Thermomix – is it right for you?

I have recently bought a Thermomix and wanted to share what had me sold on one just in case you are in a similar predicament then I once was. I had been toying with the idea of getting a Thermomix for quite a while (ok years) but I didn’t really know much about them initially, I knew that it could make salads and dips in seconds, was ideal for making bliss balls, that my friends with them were raving about them and I knew the cost. The cost for me was what sat behind all my excuses, “I’ll get one eventually, but not now, maybe when we have kids”, “I already have a blender”, “I don’t have time to learn how to use it”, “blah blah blah”. But there was something about the Thermomix that kept me interested especially because more and more people I knew were getting them… all of whom had become raving fans.

Well eventually after a couple of time borrowing my mums TM31 (the previous version) I decided to take the plunge and purchase one, the newer version (the TM5), for myself.

The previous model, the TM31 and homemade bulletproof coffee (left). And my TM5 (right).

These were a few things that had me sold.

• The speed (I’m talking under 5 seconds) at which it could chop a large amount of vegetables. This makes making salads or chopping onions, garlic, carrot, you name it, to add to your meals an absolute breeze.
• The fact that it prepares the best cauliflower rice which you can then either cook in a fry pan, oven or the Thermomix itself. Previously I’d either made cauli rice with a grater (effective but messy and time consumer) or a small food processor (uneven result and mushy).
• I could make my own coconut and almond butter (oh yum), along with almond milk and flour for less than half the cost that I would pay buying it in store or online.
• The fact that I could walk away while dinner is cooking and get other things done without worrying about overcooking my dinner.
• My blender had broken and I was after a good quality replacement and a food processor.
• One appliance for so so many functions: I don’t like clutter or have excess cupboard space and don’t like using lots of different appliances to make one dish (seriously that’s way too much effort and too many dishes).
• One pot meals and the ability to make multiple meals at one time. While making a soup in the mixing bowl, I can be steaming rice in the basket and cooking chicken and vegetables as well.
• I could make my own curry pastes and sauces with ease.

It didn’t take too much to convince my husbands seeing as I had ummed and ahhed about it for so long and spoken about the benefits that he was probably very sick of hearing about it. And when I compared the cost of a thermomix, which has multiple functions and would get used daily saving me time and money, to his much more expensive toys (aka motorbike, four wheel drive and mountain bike) that only get used every few weekends or months then he couldn’t very well say no (sneaky sneaky wife… hey happy wife, happy life right?).

Since seeing a thermomix in action and cooking with it at home my husband has been quite impressed. It does so much more than what he expected and he has even asked if he could take it with him on a boys camping trip so that he could make pizza dough and smoothies and has suggested that we should take it on our next road trip adventure. Who knows perhaps I’ll even get him cooking dinner.

Banana honeycomb smoothie.

Who is a thermomix perfect for?

• People who hate to cook or have limited cooking skills. With the guided cooking style of the TM5, you don’t have to be a whiz in the kitchen to create great meals. Just follow step by step instructions (feel free to make modification if you wish) and before you know it you will have a delicious meal served up.
• People who love to cook and experimenting in the kitchen. With the manual cooking style you have the flexibility to create dishes based on how you like to cook and eat. Great if you want to re-create old favourites, make up a dish completely from scratch or even if it just means chopping certain ingredients or steaming a side of vegetables or rice to go with your latest creation.

Delicious chicken Tikka Masala with cauliflower rice. Recipe thanks to SkinnyMixers.

• People with limited time (or want to spend extra time with their families). Creating meals can be so quick and easy that you can reduce the amount of time you spend in the kitchen. Plus with the guided recipe function you know how long each step of the recipe will take so you can wander off and spend time with your kids, hang out the washing or even relax and read a book (all while dinner is cooking).
• People with limited space. One appliance with many functions well that automatically reduces the need to have cupboards full of a blender, food processor, mix master, scales, steamer, hand beater, etc.

One compact appliance with so many functions. The above image was taken while making an omelette.

