Paleo Crumbed Chicken Caeser Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

This is a great week night meal, it's very filling and you can make extra to take to work with you the next day for lunch, or even use the leftover chicken for sandwiches.

Serves 2 as a main meal, with leftovers!

Paleo Crumbed Chicken

Ingredients
2 organic, free range chicken breasts, each breast sliced long way to make about 3 pieces per breast
2 tablespoons coconut flour (or regular flour)
2 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon of paprika & 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup almond flour(you may need a little more or less)
Any other herbs you have on hand, I used oregano & thyme
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil for frying

Directions
Coat chicken in flour, paprika, garlic powder & herbs
Dip the chicken into the whisked eggs
Dip the "eggy" chicken into almond flour to coat
Heat fry pan to medium-high heat
Cook chicken a few minutes each side until cooked through
Set aside, keep warm and get cracking on the other items

Other salad ingredients
1 head cos lettuce, washed & chopped
5 eggs, boiled
5-6 rashers thin bacon pan-fried until crispy
2 tablespoons of sunflowers seeds or any other seeds you have in your pantry for some crunch

Directions
Layer all ingredients together & top with sliced crumbed chicken!

Creamy Tahini Dressing

This is a delicious versatile dressing, similar in taste & texture to hummus

Ingredients
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon tahini ( I used unhulled, it is much stronger so if your not that keen on the taste you should use the hulled tahini)
1 small clove garlic, minced (very fine)
A pinch of sea/rock salt

Directions
Whisk or blend all ingredients until delicious & creamy
Drizzle over your salad or serve on the side for dipping

Bee xx

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

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

Raw Sauerkraut, Probiotics & Fermented Foods

Fermented foods and probiotics make bellies happy. You've probably heard before about the health benefits of them. The yoghurt ads on TV with the flat bellies and the promise of a happy belly are all referring to the power of probiotics. The reason for these claims are basically because the more probiotics in your belly the less chance of the bad bacteria causing you any problems! 

This is why many people like to eat fermented and cultured foods as they are naturally occurring in probiotics. There are many types of fermented foods such as kimchi, pickles, yoghurt and kefir. One of my favourites is raw sauerkraut. 

I thought it would be fitting to mention the benefits of it as we are in the middle of the silly season and I'm sure I'm not the only one that's gotten slightly off track. 

Christmas parties, a few wines here and there all begin to take a toll on your digestive system after a little while. For people that suffer IBS like myself,  it can take only a few meals to get the balance out of whack which can cause massive stomach upsets. I read a blog post recently where the writer talks about how introducing fermented foods helped her with all sorts of health problems [click here to read]

When people say "gut health" they are usually referring to looking after your gut by feeding it lots of good bacteria so the bad bacteria doesn't wreck havoc on your system. I once read somewhere that the key to happiness is to have a healthy gut! Don't you think this to be true? When everything is running smoothly in your digestive system, you don't seem feel lethargic, worn out or depressed, instead you feel full of energy, light and ready to take on the day!

What I had noticed over the past few weeks of parties and unmindful eating and drinking were things like bloating, cramping, being constantly tired and feeling like it was taking hours (which it probably did) for my food to digest. Do you feel that too? 

To help combat any stomach problems I've upped the anty on probiotic rich, fermented foods such as home-brewed kombucha and home made raw sauerkraut and I'm already noticing a huge difference in how I feel and how my belly feels! If you missed my post on how to make your own raw sauerkraut, you can check it out [here]. It is so easy to make, very inexpensive, takes barely any time and has so many benefits. Sarah Wilson has talked about the the benefits of raw sauerkraut and other fermented foods, you can check out her post [here] (I love what she talks about on her blog, you may find her site useful too!).

After speaking to a naturopath about fermented foods she recommended that they are always introduced slowly so you don't shock your system. Start with a tablespoon of raw sauerkraut or a small glass of kombucha and slowly work up your tolerance to it. I usually now have one or two glasses of kombucha per day and when I have some made I have a little bowl of sauerkraut before or with dinner. These foods/ drinks are quite tangy and can take some getting used to but stick with it and after a couple of tries you will hopefully love it! If you don't really like sauerkraut you can always hide in your salad by mixing a few tablespoons through. With kombucha you can always flavour it during the second fermenation stage (more on that here) and that can make it more palatable for some. 

