Louisa

Recipe – Chicken and Pumpkin Curry

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This is such a yummy family friendly curry to keep you warm and oh so satisfied.
  • Serves 4
  • Prep time 15-20min
  • Marinate for 4+ hours and cook for 2 hours

What you will need:

Home made Korma curry paste (so easy)

  • 1 tbs cumin powder
  • 1 tbs garam masala
  • 2 tsp tumeric (ground)
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika 
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/3 cup of Cashews (raw)
  • 1/4 cup tomato puree
  • 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil

Curry:

  • 500g organic chicken breast, diced
  • 1/4 cup natural yoghurt
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 onion, diced,
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 1/2 tsp cardamon
  • 350g butternut pumpkin
  • 1 large Zucchini, cut into pieces
  • 1 large carrot, cut into pieces
  • 600ml coconut cream (can add extra if it needs it)
  • salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

What to do:

  • Put all ingredients for curry paste (except oil) in a high speed blender until chopped
  • Add oil and blend well. Until forms a smooth paste.
  • Marinate chicken in half of the curry paste for 2 hours plus
  • Heat coconut oil over medium heat
  • Add onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes until soft
  • Add chicken and cook for a few minutes until sealed.
  • Reduce heat, add coconut cream, cardamon, 1/2 curry paste. Simmer.
  • Cook on low for 1.5 hours, stirring often.
  • Add pumpkin, zucchini and carrot and cook for another 20 minute or until tender.
  • Serve with basmati rice OR cauliflower rice and fresh coriander
  • Optional: Throw some mango chutney, natural yoghurt and Lentil chips (pretty much baby papadum’s) on the table as yummy additions for those who want it.

Recipe – Cocoa and Buckwehat Slice

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These are soooo delicious. I love sharing them with visitors or taking a container full to a friend’s house. I get asked for the recipe every time.

Ingredients:

o 1 cup buckwheat ‘buckinis’
o 1 cup desiccated coconut
o 2-4 heaped tbsp raw cacao (depends how dark or stimulating you want and like it)
o 1/2 cup pepitas (or sunflower seeds if you like)
o 1/2 cup coconut oil
o 1⁄2 cup rice malt and 3 drops of stevia
o 1/4 cup tapioca flour and 1/4 cup of buckwheat flour (or any other flour you have)
o 1 egg (you can substitute a mix of a tablespoon of chia seeds in 3 tbsp water instead of the egg for binding)
o 80 g of 80-90% dark chocolate for melting and indulgently drizzling over the top (optional)

Method:
o Preheat your oven to 180C

o Pop all of your ingredients (except for the buckinis) into a food processor. Pulse until they mix, the pepitas break up and it all comes together.

o Add the buckinis and pulse another couple of times. Then lay out onto parchment paper in a baking pan and press into a square or rectangle shape to cut your bars when it’s out of the oven.

o Bake for 20 – 25 minutes depending on your oven. When it smells biscuity is when it’s ready. It will harden as it cools.

o Take out of the oven and make false cuts into your bar shapes for easier cutting later. It’s like ‘marking out’ the shapes you want it to be, without going all the way to the bottom.

o Then, when still warm but almost cooled, cut your bars. If you wait until it’s cooled, you might get bits snap off, and have uneven looking bars. 

Recipe – Warming mixed seed porridge. Hemp, chia, flax, coconut and vanilla.

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A warming gluten free breakfast porridge loaded with chia, flax, hemp and coconut.

This brekky is a great way to boost your fibre intake, support hormone health and it’s loaded with nutrition.

Serves: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of almond milk or coconut milk
  • 1 tsp of pure vanilla essence
  • 1 tbsp. flax seeds of choice
  • 1 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp. hemp seeds
  • 3 tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • 3 drops of stevia (optional) or a small teaspoon of rice malt syrup.
  • Toppings of choice (see below for idea’s)
  • A drizzle of rice malt syrup to serve 
  1. Pour the milk into a small to medium-sized saucepan.
  2. Slice vanilla bean in half, lengthwise, and scrape seeds into milk.
  3. Warm the milk over medium-heat until it comes to a gentle boil.
  4. Add the flax, chia, and hemp seeds along with the coconut, and stir to combine.
  5. Reduce the heat to simmer and stir over low heat until porridge thickens.
  6. Season with small pinch of salt.
  7.  Serve immediately with your favourite toppings.

