’s Pantry

Creator of Elana’s Pantry, Elana Amsterdam, was diagnosed coeliac and “out of necessity” was required to alter her cooking ways as she and her son (also diagnosed coeliac) went on a gluten-free, grain-free eating plan.

Since then she has made the conversion from Blog to Book: Gluten Free Cupcakes and The Gluten-Free Almond Flour CookBook.

Image by Elana’s Pantry

Tasty Recipes AND you don’t need a lot of ingredients, let alone EXPENSIVE ingredients. With over 250,000 unique visitors a month, she is doing something right.

And for all you BREAD lovers out there going bonkers because you can’t have your morning Vegemite on toast, I am posting this recipe from Elana’s Pantry for YOU.  With Love. xx

PALEO BREAD

Image by Elana’s Pantry

• 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ¼ cup golden flaxseed meal
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 5 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Place almond flour, coconut flour, flax, salt and baking soda in a food processor
2. Pulse ingredients together
3. Pulse in eggs, oil, honey and vinegar
4. Pour batter into a greased 7.5″ x 3.5″ Magic Line Loaf Pan (a small loaf tin around 20cm)
5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes
6. Cool and serve

Check out Elana’s Pantry for MORE BREAD/LOAF RECIPES and a whole heap more!

Happy Feasting!

Healthy: Flowers of the World

Dismiss your preconceived ideas about organic food.  Who would have thought a humble florist, could serve some of the tastiest food AND it is ALL organic?

Even their pastries are made either with spelt or organic flour. In fact everything is organically sourced and, rather than being made on the premises, is brought in from reputable suppliers.

They serve pastries, chickpea patties, frittatas and salads.  Dips, tapenades, turkish breads.  Cakes, muffins and slices.  They supply organic beers, and even smooth a smooth organic coffee blend.

A child friendly and family-oriented place, that is also suitable for the business lunch.

Flowers of the World  is all your meal, flower and gift needs all in the one location.  Check it out today!

176 Grey St
South Bank, QUEENSLAND

ACCOUNCEMENT: Guest Blogger & Project Phuket

I am honoured and to present our very first Guest Blogger, Jax @ Nature’s Little Ways and to present a most exciting venture!

Project Phuket

Finally, we are going on a family holiday….to Thailand! This is where my hubby and I had first locked eyes or backpacks I should say….my hubby to be (little did he know) thought I had accidently taken his backpack, later to discover his was stacked underneath about 50 others on the roof racks of the minibus. I think he was quite embarrassed about the scene he had made and to make it even more awkward,  he bumped into me later that day only to realise he was staying in the next bungalow! However, by the end of the 4 week trip island hopping from beach to bungalow, we had fallen in love. Eight years later, with 3 kiddliwinks and celebrating our 5th year wedding anniversary, we made the decision to share our story with our 3 gorgeous boys by taking them to the place where we fell in love.

When I travelled to Thailand in 2003, my whole life changed. Gone now are the days of spending significant amounts of money on shoes, dresses, handbags, labelled sunglasses and designer furniture. I suddenly realised that all the things I had craved from living in Western Society was totally unnecessary. After visiting villages in Chang Mai and witnessing their happy smiling faces, I found that even though they only had a hut and a couple of stray dogs to their name, these people were experiencing true happiness in life. These people, to me, were the luckiest people in the world living a simple life of bliss with their family.

So, venturing to Phuket nine years later, I would like my children to see Thailand as I did. A beautiful happy place where materials are meaningless and the simple pleasures in life, such as sharing your experiences with your family, makes it memorable and enjoyable. I wanted my children to also see the hardships some Thai people experience in life. My plan if all goes well, is to hopefully instill the boys with endless amounts of appreciation, gratitude, humility, compassion and may they forever be full of give.

I wanted the boys to be able to relate to the people we visited, so I started looking for orphanages in Phuket. There are many orphanages in Phuket, however, the one that caught our attention was the orphanage attached to the women’s prison in Phuket Town. I have read from tripadvisor.com.au that

‘Some children there have mothers in the prison next door and spend their days in the day care centre and at night time sleep in the prison with their mothers in unpleasant conditions. Some have no parents and are only offered shelter from 9am to 6pm. After that I don’t know what happens to them. There are 60+ children there under the age of 10.’

Wishing this never to happen to my own children, this was heartbreaking to read and I wish I could go over and scoop up all these children and bring them home with me. Thankfully, after explaining this to the kiddliwinks and making the decision of visiting for a morning, my eldest boy, Harrison, announced that he’d like to take something over with us that would help to make their life a little more comfortable. He suggested some of his toys. Phew… this was already starting to go to plan and we hadn’t even arrived yet! After a lot of discussion we all decided that good quality clothing would be beneficial for warmth, comfort and self esteem.

