Strawberry Cream Pie recipe

I made this Pie yesterday, before lunch.  I had a piece for lunch, then a piece for afternoon tea, then a piece for dessert and then a piece for morning tea today.  That's how much I like it!

It's light and creamy and melts in your mouth.  It is also super healthy!!  You can eat as much as you want 'guilt' free :)

For the crust:

• 3/4 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup almonds (I used blanched) - I think you could use any combination of different nuts.
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 3 T butter softened

Grind all of these ingredients in your food processor until they are like a crumble, then press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, building up the sides slightly.

For the Filling:

• 2 cups of fresh strawberries
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 T vanilla extract (not essence)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup coconut oil

Place all the filling ingredients into your blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  Carefully pour on top of the crust and refrigerate for 3 hours.  (I put it in the freezer for an hour and it was set)

Serve with fresh whipped pure cream.

I have two other pies that I'm going to try in the next couple of days.

A Chocolate Hazelnut Pie and a Lemon Slice.  I'll keep you posted.

Before I went to bed last night, I took the dogs out through the laundry door to do their business, and look who was waiting for me on the fence!!

Aren't his eyes amazing?

Well, I'm off to do some cooking .. my kitchen awaits!

Nite all.

Lazy Friday

High tide was interesting this morning.

Even though the cyclone isn't even near us, this morning's high tide, to me, seemed worse than last year when the cyclone was much closer.

This is what our waterfront looked like ...

The weather bureau has predicted three cyclones forming next week.

One in Western Australia and two in the Coral Sea, which will affect Queensland and it will, apparently, be an extreme weather event.  *insert worried face here*

Let's think positive.  Let's hope for the best.

After I came home this morning, I made a strawberry tart, which I will show you tomorrow.  Adoring Husband thought it was a bit rich, but I LOVED it and I'm not even a strawberry fan .. unless they are cold and fresh in my bowl with freshly whipped cream!

I will post a photo and the recipe tomorrow .. it's so easy to make!

Off to bed for me.

Nite all.

Fracking Cyclones

Ever heard of 'fracking'?

It's been in the news a bit lately.

Don't worry, Adoring Husband hadn't even heard of it.

If you're interested, go here, and slowly scroll down the page to follow the story with just enough detail that is very easy to understand.  The information you read, is from USA stats, but it happens in Australia too, and Queensland is the worst affected state.

Go here to see some interesting maps and read some interesting information provided by SBS about CSG and fracking and broken rules.

On the weather front at the moment, we have a cyclone to the north which should be crossing the coast between Townsville and Mackay in the early hours of tomorrow morning (by the time you read this, it will have already crossed).

To give you an idea of where Adoring Husband and I are, in the big picture ...

We should get some nice rain out of it .. which we need, but the cyclone is playing havoc with the tides, which are much bigger than normal and it's even possible that we could get our feet a little wet at the Seat of Knowledge tomorrow morning as the tide reaches it's peak.

The spiel with this map warned of impending water spouts and tornadoes between Townsville and Mackay and also on the western edge of the cyclone .. which kind of puts a chill up my spine .. for obvious reasons.

My sister lives in the area to the west.  She is annoyed that the people in her town have begun panic buying, because the shelves were bare in her local supermarket.  I just hope that she will be ok.

My brother is on the northern edge of the cyclone and has received approx 350ml of rain in the past few days and currently has storms rolling through to the north.  He seems to think that he won't be any more affected than that.

A cousin is on Magnetic Island and right in the thick of it.  Uncles, Aunties and cousins in Mackay and Townsville.

Good luck to you all and I hope that you will be safe and secure during the next couple of days.  I know that it's of no use to you, but you will be in my thoughts!

I got to have a little chat on the phone with my Chicklet today.  She will celebrate her 3rd birthday next month, so I'll be heading down that way at the end of next week to be there for the big party!

That also means that this blog will celebrate it's third birthday on 10th February!  Who'da thunk I'd still be committed to writing here after three years?!  Amazing.

Nite all.

Positively Great

I was introduced to a blog, ages ago (and by ages, I mean at least 2 yrs ago), by Vegan Chickie.

The blog is called 'Yes and Yes - because yes is more fun than no'

If I recall correctly, one of Vegan Chickie's photos was selected for the 'Yes and Yes' calendar that they issue every year.

Admittedly, as my life has filled with lots of other interesting things like photography, cooking, health and nutrition, visiting the Sunny Coast regularly,  I haven't followed the blog for over a year, even though I still receive the posts through my RSS feed.  I kind of just ignore it.

HOWEVER .. today I just happened to have a look, and Sarah Von, the writer, shared something that she does every day, and which I think is a great idea.

She keeps a note book beside her bed and at night before she goes to sleep, she writes down five great things that happened to her that day.

It could be something as small as enjoying a take-away coffee from the local cafe or as big as the birth of a grandchild or something like 'I bought a nice sharp pair of scissors today'!

Then on the opposite page, she writes a list of five things that she has to do tomorrow.  It could be cleaning the toilet, attending an important meeting, paying a bill, climbing a mountain, visiting a friend .. whatever!

She says that it makes her feel good about the day that she just had and helps her relax about tomorrow so that she can sleep more soundly.  She even mentioned that her brain conjures up ideas in her sleep, so that things run more smoothly the next day!

It just so happens that I bought myself a lovely little notepad while shopping with Adoring Husband yesterday.  It has a black cover with three words #EAT #PRAY #WRITE written on the front.  I have a bit of a 'thing' for stationery .. much the same as my 'thing' for shoes and handbags lol.

I buy notepads and journals and diaries, but don't like to write in them, because that would spoil their crisp, clean beauty!