• People who love eating well when traveling or who move houses often. This saves the amount of kitchen stuff that you have to pack (and re-pack) when moving house. Also great if your traveling in a caravan (or even camping) and want to eat well.
• People with food allergies and intolerance’s. If you have (or know someone with) food intolerance or allergies then the thermomix is great. For example if your allergic to milk, you can make your own almond milks (without the preservatives and flavorings that store bought ones often contain and for a fraction of the price), if you are intolerant to gluten then making your own breads from gluten free grains, nuts or seeds, or making a paleo treat to take to that party so you don’t feel left out or tempted to stick your head under the fondue fountain.

Quite possibly, the best (or close to) gluten free bread I’ve tried. Recipe in the included cookbook and on the recipe chip.

• People who want to reduce the amount of processed packaged food in their (and their families) diets. Have you noticed how many preservatives, additives, sugar and trans fats are added to packaged foods even if it seems (or is labelled) as healthy? By making your own meals, snacks and condiments from scratch using whole foods you will automatically reduce the amount of nasties in your diet and will likely see some massive improvements in your health.
• People who want to save money. Yes its a big investment but quite quickly you will probably notice that you are saving money because you are buying less packaged food and not relying on take out for those nights when you ‘just don’t have time to cook’.

No more paying $10 for 500g of coconut yoghurt now that I can make it myself for under $4.

• People who entertain often or cook for large groups of people. Being able to make multiple components of a dish at once and due to the increased size of the bowl and varoma of the TM5 make it easy to cook for large groups of people. Plus by hosting a demo you can receive a thermoserver which keeps dishes hot or cold for up to 2 hours so you can be keeping one dish hot while making another dish if you needed more food.
• People with children of any ages. While I don’t have children of my own, I’ve heard that children love to use the thermomix and it gives peace of mind to the parents due to the safety features. Plus there is less mess when you get them to help you with baking. If your children are too young to get involved in the kitchen its still a great tool to hide (if thats what it takes) lots of veggies in their meals and to move away from packaged foods.

Hard to tell that I’ve hidden 4 carrots in these meatballs that are steaming in the varoma.

And it only took 4 seconds to chop the carrots this finely.

• The elderly or those who have difficulty using other appliances. Chopping and preparing meals can be quite difficult for people with conditions such as arthritis and the thermomix makes food preparation a breeze. In addition for people unable to reach stove and bench tops (for example if restricted to a wheelchair) they can have the thermomix on a lower surface.
• People who hate washing up. I’ve heard people say “if it did the washing up then I would buy one in a flash”. Well for those people I have news for you, while it won’t wash your plates and cutlery (isn’t that what dishwashers and husbands or children are for?) it can wash and dry itself. No kidding. See here for more http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/new-thermomix-tm5/cleaning Plus you can cook complete meals using just the thermomix so this automatically reduces that stack of dishes.

Ingredients weighed, chopped, sauteed, boiled and pureed all in the mixing bowl for this soup.

Quick, easy and very few dishes. 

What about the not so good and the hesitations I most commonly hear.

• The price. This was an initial concern of mine also but since appreciating the scope of what it could do and the quality of the product, I got over this especially since seeing areas that I’m saving money and tasting the dishes.
• The volume and tone of the sound it plays when it has finished a function. Personally I don’t mind it as its been a good reminder that I’m actually cooking dinner when I get side tracked or happen to be dancing around the house with my headphones in (don’t judge, I’m sure you do this also :-P). And even if the tone is sounded, the heat and speed turns off when your timer reaches 0:00 so no more burnt saucepans and food when I’ve forgotten about the vegetables I’m steaming or the curry I’m heating up.

Great for making these superfood and 3 ingredient bliss balls and other healthy treats and snacks.

Don’t believe me or want to hear what others have to say? well here are some other reviews many of whom cook for much larger families than mine.

• http://retromummy.com/2013/06/14/is-a-thermomix-worth-it/
• http://journalofafrenchfoodie.com/why-buy-thermomix/
• https://www.thermomix.com.au/ http://changinghabits.com.au/cyndi-recommends/thermomix
• http://www.quirkycooking.com.au/thermomix/
• http://www.quirkycooking.com.au/2011/03/does-the-thermomix-cook-enough-for-large-families/

Do you have a thermomix? Tell me in the comments below what else you love about it and what your favourite dishes to create are.