Topping ideas:

o   figs, pistachio and cocoa nibs.

o   Raspberry and macadamia

o   Pear and sunflower seed

o   Blueberry, pumpkin seeds and buckwheat buckini’s

o   Add half a tsp of ginger spice and all spice plus a clove to the seed mix (while cooking) to create a warming blend of seed porridge.

Preconception care for optimising your fertility and a healthy baby

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Have you heard of the term preconception care? This is naturopathic medicine at its best.

Taking time out to assess and improve your health before conceiving can have some amazing benefits, not only on your fertility but also on the quality of the pregnancy experience and the health of your future baby.

Growing evidence indicates that there is a correlation between the health of the parents at conception and the future health of the child, even as it grows into adulthood.

A healthy you means healthy cells, and healthy cells impact the health of your eggs, the all-important building blocks of your baby.

So what does preconception care involve?

Exploring our health before trying to conceive means looking at dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors that may be impacting our wellbeing.

 Three months is the ideal timeframe to allow the maturing egg (future baby) to develop in the newly improved and optimised environment (your body).

 The idea of waiting for three months before trying to conceive can be a challenge, though. If your already trying or ready to start now, even a month of preparation is going to be beneficial.

Preconception care is relevant for all mums to be, irrespective of your age, relationship status, whether you are going through IVF or have a history of miscarriage.

The treatment approach is unique and tailored for each client but always involves assessing diet, using food as medicine, nutritional advice, and environmental and lifestyle changes including self-care, exercise and stress management.

Supplementation is used to avoid and rectify any nutritional deficiencies, balance hormones, manage any possible fertility issues, prevent miscarriage and to optimise outcomes.

If you’re looking to optimise your fertility outcome and positively impact the future health of your child, make a naturopathy booking so we can assess your health, lifestyle and environment and develop a perfectly tailored preconception plan for you and your baby.

 

 

 

Recipe – Sweet potato, black bean and quinoa bake

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Serves 6,

Prep and cook time is 50min 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 Sweet Potato (small, peeled and chopped)
  • 2 cups of Black Beans (organic canned is fine, just rinse well.)
  • 1 cup Quinoa (dry, uncooked)
  • 1 Red Capsicum (chopped)
  • 3 stalks of Green onion or 1 small red Onion (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp Chilli Powder (option to add flakes post cooking to keep kid friendly) 
  • 1 tbsp Cumin (ground)
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder Sea Salt
  • 2 cups Organic Vegetable Broth (or other broths you may have at hand, I used bone broth)
  • 1 Lime (juiced)
  • 1 Avocado (diced)
  • Cilantro, as much as your like
  • Optional additions on serving: a sprinkle of Cheese grated, a spoon of sour cream (or I like to use yoghurt as an alternative), some chilli flakes and a sprinkle of corn chips. 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. In a large baking dish, add the sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa, capsicum, onion, chilli powder, cumin, garlic and sea salt. Stir well to combine and then add the broth.

2. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the broth has absorbed completely, the quinoa is fluffy and the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven.

3. Let the quinoa bake sit for 5 minutes before dividing between plates. Top each plate with lime juice, a sprinkle of cilantro avocado and any other Mexican vibes extras you can think of. Enjoy!

Post workout snack and meal ideas

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POST WORKOUT MEAL AND SNACK IDEAS 

What you eat post a workout can make a big difference to helping your body repair muscle tissue, replenish energy, regulate your blood sugar and have you feeling great and ready for whatever yoga, fitness or dance class you have planned in the coming days.

To help fuel your body post workout generally aim to include some protein to help build and repair muscles, some carbohydrates to help replace glycogen (a form of glucose stored in the muscle) and some healthy fats to promote satiety and blood sugar regulation.