I bought this one, telling myself that I would use it .. for something!  Now I've found the 'something' that I'm going to use it for and it will go on my bedside table, starting tonight!

I logged into Google+ today and look what I discovered!!  Google+ played with the Mickey photo to make it snow!

Pretty cool huh?

While I was sitting at the Seat of Knowledge this morning, I noticed a husband and wife walking along the river path, when they stopped, and were looking intently up between two houses nearby.  They edged closer and closer to the houses and kept whispering to each other.

After about 10 minutes, they continued on their walk, and as they got closer to the SOK, I caught their attention and asked what they had noticed between the houses.

They told me that there was a large goanna standing on it's hind legs, so I grabbed my camera and went investigating.

He was a mighty find specimen!

I think he liked the feel of the warm concrete on his belly.

An interesting thing happened today.  A facebook friend, from my 104 photography group, requested, via a facebook post,  a volunteer to help her with an assignment.

She is studying the Higher Dip in Nutritional Medicine and needed a volunteer to provide their diet details via a daily diary, which she made up and emailed through to me.

It will be interesting for me to see exactly what I consume in a week too, so I'm very keen to help her.

She also gave me a couple of recommendations for nutrition courses that were not on my list, so I will follow them up too.

I might get to bed before midnight tonight!  Wish me luck.

Nite all.

Another Date Day

We had the choice of five movies at the cinema this morning.

The 9.30am screenings included two animated children's movies, two very emotionally intense dramas and an action movie that had terrible reviews, which Adoring Husband had read to me a couple of nights ago.

There were a LOT of children at the cinema for the two animated movies .. it seems that not all ages returned to school today .. so those movies were quickly crossed off the list.

I really didn't want to start my day in emotional turmoil and with tears streaming down my cheeks, so the dramas were crossed off the list.

Movie critics annoy me, and more often than not, they are way off the mark, so I was willing to give the action movie a chance.

I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit"  It had me sitting on the edge of my seat for most of the movie and one of it's stars is one of my favourites, Kevin Costner.

Chris Pine and Keira Knightley were great, and Kenneth Brannagh acted in it, as well as Directed it!

We relaxed with a coffee in the cafe before the cinema opened and then during the movie, we enjoyed some popcorn, water and a nice little bag of grapes that I snuck in my handbag.

Afterwards, we had some heavy duty shopping to do because the stores in my pantry were very low, so a trip to 'Nana's Pantry' and 'Go Natural Foods' just about emptied our bank account!  But now I'm all set for a couple of marathon cooking days!

The most exciting part of my shopping day, was finding some Kefir Grains!

I've read so much about Kefir and I just wasn't confident about making my own, but now I have a starter and I should be able to keep up a regular supply!

Kefir is a drink made from kefir grains and it has the consistency of a drinkable yogurt but is much more tart and is actually effervescent.

Kefir has 35 different strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts which actually colonize our digestive tracts and therefore boosts our immune system by keeping the healthy bacteria there.

Next on my list is finding a Kombucha 'Scoby'.  I'll explain that another day!

On the way home, we had to make way for a couple of Rural Fire Brigade trucks and we could see that they were headed for a rather large fire, but by the time we got home, there were warnings on the radio telling people in the area that if they didn't have a plan, they should get out of their homes now!

The warning was being repeated every ten minutes on the radio for at least two hours.

We've had such terrible winds, including today, so I imagine that the fire got out of control pretty quickly.  It's classed as 'A Major Fire Incident' on the Rural Fire Service website.

I hope that no property has been damaged or destroyed and that nobody has been hurt.

In case you're wondering, it's nowhere near here and it's heading in a direction away from our place, so we are in no danger.

That's my day in a nutshell and now I need to catch up on some recorded TV shows!

Nite all.

Good and Bad

Table Salt = BAD!

Table salt, which is 97% Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is chemically produced, bleached and devoid of most other nutrients. It also contains Aluminium, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and other problems in the body.

This type of salt is not naturally occurring and in fact, when salt-water fish are placed in salt water made with table salt… they die.

This type of salt is also devoid of the many trace minerals that the body needs… so it is a wise decision to avoid it.

If you have any of this type of table salt around your house, I’d recommend that you stop using it immediately. Don’t throw it out though… you can use it in natural cleaning and stain treatment. (Just don’t eat it!)

Real Salt = Good!

To the degree that table salt is bad, real salt is healthy, necessary and good.

Consider this: the body contains high concentrations of many minerals and nutrients, and while it needs water, it also must have the proper concentration of these nutrients in bones, blood and organs to function properly.

A person can’t be given an IV of plain water- it must contain a careful balance of minerals, including salt!

Here are five reasons I personally make sure I consume enough healthy salt each day:

1. For Insulin Sensitivity:  Research is showing a link between low salt consumption and insulin resistance (and moderate/high salt intake and insulin sensitivity).  With the rising rates of blood sugar related problems, this is an important factor to consider.
2. Hydration:  Drinking 'Sole' (a specially hydrated salt water) every morning for an energy boost, a reduction in allergy symptoms and for hydration, will give your body lots of trace minerals which are essential for proper hydration.
3. Longevity:  Low salt intake is actually linked to shorter life expectancy.
4. Hormones:  Real salt clears cortisol from the blood, which takes your stress away.
5. Digestion:  Salt activates an enzyme in the mouth, called 'salivary amylase'.  At this point, the salt allows your taste buds to taste the food.  Salt also plays a role in digestion, by helping to break down food.  Salt also creates hydrochloric acid which is a very important digestive secretion, which lines the stomach walls.