After telling my good friend, Debs, about the trip we have organised, and our plan to take a suitcase of hand-me-down clothes provided by parents from Harrison’s school. She suggested we take it to the next level and ship boxes of clothes over not only for the orphanage, but also the woman’s prison. So…..we are calling all our readers to send boys and girl’s summer clothes ranging from 0-10 years of age, as well as women’s summer clothing between the sizes of 6-12 (they are tiny over there!). Please make sure they’re in good condition and please contact either Deb here at The Women in Wellness Project or myself at Nature’s Little Ways to organise drop off or postage of the items.

PLEASE ENSURE that all items are packaged and sealed in a BOX ready to be delivered. 

DEADLINE for all items will be October 30th, 2012.

Thanks for your compassion and we look forward to hearing from you.

Jax Sherlock @ NaturesLittleWays

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Healthy: Pan-seared Chicken and Curried Parsnips

Almost the perfect time for this recipe down under.  A flavoursome recipe by Everyday Paleo.

Check out their site for more tasty and healthy recipes to get you through winter without putting on any extra kilos.

Pan-Seared Chicken and Curried Parsnips

1 kilo boneless, skinless chicken breasts – each breast cut into 2 or 3 long “tenders” or strips
2 parsnips, cut into even bite sized pieces
½ medium onion, diced
1 Bosc pear, pealed and diced
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 – 1 tablespoon curry powder (start with 1/2 a tablespoon and add more if desired)
½ cup chicken stock
1/4 cup canned coconut
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium to medium high heat.

2. Season both sides of the chicken tenders with salt and pepper and sear in the hot coconut oil for 3-5 minutes per side or until the chicken is browned.

3. Removed the chicken from the ban and set aside.

4. Add more coconut oil to the same pan if needed and add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the parsnips and saute until the parsnips start to brown.

6. Add the garlic and pears and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

7. Sprinkle the curry powder all over the veggie mixture, pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth, and mix well.  Bring to a simmer and continue stirring until the parsnips are tender all the way through and the sauce starts to thicken.  Taste and season with salt and pepper and more curry powder if desired. (I used 1 full tablespoon and loved it but you might be good with 1/2 a tablespoon depending on your taste)

8. Top the parsnip mixture with the chicken tender, cover, turn to low and cook for another 5 minutes.

Healthy: Winter Warmers and Chilled Summer Faire

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the cold snap has arrived.  For those in the Northern Hemisphere, dust off the Bikini and try not to shudder at the thought of wearing it once more.

I thought a recipe to launch the two extreme seasons was necessary.

Beef Stew with Balsamic Vinegar

½ cup olive oil
1kg diced lean beef
10 pickling onions, halved
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, trimmed and chopped
4 rindless bacon slices, chopped
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
200g mushrooms, quartered
400g diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic chives

1. Preheat oven to 160 C/325 F
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large flameproof dish and cook beef, in batches until brown.  Remove from dish.
3. Heat remaining oil in same dish and cook onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bacon, stirring until vegetables soften.  Add vinegar and paste and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, undrained tomatoes, stock and bring to the boil.  Boil, uncovered, 5 minutes.  Return beef to dish, cover and cook in over, about 1.5 hours or until beef is tender.  Stir in chives, season to taste.

Don’t scream yet!  To prepare you for Summer there is only ONE place to turn:  The one and only Crazy, Sexy Juicer Kris Carr.

Get yourself JUICED with the…

Make Juice Not War Green Drink

2 large cucumbers (peeled if not organic)
Big fist full of kale or romaine
Big fist full of sweet pea sprouts (if easy to find)
4-5 stalks celery
1-2 big broccoli stems
1-2 pears or green apples (optional)
*Other optional greens we love: spinach

Cheers to the new seasons and happy, hearty and healthy eating.

Healthy: A personal story….

I was inspired tonight by a performing colleague of mine who shared with me that she has been “hardcore dieting” for the past 8 weeks and had lost a total of 10 kilos thus far.

And with that, I feel compelled to share with you some of my past.

The woman you see before you was not always like this.

Well, I’ve always been a sucker for a costume and a fan, but what I mean is, I was not always a “healthy” person.  My recent health comes after a long period of illness in varying forms.

In my youth I was always active.

I was a dancer from the age of 5, mostly Ballet and Jazz.  At the age of 7, I changed dance styles to Physical Culture.

When I was 13, I was told I had a choice between dancing and music.  Music won.  I stopped dancing, but took up nearly all the sports at High School.

Age 15 was where the troubles began.  My commitment to school music and musicals had become so great that I was told to almost cut out my sporting activities.  Puberty happened almost overnight.  I gained a substantial amount of weight (including boobs) on my 5’6″, previously petite frame and was officially diagnosed with Asthma.  I was regularly using my medication whenever I had to exert myself ie PE at school.

After I finished high school I gradually continued to put on weight.  By the time I had reached my 27th year, I was approximately 14 kilos heavier than the weight I was at when I finished high school.  14 KILOS!  I was at a total of 72 kilos and my body was not coping.

My asthma was at its worst.  I was so physically lethargic that my body didn’t know whether it was ill or just tired.  I was having a horrible time with my digestive system and my hormones were beyond crazy, bordering PSYCHOTIC.