Fermented foods make a huge difference to many people and from personal experience I think they are definitely worth introducing to your diet.

NOTE - store bought sauerkraut is NOT raw sauerkraut, it has been pasteurised which means all of the beneficial enzymes and probiotics are no longer remaining. If you can find raw sauerkraut in a health food store you could give that a try before you make your own, but don't bother with the regular sauerkraut from the supermarket.



TIP - You can add any flavours to my basic sauerkraut recipe. The most recent batch of sauerkraut which was really delicious was just 1 small purple cabbage, a couple of carrots and an apple & pear grated up and all mixed together with salt. You can follow the easy instructions on my post [here]. I have friends that add caraway seeds to theirs and say it's delicious. I am sure there are many other great variations that I am yet to try. 

If you make your own sauerkraut or kombucha, what are your favourite flavours to add in?

Cheers to a happy gut! :)

Bee xx

Here is a great post on the health benefits of fermented foods, if you are interested in having a read from a blog I love by The Wellness Mama.

RECIPE | Healthy Chicken Schnitzel (Paleo, Gluten Free, Kid-Friendly!)

(In my best German accent) Who doesn't love a good schnitzel? 

This is an easy, healthy alternative to the popular fried chicken schnitzel. It still contains oil but not nearly as much and you can either make it with coconut oil or rice bran oil depending on your thoughts on those oils. My son's favourite food is schnitzel and he loves this alternative :)

Ingredients:
2 organic, free range chicken breasts, sliced super thin
3 organic, free range eggs, whisked
Approx half a cup of almond meal or LSA
1/4 cup coconut flour or as much as needed 
Handful of parsley, chopped small
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Approx 1 tbs coconut oil or rice bran oil


Directions:
Mix garlic, garlic powder and parsley together and mix with chicken to marinate the chicken. Put in the fridge covered for about an hour to marinate
When it is ready, take out the chicken and coat in the coconut flour. I just put the flour on a plate and press the chicken into it
Then dip the chicken into the whisked eggs
Then coat the chicken with almond meal or LSA

Heat a frypan on medium to high and add oil of choice to pan, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan - about a tablespoon
When the oil is warm enough (you can test by putting the end of the chicken in to see if it starts to sizzle) add the chicken in and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side or until golden
Once cooked, place on paper towel to help drain any oil
Serve with salad and a squeeze of lemon


Delish! Easy, Paleo friendly, kid friendly meal :)

Bee xx

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 | 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

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

RECIPE | Banana Bread (Paleo, Grain Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free) - Delicious!

This banana bread is a must try for all banana bread lovers. It looks just like 'real' banana bread. It is moist & delicious just how any good banana bread should be although it contains no grains, no dairy and no refined sugar. It is delicious recipe for paleo eaters :) I have been given the tick of approval by hubby and friends that this is a much nicer, lighter version of the heavy bread found elsewhere.

I embarked on a paleo lifestyle a few weeks ago and ever since I have longed for a slice of banana bread! Mainly because I couldn't eat it I am sure! I am glad I had the craving because this led me to three weekends of perfecting this delicious banana bread recipe. After trial and error I am so happy with the result! I am actually eating a slice now with a cup of tea!

Ingredients:

3 medium bananas, mashed very well

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

1 cup tinned coconut milk

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons raw honey 

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

3 eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup almond meal

3/4 cup coconut flour 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt 

A few almonds or whatever you have handy to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 180'c

Grease & line loaf tin

Whisk bananas, vanilla, eggs, honey & coconut milk together 

Add almond meal, coconut flour, shredded coconut, cinnamon, baking soda & salt, whisk until combined breaking up any clumps with the whisk

Mix through the melted coconut oil

Whisk all for approx 1 minute until it reaches a smooth(ish) consistency

Pour into prepared loaf tin & bake for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 mins - until skewer comes out clean

Half way through you may need to cover the top loosely with foil to stop it browning.

Voila! Yummy banana bread to kill the cravings without any guilt :) You can serve with some butter or honey (or both) or it is lovely on it's own.

Enjoy!

Bee xx

Just a note on the ingredients, everything listed can be found at health food stores but I also have seen everything a large supermarkets. I found Bob's Mill Organic Coconut Flour at Coles so these things aren't hard to find :)

HOW TO | Kombucha

SCOBY DOBY DOO! Let’s get Kombucha making!

