3 Easy Tips to Make a Nourishing Home

I believe that to be completely nourished, you need to not only nourish yourself and your body but nourish those around you and your home. How much better do you feel once the house has been cleaned, some meals have been prepared for the week and you have treated yourself to something special for the house to make it feel warm, loved and homely? 

Here are my 3 easy tips to make a nourishing home.

1. Clean your house! But... without using chemicals!  I use white vinegar, baking soda and eucalyptus oil to clean pretty much everything in my home. I don't want my family (or myself) breathing in toxins from cleaning products. 

2. Cook! It may seem silly or tiresome to some but it is a very simple way to feel nourished and to provide nourishment to others. By providing wholesome home cooked meals to your family they will feel loved (and well fed) and you will feel good for doing it! I currently have a batch of home made pasta sauce simmering away. There really isn't much that beats the smell of home cooking! I sometimes prepare a big batch of vegetable bake or tomato pie so I have something to quickly heat up if we don't have much time through the week. I always like to have homemade treats on hand too. I made a yoghurt cake this week but sometimes I will make a big batch of my Raw Truffles  or my Paleo Banana Bread. It is nice to have something ready made in case people drop by or when your kids/ family need a treat.

3. Treat yourself to something special for the house. By this I mean, go buy yourself your favourite flowers, put them in your favourite vase and admire them! Or light your favourite candle! 

Let me know if you have any other ideas to nourish your home in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you :)

Bee xx

RECIPE | Easy Peasy Bacon & Egg “Cupcakes” (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

These are a great little snack for a paleo pre-dinner party or it is great to make a bunch of them and keep them in the fridge for your lunch at work throughout the week. You can re-heat them in the grill or microwave. I’ve kept them in the fridge for days and they’ve been just as yummy as they were to begin with.

I first saw this on Sarah Wilsons site here and thought what a great idea!



Ingredients:
As much bacon as you like, rind removed (I used about 4 long rashers to make 6)
As many organic eggs as you like (I used 6)
A handful of whichever herbs you like, chopped… Chives, parsley, oregano would all be very nice
A few shavings of parmesan cheese if you want to
Rock Salt

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 190’c
Line a muffin tin with baking paper or grease the tin
Line each hole with bacon
Crack an egg into each one
Top with herbs and sprinkle of rock salt. I also topped mine with cayenne pepper
Cook for around 15 minutes or until egg is set
Line a flat tray with baking paper
Turn out you bacon and eggs onto flat tin to cook the underside of the bacon
Cook for a few minutes
Once cooked, top with a little parmesan cheese and serve

Have you tried any other variation to these? I bet they would be delicious with some chopped tomato or olives on top!

Bee xx

Time saving tips - helping you to save time & pack your kids healthy lunches!

As mentioned in other posts, I know how stressful it can be sometimes running a household while working full time. Even if you don't work, running a household in itself is a job so hopefully these tips help to make life slightly less complicated. 

Below are my tips to help you be a little more organised when it comes to packing lunches. It is easier to give your kids healthy & nourishing meals when you have them ready to go.

1. Preparation! Write a list of what will go into your children's lunches for the week ahead and add it to your shopping list for the week.

2. Invest in a box of zip-lock bags. Seriously. They are so useful for packing lunches. (Don't worry, I  re-use all the bags. My son brings them home in his lunch box of an afternoon and I wash them and re-use them the next week. No wastage here folks).

3. Use Sunday afternoon/ evening as your preparation time. You will only need an hour maximum and it will save you so much stress throughout the week.


4. Getting organised.

What to do in your hour preparation time?

• Cut up a range of salad ingredients (cucumbers, carrots, capsicums, tomatoes etc) & put them in lunch time portions in your zip lock bags.
• Cut up pieces of fruit to make a fruit salad and pack them into small containers or zip lock bags
• If you/ your kids eat eggs, hard boil a handful to keep in the fridge.
• Make all of your children's lunches at once for the whole week (or at least a few days worth). Ham & cheese wraps, salad sandwiches etc keep fine in the fridge or freezer. Just take them out of the freezer the night before and put them in the fridge.

5. Pack the lunches the night before. I can't think of anything worse than running around in the morning packing lunch and trying to get everything else organised. It takes about 30 seconds to pack the lunch the night before if you have prepared everything in advanced. 

Example lunch ideas -

Piece of fruit

Greek yoghurt
Boiled eggs

Salad wrap/ sandwich

Homemade treats   I sometimes pack these truffles or banana bread.

Prepared cut up salad snacks
Prepared fruit salad

Crackers and cheese

These are some very easy tips but it does really help to keep the week stress free and running smooth.

Do you have any time-saving tips? Would love to hear from you :)

Bee xx


fruit salad image sourced from here http://mewkeirin.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/how-to-stay-healthy-and-fit-during.html

Kale Chips! A great way to get your kids to eat kale!

My son eats well most of the time but getting him to eat kale was a struggle until..enter.. kale chips.... 

He gets so excited now when he sees kale and practically begs me to make kale chips for him.

If you haven't tried them, it is worth giving them a go. They are very easy, delicious & nutritious! They make a great snack for the kids or side dish for the adults.

You can experiment with different spices. I usually use cumin & coriander seeds to sprinkle over the top.

Ingredients:
Kale (shock horror)
Tiny pinch of rock salt
Tiny amount of olive oil

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 200'c
Line baking with baking paper
Mix the kale, salt, oil and any other spices together and spread out over baking tray.
Bake for around 15 minutes until kale turns slightly browned (some parts will go darker) and super crunchy



Enjoy!