Here are some simple and practical ideas you might want to try:

1. Rice cakes with nut butter and banana

Almond butter has 3.5grams of protein per tablespoon and is also a good quality fat, if you or someone in your house has a nut allergy you could opt for a seed butter instead.

2. Sweet potato toast with avo and egg.

This idea ticks all the boxes and tastes delicious.

3. Rice cakes with avo and boiled eggs

4. Smoothies!!!

This is an easy and convenient way to re fuel post workout.

There are loads of combo’s you can try. Consider adding some plant based protein powder or blitz up some nuts and seeds in the food processor before adding the other smoothie ingredients or simply add some nut butter for a natural protein.

Add some frozen banana and frozen spinach for simple carbs.  A tablespoon of ground flax or chia seeds for omega 3’s and anti- inflammatory action or even add some grated fresh turmeric to reduce any post workout inflammation in the body. Try adding some avocado for an extra creamy finish and a decent dose of healthy fats. Use your favourite plant based milk (like almond or cashew) for extra nutrient density.

5. Chia pudding or overnight oats.

These are great options as they can be made the night before and make for an easy post workout snack or meal on the go.

Click here to download 5 recipes of post-workout-meal-and-snack-idea-s

For more guidance and inspiration around how to optimise your diet and lifestyle to help you feel your best, consults available with Louisa at eve studio Preston and Brunswick or look out for her signature program ‘A way to wellness’ running later this year.

 

 

Recipe – Paprika chicken

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I recently made this dish again and was reminded how easy and delicious it is. I served it up to my Dad and step mum and they thought I had been preparing it all day, little did they know I threw it together after work in less than 10min and it cooked in the oven while I gave the girls a bath and set the table for their arrival. I have since done it a few times and I’m loving it for a left over’s lunch at work the next day.


PAPRIKA BAKED CHICKEN
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 6 large ripe tomatoes
  • 2 red onions
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 6 organic chicken thighs , no skin or bone.
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • ½ a bunch of fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (optional)


Method

  • Heat the oven to 180ºC
  • Chop the tomatoes in quarters and place in a large baking dish
  • Peel the onions and cut into large wedges
  • Deseed and roughly chop the capsicum.
  • Add all these to tray with tomatoes and add the chicken thighs.
  • Crush the unpeeled garlic cloves with the back knife and add to the tray
  • Pick thyme leaves and sprinkle over the paprika.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of oil, balsamic if using
  • Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  • Toss everything together and spread across the tray
  • Roast for around 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked golden
  • Serve it with a rocket, goats cheese and almond salad and some twice baked potatoes (sweet or white)

Salad: Wash and dry 3 handfuls of rocket leaves, sprinkle with goats cheese and lightly roasted almond slithers, drizzle with olive oil and lemon.

Magnesium – Menstrual cramps and more

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Chances are you have taken magnesium at some stage in your adult life. But do you know why taking this magical mineral is so great? Most people know that it’s good for muscles but magnesium is actually an essential mineral that is critical to your cell’s functioning, it is involved in over 300 bodily functions. It helps regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, immune function, nerve function, muscle relaxation, cognition and sleep. So you can see why it’s super important that we ensure we are consuming enough magnesium and consider supplementing when necessary.

So how do we know when supplementing might be necessary? To test your levels a red blood cell test needs to be done as most magnesium is found in bones and soft tissue not blood. This test can be done through your obliging doctor or Naturopath and most commonly comes at a cost.

Another great way to know if Magnesium deficiency might be something you need to think about is to look for signs and symptoms the body might be giving you. Are you suffering from headaches or migraines, leg cramps, blood pressure dysregulation, twitching eyes, intense PMS symptoms or irregular heartbeat.

Menstrual cramps are quiet a common symptom of menses that women in my clinic complain of. It is often considered a normal and unavoidable part of getting your period.

Menstrual cramps are caused by hormone like substances called prostaglandins.

Did you know Magnesium has been shown to be more effective than placebo in positively helping lower prostaglandins and reducing associated menstrual cramps.

The type (form) of magnesium that you take can determine how effective it is at reducing the cramps. You may experience some digestive side effects such as loose stool but with the right dose and form you will be on the road to a pain free period.