Essential oil bliss balls

Dry ingredients

• 50g almonds
• 50g shredded coconut
• 10g cacao or cocoa powder (or leave out for the coconut lemon variation)
• 1 tsp maca powder
• 1 pinch vanilla powder
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 10g collagen hydrolysate (optional) – exclude for vegan option
• 10g of protein powder (I used pea protein powder) or 20g if not using collagen (optional)

Wet ingredients

• 50g coconut oil
• 2 medjool dates (you can use more if you like a sweeter treat)
• 1 drop of food grade essential oil (I use and recommend doTERRA). In this case I used lavender which had a beautiful subtle floral flavor but other options are peppermint, wild orange, ginger or cinnamon.

Instructions – makes 8 balls

1. Simply add all the dry ingredients to your thermomix mixing bowl (or food processor) and combine for 5 to 7 seconds (depends on the texture you want) at speed 6.
2. Then add the coconut oil and dates and mix for 1 minute 20 seconds at speed 5 to release the oils from the almonds and coconut and form a slightly sticky mixture.
3. Add your essential oil carefully because you don’t want the flavor to be too overwhelming. I like to either use a toothpick or will add 1 drop to a teaspoon (to ensure I don’t accidentally drop 4 drops in) and then dip the teaspoon into the mixture. Then combine the mixture for 2 seconds at speed 4.
4. Using a heaped dessert spoon to measure, roll the mixture into balls and place in the fridge until you are ready to consume them.

 

Coconut lemon variation: omit the cacao, add 1 tbsp. of lemon zest and 1 – 2 drops of lemon essential oil.

Travel Observations

This blog post is a following on from last weeks, Holiday Highlights post that you can read here if you wish. Today I’m sharing some things (mostly the foodie related ones) that I observed while travelling in Europe. These are my observations, so chances are your experiences in Europe were different. I’d love to read about your observations in Europe (or any other country) in the comments below.

• Sweet breakfasts – The cafes and restaurants that we went to were great, don’t get me wrong, but for someone who doesn’t eat gluten, dairy or refined sugar (and loves savoury breakfasts) the options are a bit more limited. A typically breakfast seemed to be croissants with jam or chocolate and a coffee (always a coffee), crepes or gallettes (a savoury crepe made with buckwheat… but also wheat). As a result of this we would often cook eggs and vegetables at our accommodation before going out for the day or get some fruit.

Eggs and vegetables, toast, muesli and coffee on our balcony in Nice, France.

 

• Alcohol is so much cheaper – Alcohol is much cheaper and easily accessible on supermarket shelves in Europe however the culture surrounding alcohol is quite different than we what we too often see in Australia with alcohol fuelled violence and drinking in excess. Rather in Europe wine or beer is usually consumed with a meal and in the company of friends and family.
• In Australia, dietary requirements/preferences are well catered for – both in our supermarkets and when dining out. Gluten free options seem almost expected on menus and the supermarket shelves are filling with gluten free and paleo options (perhaps not necessarily the best options but it goes to show that consumer demand is being met). In Europe I was surprised at how long  it took me to find coconut yoghurt (without dairy), coconut oil and non-pasteurised sauerkraut whereas I can find them easily in Oz.

I was pretty chuffed when I found a great health food shop in Utrecht that sold paleo granola and coconut yoghurt.

 

• It is so bike friendly in Europe – even the busy cities like Paris where I admittedly had a bit of a meltdown trying to negotiate the traffic. Bike paths are abundant (and when they weren’t riding was welcomed on the road) and the terrain is favorable in many cities. Other road users (cars, buses, taxis) also seem more considerate of bike riders and even though traffic was very often so chaotic with no regards for road rules, I saw very little road rage. And side note, very few people wear helmets.
• The price and availability of fresh fruit and vegetables – In many places we found fresh fruit and vegetables in abundance at small markets and in large supermarkets with quite reasonable prices (even with the exchange rate) and of good quality.

I especially loved the markets in Munich.

 

 

• Takeaway isn’t very common – we only saw a few people ordering takeaway or walking around with a takeaway coffee (guilty) and in most (if not all cases) they looked like they were tourists.
• We rarely came across fast food outlets (i.e. the big M) – And when we did it was usually only in cities with a high population of tourists. But really why would you want a big mac when you can get a huge pizza for about 7 euro.