Making anything from scratch is so rewarding. Kombucha is no exception. The first taste of your first fizzy batch of kombucha will make you so proud!

It is a very easy process. The key is getting the balance right of sweetness & tart. You don’t want it to taste too sweet because that means it hasn’t been fermenting long enough and there is too much sugar in it still and you don’t want it too tart because it won’t be palatable. I personally find that 7 days is generally a good amount of time for the amount I make (3 litres) to ferment.

This week it has been really warm weather so I only needed it to brew for 6 days… Other times when it was really cold in winter I left it for 10 or so days. You will get the hang of it and how you like it. Another way I can tell if mine is ready is by the thickness of the new SCOBY that forms on top of the mother SCOBY. 

 

What the heck is a SCOBY you ask? It is the white ugly looking thing that forms on top of the fermented tea - Symbiotic Culture/ Colony of Bacteria & Yeast. Some people refer to it as the ‘mushroom’ or the ‘mother’’. You can see it formed my photo at the top of this page.

 

 

Once you have the first part of the fermentation down pat (meaning you know how long to brew it for to suit your tastes) you can start experimenting with different flavours & extra carbonation. This is called the ‘second fermentation’. I have made ginger flavour, berry flavour and am currently experimenting with apple flavour. So far I love the berry flavour, as does my son. It is easy to do; you literally just add pieces of what you like to the Kombucha in an airtight flip lock bottle and allow it to ferment for a few days which creates extra carbonation (caused by the sugar in the fruit and the compression of the bottle/ lack of oxygen). It is never going to be fizzy like a bottle of coke because that is forced carbonation. This is natural carbonation so once you get used to it you will be surprised at just how bubbly you can make it! Again, this is trial and error. Be careful because I have heard that the bottle tops can pop off or the bottles can explode from all of the carbonation. I have never experienced this myself though. Because I have been worried about it happening, I always store my bottles in a cooler bag in the laundry so if they do explode they will just explode in the bag and cause no damage.

 

To get started you will need a SCOBY and some starter liquid. I have heard of people making their own SCOBY’s from raw Kombucha they have bought. You will find more information on that on the links provided below. I got my SCOBY from my yoga teacher. If you know someone that brews their own Kombucha they will most likely have a spare SCOBY to give away as they are constantly multiplying. Otherwise you can buy them online. The links below have a source for online SCOBY's.

Here are some great sites with useful information if you would like to read. They also have recipes for making Kombucha.

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/make-kombucha

http://www.kombuchakamp.com/kombucha-recipe

This is what I do exactly..

What you will need:
Big wide mouthed jar (a big biscuit jar is ok)
An elastic band
One or two pieces of paper towel

Ingredients:
6 tea bags (Green Tea, White Tea or English Breakfast Tea)
1 cup plain white sugar, castor sugar or raw cane sugar (I find white sugar works best)
3 litres of filtered water
1 cup starter liquid & a SCOBY

Method:
I use 3 organic Green tea and 3 organic English breakfast tea bags (you can't use flavoured tea only, the oil in the tea ruins the SCOBY although one or two bags for flavour should be fine).

Boil 3 litres of water in a big pot.
Once boiled, add tea bags and leave to brew for 5-10mins
Take them out, stir in 1 cup plain white sugar and let it dissolve (remember the SCOBY lives off the sugar, so the end product actually has very little sugar in it)
Take off the heat, let it come to room temperature
Pour into brewing vessel (big glass jar with wide neck)
Pour SCOBY and starter liquid on top (it will start to float after a couple of hours)
Cover glass jar with a piece or two of paper towel and secure with rubber band (make sure there is no room for bugs to crawl in)
Keep in well-ventilated area (I store mine in the laundry), away from direct sunlight
Keep for 7-10 days. Taste along the way. The longer you leave it the more tart it will become

I then do the second fermentation but you don't have to, you can just drink it now :)

 

Second fermentation goes like this:

Get a few airtight flip lock bottles, wash out and dry.
Pour kombucha into bottles, add a few pieces of fruit if you like then top up until it reaches 1cm to top of bottle. Close and store in cooler bag for a few days before transferring to fridge.

