Breakfast, do it right!

Breakfast tips:
So many people skip breakfast, due to the lack of time to prepare it. We miss out on important nutrients by eating unhealthily in the morning. Breakfast gives us the energy to go about our busy day, preventing irregular eating which can contribute to obesity.

Foods high in fibre (e.g. oats) lowers low density lipoprotein (unhealthy) cholesterol levels. This reduces your risk in heart disease. Minimize the intake of dried fruits in commercial muesli, as they are high in sugar. You can do this by halving the amount of dried fruit muesli and increasing the quantity of rolled oats and real fruit.

In order to save time from making breakfast in the morning,  prepare your muesli the day before and place it in the fridge.

Bircher Muesli

 Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup muesli with dried fruit
1 handful of frozen berries (e.g. mixed berries or blueberries)
1 1/2 cups soy milk (e.g. Pureharvest)
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsp natural yoghurt (e.g. Jalna yoghurt or if vegan, Coyo yoghurt)

Warm Muesli version:
Directions: In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the yoghurt. Leave in fridge overnight. In the morning, take the bowl out and warm muesli in a pot over the stove. Top with yoghurt and consume.



 Cold Muesli version:

Directions: In a bowl, combine all ingredients and the yoghurt. Use a spoon to stir the ingredients evenly. Leave the bowl in the fridge overnight. In the morning, consume.

Enjoy!

My Convalescence story

As mentioned in my previous blog post, I was down with a cold and a cough. As a Naturopath I always recommend patients that bed rest is important in recovering from acute sickness. As a cold is a virus, antibiotics do not aid in improving the symptoms. Thus I decided to eat well and sleep. For breakfast everyday, I had rolled oats with soy milk, blueberries and chia seeds.

Day 1 (Friday): I felt a little restless, my mind raced to the future - 'When do I get better? What supplements should I take? I hope I get better by Monday.' The cough was productive and mucus from my nose was flowing like a tap. I rested in bed with a box tissues. I made brown rice porridge for lunch and dinner. It had tomatoes, onions, garlic and cos lettuce. I experimented on different supplements, mainly vitamin C, Andrographis and vitamin D.





Day 2 (Saturday): I decided to go for a walk to the shops to get some chicken for my ginseng chicken soup. Cough was still productive, phlegm was yellow. Started on herbal teas (Peppermint, Licorice, Elderflower and Calendula). Continued with vitamin C and vitamin D

Day 3 (Sunday): I had to meet a friend for a bowen therapy exchange. She worked on my lymph nodes which helped in reducing my flu-like symptoms. Simple porridge with vegetables and egg for lunch. Ginseng chicken soup for dinner. Continued with herbal teas, vitamin C and D. Added Horseradish and garlic tablets. Mood: Feeling a little fatigued from the day out, want to get better soon.

Day 4 (Monday): Woke up feeling much better, mucus dried up considerably. Had an occasional need to blow my nose. Cough is less productive, phlegm clear to yellow. Feeling 70% better. Continued with the herbal teas and supplements I was taking. Egg, garlic and onion porridge for lunch. Broccoli with steamed egg and rice for dinner.

My thoughts:
The convalescence experience was an interesting one. I do not fall sick often (usually once a year). This is the first time the cold virus hit me hard. I was more aware of my body and the sensations I felt when I took certain remedies. It was a positive experience, I feel blessed  as I had so much time for myself. It was  empowering to just rest and let the body heal.

Resting for 4 days is not possible for many people, as they have work commitments or school. This experience reaffirms my belief that health is wealth.

To your health
Sylvia

Ginseng Chicken Soup

Winter is the most 'Yin' time of the year. Yin refers to cold, as opposed to Yang (warm). As a Yin constitution, winter is the worst time for me. I get chilblains (cold feet) and I am unfortunately down with a cold and cough. This is a wonderful winter remedy that I cook when I'm unwell.

Ingredients:
1 chicken thigh, bones intact. Remove most of the chicken skin, except skin on the drumstick
4 thick slices of ginger
Ginseng soup pack (bought from Asian grocer) Mine has panax ginseng, chinese yam, lycium and codonopsis. Avoid ginseng packs that come with a msg flavoured cloth bag and those that have astragalus in it. Astragalus is to be avoided in acute colds/sickness.
2.5-3 litres of filtered water
1 tbsp tamari sauce
Dash of pepper
Dried rice vermicelli (enough for 1)





To cook:
Bring water to boil in a huge pot. Wash the herbs (dried herbs and fresh ginger slices) thoroughly and place into boiling water. Turn stove fire to medium and cook for 1 hour. Place the chicken thigh in the pot and cook for another 2 hours. Add tamari and pepper. Check the pot to make sure there is enough water. Top water when necessary. Turn off the stove fire once cooking is done..

To cook the rice vermicelli, scoop enough soup to cook it in a separate, smaller pot. Bring soup to boil and add rice vermicelli. Cook for 10 mins. Turn off the stove fire. I cook the rice noodles separately as they tend to absorb the soup quickly.

To serve:
Scoop chicken thigh in a huge bowl. Consume with noodles in a separate bowl.

Fennel, leek and potato soup

 Fantastic fennel. I'm a newbie to fennel and I enjoy experimenting on different foods. I already knew what to do with the fennel bulb, however I wasn't sure what to do with the fennel fronds.

I experimented on using fennel fronds with different foods, on beef stews, soups and fish. I found that the leaves had an anise-like flavour which suits seasoning fish and vegetable soups.

Storage was tricky. It did not have a long shelf life compared to the bulbs. I separated the leaves and wrapped them with newspaper and it kept in the fridge for a good 2 weeks. 