Well I couldn’t possibly leave Italy without having a pizza at least once even if it was gluten and dairy free.

 

• Obesity didn’t seem to be a problem – this likely goes hand in hand with a lot of the other points here but for countries whose cultures are based heavily on food, wine and beer it was surprising to see. It goes to show that its more than just what we eat/drink that plays a part in our weight and overall health. I think the biggest percentage of obesity I saw was on the cruise ship but with unlimited food and a lot of lounging around I’m sure we all walked away with a couple of extra kilograms then we boarded with.
• The German’s are (traditionally) big on purity – in relation to beer that is. Regulations (or the German beer purity law) were put into place in 1487 that limited the ingredients in beer to hops, barley malt and water. If it contained more then these 3 ingredients it couldn’t be labeled and sold as beer in Germany. That has changed now but the locals still seem to prefer the real deal. As a result of the lack of preservatives and unnecessary additives, those who drink it don’t seem to suffer as nasty effects (or so they say).

Hubby with said ‘pure’ beer and pretzel.

 

• Culture is based heavily around meal times – We didn’t see this so much in the big touristy cities however in the smaller towns, especially in Italy it wasn’t uncommon for businesses to close from about midday for a couple of hours and everyone go have lunch with their loved ones. This encouraged eating in a more relaxed state and savoring the food (and the company) instead of eating on the run.
• And finally, how thankful I was for technology – It was an odd feeling to be uncontactable by phone (I chose to keep my phone in flight mode) for nearly 2 months however I realized how much I relied on the internet when there is a language barrier. Luckily Wi-Fi was easy to find and Google translate, TripAdvisor and Air BnB fast became the most used apps/sites on my phone.

 

Hope you enjoyed the read and I’m looking forward to hearing about some of your travel observations.

Holiday Highlights

As some of you are aware, I have recently returned from an amazing holiday in Europe (partly why it has been so quiet on the blogging front) but I am back now and ready to share some more articles and recipes with you all. I might even get around to posting all the recipes that have been sitting in my drafts folder for way too long.

But for now I want to share with you some highlights of our travels

As Europe is a long way from Australia and albeit not cheap to get there we wanted to make the most of our first time there by seeing as many of our ‘to see’ places as possible. Our travels took us to the beautiful countries of Spain, Italy, Greece (plus a day in Montenegro on the way back), Austria, Germany, The Netherlands and France.

With so many places to see, our stay in some places were quite brief but I feel that it has given us a good idea of where we would love to spend more time when we return.

Of the places that we visited, I have listed below our top 7 (I was trying to keep it to 5) highlights.

• Sightseeing in Barcelona – Barcelona was our first stop in Europe and it has made me so keen to go back to Spain and see more of the beautiful country. It felt like around every corner was another beautiful building with so much character. We visited a few of Antoni Gaudi’s masterpieces and wow.. if you go to Barcelona I would definitely recommend visiting Sagrada Familia. Sure it looks impressive from the outside but walk inside and that is where the true magic happens. The size, magnitude and detail is incredible (he took a lot of his inspiration from nature) and the stain glass windows throw the most amazing light through the whole building.

• Hiking in Cinque Terre – Cinque Terre was a place that had been recommended to me by a number of friends and when I saw photos I instantly fell in love and had to go there. We stayed at La Spazia, a short train ride from the 5 villages and for 2 days we caught the train in and hiked between the villages. We did a mix of hiking along the coast and inland and the views were all amazing. Despite the fact that around 3 million (I think) people hike the trails each year, the tracks still felt so rugged and untouched. Hands down one of the best places I have ever hiked. Oh yea and it was also home to the best dairy free dark chocolate sorbet I’ve ever had.

• Lake Garda – this location was one of the places my husband really wanted to go to and that was manly due to the mountain biking recommendations. We stayed near Riva Del Garda which is at the north of the lake and the location definitely didn’t disappoint. We ended up staying for 5 nights (our longest stay in one place) and the days were filled with things to do and see. Most days involved catching a bus or walking into Riva, hiring bikes and riding some of the many tracks. Other days we went hiking with friends and were rewarded with incredible views over the town.