Himalayan Pink salt is my favourite.  It has a milder flavour and has 84 trace elements and iron.  So toss that table and cooking salt away and be kind to your body with some nice healthy pink Himalayan salt.

We've got a double challenge in flickr again this month.  

I haven't been out and about with my camera much this month, except for the road trip, and to be honest, I didn't even think about using those photos *forehead slap* so I've used a couple of 'desperate situations, call for desperate measures' photos.

The first challenge is "Can you hear this sound" and I used the Village Voices photo for that ...

The second challenge is 'Weather'.  The only weather we've had for some time is WIND!  So, this morning, I got this photo, of the sand blowing erratically across the beach ...

I don't expect that either of my photos will do any good this month, but it's good to submit photos, to keep the numbers up, and to keep the competition honest.

I've started compiling a list of 'Questions that you should ask your parents before it's too late'.

The reason for this compilation is because of a conversation with some friends yesterday morning.  A couple of us no longer have our parents living, so when we have questions, there is nobody to ask.

I'll probably post a few questions each day, because there will be too many to post in one day!  Stay tuned.

I'm off to watch "MKR" - first episode of the season.

Nite all.

Australia Day 2014

My goodness, the weather wants to remind us about last year, by providing us with 48kph winds and 70kph gusts!

There are strong wind warnings all along the Queensland coast from as far north as Townsville, all the way south to the Gold Coast.

As if we need to be reminded!

During the week, I got a call from 'The Artist', advising me that our friend 'The Beauty' would be presented with a special Australia Day gift from the town of Burrum Heads to acknowledge and recognise her value in our community and to thank her for her friendship and continued involvement in community activities.

This presentation was to remain a secret and my job was to contact her husband 'The Beast' to make sure she attended the Australia Day celebrations at the Community Hall.

So I conspired with 'our group' and we planned to all go together, inviting 'Beauty and the Beast', for the Australia Day sausage sizzle breakfast, the raising of the flag and then the entertainment in the hall afterwards .. which would include the presentation for 'The Beauty'.

I must say, it's a little bit stressful trying to organise surprises like this, without letting the cat out of the bag!

But we were successful and The Beauty appeared to be very surprised and very happy.

It was an interesting morning and I got to meet our local member, Cr Rolf Light and the Fraser Coast, Mayor Gerard O'Connell.  They were very friendly, making small talk about the weather, comparing it to last year, and Rolf Light even shared photos of his beloved dog wearing a diamonte tiara!

These are just a few photos from our morning at the Community Hall.  A pleasant time was had by all.

Adoring Husband and I visited some other friends for a couple of hours after lunch.  By the time we got there, everybody was very merry with a few drinks already under their belts and then we left just before they went over the edge with drunken festivities.

I enjoyed catching up with a few people .. those that we only get to see three or four times each year.

Tonight we met friends at the local Bowls Club for dinner.  Unfortunately, half an hour after we'd placed our orders, one of the kitchen staff came out to tell me that they couldn't provide that meal gluten free and would I like to choose another meal.

That was annoying, because then I had to wait for another 40 minutes for my meal, by which time, everybody else had received and eaten theirs.  So they were all waiting for me to finish before they went home.

Still, it was a nice meal which I enjoyed and the company was special.  I sat with two of the most polite, courteous and genuinely friendly teenagers that I've ever had the pleasure to meet.  So I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the evening.

So our Australia Day was full of friendship and smiles .. just the way Australia Day should be.

Nite all.
  

Define Poison

Bleach.

Bleach is one of the most corrosive and deadly chemicals, yet they still sell it in the supermarket.

Bleach is a known carcinogen and is also linked to fertility issues, miscarriages and birth defects.

When household bleach is mixed with waste water - such as that in your toilet - it is found to form numerous organic compounds.  Two of those compounds are chloroform, which can cause dizziness, headache, respiratory issues, heart attack, liver and kidney damage, birth defects and more - and carbon tetrachloride - nerve damage, liver and kidney degeneration, coma and death.

If you're interested in keeping yourself and your family safe and healthy, it's worth following up the dangers of household bleach.

What is bleach?

The dangers of bleach

Why is bleach bad for me?

Of course there will always be someone to tell you how safe household bleach is, because after all, the bottom line is the dollar, but I will repeat my mantra ... question EVERYTHING.

Yesterday, I made some Fresh Mint and Chocolate Brownies .. gluten free, sugar free, grain free, egg free and dairy free.

Very rich and very tasty, but a bit too minty for me .. I will probably reduce the amount of mint in it next time.

This morning I finally had an attempt at Sauerkraut.

"Sauerkraut provides a high-density source of a wide range of beneficial live lactic acid bacteria which assist in the digestive process, produce a variety of vitamins and other nutrients, and keep harmful micro-organisms at bay. A single serving of genuine raw sauerkraut gives your body a bigger health boost than any of the expensive probiotic drinks and supplements sold in stores.

Cruciferous vegetables (also known as Brassicaceae or Brassicas) include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard, cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radish, rutabagas, turnip and watercress.

Cabbage, brussels sprouts and other brassicas offer a host of health benefits. They are high in vitamins A and C. Cabbage provides a rich source of antioxidants. Studies have shown that the cruciferous vegetables can help lower cholesterol levels; have anti-inflammatory properties; and help prevent and combat many cancers.

A phytonutrient in these vegetables named glucosinolate significantly enhances your liver's detoxification ability. It is believed that eating these foods every day will halve your risk of getting cancer.

Some of the phytonutrients in this family seem to be able to protect mucous membranes, especially in the lungs and digestive tract. They are effective guardians against cancer, ulcers and infections in the digestive tract."