To top it all off I was constantly at the doctor for sinuses that wouldn’t drain and as a result were constantly infected.  Try singing with an infection that causes you to develop laryngitis EVERY TIME it would decide to grace you with its presence.

Up until then I had been a student the best part of my life.  I don’t know one student who has not lived off white rice and soy sauce a good portion of their studying life. Can I get an Amen?!

That was me.

Along with white breads, flours, pastas, chocolate, cereal, milk (of the FULL CREAM kind OF COURSE)…..

It makes me feel sick just writing this.

I was very fortunate that a girl I used to work with was studying Nutrition at University and gave me a type of elimination diet to flush out my system and get it back on track.

The flushing out was supposed to be an 8 week process.

And then 8 weeks turned into 6 months, 6 months into 2 years and to this day I am STILL adhering to that same dietary plan.

All she had told me to do was eat fruit, vegetables and protein.  Today it is often referred to as the PALEO diet, but I prefer to call it my way of living.

And it has done just that.  I can now live the way I have always wanted to: WITHOUT MEDICATION, WITHOUT SUGAR and WITHOUT PROCESSED FOODS.  I don’t remember the last time I had a burger from Maccas, but what I do remember is that it gave me the most horrible stomachache for hours afterward.

I feel lighter, my energy and hormone levels are extremely well balanced and best of all, I can exercise without having an asthma attack!!!  I am happy to announce I have been Ventolin free since 2008 and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

I also dropped the 14 kilos I had gained in that time and only in the last year have had to put on a couple of those I lost for professional reasons.

You see with my revised eating plan I found out I was well and truly intolerant to most of the foods I had been ingesting for the past 27 years of my life.  Grains are not my friend as my body has a really hard time digesting it.  Anything with Gluten gives me a food hangover the following day, as does sugar, and dairy (not just the lactose protein) was the biggest cause of all my sinus issues.  I can count on one hand how many times I have been sick in the last 5 years.

I will not lie to you.  It has been one of the HARDEST things I have ever had to do in my life.  Overcoming physical addictions to certain foods and additives caused me to have some intense withdrawal symptoms but the final result has been a life-changing one and one that I will forever be grateful to a lovely young lady for.

70kgs in 2006

58kgs in 2011

 

 

 

If you have a personal story that has changed your life, whether it be a weight issue, health issue, emotional issue, please leave a comment below.

I would love to hear it.

Also keep an eye out for RECIPES and COOKING GUIDES that will help you to change your way of eating and life.

Coming Soon!

In the meantime, if you feel you need a health shakeup: EMBRACE it!  It is worth it in the end.

Healthy: Resonating Spirit

I am so proud to showcase this beautiful, intelligent and creative woman.  I am proud to say she is one of my closest peeps, a never ending inspiration to me and for that reason I wanted to share her project with you all.

Jacqueline Auty is a single mother, opera singer, photographer, works full time at one of the countries leading creative institutions and on top of that, has started sharing and showcasing her love of words with the world on her own website, Resonating Spirit.

Phew…..

In 2010, Jay’s personal life hit the proverbial “fork in the road” and she was left to make a choice that would see her spirit released for the first time in many years.  While spending the best part of her long marriage losing herself to an unworthy cause, she spent her time writing poetry and song lyrics as an outlet for her inner spirit.

A voice that has, since then, been heard by people all over the country.

Her material has been requested by poets for readings.

Her song lyrics and beautiful, velvety voice have been beckoned into the recording studio.

Check out one of her demo songs below!

Congratulations Jay!  You are an inspiration to all of us!

Make sure you check out Resonating Spirit.  You will be thankful you did.

Is your spirit being snuffed by your environment?

Do you find words to be a release for you?

Is there an outlet that makes your soul sing?

Has it become a hobby or passion that you are pursuing?

I would love to hear your stories.

Healthy: Here & Now Health

It is all very exciting, because this post is our FIRST FEATURED SERVICE!

*Cue pom poms and cheer squads*

After my initial post regarding psychologists (you can read it here), I thought it appropriate to post my first service feature about a service that offers a holistic approach to psychology.

Enter Here and Now Health.

 

” The team at Here & Now Health like to approach health from an multi-disciplinary perspective so our workshops offer perspectives from psychologists, meditation teachers, dieticians and other allied health practitioners, depending on the workshop.”

Here and Now Health offers a holistic philosophy on health, addressing Mind, Body and Soul.

Dr. Carla Rogers is the creator of this business and I do mean creator.

She has been passionately involved in the field of psychology for nearly 20 years.  She states her “passion for helping people to achieve balance in their lives, however, truly came to light in 2008 after I suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and survived against all odds to be with my family and friends today.”

To read more about Dr. Carla Rogers and what Here and Now Health offers, or to talk to Dr. Carla Rogers directly please head to the website or blog.

For those in Brisbane, Queensland, there is a weekly Meditation Class.  For details, see below.

Cheers to your health.