Bee xx

RECIPE | The Pizza Omelette (Pumpkin, Tomato & Parmesan) - Paleo

This is such a great, throw whatever you have left over in the mix kind of meal. Very filling, can be made for one or more people... 

I have listed what I used but you can throw in anything, you could add cheese or ham or any other vegetable, the possibilities are endless :)

Ingredients:

2 eggs whisked

About 200gm diced & roasted pumpkin

1 tomato, roughly chopped

Half a red onion, diced

4-5 big tablespoons home-made pasta sauce

A small handful of chopped mixed herbs, I used fresh basil, parsley & oregano - from my garden of course :)

A little parmesan to shave over the top

Pinch of rock salt 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Heat olive oil in small pan

Add onion and cook on medium for 2 minutes

Add tomato & salt and cook for another minute

Add pumpkin and sauce and let simmer for a minute

Add whisked eggs and half of the herbs 

Cover with lid and cook until egg fluffs up and is firm

Tip on to plate, top with remaining herbs and shaved parmesan

Bellissima! Pizza Omelette :)

Enjoy!

Bee xx

RECIPE | The Ultimate Chocolate Milkshake! (Dairy Free, Low Fodmap)

Last night, I came home from a Bikram Yoga class late, hungry, thirsty and craving chocolate BADLY!

So what's a girl to do? Why make a chocolate milkshake of course!

This chocolate milkshake is like no other that I have ever tasted, it is so delicious and replenishing, especially after a work out. 

It feels so indulgent but it is packed full of nutritious super-foods!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk of choice (I used a mix of organic almond & coconut milk)
1 tablespoon raw organic cacao
Half an avocado
1 banana
Handful of berries (whatever you have, I used blueberries & raspberries)
Half a teaspoon maca powder
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup of ice

Blend all ingredients together and top with a few more frozen raspberries.

This would serve 2 people but I was being a piggy and drank the whole thing! Mmmmm.....

Enjoy!

Bee xx

bare nourishment is accepting guest posts! :)

I am very excited to share that I will now be accepting guest posts.

Have you got a great blog you would like to share?

If you have some useful healthy lifestyle tips, clean eating recipes for you or the kids or information on natural products or services then I would love to hear from you!

Please email barenourishment@live.com if you are interested in featuring your blog on my site :)

Bee xx

RECIPE | Bounty Mountains (Almost Raw)

I LOVE coconut. Coconut yoghurt, coconut ice-cream, coconut ANYTHING. Especially just plain old coconuts!

My favourite chocolate bar growing up was the Bounty. The combo of coconut & chocolate is just heaven!

My love of these chocolate bars has led me to work on making a healthier version.. And here we have it! Bounty mountains!

Hopefully you enjoy them just as much as I do!  They are (if I do say so myself) absolutely delicious!

I cheated a little here and used  store bought dark chocolate but you could absolutely experiment with home-made raw chocolate :)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup organic dessicated coconut
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
4 tablespoons filtered water
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence
Little pinch of rock salt
200g organic dark chocolate (I used 80%)

Directions:
Line a tray with baking paper
Mix all of the above ingredients (except chocolate) together really well, mix for a few minutes with a whisk
With a tablespoon, pick up a spoon full of the mixture and put on the lined tray They will not hold together well, you will need to gather them up a little with your fingers once they are on the tray (you will see how they got their name 'Bounty Mountains')
Freeze for 30 minutes
In the mean time, melt chocolate in saucepan over low heat
Once the chocolate has melted and the coconut mixture is firm, pour chocolate over the top of your coconut and spread out a little with a knife or spoon
Put back in freezer for 10 minutes or until chocolate is set
Take them out, turn them upside down and pour remaining chocolate over bottoms of your little mountains
Freeze until all chocolate is set and then move to refrigerator until ready to serve

These make a delicious dessert or special treats for a special occasion! Even your not so healthy friends will be impressed! :)

Enjoy!

Bee xx

RECIPE | Bananarama Energy Smoothie

This is one of the yummiest, easiest & most energising smoothies ever. It is completely satiating so will keep you full for hours!

The recipe below makes enough for 2 people (or you can make one now and have some later for afternoon tea, it keeps well in the fridge just give it a quick shake before drinking).

Ingredients:
2 medium sized ripe bananas
1 big teaspoon almond butter
1 big teaspoon maca powder
1 big teaspoon raw honey
1 1/2 cups almond milk or milk of choice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/2 cup of ice

Directions:
Put all ingredients into blender, blend for a minute or until all mixed together.

Enjoy!

Bee xx

A few of my favourite JUICES

The Green Alkaliser

Greens are super alkalising, best way to start your day with a beautiful green juice or smoothie.

2 celery stalks & leaves
1 green apple
1 pear
1 handful kale or spinach (or both)
half a lemon
1 carrot

The Ultimate Body Cleaner

Beetroot is a powerful blood cleanser & is very nutritious, I love to have this juice if I have a had a cheeky glass of wine the night before or something naughty to eat.

1 beetroot
1 green apple
2 celery stalks & leaves
1 carrot
a few slices of fresh pineapple
a little fresh ginger

 

Carrot Head

Carrots are full of vitamins A & C and are great to help with skin problems. It also helps to flush out toxins.

3 carrots
1 orange
1 green apple

 

 

 

Bee xx