• Sightseeing and snowboarding in Austria – Austria was a place that we decided before we went that we probably wouldn’t have time to go to as we wanted to go to Switzerland however on the morning that we were leaving Italy we made the decision to go to Austria instead. We stayed at a little village outside of Innsbruck surrounded by picturesque mountains and green fields dotted with chateaus and hiking huts. We stayed at an awesome hostel (shout out to Doug’s mountain getaway) and used it as a base to visit Innsbruck, go hiking in the mountains and even had a day trip to the glaciers where we went snowboarding for the day. Having only been to the snow a few times in Australia, it was awesome to experience true European Alps.

 

• Ancient Rome – I wont lie, Rome wasn’t our favourite place (we much preferred the countryside to the big cities) however we loved experiencing the culture and history of Ancient Rome. We took part in a tour that including the Colosseum (including 3rd level and the underground), Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and definitely recommend it. Our tour guide was great and really painted the picture of what these sights would have looked like in their grand days.

• Spending time with family in Italy – Some of my husbands extended family live in Italy and it was great to spend a few days with them. We were blown away by the hospitality shown to us by people we had never before met. They welcomed us into their home, gave us a place to sleep, insisted on feeding us (manga manga) and were very informative local guides when we went sightseeing.

• And finally (because I cant list them all), our time spent in Paris. We only had a few nights in Paris and would have loved to have spent a couple more days there but despite the short visit felt like we saw a lot. We briefly visited some of the typically touristy sites, the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomph, Palace of Versaille, The Lourve and more but our favourite moments were at night when we relaxed in front of the Eiffel tower at night watching the light show on the hour, catching up with friends at a local wine bar, and eating traditional French food (Escargot aka snails and frogs legs cooked in so much butter).

 

There you have it, some of our many highlights. Have you been to Europe? If so, I would love to hear what your highlights were/are so just leave me a comment below. Perhaps you’ll give me some ideas for our next visit whenever that may be :-).

Single serve bread rolls (gluten free, nut free)

These are great for people that can’t (or choose not to) eat ‘normal’ bread and is great when you want bread made in a hurry without making a whole loaf. Avoid if you are following a GAPS diet because the coconut flour is too fibrous.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil (can be increased to 1 tbsp.)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tsp physllium husks
• 1 pinch salt
• ¼ tsp GF baking powder

In a small bowl, mug or ramekin whisk together the oil, egg and water. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain. Microwave on high for 90 seconds – 2 minutes and done. The bread will pop out of the ramekin easily and can be sliced, buttered and served with your choice of toppings.

This recipe can easily be doubled. Just use a larger bowl (i.e. a soup bowl) and increase the time to 3 – 4 minutes.

Variation – you can easily stir through a sprinkle of herbs or seeds to this bread. Or some finely chopped garlic or sun dried tomatoes… yum.

My microwave is old… seriously probably older than me (were microwaves invented then?) and if making at home I have to ere on the 2 minutes for a single serve, 4 minutes for the double batch. However when I use the more modern microwave at work, 90 seconds seems to be the right amount of time for the single serve.

 

Happy Valentines

Valentines day is literally just around the corner and whether you consider it to be a commercial holiday in which Hallmark and Haighs profit greatly or if you celebrate with bunches of flowers, chocolates, fancy dinner dates and weekends away there is no denying that if your in a relationship its nice to take time out of our busy schedule and spend some quality time with your significant other (be that on Valentines Day or another time)…. and hopefully your not just making this a priority one day of the year.

And if your not in a relationship thats no excuse not to show a little love and celebrate and appreciate the wonderful being that you are. Fancy treating yourself to a massage, mani and pedi, buy and admire your own bunch or flowers or just take time out and do something that you really enjoy.

I’d love to hear (in the comments below) what you are doing to celebrate the day and appreciate the loved one (or yourself) in your life. I’ll probably be soaking up some sunshine on the beach with my hunny after a lazy brunch together or hitting the trails for a bit of well overdue mountain biking with a picnic lunch spent at the lookout where we got engaged. Bliss.