NOTES ON CLEANING THE JARS – Do NOT use antibacterial soap or hand soap when touching the SCOBY or cleaning out the jar, it will kill the SCOBY. Just wash it out with warm soapy dishwashing liquid or white vinegar and dry thoroughly. I also pour boiling water all over the jar when I am cleaning it. I keep refilling my jar without washing it out for about 3-4 brews, then I clean it out and start again.

Let me know how you go.

Happy brewing!!!

Bee xx

RECIPE | Raw Chocolate Fudge Tart with Salted Chocolate Sauce Icing (Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

Ok all you chocoholics, this one is for you!

This makes 16 squares of chocolate fudge tart goodness. You can easily double the recipe if you need to for a larger group.

I took this to my father in laws last night where they don't really embrace healthy eating so I didn't tell them it was a healthy raw dessert. They thought they were eating a naughty chocolate brownie full of flour, butter and sugar... mwahahahahaha (best evil laugh), little did they know they were getting loaded full of good stuff!

Raw Chocolate Fudge Tart Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups almonds
1/3 cup raw organic cacao powder
1 tablespoon tahini paste (I used unhulled, you can use either)
1 1/2 tablespoons creamed coconut (similar to coconut oil if you can't find creamed coconut, don't confused with coconut cream! Creamed coconut has a much stronger coconut flavour)
2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup (not the fake stuff)
6 medijool dates
1/4 cup filtered water (more if you need it)

Salted Chocolate Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons creamed coconut (or coconut oil)
2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup 
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
1/4  teaspoon Himalayan pink rock salt
A little touch of water


Tart Directions:
Line square tin with baking paper
Blitz almonds in food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs
Add dates and blitz again until combined 
Add cacao, tahini paste, creamed coconut and blitz again until combined
Add water, you may need a little more or a little less it will start to resemble a fudgy (yes fudgy is a word) texture

Once all is combined and you are happy with the texture, scoop the mixture and spread evenly in to prepared tin
Put it in the freezer for 20mins

Sauce Directions:
Put all ingredients in small sauce pan on the lowest heat 
Whisk together, you may like to add a little water
Remove from heat once combined

Take the tart out of the freezer and pour the sauce all over the top. You can top with raw cacao, almonds, coconut... anything you like!

Put it all back in the freezer for another 30 mins to set.


Take it out, cut into squares and serve. 

Best kept refrigerated.

Enjoy!

Bee xx

RECIPE | Mostly Raw Soba Noodle Salad

This Asian inspired salad takes about 15 minutes to whip up. Delicious on it's own or great as a side dish.

Serves 2 as main meal or 4 as a small side 

Salad Ingredients
1 packet organic soba noodles (I used 2/3rds of the packet) – cook according to packet until al dente then leave to drain and cool
1 punnet/ handful cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 zucchinis grated
1 carrot grated
1 long red chilli, seeds removed and deveined, sliced thin
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Handful of fresh mint chopped fine
Handful of fresh coriander chopped fine

Dressing Ingredients:
½ lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold-pressed seasame oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon raw honey

Directions:
Prepare ingredients as noted above.
Mix all dressing ingredients together in a bowl except sesame seeds
Mix all salad ingredients together in large bowl, mix in the cooled noodles then mix through dressing ingredients
Top with sesame seeds

Enjoy!

Bee xx

RECIPE | Antioxidant Power Smoothie!

This smoothie is one of my favourites! So tasty! Great for summer coming up too! You can freeze this to make iceblocks too which the kids will love!

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut water
Half cup frozen organic blueberries
Half cup frozen organic strawberries
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 banana

Blend all ingredients together and top with Goji berries!

Enjoy

Bee xx

Basic Homemade Sauerkraut

To very briefly explain why you should try this (a part from it being tasty) is because it is a very inexpensive way to increase your probiotic intake. We all know probiotics are beneficial to gut health and the gut is responsible for so much in keeping us feeling good - so why not feed it with good bacteria! The store bought sauerkraut is not as good for you because it has been pasteurised (meaning it no longer contains all of the beneficial bacteria & enzymes) and it contains way too much salt! And why buy it when you can make so much of it for under $2!