The increase in prostaglandins can cause loose stool. Ever notice you often get loose stool around day 1 (first day of bleed) of your cycle? That can be the rise in prostaglandins. Add a poor form of magnesium and it can make diarrhoea worse.

Consult with a Naturopath or Nutritionist when choosing the best form to buy so you can say farewell to menstrual cramps.

It can be effective to take Magnesium at night to aid a better sleep or to increase the dose in the lead up to your bleed.

Magnesium deficiency is commonly due to poor diet full of refined and processed foods, not enough real rainbow goodness, drinking excess alcohol, getting older, stress, exercise, sweating and taking certain medications.

To boost the magnesium in your diet, think about upping the green leafy veg, nuts and seeds and maybe even some good quality dark 80% chocolate. Now you’re talking!!!!

Despite all the best efforts with diet, the need to supplement can still prevail. There may be issues with absorption including a lack of the mineral in the actual foods we are eating. A lack of magnesium in the soil we grow our foods in could also be playing a part.

Listen to your body and if it’s giving you some little messages make sure you give it what its needs.

Four foods for hormone regulation

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I went to a hormone balancing yoga workshop last Friday night at Eve Studio with the lovely Uma Spender.

My perfect Friday night really : )

Slow restorative yoga under the infrared heaters surrounded by inspiring women. The popularity of this workshop got me thinking about how women are aware of the imbalances they feel in their hormone and are looking to help balance these out. There is so much plant based medicine, nutrition, diet and lifestyle can do to help. I thought I would start by sharing some simple ways that diet can influence your hormones.

4 foods to help improve your health and hormone symptoms:

    1. Add more fat:
      Fats are essential to building hormones. It’s impossible to have adequate hormone levels without them. Fat also helps to regulate blood sugar levels, supporting adrenal function. At least 1- 2 tablespoons of fat with every meal. We are talking, avocado, coconut oil, organic meats, Ghee, olive oil, nuts, seeds, fatty fish, eggs. MCT oil, butter.
       
    2. Ditch sugar:
      It may seem like the impossible but the outcomes of quitting sugar (one of the most addictive substances going around) are so significant in helping women gain control of cravings and improving hormones balance through reducing blood sugar ups and downs and reducing inflammation.
       
    3. Eat Brassica veggies:
      These veggies are rich in minerals and vitamins but contain some specific constituents (sulphur and diindolymethane) that help to support the processing and elimination of excess estrogen. Try eating these veggies daily. At least ½ a cup a day. Kale, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, collard greens, cabbage.
       
    4. Eat Probiotic rich foods:
      The gut and the microbes that inhabit it have a direct effect on our entire body, including our hormones and keeping the immune system and inflammation in check. Inflammation can have a direct effect on stress of the adrenals. Once the adrenals are out of balance it has a knock on effect on all other hormones. Eating probiotic foods has a positive effect on overall wellbeing. It can boost immune function, improve digestion, regulate mood and improve skin. Eat probiotic foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, good quality yoghurt, beet kvass or consider taking a good quality probiotic.

Lemon Maca Bliss Balls

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Looking for a healthy snack or treat to share with visitors or enjoy with a cup of tea. This is my daughter’s favourite and always makes her happy when I have ready for school pick up.  Packed with health fats these will keep everyone satisfied and happy!

Ingredients

  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • ½ cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup of coconut (desiccated) + extra for rolling
  • zest of one large lemon
  • juice of a lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon of rice malt syrup (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon of maca powder

 
Method

  1. Place all ingredients in food processor until it becomes a sticky crumble or dough, check regularly as may overdo it and it turns to butter.
  2. Roll balls to desired size (I like to make smaller ones for the kids and larger ones for me)
  3. Roll the balls in extra coconut and place in the fried or freezer to set.

 

Fun food fact

Maca is a root that is native to Peru. Its benefits include a positive effect on hormone balance. It has been used to help boost energy, improve menstrual issues, mood and libido. Mixed with the good fats from coconut and nuts these little gals are perfect for helping regulate hormones.

 

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