Much love xx

Buckwheat pancakes

These were my go to Sunday morning breakfast for my husband when he requested pancakes, especially while I was preparing for the GAPS diet by clearing out my pantry. These are now off the menu while I focus on healing my gut but I’m looking forward to adding them back occasionally at a later date.

For those who aren’t following a strict gut healing protocol but wanting a healthy alternative to traditional fluffy pancakes then I hope you love these. They are gluten free and contain no refined sugars.

Makes 8 pancakes

Ingredients

• 20g ghee or coconut oil (plus extra for frying)
• 150g milk of choice (almond, coconut or full fat dairy)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 – 1 banana, depending on how sweet you want it
• 100g buckwheat flour
• 1/2 tbsp. gluten free baking powder
• 1 pinch of sea salt

 

Thermomix Instructions (a stick blender can be used in place of a thermomix)

1. Place ghee or coconut oil into the mixing bowl and melt 1 min/70 degrees celcuis / speed 1
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix 10 seconds / speed 5
3. To cook pancakes, heat 1 tsp butter in a frying pan over medium high heat. For each pancake pour in a couple of tbsp.’s of batter and slightly tilt the pan distribute over the center of the pan.
4. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes or until bubbles start appearing then turn the pancake and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes until golden brown.
5. Transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm while you repeat steps 3 and 4 with the remaining batter. Serve hot and enjoy topped with berries and coconut cream or yoghurt.

 

 

 

Italian Beef Burgers

 

Makes 8 burgers (or 4 serves)

Ingredients

• 500g grass fed beef mince
• ¼ cup of fresh or tinned diced tomatoes or 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Italian herbs
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Coconut oil or ghee for cooking with

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except the oil/ghee in a mixing bowl.

Heat a fry pan over medium high heat with a bit of butter or coconut oil.

While the fry pan is heating up shape the burger mixture into 8 balls. Because these don’t contain flour or egg to bind them the trick to keeping the together is to hold the mixture in one cupped hand and pretty much just clap your hands a couple of times while swapping sides to compress the meat. Sounds strange I know but it’s a trick I learnt at a cooking demo with Simon Bryant and I swear it works.

Flatten them slightly in the frypan with a spatula and cook for 2 – 3 minutes either side or until browned and cooked inside.

Serve with a big salad or on grain free rolls as a burger.

Meatball variation: To make meatballs, follow the above instructions but instead of shaping into 8 balls, shape into 16 or 20. You may want to add ½ to 1 tbsp of coconut flour if the mixture isn’t holding shape. Serve on top of carrot or zucchini noodles with a tomato based ‘pasta’ sauce.

Strawberry Jelly (paleo/GAPS)

I love strawberries and I especially love it when I can pick up a box of beautiful ripe strawberries at a fraction of the price they are sold at in supermarkets, local and direct from the grower. On the weekend I picked up a big box of strawberries (roughly 3kg) for a bargain price and it didn’t take long to put them to good use. Some strawberries were quite soft (hence the bargain price) but others would last a good few days so I washed those and put them in containers to enjoy fresh over the week that followed. With the remaining strawberries this is how I used them once washed and de-stemmed.

• Laid some out in single layers on a baking tray and froze before transferring to zip lock bags to use for smoothies and fruity dream nice cream.
• Sliced some and placed them on 2 baking trays that had been lined with baking paper and dehydrated them in the oven (on lowest heat setting) for a couple of hours. I then made a granola (using oats, nuts, seeds, coconut oil and cinnamon – combined and roasted until golden brown) and added the strawberries to this for a low fructose breakfast option for hubby.
• Ate an abundance of them fresh 🙂
• Sliced some and added to homemade kombucha, left the bottles for a few days in the pantry to second ferment and then transferred to the fridge.
• And finally made these delicious strawberry jellies. This recipe is inspired by Jo Whitton from Quirky Cooking. She shared a strawberry jelly pie on her blog a while ago and this recipe is similar to the filling that she using for the pie with a couple of alterations to the quantities and cooking method based on what worked well for me. Click here to check out Jo’s recipe.

For a easy healthy snack, dessert or breakfast (yes… admittedly I’ve even had this for breakfast) option this is a great recipe to have on stand by when strawberries are in season. Complete with gut healing gelatin, naturally sweetened with fresh strawberries and even kid approved.