How does cabbage ferment? The lactic acid found in cabbage eats away at the natural sugars causing fermentation. I found some great information on the livestrong website if you would like to read further about the benefits of sauerkraut and what good bacteria it contains click here http://www.livestrong.com/article/413921-does-sauerkraut-have-all-the-probiotics-i-need/.

Don't be turned off by the long list below - it really is super simple.

What you will need

Jars to store sauerkraut
A big mixing bowl
Knife or mandoline to shred cabbage
A wooden spoon or rolling pin
Cooler bag (I just use a cheap, thin one from the supermarket)

 Ingredients
-1 organic cabbage (must be organic or chemical free, the chemicals and pesticides will harm the good bacteria trying to grow while in the fermenting stage)
-1 teaspoon sea salt (I only use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, but just use whatever you have on hand if you don’t want to buy any)
-Save all of the outer leaves of the cabbage – wash them well

Directions
-First wash everything the cabbage will be touching (including your hands) such as the mixing bowl and the jars you will be storing the sauerkraut in. I use small mason jars but anything with an airlock lid is fine. I wash them in warm soapy water, rinse them and then pour boiling hot water from the kettle all over them to make sure they are sterilised. Pour boiling hot water from the kettle all over the end of the wooden spoon to sterilise; you will be using this to pack in the cabbage-Wash cabbage in filtered water
-Shred or slice the cabbage as thin as possible (this is where a mandoline is great! If you don’t have one though just use a knife)
-Put all of the cabbage in the mixing bowl and pour in half of the salt.
-Crush and mix all the cabbage with your hands (it is quite therapeutic). It will begin releasing some of the water, and then add the remaining salt and keep crushing for a couple of minutes until is the cabbage is soft
-You are now ready to pack the cabbage into your jars
-With your hands, stuff the jars inch by inch with cabbage, every now and then use the end of the wooden spoon to pack it in really tight so there is no space, and continue doing this until you reach about an inch before the top of the jar
-Fill the jars with filtered or spring water to just above the packed in cabbage
-Once you have done this with all of your jars, roll the outer leaves of cabbage that you saved and put on top of shredded cabbage to create a layer between that and the lid. This will help to keep the shredded cabbage submerged in the water (this will help prevent mould from forming)
-Close the lids tight and put all of the jars in your cooler bag, if you don’t have a cooler bag just put in a plastic bag. Some people like to place a plate with weights on top of the jars, I don’t think this is necessary.
-Now it is time to store your sauerkraut to let all of the fun fermentation begin! I store mine in the garage in the cooler bag for 5 days, then transfer to the fridge to enjoy! It lasts for about a month in the fridge.

When the weather is warm, it might be ready after only 3 days so just keep checking on it. Or it might take longer if it is cooler – up to 10 days. You will know is ready when lots of little bubbles form around the jars and the cabbage looks a bit lighter in colour. You can taste it along the way if you want to, it will taste slightly pickled and tangy.

Once it is ready, sometimes the top layer of cabbage (the rolled outer layer) will form a few holes or mould, this is not harmful (as long as you can’t see any in the rest of the jar). Mould sometimes forms on the parts that are not submerged in water - you can just take this off and throw it away.

The sauerkraut should taste tangy but not sour or yeasty at all. If it tastes mouldy or you think something is off – probably best not to eat it.

It is normal for some of the water to bubble up and come out of the lid. This happens during fermentation when the bubbles are forming. This is why I like using a cooler bag as it keeps everything in. Once the sauerkraut is ready to transfer to the fridge you can just pour a little of the water out when you take off the top layers of outer cabbage leaves.
Store for up to a month in the refrigerator and enjoy! I have it most days, a little before lunch or with lunch and then a spoonful or two before dinner. :-)

I will do another post about creating different flavours and different cultured vegetables but this is just a good place to start if you have never done it before. :-)

TIP – If you aren’t a fan of the taste of sauerkraut, you can just add a tablespoon or two on top of your salads. You will get used to the tangy taste and soon enough you will probably crave it like I do. Stay tuned for my next post on flavoured sauerkraut. You can experiment with different flavours like adding garlic, chilli, caraway seeds- anything really – the possibilities are endless. Let me know if you have any recommendations for a different flavour that I should try.

TIP - You can open the lid every day to let out some of the gasses, this helps to prevent it from bubbling out of the jar. You don't have to do this but it makes it a lot less messy! :)

Enjoy!

Bee xx