Sauerkraut must be raw

Most sauerkraut sold in supermarkets and shops is pasteurised. The beneficial bacteria and other organisms have been destroyed so that it has a long shelf life, and there is no risk of the jar exploding from pressure build-up. To gain the benefits from sauerkraut, it MUST be made the traditional way and consumed raw - best to learn how to make your own.

For more information and a recipe (which is not the same as mine) go here.

That's it for my Saturday.

At 3.30am tomorrow morning, it will be exactly one year since the tornado hit our town.  One year on and still there are a few repairs not finished.  

We have a big day planned starting with breakfast at the community hall, a barbecue with friends at lunchtime and then dinner at the local Bowls Club with more friends.  It will be a big day .. although I have a funny feeling that there will be some wet stuff falling out of the sky.

Happy Australia Day everybody.

Nite all.

An Hour to Kill

I've never been a fan of fad diets, though I admit to attempting a few of them in my youth.  The most successful of them, for me, was the low carbohydrate diet, on which I lost 14kgs in 1982, and which, funnily enough is very close to what I am doing now on my own created diet, quite unintentionally.

So when I read about current fad diets via my friends on facebook, I am, from a nutrition point of view,  quite judgemental and it's difficult for me to zip my lip.

Sometimes, I really can't zip my lip .. especially when people take 'fat' completely out of their diets .. luckily, they are always happy to hear my advice about eating 'full fat' .. they are rarely happy to hear that in conjunction with that, they need to cut refined sugar!

Another fad diet was mentioned in a facebook conversation today.  The 5:2 diet.  Where you eat whatever you want, and as much as you want for 5 days and then 'fast' for two days.

I highly doubted this to be a healthy way to live, but a friend shared this ...

Eat, Fast and Live Longer

So if you have an hour to spare, it's quite an interesting doco, that takes you on a series of different 'fasting' ideas, and it's more about the positive effects it has on your 'insides' eg blood sugar, cholesterol and risk factors for cancers, stroke and heart disease, than actually losing weight .. which is the bonus.

I don't think I would try it because, as far as health and wellbeing goes, I like the way my current diet makes me feel and I enjoy the food I eat now.

The thing I found most interesting in the doco, was how your body, during a 'fast', repairs damaged cells, including brain cells .. and how they are experimenting, using mice, on the effects of fasting on Alzheimer's Disease.

Anyway, I thought it was worth sharing here.

I hoped to have some new photos and a recipe to add, but Adoring Husband came out of his procedure with flying colours, so we did some socialising tonight.

This means that I have nothing more to add and I am off for an early night and hopefully an early morning for sunrise!

Nite all.

Contentious

This is a subject that is becoming important to me .. and to vaccinate or not, is not a decision that I need to make these days, because my kids are grown.

I will never have a flu vaccination myself and I would fight tooth and nail to stop Adoring Husband from having one .. although in the end, of course, the decision is his .. but I would make sure he read every skerrick of information available, so that his decision was well informed and not just based on his Dr's recommendation, or media scare tactics.

I found this very interesting blog today, that provides extensive information regarding all forms of vaccinations.

87 Published Works on Vaccines and Adverse Health Concerns

Each one of these is linked to research information .. where you can read a summary of the research conducted, or go deeper and get more detailed information.

I recently posted an article on facebook regarding the dangers of vaccinations and three of my facebook friends (who are also my friends in real life) put a comment up, warning me about how dangerous my information was.

Personally, I believe that media scare tactics are more dangerous than my information.

I believe that too many people take media reports as law, and don't do enough research themselves, to make informed decisions about something so important as vaccinations.

I'm absolutely certain that your Dr .. the one so willing to inject you with this concoction .. cannot tell you what ingredients are in the vaccination syringe, what each ingredient does to build your immunity against infection of these diseases or flus, or what the side effects are and 'everything' that you should be looking out for after a vaccination.

All of this information is important and you have a right to know the answers.  It's your responsibility to educate yourself and know what you are allowing to be injected into your baby's or child's body... or your own body for that matter.

There is so much negative information hidden from the general public and so many lies told.

Fifty years ago, doctors recommended smoking cigarettes as a way of relaxing and claimed that they had no adverse affects and that smoking was not addictive.

Fifty + years ago, doctors prescribed Thalidomide for morning sickness, and continued to do so for years, even after it was suspected of causing birth defects and miscarriage.  10,000 children, in 46 different countries were affected before they finally withdrew the drug from sales.

In 1999, an anti-inflammatory drug, called Vioxx was released, and is estimated to have caused 139,000 heart attacks before it was recalled.  It took 5 years before it was taken off the market!  That particular drug company made $2.5 billion from that drug.

More than 60 yrs ago DDT was declared 'so safe you could eat it' but it was banned in Australia in 1987 and we now know that DDT is a carcinogen and also causes birth defects.  So, for forty years, they poisoned us, before declaring it unsafe.

Well, instead of me listing the drugs, here is a link that lists more than 60 drugs that were released to the public and found later to cause deaths, heart attacks, cancer, deformities .. among other things.

This is why it's important to educate yourself about the drugs that you are going to put into your mouth or have injected into your body.

The pharmaceutical companies want to make as much money as possible and in most cases, the money that they pay in compensation damages, is a spit in the ocean compared to the billions that they make in profits.

Governments in most countries now trust the pharmaceutical companies to do the adequate testing on new drugs before release.

Basically, we are the guinea pigs, so it's up to us to take care of ourselves.

So, if I post information regarding vaccinations or prescription drugs on facebook, or here in my blog, unless you are prepared to read the information, please don't tell me that what I am doing is dangerous, because, in actual fact, by ignoring half of the available facts, what YOU are doing, is dangerous.