Ingredients

• 500g fresh ripe strawberries, washed and halved
• 25g gelatin (I used great lakes – the red canister)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup filtered water
• Juice of half a lemon
• Choice of sweetener (optional – I don’t add any because find its sweet enough without any but if using just add to taste. Choose honey for a GAPS and paleo/primal approved recipe or rice malt syrup or stevia for a low fructose version)
• Optional garnish: fresh strawberries (half to one per serve) and a few mint or basil leaves

Thermomix Instructions

Add 300g strawberries to thermomix mixing bowl along with gelatin, cinnamon, water, lemon juice and sweetener (if using) and heat for 3 mins / 80 degrees / reverse / speed 1.

Add remaining strawberries and cook for an additional 2 mins / 80 degrees / reverse / speed 1.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and then pour into serving bowls or glasses and transfer to the fridge to set for 2 hour before serving. Garnish with fresh strawberries and mint or basil.

Non Thermomix instructions

Add 300g of strawberries,  gelatin, cinnamon, water, lemon juice and sweetener (if using) and heat in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is quite liquidy (is that even a word) and the strawberries are broken down. Add the remaining strawberries and simmer until these strawberries are just softened.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and then pour into serving bowls or glasses and transfer to the fridge to set for 2 hour before serving. Garnish with fresh strawberries and mint or basil or topped with coconut cream.

Grain free sushi

Since making this sushi and taking it to work for lunch I’ve had a quite a few requests to share the recipe so here goes, a perfect healthy summer lunch.

Ingredients

500g raw cauliflower florets

.5 – 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Sea salt

1 tablespoon tahini (this helps the rice to stick together)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (to make your own click here)

3 nori sheets

Your choice of fillings, for example

120 – 150g cooked shredded chicken, tinned tuna or smoked salmon (or omit for a vegan option)

1 carrot or cucumber

half an  avocado

60g raw rocket (or baby spinach for a milder flavor)

Tamari and chilli sauce (to serve)

Instructions

Heat a fry pan over medium high heat and add coconut oil

Meanwhile to make your rice put the cauliflower florets in the thermomix mixing bowl and chop 10 sec / reverse / speed 4

(if not using a thermomix you can chop the cauliflower using a food processor or box grater)

Tip the cauliflower rice into the fry pan and lightly fry for 4 to 5 minutes

Remove from heat and stir through tahini and a pinch of salt

Let that cool while you prepare your remaining ingredients

• Combine the chicken (or tuna, or salmon) with the mayonnaise
• Chop the carrot in thermomix 3 seconds / speed 5
• De seed, peel and slice the avocado
• Roughly chop the rocket or baby spinach

Put a nori sheet on the bench and top with a third of the cauliflower rice, spreading it on the half closest to you and out to the sides. Layer a third of the filling ingredients across the middle of the rice and starting with the edge closest to you, tightly wrap the roll to the end. Repeat with the remaining 2 nori sheets and filling. Cut the rolls into round pieces ready to serve with tamari or chilli sauce.

 

 

 

 

Setting Goals for 2016

Wow are we already a week into 2016?… I don’t know about you but I keep writing 2015 and then having to cross out the 5 and replace with a 6.

I hope you all had a great time over the holiday season and had a great Christmas and New Years. I was lucky enough to take a week off work and while it went too quickly (doesn’t it always), I had an enjoyable time catching up with friends and family and doing a lot of relaxing… it was nice not to race off anyway and just take each day as it came. I slept in a lot.. which is unlike me, had the opportunity to read (and finished) a couple of books, caught up on some odd jobs around the house and enjoyed leisurely days at the beach (and even have a tan to prove it).

That being said, I’m happy to be back on track, setting goals and planning out some exciting things for 2016, yep sweet 16 is gonna be a sweet year. 🙂

The New Year often brings an influx of people setting big ‘New Years Resolutions’. The word resolution is defined as “a firm decision to do or not do something” and have you noticed that many New Years resolutions are often related to behaviours of the previous couple of weeks/months. Overeaten or slacked off over the holidays may result in a resolution to lose weight and get fitter, spending too much money on partying and buying gifts may result in a resolution to make more money or save money.

