All posts by Rachel

Gut health, Real Food

Carby Girl

Hiya, it’s Kayla Kumara, celebrated producer of the ‘fictitious’ – we only exist in Rach’s musical imagination – fibre-celebrating band, ‘Flour Power’. Yesterday, we gave our first performance and it received so many carbohydrate-appreciating giggles that we’re following it up with an encore.

A personalised shout-out to our glorious groupie, Lana, who requested we take a trip back to the 90’s with an iconic Aqua spin-off that we’ve aptly named ‘Carby Girl’. We’ll let you figure out what the original was called, but here’s a hint; perky plastic breasts.

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Real Food

Don’t Stop, Carb Eating

Howdy friends, my name is Riley Rice, lead vocalist for the fictitious band ‘Flour Power’. On guitar we have Borris Buckwheat, Drums is Peter Potato and our epic producer is Kayla Kumara.

We are on a mission to silence the carby skeptics whilst celebrating the merits of saccharides, starch and fibre. Actually Rach is on a mission, but she sensed that you’d be far more entertained if we championed her message with our musical flare. Flour Power!

Continue reading Don’t Stop, Carb Eating →
Gut health, Periods, Poo & A Glorious You

Gut Busters

Faced with a gut myth and don’t know where to turn? Who you gonna call? Gut busters!

Last week I invited Ginger on to set us straight about her spicy merits and today, we are lucky enough to be joined by Connor Colon from Gut Busters (a.k.a your colon – the distal end of your digestive tract). Connor is going to bust 3 common myths about gut health so we can all rest easy and save our pennies in the process.

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Foodgasm Spotlight

Foodgasm Spotlight: Ginger

I am currently obsessed with ginger. So besotted by this spicy root that I am eating her raw off the knob. Dirty stuff, right?

I’m a redhead. In other words, a ginger nut. On an auburn level does this make me a cannibal? Hmm, a hairy dilemma indeed. I digress.

I could rave for days about how amazing raw ginger tastes with raisins and peanut butter or how when you put her in your mouth at the same time as roasted sweet potato and creamy almond butter you land yourself in a ‘foodie dream team’ version of heaven.

But I’ll do you one better. I’ve invited Miss Ginger Root herself on to talk about why she’s so fabulous. Welcome Ginger.

Continue reading Foodgasm Spotlight: Ginger →
Genuine Reads For Genuine People

Yoga – A Healing Feeling

I originally wrote this post for The Energy Healing Magazine but I like to be efficient with my writing time so I’m publishing it here as well.

“I’d love to try yoga but …”

“I’m not flexible”

“I’m not a ‘yoga’ person”

“I’m no good at meditating”

“I’m too self-conscious, everyone will laugh at me?”

As a yoga teacher, these are the most common responses I get when people are hesitant to give yoga a whirl. It’s such a shame, as honestly, it’s those who are stiff as a board, ‘highly strung’ and self-deprecating who can benefit from yoga the most.

I’m going to be honest with you, yoga is not about flexibility.

Or being a ‘zen’ person (what does that even mean, anyway?).

And trust me, no one is good at meditating when they start. How can they be? We live in a world that expects us to be ‘on’ and available 24/7.

That’s the beauty of yoga. It’s not about looking good.

It’s about feeling good.

And there’s few feelings more pleasant than being well and truly ‘yoga-stoned’. Best of all, it’s a mellow high that is totally legal. A side effect of your own neurotransmitters.

You, my friend, have the power to stretch your way to a state of calm.

No pricey pills or promising powders. Or apps, mountains of self-help reading or an overseas trip to a fancy schmancy wellness retreat. Just you, a mat and (at the least the first few times) a nurturing instructor to show you the way.

Where do you start?

Right where you are. Well, not literally. If you’re reading from the loo, hold off a second.

Toilet jokes aside, starting begins with showing up – preferably to a beginner’s class, or one where the teacher offers various levels so you can start at your own pace.

If you can’t touch your toes, bend your legs. If you can’t get your feet flat in a squat, lift those heals. If your hips feel tight, you’re normal. Everyone – even those who practise yoga daily – have tight hips. It’s a trademark of modern living. Repeat after me; “yoga isn’t about what I look like, it’s how I feel that counts”. Then ask yourself, “does this feel good?”. If yes, stay. If no, adjust. If you have questions, ask your instructor at the end of the class and don’t be shy about it. Believe me, when it comes to yoga, there’s no such thing as a daft question.

Because truthfully, as far as the asanas (yoga poses) go, they’re just glorified stretches. Their purpose is to prepare the mind and body for meditation. And meditation is simply designed to give the mind a break from the waking world. Meditation is sleep for the mind.

Put to you like that, it doesn’t sound so intimidating, does it?

Even still, it can take some time to get used to meditating. To stopping. And sitting (or lying down on your back). And giving yourself time.

Time to notice the breath. The body melting into the floor. Everything – even the flesh on the face – soften. The electricity in the body. The tingles, pulses, shivers and beats. Then a thought comes in, so, you remind yourself to come back to the breath. And the body melting into the floor. And the flesh on the face and … another thought comes in. And again, you come back to the breath.

Thought.

Inhale. Exhale. Thought.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. “I’m getting the hang of this”. Thought. Dammit!

It’s okay. Humans have thinking minds by default. Just like babies learn to walk, in time we learn to release attachment to thoughts and the emotions that they arouse so that there’s room for the ideas and inspirations we otherwise don’t create space for.

