Don't Give Yourself a Black Eye!

I am an idiot. No really, I am. I managed to give myself a black eye the other day. I mean, who does that?! Me obviously! Anyway, I thought I'd share with you what I learnt from my little drama.

When we are in a rush we tend to get into a bit a of a fluster (or is that just me? Please tell me it isn't so). So when you're running around trying to get things done faster, you tend to make a mess of everything and potentially give yourself a black eye! Like me, on the weekend when I was rushing after yoga as the class ran late and had to get to an appointment, I went to pick up my clothes from where I'd thrown them in the kitchen and because I moved so fast I whacked my cheekbone on the kitchen bench. Yep, I am idiot.

But at least I have learnt from my stupidity and instead of acting like a maniac when I am in a rush I will slow down and take a deeeeep breathe and calm the hell down.

Who cares if you're a few minutes late?

It's really not worth a black eye!

Bee xx

Image credit: http://www.terilynneunderwood.com/2013/11/action-step-breathe/

The Joys of Having Your Own Vegetable Garden

This little post is to show what can be done with a little love, a little dirt and a few seeds. How exciting to be able to grow your own organic food from almost nothing to something that you can see, touch and eat. 

At my house I can't really take any of the credit for our garden. My hubby has put in many hours and lots of love to grow all of the wonderful vegetables. I am pretty sure I have caught him a few times talking to the plants (but we won't mention that to him now will we?). 


The main reason for me mentioning our organic garden is because I think if we all had a little garden we would be helping the environment just that little bit and helping ourselves too. To have fresh produce available in your backyard it is so rewarding and so much better for you.

How nice to know that the little tomato you picked from your own garden didn't have to come from the other side of the country and it wasn't sprayed or frozen for long periods of time.

I love being able to pick fresh herbs from the backyard because how often do you buy a bunch of herbs from the supermarket but you only need a tiny bit and the rest goes to waste?  Or just a couple of tomatoes that you need or a few lettuce leaves. It really does add up in the end. There is so much less vegetable wastage in our house since we had our garden.

Even if you only have a small balcony area, you can plant a few herbs that you use often, maybe some strawberries and a few of your other favourite things.

If you have kids, it is such a great activity to involve them in. It's a wonderful way to teach them about where food comes from. My son loves running out to the garden to pick some cucumbers or tomatoes for dinner! I love having a giggle over the funny shaped vegetables that come out, like the carrot head below we pulled out the other day!

Do you have your own garden? If so,  I would love to hear about it!

Bee xx

Kids Healthy Lunch Box Ideas

It's almost time for the kids to go back to school (can I hear a big sigh of relief? Or was that just in my head? ;) 

As it's the new year, what better time than now to start introducing healthier alternatives in their lunch? You can still make their lunch fun even when its healthy. 

We all need to think about what we're really putting in their lunch box. Will that sugar loaded cereal bar really help them to concentrate through class and work to their best ability or will they be on a sugar rush and burn out quite quickly during class? I know it's hard to find time for much these days but this is our kids future and it's been reported that the eating habits children grow up with are sometimes what they revert back to when they are older.

I'm sure many of you, like me are working mums/dads and find it easier to throw whatever in the lunch box in the morning and then rush out the door? That's why I find it easier to prepare my sons lunch in the evening either while I'm making dinner or just after. It doesn't really feel like extra work if you do it that way and it's much easier than rushing around in the morning. You can even do a heap of the preparation for the week on the weekend (short post on that here) and just pop it in the lunch box the night before. 

Listed below are some easy lunch box ideas for your kids to try and steer them off the junk while also keeping it fun. In my sons lunch box I load it up with healthy items and add in one little treat so he doesn't feel like he is missing out (we all know kids compare what's in their lunch box!), like a little chocolate or biscuit or something like that.

• Carrot & celery sticks
• Any fruit cut up into pieces in a container (kids seem to like their fruit cut up for them)
• Good quality unprocessed cheese, cut into cubes
• Organic crackers with cheese slices and butter
• Little Rollie's - Gluten free or wholemeal bread rolled out until flat with a rolling pin, then add in fillings then roll them up and cut them in to rounds, similar to sushi if you know what I mean:)
• Raw Chocolate Truffles  - these are great as they are full of protein and double up as a treat. Check first if your school allows nuts
• A mix of raw nuts, sultanas & seeds in a little container. Make sure they are preservative free.
• Organic yoghurt's. I give my son the five am organic yoghurt's. I know they have a bit of sugar but he won't eat plain yoghurt. I think they're ok for kids occasionally.
• A plain boiled egg with a little sea salt 
• Plain cherry tomatoes
• Mini zucchini or corn fritters 
• Egg & Bacon Cupcakes
• Make a homemade bread or loaf for the week. I often make this Paleo Banana Bread (grain free) or Spelt Banana, Date and Walnut Loaf and cut it into slices and freeze them, then take them out the night before to put in the lunch box. They still taste delicious even after they've been frozen.

