the quickest, most delicious dinner you will ever make.

It's getting to that time in the semester - the end is in sight, your stress level is through the roof and you don't have time to make something elaborate.   You want something fresh, simple and that will take that five minutes you have spare to smash something delicious together... enter your new superhero!  The lettuce leaf tempeh taco!

You will need:
1 big Cos Lettuce
2-3 Tomatoes of your choice
1 large ripe Hass Avocado
1 block of seasoned Tempeh (splash out and grab a good one such as Tallyho Farms Biodynamic Tempeh)
Hommus
Dried Chilli
Bit of Coconut Oil

Cut up tempeh into slices approximately 1cm thick and throw into a pan with the coconut oil over a medium- high heat,  they will cook whilst you prepare your other ingredients so keep an eye on them and give them a shake once in a while.

Wash lettuce and cut into large squares.  lay them flat on plates and squash some avo into the middle of each one.  Slice up tomato and put a couple of slices into each lettuce "taco" on top of the avo.  spread a bit of hommus on top of the tomato and spinkle some chilli flakes.

Next, take your sliced tempeh from the frypan and put a few bits on top of the hommus. 

Wrap up each lettuce leaf and eat - whilst reviewing your lecture notes.

schkinny maninny juice cleanse

I said that things would get more interesting this week and they certainly did.  The lovely folk at Schkinny Maninny got in touch with me and kindly offered a one day juice cleanse for me to try.  People often compliment me on how well I eat and how I must be "super healthy", but I certainly don't brag about my naughty little habits!  I don't declare about my undying love for carbohydrates out loud (hello hot chips and bread!), my desperate need for my morning coffee and my sneaky gluten free cookies I love to snack on when no one is around.  So whilst my diet is generally pretty clean, there is a lot of room for improvement. A one day cleanse to re-calibrate is exactly what I needed.

On Monday,  I woke up and found a supercute little cooler outside my front door.  It contained my juices and soups for the day, as well as a little pack of seeds in case I needed to chew something.

 

The first juice was a super green concoction called the Schkinny Leap Frog.  It contained all of my juice faves including cucumber, kiwi and parsley.  It was very fresh, and gave me lots of energy and was a really good start to my day.  I was feeling pretty pumped and ready to get on with things.  Next up was the Pine Grapple.  It had all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables but all I could taste was the intense ginger.  I initially really struggled with the strong ginger taste of this juice and was a bit sad that I couldn't taste any pineapple, but after a few sips I started to enjoy it.  I was still pretty full from my morning juice so I couldn't quite finish this one.

Finally, Lunch time came around and I have to say,  I started to feel a bit average.  I was hungry and experiencing a nasty detox headache (told you my diet wasn't that clean huh!).  Thankfully it was time for the Lentil Luncheon.  I enjoyed that this was savoury, something different to all of the fruity juices I had been drinking all morning.  It was pretty spicy, and the Lentils were delicious.

My detox headache continued as the day went on, so I tucked myself into bed with my laptop and a DVD for a bit - eventually I had a snooze and woke up at about the right time for my next juice and possibly my surprise favourite for the day,  Fruit Punch!  I felt a lot better after drinking this baby!  It was refreshing, invigorating thanks to the mint and was the afternoon pick me up I really needed.

I spent a bit of time doing some quality lazing about the house and then it was time for the Rockin' Tomato Soup.  This was delicious.  It was creamy due to the chickpeas and full of flavour.  I wasn't gracious in eating this one.  It lasted about two minutes.  I was feeling much better by this stage so I headed out for a walk to clear my head and get my blood moving again.   I had a shower and tucked into the Sleep Well Almond and Brazil Nut Milk which was soothing.  I slept very well and woke up feeling refreshed the next day.

All of the juices and soups are 600ml - so they are pretty filling.  Although I felt like I was "hungry" I think it was more that I wasn't eating solids like I would normally.  I always felt satisfied after I had a juice or a soup.  I certainly feel like I have re-calibrated my digestion and cravings.  On Tuesday,  I just felt like more juice, fresh fruit and I had a mild soup for lunch and this has continued today.  Instead of heading to the biscuit barrel I'm heading for the fruit bowl and making a better choice. 

Although I struggled with the detox headache and lowered energy levels, the results are already worth it.  I feel much healthier, lighter and cleaner on the insides and I'm not craving the carbohydrates and sugar like I normally do.  I feel like the benefits outweigh the negatives by far and I'm already planning on booking in for the 5 day cleanse in early November.

If you get the chance, check out their website www.schkinnymaninny.com.au.  It's full of excellent information.   Thanks to everyone at Schkinny Maninny! x

baby it's (a) cold.

I've been down and out this week with a nasty little cold that I've just managed to shake.  I haven't had a cold in two years, and I forgot how awful they are- the stuffy head, the foggy brain, the runny nose and feeling miserable.  Next time anyone I know has one, I'll certainly show more sympathy now that I have been reminded of how horrible they are.  In the absence of anything exciting happening this week (it's a different story next week!), I've decided to list a few suggestions that helped me through my sniffles.

1.  Cold Tea. 
This horrible tasting concoction helped me a lot. smash up a whole bulb (yes, bulb!) of garlic, and add it to a saucepan with a litre of water, 2-3 inches of ginger, 2 hot chillies and two lemons sliced up.  bring it to the boil and then simmer for ten minutes.  Drain out all of the ingredients, keeping the water obviously.  Pour the liquid into your trusty thermos and add some molasses and agave and sip on it throughout the day.  Be warned, you will smell like garlic, and probably dream about garlic bread but it'll be worth it.

2.  Supplement with Vitamin C and Zinc.
Vitamin C and Zinc are your immune system superheroes! Think of them as the fuel your immune system needs in order to run well.  The level of Vitamin C everyone needs varies, but try to take it three times a day.  I took two zinc tablets at night, away from my other vitamins.

3. Keep Clean.
I felt really gross when I was sick, and found that a couple of things helped.  I stuck to my skin regime, even when I just wanted to crawl into bed.  Keeping my face and hands clean made me feel a lot better.  I wore fresh PJ's every night and kept my hair off my face. It was the little things that helped.

4.  Fresh Juice is your friend.
We purchased a juicer last weekend and it's been my companion whilst I've been down with the cold.  I didn't have much of an appetite so it was great to have an alternative way of getting lots of nutrients into me whilst I was sick.  My favourite was beetroot, apple, ginger, carrot and orange.

5.  Don't be a fool and rest properly.
I think I made my feelings on this one quite clear. No one likes a snotty hero at work or the gym.  stay at home and keep your germs to yourself.

This list is not exhaustive - there are plenty of other things you can do such as drink water, inhale steam etc, but I found that these few things really helped me kick it pretty quickly and get on with a rad weekend.  

On Monday,  I'll be doing a one day juice cleanse, kindly offered up by the lovely people at Schkinny Maninny!  Whilst my diet is generally pretty good,  I love my morning coffee and avo on gluten free toast...I'm nervous about how I'll manage my day (and mood!) without them.  Check back on Wednesday for a full report.