Seasoning fish with freshly chopped fennel fronds

Fennel, leek and potato soup

Recipe for Fennel, leek and potato soup
Serves 4-5

4 medium organic potatoes, chopped to cubes
1 large organic leek, washed and sliced thin (white part only, green leaves can be used in a beef stew)
2 tiny bulbs of fennel, sliced thin
1 white onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp butter
2 litres filtered water
200mls coconut milk
1 pinch pepper
1 pinch sea salt
2 tbsp Massel chicken stock powder
Some fennel fronds, chop fine




In a huge pot, heat and add the butter. Toss in the onion, fennel and leek. Allow the vegetables to wilt slightly for 5-6mins on medium heat. Stir occasionally. Add the water, stock powder, potatoes, pepper and salt. Bring to boil for 15-20 mins. Simmer for 10 mins. Stir in the coconut milk.Turn off the stove fire.

Pour 1/4 the soup into a blender, blend at high speed. Pour soup into bowls and season with pepper and fennel fronds. Repeat the blending process for the rest of the soup. Enjoy!

Parsnip chips

 The humble parsnip is making its comeback, a welcome presence in my Ceres organic fruit and vegetable box. The first time when I encountered parsnips, I tried cooking them in a stew - which was not a proper way to celebrate the unique flavor of parsnips. They have a sweet, nutty taste and gives off a lemon-like aroma. I have come up with a recipe that brings out the sweetness of parsnips.
Ingredients:
1 huge parnsip, skin peeled
1 tsp paprika
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 pinch of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon tamari sauce
1 pinch each of dried parsley flakes and thyme
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic, skin peeled
Juice of 1/4 a lemon

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees.
Cut the parsnip into slices, like chips.
Heat the pan, melt all the butter in the pan. Toss in the parsnips. Let the parsnips brown on both sides for 6 mins.

On a baking tray, line it with baking paper. Place all the parsnips in the middle of the baking tray. Add salt, pepper, tamari sauce, paprika and dried herbs. Mix everything evenly with a spoon.

Place baking tray into the oven to bake for 20 mins.







Quick, simple gluacamole:
 Cut open a ripe avocado. Remove the seed. Scoop out flesh with a spoon into a blender. Add lemon juice and a dash of filtered water. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and 1 clove garlic. Blend in high speed. Dish the gluacamole on a plate and sprinkle some paprika powder on top.

Once chips are done, take them out the oven and place on your plate. Enjoy!

Oestrogen clearing soup

What is oestrogen? Oestrogen is responsible for feminisation of the skeleton, female pattern body fat, bone health and cardiovascular health. In excess, it is linked to certain female reproductive conditions such as endometriosis and premenstrual syndrome with anxiety dominance (PMS-A). Symptoms of PMS A include irritability, anxiety and feeling more emotional during/before your menstrual cycle.

Oestrogen excess can be due to poor dietary factors (high sugar, inflammatory diets), stress, lifestyle, etc. Circulating oestrogens require the liver to process and excrete them through phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification pathways.

Cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) are high in indole 3 carbinol - useful in aiding the liver in detoxification of excess oestrogens.

When preparing cruciferous vegetables, it is important to choose organic produce. This is because the surface area of broccoli and cauliflower absorb pesticides readily. If it is not possible to purchase organic produce, soak your broccoli and cauliflower with in your plugged sink with 1 part white vinegar and 4 parts water for 5-10mins. Give it good wash under running water.

Oestrogen clearing soup, serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 organic cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces 
1 organic broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 organic carrot, sliced with skin on (nutrients are in the skin too. Remove skin if carrot is non organic)
1 litre - 1 and 1/2 litres of filtered water
A sprinkle of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Massel 'chicken' stock powder / 1 Massel stock cube
2 tablespoons tamari sauce
Fennel fronds/fresh dill 
2 tablespoons organic cold pressed flaxseed oil



In a pot, bring water to boil and place the vegetables, tamari, salt and pepper. Boil for 10 mins and bring fire to a low to simmer for another 5-10 mins. Gently stir the soup. You're done. Scoop half the soup into a blender and blend high. Pour the soup into 1-2 bowls. On your chopping board, there would be spare raw cauliflower florets. Sprinkle some on top of the soup. Chop up fresh fennel fronds (anise like flavour) or dill and sprinkle on top. Finally, add 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil.

Blend the other half of the soup in the blender. Serve and top with ingredients as mentioned. Enjoy!

Room temperature Smoothies

As we move towards Winter in Australia - the idea of a cold smoothie loses its appeal. Room temperature smoothies are easier to consume, especially when you are a cold constitution. I got up from a cold winter night of 9 degrees. I wanted a smoothie in the morning and I decided to blog about how to make room temperature smoothies.

Use fruit in season that ripens slowly at room temperature. Examples include kiwi, avocado and bananas.
Avoid the use of cold liquids e.g. chilled soy/rice milk.
Use freshly grated ginger/juiced ginger to add a heat in your smoothies.
Stick to room temperature filtered water.

Be creative, experiment on different fruits and ingredients.


Room temperature Avocado & Honey smoothie with goji berries

Ingredients:
1 ripe organic avocado (use your thumb to press on the skin, it should sink in when it's ripe)
3 tsp raw honey
250-300ml filtered water
5-6 dried goji berries
1 tbsp rolled oats

Cut open the avocado, remove the seed. Use a spoon to scoop the avocado into the blender. Add honey and water. Blend at high speed.

In an empty glass, add 1 tbsp of rolled oats at the bottom. You can also add fresh fruit instead, e.g. banana/freshly cut apple slices. Pour avocado smoothie. Sprinkle goji berries on top. Consume.