food for thought

So earlier in the week, the article How Green Smoothies Can Devastate Your Health (which I touched on here), went viral. Now, Green Smoothies Blog has responded with this post. It's a really interesting read and, if anything, shows us just how little we know (or how much we can often get wrong) about nutrition and disease. What I take away from these kinds of articles is that we just can't escape the hard-hitting facts.

Today's (not so) green smoothie: banana, blueberries,  spinach, lemon and chia seeds.

Since I read The China Study (the best book in the world!) I've become so interested in the scientific side of health and nutrition. I recommend this book to anyone who is remotely interested in taking control of their own health, and especially anyone affected by disease. It's a game-changer. And really, these days, who doesn't know someone who is?! My copy is getting loved over and over again, and that in itself makes me happy. I love spreading the word.

And seeing articles like these remind me that there is no "right" answer or "perfect" way to live. But doing whatever you do consciously makes a hell of a lot of difference.

finger food: delicious and nutritious

There is nothing more child-friendly than finger food, and nothing more fickle than the child for whom the finger food is made. Noah's preferences change on a daily basis and he never likes the same thing more than two days in a row, if he has decided that he likes it at all. So I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes to make, and the Millet Muffins from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Every Day have been a winner (so far).

Here is my adapted recipe:

280g wholemeal flour
60g raw millet
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb
Pinch celtic sea salt
225g natural yoghurt
2 eggs, beaten
120g unsalted butter, melted
175g honey

Whisk together the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then add the wet mixture to the dry bowl and mix until it has just comes together. Divide equally into a 12-hole tin and bake for 15 mins at 200C.

The original recipe also includes lemon juice and zest, which I left out of half of the mixture just in case, but he didn't seem to have a preference either way. This is a really great base recipe and not overly sweet. I think it'll be delicious with some added fruit next time.

my life: the weekend edition

You know how we all have that one month in which every occasion seems to fall? May is that for me, so this weekend was a busy one. Rob and I celebrated our seven-year anniversary on Saturday, plus it was my mum's birthday on Sunday. Happy days!

my fashion: I was feeling a little bit fancy (and absolutely freezing as well, might I add) so it was time to pull out the (faux) fur.

I just love this one, which I picked up at the Avalon market day a couple of years back. Also loving these boots which were an absolute steal from Target, but are already dirty from one-too-many days spent at the local park.

my food: We went to St Malo Bakery for breakfast on Saturday. The food there is soooo good, and I just love looking through the sweets cabinet. You can see the chefs baking out the back and the breads are all organic - bonus!

Rob had the Breakfast of Kings as usual (basically breakfast with the lot) and I treated myself to the Brioche french toast. Seriously, if you live in Sydney, this place is worth visiting!

my family: In between all the celebrations there wasn't time for much else although I did manage to squeeze in a walk from Manly to Shelley Beach - beautiful!

We also moved some furniture around the house to accommodate our new couch. Scout is now mourning the days that she was allowed to sit up there with us. To be fair, she is now allowed to sleep on the rug! Ahhhh kids...

Now all I need is another weekend to unwind from this one.

everything in moderation: moderation is everything!

As much as I am an advocate for living a healthy lifestyle, I am most definitely not one to impose rules or restrict myself - where's the fun in that? I like to make the healthiest choices possible the majority of the time, but there is always room to move.

Reading this article on How Green Smoothies Can Devastate Your Health kinda puts it all in perspective. Who would've thought that you can be too healthy - that you can eat too many greens and have it work against you?! It sounds like crazy talk! If anything, an article like this promotes the importance of moderation and I love that. So for the sake of protecting our health, let's not forget to go easy on ourselves. Moderation is everything - so would someone please pass me the dark chocolate?!

bringing up baby

A good friend of mine and one of my earth-mother inspirations sent me this link last week: The Attachement Parenting Paradox. We both have such similar views on raising children, so I was nodding my head in agreement as I was reading. . Couldn't have said it better if I tried, so I won't. This is my favourite quote:

Followed by:

Word.