Instead of setting resolutions, I prefer to set goals. A goal is defined as “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result”, and to me that seams a lot more positive.

I spent a bit of time early in 2015 (it didn’t quite happen in December or January) thinking about what I wanted to achieve and typing out 6 specific goals, adding pictures and then printing and putting on the pin up board in my study. It was a visual reminder of what I was aiming for and it was nice to tick each item off the list as I achieved them and to reflect and celebrate them at the end of the year.

Achieving goals, some snapshots from 2015

This year I have taken it a step further.. I typically divide my goals into a few different areas, this year being Health, Relationships and Career. Health includes things like nutrition, fitness and other (sleep, stress management), relationships includes spiritual, partner, family and friends, career includes goals about my current jobs, current and future study. Within these areas I have listed a few goals, why they are important and some action steps to help me achieve that goal.

For example under health, sub category fitness you might have a goal to ‘attend a yoga class once a week on a Monday night at (insert location here)’. Your why could be ‘to increase flexibility, better manage stress or improve core strength to do headstands’. Some action steps could be

• Encourage a friend to join come along
• Keep yoga mat by the front door
• Schedule the class time into diary as a regular appointment
• Download a yoga app to follow at home if can’t attend the class

Can you see how this goal is SMART? For more on SMART goals, check out this blog post. But in brief a SMART goal is one that is

• S pecific: the goal includes the day and time, how frequently, the location and the why. Think about who, what, where, when and why. Feel free to add something in your goal relating to the what ifs, for example if you can’t attend because your on holiday will you do yoga at your hotel?
• M easurable: how are you going to measure your accomplishments. Perhaps with increased flexibility or just seeing that your marking off in your calendar each time you attend a yoga class. For goals related to money, this is a bit easier to track, you may have a certain monetary goal in mind or a level of commission that you want to reach.
• A ttainable: is the goal reasonable enough to accomplish? If you rarely run but decide that in March of 2016 you want to run a marathon well its not (for me anyway) very attainable. Better off to set a goal of running 5 kms by a certain date and being specific about when and how you will train each week.
• R elevant: for me doing yoga is relevant but running a marathon doesn’t interest me, it might be the opposite for you. If you set a goal that isn’t important (or of interest) to you then you are less likely to achieve it.
• T imely: and finally the goal is timely. It outlines when the goal will be achieved (each fortnight). Other goals may have a deadline instead, for example ‘I will complete the couch to 5km challenge and by June 2016 will compete in a 5 + km fun run.’

I also want to add an important point here, whatever your goals, think about how you might celebrate when you achieve your goal. It gives you something fun to look forward to especially if the going gets tough and you feel like giving up.

Another thing I am embracing this year is to pick a focus word. This focus word is what you want to think of when making goals throughout the year. Some examples are Simplify, Balance, Success or Action. Pick one (and yes it can change – more on that below) that is important to you and ask yourself throughout the year “will this goal/purchase/decision help me to achieve __insert focus word here __ this year?”.

At the end of 2014 I decided enthusiastically that 2015 was going to be my year for ADVENTURE (focus word), with plans for a big overseas holiday and more… however a few days later my husband had a motorbike accident that landed him in a back brace for 3 months, restricted activities and off work for nearly 6 months. Perhaps I spoke to soon but that wasn’t quite the adventure that I had in mind. So instead in January I reviewed and changed my focus to something more relevant at the time.

For this year my focus word is NOURISH, I’m dedicated to healing my gut and am going back to a lot of GAPS principles to do this (more on this in another post). I’ve also chosen a second word HAPPINESS, I was going to choose adventure again but I’ve decided that happiness was truer for me. While this year is already shaping up to be full of exciting adventures, I also want to focus on finding, making and being happy in the smaller things, everyday.

Sorry for such a long post but I hope you found it helpful.

Many best wishes and I hope that you achieve your goals this year :-). Lets make sweet 16 the year to turn those dreams into a reality.

Some of the many inspirational people I had the opportunity to meet in 2015

I’d love to hear from you. What have you got planned for this year? What works for you, do you set and review goals or set new years resolution? What is your focus word.