And that’s why we come back to the breath. It’s not because thinking is ‘bad’. It’s too give our energy a chance to reset and our minds somewhere to go in the interim. And hopefully, after fifty or so minutes of asana, the body will feel (not look, feel) relaxed enough to do so.

Come yoga with us. We can’t all touch our toes. We still feel stress. And get anxious. Very anxious. Our family members will be the first to tell you that behind closed doors, we too can behave ‘highly strung’.

That’s why we show up for yoga. To use stretching as a tool to relax the body and prepare the mind for the 10 minutes in our week where, with any luck, we’ll manage to score, at the very least, a few moments, of complete serenity.

Yoga is an ancient tool that helps us survive the modern day.

Egg-Free Recipes, Gall-Bladder-Friendly Recipes, Light Meals/Side Dishes, Real Food, Refined-Sugar-Free Recipes, Vegan, Vegan Recipes

Calm The Fark Down Porridge Bowl

If this bowl of;

  • poo pushing
  • nerve-calming
  • veggie-full
  • salted caramel
  • blood sugar balancing

GOODNESS could talk, it would say;

“Calm the FARK down”

– Sincerely, your porridge bowl

Let’s briefly talk ingredients;

  • Wheat-free oats – poo-evacuating roughage for the win
  • Cauliflower – sneaky veg for liver-loving measure
  • Tahini – calcium-rich creaminess
  • Medjool dates – sweetness with dump-persuading fibre
  • Cinnamon – to balance blood sugar
  • Maca – stress-modulating caramel powder
  • Banana – magnesium-rich and shaped like a glorious poo
  • Salted Macadamia butter – bowel-lubricating fats and minerals

And now, for the recipe. I shan’t waste your time with loads of pictures, embedded adds and ramblings about why vitamins are amazing and pooing is essential. YOU KNOW THIS.

Calm The F A R K Down Porridge Bowl

  • 1/3 cup wheat-free oats
  • 1 heaped Tablespoons tahini
  • 2 pitted Medjool dates
  • 1 cup steamed cauliflower blended with 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon maca powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ripe banana, to serve
  • 1 massive (and I mean mega) spoon FULL of salted macadamia butter (for those that don’t take things literally, this is macadamia butter that has been spiked with pink or sea salt)

Place your cauliflower liquid in a saucepan with oats and dates. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer until thick, soft and creamy. Try breaking your dates up with the mixing spoon. Turn off the heat and add stir through maca, cinnamon and tahini.

Serve with your ripe banana which you were thoughtful enough to slice up and that generous (AND I MEAN GENEROUS) dollop of salted macadamia butter. If you like crunch like yours truly, add a handful of roasted cashews to the top! Yumbo Jumbo! Now, retreat outside to the sunshine with a glorious read – I know of one if you’re looking – and calm the F A R K down so that you can rest and digest!

Foodgasm Spotlight

Foodgasm Spotlight: Inca Inchi Seeds

Inca Inchi seeds are one of my top foodie picks – both taste and bang-for-my-nutritional-buck wise.

They taste similar to roasted peanuts, contain brain-boosting, skin loving omega-3 fatty acids and are a complete source of veggie protein! Oh, and they’re so rich in fibre that my bowels love them JUST AS much as my heart and taste buds do.

Most people’s response when I tell them about my dreamy Inca Inchi and Peanut Butter spread is “Inca What?”. Allow this post to fill the Inca Inchi void that you didn’t even realise you had.

Let’s make this post a platonic quickie

Here’s what Inca Inchi Seeds can do for y’all;

I love generously (lay it on thick) dolloping Inca Inchi seed butter on steamed pumpkin seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and scattering this magical bowl with toasted cashews and peanuts! It’s got everything that is dandy in the foodgasm world; crunch, creaminess, sweetness, saltiness and a hit of spice.

I also love the option above but served on a bed of steamed cruciferous veggies (think broccoli, cauliflower or Brussels) dressed with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and turmeric. I then mix everything together and holy effing moly. No words can do this heaven justice!

Inca Inchi Seed Butter also tastes amazing smothered on my favourite fruit bread. This is one combo that should be on every foodie bucket list. Plus you get to support small, local business along the way. That’s like good karma bonus points.

Inca Inchi and Peanut Butter

1 packet Inca Inchi Seeds

1 1/2 cups plain, unsalted peanuts

Add seeds and nuts to a powerful high speed blender (I love my Vitamix) and whizz on high, using the tamper to push the seedy, nutty goodness into the blades. Keep churning until a smooth, buttery paste forms. Turn off machine and relocate contents into a recycled glass jar. Have fun licking the tamper and ‘cleaning’ the dregs from the blender with a long spoon and your mouth. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. If you’re anything like me this batch will only last a week – if that.

Want more magic, foodgasms and love for all things nut butter? Why not adopt my whimsical book baby; Periods, Poo & A Glorious You? She will charm, inspire, humour and adore you!

Foodgasm Spotlight

Foodgasm Spotlight: Raw Cacao Powder

Raw Cacao Powder is poo-coloured fairy dust from the taste bud Gods. Or at least this is how I describe it. Rich, versatile and deep nutritious, I thought everyone knew about raw cacao – the less processed version of cocoa powder. It is the dried ‘cake’ leftover when cacao butter is extracted from cacao beans. Essentially it’s all the goodness from the cacao bean, minus the fat. Not that cacao fat isn’t glorious, but it is rich, and sometimes we want to combine cacao powder with alternate fats like avocado, coconut, nuts and seeds.

Continue reading Foodgasm Spotlight: Raw Cacao Powder →