... and now for something a little more light hearted ...

Here is my photo for a mini challenge in one of the photography pages that I joined in facebook.  The theme is 'Yellow'.

... and here is my photo for the 104 group challenge which is themed 'white' (Yes I know! Both are colours - purely co-incidental!)

That's my cue to go to bed.  It's well after midnight again.

Nite all.  

Seriously?! Saturated fats are good!

Adoring Husband has to have a medical procedure performed this Friday and has been put on a 'special' diet.

This is a diet recommended by a Gastroenterologist.  A qualified one.  You know?  One that went to medical school for a good number of years, so that he/she could make people healthy?

These are the meal options, as recommended by the Gastroenterologist, to be eaten during the four days leading up to the procedure.

BREAKFAST:

• Cornflakes or Ricebubbles
• White toast with honey or marmalade
• Scrambled eggs on white toast
• Pancakes
• Apple Juice
• Tea or Coffee

MORNING TEA:

• Plain scones, plain biscuits, vanilla yoghurt or pikelets

LUNCH:

• Chicken soup (without vegetables)
• White bread sandwich with chicken/turkey/cheese
• Apple Juice, lemonade or lemon cordial
• Tea or Coffee

AFTERNOON TEA:

• The same as morning tea

DINNER:

• Chicken/Fish/Pork
• Potato/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato
• Boiled white rice
• White pasta
• Apple juice, lemonade or lemonade cordial
• Tea or Coffee

In the 24 hours prior to the procedure, he can only have clear broth or clear fruit juices, bonox or lucozade.

Call me crazy, but this is an invasive procedure that requires him to be anaesthetised, so I believe that his body needs to be as healthy as is possible, with strong immunity.

This will enable his liver to filter and remove the toxic anaesthetic concoction, as quickly as possible, and will help him to recover quickly from having foreign objects inside his body.

From what I can see, everything here (aside from the sweet potato and pumpkin) is 'white' food.  White food full of gluten and sugar and sodium and caffeine.

I can't think of any other foods that could possibly weaken his immune system more than gluten and sugar.

So I decided to do some of my own research and discovered that prior to this particular procedure, people must eat a 'low residue' diet and the actual list of fresh fruit and vegetables allowed on this diet is much more extensive than that shown on the sheet we were given by the Gastroenterologist.

Every day, in every way, I am questioning the common sense of these people who have our health in their hands.

Next, I'd like to add some links to information about saturated fats.  We've been told for 40 yrs that they are bad and contribute to heart disease, but this is not the case and these links will take you to up-to-date information regarding saturated fats .. and each of these links have further links to take you to even more information, if you choose to go further into it.

Eating-fat-is-good-for-you-Doctors-change-their-minds-after-40-years

Enjoy-saturated-fats-theyre-good-for-you

Saturated-fat-healthy

Last, but not least, an old photo of me, taken in 1987, all dressed up for the Policemen's Ball.  Sheriff Roz, attempting to look mean!

Nite all

More 'do' than 'don't'

With so many stories in the media telling us what not to eat or drink, it's very difficult to determine what is actually good for us, or what we SHOULD be eating or drinking.

If you're a fussy eater, it's virtually impossible to eat a healthy, well balanced diet and when your working life brings a high stress load, then the low nutrient foods that you do eat, just exacerbates your problems.

Your hormones and sugar levels and therefore your moods become erratic and it's difficult to get through the day without feeling overwhelmed with various emotions as the day wears on and by the time you get home, you're too exhausted to do anything except grab a beer or a can of coke out of the fridge and snack on high sugar and high sodium snacks as you collapse on the couch.

If your life is busy, complex or complicated, where your time is limited for each of the duties that you have to perform during the day, plus you have to maintain a home, care for children, share yourself equally between a number of different people/jobs/locations, then generally speaking, taking care of yourself seems to slide very low down the priority list.

The trouble is, the longer you neglect your health, the more likely your body is going to break down with problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, hyper/hypothyroidism, cancers and even problems like headaches, joint pain and allergies, which disrupt your already full and busy life.

I was reading a story online the other day which surmised that the current generation of young people will die before their parents, because their diets are so full of sugars, chemical and synthetic additives, and are so lacking in vitamins, minerals and nutrients that their bodies are almost malnourished and chronic diseases will develop much earlier than in their parents or grandparents.

I was speaking to one of the checkout ladies at my local supermarket yesterday as she weighed and packed my shopping which consisted totally of fruit and vegetables, when she commented about how healthy my purchases were.

I told her about my new eating regime and what I had cut from my diet and she looked at me as if I was crazy and said "I thought about doing something like that .. but it means all you can basically eat, is fruit and vegetables and meat!!  I just couldn't do that!  And the other thing is, all that healthy stuff is so expensive!"

I replied "Well, yes, and so are all the medications that you'll be on for your high blood pressure and your diabetes and your thyroid condition."

"Oh God!" she said "That's already started for me!"

She is only in her late 30s.

So I thought maybe a list of 'do eats' instead of 'don't eats' would make it easier to look at making some dietary decisions.

