Skincare You Can "Eat" and a Raw Cookie Recipe

I recently organised a little 'party' to showcase an organic, local, and hand-made skincare range which I love, called Vanessa Megan. I invited about ten girls over to have a play with some of the products and hear first-hand from Vanessa why it is so important to feed your skin with natural ingredients instead of all the harsh chemicals found in most products on the market today. Vanessa Megan's motto is: "You should never put anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat." LOVE THAT! Her products are 100% natural and organic, free from mineral oils, SLS's, parabens, PEG's, artificial preservatives and fragrances. Not to mention, they smell and feel divine! The night was lots of fun and very informative. I think it served as a good catalyst for the girls to go home and read the labels on all those (probably expensive!) products in their bathroom cupboards. Also known as the Bathroom Challenge! I did this challenge a few months ago and was completely astounded by how many toxic chemicals and synthetic ingredients were in my beloved beauty regime. When we spray and lather these chemicals on ourselves every day, they undoubtedly seep through our skin (our largest organ) and directly into our bloodstream. I know many of us take such care with what we put in our mouths but few of us think twice about what we are putting on our skin. It's all going to the same place - into the bloodsteam! The first step to a beauty detox is self-education so I would definitely recommend reading labels and checking for the Big 9, as per the Bathroom Challenge. For those other ones you don't know (and probably can barely pronounce!), this cosmetic database is brilliant for searching a product or ingredient and learning about safety ratings and other health information.

Recipes, Lifestyle PracticesStephanie RomeAugust 11, 2013desserts, gluten free, dairy free, paleo, kid-friendly, green beautyComment

Living and Eating Seasonally + Winter Veggie Soup Recipe

Do you feel cold and dried out in winter? Puffy and congested in spring? Overheated and lethargic in summer? If so, listen up!

As I have mentioned before, Ayurveda is all about living in harmony with nature. When we live our lives attuned to nature's rhythms and cycles, there are profound benefits for our health and sense of well being.

Why?

Because our internal landscape mirrors Mother Nature's. This is where paying attention to seasonality becomes important.

Rhubarb and Oat Porridge

Usually rhubarb is inextricable from sugar. Because of it's strong, tart taste, most people try to balance, or mask, this taste with sweetness in the form of white sugar (gasp!), or other sugar alternatives such as honey or maple syrup, when making jams or cooking pies and other desserts. I personally love the tart taste and don't find that this recipe needs sugaring of any kind. See how you go. You can also add a little upon serving, if you feel so inclined.

RecipesStephanie RomeJuly 14, 2013breakfasts, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, fall/winter Comments

Gung-ho Green Smoothie

As implied by the title, this smoothie is not for the faint of heart. If you're just getting into making smoothies, experimenting with superfoods, and toying with the idea of adding vegetables to your breakfast, then perhaps you should hold off on giving this one a go, just for now. Better to ease your way in...and I don't want to be the one responsible for scaring you away. For those of you seasoned smoothie-makers, this green smoothie is particularly awesome because it's fruit-free (meaning, minimal fructose) but still tastes great.

'Shroom Soup

I try to get to the farmer's market every Saturday morning. There is this guy there whose stall is always piled high with all these crazy looking mushrooms. I usually saunter over and have a bit of a gas bag, for no other reason than the fact that I like to tick the box on getting some face time in with the Fungi Man. I often walk away with maybe a handful of white buttons or perhaps some Swiss browns, without delving too far into the array of exotics he has on offer. This was primarily because I had no idea what to do with them...until it dawned on me that I could chuck them in a soup and not have to worry about the optimal cooking method for each variety. So, this past Saturday I got Mr. Mushroom to pack me a brown bag full of a little bit of everything and thus spawned this creamy and delicious mushroom soup.

Creamy Avocado and Cacao Smoothie

This is a smoothie I made on the weekend and put up for all my (50! Getting there...slowly but surely!) 'gram followers. I love experimenting with smoothie ingredients, and Saturday and Sunday mornings are really my only time as it can take a couple of blends to get the right combo. My kitchen cupboard is seriously overflowing with superfoods - every time I read about a new one I have to buy it - so it's just a matter of pairing the right ones together so that the end result doesn't turn into some revolting shade of green-y brown. This one is a winner.

Healing Bone Broth

For anyone who knows me all, he/she is aware of the fact that I am on a fervent quest to heal my gut and sort out my digestion issues. I consider myself a pretty ardent person, so when I want something fixed, I use every tool in my toolbox to make it happen. I have been on this journey for quite some time now. Many stones have been unturned over the years, but I still can’t say with conviction that I have fully solved the mystery of my gastrointestinal tract. Having read many books, engaged in countless hours of personal research, consulted with conventional and alternative medicine doctors and practitioners, and spoken to anyone and everyone who happens upon my war path, I certainly have made some progress and am fairly confident with my theories. A deleterious combination of years on antibiotics and BC pills plus a high sugar / alcohol diet left me with an overgrowth of candida. Candida is actually a fungus (lovely!) which is a form of yeast. Everyone (even those steel gut lucky bastards!) is supposed to have a very small amount of the candida yeast in his/her mouth and intestines. Its job is to aid with digestion and absorption but, when overproduced, candida breaks down the wall of the intestine causing Leaky Gut Syndrome (how delicious does that sound?). In Leaky Gut Sydrome, the “glue” between the cells that line the intestines is destroyed and spaces open up between the cells. With holes in the protective barrier, pieces of undigested food, microbes and toxins are able to slip through and into the body. The immune system responds and attacks these ‘foreign’ invaders causing food sensitivities to develop.

Winter Remedies + Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Whether you're a snow bunny or a sun worshiper, we all feel the effects of the cold, heavy, damp, cloudy weather during winter in our bodies and minds. We spend less time outside getting sun on our skin and more time curled up under blankets in hibernation mode. This is completely natural considering the days are shorter and everything in winter slows down, including our bodies. As a particularly cold and dry person myself, I have to take extra care in winter to avoid further aggravation of these qualities and maintain my health. Even if you find that your body responds well to the colder temps outside, everyone can benefit from keeping an eye on these qualities to prevent colds, flu, sore throats, congestion, and other respiratory problems. The key to health in winter is ensuring the body’s lymphatic and circulatory systems are working efficiently. If you’re feeling a little less-than-awesome, try one or some of these winter remedies:

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