I'd love to hear what healthy items you use to fill up your kids lunch box. I would love some more ideas! :)

Bee xx

Photo credits:

http://www.womenshealththailand.com/food/

My Favouritie Green Smoothie

I posted this recipe when I first started this blog, so you may have seen it before. I think it is such a great, tasty recipe for when you are first starting to drink green smoothies so I thought I would post it again for those that missed it:) 

The combination of all of the fruit with the added coconut water (fresh or bottled it doesn't matter) just makes it so palatable with the greens for the beginner smoothie drinker :) Hubby & I often have this exact smoothie. It is our go to smoothie when we need a good pick me up.

When I first started making green smoothies I used Kimberly Snyders recipe which you can find here. She has lots of other great clean eating vegan recipes which you will find on her blog.

The Glorious Green Smoothie

1 cup of coconut water (preferably from fresh young coconut, or bottled is fine if you can't find it)

1 cup kale (leaves only, no stalks - makes it bitter)

1 cup baby spinach

1 apple 

1 banana

1 cup strawberries

1 stalk celery

juice of half a lemon

Mix coconut water with greens first until very smooth, I turn my blender slowly up to full speed, then slowly add the cut up pieces of hard fruit until they are all smooth, then last add the banana, strawberries and juice of half a lemon. Blend all until very smooth, I keep it on for a minute or so to make sure. The more blended it is - the easier the nutrients can enter your system! I make a batch big enough to last a few days so I am not having to do it every day.

You can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days or you can freeze a big batch and defrost it the night before.

Enjoy!

Bee x

RECIPE | Raspberry & Coconut Smoothie Bowl

This is a super simple recipe for a deliciously refreshing bowl of goodness. Perfect for a hot summer day. I've been eating these for breakfast, lunch & dessert! The ingredients can be mixed and matched with whatever you have in the fridge but this combination is one of my favourites!

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 of a mango 

1/2 cup ice

1/2 cup coconut milk or I use coco-quench by pure harvest

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 /2 teaspoon maca powder

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

1 teaspoon chia

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth. If you don't have a great blender, it's best to add a little bit of each ingredient a little at a time to help it blend better. 

Easy peasy!

Enjoy! 

Bee xx

bare nourishment Muesli Stockists - Try some Guilt Free Muesli!

bare nourishment muesli is now available at two local stockists in the Hills area of Sydney. If you are local to the area, be sure to stop by to pick up a bag of muesli for yourself or as a gift to someone you know who loves muesli!

Why should you buy bare nourishment muesli?

- All batches of muesli are cooked in 100% virgin cold-pressed organic coconut oil. Unlike most other muesli's on the market which are cooked in cheaper, unhealthy vegetable oils such as canola or sunflower oil. Coconut oil has been linked to many health benefits such as aiding in weight loss and it contains medium chain fatty acids which helps to reduce cholesterol (just to name a couple). You can read more about the benefits of coconut oil here or here if you like.

- It contains NO refined sugars. None. The only sugars that it contains are derived from natural ingredients such as pure maple syrup and dried fruit.

- It contains NO preservatives or artificial flavours. Every single ingredient is sourced by myself with care and consideration for the most natural muesli possible. No ingredients that I use contain preservatives or artificial flavours. Most other muesli's contain these hidden nasties, especially in the dried fruit variations. You can rest assured none of these ingredients are hidden in any batch.

- Each batch is homemade, with love, by myself. I put a lot of care into each batch so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

What are the flavours?

It currently comes in two flavours

-Vanilla & Cinnamon 

- Raw Organic Cacao 

Where to purchase it?

The House of Herbs & Roses Dural
745 Old Northern Road Dural 2158

Visit The House of Herbs on facebook here

il Puntino Cafe
4-32 Lexington Dr, Bella Vista NSW 2153

Visit il Puntino's website here

Please email barenourishment@live.com if you would like to purchase some muesli but don't live local to the area.

How much does it cost?

$10.95 per bag 

Bee xx

A Couple DEEEELICIOUS Smoothie Recipes

How good are smoothies in summer?! You can pack them full of anything you like to give your body exactly what it needs. They are such an easy way to get extra fruit & vegetables into your diet.

There are many different variations to smoothies that you can make and if you are a regular smoothie maker you have probably mixed and matched many different flavours. For the newbies, it's nice to have a couple of recipes to follow.

Below are a couple of my favourite summer smoothie recipes. So refreshing & delicious!

Green Tropical Smoothie
1 cup of coconut milk ( I use coco quench by Pure Harvest instead of canned coconut milk, it is a milk blend of coconut milk and brown rice milk, you can find it in coles and health food stores). If you can't find coco quench, you could use half a can of coconut milk with half a glass of water, or almond or rice milk).
1 frozen banana (the frozen part makes all the difference!)
1 mango, all of the flesh
1 big handful of kale (stems removed)

Blend all until smooth. You may need to add a little extra water to get the right consistency.

I like to have this one for breakfast sometimes instead of the usual green smoothie (Bee's Glorious Green Smoothie - recipe for that one here).

Summer Pink Goddess Smoothie
1 cup of coconut milk - Coco Quench (see my notes in the above recipe regarding the milk)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup chopped cold watermelon

Blend all until smooth. You may need to add a little extra water to get the right consistency.

This is so refreshing in summer. You could even use it as a base to make popsicles, the kids would love it!

Let me know what is your favourite combination in the comments section below.

Enjoy! 

Bee xx