• Chicken, turkey, veal, bacon, lamb, venison, rabbit, kangaroo, beef, fish and shellfish. 
• Asparagus, avocado, artichokes, brussel sprouts, carrots, spinach, celery, broccoli, zucchini, cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower, eggplant, onions, pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, beetroot, corn, beans, peas, turnips, parsnips, silverbeet, pak choy, bok choy, kale, lettuce, radish and cucumber.
• Apple, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, lemons, kiwi fruit, bananas, pawpaw, papaya, mango, tomato, grapes, lychee, plums, apricots, peaches, mulberries, passionfruit, figs, watermelon, guava, lime, raspberries, tangerine, rockmelon, rhubarb and any other fruit you can think of.
• Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts (which are not actually nuts), pumpkins seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, walnuts and brazil nuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds.
• Coconut oil, macadamia oil, avocado oil and butter.  Olive oil .. only used cold .. not for cooking.
• Soft cheeses, full cream milk, full cream cream, full cream plain yoghurt, greek yoghurt and butter.
• Eggs.
• Quinoa, rice, GF oats, rice bran, psyllium, linseed.
• Raw honey, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, rapidura sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, shredded coconut, desiccated coconut, shaved coconut.
• Coconut water, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut butter.
• Almond milk, rice milk.
• Quinoa flour, chick pea flour, potato starch, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, GF cornflour and almond flour (in moderation).
• Parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme, mint, dill, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne pepper, chilli, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and any other herb or spice that you can think of.
• Water - lots of it.

Ok, that's off the top of my head and covers a lot!  I'm sure that I've also left a LOT off this list too. 

Of course, the other requirement is knowing how to cook .. or at least knowing how to read and follow a recipe.  I know some 30+ year olds who have never actually cooked a meal, other than toasting bread or putting frozen processed food into a microwave or conventional oven.

Think of it as a challenge!

I've learned to care about, and try to take charge of my own health because I want to be in my children's and my grandchildren's lives. I want to be around for a lot longer than my parents and I want to have a good quality of life.

That's important to me.

Nite all.

Super Walnut Coconut Oil Fudge

I made this delicious fudge today.  Instead of using all walnuts, I used half hazelnuts, half walnuts for one batch.

The other batch, I replaced the nuts with desiccated coconut.

They are delicious ... and so easy to make (as long as you have a food processor)

Super Walnut Coconut Oil Fudge

1 cup raw walnut pieces
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup softened/melted organic coconut oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pinches sea salt

Garnish: 3/4 cup rough chopped raw walnuts

In a food processor, blend 1 cup walnut pieces, cacao powder, softened coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt together.  Reserve 3/4 cup walnuts for garnish.

Line a small square dish with baking paper. I used a small loaf tin lined with a baking paper for one and a chinese container lined with baking paper for the other.

Scoop the fudge batter into square dish. Top with chopped walnuts, pushing some in as you go, and add a finishing layer. Freeze for an hour or more.

Chop into squares, ENJOY! Tastes amazing when chilled or right out of the freezer! (Best stored in the freezer).

All of the ingredients are good for you and they taste delicious!

Haven't had a chance to take any photos lately, so I rode down to the lagoon yesterday morning and watched the bees buzzing around the lilies.

... and that's it for my life today.

Nite all.

Nutrition

So I've made some enquiries about studying nutrition.

The Australian Institute of Applied Sciences has an Advanced Diploma in Nutritional Medicine that covers a lot of subjects in which I am most interested.  Aside from nutrition, they cover things like iridology, mineral therapy, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, clinical medicine and much, much more.  Sounds intense doesn't it?

The Australasian College of Natural Therapies also has the Advanced Diploma and they concentrate on boosting health and preventing disease ... I like the way they think.

Health Academy Australia has an Advanced Certificate in Nutritional Counselling which covers human nutrition, nutrition for disease management, children's nutrition and counselling skills.  I don't think this one is 'intense' enough.

The Endeavour College of Natural Health offers Study Bachelor of Health Science (Nutritional Medicine).  Their focus is the study of food, its nutrients and how diet affects health and wellbeing.  They specifically state that graduates will be eligible for membership with professional organisations like Aust Natural Therapists Association, Aust Traditional Medicine Society and The Nutrition Society of Aust Inc.

So, I'm still not certain that I am willing to make the commitment, and I'm not sure if my brain is capable of taking all of the information in, but my obsession with nutrition and how different foods,  and their vitamins, minerals, nutrients etc can heal/treat/boost the human body, is intensely interesting to me and I REALLY want to learn more.

I'd really like to use the information to help people and at the ripe old age of 50+, I'm beginning to understand how vitally important nutritional education is and I worry that people are so apathetic about what goes into their mouths ... just as I myself was, for such a long time, with little pockets of interest, at various stages of my life.

The media come up with a new idea every day about what's good for you and what's not and it's confusing for the regular Joe.

There is always a new study with results that contradict that last study.

So, no doubt, nutritional education will be a continual learning process.

I've had a keen interest in nutrition since I chose to go 'gluten free' two years ago, and felt the difference that it made to my health and wellbeing.

But the kicker, for me, was quitting refined sugar and processed foods.  It's been 5 months, but still, every day, I feel better and better.  I imagine, after 50 yrs of food abuse, it's going to take a lot longer than 5 months to heal the damage done to my body.

Anyway, I will continue, tomorrow, to research some more courses and hopefully, I will hear from the people who I have emailed tonight, and I'll have a better idea of what I want to do.

Now it's time for bed ... good sleep is just as important as good food!

Nite all.

Family Treasures

I read some interesting research about SIDS yesterday.

In case you don't know, I lost my first child to SIDS at the tender age of 4 months, so I always read, with interest, any new developments in possible causes.

I was shocked and intrigued to read that 85% of SIDS deaths occur at 2 months and 4 months of age, which also appears to be the ages for certain vaccinations.

Anyway, I know that I have Jamie's paperwork here somewhere with a timeline of his medical history .. he was born 9 weeks early, so he spent his first two months of life in hospital .. and I was given a medical sheet that listed all of his treatments, vaccinations, check-ups and weight details.

So today, I went in search of this paperwork.

I've had a box sitting in my work space for about 6 months.  It's full of all kinds of paperwork and photographs and, purely due to laziness, I have put off unpacking it... until today.  I found:

• Kid's school reports and photos. 
• MY school reports.
• My father's medical records and all the paperwork relating to Mum's compensation claim for Dad's wrongful death.
• Funeral details for both Mum and Dad.
• Old letters that Dad had written to me way back in the 70s.
• A letter written by my sister, aged 13, explaining how she would treat her children when she had them.
• A note from one of the kids' babysitters, with her signature, telling me to keep it because she will be famous one day.
• A poem that I had written for my mother when I was about 16 or 17 and she laminated it and hung it on the wall.
• Many many emails from Vegan Chickie when she was in her late teens and early 20s.
• Paperwork, that I didn't know existed, about my Mother's side of the family.  Information about my Grandfather and Grandmother and beyond, as well as very old photos and a storyline to go with each person.  Sooooo interesting!

If only I'd known, when we were in Esk last week, that my Grandfather's name is on the War Memorial in that town, I'd have gone looking for it!

Needless to say, I wiled a couple of hours away, reminiscing through that box and never did find Jamie's paperwork .. that has been left for another day.

Today, I mostly spent in the kitchen.

Bacon and Eggs for breakfast and then a loaf of seedy bread, chocolate brownies, home-made gluten free sausage rolls (which took FOREVER), spicy tomato sauce and then orange chilli chicken for dinner.

I think I will make tomorrow, Sunday, my day of rest.  No cooking tomorrow.

BGWLBH is leaving tomorrow *insert sad face here*

She has already packed her car and since we don't do 'goodbyes', she may not even be here when I wake up in the morning!

I've created a book of sorts for her, with recipes, shopping lists, clean eating tips, lists of dos and don'ts, what food to avoid, ideas for easy meals etc etc.  I hope that it comes in handy for her and that she is able to continue this healthy change in her lifestyle once she gets home and into a routine.

Time for bed.

Nite all.

Weight Loss

I am eating more food now, in a 24 hour period,  than I can ever remember eating in my life. (but not ten eggs in one day!)

The difference is, that it's all fresh food, and no processed food, no sugar, no gluten and all the dairy that I eat is full fat .. no skim, no lite, no low fat, no fat-free.  I drink and use raw milk as often as possible, only eat soft cheeses and use butter a lot.

I use coconut oil for everything .. cooking, dressings, smoothies, skin care, for cleaning teeth, hair conditioner etc etc.

I began this way of eating at the beginning of September last year (2013), after I had done LOTS of research on line, and put two and two together, I created my own diet regime.

What I am doing, is no specific diet - I've discovered that it is probably closest to the Paleo way of eating, but mostly, I've used my own common sense and chosen the foods that I believe will lift me to optimum health.

Since September, I've noticed these things

1. When I wake in the morning .. it's no longer painful when I climb out of bed.  Where it used to take ten or fifteen minutes for my joints to loosen up and stop feeling pain, I now climb out of bed pain free.
2. My fingernails grow faster and stronger .. though I am not accustomed to this and it annoys me to have to clean my nails regularly and file the rough edges that occur because my habits are those of someone without fingernails.
3. I have more energy and instead of requiring a nap every day at around 2-3pm, I only need a nap perhaps once in a week or once every ten days, and that's because I stay up too late at night.
4. I sleep more soundly.  For the last seven years or more, I haven't slept no longer than two hours before waking up to either go to the bathroom, or to ease the pain in my joints/back or because my brain suddenly decides to be active.  Now I sleep for at least 5 hours and if I didn't drink so much water before I went to bed, it would probably be longer.
5. To me, my eyes seem clearer when I look in the mirror.  The whites are whiter and the colour of my eyes is clearer.
6. My skin feels softer to me and after the initial breakouts when my body felt like it was detoxing, it feels and looks clearer to me.
7. The plaque has loosened and dropped from my teeth.  I know this seems strange and I haven't read anything anywhere to indicate that this is a side effect of clean eating, but it was sudden, and over a period of two days, that the plaque literally fell off the inside of my teeth.
8. I have more energy during the day and I am motivated - mostly in the kitchen - and for researching new recipes.
9. I don't have cravings any more.  I once had regular sugar cravings and salt/savoury cravings.
10. The whole idea of this diet change, was not to lose weight, but to become healthier and to fix the minor health issues I had (as well as any imagined major issues), but as a bonus, I have lost 7 kgs in less than 5 months and I feel fantastic.  The weight loss has been slow but with a lifestyle change like this, I expect it to be permanent weight loss.

I've watched the last game of tennis for the night, so I'm off to bed to get my 5 solid hours of sleep before my bladder urges me to wake up.


I had a rest day in the kitchen today, because I was searching for some paperwork and ended up taking a stroll down memory lane, finding paperwork that I didn't realise that I had, including some interesting facts about my mother's side of the family .. which I hope to share with you tomorrow!

Anyway .. I digress ..

Nite all.

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

Oi!  Oi!  Oi!

Can you tell that I'm watching the Aussie Open Tennis?  I'm watching a young 18 yr old Australian by the name of Nick Kyrgios play a 24 yr old French player, Benoit Paire.

Kyrgios has won the first set and is currently in a tie breaker for the second set.  The Aussie crowd is going wild every time he wins a point and he is thriving on the attention.

I've never seen him play before and he is a mighty fine player .. I expect big things from him in the coming years!

He has just won the second set!

Anyway ...

Today, I had a tiny bit of retail therapy with BGWLBH.  The shops were a bit disappointing.  No great sales and nothing different to anywhere else in the world.

We did get a few dvds from JB Hi Fi and we watched one tonight "Red 2" with Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins and Mary-Louise Parker.  A great all-star cast and although it had a lot of violence, it also had a lot of fun and a lot of action.

I really enjoyed it.

I also bought the dvd "Jobs" starring Ashton Kutcher.  I haven't seen that movie yet.  I'll let you know.

Yesterday I made a gluten free bread from the 'Monica Topliss in the Kitchen' cookbook.  OMG it's delicious!  It has a lot of ingredients and I think that's probably the most time consuming thing about making this bread .. measuring out all of the ingredients and then waiting the required 8 hours after you take it out of the oven, before you can eat it.

I was so impressed with the bread that I even posted a comment on the author's facebook page commending the recipe and thanking her for the great recipes in the book.

Tonight, I made 'Olive Oil Ice Cream' (not from Monica's book) and was surprised by how sweet and delicious it was.  I think I'd like to make it again and possibly add some kind of fruit for a different flavour, or maybe some chocolate/cocoa.

We collected the FROG box this afternoon (there were actually 2 boxes) and they were full of beautiful looking fruit and veg.  I need to get creative in the kitchen this week to use up all of that deliciousness.

I've missed seeing my boys at the Seat of Knowledge for the last two mornings so I hope to get up bright and early enough to head down there tomorrow.

I wonder how late this tennis match is going to go tonight?  That may have a bearing on whether I get up early tomorrow.  I'll be making every effort to watch this match to the end!

Nite all.

Cooking Cooking Cooking

*  Berry smoothies
*  Bacon and Eggs
*  Lamb and vegetable fritters
*  Gluten free grain bread from scratch
*  Beetroot tahini dip
*  Lemon chicken risotto

So today, between the three of us, we have each consumed blueberries, banana, coconut water, raw milk, bacon, 10 eggs, lamb, potato, sweet potato, zucchini, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, fresh beetroot, tahini, greek yoghurt, lemons, broccoli, celery, chicken, rice, baby spinach, iceberg lettuce, rocket, red capsicum, tomato, avocado, cucumber, feta cheese, mint, basil and sugar-free/gluten-free chocolate brownies.

That's a pretty darned healthy day of eating I feel!

I've just tasted the bread .. it's the first time I've made it (from Monica Topliss's recipe book) and even though it has a bit of an after taste, the texture and flavour is really good.  I'm looking forward to having some for breakfast tomorrow morning.  I think it will toast well too.

My FROG box arrives tomorrow .. the first one for the new year .. I hope there will be enough room in the fridge for everything!!

I would like to make some ice cream tomorrow, if I get a chance, otherwise, I think BGWLBH has some shopping plans .. and you know that I am always good for some retail therapy!

One photo to share ...

It's a Wedge-tailed Eagle actually looking at me!

It's 11pm and I can't stop yawning .. need to sleep .. too many hours in the kitchen today.

Nite all.

Who?

After a short visit with the boys at the Seat of Knowledge this morning, I then met the girls briefly for morning tea, but left early to come home and cook breakfast for BGWLBH before heading into The Bay for a spot of grocery shopping.

My kitchen pantry is now full of all the necessary ingredients to make some delicious food in the coming days!

I definitely need to make some nice sugar-free and gluten-free snacks and desserts to keep BGWLBH satisfied while she has withdrawals from sugar and at the same time, cravings for sugar ... and desiring food that she never even eats usually!

Adoring Husband has not been so diligent with his diet while I've been away either, so I have to get him back on track.

Pretty sure they are already calling me names!

I've got plans for tomorrow in the kitchen and I think they'll be happy with the results!

Adoring Husband made us an alcohol free cocktail this afternoon and BGWLBH made a list of movies that look interesting enough to either download or buy on dvd.

After dinner, we had a short play with the new Dr Who trivia cards that I bought for AH while on holidays.

Considering that AH is the biggest 'Whovian' that I know, and BGWLBH is possibly the second biggest, I did pretty well against them ... admittedly, I got a few hints, but I wouldn't mind sitting down with a trivia board and playing a real game.

I have a few bird photos to share tonight.

It's been a while since I've shared some birds ... and I know that they are not everyone's 'cup of tea' but I also know that there are some bird lovers our there, who enjoy my bird photos!

I'm disappointed to say that it's been an unhappy day on the tennis courts for the Australian males in the Aussie Open today.  Let's hope tomorrow brings better luck for the Aussies!

Time for me to sleep now.

Nite all.

Kitchen Capers

After eleven days away from home, I was so keen today, to get into the kitchen and start cooking!

Unfortunately, I was missing some important ingredients, that I'm unable to acquire here in this little town, so tomorrow calls for a trip into The Bay to purchase the missing ingredients.

I saw my boys this morning.  One of them has gained so much weight over Christmas, that he is now walking with his 'frame' to get to the Seat of Knowledge in the mornings, with the hope that exercise will help him lose the Christmas belly.   It'll be interesting to see how long he lasts .. I think his record is ten days.

There are a lot of tourists in town at the moment, although I noticed that one of the caravan parks is looking pretty empty, so the numbers of out-of-towners is thinning out.

The exciting thing about today, is that The Australian Open Tennis Championships started!

I was so concerned about my inability to cook, that I forgot about the tennis and didn't watch any of it today, until after dinner.  Luckily, the best games will be tomorrow, so I'll make a concerted effort to watch them.  Also luckily, I have a TV in the kitchen, so I can watch and cook at the same time!

Meanwhile, despite having had a nap this afternoon, I am feeling very tired, so I think I'm off to have an early night.

No photos to share today.

Nite all.